Feral Sins

CHAPTER NINE

Taryn was still panting and vibrating with aftershocks when Trey kissed his way up her body and lay down beside her, gathering her against him. Although his eyes had darkened with lust he wasn’t making any moves on her. In fact, he seemed pretty content to just play with her hair. As much as she appreciated his selflessness, a part of her wanted him to be a little selfish right about now because she really wanted his cock inside her.

“Tell me about your mom.”

There went her arousal. When she hesitated answering he gave her a reprimanding look. He didn’t want to be frozen out again. “She was…this is going to sound mean. She was dizzy.”

“Dizzy?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Wherever she went she’d leave something behind. The worst part was she wouldn’t even realize she’d left anything until someone asked her if it was hers. Common sense was something she lacked but it was one of the things that everyone loved about her because she could always make them laugh. Oddly enough, though, she was good with money. You’d have thought that her dopiness would have interfered with her money management skills, but no, she was great with numbers.”

“You two were close?”

She nodded. “I think one of the reasons she doted on me so much was that I was her only child. Her and my dad tried for more, but for whatever reason, she never got pregnant again. I knew she felt guilty about that, like she’d let my dad down.”

“Was your dad just as doting until he realized you were latent?”

“No. As a female, I was already a disappointment to him.”

Trey made a derogative snort. “That guy really is an asshole.” He gentled his voice as he asked, “How did she die?”

Again she hesitated and again he gave her that look. “My mom and Joey’s mom were close friends. Every Sunday they’d go to the market in town and take me and Joey with them. On this one day I couldn’t go because I was in the basement -”

“The basement?” There was something in the sound of her voice that had his hackles rising.

“It was my dad’s version of a punishment.”

“He used to confine you?” Hell that would be bad for any kid but for a shifter...

“It’s all part of that ‘him being an asshole’ thing. Anyway…On the way into town, some totally blitzed guy in a banged up Chevy crashed into them, sent them toppling over…It was thought that the three of them were unconscious when it went up in flames. The drunken bastard was fine.”

Trey held her tightly to him and kissed her hair. “It’s weird just how similar our situation is.”

Taryn pulled back to meet his gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Both of us lost our mom and true mate. Both of us were lumbered with assholes for fathers. Both of us have to deal with bold inner wolves.”

“How did they die?” When he just stared at her she growled. “Wait, I’m supposed to lay it all out but you get to remain a closed book? I don’t think so, Flinstone. Get talking.”

Not wanting to, but knowing she was right, he sighed and nodded. “There weren’t just the sixteen of us when I left the pack. My mom came. The separation from my dad…She wasn’t strong enough to deal with it and she turned rogue. Then I killed her. She’d attacked Marcus…”

When he paused midsentence and Taryn saw the pain in his eyes she couldn’t help but stroke his chest and snuggling closer. He shot her one of those macho ‘I don’t need comfort’ looks. “I’m not sympathising with you, I’m just cold.”

“As for my true mate…Her name was Summer.” That was the first time he’d spoken her name in a very long time. “She was two months old when she died in her sleep.”

Taryn’s heart clenched at the idea. “You said when we first met that you hadn’t acknowledged her?”

“I was fourteen, she was a baby…it felt weird and I acted like a dumb shit. Then when I heard she was dead…Let’s just say I didn’t take it too well and I made a mess of my room. My dad put two and two together and teased me about it.”

“Teased you?” Rage and protectiveness surged through her, making her wish the bastard was alive so she could kick his ass.

“He thought the whole thing was funny because something had finally gotten an emotional reaction from me, he wanted me to cry. See, I’d never cried no matter what he did to me, and he hated that. I’d always stay stoic and take every punch, refusing to give him the reaction he wanted. Even as he teased me about Summer I couldn’t cry, it’s just not in me to do that I guess.”

“You’re right, he was an asshole. So am I right in thinking that it was the teasing that made you lose it and beat him up so bad you almost killed him?”

He nodded. “I’d put up with his shit for years, but everyone has a limit, and that day he found mine and pushed it. I’m not sorry. Not even now that he’s dead. If he was here right now I’d do it all over again, and I’d enjoy it.” He wanted her to know who he was, what he was capable of. He wanted to know if she could handle it. She didn’t disappoint him.

“And I’d be cheering you on.”

Sliding his hand to her nape, he brought her face to his and kissed her hungrily, lashing her tongue with his and nibbling on her lips. The urge to plunge inside her and take her over was eating at him. Making it worse was that the scent of her arousal still flavoured the air. Shit he deserved a goddamn award for his restraint.

