Healed: True Mates Book 3 (Wolf Shifter) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance) (13 page)

Red flickered across my vision, painting the world in a haze of fury. No way was he touching Amanda, raping her, breeding her like she was worth nothing! I couldn’t allow it— I wouldn’t— I—

“Tarq! We need him. Alive!” A soft voice spoke to me, close, so close I could almost—

“Amanda?” I croaked out, my head whirling around, finding my mate standing right next to me. “I
have
to. You know why!”

“You won.
We
won. Don’t worry, he’ll get what’s coming to him—later, on trial before the Shifter Council for his crimes. I don’t like it—
fuck that
—I hate it, but we need to know what he knows.
Please.
”

“I’ll have her, and every woman in your pack. Everyone you
love
will suffer if you don’t end me now!”

“He wants this. Listen to him, he’s begging for you to kill him!” Amanda laid a hand over the one that was pinning Gary, my other one holding his other hand safely back. Her hand was so small, so fragile compared to mine.

But she was asking me for something, reaching out to me. It was something I could give, and even through the rage that coated my mind, I could see the truth in her words.

I nodded my acceptance, and she sagged with relief, her lips curling up in a smile, faltering slightly as she added, “But what do we do with him?”

I knew immediately. “Oliver.”

Her brows arched in question at my vague answer, and I chuckled, wanting to hug her to me, despite the man dangling from my arm.

“I’ll explain later when there are no prying ears. First, though, we need to put him out of action.”

“How do we do that?”

“I’m still here, you know. I can hear you,” Gary snarled, trying desperately to free himself, but he was no match for the strength coursing through me.

Then his shift faltered for the final time, him shrinking before my eyes, bones reforming until he dangled mid-air in human form.

“That makes it easier!” Amanda shrugged, then pulling back her arm, punched him in the head, knocking him out cold.

Tossing him onto the ground, I signaled Mark to come over. “Watch him. If you see any sign that he is waking up, trying to shift, knock him out again—don’t wait until he’s conscious. He’s too strong. You got it? I’ll call a friend to come pick him up.”

“Got it,” Mark replied, glancing at Gary with distaste. “I might misjudge it sometimes, y’know, think he’s waking up when he isn’t…hit him a few times.”

Amanda wordlessly handed me her phone, and I placed the call, thanking the Mother that Oliver was a man of few words. Snapping the cell shut, I nodded. “He’s on his way. Should be here in ten minutes.” Faster, if Oliver had his way. He was a man who liked his work.

The pack milled around, whispering furiously and glancing over at us. I could pick out the odd snippet from their conversations, and from the sounds of it they were slowly starting to accept Amanda as their Alpha. It was a step in the right direction, a sign that things were starting to come together. That it was all going to be okay—for Smithrock, anyway.

Amanda led me out of the circle, her hands dancing over my wounds, inspecting each and every one. “What’s his deal? Oliver?”

“He’s the pack fixer.” That’s all I needed to say. All I could say, but she understood, her confusion clearing instantly.

“Is that why he—?”

“Is so quiet? Standoffish? Surly? Disconnected? A pain in the ass? Yep.”

“I hadn’t guessed.”

“Well, not all packs have one, or need one. Oliver was a fixer long before he came to Colstone. He still keeps his hand in, usually for the Council. I’ve been told it becomes a way of life for them, the wolves that choose that path.”

Amanda shuddered, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, loving how she leaned into me. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe things had changed. Maybe, with time, I stood a chance with her.

“I don’t get it, how someone could choose
that
for a life. I can’t imagine hating myself that much. Even with what happened to you and your mom—you didn’t. You chose life, not death. But hey! You
are
an Alpha! How the hell did you reverse to a partial shift?”

I swung her around until she was pressed to my chest, her luscious body snug against mine. “It was all you, babe. You lent me the strength, I just channeled it.”

She screwed her face up and I could see she was going to argue. My feisty mate just couldn’t let things go, not once. Hell if I knew what had happened, whether I was an Alpha or not—and to be blunt, I didn’t really care. I had everything I needed right here in my arms. I silenced her upcoming outburst, stealing her breath away with a kiss of promise, pouring my love for her into my lips, begging her with all my heart, all my soul, to give us a chance.

She pulled away—dammit, she was always pulling away! But what she whispered next nearly stopped my heart.

“Yes.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Amanda

I nearly laughed out loud at the stunned look on his handsome face, but his puffed up eye and broken nose stopped me short. “Does it hurt?” I murmured, my fingers brushing across his wounds, careful not to hurt, but testing for telltale winces.

“Not as much as you not telling me what you mean by ‘yes’,” Tarq growled, grabbing my hand and stilling my wandering fingers.

“Give me a minute,” I said, glancing around the clearing at my pack. They looked lost and confused, and I couldn’t blame them. I had been preoccupied with everything that had gone on, and it was time for me to give them my full attention—but first I had a few things deal with, namely the man in front of me. “Everyone go home, we’ll be back soon and I’ll answer any questions you have. Take this time to talk and connect with each other as pack mates. We have a long road ahead of us, learning how to trust and rely on each other, but we’ll get there—I promise, as your Alpha and your fellow pack mate,” I called out, sending a pulse of strength out through the bonds that connected us, that wove us together as a pack. When they started to move away, their faces a little happier, each step a little lighter, and relief flooded me. Every one of them now held a piece of my heart, and I swore would do right by them.

That left only Kate, Mark and Jed.

“Amanda…” Tarq growled, pulling me back to him. “You were saying?”

“You called?” a deep, quiet voice murmured, tinged with amusement.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Tarq and the glint of promise that echoed through the Beta bond.

