Challenged (22 page)

until he flew into the air, deadly teeth and claws extended as he landed on Stone.

Stone had too many pack members around him to move out of the way. He roared

into the darkness, hauling up on his back legs, and swiping at Mickey with his front

claws extended.

It was a good blow, but Mickey had the advantage of being on top, and took Stone

down.

Stone rolled to the side, feeling the sharp ground underneath him poke at his hide.

Roaring to release his anger, he lunged at Mickey, ready to take the werewolf to his

death.

He would be quick, merciful. Never had he believed in torturing someone until

they died. Opening his mouth wide, he clamped down on Mickey’s neck, knowing if he

punctured the jugular, he could twist his neck easily and end the Cariboo’s life.

Mickey howled, and blood filled Stone’s mouth. The Cariboo scrambled several feet

away, managing to prevent Stone from digging into his flesh.

Turning, he laughed, his large white teeth flashing in the night. Is that the best you

got? The fool of a werewolf mocked him.

Rage soared through Stone. Picturing Ali with this beast, imagining her having to

endure a mating to a werewolf she didn’t love, was enough to have him jumping

through the air, knocking the wind out of Mickey.

Ali had too much life, too much energy, too much happiness surrounding her to

have it stifled by a Cariboo who would never be able to keep up with her, never be able

to keep her in line.

This time when he landed on Mickey, the Cariboo collapsed underneath him. Stone

didn’t hesitate. He went for the neck, burying his teeth deep into the werewolf’s flesh.

Blood filled his mouth. He’d done it. Took out the jugular. A skin-tingling gurgle

came out of Mickey’s mouth. The Cariboo jerked underneath him, but Stone held firm.

Lifting Mickey off the ground by his neck, he shook his head hard, shaking Mickey

like a rag doll, until the Cariboo went still.

Stone let go and jumped back. Slowly Mickey changed back to his human form,

naked and dead, surrounded by the pack, in the clearing in the mountains.

Chapter Eleven

Ali was mated. She was a mated bitch. Stone was her mate.

She repeated this in her mind as she sat next to him in the truck well over an hour

later. Every time she told herself that, her stomach did flip-flops. No longer would she

answer to her sire, but to Stone. And Stone would answer to her.

The smell of dirt and blood, charge energy from fighting, and that all male scent

that was Stone, rushed through her system.

He was her werewolf.

“Where are we going?” Ali looked around, confused.

She’d been so focused on Stone it just now dawned on her that they had driven into

Banff instead of heading up the mountain.

“To your parent’s den.”

She noticed he didn’t say her den.

“Why? Why are we going there?”

He couldn’t possibly be taking her home. Her den was with him now.

Stone didn’t answer. His expression was hard, his jaw set, and his emotions still so

wired that she didn’t dare draw any conclusions from what she smelled on him.

He parked in front of her house, and pulled her out the driver’s side. She loved the

way he always wanted him close to her.

Her parents were already home, and most every light was on in her den. They

would have quite the audience when they entered, and for a moment—well, for a hell

of a lot longer than that—she just wanted to be alone with Stone.

Wrapping her arms around him, she stretched against hard muscle, loving the trim

solid feel of his body.

“I need you,” she whispered and nipped at his lower lip.

Stone gripped her ass, squeezing hard, and then gave it a solid slap. The sting sent

fire rushing through her. Her pussy quaked and grew damp against her jeans.

“You’ll have me, my bitch. Believe me. You’re going to be fucked like you’ve never

had it before.” His eyes darkened, the wicked promise sending chills through her. He

gave her that crooked smile then pulled her off him. “But first, we talk to your den.”

All of her littermates greeted her the moment she opened the door, all talking at

once, the boys shaking Stone’s hand.

Her sire entered from the kitchen with her mother grinning at his side. “All of you,

leave us alone right now.” She clapped her hands, and slowly her littermates strayed

out of the room, mumbling as they took their time doing it.

“So you have my daughter,” her sire said, his expression brooding.

“What he means to say is welcome to our den.” Her mother walked up and gave

Stone a hug.

Ali’s heart soared.

“Where will you take her?” Something, or someone, had convinced her sire that the

mating was solid.

Ali had a feeling her mother had something to do with that.

