Wolf's Ascension (27 page)

At long last he breathed a long sigh of repletion and pulled out. Bending down, he pressed a passionate kiss to her lips as he reached up to untie her wrists. She saw her panties get tossed off to the side as he collapsed on the bed next to her.

They lay there, legs tangled, the air redolent with the musk of sex, for some time afterward. Just enjoying the silence and each other’s presence.

Finally she sighed. “We should take a shower and get back downstairs.” Her voice was still lazy as she said it. The sex made her muscles warm and loose.

Andreas stretched and she watched him with a greedy smile. He looked so damned good naked.

He caught her perusal and winked. “You’re so good for my ego. I love to catch you looking at me that way.”

Rolling off the bed, he held out a hand for her to take and pulled her to her feet.

“So who made who?” she teased as he washed her back.

“Undeniably, little wolf, we made each other.”

By the time they returned to the nursery, everyone had gone. “I suppose we took a bit longer than twenty minutes,” Kari said, grinning.

They went downstairs and the twins crawled quickly over to Kari, who picked them up, one in each arm, depositing them on her hips.

“You could do phone sex and make a million dollars,” Skye whispered into her ear and laughed wickedly. She batted her eyelashes at him and Andreas scowled, mimicked quickly by Tom.

“He’s going to be a formidable little Alpha.” Ryan laughed.

“He certainly thinks so,” Kari said. “But who knows, maybe Hellie will be the first female to lead the Pack. There’s that woman from Eastern Rock who’s the first female to get into the Inner Circle without a Mate.”

The other females in attendance all made noises of approval except for Luna, who stared at her in stony silence.

“Why are you so sullen?” Henry said to Luna.

“Is a bad mood a crime now?” Luna’s pretty face held a sour look.

“No, it isn’t. Luna doesn’t like me and that’s okay. It’s not Pack law to like your Alpha.” Kari shrugged.

“What do you know about what I do or don’t like?” Luna snapped.

“Whatever your issue is, this is my home and I don’t have to take any shit from you. Not as a queen or plain old Kari Phinney. You don’t have to like me but you can keep your bad attitude to yourself.”

“It’s not Pack law for me to kiss your ass.”

Andreas growled and moved forward but Kari put her hand up to stop him.

“I’m dealing with this, Andreas. Skye, Ryan, can you please help Anna take the twins upstairs and get them down for a nap?” Kari handed the children off and sat down across from Luna.

“I’ll be truthful with you, I don’t like you either. I don’t like the way you hover around Andreas. I don’t like your catty remarks. But as I said, you don’t have to like me and I don’t have to like you. But you’ll be civil in this house or you can get the hell out.”

“Fine,” Luna said and crossed her arms over her chest. Kari got up and left the room, Andreas following her.

“You handled that well,” he said, nuzzling into her neck, nibbling on her ear.

“Thanks. I just wanted to clear the air. I doubt she’ll be okay with being civil, though. It’ll end with her and Henry moving to another Clan most likely.”

“Henry has asked to separate from her,” Andreas said quietly in her ear.

“What? What does that mean and why ask you?”

“He and Luna never got married in a human ceremony. His mating with her was done under my leadership as Alpha. I can declare them unmated and he’ll be free to seek another, as will she.”

“I thought you all mated for life.”

“A true Mate is a Mate for life. Sometimes, though, your cock can lead you in the wrong direction.” He laughed. “Or your pussy. You know what I mean. I don’t think they’re true Mates. Things have always been rocky. I know she’s propositioned Pack members outside of Gatherings. It’s not against Pack law exactly, but it’s pretty bad form.”

“She’s propositioned you since we mated, hasn’t she?”

He sighed. “I told you I wouldn’t lie. Yes, but I’ve always turned her down. She hasn’t propositioned me since your birthday or I would have told you.”

“That bitch!” she spat out and Andreas smiled.

“Kari, my vicious little wolf, let it go. I’m going to grant Henry’s request. Hopefully Luna will fulfill her needs with someone else and Henry can move on, as well.”

“Gah! That pisses me off.” She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Would you just let it go if one of the Pack members propositioned me?”

“Probably not. But you’re a better person than I am. Anyway, she’s jealous. You have two beautiful children and a very handsome husband.” He grinned at her.

