The Alpha's Mail Order Mate: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (8 page)

“That’s hard to say, Night,” said Chastity. “He rarely, if ever leaves the city.”

“I guess he just doesn’t like to ‘rough it’,” Night chuckled.

“He was born out in the wild, but he had to scratch and bite his way to the top, and he likes it right where he is,” said Rick. “I doubt if anything could get him to come out here, really.”

“Maybe one thing,” Night smiled as he laid his hand on Chastity’s belly. “There might be just one thing.”

“Do you think so?” Chastity asked softly, the expression on her face wistful.

“One never knows,” said Night, smiling back. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Although they had entered the room intent on interacting with the men, the Alphas had yet to do so, Chastity realized with a start of surprise as she tore her gaze away from Night’s and blushed. Everyone was watching them, waiting for the tender moment to pass before they interrupted.

“Sorry, boys, I forgot all about my surroundings,” she said with a sheepish grin. “How does everyone like the new dorm?”

“It’s so much better than the last one I almost feel like we’ve struck gold,” replied Cyrus Biggs with a grin. “This sure beats returning to the city would have done any day.”

“I’m glad you approve,” said Night with a smirk.

“I’ll like it even better once the women’s dorm gets built and filled,” he added suggestively.

“You used to have a wife before the raids, didn’t you?” Night asked him.

“Yeah, before one of the wolf-borns ate her,” he said. “He almost ate me, too, but I managed to get away and hide out in the woods while I was transforming.”

“It will be nice if you can find yourself a new wife, have a few more kids,” said Night kindly. “I hope to make that happen. That’s really what this place is all about, you know. I want all of you to be happy and healthy for the time that you have left to you. With any luck, that could be well over a century.”

“We’re so glad that you found us, Alpha Night,” said Amos then. “If not for you we’d be wasting away in the forest, never even taking our human forms and dining on any meat we could manage to catch. You were truly a blessing for this pack. I wish that we could repay the favor somehow, but I doubt that we ever could.”

“Your happiness will be my repayment,” Night said. “Now come, everyone, there is no point to wasting the day in here. The day is warm and the wind is low. I do believe it’s a perfect time for a hunt.”

Nobody objected to this plan, and soon Night and the men had assembled in the clearing below the trees, ready to take off into the forest. Chastity kissed him good-bye and went back to rejoin Tess.

“Before we go, you must all be made aware of the humans at Allentown,” Night said then. “They’ve come to stay, and so we must steer clear of the place. I know that makes things just a bit inconvenient, but there’s not much that can be done about it, so we’re just going to have to adapt.

If you should happen to come across these people and cannot avoid a meeting, obviously don’t tell them anything except that you’re out camping and felt like taking a stroll through the woods. They won’t be able to prove otherwise, so it’s a good enough excuse for now. Good luck out there today.”

“You too, Night,” they all called as they dispersed into the trees. Night had invited Rick and Carl to come with him, and so the three headed in the general direction that they’d just warned to others to avoid. He wanted to see for himself just what they were dealing with, and hadn’t wanted to take the whole pack out there along with him.

“I really should just show up there and greet them,” Night speculated. “I’m a property owner in these parts, so they’ll probably expect to meet me anyway.”

“I don’t know if it would be wise to meet them without finding out a bit more first,” Rick said with concern. “We don’t want to appear overly eager either. It may be wise to wait until they contact us first.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Night. “I used to be a miner. This supervisor and I will have common ground. He would find it rude if I failed to say anything at all.”

“I’m sure it’s up to you, boss,” Rick said. “But I don’t think you should show up on foot after creeping around in the forest in either case. He’s probably going to expect more of a businessman if you want him to believe you just cut through all that red tape and managed to buy a hundred acres of land inside a protected forest.”

“Hmm, that’s probably true at any rate,” Night agreed. “But I don’t really have any kind of business clothes out here, as such. I wonder if Chastity would be able to—“

“Even she can’t make you a business suit with the fabric we have on hand right now,” said Rick with a little frown. “We’re going to have to get you some things, plain and simple.”

“Well, like Chastity said, now that we’ve built our little road in, we might as well make use of it,” Night said. “Maybe she and I should take a little jaunt over to civilization and pick up a few things.”

“I’m sure she’d enjoy it,” Rick said. “And if you don’t mind, I’d kind of like to tag along.  Maybe we could decide what kind of fence to build and pay Julian a visit. I’ll bet he’d love to see you.”

“Yes, I’d love to see him as well,” said Night with a smile of anticipation. “But I would not wish to stay there overlong. We’ve got a lot of work to get done out here, and who knows what kind of mischief this pack would get into while we were away.”

“We could make a day of it, and get back sometime in the wee hours of the following morning,” Rick suggested. “I’d love to pick up a few magazines, maybe order new parts for my little prototype computer. There’s plenty of things we could be doing around here if we only had the stuff to do it with.”

“Well, why don’t you start out by having them build something that is already invented for now?” Night asked. “You could have them make laptops or something, right?”

“Yes, I suppose I could,” he agreed. “It’s just that I wanted to manufacture my own parts instead of relying on someone else’s, once I get that far. You know that there’s bound to still be some iron left over in that abandoned mine on our property, maybe I could use some of that.”

“Rick I wonder, do you ever just sit quietly and contemplate the silence?”

“I don’t think so,” he said, shaking his head. “My brain never shuts up long enough for me to know that it is silent, let alone take the time to contemplate it.”

Night smiled at this, and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve got something I’d like to show you then.”

Rick cast him a curious look, and raised a brow at Carl, who had remained silent throughout the conversation.

“Why not?” he conceded. “Something’s got to shut you up sometime.”

