Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) (19 page)

“My mother was a drug addict and a whore,”
he began. Nova held back a gasp, because no one started a story
with that type of information. She knew this was going to be hard
for him when she felt his chest shudder with a ragged breath. “The
night my life changed was not the night I became a part of the
pride.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” she whispered
after he’d been quiet for a few minutes.

“I was home with my mom and baby sister,”
Winter said, swallowing hard. “Mom was trying to stay clean, and
we’d all just sat down to a nice dinner. I’d asked my sister how
her day was at school, and before she could talk, someone drove by
our house and opened fire. My mom was killed instantly. My sister,
Summer, was hit in the chest by a bullet that went through me. She
died in my arms.”

“Oh, Winter,” Nova cried. Her heart
shattered at his confession. There was no way this story could get
any worse, but from the hard set to his jaw, she knew it was going
to be painful for him to relive.

“I was so worried about her, I didn’t even
feel the bullets that had hit me,” he laughed. “They said it was
the adrenaline. I was so angry, and I wanted to find the assholes
that killed my family. I checked myself out of the hospital and my
first stop was a hotel. The next day, I went to the security
company I worked for, and when I walked in, my two bosses froze. I
ended up passing out from an infection I didn’t even know I
had.”

“Was that Talon’s company?” Nova asked.

“Yeah,” Winter nodded. “Savage and Noah were
there that day. Savage ended up rushing me to the pride, and it was
Talon’s father who gave him the approval to change me.”

“What happened?” she asked, wrapping her
arms around him to give him strength to continue his story.

“I remember waking up with the taste of
blood in the back of my throat.” He blinked, shaking his head to
clear a memory. “My body turned ice cold and a pain started in the
pit of my stomach. Even though I was cold, sweat covered my body. I
felt it dripping down my cheek…my neck…my back and legs. Then I
began to scream. I can’t even think of anything comparable to
describe the pain I went through for three days, Nova.” He pulled
her over so she straddled his lap. His hands clasped her face.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, trying to hold
back her fear. In all honesty, the fear in his eyes scared her.
She’d never seen that look in his eyes.

“It took
three
days, Nova,” he
stressed. “I cannot…
will not
be able to watch you
suffer.”

“Your healer has drugs he can give me,” she
reminded him.

“Those drugs are new, and we have no idea
how they will work on you,” he argued. “Your sister was the first
one in our pride to be changed since I was turned five years ago.
She was also the first to have been administered the medicine, and
she still screamed, even though she was completely out of it. She
doesn’t remember, and that wasn’t from the drugs…that was from her
being almost dead.”

Nova jerked back at his harsh words. Tears
welled up in her eyes, realizing he wasn’t going to budge on his
decision. “I’m willing to go through the pain to be yours in all
ways, Winter.”

“I love you, Nova,” he admitted, leaning
forward and swallowing her gasp with his lips pressed to hers. Her
heart thundered in her chest as he held her close. By the time he
pulled away, she was out of breath. “I can’t see you hurt, and
that’s final.”

He started to push her away, but she was
having none of that. “Don’t you dare run out of here.” She pushed
on his shoulder and Winter leaned back in his seat, his eyes half
closed, but she could see that his panther was close.

“You love me?” she asked.

“I’ve always loved you,” he admitted. “Ever
since the first time I saw you in that bar. My panther knew you as
my mate, but my human side didn’t want to claim you. In my mind, I
wanted to fall in love with you before I touched you.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t touch me?” she
snarled.

He didn’t answer, but the stubborn man did
nod. Nova growled and slid off his lap, crossing her arms over her
chest. “I love you too…you asshat!”

“What?” he gasped, standing to his full
height.

“You heard me,” she said, trying her best
not to laugh. She was technically still angry at him for not
changing her. When his eyes flared to amber, his canines extended,
and the animal in him came rushing forward, Nova knew that he was
everything she needed. She didn’t even flinch when he came at her,
scooping her body up into his strong hold, capturing her lips again
in a heated kiss. He moved with grace and speed as he moved toward
his bedroom.

His growl was her only warning before she
felt the warm slide of his panther’s claws against her bare skin.
He’d slid his fingers underneath her shirt until he reached the
straps of her bra near her sides. With a slight flick of his hands,
the material ripped as he pulled his hands out of her clothes, her
bra falling away from her sides. He did nothing more than gather
the rest of the material in his fist and yank. The sound of fabric
tearing echoed in the room.

Her back hit the mattress and she heard him
inhale. Winter’s weight registered as the bed dipped. She felt the
sharpness of his claw at her side and froze, knowing he was going
to destroy her jeans as well. At that point, she didn’t care. All
she wanted was to have him make love to her.

“I can scent your desire,” he purred, his
voice muffled by his sharp teeth.

“Please?” she begged, writhing on the bed.
His mating scent wrapped around her senses and she felt herself
relax as he ran his claw down her side all the way to her ankle.
The material of her jeans pulled away, along with her panties. In a
matter of seconds, she was bare to his gaze.

“Patience, little one,” he hummed, taking in
every inch of her skin. “You are mine.”

“Yes, I am yours,” she grinned.

The mid-afternoon sun threw a beam of light
across the bed, highlighting his tanned abs and the thick muscle
that curved seductively over his hips. Nova’s tongue snaked out
when he flicked open the button of his jeans.

