Betraying the Pack (11 page)

As if sensing her moroseness, he hugged her tight. “I know it’s a lot
to take in, but I promise you, living with the pack will help.”

“So is that the next stop in our trip? Home to your pack?”
Am I ready for that?

“Almost. We’ll need to drive tomorrow and make one more stop before
finishing the trek back to our home.”

“And then what?”

“Then, we start our life together.”

A life doing what exactly,
though?
she wondered.

His kiss drove away her further questions, and by the time they were
done their languorous second round—where he kept his word and showed her even
more rapturous heights—she was too tired to put words together coherently.

And she wasn’t sure if she imagined or not his softly whispered, “Love
you, darling. My mate, my heart.”

When Wyatt left the tent, he didn’t initially go far, because for some
reason, he just couldn’t tear his eyes from the gyrating couple. He wanted to
join in so bad—wanted to touch Bailey’s silky skin, taste her sweet lips again,
and sink his teeth into her flesh and irrevocably mark her.

With a grunt that sounded more animal than man, he ran from the campground,
shifting into his wolf even before he hit the tree line.
Run away. Run from the temptation. Run from the future I did not
choose.

He howled as he bolted through the trees on four feet, his inner
turmoil of earlier nothing compared to his current state. Now, he’d gotten a
glimpse of her responsive nature, heard her mewling cries of pleasure, tasted
her, and seen the ecstasy on his pack brother’s face, a pleasure he could have
if he weren’t so scared to take it.

But was he ready for that kind of commitment? Ready to give himself
over to a virtual stranger? To someone who knew nothing about his kind, his
world?

Gavin seemed to have no qualms about that, and he’d bet Parker and
Jaxon wouldn’t either. However, Wyatt expected more, even if he didn’t
understand what that “more” was. It struck him that it wasn’t the fact of her
humanity, or other status, that bothered him. Nor did the sharing of her bother
him, not when he could already imagine the bliss of it. What truly disturbed
him about Bailey was the loss of control. For a man who prided himself on doing
the right thing, no matter what, who always thought through his every move, his
wild urge to bind himself without a thought for tomorrow, without a care for
compatibility because of an animalistic need scared him.

I want more than just hormones to
tie us. I want . . . love.
The answer surprised him. He’d never thought
himself the romantic type, but now that he’d recognized it, he couldn’t deny
it. He wanted a mating based on true affection.

Did Gavin already love Bailey? Had his friend found and embraced that
elusive emotion? It seemed too soon, and yet, he couldn’t deny Gavin’s erratic
behavior since he’d met Bailey. He also couldn’t ignore his friend’s
unstoppable need to find her when she went missing, and to keep her safe once
he had.
Feelings I now share.

It occurred to Wyatt, as his wild dash through the woods slowed, that
he’d never before felt this way about a woman, never actually thought twice
about one. Analyzing his emotions, he recognized he admired Bailey’s spirit,
especially given the circumstances she’d recently gone through. He liked that
she questioned them and didn’t take at face value what they told her. She
possessed a mind of her own. Unlike other she-wolves, Bailey didn’t just roll
over and show her belly because a male said to, displaying courage even in the
face of fear and the unknown. It occurred to him just how brave she had to be
to stand up to him even after discovering he could shift into a wolf. He alone
outweighed her by probably by at least sixty pounds of muscle, yet she’d
demanded—looking adorably delicious—that he and Gavin let her go.

Slumping into a heap of leaves, Wyatt chuffed into the decaying
foliage.
Fuck me to hell and back. Short
acquaintance or not, I think I might love her.

The knowledge didn’t lessen his mental burden.
Because now that I know, I won’t accept anything less from her.
In
other words, he couldn’t just claim her and seduce her into caring like Gavin
had. No, as with all things in his life, Wyatt would do it the hard way. He’d
wait for her to come to the realization she loved him on her own.

I just hope she does it quickly,
or my blue balls are liable to fall off.

Bailey woke, spooned into Gavin’s body. It seemed her new werewolf
husband was very happy to see her if the cock rubbing against her backside was
any indication. His lips brushed the skin below her ear, sending a shiver
through her.

