Her Full Moon Cowboys

Her Full Moon Cowboys Being a die-hard virgin who is irresistible to men is the least of Lily’s worries. Her plan for a...

Author: Allister J Rose

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Her Full Moon Cowboys Being a die-hard virgin who is irresistible to men is the least of Lily’s worries. Her plan for a ""quiet"" weekend escape goes wild when a pack of wolves crash into her cabin—and a hot, naked cowboy saves the day. Chaz reveals that the wolves are far from ordinary—and he bears the same curse. Her only chance to escape becoming their sex toy is for Chaz to claim her as bond-mate—but he’s no lone wolf. Sexy alpha Kade Winchester comes with the deal, and both shifters will share her passion just as they share passion for one another. But even if she gives herself to the two men with a dark, animal secret, will their bite on her truly put an end to the other pack's demand for mating rights? Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Vampires/Werewolves, Western/Cowboys Length: 48,002 words

HER FULL MOON COWBOYS

J. Rose Allister

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

HER FULL MOON COWBOYS Copyright © 2011 by J. Rose Allister E-book ISBN: 1-61034-432-4 First E-book Publication: April 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Her Full Moon Cowboys by J. Rose Allister from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is J. Rose Allister’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Allister’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

HER FULL MOON COWBOYS J. ROSE ALLISTER Copyright © 2011

Chapter One Lily’s first night back at the cabin in the woods was very nearly her last on earth. The howling began shortly after midnight. While she tossed around in the walnut-framed bed, she pulled the patchwork quilt over her ears to muffle the sound and ward off the chill invading the room. It had been years since her last visit here, and she tried to remind herself that animal sounds and strange noises were status quo in the great outdoors. Still, she couldn’t recall the howling being quite so insistent back then. Nor had it seemed quite so loud. It might have been her imagination amplified by lying alone in the dark, but the howls seemed to be growing closer, too. Abruptly, the woods fell silent. With a sigh Lily relaxed, flipping over once again. Silvery moonlight from the window was visible through her closed eyelids. Finally, she could enjoy some of the peace and quiet she’d come out here for. A smile crossed her lips as she settled deeper into the fluffy pillow. The sound of a snort against the window shot her eyes open—and the sight there sent her heart into her throat. A gray wolf had its nose pressed against the pane, its breath gusting out in damp puffs of fog on the glass. Its glowing eyes found hers, and the moment it saw she was stirring, it let out a low, ugly growl.

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“Nice doggie,” she said, clutching her quilt tighter. “Good boy.” The gnashing barks in reply sent a gasp from her, and she scooted off the far side of the bed. The wolf reared back and leapt at the window, but bounced off the pane with a resounding rattle. Undaunted, it backed up farther—and she realized the animal intended to try again. The chill of the wood floor was buffered by the slap slap of her bare feet hitting the slats as she raced into the hallway. She heard a crash behind her and picked up speed. Just as she drew level with the second bedroom, the window there gave way as well. Another wolf— mottled brown this time—came through the flying debris with fangs bared. She screamed and sprinted to the living room, where she skidded on a braided throw rug when she caught sight of glowing eyes outside the glass slider door. “Jesus, what’s happening?” she said, adrenaline firing her pulse into overdrive. She veered off and went for the front door, yanking it open without any thought of where she could go. A white wolf stood on the porch, looking as startled as she was at their sudden introduction. With another shriek, she slammed the door in its face and headed to the only other place she had left. She pulled the bathroom door shut behind her. There was no lock. Just her luck. Beyond the bath lay a small service room holding a tiny washer and dryer. She retreated there and yanked that door closed, too. There she stood, heart racing in the dark, grateful that at least there were no windows in either of the two rooms for more of the apparently psychotic wolves to crash through. She tugged the pull chain to switch on the bare overhead bulb, her eyes doing a wild sweep of the space to see if there was anything of use. The room was bare, save the tiny washer and dryer and complimentary single-use boxes of soap and fabric softener left there by the rental company. Not very handy weapons. At most, maybe the soap flakes would sting a wolf’s eyes.

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Her gaze fell on something more useful—a broom propped up in the corner. She reached for it, gripping the smooth wood handle while she tried to hold herself together. More crashing, barking, and howling came from inside the tidy little cabin that was supposed to be her refuge from recent romantic fallout back home. Way to get herself into a frying pan-fire situation. “Relax,” she whispered to herself, though she stood at attention with the broom at her side like a sentry guard on duty while she tried to big-picture the situation. As a city girl, she wasn’t entirely up to snuff on her animal kingdom facts, but she did know wolves didn’t normally behave this way. There had to be a rational explanation. Perhaps they’d been hunting a stray animal that had somehow gotten into the cabin, and they were merely pursuing it. Yes, that had to be it. They’d either catch it or raid the food she had left out on the kitchen counter. Then they would be on their way. Even if they had developed a sudden penchant for hunting humans, she had two things in her favor—the doors closed firmly between her and them. Unless she was even more behind on her Animal Planet channel watching than she thought, there was no way for them to get to her in here. Wolves might be cunning, but they couldn’t operate doorknobs. Lily relaxed her grip on the wood stick. She’d be safe here. They couldn’t get in, so all she had to do was wait them out. Her newborn sense of reassurance evaporated in an instant when she heard the outer bathroom door squeak open. A gasp flew from her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth to silence the urge to scream. She froze, listening in shock. No sound came for a moment, but then she heard soft rustling on the other side. Damn it. She apparently hadn’t closed the other door as tightly as she’d thought. A wolf no doubt nudged it open and was sniffing around for food. When it found none in the bathroom, it would go away. All she had to do was stay still and quiet.

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Her stomach lurched with dread when she saw the laundry room doorknob wiggle. She stared in disbelief as it began to turn. Lily crouched forward, holding the broom handle out like a bayonet. By god, if this was it, she wasn’t going out without one hell of a fight. The door flung open to a sight even more shocking than a snarling wolf. “Chaz?” She sounded even more breathless than she felt. “Is that you?” “Lily Marks,” he said with the same pronounced drawl she remembered. “You came back.” She blinked in surprise that he recognized her. She’d changed a lot in ten years, but somehow he hadn’t. Her eyes slid over him. Chaz Saratoga, in the living flesh. Quite a lot of it at that, considering he wore nothing but a modest square of pink terry cloth that was slung tight around his waist. Good God, was he even more magnificent than she’d remembered. Mahogany waves fell carelessly around his face and neck, sweeping low enough over one of his eyes to nearly obscure their enticing green and gold color. Not like her boring hair and eyes, the latter a washed-out blue that barely stood out from her shoulderlength, squirrel-brown locks. His eyes were a complex blend of color, and he stared at her with an intensity that tightened her stomach. Every inch of him was lean and packed with muscle from years of working on a nearby ranch. Yep, he looked exactly the same, except she’d never seen him without his cowboy hat and boots, let alone mostly naked. The sight stole enough of her breath to make speaking an all-new challenge. “Is that my towel?” she finally managed, pointing at what seemed little more than a pink loin cloth. He glanced down and gave a guilty shrug. “Yeah. I was in a hurry. Still am, if you catch my aim. Thought you could use a little help out here.”


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“You thought right. Thanks.” Relief flooded her at his presence, but she still peeked around his massive bulk tentatively. “The wolves?” “Most are contained in the kitchen, but it won’t last. Don’t know where the rest are. We need to get out of here.” A metallic crash resembling cascading pots and pans seemed to confirm his story, and she nodded. Without warning, he swooped her up in his arms. The broom fell to the floor with a clatter when her arms instinctively flew around his neck. “What are you doing?” “It’ll be faster if I carry you.” He didn’t wait for a reply before heading out the front door. She glimpsed wolves breaking into the living room on the way out, but Chaz ran like the devil and they plunged into the dark woods before she could process what was happening. He was right about being fast, to be sure. Eerie howls and barks filled the chill night air as they went, and her teeth chattered with cold and adrenaline. She clutched Chaz’s neck for dear life, keenly aware of his scent. It was male and musky, with a hint of spicy cologne that might have been some kind of body wash from a recent shower. Maybe that’s what he’d been doing when he’d had to come rushing to her aid. That would explain the lack of clothing. Or perhaps the man slept naked. She shivered at the thought, trying to ignore the heat of his bare skin against her as he skimmed quickly through the dense growth of trees. It didn’t help that she wasn’t wearing much more than he was. She’d jumped out of bed in a skimpy pair of pink panties and the flimsy old T-shirt she liked to sleep in. Plenty of their flesh rubbed together as he ran, and with each pounding footfall it grew harder to deny the odd sensations whirling around in her stomach. This included the same little flip she felt the last time she’d seen him, though at the time she’d barely sat on the edge of puberty and he certainly hadn’t been carrying her around half-naked. Back then, he’d been the handsome cowboy on the ranch near the cabin her parents had rented for a holiday. She’d had a bit of a crush, and Chaz had

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crept into her thoughts on occasion in the years since. Now, he was more gorgeous than ever, she was a grown woman, and he was carrying her off to safety like her own western hero. The flip-flops in her stomach churned harder until they threatened to spin her out of control. Trying to focus on the sounds of the woods instead of the electric tingles shooting through her did little good. His heavy breaths overshadowed all other sound, save the beating of her desperately racing heart. Even something as routine as his inhalations and exhalations carried an intimate connotation to her ears. “Damn it,” he said, snapping her out of her idiotically sensual study of his respiratory habits. “They’re gonna follow us.” “What? How do you know that?” He flicked a glance her way. “I can hear them.” She cocked her head and tried to listen. There were still howls and night noises, but nothing close by or obvious. “I can’t tell that.” “They’re comin’ after us, trust me. But we’re almost there. Hang on.” As soon as the words were out, they burst out of the endless fringe of trees. She’d never been here before, but knew this must be his ranch. The land here was open and sparse, gleaming pale white in the light of the full moon. Still, he was moving so fast that she couldn’t make out much detail to the front entrance. Suddenly, she was deposited on her feet on a wooden porch that spanned a much longer distance than the one in front of the tiny cabin. “In here,” he said, pushing his front door open. “Hurry.” She rushed in ahead of him, through a wide entry foyer and straight ahead until she ducked through an archway and found herself in a living area. Chaz had stopped to lock his door, but she heard him follow fairly close behind her. She was impressed by the hard wood, wrought iron, and leather furnishings with a high-end Southwestern flair, though a little leery of the well-polished shotguns racked above the fireplace mantle.


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When she spun around, however, his weapons and decor were long forgotten. Her jaw fell open as Chaz stalked into the living room completely naked. The towel must have come loose during their mad dash for freedom—and shit. She was far from expert on the matter, but what she saw before she gasped and turned away seemed impressively long, and if she wasn’t mistaken, semi-aroused. They didn’t normally point out a spot on the floor several inches ahead of the guy’s toes, did they? “We have to talk,” he said. “Now?” She tried to take an interest in the hand-painted Mexican tile floor. “Shouldn’t you put something on first?” “There isn’t time for that. They’re comin’.” She heard metallic clicking sounds, and when curiosity won out, she peeked over to see Chaz loading bullets into the chambers of a shiny pistol. He stood behind a desk with a gun box on it, which mercifully hid the parts of him she couldn’t erase erotic mental imagery of. “Wouldn’t a shotgun be better?” She stole a glance above the fireplace, wondering why she was weighing in when she had no idea what she was talking about. “I don’t have any silver buckshot.” “What?” He held up one of the tiny cylinders he was loading. “Silver bullets.” She raised a brow. “As in the Lone Ranger?” “No, as in werewolves are allergic to silver.” She blinked. “Excuse me?” He clicked the pistol’s chamber shut and laid the gun on the table. “You need to know what’s goin’ on, Lily. And you need to decide what you’re gonna do about it right now.” Chaz came around the table, revealing his massive manhood again. She held up a hand and backed away. “Hold it. Just stay behind

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something if you won’t get dressed, okay? It’s a bit weird trying to have a conversation with an exhibitionist.” “This is no time for modesty, even if I were so inclined. Those wolves didn’t break into your cabin by accident. They were comin’ after you.” A fresh wave of goose bumps prickled her skin and pebbled her nipples. She folded her arms to keep them from poking through her thin shirt. “I don’t understand.” “Of all the times for you to return here, a full moon before I had a chance to find you was probably the worst.” “You’re not making any sense. What’s the moon got to do with anything? And why do wolves want to hunt me?” “They don’t want to hunt you.” He moved closer, and she flicked her eyes up, sideways, and everywhere she could to avert them from the body that was rapidly undermining her ability to think. “They want to claim you.” That brought her eyes back to meet his. “And that means what?” “They’re not ordinary wolves. And you’re a virgin in season under a full moon.” Her stomach clenched. “I’m a what? Wait. How do you know I’m a virgin?” “Because you are a virgin.” His voice had gone a note deeper, and even when he drew closer she found herself rooted to the spot. “Your scent is very distinct. It’s what’s drawin’ them to you. They won’t stop until your male has claimed you.” The husky tenor of his cowboy voice held her mesmerized as it wove an erotic spell around her. Then she realized what he was trying to do. Her laugh in reply sounded very nearly like one of the wolves’ barking sounds. “My male? You know, guys have tried some pretty wild lines on me, but this is by far the craziest. Points for creativity, though.” His mouth was set in a hard slash. “It’s no laughin’ matter.”


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Then she heard it in the not-too-far distance. The howling resumed, and was getting louder again. “See?” He took another step toward her. “They’re trackin’ your scent even now. My partner’s out of town until tomorrow, so I’ll have to protect you alone. If you don’t agree to what I say, I might be able to pick a few of ‘em off before they overpower us. But in the end, they’ll get what they came for.” She stared at him, wondering whether he was insane or if she was, because something in his words and the way he looked at her urged her to believe him. “What is it exactly that they are coming for,” she asked, “if they aren’t hunting me?” “They want to mate with you.” She screwed up her face. “That’s disgusting. Animals don’t do that to humans.” “They’re no ordinary animals.” Her eyes rolled. “Oh, right. My mistake. They’re werewolves.” Her voice dripped sarcasm. “Like Lon Chaney with a bad beard job?” Green eyes flashed. “You won’t be makin’ smartass jokes when the pack is takin’ turns with you. You’ll be beggin’ me to do what I should already have done.” She heaved a sigh. “What’s that? Put on some damn clothes?” “Claim you first.” The howling grew closer while she fell silent, gaping at him. He continued moving slowly, sensuously nearer to her, stalking her almost like an animal. She regretted the next glance she flicked downward because now his cock had risen to where it was nearly pointed straight out at her. “Stay the hell back.” She shook her head. “You’re not serious?” “Dead serious.” “You think a woman who’s kept her virginity to my ripe old age is going to toss it at a guy she just met—over that excuse?” “You’ve known me for ten years.”

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“I’ve known of you. We only met briefly a few times on my vacation when I was twelve. You weren’t even all that nice to me.” “And you’ve thought of me time and again since. Fantasized, even.” Her snort lacked conviction, but just because he was right didn’t mean she shouldn’t be incredulous about it. “Could you get over yourself? You might have high marks in the looks department, but you’re also mad as a hatter’s crazier cousin.” “Sorry for the crash course, darlin’, but werewolves exist. Do you want to find that out the hard way when they break in here?” She threw up her hands. “Okay, enough of this. Thanks for getting me out of that Nature Channel episode back at the cabin, but I’m not going to sleep with you as a reward.” “I can prove what I say.” He stepped closer until they were just a couple of feet apart. “How?” “I’m no ordinary man.” Her snazzy retort died unsaid when something shimmered in his eyes. They glittered, then lit up in a fiery gold. As she watched, his head rippled like a bizarre mirage, and gleaming white fur sprouted over his chiseled face. A moment later, his head stretched into a contorted muzzle. The growl accompanying the canine head was definitely less than human. She screamed and jumped back, knocking an arm chair askew. “Jesus! You’re one of them? Oh my God, you’re the wolf that was standing at my front door. That’s why you’re naked.” Just as quickly as he’d pulled his morphing act, his face shifted back to normal. “I was tryin’ to get to you fast. You surprised me before I could shift back.” With desperate steps she threw herself around the back of a Naugahyde sofa, putting it between them as if that would do any good. “You just stay away from me.”


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“I’m not one of them, Lily. We’ve been at war for years, in fact. But I was bitten, so now this is my fate.” When he moved around the couch, she didn’t try to run. “Yours is to be with me.” She shook her head. “Look, I’m sorry you got turned into an animal. But that doesn’t mean I’m destined to be with you. I don’t know why, but sex just isn’t in the cards for me. Nothing personal, but no man has ever convinced me to give up my virginity for them.” “You’re not doin’ it for me. We’re doin’ this for you. It’s the only way to protect you right now.” Barking sounds rose in the near distance. “Once the claim has been made, they’ll stop this. You’ll be safe.” His cock was now up near his belly, red and stiff, and why the hell couldn’t she stop staring at it? She swallowed a thick lump in her throat. Chaz pressed on. “Would you rather a pack of wild wolves—some so caught up in the thrall that they won’t bother to shift human first— gang fuck you time and again? Or would you rather be claimed by the wolf who cares enough about you to face death rather than let you meet that fate?” Her heart fluttered, igniting something new and dangerous beyond reason. God, was he actually achieving what no man had ever managed? His persuasive words unwound her logic, and his potent chemistry enticed her to blast away the impenetrable fortress around her celibacy. She not only believed what he was saying, but the same body that had prompted her to keep men at arm’s length her whole life now screamed at her to pull Chaz close and never let go. He whipped his head around to stare through the archway behind him. Her eyes followed to the front door, listening. Faint scrabbling sounds followed, and she imagined wolf claws and vicious animals prowling around on his porch. “The wolves are at the door, ma’am,” Chaz said. “Literally. Please say you’ll let me end this.”

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He looked back at her, and the scrabbling turned to raking sounds on the front door. She nodded quickly. “Yes, Chaz,” she whispered. “Do it. Take me.” She was in his arms before she knew it. His lips devoured hers, sending her stomach into a wild frenzy of desire and emotion. “I’m so sorry,” he said against her lips. “This isn’t anywhere near the way I wanted to do this. But there’s no time to take it slow and do this nice. Forgive me.” She felt a rough tug. With a tearing sound, her panties were gone. His fingers pushed through the damp curls between her legs, and with a gasp she spread them for him. Stabs of pleasure flooded heat through her belly as he found and probed her pussy. When two fingers slid inside her wetness, she moaned and wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders. Her tongue plunged into his mouth, and she sighed at the discovery that he tasted like fine wine. She’d kissed men before, and a few had ventured a hand under her shirt. Never had anything felt like this. Lily was literally desperate for his touch, and the flesh between her thighs was getting soaked with her need. Outside, wolves were going berserk with animal growls and keening howls, but on the inside she felt just as wild and feral as they sounded. “Jesus, Lily, you’re already so fuckin’ wet,” he ground out. “We can’t wait anymore, honey. They’re goin’ insane out there.” “I’m probably my city’s sole adult virgin,” she said. “Screw waiting.” He groaned, and with that he hoisted her up onto his waist. His cock prodded her tight hole, and she wriggled around in a fever, her pussy throbbing against the hard tip of his cock while she wondered what the hell she was supposed to do next. “Hold still a minute,” he said. “I can’t do this with you squirmin’.” “I can’t help it. I need you.”


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She felt a hand between them, and then his cock slid into her. A loud, almost anguished cry left her while she gripped his shoulders hard enough for her nails to dig into his flesh. He swore and halted his advance inside of her. “I’m so sorry, darlin’. I didn’t want to hurt you like that.” She leaned away a bit. “Hurt me? What the hell are you talking about?” She yanked her nightshirt up over her head and stuck her bare tits in his face. “It feels so damn good I never want you to stop.” “Christ, woman.” He plunged into her depths until shivers of pleasure overtook her. Her first experience of a wet tongue flicking over her stiff nipple sent another cry of shocked delight from her lips. Her hands gripped his silken hair while he shoved her up and down on his thick rod, sliding in and out until she wanted to die of bliss. His possession claimed her whole, turning her world into a tunnel vision of Chaz, her desire to belong to him, and the need for his cock to keep pumping until the volcanic pressure building in her pelvis erupted. “God, I want to come,” she said, words coming stilted through the bouncing motion. “Please, Chaz. Harder.” Wolf song joined in unison from every side of the ranch house’s exterior when he complied with a growl. As her climax built to a peak, so did their keening rise until the maddening feel of Chaz’s cock filling her while his pelvis ground against her clit granted her wish. She screamed in an explosion of ecstasy. “Oh, Jesus,” Chaz said moments later, his face buried between her breasts. “I can’t hold out any longer.” “Then don’t.” She felt him stiffen, and his shout was as animal as the creatures stalking them outside. Wet heat exploded inside of her while she pulled his face to her and raked his lower lip through her teeth. This spurred him to pump harder, and his thrusts through warm, thick cum coated her pussy. She tightened up with a second orgasm.

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By the time he lowered her to the floor and held her against his chest, both of them were slick with sweat and panting in sync with one another. Outside, the world had gone dead quiet. The howling was gone. No more scrabbling sounds, no more angry barks. “So that’s it, then?” she said when she’d recovered enough breath to speak. “The wolves sensed what happened and went away?” “They sensed it, all right.” He kissed the top of her forehead. “I’m just sorry there wasn’t time for proper foreplay.” “Would you stop apologizing? God, if I’d have realized sex was that incredible, I might not have held out this long.” His gruff growl was quite human this time. “You held out waitin’ for the right mate at the right time.” Something in the words resonated with her. “If that’s true, then I must have found it.” His chest hair tickled her nose as he cradled her close and stroked her hair. In that act of tenderness, the world around her transformed again. There had been such a primal, panicked need behind their coupling that she hadn’t truly stopped to let it in. Now, while they stood naked and holding each other in the middle of his living room, the implications of their act and the sensations he evoked flooded her until she could barely stand. Their pressed-together stomachs exchanged warm waves of fluid, connected energy. His hand on her head soothed her very soul. And his words echoed in her mind. He believed she was fated to be his. Was this what it was always like after having sex with someone? Or had she somehow known deep down that it could only be this way in his arms? “Lily,” he said, holding her close and swaying back and forth as if hearing some sort of private melody. “Let me take you to bed. I want to make love to you long and slow, the way I should have.” The hard cock she felt pressing against her confirmed how much he wanted to do just that. “If it gets any better than what we just did, I might pass out.”


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His sexy laugh lit a smolder in her stomach. “Then it’s a good thing you’ll already be lyin’ down.”

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Chapter Two Consciousness returned gradually to Lily several hours later, awareness returning bit by bit while her eyes were still closed. For several disorienting moments, she debated whether to open her eyes or not. In the light of day, she might discover that the incredible events she’d experienced the night before had all been a dream. Better that she should keep her eyes closed so she might fall back into that same dream—and hopefully stay there for the rest of her weekend escape. Her arms felt pleasantly heavy lying on top of a thick cushion of blanket. That certainly supported the notion that she was under Chaz’s goose feather duvet cover rather than the quaint hand-stitched quilt on the cabin’s double bed. His bed was easily twice as wide, and longer, too. Curious, she stretched her legs downward and didn’t find the lower end. Still not quite willing to open her eyes to reality, she slid a tentative arm out beside her. She didn’t find the far edge of the bed, but she didn’t find a hot, muscled body bedside her, either. Stifling a stab of disappointment, Lily retracted her hand with a sigh. Back to sleep it was, then. Hopefully, she would make it back to her cowboy fantasy and not wind up in the recurring dream about the octopus attacking her inside her office cubicle. A subtle shift in weight on the closer edge of the bed froze her in place for a moment, then her other hand slipped downward to find what surely could pass as a man’s thigh seated beside her. The heart that had been lazily pumping blood through her veins flew into a frenzied pace. It hadn’t been a dream after all. Lord have mercy.


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With a smile curving her lips, she sent her hand on a blind expedition. She slid her palm up that leg to find a long, thick bulge beneath the tight fabric covering it—a bulge even harder than the rock-hard muscles of his thigh. She rubbed her hand along the stiff ridge, and a warm throb began in her clit. “Mm,” a male voice said. “Damn if that’s not the best introduction I’ve ever had.” The familiar western twang was there, but the voice was decidedly lower and different from Chaz’s. With a sharp gasp, Lily’s eyes flew open, and she yanked her hand away from the strange man’s crotch. She scooted backward until she realized that, with his weight pinning down the covers, she couldn’t get far without exposing her nakedness. “Who the hell are you?” she asked. She scanned the room, but they were alone. “Chaz? Chaz!” The latter was half shouted out the open bedroom door. “He isn’t here,” the stranger said, holding a hand out in a more formal greeting than the one she’d unwittingly offered. “I’m Kade Winchester. Chaz’s partner.” Swallowing proved futile considering her throat had dried into a sand pit. “Oh. He mentioned you. Where is he? And why are you in here?” “You sure were a lot more welcomin’ with your eyes shut. Don’t like what you see?” Setting aside the near-meltdown panic of finding a stranger in— well, on—her bed, she had to admit that Kade was a real heartthrob. His tight red T-shirt and jeans clung to plenty of heat-inducing muscle. The angles of his jaw were squarer than Chaz’s and dotted with just a shadow of dark beard that matched his straight, almost jetblack hair. His eyes were more hazel than the pale green of Chaz’s piercing stare, but they sparkled with the exact same flecks of gold— like a prospector’s fantasy. Or a lonely city girl’s. Or hell, any woman with a pair of eyes. Then there was the anatomical fact she should not

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know about—her groping hand discovered that his cock was at least as big as Chaz’s. Nope, she shouldn’t be thinking about that at all. She scowled at his knowing grin, wishing he didn’t look so damn delicious set against the backdrop of the decadent black and whitewashed bedroom suite. Or that his smile hadn’t turned up a dimple that gave him an irresistible sensuality—and her heart a case of the flutters. “Really sorry about that,” she breathed, “but I thought you were Chaz. Where is he, anyway?” “Out on the ranch, finishin’ up on oilin’ the saddles.” He cocked his head. “We wondered when you would come back.” She tucked the duvet under her armpits before raising her hands. “Here I am, in the flesh.” His eyes glittered appreciatively. “So I saw.” Her hands flew back to the edges of the duvet. “I was covered up when you came in. Wait, you didn’t peek, did you?” “Temptin’,” he said, “but no. It’s not like you were covered to the eyebrows, though.” “Oh.” The warm flush in her cheeks flamed higher when she glanced down at her bare shoulders and just a hint of her cleavage. A quick scan of Chaz’s black bedding did not reveal the night shirt she’d very much like to be wearing right now. With a stifled groan, she remembered brazenly tossing it onto the living room floor. Had Kade spotted that shirt? Or worse, the pink panties Chaz had torn off of her? Did he come across scenes like that often here? No wonder he had no problem waltzing in while she slept alone and naked. He undoubtedly assumed she was a huge slut. “So, you work here with Chaz?” she asked, hoping to lighten the mood. “We’re equal partners in the ranch.” “Then don’t you have chores you should be off doing?” He crossed a booted foot over his thigh. “Nope. I’m all yours.” She heaved a sigh. “How about a room of your own?”


