Page 28 of Heartless Wolf (Wolf Moon Rejected #1)

CHAPTER 28 - DASH

Liv surprised me, lifting a palm to my face in a soft, solicitous caress that I leaned into. “You’ve always been too hard on yourself. Training longer and harder than your pack members. Patrolling your borders when it’s the role of your soldiers. Catching food for the pack when it’s the duty of the hunters.”

I cupped her hand, pleased she remembered what I told her. Pathetic compensation to earn Father’s praise. Fuck. I had serious Daddy issues. The woman reached into my soul and exposed all my secrets and motives. I quaked from being bare before her when an Alpha never rolled over and exposed his belly.

“You’re wild and uninhibited at heart. A true wolf.” Liv validated her sentiment with a palm over my heart, and I trapped her hand beneath mine. “Our fathers only care about budget and resources. Human concerns. Your father cages your beast when he should let it loose. It’s time to stop seeking his approval, or the only thing you’ll rule over is resentment.”

Her insight and the fact she welcomed my turbulent wildness turned me inside out. Something unlocked in my chest. Disgrace at never being good enough and wasted twenty-four years molding myself into the perfect son when Father asked for too much. Perfection. Flawlessness. I was who I was and that would never change. Fuck inheriting Pack Lumbry. Fuck my bitter heart. Fuck my father most of all.

Inside the clubhouse, Arden cranked up the music, and I glanced over my shoulder, catching him climbing onto the edge of the pool table and performing his rendition of Moves Like Jagger to the delight of Slade and Alaric. Ryda cheered him on. Daddy Steele lifted Arden down and smacked him on the back of the head. Alaric booed at my VP and got in on the action, outshining Arden’s dance number, and Slade slapped his ass, encouraging him. Steele shook his head and cursed at them. He always warned Arden and Ryda not to ruin the second-hand pool table because we couldn’t afford a new one.

Friction nearly broke us, but we held together, bonds weathered and worn. These were my true brothers. The ones who’d follow me through fire. Their smiles, hoots, and laughter snapped and crumbled the clamp that held my lungs hostage this last year.

Smiling, I pulled Liv’s other hand from my cheek to my mouth, kissing her knuckles. Her lashes fluttered and I felt the distant tingle on our bond.

She traced the tattoos along my fingers, circling the E on my fate tattoo. “Don’t fuck fate. You’ve got a good thing going here with the club. A successful ride under your belt. Focus on what you can control and not what you can’t. Father taught me that.”

“Mine always barked at me to keep everything under control.” We shared a laugh at the difference in our upbringing. “He also taught me to hold onto what’s special in this world. To protect what’s mine and never let anything come between it.”

Liv restored the moon I shot from the sky, shone her light on me and cast away the shadows strangling me. Now I wanted to do the same for her. Unleash the tempest she tamed. I leaned down to lavish her forehead with nowhere near enough kisses to make up for lost time.

It was time to do what I should have fucking done years ago. Show her that my feelings never wavered despite being apart all this time. Crouched on one knee in front of her, I clasped her hand. “There’s nothing I want more than making you mine. I swear to you I’ll find and kill this witch, eliminate the Malices, reforge our Lunar bond and be the mate you crave and deserve. Will you have me as your mate?” Trepidation of her answer burned in my veins.

Liv’s shewolf murmured with appreciation at the sentiment. The human side of her chewed her lip as if she didn’t believe me. “You’re all in?”

The damn witch wasn’t keeping me from what was mine another minute. In the meantime, we could explore where this was going so long as we agreed on no mate mark to keep her off the witch’s radar.

“I’m all fucking in. No running. No hiding.” I wanted to promise her more, but this was enough for now. “I’m not a good man for what I’ve done. You’re the only good in my life, and I want to be better for you.”

She let out a relieved murmur that warmed my wolf. “I don’t forgive you entirely, Dash. But I’m willing to work on repairing this if you are.” She still didn’t trust I would stay. I had to prove to her that I wouldn’t take the coward’s way out and run when things got tough.

