Page 14 of Curvy Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #4)

With Mabel held tightly against my chest, I glare at the elders through the wide windows around the cabin’s living area. They’ve set themselves up as sentries at every corner, and I notice for the first time that the windows are solid, thick panes of glass that don’t open.

This place is a fortress—or a prison.

Fury rages through me, and my body feels so strong, I could tear through the big stone bricks that make up the cabin walls. I even scan my eyes across the floor, wondering if I could break out that way, but it’s solid stone as well.

I hear Serra talking out front, telling Ivan and Hector to stay and guard us. Eileen also volunteers to stay. The others say they are going back to town to deal with “the situation.”

What situation? What the fuck is going on?

In the six months I lived here by myself, the place was weird but not creepy. It was only after Mabel arrived that I started to get spooky feelings, and the behavior of the others notched up to outright freaky.

It was seeing Mabel this morning that flipped them all out, too. Is it her? Something about Mabel specifically?

My arms tighten around her, and a low growl echoes in my throat. I’ll never let anyone harm her, no matter what freaky rituals they live by out here.

Clues dance around in my mind, tantalizingly close to knitting together, but not quite enough to bring me to a conclusion.

It must have something to do with having a luna—and how my mother died.

A cold rush of fear chills my blood, swiftly followed by shame.

I brought Mabel here! I’m just as bad as those wicked elders!

I try to convince myself I’m not, because I didn’t know. But on some level, I did. I knew it wasn’t safe here, and the way the energy of the place changed when Mabel arrived should have warned me.

Now we’re in danger, locked up in this fucking cabin, at their mercy! What the hell are we going to do?

I loosen my arms around Mabel, intending to go to the door and yell at Ivan for a bit. Mabel clings to me, her breath shuddering in and out as tears flow down her cheeks.

“Don’t let me go, Xavier—please!” she begs.

“Okay,” I murmur, stroking her hair. “I won’t.”

“What’s happening? Why are they doing this?”

“I don’t know.”

Mabel trembles violently, laying her cheek against my chest. Slowly, her breathing evens out, and I feel her body relax.

“Do you want to sit down?” I ask.

She nods, and I hold her hand as we walk over to the couch. Ivan and Hector are in clear view through both windows, and she glares at them.

“I thought the windows were double-plated to keep the heat in,” she says. “And it didn’t surprise me that they couldn’t be opened. This is the coldest part of the Range, and I never thought twice about it.”

“It’s not like either of us would have guessed it’s a prison,” I mutter. “But now that we’re locked in here, it all makes sense. There are no gaps in security, anywhere.”

“I don’t think it’s designed to keep people in,” she says. “I think it’s to keep something out. Didn’t you say your dad lived up here alone?”

“Yeah, he did. He’s written a lot of journals and stuff that I haven’t had a chance to go through.”

“Do you know what they’re about?”

“I’ve only seen some personal observations on weather, star charts, and seasons so far. Nothing relevant to this.”

Mabel looks out the window, where Ivan has turned his back on us. “Poor Dove,” she whispers. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I answer. “I heard screaming, and I went to chase it down. I got halfway across the clearing when the others caught up to me.”

For a moment, I wonder if I should tell Mabel about the other sounds I heard. Then I decide she doesn’t really need to know about those.

I’m not even really sure what I heard. Did something really eat Dove, or was I just keyed up and imagining things?

“Did you see it?” Mabel asks.

I shake my head. “No. There was a horrible smell, like blood-soaked fur that had been rotting for months. I didn’t see paw prints or tracks, and I heard some sounds, but they didn’t add up to any animal I’ve ever heard before.”

“And you tried to follow?”

“Yeah. The elders caught up to me and convinced me to go back. They weren’t acting too weird at that stage, but they were far too calm. Then we got back, and it looked like some of the townsfolk were getting ready to go after the thing, but the elders put a stop to it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

Mabel lowers her head, chewing her lip in thought. “They didn’t fully wig out until I showed up, did they?”

“No.”