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“Yep. You’re sittin’ in it.” Her eyes widened. “Chaz brought me to your room?” He shrugged. “I don’t mind. He’s got every right, considerin’ it’s his room, too.” An uneasy tickle flickered in her stomach. “You share a room?” “We share a lot of things.” She wasn’t sure she liked the almost fatally mischievous grin that accompanied his statement. Why did two grown men share a room with only one—albeit massive—bed? “I didn’t get the grand tour,” she said, “but it seems to me the ranch is big enough for more than one bedroom.” He set his palm down on the bed on the opposite side of her outstretched legs, so that he was leaning over her rather intimately. “Somethin’ you’re tryin’ to ask?” She glanced away from his intense stare. “I’m sure it’s none of my business.” “Everythin’s gonna be your business, now that you’ve agreed to be Chaz’s mate.” That brought her attention straight back. “I never agreed to that.” “Don’t tell me he was just a quick fling? You don’t strike me as the type.” “I’m sure that’s none of your business.” “You’ve been my business for some time now.” Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t even know me.” “Chaz didn’t give you the full lowdown before you let him take you to bed?” “He gave me a story I’m still not sure is real.” Which begged the question of why, then, she would have gone ahead and screwed him— and why she was offering Kade a recap. “I suppose you’re going to tell me he was on the level with his tales of the paranormal?” “I’d wager every word he told you was straight up truth.” He leaned closer, his eyes studying hers until she thought her stomach might flip itself over. “I am wonderin’ just how much he got around

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to tellin’ you. About me and you, for instance.” He inhaled deeply as though inhaling her scent, which couldn’t be the greatest after a long, sweaty, and unforgettable night. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment. She drew up her knees, prompting him to relinquish his position over her. “Not a word.” “Huh. Well, you and I have unfinished business.” Suddenly, he stood up. The generous size of the room seemed to diminish with his tall, broad physique filling it. “You could probably stand some food, clothes, and a hot shower, not necessarily in that order. Afraid I don’t have anything skimpy and pink to replace last night’s casualties”—her already warm face flamed at the mention of her ripped underwear—“but you can wear somethin’ of Chaz’s until we get your things from the cabin. He’s a bit closer to your size.” Get her things? This guy really had the wrong idea. She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be grateful for a pair of loaner pants and shoes, but then I’ll get out of your hair. I have to get back to the cabin and start picking up the pieces of last night.” And of her love life, which had been victimized on an epic scale yet again by her irrational sexual issues. He eyed her for a long moment. “Bathroom’s through there,” he said, gesturing at a doorway in the master suite that she’d already made use of in the night. “I know. Thanks.” “I’ll let you get to it, then.” “Okay.” He stayed in place and kept staring at her. Finally, she said, “That would be easier if I could get out of bed.” She half expected a flip remark about going right ahead, but instead he gave a quick nod. “Right. Come out to the kitchen when you’re done.” “I don’t know where it is.”


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“Just follow your nose.” He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. The sensation lasted after he pulled away, and she fought the urge to rub it. “I make a western omelet that’s better than sex.” He turned on a booted heel and strode from the room, her eyes riveted to the way his jeans molded around his perfect ass. At the door, he paused and threw a look over his shoulder. “Almost.” The shower in Chaz and Kade’s masculine black marble and oak his-and-hers bathroom—or his-and-his, rather, Lily mused—felt like sheer heaven, but the smell coming from the kitchen when she padded through the spacious home afterward was better still. The jeans and blue tank top she’d borrowed from Chaz were too large, the shirt hanging to mid-thigh and the pants dragging on the tile floor while she followed her nose to the sounds and scents of breakfast. She hitched up the loose waistband as she reached the arched doorway to a kitchen almost as big as her cabin. She skimmed the gleaming appliances, glass-front cabinets, and recessed lighting, marveling at how neat and model-home perfect the entire place looked. How did two ranch men keep it this way? Who’d been responsible for the upscale, Southwest interior design? Impressive as the whitewashed oak cabinets and natural slate counters were, the sight of Kade at the stove was what held her attention. His back was to her as he worked, a dish towel thrown over one shoulder while he stirred a skillet. The man obviously knew his way around a kitchen—and a gym, for that matter. His biceps flexed with each movement, as did his deft, striated forearms. His shoulders spanned beyond the width of the stove, but tapered down to a narrow waist. His hair was combed back from the sides in perfect layers that swept around to meet in back, save for a stripe of shaved scalp that revealed a tribal tattoo when he twisted his head to the side. Would that strip feel silken smooth, or stubbly and rough if she were to run her fingers over it? Not that she planned on it, of course. It was just an idle thought.

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She shook off that bit of curiosity and inhaled. Her mouth watered instantly. “That smells amazing,” she said, walking through the doorway up to the counter island between them. She ran a hand over the smooth surface of the counter, drawn to the rock slab’s unique multi-earth-tone pattern. Kade turned briefly. “With any luck, it’ll taste even better. Coffee’s on the table.” She wandered over to where an oversized round table was framed by a massive bay window in the corner. Light poured in, reflecting off the table’s highly waxed surface. “Oh!” she said as she looked outside. “This view is gorgeous.” The kitchen overlooked the rear of the ranch. A small garden nestled up against the house, then farther off through a faint morning mist, she saw a corral with a couple of horses and a barn with a cow pen beside it. Though what she’d been able to make out of the front of the house had appeared sparse and dusty, the back was a lot more lush and green. Grazing animals would no doubt be in heaven out there. She thought she spotted Chaz leaning against a fence out by the horses. “Hope you’re hungry,” Kade said from right beside her, jarring her back from the view of nature. A plate was plunked down at the place setting nearest her. “Starved.” When she spun around, however, her eyes widened. “Heavens! Is that for both of us?” He shook his head. “That one’s yours.” “Wow. Thank you.” The stoneware platter held a massive, yet fluffy-looking omelet stuffed with vegetables, along with a generous pile of bacon that had been artfully arranged alongside. “Dig in,” he said, bringing over a second platter and sitting down. He reached over to spin a lazy Susan in the middle of the table that was stocked with condiments. “Tabasco or ketchup?”


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“No, thanks.” She sank onto a wooden chair and cut into the omelet, which melted in her mouth with the savory flavors of diced pepper, smoky ham, caramelized onions, and garlicky sautéed mushrooms. “Oh, my God,” she said once her mouth was empty enough to speak. “This is unbelievable, Kade. Are you a professional chef?” He laughed. “Hardly. Cookin’s something of a necessity around here, since there aren’t any restaurants nearby.” She was almost embarrassed at how fast she shoveled in the delicious meal. She hadn’t eaten since she’d stopped on the road during the trip up to the cabin the day before, and now her stomach demanded a substantial amount of tribute. She washed it all down with coffee that was just as tasty, but carried a potent kick. Definitely a ranch man’s drink. “Our first meal together,” Kade said when he’d cleared half his plate. “Too bad Chaz had to miss it.” She stopped chewing at the word first. How many more shared breakfasts was the man planning? She was only here for the weekend. “About this stuff Chaz told me last night,” she said, watching Kade devour his food. “What’s your take on it?” He glanced at her while he chewed a strip of bacon. “Depends which ‘stuff’ we’re talkin’ about.” She shifted on her seat, eyeing him carefully. “You know. The whole werewolf thing.” “Ah. That.” One side of his mouth quirked upward, which coincidentally was the side that flashed the dimple she found too damn sexy for her own good. “It hasn’t been easy for Chaz. Not for either of us. It’s a damn challenge, bein’ a cowboy with wolf in your blood. Or vice versa.” She cocked her head. “How so?” “Ever try to ride a horse or work a herd of cattle that thinks you’re a predator about to tear ‘em up?” Her eyes widened. “I didn’t think of that.”

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“When Chaz was turned—not long before you first visited Shay Falls, by the way—he was runnin’ things here pretty much on his own. As soon as he became a shifter, his shit went south. His favorite ridin’ animals rejected him, and he couldn’t get anywhere near the herd. Plus, he had a lot of trouble controllin’ his new nature. When an animal ran from him, instinct kicked in. He’d shift and chase ‘em down for the kill. Slaughtered his own horse, his pigs, and several other animals before he got the help he needed.” She sipped at her coffee, gripping the red ceramic handle tight as she tried to picture Chaz trying to deal with that. No wonder he’d seemed so moody when she’d first met him. She’d just thought his brooding made him more mysterious. “What kind of help?” “Me. I knew how to deal with this sort of thing, and he turned over the running of the ranch to me while he pulled it together. He cut me in as partner, and in return I helped him train horses to accept a wolf rider and hire extra hands to do the herd work. Stressed out cattle don’t make for decent dairy or beef.” “Too bad they couldn’t just learn to trust that Chaz wasn’t trying to eat them.” Kade let out a snort. “Well, darlin’, that’s the thing. We do eat ’em.” She blinked. “Oh. Right. I suppose that is why ranches exist, isn’t it?” “We are self-sustainin’ here. When it comes to the cattle stock, well, ours don’t go to market. Growin’ our own prey keeps us from havin’ to hunt off the land. So we are beef ranchers in part, along with keepin’ some matin’ bulls and dairy for the locals. We just tend to eat our steaks a lot more raw.” She narrowed her gaze. “Wait. What do you mean, ‘we’ eat them raw and ‘our’ prey? You’re not saying that you’re like Chaz?” “Didn’t he tell you that, neither?” Her mouth opened. “You’re a werewolf?”


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“How else did I know how to pull his ass out of the fire when the ranch was goin’ up the spout?” “I don’t know. You just look so normal.” Not to say he was ordinary. Kade was rather spectacularly male. And there were the same golden flecks in his eyes that Chaz had—the color his eyes became when he shifted into the wolf. Kade picked up his plate. “I haven’t been normal for a hell of a long time. Finished with that?” He pointed at her platter. She picked up the last piece of bacon and nodded while nibbling the end. “Were you the one who turned him?” He threw her a pointed look while he walked to the sink. “I’ve never turned anyone. That was done to him by the pack that tried to make you their chew toy last night.” She swallowed a bite. “Why?” “They’ve been sniffin’ around this place for years, pickin’ off livestock during full moons. Chaz held his own for a while, but he got unlucky one month. Next thing he knew, he got bit and had a whole new situation on his hands. One thing that pack didn’t count on, though, was that he would refuse to join ’em after he was turned. He keeps fightin’ to this day. We’ve offed a few of the bastards, but they keep comin’.” “So where do you fit in? Did they bite you, too?” “I was turned long ago and far from here. I happened to be makin’ my way through the area when I sensed a new and highly volatile wolf.” He turned on the kitchen faucet and began rinsing their dishes. “Decided I’d better check it out before he did somethin’ right stupid that might give away our existence. Wolves are natural pack animals, you see. Leave a young one alone and he can get himself in all sorts of shit.” “What then?” “Chaz took me in and acknowledged me as his alpha in exchange for my help. We’ve been our own little wolf pack of two ever since. Until now, that is.”

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He dried his hands and came back to the table. She took another bite off her bacon and tried to ignore his heated stare. Finally, she couldn’t resist asking. “Can I see?” “See what?” “Your wolf.” She met his eyes. “I saw Chaz’s briefly, but didn’t know it was him. He changed his face somehow when he told me, but…” she trailed off. “You probably think it’s stupid of me to ask, but I’d like to see you. That is, if it’s safe?” “You mean, will I lose control and forget you’re not a lamb chop?” She nodded, and he laughed. “We keep our memories—and control of ourselves, for the most part. Some of us, anyway. Others choose to let the primal animal rule. Their shifts are much harder to control.” He stood up and peeled off his shirt. Her mouth went dry in an instant, and she began coughing on a piece of her food. She gulped down more coffee to recover. “You’re not going to strip right here?” “Just my shirt.” He tossed it on the back of his chair, his tanned pectorals flexing with the movement. She would not stare at his hard chest with the inviting dusting of hair or his washboard abs. No, no no. “Pants and boots slide off easy when you shift,” he went on. “Shirts are another matter—and look damn ridiculous, I might add.” He bent forward slightly and held his arms out, then the bizarre ripple she’d seen on Chaz erupted over Kade’s body. With a flurry of motion, he popped into a furry shape that shrank lower to the floor. Lily blinked twice to find a white wolf standing not a foot in front of her. “God,” she breathed. She stared at him, her heart pounding. They really were wolves. Had he been telling the truth when he said she’d be safe with him? Kade must have read the fear in her expression because he lowered his head and whimpered. Then he inched forward slowly and deposited his head square in her lap. His yellow eyes looked up at her


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with another pensive whimper, and she felt the vise grip around her heart ease. “You’re so beautiful,” she said, reaching a hand out for him to sniff. His wet black nose twitched as he smelled her. “You look almost identical to Chaz’s wolf, except for this.” Her fingers ran along the smooth spot over the top of his head behind his left ear, where the fur was shaved and the tribal tattoo was still visible. His twitching nose edged over to her other hand, which held the last bite of her bacon. She laughed. “I see. You shift and go straight for the treats. Fine.” She held out the bacon, and he gently nipped it away with milky white teeth. He gulped it down, licked his muzzle, then leaned in and sniffed her greasy bacon fingers. His long, pink tongue flicked out to lick her fingers clean. “That must come in handy when you’re out of napkins,” she said. He stopped and looked straight up at her. His majestic stare captivated her. She scratched between his ears, then ran her hands over his thick white pelt. The fur was smooth and sleek and even softer than it looked. She stroked his back from his shoulders down to his tail, which he wagged with mad abandon. He moved closer and leaned in to nuzzle her neck. “You know, I think I like you this way,” she said. “Though I’ll bet you’d be a menace in the kitchen trying to fry eggs like this.” She kept on petting his fur, and when she gave his rear end three firm pats like she did to her dogs growing up, his rough tongue came back to lick the side of her face. “Stop that,” she said in a playful tone. “You’re tickling me. Kade! No wet nose in my ear. Ew!” He shoved his way closer, still wagging his tail while he snuffled her ear and sniffed all down the side of her neck. She broke out in a fit of giggles at his antics. When he started licking her collarbone, she held his powerful body away by the chest. “Okay, silly dog. Enough.”

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Suddenly, her hands were on hot man flesh instead of soft fur. “Would you rather have me do it this way?” His deep whisper against her ear sent a shiver through her. “That scent of yours. Holy Christ in heaven, are you ever in trouble. This is bad.” She sniffed at her forearm and frowned. “What’s wrong with the way I smell? I just showered.” “You’re downright narcotic. I reckon that other pack will bring out the whole gang in force after you tonight.” “But Chaz said he got rid of them when he, well, when we…” Her scowl deepened when Kade shook his head. “They were fooled temporarily, but they’ll figure it out soon enough. Then, they’ll be back.” “Figure what out?” “That Chaz didn’t do it right.” She let out an undisguised snort. “I’m hardly an expert, but I’d say that everything that man did felt very right.” The sensual growl in Kade’s chest prompted her to rethink her candor, especially with him invading her space. She shrank against the back of her chair. “I’m sure it was earth-shatterin’,” he said. “Unfortunately, it won’t rid us of the other pack’s challenge.” Irritation flooded her abdomen. “Why wasn’t it good enough?” “I wasn’t there, for one thing.” Her heart gave a little skip. “Sorry, but it I wasn’t looking for an audience.” “Oh, no.” His smile turned predatory. “I’m talkin’ strictly a handson deal, darlin’.” The implication brought fire to her cheeks, and her hands shook like a recently sobered drunk. If only she hadn’t gulped down that coffee. “I wouldn’t have agreed to that.” “It’s how this whole ‘werewolf thing’ works. For the claim to be recognized, your bond-mate’s alpha has to accept you into the pack by markin’ you durin’ sex.”


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She wrinkled her nose. “Marking me? Why does that sound like some nasty, territorial peeing-on-me thing?” “Wrong. It’s an identifyin’, bitin’ thing.” Her eyes flew wide. “You’d bite me and turn me into one of you? Forget it.” “The bite wouldn’t change you. Just mark you for other wolves so they’d know you were taken. You would be strictly off-limits to anyone outside Chaz’s pack.” “I’m not off-limits now?” “Hell, no. Your scent is like hangin’ out a Take Me Now sign.” He moved in closer, and when he breathed her in, his eyes fluttered. “Oh yeah, very dangerous. We have to finish the matin’ claim before tonight’s full moon, or it’s gonna be a tooth and testosterone free-forall.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why should I believe you? You’re telling me this while Chaz is conveniently absent. You could say anything to convince the naïve almost-virgin that you have to bang her, too.” He shrugged. “Ask Chaz if you want, but I think you know better.” He rose up higher on his knees, leaning over her chair until their faces were inches apart. “You trust me like you do him. Deep down, you know that I’m right. And you know you want to be claimed as ours.” Kade’s head dropped down so his lips could trail fire along her neck, and every nip sent pulses of need through her stomach and straight to her clit. His hands wound through her hair, and a moan escaped from her throat. She planned to shove him away, but instead, her thighs parted and he knelt between them. His body felt warm and welcoming, and his scent was all male and inviting enough to lose herself in. Her hands gripped his muscled, round shoulders, and she pulled him to her while he kissed his way down to her collarbone. A sweep of his tongue along the hollow there sent a warm gush of fluid from her pussy.

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Goose bumps rose, and her nipples went stiff when his hand lightly brushed over the swell of her breast. Holy hell, she’d gone from frigid to rabid in twenty-four hours. Not good. Not good at all. “Stop, Kade,” she murmured, her nails digging in hard to pull him even closer. His tongue and fingers ceased their torment, but his head continued nuzzling her shoulder. “Your words say one thing, but your hands say somethin’ else entirely.” She jerked her hands off of him, and he pulled back, his smoldering hazel-gold eyes glittering with need. “Tell me what you really want, darlin’. I’ll give it to you.” Oh, she wanted him to give it to her, all right. That was the problem. She set her jaw and tried to reassemble the thoughts he was rapidly unraveling. “I don’t want anything.” “Liar,” he breathed. “You want me, Lily. All my human and animal instincts tell me so.” “What I want is for you to back off. You and Chaz.” She scooted her chair away from him. “You two act like I’m supposed to jump on the sex train at a moment’s notice. What you fail to grasp is that up until a few hours ago I was a virgin. Not a hooker.” He sighed. “Sorry. Guess you bring out the animal in me.” “I thought you said you could control yourself when you’re an animal?” “I said ‘for the most part.’” “Please, Kade.” He pushed away and stood. She let out a loud gasp at the sight of the swollen, pulsing cock that stuck straight out near her face. Her hand shot out in front of her in a vain attempt to block the view. “Again with the no clothes thing.” She turned her head away. “What is it with the two of you having no shame about being naked in front of me?” And why was it that, despite averting her gaze, she could still make out the image of his round ass cheeks as he sauntered over to where his jeans lay pooled on the floor?


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“Why should we be ashamed in front of you? You’re a breeder, destined to be our mate.” A pang of shock hit. “What the hell did you just call me? A what?” “Breeder.” He tugged on his pants and yanked up the zipper. “Please don’t tell me Chaz neglected to fill you in on this part, too?” “That’d be a big no. If he’d have used the word ‘breeder’ at any time last night, I would never have let him touch me.” Kade sat back in his chair to pull on his boots, but left his shirt off. She cursed him silently for refusing to remove the temptation of his rippling torso. “It’s not anythin’ bad. There’s no reason to be offended.” “Breeder? That’s got to be the most offensive thing anyone has ever called me.” “Calm down. It’s quite a compliment in wolfdom.” “What, being able to spit out huge litters of pups? I hardly think so.” “It has nothin’ to do with that. Would you relax?” “I’d be more relaxed after ten more cups of your coffee. I am not—repeat, not—anyone’s breeder. Got it?” His dimpled smile could have charmed the habit off a nun. “I know you’re a breeder, even if you don’t.” She tilted her chin. “How do you know?” He sighed. “You started attractin’ males as soon as you hit puberty. Boys came out of nowhere, desperate for you to notice ’em. Even older boys expressed interest. Some fought over you, snarlin’ like wild beasts.” Kade paused to look at her. She just stared at him, arms folded tight. “With all that attention,” he went on, “one might think it would inflate your ego. That you’d revel in bein’ the center of the male universe. Not true. It bothers you. And you can’t quite settle for any of ’em. You might date or have occasional boyfriends, but nothin’

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lasts once they press you for physical intimacy. How am I doin’ so far?” She blinked. “A little too good, actually.” He rested a forearm on the table. “You aren’t sure why you couldn’t bring yourself to sleep with ’em, other than every guy lacked somethin’ you couldn’t put a finger on. Right?” She shrugged. “Okay, fine. You’ve managed to profile my alarmingly dysfunctional personality. So what?” “Those are breeder traits.” Her escaping giggle was less than mirthful. “Didn’t you just hear yourself? My problem is not wanting to give it up, not throwing it at every guy who sniffs around.” He grunted. “Breeders aren’t whores, darlin’. They are highly selective. They refuse to mate with males who are less than worthy.” “God, you make me sound so shallow. Now I think no guy is worthy of me?” “You’re a defensive one.” “Let me guess, that’s a breeder trait, too?” He flashed a smile that tugged low on her stomach. “Not that I’ve heard. Anyway, breeders produce pheromones that attract males like crazy. But they instinctively won’t accept any but their werewolf bond-mate. Like the way female animals in nature select only the fittest male to produce her offspring.” “Just one problem. I’m not looking to breed any offspring.” “Maybe not now, but eventually you’d want to settle down. Meanwhile, instinct’s a hard thing to beat. Somethin’ kept you from doin’ it with those other guys. Just didn’t feel right. But now, you suddenly find you can’t turn off the desire you’ve buried all your life. Your sexuality switch snapped on when you met us.” “When I met Chaz, you mean. You weren’t around when all this happened.” “But it’s still happenin’ now, isn’t it? With me.”


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She swallowed. “If I’m supposedly a breeder who won’t choose anyone but my mate, then I can’t feel anything for you.” She gave a triumphant smile. “Wrong again. While you have one primary bond-mate, you will feel the same attraction for the rest of his pack. And they will be just as drawn to you.” His eyes slid over her. “We share, remember?” Shit. She pursed her lips. “I’m going to slap the hell out of Chaz the next time I see him. He might have mentioned that one of the downsides to sleeping with him is getting horned on by his alpha.” Rather than the irritation she’d hoped to elicit, Kade favored her with another undeniably erotic smile. “I’d say that hornin’ was mutual”—he shifted around and flicked a glance at his shoulder— “and I’ve got the marks to prove it.” Her eyes widened a bit at the already-fading reddish streaks her nails left on his flesh, but she lifted her chin. “I’m not going to be your tramp to pass around. I don’t do ‘tag, you’re it.’” “Chaz knew you were meant for him the first time he saw you.” She frowned at the sudden change of topic. “What?” “Did he have to bother explainin’ one damn thing before you slept with him? Or was it just ‘Hi, I’m a werewolf. Fuck me’?” “There wasn’t a lot of time for talk, you know. It was a life or death thing.” “Still is, until we finish this. In any case, werewolves know their bond-mate on sight. It reaches right out and yanks us by the sac.” He grabbed his crotch to demonstrate. Her eyes rolled. “Nice. Don’t tell me, that other pack thought I was their bond-mate, too?” “A female doesn’t have to be the bond-mate for a male to want to fuck her. Until he bonds with his mate, he’ll screw many females. Males, too.” “While she keeps herself pure for ‘the one’? I see the double standard applies in the werewolf world, too.”

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“Nature does as she sees fit. But don’t you fret—females get all the lovin’ they can handle in the deal.” “Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound with all this talk of breeders and bond-mates?” “Any more ridiculous than tellin’ you werewolves exist?” She snapped her jaw shut. “You had to have wondered why you never could fuck anybody. Now you know why Chaz broke through that barrier in a single night.” “Chaz claimed he was saving my life.” “And you went along with it because you sensed it was the right thing to do. He’s the reason you came back here.” “I came back here to get away from romantic drama, and look what happened.” “You could have gone anywhere.” She shrugged, her voice turning wistful. “I’ll admit I do love it up here. It feels safe. Welcoming.” He grunted. “Like home?” She shot him a look. “Trying to prove your point?” “Tryin’ to help. I know it’s a lot to take in.” She folded her arms tighter around herself. “So if Chaz knew I was the one ten years ago, why didn’t he say so?” “Was he supposed to mosey up to a twelve-year-old and say, ‘Hey, you’re my destined mate’? Reckon your parents would have loved that.” She arched a brow. “No, they probably would have had him jailed. Still, he could have come looking when I got older.” “He knew you would return when the time was right. Although he’s been damned antsy since you came of age. He’s had half a mind to go after you.” “Why didn’t he?”


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“Waste of time, chasin’ a mate before she’s ready. When she is, she instinctively seeks him out.” His grin flashed perfect white teeth. “Breeder trait.” She thought about the sudden and unyielding obsession to revisit the cabin in the woods that had become increasingly hard to ignore the past several months. “So you guys have been waiting for me to knock on the door and say I realized we were meant to be together?” He shrugged. “Fate has a way of arrangin’ things. Your paths were destined to cross again, and they have. You were destined to have Chaz claim you, and he did.” “That’s the part where you’re wrong.” She stood up and smoothed her hair. “I haven’t let anyone claim me, Kade. Not Chaz, not you, not anyone. The only person I belong to is me.” His eyes were hooded in challenge. “Do you deny what you felt in his arms? Or just now, when my lips were on you?” She turned away to get his crystal eyes out of range, for all the good it did. She could feel that intense scrutiny penetrating her back. “Feeling chemistry doesn’t mean I should give up control of my life to someone else.” When he started to reply, she cut him off by raising a hand. “Please, no more tales of wolf lore. I need time to think, which is what I came up here to do in the first place.” There was a pause. Then, he cleared his throat. “You’re right.” Coming from his mouth, those words were almost startling. She paused, but thought better of answering. Instead, she headed for the doorway. “Where are you going?” “Back to the cabin. I have things to take care of.” “You can’t leave here.” She whirled on him. “I’m a prisoner now?” “It’s too dangerous. After what happened last night, I’d think you’d be more grateful for a safe place.”

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The challenge was back in his eyes, and she was suddenly tired of bickering with him. “I am grateful. Just tired. I wanted to check on the damage there. And I need my clothes and toiletries.” He eyed her for a moment. “Rest up here for the day. When the ranch work is done, Chaz or I can swing by the cottage to pick up a few things, if you want.” She nodded and offered a smile, hoping that lie detection wasn’t yet another handy wolf skill. “That’d be fine.” He turned, and she tried not to stare again at his firm ass while he swaggered off. Men. Always playing boss to the woman who wanted none. She waited several minutes after Kade was out of the house before she made a move. After a trip to Chaz’s room to borrow a pair of boots—the man apparently owned no sneakers—she crept to the front door and peered outside. If her little rental cabin made her think Little House on the Prairie, then she could liken this place to Bonanza. Not nearly as sprawling as the Ponderosa, but plenty of big blue sky and woodsy panorama greeted her eyes as she looked around the front. The day was mild as she pulled the front door shut behind her. The westernstyle landscaping along the front of the house came complete with river rock, a water barrel, and giant wagon wheel. A shiny black fourwheel drive truck sat on a circular drive. A narrow dirt road spanned off in either direction. Beyond that, she saw the woods Chaz had brought her out of. There was no sign of activity. No doubt Chaz and Kade were out back on the ranch proper. She could get away and put some distance between herself and the men who had spun her head into a giant fluff of cotton candy. Her heart pounded in her throat as she made a quick dash for the tree line with as much finesse as a man’s large boots and jeans that kept trying to vacate her hips would allow. She half expected a cowboy hand to reach out and grab her, but when she made it into the


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cool shelter of the woods, she smiled. A path fell in a fairly straight, clear line to the cabin. The rest of the going would be easy.

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Chapter Three Despite her initial appraisal, Lily was heaving with exertion and blisters stung her feet from the oversized cowboy boots by the time she finished the trek to the cabin. The journey was much farther than she’d realized, based on the time it had taken Chaz to get her to the ranch—and he’d been carrying her while barefoot and naked. She hadn’t fully grasped just how strong and fast he must be, even after learning his paranormal secret. The front door to the cabin was closed, and everything seemed calm and undisturbed as she approached. Nothing gave any hint as to the volatile confrontation the night before. She paused out front, wiping her forearm across her moist brow. The reassuring scent of fresh pine and dewy underbrush filled her nostrils as she contemplated the rental home. Kade had been right about her feeling drawn to this place, but whether the pull she felt was because of Chaz, she didn’t know. The rustic exterior held just the right curb appeal for someone like Lily, who craved elusive peaceful moments. The thought brought a smile, albeit wary, as she stepped onto the porch. The door creaked open to her push, and she waited a moment, listening. No sounds came from within, not that she’d really expected any. The wolves would be long gone by now, back to their dens to sleep the day away like other nighttime creatures. When she stepped through the door, the inside of the cozy little cabin told an entirely different tale about the previous night’s encounter. The tidy living room was in shambles. End tables were overturned, a throw pillow had been shredded into bits of pale fluff, and broken glass from the window crunched under her feet as she


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walked through the space to assess the damage. The sound made her a little more grateful for the boots she’d cursed on the way over. She would have to report this disaster to the leasing company, who would not be happy to hear this had happened—and barely twenty-four hours after picking up the keys, no less. How much would she be held liable for? And how the hell would she explain it? What was she supposed to say? Sorry, I’m a big-time breeder and a pack of wild dogs bashed up the place trying to claim me? The thought brought a hiccup of laughter from her throat, but a prickle of tears blurred her view of the devastation. “What the hell is all this?” Lily whirled with a gasp toward the male voice behind her. “John? What are you doing here?” Her most recent ex-beau stood in the doorway, staring at the mess. John Charles held a bouquet of lilies—not a scent she liked, but he liked the obvious tie-in to her name. He wore the cream colored sweater and navy slacks she’d once told him were her favorites on him. “I came to see you, obviously. Didn’t expect I’d be walking into Armageddon.” He shook his head and pushed a hand through a mass of tightly packed, dishwater blond curls. His hair resembled a corkscrew factory explosion, which didn’t look bad on him but lacked the soft, shimmering luster of Chaz’s mahogany waves. Then there was Kade’s sleek, straight black mane. Stop it, she told herself. She shouldn’t be comparing the man she’d dated for months to the ones she’d barely gotten acquainted with. Never mind what an earth-shattering acquaintance it had been. “Are you listening to me?” Her face flushed hot when she realized he’d been speaking while she was lost in thoughts of gold eyes and sculpted muscles. “What happened here?” “Animals got in.” “What, a herd of dinosaurs?”

