“Don’t what?”

  “Don’t pull away. Don’t hold back. Not with me.”

  * * *

  SHE SWALLOWED past the dryness in her throat and stared at Grey sitting back on his haunches, glancing from her face to the apex of her thighs and back again, as if he couldn’t help himself. God, he was sexy.

  But did he have any idea what he was asking of her? Why couldn’t he just make this easy?

  “It’s okay to let me in Maggie. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  The moment was so emotionally charged, she briefly considered making a run for it, and even glanced at the door.

  And then what, stupid?

  And then she’d get to spend the rest of her life wondering what it would have been like…

  "I don’t know if I can," she whispered, meeting his gaze.

  "Only one way to find out."

  There was no gentle re-introduction. He just dove back in, consuming her, licking and sucking until she arched helplessly against him. A low moan built in her throat, and she fought the urge to swallow it, letting it break from her lips like a plea.

  For a moment, it felt like weakness.

  And then? It felt like freedom, because Grey was there, murmuring his encouragement against her, his strong hands flexing over her hips and pinning her as he took her higher.

  She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, scraping her nails against the wood for support as his tongue pulsed inside her, sending delicious shivers through her, from head to toe.

  The pressure was building steadily, like a river after a heavy rain, and her body shook with the effort of trying to control it. Manage it in some way that wouldn’t leave her wrecked when it was over.

  Then he caught her clit gently between his teeth and rubbed his tongue against the aching knot just as he skimmed a hand over her stomach and tweaked her pebbled, pink nipple.

  "Oh god," she cried, surprising even herself, as he worked her to a fever pitch. He growled in response, and that only stoked the flames. She strained toward him…toward it. The orgasm that waited like a ripe peach, right there for the picking.

  Then he dipped a finger inside of her and her body froze, another cry escaping her lips without her consent.

  “So tight," he groaned against her, his voice all grit and need, his heated breath fanning against her skin. He pulsed a finger inside of her until her entire body shook.

  The thrusts were gentle at first, but once he’d set the tempo, that beautiful rhythm, all thoughts of staying quiet fled and his name became a low chant, growing louder by the second.

  So close, so close...

  She couldn't take it anymore. She needed him. Needed to come, needed to feel that thick cock deep inside her.

  “Please,” she gasped. “Please, Grey. Now.”

  * * *

  HE PUSHED onto his knees and nipped his way up her stomach, taking a second to draw one, taut nipple into his mouth and suck. Her body was like a fucking carnival and he didn’t want to miss even one ride.

  He pulled back to look down at her and his cock jerked with the need that had been building since she’d pounced on him in the woods. He was going to make her come so hard that she wouldn't be able to think straight for days to come, and the only way to do that was by driving her insane now.

  Even if that meant he would be driving himself crazy in the process.

  "Not yet," he ground out. She was close enough to feel. Her heat was only inches from his cock. One subtle move, one thrust and he'd be inside of her, warm and wet and perfect.

  He nipped her throat, working his way to her earlobe and teasing her.

  A soft moan escaped her lips and her hips arched up, pressing her slick folds to his hard length.

  “God damn it,” he groaned, the blood pulsing so loudly in his ears, he could barely think straight.

  “Please, Grey.”

  His strong, mouthy, bossy Maggie was asking him so nicely, and she was so ready for him—

  “Fuck it,” he snarled. He took his swollen cock in hand, and positioned himself, muscles quaking as he dipped the head inside her molten heat.

  They both gasped as he slowly sank in, inch by throbbing inch, until he filled her.

  "Jesus," he ground out. She was the best kind of tight, the most perfect kind of warm. He was torn between the urge to lay into her nice and slow, and feel the liquid drag of her flesh against his until they both lost their minds, or to pull back and plunge deep, and fast, riding her hard until they both exploded.

  All he knew for sure was that he never wanted to leave.

  But the wolf was rising fast inside him, and the clawing, driving need made rational thought impossible. He was moving without thinking, working himself in and out of her, hard and deep.

  She took in a sharp breath as her hips rocked against him and she circled her arms around his back, digging her nails into his skin, urging him on.

  He pulled back so he could watch her, mesmerized by her breasts bouncing with every move, and then moved close again to feel her nipples branding his chest with every thrust.

  Jesus Christ.

  "I'm going to come," she groaned.

  Her pussy pulsed around him and he closed his eyes, feeling every quake and movement of her shuddering muscles. What he wouldn't give to bottle this feeling. To feel her coming around his aching cock. To hear her sweet cries in his ears. To bathe in her scent until there was nothing but her.

  “Ah, Grey!”

  She gasped again, her channel clutching at him like an unseen fist, and it was all over.

  The world went black before his eyes and he was lost. His balls went tight, locked and loaded for takeoff and then it was over. Every muscle in his body seemed to expand and contract all at once as he came, cock spurting and twitching inside her, filling her with hot liquid as he called her name.

  Maggie.

  His one true mate.

  And the woman he could never have.