“Morning, darling.”

“Hi.” A trite reply, but all she could manage as she suddenly found
herself tongue-tied in the light of day. It was one thing to give herself to
passion without any abandon the night before, another to realize the man whose
arms cradled her thought he owned her—and planned to share her with his
buddies.

Except for Wyatt. He couldn’t get
out of here fast enough last night,
she recalled, the realization oddly saddening.
He must not have liked what he saw.
Her curves weren’t for everyone.
Look at
me getting morose over the fact I have to satisfy myself with only one lover.
Bailey wanted to slap herself for being so stupid.

Besides, how could she feel unattractive with Gavin’s callused fingers
stroking over her nipples, tightening them into points. Moisture flooded her
cleft, and she sighed as she wiggled against him. Despite the questions and
trepidation over the future clouding her mind, she couldn’t deny she enjoyed
parts of the life she found herself thrust into.
One large part especially,
she thought with a grin.

“Hey, you lovebirds want some breakfast?” Jaxon broke the erotic spell as
he stuck his head into the tent opening, and Gavin groaned.

“Your timing sucks.”

“No, it doesn’t, judging by your tone.” Jaxon grinned unrepentantly and
winked at Bailey. “You hungry, sweet cheeks? Sounds like you might have worked
up quite the appetite last night.”

Bailey buried her face against Gavin’s arms, her cheeks warm, as his
body shook with either repressed laughter or anger. She couldn’t tell.

A meaty smack sounded from outside the tent, along with a terse, “Watch
your mouth, puppy,” that had Jaxon backing out.

Wyatt! She tamped down her excitement with the reminder that, despite
his hungry kisses the day before, he wanted no part of her and the love
triangle Gavin proposed.

As if reading some of her thoughts, Gavin whispered, “Don’t worry, darling.
He’ll come around. Even he can’t fight fate.”

Fate has nothing to do with it.
She
didn’t reply because she worried that if she protested she didn’t want him,
Wyatt might hear, and if she did show an interest, she might hurt Gavin’s
feelings.

Damn. Having more than one guy in
my life is complicated.
She couldn’t even imagine more than that. As she
crawled off the squishy air mattress, a box preceded Wyatt as he entered the
tent. With a squeak, she dove for the bed and the concealing blanket.

Gavin laughed. “Darling, I think he’s already seen the parts you’re
trying to hide.”

“Let her have her modesty,” Wyatt gruffly said, not meeting her eyes,
which peeked over the sheet, reinforcing Bailey’s belief that he preferred her
covered up.

Apparently, modesty wasn’t a werewolf trait, because a very naked Gavin
stretched as he stood, his body a work of art that made her almost slobber. And
to think he’d chosen her as his mate. It boggled the mind, but delighted her
body.

Gavin caught her rapt gaze and his lips curved into a slow, sensual
grin. “I’m going to find some coffee. Want some, darling?”

“Yes, please. With sugar and milk if possible.”

The view of Gavin’s taut buttocks as he strode from the tent proved
quite enjoyable. She expected Wyatt to follow, but instead, he delved through
the box and began pulling out articles of clothing.

“Gavin bought you some stuff while he was in town yesterday. He had to
guess on the sizes, though, so don’t kill him if he got it wrong.” Wyatt handed
her the clothes, which meant she had to let go of the sheet with one hand.

Mirth made his lips tilt. “You don’t need to hide from me, sunshine. As
Gavin mentioned, I’ve seen it all before.”

“And left.” She blurted the words out and immediately wanted the ground
to open up and swallow her. “I . . . uh . . .
t
hat is . . . I mean, I understand. I
mean, either you’re not into that sharing thing like Gavin is claiming or I
wasn’t to your taste. Totally cool.”

Wyatt scowled. “You thought I left because of your looks?”

“Or because you aren’t into the sharing thing,” she reiterated
defensively.

Before she could say boo, he’d dragged her from her nest of blankets
onto his lap. She squealed and squirmed, trying to escape while her cheeks burned
bright. However, his implacable grip didn’t let her move.

“I think you look just fine, sunshine. Make that better than fine.” He
grasped her hand and placed it over his groin. “Feel that?”

