Feral Sins

CHAPTER TWENTY

Three weeks later

“It’s not funny,” said Taryn as she returned to Caleb’s side.

“Of course it’s not funny.”

She scowled at Caleb. He might have been more convincing if he wasn’t grinning. Come on, surely it was unreasonable to need to pee so often – eight times in a one hour period was just ridiculous! She wouldn’t mind so much if she was actually downing several mugs of coffee a day like she usually would, but now that she was pregnant, coffee wasn’t allowed. How humans went through this for a whole nine months she’d never know. Hell, elephants were pregnant for like a year and a half. Seriously, what was up with that?

Nervous and fidgety, she straightened the silky, slim-fitting, knee length dress for like the hundredth time. She wasn’t a fan of dresses and only ever wore them when she was attending a special occasion such as a mating ceremony. As this was her own mating ceremony, she couldn’t exactly wear jeans and a t-shirt. She had wanted to have the ceremony before her belly got too big with the pregnancy. She had no desire to be waddling like a penguin down the ‘aisle’.

Greta had been outraged to hear that Taryn was wearing white as apparently she was too much of a hussy for that. Although the woman had softened slightly to Taryn, it was only very slightly and she still took utter joy in insulting Taryn and being difficult. But then, Taryn took utter joy in returning Greta’s insults with some of her own so that worked out okay.

Taryn would have had the ceremony sooner, but she felt that it was better for everyone to have time to emotionally and physically recover from the battle. No one had let her heal them because she was pregnant – which was both unreasonable and dramatic since it didn’t make any difference at all to her gift. Although there was still a lingering sadness about how they had been betrayed by one of their own, everyone was by now simply relieved and happy about them having won the challenge.

Kirk, on the other hand, had been devastated and ashamed. No matter how often they had assured him that he wasn’t responsible for his father’s actions, Kirk hadn’t been able to even make eye contact with either Trey or Taryn. A few days after his father’s public execution – as was tradition for traitors – and the ceremony that been held to honor the few who had died in the battle, Kirk had decided to join with who was left of Darryl’s pack. Dante’s older brother, Josh, had been elected as their new Alpha and had agreed to accept Selma as well as Kirk. Well good luck to him with that.

There had been talk about some of Josh’s pack now joining Taryn and Trey’s, but so far nothing had been officially decided. It would be just her luck that she had gotten rid of Selma only to end up with a group of females that were far worse. The universe did seem to enjoy playing jokes on her.

“Ready?” asked Caleb.

Taryn released a long, calming breath. “Ready. Thank you for doing this.” Although Lance was – surprise, surprise – attending the ceremony, she hadn’t wanted him to do the giving away thing. In her opinion, he’d more or less given her away a long time ago. Caleb, on the other hand, had been a good friend to her since childhood and had been there for her over the years whenever she needed someone. It had seemed more appropriate for him to do it. Plus, it had put to rest all the arguments that had been going on between Dante, Don, and the enforcers as they fought over who should give her away.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I know you didn’t want me to mate with Trey.”

Caleb sighed and jiggled his head. “Of course I wish your mate wasn’t mentally unstable, but I’ve seen him with you, I’ve seen how much he cares for you. That’s good enough for me.”

“You don’t still feel like I’m betraying Joey, even though he was never my true mate?”

“No, I don’t. I never thought you were betraying him, just that you were wrong about Trey. Now I see that it was me who was wrong, and I’m happy for you. How can I not be happy for my best friend?”

Touched, Taryn went to hug him but he shook his head fiercely. “If your mate smells my scent all over you, he’ll kill me.”

Rolling her eyes, she took the hand he offered her and allowed him to escort her out of the caves, down the mountain steps, and through the trees that led to the lake. As it was the place where she and Trey spent most of their quality time together, it seemed rather fitting that the ceremony take place there.

Caleb halted as the forest began to thin out and then howled. A harmony of howls responded, giving Taryn goosebumps. Caleb held his arm out and, taking another deep breath, she looped her arm through his as they walked through the last of the trees until they entered the clearing near the lake. The entire pack was there, plus Shaya, Lance, Perry, Oscar, Derren, Don and his mate. They had all formed a huge circle, and Taryn knew that in the center would be Trey and Nick. Any Alpha could perform a mating ceremony, and Nick had kindly offered to do it for them.