  CHAPTER SIX

  When their bodies cooled and he finally rolled away from her, she was unsure whether the low hum in her mind was from sheer exhaustion or from the adrenaline that was still snapping in the air between them.

  She glanced at him, focusing too long on the way his chest moved with every deep breath. A soft smile curved his lips and he flopped an arm out beside him, inviting her in. To her surprise, she felt a pull toward him and the humming in her head grew louder.

  This had been a mistake. A moment of weakness.

  It was hard to remember that, staring at him now, but she would sure as hell be reminded of it soon enough. He might not be like his father, but he was still a member of an enemy pack. That could change in the future, but right now? She had to deal in facts.

  The Big Sky Canyon wolves were murderers. Not even out of necessity. Sometimes just for fun. And against it or no, Grey hadn’t defected, or overthrown his father to put a stop to it yet.

  When she looked at him, that's what she should think about. Not how good he looked in the moonlight or the way his stubble had felt against her thighs. A shudder of pleasure traveled through her at the thought, and she scrambled to her feet, looking around for her scattered clothes.

  Until or unless something changed, she couldn't trust herself to be this close to him. Couldn't let her emotions blind her again.

  "This was a mistake," she said. "I'm sorry."

  He looked up at her, still unmoving, his silver eyes cooling to pewter. "If that was a mistake, imagine what we could do on purpose." His tone was light, but there was no missing the underlying tightness.

  She tried to ignore the way her heart wrenched when she looked down at him. "We can't do that again."

  She passed by him on the way to collect her top and his fingers closed around her ankle.

  "I'm afraid I have to disagree with you again. In fact, I think if there's one thing we should do again, it's definitely that." He rose his eyebrows in challenge. "Or variations on a theme."

  "Grey." She moved her ankle away, but could still feel the warmth of his hands on her skin.

  "Maggie." He rolled to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, not bothering to hide the fact that he was watching her dress.

  Her stomach sank. He wasn’t going to make this easy, which sucked because it was already the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. It was exactly this she’d spent her life dodging and the one thing she hated about being a wolf. The way their instincts chose a mate. The way they fell head over heels for someone out of nowhere. So completely, that everything else ceased to matter or exist.

  Like Liam had with Amalie.

  Like Billy had with Amber.

  And, for all her judgment, she was on the verge of joining their ranks. Grey might not be human, but he was no less off limits to her. Loving him was a weakness she couldn’t afford that would come at a price she would never ask her pack to pay.

  "You know this is wrong. At least my alpha knows I’m here. What are your people going to do when you go back smelling of Pray?"

  Something flashed in his eyes but it was gone before she could put her finger on it. He yanked his sweater over his head and tugged his jeans on before leaning against the knotty pine kitchen table. “I’m a big boy. I’ll handle it. I’m more worried about you.”

  "Me?"

  "If you were smart, you'd leave Pray. If your pack isn’t going to turn the woman, then it’s going to be a bloodbath. If your alpha can’t see that then he doesn’t deserve your loyalty. But I imagine that isn’t what you’re asking me, is it?”

  She wouldn't leave her pack. They were all she had, the only people she could count on. One night of amazing sex didn't change any of that, even if it was with Grey.

  She hardened her heart and clenched her trembling hands into fists. “And your alpha deserves your loyalty? Why haven’t you left?”

  “I did. And I came back not for my father, but for the rest of my pack. And, when the time is right, I will take over. It’s coming soon. All I’m asking is for you to try to stay alive until it does so I can make things right.”

  His words did dangerous things to her insides, igniting a tiny flame of hope in her heart that she dashed without prejudice.

  There were no guarantees in their brutal world. He could stage his coup only to find that his entire pack had turned on him. He’d be ripped to shreds. And then she would be left with nothing but an obliterated heart and bitter regret.

  Her pack was the backbone of her life. The one constant that held her together, and she couldn’t—wouldn’t—give it up.

  "You already know what I have to do," she said.

  He gave a curt nod. "Yeah, I guess I do."

  Silence stretched between them, thick as molasses, until he finally spoke again.

  "Five days.” His throat worked as he stared at a point just over her shoulder. “You have five days. My father made the announcement early this morning.”

  Her stomach pitched and she swallowed hard. "How?" she asked.

  "Not like the Kotke. It will be one, massive push, through the trees to the west and then a bum rush through the gate."

  She nodded. She knew that would be the go-to. There were too many carriage houses to hold a unified front except from the main gate. She'd been over the plans with Liam more times than she could count. If someone were going to strike, that would be the smart way to do it, especially since they were still repairing the security equipment that had been destroyed in the Kotke attack.

  “Will you be there?” She kept her eyes downcast because it was too hard to look at him.

  “Yes.”

  She flinched and blinked away the hot tears rushing to her eyes.

  “But only because I can try to control things that way,” he continued, reaching out and lifting her chin so that she would look at him again. “Which is why I told you the plan. Because I trust that you’ll try to do the same. Let your alpha know that my pack is only doing what they’ve spent a lifetime hearing was right. Most of them aren’t evil, they’re just afraid. The best we can hope for now is that neither side sustains losses. The full moon and Amber’s turning is around the corner, and if we can all get through this, there is a good chance things will settle after. If you can, try to convince your pack to injure instead of kill and I will do the same. Can you do that for me?”