“That’s interesting,” Mabel replies, her voice trembling a little. I can tell she’s trying to understand the facts, but she is feeling so personally attacked by the situation, it’s clouding her judgment.

“It’s going to be okay,” I say confidently.

She looks up at me, chuckling. “What’s your evidence for that, tough guy? It looks like a pretty ridiculous statement from where I’m sitting.”

“I agree,” I reply with a sigh. “There’s nothing I can really say to comfort you, but I want you to know I’ll fight to my last breath to protect you.”

Something changes in her face, a softening of her eyes and mouth. Red creeps into her cheeks, and she looks away again.

“It’s hard, being here with you,” she admits.

“I know,” I agree. “It’s bizarre, being locked in my own house, not knowing what’s going to happen next. They might be planning to feed us to that thing.”

“What the fuck?” Mabel exclaims. “Are you serious?”

“No, I’m not,” I say quickly, taking her hands and squeezing them gently. “I think you’re right, and the cabin is so secure to keep the thing—whatever it is—out. I just don’t trust any of the villagers.”

“Nor do I. God, poor Dove. I just can’t stand it. Are you sure she’s dead?”

Mabel looks up at me with so much hope. I really want to give her some. In most situations, there would always be a chance of finding a fallen pack member alive. Werewolves are tough and can recover from terrible, even life-threatening injuries.

With a sinking feeling, I remember Dove’s cries. I know, beyond any doubt, I heard her die.

Alone, terrified, and in horrible pain. Abandoned, betrayed, ripped apart.

“No,” I mutter. “There’s no way she can be alive.”

Mabel looks down and gulps, tightening her hands on mine. “I told her she was safe,” Mabel whispers, her voice strained.

“I know,” I answer, feeling like an absolute failure.

“Do you have a plan?” she asks as she meets my eyes again.

“Not right now. I was going to hammer on the door, see if I could get one of them to answer me, and try to talk some sense into them. I was also going to have a look around the cabin for any weak spots. But I went over it already when I first moved in, and I don’t think I’ll find anything new.”

“Xavier,” Mabel’s voice is soft, trembling with an edge of fear, “I think I’m losing it. I’ve always been tough, but this shit—”

“I know,” I say, holding her again. “It’s not every day you get locked up like a prisoner.”

“Not just that,” she says. “Poor Dove dying, the weird ways these locals have, and—”

Mabel cuts off mid-sentence, and I’m left wondering what she was going to say.

Is she having nightmares and spooky feelings, too?

“Don’t leave me, Xavier,” she whispers against my chest. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I won’t,” I answer, hugging her tightly. “I swear I won’t.”

She pulls back and looks into my eyes, and there is a challenge in her gaze. “You said that last time.”

For a moment, reality seems to lurch around me, and I almost feel sick. It’s like being suddenly thrown onto a spinning carnival ride that immediately blurs the senses and practically rips out your organs with its velocity.

I did say it back then. Fuck, I’m such an asshole!

“Okay, yeah,” I admit with difficulty. “I did say it before. I’m really sorry, Mabel. I had no choice about leaving, but I could have handled it better, and treating you that way is the biggest regret of my life.”

Her eyes go big and wide. She blinks away a shimmer of tears and leans forward, reaching up to touch my cheek.

“You mean that?”

“I really do,” I answer, hoping she can feel the truth of my words.

“Xavier,” Mabel whispers, wriggling closer. She tilts her head up, and her sweet, plump lips are right below my own.

I can’t fight this… no fucking way!

I bend down only an inch, and our lips touch. A low moan slips out of Mabel’s mouth, and I feel her relax in my arms, falling against me as she opens her mouth, inviting me to kiss her even more deeply.

Keeping the kiss light and soft, I run my hands over her shoulders and down her arms, trying to untangle myself. Lust is rising in me, months of pent-up desire I haven’t been able to spend, and now the woman I want above all others is in my arms, practically begging for me.

This is wrong. I have to stop.

Mabel gasps suddenly, grabbing my upper arms and yanking me towards her. I feel myself tipping forward as she leans back, and I relax into the movement, sinking into her kiss as I fall on top of her.