“You are so full of it.” She laughed, playfully punching him in the arm. “But since you just told me something, I’ll tell you something in return. It’s not a big deal and I haven’t been hiding it but I hadn’t told you either and it’s bugged me. A while back I saw Ryan and Phillip together in the television room.”

“And you felt the need to confess this why?”

“Well, I watched it and then I didn’t tell you. And when I say together I mean
together
, together. As in naked and hot, hot, and I mean really hot, sex.”

Andreas raised a brow. “And you were involved?”

She rolled her eyes. “No! But I watched.” She blushed. “They didn’t know.”

Andreas chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, Kari. You are so much naughtier than I give you credit for. We have these males up here pretty much on lockdown. The sexual energy of wolves is high. It’s only natural they’d seek each other out. Phillip and Ryan are friends. I’m wagering it’s not the first time.”

“Oh my god! Have you been with one of them? Because if you have, I want to hear all about it. And you know, if you ever wanted to do it again, I’d be cool with it if I could, well, you know...watch.”

Andreas threw back his head and laughed. “Outside of group situations where the odd touch or kiss might have happened, I haven’t had any sexual experiences with any of the male wolves. But it’s a pretty big turn-on that you’d want to watch it.” He kissed her quickly.

* * *

The sky was clear and the night was warm. The moon hung heavy and silver overhead. A perfect night for a run. And it was. Wonderful and free. Kari and Andreas ran side by side, his giant form sheltering hers. Occasionally she leaned into him and he nuzzled her with his muzzle.

There was much roughhousing and playing by the Pack members. Perri and Devon rolled around in the dust amorously, as usual.

Once at the lake, Kari lay down, head resting on Andreas’s body, feeling the rise and fall of his stomach. He rolled her over, pinning her with a bite at the neck. Soft growls rumbled from her throat and he flipped her over and mounted her. There was no wolf in the universe sexier than Andreas. His large wheat-colored body covered her own, belly against her back.

There was a heady mix of sex and violence in the air and Kari was disgusted but not surprised to see Luna coupling with several Pack members who wouldn’t have been with her under ordinary circumstances.

With a snort, Kari shook her head and looked back at Andreas and they headed back toward the lodge so she could feed the twins.

When she’d finished nursing them and rocking them to sleep, she tucked them in before quietly leaving the room.

“I think they’re still up there. Why don’t you go out and join them?” Kari suggested to Laurent as they stood in the hallway watching Anna work on a quilt as she sat outside the door to the nursery. A nursery that’d been rigged with a deluxe security system. It monitored breathing rates and motion. If anything walked in the room other than the children once it was set, it would go off. Anna and Gregory usually sat with the twins until Kari and Andreas came to bed.

“Nah, I think I’d rather hang out here with you guys. Where’s Jack?” he asked, groaning as she massaged his shoulder. He’d pulled a muscle when playing horsey with the twins the day before.

“He’s coupling with Luna.” Skye snorted as he came into the house.

“No! He needs a woman. Coupling with Luna is beyond desperate. He doesn’t even like her,” Drew said.

“Don’t say that for my benefit. Luna’s a pretty woman. Apparently lots of the Pack males find her sexy.”

“She’s okay, but that desperation is unattractive. At least to me,” Peter said.

“Me too,” Laurent said.

“Ditto,” said Craig.

“There were skirmishes and lots of rough play, you know how that stirs everyone up,” Andreas said, winking at Kari as he spoke to Drew.

Kari laughed at Peter and Craig. “Um, guys, isn’t the unattractive thing the fact that she’s female?”

“Well, that too. I mean, I’m gay not dead. I can see a woman and find her attractive. If I were straight, I’d do you. Or Ellen. Yes, Ellen is really lush,” Peter answered and Craig laughed.

“Thanks. I’d do Ellen if I were a guy,” Kari said flippantly.

“Please, tell us more,” Laurent growled at her.

“Laurent! You pervert,” Kari accused. “Men. Bring up anything remotely lesbian in nature and they all pant.” She looked at Peter and Craig. “Well, almost all men,” she amended.

“Hey, I’m bi,” Craig answered. “I like a good girl-on-girl sex scene as much as any other red-blooded American guy.”

“Never mind! It was just a casual remark. Moving right along.” Kari waved them to move to another topic.

