Vulfen Alpha's Mate (11 page)

* * * *

Ellie rolled to her hands and knees, but something was very wrong. Her balance was off and she stumbled to the side.

Roga was bleeding from four deep slashes across his face, and the expression on his face was twisted. He scrambled to his feet and reeled against the wall. Staring, keeping his eyes on her the whole time, he backed out of the room.

When he made it out into the hallway, he locked the door and left her alone in the dark.

Ellie could hear his footsteps echoing on the stone as he ran. She didn’t understand what had happened to derail his plan and change his

mind. Or perhaps he thought enough of his scent was on her already to cause Rylek to go mad. No matter the reason, she was glad for the reprieve.

She struggled and finally crawled to the door, but her legs gave out halfway and she collapsed.

“Rylek,” she whispered, holding his name like a talisman against the darkness as it swept up to claim her.

* * * *

Rylek rounded a corner at a dead run and smashed into another man, knocking the man back several feet. The man hit the wall and bounced back at Rylek swinging his fists.

The man smelled of Ellie and blood, and Rylek was on him in seconds. Rylek dragged the man to him and shook him like a rag doll, roaring in his startled face. The Cadre rounded the corner behind him, but they didn’t make a sound. No one dared to speak.

“Where is Ellie?” Rylek snarled. “Where is my queen?”

The man continued to struggle, trying to shift forms. Rylek slammed the sneering man hard into the stone wall and let his Alpha power flow. Dominant wrath snapped and seethed in the contained space. The stone hallway echoed with a deafening boom like overhead thunder and the man yowled and writhed in agony.

Rylek heard someone gasp behind him, but he didn’t look around to see who it was. The Alpha was dealing with a traitor. The punishment for betrayal was harsh, but no one in the Cadre would interfere.

When Rylek dropped him in contempt, the man slid to the floor in a cowering heap, his shifting ability forcibly stripped from him by his furious Alpha while the Cadre looked on.

The man would be helpless, his vulfen strength gone forever. In this state, he would be weaker than the average human male.

The man’s head fell back to rest against the wall. It was Roga

Gabrov, the son of a clan Elder and brother of Cadre member Matsij Gabrov. He was hard to recognize with one side of his face in shreds. Four bloody gouges marked him.

Rylek wanted to tear out the betrayer’s throat, but he wanted to find Ellie more. His power swelled until the air in the hallway warped with the elemental force of his anger.

“Where is my Queen?”

Rylek could feel his rumbling Alpha command sink into Roga’s brain, forcing him to answer, conquering his will.

“The queen—” Roga visibly struggled, blood trickling from his

nose and ears, but he could not refuse the Alpha’s authority. “The queen is in the lower storage room.” He bowed his head and curled into a ball.

“Does she live?”

“She lives.”

The urge to destroy the pathetic man was eating at Rylek. He had never suffered from the burden of bloodlust as some of his people did, but he wanted this man’s blood with a desire that nearly overwhelmed his control.

Rylek pulled the broken spy off the floor. At the Alpha’s touch, Roga convulsed. Rylek shoved him at Valeri and Eva.

Beside the two warrior siblings stood Matsij Gabrov, the older

brother of the traitor. Matsij’s face was cold until he met his Alpha’s gaze. Then emotion swam in his eyes. After a moment, he looked away from Rylek.

Rylek rested his hand on Matsij’s shoulder and squeezed in silent sympathy. But when he spoke, his words were hard.

“He is a traitor to our blood queen. His death is mine.”

Eva nodded, helping Valeri to support a twitching Roga. “Yes, Alpha,” they said in unison.

Rylek turned and ran to find his mate.

* * * *

A noise on the other side of the door woke Ellie from her stupor. For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was, but as soon as she tried to move, pain rolled through her head like a tidal wave and she whimpered.

A hard hand pounded on the door. “Ellie!” Rylek shouted. “Ellie!”

A loud strike against the door made the old wood shudder in its frame. Her ears protested at the harsh sound.

