Page 14 of Wolf Claimed
He stared down the path that led behind the gymnasium, in the direction of her scent trail. And Tiernan’s. Rafe couldn’t continue torturing himself like this, intruding on the two with the hope that somehow he could have her for more than just a few stolen moments. Tiernan’s life was at stake, and Rafe had to back away.
Rafe’s wolf growled at him, pushing him to ignore the duty of an alpha and claim his female. He was raised to watch over those under his protection. Right now, his team was his pack. That meant doing whatever it took to save Tiernan.
And yet he now had a duty to Artemis as well. As a human, she didn’t understand their ways, and Tiernan hadn’t explained the blood-bond. That had led to a scene in the mess hall, one that had embarrassed Artemis, maybe compromised her position among the other humans.
The wind shifted, carrying the sweet smell of her arousal away from Rafe and toward the woods east of the compound. A pained howl came from that direction. Grief. Rafe had heard such howls before, when the virus struck his pack and claimed nearly two dozen shifters. Those who had lost blood-bonded mates had howled long into the night.
The rest of the shifters were in the mess hall.
That howl belonged to Maddox.
* * *
ALYSSA
Stabilizethe wolf
Permanently bound to a shifter.
No going back.
Alyssa didn’t pull away from Tiernan, as his words turned over and over in her head. He continued touching her, making it hard to think straight. She felt whole with him, or as close to whole as she’d ever been. But the idea of committing to him, being linked to him forever, was a lot to process.
Tiernan’s lips glided down her neck, reaching the top of her left breast. He tugged at her blouse, and her panties grew wet with the memory of last night. She wanted to strip and let him have his way with her, again, and again, and again, but she’d been putty in his hands in the boathouse. What if he asked her to blood-bond during sex? Would she be able to sayno? She didn’t know what she wanted, but the thought of being permanently attached to him by some bond she couldn’t see or control unnerved her.
“I have to think about it,” she said.
“Think about what?” he said as he lifted his head. He hadn’t been thinking about the blood-bond. That pleased her, to know he’d been lost in her and not what he really wanted from her. . . a lifetime bond.
Why didn’t she just sayno, tell him the truth, that she wasn’t ready for a permanent commitment? There was so much good in him, honesty, integrity, patience, and he was sexy as hell. Even now, she had trouble keeping her hands off of him. And she loved, absolutelyloved, how he touched her. But making one another feel good wasn’t love. At least she didn’t think it was. She was no longer sure what love was. Her idea of love had been shattered when her father. . . She shook her head, refusing to go there. This was Tiernan, and he was nothing like that bastard.
“I was talking about the blood-bond. I have to think about it.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you get used to the idea.”
“It’s more than that. You don’t know me well enough. Or my past, Tiernan. Shouldn’t two people who blood-bond know everything there is to know about one another?” He would run from her once she told him about her past. That would certainly solve this blood-bond dilemma, except Tiernan needed this bond, and she wasn’t ready to lose him.
“I know you, the part of you that matters,” he said. “Your past is just that. In the past.”
She wasn’t sure what to say.
“Look, Alyssa, I realize this is all very new to you, which is why I won’t rush you, but you should know that at some point, I’ll literally be out of time. Once I lose control to my wolf, it will be too late.”
“I need time,” she said, trailing a finger over his lips.
“That’s just it. I don’t know how much time I have.” He pulled her in against him, wrapped his arms around her, and held her until her nerves calmed. Even as he kissed the top of her head, she knew deep down that this was where she was meant to be, and yet something felt as if it was missing. Each day, she found herself thinking of Maddox and Rafe more and more, as if Tiernan weren’t enough. That had to be a red flag against agreeing to a life-time bond.
She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she knew one thing. Anyone who attempted to put Tiernan down would have to get past her and her Glock.
“Come on, we should get back,” Tiernan said, playfully tugging on her hair. “There’s a briefing at 0900 in Lecture Hall A from the guy taking over for Graves.”
“0900? Since when do you talk military time?”
“Since I thought it might impress you.”
She placed her hand on his chest, trying not to caress him too much. Feeling those thick corded muscles already stirred her body. Her nipples hardened and her lower region pulsed with need.
“You smell divine,” he whispered in her ear as his hand curved over her ribs down to the top of her pants. A moment later, he popped open the button and lowered the zipper.