When they reached the slight opening in the circle of people that was between Shaya and Grace, Taryn entered the circle, leaving Caleb to fill the space. A smile surfaced on her face the second she looked at Trey. He was wearing…hell she didn’t know what he was wearing. She couldn’t move her gaze from his – the intense mix of heat, possessiveness and adoration in his eyes made her inhale sharply. She didn’t remember moving her legs but seconds later she was standing before him, hearing Nick’s words and answering when required to, but all her focus was taken up by her mate.

Trey’s entire body clenched at the sight of Taryn. She looked so beautiful in that figure-hugging dress that he planned to tear from her body as soon as possible. Another one of those chest pangs struck him, but now he knew what they meant. Now he knew that he didn’t just care for her, he loved her. He hadn’t been able to work up the courage to tell her, to say the words.

He knew what she’d meant now when she told him that love was giving someone the power to destroy you and hoping that they didn’t. She had that power. She could break him, end him. It scared him, and he knew that the moment he gave her those words and admitted that she had that power, he would be utterly defenseless. Maybe other people wouldn’t fear that, but it had always been important to Trey that he was never vulnerable to another person. So he was shitting his pants.

As the other wolves repeated the ritual words and appealed to the power of the full moon to bless the mating, Taryn soaked up the lust that was pouring from Trey and feeding her own. Knowing that the ceremonial words were almost at an end, her anticipation levels rocketed. Feeling hypersensitive, she ran her hands along her dress – something she was pretty sure was going to be utterly destroyed in the next five minutes.

Finally Nick said the final words, and this was the part where she should demurely step forward and kiss her mate before allowing him to once again bite her for all to witness. Instead, she let a wicked smile curve her lips…and then she dashed toward the woods, shifting as she ran.

Fuck. Instantly Trey removed his shirt and pants, intending to shift into his wolf form. The last thing he would have expected was for Taryn to want to complete their mating with a chase and have him mount her for all to see – she was still new to that aspect of being a wolf. A part of his brain noted that many of the guests were laughing in surprise and also removing their clothes, clearly intending to follow. All he gave a shit about was tracking Taryn.

The grey wolf didn’t need to use his mate’s scent to find her. Their bond told him which direction she had taken, enabling him to find her much faster. He was nearing a clearing when a ball of white fur suddenly barreled into him. His mate had managed to ambush him. The she-wolf stuck her rear in the air in a pounce position, inviting him to play. The grey wolf was happy to do that. They ran together, keeping their bodies close and enjoying the contact. Then, finally, he mounted her, aware that other wolves were watching – some were also mounting their mates, others were simply observers. The grey wolf had no care, however, for what the others were doing. He was only interested in taking pleasure from his mate, releasing his semen inside her.

“Hussy, did you help with making all this?” Greta asked from her seat at the long table on which the feast was spread out under the huge outdoor gazebo. “A lot of the food has got a real funny aftertaste.”

“That weird taste is just from the shit you’re always talking,” replied Taryn who was sitting on Trey’s lap directly opposite the old dragon.

Greta gasped. “I hope your language will improve when the baby’s born. I don’t want my grandchild going round cursing like that or being sarcastic.”

Taryn sighed dreamily. “I really wish I’d known you when you were alive. I bet you weren’t so sour, prudish and senile back then.”

“Trey, you can’t let her talk to me like that! This rudeness is uncalled for.”

“He’s not going to help you,” sang Taryn. “He likes sex too much to interfere.”

“There she goes again with that language. You shouldn’t talk like that in front of your elders, and you especially shouldn’t mention it in the presence of your own father and uncle.”

Lance did look as though talk of sex was making him a little uncomfortable, but – petty though it might be – Taryn was fine with that. She cocked her head at Greta. “So let me get this right: I can’t mention sex, but Dominic can deliver sleazy chat up line after sleazy chat up line, and that’s okay?”

Dominic pouted. “Aw, come on, Taryn, smile. It’s the second best thing you can do with your lips.”

Taryn flapped her arms. “I give up.”

