Carrie sighed as Gabriel pushed a strand of hair away from her face. Her wolf had gone noticeably quiet since the mating ceremony. The pack had dispersed to leave them alone. All that remained were Gabriel, a warm night breeze that seemed to have been handpicked for their mating, the privacy of the Westervelt woods, and her. She swallowed.

It’s all good and fine to be so confident about the whole thing until it comes time to actually do the mating.

Her wolf didn’t answer. Nothing like being ignored during nerve-racking times.

Her mate, and even thinking of that term still made her heart jump, kneeled down in front of her. He kissed the top of her nose.

“Looks like everybody cleared out.”

She swallowed through her dry throat. “Looks that way.”

It had been one thing to daydream about being with a Kane when Gabriel had alerted her to his feelings, but another thing to acknowledge her own. Her wolf had been ecstatic. Now? Reality descended on Carrie’s shoulders. How would she ever be enough for a prince of Westervelt? Kendrick both terrified and confused every wolf he came in contact with. Would Gabriel get to be like that as he got older?

“You’re thinking about something and it’s making you nervous. I can smell it.”

She jumped. Gabriel’s deep voice resonated in her head. The mating ceremony had given them both the ability to communicate telepathically with each other. Some of the Kanes were strong enough to do that with the whole pack anytime they wanted, but Gabriel had never done that before.

“Have you always been able to speak in my head?”

He took her hand in his. “No. Dad can do that. Tristan can, but he doesn’t. Michael has a little bit of that ability. I guess he’ll have more after he’s Alpha. Me? No, I don’t have a lot of magic, not really. I’m pretty run-of-the-mill on the powers scale.” His dark gaze met hers. “But I have you, so I’ll always possess something the others can only, for now, dream about. You’re such a gift to me, Carrie.”

“I’m nervous.” She didn’t need to tell him. He could scent it as much as her nose told her that possessive adoration floated through his pores. It seemed polite to at least acknowledge the truth. Besides, he had spoken in her mind. She needed to see she could do the same to him.

The sensation of being able to send her thoughts to his mind warmed her blood. A bonding that hadn’t taken place even during the ceremony snapped into place between them.

Magic. She didn’t need her wolf to tell her what had begun. Mates were connected in all ways. What happened to cause this stayed secret between mates. Unattached wolves didn’t know why their family and friends went into the woods one way and came out another. But everyone wanted it, craved it from the time they were old enough to understand it. Mating, childbirth, and the induction of the Alpha were sacrosanct. Up until that very second, Carrie hadn’t really understood the magnitude of the moment before.

Her body tingled and he’d barely touched her yet.

“I’m always going to take care of you. I promise you that. From this moment forward, for the rest of my existence, your safety and well-being will be paramount to me in all ways.”

She rubbed her cheek against the rough callus of his hand. “That sounds like a vow.”

“It’s a night for vows.” His gaze bore into hers, the bright light of the full moon making them look as if they glowed.

“It is.” She kissed his knuckles. “I give you my oath as well. Always us. Always us two. Beyond all else. Forever. We’ll never be alone. Even if we’re apart.”

In a heartbeat his mouth fused to hers. His lips were warm and she pressed deeper against him. A groan sounded in his throat, vibrating against her. She sighed and he pulled back.

“You want this too.” He didn’t have to ask her. She could smell his arousal and she knew he’d be able to scent hers.

“I want everything from you.” The words were wrenched from her heart.

Gabriel planted kisses on her cheek, small touches of his mouth caressing her all over her face. It tickled and she laughed, covering her mouth. A growl left his lips and he pushed her down onto the ground, his body coming over hers to cover her.

Her dress, which had seemed so light and whimsical when she’d put it on earlier, clung to her skin, now way too hot. All she wanted touching her was Gabriel.

He nipped her ear lobe. “Relax, beautiful lady, we have all night.”

She rubbed the stubble on his chin, loving the rough parts of him. They contrasted so distinctly from the gentleness with which he handled her.

