The Alpha's Fight: Huntsville Pack Book 3 (26 page)

"Are you sure?" Lia whispered to her sister.

"You can stop saving me now. I'm good. I swear." She flashed a weak smile as she accepted the mug of bone broth Marie pressed into her hands. Looking into her cup, she said, "Although, the last time I drank something here things didn't go so well. Is this stuff safe?"

"We drank it last night and we're fine," said Lia.

"There's nothing in it but bones and water," said Marie.

"Okay. Just checking. I'm done with drugs and that includes
being
drugged." She took a tentative sip, which turned into greedy gulps. The gray pallor in her face faded, turning a pale pink.

"Last night was a one-time thing," said Marie.

"Did it work?" asked Lia.

The healer lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. "Time will tell. But I would expect so since the vampire also recanted his hold on her."

"All right. We'll be close," Lia said. "If you need me, I'm here."

Adele nodded. "I know. Love you, sis."

"Love you, too." They hugged each other tight. Then Lia took Ryder's hand, a broad smile on her face. "You ready?"

He grinned at her, a wicked amber light dancing in his whiskey eyes. "I've been ready since we met."

***

T
he cabin Marie had directed them to was tiny, but cozy. It consisted of one room with a bed, wood burning stove and a small table with chairs, both made of pine. There was no kitchen or bathroom. A ramshackle outhouse sat under a tree in the front yard while a small stream at the back provided water.

Ryder grabbed a bundle of wood from the cord stacked on the front porch and started a fire.

"I know it's summer, but I'm cold," Lia said.

"It's the stress. We've had a rough couple of days."

"You can say that again."

He shut the door to the wood stove and came to sit next to her on the bed. "It only gets better from here."

"It certainly can't get any worse."

"I sure hope not." He smiled at her.

She smiled back.

And the silence between them stretched out until it was awkward. She'd been thinking about him in the most carnal way since they'd met and now that she could actually do anything about it, she was all thumbs.
Come on, Lia. Get it together.

"So." She drummed her hands on her thighs. "We met in a nursing home. How crazy is that?"

"Yeah, we did."

"And you bought me underwear before you even knew my name."

"I'd do it again if I had to."

"All of it?"

He brushed her hair aside and nuzzled her neck. "Yup. All of it. Meeting you was worth the worst of it."

"But—"

He put a hand to her lips. "Shh. Less talking, babe. We can do that after."

"After what?"

"This." He covered her mouth with his as his hands inched her shirt up. She shivered, loving the heat of his touch as his fingers skimmed her ribcage on their way up to graze the tips of her breasts through her bra. His lips nipped at hers and his tongue swept into her mouth, tickling and demanding at the same time.

Pulling away, Ryder said, "Let's get your shirt off."

"Yours, too."

"Mine, too," he agreed with a nod as he threw her shirt to the floor.

Lia took off her jeans while he removed his clothes. "Do you really think we're mates?" She didn't doubt her attraction to him, that had been constant, but her ability to synthesize it, to understand what it meant had been compromised by the amnesia. Trusting her instincts was difficult when she didn't know herself.

"Only one way to find out." He was naked now, his cock thicker than she'd imagined. A frisson of pleasure went through her at the idea of Ryder inside her.

"And if we're not?"

"We have a good time. No regrets, right?" At her nod, he added, "And Grandma Tillie will never live it down."

"I think your grandma is counting on us."

"You talk a lot."

"I'm nervous."

He pulled her into a hug. "Don't be. I'm the same guy you'd never met before a few days ago."

"And I'm the same girl."

He cupped her face in his hands. "We're under each other's skin. The only way to make it stop is to scratch the itch."

"I might never want you to stop." She pressed herself into him.

"That sounds pretty good to me." He kissed again, his hands going to cup her backside and pull her even closer.

She turned her head. "What if my wolf never comes back?"

"What about it?" He took her by the chin and forced her to look at him, his gaze searching her face.

"You're a pack alpha, and I'm...all kinds of messed up."

"I don't care. My wolf wants you and that's all that matters."

"It won't cause you problems, then? To have a mate who can't shift?"