The sound of her stomach rumbling had Taryn chuckling into Trey’s mouth. “I need feeding.”

“I’ve already eaten,” he said with a wicked smirk. He tapped her bare ass lightly. “Come on, let’s get you some food.”

Five minutes later Taryn was fully clothed again and accepting a piggyback ride from Trey who rushed her into the kitchen. The entire pack was there other than Cam who was on guard duty. All were smiling with the exception of Greta, Kirk, Selma, and Hope. Taryn could only assume they had overheard her and Trey having some quality time together, or had guessed by the sight of his slashed t-shirt which he had purposely left on.

There was someone else who wasn’t smiling, she suddenly realized. Tao’s expression was carefully blank. Before she had the chance to wonder on that, Grace came and handed Taryn – who was sat on the counter with Trey standing beside her – a plate on which a few slices of watermelon sat, and also a candy bar just because she was an angel. “It’s good to have you back.”

She took the plate gratefully. Grace always took care of her. Then she topped it off by handing her a mug of coffee. “I think I love you.”

“So the hussy’s back, is she?” sneered Greta, glaring at Taryn like she was a giant turd.

Taryn only smiled. “Is there no way you could just pull your bottom lip over your head and swallow?”

Dante’s drink sprayed out of his mouth as he went into a fit of coughing.

“I’d have shoved this piece if watermelon in your mouth if I didn’t like it so much.” Taryn saw Dominic biting his bottom lip and just knew he was doing his best to bite back a dirty chat up line. Perv.

“While you and Taryn were, um, busy,” said Rhett to Trey, “I checked our pack web for messages. Turns out there’re a lot of alphas interesting in discussing an alliance with you, Trey. The new alpha of the Roscoe’s pack included.”

Taryn laughed. “I had a feeling he might get in touch through the pack web. He seemed too terrified of Trey to come back here.”

“There was someone else too.” He looked at Taryn then. “Your dad. Only he wants to set up a meeting to discuss it in person. Any idea why?”

“My dad likes to name-drop.”

“Name-drop?” echoed Trick.

“There are different levels to an alliance. Most simply want the association with that pack, want to build the number of associations to look impressive.”

“A little like people on social networks wanting to have a massive friends list?”

“Exactly. Others want an assurance that if they ever need to call on the pack in an emergency for back-up of some kind, they’ll get it. Then there are some who are a lot like people who enjoy boasting about all the important or influential people they know – like to drop names into conversations and claim that that person is a close acquaintance in order to look impressive to others.”

Trey folded his arms across his chest. “So, basically, your dad wants to be able to throw my name around to deter others from fucking with him, and maybe even call on me for protection?”

“Yep.”

“Cheeky bastard. A basic alliance, sure. But the right to use me on a protective level? Hell no.” After the way he’d treated Taryn, the man was lucky to still be breathing.

“The whole point of mating with me was to get an alliance with my dad. You can’t let the fact that he’s an asshole get in the way here of your big plan.”

Yeah, but Trey couldn’t agree to this alliance without feeling as though he was being disloyal to his mate. God knew he’d hurt her enough already. “Rhett said a number of other alphas are willing to discuss an alliance. Maybe I won’t need your dad.”

“You’ve never needed him, you’ve never needed this mating,” stated Kirk.

“Too right,” said Selma, crossing her arms over her chest, accentuating her cleavage. “She has no place here.”

“No Warner will ever have a place here.”

Taryn shook her head. “This stuff is getting real old.”

“Isn’t that right, Hope?” pressed Selma, ignoring Taryn.

Hope gulped and nodded. “You’ve no place here.”

“Why won’t you listen to us, Trey?” Kirk sounded genuinely confused. “Darryl will never go through with this challenge – you have to know that.”

“Son, why not just calm down,” said Brock.

“Are you telling me that you support her being here? Support having a Warner around?”

Brock sighed. “No, I don’t support it, and I don’t think we’ll get anything out of her being here. Nonetheless, we don’t question our Alpha, you know that.”

Sharply, Kirk stood and stalked out of the room. Selma and Hope followed closely behind him.

“Their lack of support isn’t exactly a shock,” said Dante, shrugging as if their input meant jack shit.

Trey nodded his agreement then stood between Taryn’s swinging legs and pulled her flush against him. “You’re sure you’ll be okay with me meeting up with your dad to sort an alliance?”

“Do you honestly think I’d keep my mouth shut if I wasn’t?”

He smiled. “Good point. Alright, Rhett, set a meeting up for this weekend at somewhere that’s neutral territory.”