“I don’t want all night. I want it all now.”

Gabriel grinned, the wolf coming to his eyes. “Ordering me around, wolf?”

“Yep, and you love it. No one orders you around. Not even our Alpha.”

Something that resembled concern crossed Gabriel’s gaze before disappearing. “You can tell me what to do any time you want. Except when it comes to matter of safety. Then I get to be in charge. All of the time.”

She mock-saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

He grabbed her arms and pushed them to the top of her head until he had her pinned down beneath him. Her pussy wept and she gasped. In a million years, she’d never believed she would have liked such a thing. But Gabriel being a little dominating? Yes, she really craved it.

He kissed her, hard, before reaching down to rip her dress from her body. In one swift move, he’d torn her wedding attire from her body. She stared down at her now exposed midsection with her mouth hanging open.

“That was my mother’s.”

He shrugged. “I can’t be sorry about that right now. Try me later. Then I’ll feel ashamed.”

He ran his fingers around her belly, stroking each muscle, adoring her with his eyes as he did so. “You have the most incredible body. You’re so athletic, so long and lean.”

“Stop it.” She reached up to kiss him. “Only you see me that way. I’m skinny and gangly most of the time.”

“Then no one else can see what I see. End of story.”

She hadn’t bothered putting on a bra. Her straps would have shown through the material, and the gods hadn’t given her very much to work with anyway. There had to be some benefits for not being well-endowed.

Gabriel bent over, taking her pink nipple into his mouth. He bit down and she reared up beneath him. Yes, she wanted more. Her skin had become molten lava and only Gabriel had the salve to cool her down. She wanted him inside her.

“Why are you still so dressed?”

He rubbed his nose against her stomach. “Because I’m enjoying this part. I’ve got you entirely at my mercy and I want to keep you that way.”

“But I want to play too.” Gabriel smelled like jasmine, a result of some of the magical herbs that had been thrown at them during the ceremony. Beneath that, however, still lay the scents she’d come to associate with him over the years. Even though it must be impossible, he carried the scent of the breeze on the trees inside him.

“Fair enough.” He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it behind him.

She sucked in her breath. They’d all seen each other naked. All of the shifting made modesty impossible, but this moment felt different. Gabriel belonged to her. His body had been made for her.

His sculpted abs made him look like he’d been made from stone. Wolves were always strong, but Gabriel’s physique came from constant training. He never quit.

She ran her hands down his stomach, surprised by how soft the skin there felt beneath her fingers. A small brushing of dark hair covered his chest.

“You’re perfection.” The quiver in her voice couldn’t be helped.

She’d spent so many years afraid to acknowledge her obsession with him. Oh, she’d tried everything to deny it, even to herself. If he came toward her, she’d run the other way. Tried to think of other men so she wouldn’t think of him. Carrie had forcibly removed him from her mind because part of her had known—even if she hadn’t let herself think it explicitly. What if he hadn’t felt the same way? And yet somehow he had. The years of pent-up emotion threatened to spill.

“You’re talking about yourself.” He tugged off his pants, exposing his hard cock through his briefs. “Not me.”

She could get used to having a man around who didn’t seem to see any of her flaws whatsoever. But maybe that was mating. No one ever spoke about this part of it, this feeling of needing the other person so completely.

His cock jutted out from the cotton material of his briefs. She reached out to grab the large head through the fabric. He hissed in his breath and closed his eyes.

Carrie’s breasts ached. Gabriel Kane desired her as much as she did him. “Imagine how good that would feel if you didn’t have anything covering it up.”

Gabe’s eyes flew open. “I want you naked too.”

As if saying it spurred him into action, he yanked her panties down her legs. A glint lit his eyes before he moved down to inhale against her pussy. He growled, his eyes turning wolf as he sat back up. “You’re mine.”