Trey threw the last of his cake at him, growling. Dominic, of course, just laughed.

“It was a very nice ceremony,” declared Don, obviously hoping to change the subject.

“It was,” agreed Taryn. “Thanks again Nick for performing it for us.”

“No problem. I was happy to do it.” For like the millionth time, his gaze wandered to Shaya who, for like the millionth time, met his gaze and blushed. Caleb had also noticed and had been teasing her all night long about it, hence why she’d bitch slapped him at one point. Not many people were capable of making Shaya blush – she was just so flirtatious and bubbly – so it would be interesting to see if anything happened between her and Nick.

“I still can’t believe that you had a mating ceremony,” Tao said to Trey. “There isn’t a romantic bone in your body.”

“Oh and you’re a regular Romeo, are you, Tao?” Taryn’s question was rhetorical.

“Hey, I admit it – the likelihood of me ever having one is slimmer than slim.”

“Same here,” said Trick. Ryan grunted, agreeing with him.

Trey tskd. “You say that now, but it’ll be different when you meet your mate. They have a way of always getting what they want.” He gave Taryn a mock scowl. She smiled brightly.

Dante snorted. “Look, I’m not saying I wouldn’t have a ceremony. You know me, I love parties and if there’s an excuse to throw one, I’ll do it. But if you’re insinuating that anyone could have me wrapped around their little finger, you’re damn wrong.”

Marcus turned to Dominic. “With all your lines, they’ll be wrapped around your little finger,” he said sarcastically. “There’s no way a woman could possibly resist your charm.”

Dominic smiled. “Or my dick. Don’t worry, I won’t get it out. I don’t want you all to get intimidated. And in the interest of health and safety, I think it’s better that he’s not unleashed.”

Taryn gaped when Greta laughed. Laughed! “Excuse me a sec,” said Taryn, standing up, “I need to pee again.” Seeing that Marcus and Trick were trying to hide laughs, she smacked them both over the head as she passed the table.

“Hey, wait, I’ll come with you,” called Shaya. “So how are you feeling?” she asked as they walked, gesturing to Taryn’s belly.

“Fine, just irritated by the constant need to pee. How are you?”

“I’m good. Speaking of pee, I swear I almost peed in my pants earlier. Isn’t Dominic hilarious! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”

“Yes, he is. And very cute. So is Nick.”

“Don’t start trying to play matchmaker.”

“Would I do that?” Taryn asked with mock innocence. Shaya snorted. After a quick journey to her en-suite bathroom to answer the call of nature, they both descended the steps of the mountain. To Taryn’s complete surprise, Lance was waiting for her at the bottom.

“I’ll just go back to the party and wait there,” announced Shaya, her expression confused.

Taryn faced her father and raised a brow questioningly.

For a few seconds, he just looked at her. Then, having cleared his throat, he finally spoke. “I’m not going to make excuses for any of my behavior toward you, but I will tell you that a big part of it was that you looked so much like your mom that it made recovering from her death that much harder. I know that’s not an excuse, and like I said, I’m not going to make any. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her frown deepened. “It’s just that you sound, well, normal. I’m not sure whether that means we need to increase your medication or mine.”

He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, as I was saying, a decent father would have been there for you after your mom’s death. Maybe another father wouldn’t have shoved you aside on discovering that you were latent, or maybe he would’ve done exactly as I did. But I lied when I said that her mom would have turned her back on you. She never would have done that.”

“I know. You’d also be lying if you said that we’d still be having this conversation if I hadn’t managed to overcome my latency.”

“Maybe. It’s not something that anyone has ever done before, as far as we’re aware. Your strength has made me see you in a different light, I suppose.”

“I know you didn’t do it for me, but I’m thankful that you helped with the battle – if we hadn’t had the numbers we needed, many of us could be dead right now, including Trey and our child.”

“You’re right. I didn’t do it for you. But, still…I’m glad none of you are dead. And I’m glad you have found your true mate. I know from what I had with your mom that’s it’s something that can’t be equaled.”

“Everything okay, baby?” asked Trey as he stepped out of the trees.

She’d known he was approaching and had sensed his concern for her through their bond. Clearly he’d felt the awkwardness she was feeling as she spoke with Lance. “Yes, fine.”