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She nudged aside a shard of glass with the toe of Chaz’s boot. “Wolves.” “Might help if you kept the door closed. You’d think a city girl would know better.” “I had it closed,” she said, trying to keep irritation from her voice. “Hence the broken windows.” “It was standing open just now. Hence my just walking in.” Ah, his trademark sarcasm. Just the thing to go with the flowers he was no doubt hoping to use as a peace offering. He nodded to her. “What’s with the baggy clothes and boots?” “They’re not mine.” “I guessed that much. Don’t tell me the animals broke in to steal your clothes? I thought wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing?” His self-satisfied laugh sent a stab of annoyance through her. She hitched up the oversized pants. “I’m sure you didn’t drive all the way up here to discuss my wardrobe foibles. Why are you here?” “I told you. I wanted to see you.” “How did you even find me?” He shrugged. “You’ve talked obsessively about this place for months. It was simple enough to Google the area. I followed your ad nauseam description of landmarks, and here I am.” He made a face as he moved closer, glancing around. “Though I can’t say much for the charm you seem to see in the place.” She folded her arms. “Thanks for the appraisal, but it’s not like you needed to come here. We’re not together anymore.” His attempt at an innocent boyish look fell short. “I know you’re upset, but I was hoping we could make up. Turn this running away of yours into a romantic getaway instead.” He held the flowers out to her with a conciliatory smile. She kept her arms folded and just looked at him. The lilies’ overpowering scent wafted her way, cloying her nostrils. Just like John had cloyed her with his constant attention and pressure toward the end of their semirelationship.


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After a few moments, his smile faded and he lowered the cellophane-wrapped bouquet to his side. “First,” she said, “I am not running away. I needed some breathing room, which you’re apparently not planning to give me. Second, I thought I made it clear that our parting of ways is permanent.” “You didn’t mean it.” She whooshed out an exasperated breath. “We want different things, John. We have different expectations. There’s no reason to keep things going when it’s not right between us.” “I can’t accept that.” He took another step toward her. “I know you’ve had your reservations or whatever about intimacy, but things can be right between us if you’d just let them.” She shook her head. “No, they can’t. It isn’t meant to be.” Every step he moved closer stirred up an urge to put two steps between them. “Come on, baby,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Give it a try. If you’ll just give in, I can show you exactly how right it can be.” “I don’t think so.” “I do.” His hand felt sandpapery when he grabbed hers. John tried to pull her to him, but she yanked back. “There’s someone else.” Her eyes widened the second the words were out. She hadn’t meant to blurt that out. In fact, it was the absolute last thing she intended to say to him. “Someone else,” John said, his tone flat. “Who? Is he here? Is that why you came? Are those his clothes?” She glanced down at them guiltily. “That’s not why I came here. It was just fate.” With a shudder in her stomach, she realized she believed it. “Fate.” His face went impassive. Then without warning, the flowers he held hurtled toward her and hit her in the midsection. “Fate? What kind of bullshit is that?”

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“Calm down.” She backed away from the flowers lying at her feet. “I’m sorry. It just happened.” “What do you mean, it just happened? What exactly happened?” He stared at her, his watery gray eyes narrow. “We…” she hugged herself and shook her head. “Jesus Christ, don’t tell me you slept with this guy?” She swallowed, but refused to answer. Something primal and dark flickered in his gaze. Something she’d never seen in him before. He went on, his voice growing louder with each sentence. “After one day here? I’ve waited a year for you to put out, and you spread your legs for a guy you don’t even know in a matter of hours?” “I do know him.” “You just said you didn’t come up here for him. So you’re a tramp and a liar?” “He’s someone I met briefly growing up. We reconnected.” “Yeah. Reconnected with your crotch.” His eyes oozed fury. “I don’t fucking believe this.” Her jaw clenched. “There’s no need to be so crude.” “Oh, there’s every need.” He jerked a thumb at his chest. “There’s my need, something you haven’t given a damn about since the day we met.” His nostrils flared. “But that’s about to change.” She furrowed her brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He pointed at her. “You owe me, Lily. I put up with your phony puritan virgin shit all these months.” Lily struggled to lace calm into her tone. “I owe you an apology, yes. It wasn’t fair to stay with you when I couldn’t give you what you wanted. That’s why I ended things. I’m sorry you had to drive all the way up here and still not get it.” He shook his head. “Oh, I’m going to get it.” John advanced on her with a menacing stare. When he reached for the fly of his black jeans, her eyes flew wide. “John?”


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“You owe me more than a bullshit apology. Give me a farewell fuck so I can get you out of my system. Then we’ll call it even.” “No! What the hell are you doing?” she asked when he shoved down his zipper. Then he was there, gripping her upper arms. John’s lips mashed hers. His tongue fought for entrance into her mouth while he ground his pelvis painfully against hers. The dry humping made his erection obvious. In the past few months, his kisses had become less gentle, growing into something demanding. Nothing like this, though it had been enough to spur her decision to let go of what she knew was another futile relationship. She knew she would never give herself to him. Until this moment, however, she hadn’t appreciated just how apparently obsessed he was with screwing her. “Don’t,” she said, pulling away. “Let me go. Leave.” “Not until I get what I came for. Fuck, you smell good. What is that?” A hand roughly squeezed her breast. Her breath came in gasps, and tears blocked her view of the room again, though not from the panic rising in her chest. God, what the hell was going on here? The man was crazed. He was going to force himself on her. “What’s wrong with you?” she shouted. “It’s called blue balls.” She struggled in his arms, which had become alarmingly strong despite the lack of obvious muscle tone. When his hand reached under her borrowed shirt to pinch her bare nipple hard, she cried out in pain and fear. Somehow, she yanked an arm free and slapped his cheek. The blow appeared to sting her hand more than wound him, though. On the contrary, her struggle seemed to fire his lust even more. “I kind of like you this way,” he said. “You’ve got a lot more spunk now that a man’s shot his spunk in you.” “That’s disgusting. Get away from me.” “No.”

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She tried to scream, but his mouth crushed hers again, too hard for her even to find a way to bite him. That’s when she heard the low, ominous rumble coming from the doorway. John whipped his head around toward the growling noise. “What the—” He didn’t get the rest out. Chaz slammed into him, half knocking Lily over as he shoved the man away. Kade was right there, grabbing John and locking one of his arms through John’s bent elbows from behind. The fact that they were both still in human form hadn’t made their growls in the doorway any less feral, nor their obvious rage any less potent. Lily was shaking while Chaz stood with his back to her, facing John. “Keep your damn hands off her,” Chaz said. John’s voice held a quiver that didn’t back up his attempt at a casual tone. “I take it you must be him. If I’d have known she liked things rough like this—” Chaz’s fist slammed the cheek already reddened by Lily’s slap. “Best you shut your fuckin’ mouth, boy,” Kade said, tightening his grip. John sagged forward, spitting blood onto the floor. “Listen to that twang. Cowboys, huh?” As if he couldn’t have figured that out from the tan Stetsons and matching pointed-toe boots. He wriggled his jaw back and forth experimentally before straightening with a groan. “I’m sorry, okay?” Kade released his grip and came around front, arms folded. In his best slick salesman tone John said, “This is all just a misunderstanding. She knows me. We’ve been together for over a year.” “I’d say that situation’s past tense,” Kade said. John shot him a glare. “You have no say here.” Chaz’s voice boomed in the tiny space. “She’s mine.”


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The bubble of fear rising in Lily’s throat burst into a hot flash of anger. “What the hell is it with you guys? I am not yours,” she said, fisting her hips and stepping forward. Her motion—and the rest of her retort—halted at the look Chaz turned on her. The man’s eyes shimmered with the fiery gold of his wolf. He glared at her and uttered a growl of barely restrained warning. The air grew thick around her until she could barely breathe. She snapped her mouth closed and swallowed the rest of her tirade. “What the devil is wrong with him?” John said, backing further away. Chaz turned back. “Maybe I’ve a mind to show you exactly what’s wrong with me.” “Chaz, don’t,” Lily said, trying not to picture him with his teeth sunk into the other man’s neck. For all John’s sudden bizarre behavior, he didn’t deserve that. “Kade, tell him not to.” “Why?” Kade said. “We can work this out,” John said. “Just give me an hour to finish talking this over with her.” Chaz advanced a step. “Seemed to me you weren’t doin’ much of that. Or do you do all your talkin’ with your zipper down?” John tugged his fly back into place. “Look, I don’t want any trouble. But it’s none of your business what we were doing.” In a flash, Chaz shoved him against the wall, sending a painting crashing down at their feet. Lily gasped. John was a fool to keep up a stream of his ill-timed sarcasm, even though he was backing away while he did it. Why try to out-alpha two men who could clearly take his head off? Gurgling, choking sounds came from John, courtesy of the forearm Chaz had planted like an iron bar across the man’s throat. John’s face reddened as he struggled for air, and he flailed his hands in an attempt to dislodge Chaz’s grip. Kade stood by, watching with an impassive expression.

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“Stop it,” Lily said. “Let him go. This is ridiculous. Kade, for God’s sake. Do something.” Chaz held John in place while he twisted his head toward her. “Do you want this piece of shit in your bed or not?” She raised her chin. “No, but there’s a big difference between wanting to break up with someone and wanting them broken in half.” When he didn’t respond she ground out, “Chaz, he can’t breathe. Stop.” John’s face was purple by the time Chaz released him. The man crumpled, sucking in giant, wheezing gasps while he clutched at his throat. “The lady’s said her piece,” Kade said to him in a cold tone. “She doesn’t want you here. Best you be on your way.” Chaz stooped down near John’s face, his voice lowering. “Don’t come back.” John struggled to his feet, tears rolling down his face as he continued to cough and gag. He hobbled toward the door, and when he drew level with Lily he caught her eye and managed to rasp out a hoarse, “This isn’t over.” She nodded. “Yes it is, John. Good-bye.” She stared through the vacant doorway while she heard the sound of his car engine firing. Though her fingers ached from how tightly she was gripping her arms as she hugged herself, Chaz’s fingers dug in even harder when he spun her around to face him. “Is there any male on the planet that’s not after you?” His eyes were still wild. “What the hell are you doin’ out here?” “Hello to both of you, too,” she said, ignoring the pulse pounding in her ears. “And for your information, men have never treated me this bad before I came up here.” She glanced pointedly at her arms. “You’re hurting me.” “Chaz,” Kade said, and the other man let her go. To her he added, “I told you not to come up here.” She made a face at him. “You’re not my alpha.”


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Chaz huffed out a breath. “You didn’t answer me. Why are you here? Did you come to meet him?” She threw up your hands. “God, you sound just like John! Not that I owe you an explanation, but no, I had no idea he was coming up here. I came back here to get away from you two with your wild stories and raging hormones. I needed to think about everything while I checked out the damage to the cabin and grabbed my stuff. John surprised me right after I got here.” The inhuman yellow glow was still evident in both of the men’s livid stares when she finished. Undaunted, she rubbed her sore arms and glared right back. “Let’s get something straight. I am very grateful to Chaz for saving my life. But that doesn’t mean either of you own me, any more than John does.” “Twice,” Chaz said, the word hissing out through clenched teeth. She frowned. “Twice what?” “I saved you twice.” “John wasn’t trying to kill me.” “No, just rape you and God knows what else,” Kade said. “He was clear out of control. Who knows how far he’d have gone?” She pressed her lips together, but couldn’t suppress a shiver at the thought. Chaz shut his eyes and seemed to steel himself before continuing. “Don’t you get it? Kade warned you of the danger you’re in, but you didn’t listen. Look what almost happened because of it.” “Kade told me the wolf pack might come back, not that the entire male population has gone mental—which includes you.” His eyes widened. “Me? Despite your apparent need to stick your neck into trouble, I’m tryin’ to protect you.” “And who’s going to protect me from you?” She glanced at the fading, but still visible pink marks on her arms. Chaz’s eyes followed, and he winced. “I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean to grab you like that.”

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“And while we’re at it, just when the hell were you planning to tell me that this so-called mating thing was supposed to be a double header with a side order of wolf bite?” Chaz shot her a guilty look. “Actually,” Kade said, “I wouldn’t have to shift into the wolf for that part. Just the teeth.” Her fists landed on her hips. “Oh, just the teeth. My favorite part of a wolf. Thanks for the reassurance.” Kade moved closer. “I’m sorry about all that. But you have to understand it isn’t safe for you out here.” Chaz nodded. “When I sensed your fear coming from so far away and realized where you’d gone, I just reacted.” “We both did,” Kade said. Chaz paused and turned away from her. “I thought the pack had come for you.” Her fists clenched harder as she stared at the perfection of his chiseled back, restraining the urge to run her hands over it. “You wound up saving me from someone else instead. Someone I thought I knew.” She shook her head as he turned back to her. “I’ve never seen him act like that before, I swear.” Her heart pounded as John’s final actions before her rescue replayed in her mind. “I don’t understand why he did it. I was so scared.” She slowed her breaths in an attempt to hold back the urge to vomit. Kade grunted. “I told you, your scent is trouble right now. You’re a breeder who has been awakened sexually, but without proper claim. That’s an almost irresistible attractant, and men will react as such until you have been bonded.” She fell silent. Great. Now that she’d embraced her inner slut, men were going to be even more aggressive? Even the cabin’s seclusion apparently couldn’t hide her from that fate. Was her only choice to agree to Kade’s insistence that she let him bed-and-bite her? How could a die-hard, barely-ex-virgin give herself to two men, let alone two werewolves?


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“Let’s get you back to the ranch,” Kade said. “The pack could still show up. We can worry about the damage here later.” It took longer than she would have liked to gather her possessions, considering her bedroom was the biggest disaster of all. The mattress lay askew on the floor, and the bedside lamp was shattered in pieces alongside. It broke her heart to see the vandalism the wolf pack had wrought on her beloved cabin. Worse, not all of her things were still there. Apparently, the wolves had taken some trophies. She found her purse, but her license was gone. Now they knew who she was and where she lived. Most of her clothes were intact, but her favorite red silk panties and camisole were missing. She couldn’t bring herself to consider what the wolves wanted with them. After she had pulled on some of her own jeans, sneakers, and a white knit tank, they were back in the damp woods. Kade carried her overnight bag. “So tell me somethin’,” Chaz said after a few minutes of crunching through underbrush. Sunlight filtered through the overhead branches, but his hat hooded his eyes as they traversed the two-mile distance. “Have you made up your mind about Kade and me yet? Because my hands are fairly hog-tied now, what with you runnin’ off alone and me not allowed to hurt the crazed males tryin’ to jump you.” He quickened his pace through the trees to get ahead of her, then turned her way with a somber expression. “Which apparently includes me.” She looked away from his intensely sensual features, pretending to study the bark of a nearby tree. Still, there was no escaping his effect any more than Kade’s. Her senses were full of them both, from their musky, potently masculine scents to the ragged sounds of their breathing—which hadn’t deviated much from the heaving that no doubt started with a superhuman sprint through the woods to save her. Hearing their low, raw panting made her think of other situations involving heavy breathing. In their presence, there wasn’t a damn thing she could think about that didn’t take on a sexual connotation.

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Shit, even the tree trunk struck a phallic pose that made her teeth clench. This whole thing was hopeless. She was hopeless. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. From the corner of her eye she saw Kade’s shoulders stiffen. “So that’s it, then,” he said. “You’re sayin’ no.” She resumed walking, avoiding the urge to brush against him as she passed. “I’m saying I’m sorry I snuck out and caused you all this upset. And for what happened at the cabin last night. And that Chaz got stuck with me as his fated one in the first place.” She turned to Chaz. “You didn’t have any more choice in that than I did, and you sure landed one strong-headed sack of trouble for it.” He stopped abruptly, and their eyes met, sending waves of desire coursing through her. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want her.” She wanted nothing more to fall into his arms, let him show her right there in the woods how much he wanted her. The longer his gaze penetrated her, the stronger her flare of yearning became—along with the same sense of belonging that had enveloped her last night. When Kade moved close behind her, sandwiching her in a bubble of sexual energy, however, she sprang forward and unleashed a volley of defensive babble. “I really didn’t think it would be such a stupid move to visit the cabin, you know. Wolves are nocturnal, and it’s the middle of the day.” “Those aren’t normal wolves any more than we are,” Chaz said. “They might give themselves over to the power more fully, and they might have more trouble shiftin’ out of it under the call of a full moon. But in the light of day, they’re still men. Men who likely as not would do much worse to you than John planned if they caught you there alone.” She swallowed. How stupid of her not to realize they would simply shift back to normal during the day. “I hadn’t thought of that. This is all still so new and bizarre to me.”


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“That’s why you need to trust us,” Kade said. “We know what’s out there better than you do right now.” A frond from a nearby bush stuck out in her path, and she brushed her hand over it as they walked past. “This all got dropped on me like a bomb. I was overwhelmed and wanted time to think. Plus, I was worried about the cabin. I’m the one who rented it, and it’s my responsibility to check out the damage and let the agency know so the owner can be notified.” “Consider him duly notified,” Chaz said, pushing his Stetson back higher on his head. “Since you’re lookin’ at him.” Her eyes went wide. “You? I had no idea you owned the place. When?” “Bought it the year after you and your parents stayed there.” Her brows arched. “Fond memories?” “Sound investment.” He sighed. “Until now, at least.” A tinge of guilt churned in her middle. “I’m so sorry. That’s all my fault, too.” “No, it’s not.” His eyes turned frigid as she walked beside him. “It’s theirs.” “They were just reacting to me.” “Because they’re animals,” Kade said. “John isn’t.” “Most men will act on their animal nature, given proper encouragement,” Kade said. “Matin’ rights is a big trigger.” The ice in Chaz’s gaze turned to a shadow of hurt as he folded his arms. “I didn’t realize you already had a man in your life.” “I don’t.” She whooshed out a breath. “John and I dated off and on for over a year. Nothing heavy. Just dinner or drinks every couple weeks or so.” “Looks like he wanted more,” Kade said. “A lot more. But I couldn’t give it to him. You were right about me, Kade. That’s why I broke things off and came here. I needed a weekend away, to think about why I have this pattern with guys.”

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Chaz shot her a curious look. “Pattern?” She nodded. “Even as I was telling John it was over, I didn’t understand why any more than he did. It’s not like he isn’t handsome. Not as gorgeous as you, of course,” she added quickly when she saw Chaz stiffen. “I could never truly connect with any of the men I met. There’s mild chemistry, but not enough to inspire more than a few kisses. Men grow bored or angry waiting me out, and that’s that. I had no clue what the hell was wrong with me.” Kade put his arm around her shoulder, and her legs threatened to rubberize with the contact. “There’s nothin’ wrong with you. I explained why you felt that way.” “I didn’t know that then. I mean, what kind of crazy woman turns down all those willing and good-looking men to stay a virgin at twenty-two? And it’s not like I have female friends I can confide in about it.” His arm tightened protectively. “Why not?” He felt so warm. She moved even closer, and now as they walked her hip bumped his. She reached out without thinking and linked her other arm through Chaz’s. “Whatever it is about me that attracts men seems to rebuff women. They’re either jealous or think I’m a giant tramp. The last thing I wanted to do with the few friends I managed to make was start bitching about my love life.” They walked in silence for a few moments. “I’m sorry this has been so hard,” Chaz said. “Maybe I should have ignored Kade and trusted my instincts to come after you. I wanted to, you know. Maybe if I’d have explained sooner, you wouldn’t have had to deal with that.” “Wouldn’t have made a difference,” Kade said. “He’s right. I’d have probably sent you packing like dozens of others. You should hear the crazy lines guys come up with. My first college boyfriend claimed his doctor insisted he have sex with me to cure a medical condition.”


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Chaz’s sudden grin plucked at her heart, and now with his hat higher on his head she could make out the sexy gold embers flecking his eyes. “Actually, that one might have some merit. I’ve had that condition myself.” She cocked her head and slid her hand down to lace her fingers with his. “That’s nothing that your right hand and some good imagery can’t cure.” She laughed at his raised brow. “What, you think that because I stayed a virgin I was utterly sexless? Some of my best dates have been with myself. Pathetic to admit, I know.” He stopped short and gaped at her. “Hell no, that’s not pathetic.” “That’s about the damn sexiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Kade said. She cracked a suspicious smile. “What, that I’ve touched myself? People do, you know.” Chaz closed his eyes and groaned. “Just thinkin’ of you all alone, doin’ yourself.” His eyes flew back open with a heated glow that sent a shiver of longing down her spine. Then his gaze fastened on Kade. “Let’s get her home faster.” With that, she was off her feet in Kade’s arms, this time. He and Chaz all but flew her back to the ranch.

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Chapter Four “How much time do we have left?” Chaz asked in a tight voice when the three of them were back inside the ranch house. “Relax,” Kade said, depositing Lily gently on her feet in the living room. “No need to panic like last night. We’ve got hours until moon rise—and work left to do outside. There’ll be plenty opportunity to take our time and do this right.” “You guys are assuming I intend to go along with this,” Lily said. She sat down on the sofa and kicked off her shoes, deliriously happy to feel nothing but soft cowhide rug under her feet. Chaz gave her an incredulous look. “After what we had last night? What about all that talk and apology just now in the woods? Shit, you just found out firsthand how men like John are gonna behave around you if you won’t be with us. Why are you playin’ hard to get?” She gave a nonchalant shrug and laced her fingers together around one knee. The action bent her forward so that her cleavage was visible, and she felt the men’s eyes on her. Good. Let them look. “You weren’t entirely honest with me last night, Chaz. You failed to mention I’d not only have to get fucked by you, but by a strange man I’d never met—and let him bite me while he’s at it. Those are rather important details.” His face reddened, and he gave a frustrated snort. “It wasn’t like we had boatloads of time for details.” “Bull. You could have worked it in there somewhere during the night. Say, one of the other times you made love to me. Or maybe when I rode you on top?”


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She held his gaze, trying to calm the quiver in her stomach. He owed her something—both of them did. By God, she would get it out of them before this went any further. “We don’t have time for this,” Chaz said with a note of exasperation. “According to Kade, we have plenty of time to ‘do this right.’” He stepped toward her. “But—” Kade’s hand shot out across Chaz’s chest, cutting off his protest and motion. Kade’s eyes were fastened on Lily with a measuring stare. “Slow up there, cowboy. Check out the lady’s body language.” She flicked him a curious glance at that, but returned to Chaz’s puzzled eyes. “No idea what you mean,” Chaz said. “Just look at her.” “That’s too damn frustratin’. Can’t see past the sexy stare and tits half-spillin’ out of her tank top.” Kade broke into a slow grin. “Exactly.” He glanced at the other man. “Don’t you see? She wants to let us fuck her.” A little thrill went through her chest when he gave her a knowing look. “But there’s somethin’ we gotta do first.” Chaz scratched his head. “What the hell’s that? Beg?” “Do it right. See what she’s holdin’? There’s your clue, stallion.” Her eyes fell to the knee clasped in her locked fingers. Kade tugged on Chaz’s shirtsleeve to egg him toward her. When they both stopped in front of the sofa, Kade dropped to one knee and pulled Chaz down, too. Kade’s expression shifted into something she hadn’t seen in him before. “I know this whole thing has been little better than a freak show,” he said, resting a forearm on his bent knee. “If you’d have come back here under different circumstances, we would have pursued you with a great deal more charm and finesse. Instead, what you got were a couple of Neanderthals practically clubbin’ you over the head to drag you into their cave. I’m sorry that fate’s timin’ has been about half-

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past ironic. But I want you to know we’re no less serious in how we feel about you—or how we intend to treasure you if you agree to be Chaz’s bond mate. And our woman.” She stared at him, her heart giving dizzying lurches. Kade looked to Chaz, who cleared his throat. “You were barely ready to blossom when I first saw you. I was newly strugglin’ with a curse I wanted no part of. But I looked at you and that curse became a blessin’, because it let me see somethin’ more powerful than the beast inside me. I saw what you and I were destined to be together.” He took her hands in his. “I’ve been livin’ on that hope ever since.” A swell of emotion choked her throat. “Chaz,” she whispered, squeezing his hands. “I’d spend forever helpin’ you understand exactly what I saw at that moment,” he went on, “startin’ right now, if we had the time. I’d romance you and seduce you until you were beyond ready to accept Kade and me. The enemy pack has seen fit to cost me the luxury of that time. I just hope to God they haven’t cost me the woman I’ve longed for because of it.” The silence that followed thundered in her ears. Two supernaturally erotic men were on their knees, practically begging for her to let them seduce her beyond fantasy and treasure her forever after. She couldn’t conjure a more fairy tale setup in her dreams—and she’d had many in her day that she’d thought were doomed to remain unfulfilled. Some of which the man in front of her had played a starring role in. When she pulled her hands away from his, Chaz’s expression fell. It reignited when she stroked a hand along the side of each of the men’s faces. “How can a lady resist that kind of charm and finesse?” She gave them each a smile. “I do want you. Both of you. I accept your offer.” Chaz’s lips found hers first, and the room heated with a need that threatened to consume her. She pulled Kade close by gripping his hair, silently begging for the tingling nips on her throat that had


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almost unhinged her in the kitchen. A moan of gratitude followed when he granted that wish while Chaz continued to ravage her mouth. Her clit not only tingled in arousal, it pounded for attention. “Now,” she breathed against his lips. “Please. Do it now.” Chaz didn’t seem inclined to argue, but his alpha had other ideas. He pulled back with a small chuckle. “Remember, we have hours ahead of us to savor the moment. And sadly, chores we neglected in our mad dash to save you.” Now her groan turned to disappointment, and Kade laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. You won’t have long to wait. Just give us an hour to finish up.” She winced. “A whole hour? You’re kidding, right?” “Then we’ll be all yours until you beg us to stop.” Her stomach flip-flopped at the thought. “Don’t bet on that happening any time soon.”

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Chapter Five Lily would have spent the arduous wait showering to get ready, but Kade told her they would take care of that “special” later. Instead, she did a quick job with a washcloth, followed by the hairbrush and makeup kit she was happy to be reunited with. Next, she toured rooms in the ranch house she hadn’t already seen. After exploring three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a study, office, and den that all had the same Southwestern design magazine feel as the rest of the house, there was still half an hour left. Her body hadn’t relented after examining framed artwork, wood and leather furnishings, and the occasional animal rug, either. She still tingled with hot, raw need for the two men whose muscles were no doubt flexing and skin shining with sweat while they worked the wild outdoors. Soon, they’d be flexing and sweating in the wild indoors, and she could barely wait. What a bizarre turn of events this was. Not just the fact that she’d discovered the existence of beings she’d assumed were a myth. John had been right about one thing—she had been running away. Running away from the sexuality she longed for, but thought she could never embrace. Instead, she’d run straight into the arms of not one, but two men who not only convinced her to let go and experience it, but unleashed a craving for them both that made her toes curl and her entire body vibrate with lust. Her home tour finished, she wandered into the master bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. She stared at the neatly made bedding, wondering what it would be like to writhe around in the sheets with two men at the same time. How did that work, exactly? Would Kade be the same kind of lover Chaz had proven to be? Or


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would he show her all new meanings of the words making love? Would his bite hurt or inflame? Footsteps paused behind her. “Thinkin’ ahead?” Kade filled the doorway. His hat was off, and he was a good deal grimier than when he’d gone out. Nevertheless, he looked so appealing that she had to lock her knees and hold her fists at her sides to keep herself still so she wouldn’t rush to him and run her hands over his hard muscles. “Where’s Chaz?” she asked. “He’ll be along in a lick or two. He’s finishin’ up.” “Seems like he’s always finishing up while you get to hang around inside.” She cocked her head at a teasing angle. “Does he have the lion’s share of the chores or something?” “Don’t you mean wolf’s share?” He brushed dirt off his chest. “Why, does it look like I sat around sippin’ a margarita?” She laughed. “You look like you fell off your horse.” “I was rollin’ around on the ground, but I assure you I ain’t never fallen off my mount.” The thought of him mounting anything brought a smile to her lips. “Why were you rolling?” “Workin’ under the flatbed, then fixin’ up a stuck trimmer chute.” “I have no idea what any of that means.” “With the rest of the hands havin’ to take all the herd work, Chaz and I wind up doin’ most of the equipment maintenance and repairs.” He waggled his brow. “You know, the dirty work.” She smiled. “Oh, I’m looking forward to seeing you handle dirty work. If Chaz ever gets here.” She shot him a teasing look. “Are you sure you didn’t just give him a longer list of chores so you could sneak back early?” He pulled a grease rag from his back pocket and rubbed it on his hands. “Maybe I’m just faster and more efficient at what I do.” His stare turned molten. “Not that I can’t draw the job out and make it last real good when I want.”

