Wolf Bite (9 page)

“You’re talking about Serafina Andre.” Tales of the Delta Crescent Alpha’s rise had been gossip fodder for weeks in Willow Bend. Serafina’s father had ruled the pack and had been much revered and respected, even from afar. His death had been a cause for mourning and, while the child of an Alpha didn’t automatically inherit, Serafina was one of the dominants that banded around her father in his last days. After his death, she’d ultimately beaten every challenger.

“Yes.” Was that a hint of a smile in his voice? She wanted to look up and see, but she didn’t dare interrupt him as long as he was in a sharing mood. He hadn’t yet gotten to the Lone Wolf part.

“So that’s natural and violent. What about surrender?”

Mason sighed. “Some Alphas recognize when the time has come for them. Perhaps they are tired of leading or their leadership has not helped the pack or any of a number of other reasons. They may handpick a trusted second to challenge them. They fight, the Alpha submits, surrendering their control of the pack.”

“And the challenger doesn’t kill the old Alpha?”

“Usually. The surrender is enough for the pack. Sometimes out of kindness, if the older Alpha seems to have gone mad or is ailing. It is usually a decision made between the Alpha and the second when they are told to challenge him. Either way, a new Alpha is selected and all the dominants must swear to him.” A bloodless passing of the crown seemed almost too reasonable, yet most of the wolves she’d grown up with were too interested in caring for those around them to crave death and violence, even though they loved the hunt.

Contradictions. Life seemed full of them.

Still…
“That doesn’t explain Lone Wolves.”

He stroked his hand down her back to squeeze her ass. “Patience.”

The only response she could find for that was to bite the skin in front of her, a gentle scraping of her teeth to his flesh. His dick twitched against her leg and he squeezed her butt again.

“I told you dominants tend to sort themselves out, but when a dominant can no longer submit—either through choice or by will—to their Alpha, they must challenge or leave. No Alpha can safely maintain a pack when a wolf more dominant has opposed and still exists within the pack structure.”

“You just said when older Alphas are too weak to defend, sometimes their dominants band together.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “Sometimes. But those dominants
choose
to stay with their Alpha, to submit to him, and to defend. If the dominant doesn’t want to, the friction can leak into the pack and fray the bonds we rely on to protect the whole.”

He’d said he’d chosen… “So a dominant who doesn’t choose to follow?”

“May go Lone Wolf.” His voice deepened and grew more gravelly. This time, Alexis dared to lift her head and look at him. His wolf stared back at her. The force of his personality didn’t push her away and she could hold his gaze. “Lone Wolves answer to no Alpha. We are free to leave our pack, to live in the unclaimed territories—sometimes even live on lands ruled by another Alpha as long as they allow it. But we’re free.”

And alone, but she didn’t say that. “So, that’s it? You’re just free to go?”

“When a dominant chooses Lone Wolf, they have twenty-fours to leave the Alpha’s territory. To stay means you wish to challenge the Alpha.”

Twenty-four hours?
Was that why he’d gone without a word?

“Lone Wolves have their own laws and we must adhere to them.”

“But you can choose to go back to a pack, can’t you?”
Are you alone forever?
 

He shrugged. “To do so would require swearing fealty to the Alpha and for the Alpha to accept the blood oath. That is only likely if the Lone Wolf is not more dominant than the Alpha.”

Dread curled in her stomach. “And if they are more dominant?”

“Then it means you have come to challenge. An Alpha cannot afford a more dominant wolf there to flout their authority. It leads to dissension and can fracture a pack.”

“So you can never go home?” No matter how much she’d wanted to be away, to leave the ‘wolf crap’ behind, it broke her heart to think Mason would never be able to be among his people again. He’d been a kid and now a man, alone. She craved solitude, he hadn’t.

“I have no reason to return.” Cupping a hand to the back of her head, he brought her face down to his and kissed her. Against her lips, he said, “Willow Bend has nothing I need.”

One day turned into two, then three. Mason never intended to stay with Lexi, but as long as he had the freedom of Margo’s request to fall back on, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. She had taken her father’s advice for a few days off, so Mason accompanied her on errands. Surprisingly, he didn’t mind going to the mall or the grocery store—with her.

