Only a few splotches of snow remain from the squall this area got hit with the other night, and most of those isolated patches are out of direct sunlight. The remainder of the woods feel damp underfoot. By morning, a thin layer of frost will coat the fallen leaves blanketing the ground. It’s natural for this time of year. The meadow in front of me is not typical. Despite the coming winter, lush green grass forms a circular area, large enough for a pack to gather.

I turn to Mya, who’s watching me with a smile on her face. “What is this place?”

“My birth pack’s sacred circle.” She hops over the border of scraggly, deadened bushes, then walks backward, putting several feet between us. “According to Ilan, the Ammon pack settled here in the early eighteen hundreds but, for unknown reasons, abruptly abandoned it. They never broke this circle before they left, however, which is why this town and the woods surrounding it are neutral territory.”

Mya turns her back to me and spreads the blankets on the ground. “My alpha returned when I was a baby with the remaining members of his pack. His enemies followed. A fight ensued, killing those members who’d returned here with him. He left me with the humans who raised me and took off again.”

I lived in this area with Anna for the last couple months of her pregnancy. She’d wanted to be close to her mother. I’d wanted my breeding partner happy. During those months, I never heard any stories about the Ammon pack, but then again, Anna’s pack mates avoided me. They didn’t like outsiders. The fact that I was tied to their alpha’s daughter didn’t change their minds. I didn’t belong to their pack. The morning after she died, I was escorted off their lands.

“Have you tried asking Shifter Affairs for help in finding your alpha?”

“Yes. Shifter Affairs never responded to my request for information on him. I was told they’d reach out to me if they heard anything. That was nearly six years ago.” With her arms outstretched, Mya turns in a slow circle. “Obviously, my alpha’s not dead. If he’d lost his life without passing the spirit on, our pack’s spirit would’ve ascended to the heavens, leaving this spot barren.”

And Mya would be dead.

Every member of a pack is connected through their alpha to their pack’s spirit, which many elders say is actually the soul of the founding father of the pack. During the peak hour of the full moon, the alpha can access the pack spirit’s memories, using the knowledge gained by the spirit to guide the pack.

During that celebration, magic floods this circle, causing the grass to turn vibrant no matter the season and strengthening any pack member standing here. Once the peak hour passes, the effect it had on the circle dims, causing grass to brown and flowers to die in the winter months.

The Ammon pack’s circle doesn’t appear to follow those rules. It’s as vibrant as if this was the middle of July instead of December. I have no guess as to why either.

Mya glances over her shoulder. The flush to her cheeks has darkened since she stepped onto the fertile soil. “The heart of my pack is here, in this circle. I can feel its pull, the lure of its power.” Mya studies my face. “Do you feel it?”

“No.” I step over the deadened shrubs. The soft brush of grass teases my feet, but no rush of power flows through me. Not surprising. I don’t belong to its pack. Mya does. “I don’t, but this circle was cast by spilling the blood of its pack, the same blood that flows through your veins. It recognizes you.”

“And it’s lonely.” Mya walks toward the center of the circle, then faces me. “So am I. When I come here, though, I don’t feel so alone.”

Mya’s voice takes on a sultry quality that calls to me on a primal level. Unable to resist its pull, I go to her, but I don’t touch her. I hold my fingertips inches away from her flushed cheeks. Warmth emanates from her skin. I can almost feel her lust and taste the power of her pack on my tongue. I hunger for both.

I lift Mya’s hair from her shoulder. Energy races from my fingertips to the balls of my feet. The power she spoke about moments ago flows through me, leaving me energized, crazed. I release her hair. The rush of power cuts off.

Mya’s the source of it.

“Who’s your father?” If I had to guess, I’d say he’s the mysterious missing alpha of the Ammon pack. This show of power and its welcoming caress isn’t a normal reaction for just any member of the pack to experience within a pack’s sacred circle. It’s reserved for the alpha family. Their blood is the blood of the pack. Theirs is the blood that was spilled to create this circle. Theirs is the blood that’ll carry the pack into future generations as the spirit is passed from father to son. My gaze drifts to Mya’s still-flat belly. Or grandson.