He held his hand out to her, looking at Lance speculatively. “Come on, let’s head back to the party.”

“Perry, Oscar, and I are leaving now. They’re waiting for me by the car.”

Taryn pouted. “So soon? But I haven’t had a chance to poison your beer yet.”

Rolling his eyes and sighing, Lance gave both her and Trey a nod before disappearing through the trees, heading for his car.

She took Trey’s hand and let him lead her back to the party. Just like the time they went to a mating ceremony at Nick’s territory, Taryn and Trey didn’t bother dancing with the others. They saw little point in embarrassing themselves in front of their guests by revealing just how little rhythm they had. As Taryn wasn’t allowed to drink any alcohol, Trey was sweet enough to refrain from having any himself to be supportive. Who would have thought to the psycho highlander could be so sweet?

Feeling Taryn’s head lean on his shoulder, Trey smiled. “Tired?” Naturally she denied it and sat upright again. Every day she was usually wiped out by the time she’d finished dinner and went for a nap. Today had been especially tiring for her and she obviously needed sleep. He stood and lifted her from her seat, curling her legs around him. “Come on, you need to lie down for a little while.”

“No, I don’t. Stop fussing, I just wanted to lean on you and have some contact with my mate. God forgive me.”

If she hadn’t yawned, he might have believed her. “Shut up,” he said gently when she went to object.

“How many times do you have to be told, hussy? Listen to your body – if it tells you that you need to sleep, then sleep.”

Taryn smiled at her. “Thanks for reminding me how important it is that I take care of myself, Greta. I’m not sure what I’d do if you weren’t around. Although it’s fun thinking about it.”

Before the argument could become heated, Trey carried her out of the clearing, inside the caves, and then into their bedroom. Having placed her carefully on the bed, he lay beside her and pulled her flush against his body. She found her own little groove and fit there like the last piece of a jigsaw, making him whole. She made him whole both inside and out, and he couldn’t understand how he’d functioned without her before she came into his life.

“Trey? You know the baby might be latent, don’t you?”

Hearing how small her voice was, he kissed her reassuringly. “Yes, I know that, but it won’t matter to me if the baby is latent. Obviously I’d like it if that wasn’t the case, but I’m not going to turn my back on him if it is.”

She snorted. “It could be a ‘her’, you know.” Although she also had the feeling it was a ‘he’.

Trey smiled. “You do know that the whole shifter community is terrified of you now, don’t you? What you did is unheard of – no latent has ever shifted before.”

“I don’t think it would have happened if my wolf hadn’t been so frantic because the baby was in danger.”

“Your wolf is gorgeous, slender and graceful. My wolf loves running with her, especially since he hadn’t thought he ever would.”

“Yeah, he likes to mount her a lot too,” she grumbled, not that her wolf minded so much. “He’s just as horny as you are.”

“I’m not the nympho in this mating.”

“I’m not the one who has a thing for fucking people in the ass.”

He groaned. “Just remembering that makes me hard. I will be doing that again soon.”

“I don’t think so, Flinstone.”

“You loved it, and you know you did.” He tensed when she grinded herself against his erection. “You need to sleep.”

“No, I need you inside me.”

“Taryn.”

“Trey.”

“You need sleep.” But even as he said that, he wasn’t stopping her from reaching down and unbuttoning his fly. He cursed and closed his eyes as she began working her soft hand up and down his length. She kept her pace slow, no doubt just to tease him the way he always teased her, but still each wicked stroke pulled him under her spell. Groaning in defeat, he lifted her leg and curled it over his hip. He rocked his erection against her clit and groaned again. “You drive me fucking crazy, do you know that?” It came out sounding like a complaint.

Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he inhaled her scent, letting it settle into his lungs and tease him. She smelled of exotic fruits, of him, of pregnancy, and of home. He took her mouth with a slow sensuality, seducing her lips and tongue. A crushing sense of ownership assailed him, driving him to possess her and overwhelm his senses with her. “I need your taste in my mouth.” He peeled her t-shirt from her body and removed her bra before rolling her onto her back.

