Untamed (Wolf Lake) (22 page)

"Trust me," she said.

He felt it then, her absolute certainty that he would never hurt her, he or his wolf. It went hand in hand with her desire, her need for the both of them. Staring down the mate bond, Roland realized that he could deny her nothing.

Natasha knew the exact moment Roland let go, his wolf launching itself and charging down the mate bond. She didn't flinch, just opened herself up and let all that power come. At the last second, her wolf surged, leaping forward and meeting Roland's wolf.
 

Roland felt the animals collide, the two wolves exploding in a shower of sparks and energy. Natasha arched beneath him, her head thrown back as she gripped at his arms. Desperately, he tried reeling his wolf in, fear freezing in his lungs as he realized that there was nothing there for him to grab. The animal was off its leash.

"Don't," Natasha gasped, feeling Roland trying to pull back. "I want to feel it," she said, echoing his earlier words. Roland's wolf dove past Natasha's barriers, opening her up and surging inside. There wasn't a part of her or her wolf the animal didn't touch, seeking out and finding the deepest corners of her subconscious and brushing up against them.
 

"He's marking me," she said, her voice hushed. She'd never heard of a wolf marking his mate through the mate bond.
 

Roland blinked, bending his head, he brushed his nose along the line of Natasha's jaw. "Your scent has changed," he whispered, a surge of possessiveness spiking up his spine. "You smell like us."

Natasha shivered, pleasure rippling across her skin. She could still feel Roland's wolf. The animal had stopped his mad dash and was circling her wolf, his gold eyes staring out at Natasha as he settled down, laying his head across the back of her wolf's neck and shoulders.

"Well, I'll be damned," Roland whispered, a bit unsettled at having his wolf take up residence in someone else. Tentatively, he reached out to the animal, relieved when he lifted his head and acknowledged Roland without snarling at him.
 

"I think I may have an identity crisis," Natasha said, feeling the two animals settling in. Between the wolves and Roland and the mate bond, it was suddenly feeling a bit crowded inside her head.

Roland chuckled and reached for his wolf.

"Leave him," Natasha said, focusing on the male above her. "He's happy."

Roland blinked. Tuning into his wolf, he caught the animal's emotions - both in his head and as Natasha was experiencing them through the mate bond. She was right, the animal was happy. More than that, he was at peace.

"You tamed the beast," Roland said, brushing his lips against her mouth in a silent thank you.

"All it takes is the love of a good female," Natasha said, catching herself too late.
 

Roland froze, his lips resting lightly against Natasha's mouth. "Say it again," he ordered, his voice harsh.

"I love you," Natasha said, letting him feel it through the bond. Lifting her head, she closed the distance between them, sealing her declaration with a searing kiss.

Roland sunk himself into his mate, letting her love wash over him. Mate.

Mate
, his wolf agreed, still curled around Natasha's wolf.
 

After all they'd been through together, the animal seemed perfectly happy to leave Roland for the female.
Traitor
.
 

Roland would have sworn his wolf laughed.
Mate
.

Roland eased back, breaking the kiss. "I love you," he said, the words sounding rusty, even to his ears.

"I've loved you for a thousand years," she said, feeling like she'd been waiting for him.

"And I'll love you for a thousand more," Roland said.

****

"You must be Sam."

Sam opened her eyes to find a pretty brunette had replaced Natasha in the chair beside the bed. Sam tightened her arms around Maddie. "Who are you?"

"Beverly, but you can call me Bev."

"Nafarius mother," Sam sighed, closing her eyes briefly. This is so not how she wanted to meet her mother-in-law for the first time. "Where's Nafarius?"

"Talking with his father," Bev said, eyeing her son's mate. "He called, told us what happened. He asked me to come check in on you."

Actually, Bev had told Nafarius to sit and stay when he moved to intercept her. She understood his need to protect his mate, but Bev would measure her new daughter-in-law without interference.

"Chicken," Sam grumbled, catching Nafarius' sheepishness through the mate bond. It didn't take a genius to figure out how her mother-in-law came to be in her room, her mate noticeably absent.