He hadn’t phrased it as a question because it wasn’t one. She did belong to him. And he belonged to her. “I thought I told you I wanted you naked too.” With a strength she usually saved for shifts and fights, she ripped his briefs off him and tossed them aside.

“You’re not the only one who can tear off clothing.”

“I see that.”

She reached out to stroke his hard length. He felt hot to the touch. “I’m burning up for you, Gabe. I see now that you are, as well.”

“For weeks, Carrie. For weeks. Hell, it’s been years. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t smolder for you.”

He grabbed the back of her head, pulling her against him before he inserted his tongue into her mouth. They clawed at each other. She wanted to get closer, needed to be up against him. Their tongues melded together before pushing apart, only to thrust into each other’s mouths again.

Gabe petted her pussy. She shuddered. No one else had ever touched her there before. With one finger, he teased her until he plunged it into the moist folds of her dripping pussy.

“You’re so wet.” He sniffed the air. “It smells like manna from heaven. I may have to keep you this way, permanently.”

Now that sounded like an idea, but first she needed fulfillment and that meant getting Gabe inside her immediately. But then he was stroking her clit. Stars appeared before her eyes and she had to close them to block out the brightness.

“That’s it. Come for me.” Her body obliged his command. Pressure built inside her until she exploded around his hand. Her pussy drenched, and shivers traveled up and down her spine.

Gabriel continued to stroke her through her convulsions until she fell back down to earth. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her.

“I love you, beautiful lady. I’ve watched you for so long. You’re just … perfection.”

She swallowed, his declaration bringing out such emotion that it clogged up her throat. “Would you be inside of me now? Please?”

“No need to ask me twice. Ever.”

Carrie had a moment to wonder if Gabriel’s large cock would actually fit inside her. She’d known he’d be big when fully erect, but she hadn’t really considered the mechanics of the whole thing. However, all thoughts and worries fled her mind when he actually plunged within her warmth. The earth changed its axis and the moon dropped from the sky. Or maybe all of that only happened in her mind.

Seconds later, he’d filled her entirely. “We’re perfect together.” She breathed because that was all she could manage to do. “Made for one another.”

“I knew we would be.” Gabriel moved within her. He started out slowly. She groaned, wrapping her legs tighter around him. She wanted more … needed more.

“Yes.” Gabriel’s word came out as barely a whisper while his body picked up speed. Gone was the slow, easy pace of earlier and in its place was a fast pounding of their bodies together.

The friction brought her orgasm back on her but this time with no warning. A wave of frantic pleasure she hadn’t known existed shook her body. If Gabe hadn’t been on top of her she would have reared off the ground. He shouted her name and she knew he would follow her into the oblivion she thought might consume them both.

If they never came back, it would be worth it. The thought left her mind one second before she shattered into a million pieces.

Time might have stalled. It might have sped up. She had no idea. Eventually, she opened her eyes. Gabriel must have pulled her into his arms and traded places with her because now she lay on top of him. When had that happened? She blinked, trying to clear her vision.

“Can you see that?” Gabe pointed up at the sky.

She rubbed her eyes. Yes, she saw something. “Is that a white light? Like the light that appears when we shift?”

He kissed her shoulder. “Yep. But it’s the other things that are happening which are interesting to me.”

A stream of colors came out of the white light. No, she amended her thought, looking closer. A stream of colors came out of Gabe and entered her. Her heart rate sped up. Not only that, but the same thing happened with her. He was getting something from her.

Her body felt sluggish but relaxed. Happiness the likes of which she’d never known made tears spill from her eyes. “Is that our souls?”

“Yes.” His voice had lowered. It sounded rough, as if he held back his own emotions. “I’m getting your soul, Carrie. I’ve never been so filled with strength, love, compassion—everything good in the universe.”

She rubbed her hand over his chest. Red strength, blue compassion, and a steel colored resolve mixed with the brightness of love—orange for the fire that burned inside Gabriel—made its way into her soul. He didn’t know, couldn’t know, how magnificent his soul looked.

