Secret Seduction: BBW Werewolf Romance (Wolf Pack Protectors Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter Twelve

Ryker stalked across the room toward Diana. She wanted him. His defiant, stunning goddess of a woman wanted to stay with him and he couldn’t do anything about it. With the full moon just days away, he could lament the inevitable loss of her, or he could enjoy the time they had left together.

Her scent curled into his nose to torment him. As long as he lived, he’d never forget the feel of her, the smell of her, and the taste of her.

A storm of longing brewed in his heart. It was madness to keep touching her. Every time she walked into the room, he wanted to drown in her luxurious curves. His hands sought the fullness of her hips. The warmth of her skin seeped into him as he molded his body against hers. After the full moon, he’d never be able to touch her again. He’d never feel the press of her breasts against his chest, or the crush of her hungry lips against his.

Eyes wide open, lips parted, the expression on her face was one of quiet desperation. He groaned and bent to capture her lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She drew him closer, parted her lips, and drew his tongue into her mouth.

He indulged her ravenous desire, letting her kiss him with wild abandon. As minutes passed, the fierce barrage of kisses slowed. Her tongue danced against his. Long, languid kisses melted into the soft brush of her lips against his throat.

He groaned and whispered her name. The gentle sweep of her hair across his belly made his stomach clench. He swept her into his arms and carried her to bed.

After setting her down, he feasted on the sight of her naked, sensual body. He traced a finger in ever-tightening spirals across each breast.

She caught his hand in hers and brought his fingers to her lips. She kissed the pad of his thumb then sucked it into her mouth. The erotic gesture sent blood rushing into the length of him. He wanted to go slow, to savor her, so he drew back.

“This may be out last time together,” she whispered.

“I know. That’s why I want it to last.”

“I wish it could be forever.”

He buried his head in the valley of her breasts and sighed as she smoothed his hair with her hand. “We only have a few days left together. We should enjoy what little time we have left.”

“You’re right,” she murmured.

He wanted to show her how much he treasured her, so he bent to spread kisses across her chest and belly. As he traveled lower, she moaned and curled her fingers in his hair. When he reached the damp heat between her thighs, her ragged breath caught then whooshed out.

With his tongue, he tasted the moistened heat of her sex. She arched into him and trembled as he stroked her with the intent of wringing every ounce of pleasure out of her center.

***

Diana clutched at the edge of the bed. Her fingers curled into pelts of fur but she needed something solid to cling to—she needed him.

She pushed the pelts aside and reached for Ryker’s hands. After uncurling his fingers from her hips, she laced her hands into his. The rough scratch of his skin against hers reminded her how wild and forbidden their lovemaking was. She abandoned thoughts of loss and regret and surrendered to a misty state of unimaginable bliss.

As he angled his tongue, the first pulse of her release erupted from somewhere deep inside. She cried out and clutched his hands. He held on, coaxing the already decadent orgasm to a final peak.

For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was the beating of her heart and the gasp of her breath. He watched her with lustful eyes.

She caught her breath, and then in her most beguiling voice said, “I want more. I want all of you.”

He bent to kiss her. The heady scent of their lovemaking hung in the air. The feral scent of salty sweat connected her to him. Even before their bodies joined, she knew with utter certainty that they were meant to be together. Rules and laws couldn’t destroy their love. She needed to convince Ryker to let her stay. Somehow, they could make things work.

The gradual, deliberate slide of his thick, hard cock into her stole every coherent thought. Without stopping to consider the consequences, she murmured, “I love you.”

He froze, poised over her. His gaze locked with hers, his mouth twitched, but no sound escaped.

The moment passed.

As he pressed his cheek against hers, her heart ached. Didn’t he feel the same? Maybe she’d underestimated the level of his commitment.

She tensed slightly. He responded to the change in her by slowing his thrusts. Taking her with him, he rolled onto his back. As she settled over him, she searched his face for an indication of what he felt for her. His rapturous gaze gave her hope.

She moved over him, twisting and rolling her hips until he grabbed her waist. As she sank down, his eyes snapped shut. A low, guttural moan rumbled in his throat. His back arched as he spilled into her.

As the last shudder racked his body, he pulled her down. She rested her head on his chest.

His heart pounded against his ribcage. She watched his mouth open, then shut, as if he was about to speak but then thought better of it.