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The slight current in her body erupted into a goose bump-evoking tingle. “Has it been an hour yet?” “He’ll be here any minute.” Kade eyed her up and down. “But if you want to get a head start, I suppose we could strip down and get ready for our shower.” “Together?” “That a problem? It’ll save water.” He waggled his brows. “And time.” She swallowed her smile to feign a solemn look. “I’ve always been very environmentally minded.” He gestured toward the bathroom. “Ladies first.” She hesitated, wondering if she could really do this. Kade was already unbuttoning the red plaid shirt he’d thrown on over the snug tee he’d had on that morning. He might be comfortable getting buck naked on a moment’s notice, but she wasn’t sure she could do the same. Last night, it had been mostly dark when Chaz had made love to her here in the bedroom. The bathroom was brightly lit—and it wasn’t even Chaz tugging his shirt off right now. Kade hadn’t seen her naked yet. “Well?” He tossed his shirt on a chair by the door and added the T-shirt to the pile a moment later. His rocked, tanned torso did the same quivering things to her midsection that it had done to her in the kitchen, but her heart pounded with sudden nerves. “Plannin’ to rinse off fully clothed?” Words came and went unsaid as she stood there rigid. He looked at what must have been a distraught expression and laughed. “Okay, play hard to strip if you like. Chaz and I would be glad to help, if need be. Gotta clean my hands real good first, though. Wouldn’t wanna get your clothes all soiled. Meanwhile, I gotta duck in and use the facility for a minute.” “I’ll get undressed while you do,” she called, but he had already gone inside the bathroom. He swung the door lightly on his way past, but it stayed ajar.


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Maybe taking her clothes off would be easier without an audience. She couldn’t quite ignore the sound of him peeing while she sat on the edge of the bed to take off her shoes. It was something women did every day, getting undressed while their mates relieved themselves within earshot. Yet this to her was a foreign rite of passage. Trembling fingers pulled her tank over her head and fumbled with the zipper of her jeans. The toilet flushed as she wriggled denim over her hips. She stood in nothing but her black bikini panties when the sink faucet shut off, and the door abruptly pulled open to the sight of Kade magnificently naked for the second time that day. Her heart paused so long she thought it might not restart. “Lord, would you look at that?” he said in awe. She felt her face flush under the scrutiny of his gaze. When she tried to fold her arms over her breasts, he shook his head. “Oh, don’t cover ’em up, baby. Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of on that body. Not one inch. You’re so damn beautiful I just want to look at you.” She forced her arms to her sides, shaking despite the warmth of the room and the heat in her cheeks. They stood there, staring at one another in silence for a moment. Kade inhaled briefly, his hands clutching the door frame. She saw his cock twitch and then steadily rise. Butterflies in her stomach did the exact same thing. “Damn,” he said, pushing away from the door. “I lied, darlin’. I don’t just want to look at you.” He wandered close to her, the erection she couldn’t take her eyes off of bobbing and stiffening with each step. When he stood in front of her, she was eye level to nipples she had an urge to graze with her teeth. He reached out and slid a finger inside the waistband of her panties, snapping the elastic playfully. “How did you know black was my favorite?” She tossed a pointed glance at the duvet cover. “A guess.” Kade’s fingers made a feathery trail along her shoulders, over her collarbone and down the swells of her upper breasts, stopping barely short of her already hardening nipples. The motion sent a chill

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through her that made her clit throb. “You know,” he said in a suddenly husky tone, “as alpha I had the right to ask Chaz for the first mating. To test your compatibility with the pack.” He leaned down and placed light kisses along the curve of her jaw. Her lips parted, and her hands reached up to take hold of his bulky upper arms. “Is that so?” “If Chaz doesn’t get his ass in here right now, I’m about to take second rights without him.” The rough stubble of his jaw nuzzled her ear and she clutched him tighter. “Sorry to tell you, but Chaz took those, too. And third rights, before you ask.” “I know. Selfish bastard. Not that I blame him.” He pulled away, and she saw his eyes glowing with golden fire. “And you. What did I tell you? Now that we’ve turned your sex switch on, you can’t get enough. Insatiable, that’s what you are. I’m gonna see just how far it takes to push you to the limit.” She stroked a hand over the springy hair on his chest. “I can’t wait.” Kade’s smile faded when his gaze shifted over her shoulder for a moment. His eyes seemed to go out of focus, then his entire body went stiff. “Shit. Shit!” He bolted for the bathroom, leaving her gaping after him in shock. “What is it?” she called. “Get dressed.” He ran back out, yanking up his jeans. He was still shirtless and barefoot when he hit the bedroom doorway. “Kade! What’s wrong?” She whipped her head this way and that, searching for her shirt. She pulled it over her head as she followed him up the hall at a jog. He was still running full tilt when he yanked open the front door, but there he froze. “Chaz!” She ran up behind the pulled the door away from his frozen hand. Not caring that she was in nothing but a tank top and underwear, she


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jerked the door wide and gasped. A police car passed the front of the house—with Chaz in the backseat. “My God!” she said as the cruiser pulled around the circle drive and turned onto the dirt road. “Where are they taking him?” “Jail, obviously.” They both stared down the road long after the car’s taillights disappeared. “Why? What did he do?” “Nothin’.” Kade turned and stalked back down the hall. “Kade, what’s going on?” “Probably the pack’s work. They’re separatin’ us to make it easier at get to you.” Remorse flooded her stomach as she followed him back to the bedroom. This was because of her? “Why would police even go along with that? Are they wolves, too?” “No, but the sheriff’s a sympathizer. Damn it!” She jerked when he slammed a hand against a bureau as he passed. “I should have been out there. Chaz was only a minute or two behind me on the way in. I should have checked when he didn’t join us.” “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” She snatched up the rest of her clothes and started putting them on. “I should have known sooner. I was distracted.” Kade rummaged through the bureau for a fresh black T-shirt. He yanked it on and scowled when he turned to find her putting on her sneakers. “You’re stayin’ here. It’s not safe out there.” “And just how safe is it for me in here while both of you are gone?” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You saw how men act around you right now. You can’t waltz into a male-dominated Sheriff’s station. Shit.” He stormed into the bathroom and came out a moment later with his boots in hand. “Why the fuck did I wait? I should have shoved you down on that couch and ridden you hard when you were beggin’ for it. God knows I wanted to. I’m so stupid.”

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She frowned while she watched him plunk down in a chair to pull on his boots. “So just bite me right now and finish the ritual.” She slipped up to him and stuck out her forearm. “Then I won’t be a temptation to men or the pack.” He stomped a foot down into his boot and stood up. “It don’t work that way. Chaz has to have his cock inside you while I make the mark, or it’s just another scar—with one small complication. It’d turn you.” Her hopeful expression fell. Kade grabbed a set of keys off a valet tray on top of the bureau. “That’s no doubt why they took him. The claim requires a bond-mate and alpha together. Without Chaz, it won’t matter how many times I bite or fuck you. You’ll still be considered fair game.” She fisted her hips in a burst of fury. “What if I don’t want to be fair game? As a breeder, don’t I have right of refusal for those I deem unworthy?” Kade shot her an incredulous look. “Sure. How far did that get you with Johnny boy?” He shook his head and started for the door. “I have to go. Maybe I can spring Chaz before moonrise.” “I’m going with you.” He turned to argue, but she cut him off. “If what you’re saying is true, I can’t stay here alone. What if the pack stops by? Or your ranch hands or the damn mailman? At least at the police station, I’d be with you. Besides, this is my fault in the first place. I need to be there to help get Chaz out.” “It isn’t your fault.” He heaved a sigh, but nodded. “Let’s hurry. I just hope things don’t get too hairy—in any sense of the word.”


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Chapter Six The Phillip’s County Sheriff Station gave a good indication of just what a small town the area around Lily’s beloved cabin was. The building was wood clapboard, dated, and the size of just one of the several police satellite outposts that had sprung up near her apartment in the city. On the almost hour-long trip down the hill from Shay Falls, Kade and Lily had barely spoken a word. The brakes on Kade’s truck squealed as they pulled up, the first sound aside from the electronic drone of directions announced by his GPS. Shutting off the ignition plunged them into silence, and Kade sat there for a moment, staring at the wheel he was still gripping with tight knuckles. Then he turned to her, peering out from under the brim of his hat. “You’re sure you wanna do this?” “Better I go in there with you than sit alone in the truck hoping no one wanders by.” He nodded. “Stick close to me. Maybe my scent will help mask yours.” His eyes slid over her, and he chuffed out an irritated sigh. “And try not to look so damned irresistible.” She shot him a skeptical look and flipped down the sun visor to check her reflection. “What do you mean? I’m barely this side of a bedraggled mess.” “Hardly. You’ve got those wide, vulnerable blue eyes and that softly mussed brunette thing goin’ on. And those round, perfect tits. Never mind. Just stay behind me. Not too far behind, though.” She hopped down from the truck and followed Kade to the glass doors. He took her hand possessively in his as they entered. His palm felt damp. The interior was no more modernized than the outside, and

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Kade’s boot steps echoed on dull beige tile floors during the short walk to the front counter. “At least it’s not crowded,” Kade muttered. “That’s somethin’ in our favor.” “What’s the story with this sheriff?” she asked while they went. “You said he’s a sympathizer. Why?” Kade let out a low growl. “One of his boys got turned a while back. He’s part of the pack now. The sheriff turns his head the other way over some of their antics, under the misguided assumption he’s takin’ care of his own.” The sensation of eyes following her prompted Lily to glance over at a pair of wooden benches as they passed by. A bearded, grizzled man sitting there had his narrow gaze fastened on her, and when he met her glance he gave her a greasy smile and a wink. She whipped her head back around and slid closer to the reassuring warmth of Kade’s body. “Arresting Chaz sounds like more than just turning a blind eye,” she said. “The law is outright helping them.” “If he is, he thinks he’s got justification for it.” Kade squeezed her hand and bent down to her ear. “That there’s Sheriff Tate,” he said, nodding to one of the men in brown uniforms on the far side of a counter. This one sported a salt and pepper mustache and was standing over a nearby desk. “I’d bet my horse he’s the one who ordered Chaz’s arrest, on account of the deputy from Blaise’s pack he’s got bendin’ his ear.” “Blaise?” she asked. “The alpha of the pack that’s after you.” They stopped at the counter, and Kade shifted his body slightly to pull Lily part way behind him. Tate’s gray eyes met Kade’s with less than a welcoming glitter. “Help you folks?” Tate asked, shifting the hat on his head. “My partner got picked up ‘bout an hour ago,” Kade said. “We’re here to get him out.” “Yer talkin’ about Chaz Saratoga, ain’t you?”


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Kade nodded. “Gettin’ out’s not lookin’ too likely right now,” the man said, walking to the counter. “Not ‘til the judge decides on bail.” “What’s he supposed to have done?” Kade said, and Lily heard the barely restrained edge of his patience slipping. “Aggravated assault.” Kade and Lily exchanged glances. Lily spoke up. “On the ranch?” Kade squeezed her hand hard in warning, but she pulled away and leaned on the counter. “When exactly did this happen?” The man’s eyes raked over her, and she swallowed. He moved over to stand directly in front of her. “You a friend of his, ma’am?” “An old friend. He was kind enough to offer me assistance at my cabin earlier.” “Your name?” “She’s not involved in this,” Kade cut in. “She is if I say she is,” Tate said. “Where’d you say you lived, ma’am?” “I didn’t. My name’s Lily, and I’m staying at a rental cabin up in Shay Falls. Chaz helped me out of a bind earlier.” He leaned over the counter, and when it appeared he was inhaling her scent, Kade pulled her backward. Tate’s eyes rolled back slightly, and when he came back they were a bit glazed. “You know,” he said, “I don’t live far from those woods.” “With your wife,” Kade barked out, pointing at the gold ring on the other man’s finger. An idea clicked in Lily’s mind. She pulled out of Kade’s grasp. Folding her arms on the counter, she leaned forward to give him a glimpse of round breasts and added a breathless, sultry edge to her tone for good measure. “What did you say your name was, officer?” “Anthony, ma’am. Sheriff Anthony Tate.” “May I call you Anthony?” “Lily,” Kade said in a warning tone, but she ignored him.

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Anthony’s smile showed yellow teeth. “Of course.” She felt a presence come up along her other side, but before she could say anything Kade leaned around her. “Back off,” he said through gritted teeth in a gruff almost-growl to the bearded man who had abandoned his bench in favor of a spot beside her. He turned on his heel and retreated. Lily stroked back a section of hair, aware of the sheriff’s eyes following every movement. “Anthony, I would never want to ask anything that wasn’t permitted. You probably just don’t have the authority to tell me what happened. I understand.” His eyes flashed. “That ain’t so, ma’am. I’ve authority over every man in this room.” She feigned amazement. “Really?” “Hell no, you’re not doin’ this,” Kade muttered under his breath. She elbowed him. “Between you and me,” the sheriff said, “You best steer fast from Saratoga. He’s got himself in a big spot of trouble.” “How?” “A guy come in here a while ago, all banged up. Says your friend did it. So you see why I can’t let him have any visitors just now. It’s for your protection as well.” “Of course,” she said with exaggerated gratitude. Kade uttered a disgusted growl. “I just can’t believe he’d do something like that. This man who came in. Was he a local?” “Nope. Never seen him before. He was just passin’ through. Still here, in fact.” He twisted around with a nod. “Right over there.” Her eyes followed and shot wide when she spotted the back of a familiar set of corkscrew curls and cream-colored sweater. She felt Kade go stiff beside her. “That’s him?” she asked. Tate nodded. “Didn’t hear it from me, though. Which cabin is it you say you’re stayin’ at again?”


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“Sheriff Tate,” she said. “That man lied to you. He’s the guilty one.” She turned panicked eyes on the man. “He attacked me up in my cabin.” Tate blinked. “I don’t understand.” “That man’s name is John Charles.” “Yeah. So?” “I went to the cabin to get away from him. Only he followed me there.” She looked around and lowered her voice. “He unzipped his pants and grabbed me, Anthony. He tried to force himself on me.” Lines in his already wrinkled face deepened. “When was this?” “A couple hours ago, when I was alone in the cabin. Mr. Saratoga is the property owner there. He heard me scream and pulled John off of me. Told him not to come back. Chaz was just protecting me, you see. Just like you would have done.” “I would have,” he said. “I’d have tore the man clean apart.” Kade growled. “You’re crossin’ the line.” She ignored him. “If Chaz hadn’t come along, John might have done something awful.” Her eyes sought out John. “You’re holding the wrong man, Sheriff. John’s the one who’s guilty of assault.” The man eyed her for a moment. “Why didn’t you file charges?” “I just wanted him to go away. When Chaz made him leave, I thought it was over. I thought I’d be safe. But he’s still here.” She leaned closer, letting her eyes take on a desperate gleam. “Please, Anthony. Don’t let him hurt me anymore.” She let her fingers slide over the uniform sleeve covering his forearm, and she heard his sharp intake of breath. “His hands aren’t the ones that should be touching me.” “Whose hands were on you?” The grizzled man was back, staring at her with crazed eyes. “Get the hell back, geezer,” Kade said through gritted teeth. “Lily, for fuck’s sakes, stop.” Tate’s eyes snapped to his. “You watch your mouth, boy. You’re addressin’ a lady.”

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Boot steps came up behind them. “This man botherin’ you, miss?” She turned to see a tall deputy eying Kade up with searing brown eyes. “No,” she said. “Everything’s fine.” Something feral glittered in the man’s gaze. Feral and gold, like the flecks in Kade’s. “Are you sure?” His eyes traveled up and down her curves. “Have I seen you before?” “Stan,” the Sheriff said in a warning tone. The deputy was staring at Lily. Kade had gone completely stiff. She stepped back, her eyes wide. She’d bet hard money this deputy was no ordinary man. “I’m not from around here,” she said. Stan leered at her. “I could show you around.” “Um, thanks, but I’m gay.” Kade rolled his eyes. The deputy leaned closer. “Oh, but I could do things to you that would turn you right around again.” “Hey!” Kade shouted, pounding a fist on the desk. “Enough of this shit.” His eyes flared gold briefly as he glowered at Stan. “You will never get near her.” Stan leaned close until his uniform shirt sleeve brushed Lily’s arm. “Seems I’m already a lot closer than you planned.” Lily sucked in a breath and pulled back. “Stand the fuck down, deputy,” Sheriff Tate barked, coming around the counter. “She’s mine.” Her head whipped to him in shock, and he glanced at her. “I mean, I’m takin’ care of her. Don’t you have a report to file?” “This is getting worse than a damn gorilla cage at a zoo,” Kade said. The deputy gritted his teeth. “I’ll be seein’ you soon,” he said. His eyes locked with Kade’s for a moment, and Lily could feel the steel band of tension tightening between them. Then Stan turned and stalked off. Tate turned to her. “Sorry about him. Back to what you were just confidin’ in me.” He turned, shooting a dangerous look at the back of


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John’s head. “I promise that dirt bag will never lay a hand on you again.” He started to move back toward the desk, but she grabbed his hand. “Thank you so much. There’s just one more thing.” His eyes met hers. “Anything.” “I feel awfully guilty that you’ve got the wrong man behind bars because of me. I’d be so grateful if you’d let Chaz go.” She let her thumb stroke the back of his hand. “So very grateful.” He stared at the hand she was rubbing, then leapt into action. “Charlie.” A nearby officer spun around and came up. When he saw Lily, he shot her a lopsided grin and veered toward her. “Well, hi there. Help you with somethin’, ma’am?” Tate poked him hard in the shoulder. “I’m already helpin’ her. You can help cuff and book the jackass over at Tom’s desk. Let’s give him Saratoga’s spot in the hold.” “What about Saratoga?” “Cut him loose.” He shot Lily a grin. “With our apologies.” She smiled back. When the sheriffs descended on a shocked John, Stan watching with a barely concealed glower, Kade grabbed her arm. “What the blazin’ devil are you tryin’ to do?” “You heard him. He wasn’t going to let Chaz out of jail. Now he is.” “Yeah, and now Tate’ll be after you right along with the pack, since you practically threw yourself at him while you were suckin’ up.” He affected a mock feminine tone. “Oh, Sherriff, please.” He batted his eyelashes and sneered at her. The bearded man sidled back up. “Excuse me,” he said. “I couldn’t help but overhear. Now, sounds to me like you need a man’s protection twenty-four-seven. I’m not but five minutes from those woods.” He leaned close. “I can sleep on the floor beside your bed.” She groaned and rubbed her temples. “Why the hell is this happening to me?”

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Kade’s eyes turned murderous. “I said back the flamin’ fuck off, redneck, before I put you down hard.” The man tottered off, muttering under his breath. She arched a brow at his livid expression. “He’s just an old man.” “Not too old to keep from hittin’ on you like everyone else in this nuthouse.” “Jealous?” “Furious.” He shot Stan a look. “Especially that Blaise’s mangy mutt over there touched you.” Lily gave his arm a squeeze, noting how taut his muscles were. “Don’t be. You keep warning me about the dire drawbacks to my present condition, and I get that. But let’s not forget there’s a silver lining to every cloud. Feminine wiles have their advantages, and I think at least one good thing should come from it—like getting Chaz back.” They heard John’s shouts of protests as he was dragged from the room. His head turned and he caught sight of Lily. He looked worse for wear, with an angry bruise on his cheek and a swollen lip. She waggled her fingers in a tiny wave and watched his face turn whiter than his sweater. Kade grunted. “Glad to see that ass wipe get his, at least. But what happens when Tate lines up alongside your ever-increasing army of competing males?” She shrugged. “He won’t. We’ll grab Chaz, you’ll stomp on the gas pedal, and we’ll all get home as soon as possible. You can mate the hell out of me and end this nightmare. Okay?” She offered a conciliatory smile. His body stayed rigid for a moment, but then relaxed. Still, he waggled a finger at her. “I’ll remember this wily, rebellious streak of yours. In case you get a mind to play our male hormones against us.” They turned around and saw three other men headed her way. “Fuck me twice and put me to bed wet,” Kade said. “That’s it. I’m gettin’ you out of here.”


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“What about Chaz?” “He can meet us at the truck.” He glanced around. “While we’ve got the motor runnin’.”

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Chapter Seven Their reunion with Chaz was about as brief as Lily predicted. Not wanting to chance a reversal of their luck or any more male rivals, they jumped into the truck and made a quick, though legal, getaway back up the winding road to Shay Falls. Lily sat between the two men, watching miles roll under the wheels and trees rush by the windows while Chaz recounted the tale of his arrest. He’d been headed back to the house when he was confronted and cuffed without being allowed to so much as let anyone inside know. Except Kade had known, in a way. He’d been caught up in the pre-shower interlude with Lily, but he’d finally sensed Chaz’s distress. The other man’s silent call for help was what had sent Kade charging up the hall to the front door. “Is it always like that between you?” Lily asked. “Can you can hear each other’s thoughts right now?” “No,” Chaz said. “We don’t read minds. It’s more like a sixth sense for detecting strong emotion. We can tell when the other is experiencing extremely heightened feelings, even at a great distance.” Kade grunted and leaned the truck with ease into an S-curve. The death grip he’d had on the wheel during the ride down the mountain was gone now, and he drove with one hand on the wheel and the other clutched around Lily’s, which rested on top of her thigh. Chaz held her other hand in his lap. “I felt the danger when Chaz saved you from the pack at the cabin,” Kade said. He slid her a quick glance, then went back to navigating the road. “And afterwards, I felt it when he was caught up in an altogether different string of emotions.” He squeezed her hand.


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That shot her eyes wide. “You knew it when we were having sex?” “I don’t know what was more damn frustratin’—bein’ so far away when I sensed Chaz reactin’ to danger, or pickin’ up on you two goin’ at it half the night, knowin’ I couldn’t make it back fast enough to be part of it.” Chaz chuckled. “Sorry. Wasn’t tryin’ to make you crazy.” “Gave me achin’ balls, boy. Gonna have to charge you for that.” Kade moved his hand off Lily’s to stroke her thigh, which tingled under his hot touch. She wished his hand would move higher, to where she felt warm moisture gathering in her crotch. “You know that hard-on you felt up when I was sittin’ on the edge of the bed this mornin’?” Kade asked. Lily nodded with a guilty grin. “Had that most of the way home, sensin’ how fuckin’ incredible you felt to him.” “I’m sorry.” She let go of his sweaty palm and placed a hand on his thigh, feeling his hard muscle tense beneath her touch. Chaz stroked her cheek while she slid her hand up toward the other man’s crotch, wondering if Kade was getting as hard talking about this as she was getting wet and horny hearing about it. Kade slammed his foot on the gas pedal, and Lily’s hands shot out against the dashboard to keep herself from being hurtled forward. “What are you doing?” she asked. “We have to hurry.” He pulled off the side of the road, staring up the empty road ahead. “Pick up on that, Chaz?” Chaz stared at nothing for a moment, too. Then he pressed the button to drop the window and stuck his head out. His jaw was clenched when he pulled it back in, and he shot Kade an ominous look. “Fuck.” Lily frowned at the road, then whipped her head back and forth between them. “Fuck what? Are you sure you don’t have some kind of wolf telepathy thing going on?” “We’re too late,” Chaz said. “Blaise is already on the move.”

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“You can tell that from here?” “We’re not that far from the ranch,” Kade said. “If the pack’s not already there, they will be before we can make it. Shit. Bet Stan tipped off the rest of the pack.” Her heart pounded. “What do we do? Go to the cabin?” “It’s wrecked, and they’d find us there anyway.” With a wild look in his eye, he stomped the gas pedal and almost spun the truck out of control turning the wheel over hard to the left. She tightened her grip on the dash as he took them off road, plunging the bouncing truck into the pitch black woods. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked, staring with wide eyes at the twigs, trees, and large rocks the headlights picked out in front of them. “We’re doin’ this here,” he said. “Right now.” “In the middle of the woods?” “You got a better plan?” She paused as they swerved around a large tree stump. “I suppose not.” He drove a couple hundred feet in under cover of towering pine trees, then slid to a stop in the dirt. The men threw open the doors and jumped out almost before Kade had set the parking brake. She leaned out of the truck, still seated on the bench as she checked out the surroundings. Everything was dark except for the foliage the still-lit headlights illuminated. “Where are we?” she asked. “Not as far from the pack as I’d like,” Chaz said. “We’re about a mile and a half from the back side of the cabin. But I think this will work.” “If we do it now,” Kade added. He reached in to offer Lily his hand. “Comin’, darlin’?” Her pulse triple-timed as she took his warm hand in hers and slid off the seat. Her legs felt wobbly as she crunched through pine needles and pebbles. “We’re doing this right here in the dirt?”


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“There is a certain irony to it,” Chaz said. “Claimed by wolves right out in open nature.” The heady smell of pine and moist earth did ease her tension just a bit, and she hugged herself as she followed Kade to a level spot under a grouping of trees highlighted by the headlights. Chaz dug around in the back of the pickup and came over with a black nylon sleeping bag. “Not much, but it’ll be somethin’ under your back.” She moved aside while he spread it on the ground. Kade was already pulling off his boots and shirt when Chaz took her hands. “I’ve spent years dreamin’ of this moment, and this is the second time all my plans got trampled in the stampede. I’m sorry, love. But I’ll gladly spend as long as it takes makin’ it up to you.” “It’s not your fault,” she said. “Besides, I was so ready to do this hours ago that I was ready to explode, remember?” He held her eyes in silence while he shed his clothes, and then both men were naked in front of her. Their backs faced the truck headlights as they advanced, blocking much of the light as they urged her backward. A tingle shot straight down her spine when she stood on the middle of the sleeping bag. This was it. Two men were about to ravage her, claiming her together as their own. She swallowed and let her eyes roam over the silhouettes cloaked in shadow. Their stiff cocks were evident despite the dim light, and cricket song and birds of night joined with the men’s raw, erotic breaths while they pulled her shirt over her head. Chaz leaned in to claim her mouth first, plunging his tongue inside to entwine with hers. Kade dropped to his knees and went straight to work on her breasts, his wet tongue circling her already hard nipples until she moaned in combined relief and frustration. A matter of hours ago, it would never have occurred to her to wonder what the attentions of two men would feel like. Since discovering her fate, however, those hours of waiting had felt like endless days of torment. Now, finally, she had both of her men’s

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hands and mouths where they belonged, and the sensations threatened to unhinge her. She felt fingers tugging on her jeans, and the denim slipped down over her knees. Chaz pulled her down to the sleeping bag with him, and soon she was naked in the woods with two hot males lying beside her. The thick layer of pine needles their blanket lay on was springy and softer than she expected, but that barely registered with her now. Hands slid down between her wet thighs, which she spread apart gladly. Her soft cry was quickly swallowed by Kade’s lips. Her hand slid into the soft, not shaved side of his hair, pulling him close to deepen the kiss. Chaz sucked one, then the other of her nipples into his mouth, and she arched her back against the waves of pleasure. Multiple fingers slid up and down her wet pussy lips, some dipping inside her hole while more stroked and rolled her clit between them. She bucked her hips as a heavy, exquisite pressure built behind her pubic bone. Her free hand found Kade’s thick cock near her hip, and she marveled at the veined, throbbing velvet texture while she milked it in her fist. He growled in his throat and pulled back from her lips. “Jesus, you’re so wet.” “She’s ready, Kade,” Chaz said, his voice strained almost beyond recognition. He thrust his erection against her other hip, sliding hot and thick against her skin. She groaned. “Hell yes, I’m ready. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Kade’s eyes glowed yellow in the dark. “God, I want to taste those dripping pussy juices. I want to fuck you so bad I can’t stand it. And shit, I’m gonna have to wait.” He took a deep breath. “I relinquish first—or should I say, fourth—rights to you, Chaz.” Chaz grunted. “We don’t have any lube. Can’t do this the way we talked about.” “We’ll improvise.”