“Xavier,” she murmurs against my ear. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I answer, telling the truth. I’ve missed her every single day since the day I left her—and it sucks on so many levels that I was trying to protect her, and now she’s up to her neck in trouble, anyway.

Mabel puts her hands on my cheeks, bringing my face back to hers so she can kiss me again. As our tongues twist together and she starts to writhe against me, my hands begin to explore her thick, soft curves, groaning with pleasure as she responds to my touch.

I can’t stop now. God fucking help me, I’m a weak man, but I want her too much!

“Wait,” Mabel gasps, pushing me away. I pull back, feeling a crushing disappointment wreck through me.

It was too much to hope for, I think, shuffling back.

“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she says, her eyes flicking towards the window. I follow her gaze and see Hector standing near the window. He has his back to us, but we’re in full view of both him and Ivan.

Part of me wants to protest and ask her if she really wants to sleep with me, but my need for her overrides the urge.

“We can just talk,” I say, getting up and holding out my hand to her. She takes it, uses my grip to get to her feet, and starts walking up the hall, leading me.

When we get to the bedroom, Mabel turns around and looks up at me, putting her hands lightly on my chest. Her eyes are extremely dark, almost black in the low light, and I can’t read her expression.

“Xavier,” she whispers, looking away. “I don’t know what I want, right now. I’ve never been so scared.”

“I understand,” I answer, hugging her gently. “We’re both pretty emotional, and the best thing to do is try and get some rest, then work on figuring a way to get out of here.”

When Mabel brings her eyes back to mine, there is a hungry look on her face that I can’t mistake.

“I don’t want to rest!” she says. “I want to feel good—it’s been so long since I felt good!”

Mabel grabs my shoulders and pulls me towards her as she bounces up on her toes to kiss me. My lust flares immediately, and I curl my arms around her waist to lift her up so I can kiss her more deeply.

She squirms against me, gasping into my mouth as she grips my arms and writhes. I let my hands roam over her body, taking handfuls of her big hips and round ass, squeezing gently until she giggles and starts squeezing me back.

I reach down and lift her up properly, staggering the last few steps to the bed and dropping her. She puts her hands around my neck and kisses me, pulling me down on top of her.

I sink into her kiss, teasing her lips with mine and lashing my tongue into her mouth. She moans softly and leans her head back, writhing against me.

Mabel grabs my shoulders, bracing herself against me so she can open her legs and wrap them around my hips. I put my arms around her, squeezing her against my body and digging my knees into the bed so I can thrust against her.

I feel her arms slip around my shoulders. Her fingers stroke gently against the back of my neck, sending chills running down my spine.

“Yes, Xavier, yes,” she whispers. “Fuck me, please.”

A ragged gasp rips out of my throat as I shove her skirt up her thighs and throw off my robe. Mabel leans her head back and thrusts her hips towards me as I run my hand down her inner leg and plunge my fingers into her warm, wet pussy.

Mabel cries out and shudders, her hips bucking up and down as she clings to my shoulders. I rub up and down, stroking her clit with my thumb and teasing her pussy with my fingers.

Suddenly, she tugs on my shoulders, pulling herself up, and locks her mouth onto mine. She kisses me deeply, almost in a frenzy, as she devours my lips and lashes her tongue into my mouth.

Her hips rock back and forth, and I slide my fingers through her slick, throbbing folds, gently fingering her as she writhes and twists under me. Rough gasps shudder through her throat as she begins to tremble, thrusting at me with her hips and yanking on my shoulders.

“Fuck me,” she moans. “Please just fuck me.”

I wrap one hand around the back of her head, pressing our mouths together as I plunge my tongue into her mouth. At the same time, I pump my fingers into her pussy, and she thrashes in my arms, screams trapped in her throat as an orgasm rages through her.

As the quaking subsides, I ease back on the kiss. I lightly stroke her pussy with my fingers, teasing just a little before I grab my cock and rub the head against her hot, throbbing slit.

Mabel thrusts her hips towards me, grabbing my ass at the same time, joining us together in one swift stroke.