Taryn moaned as he played her body like the master he was – molding her breasts with his hands, sucking and biting her nipples until she was writhing beneath him, and then he was journeying down her body but pausing now and then to nip and suck at little patches of skin. He knew exactly what she liked and he gave it to her, but what increased the raw ache in her body more than any of that was the mix of possessiveness and adoration blazing from his eyes.

Once Trey had finally removed her jeans and thong, he took a minute to just look at her laying there, his to take and possess. At some point in the past few months he had licked, kissed, or bit every inch of her body. He knew it better than even she did. Every curve, every indent, every slope, and every hollow was etched into his brain. He had every mark committed to memory, whether it be birthmark, freckle, scar, or the brands he’d left on her body – he could find every one of them with his eyes closed.

A gasp flew out of Taryn as he cocked her hips and suckled hard on her clit. There were no teasing licks this time, no making her wait. He swirled his tongue around her clit, flicked it repeatedly, and then sank his tongue inside her. Holding her still, he unrelentingly fucked her with that clever tongue. His soft growls heightened the pleasure until she just couldn’t take anymore. “Trey, stop.” He didn’t. She threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged. He snarled in the back of his throat and that just made the whole thing worse. “Please.”

He froze at that one word. He doubted any other word would have reached him – he’d been too absorbed by her taste, hadn’t been able to get enough of it. She’d begged him. She’d actually begged him. He peered up at her face, expecting to see shock in her eyes or for her to give him a smart-ass comment that assured him she was taking the piss. Instead, her expression was totally open, totally exposed; everything she felt was right there in her lust-dazed eyes for him to see. It rocked him like nothing else could have. He knelt between her legs and gripped her hips, positioning his cock at her entrance. “Say it again.” He half-expected her to tell him to fuck off, but she didn’t.

“Please.”

There went his self-control. He slammed himself home, groaning as her muscles clamped around his cock, and then he took her hard and rough. Hearing her beg, knowing that she’d completely surrendered to him, had him well and truly lost. She’d broken down that last wall, had let him in, was accepting that every part of her belonged to him. That wasn’t a one-way street; this female totally owned him, would have done even if she hadn’t been his true mate.

Feeling the telling tingle in his spine, he draped himself over her. “You know what I want, baby.” She raised her head and bit down hard on his shoulder, sucking and licking. “Fuck. Scream my name for me, Taryn. Do it, I need it.”

As he clamped his teeth over his claiming mark, Taryn’s back arched with the explosion of pure bliss that ripped through her body. His name escaped her mouth in a scream so loud it hurt her ears. She heard him growl/groan her own name as his own release hit and his cock pulsed deep inside her. Panting and quivering with aftershocks, they stayed there like that with him draped over her and his face buried in the crook of her neck. Thankfully the big lug had been careful not to place all his weight on her because she wouldn’t have had the energy to shove him off.

“I love you, baby.”

His words had her eyes snapping open. Had she not been able to feel it was the truth through their bond, she might not have believed him so easily. Curling all her limbs around him, she whispered into his ear, “And I love you.” The shudder that ran through him told her just how much that affected him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize what I felt before,” he said softly into her ear. “I’m sorry I kept my walls up with you.”

“It’s okay.”

He pulled back to look at her face. “No, it’s not. You’re my mate and I didn’t let you in.”

“Of course you didn’t, Trey. You didn’t know how to let someone in. I don’t blame you for that. Hell, I had my own defenses up for long enough.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have walls up so high that you didn’t even see how much you cared for your own mate.” A wicked smile took over his face. “But now that all our defenses are down…it makes me wonder just how often I can get you to beg for me.”

“Sorry, that was just a one off.”

“Oh no. You let me behind those walls of yours, gave yourself completely to me, and I’m not giving you back. You’re all mine.”

“That works both ways, Flinstone,” she snapped, “you belong to me too.”

He smirked, enjoying the possessiveness in her tone. “Only ever you, baby.”

“Great. Prove it. Do me again.”

Unbelievable. “For the tenth time, you need sleep.”

“I’m supposed to listen to what my pregnant body tells me, remember. It’s telling me it wants to play Hiding Pedro.”

He released a long suffering sigh. “See – you’re a total nympho.”

“Do you want your mate to be happy or not?”