Reese Read online

  “Why is that so hard to believe?” I asked slightly insulted that he found it hard to believe there was even a slim chance I carried powerful wolf blood. I didn’t believe it either, but it was possible. I wasn’t some weakling as far as humans went. I might have some strong bloodline in me.

  “It’s not because of you, Sweetheart.” He said placating me. “It’s because the bloodline hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years. It’s just gone, died out and no one can bring it back.”

  “What about the white wolves that have been found?” I asked contrarily. Maybe I didn’t believe it possible either but he had irritated me.

  “How could that happen twice? It’s just impossible. What’s that saying, it’s the exception that proves the rule.”

  “What rule is that?”

  “Dead and gone can’t be resurrected. If you don’t see it or hear from it in hundreds of years, it’s because it’s not there anymore.”

  “Aren’t you the poet and scholar?” I sneered.

  “Don’t be that way. I wasn’t trying to insult you. You’re all I need, just like you are. Why aren’t you happy about that?”

  I felt bad instantly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe I just wish I could be more for you. I’ve never had a long term relationship with a male and I’m not sure how to act.”

  His smile was brilliant and made his handsome male face take on the beauty of an angel. My breath caught in my throat as I gaped at him. I wasn’t irritated anymore, I was too busy being enraptured with my mate. Yeah, I was starting to think the same way he did. He was treating me different than he usually did females, his reputation was rough and well deserved. He didn’t bring them home and he didn’t let them hang around with him after sex. It still didn’t stop the females from flocking to him and some even begging to bed him.

  He wasn’t cruel in his rejection and he tried to let them down gently. Every once in a while a persistent female had to be told more forcefully that no meant no and that always made the rounds of gossip. Even though I had been kept far away from the wolf himself, I had heard plenty about him. He was infamous all over town and in a position of authority. He and my father, the alpha, ran the town between them. The council had some say, if my dad or Reese allowed them to have it. Truth was they had more of an advisory role but they sometimes forgot that.

  This was going to cause some drama, once the word got out. Reese and my dad would try to keep it quiet, but there was just no way to do it. Wolves were curious creatures and their pack proclivities meant they like to share things, especially news. It would spread like wildfire and before long they would all know. Some might try to object, but we were mated and it was too late to undo it.

  He stepped closer to me and pulled me into his arms roughly. He kissed me with all the passion that had exploded between us before and I wanted him instantly.

  “You can come with me or you can stay up here, but I need to do at least a little work today.”

  “I’ll go with.” I answered without a moment’s thought. I refused to be stuck here all alone and with nothing to do.

  He led me downstairs where his wolves were gathered. He trusted them and he had their loyalty. None of these males would ever betray him, his worries would be over those on the council. Stan sat in the front directly across from Reese’s chair behind the desk. The other guys sat in two rows with the lower ranks in back. They looked at me with curiosity more than anything. I was now Reese’s female in whatever capacity he decided and I was off limits. I was looking at Stan when he inhaled deeply and realized Reese had mated me.

  A look of consternation flicked across his face followed by worry. He knew there would be disapproval to deal with and plenty of it. He also looked perplexed as he kept sniffing like he caught wind of something more that he couldn’t identify. I hadn’t a clue what that might be. My sense of smell seemed to have improved possibly a result of mating? It still wasn’t good enough to pick up whatever the wolves seemed to be scenting.

  It could be that was a good thing because there were as many objectionable smells floating around as there were pleasant smells. When I was close to Reese, his delightful male aroma blocked out everything else. I had already noticed slight variations and I wondered if his emotions came into play affecting his scent. It seemed like he had a calmer scent in the afterglow of sex than he did during his most aroused state.

  It would be a joy to puzzle it out and distinguish each mood with a scent. Everything we did alone would be a pleasure. I was ready to get him alone right now and I saw the nervous looks his wolves were sending my way. My cheeks flushed and warmed as I realized they could smell my desire for Reese. I tried to think of anything but him but it wasn’t easy.

