Mate
, her wolf thought in a lazy murmur.
He is, isn’t he
, Lily thought with utter contentment. Her wolf rolled and rolled, pleasure and satisfaction seeping from her to Lily and back again, two selves forever joyfully connected as one.
Sleep crept over Lily and lulled her into dreams where her wolf ran with Kieran’s, romping and tussling and loving their way through a wild desert landscape of tall sandstone spires and deep, sinuous canyons, all theirs.
***
Lily roused before dawn as she always did, no matter how late she’d gotten to bed the night before. The presence of that man, that dark-eyed cowboy with the sexy drawl and the prowling, protective wolf in him, immediately flowed over her. Smiling at the mere thought of him, she turned her head to nuzzle his shoulder and breathe in his musky male scent. Light just barely hinted through the windows as the sun rose over the hillside to the old hotel’s east.
With gentle fingers, she explored Kieran’s sturdy back, the ridiculously strong muscles that held him together, the hard planes dipping to the smooth skin of his tight rear. An unintelligible deep rumble of a sleepy response from him echoed through her body. Smiling, she held on with her arms, continuing to stroke him and trace random patterns over his skin to his occasional sounds of encouragement.
“Kieran,” she said again. Her voice sounded rusty. With a quick blush, she realized it was from calling out his name in abandon the previous night. Quite a few times, since they’d woken up to repeat their gratifyingly hot nocturnal exercise more than once.
“Mm-hmm.”
Lily let the deep tones wash over her. She imagined them soothing her to sleep every night, waking her up in the morning, urging her to frenzied heights each day. A delighted shiver tip-toed over her. Could this wolf really be hers?
Oh, yes.
“Kieran,” she tried again. Her voice smoothed out a bit, coming out in a more normal register. “We need to get up.”
“Why?” His voice came languid, satisfied and heavy. He nipped at the lobe. She felt the tingling rush down her legs and through her spine. Then she was lost in sensation as Kieran moved his mouth over hers in a manner designed to quiet her, to claim her, to be claimed by her. Their movements together felt liquid and perfect and searingly hot and perfectly normal.
“Yours,” he said against her lips.
“Hmm?”
“I’m yours, beautiful wolf. What do you plan to do with me?”
Lily giggled, sheer delight suffusing her entire being.
“Anything I want,” she said. She captured his mouth this time, a fierce desire sweeping through her at the motion. She claimed him, she captured him, he was hers.
Her wolf growled in utter approval as the kiss deepened, roughened, became firm and controlling yet wild and filled with abandon.
Then Kieran pulled back, slightly yet enough for his lips to form words.
“Pack Guardian.”
“What?” But she heard him perfectly well. His words spoke a title. Her title.
“Pack Guardian,” he said again. Patient, yet ardent. “You, Lily. You’re a Black Mesa Pack Guardian again. Can’t you feel it? Because I sure can.”
Lily let his words flow over her and felt them in her bones. He was right, utterly.
Yes
, her wolf whispered. Pack Guardian. The power of it, the responsibility. The mantle of protection that she wore again. Yes. It was there, all of it. She was Pack Guardian again, and it filled every inch of her being.
Never would she forget the human she had turned. Remembering him was the right thing to do, not to mention that forgetting past mistakes was a sure way to make them rise again someday. But...she was no longer ruled by that awful memory. Instead, it dropped into her soul as something that had shaped her, made her even stronger today.
Now, she was a Pack Guardian to reckon with.
“Wow,” was all she managed after another few moments of taking stock. “I am, aren’t I? I can actually feel it again.”
Kieran laughed, a rich and full sound. Every morning, she could hear this. Not just one night, one morning. For a lifetime of mornings, this man was hers.
Energized, Lily rolled away from Kieran and threw back the soft sheet tangled about them. Her wolf leapt inside, eager and alert at Lily’s sudden focus.
“Let’s go kick some rogue ass, Kieran. We need to find out what they were doing here. This is
our
Pack’s territory. Not theirs. They are not welcome here.” Her voice rang out with formidable intent, and she almost shivered at the power sizzling through it. She was back.
“Ours, hmm? Ah, my strong, beautiful wolf.” Kieran reached out and caught her waist before she could swing her feet to the ground. “You are ready, aren’t you?”
Unresisting except for a playful little growl, she allowed him to pull her back against him. Damn, he felt good, the entire hard length of his long body nestled right behind hers.
Lily went boneless again as sharp lust rose through her. How could the man do this to her so easily?
“One day, Lily, you’ll be a fine alpha mate. And we’ll have a Pack of our own. You’re definitely your father’s daughter. A leader, my beautiful she-wolf.” Kieran stroked his fingers down the back of her thigh, and an uncontrollable, purely sexual jolt fluttered its way down her exposed skin.
“But first...”
“Yes?” she breathed in response as his voice stilled while his fingers increased their tempo, exploring her body.
“First,” he whispered against her hair, “let’s give you some more energy to go kick rogue ass. I have just the thing you need.” A knowing, teasing chuckle punctuated his words.
“Really,” she said, turning over to face him. A thoroughly devilish grin played over his features and sent a zing straight between her legs. Her breath caught in her throat.
“Right here, my smart, sexy, strong wolf. With me.”
As Kieran kissed her senseless, Lily and her wolf rolled in ecstasy and agreement. The rogues would just have to wait.
About The Author
J.K. Harper lives in Utah with a passel of critters including a dog, two cats, and a horse. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring the canyon country and thinking up new story ideas.
J.K. started writing during the second grade, when for a classroom project she “published” a story about an intrepid hermit crab and his friends under the sea. These days, she likes to write paranormal and urban fantasy, where the animals or other creatures just might talk back to you.
If you are interested in finding out more about J.K. Harper, including news on future novellas in the Black Mesa Wolves series, please find her online: