Challenged (7 page)

stop,” she commanded her thoughts.

Which didn’t do a damn bit of good.

Stone’s image, his sexy bare chest, muscles rippling against flesh covered with the

perfect amount of chest hair, was branded into her mind’s eye.

“What have you done to me?” she whispered, staring at the image conjured from

her mind. “You won’t leave me alone.”

Or maybe it was that she wouldn’t let him go.

Kicking her feet out from under the warmth of her blankets, the cold floor woke her

up quickly.

Her long white cotton nightgown flowed around her as she left her bedroom,

padding down the hallway while her den slept soundly in their bedrooms. Murmurs

came from her parents’ room and she hurried past their closed door, wondering if she’d

ever find the happiness those two had.

Hurrying down the stairs, praying her sire was too occupied with her mother to

hear her, she walked through the house as quietly as she could. Her senses were acute,

aware of every creaking board, of every branch brushing against the house outside, of

every breath her sleeping littermates took.

The wall phone hung in the kitchen, its cord twisted, hanging halfway to the floor.

She touched the cold plastic, aching for the days when she could call one of her

girlfriends, unload on them, talk out her problems until they didn’t seem that big of a

deal anymore. Or order a quick posse, round several of the bitches up in her pack for a

quick run. Those had been the days when she and her friends would sneak out,

enjoying the mountains and running neck and neck, barking and howling, daring

anyone to find them.

Of course they scattered and hid at the first sight of any pack members. Running

without an escort was seriously frowned on, primarily for unmated bitches.

And now all of your girlfriends are mated bitches, sleeping soundly, cuddled next to their

mates.

Ali let out a sigh, leaning against the hard wall next to the phone. She turned and

stared at the back door. If her sire found out she left alone during the night, she’d need

a damn good story as to why she’d been out. And she absolutely sucked at lying.

Especially when she could smell her own lust still lingering on her. She’d never

fucked a man before, and Stone had shown her a world she just didn’t want to let go of.

Her thoughts lingered again on her dream—his hands had been all over her, rough

and unrelenting, ripping her clothes from her body. There had been no words—there

was no need for them.

She pressed her palms against the wall, dwelling on how she’d run her fingers over

his bulging muscles, feeling the rapid pulse of his heart throb through her. His breath

scorched her skin as he licked and nipped at her neck.

Ali touched herself, swearing her skin still tingled from his mouth. He’d scraped his

teeth over her flesh, slightly sharp from the raw energy that pulsed through him, until

he’d reached the top of her nightgown. Grabbing the thin material in his mouth, he’d

yanked back, hard and fast, tearing the gown from her body.

She sucked in a breath a bit too loud, and then looked quickly around the quiet

kitchen, focusing her attention on the hallway. For a moment she held her breath,

listening to the quiet of the den. It would be hard to explain why she stood against the

wall of her kitchen, panting while she filled the room with the smells of her cravings for

a Cariboo who’d given her the best night of her life, and now was gone.

After three days, did he still think about her?

Ali shook her head, rubbing her forehead. This was unbelievable. What kind of

stupid pup was she? Stone probably fucked a different bitch every night, entertaining

every single bitch in his pack with dreams that he would pick her to be his mate. He led

them all on a leash, and now he’d added her to his flock of aching women.

She focused again on the back door, sniffing out the scents of the trees, the dew on

the grass, the fresh cold breeze that came down the mountains. Chewing on her lip until

she tasted her own blood, her stomach churned at the thought that she didn’t even have

the nerve to walk through that door. The wrath of her sire, even though she was a

grown bitch, was more than she could handle.

There was no way she could take on a worldly Cariboo like Stone McAllister.

And why did she want to take him on? Dear God. She didn’t know anything about

the werewolf other than he had given her the time of her life.

Fisting her hands, she hit the wall on either side of her, then paced the length of the

kitchen. Her ears tickled annoyingly when whispers from upstairs grabbed her

attention.

Damn it.

She paced the length of the kitchen again, knowing it wouldn’t be hard to explain

why she was in the kitchen—unable to sleep, wanting a late night snack, there were

many believable reasons.

Footsteps sounded in the upstairs hallway, her mother’s gentle steps, concern and

curiosity that one of her cubs wasn’t sleeping.

A cry from the far bedroom, her youngest littermate, letting out a yelp from a

dream, distracted her mother. Then Ali heard the quiet reassuring tones that had often

lulled her back to sleep as her mother went to soothe little Joseph. Taking advantage of

the distraction, she hurried back up the stairs, slipping into her own room before her

mother or sire appeared in the hallway.

