Far From Innocent (28 page)

“Let the challenge begin,” Dante yelled, moving to the side as he did.

Erin yelped as Josef, one of the five, leapt through the air and tackled one of the oldest werewolves in the challenge. Erin didn’t know the male, and she never would.

With little effort, Josef slammed the werewolf to the ground and broke his neck. Howls and yells of approval and disapproval almost distracted her from seeing Dimitri do the same thing.

She slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from shrieking when Dimitri flew into another werewolf, tackling the male and nearly throwing him across the meadow.

Cheers and screams tore through the air. Dimitri ripped his shirt from his body, letting it fall to the ground while his muscles bulged and contorted. He managed to stay in human form, but his jaw grew, fangs extending when he clobbered one of the remaining four and sent the werewolf sprawling backward.

She scowled as Josef watched two werewolves try to take down Dimitri. Josef was such a damned coward. She wasn’t sure why anyone allowed him to be part of the challenge. Dimitri would break his neck with little effort. But only if he survived the attack of the two large males taking him on from front and behind.

She gripped Juan’s hand, which rested on her stomach, and almost twisted his fingers as she held her breath.

“It isn’t fair,” she mumbled.

“He’ll be fine.” Juan sounded so sure of himself.

But she couldn’t take her eyes off the fight long enough to search his face. Inhaling his confident scent helped a little though.

“He’s got to win. I couldn’t stand it if he didn’t.”

One of the werewolves punched Dimitri hard in the gut, causing him to double over and scream profanities. Outrage and aggression clogged the air. Erin ached so desperately to send something flying, save and protect her littermate, that she closed her eyes for a moment. If he died and she did nothing to stop it, what kind of bitch would that make her?

Fuck the fact that tradition was at play here. Who the hell cared about the rules laid out for the challenge? This was her littermate, her Dimitri. He’d bullied and teased her most of her life, but he’d always been there to protect her, even when she hadn’t wanted it. Dimitri loved and cherished her since she’d been born. No way would she let something like antiquated werewolf tradition come between that now.

The large boulder underneath them trembled. Erin froze, looking wide-eyed around her before she realized it was her own gift struggling for freedom that caused the large rock she sat on to move.

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Juan grabbed her, turning her face to his and devoured her mouth with a scorching kiss. He reached inside her coat and squeezed her breast, finding her nipple through her sweater and bra and pinching it hard enough to make her cry out.

“Dimitri will lead us for many years, making us stronger than we’ve ever been,” he whispered into her mouth, his face so close to hers that she couldn’t focus on him.

“Have faith.”

“Faith,” she repeated, inhaling his musky scent and letting him pull her up against his warm body.

One of the werewolves howled, and Erin turned her head, pressing her cheek against Juan’s face. Dimitri dropped the dead werewolf to the ground and turned on the other male who’d attacked him from behind. He leapt through the air and the two of them tumbled to the ground. It only took a few minutes before Dimitri stood again, the third werewolf dead at his feet.

He growled loudly when he turned on Josef. Bloodlust had turned his eyes silver and his extended teeth added to the deadly picture. Josef took a step backward, suddenly looking too frightened to fight. Dimitri walked up to the large, barrel-chested werewolf. Josef held out his hands, either fending Dimitri off or attempting to surrender. Erin wasn’t sure.

But there was no surrendering in a challenge.

Dimitri grabbed the werewolf by his thick neck. The crowd was so quiet, not even the cubs moved. An eerie hush blanketed all of them. She didn’t realize she’d wrapped her own fingers around her neck until she heard the crack of Josef’s bones. Dimitri broke his neck. The large werewolf stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed, and then slumped to the ground.

The hush continued for only a second longer. Erin wasn’t sure, but maybe she broke the silence with her scream.

“Dimitri,” she cried out, tears of joy and relief streaking her cheeks.

She jumped out of Juan’s arms before he could stop her and ran across the meadow.

Her littermate turned slowly, as if in a trance, and almost appeared not to recognize her until she jumped into his arms.

“Thank God you are alive.” She hugged him fiercely and cried more when he wrapped his large arms around her. The smell of aggressive domination drowned her.

