Page 27 of Gabe's Lone Wolf

“Of course,” Simon said and motioned the other guys to fan out so we surrounded Lockhart. Taylor had given Eliza the shirt I’d brought along for her, and she slipped it over her head while I stood there. I’d hoped it would soothe some of my anger once I saw her wearing my clothes, wrapped in my scent, but all I saw was the blood that still stained her throat, and nothing less that Lockhart’s blood would satisfy me now.

“No one interferes unless he tries to run. Then I only want you to toss his ass back into the circle.”

“Done,” Hannibal replied for all of them.

I stepped closer, and Anthony and Hannibal moved around until they stood in a loose circle around Lockhart and me. Eliza was safe between Simon and Taylor. That was all I needed to see before I focused completely on the alphahole who’d taken my mate.

“I’m going to shred you.”

“Fuck you,” Lockhart sneered, rising to his feet.

“Skin or fur?”

He gave no warning. Merely took a leap and shifted mid-air. I expected no less from a male who’d treat a woman the way he’d treated Eliza. A male who’d take another wolf’s mate and draw blood. I was ready for him. I caught his wolf with my fist when he was almost on the ground, flipping him through the air back the way he’d come. Then I gave a snarl of my own and shifted to meet him.

It was a clash of claws and teeth as we crashed together. I swiped my claws down his side even as my teeth snapped at his ear, ripping a chunk out and tossing it aside. He yowled, backing up and shaking his head, blood spraying as he seemed to mentally assess the damage I’d done. Then he charged again, using more brute force and muscle than skill, and I easily moved to the side, dragging my claws down the same side I had moments ago, deepening the slashes I’d already put there.

How was this male the alpha of any pack? He didn’t have the compassion, intellect, or battle skills to lead himself much less a pack of wolves. He stumbled, nearly losing his footing, and I knew he felt the burn of what I’d done. His chest heaved, his coat showing a stream of red on one side. It wasn’t enough.

I snarled, baring my teeth in challenge and waited for him to charge again. I wasn’t disappointed. I could toy with him, but there was no reason to. My mate waited for me, and I needed to feel her in my arms. To trace every groove and curve and assure myself she was whole and okay.

I met him this time, closing my jaws over his throat and flinging him to the ground. I followed him down. Using one paw to dig deeper at the cuts I’d made while I bit down, teeth shredding through fur and sinew as I bore down through muscle. Lockhart fought, unwilling to go down easily, but it was too little too late. He’d been dead from the moment he’d taken my mate.

His yelp of pain echoed, and still, I held tightly. There was no mercy for a man who’d shown none himself. I locked my front paws in place and shook my head. Cam’s yelp turned high pitched, and I knew it for what it was. A death cry. He knew what was coming.

Warm blood spilled over my snout, filling my mouth and staining my teeth as I ripped and shredded, not stopping until silence hung heavy in the air and the body at my feet had quit kicking and lay still in death. I finally released him, growls rumbling from my chest to my throat. I tossed my head back and howled my victory to the world. I’d defended my mate. My pack joined me, their human voices joining my wolf.

Finally, I lowered my gaze and zeroed in on my mate. Eliza. I prowled toward her, and she ran to meet me, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around me. I hated seeing Lockhart’s blood marring her perfection, but she wouldn’t release me. She sobbed, her tears soaking into me, and I shifted, wolf returning to man. I scooped her up and carried her away, moving through the dense cover of trees until we had a semblance of privacy.

“I need you.”

My voice was rough, deep, as the adrenaline surge from battle still pumped through me. My cock stood out from my body, eager to stake the claim of victory.

“God, yes,” Eliza agreed, shuddering against me.

She tore my shirt over her head and tossed it on the ground before turning and getting on her hands and knees atop it. She presented her lush ass to me, arching her back, so I could see how wet and ready for me she was. Then she glanced over her shoulder, her gaze commanding mine.

“Take me,” she urged. “Show me who my warrior is. Claim me as your spoils.”

I growled as I fell to my knees behind her, not feeling anything but the silky softness of her skin as I grasped her hips and pulled her into me. My cock slapped along her back before I gripped it and tugged it lower to her opening. Slipping it along her drenched folds, I coated myself in her natural lubrication.

“Plant your hands,” I warned then tapped my cock against her entrance before lodging the crown inside.

One hard thrust and I was buried deep, her cry of pleasure spilling from her lips. My hands were rough on her hips, and I knew she’d bear marks from my fingers, but I couldn’t seem to lighten my grip. It wasn’t about staking a claim. Eliza was mine, and I was hers. Nothing would change that. Instead, it was about reminding us both that someone had tried to tear us apart, and we had survived. We’d won. In the end, we were still standing while the blood of our enemy coated us.

She dropped lower, resting her head on one forearm while she reached back with her other hand and sank her nails in my thigh, urging me on. I fucked hard, fast, deep. It should have calmed me, but it only revved me higher. And I needed more.

“Don’t stop!” Eliza cried, but I was already moving.

I pulled out, lifting her and rolling so that I was on my back and she rose over me.

“Ride me,” I commanded, and I palmed her breasts, squeezing and lifting them as my thumbs strummed across her nipples.

She grasped my cock and held it up, notching it in place before pushing down until she was fully seated. She dropped her hands behind her, bracing them on my thighs while she moved. Where I had been hard and rough, she was slow and easy. Where my rhythm had been fast and deep, she took her time. Where I’d fucked, she made love. She soothed and enticed, and she owned me with every stroke of her channel along my shaft. With every crooning sound that came from her throat.

“You came for me,” she whispered, echoing the words she’d uttered when I’d first arrived.

“I’ll always come for you.”

---