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Suddenly both men’s hands were gone, and Lily whimpered in frustration. Kade rolled over on his back, then reached for her. “Straddle me, darlin’.” She frowned in confusion. “I thought you weren’t going to fuck me?” “Just do it.” She didn’t have to be asked again. He scooted to the middle of the blanket while she climbed on top of him, sitting on his pelvis with his hard dick lying well up along his belly. “Lay down on him, sweetheart,” Chaz breathed into her ear, sending a chill through her. He was sitting on his haunches beside them. “I’m gonna enter your cunt from behind.” Lily had no idea what the men were planning, nor did she care. The feel of Kade’s warm, muscled flesh beneath her sent stabs of pleasure through her body while she pressed herself against him. His rock hard erection pulsed between their bellies as she slid into position, and he hissed out a breath. Kade spread his legs a little beneath her. “Don’t forget to fight the shift when I make the mark,” he said to Chaz from between clenched teeth. “I will.” Lily let out a little gasp. “You’re going to shift?” “We won’t,” Kade said. “Trust us.” Then, it didn’t matter, because Chaz moved between Kade’s thighs right behind her, one hand hot against her back. The thick mushroom tip of his erection slid up against her wet, throbbing entrance while he positioned himself. She moaned, desperate for his cock, and with her hands planted on the nylon sleeping bag fabric above Kade’s broad shoulders, she backed her ass up against him to get it. “Damn, woman, you are the hottest, most erotic fuckin’ thing I have ever laid eyes on,” Kade said from beneath her, and his stare

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came alive with golden fire when Chaz’s cock finally sank deep inside of her. Chaz’s moan of gratitude was drowned out by her own, and Kade circled her back with his powerful arms and helped rock her up and down the shaft that was spreading her pussy wide. Sweat coated her despite the light chill in the air, and the smell of the men’s musk filled her nostrils and drove her to ride Chaz faster. He gripped her hips and gave her his cock in long, fast strokes, his groans becoming more animal the faster the threesome’s motions became. Her hair hung over Kade’s shoulders while her nipples slid against his, and she rubbed her clit along the shaft of his cock to add electric friction to Chaz’s pumping. The feeling took her right to the edge of climax. Kade’s breaths devolved into a series of feral grunts, and the next time she looked at him his pupils were wide and nearly reddish-black with just a slight gold rim. He shut them for a moment, seeming to search deep inside himself for control. Then he reopened them and stared right through her. “You accept my pack, with Chaz as your bond-mate?” She nodded. “Yes.” His voice came through the strain of passion, breaking on every thrust of Chaz’s hips. “Then I accept you and mark you as ours.” He growled and called out, “Give me her submission.” One of Chaz’s hands left her hip and tugged firmly on her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her throat. Orgasm teetered on the brink, but there was a moment’s panic when she realized she hadn’t ever considered exactly where Kade was going to bite her. Kade’s growl held no note of humanity when his head rose up. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, and needle-like pricks of searing pain sank into her shoulder. Her cry carried with it more pleasure than agony, along with a note of surprise when a hot burst of Kade’s cream shot between their bellies. Both men howled in an eerie wolf cry that stood every hair on Lily’s body on end. She was afraid to open her eyes, lest she find the men’s human nature had given in to


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the feral call of passion. Still, the animal sounds drove her hard against Chaz, and she continued to feel smooth, human flesh beneath and behind her. When she felt Chaz’s hands pulling her upright, she finally opened her eyes to find the men were still human. Chaz tugged at her until she squatted on her knees above Kade with her back almost flat against Chaz’s chest. He pounded his cock into her with a fervor that matched her desperate need to climax around his organ. “You’re mine,” he growled in her ear, nipping her earlobe to send a pang of delight through her belly. “And Kade’s. You belong to us. And we’re all yours.” “Fuck yes, you are,” she said, reaching both arms up behind her to rake the back of his thick, wavy hair. Chaz’s hands took advantage of her pose, slipping around to grope her bouncing breasts. He tugged her nipples while Kade stroked his rock-hard erection in his fist and thumbed the clit that was hovering inches above it. Kneeling there in the dark woods with no shame in her nakedness, her men’s hands and cocks drove her to a near frenzy. “I’m coming,” she said. “Come inside me, Chaz. Come with me, both of you.” “I’m there.” Chaz’s words were almost anguished as he tightened against her in one final, powerful thrust. He held her against him while they undulated on their knees, riding the waves of orgasm together with shouted profanities and words of endearment. Kade’s hand slapping up and down over his cock brought a long groan and another stream of fluid. Lily collapsed on top of Kade, her shaking thighs unable to support her any longer. Chaz lay half over her back, heaving and slicked with sweat. His teeth grazed her other shoulder, but the action was playful and lacked the sharp urgency of Kade’s fangs. A wave of fierce possessiveness washed over her as she lay sandwiched between the two men, the heat of their bodies penetrating her to the core. She reached around to grip Chaz’s hair, holding his teeth in place on her shoulder while she bent her head to find Kade’s lips.

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Chaz released his gentle bite. “Fuck, that was the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced.” He slid off of her, flopping down on his back beside Kade. “At one point I felt like the three of us merged into one person.” She broke off her kiss and smiled down at him. “Even more intense than last night, which I didn’t think was possible.” “Now you’ve been fucked right and proper,” Kade said. “Except for one problem.” She groaned and lifted a hand to experimentally prod the tender spot his fangs had left in her left shoulder. “Don’t tell me we still didn’t do this right?” His grin made her heart do a little jump for joy. “Oh, the claim’s been made. None outside our pack will touch you.” “Then what’s the problem?” “We still have unfinished business, you and me.” He gripped her thighs, which were still straddling him. “Understand, my relinquishin’ the right to fuck you was a highly temporary situation. We’re talkin’ momentary, even.” She felt a little tickle of anticipation stir between her legs, and she pushed her pelvis against the fresh erection along his belly. Would his cock feel different than Chaz’s when it was buried deep in her pussy? Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to find out. “You can finish all the business you want when we get her back home,” Chaz said, propping himself up on one elbow. “I’m thinkin’ it might not be smart to hang around out in the open like this for too much longer.” Kade’s hungry stare at Lily morphed into regret. “Yeah, you’re thinkin’ right. We should probably start headin’ back.” Lily stifled a whine of disappointment and slid off Kade’s groin, instead moaning when aching leg muscles protested her decision to stand. The men rose and dressed in silence while Lily looked around for the clothing they had stripped off her. She pulled on her tank top, but her jeans seemed to have vanished off the edge of the map


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delineated by the lit headlights. Finally she caught sight of rumpled denim, and wandered off the sleeping bag toward them. She was bent over with her legs parted and knees straight when she heard Kade’s sharp intake of breath. “Fuck, woman,” he said, and he was behind her in a flash. “How am I supposed to drive after seein’ your ass and pussy offered up like that?” She’d barely gotten a hold of her jeans when he scooped her up in his arms. She giggled. “Kade!” He carried her over to the back of the pickup truck in long strides, then shifted her weight so he could let down the tail gate. She was deposited on the edge of it, and without a word he spread her thighs apart. “I thought we were supposed to be getting ready to go,” she said, unable to calm the drumming of her heart. “Oh, I’ve been ready to go.” His hand moved down between her parted lips, and they both hissed out a breath when his fingers slid along her slit. “Shit, you’re still so wet.” Her breathing grew ragged. “Shouldn’t we help Chaz and get out of here?” “He’s takin’ a leak. The pack’s not close by. Chaz can bring up the sleepin’ bag and your shoes when he’s done. Damn it, I have to at least get a taste of you.” With that his head was between her legs, and when she felt his tongue slide over her pussy lips she cried out in shock and wriggled back a little. “God, you just licked me there!” Kade snorted. “What, Chaz didn’t have the sense to eat this incredible pussy last night? Guess I got first rights on somethin’ after all.” He leaned back down and let his tongue sweep her slit, then jabbed inside her pussy. She went rigid as her clit throbbed in urgent pleasure, but she put her hand on his head and tried to push him away. “But Chaz came inside me.”

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“Chaz’s cream ain’t nothin’ I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed before, darlin’. And you’re damn fuckin’ sweet. Now relax. That’s it. Spread ’em nice and open.” He pressed his lips to her clit, threatening to unravel her senses. Still, his words sank in and her eyes widened. “So you and Chaz have been together?” His little laugh vibrated against her pussy, and she moaned and spread wider for him. “Did you think us sharin’ a bed was just some cute little communal wolf thing?” He kissed her clit and then licked gentle, insistent circles around it. With a groan she put her palms down behind her on the truck bed, leaning back to give him better access. She closed her eyes and pictured her two men gloriously naked and gleaming with sweat while they ran their hands over each other’s muscles and groped their cocks. Her moans grew louder and more desperate at the fantasy, and the pounding pulse in her cunt grew while Kade licked and ate her. “Jesus H.,” Chaz said, walking up and tossing the sleeping back in the back behind Lily. “I leave you for two minutes and look what I’m missin’.” “Makin’ up for lost time,” Kade said. Then he got back to work. His fingers slid into her while he sucked on her clit, and she stiffened. Then Chaz joined in, teasing her swollen nipples through the thin cotton of her shirt. Lily’s head was tilted far back, and when she opened her eyes she could see stars twinkling through a break in the tree canopy. For a moment, she mused at the irony of staring at heaven while two cowboys took her there in the back of a pickup truck. Then orgasm shook loose a shameless cry, and all other thoughts were left behind.


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Chapter Eight “Why the shit was Hank Junior still here?” Kade asked while he and Chaz loaded silver into their pistols back at the ranch. “I told the men to clear out before sunset, same as always.” “Stayed behind after the others left to work on that broken section of fence,” Chaz said. “Said he lost track of the time.” “And he was absolutely certain none of the others were still here?” “Positive. They all went out for beers after work. He was gonna meet ’em later.” Lily swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat and locked her knees to foil the urge to pace back and forth. On their way home from the woods she had been thinking of little else than trying to keep her hands off Kade long enough to let him drive them back safely. Then Chaz checked his cell phone messages and discovered one of the hired hands had called in to report trouble at the ranch. “Fucktard might have got himself killed,” Kade said, nostrils flaring as he fumed. “At least he didn’t try to confront the pack.” Chaz grunted. “He knows better. Took one look and got scarce, like they’ve all been told.” “Your men don’t help fight the werewolves with you?” Lily asked, clutching her arms tight in front of her. “Our men don’t know they are werewolves. Or that we are, for that matter.” Chaz finished loading a second pistol and snapped the chamber shut. She watched him stuff it into a low-slung holster on his hip. “They’ve been told these are wolves of an unusually aggressive variety, and to steer clear.”

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“Why don’t they know?” “It’s not an easy thing to bring up. Werewolves don’t exist to most people. And that’s how it’s gotta stay. It’d be too big a risk to our kind otherwise.” “You told me easy enough.” “You’re different,” Kade said. He shook back a lock of black that had fallen in his face. “You were meant to be ours. We can’t have secrets from you. But it wouldn’t be smart to go around trustin’ the average Joe with our lot.” She frowned. “They might get hurt because of it.” “None of the hands are allowed on the property after dark,” Chaz said, tucking his black shirt into his jeans. “Kade and I patrol the grounds ourselves during the full moon, deal with whatever comes. And we don’t house ’em here at the ranch. They all have their own places down the hill.” Kade picked up a shotgun. “I thought you couldn’t use that on werewolves,” Lily said. “This one’s in case we run across any injured animals. No sense wastin’ silver on ’em.” Kade gave Chaz a pointed stare. “Let’s go.” “Maybe you two shouldn’t go out there,” Lily said. “It’ll be fine,” Chaz said. “The pack’s gone.” “How can you be sure?” He tapped his nose. “Don’t smell or sense them anywhere nearby.” “Their stink’s faded by a good half hour,” Kade said. “Okay,” Lily said, “then if there’s no one out there and your men are safe, why do you need to go out there?” “Because of the blood,” Kade said, his voice emotionless. Lily pressed a hand to her stomach. “What blood?” “We can smell it.” Chaz pulled his tan hat tighter on his head. “A fuck load this time.” Kade headed for the doorway. Lily’s heart pounded in dread. Chaz saw her expression and stopped in front of her, running a rough, yet gentle hand along her


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face. “Probably just some of the livestock, but we have to check it out.” “Maybe I should come with you.” “You need to stay in the house,” Chaz said, and she recoiled a bit at his sharp tone. “It’s not gonna be any kind of a scene for a woman.” “Too dangerous,” Kade added. She looked at him. “I thought you said the pack was gone?” “They could come back.” He and Chaz headed for the doorway. “We shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes.” Twenty minutes spanned into nearly forty with Lily pacing around the kitchen, throwing increasingly panicked glances at the back door in hopes that the two would return safe and sound. “Shit,” she spat out when she took another look at the wall clock behind the stove. “Where are they?” Her palms were slick with sweat from clenching her fists, and she chewed on a ragged fingernail while she tried not to imagine all sorts of danger they could be facing right then. When the door banged open behind her, the sight was worse than any of the horrors she’d conjured up. “Chaz!” she shouted. Both men were shirtless. Chaz’s hat was gone, and he was covered from his face down to the waist in blood. His arm was looped weakly around the other man’s neck. Kade’s head was pointed down, so all she could see was the top of his hat. Still, it was clear that Kade had fared better, because his arm was wrapped around Chaz’s back and was supporting his weight while they staggered through the back door. “Oh, God, no!” She ran to them, the metallic tang of blood sending a wave of nausea through her stomach. “What happened to him?” “It’s all right,” Chaz said in a weak, dry voice. “Like hell it is.” Tears brimmed over and spilled on her cheeks. “Should I call an ambulance?”

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Kade steered Chaz around her. “He’s not hurt, Lily.” She shut the back door and followed them. “But the blood.” Kade shook his head. “From the cattle. The wolf pack had themselves a party and left us the mess.” They headed out of the kitchen, limping up the hall toward the bedroom. “So why is he acting like that?” she persisted. “It’ll pass in a minute.” Anger burst out of her at his vague responses. “What will pass?” She pushed past the men, spinning around to stop them. “Damn it, Kade, stop shutting me out. What the hell happened?” “It’s like bein’ drunk, sort of.” Kade shot her a guarded look from under his hat. “On blood.” She made a face. “What?” “It happens when you shift back to human too quick after a blood thirst.” That’s when she noticed that Kade had blood stains on him, too. Not as dramatic as Chaz, but there were streaks around his jaw and chin. “You were drinking cow’s blood?” “It’s the full moon for us, too, Lily. We have better control of our animal side than Blaise’s pack, but six fresh kills under a full moon is a bit much, even for us. Chaz shifted and tore into the carcasses before he even realized what he’d done.” “And you?” He glanced back down. “I resisted longer, but figured it’d be a damn shame to let all that meat go to waste.” His voice took on a foreign, dark edge. “They slaughtered near a quarter of our herd, but devoured only two.” “The rest was for revenge,” Chaz said. “I’m guessin’ they’re mighty pissed that they lost the chance to steal you.” Her eyes shifted to Chaz as a spear of remorse hit. Now they’d lost a chunk of their herd because of her. How much more would their decision to claim her cost? When would they come to regret it, if they


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didn’t already? She couldn’t help but shiver at the raw violence Chaz and Kade had just been part of, and suddenly she was much more grateful for having obeyed their command to stay inside. “That’s the real reason you didn’t want me out there, isn’t it?” she asked. “You were afraid one of you might hurt me.” “Not the way you’re thinkin’,” Chaz said, straightening up and shrugging out of Kade’s hold. “We just didn’t want you seein’ us like that. We barely got you to accept us. How could we let you watch us become monsters?” She wanted to reach out and hold them, reassure them both. But much as she cared for them already—more than seemed possible in the short stretch she’d known them—she couldn’t make herself embrace that blood-soaked skin. “It’s not your fault. I don’t mind about any of that.” “Yes, you do.” Kade pulled off his hat, and she blinked at the matted tips of his hair that were also crusted with blood. “I can see by your eyes how repulsive this is. And who can blame you?” “Give us some time alone, would you, darlin’?” Chaz offered a sad smile. “We need to get cleaned up and right in the head.” She nodded, silent, and moved aside to let them pass. For long moments after they disappeared into the bedroom, she stood silent in the hall. At a loss for what to do, she wandered back to the living room and sank down on the sofa to wait it out.

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Chapter Nine The grandfather clock ticked off twenty minutes while she stared into the empty room, barely able to think. Her hands were stuffed tightly between her thighs. The stylized desert landscape art and intricate Navajo rugs held no interest for her now. All that punctuated the incessant swinging of the clock pendulum were flashes of Chaz’s bloodied body and haunted expression. Here she was again, helplessly waiting and fraught with worry about her lovers. What did Kade and Chaz have to do, exactly, to get “right in the head” after something like this? How often did it happen? How long would it take—and how far away would they want her while they did it? The sense of being the third wheel on a twowheeler closed around her heart. They had claimed her and just as quickly shut her out, willing only to draw on each other while they weathered this. She supposed they were only trying to protect her, but the sense of rejection still burned. There were parts of them that she would never share, and the knowledge clawed a vacant, black hole in her chest. She’d thought she’d understood the implications of giving herself to men who held a dark secret deep inside of them. Perhaps she’d thought that secret was buried deeper than it truly was. She believed in their sense of control, but they apparently lost control like the other werewolves did. But then, weren’t humans guilty of the same thing? Thirty minutes has passed, and still no sign of them. How long would they need to stay away from her? Would she be left alone in the living room for hours? All night?


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Unable to sit still any longer, Lily got up and stretched. With quiet steps she stole into the hallway, which was still vacant. Their bedroom door stood open, which felt a little less like she was being shut out. On the contrary, the opening seemed like an invitation to rejoin them. That meshed nicely with the inexplicable pull she felt drawing her to the cowboys, like they were somehow tugging on a rope that was lassoed around her middle. A single bedside lamp was on in the empty master suite, but the sound of running water turned her attention to the bathroom. She crept without a sound to the open doorway and stuck her head through for a peek. Kade and Chaz were clearly visible through the pebbled glass of the walk-in shower, bathing together. A pang of curiosity prodded her forward, and she leaned against the doorway frame for a view that soon proved mesmerizing. Chaz stood with his arms planted on the wall on either side of the shower head, which streamed water over his head and down his front. Kade was behind him, working his hands in sudsy circles along Chaz’s shoulders, then down his back. When he reached Chaz’s ass, he slowed down and took his time kneading each cheek before bending down to work on the backs of Chaz’s thighs. Lily felt her breath quicken. All things considered, this was no doubt a highly inappropriate time to give her newly awakened libido free reign, but she couldn’t help it. The sight of her two men in such intimate contact started a fire in her belly. A heavy sensation grew in her pelvis, and she felt herself getting wet. She was wondering whether she was reading too much into the men’s joint shower when Chaz turned to face Kade. His cock jutted straight out, and with a fluttering heart she realized Kade had an erection, too. Chaz tilted his head back under the shower spray while Kade ran his hands over Chaz’s chest and stomach. When he leaned down to graze Chaz’s nipple with his teeth, Lily’s tiny gasp was camouflaged only by Chaz’s louder moan.

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Her pussy began to throb, and she squeezed her thighs together to try and subdue it. The pressure on her clit just made matters worse, as did the sight of Kade’s hand dropping to Chaz’s cock. He worked the shaft in long, practiced strokes that had Chaz grasping Kade’s shoulders and grimacing in almost anguished pleasure. Lily’s breath came in ragged gasps now, and she couldn’t stand quiet any longer. Almost tripping over herself in the process, she stepped back into the bedroom and stripped off her clothes. When she was completely naked, she snuck back into the bathroom and pulled open the shower door with a shaky hand. The men jerked toward her, frozen in momentary surprise. All traces of their bloody feast had been washed clean from their drenched, glistening muscles, but their eyes still held a dangerous edge that caught her short. Chaz’s wild, shocked gaze was especially disturbing, enough that she drew back. He lunged for her with an untamed growl, but Kade’s powerful arm shot out to push Chaz back against the wall. “Thought we asked you for some time to pull our shit together,” Kade said in a deep, rough tone. “Thought this looked like a good time to reconnect,” she said. Kade grunted. “It’s not.” The rejection stung, although Chaz made it obvious her presence was not unwelcome. On the contrary, he drank in every inch of her naked body with greedy eyes, much the way she could imagine him eyeing up his prey outside. She tensed when he made another move toward her, but Kade held him fast. She’d obviously been mistaken in judging the pull she felt to interrupt their recovery time. “As you can see,” Kade went on, muscles flexing to restrain her new bond-mate, “things are still a bit tense in here.” She gave Chaz a skeptical glance. “I thought you guys said you wouldn’t hurt me when you’re like this,” she breathed. “We wouldn’t devour you like bleedin’ cattle. But I’m not sure you’re ready for the way he’d want to fuck you right now. You might find it a little too rough.”


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She relaxed her fists and licked her lips at this new spin on things. Far from deterring her, this news made her more eager to step into that shower than ever. “I can take it when he’s demanding. You saw me out in the woods.” “Oh, he’s been right gentlemanly with you compared to what he wants now. Trust me. I’ve tamed this full moon cowboy after an uncontrolled feed. Let me wrangle this one.” “She can watch,” Chaz said. His voice had turned almost unrecognizable as he stared at her with animal need. A stab of wary excitement shot through her at his unbridled lust. Kade gave a nod and pushed the shower door all the way open, but gestured for her to move back. She glanced behind her and hurried over to take a seat on the sink counter opposite them. As hot as she burned for what was about to happen, she was surprised that her naked ass didn’t sizzle when it touched the cold countertop. She’d barely sat down when Kade grabbed Chaz by the hair and pulled his lips to him. Her eyes widened as the men’s mouths collided in an almost violent dance, powerful and rough but so blazingly erotic that her hands strayed to her breasts on autopilot. She pinched her nipples and parted her legs, indulging the feel of pressing her clit against smooth, chill marble. Chaz reached down to grab Kade’s stiff, red cock and Kade’s head fell back, his eyes closed in a pose that was sexy enough to make pussy juices pool beneath her. Chaz leaned over and bit Kade on the chest, without the benefit of fangs but still hard enough to leave a bright red ring when he pulled back. “Turn your ass around,” Chaz told him in an almost angry tone. When Kade complied, Chaz did something Lily didn’t expect at all—he reared back and brought his palm full speed against Kade’s ass cheek. She gave a little jump on the counter, her eyes wide as she imagined the sting of that hand. Kade groaned in obvious lust, however, and his cock throbbed against his belly. He reached for it, wrapping his fist around the swollen purple shaft. “Don’t you fuckin’ touch it yet,” Chaz hissed in Kade’s ear.

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The man let go, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. Chaz hauled off and delivered another loud slap that echoed in their mostly confined space. Her mouth began to go dry from panting with it open, staring at this new version of Chaz. Kade glanced over at her and offered just a hint of a smile, and she realized the pack alpha was letting Chaz have his time in charge—and enjoying every moment. Not that his moans or achingly hard cock had indicated otherwise. Lily’s fingers spread her pussy curls and found the button of her clit, rubbing circles on it while she watched a pink stain spread over Kade’s ass. Chaz slapped each cheek and stared at the swelling blooms of red while his fist glided back and forth over his magnificent cock. Chaz growled. “Spread your legs.” Kade did as he was told, and Lily found herself doing the same thing. Chaz grabbed a tube off the shower ledge and squeezed something gooey onto his fingers. He pushed Kade forward a bit and probed between his ass cheeks. Sweat ran in rivulets down Lily’s neck and chest in the steamy room, and she felt her face grow hot when Chaz worked a finger inside Kade’s ass. Kade’s eyes rolled back, and while she stiffened at the sight, he seemed to relax. Chaz’s hand rotated back and forth while he fucked Kade with one, then two fingers. Kade’s cock flushed darker and jumped like crazy, and Lily could see the man grit his teeth and clench his fists tight in an effort not to fondle himself. Lord knew she didn’t have that discipline. Every time Chaz’s fingers slid deep into Kade, her own fingers dove into her slippery, hot cunt. The steam and her shallow, uneven breaths made Lily dizzy, and when she saw Chaz squirt sticky gel from the tube and slick it over his cock, she saw speckles at the edge of her vision. Holy shit, he was really going to fuck Kade. She worked her fingers faster in and out while her other hand pinched her nipples. Oh, God, what she wouldn’t give to be in the middle of this cowboy sandwich right now, but she respected Kade’s words.


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Just as she had the thought, Chaz turned and met her eyes. His were blazing red-gold and trailed fire over her. The mood in the room changed as he watched her hands on her body, and a memory flashed of his reaction in the woods when he heard that she masturbated. He froze stiff, his body quivering as he watched with apparent hypnotic and potentially dangerous fascination. Her hands paused, though her breaths were still rapid while she wondered what he would do. Kade sensed the shift in focus and leaned back hard against Chaz, using his ass to pin Chaz to the shower wall yet again. “Easy, cowboy.” “Look at her, Kade,” he said. “Look the fuck at how horny she is watchin’ us. I can’t take it.” “Then fuck me and make her even hotter.” He seemed to waver with indecision, and she wondered if he’d grab her and make good on whatever rough wolf fucking Kade tried to warn her about. Right now, she wasn’t sure she gave a shit if he did. Hell, he could pound her into the wall and she’d beg for more. Kade rubbed his ass against Chaz’s stiff dick. “Come on, boy. Saddle up.” With a growl and eyes still devouring Lily’s body, Chaz slathered more lubricant on his cock and spread Kade’s legs enough to position himself at the man’s puckered pink hole. With little tenderness or ceremony, Chaz shoved his cock inside Kade until he was buried to the groin. Kade’s loud grunt sent Lily’s desire swirling higher, and her hands returned to a frenzied survey of her erogenous zones when Chaz began pumping his hips. Each thrust brought a new dimension of inhuman passion to their coupling. Snarling sounds enveloped the room, and both men groped one another with powerful, rough hands and nails that dug into each other’s flesh. Chaz pulled Kade’s back upright against his body, much like he’d done to Lily in the woods but with a potent ferocity. His eyes flashed almost red-gold while he

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wrapped his arms around Kade’s chest, fucking him hard enough to tip Kade off balance were he not holding the man in an iron grip. “Let me do my cock,” Kade said through clenched teeth. “I ache.” “No,” Chaz growled roughly, fucking harder. “Not yet.” Lily’s climax sat teetering on an aching peak, and she forced her thighs apart as far as she could to fuck herself with three fingers. With a start she saw Chaz’s jaw elongate, just enough for sharp white fangs to protrude. He leaned in and sank into the back of Kade’s shoulder. Both men howled and tensed, and in that instant she instinctively connected to their sex. She felt Chaz come, actually experienced the feel of semen exploding from his shaft with an ecstatic sense of release. Her body shook, and she let go as well, screaming over their howls while spasms of orgasm clenched around her fingers over and over. As she floated back to the first vestiges of reality, she saw that both men were still clutched together, but had stopped to watch her writhe in bliss. Chaz let go of Kade and slid back, muscles relaxing as he stood under the stream of water. He stared at her with a numb expression while his chest heaved in heavy, rhythmic breaths. His eyes had lost their fiery tinge, and his cock’s raging hardness was subsiding. Not so for Kade. He was staring at Lily with an almost fierce look of inevitability while a trickle of blood from Chaz’s fang marks mingled with water to roll down his muscled chest. His twitching dick looked ready to burst. She knew what had to happen next, and she was blazing ready for it. Their unfinished business would meet its end now, or Kade would explode. And she might just die from the need to know what his cock would feel like buried inside of her. She slid off the counter, turning around briefly to swipe a hand over the steamed-up mirror. Her reflection showed the rosy color in her burning cheeks and wide, black pupils. That wasn’t what interested her. She wanted to see if the marks on her shoulder from Kade’s claim looked similar to the ones on his neck. She fingered the


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bruised, reddish-purple marks on her shoulder lightly. The men were still rooted to the spot when she swiveled back and sauntered up to the shower door, aware of her full breasts bouncing with each step. “Chaz,” she said in a sultry whisper, though her eyes were glued to Kade’s. “I think it’s time we give Kade what he’s been dying for since he got stuck experiencing my de-virgining secondhand.” “Definitely.” His reply had a casual ring to it now, and when she flicked him a glance he offered her a warm, very Chaz smile that made her heart thump against her sternum. Her cowboy was back. Kade, on the other hand, stalked out of the shower, advancing on her with a look that held little of its usual teasing glint. She backed away from him, not in outright fear but to hold his burning gold gaze while she led him into the bedroom. Kade didn’t even bother to towel off, and water dripped off of his hair and hard flesh. His eyes lit up in the dim light with the reddish-gold tint she’d seen in Chaz’s, and she wondered if she knew what she was doing. Was she really ready to handle an alpha who was just this side of blood lust? When she felt the backs of her legs bump against the bed, however, Kade paused and closed his eyes a moment. He sucked in a deep breath, and when he reopened them it was to a light blaze not much more electric than his normal hazel-gold color. She ran a hand along his damp chest. “No more waiting, alpha. You’ve earned the right to fuck the hell out of me, and I’m aching for it.” He shook his head. “No, Lily.” She frowned as a dull longing in her pelvis grew to a sharp ache. “What? You don’t want to fuck me?” His next step forward brought his face right to hers. “No.” The soft tone sent a shiver through her. “Please, Kade. You have to fuck me. I want you so bad I’m dripping.” “I’m not going to fuck you. I’m going to make love to you the way I’ve dreamed for as long as I’ve been Chaz’s partner.”

