Untamed: an Alpha's Love (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance) (6 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

The guest bed was smaller than the one they shared at home, smaller even than the one Charmaine had slept in every night as a single girl in her parents' guest cottage. She and Parker tossed and turned in their borrowed pajamas, unable to get comfortable. He'd been quiet all night, ever since she'd asked him not to go. She knew he was frustrated and his pride was wounded, but she also knew she was right. Let him be mad. She might have saved his life by begging him not to go. She'd shamelessly used the baby as an excuse, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant she could keep him safe.

Parker stretched on his back and she wrapped around him, but his arm remained slack behind her. She rubbed his chest over his shirt and he turned his head away. "Don't."

"Please, Baby." Her lips found his neck and she pressed them to his warm skin, feeling his pulse against her mouth. "Don't be angry."

"I'm trying not to be, but I am." He faced the wall, away from her, but he hadn't barred her access to his neck. "I feel like a fucking coward," he whispered furiously.

"You're not a coward." She slid her hand under his tee shirt, ruffling the hairs on his chest. He didn't try to stop her, not even when she rasped her thumb over his nipple.

"You're brave. And strong. And powerful." She punctuated each word with a soft kiss on his throat.

He lay in silence while she continued her ministrations. Her fingers traced lazy circles around each puckered nipple and trailed down to his navel before sliding back up.

"I know what you're doing." He couldn't keep the affection out of his voice.

"I'm touching you."

"You're trying to make me feel better."

"No, I'm trying to make us both feel better. And I want you. I want you all the time."
Especially now
, she thought.
I'm a raw bundle of raging hormones
.

"How can you want a guy who doesn't keep you safe?"

So that's the problem.
"Where's that coming from? I am safe, I'm perfectly safe here with you."

"When you take charge like that, I feel like I'm not doing my best by you."

Not this again
. "Let me get this straight. Me speaking in front of the Council makes you feel like less of an Alpha?"

"Yes."

"Baby..." She was speechless. "My strength does not equal your weakness. You know that, right?"

"I guess," he grumbled.

"Aren't you proud of me?

"Of course I'm proud of you," he whispered fervently, rolling toward her and wrapping her in his arms.

"And would you want a wife who just sits around wringing her hands and crying when something bad happens?"

"No," he admitted. "I like it when you need me, though." He kissed her, his lips lingering against hers. Between them his erection strained his pajama bottoms.

"I still have lots of needs," she murmured, her hand pressing the tented front of his pants. "My biggest need is that I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you," he breathed, rocking against her palm.

"And sometimes I need to take charge of myself." She nipped his bottom lip, hard, and felt him flex in her hand.

"
Fuck
."

She answered with a squeeze. "Sometimes I need you to let me take the lead. It doesn't mean I think any less of you."

"I don't like it when you take the lead."

"Oh no?" Her fingers paused on his bulge and then slid back under his tee shirt, peeling it from his skin. "You don't like when I take the lead?"

"No." His voice was muffled as she drew the shirt over his head and dropped it beside the bed. She struggled to shed her own pajama bottoms, and then climbed over him, straddling his legs, as she tugged his bottoms down over his knees.

"What about when I take the lead like this? Undressing you? Does it make you feel like less of a man?"

"No, it makes me want to fuck you," he growled.

"But what if I said I couldn't let you do that, because you'd rock the bed too hard and everyone in the house would hear us?" She wrapped her hand around him and jacked him slowly. His sharp intake of breath was followed by a deep, satisfied sigh.

"I'd... umm... What was the question again?"

She covered his mouth again with hers, probing with her tongue until he groaned beneath her and grabbed the back of her head. Her hand never stopped working between them, pumping his swollen, sticky cock until he writhed with pleasure.

"If I climb on top of you, like this..." She straddled his length and guided his tip inside her slick entrance, "and then I take you inside me, like this...." Stifling a sigh of her own, she rocked on him until she sank down, swallowing him to the hilt.

"Oh, fuck, fuck,
fuck
..." he gasped, reaching to grasp her buttocks. His fingers kneaded her flesh, spreading her cheeks even wider.

Her breasts hung down, full and pendulous. Purposely she swung them so that her nipples grazed his chest. She cupped his face between her hands and whispered against his mouth, "Then I'm in charge right now, aren't I?"

"Mmm... Mmhmm."

"And you love it."

"I do. I fucking love it." He was almost babbling in his acquiescence.

"And most of the time you're in charge, and I love it that way." She swiveled her hips, feeling his answering twitch inside her. "But isn't it nice sometimes to just let someone else pitch in?" Her tongue traced the inside shell of his ear, feeling him shudder, before she nipped his earlobe, making him swear aloud. She rocked and swiveled, feeling the beginning of her own pleasure building inside. Leaning back, she stretched her body above him, bringing his hands up to cup her breasts. "We're doing this together," she panted. "See? Teamwork. Like Mates should do." Her voice was no longer steady. "Isn't it... isn't it..." But she couldn't keep her train of thought. He either understood or he didn't, and she stopped caring for the next minute while her orgasm built inside of her.

"Oh, Baby—" Parker gasped below her, "Hurry, I'm gonna come." He clenched his teeth and she felt his whole body stiffen in anticipation. She bounced harder on him, loving the feeling of his fingers biting into her skin and his full length buried inside her. "Charmaine— Ahh—
Fuck!
" he swore, arching violently off the bed just as she felt her own climax wash over her.

She lay shuddering on top of him for several silent moments just listening to their synchronized breathing before he whispered in her ear, "Was that supposed to be a lesson in partnership?'

