The Alpha's Fight: Huntsville Pack Book 3 (27 page)

After a while, she relaxed into his possession of her body. Her neck throbbed, but it didn't matter as, once she gave herself over to Ryder, she could smell the fur hiding in her body. Her wolf was coming.

"Close your eyes. Concentrate," Ryder said. Dipping his head,  he sucked her nipples, overwhelming her with so much sensation she found it difficult to think.

Screwing her eyes shut, she tried to feel all of it at once; her wolf, Ryder, the bite he'd marked her with. In the horizon of her mind's eye, a dark speck appeared. It streaked off to the side and she called to it. "Over here. I'm over here."

The speck went still, then changed direction, heading straight for her. For a long time, it was nothing more than a dot. It could've been anything, but she knew it was her wolf. What else would rush toward her like that?

She held her breath, excited to finally know her other half again. Her body pulsed and throbbed as Ryder brought her to the apex of pleasure. Another climax brimmed, heavy and wet, inside her.

The closer the climax, the closer the wolf got. They were synced.

Finally, her wolf was near enough for her to make out its face. Its fur was dark as midnight with a sheen that reminded her of stars. The wolf looked at her with fierce intelligence.

"Yes. I'm here. Just come back."

The wolf's paws thundered in her mind and Lia couldn't help but race toward her other half, too. And then the wolf skidded to a halt, just out of reach.

"What's wrong? I'm right here." Lia tried to move forward, but she couldn't.

Her wolf crouched down low and crept toward her, body slinking much like a cat on the hunt. Lia howled. The wolf howled. Somewhere in another dimension, Ryder howled.

The wolf lunged toward Lia, still howling.

She braced for the impact and felt everything and nothing all at the same time. Her wolf slammed into her just as Ryder coaxed another climax from her body. His teeth sank into her flesh on the other side of her neck. Blood tinged pleasure mixed with fang and fur and stole her ability to move or think. All she could do was ride it out.

***

R
yder marked Lia for a second time, hoping it would be enough. It was one thing to claim your mate, another entirely to try and fix her memory with it. No pressure there.

Not that he wouldn't do anything and everything for Lia. He just hoped that Marie was right about their mating being a cure and that he was enough.

Her body sang for him so sweetly, though. It was hard to believe she was his.

His wolf gave a woof that suggested he was a fool. Of course she was his. They were mates.

Wolves always had such conviction about their opinions. They never doubted themselves. Ryder wondered what they thought about humans and their penchant for questioning everything.

His wolf shrugged as if to say, 'I ignore your humanity as much as I can.'

Ryder sat back and watched Lia. Her eyes were closed and her body trembled like it was being shaken from the inside.

"Lia?" he asked, wanting to know if she was okay, or even awake.

She didn't respond, so he lifted one hand and let it go. Her arm dropped like a stone, but Lia didn't react. She was out. All he could do was give her time.

He cuddled up against her, wanting to stay close. Burying his face in her neck, he inhaled her scent. She smelled like tea, salt and most importantly, like him. He liked his scent on her and even went so far as to lick it off her skin.

Her flesh contracted under his tongue, shrinking. Fine hair sprouted along her skin, thickening as it grew longer. Ryder left the bed, giving her room for what would come next.

He wanted to crow in triumph, but not daring to disturb her, he settled for a silent fist pump. They'd done it. Her wolf was back and she was shifting.

Maybe they could go for a run. He couldn't wait to show her the hills of Appalachia.

But when the shift was done, the dark furred wolf in his bed remained unconscious. In the end, Ryder climbed back into bed, tucked the wolf against him and stroked her soft pelt as he fell asleep himself. In his mind's eye, Lia's wolf cavorted with his, dancing in circles around his other half who encouraged her with short yipping barks.

He hadn't been looking for a mate, but he'd found one and he wouldn't change a thing. His wolf's gaze met his for a second in a 'told-you-so' kind of way.

Yeah, you did know, buddy. Sorry I gave you such a hard time. I was a little preoccupied with Mason, you know.

His wolf rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Lia's wolf. The last Ryder saw, the two wolves had laid down, leaning against each other with quiet contentment.