“I don’t know.”

Her words are breathy. The rush of power is affecting her in a very primal way. I can see it in her eyes. She looks as if she wants to devour me. While I don’t mind Mya unleashing her passion on me, if she is indeed an alpha’s daughter, she needs to understand the repercussions of giving in to it here.

“Why do you go by the name Ammon, then?”

“It’s my name. I’ve always been Mya Ammon, even when I lived with my human parents. They were listed as my guardians on the paperwork for school. Even my social security card says Mya Ammon.” Mya grips the waistband of my jeans. Her knuckles brush my skin, sending sparks of energy through me. “Apparently, my alpha secured an identity for me before he left.”

Lust chokes me, leaving me tense and vibrating with the need to possess. Chest heaving, I force myself to step back. Mya’s hand falls to her side, and she looks at me with hurt in her eyes. That’s the last thing I want to see. This is too important not to broach, however. “He secured his daughter’s identity and made sure you’d know who you are.”

“You’re saying I’m…” Her words drift off, but the understanding shows in her shocked expression.

“You’re his daughter, and this”—I motion to her body—“is the response I’ve heard the members of the alpha family experience when they step foot on their pack’s sacred grounds.”

“And he just left me? That’s ridiculous. A father wo—” Mya’s words cut off abruptly. Jaw clenched, she turns her attention to the ground.

No doubt she’s thinking about her children’s biological father. Todd obviously cares little for his daughters. I can’t imagine that would change if the babies Mya’s carrying are boys. They’d be possessions, something for his uncle to use to secure their family name.

By establishing a new pack through Mya’s son. Shit. Of course.

“How old is the alpha of the Ammon pack?” Better I phrase it that way than use the word father. Mya’s sense of betrayal is clear in her pissed-off glare.

“Ilan says very old. Miguel lived through the Black Death, and he’s one of the only unmated single shifter alphas to have led his pack for centuries without losing his position to a challenger. Ilan described them as a bachelor pack. So, I guess there wasn’t a strong drive to take over coming from his dominants.” Mya nibbles on her lip a moment before sighing. “If you’re right about me being his daughter, obviously he finally took a breeding partner.”

My theory sounds even more believable in light of Mya’s revelation. If Miguel doesn’t pass on the spirit to another shifter, he’ll return when Mya’s son is old enough to accept it. I’ve heard of alphas who defy death for longer than anyone could imagine for the sole purpose of securing their family line. If he doesn’t last that long and dies, the pack’s spirit will return here for a short time before ascending to the heavens. Either Mya’s son or Todd would then simply step into the circle and claim it.

“We don’t know who your alpha’s enemies are or why they’d annihilate his pack mates. Him leaving you might’ve been the best thing that could’ve happened to you.” Of course, giving Mya his name wouldn’t help her obscurity if that had been the goal. Still, I’m not about to judge her father without all the facts.

Mya crouches down and skims her palm over the lush grass. She exhales audibly. “Rick?”

“Yeah?”

She raises her gaze, peering at me from behind her lashes. “I don’t want to talk about the past anymore tonight.”

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask the question, but I already know the answer. Need burns in her eyes. Seeing the desire reflected in her focused gaze heats my body.

In a lithe move, Mya stands and closes the distance between us. Her hips sway with each step. I can’t tear my gaze from her. Her beauty draws me, along with her goodness, exactly as they did when I approached her in the back of the bar the other night. In this moment, however, another side of my true mate shows. She revealed a glimpse of her passion to me earlier tonight. I want to unleash the rest of her sexuality. The moment I touch her, I will. She’ll bloom in my hands, transforming into a sexual goddess who will always hunger for me. I want that more than anything.

Only honor is keeping me rooted to this spot.

“Think very carefully about your answer, Mya. If I meet the needs I see displayed in your eyes while in your pack’s circle, no other male will satisfy you. The magic contained here will guarantee I own your body in a way even Todd doesn’t.”

Mya bites the corner of her mouth, an attempt to hide a wicked smile. Her guise fails miserably. I can see the excitement in her eyes in response to my warning. She steps around my body and slides her hands over the expanse of my back. Despite the two shirts I’m wearing, my skin burns in the wake of her lazy exploration.

I fist my hands and breathe through the lust. Until she acknowledges my prediction, I won’t act. The moment she does, however, I’ll feast.

“You’re my true mate. My soul already belongs to you.” She tugs the edge of my button-down shirt from my pants and slips her hands underneath. A sleeveless tee saves me from her touch, but I feel her lust. It echoes mine. “And you’re on your way to claiming my heart.”

She links her arms around my chest and presses an openmouthed kiss to the top of my spine. A primal sound shakes my chest. My lungs heave with my rough breaths. Her lips on me ignite the fire I’ve managed to keep banked since entering her apartment tonight.

She rubs her cheek over the spot she kissed. “I figure you might as well own my body too.”

I pivot and drop my hands to her hips, holding her in place. My arms shake. Every instinct I possess demands I yank Mya close and take her body as she so playfully suggested. “This is not a game.”

She smiles at me. There’s amusement in her expression, but something else hovers in her lust-hazed gaze. A challenge, maybe? “But we’ll have fun, won’t we?”

Gripping the edge of her turtleneck, I jerk the material over her head, exposing the simple black bra she’d worn. Without thinking, I unleash a modified claw and slit the fabric restraining her breasts. The heavy flesh I’d barely touched earlier bounces with its sudden freedom.

Mya’s eyes widen. Her nostrils flare, but she makes no move to stop me. She watches me expectantly.

She is playing games. Waiting for me to snap, maybe? Or judging my actions? I’m not sure. I only know my honor is slipping by the second.

With my fingers splayed at the base of her spine, I grab a handful of her plump breast, squeezing gently and enjoying the hardening of her nipple against my palm. I shift my hand, rubbing the sensitive tip, and lean closer.

“Not tonight, my fiery wolf. Tonight, I’ll own you in a way even your mate doesn’t. I’ll make you come so damn hard, you’ll see heaven. And when we walk out of this circle, you’ll crave me, yearning for my touch and only my touch until the day the goddesses call you home.” I pull Mya closer, letting her feel the hard press of my cock against her belly. “Can you live with that, Mya Ammon?”

Mya shoves from my embrace. The remnants of her bra slide down her arms, falling to the ground. She kicks them aside. With her gaze locked on mine, she walks backward, stopping inches from the blankets she spread on the grass. “Do you plan on abandoning me, Rick Lyall? Taking your pleasure from me, then walking away?”

“Never.”

“Prove it.”

The same challenge shows in her eyes from earlier in the night. Nothing will stop me from meeting it. I approach Mya, letting her see my hunger. Her gaze drifts from my face to my chest and lower. With a rough tug, I pop the buttons on my shirt and let the material fall to the ground.

The muscle shirt I wore underneath clings to my chest. Mya’s appreciative gaze stops me from taking it off. If she wants to explore my body, she can strip me. I only need to free my cock to take what I want.

I fist the front of Mya’s jeans and jerk her roughly against my body. She settles her palms against my chest and leans back so only my grip on her pants holds her up. She’s putting her complete trust in me. Damn, I love that. I tug her closer and bend over her, urging her to arch into me. “I will only say this once, so listen closely.”

“I’m listening.”

“If you feel any discomfort, you tell me. Immediately, Mya. Do you understand? I’d rather die than hurt you or our babies.”

“Our babies?” Mya whispers the question.

I move my free hand to Mya’s back, supporting her, then pop the button on her jeans and tug the zipper. With a hard shove, I push her jeans past her ass and cup her pussy.