“We go to the pack leader first, get his approval,” Stone stated the obvious. “After

that we’ll stay with my littermate for a couple of weeks. There is some land up Cascade

Mountain that I think I might buy. It runs along the Bastien land.”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and Ali looked up at Stone. He’d been planning. She

couldn’t believe her ears. They would have their own corner of the world, on the

mountain.

Her sire started talking to Stone about work. Ali turned when her mother gestured

for her to follow her. Entering the kitchen, the first thing she did was hug the bitch

who’d given her such a wonderful upbringing.

“How did you convince him?” she asked, knowing her mother had a hand in the

civil way her sire talked to Stone.

“I reminded him of how it was when he demanded a challenge for me.”

Ali was surprised. “You never told me this.”

Her mother grinned. “Once upon a time I had several Cariboo howling for me. Of

course the only one I wanted, my sire would have nothing to do with. He loudly

announced that your sire was too wild, too bullheaded, for his daughter.”

“Oh, Mother!” Ali hugged her again, and then worried she’d start crying if she

didn’t hurry back to Stone.

She couldn’t wait to get out of there and on to more pleasurable things—time alone

with Stone.

Less than ten minutes later, they left her parents’ den and headed to the truck. She

walked around to the driver’s side with Stone, and then climbed in first when he

opened the door.

It didn’t take long at the pack leader’s house. Tip blessed their mating, and wished

them good hunting. Ali was on top of the world when they left.

She would mourn Mickey’s death, as they all would. But such was the way of

werewolves. It was survival of the fittest. Mickey had wanted something he couldn’t

have. And she’d tried to tell him. They would attend the burning of his human body,

and participate in the traditional werewolf funeral ceremony, as would the entire pack.

Such was part of a challenge.

Ali didn’t dwell on that though. She slipped her hand into Stone’s as they left their

pack leader’s den, and felt like skipping to the truck.

“Now it’s time to initiate you into the McAllister den,” Stone whispered to her.

Ali looked up at him, her stomach suddenly twisting in a knot. “How will you do

that?”

Her mouth was almost too dry to speak.

“I think you know.”

Her heart pattered in her chest when they pulled up to the small cabin. The little car

that Pamela drove wasn’t there, and there weren’t any lights on inside. Stone parked

and then took her hand, guiding her inside.

Lust filled the air inside the small living room the moment Stone closed the door

behind them. He reached behind her, grabbing her sweater, and sliding it over her

head. Next his hands snaked around her waist.

“Kick off your shoes,” he ordered and undid her jeans.

She managed to get them off her feet before he slid her jeans down her legs. She

lifted first one foot, then the other while he knelt behind her, and pulled them off her.

His mouth was hot against her ass and he ran his tongue over her flesh and then

nipped at her.

“Oh God.” She had nothing to hold on to, nothing to brace herself.

Stone spread her open with his hands and began licking her from behind. More

than anything she wanted to fall forward, but if she did she would fall to the floor.

The sweet smell of her cum filled the room as he made her come.

“God. Stone. I can’t stand.” Her knees buckled as his tongue pierced through her

sensitive skin, stroking and caressing her most sensitive areas.

He ignored her pleas, making a feast out of her pussy and ass as he stroked both

holes, lapping at her juices and devouring everything she offered.

Pressure built inside her like she’d never experienced before when his tongue

darted over her puckered tight hole. He stabbed at it, making her pussy convulse. And

then his teeth scraped her flesh while he pressed his face hard against her, sucking and

nibbling until she couldn’t take it anymore.

Ali fell forward, reaching out to stop herself from crashing. Landing on her hands

and knees, she turned around quickly, reaching for Stone.

“Not yet, little bitch,” he told her when she tried to undo his pants.

Instead he took her wrist, lifting her to her feet. “To the bedroom.”

She didn’t understand. The cabin only had one bedroom, and it belonged to Gabe

and Pamela. They must have agreed at some point this evening to give her and Stone

time alone. But using their bed?

He smiled at her confused expression and swatted her ass to get her moving. Ali

hurried down the short hallway, feeling awfully exposed, completely naked while

Stone remained completely dressed.

When they entered the room he pulled her to the bed, and then almost threw her on

it. Ali turned over quickly and that was when she noticed Gabe standing in the

darkness.