"I won't let it."

"I'm scared," she said finally, tears burning her eyes.

"Of what? Me?"

"Of never knowing who I am. Of never being complete."

"I know who you are."

She gave him a look.

"No really. I know you, Lia. You're brave. You're a kick-ass sister. You saved my ass at the strip club."

"What's my favorite color? My favorite food?
I
don't even know these things."

"It doesn't matter. Those are details. What makes a person isn't a color or a food, it's when they stand for what's right, when they take care of their own no matter the cost. And by that measure, I know exactly who you are. You have nothing to worry about."

"You really think so?" It bothered her how much she wanted his reassurance. But in a way, he was a mirror that allowed her to see herself clearly. For some reason, Ryder grounded her and had kept her from totally losing it ever since they'd met.

"Yeah, I do. Now, listen to me." He cupped her face again, and this time pressed his forehead into hers. "You're also beautiful. You've been driving me crazy for the last few days. I want you in a way I've never wanted anyone. Let me in, Lia, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"You want this, right? This is mutual, right?"

"Yes. Definitely. I'm sorry." She rushed to kiss him, afraid the doubt she saw rising in his eyes would win him over. "I'm just in a weird place."

"Let me make it right." He walked her backward and pushed her down on the bed. "I'm going to do such good things to you, Lia."

"Yeah?' She sighed as he kneeled at the end of the bed, his hands lightly skimming her thighs.  "How good?"

"This good." He nudged her thighs apart and lightly raked his teeth over her sensitive inner thigh just as he thrust a finger straight into her core.

Lia startled as pleasure burst through her nervous system.

"You're already wet. And hot." He slid his finger in and out and then added more. A second bite came on her other thigh sending a tsunami of goose bumps from her toes up to her neck. "Just trust your body, babe. It's telling you everything you need to know."

With that, he delved between her thighs, tongue sweeping over her in broad strokes that became smaller and more focused as he went. It didn't take long, but to Lia it seemed like an eternity before he zeroed in the sensitive nub at her core.

She hissed when he finally hit it, fisting her hands in the sheets. It had felt so right the first time they did this and the second time around was no different. All her earlier doubts fled, unable to stand before one truth: Any man who could touch a woman and make her feel the way Ryder did couldn't be ignored.

Everything she'd felt for him was real. She didn't have to question it anymore. Emboldened by this realization, she sat up and swung her legs away.

"What are you doing?" Ryder reached for her hips, but she twisted away.

Leaving the bed, she sank to her knees before him. "Sit on the bed."

He gave her a questioning look but did as she asked.

"I want to taste you." She moved between his knees and dipped her head down to kiss the tip of his cock. With short flicks of her tongue, she covered the head, tasting his salty, earthy flavor before opening her mouth to take in his entire knob.

Ryder fisted his hands in her hair. "Oh, yeah, babe. Just like that."

She took more and more of his length, bathing him and sucking in his essence. There was a moment of dissonance where she wondered if she'd ever done this before and couldn't remember. That almost caused her to panic and stop, but she steeled her nerves, refusing to give in to the unknown void that made up her memory. She wanted to do this for Ryder. It was about him, not her past. She'd almost lost him once. Letting him go, or worse, failing him was not an option.

He tugged on her hair, urging her forward, then back, helping her settle into a rhythm. His shaft pulsed against her tongue, a drum beat that marked the time of their dance. Her throat relaxed and even more of him slipped into her mouth. She increased the pressure, smiling to herself when Ryder groaned.

Then he pushed her away. Puzzled, she looked up at him.

"You were perfect," he said, as he lifted her up into his lap. She spread her legs and straddled him, her stomach bumping up against his cock. "It's just when I come, I want to be inside you."

With that, he tossed her onto the bed and was on top of her before she even registered what had happened. His lips and fingers were everywhere all at once, reminding her of how fast he moved when he threw a punch, only this time he dealt in pleasure not pain. His mouth nipped, fingers tickled over her skin, sometimes she felt the hard edge of teeth as he scraped or even bit her flesh.

"You're going to be mine. Every inch, every cell, every breath."