The evidence of her lust teases my skin with a slickened warmth I want coating my dick. Or my chin. I very well might be addicted to Mya’s taste. I slide my thumb through her arousal, pressing along her lower lips and dipping into her opening. Her body squeezes the tip of my thumb, tempting me deeper. It’s an invitation I can’t pass up. I push my thumb as far as it can reach inside Mya and stroke her inner walls. She’s so soft, so wet. By the goddesses, I need to be inside her.

Mya exhales as her eyelids flutter. Seeing the immediate response to my touch pleases me, but it’s not enough. Possessiveness grips me harder than I’ve ever experienced. Whether it’s because the magic of this circle is flowing through me or because I’m so close to sliding my hard cock into my personal heaven, I can’t tell. I simply know I hunger. Only Mya can meet my cravings. Only Mya can fill the hole inside me, completing me.

“Yes, our babies.” I lower Mya to the ground, then finish tugging her jeans off. “You just challenged me, Mya. Demanding I never leave you. I accepted. Certain things will happen now. Claiming your kids as mine is just one of them.”

Mya raises her upper body, propping herself on her elbows, and snags my gaze. The challenge is still there. The demand I give her everything. “Yeah? What other things?”

I crawl over her, but I don’t touch her. I wait until she lies back before I lean close, my lips a hairbreadth from hers. “Trust your true mate. You promised.”

“I trust you.” Confidence strengthens her tone.

“Then let me love you.”

Mya nods. “Please.”

I kiss her deeply, twining our tongues until she arches into me on a groan of pure hunger. She digs her nails into my shoulders. Her attempt to tug me on top of her doesn’t budge me. I know what I want, and a missionary position won’t satisfy me tonight.

On a growl, I break our kiss, letting her see what she’s unleashed.

“Your eyes,” Mya whispers. There’s awe in her voice and her gaze.

I’m not sure what she sees. I only know what I feel—ownership. This woman is mine.

Sliding my hands up her inner thighs, I spread her legs, exposing her wet lower lips. The scent of her arousal reaches me. My mouth waters for her taste. I don’t fight my craving. With her thighs held open, I dip my head and lick her, from her opening to her clit. Her richness coats my tongue. Power rushes through me, energizing me and taking my lust up a notch.

With my hands under her ass, I lift her body and bury my face in her pussy. Her moan reaches me, spurring me on. I drag my tongue through her cleft, spreading her lips wide and flicking her hard clit with each pass.

Listening to her cues, I quicken my licks until Mya’s writhing under me and pushing her pussy hard against my face. Her enjoyment pleases me. Except, I want her thighs trembling. I want her to flood my mouth with her pleasure. I want her to beg for my cock. I won’t settle for less.

An animalistic sound rumbles in my chest. Mya whimpers. The sound enflames me. I thrust my tongue into her opening, over and over until the resistance of my prodding tongue matches the tenseness in her thighs and her quickened breaths. She’s going to come.

Releasing one ass cheek, I move my thumb to her clit at the same time as I slam my tongue into her. Her body seizes on an orgasm that gives me what I seek—her passion. After an endless moment, the clenching grip on my hair lessens. Mya relaxes under me.

“Are you good?” No matter my wants, I’ll stop if she needs a break.

“Better than good.” She curls her fingers around the collar of my shirt and tugs. Taking the hint, I crawl over her. She lifts her head for my kiss. I don’t deny her. I want her lips on me any way I can get them. Slow at first, her exploration of my mouth quickens into a bruising possession. I meet her demands, then take more, stealing her very breath. She clings to me, digging her nails into my shoulders.

This kiss is good, better than any we’ve shared, but I feel unsettled. My dick hurts, aching with the need to experience Mya’s soft core stroking it. I’ve never been this hard before. Never felt as if I was going to die if I didn’t get inside a woman. Now.

Chest heaving, I turn my head, breaking our kiss. “Are you ready for my cock?”

“Yes.” The word matches her pleading tone.

I brush my lips over hers one more time before easing back. Mya’s fingernails mark a trail down my arms. The small bite of pain appeals to me. I nip her breast, tugging on the erect tip, before tapping her hip. “Cheek to the blanket and ass in the air.”

