Wolf's Ascension (20 page)

“You live in a mansion, Kari.”

“Sort of. It’s pretty overwhelming sometimes. But at the same time, everyone here is so close that it feels intimate. You’ll see when you get here. I’ll have a car come to get you from the station then and drive you straight to Logan. I want as much time with you as possible. And I want you to walk me down the aisle, is that okay?”

“Okay? Oh, honey, that’s great. You know I’d be honored.”

“I’ll call you then with the final details. I’ll go ahead and deal with your wedding clothes, so don’t worry about that.”

“All right. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Chapter Nine

By Wednesday morning the lodge was a study in insanity. The phone rang off the hook. Laurent and Phillip handled the business that Andreas had been putting off as he and Kari got to know each other. Sean had to go back to work but Ryan stayed to help with all the preparations.

Drew worked on the dress—a dress so top secret that Kari refused to let Andreas see it. Since it was December, they’d have the ceremony in a large heated tent in the meadow near the lake. Thank god Andreas had connections, because an event of that size at such short notice would have been impossible otherwise. Kari was in her element, though. She’d smoothly dealt with the details of the seating arrangements of no fewer than five Alpha pairs from neighboring clans.

Andreas stood in his office, looking out into the meadow and over the lake, smiling. He’d come into so much happiness in two weeks, it was hard to believe that he’d lived otherwise before. Kari was a force of nature, filling the lodge with an irrepressible joy and energy. They ran every night under the starry sky. She was so small and sprightly she was dwarfed by his, Phillip and Laurent’s wolves, yet she held her own.

“You know the brother had a friend at the FBI check you out,” Laurent said from behind him.

Andreas turned and went back to his computer. “Yes. I knew that. He worries about her. She lives all the way across the country. She’s young. He’s pretty much been a father and mother to her his whole life. I understand his reticence. And we had her investigated. I’d be a hypocrite to be angry now.”

“What are you going to tell him? About us?”

“She doesn’t want to say anything yet. I’ve offered to bring him over but she doesn’t know if she wants to ask him at all. I have to respect that. Most of the Pack that have been changed have family members who don’t know.”

“But they won’t be staying here for four days either. We’ll have to be careful.”

“Of course. That goes without saying.”

“He’s a cop, so he’ll be extra observant too. Andreas,” Laurent began, moving to close the door. He lowered his voice. “Does Kari know about your past with the females in the Pack?”

Andreas sighed. “No. I’ve been trying to find a way to tell her. It’s not like I’ll be sleeping with any of them now. I want no other female. Kari’s more than enough. All of that’s in the past.”

“But it’s part of Pack culture. It’ll come up sometime. I worry that if you don’t tell her it’ll get mentioned by someone and catch her by surprise. She’s woven a spell around my heart, Andreas. Your little wolf is very dear to me. I’d hate to see her hurt. She didn’t grow up this way.”

“What do you think I should tell her? ‘Oh, by the way, pass the peas and did you know that over my life I’ve fucked every single female Pack member except for my mother and Anna’?”

Laurent sighed. “Don’t be a smart-ass. She hungers to understand us. To know our ways. Tell her. Tell her that young males often couple with the females of the Pack, even after they’re mated. Talk to her about it. Reassure her that you don’t want any of them now that you have her. Although frankly, Andreas, I’ve heard many males say they hoped they’d have the chance to couple with Kari.”

“The hell they will!” Andreas roared. “Listen, I know what the situation is but she’s mine. I won’t be offering her up like that. I’m not closing it off as an option forever, but right now, I won’t be sharing.”

“Sean and Devon will be expecting it as your brothers. You’ve coupled with Perri on more than one occasion. As the oldest brother, it’s custom for the Alpha to share his mate with his siblings.”

“Don’t presume to tell me about Pack customs. I
am
Pack law. It’s
optional
to share mates, and it’s not going to happen. Period.”

“Okay, Andreas. But tell her. Tell her before she hears it from someone else and it hurts her. Hurts you both.”

* * *

Late Thursday evening, Andreas and Kari drove out to meet the plane bringing Jack in from Seattle.

