Savage Urges (18 page)

Makenna told herself to pull back, to walk away. She’d gambled and she’d lost. He wasn’t hers to kiss or touch. In objection, her wolf raked Makenna with her claws. Well, the wolf could fuck off. There was no changing the situation. If there were a mating bond, they would have felt it by now. It was as simple as that.

Was she surprised that Ryan argued against her point? No. He was too freaking stubborn to admit he was wrong. So stubborn that he’d continue to hang around for months and months, waiting for the nonexistent bond to make an appearance. That wasn’t fair to either of them. It was possible that all that time together would spark the imprinting process—the selfish part of her wanted to grab that opportunity with both hands. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she would be stealing him from what fate had in store, from someone better suited to him.

Yet, she didn’t fight him when he took her to the ground and draped himself over her. She didn’t object when he pushed up her dress and settled between her thighs. Didn’t tell him to stop when he snapped off her panties and slipped a finger between her folds.

Once more, she told herself. She’d have him once more. Then she’d let go what was never hers to begin with.

Ryan should have been relieved when she suddenly threw herself into the kiss and arched into his hand, but it felt wrong. He’d been balls deep in Makenna more times than he could count. She could be defiant, mischievous, and wild in bed. But the way she clung to him now . . . there was something desperate about it.

“This isn’t a farewell fuck, Makenna.” Her eyes turned glossy with unshed tears. “Don’t cry,” he growled. He couldn’t be sensitive or patient right then. He was pissed at her for being willing to walk away. Pissed at the bond for being just out of his reach.

“I’m not who fate gave you.”

“You think I give a fuck about fate? I make my own decisions. I choose my own path. I choose
you
.” To punctuate that, he drove a finger inside her. He grunted as her claws dug into his back.

“You wouldn’t find that so easy to say if you weren’t convinced we were mates.”

Yes, he would. Ryan didn’t care about her because she was his mate; he cared about her because she was Makenna. Strong, brave, protective, loyal, playful, and a little crazy. She was under his skin, and there would be no getting her out. “You and me . . . There’s no going back, Kenna.” He twisted his hand, rubbing her G-spot. Bucking, she gasped into his mouth. “You don’t get to walk away.”

She bit down on her lip as he shoved a second finger inside her. Despite the topic of conversation, she was wet and aching for him. That didn’t surprise her. Her body always responded to him, was even turned on by being pinned down with his body weight. “It’s you who’ll walk away.”

“Why would I walk away?” He tugged down the top of her dress just enough to bare her breasts. The material bunched up beneath them, raising them to his mouth.

Her breath caught in her throat as his tongue curled around her nipple. “When you realize you’re wrong, you’ll—”

“Makenna, you’re not fucking hearing me.” This had nothing to do with whether he was right or wrong. “No matter what, you belong to me.” Withdrawing his fingers, he pulled off his T-shirt and snapped open his fly. His cock sprang out, heavy and throbbing. He needed to be in her, dominating her, driving home the truth. Ryan grabbed her hips and eased a little of his cock inside her. “Arms above your head.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“You don’t get to touch what’s not yours.” He almost smiled at her growl. “You’re mine, Makenna. Make no mistake about it. I own you. I’m going to take what I own. Are you going to accept that? Are you going to accept that I’m yours?” She didn’t respond. “Then put your hands above your head.” She did as he ordered—but very, very slowly.

“Good girl.” He lapped at a mark on her neck as he moved in and out of her with slow, deep thrusts. She felt so fucking good. Smelled so fucking good. Every one of his senses was filled with her and on drunk her. “Can you feel how tight your pussy squeezes me, Kenna?” He nipped her throat. “Like it never wants me to leave. That’s what scares you, doesn’t it? That I’ll leave.” He hiked one of her legs up higher, allowing him to go even deeper. “I told you I won’t. Don’t you trust me?”

She fisted her hands in the grass. “I know you’d keep your word if I asked for it.”

Ryan got it then. She worried he’d find out they weren’t mates but stay with her anyway . . . merely because he’d sworn he would. He could understand that. He wouldn’t want her to be with him for the wrong reasons. He was about to say as much, but then she tried to move her arms. “No.”

That one word vibrated with authority and power. It impressed her wolf. And it triggered that defiant switch in Makenna’s brain. She snarled, “I want—”

“I know what you want.” For him to fuck her rough and fast. “But you can’t have it.”

