The Wolfing Way (Lifting the Veil) (11 page)

Finally, Rafe’s body stiffened, suspended at the plunge into the blissful abyss of climax, and his whole body stood rigid, except for his face that went lax as Kris felt the hot splash of his mate’s spunk fill him inside. A lycan could not have contracted an STD, so Kris got his first—but certainly not his last—experience with riding bareback. And fuck, it was awesome, he relished in the grips of the heated wet sensations within.

A limp heap of torso and limbs landed on top of Kris all hot and sweaty, and he loved it. Gathering Kris into his quivering arms and nuzzling into his neck, Rafe growled again—and then Kris shouted, muffled, when fierce fangs pierced the skin of his neck deep into the flesh beneath, and the smell of blood hung heavy and thick in the air again. It was a tearing, shearing kind of pain that caused his body to shake uncontrollably, and faintly he tried to fight back, struggling with his exhausted limbs, flailing around—and failing. Rafe was too strong and too heavy.

And just as suddenly, the pain disappeared—and a pleasure so thorough and ecstatic it was a kind of physical, emotional, and spiritual rapture all in one took hold of Kris, ravishing him within an inch of his life. His euphoric body clung to Rafe as though his mate was a life preserver and Kris was drowning in the tide pulling him down under.

With a roar, Rafe released him, bellowing akin to wild beasts, and Kris shivered, in his weakened condition unable to lift a finger or to move a toe. Boneless, sated, and floating, Kris felt his head swirling with the pleasurable waves that sex with his mate had created. Panting helplessly, Kris closed his eyes and just let the sensations wash over him.

He didn’t even notice he was falling asleep.

R
AFE
, however, observed his mate nodding off peacefully, like a child after an exciting game. Flopping onto his side and then onto his back, he regained his balanced breathing—but his head returned from the wonderful sexual experience, too, to clobber him with the knowledge of what he had to do to keep his mate safe.

Covering his face and eyes with his hands, Rafe silently sobbed, feeling more alone than he ever had in his entire life. No one else could solve this problem but him—and the solution would kill him inside.

The survival-fitted part of him spoke rationally to tell him that he could still have sex with any man he wanted—just not his mate. He was a man, after all. He’d be able to forget his heart in favor of the primal urges of his cock, and he didn’t have to resort to celibacy to forget Kris during the split second of orgasm with another man. One sexy and gorgeous male body was just like another, right? Men weren’t built for monogamy, his reasonable side reminded him assertively, and he forced himself to listen.
Sure, you’ll miss Kris, but you’ll get over it in the arms of another tight hot bod
.

Getting out of bed slowly and quietly, sparing a glance at Kris sprawled out spread-eagle in his bed, the sheets in a bundle around him, Rafe made his way to the windowed corner where his altar of meditation was. Not daring to light the candles or incense, he knelt on the pillow and began his breathing exercises, banishing any and all thoughts of his lover and companion left alone in the bed behind him.

Inhales and exhales followed each other, from deep in his belly, filling and emptying his lungs, in through his nose and out through his mouth. Again and again Rafe repeated the procedure, silencing the raging current of images of Kris bleeding, beaten, and dying in his arms. It took all the decades of training for him to focus on the simple bodily function of breathing that normally came so easily to him. Tonight there was no rest for him—no respite for his feverishly frightened mind or for his exhausted physical self that was already aching with the foreknowledge of sacrificing his future happiness with his mate for his mate’s future safety.

Then Kris stirred in his sleep, moving onto his side, humming in his sleep. And Rafe’s eyes flew open, and the pain refilled him, like something concrete, ice-cold, and alien. His serenity gone, Rafe curled into a ball over his knees, and silently cried out, his body racked in shudders.

Fuck, he’d never survive tomorrow.

Chapter Six

“I’
M
CONFIDENT
we can come to an equitable arrangement on the mate price,” Daniel King said, seated straight-back at the head of the dining table that served as a conference table too.

“What do you mean by…
mate price
?” Isaiah asked, irked, his grayish eyes flashing as he readjusted his stance on his stool, clearly edging for a fight.

“What happened to the wolfie woman from last night?” Kris interjected quickly to prevent a scene—or a brawl against lycans—that Isaiah had zero chance of winning.

