Page 4 of Love Bites Hard (Mated to the King #2)
four
IZZY
Time passed by painfully slow as the tub filled. Porter’s lover turned the water off at some point, but I didn’t acknowledge it.
Eventually, I was going to have to have an actual conversation with the woman my mate was screwing. And I was going to have to try not to kill her. Mostly because she had claws and teeth, and all I had was obnoxiously provocative magic.
As the minutes passed, the blissful silence I’d been looking for started to fade.
Noise began to replace it.
It was quiet at first. Like a handful of conversations running through my head.
Someone was asking someone else whether they thought Porter was going to hurt them the way Curtis had.
Another person was chasing a squirrel, their thoughts vibrant and full of adrenaline.
A group of people were arguing about what kind of magical being the alpha’s new mate was, and whether I made him stronger or weaker.
It was weaker. The answer was weaker.
But I wasn’t about to broadcast that . Everyone would find out what I was soon enough.
My entire body felt weak, but even at my strongest, I was no match for a werewolf. When I was fully fed, I was much faster than a wolf, but I was rarely fully fed.
It had been too dangerous to leave our house that frequently before we were with the vampires. Since then, I just couldn’t force myself to get it on with a vamp twice a week. I’d scraped by when I had to, and thankfully only ended up being bitten by a vampire once.
Most of my sisters were more than happy to feed the vamps, but I wasn’t.
Then again, a werewolf had just bitten me too. Publicly. And it hurt a hell of a lot more than a vampire’s bite.
My shoulder still ached a bit, actually. It just didn’t seem important given everything else I was dealing with.
The noise of the pack connection grew louder as I soaked.
Another group of wolves was prepping food for the pack. Burgers and fries. They were excited about Porter getting rid of Curtis.
A different group was carrying armloads of Curt’s stuff out to a massive fire pit that looked like it had been dug there a long time ago. Rocks circled it, and it looked well-used. It was full of Curt’s things, and there was another pile of them off to the side.
Someone was watching Porter growl at someone else, though they couldn’t hear the conversation.
My mind brushed another wolf’s, and I felt them realize I was there. They hit me with the full-force of their anger, shoving me out of their head.
I cried out in pain, reaching for the new throbbing in my temple.
The amount of effort it took was insane. I was even weaker than I realized.
A pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and lifted me out of the water. My eyes met a pair of concerned, dark orbs. Their owner was tall and built strong, her pale face framed by a sleek, dark blonde bob cut to her chin. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” I tried to push her hands away so I could sink back into the tub, but she refused to let go.
“You need to eat something to regain your strength for tonight.”
“What’s tonight?”
Her forehead creased. “Did Porter tell you anything ?”
Other than that he didn’t plan on having sex with me?
“No.”
She sighed. “Eat something, and I’ll tell you.”
I reluctantly sat up. My entire body shook with the effort, and I was forced to admit to myself that she was right.
I was too weak at the moment.
“How do you know Porter?” I should’ve been able to ignore their relationship, but I couldn’t.
“We were close friends before… well, you know.”
Before his family had been killed while he was away helping another pack, and he left the pack he was supposed to run.
“Sex close?” I was going to get myself killed, and I didn’t even have the heart to care.
Her eyes widened. “No. Definitely not. It was three of us who were close. Me, Porter, and Evan. I’m engaged to Evan. He wears my mark around his neck. Wolves are big on public claiming, and we don’t share.
So she wasn’t screwing my mate.
That made me like her a lot more.
She set a plastic sleeve of crackers and a big bottle of Powerade on the edge of the tub. “I’m Kim. There’s history between my family and Porter’s. My brother was engaged to one of his sisters before everything happened. We’re basically family too, now.”
She waited for me to introduce myself, but I knew she’d tell Porter my name if I did.
So, I just grabbed the bottle of Powerade and forced myself to drink from it. With my nausea entirely gone, I wasn’t worried about making myself sick. The illness had come with the mental connection, and I didn’t think it was coming back.
Picking up on my lack of an answer, she changed gears. “What do you know about wolf shifters?”
“You turn from human to wolf. And have a mental connection, apparently.”
She waited.
I pulled a few crackers from the package and bit down on one.