  “Stan report!” Reese ordered his voice deep and rumbling.

  Stan started to go over the business of the day. I found I couldn’t concentrate on it because I didn’t know anything about it and it was Greek to me as the saying went. My mind kept going off on a tangent. Being here with Reese and his team felt unreal to me. All my life I had heard the stories and been told to keep my distance from him. I snapped to attention because Delane’s name had been mentioned. I didn’t like Delane very much and the asshole had scared me. He was a slimy prick and deserved whatever Reese did to him.

  “So Alpha James had little to say about his son’s bad behavior?” Reese asked.

  “He said he’d always been a little wild as a child but he was just high spirited. He did make a point of saying he was acting on his own.” Stan explained.

  “I see what happened to his cousin has made him a bit less aggressive. Normally he would have told us to go to hell.” Reese noted.

  Alpha James’ cousin, another Alpha James, had tried to force a mating on a white wolf. He had eventually been challenged by that white wolf’s mate and killed. His place as pack alpha had been given to his son who was a less aggressive and kinder alpha. I didn’t know much, but even I knew that story. All the she wolves talked about how romantic it had all been. It would be these same she wolves that would be trash talking me behind my back.

  I understood Reese was the most eligible male wolf around, or at least he had been before we had mated. There would be few she wolves happy for me and I would be careful about turning my back on any of them. It would be worse because I was a mere human and would never change. It would make things harder on Reese too because if he went on pack runs the females would fall all over him trying to take him from me. None of them would respect the claim of a human nor would I ever be able to defend my claim in battle. They couldn’t force him to mate them, but I couldn’t stop them from trying to tempt him away.

  He had a position to uphold and I couldn’t ask him to forego pack events like the full moon runs. I had no hierarchy to defend so I wouldn’t be challenged, but he would continue to have to work with the highest ranking female and I knew they had been lovers before. Watching them work together on pack business would be hard on me. The more I thought about what lay ahead, the worse I felt about what I would have to deal with.

  As if I summoned her, Gayla strutted in and moved to Reese. She pushed herself into his lap in a quick move that looked like it had been done often. Mated one day and already trouble was on the horizon. He immediately dumped her on the floor and she didn’t look surprised so I figured he’d done it before.

  “You will show the proper respect and not do that again or you won’t be welcome in here.” He stated clearly.

  “Don’t get your shorts in a bunch, Boyfriend.” She whispered throatily.

  “We’ve been over this before and it will stop.” He said coldly.

  “Alright.” She promised. She looked around and her eyes fell on me. “What’s the human doing here?” Her nose wrinkled and her eyes widened. She looked back and forth between Reese and I and I was amazed she didn’t get dizzy. “You mated her?” She asked incredulously.

  “That’s none of your business, but yes. You will show Megan the respect due my mate!”


  “Okay.” She said as she swallowed nervously. She looked like she knew she had pushed him enough. She shot me an evil glare, she would start some shit when he wasn’t around to stand up for me. As soon as that bitch left, the word would spread like wildfire. Gayla was a popular she wolf with the males. She was overtly sexual and Megan could admit she was attractive physically. She was curvy just like male wolves delighted in, as a general rule anyway. Wolves were like humans in that certain males had their preferences.

  Gayla was often gossiped about which was only fair since she was such a gossip herself. She was a screamer and needed sex constantly. Rumor had it that anyone would do in a pinch. Some of the other she wolves that competed for the same males delighted in mentioning that. She and Reese had mixed it up, but it had been many years since he had oiled her chassis as the gossips liked to say. Marly, one of Megan’s friends, had confided that it was because Reese had found out just how much she spread her favors around. But Gena, my best friend had said that Reese just moved on. He never stuck with any female overly long.