Gabriel, the eldest brother, darker and beefier than Rafe, leaned forward to say in a low rumbling voice, “The sheriff’s men took her to the hospital. She was badly injured. Once she’s out of the woods, she’ll land in jail. She’s being charged with trespassing, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder. But since she’s clearly off her rocker, she’s probably going to spend the entirety of her sentence confined to a straitjacket.” Glancing hesitantly at his father, he continued. “She did threaten to go to the press about the King family if she wasn’t allowed to mate with one of us brothers. But since she’s so evidently insane, it’s just an idle, meaningless threat. There is no risk—for you, Kris, or for us. So cast aside your fears.”

“Okay, now that
that
is settled…,” Isaiah said into the pause, fierce and determined. “What the hell does mate price mean?”

“Your family is giving Kris away,” Daniel King replied coolly, as apparently was his habit and personality, unwavering like a rock. “That is the nature of an arranged marriage. Only it is neither Kris nor Rafe, or either of our families, making the choice of mating, but greater forces.”

“There is an engagement period,” Gabriel cut in, conciliatory.

Isaiah shook his head. “But they’ve already had sex, so doesn’t that mean that they’re already an item?” Wishing to possess the ability to sink into the ground, Kris slid down in his chair, embarrassed that the whole household seemed to be privy to his intimacy with Rafe last night. It wasn’t that he was ashamed that people knew, but he did care because it was supposed to be private and no one else’s business. Yes, this mating—this arranged-by-the-universe bonding—did involve other people too, but still…. Ultimately it was about Kris and Rafe, just the two of them—and everyone else could go jump off a bridge, for all he cared.

“Yes,” Daniel King confirmed with a curt nod. “Technically, if their relationship has been consummated and a claiming has occurred through biting, then the mating cannot be undone.” Turning to Kris, he resumed. “You’re an educated young man with scholarly pursuits. I’m sure you have done your research concerning mate price.”

“Yes, sir,” Kris responded.

Speaking to Isaiah and to Kris’s parents, Daniel explained shortly, “Mate price is intended for the immediate family of the person being given away as a mate to someone from the Unseen world. It’s especially customary for us lycans, who mate for life. We will negotiate a proper amount, money, land, whatever, to be paid by the groom’s family—us—to you, so that—”

“Whoa, back up, buddy,” Isaiah called out, steaming mad, putting both his hands up in a furious mannerism, and his tone rose to an alarming high. “Kris is
not
the woman.”

“No one is saying that,” Gabriel said with a practiced mediation approach. “It’s just traditional wording concerning a role that was initially and historically assigned to a woman but that no longer applies—”

“But Kris would still have to come live with you—permanently,” Isaiah said, and his eyes flashed a look over at Kris, who felt clearly the sadness of being separated from his family being shared by Isaiah too. “I mean that’s the whole point of the mate price, isn’t it? It’s a monetary compensation for Kris—without you even knowing him. Are we just supposed to tag a price on my brother’s value to us? Forget about this sounding like an arranged marriage—this is more like slave trade.”

“So what if it is—if you get what you want out of it?”

Rafe’s harsh words were met with an astounding silence, and Kris felt like he’d been sucker punched as he stared at the cold, stony gaze of his mate aimed at his brother, remembering how kind and warm those hazel eyes could be.

When the shock waned, however, in a flash he got the gist of his mate’s intentions, and with his head held high, he simply stated, “Fine. I’ll agree to any mate price negotiated in good faith. Looks like you’ve got yourself a mate…
mate
.” Everyone was stunned by his declaration, and when he saw the frightened look on Rafe’s face, Kris knew he’d been right about his assumption about his mate’s motives and sudden change of heart.

“Well, I don’t want you anymore—” Rafe started roughly, but Kris interrupted him impassively but steadfastly.

“Well, tough. I’m claiming you, my mate—and you don’t have a say about it.” Lifting his chin stubbornly, he stared his mate down. “Besides, unless you’ve completely forgotten or put it out of your mind, we have already mated.” Looking at Daniel King, whose surprise had subsided, Kris smiled congenially. “Sir, I should inform you that I spent the better part of the morning googling on your library computer, and there’re bachelor’s and master’s degrees programs available in both theoretical and applied mythology at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.” Yes, he’d remade his plans, and had surprised himself at how little he cared about the loss of all those earlier designs that now seemed like a faraway dream of something unfinished and not thought through. They had been a child’s aspirations. In just a few days, Kris had grown up—along with his dreams.