How could she miss the throbbing cock in his pants? She nodded her head,
unable to look him in the eye, especially since his blatant arousal brought a
warmth to her cleft.
I don’t understand
how I can want him after just spending the night climaxing at the hands of his
best friend.

“Does that feel like a man who doesn’t like what he sees?”

“No. Then why did you leave?” she asked softly.

“Because, and this is going to sound stupid and I’ll deny it if you
repeat, but I want you to choose me as your mate because you want me. Not
because you’re horny, or because someone tells you to, or because you want to
make Gavin happy. I want you to want me, for me.” As if his honest words
embarrassed him, a ruddy color flooded his face.

Tilting her head back, she stared into his serious dark eyes. “And what
if I do want you, for you?”

“Then, I will make love to you for the rest of your life.” He sealed
his promise with a sensual kiss that made her yearn for more, but a, “Hey, you
guys mind waiting to do the naughty tango until tonight? Gavin says we need to
get heading,” broke them apart.

Panting slightly, she stared at Wyatt, who grinned ruefully as he
stroked her cheek. “And people wonder why I want to kill him.”

Bailey laughed along with him, but couldn’t erase the burning touch of
his kiss. It flattered her to know he wanted her, but she loved even more that
he wanted her to make the decision and that he wanted more than just lust to
draw them together. It made her fall in love with a second man.
I am so going to burn in hell for this.

Bailey ended up riding with Jaxon and Parker again as Gavin and Wyatt
cleaned up their camp and checked for signs of pursuit. With Jaxon driving—to
keep him out of trouble, Parker had explained with a grin—she ended up seated
in the back with the giant.

Perfect, because she brimmed with questions, and now that the wolf was
out of the bag, so to speak, she hoped he’d answer them.

“What’s a pack?”

Parker’s brows lifted. “Jumping right into, it are you? Fair enough. I
guess there’s no hiding anymore what we are. A pack is what we call a group of
Lycans who live together under the rule of an alpha.”

“So, what, you share a house, and one guy makes up the rules?”

A chuckle rumbled forth. “Not quite, baby. We tend to live on
compounds, fairly self-sufficient ones, where we use solar energy and wind to
create electricity, draw our water from wells, and where each family has its
own house.”

“Like the Amish,” she supplied, trying to picture in her mind what
exactly she’d encounter.

“Not quite as archaic. The men also work outside of the compound, their
jobs providing the things we can’t create on our own, such as packaged food,
clothing, building materials, vehicles. We also maintain an account with a
local butcher. We’ve discovered over the years that raising livestock around
young’uns that aren’t quite in control of their beast isn’t a great idea.”

“Eeew!” She scrunched up her nose at the picture his words painted.
“So, the children are all wolves from birth?”

“Actually the Lycan gene manifests itself most often at puberty,
usually on a full moon. It’s considered a time of passage from childhood into
adult and is celebrated by the whole pack.”

Something he said caught her attention. “What do you mean most often?”

“Some of the children born of Lycan parents end up dormant. In other
words, their wolf side doesn’t ever emerge.”

“What happens to them?”

Parker rolled his shoulders into a shrug. “Some stay and end up mating
with a male who doesn’t care if they have children or not because dormants and
Lycans can’t reproduce. Kind of like humans and us. Others leave the pack and
settle among the humans, marrying them and having children.”

“Do their children ever have the gene that makes them go furry?”

A shake of his head answered her.

“So how do you keep your population from dying out? I mean, it seems to
me that it must be hard to maintain any kind of growth with that working
against you.”

“That’s where multiple mates come in,” Parker said with a grin. “It was
discovered a long time ago that the ratio of females able to bear cubs versus
males was low. We’re talking four to six males for every she-wolf. Because
diversity is required for any healthy population, the council leaders at the
time created the pack laws. One of those laws states female Lycans must take a
minimum of two mates, or even better, to ease the stress on the packs, up to
four.”

“That’s barbaric!” she exclaimed. “You mean the women don’t have a
choice?”