“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
She sighed heavily.
I took another bite.
Sitting down on the bathroom floor, she leaned her shoulders up against the cabinet beneath the sink. “Remember the way Porter bit you after the challenge?”
“It’d be impossible to forget the utter shock, horror, and embarrassment.”
“That happens frequently around here. It’s not seen as an embarrassment—it’s a show of possession. Public claiming is a big thing for wolves. Evan’s instincts might push him to bite me as soon as I’m with him and Porter, just to declare me his.”
Some part of me still despised the sound of her with Porter, but I mentally shoved that stupidity away. My irritation was at an all-time high, considering the voices in my head.
Someone wanted to steal a pair of Curtis’s shoes before the bonfire.
Another person was considering challenging Porter, but his friend was reminding him what a shit idea that was.
A group was trying to figure out the best gift for a new alpha.
“Without public claiming, the pack won’t be able to acknowledge you as the alpha’s mate,” Kim said.
“Well, he already did that.”
Her expression was hesitant enough that I knew there was more to it.
“Kim,” I warned.
She grimaced. “After a mate bond is sealed, there’s always a larger public claiming. During a pack run, the newly-mated couple has sex beneath a gazebo in the forest. It has curtains you can unroll for privacy—but most women just wear their mate’s t-shirt to keep themselves covered while they screw.”
“Tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not. And there’s more.”
I waited.
She dragged a hand over her face. “Porter should probably be the one to explain this.”
“Kim,” I warned.
“Have you ever heard of a knot?”
“Pretty sure everyone knows what it means to tie a knot.”
“Not that kind of knot.” Her grimace deepened. “Male wolves—and wolf shifters, by extension—have a knot at the base of their erection that swells when they get off. It’s wider than the rest of their cock. An unmated shifter’s knot is barely noticeable, but after the bond is sealed, it gets significantly bigger. The whole point of public claiming is to prove that the man can knot his mate, and his female can take it.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“Does it hurt?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the magic it releases is so intense, you’re supposed to enjoy it.”
“That seems unlikely. But I don’t know if Porter is even planning on doing that—so maybe I won’t have to worry about it. When we sealed the bond, he made it clear he didn’t want sex.”
Her eyebrows shot upward. “If you don’t go through with the public claiming, the pack won’t recognize you as his mate. You’ll be in a lot more danger. And considering you’re a siren…”
“I don’t need any help putting myself in danger. I’m aware.”
Someone’s thoughts were particularly loud as they chased someone else through the forest, and I rubbed my temple.
“Is the pack bond causing you problems?” Kim checked.
“It’s just loud.”
“Eating more would probably help.”
I forced myself to grab another few crackers. “What are mated wolves like? Possessive, I assume?”
“Very. And despite what Porter said, I can’t imagine a wolf not wanting to screw his mate. We’re very physical. Wolves need to be touched, frequently. And not just sexually—though that’s fun. We just hug a lot and lean on each other a lot.”
“Sirens are a little like that too. One of my sisters always says that sirens require snuggles.”
Her lips curved upward. “You’ll fit right in, then.”
“Do you guys have a pool here?”
Kim shook her head. “There’s a lake out in the forest, though. It’s about a mile away.”
Ooh, a lake?
That was new.
I was officially itching to claim it for myself. Publicly.
It was totally too soon for that joke, but whatever.
“Perfect,” I said. “How long until the bonfire?”
She went quiet for a minute, her gaze growing distant before she refocused on me. “About an hour.”
“Is Porter planning on coming back to talk to me first?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think so. He killed one of Curtis’s closest guys about an hour ago, and he’s been interrogating a few more with Evan. You should be able to talk to him mentally now, though. The alpha can’t block out his mate, and vice versa.”
“How would I do that?”
“Just focus on him. The magic of the pack bond should connect you to him easily.”
I focused my mind on my asshole of a mate, and sure enough, immediately felt his consciousness brush up against mine.
I flinched when I saw his fist collide with someone’s face, and withdrew quickly.
“They’re still interrogating,” Kim said quickly.
A heartbeat later, I felt Porter’s mind meet mine. “Don’t look through my eyes without warning,” he growled at me.