So Makenna fought him. She kicked, shoved, and struggled to be free, but the bastard pressed more of his weight on her and collared her throat. The dominant hold was firm and tight, but not tight enough to hurt. Just tight enough to remind her who he thought was in charge right then. It was instinctive to freeze. “Let. Go.”

He thrust hard. “What’s wrong, Kenna? Is this too slow for you? You want it faster?” She just grunted her assent. “Tough. I’ll fuck this pussy however I want. Because it belongs to me.” He lunged deep once, twice. “Now . . . hands above your head.”

Not at all intimidated, Makenna fought him again. Well, she
tried
. It was kind of hard to fight someone when you could barely move and there was a strong hand wrapped around your throat. But she didn’t give up—biting, scratching, and squirming. His grip on her throat flexed just enough to make her wheeze a little. When she stilled, his thumb drew a soothing, almost rewarding circle.

“Stop fighting me, Kenna.” Ryan punched his hips hard, and her pussy tightened almost painfully around his cock. “You’re mine, and I’m yours. Accept it.” Another punch of his hips. “Fucking accept it.”

Makenna bit his chin. Not breaking skin, just cautioning him. “There’s no mating bond. Accept
that
.”

He had to admire her spirit. “Maybe there isn’t.” Of course, he didn’t believe that for even a second. “But we’ll be mated, Kenna, one way or the other.” If that meant imprinting, fine. He didn’t give a damn how they bonded just as long as they did. He refused to give her up. “Or are you going to lie and tell me you don’t want that?” He licked and sipped at her mouth. “Lie, Kenna. Do it. I dare you.” She didn’t, and he rewarded her with two hard thrusts. “See, we both want the same thing. All you have to do is reach out and take it.”

He made it sound so simple. And so very tempting that Makenna felt herself wavering, especially while her wolf was urging her to claim him. If he wanted to take the chance and forsake his mate, that was his choice, right? It wasn’t like she was taking advantage of someone naïve and dimwitted. He was a big boy, quite capable of making his own decisions. He fully understood the choice he was making and all the issues around it. He wasn’t impulsive, which meant he’d thought this through. Still . . . “You have to be sure. You have to be one hundred percent positive that I’m who you want, no matter what.”

Ryan slid both hands into her hair, pinning her with his gaze. “You’re all I want. All I’ll ever want.” He circled his hips. “You’re mine, and I’m yours. Say it.” He thrust with an impatient growl. “Fucking say it.”

Makenna inhaled deeply, tired of fighting him—tired of fighting herself and her wolf too. He’d made his choice. Fuck fate. “I’m yours, and you’re mine.” Triumph, satisfaction, and naked possessiveness glinted in his rarely expressive eyes. Then all thoughts were sucked from her brain as he began to violently hammer in and out of her. “Fuck.” She held tight, claws digging so deep into his shoulders that she drew blood. A growl of approval rumbled in his chest. So she raked her claws over his back deep enough to leave permanent brands.

Ryan paused only long enough to hook her legs over his shoulders, and then he was pounding into her again—deeper this time, so deep he knew it hurt her a little. Her pussy tightened, bathing his cock in cream, and she arched into every thrust.

Fisting her hair, he yanked her head aside to expose her throat. He licked and sucked at the spot on her neck he’d chosen, letting her know what was coming. Then he bit. Sank his teeth down hard, tasting blood. Makenna’s pussy squeezed and fluttered around him as she came, screaming. All the while, he licked and sucked at the bite, making it a definitive brand that would be recognized for exactly what it was—a claiming mark.

Ryan grunted as Makenna reared up and bit the crook of his neck. No, she wasn’t just biting him; she was marking him. Claiming him right back. That knowledge threw him right over the fucking edge. Tightening his fist in her hair, he jammed his cock deep and exploded inside his mate.

Boneless, Makenna lay with her eyes closed as her body was racked by little aftershocks. Ryan was irrevocably hers now, and that knowledge warmed every part of her. Still, the whole thing was bittersweet, because there was no bond to accompany the claiming. The absence of it was a physical ache. The only thing that eased it was the knowledge that the imprinting process would now surely begin.

Letting her legs slide from his shoulders, Ryan licked at the fresh bite as his now-relaxed wolf rumbled in satisfaction. It was higher on her neck than most claiming marks were. He wanted it to be the first thing she noticed every morning; wanted everyone who looked at her to know she was taken. “Now you can’t ever again argue that you belong to me.”