Parker squirmed as if uncomfortable. “In the past they didn’t, but things
are slowly changing. One of the things Nathan did when he was placed in charge
of the council was to modify the law to at least allow the females to choose
for themselves, as opposed to the past, when the pack alpha or the father would
choose for her with no regard for her feelings in the matter.”

A frown creased her brow. “Still, you’re talking about forcing women to
be part of an orgy whether they want to or not.”

A snort from the front of the vehicle made her look forward, and she
caught Jaxon’s humorous gaze in the rearview mirror. “First off, don’t knock a
ménage until you’ve tried it, sweet cheeks. It’s a whole bunch of fun for
everyone. And second, while some matings do participate in group sex, others
prefer the one-on-one approach. Heck, they even schedule it so that no one feels
shafted.”

“Speaking from experience are you?” she asked, trying to quell an odd
sense of jealousy that made no sense. Jaxon didn’t belong to her. Why should
she care what he did with his dick?

He chuckled, a knowing sound that made her blush. “I’m not mated, so no
firsthand knowledge, just thirdhand. But, I am game to try either scenario if
it means I get to be with you.”

How to respond to his blatant declaration? Her cleft seemed to scream
yes, but suddenly shy and embarrassed at the unexpected direction of the
conversation, she blushed brighter and bit her lip.

“Ease off, Jaxon. Poor Bailey here’s still going through a bit of
culture shock. Besides, I think we both know who’s next in line to claim her.”

Why did everyone assume she was going to get with Wyatt? He’d said the
choice was up to her, and she hadn’t actually made that decision yet.
But you probably will the next time you lay
your lips on him.
Her mind snickered, not at all fooled.

“How do you handle it?” she blurted.

“Handle what?” Parker asked, his fingers toying with a strand of her
hair.

“I mean, don’t you get jealous? When I found out my ex-boyfriend was
fucking my best friend behind my back, while at the same time still doing me, I
was crushed. Then pissed. It hurt, and I felt so betrayed. How can you guys
stand it?”

“I’m good at sharing,” Jaxon replied in a humorous tone.

“We all are for the most part,” Parker amended. “Don’t forget, we’re
taught from birth that we’re going to share any mate we gain later on in life.
We also have the examples of our parents, too, which makes this choice easier.
Sure, there are some jealousies, and in some cases, wolves who can’t handle it.
But they tend to be rare, or resolved in a way that leaves the female out of
it. No matter the differences between males in a mated group, the first and
foremost concern is keeping their woman happy.”

“Wow, this is all so messed up. I mean, I watched
Big Love
, and that other show,
Sister
Wives
, but I gotta say, I never expected something like this to happen to
me. Heck, I’m still not sure if I can handle it.”

“Take your time, baby. No one’s saying you have to choose another three
mates today. This is something that will affect the rest of your life. It’s not
something that should be done or taken lightly.”

A boldness took her, and she looked Parker in the eye. “You wouldn’t be
offended if you had to wait?”

The smile he sent her way made her body much too warm. “Baby, just the
fact you’re contemplating choosing me makes the wait more than worth it.”

“Oh, gag me with a spoon,” Jaxon added. “What he means to say, and this
goes for me too, is we’ll wait, but we hope our poor throbbing dicks don’t fall
off while you get over your human principles and decide four men in bed is
better than one.”

Bailey’s laughter rang out as Parker dove over the front seat, growling
something about emasculating the pup. Parker let him live—unharmed—but did take
over driving, forcing Jaxon to remain in the front, where he could keep an eye
on him. Their intriguing conversation, though, did not resume, not that it
mattered. Parker had given her lots of food for thought, and as they continued
their drive, the banter lighter with Jaxon craned backward, regaling her with
pack tales as Parker drove, she digested what she’d learned.

Can I handle having more than one
man?
She’d already pretty much decided she wanted Wyatt. She just didn’t
know if it was too soon with Gavin to say something. As for Parker and Jaxon .
. . with Parker there wasn’t any of the tumultuous fire she felt with Gavin and
Wyatt, yet he drew her. He had a solid presence about him that comforted her.
And she loved the way he spoke with her, and how he took his time to explain
and didn’t pressure her. She could easily fall for a guy like that.