Found: True Mates Book 0.5 (BBW Wolf Shifter Romance) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance) (3 page)

“It hurts just…here,” she murmured, rolling over onto her front and revealing the most perfect heart shaped ass I had ever seen. Perfect except for the ugly claw marks ravaging one plump cheek.

“Fuck! What did this?” I asked, leaning closer to inspect the wounds. They were deep, though the skin was already starting to knit, trying to close. They seemed pretty clean, the snow outside burying any dirt and grit that might have delayed healing.

“That tickles!” she squealed, trying to wriggle away from me.

“What does?”

“Your breath — on my skin…”

My mouth
was
only inches away from her behind.
And her pussy…
I blew gently across the unharmed cheek, watching with fascination as lines of goosebumps erupted, her skin quivering and tensing.

“You’re hurt,” I stated, my voice coming out all gruff and hoarse.

“I am…”

“We need to let you heal.”

“We should…”

I eyed her curvy body, sprawled out in front of me. It would be so easy to wrap my arm around her waist, lift her hips and thrust into her from behind, deep and hard. I could drive my cock into her warm, wet sheath, rubbing and sliding in and out…and she would let me…I knew she would. Every ounce of blood in my body rushed to my cock, the weight thick and heavy between my legs, my balls swelling with anticipation. I gripped myself through my jeans, moving to pop the remaining buttons. She was ready, I—

Her body suddenly tensed, her heartbeat racing. “Adam, I’ve remembered who did this. Why I was running!” She rolled over, her eyes widening a fraction at the sight of me manhandling myself, her lips lifting in a smirk, even though it was clear she was terrified. “It was coyote shifters. And they’ll try and find me, even here. We’re not safe — you’re not safe! We have to run!”

***

Claire

“Run? Sweetheart, we don’t need to run…”

Memories crowded in and I wrapped my fingers around his arm, clinging on for dear life. The terror of the chase filled me, the snarling and taunting, the promises of what was to come. Adam covered my trembling hand with his own, his eyes flashing with restrained rage as he felt me flinch.

“Coyote shifters? Here, in my forest?” he growled, eyes flashing with a steeliness I had not seen before. With a grim look on his face he continued, “You don’t need to worry about them, they’ll be dealt with. Do you remember why they were chasing you?”

Tears leaked from the edges of my eyes, despite trying to hold them back. I wanted to be strong, but since I’d met Adam I’d either been crying or horny. Or unconscious, can’t forget that one.

I’d remembered why, and I seriously wished I hadn’t. “They killed Mom and Dad, ‘cause they wanted me — as a mate for their Alpha — Marcus of the Sunclaw Pack. And to be shared with all the pack, of course,” I whispered brokenly. Images of Marcus standing over the shattered bodies of Mom and Dad flashed through my mind. His twisted smile as he stamped down, shattering their bones, searching for me, while I remained hidden — bound by a sworn oath to my Alpha, my Dad, not to reveal myself — not for anything, or any reason. “He killed my parents because they wouldn’t tell him where I was…they protected me — and they died for it.” He had stood, naked from shifting, with the blood of my family coating his skin, and I had seen his eyes. Pure madness had looked back. Madness and a depravity that had scared me to the bone. “And he found me anyway,” I whispered.

“Shit, Claire. I’m so sorry. But…what I don’t get — why you? You’re not the Marcus’ true mate, you can’t be…”

“Thank fuck, no! But he believes that I am, and that once the mating hunt has been completed…So I ran. And I’m fast. Faster than they thought. I caught a coach, jumped across states. But they must have tracked me…”

“Sweetheart, I’ll make them pay for this, I swear.”

My heart stuttered at the thought. “No, Adam! There’s four of them tracking me, including Marcus. And he’s psychotic! Truly crazy.” I had to make him understand, he didn’t know, he hadn’t seen— “We have to run. They can’t track us forever…”

“Shhh, I’ll protect you. But first, you need to heal. Do you think you feel well enough to shift now?”