She frowned. “Actually—”

“Don’t dare even try it,” he warned her. But she was laughing. He nipped her jaw.

“Hey!”

He rolled onto his back, taking her with him so she sprawled on top of him. “Then don’t tease me.”

“But it’s fun.”

He grunted.

“Yes, it is. You have to admit, you wouldn’t want me any other way.”

Ryan frowned. “Actually—”

“Fuck you, White Fang.” She chuckled. Then she gave her wolf what the animal had wanted for a long time.

The woman could shift fast,
thought Ryan as he suddenly had a beautiful silver wolf standing over him. He stroked her neck as she licked his jaw. A butterfly flew in their direction, snatching her attention. The wolf chased it, trying to swat it with her paw. Apparently she was easily distracted. That assumption was proven when the sound of a bee had her whirling, searching for the insect. Ryan almost smiled. His wolf lunged for the surface, wanting time with his mate. Ryan retreated and gave it to him.

Seeing that her mate had shifted, the female playfully snapped her teeth and bounded away. The male raced through the trees, following the scent of his mate. She was fast. But he was faster. Could track her anywhere. Soon she was in his sight. The male wolf knew there was a stream ahead. Knew she would have to turn. He took another path; came at her from the front.

The female didn’t halt as her mate neared. Didn’t try to skirt him. She pounced with a bark, knocked him to the ground. He got to his feet. Alert. Still. She didn’t like that. Her snarl was a taunt; she wanted to play. She’d teach him how.

The male followed her lead. They wrestled. Tumbled each other to the ground. Playfully bit, licked, and clawed. Then he mounted her, biting her nape. Claimed her as his mate just as his human had. The male wolf understood there should be a mating bond. Was confused that he didn’t feel it. Urged his human half to find it.

As Ryan and Makenna returned to their human skin, sprawled side by side, he promised his wolf he’d clear whatever jammed the frequency of the mating bond. Nothing got to stand between him and his mate. Nothing.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

R
yan wasn’t on duty the next morning, but he still woke at his usual hour thanks to his internal clock. And there was his mate. She always looked young in her sleep. Deceptively harmless.

The claiming bite on her neck caught his eye, filling him with a masculine satisfaction he doubted could ever be equaled. It was official now. Makenna Wray was no longer the person he was trying to convince was his mate; she
was
his mate. There was no going back, only forward.

It bothered him that she still didn’t believe they were true mates. But nowhere near as much as before, because it meant she’d
chosen
him—not because fate paired them, but because she cared. From Makenna’s perspective, she’d forsaken her true mate to be with Ryan, to claim him and allow him to claim her in return. A person wouldn’t do that unless they cared deeply.

If the situation were reversed, he would have done the same. Like he told her, she was all he wanted, all he’d ever want. He couldn’t imagine anyone else fitting him the way she did.

He wasn’t lacking in self-insight. He knew he was so emotionally disconnected that he depended too much on facts. He knew he could be much too serious and didn’t know how to enjoy himself. Makenna balanced him out. Made him see the emotional connotations of situations, allowing him to look at things from different perspectives. She forced him to play, to joke, and to not take things too seriously.

Just the same, Ryan balanced her out. Makenna could be so blinded by emotion that she didn’t always consider things from outside the box. By pointing out the facts, he pushed her to do so. Also, although Makenna’s playful and mischievous nature wasn’t a bad thing, those traits manifested themselves into a need to provoke and antagonize whenever she was annoyed. Ryan made her consider the consequences of her actions—the lesson was slow going, but he had hope.

Additionally, whereas Ryan felt little empathy, Makenna felt
way
too much. So much so that she put others first, living more for the shelter than she did for herself. Ryan would never allow that. He would force her to see her own worth, just as she taught him to see his. He’d always felt like he had something to prove, that he needed to earn his worth. She never made him feel that way. Never complained about how tactless he was or how few pretty words he gave her. Nor did she criticize or judge him for being so emotionally disconnected.

They complemented and strengthened each other, fit too well to
not
be true mates. The rest of the pack agreed. They hadn’t been at all surprised when he and Makenna went for dinner last night, claimed and mated. But they had been shocked as all shit to hear there was no mating bond. It was fiercely bothering the females.

Makenna’s eyelids fluttered open, and it was only then he realized he’d been circling her claiming mark with his thumb. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

She snuggled closer to him and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. “Go back to sleep.”