  Gayla had taken it hard and tried to get him back by making him jealous. It hadn’t worked. She’d never quit trying to get him back to her bed. It was clear she was still trying and it had been years now. I wasn’t sure how I would deal with her. Humans didn’t have the skills, the speed, or the strength to fight a wolf. I hadn’t done any fighting and had only received basic self-defense from my dad. This was the first time in my life I had ever regretted not being a wolf. I wished I could tear that bitch’s throat out. Instead I was forced to let Reese deal with her.

  She finally left and the atmosphere in the room improved immediately. The guys started talking about her as soon as she was out of hearing range. It seemed they had all had a piece of her, I wasn’t surprised after all they were wolves. Wolves being synonymous with dogs and everyone knew about a male dog’s personal habit. I tried to tune them out since they were discussing things I didn’t even want to know about.

  “Guys, I don’t want you talking about her around my mate.” Reese instructed.

  Silence fell over the room as they immediately hushed. “Let’s get back to the problem with Delane. Are we going to have to take action against him or will he drop this?”

  “I don’t know. That one is nuts!” Stan admitted. “There’s a chance he may come after her. On the other hand, he didn’t want her enough to mate her.”

  Jam smacked his gum or whatever he was chewing. “He did want her bad enough to abduct her even knowing the alpha would be pissed.”

  This observation brought out all kinds of other comments and an argument broke out with everyone taking a side. Reese sat back and let them argue for a few minutes before he pounded his fist on his desk and brought the discussion to a halt.

  “This is getting us nowhere.” He objected. “We need someone to get more information on what Delane is up to.”

  “Jam has a she wolf in their pack that he sees from time to time. It would give him a reason to hang out over there.” Stan suggested.

  “What do you say Jam?” Reese asked.

  “If you need me to go, I will.” He said with a shrug.

  “Do it.” Reese ordered.

  He sent Jam on his way with that simple instruction. Now he turned his eyes on Stan. “I don’t think we can decide anything until Jam gets us more information. Megan and I will go back upstairs so she can rest.” All the guys exchanged knowing looks.

  Reese got up and held out his hand to me and I placed mine in his. He led me out of the room and back up the stairs. Now that he had mentioned it, I was feeling tired. I looked at him and I had a feeling he wasn’t really concerned about letting me rest. As soon as we got in the room and he closed the door, he swept me into his arms and gave me a heated kiss. Suddenly, I wasn’t so tired anymore. My lips parted and his tongue slid in and thrusts in an imitation of the coitus that we would soon be carrying out.

  His hands moved over me, warming my skin and arousing me. My hands wandered over his back as I pulled him closer. He pulled back and whispered low, “Take all your clothes off so I can touch you everywhere.”

  He didn’t have to repeat himself. His shirt was on the floor in a second and I watched with interest as he revealed his tanned skin a little at a time. By the time he was fully revealed, I was burning up with heat. My body ached to feel him against me, around me and inside me. I could feel the throb of my heartbeat between my legs calling for him to give me what I needed. What I hoped he needed as well. He moved against me toppling us both onto the bed behind me. There was a wild thrashing about of limbs for a moment before he took control.

  I could feel his power and it added to the excitement I already felt as it surged through me. I’d never felt anything like it before. “Oh my goddess, what’s happening?” Reese moaned.

  Maybe the power I was feeling wasn’t something he usually generated. The changes that mates underwent when bonding was somewhat of a mystery to me. My adoptive parents had discouraged me from mating a wolf so they had never informed me of the mating process or what to expect. The odd thing was, Reese seemed as shocked as I was. Did he not know about these things either?

  It was as if he wanted to stop now and consider what was happening but it was beyond his ability to do so. He lined up our bodies and sank deep into me. Luckily I was unbelievably aroused and even his humongous package slid in with only a small amount of resistance. The air crackled with electricity that arced all around us in a surrealistic fashion.