Her hands reached out, fingers splaying
across his stomach. His eyes darkened a moment before he leaned
over and captured one nipple, biting it just enough to send a jolt
of pleasure straight between her legs.

His chest pressed against her breasts as he
molded himself to her body, covering it so that she was cocooned in
his warmth…his scent. As he kissed her, Winter fumbled with his
jeans, almost tearing them to shreds to get undressed. When he
finally nestled between her legs, both of them let out a sigh. Nova
wrapped an arm over his shoulders and pulled him back to her lips
when he started to move away, adjusting his weight.

“I’m too heavy,” he complained.

“No, you’re not,” she said, hooking her legs
over his hips. “Make love to me, Winter.”

Nova gave a shout when she was flipped over
and Winter rested his weight against her back. “I want to devour
you.”

“Oh,” she breathed, shivering when his
tongue licked the back of her shoulder. His mouth clamped over her
shoulder at the same time his cock pressed against her, sliding
inside in one powerful thrust. His hands skimmed up the back of her
arms, pushing them over her head so he could clasp her wrists in
one of his hands. Nova kept her face turned away so he wouldn’t
release his hold on her neck. His canines hadn’t broken the skin,
but she was sure he was planning on marking her again.

Winter purred softly as he moved slowly, his
lower stomach coming in contact with her ass as he kept a steady
rhythm mounting her over and over again. Would she ever get tired
of the way he controlled her? As his free hand clasped her hip,
raising it for leverage, she knew she would always want it to be
this way.

Her pants became moans as he kept moving. A
fluttering inside her body turned into a raging heat. She was
surrounded by him, feeling every inch of his power as he rocked
inside her. The moment his teeth broke her skin, the pain sent need
to her core. She called out his name, begging for more. Her mate
snarled her name as he stiffened. Winter released his hold on her
neck and shouted his release.

“I will think about changing you,” he
whispered, just as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Fifteen

“I need to find this son of a bitch,” Winter
growled under his breath as he stood in the corner next to Savage
and Dane. The three of them were watching the pride finish their
Thanksgiving meal. The females were clearing dishes and cleaning up
the children’s messes in the room off the kitchen that was used for
a daycare in the alpha’s home.

“He’s going to slip up soon,” Dane
replied.

“When he does, he’s mine,” Winter informed
them.

“There is no worry about that, my brother.”
Savage smiled, his eyes flashing amber. “You can kill him…slowly,
painfully. I’d make him watch as you spill his insides.”

“Jesus, you’re vicious,” Winter laughed,
knowing that he would do the same thing.

“He deserves worse,” Dane added, nodding
toward Nova. “She’s worth fighting for, and I’m glad you finally
got off your ass and touched her.”

“I was once human, Dane,” Winter sighed
heavily. “I wanted to fall in love with her and not have this
animal instinct decide for me.”

“When are you going to learn that there is
nothing human about you anymore?” Dane asked. “Once you were
turned, you became the beast. The beast rules you, and you know
this.”

“I know that now,” Winter replied, pushing
off of the wall. “Excuse me, but I think I need to go see my
mate.”

Dane didn’t say anything else, and Winter
knew his friend was right. This beast inside was what ruled him
now. No longer a human, he had to accept the wildness that coursed
through his veins. Liberty often called it “magical mojo” and he
would actually agree that she was right to use that term. What
happened to them during a shift was actually magical. It was the
only way to explain their existence.

“Hey,” Winter said, wrapping his arms around
his mate. He inhaled and purred softly when his mating scent
blended with the scent of the coconut shampoo she used. That scent
alone would always trigger a response from him whenever she was
near. He felt his cock stir behind his fly and he willed it to
stop. They were in the alpha’s home surrounded by others and now
just wasn’t the time.

“Hey yourself,” she smiled, turning in his
arms.

“All of the pride is going to shift,” he
announced. “I’m not going to leave you unprotected. So, I’m staying
behind.”

“I don’t want you to miss out on that,” she
said, frowning.

“It’s okay.” He smiled, leaning in to kiss
her lips. “I’d rather stay here with you anyway.”

“Can I see you shift?” she asked, nibbling
on her bottom lip. He reached up with his thumb and pulled it free
from her teeth.

“You’ve never seen him, have you?” Winter
asked. In all of the times that he’d been in charge of protecting
her, he usually stayed in human form. Only late at night would he
shift to check for scents on her land.

“No,” she answered. “But I would love to see
him.”

“I’ll shift, but stay here with you,” Winter
replied, pulling Nova to the side as a few of the teenagers in the
pride filed out of the dining room.

“I don’t want to keep you from your
friends,” she frowned.

“Come,” he ordered, taking her hand and
pulling her out to the back porch.

Guardians and other members of the pride
followed them, Liberty and Talon followed not too long afterward.
Everyone started slipping out of their clothing just as the sun was
setting. Nova didn’t watch the others, and he was glad her eyes
didn’t roam. Although the pride had no problem with nudity, Winter
didn’t want her seeing his brothers in their bare skin.

“Are you ready?” he asked, a small thrill
shooting through him. His vision changed when Nova smiled and
nodded. Winter pulled his shirt over his head and handed the
material to his mate. “Stand back until I am done.”

“Will you know me?” she asked, worrying her
bottom lip again.

“We will always know you, my mate,” he
whispered, leaning in to capture her lips. As soon as he stepped
back, Winter dropped his jeans to his ankles and let his panther
rush to the surface.