Ryan slid his hand down to rest on her ass. “Can’t.” But he’d stay with her, watch over her while she slept.

“Sure you can.” The words were whispered against his skin as she petted his chest. “Try. For me.”

Purely to indulge her, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her petting and stroking him. Her hand soon went limp and her breathing evened out. Ryan just lay with her, content and relaxed while he had the scent of his mate in his lungs, her skin beneath his hands, and her—

His eyes snapped open. He’d almost dozed off. Actually, if the bedside clock were to be believed, he
had
dozed off. For over two hours. He rolled onto his back, grabbed his cell phone from the small cabinet, and checked the time. It seemed the clock wasn’t lying.

Makenna hummed, having woken at the loss of his warmth. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s eight o’clock,” he said, disbelieving.

She frowned. “So?” Realization then dawned. “You fell back asleep? That’s good.”

He grunted, returning to her.

“And it’s nice to wake up and find you here. You’re usually gone.”

Something in her voice made Ryan frown. “That hurts you.”

“Hurts? No, I know your job is important. But imagine if every time you woke up, I’d already left. It would be nice to have me here for a change, right?”

Ryan scowled at the thought of her gone each time he awoke. He liked that she was the first thing he saw when he woke up each morning. Liked being able to kiss her before he left, even if she were asleep. “I’ll change some of my shifts around.”

Makenna blinked, sure she’d misheard him. “Say what?”

“I don’t need to do the early perimeter run six days a week. I’ll reduce it to two.”

“I wasn’t trying to guilt you into changing your hours.”

“I’m doing it because I want to.” And because anything that even minutely upset her wasn’t acceptable to him. “Just like you’re going to reduce the amount of days you work at the shelter a week. You don’t take a single day off.”

She narrowed her eyes. “We talked about this already. The shelter is important to me.”

“It should be. And it should be part of your life. But it shouldn’t
be
your life.”

“Says the person who works longer and harder than the other enforcers.” It was more than that, though. She’d come to realize that his job was all tangled up in who he was. Probably because he’d started training when he was just a child. “I’m not complaining. I’m just saying you’re being a little hypocritical here.”

“I’ve just said I’ll change some of my shifts around.” His mate slowly raised a brow at him. “You don’t think I will?”

“I think you’ll go stir crazy having spare time on your hands.”

He kissed her. “I won’t if you’re with me.” It was the truth.

She twisted her lips, pondering the idea. “I’ll take one day off a week.”

“And you won’t stay late each night just because you don’t have to work at the gas station anymore.”

“
You
work late hours.”

“I’ll stop if you stop.”

She searched his eyes, which was pointless, of course, as they rarely gave anything away. “You honestly think you can?”

“I want more time with you.”

How could she say no to that? She rubbed her nose against his. “Okay. As it happens, I won’t be working at all today. I need to go shopping.” Dante and Trick had picked up her things from her landlord yesterday—there hadn’t been much left undamaged. Most of her clothes had been slashed with her own kitchen knives. She’d been more upset to hear that her Mustang now looked like a heap of scrap. It would seem the extremists had had some fun with it.

“I’ll come with you.”

Makenna blinked. “You heard what I just said, right? That I was going shopping?”

“Yes.”

“I really don’t see you having the patience for a shopping trip. You’re a tracker; you have a hunter-type personality. I’ll bet you treat shopping like military missions: you go inside, retrieve the item, and then leave just as fast.”

Yes, that was exactly what he did.

“Me . . . I’m a browser.” She kissed his chin. “I will drive you insane.”

Then it wouldn’t be much different than any other day. “I’m coming with you.” Until the Remy situation was over, she wasn’t going anywhere alone.

She exhaled heavily. “If you’re sure.”

“You’re not going to argue that you don’t need my protection?”

“I never did understand those book and movie heroines who insist on facing danger alone. There’s being capable of protecting yourself, and there’s being plain stupid. In a one-to-one fight, I wouldn’t need you to step in. But against a group of extremists, I could do with a little help.” Their prior attack on her had quite clearly shown her that. “And I know being away from me while I’m a target would make you crazy. I don’t want to do that to you.”

She understood him well.

“And, hey, maybe we could pick you up some stuff too.” His “no thanks” grunt made her smile. “I’ve seen your wardrobe. It’s comprised of three brands at most, and you wear the same stuff over and over.”

