"Axel," I breathed, the emotions all too much. My overwhelming feelings for this man fuelled the orgasm that was now skirting just at the edge.

  "Daniella, I can't even tell you what you mean to me." His breathing serrated past his lips. "I'm not a man who's good with words, but I'm good with actions." He nipped at my bottom lip before pushing his tongue inside my mouth and devouring me. "I can show you how much I love you with my body." His cock finally seated itself inside me, his hips picking up a frantic rhythm as my body adjusted and overwhelming pleasure cascaded over me.

  This was everything.

  "Ax…" I breathed as my body shook, release shooting through me in a fierce crescendo when the pads of his fingers swirled at my clit.

  "Fuck, baby. Your body is sucking at my cock, so hungry and needy I can't control myself with you." Axel's fingers swirled at my arousal and dragged the glistening trail up the curve of my back. He was grinding himself against me, his thighs pushing and shaking with the long, hot streams of his orgasm.

  Before he'd even come down from his release, he was moving and pulling me into his arms, covering my body with his.

  "Love you. Love you with my entire being." He caressed my hair, his lips whispering against my skin. I felt free and warm and so safe in Axel's arms. I never wanted to leave. "I like that I went bare inside you." His hand tracked down my body then, his fingers swiping at the come that was trailing out of my body. "Like having me deep inside you."

  Axel's fingers gathered the liquid leaking from my body and pushed two slow fingers deep inside me. "I want you walking around with me inside you every day. I like knowing that you're filled with my come. And maybe if we're lucky, I'll get something else of mine inside you, too."

  "You want a baby?" I asked.

  "Not just one baby. Babies," he said before kissing my forehead. "As much as I want to fuck you all night," he said, pointing to his rock-hard cock, "we've got business to take care of."

  I groaned, realizing that I had forgotten for a brief moment in time about Michael and the outside world.

  "Hey," Ax said, lifting my head to stare into my eyes. "It's okay. I'll take care of everything.”

  That's when I knew that he would. No matter what it took.

  Chapter 6

  Axel

  "I'm going to slip out, and you come out a few minutes later," Daniella said as she slipped her dress back on. "Can you help me with the zipper?" she asked as she turned around.

  I walked over, touching her hot skin with my fingertips, trying to push past the need to retake her right there and then. "You know how hard this is for me, right?"

  "Yes, I can feel it," she giggled.

  "That's not what I meant," I groaned, very aware of my erection.

  "Is that normal? Being hard like that right after sex."

  "For wolves, yes. I guess it's going our whole lives without having an erection coming full circle once we meet our mate. I've basically been walking around with a steel rod in my damn pants from the moment I smelled you."

  "Well, you better zip me up before we get into some real trouble."

  "What's another thirty minutes," I said, brushing my lips along her collarbone, my fingers lingering at the zipper I was meant to zip up.

  "Axel,"nDaniella sighed. "It's not worth dying."

  "Who mentioned dying?"

  She turned in my hands, staring directly into my eyes.

  "Soon," she said, pressing her soft lips on mine. "Now zip me up," she demanded.

  "Your wish is my command."

  "Thank you," she said once all zipped up. "Now remember to wait for five to ten minutes before following me.”

  I nodded and watched as she walked out the door.

  Sitting there in the dimly lit room, surrounded by her scent lingering in the air, I couldn't help thinking how this one beautiful girl had flipped my damn world upside down. I knew that to save her, I would have burned down that whole place with every fucking shifter in there. When I stepped out of the room, I glanced up and down the corridor, making sure no one could possibly see me before I headed back to the main room.

  "Where the fuck have you been?" Garett grabbed me by the arm.

  "Taking care of business," I said before following his gaze to the front door. There, stood my dad, Rupert, and three other members of the Black Valley Pack. "Let's go," I said to Garett. We walked towards them, not oblivious to the several pairs of eyes watching us like hawks.

  "What's the plan?" Rupert asked as soon as we approached them.

