Claiming Shayla (18 page)

Chapter Ten

The small spattering of tepid applause ended abruptly when one of the men to the left stepped forward and boldly—albeit stupidly, in Shay’s opinion—proclaimed, “She’s not your mate until the council officially recognizes her as such.”

Shay remembered her conversation with Shannon. “
Beware the council, Shay. If they refuse to recognize your mating, then some of the more die-hard traditional members of the pack won’t either. Your pup will be labeled a bastard and considered not fit to lead the pack when the time comes. More importantly, the men will consider you usable and the women will consider Rory fair game. Now Wesley, the youngest and most arrogant of the council, will be against the mating simply because he didn’t sanction it first. He’s been full of himself ever since he was given the position
.”

“Protocol demands that the council vet her, make sure she’s suitable to be your mate
before
you claim her,” the oldest-looking member of the council stated harshly.

“
Graham is the pack’s historian. You’ll know him instantly as he’s the oldest. He’ll be against the mating because he’s a bigot. Hates humans, vampires, women…almost everyone
.”

So the old Native American-looking dude was Graham, Shay thought, as a few low murmurs rose from the group.

“I’m alpha,” Rory reminded in a quiet, deadly tone.

Graham sniffed. “Be that as it may, how do we know this woman, this human”—he spat out the word
human
the way a racist would say
nigger
—“is capable of being the alpha-fem the pack needs?”

Shay felt the pinprick of claws biting into her skin. Behind her, Rory burned like a furnace. She felt a light sheen of sweat break out where their bodies touched. His chest vibrated with a barely contained growl. Pushing aside her own outrage, Shay prepared to enjoy the show.

“You dare to question my judgment?” Rory asked in that same quiet voice.

“That’s what it sounds like to me,” Shay responded.

When Graham’s eyes narrowed on her in intense dislike, she smirked. No sense wasting time getting the old dude to approve of her, and really, Graham was just the kind of tight-ass Shay liked to mess with. Their reactions were so comical.

He flushed red and snarled, “As elders, we have a responsibility—”

“Don’t preach responsibility to me. Remember who established your positions and gave you those responsibilities…and who can take them away,” Rory said sharply.

“Uhm, guess you heard that,” Shay murmured, pursing her lips.

Graham shot a venomous glance at Shay.

“Rory, Graham, let’s all calm down. Rory, why don’t you tell us why, after all this time, you selected this charming young…woman to be your mate,” the remaining councilman said.

“
Bertram is usually the voice of reason, but don’t let his calm nature fool you. He won’t like you and Rory mating any more than the others. He’ll simply use a different, more subtle approach to voicing his displeasure
.”

“And while you’re at it, tell us how you expect her to bear you the pups you need to succeed you as alpha,” Wesley added.

“She can’t. Human females are incompatible with shifters. Everyone knows this,” Graham said.

Stupid asses, couldn’t they smell she was already pregnant? And these clueless idiots were the people Rory counted on to help him lead the pack?

“Graham’s right. Humans are for fucking, not mating,” MacDougal stated.

“
Et tu, Brutus
?” Shay asked drily, unsurprised by the lack of support coming from Rory’s third. And she didn’t appreciate the lascivious look he gave her. Again Shannon was right on the money.

“
MacDougal will be against the mating because with Rory mated, the chances of him ever becoming alpha grow slimmer and further away. He’ll go ballistic when he discovers you’re pregnant
.”

“Maybe it’s time for some new blood. After all, his sister proved her unnaturalness, and Kian… Well, need I say more?” Graham stated sourly.

Oh shit, he did not go there. Rory’s going to blow a gasket, Shay thought and braced for impact.

It was the pack that erupted. People arguing for and against the mating. Shay only caught bits and pieces. They seemed divided on the issue of whether or not as alpha, Rory should be allowed to pick his own mate without interference, as his father and grandfather had. Others seemed disturbed that he’d chosen a human to mate with and not one of their own. Yet another group seemed to feel that this latest decision of Rory’s was proof that he needed to step aside and let someone more capable lead the pack.

