Mistakenly Mated (3 page)

For both the male and female, going into the mating dance can be a scary experience. It is always recommended that once mates are chosen by the families that the two spend as much time together as possible to make the process easier. This isn’t always possible. Understanding your body’s reaction to the mating dance can take some time. For the male, the process is a lot easier, he will feel an overwhelming passion manifested by an erection and the desire to copulate with the nearest unmated female. For the female, going into heat can be an unnerving experience classified by a physical feeling of heat in the belly, a feeling of being empty, and uncontrollable arousal. The mental aspects can include a willingness to go against her morale character, a yearning to fill herself with something, and a fascination with the male form.

So, that’s what happened to her. Her body had gone into heat—uncontrollable arousal which led her to an act against her moral judgment by mating with Caleb when she already had a boyfriend. A boyfriend she would now have to break up with because, by pack law, she and Caleb were newlyweds.

Her body ached when she thought of Caleb and her cheeks flushed with the desire to have him inside her again. There had to be something in the book about why she craved him so veraciously. She skipped the next two chapters about position and technique-including color pictures. Gross, thought Kerry. Chapter Five was entitled—
Before Your First Full Moon
. Here Kerry began reading again.

Before your first full moon as a mated pair your craving for your mate will be much more powerful than at any other time in the rest of your lives together. A bond is being formed which will last your entire lives. It is advised that the newly mated couple copulate as often as they can before their full moon together. Copulation with another must never occur!

However it is worth noting that this is also when the bond is its weakest. If one of the mated were to die accidentally before the full moon, the survivor would not be afflicted by the loss as a true mate and could, in fact, mate again with someone else.

Kerry closed the book. No wonder her father thought she might be killed. A white wolf was not a desired daughter-in-law and until the full moon they were not true mates. Once they were, Caleb would feel her loss so deeply if something happened to her, then he might die.
Copulation with another must never occur!
She wondered what would happen if either of them had sex with someone else—another wolf—would the bond be annulled? Would it kill them? Would the god of wolves lean down from the sky a smite them? She never thought she would ever be mated but that didn’t mean she hadn’t heard all the rumors about what could happen if you betrayed your mate with another. The worst one was that her insides would shrivel up and she wouldn’t be able to have cubs.

Kerry tried to imagine Caleb with someone else. She felt an irrational spark of jealousy along with a simultaneous burst of desire at the thought. This told her neither of them would be able to be with another wolf, even if she could find one–outside of the mating frenzy–who would touch a white wolf. Could she have sex with a human? With Dick?

It was hard to reconcile her feelings where Dick was concerned. On one hand, she really cared for Dick and expected they might someday make it official. There was always something missing with Dick. She kept part of herself back because she had to. She would never be able to tell Dick what she is. With Caleb she wouldn’t have to hide anything. Since the mating, she had a bone deep ache for Caleb and only Caleb to be inside her.

On the other hand, she barely knew Caleb and was expected to spend the rest of her life with the handsome stranger. She felt none of the comfort with him that she’d built with Dick. Kerry felt like crying. She would have never gotten so deep into a relationship with a human if she thought there was a chance in hell that she could have ended up mated.

* * * *

Bart came out the back to find her buried in the chapter on the moon run. She quickly hid the book away in her bag under the counter.

“What’s that you’re reading?”

“A pocket guide to relationships. Men are from Uranus—that sort of thing,” she said with a smile, making sure she zipped her bag shut.

Bart looked at her curiously. “Everything okay between you and Richard?”

Kerry had to smile. Bart was the only person she knew who would refer to Dick by his full Christian name. Bart considered saying Dick as a swear word.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Things between her and Dick had been great. They’d been super even but now she had to break up with him and the poor guy would never understand why. It would break her heart to do it but her newfound mate would not appreciate her still trying to see her human lover. She sighed and must have looked mopey, because Bart patted her fondly on the shoulder.

“I’ll take the desk for a little while till Susan gets here. There’s some stock on the second floor that need shelving.”

Kerry gave him a weak smile, then took the stairs up and disappeared behind a bookcase.

* * * *

Kerry knew the minute Susan arrived at work. There was a hurried sound of footsteps on the stairs, giving Kerry just enough time to brace herself as she was football tackled by her co-worker and best friend. Kerry hit the floor with an indignant huff.

Susan Verde was a bubbly, energetic girl with electric green eyes and a mass of brown hair that circled her head like a chestnut nimbus. They’d been best friends their whole lives. Susan’s parents were one of the few who still talked to her parents after they became clan shame by mating out-of-ceremony. Susan was a brown wolf.

“Is it true?” she wailed giddily before looking around to make sure there were no customers who could over hear. “Did you really walk into a mating dance and steal the groom?”

Kerry groaned; the rumor mill ground fast.

“I didn’t walk in, he kind of walked out.”

Susan’s eyes sparkled ridiculously brightly. “You got mated!” she squealed and hugged her tight. Susan kicked her legs up and down. She was so excited; if she’d been in wolf form her tail would have been wagging.

“I’m not sure I’m all that happy about it. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“Why not happy? I heard he’s a very handsome guy and he’s a black wolf so he’s got to come from money. I don’t get it.”

“Because of Dick.”

Susan’s mouth made a little ‘O’ as she remembered Kerry’s human boyfriend.

Kerry sighed.

“Susan, you get down here and do your job,” yelled Bart like an irate father rather than a boss. “Don’t make me come up there.”

Susan leapt to her feet, fixing her outfit. She wore cut off jeans, suede boots, and a tan top with a lot of fringe to it and little else.