She giggled. "Yes. Do you feel like you learned something?"

"Mmm, I don't know..." he teased, stroking her back."I think I might need a refresher here in a minute."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah... I'm not the fast learner I used to be. I might need this lesson repeated a few times, even."

In the dark her lips curled into a smile as she heard him chuckle softly. "I'm happy to oblige my Alpha," she breathed, feeling him stir against her. "I'll keep instructing, and you just say when."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Elder Samson was ancient even by human standards. The fact that he had survived Lycan life for ninety-four years was incredible. Charmaine studied the stooped, slow old man as he shuffled into the house, unassisted, and immediately began barking orders at people. He was as sharp as someone half his age and as impatient as anyone who knows he's living on borrowed time.

Samson was unimpressed with Charmaine and ignored her repeated attempts to make conversation. The most she got out of him was a terse grunt when she asked if she could take his coat. He was only slightly more interested in Parker, though he had a difficult time understanding why Dominic had stepped down while he was still alive and made no secret of his views.

"He's ready and I'm not up to this anymore," admitted Dominic. "You know that I'm dying, old friend."

The old man looked at him like he had three heads. "But not dead yet," he grunted in his deep voice. "Alpha till death" was Samson's attitude—an attitude Charmaine knew only too well was shared by many Vella pack members.

But he'd recognized her pregnancy as soon as he stepped through the door, though it was a bit insulting the way he wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something unsavory. She and Parker endured his open judgment about them not being officially Mated before conceiving the child, glancing at each other for support as he chastised them for doing things "backwards." He also confirmed that she was pregnant with a male child, and she quietly ignored his negative comments about girls, thankful that she was carrying a son.
Ugh, he's like an ancient version of Christopher.

With horror she hoped he couldn't read her negative thoughts about him when he reached into her mind for the visions. The whole process was too invasive, and she didn't want this crotchety old man knowing so much about her. But it had to be done. It was just this once, and then they'd never have to endure anything like this again, she reminded herself. Parker squeezed her hand and they stood before the Elder like obedient schoolchildren.

Elder Samson placed his hands on Parker's head first. His gnarled, knobby fingers curled around Parker's skull, cupped his forehead, and finally stilled as he retrieved the memories from her husband. It was amazing to Charmaine that an Elder's senses were so keenly developed that they could tap into a person's memories and read them like the pages of a book. His bent frame shook afterward with the effort. And then he touched her, his whole body falling still as he absorbed the divine visions that had been bestowed upon her to lead her to her Mate so many months ago.

Almost instantly it was over. He looked at them both and nodded. Then he turned to Dominic, still unable to recognize Parker as Alpha while his father was still sitting in the room. "It is a true Mating," he said in his creaky voice. "It must be protected. I will inform the Council." Charmaine felt a rush of relief flood her body. She and Parker had always known, and Dominic and Lena had believed them, but to hear it validated by a Council Elder was powerful. She felt Parker's fingers capture hers and squeeze. They stood side by side, shared relief flowing through their clasped hands.

Then from Parker's pocket came the insistent ding of his cell phone. Elder Samson frowned as Parker tried to ignore it before waving his gnarled hand dismissively. "Oh, go on then," he grumbled, and Parker slipped from the room. She heard his tight, "Kreuger here," before he disappeared from earshot.

"Thank you, Elder Samson." The man scared her to death, but she was grateful for the role he played in her family's future.

He nodded curtly. "You're the Vella girl."

"That's right. César Vella is—was—my father."

"A good man."

Her eyes prickled with tears. "Yes, he was."

"My sympathies for your loss." It was the kindest she'd heard him since he walked in the door. Whether it was his sudden kindness, latent sadness for her father, or hormones, she didn't know, but her eyes suddenly filled and she excused herself.

Weeping in the kitchen she realized she hadn't had a chance to really mourn her father, not as she would have six months ago. She missed his gruff voice and his scent, the way he'd stood in the middle of the showroom every night, silently thanking his mentor, Toby Gillis, for his many blessings.
What I wouldn't give to walk with him through the showroom again. To kiss the top of his head. To hear him call me "Princess" just one more time.

She'd been pulled in so many different directions since meeting Parker. Knowing that the whirlwind was on its way to being over sent a surge of relief through her entire body. Samson would vouch for them with the Council. They would have the protection of both packs. They could begin their life together, as openly as if they'd been born to the same pack. Her son would secure his rightful place as the future Alpha of the Kreuger pack. And though all those things were wonderful, necessary even, all she wanted was peace. Parker had been so tightly wound lately, on edge about everything. She wanted peace for him more than for herself.

The irony that her life was turning out just as her father had hoped was not lost on her. All he'd ever wanted was to see her married and Mated, raising children. He had called it her duty, but she realized it was more than that. It was her privilege.

Pop, I like to think you'd be proud of me
, she thought.
And even though he's a Kreuger, you'd like Parker. You really would
.

She heard Parker's brisk footsteps from the other room. "Jamison called," he said to his father. "I'm going to head up there. Elder Samson, thank you again for coming."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Son." The old man had taken on a sudden and inexplicable change in demeanor. Perhaps he was one of those people who took a while to warm up to others. Wiping her eyes hurriedly so that Parker wouldn't know she'd been crying, she stepped through the doorway.

Parker took her by the hand and pulled her close. "I have to go to Jamison's. Do you—" He didn't even finish before her eyes said it all for her. "Okay," he agreed. "I hate this, but okay. I'll take you with me."