Kari rushed to her brother, clearly thrilled to have him there.

Andreas watched the lanky blond gather Kari into his arms. It was clear immediately that he adored his sister and they shared a very strong bond. Andreas knew that it was incredibly important to win the other man over. For Kari’s sake, if for no other reason.

Kari might not want to admit it to herself but Andreas knew that he’d have to either change Jack or at the very least tell him what they were. The two were simply too close to have such a big secret between them.

And the man was a police officer—he’d begin to realize that she was hiding something from him. That would begin to affect their relationship negatively. And once they had children, it would be even harder to explain a three-month-old crawling and a six-month-old walking.

Jack meant a lot to Kari and in truth, Andreas felt he’d be an asset to the Pack. Someone who knew and loved his Mate in the Pack would provide for more protection and loyalty to her, which would strengthen their leadership as a whole. And Jack came from good genes, like his sister. The more strong males who sat at the top of the Pack and were loyal, the better it was for Andreas and Kari both.

* * *

Jack looked down at Kari. She’d never looked better. Her eyes were bright and the shadow of sadness that had always lurked there was gone. She looked healthy, happy and vitally in love.

“You look awfully good for a woman who was in a coma for three days,” he joked.

“Yeah. You look fab too. A bit tired, though. I know that plane ride is a killer. Let’s get you back to the lodge and into bed. First, though—” she looked up as they approached the car and locked eyes with Andreas “—Jack, I want you to meet the other incredibly important man in my life. Andreas Phinney, this is my brother and my best friend, Jack.”

Jack perused the other man for a moment and then smiled, holding his hand to take Andreas’s. Andreas took it and returned his smile.

“Welcome, Jack. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Kari speaks of you all of the time.”

They drove back to the lodge and got Jack settled. As Jack lay in his bed in the cabin on the lake, he thought about the situation. A knock sounded on the door.

It was Andreas.

“Mind if I come in?”

Jack nodded and stood back.

“I’m sorry if I woke you. I just thought that it would be good if you and I could talk a bit—away from Kari. I know you have concerns and I want to get them in the open so that you and I can clear the air.”

Jack motioned to the couch and Andreas sat down.

“Look, here’s the thing. Yes, you check out. All the things Kari told me about you are true. On paper, you’re a fucking wet dream. But that’s the thing that bugs me. I’m not saying my sister isn’t wonderful. She is. But why does a forty-two-year-old bachelor marry a twenty-four-year-old he’s known for a few days?”

“I met your sister and there was no other option. I had to be with her. The thing between us is...” Andreas paused, realizing he really couldn’t explain it, even if he could tell the guy he was a werewolf. What he and Kari shared was beyond words.

Andreas shrugged. “I can’t put it into words. But I am forty-two so it’s not like I can’t recognize something miraculous, even if I can’t properly explain it. I love your sister. I don’t expect you to trust me right off. You don’t know me and you want the best for your sister. I respect that. I just ask that you see for yourself. Watch and see how much I love and cherish her.”

Jack nodded. He had an instinct about people. This man did, indeed, love Kari. And Jack wasn’t one to hold a grudge or bias without evidence to the contrary. What he saw, everything he’d seen up to that moment, pointed to the guy speaking the truth.

“Okay. I appreciate your being so up-front. I like honesty. I’m a blunt man and I love my sister and want her to be happy. Just know that if you prove false and hurt her, I’ll be back and it won’t be pretty.”

Standing, they shook hands and Andreas smiled. “Gotcha. Good night, I’ll see you in the morning. Come on up for breakfast anytime.”

Jack went back to bed. Yes, the guy was on the up-and-up. He clearly had a major thing for Kari—that was quite clear. He was so large and yet gentle and Kari seemed to have no problems standing up to him. But there was something niggling in the back of his mind. Something wasn’t being said, and he would find out what that was before he left or he’d be taking Kari back with him.

Chapter Ten

Kari stood in Laurent’s room in front of the full-length mirror as Drew adjusted the dress. Midnight-blue silk caressed her skin snugly in a form-fitting spill with beaded spaghetti straps and a floor-length skirt with a slight flare at the hem. Tiny black seed pearls were sewn into a swirling pattern along the décolletage—which was pretty daring. The back dipped even lower, to the small of her back.

