Wolf Bite (16 page)

Finally, she said, “You’re safe then? No longer Lone Wolf?”

“Safe is relative.” He didn’t sugarcoat it. “I have a pack to heal and to establish rule over. That will take time. But, no, I am definitely
not
Lone Wolf anymore.”

“That’s—good, right?”
Was it?
Mason would be in Willow Bend. Their child wouldn’t get him killed.
Their child.
Mason’s and hers.

“It protects you, so that is all that I need it to be.” He caressed her cheek, thumbing away tears she hadn’t even realized she’d been shedding. “There’s more, Lexi. You’re pregnant—”

A giggle escaped on a sob. “I already knew that.”

“You’re also my mate.” The firmness with which he said it made it sound as much a fact as the first. “You have
always
been my mate. All that remains is for me to claim you and for you to accept.”

It was an information overload. She couldn’t quite process everything. “I’m not a wolf. I can’t be your mate.”

“Your mother wasn’t a wolf when Ryan claimed her.” Patient. So very, very patient, but his gaze was unswerving. “You’ve been mine since the first day I saw you. I didn’t know what it meant then and I didn’t realize what it meant when I left. You have always been my only regret. When I found you in Dallas…I couldn’t have walked away if I tried.”

“Bullshit.” she scowled. “You did walk away. You didn’t even say goodbye. Twice.”

“I came back,” he admitted, not disputing her charge. “I kept coming back. I don’t think I could ever have truly gone.”

“Well,” she sniffed. “I didn’t
know
that, did I?”

He sighed. “No. And you have a right to be angry. No mate deserves to be treated that way and, I swear to you, I will never do it again.”

“Damn right you won’t.” She caught his face in her hands and went to nose to nose. “Because, if you do? I’ll break both your arms.”

He kissed her, a long, slow greeting that made her heart sing and she clung to him. When he finally released her, they both panted. “I love you, Alexis Huston. You belong to me…”

She opened her mouth to say yes, but he touched his fingers to her lips.

“You need to know the third and final thing before you agree to my claim, because I believe you
must
know and I won’t let there be any untruths between us.” Now he scared her. What could make him look so sad?

“What?”

“Humans can become wolves, typically through a bite.”

She nodded. This wasn’t news to her. She wasn’t entirely certain she was ready for that type of commitment, but it wasn’t anathema to her anymore either. All she wanted was Mason and their child. “We can figure that out later, after the baby.” No way she would consider turning at the moment, anyway.

Pain flickered across his expression. “Alexis, biting is not the only way a human can become a wolf. The baby you’re carrying—our child—is a wolf.”

Cold iced her spine.

“You’re already turning.”

The world went fuzzy and gray around the edges and Mason’s face swam in her vision.

“It’s a long, slow brutal process. We cannot speed it up because it could hurt both of you.” His voice deepened, grew rougher. “I spoke to the healer. We can terminate the pregnancy, try to halt the transformation or at least without the baby, we can do the bite which would make it easier for you.”

The rushing in her ears blotted out the sound. She shook her head violently. “No.” She would not terminate him or her. “No,” she said more vehemently. “I can’t. I love this baby.”

“I do, too.” And suddenly the sadness in his eyes made sense. He didn’t want to offer the suggestion. It hurt him to even bring it up, but she meant more to him. All her anger with him evaporated and she kissed him.

He meant more to her, too. She chose him, she wanted him. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love both of you and I choose both of you. No matter what happens.”

A wrenching in her chest robbed her of air, and she clung to Mason as the world shuddered beneath them and spun out. Joy filled her, sudden, and inescapable joy and she started laughing. It was a whole lot like being drunk, but she could feel him—everywhere, inside and out. They held onto each other and he rained kisses down on her face.

“Mine,” he whispered.

Buoyed by the simple, inescapable closeness, she closed her eyes and drank in the feel of him. She’d never be alone again. Mason had nested right next to her heart, where he belonged. Until that moment, she hadn’t even realized how hollow she’d been without him.

“It’s going to be hard, baby,” he told her. “These next few months? But you will pull on me for everything you need.”