“You do know I’m coming, right?” said Taryn. Seeing that he was about to argue she placed her index finger over his mouth. “I don’t mind if you want to start ranting just as long as you understand I’ll be ignoring every word and I fully intend to be there. Any Alpha pair would go together to a meeting with another Alpha, you know that.”

He nipped her finger, making her snatch it back and scowl. “This isn’t just any Alpha. This is the asshole who was a complete and utter bastard to you throughout your entire life.”

“I’m not sure why you’d want to be in the same room with him ever again after the way he just tossed you aside because of the latency,” said Ryan, clearly in protective mode.

Taking in the sympathetic faces, Taryn sighed. “I take it this means you all know about my relationship – or lack thereof – with my dad.”

Rhett pointed at Marcus. “It was him who told us all.”

“Only because you were all talking about her like she was Warner’s golden girl. His treatment was far from golden.”

“Which is why I don’t want you near him,” Trey said to Taryn. His wolf was in full agreement.

She smiled sweetly and scraped her nails lightly down the column of his throat. “As cute as that is, it doesn’t make an ounce of difference.”

Again he wanted to argue with her, wanted to protect her from harm just as his wolf did, but now that Trey had come to know more about Taryn, he understood that how he handled this now would be very important. Throughout her entire life, people had seen it as their right to undermine her and disrespect her. If the male she had mated did that, it would hurt her deeply. Even his wolf understood that part of his job as protector was to protect her emotionally – something he hadn’t been doing very well so far. So, groaning, he nodded and didn’t let it show that her beaming smile had any effect on him.

“It’s good to see you’re starting to understand that I have a will of iron.” Seeing Dominic’s face scrunched up in agony, indicating that it was obviously killing him to hold back, she sighed tiredly. “Whatever the dirty line is, get it out of your system now.”

Dominic shrugged innocently. “It was just that you said you liked watermelon. It got me wondering…If I was a watermelon, would you spit or swallow my seed?” Some chuckled, some groaned, and Trey scowled at him.

“Okay, okay, I got a better one. If your left leg is Thanksgiving, and your right leg is Christmas, can I visit you between the holidays?” More people chuckled than groaned at him this time. Trey, of course, growled.

“Where do you hear these lines?”

“Some I’ve heard from other guys. Some I’ve read on the internet or heard on T.V.”

Trey glared at him. “Well you can stop using them on my mate.”

Dominic gave him an apologetic look that couldn’t have been more false. “I can’t help it, she’s like a dictionary – she brings meaning into my life.” This time everyone groaned. “Oh come on, that wasn’t that bad.”

The next few hours went as usual for the pack of an evening – they ate together in the kitchen, they watched T.V. together, Taryn and Greta exchanged more insults. But there were two major differences. One, Trey stayed with Taryn as opposed to closing himself in his office. Two, for some unknown reason, Tao didn’t appear to be talking to her.

It wasn’t until just before she was ready to head to her room that she managed to catch a moment alone with Tao in the living area. “Would you like to tell me why you won’t even look at me?”

As if she hadn’t spoken, he rose from his seat on the sofa and started to leave the room.

She jumped up and placed herself in front of him. “Oh no, there’ll be no walking away. You tell me what it is I’ve done.”

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. She didn’t think he was going to answer but then he abruptly snapped, “You shut me out, Taryn.” Gentling his tone, he continued. “I thought we were close. Close friends, I mean. And you totally shut me out. What’s worse is that the person you opened up to is the one person who didn’t deserve to have you confide in him like that.”

She could understand why he might feel a little hurt. They had become good friends. Her wolf wasn’t so understanding about his tone and was growling inside Taryn’s head. “Today is my deceased mom’s birthday.” His mouth dropped open. “I actually hadn’t told Trey. He found my box of memories and realized for himself.”

“But he was still the person who brought you out of that daze. Him. Or do you just like being eaten out so much?”

Hands on her hips she invaded his personal space. “Who do you think you are speaking to me that way?

He stepped back and raised his hands. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand why you’d let him use you. All he’s done since the beginning is brush you off and now that he’s decided he’ll treat you like a mate you’re just going to give in to him just like that? You deserve better than that.”

“You’re making him sound cruel, Tao. He was trying to avoid imprinting -”

“Yeah I know but I still think you deserve better. I’d never have hurt you like that, Taryn. Never.”

As the meaning of his words registered it was her mouth that dropped open as her hands slipped down from her hips.

“Yeah, that’s right. Don’t worry, I’d never poach – that’s not who I am. Maybe once the battle’s over and you’re leaving” – he paused, shrugging – “maybe you’ll think more about me then.”