“Over there, Oliver. You got here fast,” Tarq growled, his gaze not leaving mine.

“What can I say? I love my job,” Oliver replied.

I had never heard him speak so many words, not all at once. Or at least, I didn’t think I had.

I glanced over and watched as the tall, silent man heaved a still unconscious Gary up onto his shoulder, and turned to leave. “Thanks, Oliver.”

“Anytime. And congratulations,” he called over his shoulder, sprinting from the clearing, the weight on his back clearly not giving him any problems.

Jed and Mark melted away into the forest, their hands raised in silent salute.

We were
finally
alone.

Awareness of how close I was pressed to Tarq, how naked he was, thrummed through me. His cock, pressed tight between our bodies, lengthened, hardening against my stomach.

“Amanda…” he growled, his voice hoarse with need.

I couldn’t tease him any longer, not in
that
way anyway. I finally admitted that my heart had made its decision. No longer willing to wait for my mind to catch up and adjust, it had decided for me. Looking back, I could see that I had started falling for him from our arrival at Smithrock, I had just been too stubborn to admit it.

When he had fought Gary, and I had forced the bond wide open, it had been like connecting a circuit, the energy flowing between us, circulating, never-ending. And it had carried emotions, the essence of the man that Tarq was, not the good-natured, easygoing oaf he played at being—the
real
him. The one that had been staring me in the face ever since we had arrived in Smithrock. The one he had been trying to get me to
see.
But like a fool, I had buried my head in the sand, closing my eyes, because I
couldn’t
see—not if I wanted to be able to walk away. Knowing now
why
he wouldn’t force it, why he backed away so easily—it completed the jigsaw, the pieces slotting into place, competing the picture of the man. My mate.

Well, I wasn’t going anywhere. Not anymore. We were already connected, my heart already lost and at risk. So, I had to protect it, and the only way to do that was to keep him close.
Very
close. At all times.

I don’t know what he read on my face, but he groaned, nuzzling into my neck, his breath hot and wet.

“I said yes. To us.”

His head shot up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash, his gray eyes wide with amazement. “Us? You will? Really? Just like that?” he stuttered, blinking rapidly at me.

He would have given me all the time I needed, waited an eternity—I was sure of it. Just like I was sure I was making the right decision.
I still love you, Max, but he’s good for me. Loves me. I hope you understand—I’ll never forget you.
I sent the silent message
spiraling up to the heavens, where I knew Max was watching and, hopefully, approving of my choice.

But what I realized now, it
was
my choice,
my
happiness at stake. So, I had to let Max go.
Goodbye, my love.
My wolf huffed her approval, her eyes sad but hopeful. She understood, we had mourned long enough.

“Did you want to chase me a bit longer?” I asked playfully. Having made my decision, contentment flooded me.

“Only for the mating hunt…” he growled, a big smile on his face.

The mating hunt…
I shivered, anticipation firing through my blood. “So, who chases whom? I’m the Alpha—”

“Nope. Not going to happen, babe. I will follow you anywhere, do anything for you. But I get to chase you—this time.”

It had been worth a try, but really, I wouldn’t have it any other way. “Soooo…”

Anticipation flashed silver in his eyes, his body tensing against me. “Soooo…” he echoed, voice husky with need.

His lips claimed mine, mouth pressing and exploring, his hands tugging at my clothes, pulling them off and stripping me bare.

Then, there was silence. We stood facing each other, both naked, the clearing empty but for the birds in the trees. The dappled sunlight bathed him in glorious rays, casting shadows where each ridge of muscle dipped then rose. I longed to trace each ridge with my fingers, follow each dip with my tongue, working my way down to his thick cock which jutted proudly from between his legs. Remembering the feel of him moving inside of me, thrusting powerfully, sent a flood of heat cascading to my core, my pussy growing damp with longing, my thighs shaking with the need to drop to the floor, to offer myself to him.

He sniffed the air and went to take a step forward, before jerking back, his hands clenched by his sides.

“You need to run now, before I drag you to the ground and mate you here, now. Your scent, the bond…it’s driving me to the edge…”

His words sent another wave of lust trickling down my spine, pooling between my legs, and he groaned, a feral sound, his wolf riding close to the surface.

So, I ran, my wolf urging me on, daring me to lead him in a chase of naked flesh, to make him work for it—knowing that the reward would be all the sweeter.

***

Tarq

I watched her sprint into the forest, her body lithe and agile with curves in all the right places. Gritting my teeth, I willed my feet to hold still, determined to give her a head start. I didn’t want the hunt to end
too
soon. A little anticipation made everything sweeter. But my cock had other ideas, my hard-on tugging me toward her, lust fueling my battle of wills, until eventually, I threw my head back, letting an ear splitting howl fill the sky, and charged after her.

Faster!
My wolf growled inside my head, as eager as I was that we claim our mate, make her ours.

My feet thudded into the soft leaf-covered ground with no care for silence or stealth, pure need driving me forward. Sprinting as fast as I could, branches snagged at my skin, but I didn’t slow, leaping over a fallen tree, my arms pumping by my sides.

Her scent floated before me, a delicious trail of tangy grapefruit and leafy green tea, all mixed with the heady musk of feminine arousal. She was hot, and she wanted me—that was all I needed to know.

Reaching out to the bond, I tugged, stirring the maelstrom of emotions toward fever pitch. I wanted her panting, begging for me to take her. On her knees, preferably.

And then, her scent disappeared. Vanished. I slowed to a halt, rocking back with confusion. Where had she gone?