“Because I know they fit and they’re comfortable.” That was all Ryan required from the things he wore.

“But you only wear dark colors.”

“I only like dark colors.”

“Whatever. It’s clear that you can’t be helped. Now, are you positive that you want to come along? Because you
will
be bored, and you
will
become exasperated, and you
will
want to cry. I could ask Jaime and Taryn to come along instead; then I wouldn’t be alone.”

“I want to go with you.”

“All right, but don’t say you weren’t warned.”

Four hours later, Ryan was fast losing the will to live. At first, shopping with his mate hadn’t been so bad. He liked seeing her enjoying herself, liked seeing her relaxed and carefree. Also, he’d foolishly thought that she wouldn’t take too long, even though she’d told him she was a browser. Why? Because just before they left, he’d caught her scribbling things on a sheet of paper. When he’d asked what she was writing, she’d replied,
“I always make a list of the things I need. Then I promise myself I won’t deviate from that list. It’s stops me from buying shit I don’t need and then spending too much.”

The practical rule had surprised and impressed him. What he hadn’t considered was that her determination to not waste money would make the shopping trip even longer. If she were on the fence about anything, she’d leave it. If she weren’t 100 percent happy with the color, texture, fit, and price, she wouldn’t buy it.

So off they’d go to another store. And he was the mule.

He’d quickly learned that his mate loved bargains. If there were a sale on, she was right there. Not that she bought things just because they were on sale. No, she didn’t buy something unless she would have bought it if it
hadn’t
been a bargain. That didn’t stop her from checking every rack, every shelf, and every floor. And where did she get all these coupons?

Then there were the times she asked for his opinion. Didn’t she understand he didn’t have the credibility to comment on clothing that all looked the same to him anyway? Didn’t she see the sweat building on his forehead at the prospect of saying the wrong things and hurting her feelings? And why ask his opinion when it was clear she’d already made up her mind on what she wanted?

There were no guarantees that she would buy something even if she
were
100 percent happy with it. No, she’d check a comparison price website on her cell phone. If the item were cheaper elsewhere, she’d drag him to that store instead.

She tried on everything. And she wasn’t fast about it either. What irritated him was that when she finally walked out of the fitting rooms, it was often to tell him she didn’t want the damn things or that she’d come back at the end-of-the-season sale and get it cheaper. Ryan never tried on anything. He just bought it and took it home. If it didn’t fit, he’d hang it up in his wardrobe even though he’d never wear it.

As such, he was now hungry, thirsty, bored, and tired. But he couldn’t be pissed at her. He’d brought this on himself. Makenna had warned him. Several times, in fact. She also regularly suggested he should go home.

When she finally announced she was done, Ryan couldn’t help but burst out, “Thank God.”

She laughed. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

It was the best idea she’d had all day. Fearing that his stomach was eating itself out of desperation, he pretty much hauled her into the nearest restaurant. Just as they were finishing dessert, her cell phone rang.

Makenna smiled as she greeted, “Hey, Dawn, how are you?”

“I have good news and bad news.”

As a sense of foreboding came over Makenna, she put down her spoon. “Hit me with the bad first.”

“One of our sponsors called to report that a wolf tried blackmailing him into withdrawing his funding.”

Makenna cursed, and her wolf snarled. Ryan, who would be able to hear every word, didn’t outwardly react, but she knew he would be pissed. Then something occurred to her. “Wait, you said ‘tried.”

“That’s the good news.” There was the slightest smile in Dawn’s voice. “Not only does he refuse to be intimidated, he’s agreed to testify about the blackmail attempt to the council.”

That really was good. They would need whatever help they could get to convince the council that Remy was responsible for all the trouble happening around the shelter.

“It was nice to have some good news, especially after what happened last night.”

Makenna frowned. “Last night?”

“The computer crashed. Seems someone sent a virus that messed up the whole system. If it wasn’t for you insisting on me keeping backup files on the memory card, I’d have lost everything.”

As a strong possibility occurred to Makenna, cold invaded her limbs. “Motherfucker.”

“What?”

Dread a heavy weight on her chest, Makenna replied, “Remy sent the virus. But what if he managed to hack into the system first? He could have all our files.” She shot a questioning look at Ryan, hoping he’d contradict her.

Frown deepening, Ryan said, “It’s possible. There are some viruses that are used as ploys to gain access to whatever information is in the computer hard drive.”