“Wow,” Drew said. “It looks amazing on you. Your body is perfect for this dress.”

“Your dress is perfect and makes my body look amazing,” Kari corrected. “I can’t believe you finished this in a week. You must have not slept at all.”

“I had help. But any sleeplessness on my part was worth the result.” Drew met her eyes in the mirror and smiled.

Perri whistled. “Kari, you look hot. My god, Andreas is going to pass out.”

Earlier, Drew had woven a thin metallic ribbon with the same black pearls sewn onto it through her hair, piled in a mass of curls on her head.

Perri, Jade and Anna wore white silk dresses to the mid-calf with midnight-blue bolero jackets to match. The dresses all had cap sleeves and pencil-straight skirts. Good thing that even at seventy years old, Anna was in top form. The bridesmaid’s dresses were as form-fitting as Kari’s and showed quite a bit of skin.

Kari had chosen a bouquet of white roses, a midnight-blue ribbon holding them together. She breathed in their heady scent to center herself and her emotions.

Jade stood behind her. “I’m proud to have you as a daughter. I have something for you. A bridal gift.” She reached up and Kari felt the weight of each dangling pear-shaped diamond earring as Jade placed them in each ear.

“Oh my goodness. They’re beautiful.” She leaned back into her mother-in-law.

“Perri has a pair too. Hers have pearls.” Jade nodded at Perri, who showed that she was wearing them. “The pearls belonged to my mother and the diamonds to Tomas’s mother. I wanted to keep them in the family.”

“Okay, all of this has to stop or I’ll cry and smudge the makeup job Perri worked on for an hour,” Kari said, laughing. “Let’s rock. Can someone get Jack for me?”

The ceremony itself was going to be held in the great room. It seemed a shame not to be able to come down that dramatic staircase. Then they’d move to the tent in the yard for the reception.

“Ready? Oh, wow, honey, you look breathtaking,” Jack said as he walked inside the room.

Jack liked Andreas’s family. Despite himself, he was charmed by them and their obvious love for his sister. His sister, who looked wicked beautiful.

“Thanks. You too. You’re made for wearing tuxedos, babe.”

Jade, Perri and Anna filed out and Kari could hear the music start as they went downstairs on the arms of Tomas, Sean and Devon.

“Ready?”

“You betcha. Thanks for being here.”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.” They walked out onto the landing. Phillip saw them and gave the signal to the string quartet to play the bridal march. Giving her a thumbs-up, he grinned one last time before scrambling downstairs quickly.

When Kari and Jack reached the top of the stairs, the assembled guests stood and turned to take her in. She smiled at a few overheard gasps and looked to Andreas, whose mouth hung open in shock. They took the stairs regally and carefully—she was wearing some pretty high heels, after all.

Jack announced to the crowd that he was happy to share his sister with a man like Andreas and went to sit down. Kari joined Andreas before the judge who was officiating. The ceremony was quick, simple and over far too soon.

“I would like to present Kari and Andreas Phinney,” the judge said to the crowd, who stood up and whooped, howled—although, thank god, not so wolflike—and cheered.

The reception was a dream. Tiny white lights lit up all the trees that bordered the lake. The tent was nice and warm inside. There was dancing and a band and the food and drink were delicious.

At nearly two, Kari and Andreas finally escaped back into the house. Many of the Pack had gone on a run with the visiting wolves but knew that there were humans about and had gone a few miles into the forest before shifting and had promised not to come back naked.

On the way into the house, Henry and Luna approached and gave hugs and kisses to them both. Kari was a bit taken aback to see Luna’s more-than-friendly kiss right on Andreas’s lips. She shook it off, thinking it was some Pack thing.

Once inside the house, Andreas practically picked her up and ran up the stairs to their room. When the door closed behind him, Andreas leaned back against it, sighing in exhaustion. He locked it and looked his wife over, giving her a slow, sexy perusal.

Heat flared inside her as it always did when she became the object of his attention in such a way. Her heart began to pound and a flush worked its way up her body.