The only person who seemed unaffected by the chaos was Caleb. He stood alert, intent, and bodyguard ready. Watching him, Shay doubted he missed a thing. He was aware of who was for and against Rory, and if anyone made the mistake of moving toward them, he was going to be there first.

They grew louder and louder. Some of the men broke into fights. Instantly Caleb was a shield in front of them. Shay stared around in amazement. Dang, Rory had said his pack was fucked-up, but this was beyond all comprehension. Good Lord, no wonder Shannon had decamped as soon as the opportunity became available.

“
Enough
!” Rory’s voice roared out.

Some of the women and men quieted, but a good bit continued their “discussion” as though he hadn’t spoken.

“I said, ENOUGH!” A wave of power shot out of him so strong Shay had to grab hold of him to keep her knees from buckling. Everyone else fell like dominoes, one after another, from the weakest to the strongest, until they were prostrate on the ground.

What the hell was he doing, and did she have that power too? It was a handy little trick.

“Shayla is my one, my true mate, given to me by the Creator. She already carries my cub in her womb.” He pointed to the council. “You
will
recognize my mating, or I’ll rip out your puny little spines and shove them down your whiny little throats.”

Well, that settled that, Shay thought.

“Impossible. True mates are a myth,” Graham unwisely responded as he pushed up to his knees.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Rory gently nudged Shay to the side and started toward Graham. One look at his face and Caleb and everyone else cleared out of his way.

“You owe me, old man,” Shay muttered as she dashed around in front of her furious mate.

“Shay, move!”

Shay held her hands out in a placating manner. “Now, Rory, I realize he’s a major pain in the ass, but you can’t kill him.”

“Aye, I can,” he said grimly as he stepped around her.

She darted back in front of him. Why didn’t the old fool run? Didn’t he realize how close to death he was?

“Don’t defend me,
human
. If I die, I die with honor having spoken the truth.”

“It’s not the truth, you fool. What kind of historian are you? Over in Refuge, the Ravens’ alpha found his true mate—a human—and his best friend, a bear-shifter, found his, another human female. Hell, even the Ravens’ beta found hers, a human male. Are you really that stupid that you don’t know any of this?” Shay huffed out, her efforts to physically restrain Rory having little impact.

There was a gasp from someone and some excited chatter among the group. Shay, being a little preoccupied, didn’t look to see what stirred them up this time. Her feet slid on the ground as Rory moved forward determinedly.

“Rory, stop, and I’ll do you right here and right now!” she cried out a bit desperately.

He halted. Molten gold eyes fixed on hers. “What?”

“Me, you, right here, right now. A BJ, my ass in the air, whatever you want. Just don’t do anything we’ll both regret later.”

The man cocked his head, but it was his wolf staring at her.

“Anything,” she tempted and brought her hands up to her breasts, lifting them as an offering. Damn people didn’t even want her as their leader and here she was, trying to protect one of them.

His gaze dropped to her puckered nipples, then past her to Graham.

“Uh-uh. Eyes on me, big boy,” Shay ordered and dropped a hand to cup his balls.

The pack seemed to be holding its collective breath, waiting to see what he would do.

Rory’s attention snapped back to her. She slid her hand up his shaft and gave it a firm squeeze.

“On your knees.”

Careful not to flash anyone, Shay did as directed. The sacrifices she made…

“Suck my cock.”

Shay undid the snap on his jeans and then hesitated with the zipper between her fingers. “The old man lives?”

He snarled. Being no fool, Shay narrowed her eyes and told him, “Not until I have your agreement.”

He visibly struggled—lust or angry retribution? Shay licked her lips, and the lust won, barely. Taking his abrupt nod as assent, Shay freed his cock and immediately deep throated him.