“This is why they don’t tell us.” She kissed his arm. “Because if anyone ever knew this was what happened, and it didn’t happen for them, it would be a cruelty beyond belief.”

He nodded. “We vowed to never be alone and we really won’t be. We’ll always be together now.”

Carrie let the tears fall, knowing she’d be powerless not to. The gods had truly blessed her.

“What are you doing?” She looked down at Gabriel, fully aware that he’d never be able to stop himself from speaking with her. Even when he wanted to be doing push-ups. Her mate never gave himself a small break, even from exercise. “You know we’re supposed to be in our mating time. I’m not training.”

He stopped his workout and grinned at her. “I have to stay in shape. How else am I going to keep up with you? You wear me out, woman.”

She kicked him lightly on the shin and he pushed her to the ground, turning in midair so she landed on top of him.

Carrie shrieked. He always managed to catch her off-guard.

“You know I would stop breathing if you asked me to.”

Her heart stuttered and she lost the smile from her face. With her pointer finger, she traced the lines of his cheek. “I would never ask you to stop breathing. Or anything like that. You don’t have to prove yourself to me. I know who you are. I have you inside of me.”

Gabriel sighed. “I got the better end of that deal. Trust me on that point. You’re all goodness, strength, and light. I can only imagine what you had to take on.”

“Don’t talk about yourself that way.” She might really kick him hard if he kept it up. “You’re the strongest member of this pack. Everyone turns to you for everything. Do you want to know why, big guy? Because you’re also goodness, strength, and light. If I am too, then we were well-matched. Leave it at that.”

He pulled her against his chest and she laid her head where she could hear his strong heartbeat.

“I love you,” he whispered against her hair.

She lifted her head to gaze at him. Laughter was the gift she could give him. Smiles. Hugs. A sense of peace and belonging. He’d been born a Kane, and it turned out that came with lots of mines to navigate around.

“Good.” She jumped up. “Then you’re going to have to catch me.”

Shifting in mid-run, she took off into the woods. Behind her, Gabe howled. It wouldn’t be long—maybe a few minutes—before he ran her down. Still, they would be glorious. It turned out she loved to be chased by Gabriel more than anything in the world. Well, she smiled, almost anything.

Kendrick and a woman Gabriel had never seen before stood in the clearing behind one of the kitchens on the island. For a second, he considered continuing on without stopping. There was nothing inherently weird about his father talking to a woman. Gabe sniffed the air. Well, maybe a little odd that he spoke with a woman who did not smell like a wolf but instead held the scent of a witch. Talking to witches had never been forbidden, just frowned upon.

Witches used their magic to get paid, and making a deal with one could have vast unforeseen consequences. But Kendrick held the title of Alpha, and what the Alpha wanted the Alpha usually got.

Do you really think it’s normal that he should be here in the middle of the night talking to her? Why shouldn’t he be home? With your mother?

His wolf made a valid point. Gods knew Gabe wanted to be home. He’d been mated all of six months and he still couldn’t get enough of his woman. Most mated couples behaved like they’d just been mated. Who could blame them? He knew he’d always want Carrie.

But his parents had never behaved like that, not in his recollection anyway.

“Come over here, son. I know you’ve spotted me.” Kendrick’s voice resonated in his head.

Well. Now that he’d been caught there seemed little reason to not walk over. His Alpha had just ordered him to appear. That meant he had to obey. Didn’t it?

His wolf paced. Are you asking me? Because I’m not feeling particularly submissive to him at the moment.

Really? There had never been a time when both Gabriel and his wolf hadn’t wanted to obey Kendrick. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Never a good sign when an Alpha didn’t feel very Alpha-ish.

He walked toward his father and the witch. She was a young woman, for human and witch standards; harder to tell with wolves, but he’d put her at somewhere around nineteen or twenty years old. So young to be involved in whatever his father had involved her in.

“Something going on?”