Bev laughed. Reaching out, she ignored Sam's snarl and brushed a motherly hand over Maddie's head. Lifting her eyes, Bev pinned Sam to the bed. "She was mine long before she was ever yours."

Sam's snarl abruptly cut off when she realized that, for the first time, she wasn't the strongest female in the room.
Great
. Slowly lowering her lip, Sam clenched her back teeth together and dropped her eyes.

Satisfied, Bev withdrew her hand and sat back in the chair. "The others arrived about an hour ago. Nafarius ordered them down for a couple of hours of rest before you all head back."

"The others?" Sam asked. Her brain was noticeably dull.

"Nafarius called Marcus, told him what happened and ordered some of the males down to help."

"She's still too weak to make the trip," Sam said, looking down at Maddie. The small wolf hadn't stirred but she had started healing on her own. "I can't leave her here but I won't kill her trying to get her home."

"She can come home with us," Bev offered, her eyes kind. "She'll be safe in Seattle."

Sam looked up to find Nafarius' eyes staring back at her from his mother's face. Bev was pretty, long and leggy like most werewolves. She didn't appear a day over forty. Sam knew from Nafarius that his mother was almost two hundred years old, his father closer to three hundred.
 

"That's why Nafarius called you, isn't it?" Sam asked. Her mate would have known she wouldn't leave Maddie and neither one of them would risk taking her home.
 

"That's one reason," Bev said, pleased to see that her new daughter-in-law wasn't dull. "Now, why don't you go shower. I'll stay with Maddie."

Sam hesitated, watching as the skin around Bev's eyes tightened slightly.
Soooo...not a suggestion then
. Pulling her arm out from under the small wolf, Sam sat up slowly, groaning as stiff muscles protested the unexpected change in position.

"Jesus," Sam said, getting her first good look at herself in the mirror across from the bed. She'd spent the past 18 hours laying next to Maddie, sleeping in blood stained clothes without a shower or a break - and it showed.
 

"I hear werewolves can live to be eight hundred years old," Sam said, casting a sideways glance at Bev as she slid off the bottom of the bed.
 

"Some," Bev said, one brow raised in question. "Why?"

"That is an awful long time to live with this as a first impression," Sam said, hobbling to the bathroom on stiff legs.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Because One In-Law is Never Enough...

Sam had to admit she felt better after her shower. The first one she'd had in over eight weeks, she refused to think about how she had hoped to share Maddie's first shower with the female, or the fact that it was Maddie's blood she washed out from under her fingernails.

"Much better," Bev said, not unkindly. Sam had brushed her black hair back from her face, accentuating tired eyes and tight lips. She was still beautiful, squaring her shoulders against the strain that would have felled a weaker female. "They're waiting for you next door," she told Sam.
 

Sam glanced at Maddie, her eyes tightening before she started for the door. She hated to leave her, but the worst of the danger had passed and Sam had others to think about.

"My son chose well," Bev said quietly. "That's my first impression."

Sam froze, her hand on the door nob. Turning, she saw that Bev had moved her chair closer to the bed and was resting one hand on Maddie's side. "I really was looking forward to meeting you, I'm just sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

"No one looks forward to meeting their in-laws," Bev said with a smile.

"Most people's in-laws couldn't eat them for breakfast," Sam pointed out.

Bev laughed. "I prefer eggs for breakfast..."

Sam turned back to the door.

"...I save daughters-in-laws for dessert." Bev couldn't pass up the parting shot.

"Great," Sam muttered, opening the door and looking for her mate. "An alpha with a twisted sense of humor."

"They say men marry their mothers!" Bev called out, wishing she could be there when Miles met his new daughter-in-law.

"Now you're just being mean!" Sam responded, smiling as she closed the door behind her. She could still hear Bev laughing.

Looking over the railing, Sam got her first good look at their location. The hotel was situated next to the freeway, a Motel 6 that served weary travelers and tired truck drivers.
 

The SUV was parked down below, her Mini nowhere to be found. The red and black checkered paint was infinitely more memorable than the black Suburban. She wondered if Nafarius had ditched the car. She had loved driving the little thing but would gladly push it over a cliff herself if it saw them all safe.