He was looking at me with almost overwhelming kindness on his gorgeous face, showing no signs of urgency, of haste. He just didn’t get it! I was going to get us both killed!

“He knew me, as a child,” I blurted out, “when we were part of another pack — before we left to go lone wolf. The coyotes and wolves had an…agreement.” I flushed, embarrassment and shame flooding me. “Drugs,” I choked out, hating the admission.

When Mom and Dad had found out, that the pack were distributing cocaine for the coyotes — the idiot fools — we had packed our bags and left that very same night. “We left because of it,” I continued, “but Marcus had been sniffing around me for a while, making claims that I was his, bragging about having had me…”

He had told everyone that we had fucked, in every way possible, describing it in extravagant detail — dragging my name through the mud, just to warn interested suitors away. And it had worked. No one had dared come near me. Only my claws and speed had kept me safe from the coyotes. I shuddered, remembering living with constant fear, jumping at my own shadow. Just waiting for him to finally corner me, trap me, with no escape.

“Why didn’t your Dad put a stop to this? Give him a beating he wouldn’t forget?” Adam growled, his whole body tense with anger.

“Dad was just a regular pack member, he certainly wasn’t a real Alpha, thank the Mother, he took the job on in our small pack because he had to. The only real Alpha’s I’ve ever met are jerks… And don’t forget, Dad wasn’t in his prime anymore, not like Marcus.” My heart broke again at the thought of my Dad, a thinker rather than a fighter, the wise old man, my Mum used to joke.

“And your Alpha at the time, before you left? What the
hell
was he doing when all this was happening?”

“Busy…we now know he was dealing drugs, running things…”

“His
job
was to look after his pack, all the members — including you! Especially
you
!” He lurched to his feet, pacing circles in front of me. “Fuck!” he ground out, his muscles twitching with the need to shift. He slammed the wall with his fist, making me jump.

I pressed on. “So, you see, we’ve got to run. Unless your pack would take us in? Protect us? What’s your Alpha like?”

“My pack…they’re solid. They would accept you without question. It’s just whether you…” He trailed off, an uncertain look on his face. “You need to heal,” he said quickly, obviously changing the subject.

Whether I would…what? Accept his Alpha? Maybe all Alphas were jerks? I nodded at him, fixing him with my sternest expression, the one Dad had always said made me look like a school teacher. “I’ll shift now, but then we need to make a decision. I’d understand, y’know, if you decided I was too much trouble. Too risky—”

Please come with me…

My wolf added her plea, whining inside my head.

“Never! Don’t go saying, even thinking, silly things like that.” He dropped to his knees in front of me, gripping my shoulders tight. “You are the best thing that has
ever
happened to me. I have been waiting for you my whole life, and I’m not going to let you go. Not without a fight — and they’d have to kill me first!” His raw conviction melted away any lingering doubt I had, lighting a spark of hope that cradled my heart, smoothing away the jagged edges caused by loss and despair.

“You are a wonderful man, Adam,” I whispered, cupping his rough cheeks with my hands. “I would be proud to call you my mate—”

He silenced my words, pressing his lips to mine, a touch that felt so right, I knew deep down within my soul that we were meant to be together — bond or no bond. I wanted him
now
, this strong, rugged man. I wanted him inside me, filling me, claiming me…Without thought, my hands dropped to his waist, fingers tugging on the buttons with a desperation I had never felt before. If we were one, then I wouldn’t be alone…not anymore.

He pulled away a fraction, his breath feathering my parted lips. “Claire, wait. There’s something I have to tell you first—”

Crash!

The door to our safe haven flew open, bouncing off the wall, the old wood splintering in protest.

“Well, what do we have here,” Marcus drawled from the opening, snow swirling around him, dusting the floor. He looked at Adam, bloodthirsty anticipation in his eyes. “I think you’ll find — that’s
my
bitch.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Claire

I stared at Marcus, all newfound hope leaching out of me. He had found me. It was too late to run.

