Wolf Tales 11 (20 page)

But Keisha? She was magnificent. She
was
the First Lady.

In what felt like hours but was merely a couple of minutes, they’d reached the roped-off area front and center in the auditorium where Keisha and the president took their seats. A few other couples were already there and waiting, people carefully chosen who were familiar to the president but had never met his wife.

So far, so good. Anton and Tinker took up their position standing just below the stage in front of the sectioned-off area. AJ and Luc stood to one side but still close enough to respond quickly, and while everything was quiet, for now, anyway, Anton took a moment to check in on the various members around the city and across the country.

It was already after eight. Everything was scheduled to come together in a little over half an hour. He cast his thoughts far and wide, sensed the pack in Montana, the ones in Colorado, the four from Maine now racing through a forested park in Washington, DC.

And then, to ease the tension building inside, he thought about Eve and wondered if she might be near.

The soft brush of a summer breeze across his cheek told him their Goddess had not forgotten just how much her Chanku needed her and how very much Anton counted on her to stand beside him tonight.

Ulrich stepped out of the shower. As he reached for a towel, he caught Millie staring at herself in the bathroom mirror. He didn’t say anything as he dried himself off with the big towel she’d left for him. He loved watching her, especially when she wasn’t paying any attention to him at all.

Like now. He grinned, enjoying the view of her trim, naked ass, tight little waist, and the perfect swell of her breasts. He even liked that little wrinkle between her eyebrows that she got as she frowned at her cloudy image in the steamy mirror

After a bit she planted her hands on her hips and jerked her head in his direction, glaring at him. “Look at us,” she demanded. “What do you see?”

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her sleek body. Her skin felt like warm, living silk. She was still damp from her shower and her scent, a mix of shampoo and soap and clean, warm woman, filled his nostrils when he pulled her close against his chest. His cock immediately went from parade rest to full attention, and the first thing he thought was, if they didn’t step apart really fast, they’d never make it to the kids’ cabin.

Of course, stepping away from her was the furthest thing from his mind, until he palmed her breasts and caught her nipples between his fingers. Instead of reacting the way he had hoped, Millie raised her head and glared at his reflection. “Ric. I asked you a question. What do you see?”

He chuckled at the minor setback, nuzzled the sensitive skin beneath her left ear, and ran his tongue around the shell-like curve. “I see the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. I see the woman I love, the one I call my mate. She is also a very sexy grandma. What did you expect?”

Shaking her head, she laughed softly. “Ah, Ric. You do know what to say, but you’re not answering my question.” She turned to face him and tapped the end of his nose. “If you didn’t have white hair, you’d look like a thirty-year-old. I’m almost sixty. If I were human, I’d be all through menopause and well on my way to being an old woman.”

“You are most definitely not an old woman.”

“Exactly. That’s what I’m getting at. All evening long, I’ve been freaking out about getting naked with three young kids, when I suddenly realized we’re not old. We don’t look old. No wrinkles or age spots. We don’t act our ages. Your body is muscular and mature, but it’s not the body of an old man. You look like a man in your prime.”

Ric chuckled, not at Millie’s vehement declarations, so much, but at himself. He’d subconsciously sucked in his belly when she’d started talking about how he looked, but Millie didn’t even notice. No, she was definitely on a roll.

“Matt and Deacon aren’t even thirty yet.” She was still frowning, still busy making her point. “In fact, they still need to grow into their bones, but Daci and I could be the same age. We look like contemporaries.” She shook her head, obviously frustrated by something she couldn’t explain. “Ric, I didn’t look this good when I was thirty. I’ve started going into heat again, like a young woman. For all I know, heaven forbid, I could get pregnant if I wanted.
Which I don’t, so don’t even go there. What’s happening to me?”

He coughed, almost choking on the laugh he couldn’t dare turn loose, but it wasn’t easy when she got going like this. Still, it was more than obvious she wasn’t kidding, and since everything she said was true, he figured she had a right to be concerned, so he merely shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know, Millie. Anton and I’ve talked about it. At first, we wondered if our aging stopped once we started shifting. Now, all of us realize we actually look younger, but we don’t know why, not for sure. I honestly can say I haven’t aged a bit since my first shift with Camille, so many years ago.” He laughed. “I have to admit, though, it really hasn’t been a priority, worrying about why we’re not getting old. Not with all that’s been happening over the past couple of years.”