She didn’t understand and didn’t pretend she did. “I don’t care how hard it is. I have you and we’re together. We’ll figure everything else out.”

Catching her chin, his gaze bored into hers. “But you may not die. Do you understand me? You are not
allowed
to die.”

“I’m a very stubborn woman, Mason, and I’ve
never
left you.” She wouldn’t this time, either. When his mouth closed over hers, she knew they were done talking for that night. When he carried her into the bedroom, she paused and stared at the wooden headboard. “I really hope you already ordered a new one.”

His laughter sent her pulse skyrocketing and filled her with joy.

Seven months later…
 

The months passed swiftly, some better than others. Lexi’s strength came and went, but she didn’t let it stop her laughter. The more dour and concerned he grew, the harder she teased him. No regret burdened her, which he knew not only because she told him, but because he could feel it through the mate bond. Their connection deepened every day, weaving her into his soul where she was meant to be.

His wolf loved her every bit as much as he did. He shifted whenever she asked, sometimes repeatedly. He knew she studied his shifts, tried to understand them. Though she was an adept pupil, when the time came her body would know what to do.

The pack hadn’t fully settled, but they’d not rejected him as Alpha. Far from it, all of the Hunters had sworn to him as had most of the civilian population. Ryan’s support had been invaluable and the fact that Toman’s mate still lived may have helped, too. He kept her in her home, refusing to supplant her. Instead, he’d returned to his parents’ home.

It suited Lexi and him fine.

Lexi also won over a good portion of the pack. The dominants in particular worried over his mate. They showered her in affection. Her best friend showed up in their living room three days after Lexi accepted his claim. Nyssa gave her a hard time—for all of five minutes—and then the two were thick as thieves again. Everything in his life seemed perfect, save for the ticking clock toward her delivery.

She leaned on him as he’d demanded. He felt her pulling energy from him more and more. The healers, both the senior and her apprentice, took shifts, staying at his home. Wherever Lexi went, one of them did as well. Everyone held their breath and waited.

Their daughter entered the world at four o’clock in the morning after a swift and brutal labor not even his healers could ease. Lexi was so drawn and wan by the time the baby released her first scream, he found himself frantically pushing energy down their bond.

“You stay with me,” he ordered her. “You will not die.”

Ryan and Tiffany were in the room. Tiffany took charge of the baby and the healers flanked him—their hands covered his on Alexis’ and Ryan covered theirs. But Alexis continued to fade, her eyes closed. She’d lost so much blood, been so tired, and her poor body had already been through so much.

No.
His wolf was as frantic as he. They couldn’t lose her. “Alexis Clayborne, you open your eyes right now. Do you hear me? I forbid you to die.” He wanted to give her everything, but it wasn’t enough. Suddenly, deep his soul, the pack sang. He needed and they’d answered.

It came from everywhere and flooded through him, crashing into his system. He shoved it all down the mate bond. Alexis’ eyes opened, their deep brown melted to pure gold and she screamed. They let her go, because her bones snapped and her muscles shifted. Her cry went on and on and ended with a howl. A black wolf, tipped with silver, sank down on the bed, panting, and laughter rolled through the room.

Mason dropped to his knees and pressed his face to hers. “Good girl,” he whispered. “Good girl.” She nuzzled him and swiped his cheek once with her tongue. Lifting his head he chuckled. “For once, you did exactly as you were told.”

She snapped at him.
Don’t push it.

Another laugh burst free and he turned his head to see their daughter. She looked like her mother, all waving fists and loud cries.

Now, his life was perfect.

Coming next in the Wolves of Willow Bend
 

Caged Wolf
 

Triplets, the Buckley brothers were inseparable until everything went wrong one violent, bloody night. A.J. Buckley, the eldest of the triplets faced a human trial for the brutal murder. Found guilty, he was sentenced to twenty-five to life. Without argument or regret, he accepted the sentence. After six years in prison, A.J.’s conviction is overturned on a technicality and he returns to Willow Bend to face a new Alpha, and fresh charges…

Vivian Knox, only witness to the murder, refused to testify in the human courtroom and spent a year in prison on contempt charges. When she was released, she worked tirelessly to free A.J., finally locating a loophole. Satisfied with his freedom, the last thing she expected was to be kidnapped to the back of beyond where another judge demands she testify to what she saw that night—and this time, contempt is the least of her problems.