“Fuck off,” I snapped back. “You haven’t told me a damn thing, and I just found out we’re supposed to have sex in front of your whole pack. If you didn’t want me to invade your mind, you should’ve told me.”
“The pack won’t be sitting and watching—they’ll be running around.”
“Not all of us have a voyeurism kink, asshole.”
I felt him run a hand through his hair. It was covered in blood, and I didn’t want to know why.
“If there was a way out of it, I would go with that,” he finally said. “But there’s not. We’ll put the curtains down.”
“If we do that, your pack will think we’re wimps. And why the hell didn’t you warn me about the knotting thing, either?” I shot back.
He made a noise of frustration. “I assumed you knew basic information about wolves when you agreed to be my mate.”
“Sure you did.”
He snarled into my mind. “We’re using the curtains.” Then, he ripped his consciousness away from mine.
I massaged my temple harder. “Asshole.”
Kim’s expression was curious. “You looked like you were fighting.”
“He growled and insulted me, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“He hasn’t growled at anyone since his family was killed. He’s always very… neutral. On the rare occasions we see him, at least.”
Hale had said the same thing. That Porter used to be wild and fun, but had grown dark and neutral since he lost his family.
Some niggling, annoying part of me wanted to try to fix that, but I knew better. A woman couldn’t fix a man. And even if she could, she shouldn’t. If he deserved her, he would fix himself.
“Finish up the crackers. I’ll find you something more filling to eat,” Kim said, standing up. “Porter will want you in his clothes tonight, so take whatever you need from his closet. You’ll be moving to Curtis’s room after it’s cleaned out, but this is Porter’s for the moment. He hasn’t been here in a long time, but even Curt knew better than to let someone else take it.”
“We’re sharing a room?”
She nodded. “No way around that.”
I let out a breath. “Lovely.”
I’d thought Blair was crazy for letting Hale force her to share a room with him, but it looked like I was about to be in the same boat.
She slipped out, leaving me alone in the bathtub, still fully clothed and absolutely soaked.
Sighing, I adjusted my position a little. My forehead creased when I felt something hard beneath my ass, and it occurred to me that I’d brought my phone.
Finally, something had worked in my favor.
I pulled the device out—it was waterproof—and dried it off on the shower curtain since there was no towel hanging nearby. With the screen dry enough, I turned it on and read the messages from my sisters.
Clementine
We love you, good luck 3
Zora
Let us know if you need a jailbreak, we’ll do our best
And by that I mean we’ll ask Blair to seduce Hale into rescuing you
Blair
I will make that sacrifice for you ;P
But really, if he doesn’t treat you right I’ll find a way to get you out
I typed out a text of my own.
Me
Have you ever heard of knotting?
Clementine
Knotting what?
Me
Nvm
Zora
Now I’m curious
Avery
I haven’t heard of it
Clementine
What is it?
Me
A wolf sex thing. Apparently I’m going to learn the details tonight
Clementine
Um, what?
I need an explanation
Stat!
Avery
How are things with the furball?
Me
I have a weird mental bond with his pack now, and apparently he’s going to screw me in the middle of the forest while other shifters are running around, so I don’t know
Bad?
Clem
HOTTT
Zora
You have no boundaries, Clem
Clem
I don’t screw jerks. That’s the boundary
Me
He didn’t ask for my name, so I haven’t given it to anyone. It’s a whole thing. The pack is so loud in my head that I feel like I have a migraine. I think this might have been a bad call
Zora
We all told you that
Me
Apparently I should’ve listened
Clem
Nothing to do now but enjoy the ride!
Literally ;)
Blair
LOL
Avery
Do you need us to find a way to get you out?
Me
The bond is permanent, so I think I’m stuck
It’s too soon to call for a rescue, but I’ll let you guys know if I can’t handle it. I think I can make it work, though
That was total bullshit, but I couldn’t ask my sisters to risk themselves to try to save me. I didn’t know much about Porter, but it was clear that wolves were possessive. And he had just become the werewolf king. If the vampires tried to take me from him, it would be an act of war, and I was not going to cause a war.
I’d gotten myself into this mess.
All I could do now was make the best of it.
Or at least, try to survive.