Chapter Ten
It was almost torture for Laird to stand there and watch as Brody finally snapped and roared his rage. He lunged at Sybella, claws swiping as his form changed into the dark gray of his wolf, but she must have anticipated his movement because she’d ducked and shifted, turning mid-stride before Brody’s large paws even hit the ground.
He was impressed with how she’d taunted the male to lose control. Brody was a large wolf, but her cougar was almost his size and what she lacked in weight was more than made up in the agility of her cat.
Sybella tackled her opponent to the ground, trying to avoid the wolf’s strong jaws as their limbs clawed and grappled to get the upper hand. Laird’s cougar was pacing inside of him to have to watch the blood bloom through the pale fur along her underside from the wolf’s sharp claws. Finally, her muzzle found purchase and clamped down around the thick fur on the mutt’s neck, and he could see her slowly putting pressure on Brody’s windpipe. There was no way for the dog to get out of this now, but would he submit … or would he make Sybella finish him for good?
This was the toughest part of being an Alpha in Laird’s mind. Some people just refused to be saved.
He was surprised when the wolf’s body went lax as if the male had finally realized he’d been bested. There was still the opportunity for Brody to take what was left of his pride and go elsewhere. Laird had to stifle a chuckle when his fierce little mate still held on tight, giving the submissive male another shake for good measure. When a quiet whimper left the male, she finally released the hold she had, turning her back on him to walk back over to where she belonged—right in Laird's arms.
She shifted as she walked, and he tried not to wince at the long, bleeding gouges that showed on her stomach.
Gage met her halfway and offered her a towel to wipe off the blood. “We’ll escort him to the edge of our property, Alpha.”
“Good, and make sure he and his family know that he is no longer welcome here,” she answered. “If they want to see him, they can go visit elsewhere, but I won’t have him near my pard.”
The battered wolf had slowly shifted and hobbled over to where his clothes were piled on the ground. Laird didn’t think much of it until he saw the glint of something metal that Brody tugged out of his jacket pocket. The next thing he knew, that honorless bastard was lunging at Sybella’s back, knife raised high. Laird’s cougar reacted immediately to the threat aimed at their mate, and he’d never shifted so quickly in all his life—fabric tore and the bellow of his own feral roar echoed in his eardrums.
The impact, the give of soft tissue beneath their fangs, and then the satisfaction of his animal side as they felt the blood of their enemy flow into their mouth, the salty tang evidence of their dedication to their mate. The prey lay lifeless below them, and that, too, was satisfying to his cat—they would kill anything that threatened what was theirs.
****
Sybella just stared at the knife on the ground, and then back at Laird as he shifted back into his human skin, blood covering his face and neck.
“I’ll make the report, Alpha.” Jackson stepped up with another towel, handing it to the other man. “We all saw what the rogue tried to do.”
An older female rushed up, with a horrified look on her face, tears welling in her eyes as she glanced down at the cooling body that lay in the snow. When Laird saw the young wolf behind her he knew this was probably Brody’s mother. How awful for her to have to have witnessed all of this.
“Oh, my Goddess, Alpha, are you all right?” She grasped onto Sybella’s hand, rubbing it against her cheek in a show of submission. “I’m so sorry, I would never have imagined that Brody—well, that he ever could have turned into this…”
“Shhhh, it’s all right, Mary.” Sybella soothed the horrified woman as Gage and Jackson hauled his body away. “I know, and I’m sorry for your loss. It’s something a mother should never have to go through.”
Her younger son came to collect her and lead her away, and by that time Laird had wrapped the bloodstained towel around his hips and came to stand next to her. For a brief second, she wondered if that had been Gage or Jackson who’d come to her rescue if she would have been grateful or pissed off that they assumed she couldn’t have handled it? Sybella felt none of that when she stared at Laird in this moment. Right now, all she was feeling when she looked at her mate, standing there in a towel covered in blood, was the most overwhelming need to fuck his brains out.
“Come on, I’ll show you your new home.” She offered her hand and loved the “zing” of excitement that went through her body as their skin touched.
Her house was just a short walk from the challenge field, and when they stepped inside and she flipped the lock, Sybella’s breath left her when Laird’s body pressed her up against the door. She knew he’d dropped the towel, as she could feel his hard cock rubbing against the thin material covering her ass, and she pressed back into him with a moan.
“I need you, mate.” His voice was thick with desire. “I need you right now.”
“Yes.” The word hissed out of her mouth as his cold hands pushed up under her shirt and pulled it off over her head. “Right here, Laird, please.”
Her pussy was already weeping as she remembered what it felt like to have all that thickness filling her up, and she reveled in the command of his tone when his hands moved to the waistband of her yoga pants.
“Bend over and put your hands on the door, Sybella.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she did as he instructed, the cold wood under her skin making her body only feel that much hotter. When his rough hands pulled down her pants, leaving her bare, she could feel the moisture on her thighs. Her body was just waiting for him to stake his claim.
His hands moved back up her legs, teasing along the inside of her thighs, pushing them outward to widen her stance until she heard him groan from behind her and she knew he saw the evidence of her need for him.
A low growl sounded out before she felt his teeth nip at her ass, causing her to jump.
“Mine.”
“Yes, claim me.” She desperately egged him on, hoping that he would save the teasing for later and take her hard right here against the door.
She moaned as she felt the scorching heat of his cockhead rub against her soaked lips from behind. His long fingers moved around her hip to delve into her folds and find her aching clit, rubbing slow circles around it as he slowly stroked his shaft through her wetness until the firm tip met his fingers. His movement stilled as he used the head of his cock to rub hard against her swollen clit.
Oh God, just a little faster and I’m going to come…
“So close, aren’t you baby?” He chuckled and pulled his hips back. “You hold your breath when you’re about to peak, but I don’t want you to come until I’ve got my cock so deep inside of you that you can’t take another inch.”
“Then fuck me!” she growled, which only made him laugh more.
“Whatever you say, mate.” And then his hips moved back once more until he was notched at her entrance, sliding in as they both groaned in ecstasy.
After that, things got serious. One of his hands tangled in her hair, and he gripped tightly as he slammed into her over and over again, the wet slap of skin against skin the only other noise Sybella could hear aside from her own panting breath.
Goddess, how perfect I feel when he is one with me. She prayed that it would always be this way between them. Fire and passion, both her human and animal sides reveled in the perfection of their mate as he fed the fire inside of her.
She’d almost forgotten about his other hand that was now pinching hard over her clit, and as she came in a blinding roar of light around his body, she felt the bite of his teeth over her mating mark as he followed her over and emptied his seed inside of her.
“Ugh,” was all that came out of his mouth as he dropped down onto her couch, grabbing the blanket there to pull over her as she cuddled in his lap. They hadn’t quite made it to the bedroom—but at least they weren’t in a pile at the front door.
“Mmm, that was incredible.” His eyes found hers, and he leaned in for a gentle kiss, “Now aren’t you glad you gave into my irresistible charms?”
“I think I am, mate.” She looked into the deep green eyes of the one man who hadn’t taken no for an answer. “I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t come hunting for me.”
“Oh, I think I know—that cat of yours would have eventually worn you down and you would have come looking for me.”
“Is that right?” she raised one eyebrow at the smug look that was now on his handsome face.
“Your cougar knew she was mine all along … and I’ve got the bite on my neck and the claw marks on my ass to prove it.”
Sybella couldn’t exactly deny that now, could she? After all, men came along all the time—but a mate who followed you home that you could really sink your claws into was a once in a lifetime find.
The End
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