Her eyelids dropped. She wanted to stay awake to memorize every inch of his face, but exhaustion took over.

As she drifted to sleep, she thought she heard him say, “I love you, too.”

***

Zane lifted the binoculars to his face. Diana’s sister stood in the kitchen window of her cottage at the edge of the woods. Her long brown hair hung from a high ponytail. The same sad look that she’d had in the bar hooded her eyes.

He’d staked out the house the last four nights. The full moon was tomorrow, so he needed to capture her tonight.

He turned to Bill. “We’ll wait until she goes to sleep, then we’ll take her.”

Bill rubbed the back of his neck. “Man, I don’t know about this. It’s kidnapping.”

“It’s necessary. We need to use her as bait to draw the wolves out of their den.”

“We could go to jail for this.”

Zane clasped his friend’s shoulder. “Not a chance. You think the sheriff’s going to haul us in for being instrumental in catching the werewolves?”

Bill shook his head. “No.”

“Good. Now we wait. We have the Lord on our side. Tomorrow night we’re sending those demons back to hell where they belong.” Zane leaned against a tree. He pulled a toothpick out of his back pocket and jabbed it between his teeth.

Thirty minutes later, the lights went out.

Zane flicked the toothpick into the forest. “Let’s go. You watch the front, I’ll take the back.”

He left Bill and circled to the rear of the house. The back porch light cast a faint yellow glow, so he quickly ran to the light and unscrewed it.

He waited thirty seconds for his eyes to readjust to the darkness, and then he carefully turned the back doorknob. It was unlocked as it had been the last four nights. He slipped into the laundry room and closed the door.

He’d scouted the inside of the house twice before, so he knew the layout. The last door on the right led to the master bedroom.

The wooden floor creaked as he stalked the corridor. As he approached the room, he smiled at the open door. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about waking her up by opening it.

He crept to the edge of the bed. Moonlight streamed through an open window. Women always looked so innocent as they slept, but he knew evil lurked in their souls.

He pulled a plastic bag out of his waistband. He opened it and removed a chloroform-laden rag.

Her eyes flew open when he clamped it over her mouth. As she flailed on the bed, her hands clawed at his. Terror filled her eyes until the chemical forced her back to sleep.

He peeled back the sheet and stared down at her scantily clad form. A decent woman would never sleep in just a tank top and sheer panties. Another Jezebel.

He thanked God for such a clear sign.

“As the Lord said in Proverbs chapter four, verse eighteen, ‘the path of righteous people is like the light of dawn that becomes brighter and brighter until it reaches midday.’”

Now he knew without question that he was on the path of righteousness. He averted his eyes as he scooped her up and flung her over his shoulder.

Bill met him at the edge of the woods. He grabbed the woman’s legs and helped Zane carry her to his pickup.

As the truck bounced along the road, Bill asked, “Where are you going to keep her?”

“I made a place for her in my home.”

“Won’t she try to escape?”

Zane’s lip twitched into a half-smile. He’d worked all day constructing a steel cage in his garage. Escape was impossible.

***

Ryker cursed his tongue as he paced the beach along the river. At midday, he should have been sleeping, but the restless tug of his heart kept him awake.

The last four days had consisted of tense conversations with Diana. She probably hated him for confessing his love, if she’d even heard him. He thought she’d been asleep when he’d spoken, but with the way she’d been avoiding him, he couldn’t be sure.

He’d avoided sleeping with her since the night of his confession. He didn’t know how to tell her that his revelation meant nothing, given their situation. The other wolves still wanted her gone and he couldn’t change their minds. He understood why they insisted on maintaining the law. Every time a human interacted with the pack, someone died.

If he lost her, his heart would break worse than it had with Trista. But he couldn’t allow Diana to stay with the pack. Deep in thought, he almost didn’t hear the other wolf approach.

“The moon is full tonight.”

Ryker turned to face Clyde. As one of the oldest members of the pack, his opinions held a lot of weight with the group. Clyde had been one of the most vocal against allowing Diana to stay. Ryker suspected that his son Jax’s death during Zane’s attack would prevent him from ever accepting another human into the pack.

“We’ll leave at midnight. Kyran’s men are arriving before sundown.” Ryker said.

