Page 57 of Wolf Claimed
Okay, he’d give in a little. Take what she offered. But he wasn’t letting her leave without him, and they wouldn’t head toward the training center and all the trouble that awaited her there.
The way she looked up at him, large hazel eyes so full of hope and trust, he nearly lost his load. Fuck, he’d do anything for this female.
When he petted her hair, she moaned and closed her eyes, falling into a lust-filled haze. He knew the feeling, except his feelings for her had soared past lust a while ago.
She sped up, bobbing on and off of his cock. The pressure built quickly until he couldn’t take it any longer.
“Gonna come,” he warned, but that only made her suck harder. She was killing him, and he loved every second of it. Her nails dug into his ass and he lost control, releasing down her throat. She licked her tongue along his length in one final sensual image that he’d never forget.
As she sat back on her thighs, looking very submissive, he wanted to save Tiernan for her, even if the shifter wasn’t worth saving. But he was, damn it.
Maddox bent down and pulled her to her feet. “I want to return the favor if you’ll let me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, looking rather coy.
“Because I don’t think you’ll let me near you once I tell you that there’s no fucking way I’m letting you go after Tiernan.”
Tears filled her eyes as she laid her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, realizing he needed to feel that love as much as she needed him to love her.
“It’s not fair,” she said.
“No, it isn’t.”
“Tiernan—”
“He knew what would happen when he came here. You gave him hope and a chance, Alyssa. That’s more than he had when he arrived. And his last act was to protect you. That’s something a shifter can be proud of.”
Maddox suddenly jerked straight up as his wolf bit him. He’d heard something. “Someone’s in the bakeshop below,” he said as he opened the door. “Lock the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone.”
“You didnotjust tell me to stay here while you go off and fight.”
He glared at her. “I’m a guard. Let me do what I was trained to do.”
“Same here. Let me do whatIwas trained to do.”
He shifted. There was no time to argue with her. He’d just have to keep an eye on her and trust that she didn’t hesitate to shoot if he was in the way. If there was more than one shifter down there, more than likely she wouldn’t get a clean shot because he sure as hell wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing while they attacked.
She followed behind his wolf, descending the stairs slowly with her gun drawn. They both froze when the damn wooden steps creaked. So much for not alerting whoever was below.
“Keep going,” she whispered. “I’ve got your back.”
He liked having her at his back, but he’d like it better if she were somewhere safe.
Once they made it downstairs to the bakeshop’s kitchen, Maddox’s wolf scented the air. Aside from the scent of stale, moldy flour and rodent droppings, he couldn’t detect anyone in the shop. The air remained stagnant, giving him no way of identifying who, how many, or where the intruders lurked. Maddox’s wolf’s hackles rose from his neck down to his tail. This felt like a trap.
He backed up toward the rear exit, and Alyssa followed his cue. As quietly as she could, she pushed the door open, but the metal release bar squeaked and Maddox heard the low growl from the front of the shop.
With the door open, Maddox pushed Alyssa outside hard enough that she stumbled and couldn’t grab the door before it slammed shut and locked her out. Maddox had remained in the shop, relieved that she could not re-enter. She’d hate him for tricking her like that, but her safety was his top priority. If he survived, he’d find a way to apologize to her.
As he turned, he finally scented the enemy, just as the bright yellow and blue eyes of three wolf shifters appeared in front of him.
Chapter Fifteen
RAFE
Rafe’s wolf followed the trail, not Tiernan’s, but four shifters who descended on an abandoned town. With no wind, Rafe couldn’t say for sure what they were tracking, but instinct told him it was Artemis. They’d become too obsessed with using her as bait to draw out her father.
While Rafe would gladly join them in any plot against her father, he wouldn’t use her. She was innocent. More than innocent. She was Rafe’s. Or would be, if he weren’t his pack’s alpha heir. He had no brother or cousin ready to take over as alpha when his father stepped down. His sister would be a savvy alpha, but his father would never permit her to rule. That left him and him alone to lead his pack one day. His alpha and his pack depended on him. As did this treaty. At some point, he’d have to take Artemis back to the DSA to finish their investigation, but not without brokering some type of deal to ensure her safety first.