At her school, he discovered a well of patience and ease, even in the close quarters while she discussed her schedule with a counselor. Though she was closeted in the older male’s office, Mason could hear every word they said. The counselor was a wise advisor and tempered her enthusiasm with a kind, if stern manner. She hadn’t truly decided on a major, it seemed, and switched three times since enrolling at the school.

Mason knew a secret that few probably realized, one which the counselor had begun to suspect based on his tone. Lexi
loved
to learn. She hadn’t chosen a direction because she had no interest in finishing school. Attending was her educational goal.

After a day of errands, they’d returned to her apartment and her bed. No matter how many times he kissed her, or feasted on her body, he couldn’t get enough. Each night he told himself it would be better to leave her the next day. When morning dawned, however, he didn’t want to go.

Margo was still out of town and Lexi needed him. They explored her neighborhood. Mason didn’t give a damn about the shops or eateries, but being around Lexi satisfied a craving he hadn’t realized he possessed. The need for pack. It shouldn’t have surprised him, Lexi was a piece of home. The longer he stayed, however, the harder it would be to leave.

When he woke on the fourth morning to find her curled up to him, one hand over his heart and her cheek pressed to his arm, he couldn’t move. Her lips were parted, and the tiniest hint of a snore escaped. The day had arrived. The day he made the clean break, no matter how much he wanted to linger. Staying with her put her life in danger. Lone Wolves were allowed no connections and she was still Willow Bend Pack.

Her soft sigh alerted him a scant few seconds before her lashes swept upwards. A smile tipped the corners of her mouth and her eyes were drowsy and warm. “Good morning.”

Time to tell her.
To let her know that it had been fun, but he needed to go. He opened his mouth, but said, “Will you run with me tonight?”

Yawning, she stretched and shifted until she leaned on her elbow. Sleep rumpled and barely awake, she gave him a skeptical look. “I’m not all that fond of the
get out there do the exercise
thing. Yes, I know it’s the healthy choice and I can actually run a mile in, like, sixteen minutes or something like that. But me and the whole workout vibe? Not feeling it.”

Amused by her note of petulance, he tried not to be grateful for her misunderstanding. It would make it easier to— “Not jogging, Lexi. Run. With me.” Self-control had never been an issue for him. That his wolf vied for the right words to issue the invitation should have been a real warning. Except Mason wanted it, too. Sitting up, he cupped her chin and gave her a kiss. “The moon will be close to full tonight, no clouds, no rain—lots of good light for you to see by.” He needed neither the moon nor the moonlight, but Lexi would. He wanted to be able to run and play with her.

The moment his request truly registered, she blinked. “Oh, you mean run with you in your wolf form. I’ve—I—I don’t know if I can. I know I can’t keep up with you.” She’d never wanted to when the pack ran at home, that much he knew with certainty. The same way he knew her choice hadn’t changed just because he’d left. On nights when the pack ran, especially after her mother joined them, she’d stay at home alone.

Once he’d realized where she was, he had slipped away and circled back. “You don’t have to worry about keeping up with me. I would never leave you behind.”
Liar. I’m such a fucking liar.
It burned in his gut to even tell her that, but he was honest about running with her. He’d never leave her behind on the trail. “It’s not about speed.” He went back to honesty. “It’s about the company.”

No one had run with him for so long. Now that the idea had occurred to him, he practically vibrated with the need for her to say yes.

“Say yes,” he told her, and she wavered, her teeth scraping against her bottom lip. He wanted to lick away the sting, but if he began kissing her he wouldn’t stop. His cock didn’t seem to mind that idea either. But he had something else to entice her with… “We can drive out to a place I know—it’s hell and gone. But there’s a lake, and woods, good trails and you can see the stars out there. All of them.”

No city lights to block them out. Her eyes widened a fraction and Mason trailed his fingers up and down her arms.

“The moon will be pretty bright, but she’ll set some time around two, at least dipping low enough for stars to spread out like a blanket against the sky. I know the perfect place. We can hike to it pretty easily and bring blankets and snacks.”
Definitely snacks.
His Lexi could eat. He loved that about her.