“Coming, Boss,” she yelled and mouthed to Kerry that they would talk later. Susan left her alone to pick herself up off the floor.

* * * *

Caleb set about learning everything about his new mate such as her address, about her family, her education and her choice of employment. He stood outside the little boutique book shop in a light weight, charcoal grey suit and smiled as he entered.

Her scent hit him the minute the little cow bell above the door tinkled; she smelled sweet and warm like habanero peppers. He pushed his sunglasses up to the top of his head and looked around the store.

There was a brunette behind the cash register, flicking through a magazine and blowing bubbles with her gum. He noticed she was a wolf too—brown by her scent which was citric in nature. She looked up when he came in, her gum popping over her nose as she stared at him. He decided she smelled like lime to match the green of her eyes. Caleb tilted his head up and sniffed delicately. There was a human somewhere in a back room but Kerry’s scent led upstairs. He could simply follow his nose to find her.

“Can I help you find something?”

Caleb turned to look at the brunette who froze when she saw the amber of his eyes. Caleb lifted his nose, deliberately remaking a wolf-like gesture of stiffing the air before sharing with her a predatory smile.

“No, thank you. I think I’ll be able to locate what I want by myself,” he said, giving her a polite smile. He took the stairs up without hesitating and there Kerry was. She was in profile to him, shelving books in her arms.

Kerry was better than he remembered. Her hair was short, falling just below her ears. He could tell she normally wore it shorter from the way she kept tucking the same strand behind her ear, only to have it fall back again. Her white T-shirt clung around her shapely breasts and the denim skirt she wore was short enough that it made her legs look longer. She wore beaded sandals on her feet, showing off a pretty, pink pedicure. Caleb thought she’d look better with longer hair like her mother. It would play more to her doll-like stature.

She must have been distracted because he was practically on top of her before she smelled him. Caleb pressed his crotch to her denim covered rear and gripped her sturdy hips. Kerry squealed. sending books flying as she fought to turn to face him.

“Caleb?”

“Kerry? You okay up there?” A man’s voice came from downstairs—probably the human Caleb had smelled.

Kerry turned her head towards the stairs. “I’m fine, Bart; just a really big, black spider.” Kerry turned back to look at Caleb. He caught a flicker of annoyance in her eyes that only made him smile. He stroked her hips, enjoying the feel of them under his hands.

“What are you doing here? How do you know where I work?”

Caleb smiled answering her questions in reverse order.

“I asked about you and someone said you worked at the little book store. I thought it would be safer to approach you someplace your father wouldn’t be.” Caleb noticed her eyes softened as she took in the side of his face that came into contact with her father’s fist.

“Daddy shouldn’t have done that,” she said, wringing her hands. “I’m glad you’re okay. Please don’t do anything to him. He just gets protective.”

Caleb backed her up against the shelves.

“The only one I’m thinking about doing things to right now is you.” His hands slid to her delicate wrists. Raising them up slowly, he secured them above her head with one of his large hands. Kerry wriggled, which he found delightful. Caleb traced the line of her collar bone and then along the line of her bra.

“You’re wearing a bra?” he asked skeptically.

She nodded. “I’m working not planning on shifting. Damn it, Caleb. Let me go.”

He shook his head playfully, sliding his free hand down over her belly and under her skirt. Kerry gasped and he smiled.

“Panties too.” He traced his finger along the material back and forth until her breathing became soft panting and the material dampened.

Caleb groaned, her scent grew more intense with her arousal and his cock responded by growing firm from the heady aroma of his mate. He stroked the edge of her panties slipping underneath the material to put one finger inside her to test her warmth. Kerry’s eyelids fluttered, her lips parted in a breathy moan and her thighs parted, giving him more access if he wanted.

“I could take you right up against this bookcase right now but you’d probably lose your job.” He curved the finger inside her, making her body tremble under his caress. “I want you to meet me, tonight at sunset, at the grassy plane next to the mountain.”

She looked up at him, gently nodding her head. Caleb pulled his hand back, brought his fingers to his mouth, and sucked them clean. He released her wrists. Kerry’s eyes fluttered closed and she slid slowly to her knees. When she opened them again, she was eye level with the bulge in his pants. Kerry smiled a little to see that he, too, had been affected.

“Kerry?”

Both their heads turned to the sound of the male voice. Kerry blinked and scrambled to get to her feet.

“Richard!” She greeted him with a hug

The hug seemed to throw him but he wrapped his arms around her. Caleb stared at the man with his arms around his mate. The same person who told him where Kerry worked also mentioned that she’d been seeing a human—Dick.

Dick was short for Richard. He held Kerry tightly, protectively, and possessively looked over her head at Caleb. Richard thought she was still his but Caleb knew better, otherwise he’d have torn the other man limb from limb. Caleb calmly assessed the man who held his mate.

Richard’s head would probably come up just above Caleb’s nose. His arms and legs were toned but Caleb couldn’t tell much else about his body as his shorts and T-shirt were baggy. He had dark hair—not quite black but he wouldn’t call it brown either—in a mish-mash of tuffs across his head. His face was handsome Caleb had to admit, with gently arched eyebrows, small nose and bright blue eyes He wore a bar piercing in both his eyebrow and a small ring in his lip and a string of Tibetan prayer beads around his slender neck.

Kerry clung to him but Caleb knew it was because she would say goodbye to this man very shortly to be with him. That was pack law and Caleb didn’t want to share her.

“Are you all right? Is this guy bothering you?” asked Dick, prepared to defend her honor.

Caleb had to admire that.

Kerry wrapped her fingers in the edge of his T-shirt and pulled. Dick looked down at her. “No, Caleb is a family friend.”