Right then Ellen and James walked in and all of the males burst out laughing and made catcalls.

“What the heck is going on?” James asked, grinning.

“Kari was just about to tell us all, in detail, how she’d
do
Ellen if she were a guy,” Peter said.

James looked at Kari, eyebrows raised in interest. Ellen looked puzzled.

“Oh you perverts! We were discussing what is and isn’t attractive about the females of the Pack. Peter said that if he were straight he would do Ellen. I said that if I were a guy I’d do Ellen. Of course, at the very hint of two women getting it on, the room went crazy and here we are.”

Ellen laughed and came to sit next to Kari. “They wish!” She reached out and caressed Kari’s neck teasingly. Playing back, Kari arched her back with a moan.

The men in the room got silent. Kari swore she could hear them gulping. Grinning, she looked at Ellen and ran her hands down her arms until they both burst out laughing, nearly falling off the couch.

“Wow,” Drew breathed out. Laurent was sitting still against Kari and looking at them both, eyes glazed over.

“Have you ever been with a woman?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t kiss and tell but you know, I went to a liberal arts college and lived in an all-girls dorm. You know those panty-clad pillow fights just get out of hand and before you know it, it’s all soft skin, hard nipples and sighs.” She and Ellen burst out laughing again.

She winked and got up to go and check on the twins.

They were sleeping peacefully and Anna had fallen asleep, feet up, resting against Gregory’s side. Kari smiled at them both, touched by their relationship. Gregory looked up and returned her smile. He held up his book and waved her off with it. “Go have fun, we’re okay here,” he whispered.

Thanking him, she walked back downstairs and noticed the light was on in Andreas’s study and went inside to turn it off. She walked into the room and stopped, stunned. Drawing a horrified breath, she screamed out long and hard, over and over.

Andreas ran inside, grabbing her and pushing her behind him. “What...” His words trailed off as he saw the room.

Everyone else ran into the room and stopped, taking in the scene.

Blood had been splattered over the walls and over the furniture and the words “
die bitch
” had been scrawled on the wall near the desk.

“Get her out of here,” Andreas ordered Drew but Kari shook her arm free and refused to go.

“You can’t shield me from this!” she shouted angrily. “This is my house. My children are upstairs. Someone did this with people a few feet away.”

Laurent yelled from upstairs where he’d run to guard the children when she’d screamed. “What is going on?”

“It’s all right, Laurent. Stay with the kids,” Andreas yelled back. He looked at Carey. “Go upstairs and tell them what’s going on. I don’t want the children left alone.”

Phillip came in fresh from their run and blinked at the scene before them. “Jesus,” he breathed out as the grin he’d been wearing slid off his face. “Who the fuck would do this and why?”

Michael came into the hallway with Luna. “What’s going on?”

Kari stormed out of the study and toward the kitchen, Phillip in her wake. Michael turned back to the room and gasped. “What the hell? Is everyone all right?”

Andreas turned and saw Luna and gave her a searching look. She blanched, backed off and walked out.

“Kari, wait,” Phillip said.

He caught up with her as she bent into the cleaning closet, pulling out buckets and scrub brushes and cleaning solvent. Resolve on her face, she pulled on a pair of gloves and stomped past him without a word.

Pushing her way back into the room, Kari began to methodically mix the cleaning stuff.

Andreas grabbed her arm gently. “What are you doing?”

“I’m cleaning this abomination! Either help me or let me go.”

“Let Gregory do it, Kari. You don’t need to be in here right now,” Andreas said softly.

“
No!
This is my house and I’m not going to let someone do this to me. Gregory is upstairs with our children.”

Carey came back down the hall. “Wait, don’t clean it yet.” He motioned for people to back up and he closed the door, leaving Andreas, Kari, Phillip and Skye in the room. “Listen, this is blood, let’s examine it. If it’s the blood of one of the Pack, we can identify it.”

Skye changed quickly, sniffing and then licking the blood. He did so in several spots and then changed back. “It’s deer blood. I couldn’t smell any wolves specifically. This room has had at least twenty Pack members in it over the last two days. There were no other scents than Pack. It’s definitely one of us.”

A few other wolves did the same test and they all came up with the same results. Kari stood in the doorway, glowering as she watched them all.