One more earsplitting thud and the door cracked down the middle,

one half smashing to the floor right beside Ellie. She barely had time to flinch before she was lifted into Rylek’s arms and carried through the halls at a dizzying pace.

Her eyes wouldn’t focus properly because of the jolting. She saw such pain on his face. She tried to touch his cheek to reassure him, but her fingernail left a tiny scratch beside his eye.

“I’m sorry,” she said, but only a soft whine came out.

“Ellie, my heart, I never expected this.” Rylek was still running, turning into the atrium and taking the stairs two at a time. “I know you’re scared. I would have warned you, taught you. It is my failing, not yours.”

She couldn’t follow the conversation. Rylek wasn’t making sense. People were calling back and forth in the background, a man’s voice was screaming.

Then all sound mercifully quieted as Rylek raced into their suite. Mura was already there, standing by the wide bed beside Vasily and an elderly man she didn’t know.

“A human doctor,” Mura said, bowing. “But I see that his services will not be required. I will arrange for him to be escorted home.”

Ellie wanted to protest when Mura sent the doctor out with Vasily. She felt so sick. She really wanted a doctor. Her limbs spasmed and she gasped for air. Her objection was a high-pitched howl that made Rylek wince.

He laid her down on their bed and sat on the edge.

Valeri skidded to a halt just inside the room. He looked at Ellie for a long moment.

“Well, now we know how Roga got clawed up so badly,” Valeri

said. “His face is a mess. The wounds are still bleeding.”

His voice held a curious note of…awe? Ellie couldn’t be sure.

Her eyes were almost back to normal now, neither blurry nor too sharp. It gave her hope even though her ears were ringing. Ordinary sounds seemed distorted and unnaturally loud. Her head was throbbing, her bones ached, and she felt like her heart was on fire in her chest. She was in bad shape. She hardly noticed when Valeri left the room.

Rylek stroked her face. His touch was so light she could hardly feel it, but the warmth of it spread throughout her system. It calmed her, gave her strength when hers was failing. She absorbed it gratefully.

All she wanted was for him to hold her. She was so thankful that he had found her.

Ellie had been determined to fight, to escape if she could, but in

the back of her mind was the very real fear that she would never see her mate again. That she would die in that little airless room with a madman gloating over her. And she had never told Rylek that she loved him. She had never said the words.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried to choke out the words to tell him how much she loved him. How happy she was that he had mated her. That he was the man she had dreamed of all her life. The sounds that came out of her mouth were wrong. She still couldn’t speak properly.

“Ellie,” Rylek said in a calm tone, “relax into it. You don’t need to fight so hard. I’m here.”

He stroked a hand down and patted her ribs. She wanted to object,

but it felt strangely good. She wriggled against his hand and he patted a little harder.

“You are so strong, my beautiful mate. There is no need to be frightened. I will guide you through your First Change.”

And then she knew.

She closed her eyes and howled.

His mate was howling in fear, and it broke Rylek’s heart. He could actually feel the pressure building in his chest. A wave of tenderness swept through him. He gathered her furry body close and cradled her. He let her feel his warmth, his deep love for her, both as his mate and as the woman herself.

Gradually, as he rocked her, Ellie’s frightened howls became tormented whimpers. Through it all, Rylek held her close and soothed her with the gentle support of his Alpha power.

Touch was so important in the vulfen world, especially between mates. And his mate was terrified. She burrowed against his chest, trying to make herself small. He dropped his head down to rest over hers. Offering his strength to her. Offering reassurance.

He had never expected this. He was quite sure that Ellie wouldn’t think of it as a blessing right now, but he did. That he would be so fortunate as to be granted a mate and one who was so compatible with his vulfen nature that his mating bite had allowed her to transform. Truly, the goddess had favored him beyond anything he could have imagined.

He stroked Ellie’s sleek coat. As a human, she was beautiful, but as a wolf, she was striking. Her stature was smaller than normal, her coloring unusual with blue-black fur and the same soft blue eyes that had stolen his guarded heart so easily. His mate was exquisite.