“Thank fuck, Liv.” I kissed her hand, sweet and soft, just like she needed after all the violence and turbulence of the last two days. “Because I was ready to throw you in the cell again and make you forgive me.”

She slapped me on the back of the head the way Father used to when I was a small pup and out of line. “Not funny, and if you do that, I’ll never speak to you again.”

I laughed and nuzzled her hand and wrist, licking her knuckles. “I’ll earn your forgiveness and love.” I bit her finger as a promise of our mating. “And I’ll fucking put that witch’s head on a spike next to TJ and his men’s.”

Throbbing music inside warned the party would rage on to the early hours. Always did with us. Liv’s spine slump told me she was exhausted. My wolf and I wanted nothing more than to curl up with her, listen to her sleep, nuzzle into her neck, and protect her while she rested.

“Come on, Mooncrack, I’ll take you to bed.” She came willingly at the beckoning of my hand, and we went up to Slade to do the proper thing. “I’m gonna bail. Liv’s beat, and I’m gonna take her to my room.”

Slade thumped me on the shoulder, and I felt the reverberation all the way to my wolf. “I gotta get back to my kid anyway.”

Old Slade Vincent leaving a party early. That went against his reputation as the devil, though he looked pretty smitten and happy with Aaliyah. Alaric, too. She calmed his need for vigilance.

Slade threw out his hand and our palms collided in a shake. “You impressed me with your quick thinking when that cunt of a cop pulled us over.”

Fuck. I was almost going to knock him off and hide his body if he pulled his gun and demanded we open the truck for inspection. Castor’s knowledge of the law and our rights came in handy. “Did what I had to protect the club and my brothers.”

I let Slade’s palm fall but not before he squeezed it to the point of cracking.

“If you lock your mate up again, I’ll be back to sort you out.”

The Jackals ran an abused women’s shelter to protect domestic violence victims. These hardened criminals didn’t tolerate dicks who raised a fist to their partners or children. In extreme circumstances, they paid for women to start a new life in another state to get away from their abusive partners. Castor said the Jackals’ good deeds balanced the Maat—the ancient Egyptian law of balance and order weighing a heart next to a feather—scales tipped by smuggling drugs and disposing of enemies.

I smiled. “No more locking up. I promise.”

Slade’s face eased, and I relaxed, still edgy after he almost unleashed his god’s destruction and nailed my damn ass. He barked out a pleased laugh and his chest rumbled. “Good. That’s what I want to hear.”

The giant of a man crushed Aaliyah to his side. She fared better than Liv. Caging her in the cell with no room to move fed her exhaustion.

“I’ll be in touch,” he informed. “I’m sending Alaric here daily to bring you up to speed.”

And to keep an eye on our activity. A.k.a. locking up Liv. I learned my lesson. Balls singed. Ass fried. Not gonna fuck up this opportunity. I deserved good luck for a change. Slade would kill me if things went haywire.

“We enjoy having Alaric here. He’s a wealth of knowledge about the club’s operations.”

“Let me know if he has any episodes.” Slade and Aaliyah glanced at each other. “He might be the picture of celebration tonight, but he’s not been himself lately.” My boss confided in me of Alaric’s PTSD and anxiety, inflated by the club’s tentative position with the law.

“Sure.” None of us had been ourselves lately.

“One more thing.” Slade stroked his mate’s side. “Alaric will deliver your bonuses for a job well done.”

Halle-fucking-lujah! We’d banked on that cash to settle some pressing pack debts. “Thanks, Slade.” I couldn’t hold back my grin.

“Night, Liv.” Aaliyah shot my mate a wink. “Call me if you have any more questions or want to go to lunch.”

Fuck. I could only imagine what those two discussed while we were busy on our ride. Hopefully Aaliyah hadn’t spilled on the details of the transaction. The less Liv knew, the better. Plausible deniability, Castor termed it. If my brothers and I went down, I wanted Liv sheltered from prosecution or a jail sentence.

I gave Slade and Aaliyah a lift of my chin and led Liv to my room.

