Reach for the Sky (Wolffe Peak Book 1) (12 page)

BOOK: Reach for the Sky (Wolffe Peak Book 1)
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“Now,” he growled.

She dropped over him and bared her neck. His canines ached, but rather than sink them into her throat, he gripped her ass and lifted her in the air, slamming into her over and over. Her cries were music to his ears, and when he felt his own orgasm plow through him, he buried his fangs right above her jugular.

Bliss
…it was the only word he could think of as magic crashed into them and they cried out together, the pleasure cresting within him until he felt his body tremble from the most intense orgasm he’d ever experienced.

A fluttered breath brushed against his throat as Sky’s weight settled on top of him. Without thought, Wyatt’s arms curved around her, holding her close. This was new for him. In his experience, once he finished, he was out the door as fast as possible.

But this was his
mate
.

He blinked and stared up at the ceiling. His mate. He threaded his fingers through her beautiful hair and gazed into her face. Her eyes were closed and a small smile curved her lips.

Did he regret what they’d done?

He pushed her hair behind her ear and placed a gentle kiss against her brow.

Not on his fucking life.

 

Chapter 14

Sky snorted herself awake, eyes snapping open at that intrusive sound.
Ugh
, she’d always hated that about Hidden Creek. They kept the rooms cold and dry to combat the humidity that awaited them outside. Clearing her throat, she wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched, seeking Wyatt. Instead, her fingers found a crisp paper swan tucked against his pillow.

Chuckling, she held up the swan and carefully unfolded it.
Breakfast, be back soon.
Her mouth tugged and she spent the next ten minutes attempting to refold the note.
How the hell
… Exasperated, she tossed it back down onto the bed and stretched once more. Every muscle in her body ached, but it was a pleasant ache that reminded her of last night. Wyatt had proven himself insatiable, not that she’d complained. It wasn’t as though she’d experimented with many human men in the past ten years. Though she loathed her old pack, she didn’t loathe her wolf, nor did she revel in hiding half of herself from any lover. And after the humans had learned of her kind, those interested in sleeping with a werewolf weren’t the sort she was interested in.

The hotel door swung open, and Wyatt strode in, a massive tray of food balanced in his palm. 

“What did you do?” She laughed. “Rob the kitchen?”

He shot her a wolfish grin. “As a matter of fact…”

“What are you waiting for?” She wriggled her eyebrows. “Bring me some food! I’m starved.”

He leaned over the bed and kissed her, the platter of food balanced perfectly above their heads. “Mm, me too. And not just for food.”

Teasing, Sky reached for the plate. “I just want food.”

Wyatt straightened, his free hand clutched over his chest. “My poor heart.” He flashed her a stunning grin and reached for a bagel. “Now, you get nothing.”

Sky blinked as he took a large bite of bagel. Their adventures had only ended a few hours ago, and her stomach begged for sustenance. “Wyatt…” she growled. Clutching the sheets to her chest, she rose from the bed and reached for the luscious selection of strawberries.

“Ah, ah.” He waggled a finger at her and lifted the plate high above his head. “Mean wolves don’t get fruit.”

“What?” Her mouth dropped as she raked a starving glance over the assorted goodies.

“As alpha, I can’t reward such mean behavior. Now, tell me you want my body and you can eat.”

Sky burst out laughing. “Oh, so that’s how this is?”

“Mhmm.”

She unleashed her worst growl and stepped up flush to him, her fingers loosening on the sheet.

“Oh, so fierce,” he teased, steel eyes sparking with a challenge. “What are you going to do? Growl me to death?”

She leapt into the air and snatched at the plate, her fingers grazing the ceramic before he spun out of reach.

“Too slow!” He laughed as he popped a plump cherry in his mouth. “Come on, Sky. I’m almost full and you haven’t gotten a single bite yet. Say you’re sorry and the whole plate is yours.”

“And if I refuse?” she challenged with a playful glare.

“Ah, then alas, no breakfast for you.”


Alas
?” She laughed.

“Hey! I read! Would you prefer I’d said, ‘then you’d be shit out of luck’?”

“Maybe.” She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“That’s two insults this morning.” He flicked up two fingers and tsked at her. “And after all I did for you last night.”

“Did for
me
?”

He laughed. “Please. Like you’d make the effort to get yourself off
that
many times.”

A furious blush scoured her cheeks.