“U-Dub? My wife’s old alma mater,” Daniel King said with a smile that told Kris that the man was on the same page with him and understood exactly where he was going with this. It felt good to have a like-minded ally.

“I checked, and the car drive over there from the ranch here is only about two to two and a half hours, so it shouldn’t be too long a trip to make every so often.” As Daniel encouraged him to go on with a nod, Kris smiled. “I’ve already sent in my application.”

“Well, I’m sure you will get in, son,” Daniel said approvingly. “I’m sure I haven’t jinxed it for you even if I do say so this early on.”

“I’m sure you won’t… Pa,” Kris replied softly.

A chair was sent backward, clattering on the floor as Rafe stood up fast, and his face was like a storm cloud. “Can I see you in private?” he growled between his gritted teeth, his furious glare directed at Kris, who stared back with his blue eyes and sat in place cool as cucumber. No, he wasn’t about to let his mate do this to him—to them.

“Sure.” And he got up.

W
ANTING
very badly to punch something or someone, Rafe paced his bedroom up and down, glancing at his mate, who stood in front of him, just waiting for him to speak first. Admittedly, Rafe was scared he might physically hurt Kris to get him to understand his position and his point of view—so he kept walking in a small circle and counted to twenty, and then to fifty. Having just about reached one hundred, he stopped, trying to breathe instead of sobbing or shouting.

“I thought you never wanted to—”

“I never said never. I was just unsure, and I do want to now.”

“But you had your whole life and your future all planned out—”

“Plans change. Just like life. It’s fluid, and I simply readjusted my goals.”

“So you don’t care that a social custom equates you with money to your family—”

“The actual mate price is yet to be determined.”

“You don’t mind being just a piece of merchandise—”

“Nope. Fortunately, I’m only worth top dollar to you, so no higher bidders out there.”

“You’d have to tie yourself to the pack, and pack land, and to the ranch, and to me—”

“Already halfway there, and with a little nudge, I’ll be in all the way.”

“What if I forbid you to leave me to go and study at—”

“Just try and tie me down, babe. That’ll be worth a chuckle or two.”

“Damn it, Kris! I don’t want you to get hurt!”

Kris sighed long and deep, and Rafe realized that that had been what his mate had been waiting for. Kris had pulled the wool over his eyes just long enough to get to him to open up and bare his innermost thoughts and fears. Yeah, his mate had totally manipulated him into emotional exposure—and for some indefinable reason that notion of his mate’s ingenuity made him so proud he was practically beaming.
Damn it
.

“I know you’re afraid, Rafe.” Kris stepped closer to him, nearly into his waiting arms that longed to hold his mate and never let go. “That wolfie woman scared me too. But I won’t let some crazy stranger separate me from you—or you from me.” Kris shook his head with determination. “When that horrid dweeb from the NFL first came to our house and told me about you, I was scared and angry and frustrated that I’d never get to make a single free choice again. The idea that I would be with and belong to someone I’d never met frightened me to death.” Smiling ruefully and encouragingly at once, Kris continued more softly, “We can’t live our lives in fear of what might happen, Rafe. Look, I know you’re worried, and I am too. But I won’t let fear rule my life or make my decisions for me for one moment longer. And I hope neither will you.”

“If you go off to school, I can’t protect you.”

Kris shrugged, and Rafe wanted to yell.

“So what? You have Taur security crawling up the woodwork. We’ll figure something out, babe. Don’t be so cynical and despondent.” Suddenly Kris was in his arms, embracing him with his arms wrapped around Rafe’s waist in a manner that suggested he wasn’t about to let go anytime soon, and Rafe hugged his mate back. In one move he let go of his resistance. In the beginning, he’d fought to convince Kris to stay and be his, and he sure as hell couldn’t complain now that he finally got what he wanted—no matter how frightened he was at the possibility of losing him. “I’m glad that I met you, Rafe. I didn’t expect you to walk into my life and turn everything upside down. I had such plans….”