On a small chuckle that manages to send a wave of contentment through me even while my body is strung tight with need, Mya complies with my demand. She stretches her arms in front of her head and sticks her bottom in my face.

I slide my hands over her firm ass and spread her cheeks so I can lick her, from her pussy to her asshole. I won’t take her there tonight, but I will. Nothing between us will be off-limits. Every inch of Mya’s body will be mine to use when I need it, just as mine will be available to her.

Mya’s flavor is richer from the orgasm I gave her. She’s more sensitive too. With a single swipe of my tongue, she groans and clutches at the blanket, bunching it so her fingertips brush the grass. Perfect. I love her response to me. I curl my tongue, stroking her one more time, then ease back.

My zipper pinches my dick, reminding me I haven’t undressed. There’s no stopping now to take my clothes off. I need to be inside Mya. The moon is rising high into the sky. While it’s days away from the full moon, I feel its energy along my back. Magic, nature, mysticism—I’m not positive where the power comes from, but my body understands its warm caress. When I come inside Mya, I’ll find my heaven too.

With a rough jerk, I tug the zipper and work the button open. Freed from the confines of my pants, my cock springs forward. I push my jeans down far enough the rough material won’t scrape Mya’s skin, then move behind her. The head of my cock slides through her arousal. My dick jerks. It’s sensitive. I’ve waited too long. I can’t tease Mya any longer.

I press my palm against her lower belly, holding her in place, and push the head of my dick into her opening. A guttural moan escapes my throat as her core clamps down, fighting my possession. Mya’s breathy groan doesn’t match the reaction of her body. Neither does her matching thrust. She wants me. I’m big, though. My cock’s wide, long. Aching the way it is, it feels like a steel rod.

Rolling my hips, I work my way into Mya’s body. Each forward drive pushes my dick farther into her tight core. One more rolling thrust will join us. The tight grip of her body has lessened. I’ll be able to ride her hard. Instead of giving in to the desire, I still my body with my dick partially inside Mya’s pussy.

“You’re tight, my little wolf.” I kiss her back. “But wet, hot, and so soft. I want to stay inside you forever.”

I caress her belly before sliding my fingers lower to where our bodies are joined. Her lower lips are stretched wide around my shaft. Reaching as far as I can, I slip my fingers through her arousal, then curl them around my rigid length. A slow thrust pushes my cock, slick from Mya’s desire, through my fisted grip. My balls draw up. The punch of need blindsides me. I could come, right now, without having to ride Mya until the pumping pulls my seed free. My excitement is enough.

A rough curse escapes my throat. I squeeze my dick, strangling it and forcing the damn thing into submission. I plan on coming multiple times tonight, but this first time will be the most important. Magic will flow over us, building a compulsion neither of us will ever be able to ignore. We’ll crave the passion we can create together. No other lover will satisfy us.

The pressure in my balls eases. Moving my hand out of the way, I bite the inside of my mouth and drive my hard length deep. My groin smacks Mya’s body, shaking her ass cheeks and sliding her body up the blanket. I love seeing both the small vibration of my possession reflected on her bottom and her fingers clutching at the grass.

With my hands on her hips, I raise her bottom higher so I have a better view and repeat the hard drive, again and again. Mya’s body tightens on my impaled length each time, squeezing it and making the ache in my shaft grow.

I thrust faster, harder. Mya’s body accepts my pounding, welcoming my rough thrusts with a wash of arousal that slickens my dick. Her desire coats her thighs and mine. I slide my hand over her inner leg, just to feel how wet she is for me, then move my fingers to her clit. A quick flick to the nub sends small waves rippling over my shaft.

Another vulgar curse escapes me. I lean over Mya’s back, urging her to lie down, and move my legs to the outside of her thighs. Using my knees, I draw her thighs together, tightening the slide of my cock into Mya’s already snug body. The added pressure doesn’t help my restraint, but I want Mya in this position, completely at my mercy when I come.