“Better hurry up and apologize, Sky. Otherwise I’m going to eat this entire plate…”

Two could play at that game. She released the sheet and watched mischievously as the material pooled around her feet. Wyatt’s laughter died on a sharp breath. With a low hum, she eased down onto the bed, then stretched upward with her arms, displaying every curve. She braved a glance, her heart pattering at the sight of a far more primal hunger awakening within him.

Like taking candy from a baby

Appealing to his alpha nature, she poked out her bottom lip. “But I’m so hungry. I need something warm and solid to fill me…”

His Adam’s apple tensed as he swallowed. Dominant or not, she still had a trick or two up her sleeve. She locked her feet around his ass and drew him toward the bed while running her fingertips across her marked throat. “Don’t you wanna fill me up, Wyatt?” She purred his name, then reached for the lip of his pants.


Christ
, Sky…”

The plate toppled to the bed and fruit spilled over the sheets, forgotten. Wyatt leaned over and stole a scorching kiss. Part of her recognized the win, but his lips had evoked a different hunger in her as well, one that pushed all other thoughts aside.

Breakfast? She didn’t need no stinkin’ breakfast.

***

Trapped together between the sheets, Wyatt winced as Sky snatched a plump raspberry from between his fingers. “Ow! Jesus, woman.” He grunted, and admonished her with a quick tap on the nose. “Watch the teeth or no more playtime for you.”

A sly grin curled her mouth. They’d already gone down that road, twice in fact. Who knew fruit could be so much fun in bed? She snatched at another berry, her teeth grazing him once more, when a resounding knock on the door sent her into a scramble.

Wyatt cursed, his breath catching when her knee grazed a rather sensitive area. “Easy, there.”

As she reached for her clothes, Wyatt hopped into his jeans and started for the door. There had better be a damned good reason why someone was interrupting them. He rounded the bed and gestured for Sky to move to the far side of the room. “Let me see who it is first.” He wasn’t taking any chances.

Neither was given the chance. Instead, the door crashed open to reveal a tall, slightly older man. Both men froze, one on either side of the doorway. Wyatt drew in a deep breath, the scent of werewolf clouding his nose.

Snarling, he lunged forward and grabbed the intruder by his throat, slamming him into the nearest wall.

“Who the fuck are you? And don’t you know how to knock?” He stole a glance back at Sky, relieved to see her dressed. She was scrambling with her shoes, her frightened eyes peering through a curtain of mussed hair.

The unwelcome werewolf crooked a brow and swept a dismissive glance down Wyatt’s length. “I did. You took too long to open the door.”

Wyatt slammed the guy against the wall once more for good measure. “Who are you?”

“Wyatt!” Sky cried out as she ducked around him.

People were gathering in the hallway, their mouths gaping as they watched the scene unfold. Wyatt didn’t give a shit about civilians. Sky was his primary concern, and there was no way in hell he would allow some strange werewolf to wander into their room.

Her fingers dug into his forearm. “Wyatt, stop!”

“Better get your mate under control, girl,” the intruder grumbled, “before I show him how a real alpha handles things.”

Anger flared under his skin, and with a snarl, Wyatt shook him like a dog. “I’d watch myself if I were you.”

“You abusive like this with all your wolves?” Hardened cobalt eyes stared up at him, his mouth a twisted sneer. “Sky would be better off with someone else.”

Wyatt gnashed his teeth. “Maybe you would be better off telling me who you are before I rip out your throat on principle.”

“Stop it!” Sky shoved him, but he hardly budged.

“Someone better start talking,” he growled.

“Ease up!” she hissed. “He’s my alpha. Well, former alpha.”

“And grandfather,” the werewolf snarled, flashing his lengthened canines.

Wyatt leaned forward and met the growl with one of his own.

“Oh, my God!” Sky shouted. “I am so sick of this male bullshit!”

Wyatt startled, his eyes widening at the sound of Sky cursing. It sounded so unnatural coming from her lips, and when he caught a glimpse of her, he found her pacing the length of the room, her face flushed and her eyes aglow. For the sake of his mate, Wyatt shoved away from her grandfather and crossed the room. “Alpha or not, you had no right to barge into our room like that.”

“I have
every
right. Or don’t you understand the concept of territory? You’re standing in
mine
, not the other way around. You breached my domain last night without a courtesy call. Be grateful I’m granting you this audience. I have every right to flay your hide, boy. So curb your tongue.”

“Enough!” Sky stomped between them and slapped her hands flush against their chests. “Grandpa, we didn’t come here to start some stupid war.”