The two men followed Night as he headed for the mountain and began to climb. Twenty minutes later, they were still climbing when they suddenly reached the top of the deep ravine he’d been taking them through. As they stepped out onto the ledge, neither one needed to ask if they had arrived.

The blue sky hung in the air like a blanket over the gorgeous lake as it poured forth from the tree line, sparkling in the light of the afternoon sun. Waterfowl flew about, chasing each other and calling out their varied songs. Out on the water, their keen wolf eyes could see a mother swan leading about her tiny cygnets, each of them periodically dipping beneath the surface to eat a passing bug.

Up here, there was very little sound, and the sounds that did reach their ears were muted from the distance. The thinner air was a welcome relief from the thicker-feeling closeness of the trees, and they were able to stretch out on the craggy rocks and take a break, just breathing everything in.

Rick hadn’t spoken a word for five whole minutes before he said, “And so this is silence? I believe I might be able to live with it after all.”

*

Night found Chastity busily cutting up the meat the men had brought back from their hunting trip. She was also being careful how she cut the hides from the eight deer so that they could be cured and used. She smiled when she caught sight of him, and he grinned as he reached her.

“You’ve got blood on your nose,” he said as he leaned down and nibbled the mark off her.

“That’s hardly a proper kiss after you’ve been gone for half the day,” she told him, leaning up in search of something much better. Night kissed her, long and hard, making her head spin and her body heat up all at the same time.

“Not in front of the children, dear,” she teased him, making the others laugh.

“But it’s so fun,” he complained with a grin.

“You three didn’t bring back any meat?” she inquired then.

“No, we went up to the ridge,” he explained. “I thought Rick could use the distraction.”

“Rick is in need of a lot of things,” Chastity commented with a smirk.

“He actually didn’t say a word for longer than ten seconds,” Night chuckled.

“That would have been an interesting sight,” she laughed. “I’ll bet he’s already gotten right back to work on something or other now that you’ve returned.”

“No doubt,” Night agreed.

“The meat is prepared,” Chastity said. “I was about to call everybody to dinner.”

“By all means, don’t let me stop you,” he said. “Climbing straight up a mountain is hungry work.”

Dinner was a somewhat festive affair, since the men were in high spirits after having worked to provide it. Nobody was overly surprised that Night and Chastity did not wish to remain into the wee hours of the night with them, but opted to return to their home shortly after the meal.

“You’re not too tired from climbing are you?” Chastity inquired, her lips pressed to Night’s shoulder as she looked up at him with inquisitive eyes.

“Sweetheart, you know that I’m not,” he said with a laugh as he took her into his arms. “My beautiful, unchaste Chastity could never be neglected over something as trivial as exhaustion.”

Chastity grinned as his lips came down to claim hers. She gave a soft sigh when his tongue swept insistently over her lips and opened her mouth to receive his deeper kisses. Night slid one arm down under the back of her knees and lifted her into his arms, carrying her swiftly to their bed, where he gently laid her down.

“How can any one woman be so beautiful?” he asked as he hovered above her, their lips a mere breath apart. Then he was kissing her again. Sucking at her lips like a bear trying to get at some honey—persistent and intense. Chastity’s heart hammered in her chest as she drank him in, reveling in the effect she had on him.

“And how can any man taste this good?” she asked as she bit at his lips playfully. “I don’t know how I could go so many years without knowing how good you taste.”

Night chuckled. “It helps that you hadn’t tasted me yet, I suppose.”

“I suppose so, but I most definitely wouldn’t be able to do it now that I know,” she grinned.

“Mm, good thing you won’t have to then, huh?”

“Very,” she agreed.

“Do you know what I want to taste?” Night asked her huskily.

“No, but I could probably guess,” she replied as she squirmed beneath him until she could wrap her legs over his hips more comfortably.

“When that belly of yours gets bigger, you’re going to have to get on top,” he teased her.

“That doesn’t sound very chaste,” she giggled.

“I thought we’d already got well past that chaste issue,” he chuckled. “I think you lost all semblance of chastity the first time I convinced you to taste me too.”

“Did you want me to taste you right now?” she inquired lustily.

“Hell yes, you daft woman,” he laughed. “What man in his right mind would say no to that?”

“Well, then,” she said with a smile. Night moved off her and lay back on the bed, eagerly awaiting her mouth upon his person.

Chastity moved down and took his hard cock between her lips, teasing him a bit before she swirled her tongue around the tip. Night moaned softly and threaded his fingers into her hair.

“Yes, sweetheart,” he told her. “Just like that.”

Chastity took him further into her mouth, grunting with pleasure as she surged forward and moved against him, over and over, enjoying each movement as she went. Night’s grip tightened as the intensity mounted, and soon white liquid spewed into her mouth, and Chastity swallowed with a satisfied smile.

“Your turn, babe,” said Night with a satisfied grin. He lay her down on the bed and positioned his face between her legs, enjoying her just as much as she’d enjoyed him. Chastity wriggled a bit, trying not to feel ticklish as he licked. Her soft moans spurred him on, and when she came, he almost came right along with her; he was so excited.

Night climbed up Chastity’s body and entered her in one swift movement. She gasped and clung to him, yanking her legs down as she wrapped them around him so he entered even harder. He groaned with delight at the impact.

“Yes!” Chastity encouraged him.

“Chastity, are you trying to show me just how unchaste you can be?” he asked.

“Of course I am,” she panted. “Couldn’t you tell?”

“Mm, most definitely,” he said.

“Good,” she gasped.

Night’s hands slid between them to play with her sensitive nipples, making her come even harder than she would have done as a result. They lay like that for a time, enjoying their bliss.

“Well,” said Chastity after a while. “That was a good appetizer. Now how about the main course?”

Grinning, Night was more than willing to serve up her meal, complete with a couple of sides.