Kendrick raised an eyebrow. “I met Ruby here through a friend of mine named Drea. Have you met Drea yet?”

“I can’t say that I have.” Not that he didn’t care about how his father had made this woman’s introduction, but it was late. He’d rather be home.

“Claudius and I made her acquaintance a long time ago. My life … when I’m not here … it’s complicated.”

“It can’t be easy dealing with humans, hiding who you are.” Especially considering that, as Alpha, Kendrick’s eyes never changed back from their wolf state. “This witch helps you?”

“In a way.” His father patted Ruby on the arm and she walked away, but not before staring for a moment at Gabriel. A shiver ran up his spine.

His wolf folded his ears back. Like she just walked on our grave.

Kendrick walked in the opposite direction. “Follow me.”

Gabriel nodded. Apparently he wouldn’t be getting home. Not for a while, anyway. “I brought an idea to the council last week. Did you hear about it?”

“I did not.” The council didn’t discuss things with him. Just because he happened to have been born a Kane gave him no special rights on the council. His brother Michael held a spot and what went on there remained private.

“I’m trying to move the pack forward and they’re blocking my every step. Things simply can’t continue the way they are. The humans are going to know we exist whether we like it or not. We have to dominate them or we will die.”

Gabriel stopped moving and grabbed his father’s arm; a bold move that he hoped would get his father’s attention. “Listen, I really don’t know how hard this must be to manage. I’m not Alpha. I don’t ever want to be. However, I can honestly say that I’ve lived out in the world. We all have for at least a little while. They aren’t going to know unless we make them know. Humans like things to be neat and tidy. We don’t fit in their box.”

“You’re wrong.”

He shook his head. “I’m not.”

“How dare you speak to me like that, boy?” Gabriel should look down. But he didn’t.

Kendrick laughed. “What a time for you to find your balls. That girl—your mate— she’s been good for you. Or bad. Depending on how you look at it.”

This is such an odd conversation. His wolf pointed out the obvious.

“What do you mean?” His heart rate picked up. His wolf might find this just odd, but it raised Gabe’s hackles.

Shift?

Not yet.

“I’ve done something. Really, I had no choice and I expect everyone will soon see that. Well, they won’t have a choice. They’ll do what I want because I told them to do so.”

“What have you done?” He shook his father’s arm. “Tell me.”

“Well.” Kendrick grinned. “I’m glad we got to have this conversation considering you’ll be killing yourself by morning.”

“Why would I be doing that?” The only reason he would ever commit suicide would be if something happened to Carrie. “Have you threatened my mate?” Gabe had been gone for a few hours training the pups in defensive skills. What had he missed?

“No,” Kendrick whispered. “But by the end of the day, you will. She’ll be dead by your hand.”

Gabriel reared back. His whole body reacted as if he’d been struck. “I would never harm her.”

“You’ll have no choice. All the mated men will be mad within the next three hours. By morning unable to control themselves. Even if you all run, if you kill me, it cannot be stopped. This pack will do what I want or they will fall.”

His head pounded so hard it felt like a jackhammer slammed into it. “And the nonmates? The singles?”

“They’ll be totally controllable.”

“Like hell.” Gabriel grabbed his father’s shirt. “That can’t happen.” Ruby’s face flashed before his eyes. “The witch. You’ve cursed us.”

“Exactly. Maybe you aren’t as stupid as you seem.”

He shoved his dad, who fell backward. “There’s still time. You can be stopped. I know you can.”

Gabriel turned on his heel. He had little time, but someone could stop Kendrick. His mother. Mary Jo would fix this. If anyone could, it would be her.

“Carrie.” He screamed for his mate, never gladder for telepathic abilities than at that moment. “I need you. Wake up. Come to my mom’s. As fast as you can.”

Shifting into his wolf form, he ran faster than he ever had before. Kendrick was about to destroy everything and only Gabe could save Westervelt. He growled. Being too late wasn’t an option.