“I’ve wanted to jump you all night. That dress is sinfully gorgeous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful and sexy woman,” he whispered as he reached back to unzip her.

“Drew outdid himself. I heard at least fifteen people ask him for his card. He’s an artist.” Her voice was breathy as Andreas’s fingertips brushed her spine.

“You make a fine canvas then.” Warm hands skimmed up her shoulders and reversed and the dress slid off and pooled at her feet. She was wearing a silk thong in the same color as the dress. He circled her like the predator he was. “Mmmm.”

She quirked up a corner of her mouth and swallowed past the lump of desire. “Who’d have thought they made tuxedos in big-bad-wolf size. If we’re passing out compliments I must tell you that all of your golden hair falling down on those wide shoulders encased in that black tuxedo jacket—very sexy.” Bending over to give him the nicest view, she picked up her dress and gently placed it over the back of a chair before turning back to face him. Something about being nearly naked while he was still dressed drove a wave of sharp heat through her. Hunger for him.

The
click, click, click
of her heels on the hardwood floors echoed in the room against their breathing and the muted sounds of celebration outside and all over the property.

Reaching him, she pushed the jacket from his wide shoulders, tossing it alongside the dress. “I have to tell you I was distracted all night, every time you took the jacket off, because I could see that spectacular ass, not to mention the hard-on. Were you hard all night, Andreas?”

“Each time I scented you, touched you, heard you or thought about you.” His scent rose from his skin as he heated. Leaning in to take a deep breath, she untucked his shirt and began to unbutton it slowly. Her lips brushed over each new inch of flesh exposed as she unmoored each button.

She took her time. The night was theirs. No one would bother them. It was just about the two of them and no one else. The shirt followed the jacket and she paused to look at his bare upper body. He stood there, proud and a bit arrogant as she took him in, and she grinned at him. “Cocky.”

“You like what you see, little wolf?”

“Oh yes. Yes, I do, Andreas. Your body is beautiful and hard and very, very masculine.” She dragged her nails lightly down his chest and he hissed as she abraded his nipples and lower abdomen the way she’d come to discover he liked so much.

Reaching down, she skimmed her fingertips just beneath the waistband of his pants. “Now this is the part I like best,” she murmured as she unbuckled, unbuttoned and unzipped, then gave a hearty “ooh!” when his cock sprang into her hands.

“It would seem I have a bounty of blessings this day,” she said as his pants fell down his legs and he stepped out of them, pulling off his socks so that he stood there gloriously naked to her gaze. Nope, no complaints there.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over the shock of...well, of you. I mean, my god, Andreas, you’re every woman’s dream.” She quirked up a smile. “It’s hard to believe you’re mine.”

“Well, I am. And the feeling is more than mutual.” His words were playful but what passed between them was powerful.

His lips found hers and took them in a way only he knew how to do. His kiss seared her, his lips dominated and possessed her, even as they celebrated and cherished. His taste rushed through her as his tongue slid against hers seductively. The way he kissed her left her no place to hide. She was exposed completely to him, and he took every bit she had to offer and gave as much in return.

When he broke away, her hand went to her lips, still tingling from his taste, swollen from their kiss. “You’re so good at that.”

He chuckled. “Among other things, I hope.”

She still had her shoes, a spiky pair of strappy heels that showed off her pretty red painted toenails, and the thong on. “Off or on?” she asked with a saucy smile.

“Shoes on. Thong... Well, I’ll get that,” he said, going to his knees in front of her. He rubbed his face along her belly. His hands caressed her sides, her thighs, her breasts, coming to rest on her hips. He pressed his face to her pussy and breathed in deeply before hooking his thumbs around the waist of the thong and slowly pulling it down. She put her hand on his shoulder and felt the muscles ripple as he helped her to step out of it.

Looking up at her, he growled, low and sex-laden. “My god, you look like sex in heels.”

Backing her up against the door, he used his shoulders to nudge her thighs wider. “Mmm. You’re ready for me.” His fingers parted her to his gaze. Drawing a fingertip through the folds of her pussy, he pulled her honey up and around her clit, bringing a gasp of pleasure from her lips. Followed by a moan when he brought that finger to his mouth and tasted her, eyes closing as if she were divine.