This time she didn’t try to stop him from leaving the room. She didn’t do anything, just stood there frozen with shock. Should she have known this was how Tao felt? Sure she’d noticed he was always around her a lot but he was her bodyguard, he was supposed to be. And yeah, okay, he touched her a lot, but Marcus gave her shoulders a massage every single day and there was nothing going on there.

Why did it have to mean something if a guy was friendly? Couldn’t platonic friendships between a male and a female exist anymore? This was so shit.

The sound of soft footsteps had her turning to see Dante entering the room. His expression was sympathetic. “You heard that.” He nodded. There was no surprise on his face. “You already knew.” He nodded again. “Everybody knows.” Another nod. “Even Trey?”

“I’m not sure if he knows that Tao is prepared to leave the pack with you, but he knows Tao wants you.”

“It hasn’t caused any bad feelings between them, has it?” She’d leave before she came between two close friends. Her wolf growled at the idea of her leaving, but Taryn ignored her.

“No. Like Tao said, he’d never poach and Trey knows that.” He cocked his head and pursed his lips. “Would Tao have a chance with you if you left here?”

“There’s no ‘if I left here’ about it, Dante. Trey only wants this to be short-term, you know that.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I’ve seen Trey with women. Never has he ever treated any of them the way he treats you.”

She snickered. “What, you mean totally shoving them aside?”

“As much as Trey’s tough, we’re all scared of something. And he’s terrified of imprinting, Taryn. He saw first-hand what happens when a wolf turns rogue, he had to kill that wolf. For as long as you don’t imprint on each other there’s no chance of that happening to either of you if you separate.”

She noticed he had again used the word ‘if’ but she didn’t comment.

“When he made that deal with you, he hadn’t considered that he might just come to like you in more than a physical sense. You brought out things in him that he wasn’t prepared for and it knocked him for a loop.”

She shook her head. “That’s just his wolf, Dante. Just his mating instincts. It’s not Trey.”

“He knew in advance that his wolf would be possessive, he knew his instincts would ride him hard – he’d been ready for all that. He hadn’t been ready for how it would be if he himself felt those same things.”

“You’re wrong.” The denial was automatic. Automatic because she’d come to the conclusion a long time ago that she could only ever rely on herself, that she would never have that total acceptance that came from a mate. She was defiant, sarcastic, snappy, contrary, stubborn and strong-willed – not an attractive combination for male wolves in her opinion. When she’d lost Joey she’d also lost that one chance of being cared for exactly as she was, latency and all. Besides this was Trey they were talking about for God’s sake! “There’s no danger of us imprinting.”

“I agree. There’s something a lot bigger than that going on here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That’s something you both need to figure out on your own, but I’m not convinced either of you are ready to accept it yet.”

Not liking that smug, all-knowing look on his face, she pushed passed him and jogged to her room. In under a minute she was stripped of her clothes and stood under the soothing hot spray of the shower. There was no denying that this day had been one of the strangest of her life. On the plus side, at least it wasn’t possible that it could get any stranger. But she didn’t want to think on anything. Not her mom, not Joey, not Tao’s confession, not Dante’s dumb theory. All she wanted was to just forget about it all, just for a little while. She would decide what to do about Tao tomorrow, she really would, but right now she just needed to relax.

Finished in his office and ready to head to his room, Trey swung the office door open and frowned at the sight of Dante stood there with his hand ready to knock.

“Hey,” said his Beta, dropping his hand. “I’m just passing on a message from Rhett. The meeting with Warner is scheduled for next Saturday morning at Mo’s Diner, 10 A.M.”

“Good.”

“You don’t sound all that excited.”

“I don’t?” asked Trey, hoping to sound aloof, as he stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him. In truth, the idea of making any kind of agreement with Lance Warner irritated both him and his wolf.

Dante sighed, rubbing his nape. “I don’t like it either. Taryn might say it doesn’t bother her, but it’s got to piss her off a little.”

“She’s always known I wanted the alliance, she’s never forgotten why she’s here,” said Trey a little defensively.

“Yeah. Would have been a lot easier using her like this if she was an evil heifer though.” As Trey shrugged passed him Dante added, “I wouldn’t expect her to be in a great mood when you see her.”

Trey swerved. “Why’s that?”

“Tao just dropped a bomb on her.”

He didn’t have to say anything more for Trey to understand. “I didn’t think he’d tell her. Little fucker.”

“Trey, come on, he’s just overheard her screaming from an orgasm you were giving her and he feels like you’re treating her like a toy you can pick up when you feel like.”