“You weren’t able to convince Stryde to send anyone?”

Ryker’s jaw clenched. “No. But we don’t need him. We’ve sent scouts to town to try to find Zane. We found out that he’s organized a militia. They plan on attacking tonight. We estimate about twenty-five men, but we only need to capture one. Zane.”

“You think the others will leave you alone once you capture him?” Clyde asked.

“I doubt it. But as long as we stay hidden, we can wait for them to approach the den and then come in from behind.”

“You should just kill them all. Be done with the humans.”

Ryker shook his head. “They’re not all bad.”

“Maybe not the women, but they’re the ones who show up and cause all kinds of problems in the pack.” Clyde kicked a rock into the rushing river.

Anger simmered in his belly. “Diana didn’t cause problems in the pack. She was trying to outrun a madman when I found her. If I hadn’t brought her to the den, she would have died.”

Venom infused Clyde’s voice. “You should have let her die. Jax would still be alive and the humans wouldn’t have found our den.”

Ryker advanced toward him. “I would never have let her die, never. How can you even think I could do that?”

Clyde stepped back and held up his hands. “She’s really got you whipped, doesn’t she?”

Ryker didn’t respond.

“It’s not in your nature to let the weak suffer. You’re a better man than I am. I would have left her to die and I sure as hell wouldn’t have fallen in love with her.”

Ryker’s head snapped up. “I’m not in love with her.”

Clyde smirked. “You are. Everyone can see it. Some of the other wolves believe you can’t protect the pack anymore.”

“Then I should step down as alpha. If I can’t protect the pack, what good am I?” Ryker asked.

“You can’t step down. The position of alpha is for life. Forget the human. Send her back to her people and move on. You survived Trista, you’ll survive this one too.”

Ryker watched him walk away. No one knew the abyss he’d descended into after Trista. He almost didn’t make it out. If he lost Diana, he’d be useless to the pack because his heart would never survive.

Chapter 13

As the sun set, fire blazed across the sky. Diana stood at the entrance to the den. She hadn’t seen Ryker all day. He’d slipped out of bed before she woke. Over the last few days they hadn’t spoken more than a few words to each other. When she tried to talk to him about their relationship, he’d mumble excuses and leave the room.

Wolves from the Phantom Lake Pack had arrived midafternoon. She’d expected Ryker to be at the den to greet them, but he hadn’t made an appearance.

Leah approached her. “Ryker asked me to take you up to his private den on the mountain.”

“I won’t see him before we leave?”

Leah shook her head. “Sorry, sweetie. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“He’s been so distant.”

“Maybe it’s his way of dealing with you leaving.”

“I wouldn’t be leaving if he’d let me stay.” A twinge of pain sliced through her heart.

A deep voice sounded behind her. “You can’t stay. I thought we’d already established that fact.”

Diana spun to face Ryker. “You could at least take me to the den yourself.”

“I have to be here with the pack. Leah’s very capable of taking you to my private den until this is over. She knows Dark Moon Pack territory well and I doubt Stryde will bother you as long as Leah’s with you. I’ll send a scout when it’s safe and Leah can take you home.”

The entire time he spoke, he looked everywhere but her face. She tried to capture his gaze to no avail.

Diana grabbed his forearm. “Can I speak with you privately?”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “You can have one minute.”

She led him into the woods to gain some privacy. “Why are you acting like this?”

Ryker sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “We need a clean break. It’s for the best.”

“But I thought…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

He swallowed and looked past her. “I can never leave my pack, and they will never accept your presence.”

Tears formed in her eyes. “So this is it?”

He nodded. “You’ll find someone else. Get married, raise babies.”

Her hand reflexively covered her belly.

Ryker began to walk away, then stopped. He turned and folded her into an awkward hug. “You take care of yourself. Find another man, someone who can make you happy. Someone who can give you everything I can’t.”

He released her and stalked into the woods. As she watched his figure retreat, she whispered, “But I don’t want anyone else.”

Two hours later, Diana sat on the dais in Ryker’s private den on the mountain.

Leah hadn’t said much on the trip.

Diana couldn’t stand the unending silence. “Do you think Stryde will scent you and come for us?”

“I don’t think he’ll bother us. When I left him, he swore he’d never speak to me again.”

“People can change.”