She heard someone say, “Damn.”

Another male groaned.

“Shit, she can be my mate.”

Like before, Shay felt her wolf preen at being the center of so much masculine attention. When her wolf tried lifting Shay’s butt in the air to present herself enticingly for mounting, Shay slapped her down.
“Down, girl. We have a man, the strongest one here. I’m not giving the rest of them a glimpse of the goods.”

In retaliation the bitch blasted open the bond between her and Rory’s beast. His emotions swamped her, and Shay went from mildly aroused to burning hot as his anger-tinted desire washed over and through her. She moaned around his cock as her pussy caught fire. The scent of her need rose in the air like an aphrodisiac, and her traitorous wolf shimmied in delight. In a small portion of her mind, Shay was appalled. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Lust boomeranged back and forth between them, amplifying with each round until it spilled out over the pack. Someone—Caleb?—howled. Then a chorus of howls broke out. It sounded as if the whole pack joined in.

Rory snatched Shay off him and flipped her over onto her knees in a dizzying rush, yanking her ass in the air even as her forearms hit the ground. She cried out as he plunged into her, pounding furiously. His clawed hands gripped her, pricking her skin through the denim while his heavy balls slapped continuously at her mound, spanking her clit. The erotic sounds of wet flesh smacking together filled the air. Guttural grunts sounded from Rory.

Shay heard herself pleading and egging him on. “More! More! Yes! Yes!”

She forgot about how exposed she was and who might be looking at her. All she knew was that this was her man, her mate, and he was claiming her in the most primal of manners in front of his pack. Announcing his possession and daring anyone to challenge it, challenge him.

An orgasm burst through her, the sudden violence of it taking her by surprise. Shay screamed even as her wolf howled in delight, her position as alpha bitch secured.

The lower half of her body was lifted higher in the air as Rory’s size and mass increased in a full half-shift. Shay shuddered and braced, her pussy slickening even more to accommodate him. Call her crazy but she loved it when he went werewolf on her. He planted a hairy hand on the ground in front of her face as he bent over her. Anticipating his next move, Shay tilted her head to the side, baring her shoulder.

Pain struck as his canines sank deep. “Shit!”

Her wolf went crazy. Shay’s vision faded to shades of gray and black. Her nails became claws, and her gums tingled. The rich, dark scent of moist soil, decomposing foliage, and surrounding flora filled her nostrils. For a moment Shay feared her beast would overpower her and shift to the forefront, but instead it rode right beneath her skin, sharing the experience.

Rory threw back his head and roared as he thrust one last time, deep inside, holding stiff as if frozen. Inside Shay, his cock gave little jerking pulses as he emptied. Withdrawing, he kicked out of his jeans, shifted to wolf, and howled before running deep into the forest. The rest of the males shifted and ran with him.

Senses wide open, Shay felt Rory’s joy in the night, in running with his brothers. She also felt and for the first time understood his bond, his connection with the Sparrowhawks. She’d been wrong earlier. Instead of a king with his subjects, Rory was a father with his children. He cared for them. Wanted the best for them and felt responsible for them the way a parent feels responsible for his offspring. It was beautiful and hit Shay on an emotional level she’d never experienced.

Her wolf retreated enough for Shay to realize she was still on her knees with her ass in the air. Hastily she straightened and tugged down her skirt. While she untied Rory’s shirt from her waist and slipped it on, the women, in various stages of disarray, crowded around. A quick glance revealed someone had taken the children away. Hopefully before things turned X-rated.

“You took an alpha in full rut,” a young, pretty blonde said, looking and sounding awed.

“Yeah…well…” Off balance and trying desperately not to show it, that’s all she could say.

“Big whooping deal. She can fuck. That doesn’t make her alpha-fem,” another said.

“Yana, you’re just jealous he didn’t pick you,” another stated boldly.

As Yana glared at the girl, Shay rose, not willing to be at a disadvantage.