A murmur of voices drew Sam to the room next door. Slipping inside, she wasn't surprised when conversation stopped and all eyes turned to her.

"Sam." Nafarius stepped around his father, quickly crossing the room and pulling his mate into his arms. He'd checked on her and Maddie throughout the night, watching the two of them sleep. More then once, he'd wondered if Sam would survive the severing of her bond with Maddie if the female didn't survive. "Hey."

"Hey," Sam wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. "You've been busy."
 

Sam was surrounded by pack, the males taking up every available space. They looked tired and worn, each of them calling out a quiet greeting or inquiring after Maddie. "Is there anyone left at home?"

"A few," Nafarius said, easing Sam back and inspecting her face. "I see you survived meeting my mother."

Sam smiled. "Apparently, I'm not on this morning's menu."

Nafarius groaned. "What did she say?" He should have insisted on introducing the two females, but his mother still had the unique ability to make him feel like a floppy-eared pup.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Sam said, deciding not to let Nafarius off the hook just yet with the knowledge that she actually liked her mother-in-law.
 

"Can you handle meeting one more in-law?" Nafarius asked, stepping aside. "Sam, this is my father, Miles."

Sam blinked. Looking from father to son, she had a serious case of deja vu. Nafarius was a slightly larger version of his father, the two males sharing the same red hair, square jaw and broad build. They could easily be mistaken for brothers, maybe even twins from a distance. Except for the eyes, Nafarius had the crystal blue eyes of his mother, while Miles' eyes were a stormy gray.

"Sam." Miles smiled. Taking her hands in his, he pulled her out of her mate's arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We're very pleased to meet you."

"You might want to check with your mate on that one," Sam said, snapping her mouth shut when several of the males chuckled quietly.

"Bev is all bark and no bite," Miles said, his smile widening. He was no longer alpha but he was still pack. He could feel his son's mate through the bond, strength and heart pouring down from her to the pack. He didn't even think she was aware of how much energy she fed the group of wolves.

"I got the sense that she was still full from her last meal," Sam said. "Perhaps your first mate?" she asked, elbowing Nafarius in the side.

Nafarius grunted. "Mother is obviously in her usual form," he told his father, rolling his eyes.

"You can't blame her for wanting to get a look at her new daughter," Miles said, smiling at Sam. "Yours is quite a story."

"Please tell me you left some things out." Sam pinned her mate with a look, taking a moment to peer around her father in-law and glare at the laughing pack. "Don't forget, I know where you all live. More importantly, I know where you sleep."

That shut them up.

Miles laughed, she was so like his Bev. Beautiful too, he'd give Nafarius that. But he knew his son. Nafarius would have been drawn to Sam's spirit, and her strength, long before he was drawn into her beauty. "We really are pleased to finally meet you."

"Thank you," Sam said, smiling up at her new father-in-law and responding to the genuine warmth she saw there.

"Perhaps when this is all settled you and Nafarius would consider coming to Seattle for a visit," Miles invited. "We have a large house and even some room to run."

"I would like that," Sam said, casting a sideways glance up at her mate. "Besides, it appears I'll need to come and retrieve one of my wolves."

Nafarius cringed. "It's the only way I could think - "

"It's fine," Sam said, stopping him with a hand on his arm and letting her mate off the hook. "It's for the best."

Nafarius nodded, some of his tension easing. He had dreaded separating Sam from Maddie and had happily thrown his mother under that bus.
 

"Where's Natasha?" Sam asked, taking roll around the room.

"She and Roland are getting the bags loaded and ready to go," Nafarius said. He and his father had been working out the logistics when Sam walked in. "She and Roland mated."

Sam startled. "They what? When?"

"Last night, sometime after you made her pack," Nafarius said, slipping his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

Sam had the decency to flush, while Miles and the rest of the pack were suddenly very busy examining the carpet. "She mentioned that, did she?"

"It's not that I'm opposed," Nafarius said. He would not take his mate to task in front of the others, but there were things she had likely failed to consider. "But how do you think she's going to feel when I'm forced to take down her father?"