“A toy? She’s my mate.” He would admit he’d been an ass to her, but never had he thought of her as a toy, never had he disrespected her in his thoughts like that.

“I know that. Tao would never trespass on your territory and if you had mated with Taryn for life then I doubt he would have said a word. Not that I’m making excuses for him. I’m not. It was a totally uncool thing to do, especially on a day when she’s feeling so raw.”

“She hadn’t known, had she?”

Dante shook his head. “She seemed a little worried that it might cause trouble between you and him, but I made sure she knew that wouldn’t happen. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep him as her bodyguard though.”

“She won’t need one. She has me.” Trey was surprised his voice sounded human considering that he was fighting his wolf from surfacing. His wolf wanted to hunt down the male who not only coveted his mate but had made it damn clear that he wanted her.

Dante grinned. “I like that answer.”

Trey gave him a small nod and turned to leave, but then he spoke again.

“There’s something else. Telling you probably isn’t a good thing, but keeping it from you would be worse – you’re my Alpha, and my friend. And I’d hate to see you throw something away without first realising how important it is to you.”

“Dante, English.”

“Well, Tao basically indicated that if she was agreeable, he’d leave the pack with her when this was over and mate with her.”

“What was that?” he growled. His wolf bucked and clawed at Trey, wanting to get out and rid the world of this male. Tao had to be having suicidal thoughts – that was all Trey could conclude from that. “I’m going to kill him.”

In a blink, Dante was directly in front of him, blocking his path. “No, no, no – Trey, man, just listen. I know Tao crossed a boundary by suggesting that to her while she’s still mated to you, but he wasn’t thinking right. He was jealous and hurt.”

None of that meant jack shit to Trey or his wolf. Shoving his Beta aside, he stalked down the hallway in pursuit of his prey.

“If you go kick Tao’s ass now, Taryn will leave.”

His wolf snapped to attention at that and Trey halted in his tracks. No other words would have gotten through to him. His wolf didn’t understand all the details around this matter, but he did understand cause and effect. If Trey acted on his anger and hurt Tao, his mate would leave.

“She won’t stick around even one hour longer if she thinks she’s coming between the two of you. I know you can’t just switch off the anger but, man, you got to choose which is more important – venting that anger, or making sure Taryn stays.”

He was right. Trey knew he was right. But he was also right about something else. Trey couldn’t just switch off the anger just like that. “Dante…” The word was guttural.

“She’ll leave, Trey. You touch Tao, she’ll leave right now.”

And Tao might leave with her. “What did she say when he told her?”

“He didn’t give her a chance to say anything, just left the room. You can’t really blame him for feeling that way about her.”

“I don’t. But what he did crossed a line.”

“Yeah, and imagine how that’s made her feel. She thought Tao was her friend and she’s already had enough going on in her head today. Go to her, make sure she’s okay. Tao’s suffering enough just by having to see you guys together.” When Trey continued to hesitate, Dante sighed. “Tao or Taryn. Decide.”

It was as she was rinsing the conditioner from her hair that Taryn felt a chill on her back followed by the presence of a warm muscular body behind her. Trey’s scent swirled around her, comforting both her and her wolf. Without saying a word, he took the soapy sponge from the shelf, tipped her head forward, and washed every inch of her back. Then he moved onto her arms, her ass, her legs. Never was his touch anything but gentle. Then he turned her to face him and washed the front of her body in much the same way. At no point was his touch seductive, but somehow she was as turned on as all hell by the time he’d reached her thighs.

Abruptly Taryn knotted her hands in his hair and tugged his head down as she mashed her lips to his. He didn’t require any coaxing. Groaning, he plunged his tongue into her mouth and made the kiss his own. There was nothing gentle about it, the selflessness of earlier had gone. He took, he dominated, he devoured, he conquered. She had never felt so taken in her entire life and he was only kissing her.

Trey honestly hadn’t joined her in the shower with the intention of seducing her. Not today when her head was full with all kinds of crap. All he’d meant was to offer her some kind of comfort, to make sure she didn’t feel alone, to ensure that she knew she wasn’t alone. Any other day he might have had a little willpower, but not today, not when his own mind was all messed up.

The second she’d joined her lips to his, all his good intentions left him. All his pent-up arousal escaped into the kiss, into the way that he clutched her to him, into his groans and growls. The flirty scent of her arousal washed over him, luring him and urging him to taste her.