Leah laughed bitterly. “Not Stryde. He’d die before he admitted he was wrong.”

Diana sighed. “Why do men insist on making everything so complicated?”

“They say the same about us.”

“True.”

An owl hooted somewhere in the valley; the sound echoed up the mountain. Diana shivered. She wished she could do something to help capture Zane, but Ryker insisted on keeping her safe.

Her nerves frayed as hours passed. The full moon rose high in the sky to cast shadows over the landscape.

Leah said, “Come away from the entrance. We need to stay hidden until the scouts arrive.”

“I just feel so helpless waiting here. We should be down there helping them. We could be bringing the wounded back to the den for treatment. Something,
anything
is better than sitting here doing nothing.”

A small avalanche of rocks skittered down the face of the mountain.

Diana froze. “Someone’s up there.”

Leah whispered, “Come to the back, hide behind the bed.”

Diana hurried to Leah’s side and ducked down. Her heart pounded in time to the approaching footsteps.

Diana peered around the edge. A shadowy figure stepped into the entrance of the cave. “I know you’re in there.”

Leah slowly rose, but Diana grabbed her arm and whispered, “What are you doing?”

“Stryde, is that you?”

“Well, you’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble if it wasn’t.” Stryde responded.

Leah stood and put her hands on her hips. “Why’d you sneak in here? You could have at least called out to tell us it was you.”

Stryde’s gaze settled on Leah. “I didn’t know who was in the cave. I smelled a human and didn’t want to announce myself until I had some idea of what I was dealing with. You look good.”

“Thanks,” she stammered.

“What are you two doing in here?” he asked.

“Hiding,” Diana responded. Ryker and the rest of the pack went to capture Zane. They found out he’d gathered a militia and planned to attack the pack tonight.”

“Ryker thought we’d be safer here than in the den.” Leah added.

“Well at least he’s not a complete moron,” Stryde said.

Leah stepped forward and jabbed a finger in his direction. “At least he’s not a coward. He told me you refused to help him. You’re still the same bitter, jealous, selfish jerk you’ve always been.”

“Selfish? Ryker stole the alpha position from me. I have far more tactical experience and I would have been a far better leader. If I had been alpha, the pack wouldn’t be in danger right now.”

Leah snorted. “It’s been five years. Get over it. Maybe you should try caring about someone other than yourself for once and help them.”

Diana stepped between them. “I know there’s bad blood between you and Ryker, but this is far more important that a feud over who should have been the rightful alpha. If Zane’s militia kills Ryker’s pack, how long do you think it will be before he’s climbing the mountain to kill your pack too?”

Stryde frowned. “How badly do you think they’re outnumbered?”

“I’d guess four to one.”

“Dammit.” Stryde paced the room.

Diana observed the conflict in his face and pressed on. “Four to one, Stryde. Can’t you set the past aside for one night?”

He stopped and stared at Leah. She approached him and set her hand on his bulging bicep.

“If you don’t do it for him, do it for me,” Leah said.

Diana felt as if she were intruding on a private moment. She stayed as still and silent as possible.

“Why won’t you come back?” Stryde whispered.

Leah cupped his face. “I couldn’t stand to see you angry all the time. If you let the past go, I’d gladly come back to you. Please, help Ryker and we can talk when you get back.”

“I’ll go. But not for him. For you.” He bent down to kiss Leah.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer. Diana looked away.

He slowly backed out of Leah’s embrace. “I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

Diana breathed a sigh of relief as Stryde shifted into his wolf form. He stepped onto the ledge and disappeared around the corner.

***

Ryker sniffed the noxious fumes wafting off the humans. In wolf form, he usually enjoyed his heightened sense of smell. But even three hundred yards away, the scent of the human’s chemical culture singed his nose.

Ten paces to his right, Trent motioned to him with a slight shake of his head. Ryker turned to the wolf to his left and passed the signal down the line.

The wolves stepped closer. The humans hadn’t spotted them yet, so the pack still had the advantage of surprise. Ryker wanted to be as close as possible before closing in.

Two hundred yards to go.

Suddenly a shot rang out in the darkness. Ryker bounded forward on his strong hind legs. The other wolves attacked the group of about twenty humans. He’d ordered them to try to capture the humans and only kill if absolutely necessary.

