Page 24 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Briar

“Getting started…?”

Aftershocks of pleasure were still wracking my body, so maybe that’s why I stared at Jace, uncomprehending.

If I thought riding out a heat with toys or a beta was a substitute for the real thing, I was completely mistaken.

Every pine needle could be felt under my feet, every breath of air on my skin, because right now my whole body had come alive in ways I’d never experienced.

“A quick orgasm in a forest isn’t going to keep your heat at bay,” Jace said, stalking forward.

When I first met him, he seemed like such a golden boy, absorbing all the sun’s radiance, but right now there was something far darker, tarnished about him.

He handled his achingly hard dick almost negligently, swiping pre-cum from the end and then separating his fingers so I could see the membrane forming.

“If I rub my seed into you, it’ll trick your body into thinking it's been bred and give you a little respite.”

Oh.

The air seemed a few degrees chillier in that moment.

“So what?” I couldn’t keep the brittle edge from my voice. “You want to jerk off on me? I mean, I guess?—”

“Shouldn’t ask me what I want.”

I expected him to start working his dick, to watch him do it from a place far removed, so when he fell down onto his knees before me, all I could do was blink. How could a man observe a position of subservience and yet remain completely in control? I was about to find out.

“This.” A kiss on my thigh, then another. My legs were parting without even a thought. “And this.” His lips landed just above my still throbbing clit, and the traitorous bitch was dying for more. “But especially this.”

His tongue forced its way between my folds, narrowing my focus down to everywhere he touched.

I was feeling the buzz of getting off seconds before and yet now the need for more bit down with all the ferocity of my wolf’s fangs.

My hand went to his head, and I cradled it, feeling the soft slip of his hair right before he pushed his face between my legs.

Slinging a thigh over one of his shoulders seemed the only logical choice.

He needed in and I needed that cunning tongue.

It was such a different touch. Soft rather than rough and callused, though each had a specific pleasure associated with it.

Right now, this was just like the soft shift of the breeze.

A dizzying array of imprecise sensations, like raindrops on my skin.

Each one coalesced into a wave, the tide pulling out, out, threatening to obliterate me with ecstasy when it finally crashed.

“Jace…?”

As I gasped that out, he pulled back, letting my clit pop free of his lips.

“I know what you need, omega.” His hand slid up my thigh.

“I always will. You’re my mate and that means…

” I sucked in a breath as his fingers breached me, forcing swollen flesh apart, only to curl his fingers and rake across something exquisitely sensitive.

“You need my knot, right here.” Another pulse and another robbed me of my ability to reply.

“And when you accept the bond, I will give it to you gladly. You’ll come so fucking hard, you’ll strangle it, forcing my seed out and into you. I’ll fucking breed you, Briar.”

Breed me…

I had a love/hate relationship with that word.

The idea of being utterly vulnerable and open, at the mercy of my instincts as we rutted the day away was indescribably hot.

That was the moment when I could surrender everything.

But with breeding came the biological imperative behind it.

One I didn’t need messing with the fun. For a second, I thought about telling him he’d never be able to breed me, that the fates had determined that his mate was barren, but he had to lunge forward, lashing my clit with his tongue.

All that promise of a terrible pleasure came rushing to the fore.

Clamping down on real, hot flesh, not cold silicone, was indescribably good, but even as ecstasy had me screaming, there came a sadness.

This couldn’t last.

My lips moved, even as I gasped, but he had to pull free.

My whole body shuddered, wanting, needing, more and that’s when he slotted our bodies together.

His cock between my thighs, rubbing where I was the most sensitive.

Each stroke pulled the pleasure out further and further, until I was sure I’d snap.

“When you accept the bond, it will be so good.” He slowed his stroke, and the bulbous head of his cock grazed my entrance, forcing a frantic whine from me.

That, I needed that, so my hands slapped down on his arms, clawing at his skin.

“It’s taking everything I have to stop myself from thrusting into that hot little cunt. ”

“So don’t…” His eyes were blazing perfect silver as they stared down at me. The moon turned him from a man into a harsh idol. “Don’t, Jace.” I was being so terribly selfish, but if this was the only time I got to fuck my mate, I’d take it. “Bend me over and force me to take your knot, then?—”

“Like this?”

His voice came out in a low growl as he did just that, slapping my hands down on a tree trunk as he bent me at the waist. My heels were kicked wide and then… “Ohh…” I moaned as I felt the ponderous slide of his cock along my entire seam. “Gods, yes, Jace.”

I went to push back, sure I could take him in one thrust, but I was held right where I was.

“Not yet, omega,” he said. “So stay very still, or I’m going to do something we’d both regret.”

I couldn’t ask what, because with exquisite control, he rubbed himself around my entrance. The anticipation of being knotted, without actually doing it, had my claws springing free and burying themselves in the tree trunk.

“Do it.” That challenge came from the wolf, not me. “Do it, alpha. You know you want to and…”

His body slammed against mine, but not his cock. It slipped between my folds, his fingers finding my clit. Quickly, expertly, he played my body, bringing me right to the edge of ecstasy, before he nipped my ear.

“Nothing I want more than to knot you. Actually… there’s one thing. I want you, Briar, not for tonight, but forever, so be a good girl and come on my cock, so I can paint you with my seed.”

I did just that, but at my cry, I felt the first spurt. Scalding hot and searing his mark into me, cum jetted all over my over-sensitive flesh, and somehow that allowed the fiery flames to finally die down to coals inside me.

“You on birth control?” Jace was on the edge, fur prickling across his skin as he turned me around.

