Page 15 of Pack to the Wall

“I felt your warmth. It seemed to fill me and calm me and…” She swallowed again. “I know it sounds forward, but I can’t explain it. I just want to…”

Kira broke the moment. “It’s the fated bond. It’ll make you wanna fuck like bunnies. You may not be there yet, but you’re starting to feel it. Once you become a wolf it’ll be stronger and when you’re in heat it’ll be nearly impossible to resist.”

“In heat?” Jane’s eyes went wide. “That happens?”

Kira gave a sour smile. “How else do you think I ended up with three kids from a bastard of a man.”

“Are you fated too?” Jane asked the older woman.

“Hell no! But the heat still affects non-fated females.”

“Oh.”

The bikes were starting to quiet outside.

“If you want any privacy, you’d better claim us now,” Tyson said, and I heard the expectant pull of his voice. He wanted to feel the touch of her lips as much as I did.

“You two, get to your rooms, now!” Kira said from behind me, telling Jane’s cubs to scram before the pack arrived.

Jane rose from behind the dining table. Tyson got up as well and we came to her in turns. Tyson, of course, went first. Jane may have been a bit taller than average, but Tyson still towered over her. He bent down, taking her face in both hands as she tilted her head back to meet his lips.

The kiss was soft… for a moment, then something inside both of them seemed to break and they both pushed in, opening, heavy breaths escaping from the sides of their merged lips. It looked like it took an extreme effort for Tyson to pull back, both of them breathing hard.

“Later,” he whispered, to a flushed and trembling Jane.

“Promise.” It wasn’t a question. It was her promise to him that they’d pick that up later.

She turned to me, her chest still heaving, full bust straining against the sheer fabric of her blouse. Yet that didn’t captivate me as much as her eyes. I lost myself in those large caramel-brown depths.

I wasn’t as tall as Tyson, so neither of us had to bend too far to find each other’s lips. She closed her eyes, head back, lips poised. I took in that submissive posture for just a moment before I dipped down to press my lips against her soft, smooth ones. We weren’t fated. I didn’t know howshefelt, but I’d already lost myself in this woman. She seemed to be a confounding set of contradictions: soft but hard, vulnerable but determined, weak of body but strong in will, tentative but confident. I didn’t understand her, not yet, but I knew, in my soul, Ineededher.

Her arms slid around my neck, pulling me down. I couldn’t help myself. I surrounded her body in my strong embrace. My lips left hers and I kissed her throat, over her pulse. She let out a soft breathy moan, spiking my arousal. Then she kissed my neck and it was nearly too much for me.

I lifted away to whisper, “your teeth,” and she opened her mouth, raking her teeth over my throat in a mock bite.

My turn to gasp. I shuddered with soul-gripping submission. Her scent told me we belonged together and now her bite — even if it hadn’t been a true bite — had claimed me. I was hers, now and forever. My mate. My cock was instantly rock hard and ready, just in case she wished to have me now.

I blinked away those thoughts. She wouldn’t be thinking like a cat. She may not even know what she’d just done. It was torture to step back from her, but I wouldn’t force myself on her. Also, she was fated to Tyson and I wouldn’t get in the middle of that. Not unless both of them wanted me there.

Jane smiled, blinking up at me, with a breathy, “wow.” Then she drew a long breath before moving on to Colt. He was a mountain of a man, even taller than Tyson. He bent low while Jane tilted her head all the way back and they met in the middle. The young buck’s kiss was hard and playful, like the man himself.

But I was only peripherally aware of her kiss with the large man. My thoughts were still tumbling around in my head. I’d never thought I’d have a mate. I was a lion in a pack of wolves. There wasn’t anyone here who’d want me. But this woman, this perfect creature… I had to have her, had to give myself to her. I’d do anything for her.

My heart thundered with the strength of my commitment. Yet still, I knew my dedication could only go as far as serving her. As Tyson’s fated, she wasn’t for me. I hoped I could live with that.

Jane and Colt broke apart as the front door slammed open.

Jane stepped back, adjusting herself, flushed and flustered.

“Take off your fucking boots. Now!” Kira roared at those coming in.

And so, it began.

COLT

I clenchedand unclenched my fist behind my back. I didn’t want Jane to see how frustrated I was. I could have killed whoever had come in and interrupted our glorious kiss.

I hardly knew this woman, but right now, I knew enough. I knew her lips were soft and her face angelic. I knew her scent of lush spring grass and sun-on-skin stirred something deep within me. I knew she was ready to fight against overwhelming odds to survive. I could see her iron will, hidden behind uncertainty and terror. And it was plain as day to me that she was fated for Tyson.

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