“It’s just weird. I don’t like questions without answers.” She turned around and stared at herself, looking closer now that the steam was dissolving away. “Not that I’m complaining, you understand, but I certainly never expected to look like a young woman again.” She palmed her breasts and laughed. “Perky tits! Never in my wildest dreams did I …”

Ric wrapped his big hands over hers, covering her breasts. “Do not make fun of the world’s most perfect breasts. Come on. We have to get moving. There’s that simultaneous orgasm we need to work on.”

Laughing now, frowns and worries obviously set aside for the moment, Millie gave him a quick kiss and left the bathroom. Ulrich stayed behind a little longer, staring at the young man in the mirror. White hair notwithstanding, Millie was right. He didn’t look like a guy in his sixties. Even his skin, a telltale sign of aging, was supple and smooth like that of a young man. If not for the white hair, he could have passed for thirty.

And she was worried about this, why? He shook his head, chuckling softly.
Not bad for an old fart.
With one last glance, he turned away, followed Millie into the bedroom, and pulled a comfortable pair of sweats out of the closet. He wasn’t going to worry about something as fantastic as not looking or feeling his age. Just like he wasn’t going to dress with too many layers in spite of the cold outside. What was the point—not when they’d be undressing in a matter of minutes.

At least, according to his lovely mate, he didn’t have to worry about looking old and worn out next to the young guys. He grabbed a couple of bottles of good wine on the way through the kitchen. Daci had excellent taste in wine, and she was doing her best to educate the rest of them. He was just as happy with a cold beer or a good glass of brandy, but he stuck the bottles in a tote bag and followed Millie out the back door and along the snow-covered path that linked their two cabins.

A wolf howled from the enclosures at the sanctuary. Another joined in, and another. The air was crisp and cold, the path lit by moonlight, and the song of the wolves felt and sounded like a benediction. His body thrummed with arousal, with need for the woman walking just ahead, with desire for the packmates awaiting their arrival.

He sent a quick thought to Eve. Not a request so much, beyond his fervent desire that Tala and Lisa would soon be free, but to give thanks for this night. He thought of all he’d been through to reach this moment, this perfect slice of time when he walked with the woman he loved beneath a moonlit sky.

He thought of Lisa and Tala, of their bravery and their selfless decision to remain captive until the entire operation could unfold and, with any luck, lead Anton and Luc to the leaders. Something the average woman would never
consider, especially a woman in her final months of pregnancy.

There was nothing average about a Chanku bitch. Alphas, every one. Brave, honorable, and proud. Very, very proud. Ric had no doubt the Pack Dynamics crew would prevail tonight. He’d trained them well. There was no finer man than Lucien Stone, and Anton Cheval wasn’t a man to fail at anything he set out to do.

Neither, for that matter was Ric. He glanced at his watch and realized they were cutting it close. The five of them had never spent a night together, so the dynamics of sex with the whole group would be new. Matt often joined him and Millie, but Deacon and Daci had always remained behind. Of course, they all acknowledged that the relationship Matt had with Millie was special. The fact the two of them often included Ric always reminded him just how special.

The boy was something else, no doubt about that. Matt had grown in so many ways, and it was all because of Millie’s love. Her encouragement, her ability to make a man feel confident and strong. Hell, she’d made Ulrich feel as if he could move mountains. It was no wonder she had Matt finally believing in himself. She’d given him the courage he needed, the strength of his character he’d not recognized on his own. Millie had given that to him, that sense of who and what he was. Not a beta, not an omega—no, Matt was truly an alpha, with leadership abilities that continued to develop more depth and intensity every single day.

Millie had shown him the strength that was his, and Matt had proven himself worthy of that strength, even if it meant defying a goddess.

Of course, he’d had Daci and Deacon watching his back, but it wasn’t often when a goddess backed down to a mere mortal.