“Then why did you come?” His chilled gazed rooted on Sky, his mouth a grim line.

At a loss for words, Sky dropped her hand from her grandfather, but left the other pressed against Wyatt’s chest. Tempting the fates, Wyatt reached up and twined their fingers together.

“Sky is in danger,” Wyatt spoke, his voice shivering with rage. He hadn’t known her grandfather was the alpha of the local pack, not that it changed anything.

The guy was older than the average alpha, but from the steeled frame and hardened muscles, it was easy to see how he’d maintained his position. His salt-and-pepper hair was the only thing that betrayed his age.

“And? What? Not dominant enough to handle it yourself?”

Wyatt tensed. “Listen, old man—”

“Stop it,” Sky hissed. “Wyatt, maybe you should step out for a bit and let me speak with my grandfather.”

“Not on your life,” he grumbled.

Sighing, Sky’s head dropped forward, and she massaged her temples. There was a part of him that regretted upsetting her, but the other, more dominant part, refused to leave her alone in any man’s company other than his. And that had nothing to do with his claim on her and everything to do with her safety.

“Wyatt…please. My grandfather isn’t going to harm me.”

His jaw ticked. “Seems to me he already has.”

And wasn’t that the truth. He hadn’t forgotten what Sky had divulged. Her aspirations for a career and a life beyond a begrudged mating had earned her a one-way exile from the pack. Though she’d never admit it aloud, he could see how it had affected her. Rejection in any form had lasting effects.

“Listen here, you little punk…”

Wyatt sized the man up, his muscles coiling in preparation for an attack.

“I can’t handle this much testosterone,” Sky whispered. “Grandpa, follow me.”

Without another word, she grasped her grandfather’s hand and led him toward the door. Only then did she toss a glance over her shoulder and shake her head at Wyatt, subtly informing him to stay behind.

The door clicked behind them, and cursing, Wyatt stalked toward the open window. Like hell he was going to sit in the hotel room and wait for them to return.

Leaping down the eight floors, he stalked toward the hotel lobby, his head turning at the sound of a sharp gasp. The hotel receptionist from last night stopped dead in her tracks, a half-eaten sandwich dangling from her fingertips. Fear perfumed the air as Wyatt strode by. Well, if she hadn’t known they were werewolves before, she likely did now.

At the entrance, he stopped and poked his head around the corner. Sure enough, Sky sat in the lobby with her grandfather, her head braced between her hands. Though he wanted nothing more than to stand next to her during this ordeal, he knew her grandfather would never reveal anything with him present. So, he swallowed his pride and hung back. If this meeting garnered any information, it would be worth it.

 

Chapter 15

Sky nudged open the hotel room door and entered with a long sigh. Wyatt’s rich scent welcomed her, and when she lifted her head, it was to find him standing next to the bed, exactly where she’d left him. Rolling her eyes, she scooted past him and slumped into the nearby chair. If he thought she hadn’t seen him down there, he had another thing coming. She’d never admit it, but she appreciated that he’d done that much for her. It was difficult for an alpha werewolf to leave someone they considered weaker exposed and vulnerable.

“Well?” he murmured, crouching in front of her.

Sky’s gaze raked over his hardened face. Beneath the rough exterior and excess testosterone, there was an honest man. She reached out and caressed his scar with the pad of her thumb. “How did this happen?”

His mouth quirked, tugging the scar across his face. “You want to talk about my scars?”

She studied the one above his eye and smoothed his brow. “Humor me.” She needed a moment to digest her visit with her grandfather.

“All right.” He grasped her hand and drew it toward his mouth, running her fingers along his lips. “Before I became an alpha, I was a no-account mechanic. I bled oil.”

“That explains
Monster
,” she said with a small smile.

He nodded. “Before I took the alpha position, I was easily bored. So…whenever that happened, I ventured downtown and found a way to entertain myself.”

Fear clawed at Sky’s stomach. What the heck did that even mean? Was he referring to prostitutes? And what did that have to do with his scars?

His chuckle cleared her thoughts. “It’s not as bad as you’re thinking, I assure you. I’d enter into the underground fighting rings.”

Her mouth dropped. “You…gambled with your life?” How was that not as bad?

He shrugged. “It was something to do. I knew my limits. Some nights I got my ass handed to me, and others I won.”

“Did they know you were a werewolf?”

A deep chuckle vibrated against her hand. He kissed her palm and then lowered it. “Of course they did. It was a werewolf fighting ring. No rules, no weapons. Just you and your wolf form. It’s how I became an alpha. The fights forced me to control my wolf.”