Shouting and gunshots filled the air. He surged into the crowd and tackled a man. Ryker wrestled with him until the man fell against a rock. He was knocked unconscious, so Ryker moved to the next target.

A bullet whizzed past his head. He ducked into a nearby bush and waited for the shooter to pass. Ryker attacked from behind. He snapped and growled until the man dropped his gun and put his hands in the air.

Trent corralled another man together with his as other wolves brought their captives into the center clearing.

Ryker raced back into the woods to round up more humans. He hadn’t seen Zane yet and knew he was out there somewhere.

A branch snapped behind him. He turned to stare down the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun.

“Now you die, wolf.”

The hunter’s cackle cut short as Stryde rushed him from the side. The gun went off before it fell against a tree.

Stryde growled at the hunter who backed up toward the clearing. He turned and ran to join the other captives.

Ryker dipped his head to acknowledge Stryde. He had no idea what prompted the other alpha to join the fight, but he was eternally grateful.

One of the men in his pack shifted. “That’s the last of them.”

As Ryker circled the captives, he searched their faces. Something wasn’t right. He’d expected double the number of men in the militia. He trotted around the group double checking their faces.

His gut clenched. Zane wasn’t among them.

***

“Did you hear that?” Leah stepped closer to the entrance to the den.

Diana walked to her side. “What?”

“It sounded like someone screaming.”

“I don’t hear—” Diana stopped and cocked her head to one side.

Leah said, “There it is again.”

A shrill cry echoed up the mountain.

“It sounds like a woman. We need to help her.” Diana moved closer to the entrance but stopped when Leah grabbed her arm.

“Wait. We don’t know what’s going on out there. It could be a trap.”

Diana bit her bottom lip. She hated to stay and do nothing. What if someone was in trouble? But she also didn’t want to do anything stupid, so she turned and walked back into the cave.

Leah stiffened. “That sounded like…”

“My name,” Diana finished.

They rushed toward the entrance to the cave.

“I can’t tell where it’s coming from,” Leah said.

“We’ll go together, slowly. As long as we don’t split up, we should be fine.” Diana nodded as if to convince herself of her own statement.

Leah shot her a skeptical look but followed her into the night. Loose gravel made the descent twice as hard as the ascent.

Every few feet, Diana paused to listen for the woman’s cries. They’d almost reached the bottom as another scream echoed through the forest.

Leah whispered, “It sounds like it’s coming from near the river.”

“Stay close. Let’s try to find her from a distance before we approach.”

Diana picked a path through the forest, edging closer to the beach. She was careful to stay behind the tree line instead of walking in the open.

She rounded a sharp curve and spotted a funny-looking tree. As she squinted, she realized there was a woman tied to the tree.

A cloud briefly obscured the light on the woman’s face, but as the moon returned, Diana stifled a scream. Her sister Luna struggled against the ropes.

Diana gave up on being stealthy and ran toward her sister. Leah’s footfalls pounded in the sand behind her. Ten feet from her imprisoned sister, a shot ricocheted off a boulder.

Leah screamed. Diana spun and watched in horror as a bullet tore through the woman’s chest. Leah landed face down on the beach like a rag doll. Blood seeped from a bullet hole in her back. Diana didn’t need to get any closer to know Leah was dead.

Diana scrambled into the tree line. She scanned the beach, but couldn’t spot the shooter. She turned toward Luna who thrashed against the bonds. Diana couldn’t leave her tied to a tree, so she wove a path through the bushes.

As she closed in on her sister, Diana trembled. She wished Ryker was here with her, but he was off fighting for the pack. She’d have to do this alone.

She inched forward. The shooter could be anywhere, just waiting to ambush her. Whoever was trying to kill her was using Luna as bait.

Three trees away from her sister, Diana stopped and listened. The only sound in the night came from the raging river. No other creatures stirred. Even the beetles were silent.

Diana closed the distance between her and Luna. “Be quiet. I’ll untie you.”

Luna gasped. “I thought you were dead.”

“She’s not dead yet.”

Diana whipped around to find Zane standing behind her. He pointed a wicked-looking gun at her chest. Her heart stopped and a wave of nausea crashed over her.

Zane’s teeth gleamed in the moonlight. “Untie your sister. You’re both coming with me.”