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This sudden change in Kade’s aggressive demeanor melted her insides. He slid a wet hand around the side of her neck, staring at her with a tenderness that set her heart pumping like a race car piston. Chaz had shown her similar loving care later in the night after the first fevered rush of taking her virginity. She hadn’t expected it from his alpha, and certainly not now. The mere seconds when he just stared at her drove her to near madness with anticipation. He finally granted her his lips, gentle and feather-light. She sagged against him, unable to bear her own weight. He lifted her and set her down on the plump bedcovers, and she scooted until she was lying on her back. He slid with slow, sensual movements onto the bed, and she parted her thighs and watched him crawl between them on all fours like a sleek, calm jungle animal. His eyes spoke volumes into the silence when he held himself over her, stroking stray hair away from her cheek. “Lily,” he said in a deep, reverent whisper. On his lips, her name sounded like a prayer, a fervent wish uttered in secret to the heavens. Goose bumps shot up, sending electric ripples over her body. “My god, Chaz,” Kade said, his eyes fastened on her as though he’d never seen her before. “I had no idea I would really feel this way for her.” “I know,” Chaz said, lying down on the bed, facing her. She swallowed a thick lump that had risen in her throat and smiled at Kade. “You sounded like you knew all about what to expect.” “This is the first time I’ve been alpha to a pack member’s bondmate,” he said. “Though I had a mate once.” “You were afraid you wouldn’t truly feel that same bond with Lily,” Chaz said. “Or were you more afraid that you would?” Kade nodded. “Both.” The sting of tears threatened Lily’s eyes. “Your mate,” she whispered. “Where is she?” His own eyes glassed over. “She died almost twelve years ago. That’s why I left my pack. I thought this feeling had died with her


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forever.” He leaned down and closed his eyes, inhaling her scent. “But you’ve awakened it into something entirely new. Do you feel how we both love you? Do you understand?” She nodded. “I feel it. And I need you now.” Her voice fell to a scant whisper. “Please.” His kiss poured emotion into her, and she let it wash over her in waves until she felt like they were floating over the bed. When he pulled back to feather his lips over her face, she tasted the salt of his tears. The gruff, cocky alpha she assumed would grab her roughly and rake her with teeth and claws was breaking down in her arms, and she held him close to her while her heart pounded. Chaz stroked her hair, and she felt his other arm running a gentle hand over Kade’s back. Kade’s languid, loving movements shifted, turning into a passionate motion while he slid his hips up and down along her body. She responded by arching her hips off the bed, rubbing herself against him. His head moved downward until he captured her nipple in his mouth. With the faintest of touches, he flicked his tongue over it and sucked. She sighed and gave an involuntary shudder. Chaz’s hands ran over her other breast, lightly grasping the hard bud of that nipple between two fingers. She arched back and cried out. The softer and lighter the men’s touches became, the wilder and harder she thrashed in ecstasy. Their love and longing burned through her with every slight touch, and it was in that haze of want that she finally understood what it meant for a man to treasure her. Tears rolled back into her splayed hair when Kade slipped back up gently drag her lower lip through his teeth. “Please, Kade. I need you inside of me. Don’t make me wait any longer.” When the head of his cock pressed to her entrance, she began to wriggle frantically to thrust it inside. He held himself slightly away, running the tip of his nose along her jaw and nipping her earlobe. Chaz was propped up on one elbow, skimming his hands over Kade’s

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back and round ass cheeks while he gazed down at Lily with an expression of pure happiness. She was getting used to lovemaking where Chaz’s cock would finally and gratefully spear her straight and deep to the core. Kade, on the other hand, slipped inside of her inch by mind-blowing inch, extending the mad torture by stretching her wide and slow with his thick, pulsing shaft. After each inch he paused, holding himself back while she tried to thrust her hips upward and pull his ass toward her. She was literally insane with the need to impale herself on him, but he seemed determined to heighten her anticipation. Soon, she would scream in orgasm despite the fact that his cock was barely inside her. “I can’t stand this,” she breathed. “That bad?” Kade asked. “That good. Love me, damn it. Fuck me.” “You want me deep, don’t you? You won’t be satisfied until I’m ridin’ you hard.” “God, yes.” His sigh was more of a resigned growl. “So much for my attempt at patient control.” When he rose up, she whimpered in panic that he was leaving her. Instead, she felt a rough tug on her hips while he pulled her downward on the bed. He got on his knees and draped her legs over his shoulders. With a grunt and a motion that shot juices from her aching cunt, he shoved his cock in to the bottom. A wave of relief toppled over her. “Yes! Give it to me.” With her top half free, Chaz leaned over and took her breast in his mouth. She fisted the pillows now well above her head, twisting and arching her body while Kade’s enormous cock plunged into her again and again. Her tits bounced up and down while he thrust, and he reached down to stroke his thumb over her clit while he fucked her on his knees.


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She could feel Chaz pressing his cock into the bed, and she couldn’t stand another moment without it. “Chaz,” she said. “I want to taste you like Kade did to me earlier.” With a groan he rose up and got on all fours over her, lowering himself until the tip of his cock was near her lips. She licked them nervously and flicked out with a tentative sweep of her tongue. Salty fluid pooled at the tip, and she licked again. So hot and velvety smooth. She had to have more. Without another thought, she grabbed hold of his erection and balls and plunged his cock into her mouth. “Jesus,” he said with a shudder. Then he was reduced to nothing but desperate grunts and moans of pleasure as she instinctively worked her lips and mouth up and down over his shaft. She let her fingernails just barely graze the hair of his ball sac, which drew up tight against his body. Her other hand circled and squeezed the base of his cock, which was too far from the tip for her to draw completely into her mouth. “Fuck, look at the sexy way she’s eatin’ you, Chaz,” Kade ground out. “Barely claimed, yet already expert at suckin’ cock. I’m ready to cream inside her just watchin’.” Chaz’s moans grew more ragged, and he was unable to answer. She adjusted her rhythm to match Kade’s, so her mouth fucked Chaz the same way she was getting it. God, the feel of that hard, pulsing organ in her mouth while Kade’s possessed her whole! Kade’s grunts got louder and more animal, and so did her own. She moaned with Chaz in her mouth, letting her sounds of pleasure vibrate through his impossibly stiff cock. When it seemed the skin on his erection grew thin enough to burst, Chaz shouted and pulled out of her mouth. Her eyes flew open, and she watched him wrap his fist around his purpled cock, then straighten up to grab Kade and shove his tongue in the other man’s mouth. They kissed like passion-starved animals while Chaz’s cum shot over her belly, and her pussy immediately clenched in orgasm at the sight of his cock spurting. She

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cried out, sending Kade into climax. He shot deep inside of her, and he kept pumping her until she shuddered over another peak. “Oh my God,” she said when words finally came back to her. “Now have I been fucked proper with no ifs, ands, or buts?” “There are always other ways,” Kade said, but with a teasing gleam in his eye. Much later, when the three had collapsed together after another erotic mutual shower, Lily lay in a tangle of arms and legs listening to the steady rise and fall of her lovers’ breathing. Kade had lain awake for a long stretch, staring into the dark beside her, but eventually he dropped into the same rhythmic cadence of Chaz’s slumber. Lily’s thoughts were still in a jumble, realizing that this was what she had been missing all of her life. Not the earth-shattering sex, though there was certainly no way in hell she could picture living without that now. It was the warm fullness she felt in her chest, right where she imagined her spirit must live. The fierce, yet poignant sense of belonging to someone, and they to her. What she’d been missing was love. She wasn’t missing it anymore, though, and a soft whisper that followed her into sleep told her that she never would again.


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Chapter Ten Lily leaned over the corral fence, giggling as Lightning, Chaz’s chestnut stallion, pushed his nose into her hand. “They’ve really taken a likin’ to you,” Chaz said, patting the horse’s neck. “They’re incredible.” Her eyes shifted to a black mare named Buttercup, who was nuzzling a blade of grass on the ground. Kade’s dapple gray stallion, Thunder, was trotting some distance away with Kade on its back. “All of them are so beautiful.” “They’re exceptional animals, to be sure. Not just any horse will be broken to a werewolf rider.” Lightning’s lips pursed as he nipped in the carrot she offered him. She moved in, and he pressed his head against her. “Guess the other members of our pack’s got the hankerin’ for you, too,” Chaz said with a gleam in his green eyes. He looked beyond delectable today in snug black denims and a green button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, teasing her with striated forearms. The collar was unbuttoned enough to glimpse a mouth-watering strip of muscled chest. His hat was pushed high on his head, and the sun turned his eyes into a heart-stopping jade with gold flecks sparkling in mischief. She reached up to pull the ends of her high ponytail tighter. “I can’t wait for you to teach me how to ride.” “You’ll just have to be careful,” he said, but the tone held a note of sarcasm. “If you see a stiff dong between a stallion’s hind legs about the size of Kade’s arm, you’ll want to run. Just ask Buttercup.”

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She shot him a look. “I thought I was safe now that I’ve been declared officially yours—from men and animals.” She fingered the mark on her shoulder absently. “Oh, you’re declared, all right. I reckon our claim’s made you utterly repulsive to males.” She slapped one of his taut biceps. “When you put it that way, I’m not sure I like the sound of it.” “Except the males who count, of course.” He drew closer to her. “We’re more under your thrall than ever.” “Good.” Their kiss shot fire straight through her stomach, and the sound of a throat clearing behind her was the only thing that stopped her from giving into the urge to see just how enthralled his cock felt at the moment. “Hank,” Chaz said, letting her go to face the freckled man standing nearby. “What’s up?” The man shifted his weight from one worn brown boot to the other, hands stuffed in jeans pockets that were just as faded. “We’re done gettin’ those carcasses taken care of. Damn shame the wolves got so many this time. What a bloody, stinkin’ massacre. Sorry, boss.” Chaz slid Lily a sideways glance before nodding to the man. “Thanks. You did right, not tryin’ to drive ‘em off. Except next time, you better follow orders and clear out before sunset.” “Yes, sir. Kade reminded me. Seems that pack’s gettin’ more ballsy every month. How many would you wager there are?” “About a dozen, I’d say. Though the numbers vary.” “As many as you’ve shot, there shouldn’t be any left. Or they should be smart enough to learn to stay away. Instead, they must fuck like rabbits to breed more and just keep on comin’.” The man flicked pale brown eyes at Lily. “Sorry, ma’am. For the language.” She gave a small smile. “They’re a particularly troublesome breed,” Chaz said. “Aggressive as hell and nothin’ to fuck with.”


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“Guess so. Anyway, a few of us are gonna go work on that busted section of fence, if you don’t have anythin’ else for us. The repairs were almost finished, but them wolves busted it apart again last night. Strong bastards.” Chaz nodded. “Let’s get ’er fixed up right. I’ll grab Kade and we’ll head on over to lend a hand.” “Sure thing, boss.” Hank tipped his hat to Lily. “Ma’am.” Then he turned and headed off with a gangly gait. There were no sly glances stolen her way, no leering male eyes sliding over her curves. She cocked her head and smiled. “Well. I guess you’re right about that claim working. Hank didn’t show the slightest interest in me.” “Is that a note of disappointment I hear?” She cackled. “Are you crazy? Do you know how much I’m looking forward to going through life without having to beat men off with a stick?” He pulled her to him. “Mm. You can beat me off anytime, darlin’.” “With a stick?” She batted her eyelashes provocatively. “With any damn thing you want.” He reached around to squeeze her ass. “Have I told you how incredibly hot you look in those jeans and that Fuck-Me-Now shirt?” She glanced down at her blue, sleeveless V-neck top. The tight Lycra pushed up her cleavage to good advantage, she had to admit. “Likewise, cowboy.” His head whipped around, and she followed to see Kade still on his mount at a distance. Chaz caught his gaze and waved him over. “You heard him, didn’t you?” she asked. “I sensed his call.” “I haven’t gotten used to the idea of you two doing that.” “We can do it with you now, too. You feel somethin’ strong enough, we’ll know it—and come runnin’ if need be. You can always count on that.”

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She rubbed an arm against him. “Any take on what I’m feeling right now?” He gave her a wicked grin. “Somethin’ that means I won’t get any work done unless I go meet Kade right now.” The sounds of pounding hooves drew her attention. Thunder sent dust up from its hooves with each step. “Ho’ up,” Kade said to his animal while he reined him up near the fence. He tipped his hat to Lily. “Howdy, ma’am.” His eyes shifted to Chaz. “Ready to go?” Chaz nodded, tugging on rawhide gloves. “Boys could use some help out on that fence.” Lily let a sexy grin slide up her face. “Chaz and I were just discussing how you two are tuned into each other, and I guess that includes me now.” “That’s right.” “So if you’re out mending fences and feel me suddenly engaging in some naughty touching, what then? Would you be compelled to rush to my aid?” “Damn, woman,” Kade said with a look of mock incredulity. “This ranch is gonna fall to pieces around us if I listen to any more of your talk. I’ll never want to set foot out of the house again.” Chaz gave her bottom a playful smack that made her think of how hot he got slapping Kade’s ass the previous night. She was up for some spanking games herself, with her in the role of the naughty girl who causes too much distraction for the ranch bosses. “Stick around the corral if you want before headin’ back to the house,” Chaz said, climbing the corral fence and hopping over. “Keep Buttercup company. Kade and I will be up just before lunchtime.” “Oh, I’m counting on you being up for that.” “Insatiable woman.” He mounted Lightning and gave her a wink. Maybe it was the dust out there, or maybe it was the sexy way the men’s torsos rocked fluidly on the backs of their trotting animals, but her throat dried out while she watched them ride off together with


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their hats tilted at sexy angles. God, was there anything finer than hot cowboy ass in tight jeans? Hot cowboy cock, maybe. Buttercup snorted as if she could hear Lily’s indecent thoughts. She turned back to the horse with a laugh. “I know. I seem to have developed a one-track mind lately. But don’t worry. I’ll still find time to visit you every day. And ride you, too, if your masters can find a spare moment to teach me how.” The thought struck her, and she frowned. Visit every day? She’d just made the assumption that she would be here from now on, but her weekend getaway to the cabin was officially over. Had she been following her original plan, she would be on her way down the hill even now, leaving Shay Falls in her taillights as she made the twohour trip back to her confusing, unfulfilled existence. She’d forgotten all that in the wake of Chaz and Kade’s cataclysmic entry into her life, and now all she wanted to see was a future where the three of them were inseparable. Was that the men’s expectation, too? Would she be phoning in a resignation to her desk job so she could live on the ranch? With everything that had gone on and the sudden ferocity with which her need for Chaz and Kade had overtaken her, it hadn’t ever occurred to her to discuss practical matters. Like whether their claim meant being together all the time, or whether they expected her to move full-time into the cabin. Or just visit on weekends. Had the girl who’d kept men at arm’s length for years suddenly jumped the gun well beyond her beaus’ intentions? Now she began to feel foolish, and she sighed. “I guess it will all work out, won’t it?” she asked. Buttercup moved close, and Lily stroked the mare’s soft mane. The thick, black tail swished behind while the mare bobbed her head wildly up and down in response. Lily started to laugh at the apparent nod in agreement when the mare began stamping her feet and whinnying. Lily backed away from the corral fence a bit, frowning at the apparent distress. The horse took off toward the opposite end of

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the corral, powerful legs carrying it at a full run. Lily made a mental note to ask Kade and Chaz what she’d said or done wrong to rile the animal up like that. Then a hand came from behind to clamp over her mouth, and before she could scream she was being dragged off by powerful arms to a thick clump of trees beyond the edge of the ranch.


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Chapter Eleven Lily was shoved down unceremoniously into the middle of a small clearing in the thick woods, and she wound up on her hands and knees in a patch of fetid underbrush. When she looked up, a collection of shirtless men and wolves stood in an arc around her, staring down like some sort of freakish nature show nightmare. The men stared with undisguised lechery, but it was the wolves that seized her breath in her throat. They stood at almost unnaturally stiff attention, leaning toward her with fiery eyes and curling lips. Their fur quivered noticeably with what appeared to be wavering restraint. The man directly in front of her had his arms folded across a chest so packed with muscle that she could see veins bulging through his skin. His hair was dyed in streaks of black and blond that hung almost to his shoulder. Beneath the bangs that swept across his forehead lurked a pair of dark eyes with the same gold shimmers she knew all too well. Tattoos of jagged symbols crested both of his robust shoulders, along with his collarbones. His mouth was twisted in a mocking grin, and Lily had a sudden wish that he’d try to kiss her— just so she could rip out the ring in his lower lip piercing with her teeth. “Well now,” he said. “You’re quite a hard woman to pay a call on, Miss Marks.” “That’s because I rolled up my welcome mat,” she said. A gray wolf to her left snarled and broke rank, lunging toward her. She shrieked and fell back in a panicked scramble to get away. The effort was unnecessary, however. The tattooed man swung out in

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a flash with a powerful arm, connecting with the wolf’s jaw. The animal was knocked off course and landed on its back with a grating yelp. The man stepped back into his original pose and eyed the animals—human and otherwise—around him. “What the fuck did we discuss?” The tone was pure rage and spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke, but just as suddenly he resumed his all-business demeanor. “Not yet.” The errant wolf limped back to his place and sat in a downcast posture, but he still penetrated Lily with a vicious stare. She rocked back on her haunches, and with shaky limbs, started to stand up. Every wolf gave a menacing growl or bark that would have stopped her even before two more looked ready to breach protocol and pounce. The alpha shook his head and made a tch-tch sound. “Better stay down, sweetheart. My pack’s very loyal, and won’t take it well if you’re rude enough not to display submission to their alpha. My name’s Blaise, by the way. You might have heard of me.” “Not really.” She stayed on her knees, glaring at him with a private wish that the sheer venom in her stare could make his head pop off his shoulders. Instead, he laughed at her fuming pose. “Guess you don’t scare easy.” He tilted his head to regard her. “I like that.” “When you’ve had as many loser men trying to get your attention as I have, fear takes on a different kind of meaning.” He stepped forward, and Lily flinched just a bit. In a flash of irony it occurred to her that she now knew why John had let fly with illadvised smartass banter when surrounded by trouble. It was the only thing holding her together. “Still, I did smell just enough adrenaline mixed with your ungodly intoxicating scent to think we might get the reaction we want,” he said.


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She stiffened. “So you’re one of those pathetic tough guys who gets off on scaring women?” He laughed. “I see a lifetime of men chasing that sweet pussy has you thinking every move is about you.” He winked, and she pressed her lips in a tight line. “Okay, so a lot of this does happen to be about you. But that’s not why I want you scared.” The man strode up, and just before he knelt in front of her, she saw the long ridge of his erect cock visible through dark jeans. “Did he tell you about me?” His voice fell into a sultry whisper as he grabbed her ponytail and pulled her head back, exposing her throat. She flailed out, but he used his other arm to crush her against his chest. His nose nuzzled along the side of her throat, and she tensed in fear that he would unleash his fangs. His breath came hot against her ear. “Did he tell you what it means to be a bond-mate in a pack?” She tried to tug away from him. “He told me you’re a vile animal who spends his time stealing from him.” He pulled back and shook his head. “Don’t you listen to that pup’s lies. We’re just taking a rightful share of what’s ours.” Barks came from behind her. The alpha nodded to them, and his wolves fell silent. His smile widened, and his gaze came back to her in a piercing shade of gold. “Your scent has every cock in my pack on fire. I confess I kept a couple mementos from your luggage so I could indulge in it. But the live version makes my balls ache.” Before she could wrench away, he grabbed her and shoved his tongue in her mouth. A strange warmth filled her as she put her hands on his flexing chest, but she pushed back. When he didn’t relent, she tried to bite down on the lip ring. He yanked back with a wild gaze before she got the chance. “You’re a wild fuckin’ bitch. I’m gonna love taming you.” Lily felt them behind her even before she heard the growls. She spun around to see two white wolves approaching the pack with bared teeth. Kade, identifiable by his head tattoo, walked a step ahead of Chaz with his tail high. Chaz shifted his gaze to Lily, his eyes

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narrowing when he saw her in the alpha’s grip. Rabid growls came from his drooling fangs, and he sprang toward them. Kade held position and gave a snarling bark of command that Chaz ignored. Blaise yanked Lily’s head back again and bent over her throat. Chaz froze three feet from them. “Down, boy,” Blaise shouted. “Both of you shift back right now, or I’ll rip her throat out.” Kade’s body quivered first, fur retracting into skin and limbs elongating into human form. He rose from all fours, naked and staring at Blaise with undisguised fury. “You wouldn’t do that,” Kade said. “You want her as much as we do.” “Try me.” He tightened the grip on her ponytail. “I haven’t had her yet. I wouldn’t know what I’d be missing.” Blaise yanked harder, and several strands of her hair tore free with a sharp pain that brought tears. She cried out and tried to grab for his hands, but he restrained her. “Boy,” he growled at Chaz, “do not toy with me. I said shift back now.” “Chaz,” Kade said in a stern voice. Lily’s heart hammered when she felt the faint scrape of Blaise’s fangs on her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, waiting. The next thing she heard was Chaz’s voice. “Let her the fuck go, Blaise.” Her eyes flew open to see him standing naked, too. His jaw was clenched tight, and every magnificent muscle was tense. His eyes glittered with rage. “At least one of you had the sense to obey.” Blaise relaxed his grip on Lily, and she yanked back to glare at him, but his eyes were fastened on Kade. “Bet you’ve found out that little bastard is a handful of trouble.” Kade put his hands on his bare hips. “Speakin’ of trouble, wrong time of day for you boys to be out causin’ bullshit, isn’t it?” “As if they didn’t cause enough bullshit last night,” Chaz said.


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Blaise glared at him. “And you have been causing us bullshit for ten years. Time for the scores to be settled.” Chaz stepped forward, his bare feet crunching over a bed of leaves. “Fine. Which of you should die to settle our score?” “Which of you should die?” Blaise grabbed Lily around the waist. “Chaz.” Kade stepped forward and evoked a dangerous, commanding tone Lily had never heard from him. “Back away and shut the fuck up.” Chaz gave him a petulant look, but snapped his mouth shut and retreated until he was a step behind Kade. Blaise shook his head with a mocking laugh. “You know, Winchester, it’s cute that you tried to come along and adopt the lone wolf, but I see you haven’t done well with this fantasy of being an alpha.” “He’s more an alpha than you,” Chaz spat out. Kade’s hand shot out of nowhere, backhanding Chaz hard against the cheek. Lily gasped in wide-eyed shock as Chaz reeled sideways and nearly fell over. He came back up holding a red cheek, staring murderous daggers at Blaise. He kept his eyes averted from Kade. “An improvement,” Blaise said, “but you’ll have to do much better. Let me show you. Here, take this for a moment.” Blaise shoved Lily hard, and with a shocked cry she stumbled several feet into Kade’s arms. She pressed her head into the warm comfort of his chest, but Blaise uttered a growl of displeasure. “Your claim on her is not recognized by this pack. I suggest you remove your hands from our mate before we have to rip them off of your arms.” To her despair, Kade’s powerful embrace slid off of her and he stepped away. “Your mate?” Lily said, hands on hips. “I’m not your mate. Haven’t you been paying attention?” Blaise shot her a look of disdain. “Haven’t they been telling you a damn thing? Shut the hell up while the men talk, bitch.” He turned

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back to Kade. “Now let me show you how the real alpha of a pack operates. Basic submission, practiced daily and on command.” Chaz shot Kade a look, but Lily saw him just shake his head in apparent defeat. What the hell was he doing? Giving up? Then again, looking around, they were helplessly outnumbered. There had to be at least eight wolves and several men. There was precious little they could do. “Give me your wolf, boy,” Blaise said in stern command. “Now. Submit to your alpha.” She saw refusal sitting on Chaz’s tongue, and he made a face and bit down to keep them from coming out. With a pained glance at Lily, his shape distorted and hair shot out until he was on all fours on the ground, coated in white fur. He stood with his ears back and head lowered in front of Blaise, who quivered and contorted into a mottled gray wolf—the one who’d burst through the bedroom window her first night in the cabin. The two stared at one another, Blaise standing tall and baring fangs while he raised his hindquarters to step out of the clothing now pooled on the ground behind him. Lily’s heart tried to pound its way out of its chest while Blaise took hold of Chaz’s muzzle with his teeth. Chaz lowered his body until he was lying on the ground. “What the hell is he doing?” she whispered. Kade didn’t answer, and when she glanced over, his expression had turned red-gold and downright terrifying. Still, he made no move to intervene. Chaz rolled onto his back, exposing his belly. Blaise padded up and stood over him, and when his teeth grabbed Chaz’s throat Lily jumped forward in panic. “No!” Kade pulled her back, and several wolves behind them moved in with warning snarls. He released her and stepped away, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. Lily stared in horror as Chaz lay still, letting Blaise stand over him with his jaws clamped over his throat. “Why is he doing that?” she whispered.


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“It’s a sign of submission,” Kade whispered back. “He’s letting Blaise prove he is the dominant male.” “He isn’t. You are.” “Not to his pack.” He shot her a look. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” She shook her head. “Thank you for trying to save me. Don’t suppose you could have come in here guns blazing, though?” “And risk hittin’ you? Besides, we didn’t have time to go back to the house and holster up.” Something flickered in his gaze, and he glanced back to where Chaz was still being held in submission. “Shit,” Kade said, his eyes haunted. “That’s what Blaise meant by ‘our mate.’ This isn’t just a revenge thing. They’re makin’ a blood pack claim.” “What’s that mean?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “Remember what I said about sharin’ a bond-mate? How the attraction to her will be just as intense for the rest of the pack as it is for him?” Her eyes widened. “They aren’t his pack. You are.” “Blaise is the one who turned him. There’s a natural bond there.” Blaise finally released his grip, but Chaz kept his vulnerable bellyup pose. Blaise shifted back, and Lily jerked at the sight of him naked. Every inch of him looked like he was a steroid-enhanced bodybuilder, with bulging muscles and veins everywhere—including the cock that hung long and partially erect over Chaz. She tore her gaze away, back to the wolf beneath him. “But Chaz rejected Blaise and his pack.” “The blood tie here has obviously overridden Chaz’s will. That’s what this is about. Jesus, why didn’t I realize it? They’re caught in your thrall, too. Now they got no choice in the matter. They’ll take this all the way to claim pack matin’ rights. They’ll fight to the death for you.” “How do you know for sure?” she asked, her voice a strained whisper.