“Control your wolf.” She snickered. “I haven’t witnessed any of this control you speak of.”

Wyatt cleared his throat and met her gaze. “Ya, well, you sort of undo me.” He squared his shoulders as though daring her to tease him. “Happy?”

Speechless, Sky leaned forward and brushed her mouth across his. A chaste kiss, but one filled with emotion. “That doesn’t explain the scars.”

“Ah. Well, let me save you those gory details. Essentially, someone got the upper hand, literally.”

She nodded. Werewolves were fast healers, but wounds caused by other werewolves healed human-slow. “So, underground fighting, hey?”

Wyatt lifted a brow. “Don’t tell me that turns you on?”

“No!” She laughed. “I didn’t see you as the sort.”

“Really. You didn’t see
me
as the sort to get down and dirty and bloody?”

Her mouth twitched. “Well, when you put it that way…” 

“So now that I’ve told you mine, are you going to tell me what went down with your grandfather?”

She grimaced and leaned back in the chair.

***

Wyatt watched as Sky draped herself in the chair, clearly dreading this conversation. Finally, she blinked and met his gaze. “I told my grandfather what was happening. He was appalled.”

There was a flash of something behind her eyes, a dark emotion that Wyatt read as easily as he did a book. “But he blames me.”

Her gaze flitted away. “He said that as an alpha, it’s your responsibility to put a stop to this.”

Though the insult burned, Wyatt didn’t disagree. The old man was right about something, at least. And it was something that he was trying to make right. “Anything else, other than insulting my competence?”

“Unfortunately, no. All his wolves are accounted for. Which means none of them have been off murdering or blinding women in Colorado.”

Cursing, Wyatt leaned back on his haunches and gazed out the window. Well, their best lead had fizzled. And yet, it’d made so much sense. None of this had happened before her mother’s death, before Sky had returned to the pack for the funeral.

“Was there anyone else at the funeral that you can think of? Anyone that wasn’t of your pack? Anyone that stood out?”

She nibbled her bottom lip, her brows knotting. “Not that I can remember. It was a year ago, Wyatt. And I wasn’t exactly in the state of mind to notice who was there.”

He sighed and dropped onto the floor. Eyes focused on the ceiling, he played through the events that Sky had listed once more. “You said your mother and you hadn’t spoken in over a decade. Why?”

“It doesn’t matter—”

“At this point, I’m not ruling anything out. So, why?”

Sky groaned and dropped her hands down the side of the chair. “My mother thought I’d acted rashly. She thought I’d turned away from the pack and my family by choosing a career instead. When I left, she told me not to expect to be welcomed back. I went to school anyway. I thought once they saw what I was doing, they’d understand.”

“But they didn’t,” Wyatt stated.

“No. I graduated and my grandfather contacted me. He told me it was time to come home. I had
responsibilities
.” She scoffed. “Right. What he meant was it was time for me to choose a mate and pump out babies. I disobeyed his order and, instead, applied for grad school.”

Wyatt’s brows shot up. “Your grandfather actually expected you to come home just to have children?”

Sky sneered. “It’s their way, something I’ve always loathed. My grandfather believes a woman’s first and foremost responsibility is to take care of the pack. And when she isn’t pregnant, she’s a homemaker or caregiver. My grandfather is old-fashioned, and he pushed those stupid beliefs onto the pack.”

Wyatt shook his head. Old-fashioned was right. He encouraged the females in his pack to broaden their horizons. Travel, education, career, anything that could help strengthen the pack. If they chose to mate and have children, it was their choice—he would never force them.

“When I finished my master’s, my grandfather contacted me once more. He claimed that he’d been generous, and that he’d given me my freedom for long enough. This time, he sent two of the males, my brother included, to fetch me. Their orders were to bring me home, no discussion.”

“But you didn’t return.”

A bitter chuckle scraped past her lips. “No, I sent Sawyer packing with a black eye and a broken rib. He’d given me a few good knocks, but hardly enough to win.” She smiled wistfully. “My brother hasn’t won a scrap against me since we were teenagers, but I suspect that has more to do with his upbringing than anything. My grandfather believed men were meant to protect women, not hit them. And thank goodness for that. He might have knocked me out cold and dragged me home, otherwise.”

Wyatt grinned and tucked his hands under his head. “Can’t imagine your grandfather appreciated that.”