  She nodded and then finally stared up at him again.

  “I’ll try.”

  In another life, he could have been her perfect mate. Smart, levelheaded, strong enough to go toe-to-toe with her and argue. She squared her shoulders and pulled away from him, allowing herself a moment to mourn for the life she could have had. They could have had.

  "I’ll see you on the battlefield when you and your family come and try to kill me." She sounded so much tougher than she felt. “I guess this is goodbye.”

  He shook his head. "It doesn't have to be."

  He skewered her with his soul-searching gaze and she resisted the urge to lean into him.

  God, this man.

  "Let's meet back here every night before the siege. We're living on borrowed time, but..." His fingers circled her wrists and her breath caught in her throat. "If something were to happen, I want to know I got to spend every second with you that I possibly could."

  Before she could process what was happening, his mouth slanted over hers, filling her to the brink with warmth and that woodsy musk that was indefinably his. She swam in the sensation, closing her eyes as she rolled her tongue over his.

  It was wrong. This moment, this night. She was only sinking deeper into a pit of quicksand that would swallow her up into misery.

  But what if this was it? What if something were to happen, how would she feel knowing that her own pride and sense of honor was the thing that had kept her from feeling this, one last time? That her last days could have been filled with Grey, and instead she'd opted out?

  He broke away from her and stared down into her face.

  "What do you say?" he asked, his voice a husky plea.

  "It would also give us a chance to find a solution," she started slowly. "Maybe if we keep talking, we can find a way to stop this. Maybe."

  "Maybe."

  His face betrayed his skepticism, but she didn't care. She yanked her t-shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor with a soft rustle.

  “I’m in.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  F our days had never moved so quickly.

  When Grey stepped into the shack the night before the battle, it was with all the sadness of a former soldier visiting the tomb of a fallen comrade.

  He knew she would already be there, waiting for him as she had been every night that week. Hoping for good news, and though she always tried to look indifferent, the lines of worry and purple smudges under her weary eyes grew more pronounced with each passing day.

  The boards creaked beneath his feet and she turned her face up to stare at him. Sometimes—his favorite times—she was already naked when he arrived, still pink in the cheeks and breathless from a run. Today, she was in black leggings and a hoody, her arms curled around her knees so that her entire body fit onto the small space of a rickety chair.

  “Any news?” She asked the question, though he could tell she already knew the answer. They both did.

  At least he had one good bit of news. “The Kotke confirmed that they don’t have enough healthy wolves to join the fray.”

  She nodded solemnly, stretching her legs out in front of her as she leaned back in the chair. “That’s a positive, at least.”

  There was no need for him to add that the Big Sky attack would go on as planned. He’d tried his best to test the waters with the other high-level pack members, but with the human still unturned, they wouldn’t even contemplate calling it off.

  “How is Amber? This must be tough on her.” It was the first time he’d asked about her, and Maggie blinked up at him for a long moment before answering.

  “She’s as well as I could expect her to be. Scared. Unprepared, I think. The last battle did a number on her mentally, and that was nothing compared to what this will be like. She’s terrified for the pack.” Her gaze penetrated him, and finally she added, “Apparently, she and I have more in common than I’d thought.”

  Grey crossed the room and took the seat opposite Maggie. “You haven’t been running today.”

  She glanced down at her clothes. “No. I’m better in battle if I’ve pent up my energy. It makes me more ferocious.”

  “I have trouble imagining you more ferocious.” He offered her a smile and, to his relief, she returned it.

  For the past week, she had been the only bright spot in his life. Even Willa had grown tired of his constant attempts to stay the attack and was starting to get suspicious of his absences. He’d been careful, showering in a hunting cabin the pack kept on the outskirts of Big Sky territory before going back home, but if Willa was suspicious, that meant some of the others wouldn’t be too far behind. As much as he hated what tomorrow would bring, he would be glad to bring an end to the deceit.

  “You’re dressed too.” She nodded toward his jeans and T-shirt.

  “I didn’t want to expend any energy unnecessarily running over her. Somehow, I thought I might find better use for it elsewhere.”

  “Cocky as always,” she chuckled, but like his own levity, it felt forced. Tense.

  He stood from his seat and moved to drop a light kiss on her mouth. She accepted it easily, parting her lips against him so that he could once again taste the minty sweetness of her breath. Smell the lavender that filled the air around her.

  “No fight in you today,” he murmured against her lips.

  “I need it all to destroy you tomorrow,” she whispered, melting into him.

  The bitter sweetness of the moment settled over him like a blanket, comforting and smothering all at once.

  “Don’t talk to me about tomorrow.” He weaved his fingers through her hair and tugged gently, pulling her more deeply into the kiss as his tongue swept out to meet with hers. Where their kisses had once been battles, this was a dance. When he moved, she joined him, swirling around him gracefully with just enough pressure to tease him in for more.

 

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