Morning came too soon. Ali pulled her legs to her chest to avoid being trampled

when Joseph leapt onto her bed.

“Wake up, Ali. You’ve got to see what we’ve got!” He leapt off the bed just as

quickly, racing out of her bedroom, his small feet managing to sound like a pack of

werewolves as he raced to the stairs.

She sat up, combing her hair with her fingers while sniffing the air. The usual

morning smells, soap from showers, coffee brewing, anxious and eager emotions as her

littermates hurried to start their days, slowly drifted into her room.

Would Stone be waking up alone? Did he have some bitch from his pack sleeping

next to him as he stirred? Or was she already out of bed, hurrying to leave or possibly

making him breakfast?

She gritted her teeth, the thought of him touching another bitch the way he had her

making her bones harden throughout her body. Somehow she needed to get him out of

her head.

No matter how cold she made the shower, the fever inside her didn’t subside. She

ached to feel Stone touching her again, grabbing her and making her do what he

wanted. It ate her alive that no matter what she did, it made her think of him. Running

the soap over her body, feeling the water pelt her breasts, ignited the ache in her that

wouldn’t die.

Thoughts of him standing in the shower with her, his hard body crushed against

her backside while he pulled her hair, forced her hair back and enjoyed the view of her

breasts while sudsy water rushed over them. Her pussy creamed with fresh desire as

she arched into the water and rinsed her body.

“It’s about time you joined the living.” Audry Bastien walked through the back

door into the kitchen and took Ali’s hand. “Come outside and see what we have.”

Ali yearned for coffee, but allowed her mother to lead her out to the backyard. The

morning chill still hung in the air and dew clung to her shoes, seeping through to

dampen her feet. She let go of her mother’s hand and wrapped her arms around her

waist.

“Dad, what have you done?” She couldn’t help smiling as her father puffed out his

chest and winked at her.

“I bought your mother a house on wheels, my dear. What do you think?” Her

father’s pride filled the air around them.

Ali stared at the trailer that had been backed into the driveway attached to his

truck. Long, with several windows, and a door that was already open. Her sisters

appeared in the doorway talking at the same time.

“Where are we going?”

“When are we leaving?”

Both Janie Lynn and Jolene spoke at the same time.

Another car pulled into the driveway, popping gravel grabbing Ali’s attention. Two

Cariboo lunewulf hopped out of the pale blue pickup truck. Ali’s heart swelled to her

throat making it hard to catch her breath. It was the truck Stone had driven. His twin,

Gabe, strolled into the yard with Mickey Reginald sauntering by his side.

Mickey worked with her father building houses and had flirted with Ali in the past.

Ali let her gaze travel down him, wondering what she’d ever seen in Mickey. He didn’t

hold a flame to Stone, and looked measly walking alongside Gabe.

“Welcome to our den.” Ali’s sire walked over to the two werewolves, extending his

hand to Gabe McAllister. “I’m Jonathan Bastien.”

“Gabe McAllister.” He shook hands with her sire, and after releasing his hand,

nodded to Ali and her mother.

She gave silent thanks that Gabe gave no indication that he’d met her before.

Ali’s mother moved to stand next to her father. The excitement in the yard over the

new mobile home diminishing as her littermates congregated around their parents.

“Sorry to bother your den so early in the morning.” Mickey smiled at Ali, looking

anything but sorry to be strolling into their yard. “I knew we had several contracts lined

up, and Gabe here has experience. If you approve, we’ll add him to the crew.”

“You new to the pack?” Jonathan asked.

“Yup. Moved here from Prince George. Pamela Bordeaux is my new mate. We have

a den up the mountain,” Gabe informed him, his attention solely on Jonathan, showing

his respect.

Her sire nodded, rubbing the whiskers on his chin as he studied Gabe. “I heard

about that mating. Bit of a scandal around it, from what I hear tell.”

“Pack gossip is exaggerated,” Gabe said lightly.

Ali had heard how Pamela had run away from the mating her den had wanted, and

then came back to the pack with Gabe on her heels. It had been such a romantic tale.

She wondered if the craving to mate with a bitch ran thick through his den. Blinking,

she frowned, turning her attention to her littermates who ran in and out of the mobile

home. Stone wouldn’t come sniffing after her after just one night of hot passion. She

was too much of a realist to believe that.

“Gabe worked for a lumber mill back in Prince George,” Mickey was saying.