Deacon opened the door when Millie knocked. He wore
sweatpants but no shirt, and a big grin on his face. He’d added some muscle since arriving in Colorado, though he was still lanky and lean.

Deacon reached for Millie, grabbed her hand, and drew her into the shadowed interior of the small cabin. There were no electric lights burning inside—nothing beyond a few strategically placed candles that made the pitch on the beautiful old logs sparkle like diamonds and threw the finely drawn planes of Deacon’s face in sharp relief.

Drawing himself up to his impressive height, he looked Ric up and down, as if judging him and finding him less than impressive. “So you showed up, too, eh? Damn. After everything Matt’s said about Millie, I was sort of hoping that …”

Ric growled. Laughing, Deacon bowed and stepped back, sweeping an arm wide in greeting. “Sorry, boss. I’ll behave.”

Ric nudged him none too gently with an elbow as he stepped through the door. Deacon grunted dramatically. Throwing a dirty look at Deacon, Daci reached around him, grabbed the wine from Ric, and set it on the tiny counter in their small kitchen. She looked freshly showered and just a little flustered, with her long hair curling in damp tangles past her shoulders and her brilliant amber eyes sparkling.

“Later for the wine, okay?” she said. “We’re running out of time, and I really do not want to rush anything.”

She was practically fluttering, moving about the tiny area in such nervous haste. He rarely saw her like this. She was usually so self-assured, so comfortable with her two big mates, that it was sort of endearing to see a more vulnerable side to Daciana Lupei. Endearing, and somehow very arousing. He wasn’t quite certain why, but his libido didn’t seem to care. It was responding more than appropriately, considering the reason for their visit.

He wondered if that was it, if Daci was feeling a bit uncertain bringing him and Millie into her home. They were both, after all, lovers to one of her mates.

Matt didn’t appear at all nervous. He lounged on the big bed, leaning comfortably against a stack of pillows piled against the headboard. He held a can of beer in his hand, but he set it aside as Millie and Ric stepped far enough into the room for Deacon to close the door.

There really wasn’t much room for any of them to move around. The big bed took up almost the entire space. Larger than a king, it was hard to ignore the visual that popped into Ric’s head of how the five of them would actually fit on that huge mattress. He glanced about the small cabin with open curiosity. It had been an old rental, built almost a hundred years ago, according to Millie, and updated back in the early sixties, which meant the updates were already antique, but it definitely had its own charm, and it suited the three kids.

Kids. Hell, they were all in their mid-twenties, and after the tough lives each of them had lived, more mature than their years would normally indicate. Mature, intelligent, and absolutely gorgeous, each in their own way. It was strange to think he and Millie had never come here before like this, with nothing but sex on the schedule.

Maybe, after tonight, that would change. Whenever Matt had come to their cabin, sex was generally the only thing he had in mind, but it had never happened with Daci or Deacon. Not there. Not here. Now, though, after that fantastic run, after a successful hunt and an entire evening knowing what lay ahead, his libido was in fine form. He was ready for just about anything, but what about Daci, Deacon, and Matt? This was still fairly new to them—they’d not been aware of their Chanku heritage for all that long, though they’d definitely adapted well. But the open
sexuality—sometimes that took a while for someone to grow used to. Millie was still adjusting.

With that in mind, Ric expected at least a little awkwardness before things got going. Then Millie kissed his cheek, slipped out of her boots, and crawled across the bed to Matt. She straddled his hips, leaned close, and gave him a kiss that lifted the temperature in the room by more than a few degrees.

Maybe she’d adjusted faster than he realized.

Ric was still thinking along those lines when Daci gave him an impish grin and knelt down in front of him. Carefully she removed both his boots. Then she took his hand and tugged him toward the bed. Ric didn’t hesitate, so caught up in the vision of Millie straddling Matt, of Daci’s fingers wrapped around his big hand.

When he was close to the bed, Daci gave him a small shove and he toppled backward, laughing. Deacon followed close behind, stripping his clothing off as he moved. In the shadows and flickering candlelight, everything quickly took on a surrealistic quality as Ric stretched out on the bed beside Matt and Millie. Daci stripped her shirt off and shucked her pants.