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His eyes were dead somber when they found hers. “Because I would.” Blaise raised a hand in command, and Chaz rolled over and shifted back with a blur of motion. He stayed there on his knees, much the way Lily had been ordered to do. Her heart faltered. “It can’t be true.” She stared around at the pack, who for the most part seemed more interested in her than the display of testosterone taking place center ring. “I don’t feel any attraction to them.” “You will. When they get close enough to you, you’ll start to feel the pull. Just like you did when you met me.” Kade’s voice twisted. “You’ll beg them to fuck you the way you begged me.” “Don’t say that.” She shook her head, horrified. “I wouldn’t ever betray you like that. Never.” His smile held no humor. “You won’t have a choice. It’s a breeder thing.” Blaise looked up at Kade. “There, you see? It’s all a matter of dominance. I could command Chaz to suck my dick right now and he’d do it.” Kade grunted. “I must be doin’ it wrong, then, because he sucks mine quite willingly without havin’ to force it on him.” Blaise’s cocky grin slipped into a sneer. “Yeah, I’ll bet both of them do that for you, don’t they?” The murderous glare he turned her way made Lily flinch. “Which is something you’ll have to answer for, Winchester. You’re an outsider with no rights to copulate with members of my pack. The penalty for that is death.” He paused and nudged the still-kneeling cowboy in front of him with his bare foot. His skin was bronzed and gleaming, and Lily was surprised to note that while in human form, this werewolf had no hair anywhere—except on his head and the obvious dark triangle Lily did her best to avoid. “Then there’s the matter of Chaz’s crimes against his own,” Blaise went on. “We’ll have to decide whether it’s worth letting him survive


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so he can keep providing us nice, juicy livestock.” He turned to the pack members standing nearest him and pointed at Kade. “Meanwhile, you can kill him.” Three black and brown wolves stalked forward, pulling back their lips to expose teeth. “Stan, you bastard,” Kade said, staring at the front most wolf. “I recognize that ugly mange of fur.” The brown wolf kept coming, but Lily swore the creature’s mouth slid up into a macabre grin. “Stop laughin’, you sorry excuse for a lawman,” Kade went on. “This isn’t over, and you still won’t ever be allowed to touch her.” Kade pushed Lily aside and dropped into a defensive stance. Her jaw fell open as her worst nightmare unfolded. She could see the fire in his eyes, the indecision. He glanced at her, and she knew he was trying to decide whether to disobey Blaise and shift, which would risk her neck as well. Even if he did change, how could he win against so many enemies? She couldn’t let this happen. There had to be a way to save the cowboys who had come here to save her. It was her fault that they had flung themselves into danger. Kade said they were under her thrall. They had no choice but to fight for her. But maybe she did. “Wait!” she cried out. “Stop. I have a solution.” Blaise leveled her with a curious, yet malignant stare. Then he held up a hand to the advancing predators. They paused, Stan still staring Kade down with menace. The rest of the pack was fixated on her. Lily swallowed and slowly walked toward Blaise. “Lily,” Kade said in a warning tone. She ignored him, staring straight at the other alpha. “Okay, you’ve got my attention, sweetheart,” Blaise said. “Better make it worth my while.” Of all the eyes riveted to her, she felt Chaz’s piercing her most of all. She drew level with where he still knelt in front of Blaise, and her

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stomach clenched. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She would fall apart completely if she did. She licked her lips to try and draw some moisture to speak, and she saw Blaise’s eyes flash with a leering misinterpretation. That was fine. It would suit her purpose. “I’m new to all this,” she said, “but the way I understand it, now that I’ve been claimed I’m part of the pack.” “Not as a full wolf member, since you’re only human,” Blaise said. “But as a shared mate, yes.” “And you’re saying I’ve been lied to about you. That you’re really Chaz’s alpha, and so I’m part of your pack.” “That’s right.” “That’s a lie,” Chaz said. “Lily, what are you doing?” “Don’t be rude,” Blaise snapped. “Let the lady talk.” To her he added, “Your point being?” She squared her shoulders and sidled up close enough to feel his body heat. “What if I want to reject Chaz’s claim?” She heard several gasps, though only two that mattered. “You can’t.” Blaise reached over with a finger and stroked it along her left shoulder. “You’ve got the mark. It permanently claims you.” His touch set loose the nervous butterflies in her stomach. “But what if I disagree with his choice to reject you and claim another alpha?” Blaise’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “What are you getting at?” She felt Kade’s stare boring through her from behind. “As a breeder, my instincts lead me to reject all but the male I’m intended to mate with. Survival of the fittest.” “Yes,” Blaise said with forced patience, “but within the pack you would reject only undesirable omegas—of which I have none, since they are banished or killed. Go on.” She paused, wondering if she could really say the rest. “But the male I chose as a bond-mate is really part of your pack. Not Kade’s.” Bits of derisive laughter joined with the pangs of pain lancing through her. Nevertheless, she steeled herself and reached out to


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Blaise. She felt a tingle of need when she ran a hand over his bulging chest, but a hot swell of disgust churned in her stomach along with it. Kade couldn’t be right about her ultimately wanting him. She wouldn’t allow it. She lowered her palm until it lay against the rigid muscles of his abdomen, and felt the slight quiver in his body at her touch. “Lily, don’t,” Chaz said in anguish, and she heard him rustling behind her. Blaise grabbed her with one arm, yanking her aside while he lifted his foot. “Don’t you make a fucking move,” he said, sticking his heel against Chaz’s naked groin. “Unless you want to leave here without any nuts in your sac.” He jerked his head toward Kade. “Get over there with your other bitch. Oh, sorry. I mean alpha.” Sarcasm dripped from the last word, and men and wolves alike joined in mocking laughter and growls. She turned her head into Blaise’s bare shoulder, unable to look at Chaz when he got to his feet and went to Kade’s side. The pain her words had unleashed in both her mates rolled over her in waves, threatening to drop her to her knees. The betrayal pressed on her like heaven itself was crashing down. Still, if the only way to save the men she loved was to let Blaise have her, she had no other choice. They were willing to sacrifice themselves for her. How could she offer anything less in return? “Well, this surprise twist has gotta hurt,” Blaise said. “You two come charging in all heroic for a rescue you had to know was doomed to fail. Then your damsel in distress dumps you to scratch her itch with the bad guy. That’s just damn sad.” Tears sprang to her eyes, but she swallowed them down. “So if I come with you willingly,” she said to Blaise, her voice shaking, “will you let them go? Leave their ranch in peace?” He arched a dark brow. “Whoa. Hang on. You’re worth a fair amount, but the ranch isn’t part of the deal. Even your grade-A cunt isn’t worth that much.”

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She fought off a wave of nausea as she tiptoed up to his ear. “That’s because you haven’t tried it yet.” He regarded her with a lustful gleam in the eyes whose gold was spreading, overtaking the dark brown bit by bit. “Maybe I ought to take you for a test ride before I make that judgment.” Blaise bent down to kiss her, and when his tongue plunged into her mouth, her traitorous body released a warm dampness between her thighs. Still, all she felt for him was seething animosity and revulsion. When he pulled back, he moaned and leaned close to her ear. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” he breathed, too low for anyone else to hear. “Such a brave sacrifice for your wild cowboys. But I’ll play along because it suits me better in the end. Your humiliating rejection is far better than letting them fight like heroes. And every minute you spend with me will screw with your instincts until you crave my cock.” Her heart throbbed with guilt while he leveled her with a smug growl. He leaned in to cover her lips with his again, letting a massive hand wander over her breast. Her nipple puckered, but waves of panic crashed through her when she felt his hard cock grind against her. “You are damn hot, I’ll admit,” he said against her mouth. “I’m looking forward to marking you myself.” He pulled away and turned her with him to face Kade and Chaz. His hand loosely rested on her shoulder, his fingers brushing over Kade’s mark. She stared down at the rotting leaves and pine needles at her feet so she couldn’t see the hurt and betrayal in their eyes, wishing that didn’t put Blaise’s stiff erection within her peripheral view. “It seems the matter is solved, boys.” “This isn’t over, Blaise.” Kade’s voice held a cold edge of steel that sent a lump into her throat. “Not by a long shot.” “According to my mate here, it is.” She heard Chaz suck in a breath. Her eyes flit to his of their own accord, but she wasn’t prepared for the raw, raging despair and


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frustration she saw there. His muscles flinched toward them, but Kade’s hand shot out to stop him. Kade stepped forward. “Fine. You can take her.” Her eyes widened and snapped to his. His gaze was hard as ice and even colder. Her heart thudded like a dull weight in her chest. Kade hated her now. She couldn’t blame him. “Oh, I’ll take her, all right. Several times a day. Of course, the boys will need their turn after that.” Her heart skipped enough beats to make her light-headed. Kade’s jaw clenched. “This isn’t about Lily. You and I have unfinished business, Blaise.” Blaise dropped his hand from her shoulder. “Such as?” “Two alphas is one too many for this territory. I challenge you for the title—and the right to lead the pack.” Lily’s jaw fell. Blaise let out an incredulous whoop. “You, lead my pack? An omega loser who went loner and pretends to be alpha? You’re not wolf enough to manage one sub, or man enough to keep a woman longer than one day.” The words stabbed at Lily, and she threw Kade a pleading glance. Kade wouldn’t even look at her. Chaz stared at Kade with an expression that cut Lily to the quick. That expression was pure, hard fear. Kade folded his arms over his bare chest. Standing naked amidst one’s enemies was a vulnerable, humiliating position, but Kade stood as proud and unconcerned about it as Blaise did. “Are you that afraid to fight me?” She felt Blaise tense beside her, and she could sense the mood of the entire pack transform. Tension practically vibrated through the air, and she half expected to hear the crackle of static electricity arc between the group. “You’re serious about this.”

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“Never more so.” Kade’s eyes flicked to hers briefly. “A fight to the death, for the right to lead the pack. The entire pack.” She shook her head, mouthing the word no. He just looked away. “Kade,” Chaz said in a low tone. “Even if you win, the rest will still have rights to Lily. And she to them.” Kade’s eyes turned on Chaz with the same venom he reserved for Blaise. “Don’t make me put you down first. Remember who submits to whom here.” He turned back to Blaise. “Well?” Blaise seemed to consider for a moment. “All right. I accept your challenge, ridiculous as it is.” He tilted his head to eye up Kade up and down, and Lily couldn’t help but notice his cock grow stiffer. The man really got off on the whole alpha thing. Or maybe he was looking forward to putting his hands on Kade’s perfectly sculpted body. “So do we do this on four legs,” Blaise went on, “or two?” Without a word, Kade transformed and stood with his fur on edge and ears pricked forward. “Fair enough.” Blaise glanced around at the rest of his pack. “Everyone knows the rules. No one intervenes.” His stare latched onto Chaz. “No one, or it’s a loss by default. The fight goes until one is dead or left for dead.” He turned to Lily. “Fur’s about to fly, baby. You might want to get the hell out of the way.” Her feet—and mouth—suddenly refused to work. “Lily,” Chaz said. “Do what he says, darlin’.” Something tugged on her spirit from within the pained, yet tender sound of his words, but she still stayed frozen. Blaise rolled his eyes, which were already turning red-gold. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, woman. Stop wasting my time.” With another rough shove, he hurtled her toward Chaz. She stumbled and stopped herself short before slamming into his arms. She didn’t deserve to be there anymore, even if he wouldn’t be outraged by her touch. She stood rigid, holding her arms around herself and keeping a careful distance from Chaz. With a sense of cold dread she watched as Blaise’s shape twisted into the wolf. His body was larger than Kade’s


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in both forms, and more menacing still when he raised his hackles and bared fangs. Much as she admired Kade’s strength and courage, Blaise’s human muscles had looked almost obscenely pumped—and he was even more terrifying now. This wasn’t going to be a fair fight. Kade’s body stiffened, and as he prepared to step forward Chaz called out, “Kade.” The wolf’s head and Lily’s both twisted toward him. Chaz’s mouth worked over unspoken words for a brief moment. Then he gave a nod. “Kick his fuckin’ ass.” Kade growled, turning back to face the other alpha. Blaise’s growl joined in. “Come on, Blaise,” one of the humans shouted out. She glanced over and saw that it was Stan, who’d shifted at some point during the challenge. His naked form looked pale and less toned than the others, which struck her as ironic considering he was supposed to be a tough lawman. Less humorous was the raging hard-on he sported while watching the wolves advance on one another. “Crush the bastard’s throat,” yelled another. Lily’s legs went weak, but she resisted the urge to lean on Chaz for support. “You don’t have to watch this,” Chaz said to her. “Yes, I do. It’s my fault.” “No, it isn’t. This day was inevitable, even if you’d never returned to Shay Falls.” She glanced his way, and their gazes collided with an electric surge of emotion. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. The jolt of emotional current ignited between them for a moment, and she saw his Adam’s apple bob. Without a reply, he turned back to the fight. The two wolves were engaged in some kind of ritual dance, circling each other with fur and tails raised and ears forward. They growled and lunged forward to gnash their teeth, snapping at each other with wicked speed and vicious intensity. Kade got the first grasp on Blaise, whipping out to get hold of his shoulder. Blaise spun

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around and got a grip on Kade’s flank. Lily jumped each time Blaise sunk his teeth into her lover’s flesh. The growls increased, setting her teeth on edge and hair on end. Clods of dirt and leaves shot out from under them as their paws raced around and planted on each other. They engaged with violent teeth, then broke apart to circle, then repeated over and over. Blaise drew blood on Kade first, his beautiful snow-white muzzle turning rusty red after Blaise tore across it with his teeth. The sight was more than Lily could bear, but she forced herself to watch through the blurry tears rising in her eyes. Kade came back with a bite to the ear that tore the tip right off, and Blaise’s yelp gave her a moment of hope. Then he lashed back by butting Kade in the ribs with his head and shoving his front paws up on the other wolf’s shoulders. Kade went down and wound up on his back. Blaise was on him in an instant. Lily shrieked. “No!” Her hands flew up over her face, smearing the wet tears spilling down her cheeks. The sounds of scrabbling and rabid howls threatened to shear her in two. Why had Kade done this? Why couldn’t he have just walked away and left her to an ugly but, considering her betrayal, well-deserved fate? Chaz pulled her into his arms, and she stood there shaking with her head against his bare chest. She felt him quivering, too, and was terrified to contemplate what he was seeing. “Chaz,” she sobbed against him, and his arms tightened around her. The pitiful sound of an anguished yelp brought her out of his arms with a terrified jerk, and not just because the high-pitched squeal scraped along her every nerve ending. She felt Kade’s anguish in that moment, the threat of defeat. His pain and remorse burned through every cell in her body until she wanted to scream. When she looked over, Kade had gotten upright again, but Blaise was on the animal’s back as if mounting a bitch in heat. Blaise’s head


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was turned so he could get his jaws in a vise-like grip on the back of Kade’s neck. He pushed downward. Blood dripped from Blaise’s salivating jaw and multiple wounds on Kade’s body, ruining the beautiful albino fur. Raucous cheers and virulent howls went up from the pack circling them. Chaz reached a protective arm around Lily, but her legs gave out. She sank to the ground in shock. They not only had to watch a loved one’s pain, but experience his emotions and agony as well. She was bonded to him as a human, and it was more than she could bear. How much worse was this moment for Chaz, who not only had been bound to his alpha for a decade longer, but had supernaturallyenhanced sensitivity to him? “Don’t you give up, Lily.” Chaz’s voice pierced the numb fog settling over her brain. “Don’t give into the fear. Lend him your strength, damn it. Kade needs to feel us believe in him.” With a gasp of understanding, she let Chaz help her to her feet. Of course. He would feel what she felt, too. She had to mask her sense of defeat. Lily turned to him with a nod. “I lied when I said I wanted Blaise. I love you both so much that I couldn’t let you get hurt because of me.” He laced his fingers through hers. “I know.” They stood hand in hand and watched Kade struggle under Blaise’s relentless assault. Chaz’s warmth shot up from their clasped fingers through her arm, igniting her body. She deliberately fed off that shared feeling, letting it buoy her deflated spirit. It seemed too late for Kade when Blaise’s continued pressure forced him near the dirt, and she clutched Chaz’s hand tighter while the other pack members shouted and growled encouragement. Then Kade lunged upward, heaving his body high and sideways to throw a shocked Blaise off balance and onto the ground belly up. Before he could roll himself over, Kade leaped on him with a vicious snarl that sent a frigid spear up Lily’s spine. He bit into Blaise’s throat much harder

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than the other alpha had done to assert himself over Chaz. This time, the piteous yelp came from Blaise. Kade pulled back, poised over Blaise with his fangs dripping red. Blaise made gurgling sounds as blood poured from the wounds into his gray fur. He didn’t try to get up. Kade’s body blurred as he transformed back to human. He knelt over Blaise’s limp, but heaving form. His voice rattled with hoarse, almost gasping breaths. “Dead, or left for dead?” The woods fell silent as the two of them stared at one another for several moments. Lily held her breath, waiting. Then with a final, fierce snarl, Blaise’s head reared up and his teeth gnashed at Kade’s throat. In a swift motion, Kade grabbed hold of the animal’s head and muzzle and jerked sideways, snapping Blaise’s neck. The wolf fell limp, the fiery gold fading from its eyes. The group stared at the scene in a moment of eerie quiet. Then, one by one, the remaining humans no longer under Blaise’s command shifted. The sounds of the pack’s mourning assailed the woods with a haunting sound, unearthly and dire. Their keening and howls prickled Lily’s spine, but all she could do was stare at Kade. He was still bent on one knee over the body, leaning the weight of his forearm across one thigh. He heaved with obvious pain and fatigue, and blood and dirt smeared his skin. Ragged wounds gaped open in several places. But he was alive. Thank God he was still alive. “He won,” she whispered. “He really won.” When he looked up at her, there was no victory in his eyes, no pride or joy. Just resolve. She made a move toward him, but Chaz held her back. “Don’t. It’s not over yet.” The other wolves began to approach Kade in a very different manner. Some held their tails between their legs, while others merely dropped them low. Some walked with heads down, but others actually crawled along on their bellies. All had their ears back and fur flat. No more fangs were bared.


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One by one, they filed over to sniff Blaise’s still body and then approach Kade with caution. He shifted when the first one crawled before him. Kade used his jaws to hold its muzzle low near the ground before releasing it. The wolf gave Kade’s muzzle an odd lick before returning to its position at the edge of the clearing. Lily watched with her pulse still pounding. “They’re showing Kade that they are submissive?” “Yes. Kade has earned the right to be their alpha.” She swallowed. “So the entire pack is joined now?” He nodded, silent. She watched each wolf meet her gaze, and if anything, Kade’s battle to establish himself as ruler only seemed to cement their lust for her further. Stan padded by on all fours to take his place as last in line to acknowledge his new leader. His golden stare while he slid past her oozed smug triumph. Either way, he’d won his prize. Lily pressed herself against Chaz. “But I don’t want to be shared by anyone but the two of you.” He stroked her hair while he, too, stared at the display. “I know.” “What do we do?” “Trust Kade. I’m done challengin’ him.” She shot him a skeptical look. “For today.” When Stan approached Kade, his new alpha growled at the deputy, who rolled over and showed his belly to Kade before he returned to his spot. Kade trotted up to Lily and Chaz before shifting back. He turned and stood just in front of them to address the others. “Stand before me as men,” he said. The pack transformed around her, and Lily tried to avert her eyes from the dozen nude males—not counting Chaz and Kade—now standing in the circle. “You’re under my authority and have recognized me as your alpha. My first command is that you are banished from this pack.” Shocked murmurs quieted to Kade’s glare. “You are to disband as

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lone wolves. None of you may join together in any other pack. You will roam alone, or find separate packs to take you in. If you can.” The men’s eyes shifted back and forth between Kade and Lily, and she saw the conflict raging inside each of them. No, she felt the conflict raging, like a palpable wave of energy pulsing through the clearing. It was happening, wasn’t it? She was already beginning to sense the emotions of the rest of the pack. She gave an involuntary shudder. “Will banishment break their bond to me?” Lily asked in a whisper. Chaz folded his arms. “No.” Her heart sank as she mentally tried to deflect their hungry stares. If anything, most looked more desperate to fuck her than ever, including the pale deputy, whose erection was regaining altitude already following his display of submission. “Shit,” she muttered under her breath, feeling her face grow hot. “My second command,” Kade went on, “is that none of you have rights to my mate or my ranch land. Any who comes near either will die—painfully.” He turned toward Stan, who was glaring at him. “As will any who tries to use other means at their disposal to cause problems for us. Live with your ache for Lily while you exist alone. Anyone who plans to defy that order should step forward now to challenge me as alpha.” Kade fell silent, and her pulse began a dull thud in her abdomen. Would the pack obey such undesirable commands from an unwanted alpha that had been in charge for mere moments? Nervous glances passed back and forth, but no one made a move. Stan’s face had gone ashen. “Maybe some of you will learn to carry on and atone for your actions, as I had to,” Kade went on. “Meanwhile, your last act as a pack will be to bury your dead. Now go.” He turned on his bare heel and exchanged a weighted look with Chaz. He didn’t even glance at Lily as he stalked off back the way


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they’d come, his bare ass flexing with each step. Chaz nodded to her and followed, grabbing hold of her hand. The sensation of fiery needles of tension behind her was almost unbearable, and when howls and snarls sounded, she sped up her pace so she wasn’t lagging behind with Chaz’s hand pulling her. “They’re coming after us, aren’t they?” she asked, wondering why Kade wasn’t running—or turning to fight. Or speaking to her, though an icy stab of fear told her the reason for that. “No.” Chaz kept his eyes straight ahead, and they came out from the trees onto the familiar patchy green and brown landscape of the ranch. “They’re obeyin’ Kade’s last command.” “Burying Blaise?” The vicious growls and barks grew louder despite the three of them distancing themselves. “They sound so violent. Angry. Is that really what they’re doing?” Chaz’s lips drew into a thin line. “Oh, they’ll bury him. But they’re cannibalizin’ him first.” She gasped in horror and gripped his hand tighter. “Jesus.” They kept going until she spotted a trail of clothing leading toward the corral. Chaz dropped her hand while the men hunched over, hurriedly snatching up shirts, jeans, and hats that they had no doubt shed in a hurry on their way to save her. They whipped their heads around, as if hoping to avoid curious ranch hands who might spot them naked. No one else was in sight, and Lily remembered that they were supposed to be out on the perimeter, working on a broken fence. Kade avoided her penetrating stare while he dropped his boots alongside the corral fence and pulled black underwear out of his jeans. She opened her mouth several times and closed it again, each time a false start for what she could say to fix what she’d done. But how could she? Her cruel, brazen behavior had just been an act, and thankfully Chaz seemed to understand that. But then, her pretense hadn’t been voiced as a rejection of him, really. She’d gone on record in front of others to declare Kade unfit as both an alpha and a lover.

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Not a damn word of it was true, but Kade either didn’t believe that or he didn’t care. Maybe to him, even a phony undermining of his pride meant bitter betrayal. Maybe he was right. She stood there helpless, with her hands shoved in the back pockets of her jeans, while she let her eyes wander over the hard set to Kade’s jaw and the even harder glint in his eyes. He was still battered, bloodied, and covered in dirt from the vicious battle, but she blinked in surprise as she realized that some of the jagged, gaping wounds were starting to close. Chaz wandered up, unwittingly shielding Kade’s body from view while he grabbed the jeans hanging over the corral fence. He was still blocking Kade, who was leaning against a corral post to stick a leg inside his jeans, when Hank Junior rounded the corner. “Boss, I…” He stopped dead and gaped at the still-naked men, whose heads snapped up in guilty surprise. Hank glanced at Lily, who was fully clothed but standing there, watching. She saw him shut his wide open mouth, but then he seemed to catch a glimpse of Kade’s bloody skin. He tried to rubberneck around Chaz, who gave him a pointed look. Hank cleared his throat and turned his back to the men. “Sorry to bust in on, well, sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Just wanted to tell you we have the fence handled, so no need to worry about hurrying back from whatever it was that you rushed off to do.” “Thanks, Hank,” Kade said. His tone was flat and lacked any hint of humor. Chaz zipped up his fly. “If there’s nothin’ else, you kinda caught us at a bad time.” “Yeah. I mean, no. Nothin’ else. Sorry to interrupt.” Hank took off at double speed, no doubt bursting with ranch hand gossip. Her cheeks burned when she pictured that conversation—and having to face those men at some point in the future. Assuming she still had a future here, which seemed unlikely after what she’d done to Kade in the woods.


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Guilt flooded her abdomen while she watched her cowboys finish getting their pants on. Thunder wandered over to nuzzle Kade’s hair from over the corral fence, but the man ignored it. Chaz pulled his belt taut and fastened the weathered brass buckle. “Well, I guess that’s that. Hard to believe it’s actually over, after all this time.” “I hope so,” Lily said. Kade, still shirtless, bent over to pull on his boots without a reply. She saw Chaz measuring his alpha’s behavior with the same furtive look she held. “Maybe we should go inside and help clean you up,” Chaz said, eyeing Kade warily. “Talk some stuff over.” Kade jerked upright, grabbing his shirt. “I’m fine. We heal fast, you know.” “You can’t go back out like that. You’re a bloody mess.” Kade glanced down at himself as though that thought hadn’t occurred. “I’ll wash up and meet you back out here. There’s work to be done that we got derailed from, again. Best we get to it.” “Can’t we please talk about this?” Lily said. He pushed past Chaz, dusting off his hat without meeting her gaze. “There’s nothin’ to talk about.” Chaz sighed in resignation, but Lily raced after Kade and grabbed a forearm that was crusted with dried blood. “Kade. Please don’t do that.” Now he spun on her with a steel-edged look. “Don’t do what? Don’t think about what just happened out there? Don’t feel my gut churn with the replay of every single moment? Sorry, darlin’, but I can’t turn my feelin’s off like a light switch. Unlike some people.” He tried to storm off again, but she ran in front of him to cut him off. “I’m sorry. Please just let me explain why.” His expression held an edge of confusion. “It’s like I said in the woods, Lily. This isn’t about you.”

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“Yes, it is.” Chaz stood behind them, hand on his hips. “This is all about Lily, your feelings for her, and the fear that history just repeated itself. But it didn’t, Kade. She’s alive, and she still loves you.” Kade tensed up, staring toward the ranch house as if deciding whether to break away. “History repeating itself?” Lily asked. “What is he talking about?” “His last mate.” Chaz moved closer until he was right behind Kade. “The one he got killed.” Kade whirled around, fury sparking in eyes that were quickly turning red-gold. Lily’s skin prickled with tension and she stepped back. “Don’t,” he said in a low growl. “Either he tells me or you do,” Lily said. “No secrets between us, remember?” A muscle quirked in his jaw. “His last mate betrayed him in front of his pack,” Chaz said. Lily swallowed down a thick swell of guilt. “How?” “My former pack wasn’t like most were groups,” Kade said. His tone sounded weary, resigned. “My alpha was obsessed with parallels to ancestor wolves, and he operated under identical structure to a real wolf pack. He shunned the manmade adaptations that have evolved in werewolf society.” She frowned. “How was it different?” “Several ways. One of which was how breeding females are handled.” Kade flashed her a look. “In actual wolf packs, there is one primary mating couple—the alpha pair. The alpha keeps his mate for himself and no other. Their offspring populates the pack. Since everyone else is related, inter-pack fuckin’ is strictly forbidden.” “Makes sense,” she said. “But I’m not sure I follow you.” “Jace’s pack members were his descendants,” Kade said. “Except for me. I’d been turned and abandoned, left to figure out how the fuck to live with the curse on my own. His pack took me in out of pity.” “So you were the only one outside the alpha couple who wasn’t blood related,” she said, wondering where any of this was going.


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“Because Jace had lived so long within his carefully constructed wolf hierarchy, he’d forgotten one big problem with takin’ in a stray were—his mate’s attraction to me. And mine to her.” Her eyes widened. “You fell under her thrall.” “The rest were immune, of course, because of their shared genetics. Me, well, I was wild and she was the breeder in a were pack. You can probably figure out where things went.” “The two of you got involved.” “In both wolf and were packs, unauthorized sex is punishable by death. But the pull between Saraiah and me was so strong that we didn’t care. We hid the affair for two years, durin’ which time she filled my head with talk of how she wanted me as her bond-mate instead of Jace, and I believed her. Said she was tired of his animalroots obsession. I knew we were in danger every time we were together, and that Jace would find out eventually. So I decided to challenge him for alpha rights to the pack. To her.” Her eyes widened. “A fight to the death?” “If Jace ran things like an actual were pack, yes. But in wolf pack structure, battles for dominance aren’t quite that fatal.” “Did you lose?” “Worse. Saraiah renounced me entirely when I faced off with Jace in front of the pack. Claimed I was nothin’ to her, and that she wouldn’t have me afterwards regardless of how it ended.” The scene in the woods took on a whole new ugly facet when framed in Kade’s past, and the stare he leveled at her threatened to fold her legs up beneath her. “Jace wiped the ground with my ass,” he went on, “and I conceded the defeat she’d already assured by her rejection. In punishment, he lashed out in rage and exacted the death penalty for our affair—on her.” She slapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, my God.”