Careful not to put my full weight on her, I ride her body. The race to completion overcomes me. Breathing hard, I take my pleasure from Mya. My dick thickens, and my balls draw up. I’m going to come. The tight grip of Mya’s core reflects how close she is to finding ecstasy. The moment I stop moving, she’ll fall over the edge.

“Feels good.” Mya whimpers. “You feel so good inside me.”

The soft sound she makes triggers something inside me. Protectiveness or dominance? I can’t tell. I only know I want to crawl inside this woman and claim her soul as completely as I possess her body.

My gaze drifts to Mya’s mate bite. I want to make it mine. Using my chin, I brush Mya’s soft hair from her shoulder, then press an openmouthed kiss to her skin. My lips tingle. I lick her collarbone, mapping a path to the scar at the delicate spot where shoulder meets neck. Mya’s groan surrounds us. Waves over my dick pull me deeper. A shiver races through Mya’s body with my first lick. A tremor rushes over her with the second. After the third lick, Mya’s orgasm seizes her.

Without wasting another second, I bite Mya’s shoulder as my pleasure claims me. My seed rushes down my dick. I grind my teeth harder into Mya’s shoulder. Her soul opens to mine, yanking me inside. Peace and lust slam into me, stealing my sanity, but it’s Mya’s purity that pulls me out of the endless loop of ecstasy.

The beautiful, glowing white orb which represents Mya’s soul draws me closer. I’ve never seen anything like it. Granted, I’ve only walked through my soul and Anna’s, but no other shifter has described their bond to their animal in the way I see Mya’s wolf tied to her. Instead of the thick cord extending from her soul to the hovering orb belonging to her animal, the separation between Mya’s soul and her wolf’s is almost nonexistent.

The cord belonging to Mya’s wolf is woven into Mya’s soul to form a fiery red patch…where the piece of Todd’s soul resides. Mya’s wolf trapped it there, likely protecting Mya from experiencing the influence of Todd’s emotions. Respect for the wolf I’ve yet to meet spreads through me. Mya’s wolf saved her from the bond neither of them wanted the only way the animal could.

I skim my metaphysical fingers over the glowing red patch. Even I can’t feel Todd’s emotions. I do sense the relief of Mya’s wolf. My presence comforts her as much as I do for Mya.

A soft caress that reaches deep inside me draws my attention back to my own soul. Mya dances her gentle fingers over my soul in the same way I’ve touched hers. She stops at the edge of the empty spot, the hole remaining from the piece I ripped out and gave to Anna. Regret grips me. I never told Mya about my past.

“Where is she?” A gust of fury burns me as Mya’s voice fills my head. “Where’s your mate? And why aren’t you with her?”

Mya doesn’t wait for my answer. She shoves me from her soul with a rough push that shakes my physical body. I release Mya’s shoulder, but I don’t lick the wound. I can’t. I didn’t get a chance to claim a piece of Mya’s soul to fill in the hole she discovered.

I ease my dick from Mya’s body, but I don’t climb off her. She’ll run from me. That can’t happen. I can’t live without her.

“Her name was Anna Tanner.” I drop my forehead to Mya’s back. “And my breeding partner died over forty years ago giving birth to our twin boys. Her uterus ruptured.” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “She bled out. Died. I couldn’t save her. Couldn’t save our babies either. I tried, Mya. So did Anna’s mother.” My eyes burn. I squeeze my eyelids tighter. “She even tried to cut the babies out. We all knew Anna wasn’t going to make it. There was too much damage, too much blood, even for a shifter.”

I’m rambling. I can’t help it. I’ve got to get this out. “And our boys…the one had the cord wrapped around his neck. The life was already gone from him. The other…he wouldn’t breathe on his own. No matter how much I tried to get him to take a breath. He wouldn’t. He joined his twin and his mama.”

The pain chokes me, harder than it has in ages. I shove my dick into my jeans and zip, then I land hard on my back next to Mya. I hate that I hurt her like this. Can’t take it back. I messed up. The next move is on Mya.