“It’s not an issue,” I replied, feeling like the fever had broken. Didn’t explain how I responded when his fingers moved. At first, it felt like he was playing with the mess, only for me to realise he was working it into me.

“Might be if I push my fingers inside you. It’ll help ease the heat for longer.” That cocky smile was back as he gazed down at me. “Can’t say I’d hate to see your belly swollen with my children, but I’m not doing that without your permission.”

It felt like someone had tipped a bucket of ice water over me.

Part of me wanted to shove the alpha off me, but the other part grabbed his hand and pushed his fingers inside.

I stared into his eyes as I rode them, achieving one last, vicious little orgasm, because this would be the last time.

Mum had decided she was going to work out her next steps on her own, so there was no reason for me to stay any longer.

“Thanks.” As I pulled free, I knew that was an entirely inadequate response, but it was all I had right now. “Now if I could just work out how to get home…”

“This way.”

That cocky grin faded as he took fur, a massive grey wolf standing before me.

It looked over its shoulder and then barked, taking off.

My wolf took control, obviously having achieved what she was after.

She trotted after him, not stopping until we reached our back fences.

Jace wolf came closer, shoving his nose in my fur, and for just a moment we stood there, letting us breathe each other in, before we pulled away to leap over the fence.

In through the back door and upstairs, she didn’t relinquish control until I was in my room.

Leaving me to stand by the window, seeing a dark shape lift his hand in farewell, my own twitched, ready to return the gesture, but instead I fell into bed. Tired beyond measure, I fell asleep within seconds, only to wake late the next morning.

“Morning!” Mum called out when I finally came downstairs.

She was hobbling with all her might around the kitchen, but it was the fact she was obviously dressed for an outing, her cane in hand, that had me staring.

“I’ve left some French toast in the fridge for you.

It’s not as good microwaved, but I thought you must’ve needed your sleep. ”

“Where are you off to?” I croaked as I took a sip of the coffee she handed to me.

“The first alpha trial is happening today.” Her tone made clear she was excited by that. “You wouldn’t have seen it as the Hart’s were in power years before you were born, but I did. It’s happening at the local park, and the whole town will be in attendance.”

I eyed her cane.

“So you’re sitting in the audience?”

“Not sitting!” She squeezed my shoulder, then filled a thermos full of coffee. “The town participates in this one. A rabbit is let loose in the park and we have to stop it from running free as the alphas chase it.”

“That seems kinda rough on the rabbit?” The wolf made clear what she would do with any rabbit she caught. “How is catching a rabbit a skill alphas need?”

“They capture it and keep it safe,” she replied, “not kill it. All that power, strength, and speed of theirs has to be used to protect, not hurt.”

“And how long does this normally take?”

She shrugged.

“It can take an hour or more. Depends on how competitive the alphas are.” A sidelong look made clear what she was thinking. “The Whitlock pack will be participating.”

“Good for them.” I pulled away, ready to go upstairs and sort the issue with Tom out. “I hope they win.”

It was the best scenario. Everything I’d seen so far indicated that they would be a good ruling pack. The lack of heirs or an omega wouldn’t be an impediment. They could designate heirs based on skill, not blood.

“Briar…”

Mum wanted to talk about this, but her voice trailed away abruptly. Spinning around to discover why meant I was there when she stumbled. A white-knuckle grip on her cane was all that was keeping her upright, but as I grabbed her, I felt the shake in her muscles.

“You really want to go to this thing?” I asked, wanting, needing, her to say no, even though I was sure I knew how this would go.

“It’s going to be my last time.”

And didn’t that hit me like a punch to the gut? There would be way more cracked pottery in my life, but time with Mum? I didn’t want to admit it, but that was in limited supply.

“Give me a minute to get dressed,” I told her.

“You don’t?—”

“I do.” Her eyes held mine and then she dared a smile before I helped her over to a stool. “Just until the trial is done. The inevitable barbeque afterwards? I’ll have to leave you with Jacinta and her cronies and come back and do some work.”

“Thank you, darling.”

She patted my cheek before I took off upstairs, pulling on clothes rapidly.

That’s when I noticed my body. My nipples were still sensitive, but not on the verge of exploding if my bra brushed against them.

Huh. Maybe Jace was right, or maybe, just maybe, this was it for my heat.

With that pleasant thought in mind, I ran downstairs, collecting all the things Mum wanted and then carrying them out to the car.

Only to see the Whitlock pack was doing the same.

Gideon stopped still, staring over the roof of his car at me, ignoring his mother mid-conversation.

His eyes found mine, and did he breathe my scent in?

Didn’t matter if he did, I told myself, opening the door for my mother and making sure she got inside safely.

What they wanted and what I wanted were two very different things and I was pretty sure there was no compromise to be had.

For just a moment I stared at the car door, wondering how the hell I got here.

“Everything OK?” Mum asked cautiously.

“Everything’s fine.” I backed the car out onto the road, focussing on the rear-vision mirror, not my alphas.

My mother was staring, I could feel that as I drove down the road, which made clear what her unspoken question was.

Jace’s words came back to me abruptly, and so I shot her a rueful smile.

“It’s not going work out,” I told her. “They want to be the alphas of Moon River, and me?” I flicked the indicator on.

“I’ve got a whole life I need to get back to, so.

” I shot her the same meaningful look she’d been giving me.

“Have you looked at the brochures I gave you? Assisted living, home care?—”

“We’ll see,” she replied. “Everything’s still up in the air until my hip is better. I’ll work it out then.”

With a tiny sigh, I cut across the road, joining the many ringing the local park. Get through the trial and then discuss with Mum seriously about what to do next before I left for the city, that was the plan, and with that, I got out of the car.