“You really know how to make a girl want to say yes to something she’s not a fan of.” Despite her grumbling, the glint in her eyes and her smile gave her away. “I haven’t really explored anything beyond the city.”

“Say yes.” He nudged her and she rewarded him by straddling his lap, all warm, playful and cuddly.

“I will say yes,” she began, then nuzzled the corner of his mouth. He savored the sweetness in the kiss, all affection with hints of passion. “If you’ll do me a favor.”

Clamping down on his automatic yes, he studied her. The last time she’d been so sweet, he’d held an ice cream cone and all her books for an hour. He’d ended up with the sweetness all melted on his fingertips—and she’d been embarrassed. Pleased, but embarrassed. “What’s the favor?”

“Damn,” she said, scrunching her nose.

Laughing, he pinched her ass a. “I know you and your favors. What do you want?”

“I want to see where you live.”
Simple. Direct.
Easy enough to fulfill and absolutely impossible. If she knew where he was, she might come looking for him. Some of the playfulness in her expression vanished. “Or not.”

“It’s a place where I sleep.” Though he wanted her to let it go, he disliked the retreat in her eyes. “I may have to move soon.”

Her lips pursed and he expected another round of her sass, but she surprised him with a nod. “Okay, well, when you’re ready…you can show me then.” The lightness of her acceptance filled him with self-reproach. “And yes, I’ll go with you tonight. Shower? Then breakfast?” And she was off the bed and strolling toward the bathroom. Mason lowered his chin, his attention on the sway of her hips.

One more day.
They would make memories tonight, memories they could enjoy. Tomorrow—
tomorrow I’ll leave
. A clean break, and she could have her human life.

And I’ll be alone…
Her life was worth more than that to him.

It was an acceptable price.

They’d spent most of the day in her apartment, though he’d happily let her send him on errands around the neighborhood while she reviewed her class choices for the upcoming semester. During his excursions, he scouted the area around her apartment building, ranging several blocks in every direction. A picnic meal sat in the backseat of his truck, along with some blankets and a pillow. He’d found her favorite wine and packed it along with an entire case of water.

It took nearly two and half hours to reach the destination he had in mind. The area was a private reserve and locked after sundown, but Mason knew a guy who knew a guy—he had a code for the gate. Once onto the property, he drove slowly down the obvious trail, until he was able to park a good mile from the perimeter.

Excitement thrummed in his blood. The setting sun left the sky a spectacular splash of oranges, yellows, reds and deeper-hued purples as day ceded to night. On the eastern horizon, a fat moon already rose. Shutting off the engine and the lights, he listened to the quiet.

The absolute absence of vehicle noises and freedom from the near constant buzz of humanity and streetlights thrilled him. In the distance, animals moved through the underbrush. When he opened the car door and his scent mingled with the cooling air, they moved away from him.

“You’re smiling,” Lexi said, with a small smile of her own.

Was he?

A dozen scents rioted through the evening—grass, trees, rabbits, deer, and Lexi—nirvana for his wolf. It had been months since he’d allowed himself a real run and even those runs had been done in absolute silence without companionship. Not tonight, however.

“Are you warm enough?” He grabbed their things from the back, easily hoisting the weight. They’d have to hike another couple miles to reach the destination he had in mind.

Dressed in jeans and a chambray shirt with long sleeves she was already rolling up, Lexi snorted. “It’s still eighty degrees out here.” He’d insisted on proper hiking boots with ankle supports. Nearer to her, the layer of deep woods bug spray she’d put on made him want to sneeze, but better that than letting the insects nibble on her skin.

Would he be able to coax her into a midnight swim? The gorge had a spring fed lake that was still deep despite the drought.

Lexi laughed. “And I have no idea what you’re thinking now, buster. But if you want to run, we have to walk first. Remember?”

Stealing a kiss, he nibbled on her plump lower lip and sighed. Lexi belonged to the night. Her cocoa skin possessed a glow even in the deepening darkness. A midnight lover carved from the perfect… His wolf scraped impatiently inside of him. They could admire their lover and walk at the same time. “You have your flashlight?”