His entire body clenched as one of her hands trailed down his body and her soft fingers curled around him. She swiped her thumb over the head, smearing the drop of pre-cum as she did. He sucked in a breath as she then began to pump. Her grip was just how he liked it, firm and sure. Every wicked stroke intensified his need for her, his need to taste and fuck his mate – the same mate who was sneakily attempting to dominate him, to control the situation. His wolf approved of her attempt, of her feistiness, but just like Trey he wasn’t going to allow her to have the control.

A shudder ran through Taryn as a powerful fist tangled in her hair and snatched her head back before sharp teeth raked down her throat. The move was dominant and possessive and much approved of by her wolf who quivered at each demonstration of his strength. Her back arched and her breasts pushed out, pressing her hard nipples against his chest and making her inhale sharply.

Looming over her, Trey seized her gaze. “I need your taste in my mouth, Taryn.” He really did need it. Needed his senses to be full of her, his mate. His mate who was there with him, not Tao or anyone else, but him. He watched as defiance flashed on her face and she growled. Trey gripped her wrists, backed her into the tiled wall and pinned her there with his body, keeping her hands high above her head. His rebellions little mate struggled just like he knew she would. “Yeah, baby, fight me. Fight me all you want but you’re not going to get dominance here.”

Trey was coming to understand a few things about Taryn. He was learning that her problem with submitting went a lot deeper than her just being an alpha female. She didn’t want another person to have any power over her, didn’t want to be vulnerable to them or else they could hurt her the way everyone else had. The only two people who had ever protected her in any way had been the same two people who were taken from her when she was just a kid. She hadn’t been safe in a very long time. Hell, her own dad hadn’t even protected her.

Trey’s theory was that if he could get her to understand that he wouldn’t abuse any power she ever gave him over her then just maybe she wouldn’t fight him so hard. Oh she’d still be fiery and obstinate and spit strings of profanities at him, but she might just be more accepting of his dominance.

“Move you piece of shit!” she growled as she squirmed wildly, snapping her teeth at him. She met his gaze boldly and unflinchingly, trying to stare him down.

“Keep fighting, baby. Shall I tell you what’s going to happen when you stop? Shall I tell you how I’m going to reward you when you submit?” His voice low and calm, he spoke at a slow and steady pace. “I’m going to carry you to the counter and sit you on the edge. Then I’m going to tell you to spread your legs. And you will. You will because you know how good it will feel when I taste you and fuck you with my tongue. Would you like to know what’s going to happen after that?”

No, Taryn didn’t want to know because she could feel his sensual voice full of temptation beginning to weave a smell around her and she didn’t trust herself not to succumb to his wicked promises. His tone was deep, commanding, controlled and dominant, much like that of a hypnotist. And it was making her wet. Her body was such a traitor sometimes.

Although she was still writhing she had stopped snapping those teeth. Even better, Trey knew he had her full attention. “I’m going to slowly sink my cock into you, fill you up, and then I’m going to fuck you raw.” Moving his mouth to her ear, he spoke in the same low, calm voice. “It’ll feel so good, Taryn. It’s okay to submit to me, because I’ll respect that submission. I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me.” Instantly she froze and he guessed he’d surprised her. “You know that. You can feel it. Your wolf knows it.”

Okay so it turned out that it was actually possible for something to shock Taryn more than anything else that had happened today. The amount of assurance in those few words ‘You’re safe with me’ told her that Trey was fully aware of just how much her resistance to submitting was fuelled by self-protection. He was right, she did believe she was safe with him just as her wolf did. She was confident that he would never physically hurt her. It gave her a thrill to know that this strong, powerful male could easily hurt her but he didn’t.

“I don’t want you to be a submissive wolf, baby, that’s not what this is about. You’re an alpha female, I acknowledge that and I respect it. But I need you to respect that I’m an alpha male. A very dominant alpha male who wants you to submit to him – not become submissive, just submit to him in this.”

Again he had surprised Taryn. He didn’t want to change her, wasn’t disregarding her own strength the way others had before him. Instead of making their battle for dominance all about physical strength and proving his will was stronger, he was promising to give her what she’d missed from her life since it became apparent that she was latent – respect and protection.

She knew he couldn’t offer her the one other thing she was missing – just plain old someone to care about her – but he could give her those other things if she would trust her safety to him. And with that acknowledgement of who she was and what she needed, he had just earned hers and her wolf’s submission in a whole other way.

For a moment Tao’s words came back to her, his implication that by giving in to Trey she was allowing him to use her. They were already using each other in a sense though, weren’t they? Their mating was based on a mutually beneficial deal. Would it really be such a huge thing to include sex in the mix? Sex that just happened to be the best she’d ever had. Was it really so bad that she wanted to lose herself in Trey for a little while? Not lose herself in the mating and forget it wasn’t real, no, never that. She just wanted to enjoy this mating bond that she might never have again.