He rubbed his chin over her head. She wasn’t whimpering any longer, but her little body was still tense.

He would be forever warning off unmated males. He could hardly blame them, his mate was a vulfen male’s wet-dream, but if they

valued their lives, they would keep a careful distance. Perhaps the next county would be far enough. He didn’t want to kill in front of his mate, but he would if other males made it necessary.

Ellie nudged his hand. He realized with a choked off laugh that he had stopped petting her. He resumed his long rhythmic caresses, and she relaxed in his arms.

After a few minutes, Rylek judged that she was calm enough to follow his lead through the First Change. The vulfen youngsters often changed for the first time at an emotional moment, but then didn’t know how to get back to their human forms. A powerful older wolf would be called to act as a guide for the younger one. Ellie would need that guidance now.

He transformed into his wolf and stood facing her on the bed. He licked her muzzle and jumped down to the floor.

He gave a quiet yip, and she moved to the side of the bed. She looked down at him. When he barked, she got down on her belly and awkwardly slid off the edge of the bed to join him. Certain now that she would follow, he moved in close where the shifting patterns of his energy would froth around her. His famous control strained to the limit, he changed as slowly as he could. He could feel the moment her energy started to follow his into human form, because she panicked at the strong pull.

He bared his teeth and let his Alpha authority flood into her, and she grabbed it with startling strength. She held the warm stream of power like a lifeline and let it pull her into human form.

Rylek suppressed a sigh of relief at the ease of her change. She had been traumatized enough for one day. Like most young wolves, Ellie came back naked this first time, and the poor thing was shivering with reaction.

He gathered her up, stuffed her in their bed under the covers, shed his clothes, and crawled in to wrap his big body around hers skin to skin. He could feel her heart pounding. She curled up close to him and they held each other until their hearts began to beat together.

“Rylek, I love you,” she whispered and snuggled against his shoulder. Her breath warmed his skin and only then did he realize he had been cold. He had wondered if she would blame him for not protecting her, for giving her incorrect information about the consequences of becoming his mate.

“I love you. You are my heart,” he said and was shocked to hear his voice crack.

Rylek’s arms tightened around her. He wasn’t sure which one of them needed the contact more. He was shaken, his disciplined thoughts in disorder.

She just kept surprising him. His precious mate. His queen. She was everything to him. He held his world in his arms.

* * * *

Ellie cuddled in Rylek’s arms, the place she most wanted to be, and tried not to think. Her mind shied away from the events of the day. It was too much. She couldn’t handle it right now. She just wanted to savor this time with her mate.

She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and watched his skin twitch. She nuzzled his throat down to his wide chest where she ran her nose through the crisp hair. When she found a tight male nipple, she laved it with her tongue until Rylek moved under her.

“Ellie,” he said, and his voice held a warning. She ignored him and shifted down further.

Rylek pulled her up his body by burying his hands in her hair and tugging.

She allowed him a brief, hot kiss, and then took his hands in hers.

She guided his hands to the headboard and curved his fingers around the metal bars.

“Hold on and don’t let go,” she said, and watched as his eyes fired

and began to glow.

She took her hands away and waited, but Rylek stayed still, his

big hands wrapped around the bars at the head of their bed. When she realized that her strong Alpha male was putting himself in her hands, giving her control of their pleasure, she felt a rush of liquid heat.

Ellie took the gift he gave her. She explored his body with her hands and mouth, stroking and kissing the brawny muscles under velvet skin. His well-developed legs drew her attention, and she kneaded the solid contours there before moving further down to his rock-hard calves.

She spent long minutes exploring and enjoying his masculine form, even as she ignored his growing erection. She could see his pulse beating in the thick flesh. It twitched each time she came close. The flared head soon became damp but she bypassed it once again as she worked her way back up his body.

She was trying to tempt him, to give him pleasure, but she didn’t count on how the submission of such a commanding man would captivate her. Her nipples tightened and her sex was damp.