Only four people know exactly what happened and none are talking—when Pack Law threatens Vivian, A.J. will stake his claim—but his wolf might be too damaged to help him…

The following is an unedited sneak peek!
 

Two thousand, one hundred, and ninety one days, three hundred and twelve weeks, seventy-four agonizing full moons—the full sum of his previous six years since he’d been consigned to hell weighed upon A.J. Buckley. He faced a courtroom as they dangled the bait of freedom. Dressed in a new suit he hadn’t purchased that still stank of human tailors barely registered. Not even the presence of a dominant male wolf acting as his attorney ruffled him. He sat without comment or expression as they debated his future.

What did he care? They’d taken him out of the cage, dressed him, shackled him, and shuffled him into the heart of human justice. They should have left him alone, but even on that point he could barely bring himself to react. Ryan Huston appeared at his prison, ordered him into clothes, then accompanied him to the court house. He went because he was told.

When they were done, he would go back because he’d been told.

“Your Honor. The following affidavits signed and certified by the Medical Examiner, his assistant, and one crime scene tech state the police failed to properly preserve the crime scene prior to their arrival and continued to contaminate the scene during the investigation thereby obstructing justice.”  Ryan Huston touched the folder on his desk. “The expert testimony of these witnesses was certified by the prosecution during the initial trial.”

The judge was an older man with a stern visage. He flipped through the papers in front of him and glanced from Ryan to the men in suits at the opposing table. “Mr. Langfield, Mr. Huston is correct. You certified all of these witnesses as experts, which means their affidavits are also certifiable to this court.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Mr. Langfield sounded particularly glum about the subject. The faint odors of bleach drowned out the sour note of his disdain. Or maybe it was the lemon polish the cleaning staff had used on the wooden table and fixtures throughout the room. Both burned his nose.

“Why wasn’t this testimony compelled during the original trial, Mr. Huston?”

“The witnesses were never asked, Your Honor. Their testimony and reports were given, and only the facts of those findings were questioned, not the condition in which the evidence was collected nor the interference of the police officers on scene.”

The prosecutor hurled words into the air, but they still sounded pro forma. “Objection, Your Honor. Relies on speculation.”

“I thought these three were all involved in the processing of the scene and the body?” The judge’s inquiry was met by icy silence, then the prosecutor nodded. When the jurist continued to ask questions, A.J. stopped listening. He didn’t give a damn about the squabbling over the bones of this information. What good did it do?

Ryan answered several questions, never resuming his seat. On his feet, he commanded attention. Why Toman chose this moment to send the pack’s attorney to liberate him escaped A.J. Maybe his task wasn’t to liberate, maybe it was simply to tease. What else could his alpha do except dangle the opportunity of escape then snatch it away?

He could kill me.
That action, however, would be a gift. One he didn’t think Toman would bestow upon him. He hadn’t when A.J. had been arrested. He hadn’t during the trial. He hadn’t when they’d thrown him into the cage and locked the door.

No, the alpha of Willow Bend had simply ignored him. Exile would have been kinder. Death would have been easier. Cool, creamy strawberries with a bite of chill teased his nostrils. A.J. jerked his attention from the distance to focus on the room. Like a promise of refreshment, the fruity scent stroked his senses evoking the memories of hot summer days, and a treat to escape the heat.

“Mr. Huston, are you prepared to present these witnesses to the court for cross-examination?”

“Yes, Your Honor. They are waiting outside.”

A shuffle of movement, a halting panicked breath of air and A.J. turned his head a fraction. She sat in the back of the courtroom, her wan expression too pale and sallow beneath her natural skin tone. No longer supple and lithe, she looked as though all the vitality had been drained from her. Skin stretched over her cheekbones too tautly. Her caramel eyes were large, and the pupils constricted.