Trey felt as the rigidness slowly began to leave her body, but he sensed that her defences weren’t down yet. “You can do this, baby, I know you can. I know you’re strong enough to let me lead here.” She swallowed hard and her jaw lost its tenseness. Almost there. “It’s okay, baby. You’re safe, I swear. It’s okay.” When she inhaled deeply and the spark of defiance left her eyes, triumph shot through him and his wolf. “That’s a good girl. My good girl.”

So damn turned on it wasn’t even funny, Trey ravished that carnal mouth, drinking her in. Having this strong alpha female submit to him like that sent a ravenous hunger like nothing he had ever known before blasting through his system. And not just any strong female, but Taryn.

Surely it was wrong that even though Taryn was imprisoned between him and the wall and could barely move she was so unbelievably close to climaxing. His implacable voice that oozed supreme confidence hadn’t helped and now she was writhing and whimpering as she ground against him. Suddenly he cupped her ass and hoisted her up, urging her to curl her legs around him. Keeping her pinned to the wall, he rubbed his cock against her clit, making her groan into his mouth.

“Is this what you need?” he asked.

“Not enough. Want you inside.”

“Not yet, baby. You can have my cock a little later.”

Not liking the teasing expression on his face she kicked her legs wildly, trying to escape his hold. He only pinned her more firmly against the wall. “You said it was mine. You said I could have it whenever I wanted it.”

“And you can. Just as soon as I’ve tasted you I’ll give you what you want.” He turned off the spray, carried her out of the shower and slid her down his body to stand on the mat. Then he curled a towel around her and began to rub her dry before then drying himself, never once moving his gaze from hers. Gripping her by her waist, he lifted her and placed her on the counter near the basin before uncurling the towel.

“Spread your legs and lean back, baby. I want to see how wet you are.” Unsurprisingly, she stared at him uncertainly, not finding it easy to totally submit. “Taryn,” he growled, “spread your legs and lean back.” Still staring hard at him, she slowly did as he’d asked. “Very good.” He swallowed at the sight of her pink, swollen, glistening folds. Her scent urged him closer like a magnet, luring him to glut himself on her, to take what was his.

Hands abruptly slid under her thighs to cup her ass and cock her hips as his mouth closed over her clit. Taryn cried out and thrashed as he suckled hard and pleasure rushed through her like a scorching hot wind. She practically melted when his tongue swiped through her folds and circled her clit before flicking it with the tip of his tongue. He was merciless in his assault. He licked, nibbled, sucked, and bit, wringing moans and whimpers from her. He groaned and growled against her flesh, intensifying the pleasure until it was too much and she tried to wriggle free. “No more.”

Growling, he grazed her inner thigh warningly with his claws, making it clear that he wasn’t willing to part with her taste yet. Bastard. Then he nestled his tongue inside her, swirling and stabbing and sending sparks of agonising bliss zinging through her. With each thrust of his tongue the friction built within her, threatening to shatter her. She wanted him to stop. She wanted him to keep going. Then a finger drove inside her as he bit down gently on her clit and she virtually imploded, moaning and shuddering.

When Taryn was able to lift her head and open her eyes it was to see him staring at her, licking her juices from his bottom lip. “You’re a teasing bastard.” Her voice was coarse. Wearing a very boyish smile, he gently but firmly collared her throat with his hand and urged her upright. Then his lips ravaged hers as his tongue drove into her mouth, forcing her to taste herself.

“Now I have the taste of you on my tongue, I want the feel of that tight pussy around my cock. Do you want me inside you?” She nodded. “Tell me. I want to hear you say it.”

Hadn’t he made her wait long enough? Asshole. “I want you,” she said sharply and begrudgingly. “Now do it.”

Trey pulled her to the edge of the counter and angled her just how he wanted her. Then he locked his hands onto her hips and began to work his cock inside her. He groaned as her muscles tightened around him, trying to drag him deeper. His wolf wanted him to ram into her, to fuck her hard and fill her with his cum, but Trey simply eased himself slowly inside, controlled and smooth. He stopped after only feeding her a few inches. Her lust-dazed eyes slammed to his. “Do you like that? Shall I give you more?” She nodded. “I want the words, Taryn.”

“I’m pretty sure you promised to fuck me raw.”

“My little bitch is getting impatient, is she?” he asked with a smile. “Then tell me, do you want more?”

“Yes dammit,” she growled.

He gave her another couple of inches then stilled again. “More?”