L
ia jerked awake with a start. There were wolves in her head. One she knew was hers but the other she didn't recognize? Was it...Ryder?

A soft snore next to her told her at least where his human half was. She jostled his shoulder and he woke, instantly alert.

"Is everything okay?" He patted her head.

Lia opened her mouth to talk, but only a high-pitched whine came out. She tried again, this time producing a complaining yowl. Frustrated, she huffed.

"Talking isn't going to happen, babe."

She asked him why not, but it didn't sound like English. If anything she sounded like a...dog? What?

"Look." Ryder grabbed her hand and lifted it up. "You shifted. Your wolf came home."

Lia's eyes widened as she saw a paw where her hand should be. Craning her neck she inspected the rest of her body. Shifting had left her shorter and sleeker. The whole thing blew her mind and reminded her of her first shift at fifteen. She'd gone to bed human and woke up a fur ball who couldn't figure out how to dismount from the top bunk.

She froze as she realized she remembered that moment. And other ones, too. Her childhood flashed behind her eyes. She was three and flushing crayons down the toilet. The first day of school had been sunny and her mother had made pancakes for breakfast. College was a little murkier, but she knew that was because she'd been a bit of a beer hound. The endless dates as she looked for her mate, some of them so bad she once thought about starting a nunnery for wolves who'd given up.

And her sister. Those memories tore at her heart. So much pain. She'd been fighting against Adele's addiction for years. Saving her sister from herself and, when that didn't work, letting her fall, hoping if the landing was hard enough she would change.

But there was hope now. They knew why Adele was an addict, and with her memory back, they could both move forward.

Ryder tapped his head, drawing her attention. "And we're mated. That other wolf in your head is me."

Lia gave him an affectionate head butt, grateful for the explanation. Then she bounded out of bed, eager to reacquaint herself with her wolf. She wanted to run, to feel the sun on her back and the wind in her fur. With a short bark to Ryder, she went to the door and turned to look at him, waiting for him to catch on.

"I'm coming. Hang on." He stood and stretched. Then shuffling toward her, he opened the door, stepping outside. Once she'd left the cabin, too, he shut the door. His body went blurry as he shifted and Lia watched, prancing with excitement.

The second his gray wolf manifested, she took off, unable to contain herself. They ran and ran, dodging trees, jumping over hedges and scaring the deer. The summer heat warmed her to the marrow, until she felt like she was cooking under her fur. When they came to a creek, she stopped to drink, slurping in the cold water with greedy flicks of her tongue.

Ryder bumped up against her and she bumped him back, grinning at him so wide, she couldn't keep her tongue in her mouth.

He bumped her again and ran off with a yip. She bounded after him, stretching her legs to keep up. He led her through the woods and down to Marie's cabin. Stopping under a pine tree, he returned to his human form.

"We should check in on your sister, don't you think?"

Lia nodded and closed her eyes so she could concentrate on her shift. Her fur seemed to melt away while her bones liquefied and ran in streams under her skin to form anew.  She groaned as her body stretched taller and gravity pulled at her organs from a new direction. Bones cracked in her spine as they settled back into place. Shifting didn't hurt, but it was still intense.

Giving herself a shake to loosen any post-shift kinks, she said, "Looks like the sheriff is here. That's his van, right?" She nodded to the utility van in front of Marie's house.

"Yeah." Ryder headed for the front door. "I wonder if he has news."

She trailed after him, reluctant to leave the cocoon of their mating. Nothing bad had happened for at least twelve hours and going back to see her sister made her nervous. Like she was inviting trouble to find her.

But only good things awaited her in the cabin. Petra sat on the couch, her fire engine red hair in its usual elegant chignon. Designer shoes in black with orange flames warped around the heel made her delicate feet look fierce, while a simple black sheath dress left no question as to the stellar shape of her body.

"Petra!" Lia ran toward her friend, who put up a hand to stop her.

"You are a sight for sore eyes, but no post-shift nakey on designer gear. You know the rules."

Lia laughed and ignored her friend. Sweeping her into a hug she spun in a circle, taking Petra with her. "I don't have cooties."

