Page 36 of Wanted by the Wolves (The Last Shifters #2)
Chapter 35
Briggs
G age’s face is beet red as he pushes himself out the front door in a cloud of Nova’s perfume.
“You all right?” I smother a laugh, clapping him on the back. “Your wolf seems a little on edge.”
I shouldn’t tease him. He’s close to losing it between his lack of sleep and the moon rising. He’s almost in rut, his wolf desperate to stop holding back when it comes to our omega mate, but I can’t seem to help myself. Seeing Gage out of sorts around her is peak shit-talking material, and I can’t let the opportunity slip by.
Besides, he’s got nothing to worry about with Nova. Whatever hang-ups he’s got are in his head. She’s head over heels for him. I know he’s worried about the magic, but we’re strong—stronger than he’s giving us credit for.
Gage growls in agitation, picking up his pace through the courtyard. I jog to catch up, burying my smile at his grumpiness. He’s hopelessly fighting his instincts, and for some reason, I find it endearing this morning.
“I can’t wait to see you go full wolf tonight.”
I grab his wrist, tugging him to look at me. Gage is small for an alpha, barely six feet, and all lean muscle. His features are sharp, making him more refined looking than rugged, but right now, in the cold forest with his wild hair dancing in the whipping wind and his breath a white cloud around him, he looks like a predator. He curls his lip, his fang tip peeking out as he lunges for me.
He shoves me back against the base of a tree, our mouths colliding in a lashing kiss full of his frantic energy. He vies for control. It’s a passionate slip of the tongue and a sharp nip. My alpha pushes back against him, determined to take over and soothe his desperation.
I grab the back of his neck and wrench my lips from his, using my hunter’s strength to outmuscle him and flip our positions. I press into his back, splaying my palm against the rough trunk and nestling my bulge against his ass.
Gage bucks, but it only grinds his ass against me.
“You’re damn near feral with the need to claim, aren’t you? You keep trying to hold back, but you're desperate to knot her, to sink your teeth in our pretty wolf’s neck and mark her as ours.” Wrapping my other arm around his waist, I brush my fingers against his hard cock.
Gage sprouts claws, digging into the wood, his wolf chuffing.
I suck a blooming mark on his neck, my hand dipping below the waist of his jeans to trace the length of his hard shaft.His head falls to the side, and I lick a long trail before nipping his earlobe.
“You’re going to claim her tonight with your pack.” I tighten my grip as his dick slides through my curled palm, squeezing on the downstroke.The pull of the moon, even this early in the day, is filling me with the deep need to fuck, but it’s nearly taken Gage. I drag my hand up and down his length. “We’re going to make her wet, get that pink pussy shiny for us, and then we’re going to see how much of a mess she can make of our cocks. Together, all of us will claim her and finally make this pack official.”
His wolf makes a sound deep in his chest. It’s animalistic and hot as fuck. Gage’s dick slides through my grip, slick with precum. He rocks into the tunnel of my curled palm, his claws digging into the wood as he keeps up the ragged moans. His wolf knows what he needs even though the man has been fighting us, and the wolf will win.
“Is that what you want? To take your mates and make us one under the moon?”
My nearly feral mate shivers, fur sprouting, then receding under his skin as his cock jerks in my hand. I squeeze his knot, cutting off his orgasm.
Gage whimpers.
“Give me the words,” I growl. “Tell me.”
“Mine,” he says, the sound barely more than a snarl.
It’s close enough. I stroke his knot, and he goes off, painting my hand with warm cum.I nip his ear, stroking him through his orgasm until he’s panting, collapsed against the harsh bark. Planting a kiss on his neck, I turn him in my arms, burying him against my chest.
“Breathe.” My alpha purrs, trying to settle his wolf. He needed this, and he’ll be in a better place for tonight if I can help keep him from getting too riled up. “Stop fighting so hard and just breathe.”
Gage takes a few minutes before moving again, his scent finally mellowing. He pulls back, his cheeks pink as he nervously tugs a hand through his hair. “That was…”
“That was a promise.” I give him a dastardly look as I strip. Backing away, I call for him. “Now come on, let’s finish the perimeter check and get back to our girl.”
I shift, taking to the snow-covered trail. By the time Gage catches up, I’ve made a path through the deep snow to the boundary line.
My mind switches to full hunter mode, my wolf’s instincts on high alert. We’ve been checking the wards twice a day since Gage started having those dreams, but after that first time the western crystal was depleted, we haven’t had any issues. We’re safe behind his wards. We need to focus on the magic of the moon and our mating bond, but on both fronts, my wolf is confident.
My wolf sniffs along the wards, checking for strange scents or signs of ferals. Gage falls in beside him, his grey-and-white wolf matching pace. All thoughts of Gage’s hang-ups and Nova’s upcoming heat get tossed aside, my wolf fully focused.
The fresh snow has been worn down into a small path we’ve made along the perimeter, but even with that, it’s slow going. We head west along the wards but don’t find anything, not even at the spot where the ferals had initially gathered. The traps are clear, the boundary is intact, and the woods are free of feral tracks.
My wolf gives over my skin, and I kneel, running my hands through Gage’s fur. “We’ll loop around the perimeter to check the crystals, but I don’t sense any activity.”
The grey-and-white wolf nods, taking off. I shift, racing to take the lead. A cold blast of wind whips through the trees, making it feel as though the fresh mountain air is charged with static. I’m alive with the hope of it, the world almost shimmering with my happiness.
My wolf picks up the pace again, eager to finish so we can return to our mate.