  "We go talk to Michael. If he gives us a hard time, I challenge him," I said, cracking my knuckles, prepared for the worst.

  "Hopefully it won't come to that," my dad said, his eyes never leaving Michael.

  I turned to see Michael walking towards us, a sly smile plastered on his vile face.

  "River," he said when he reached us. "What are you and your boys doing here?"

  "Who are you calling boys?" Rupert snapped, stepping forward.

  Michael held out his hand to my dad, barking out a nervous laugh that turned into a wince when my father shook it. "What made you come all this way?" Michael asked, ignoring Rupert's question, careful that his glance never left River's. One thing about Alphas, they were careful to never turn away from another, but watching them now made it evident that my father was the one dominating in this situation. Michael kept having to force himself to maintain eye contact, but his feet were shuffling. He was trying to hide his hands, but none of us were blind to the fact that they were slightly trembling.

  "One of ours has mated with one of yours. We're here to make sure everything goes through smoothly," River said, taking a step forward, now towering over Michael.

  "You being here is a problem. You know the rules. Only two from each pack are allowed to visit the territory of the hosts. You and yours are breaking the code."

  "You're right, Michael. We shouldn't be here, and we wouldn't need to be if we believed you would let the girl go easily."

  "Who's the girl?" Michael asked.

  "Daniella," I said, stepping forward to claim what was mine.

  "When the fuck would you have seen her?" Michael asked as he turned towards me.

  I wanted to crush him at that moment, wipe the pathetic look off his smug face. We both knew that I was the dominant one—the one who had the control here. I didn't want it to come to a fight because I had no interest in being the Alpha of his pathetic pack, but I would if I had to. I would have done anything to make sure Daniella was with me where she belonged. From my peripheral vision, I saw Daniella coming towards us. She was so beautiful that I almost took my eyes off the piece of shit Michael to look at her.

  "He saw me at the bar." Her sweet voice cut through the tension around us. "Look, Michael, just let me go. That's all you need to do. There doesn't need to be any fighting."

  "Who the fuck told you to talk," Michael sneered at her.

  I was furious. I pulled Daniella behind me and stepped right up to Michael.

  "No one," I growled, "ever talks to what's mine like that. No one." I shoved Michael, making him lose his balance and stumble back.

  "You know what this means," he shouted, forcing all the eyes in the room to now be focused on us.

  I bent down, holding his pathetic glance with my own. "Yes. It means I kick your ass and take what's yours. All of it," I shot back. "Let's go outside, you fuckin' pussy, so I can show you what a real man is capable of." I turned to Daniella. Her hands were in small fists, and her slender body was shaking. "I'm gonna need you to stay with my guys. I don't trust any of these fuckers with you. Garett." At his name, Garett was by my side.

  "Garett," Daniella whispered, her face softening as she glanced at him.

  "Yes, that's me."

  "Oh my god, Garett," she squealed before she threw her arms around his neck and clung to him.

  "What the fuck," I shouted before I pulled her off him and glared at my best friend. "What the actual fuck is this shit?" None of it made sense. Wolves didn't touch anyone of the opposite sex once they mated—fuck, even before. It just wasn't done. We waited for our one and only. It's how it had always been. So I stood there, not sure how my mate could be so invested in my best friend. Garett glanced at me, his eyes pleading, and he was trying so hard not to touch Daniella because he knew that when it came to our mates, wolves were nowhere near rational.

  Daniella turned to glance at me. “This is my brother.” Her face lit up, and a big smile spread on her beautiful face. “My brother my parents had to send away.” She turned to Garett. “You look just like Dad.”

  “You’re Brian’s daughter?” my dad asked, stepping closer to us. “We thought you were dead. We could never track down what happened to you and your parents. We couldn’t scent anything. It had all been covered up really well.”

  “Yes,” Daniella whispered, looking anywhere but at Michael.

  “Did he have anything to do with it?” Dad asked, waving his hand towards Michael as if he was nothing more than a bug.