The door clicked closed, and I turned to my mate. She stood by the door unsure what to do. She was exhausted from fighting me, worrying about her family, and the shit with the Malices. I fed my arm through hers and nudged her to the bed, sitting her down.

Sweat from the long ride dampened my body, and I needed a shower to freshen up. A few times along the three-hour journey to Sydney my thoughts drifted to my mate’s shower, her scrubbing her body and touching herself. Dick hardening, my bike coasted from my lane almost into the ditch by the edge of the road until I pulled myself together.

The question I prepared to ask was probably going to result in a no, but what the hell, I was keen for a repeat show from this morning… minus the thump to my head from a bottle. “Want to take a shower with me before we go to bed?”

“We? You’re sleeping on the floor.” Whatever. Tonight, she was all mine. In my bed. Warm. Soft. Comforted.

“I’ll sleep on the floor again. You take the bed.” I played along for now, wanting to set her mind at ease and make her comfortable. Bedtime was a different story, and I made no promises about the demon coming out to play.

She murmured a sleepy approval and rubbed at her arms. “A shower would be nice.”

I placed my arm on her spine above her ass and let her guide us to the bathroom. My dick got ahead of itself and pumped with blood as she stripped.

Liv picked up my shaving cream can from the sink and waggled it at me. “Rematch? I don’t think I made a big enough lump on your head.”

Crafty woman would pay for that with a spanking and edging.

I laughed and reached around her to crank the water in the shower on. “Get your ass in the shower, smartass.” I punctuated my command with a sharp crack to her ass, the bounce and resounding slap inflating my cock.

She stepped in, and I flew in behind her, not wanting to miss out on another second without her. Rosy from the heated water, slick, dripping, and smiling, she was even more beautiful, and I had a hard time keeping my hands to myself. We washed each other in between kissing and drawing out the soapy encounter. My fangs ached to sink into the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder and mark her as mine. I kept my teeth and dick out of the deal, suspecting she wasn’t ready to take the next step yet, leaving the window open for her to make the move.

Nearing the end of our cleanse, my Alpha mate surprised me, pushing me up against the tiles, taking my heavy cock and working it with hard and sharp strokes. Loving her dominance, her taking charge, I moaned my approval. Liv needed to feel in control when everything in her life spiraled out of her grasp. I lifted her leg to my hip, clutching it tight enough to earn a whimper from her.

“Fuck, Mooncrack.” I groaned into her throat. “Just like that.”

She hissed as I circled her swollen clit and pumped my finger inside of her. Her hips rocked back and forth, seeking the pleasure only I could give her.

“Yes, give it to me.” At my command, she clenched over me, drawing me deeper. I pulled my finger out to taste her, earning a growl from my beautiful mate for stopping. “Nothing is sweeter than your honey, Liv.”

My thighs quaked as she pumped my length, and I swelled as I edged closer to the apex. I treated her clit to harder and faster ministrations, pulsing my fingers in tempo, bringing her to climax. Her stuttered moans thrust me over, and I covered her thigh in my cream. Panting, she sagged against me, and I held her upright until our breaths evened out. Then we washed each other clean, and I flicked off the shower handle, and carried her out of the cubicle, setting her on my sink. I took my time patting her dry, marveling at her soft, milky skin, dropping kisses to her collarbone, breasts, stomach, and down her legs to her toes.

“My Mooncrack will sleep well tonight.” If at all, the dark voice in my head whispered.

I swept her bridal-style into my arms and transported her to the bed, setting her under the covers. When I pulled away to sleep on the floor, her hand snaked out and caught mine, tugging me down beside her.

Fuck. My mate forgave me enough to honor me with the gift of sleeping beside her. Nestling her to my chest, I stroked her hair and shoulders, kissing her everywhere I could reach. Exhaustion from my long day caught up with me, and my breathing shallowed, matching hers. Soon, she was asleep in my arms, her fingers curled around my bicep as if she worried I might slip away in the middle of the night. She had nothing to worry about. Death was the only thing that could separate me from my mate, and I intended to give that bitch the middle finger.