Page 15 of Harvest

“As I said, our new assistant vintner is a she-wolf from Marco DeMedici’s pack. She got into the city yesterday. Apparently, she’s in the lifestyle and wanted to visit Torch Light. She wanted a session and we negotiated it,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Did something go wrong? And even if it did, what is she doing up in your room?”

“Everything went very right, but she’s being difficult and thought she’d seek her new alpha’s protection.”

“From my beta?”

“The fact that I’m the beta to her new pack never came up mainly because she was too freaked out about the whole fated mate thing.”

Damian tried to stifle his laughter and failed.

“Not funny, Damian. I have to say it came as a bit of a surprise to me as well. I guess I thought turned wolves didn’t have a fated mate.”

“What made you think that? Doesn’t matter. So, she’s your fated mate and not deliriously happy at the prospect?”

“That about sums it up. I think the idea of her fated mate also being her Dom was a bit more than she could handle. I woke up and she’d bolted. Thankfully she came here.”

“Did you mark her?” Damian asked.

“I thought I’d wait to get your blessing.”

“Don’t be stupid. You have it.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me to prove it or give her the opportunity to run?”

Damian shook his head. “It’s a silly tradition because no she-wolf ever got out of a fated pairing that way. And if you say she’s your fated mate, she is. I’d rather have you mark her and if Marco tries to argue the matter, we’re on firmer ground. Get out of here and go see to your mate. I’ll leave you alone to get her right with it unless it becomes an issue.”

“Thanks, Damian. Hopefully this won’t prove to be a huge issue.”

“I doubt it. Marco’s pretty traditional.”

Xander put his coffee cup down on the counter and turned to leave.

“Your fated mate, huh?” asked Damian.

“Yeah. I didn’t get it until the feeling hit me like a semi out on the highway. It’s pretty amazing and I have to tell you I will never give you shit about waiting for yours ever again. Don’t settle Damian. Wait for her. If mine was out there, so is yours.”

“From your lips…” said Damian with a smile. “Go see to your mate.”

Xander left the kitchen and headed up to his mate. Well, that had gone better than he thought it might.

Stephanie was awakened by a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach and the buzzing of bees. Shit, he was here. Stephanie jumped up and ran into the attached bath, closing and locking the door. Maybe he wouldn’t know she was here.

The door opened and closed. The dizziness and feeling of being off kilter increased. So much for that idea. Stephanie could feel the rising anger and lust as it pulsed through his system. She was well aware that a wolf in the grips of the call of his fated mate was easily enraged and wouldn’t even think twice about forcing her vows from her.

His call to her was palpable. It skittered across her skin, seeping through her pores to the marrow of her bones and racing through her system, bonding with her blood. Desire swirled in her belly and settled in her nether regions. She closed her eyes and tried to find a calm center but was unable to do so. Why had she run in here naked? The last thing she needed was for him to find her in that state. Why had he felt like he could enter her room? Suddenly a gut-wrenching thought crossed her brain. She looked at the massive bath and realized it contained a large closet.

Opening the door, she had to grab the doorframe to keep her knees from buckling. On the far wall there was another set of leathers and numerous D/s implements—whips, a weighted flogger, crops, paddles, a thick strap of some sort. Oh shit, not only was Master Alex a member of her new pack, but she’d also been shown to his room, which meant there were others who knew he was her fated mate.

“Stephanie, would you like to come out of the bath?” he crooned.

“Not particularly,” she answered.

“That was a rhetorical question. Let’s try again. Get your ass out of there.”

Lust and anger thickened his tone of voice and seemed to wrap around her internal organs and squeeze. She stood and watched as he tried the doorknob. Finding it locked, she was fascinated as his hand came through the door in a kind of slow motion, unlocked it and opened it. Master Alex… no Alex, she wasn’t going to call him Master… strode in. He filled the entire frame. He was enormous as was the bulge at the front of his pants.

Stephanie shifted into her wolf and crouched low, growling menacingly.

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