Petra gave in and returned the hug. "I'm glad you're okay. I've missed you."

"Me too, although I only just knew that today." Lia grinned. "Know what I do have?"

"What?"

She let Petra go and bounced on her toes, too happy to be still. "My memory and my wolf. Everything came back."

"And from those marks on your neck, you've got a mate, too." Marie winked at Lia.

"Yep," said Lia, unable to keep herself from beaming.

"Oh." Petra blinked rapidly and dabbed at her eyes with a finger. "I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're okay. You have no idea what I went through to get here." She shuddered. "Three layovers and one plane that wouldn't fly. I think I might just wolf it home, it would be faster."

"Believe me, it has not been fun, but I think everything is going to be all right." Lia motioned for Ryder to come forward. "This is Ryder my mate."

Petra stuck out a hand. "I'm Petra, the BFF. Sheriff Garde was kind enough to give me a ride out here."

"Nice to meet you," Ryder said with a broad smile.

Lia beamed at everyone in the room, but her happiness faltered when she realized someone was missing. "Where's Adele? Is she okay?"

"Sleeping, and I wouldn't expect her to wake any time soon," said the healer as she rummaged in her kitchen cupboards, looking for something.

Lia darted to the back of the house to check on her sister. She wanted to see Adele with her own eyes. She found her in bed, sleeping with deep, even breaths. For a moment, she just listened to Adele breathe, reassuring herself that her sister was safe. Then, tucking the covers snugly around Adele's shoulders, she returned to the main room of the cabin.

Talon was discussing the events from the past few days with everyone. "No sign of any vampires, so I think it's over, for now. Whoever was involved has moved on, but we'll get them eventually."

"Well that's good news, for once." Lia went to stand next to Ryder, threading her fingers through his.

He kissed her cheek. "Yep."

"There's nothing else for you to do or worry about," the sheriff said.

"So it's over." Odd as it sounded, Lia felt a bit at loose ends. In a weird way, she'd become accustomed to dealing with calamity after calamity. Now that normal had showed up, she didn't know how to live it.

"One thing I did want to ask you—what happened at the Rowdy Howl?" asked Talon.

Lia shrugged. "I have no clue. It's the one thing I still can't remember, although I'm pretty sure Mason was involved. But that's all I got."

"If you ever do remember, let me know, okay? It could be important."

"Of course. But my guess is I probably passed out pretty quick and didn't see much. If anything new shows up in my memory, I'll give you a call." Looking at everyone she asked, "So now what?"

"We celebrate," Marie said producing a bottle of champagne from behind her back. "I've been keeping this for just such an occasion. Although I have to warn you, I don't have any fancy glasses. I hope you don't mind."

"And we can start planning the wedding, " Petra clapped her hands together, a joyous expression on her face.

Marie handed the bottle to Ryder. "Care to pop the cork?"

They drank from Marie's dainty teacups, adding ice since the champagne was warm, and Lia snuggled into the crook of Ryder's arm. The danger was past. In searching for her sister, she'd found her mate, and now all she had to do was look forward to good things.

"I love you, Ryder," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you, babe." He squeezed her close and everything was right in Lia's world.

S
ummer faded into fall, but as nature waned, Lia's life blossomed into something better than she could have ever imagined. With her memory came an even deeper appreciation for Ryder, her mate. She'd been looking for him for a long time. It was weird to think Adele and her addiction had brought them together.

Speaking of Adele, she was moody but clean and working with Marie to learn how to control her healing gift. For the moment, Lia stayed out of Adele's way, finding her sister too prickly to be good company.

"She needs to focus on herself and you're a painful reminder of her addiction that she's not ready to deal with yet," Marie had said. "Give her some time to put herself back together."

So, hard as it was to not see her sister, Lia left Adele alone. Once she was ready, though, the plan was to have her be the healer for Ryder's pack, which he'd named Moon's Bower.

Cabins were popping up all over the meadow Ryder had bought with his grandmother's help. Their own cabin was due to be finished soon. Tillie called them twice a day for progress reports, anxious to leave Crescent Pines and move into the in-law suite they'd promised her.