  Daniella nodded her head. I noticed how she was careful to look at Michael, which enraged me. A pack member should never be afraid of their Alpha like that, not ever.

  My dad turned to Michael, who was still on the ground where the cockroach belonged. “You’re dead.”

  “I found her at the side of the road. Gave her a home,” Michael pleaded.

  My dad turned to him and picked him by the collar of his dress shirt.

  “Fuck you and your lies. We saw the bodies. We know what you and your runts did to them. Bet it wasn’t even fair, that you and a bunch of your thugs just attacked him.”

  “Dad,” I said, touching my father’s arm. He turned towards me and growled, a type of growl I’d never heard before, composed of both anger and pain. “It’s mine. The fight is mine.”

  “Fine,” my dad said, dropping Michael to the ground.

  “You,” I said to the man currently sprawled on his ass, “outside. Now.”

  Chapter 7

  Daniella

  "I didn't know," Garett whispered, casting his eyes down.

  "How could you? Mom and Dad were so careful to not make any contact. They didn't want anyone to hurt you."

  "Why didn't they send you away too?"

  "Dad wanted to. Mom wouldn't let him. Letting you go gutted her." I wanted to stay there and talk to him all night. There was so much that needed to be said. "When this is all over, could we have dinner?"

  "You sure this is going to go our way?" he asked, a lopsided smile that was the image of my dad's plastered on his face.

  "I'm sure this will go Axel's way,” I said, grabbing his hand and following the men outside.

  When we got outside, everyone formed a circle around Michael and Axel. It reminded me of after school fights on a school playground, but I knew this was nowhere near as benign. One side was the Black Valley Pack. The other was Michaels's men. Each side was chanting the name of their leader.

  Both men circled each other, eyes firmly on the other. Axel looked strong. There was no way that Michael could take him. It was apparent between the two that he was the dominant one—the real Alpha.

  "You're going against the rules," Michael snivelled, desperate to not be forced into the fight that was about to happen.

  "You broke them a long time ago. This is fuckin' justice," Axel spat before he shifted into his wolf.

  I couldn't help the exclamation that came out of my mouth as I stared at him. He was beautiful. He had lush, dark-gray fur with dashes of white sprinkled about. He was huge on his hind legs; he would have been almost a head taller than my five-six frame.

  In contrast, Michael was maybe my height. It was blatantly apparent that Axel had the advantage. I looked away for one moment and missed Axel lunging at him. It was so quick, happening in a blink of an eye. Axel had Michael on the ground, pinning him with his paws before he bit hard into his throat. Michael whimpered, trying to submit to avoid being slaughtered, but it was as if Axel didn't care. He ripped his throat right out, flesh still in his mouth as he walked away from Michael's limp and bloody body.

  “That settles that,” River said, walking between Axel and Michael’s carcass. “Axel will be the new pack leader.” He pointed to the men who’d stood by Michael only moments ago. “Get rid of his body.”

  “How do we do that?” one man asked.

  “I don’t give a fuck. Just get this piece of shit out of my sight,” River hollered.

  The wolf grabbed the man nearest him, and they quickly gathered Michael’s body, fresh blood drenching their clothes. They rushed away as far as they could get from River.

  Once the body was gone, I ran towards Axel and ran my hands through his fur; when I removed them, blood was covering the fingers of my left hand. At first, I assumed it was Michael’s, but then I heard him yip.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked. I felt helpless and alarmed. My hands moved across his fur as I desperately tried to find the source of discomfort.

  “Let’s take him back to the house and look him over,” River said, nodding towards Garett and Rupert.

  They quickly walked over to Axel, picked him up carefully, and walked towards a black SUV with tinted windows.

  River turned to me, a smile now replacing the stern look that was there a moment ago. “Come along, dear. We’ve got much to discuss.” He offered his arm, and I took it.

  “He’s going to be okay?” I asked, feeling the daggers that were forcing their way into the centre of my heart. The idea that Axel was injured made me sick. I had just found him. I didn’t think I could lose him.