  He pounded into me, seemingly out of control and it felt so good. I felt the power continue to grow and I feared it would explode and take us with it. My pleasure also grew and I wrapped my legs around him tight and arched up rubbing all the right places when he pounded down into me. Blessed goddess I couldn’t take much more. Sweat covered our bodies and he was like a magnificent beast as his muscles flexed and strained above me.

  My body tightened and my pleasure spiraled out of control. I could feel his body preparing to explode also. I both anticipated and feared what the energy surrounding us would do when we climaxed, but it was too late to stop it now. It took hold of me and I thought I would die as pleasure coursed through me in waves. My body had never felt such pleasure and it was beyond anything I’d ever imagined. A scream tore from me, his name wailed forth loud and long. I heard him yell mine as well before I blacked out completely. Killed by an excess of pleasure was my last thought.

  I became aware in slow degrees. I heard background noises first, someone’s deep breathing, sounds of talking in the distance, things like that. I lay there concentrating and trying to remember where I was. I moved my hands and felt the smooth sheets of a bed. I moved it further away and encountered the warm silken flesh of what I hoped was a male. I moved my hand over him and was pleased to discover it was a male. I tried to open my eyes an couple times before I was successful and even then I laid perfectly still as waves of dizziness washed over me.

  Chapter 4

  Red wolf

  I felt her move around next to me and her hand slid across my flesh awakening the desire that we had previously sated. I wasn’t sure my desire would ever be kept at bay. Never in all my years had I experienced such an oddity. I still felt power surge in my blood. Power beyond what I normally had, far beyond.

  I remembered whispers and story the old timers told about those lost to us. It was the white and the red wolves that had powers so desirable that they found themselves hunted and forced into matings if found. To avoid what was sometimes a fate worse than death, stories were told of how they had allowed their lines to die out. It was discovered the white wolves had simply gone human, mating and mixing until they were only a memory. What if the red wolves had done the same thing? What if Megan truly was a red wolf?

  I searched my mind to remember what red wolves did. They were a catalyst, I thought. They heightened the power of their mate and took on his powers themselves, if they needed them. A desirable thing for a strong alpha looking to stretch his territ
ory and increase his power. I wondered if maybe I had dreamed the whole thing but the surge of power, a tingle all over, assured me I hadn’t. White wolves had many talents and each white wolf could have several of those.

  Red wolves had few, the most notable was what they gave their mate. Other than the attraction of the opposite sex that both bloodlines induced in others, I was unsure of what else Megan might be able to do. I thought the red wolves were also known for their strength and ability to fight, something the white wolves had proven repeatedly they could do. I needed to talk to someone like that geek that had told me about Delane. I wish I could remember his name.

  Megan was moving around more restlessly now. I think she was thinking about getting out of bed, but I wanted her to stay here with me. I rolled over quickly trapping her beneath me. “Hey there.” I whispered.

  Her warm brown eyes, the color of dark chocolate, gazed into mine. I felt heated and energized and I had no doubt the energy came from her. I wasn’t sure if this was something I could keep secret. She’d have to run as a wolf and when she did I had a feeling she’d be red. Even a fool would know what that meant. Her hair had no red in it, but that didn’t mean much. My human eyes were the darkest black but when the power in my wolf came out it made his eyes a deep blue.

  I knew we would have to talk about what was happening, but right now all I could think about was sinking between her thighs and hiding there forever. Her skin felt warm to my touch and now those warm brown eyes blazed into mine. My head moved down almost involuntarily until our lips touched and I devoured her mouth. I could no more resist her than I could stop the tides. My hands stroked her and I moved just enough to bring our thighs together. One hard fast lunge and we were joined. I rolled us over so she was on top and let her take the lead. Why not? I would be able to take her a million times in our long lives.

  She sat up pulling her legs up so she was astride of me like she was riding a horse. Ride ‘em cowgirl! It felt incredible as she rocked back and forth and her muscles tightened around my length when she ground into me. I groaned with pleasure as my hands grabbed at her well rounded ass. Now it was her turn to moan.