Those amber eyes opened and looked up into hers. “You. Taste. So. Good. I want more, Kari. I’m going to take it. But you’re going to put your arms above your head and hold them there. If you move I’ll stop and we don’t want that, do we?”

She had no words as he looked back to her pussy again, still open to him. She reached up and grabbed the top of the doorjamb.

He knelt there for several long moments just looking at her. “So beautiful here. Glistening, swollen.” Fingertips traced through warm, wet flesh, causing her to moan and arch into him.

Bringing one of her thighs up onto his shoulder, he leaned in to taste her. Slowly and single-mindedly, he ran his tongue over her sensitive pussy. The wet slide against her slick folds was so good it was almost too much. His mouth loved her gentle and then rough, hard and then soft. Bringing her to the very edge, he’d then back off, only to start over once she’d stepped back from climax.

Her hands gripped the door. In desperation she whimpered so he looked up at her. “If you don’t let me come right now, I’m going to explode,” she pleaded through gritted teeth.

He chuckled, his warm breath teasing her exposed flesh. “I want you to remember that only I can make you feel this way. Do you know how much I love going down on you? How much I love your taste on my tongue, your honey scalding my lips? Your scent all around me? If I ate you ten times a day, it wouldn’t be enough. You’re mine, Kari.”

She sighed. “You do say the best things. Now shut up and get back to work,” she said, teasing him.

And he did, leaning in and finishing her, using his fingers, lips, teeth and tongue to push her over not once but twice, until she trembled so badly that only his strength kept her from sliding into a puddle on the floor.

He stood up, her thigh moving to the crook of his arm as he lifted her off her feet, plunging into her in one hard stroke. Arching to receive more of him, she knocked the back of her head into the door, hard. She gasped out his name and he moved, one hand holding her ass for leverage as she wrapped her free leg around his waist. He moved the other leg to join it and she locked ankles at his back.

“Oh fuck,” he gasped, stilling for a moment. She felt the
throb, throb, throb
of his cock seated deep inside her. “Just a minute.”

Her hands burrowed through his hair and she rained small kisses over his face until he pushed orgasm back enough to begin to fuck her in deep, feral digs.

With each thrust into her body she cried out. He moaned as her nails dug into his shoulders.

“More, oh god, more. Andreas, fuck me deeper. Harder. I need to feel you as deep as possible. I need it.”

“Little wolf, I’d climb into your pussy if I could, you feel so fucking good around me. I love the way your inner walls clutch at me, hold me like you can’t bear to let me go. I love to see you wild for my cock. My sweet woman, all wild and begging for it. God, watching you cock-drunk is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

They made so much noise at the door that Laurent knocked, asking if everyone was okay.

“Go away!” Andreas yelled, continuing to thrust into her.

She heard Laurent’s laughter as he went back into his room next door.

“Oh. Yes. Right there. That’s it. My god.” His onslaught brought a string of sounds deep from her gut. She said things she was pretty sure she’d never even
thought
before, much less said aloud to a lover. He brought out her deepest, darkest passions and unleashed her every whim.

He fucked her like a man possessed as she writhed in his arms, begging for more, demanding it. Her back against the door made her feel submissive, caged by him, controlled. It thrilled her.

“You’re so hot, so tight. You. Feel. So. Good. I’m so very close. I want you to come with me.”

Adjusting herself in his arms, she ground her clit over his cock each time he pressed himself into her body. The friction began to build. Electric shocks of her climax began to spark through her body as they began to race toward orgasm.

His name tore from her throat as she came, and seconds later he snarled. He pinned her then to the door and she felt each jerk of his cock as he came within her. Finally they collapsed onto the floor, laughing, muscles twitching.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was almost as fun as the reception. There were still a lot of people there at the lodge. Anna happily catered to Jack, who quite easily pulled her under his spell. Sean was there with his new girlfriend, Emma, who seemed to like him a heck of a lot. Children ran around, playing with cars and trains and balls until James and Ryan set up an obstacle course on the front lawn and the kids all ran out to try it.