  “Who, Ax?” River asked.

  I nodded, fearful that I couldn’t hold back the tears lingering just behind my eyes if I spoke.

  “Oh, darlin’, that son of mine is made from steel and grit. He’ll be just fine.” River opened the car door for me, and I stepped in to see that Axel was still in wolf form, lying across the seat. “You sit back here with him; knowing you’re close will keep him under control.”

  River shut the door, and the car began to move. I held Axel’s head in my lap and gently patted his fur, wanting him to know I was there. He sighed in contentment before finally drifting to sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Axel

  Two weeks had gone by before I had started to feel at all like my old self. I hadn't realized that weasel, Michael, had taken a chunk out of my flesh. It was a good thing that Dad had brought Mos, the pack doctor, with him.

  "How's my patient doing?" Mos asked, leaning against the wall, a smug smile plastered on his face.

  "You know I'm good now, right?"

  "Relax, man," he said, putting his hand up in the air. "No one's looking for a fight here. It's good to see you feeling like your old self."

  "One of the pluses of being a shifter."

  "That fucker took out a chunk of your flesh right before you got him. If you were a human, you'd be a goner. The dirty fuckin' mutt."

  "I challenged him. I knew the risks."

  "You wouldn't have had to do that shit if he wasn't a psycho."

  "Well, it's over now."

  "Not really. You're gonna have to stay in this shithole town."

  "It's not that bad. I've got Daniella."

  "Yes, I've seen her waiting outside," Mos said.

  "Well fuckin' let her in," I shouted.

  "She's safe. Relax."

  "I know she's safe. I made sure of it. Now get the fuck out of here and send her in."

  Mos barked out a laugh before opening my door.

  "He's ornery, and he is all yours," he said to Daniella.

  She smiled sweetly, tucking a curl behind her ears. I never thought ears were sexy, but on her, they fucking made me insane. "Thanks for everything, Mos. I know he hasn't been the easiest patient."

  "Hey, I've been fuckin’ downright charming," I teased, getting out of bed and walking over to them.

  "You think you should be out of bed?" she asked, grabbing hold of my arm as if I were some sort of invalid.

  "I'm fine, sweetheart," I said to her before turning to Mos. "Now get out."

  "Ax, you don't have to be so rude."

  "It's okay, Dani," Mos said with a chuckle. "He's just a little crazy because he's a newly mated wolf. His insanity will calm down."

  "Did you just call her Dani?" I asked, annoyed that he’d used some sort of nickname for her.

  "That's what everyone calls me," she said, trying to step between us, but I wouldn't have it. I pushed her aside to make sure I could stare Mos directly in the eyes. "You better go Mos. He's a little out of control."

  "Yes, I think that's my cue." He scampered out of the room.

  I walked over to the door and locked it. "I don't really want any other interruptions," I said, turning to Daniella.

  "Oh, why is that?" she asked, her pretty pink lips turning up into a sweet smile.

  "I've gone two weeks without having you naked. My cock has been in worse pain than any other part of my body." I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her to me.

  "Is that so?" she asked, linking her arms around my shoulders and pulling my head closer to hers.

  "It is so," I said before latching my lips on to hers. The taste of her was intoxicating. "You're the best thing I've ever tasted. I think I'm gonna need more than that."

  She licked her lips, throat flexing as she swallowed, and parted her pink lips. "I can't stop thinking about you. Your hands, your lips on my skin, your teeth against my nipples. The way your words drip like honey across my skin, leaving a trail of sweetness I can't shake."

  I picked her up and carried her to the bed.

  "What are you doing?" she squealed.

  One side of my mouth tipped up as my hand slid the cotton leggings she was wearing over her ass cheeks. The silky panties that were pussy-soaked were mine. I pushed them off her ankles, hooking one finger into them and shoving them up to my nose, taking breaths of her succulent essence. "Don't plan on getting these back."

 

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