Adam rose to his feet, moving in front of me. “She is
not
your mate, coyote. Leave now — while you still can,” he growled, his body coiled in preparation for a fight.

“She is mine. She was given to me. You
will
return her,” Marcus replied, his tone nonchalant as he held a hand out, inspecting his nails. He looked the picture of a smooth civilized man, standing there sporting an impeccably tailored navy suit. But I knew the creature that lurked beneath his polished appearance — the twisted, power hungry beast, the one who cared for nothing, no-one, not unless it suited him.

“I will not. She is not an object, something you can barter and play with. She doesn’t want you — have you no pride?”

“So be it…” Marcus continued, ignoring Adam’s snarling challenge. He started to loosen his tie. “Do you know how hard it is to find a good tailor these days? And then, when you do, how hard it is to keep them? This one,” he indicated his suit, “wanted to leave — until I threatened to give his daughter to one of my men. He is…quite accommodating now.” He tittered, a strange sound coming from such a large man. And jeez, he was larger than I remembered. Though his suit was cut to hide his bulk, even the best tailor in the world couldn’t hide the tendons that bulged in his thick neck, the seams that strained when he moved.

He wouldn’t fight fair, I knew it. Already his men, naked behind him, were twitching with the need to shift. Probably high on their own coke. I couldn’t let Adam do this…

“Adam, don’t,” I forced the words out, I could save him. I had to. I forced myself to stand, my partially healed wound screaming protest at the movement. I turned to Marcus, having to peer around the solid barricade Adam made. “What do you want? Really? I’m not that important, so it can’t be me — you have plenty of women in the pack, willing women…” Willing for a score of coke.

“That’s just it, they’re
willing
,” he sneered the word, as if it offended him. “I want a woman with a little more…
fight
. Adds spice, makes it interesting.” He finished removing his shirt and started undoing his pants. “And, in the end, it’s a matter of honor.
No-one
takes from me.” He jerked the pants off, kicking off his shoes, standing naked in the doorway. Darkly tanned and covered in black wiry hair, the rest of his body was thick and stocky, like his neck.

“And if I went with you—”

“Claire, no!” Craig said, gripping my arm, his eyes never leaving Marcus.

“—would you let Adam go? He found me, saved me when I would have died from my wounds in the forest. Wounds
your
men inflicted…He’s no-one, just a concerned citizen who happened to be in the area.” I finished, wanting to hug the man in front of me close, to take away the sting of my words.

“He’s
no-one,”
Marcus sneered, stretching his arms out and rolling his head. “That’s why I found you panting in his arms, just waiting for the chance to jump on top of his cock and ride him like a whore? You? Miss Frigid? No…I think he’s
someone
.”

Adam’s hand fell away from my arm, and he casually unbuttoned his fly. “Enough with the talking, you’re starting to bore me.” He shucked out of his jeans, his tone matter-of-fact. “And, most importantly, you’ve hurt and insulted my girl. And for that alone, I’m going to kill you.”

His girl
. I could have squealed with happiness, if we hadn’t been facing a half-crazed Alpha coyote.

Adam reached behind, gently pushing me back, his posture tense and ready.

And I got my first glimpse of Adam naked. From behind. And man, it was a Kodak moment. His ass was smooth, not a tan line or hair in sight, his buttocks sculpted with firm muscle. I wanted to drop to my knees for a nibble…no, I wanted to turn him around, so I could see—

“Challenge accepted,” Marcus drawled, bones crunching and muscles quivering as he shifted into the half change. Half man, half coyote — a form only the strongest could manage.

Fuck, we were screwed. Marcus wasn’t even giving Adam a fair chance. Maybe if we both attacked together?

Adam grunted his acknowledgment and started to shift, his jaw elongating into a wolf’s snout, his fingers sprouting claws. I waited for his spine to curl, for him to hunch over and take four legs, but his spine started to lengthen, the muscles thickening and spreading. Nearly half a foot taller, Adam stood before me — half man, half wolf, and the finest specimen I had ever seen.