“Not at all. He phoned and I told him to stuff his rules where the sun don’t shine. Told him I’d begun my doctorate and there was no way in hell I was coming home.”

“And then he exiled you.”

Her silence was answer enough.

“And this led to your mother rejecting you?”

He heard her swallow. “My mother and I had always been on shaky ground. I disagreed with my parents’ marriage. Felt that they weren’t suited for one another, and that my mother should have left. She disagreed, said she had a good life. My father screwed anything on two legs. How was that a good life? Again, it boiled down to her upbringing. They had mated one another, and there was no way to break that, so why bother changing anything? Eventually, my father grew tired of my mother and left. Neither could choose new mates, but my mother did remarry. There were times when I thought her new husband, Landon, might be her true mate, but there was nothing they could do about it. She had his children, but wasn’t able to solidify their bond.”

Ah
…Wyatt nodded as he stared up at the ceiling. This explained so much about Sky and her resistance to authority. It was a wonder he’d convinced her to mate with him.

“When I left, my mother told me not to come back. I’d thought that once I was awarded my doctorate, they would understand and accept me back. But she died before that could happen.”

“You’re still working toward it?”

She shifted in her seat. “Have been for the past three years. It’s a brand new field and all new research, so it’ll take longer than the average doctorate.”

“New field, as in something regarding werewolves?”

She nodded. “And their ability to blend in with human society.”

Wyatt’s head lolled against the floor. She sat in the chair, her eyes closed as she spoke. She seemed so peaceful, a sight he rather liked.

“I tried tracing our lineage back to the first werewolf.” She gave a little shake of her head. “Bunked out. Too many legends. But I know that we’ve been around for millennia. There’s literature for Native American origins, European origins…it’s all so murky. However, our ability to blend among humans is renowned. Werewolves never reveal themselves until they kill. It’s quite an adaptive ability.”

Wyatt’s head started to spin. “All right, so what does that have to do with anything?”

She chuckled and pinned him with a playful stare. “It has to do with
everything
. We possess an innate ability to suppress our wolves. Look how you reacted to my grandfather when he barged in. Out came your wolf and you two were slathering at each other, hoping to rip each other a new hole. Had he been a human, you would have pushed your wolf back and controlled it. For all intents and purposes, you would have acted human. Studies have proven that some alpha werewolves possess the ability to mask their scents, to hide in plain sight of those they deem a threat. It’s fascinating.”

Wyatt hummed a vague response.

“My theory is that this ability has caused
instability
within some wolves. Suppressing their inner nature results in an unbalanced psyche, which can result in deviant behavior.”

“All right, all right,” Wyatt laughed. “I get it. You’re passionate about this.”

“Yes. Something my grandfather never recognized. Anyway, understanding werewolf behavior, psychology, and evolution could help the humans accept us.”

He felt a surge of pride for his mate. He had to admit, if anyone could breach the gap between the two species, it was her. She was the perfect candidate both physically and intellectually. Who better to be the public face of werewolves than a lean, blonde, and blue-eyed girl? Unfortunately, her looks were likely what had attracted the attention of her stalker.

“My grandfather has invited us to a feast tonight,” she mumbled after a few moments of silence.

Wyatt glanced at her, his brows twisting. “What?”
No
. Their obligations back home had to take precedence. Bale had done well enough, but the pack wasn’t safe.

“I don’t understand it either. First, they exiled me, and now they want to throw a party in my honor. I can’t imagine that’s sitting well with the other females. I’m a pariah to them.”

Oh
, Wyatt understood. A game of dominance and politics among alphas. The old man wanted him to know that Sky was theirs, regardless of her exile.

“No.” He shook his head. “We’re heading back to Colorado immediately.”

“Normally, I would agree with you…”

“But?” Of course she had to argue.

Sighing, Sky leaned forward in the chair. “It isn’t every day I get to see my family under welcoming circumstances. Not to mention…” She blushed. “I want to show them what they’re missing out on.”

A fierce surge to protect her welled within him. “You want to rub their noses in what you’ve become.”

“Is that so bad?” Her mouth grimaced. “I’m a horrible person, aren’t I?”

He laughed and rocked to his feet. “Nah, it’s justified.” Then, with a grim expression, he grasped her hands and drew her to her feet. “But in all seriousness, I’d rather we head home.”

“Wyatt. One more night, that’s all I’m asking.”

“All right,” he sighed. “How is it that you get me to do everything
you
want?”

“Just lucky, I suppose.”

 

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