Taryn wanted to wipe that superior look from his face. Even her wolf didn’t like it. “If you want someone who’ll make all the right noises and say all the right words when you tell her to then go find someone else!”

Trey nipped her lip. “I don’t want anyone else, baby. I just want to hear my Taryn telling me she wants me. Shall I tell you how much I want to fuck this hot little body? How I’ve wanted to fuck you since the second I saw you? That’s right, baby, I wanted you before we mated. What I want to do right now is make you come so hard you scream.” At a sluggish pace he withdrew and then slowly sank back in, but he didn’t go any deeper than before. She moaned irritably. “If you want more, all you have to do is say so. Come on, give me the words, baby. Give me what I want.”

After a lengthy pause she said, “I want more.” Abruptly he slammed into her, forcing her to take all of him, and she very nearly screamed. The sensation of his size stretching her was incredible. It was pleasure, it was pain, and nothing had ever felt better.

“So tight,” he groaned. “God, that feels so fucking good.” As he waited for her body to adjust, he ravished her lips, knotting his tongue with hers over and over. “I love your mouth. One of these days, I’m going to have those lips of yours wrapped around my cock while I fuck your mouth.”

“No way, asshole.”

“And that’s another thing I’ll be doing very soon. Fucking your sweet little ass.”

“Could you come back from La La Land? At least ’til we’re done here with the whole fucking me raw thing?”

Hearing the impatience in her tone, he said, “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll give you the hard fuck you want. Even if you didn’t want it, I’d make you take it.” He reared back and then began ruthlessly pounding into her at a furious pace. Her head dropped back and those husky sounds he loved began pouring out of her.

A growl rumbled up Trey’s chest as her claws pressed into the flesh of his back. She wasn’t breaking the skin though, wasn’t marking him. He knew that she wanted to leave her mark on him – she was clenching her jaw against the urge to bite him just as he had done that first night. Unlike her, he had no interest in holding back. He liked seeing his brand on her body and liked knowing that others would see it.

Trey leaned forward and bit down hard at the juncture of her neck, groaning as her muscles tightened around him just as they always did when he marked her. Unable to help himself he swooped down and took a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard and then biting down to leave another mark.

Her head snapped up as she growled. “Stop branding me!”

He smiled. “Why would I want to do that, baby?” Without warning he dragged her from the counter, keeping her legs wrapped around his waist, and slammed her back against the wall. Then he plunged a finger into her ass and she cried out. “That’s where I’m going to be soon, Taryn,” he promised as he continued fucking her feverishly.

“No,” she bit out, ignoring the carnal bliss of the double assault to her body.

“Oh yeah your ass is going to squeeze me so tight, just like this sweet little pussy I’m fucking.”

She kicked and scratched even as she groaned and whimpered.

“That’s it, baby, scratch me. Mark me. Your wolf needs it, doesn’t she?”

The traitorous bitch did, but Taryn was resolute that she might scratch him, but she wouldn’t break the skin, wouldn’t mark him. She wasn’t going to make the eventual separation more difficult for her wolf. It appeared that he, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in exercising any restraint. He bit her earlobe, her throat, her shoulder, and the hollow beneath her ear. The worst part about it was that it had her groaning every time. At this point she was making noises that were somewhere between moans and sobs.

“Louder, Taryn. I want every person in these caves to know that I’m fucking you right now. I want them to know that I own you.” When defiance again flashed on her face he thrust the finger in her ass hard. “Don’t you tell me no. You belong to me.”

“Then you belong to me!”

“You’re right, baby, I do.” Sensing she was close, Trey reached a hand between them and parted her folds, exposing her clit to the feverish motion of his pelvis as he repeatedly hammered into her. “Let me hear you scream, Taryn,” he demanded, “let them all hear you scream. Now!” He locked his teeth over his mark and plunged a second finger into her ass. She jolted and screamed as her climax tore through her, making her muscles close down on his cock and milk him as he forcefully exploded inside her. “Fuuuuuuck!”

This female was going to kill him.

Not sure how much longer his legs would hold him but not wanting to leave her body just yet, Trey turned and slid down the wall until his ass met the floor with a thump. She collapsed across his chest, panting and quivering with the aftershocks. “It’s not normal to come that hard.” He hadn’t realized he’d said that aloud until she spoke.

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

Obviously it was only due to their partially developed mating link and the temporary connection between their wolves. Ignoring that part of him that insisted what was between them was more than that, he let his head fall back against the wall. He grinned as his cock began hardening inside her. This was going to be a long night, he had weeks to make up for.