"Every howl," Lia breathed.

"Every howl," he agreed. "Your fangs and fur belong to me."

"Yes," she sighed. To belong to Ryder meant she had a place in the world and she wanted that very much.

"The hair on your head. On your skin. Even the hair on your heart.
Mine
."

She giggled. "There's no hair on my heart."

"Babe, we're werewolves, there's hair on everything." Ryder growled and kissed her, worrying her bottom lip between his teeth until she moaned. His knee pushed her legs apart and the thick head of his cock pressed into her. She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, welcoming him. With a slow, controlled thrust he entered her inch by agonizing inch. Her hips danced under him, urging him to go faster, but he held back. From the concentration on his face, she could tell it took tremendous effort.

"It's okay, Ryder," she whispered. "Just take me."

He leaned down and kissed her with such savage intensity she couldn't breathe for a moment. Her tongue tangled with his for dominance and lost. They were going at his pace and that was that. With a soft sigh, she stopped fighting him, allowing him to do as he wanted with her.

Ryder bit her bottom lip, then went to bite the nape of her neck, first on one side and then on the other. The sharp stabs of pain from his teeth only quickened the pleasure at her core. Kissing his way down her chest, he nuzzled her breasts, laving her nipples until they twisted into points that only made the fire inside her burn hotter.

When he had fully sheathed himself in her, he threw back his head and howled. The sound, triumphant and powerful, caused a presence to stir inside of her. Something pricked her from the inside, like internal goose bumps, but itchier. It was her, but not her at the same time.

"Ryder?"

"Shh."

"Something's happening." She gulped in air, on the edge of panic again.

"It's your wolf. I can feel her." He thrust into her. "Come on, babe. Sing with me. Help your wolf find her way home." He howled again, and after a moment's hesitation, she howled, too. Her soprano note twined with his tenor until the sound of their voices echoed from one end of the cabin to the other.

They rocked together, howling until she lost all sense of time. Her body buzzed with a mounting tension that kinked her muscles into knots. She strained to take Ryder deeper, instinct demanded it.

Lia's climax swept over her a moment later, abruptly cutting her off mid-howl. Her eyes wide, all she could do was hold on as her body bucked and shuddered under Ryder.

Ryder was almost lost, too. His gaze bore into hers and his hands clawed at the sheets as he tried to hold on. But then he succumbed too, collapsing onto her with a growling howl as his shaft pulsed inside her. Sweeping her head to the side, he put his mouth over the pulse in her neck and bit down without any warning.

Lia screamed. This was no love bite meant to tantalize, this was a bite intended to break skin and make her bleed. She pushed at his shoulders, but he caught her wrists in one big hand and held them over her head.

"Let me go!" Her legs flailed, trying to gain purchase in the mattress, but his weight kept her from going anywhere.

"Shh." His tongue lapped her throat—probably licking up blood. Between her legs, he continued to move in and out with slow, smooth strokes that added a layer of bliss to the pain. He turned her head, baring the other side of her neck.

"No," she yelled, fearing what she knew would be a second bite. Why she was afraid she couldn't say, but the world trembled around her as if it was about to break.

"It's the mating bite. Don't fight it." He paused to look at her, licking a drop of blood off his upper lip. "Close your eyes and find your wolf, babe. She's almost here."

"H-how do you know?"

"I can smell her. Now, bring her home, Lia. Don't leave her out there lost anymore."

Tears pricked her eyes. Pleasure whirled through her like a vortex while pain pulsed hot and bright as lightning. It meant something and held a dark power that scared her.

But Ryder had her, too. The strength of his grip around her wrists suddenly made her feel safe instead of held back. He wouldn't let her fall apart.

With a nod, she closed her eyes. "Do it."

But now he was at her breasts again, teasing and tormenting her. When he ground his pelvis into hers, Lia's breath caught in her chest. They climbed up the mountain of bliss together for a second time, but at a varied pace. Ryder sped up until she panted, then backed off. Up and down. Rise and fall. Ebb and flow. He didn't shoot her straight up into the stratosphere like he had the first time.