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“I was left alive to suffer with that memory and banished from the pack. I traveled alone for two years before I came through Shay Falls and wound up here.” Her hand lowered slowly, aching to reach out to him. “I’m so sorry, Kade.” He straightened slumped shoulders, glancing at Chaz with a hint of animosity. “So now you know.” If only she had known. No wonder he despised her now. In trying to spare him, she’d done the absolute worst thing possible to ensure things could never be right between them again. When he resumed his trek to the house, she started to go after him. “Wait!” she said. Kade kept going, and Chaz pulled her back by the arm. “Let him go. He needs time to battle some demons. He’ll sort it out.” She watched him disappear inside, shaking her head sadly. “He’ll never sort this out. He’ll never forgive me.” “Never’s a long time to an immortal. Trust me on this. Go to him just before he’s ready to come to you. It’ll work out.” “I don’t understand.” “Kade can be stubborn. If you wait on him after somethin’ like this, everyone will suffer longer for it.” “How will I know when it’s right?” “You will.” He reached out and laid a hand high on her belly, just beneath her breasts. “Feel that dull ache right there? The one beatin’ like a hollow second pulse?” She nodded. “Me, too. That’ll ease. Then we’ll feel his pull again. Wait for that cue, then you can talk to him.” He captured her lips with his until she wanted to melt. “Meanwhile, I’m not goin’ anywhere. You’re still ours, Lily. You’re still mine.”


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Chapter Twelve “I’ll respect your wishes on this,” Chaz said. “But I’d rather you changed your mind.” Lily nodded and hung up the receiver on his desk phone. “It just doesn’t feel right, staying here with things so up in the air like this.” “He won’t stay this way forever.” Lily and Chaz stood in the office, listening to rain pour down on the roof. Lily watched water stream down the windows framing the gray world outside. It seemed to match the tone indoors just perfect. The dull clouds muted the normally bold reds and blues accenting the whitewashed office. Even Chaz was dressed in a gray flannel shirt and faded gray jeans. “It’s just too awkward,” she said. “He’s sleeping in the guest room in his own house because of me. Do you know how that makes me feel?” “Okay, so he gets a bit moody. But this isn’t the first time he’s slept out of my bed.” She glanced down at the sleek burnished metal phone that appeared more Sharper Image than western ranch. “I have to go. My job accepted my sick excuse again, but I have to get back by Thursday unless I have a medical note claiming I’m on my deathbed.” She closed her eyes with a groan. “I can just picture the mountain of paperwork I’ve got waiting.” He stepped forward. “What about me? You and me? I was good enough for you our first night together.” A pang stabbed through her heart. “You are good enough. More than good enough.”

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“In fact,” he went on, “as I recall you were beyond pissed to find out Kade had a part in our romance in the first place. Now you’re leavin’ me because of him?” She sighed. “I’m not leaving you. I had a life down the hill, you know. Things I need to take care of.” “Had as in past tense. And last time you said you wanted to take care of things, you wound up needin’ Kade and me to come save you.” “I’m not so sure Kade would bother this time.” He sighed. “You’re takin’ this way too personal, Lily. You just have to give the man some room.” She folded her arms across the thin charcoal-colored sweater she wore. “How can I not take it personally? I’m the one who put him in this irreversible funk.” “It’s only been two days.” He sauntered up and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. “And two unbelievable nights.” His spicy scent and the welcoming heat of his flesh threatened to divert her thoughts. “Nights I feel guilty about.” He jerked back. “Why? Do you think bein’ with me is cheatin’? You’re my mate.” “I just feel like we shouldn’t be having that much fun while he’s suffering alone.” “By his own choice. It’s not like he expects us to put ashes on our heads and mourn.” “Besides, he can sense what we’re doing, right? He can feel when we’re making love. It’s like rubbing his nose in the fact that we can’t keep our hands off one another. Like we’re saying we don’t care that he’s hurting.” “That’s not what we’re sayin’. With any luck, maybe our fun will cattle prod him back into our bed.” “I don’t know.”


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“Believe me, I feel that same hole in my gut. He and I were pack mates and bed partners long before you came back here. I know how to handle this.” She glanced at the doorway. “Maybe I should try talking to him.” He grunted. “Oh, you got it bad, darlin’. Now you know how I felt when Kade convinced me not to chase you until you were ready.” She pulled away and clasped her hands in front of herself. “How long did you suffer like this?” “Four years.” Her eyes widened. “There’s no way I’d survive that long.” He chuckled. “I didn’t say Kade will take four years to come around. Not even one. Or a month. I swear, it won’t be long.” He pushed back an unruly wave of brown hair. “Can’t you just see the shot glass half-full and be happy with me in the meantime?” She gazed at his strong, chiseled features and saw the edge of tender vulnerability in them. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think you’re not good enough, or that I’m not happy with you.” She stroked his cheek. Normally smooth, it was dotted with the stubble Kade usually wore. “I guess I’m not used to being so dialed into someone else’s emotions. It’s hard to see clearly when I’m carrying all this around.” Chaz nodded. “His bad moods can be a bitch to see the bright side of. But you’ll learn to separate yourself from our emotions. You’ll need that survival skill if you plan to stick around.” “About that, Chaz…” She trailed off when he began feathering her neck with kisses. When he reached the hollow of her throat, the tingle on her skin turned into a throb of need. “I know what you’re doing,” she said breathlessly. “You’re trying to talk me out of leaving.” “I’m not talkin’.” His mouth moved slower, and her nipples strained against the thin fabric of her sweater. “I’m doin’.” He pushed her until the backs of her thighs brushed his desk. He broke away from her lips long enough to reach over and sweep an

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impatient hand over the desktop. Items she couldn’t see hit the hardwood floor with a noisy clatter. He lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the desk. “Chaz, I really do have to go.” He pushed her thighs apart and stepped between them. Her hands automatically circled around his hips to grab his firm ass through the taut denim of his jeans. Chaz tugged up her sweater, fondling her braless breasts while his tongue worked magic on and between her lips. His touch and moan of need made her shudder. Okay, maybe one more fuck for the road, before she had to drive back to the drudging reality of her city life. Until—unless—Kade could accept her again, she just couldn’t stand being at the ranch house. Despite Chaz’s reassurance, she couldn’t trust that things would be right again. She couldn’t give up her job and apartment only to find out that Kade wouldn’t want her around. Maybe Chaz would come down to see her, or once the cabin was repaired, she could see him there on weekends. She heard Chaz fumbling with his belt buckle. “I’m gonna sink into you right on this desk.” His voice rumbled through her. “I want to fuck you on every surface in this entire house. Then we’ll start in on the corral fence, the barn, and the rest of the ranch.” “I thought we were doing, not talking.” He groaned and plunged his tongue into her mouth. The sound of his zipper sliding down was interrupted by a cough on the far side of the room. “Ahem.” Chaz twisted away from her, and she caught a view of Kade in the doorway. He stood there with his arms folded and the top of his blue jeans undone, as though he’d been in the process of getting dressed when he’d been interrupted. “Kade,” she said, all but launching herself off the desk and skirting away from Chaz. She tugged down her sweater and folded


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her arms to hide her erect nipples. “We were just, well, I was about to…” she sighed and trailed off. “I know what you were ‘about to,’” he said, leaning on the frame of the doorway. Despite his almost volatile expression, she couldn’t help but admire the way the rolled-up sleeves of his white T-shirt— very James Dean—helped showcase the robust shape of his biceps. In an ironic reversal, Kade’s face was as clean-shaven as Chaz’s was stubbled. The brutal injury across his nose was entirely healed now. Still, the square angle of his jaw was set in a taut pose, and his eyes flashed with bits of gold that unsettled her stomach almost as much as the thick bulge in his jeans. “Do you have any idea how aggravatin’ it is,” he said, his heavy gaze landing on Chaz while he pushed away from the door and stalked forward, “bein’ in this house with the two of your emotions screamin’ all over the place? A man can’t barely think.” “Yeah,” Chaz said, glaring straight back. “Matter of fact, I do.” Lily’s knees began to quiver. “I know, and I’m sorry. In fact, that’s why I’m leaving.” Kade stopped short, his eyes coming around to bore through her. “Leavin’?” She nodded. “Today. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it’s for the best.” He blinked at her. “Like hell you are.” Without warning he materialized in front of her, crushing her to his chest. His lips came down on hers in a fury, and she felt him pour longing and frustration into her with his kiss. She responded with a little cry, and her eyes fluttered closed while the sensation of his embrace inflamed her. When he pulled back, she was out of breath and perspiration dotted her forehead. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore,” she said. “I thought you didn’t feel anything but regret that I was still here.” His eyes reflected the pain of her words. “Jesus, Lily. I felt more for you in two days than I felt for Saraiah after two years together. I

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won’t lie when I say that scared some hell out of me, especially considerin’ what happened before. But that’s not what’s kept me away from you. I had my own shit to work out.” Chaz leaned on the desk with his arms crossed. “She didn’t even want to have sex with me anymore.” Kade gave him an openly skeptical look and rolled his eyes. “Okay, practically,” Chaz went on. “She felt guilty every time because you weren’t there.” “Oh, I was there.” His eyes were lit with passion when he turned to her. “I wanted to be there in body, too.” She furrowed her brows. “But you were too upset about the woods.” “I had to get my head on straight. There were too many similarities to my past, like Chaz said. To challenge an alpha because I wanted a woman, well, it’s not somethin’ I thought I’d ever do again. It really fucked with my head to walk into that situation twice. But it’s not your fault that I did.” “Yes, it is. I’m the one who conjured up that whole nightmare by getting dragged off by Blaise’s pack. And then my pretense in the woods…” She covered her face with her hands for a moment, her throat aching with memory. “I had no idea what I was triggering in you.” He pulled her hands away. “Because I didn’t tell you.” “Why did you do it, Kade? You must have hated me for the way I acted. You could have walked away and never challenged Blaise. You didn’t have to risk yourself for another woman who’d betrayed you.” “Lily.” He reached out to run his fingers through her hair. “You must not be bonded to me after all. If you truly knew how I felt about you, you wouldn’t have to ask why.” “I am bonded to you. Both of you.” Her hand skimmed across his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat thundering beneath her palm. “Why do I sense the same love and passion coming from you now that I felt before?” His grip on her hair tightened. “Because it never wavered.”


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“It should, since I did the same thing to you that she did.” “It wasn’t the same at all. You were tryin’ to save Chaz and me by an act of love. Saraiah was tryin’ to save herself by an act of selfishness.” “I humiliated you. Don’t deny it. I felt your pain.” “Knowin’ somethin’ in your head doesn’t always mean you can erase the feelin’ in your gut. But don’t think I shut you out because that act of yours stung. I want you just as much now. Probably more.” She took his face in her hands, staring deep into his eyes. “I’m still so very, very sorry, Kade. Please forgive me.” “Honey, I’ll do more than forgive you.” His eyes shimmered with gold. “I’ll show you how much.” She saw the flash of dark need in that gaze before she sensed the change in him, and a chill shot through her body. The man who’d tamed his beast enough before to handle her with tender, gentle care had taken a hike. This Kade would not swallow down his animal cravings and torture her with a soft, light touch. Not this time. He reached down and pulled up the hem of her sweater. She lifted her arms and he yanked it off, throwing it to the floor. Her pants were next, and soon she found herself in quite a reversal—she was the one standing bare in front of her two clothed cowboys. Kade’s eyes devoured every inch of her bare flesh. “My first official command to you as alpha is to strip Chaz naked.” He strode over to where Chaz still had his butt half-propped against the desk. “To you it’s to move the hell out of my way.” The tone was stiff, but Kade’s command was punctuated by a mischievous arch in his brow. Chaz offered a snappy salute and hopped up. “You’re the man in charge.” Kade took up Chaz’s pose against the desk and watched while Lily’s quivering hands worked the buttons down the front of Chaz’s shirt. She ran her hands up over his shoulders, pushing the shirt off his back while he stared down at her with a smoldering look. Damp heat

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gathered in the crotch of her panties while the shirt fell the floor. She reached down to his jeans, stopping to palm his noticeable erection. “No touching,” Kade said. “Not until I say.” An excited tingle prickled her skin at this prospect, and she finished tugging Chaz’s pants down to his ankles. “Now strip me,” Kade said while Chaz was kicking off his boots. She gave him her best sexy hooker walk while she sauntered up to him, holding his golden stare. She peeled his shirt off first, then he pushed away from the desk while she worked on his pants. His were so tight and his cock so stiff with need that getting them off without touching him proved quite a challenge—and a frustration. Nevertheless, they were soon all standing there without a stitch on, a palpable heat charging the room with electricity while they awaited the alpha’s next command. “I changed my mind,” Kade said. “I liked the way Chaz looked with his ass sittin’ on this desk. Get back here.” He moved aside while Chaz, his cock bouncing with each step, did as he was told. “Stand in front of him, Lily.” Her pulse fluttered in her throat, and the feel of the men’s eyes on her hardened her nipples to peaks. “No, take a step back. Good. Now lean over and grip his thighs with your hands, like you’re about to suck his cock.” She bent over, and Chaz’s cock jumped. She worked her tongue inside her mouth, getting ready to lick his musky, intoxicating flesh. “But you’re not gonna do it,” Kade went on. “Look at that nice, thick shaft all you want, but no touchin’.” Chaz gave a little moan of disappointment, but she saw the twinge of eager anticipation in his eyes. She gripped his hairy thighs and twisted her head to look over her shoulder. “Like this?” The sharp slap that fell on her ass cheek was the last reply she expected. “No talkin’ unless you’re asked. Face front.” She turned around, blinking with wide eyes. “So, you really thought I didn’t want you anymore?”


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She nodded. “Wrong.” His hand pulled back again, and the slap this time stung the other cheek. She gave a little jump and felt her face grow hot. She saw Chaz’s hands gripping the edge of the desk, and could feel his raging need to pull her down on his cock. It practically ignited the air between them. “And you have fucked, sucked, and done other bad things with Chaz that have driven me insane how many times the past two days?” Her mind blanked on that. She searched Chaz’s expression for an answer, but he gave a barely perceptible shrug. Her lack of a response brought another resounding slap to her ass, hard enough for her breasts to bounce beneath her. That’s when it happened—the very thing she’d wondered about the night she’d watched Chaz spank Kade’s ass in the shower. The sting of pain blossomed into heat, and that heat spread right down into her wet pussy. The tingle unleashed there brought a little moan from her throat. “How many?” Kade said. “Four?” Smack. Oh, fuck. Her clit began to throb, and her lips parted in little panting breaths of lust. Chaz’s knowing grunt brought her eyes to his, which were glazed over with desire. “Six,” Kade said. “Six times in two days. Do you have any idea how crazed you got me? How hard I’m gonna have to fuck you now to ease the ache in my dick?” She stuck her ass out at him more, praying for him to give her another stroke. “Now,” he said, “what was it you claimed you were gonna do today?” She thought for a moment. “Leave?” The slap sent heat into her ass cheek, and she gasped in shock and relief.

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“Leave to where?” he asked. “My apartment.” Her other ass cheek lit with delicious pain with another slap, and she gripped Chaz’s thighs tighter with a loud moan. “Where are you going?” She knew where he was headed with this game, and debated keeping up the rebellion just to get more throbbing spanks. When she hesitated, another smack sounded. Cunt juices ran down her thigh. “Where?” he demanded. “Nowhere,” she said. His hands smoothed over her buttocks, a tender balm to soothe the flame he’d lit on them. “That’s better.” Her head dropped down close enough to catch the wickedly male scent of Chaz’s cock. Her lips were dried out from panting, and when her tongue flicked out to wet them she accidentally swept it over the velvety tip. He stifled a gasp of pleasure, but Kade caught the action. Slap. “Uh-uh. What did I say? No suckin’ cock for you yet.” He bent low across her back, whispering in her ear. “You and I have unfinished business.” “Seems like we have a lot of that,” she breathed. Slap. “We’re just gettin’ started.” She moaned in pleasure and wriggled her ass back and forth. How could a spanking feel so fucking good? All she could think about was Kade dipping his cock deep inside her pussy while he slapped her ass some more. One good smack while he was fucking her would send her soaring over the edge. “Chaz,” he said. “Grab the tube in the desk drawer. You know what we have to do here.” “Fuck, yes,” he said. He leaned way back, his cock pressed to his stomach as he reached over to the front of the desk. “Turn around, darlin’,” Kade said to her. “Keep your legs spread.” She complied, standing in front of him. He backed up a few steps. “You like suckin’ cock so much? Show me.”


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She licked her lips and crouched enough to taste the throbbing head of his erection. She already tasted salty cum at the tip. The taste excited her more, and she started to drop to her knees to get better access. “No,” he said, pulling her up. Another slap was delivered around to the back of her ass. “I didn’t say on your knees. Stay standin’. Legs apart.” He moaned when she took hold of his big, round balls and ran her tongue up and down the back of his veiny shaft. When her mouth closed around his cock, he tipped his head back and hissed. “Holy mother.” He took hold of her hair and pumped his hips. “Your mouth is so damn hot I wanna shoot my load down your throat.” Her hand strayed down between her thighs, finding her throbbing button and rubbing the wet nub of flesh. She whimpered with pleasure and bobbed her head up and down on his cock, feeling the heady sensation of his organ’s thick texture pulsing between her lips and over her tongue. Just as she was losing herself in the rhythm, she felt Chaz’s fingers glide along the crack of her ass, stopping to probe around her anus. She jerked and pulled back. “Um, that’s the wrong hole,” she said. “On the contrary,” Chaz said, rubbing a finger in maddening circles around it. “It’s an extremely right hole.” “As you’re about to find out,” Kade said. “Just keep givin’ me head. Relax and enjoy Chaz’s fingers.” She hesitated, but took Kade’s dick back in her mouth. Chaz reached around with his other hand, pushing her fingers away from her clit and replacing them with his own. Both of her hands went to Kade’s cock, cradling his balls and supporting the base of his shaft while she lapped and sucked him. Kade let go of her hair and slid his hands down to her breasts, and tweaking her nipples sent heightened jolts of pleasure to her clit she thought could only be matched by a cock sliding into her pussy. She was wrong.

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Chaz’s other hand busied itself between her ass cheeks, his lubricated fingers sliding around her sensitive, puckered hole. Gently, he slipped the tip of one finger inside, and she gave a little gasp. He paused a moment until she relaxed against it. When her sphincter went slack, the finger went in to the second knuckle, then all the way. The load moan she heard came from her own throat as her nerve endings went wild for Chaz’s touch. She pulled her hips forward, then pressed them back again to get his finger inside her ass even deeper. “Mm, she’s gonna love this, Kade,” Chaz said. He wriggled the finger and she cried out. “Keep suckin’, baby,” Kade said. She tried. She really tried. But when Chaz inserted a second finger, stretching her ass two ways at once, she pulled back from Kade’s dick again with a loud moan and began bucking her hips back against Chaz’s probing fingers. Kade reached over her back and slapped her ass cheek hard. “Bad girl isn’t listenin’.” A third finger breached her ass. “No,” she said loudly. “I’m coming.” She did just that, with Kade’s hand squeezing her nipple while Chaz tugged her clit and she bounced her ass on his fingers. The explosion was powerful enough to make her clutch Kade around the waist for support. “Shit,” Chaz said. “I’d say she’s ready for us now.” “Now?” she said, fanning her perspiring face. “I’d say I’ve already been to ready and back.” “You ain’t felt nothin’ yet,” Kade said. “Best fit you in first, Chaz.” She stood between the men, twisting to see Chaz slicking the same lubricant on his cock that they had in the shower. Understanding dawned, along with a brief flicker of panic. “Your cock’s so huge— how’s it going to fit?” Chaz winked. “Like the best damn glove you ever wore.”


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Kade’s hand slapped her from behind, but this time he left it on her heated ass, groping her cheek to knead the stinging flesh while he pressed himself against her back. “Questions later,” he growled in her ear. “Obedience now. Turn back around.” She did, facing him. His eyes glowed reddish-gold from under a sweep of damp, black bangs. His smile promised dark delights that made her pussy ache. She felt Chaz scoot closer to the edge of the desk, and he gripped her hips to pull her to him. Both of his hands slid back to where they’d been moments earlier. He flicked her clit gently while he prodded and stretched her anus. Kade leaned down and kissed her. Not the demanding, wild kiss she expected, but more of his gentle almost-nips that instantly brought her arousal to full power. His hands wandered down to her breasts, and she groaned against his lips while his barely perceptible strokes pebbled goose bumps over them. Chaz pushed close to her ass cheeks, and she felt his cock at her tight entrance. “You need to let go and relax now, baby,” Chaz said. “Give in to me. Bend forward a little.” Kade stepped back so she could do as instructed, and soon the tip of Chaz’s dick had replaced his multiple fingers. Inch by inch, she felt her ass stretching around his stiff shaft. She exhaled sharply, a shiver going through her when he bottomed out. Her eyes closed while she experienced the all-new sensation of being filled, recalling how just a few days earlier she’d done the same thing when Chaz’s cock had breached her virgin cunt. “Is that ass as tight and hot as I’m imaginin’ right now?” Kade asked. Chaz murmured approval. “Tighter and hotter. You set the pace, Lily. Move your hips on me. Try out how my cock feels in there.” She grabbed hold of Kade’s forearms for balance and rocked herself forward, then sank back. Chaz continued to work his fingers over her clit, sending chills down her arms and legs. She rocked back

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and forth a few times, focused on the incredible feel of tight friction while he slid in and out. “Let’s move her back,” Kade said. “If you’re ready, darlin’.” “Ready for what?” His cock, red and stiff, slid back and forth in his hand. “Ready for me to fuck you.” She hated to argue, but it just slipped out. “But I’m kind of enjoying this.” “Then you’ll enjoy the right fuck out of this.” He lifted her up a few inches while Chaz scooted back fully onto the desktop. Once he was seated, Kade lowered her until her ass sat right on Chaz’s thighs. His cock filled her anus to near bursting, and her head fell back against his chest. “Oh, God, you’re right.” Her pussy slicked Chaz’s legs with fluid. She tried wriggling, but she was sort of stuck. “Except I can’t really move now.” “Patience, woman. Spread your legs.” Both Chaz and Lily did so, and Kade moved in between their thighs, cock in hand. Her eyes widened when she realized finally what he had in mind. No inch-by-inch madness from Kade this time. As soon as she felt the tip of him slide along her channel, he pushed in with a forceful grunt. His cock buried itself alongside Chaz’s, and she sucked in a deep breath. The feeling of being stuffed to the brim was almost overwhelming—and overwhelmingly erotic. “Don’t stop,” she said. “Fuck me hard.” He worked his cock in and out in long strokes, and even without Chaz being able to move he stiffened and his loud moans joined hers. Even if he hadn’t made a sound, she was able to sense his heightening arousal, so damn sexy that it flooded through her and magnified her own need. “I can feel his cock fuckin’ your cunt,” Chaz said through grit teeth.


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“You can?” “Oh, Christ, it’s unbelievable.” Kade changed rhythm. “Put your arms around my neck.” She did, and he raised her weight just slightly off Chaz’s thighs. “Hell yes,” Chaz said. “Now let’s do this.” His pelvis free to move, he leaned back and both men began to buck their hips against her. At first their thrusts were staggered, but then they fell into sync and thrust into her holes like one giant organ. That’s when she came completely and unabashedly unhinged. “Oh, God,” came from her lips repeatedly until Kade’s mouth clamped down and silenced her, but that wasn’t enough to temper the storm building to crashing heights within her. “Ten years,” Kade said, driving himself to the bottom of her when he pulled away. “Ten years I’ve waited for this orgasm.” “And the others were what?” she said, tits bouncing with every thrust. “Warm-up.” She pulled his head to her, and with a long, languid stroke she licked her tongue along the tattoo on the vaguely prickled section of shaved scalp. His shudder was visible. “Fuck, that’s it,” he said. “I hope you’re ready to come.” Her body clenched up, and she screamed in a release that sent tears of overpowering relief rolling down her face. Chaz’s hot cream filled her ass moments later, and when his teeth came down on her shoulder she stiffened and joined Kade in climax. He shuddered and lifted her right off Chaz’s cock to pull her against his waist, bouncing her on his spasming erection while he spent his load. His head tilted back with a contorted expression of almost painful bliss. Both men took turns kissing her for several moments, everyone’s hands sliding over flesh that was slicked with sweat while they pulled her to her feet. She couldn’t think past the primal needs of her body

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for some time, but eventually her throbbing need subsided enough to rejoin her lovers on the not-quite mortal, but supernatural plane. Kade stood with his hands on his bare hips. His cock pointed down, though not totally flaccid. “I’ve waited since the day I first joined with Chaz to experience the pleasure of havin’ you. Now I realize I could fuck you for ten years straight and it’d never be enough.” She poked a teasing finger against Kade’s chest. “So now have I been fucked right and proper with no ifs, ands, or buts? Or are you still going to claim that there are other ways?” His wicked laugh flashed his sorely missed dimple and set loose a whole new surge of hormones. “Oh, darlin’, I’ll be showin’ you other ways forever until you beg me to stop.” “Me? Beg?” She leaned forward. “Always.” Chaz grinned. “She hasn’t even seen the toy drawer yet.” That piqued her interest. “I knew I loved you guys for a reason.” “Let me count the ways,” Chaz said. She leaned over the desk he was still sitting on to kiss him, feeling the swell of love rise to high tide in her soul. When she pulled away, Kade was there to embrace her in a warm hug. She leaned into him to lace her fingers behind his back. “Although,” she said, planting her chin on his chest as she gazed up, “I don’t recall seeing any naughty toys on the grand tour.” She throbbed with newly awakening interest when he gave her a playful slap on the bottom. She smiled at both men with bursting affection, realizing that she once again had found that feeling of perfect fulfillment. She’d had it for a short stretch, then lost it temporarily when Kade had pulled away from her and Chaz. It wasn’t just the satisfaction of endlessly mind-blowing orgasms. It was the warm glow in her chest that told her everything was right in her world—and always would be. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips. “So is this how it’s going to be? The three of us together on the ranch, hopelessly in love,


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eternally naked, and endlessly engaged in ways to drive each other wild with lust?” “That was my plan,” Kade said, flashing white teeth. Chaz nodded. “Yep. For ten years now. We’ll teach you to ride other things, too. Like the horses and the John Deere.” “I expect you’ll want me to wear a hat and boots, too.” “And nothin’ else,” Kade said. “Is there somethin’ you want to say about all that, darlin’?” Chaz reached over and picked up the receiver on the high-tech phone that had somehow managed to survive his clean sweep of the desk. “To your about-to-be-former employer, that is.” She took the phone from his hand, and he gave her a puzzled frown when she hesitated, and then hung it back up. “I will,” she said. “Later. First, I want my turn in charge.” The men looked at one another. “Fair’s fair,” she said. “You’ve both had a stint as alpha-in-bed. Time for equal rights.” Chaz shrugged. “Works for me. Kade?” He gave her a gracious bow. “Anythin’ for the lady of the house.” She gave them a devilish grin and put her hands on her hips. “Good. Now, for my first act as dominatrix, I command you to give me a complete, thorough, and downright exhausting tour of that toy drawer.”

THE END HTTP://JROSEALLISTER.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR When she’s not conjuring tales of hot cowboys under a full moon, J. Rose Allister enjoys her garden, movies, dabbling in video effects editing, and hanging out with her family in their Southern California home.

Also by J. Rose Allister PolyAmour: Kata Sutra Siren Classic: Bewitching Love Siren Allure: Sinful Ella and the Wolf Siren Classic: Holidays Bite Siren Allure: Immortal Paradise 1: Suite Seduction Siren Classic: Immortal Paradise 2: Tropical Heat Siren Classic: Immortal Paradise 3: Seduced by an Angel PolyAmour: Immortal Paradise 4: Immortal Menage Ménage Amour: Crystal’s Cowboys

Available at BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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