When she reached his face, she rubbed his nose with hers in an affectionate caress. He surged upward and captured her lips, plunging his tongue deep, seducing her vulnerable mouth. The carnal kiss went on and on until Ellie moaned in deepening arousal and the headboard rattled.

Ellie pulled back a little, panting, staring into Rylek’s eyes.

His nostrils flared and his knuckles turned white, but he held on. She smiled and he groaned.

“Ellie, please.” His voice was rough, grating.

She slid one hand down his body and curled her fingers around his rigid cock. It flexed eagerly in her grip and the bars of the headboard creaked in protest under Rylek’s gripping hands. The muscles in his arms stood out in rigid relief.

“Ellie, come up here. Put your knees beside my face,” he coaxed, licking his lips. “Come sit on my mouth.”

Her body flushed and tingled as the image raced through her like an electric shock. But she shook her head in denial.

“Please. I must taste you.”

She stroked his firm shaft, and he groaned harshly. “Ellie, I have never been so hard. Please. I must make you ready.”

When she hesitated, he narrowed his gaze. “Come up here,” he

said, and his tone made it a command.

Gingerly, she climbed him. He didn’t wait until she was situated, but lurched forward to lap at her with an urgent hunger as soon as her pussy was in reach.

She gasped out a cry and smacked her hands on the wall to steady herself as his wicked tongue flickered into her moist entrance. He licked and sucked. His growls of enjoyment and the sounds of his lips and tongue moving over her wet folds sparked fire through her nervous system. The man was driving her mad with only his mouth. His hands were still anchored around the bars where she had placed them.

His mouth was in constant motion, stimulating her until she cried out. The sensations were so strong, she almost tried to pull away, but he didn’t give her the chance. He found her tender clit and sucked hard. Electrical impulses shot through her and pushed her into a shattering orgasm.

Her head slumped down to rest on her extended arm. After a moment, she realized that her other hand was clutched in Rylek’s hair, holding his head to her. Appalled, she loosened her convulsive grip, but Rylek didn’t back off. Instead, he pushed his face up closer to her greedy core and licked her swollen flesh with a gentle tongue. A blazing aftershock rolled up her spine and she convulsed again.

When she came back to herself this time, Rylek was still nuzzling her wet flesh. She should be satisfied, but she wanted more. She needed to feel him inside her, filling her aching emptiness.

She moved down his body until she felt the tip of his cock brush the sensitive apex of her legs.

Rylek’s face was dark, his glowing eyes intent with a savage hunger that sent a tremor through her. She wanted him.

Ellie reached down and grasped his stiff penis, angling it up to lodge at her gate. Rylek’s teeth clicked together. But he let her take the lead. He had given her his body, and she was taking it.

She pressed her body down, enveloping his thickness in a slow, slick glide that tore the breath from her lungs and made him gnash his teeth. Her flesh stretched and burned around him. She made that first penetration last until both she and Rylek were gasping for air.

Ellie swiveled her hips experimentally, and the resulting hot blaze of sensation made her grind down on Rylek. His big body shuddered under her. She looked into his eyes and repeated the move.

Rylek snarled and his fangs gleamed in the dim light. He lunged upward, piercing up into her softness until he was fully buried. Her pussy clenched around his intrusion.

“Yes,” she cried, “Rylek!”

His hips worked like a piston, plunging his solid cock up into her again and again, bouncing her weight on his hips with breathtaking vigor. He continued his brutal thrusts until her blood sizzled in her veins and her heart pounded to his rhythm. She grabbed his shoulders and hung on for the bruising ride while the waves of orgasm crashed over her.

She screamed and her body arched above him in an agony of pleasure.

She heard him shout and thick bursts of heat filled her. She could feel every fiery blast. It went on and on until spots swam behind her eyes, and she collapsed on his heaving chest.

His arms came around her finally and the world was right. He made her fly and caught her when she fell. She finally had her perfect mate.