And then it was so noisy she couldn’t think. Cheers and howls filled the meadow.

Suddenly her pack was all around them, closing in on the two of them.

She barely noticed several older werewolves drag the dead werewolves off to the side. Everyone surrounded them, all talking at once.

Juan pulled her off Dimitri and wrapped his arm around her while extending his other hand to her littermate.

“Our den wishes you many years of power and strength,” he said seriously.

Erin looked up at him and then quickly at her littermate.

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Dimitri remained partially changed, adrenaline tearing through him with incredible fierceness. She watched Dimitri and Juan shake hands and her heart melted. They truly had created a home, their den, a new pack.

“Juan told me from the beginning that you would lead,” she told Dimitri.

Then Dante was there, also assuring Dimitri he’d back him and help with the pack in any way he could. Others chimed in their support. They were all so huddled together, the smell of strong emotions was thicker than she could handle.

Dimitri finally raised his hands, forcing everyone to back off. Damn good thing too.

Claustrophobia wasn’t something Erin liked feeling.

“I am honored to be your pack leader.” Dimitri kept his arms up, turning slowly.

His words were a husky growl. The change would attack him with a vengeance when he allowed it. And more than likely, it was all he could do to remain human long enough to address them.

She made it back to her rock, sitting down long enough to loosen her boots. Juan started undressing next to her. It would be a magnificent run with the entire pack—a run of victory and celebration. Erin endured the cold against her feet when Dimitri kept talking. Already werewolves around them began changing, eager to be warm in their fur, spiked emotions making it almost impossible to keep the change at bay.

“We offer our congratulations on the victory of your challenge.” Bob, the
lunewulf
pack leader, stepped down off the rocks where he and the other members of his pack had been sitting.

Erin looked up at the
lunewulfs
quickly. One boot she’d pulled off her foot bounced on the ground, as if something were alive in it and fighting to get out. Juan grabbed the boot quickly and held it up between them.

“Show them we are stronger. We won’t attack if they show their respect.” His grave expression grabbed her attention. “Now if they turn into idiots, you have my blessing to use the gift.”

He winked at her, dropping the boot, and she grinned broadly.

“Your congratulations are accepted. You will run with us.” Dimitri’s offered brought everyone pause. “We will run with you to the end of our territory, and then part ways as you return to yours.”

The remaining werewolves who hadn’t changed yet stopped what they were doing and stared at the two pack leaders. Dimitri’s invitation was a double-edged sword. An offer to run with a pack was a high honor. But Dimitri would ensure that while the celebration run took place, their territory would remain safe. He’d basically just told the
lunewulfs
that they would have an escort back to their own territory.

Bob stared at him for a moment before nodding. “We accept your invitation.”

Another werewolf stepped forward, and Erin hadn’t realized until that moment that the American werewolf pack leader had also witnessed the challenge.

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Lorie O’Clare

“My pack extends an invitation to celebrate tonight in Valle,” he said, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. He was a large werewolf, thicker than Dimitri but not taller. Moisture clung to his balding head when he glanced around at the Malta werewolves and slowly approached Dimitri. He kept a wary eye on the
lunewulfs
as he continued speaking. “Malta werewolves are now recognized as an official pack, with our blessing that you enjoy many prosperous years in your new territory.”

“And continue to play bodyguard for the American werewolves against the

lunewulfs
,” Juan muttered into her ear.

She turned to look at him, loving how her mate found humor in the most serious of situations. They witnessed history being made today. Once again she was part of a sound and rooted pack. Now she was mated and had her own den. Erin wasn’t so gullible as to believe that all hard times were behind them. But life with Juan would make any situation easier to endure.

“Get naked,” she ordered him, and shrugged out of her coat.

“We’ll enjoy this run with our pack, little bitch. But you better save some energy for me later.” He leaned down and nipped her lower lip before she could stop him.

Quickly undressing, she released the change inside of her, suddenly full of so much enthusiasm and happiness, she doubted the energy pumping through her veins would go away any time soon.

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About the Author

All my life, I’ve wondered at how people fall into the routines of life. The paths we travel seemed to be well-trodden by society. We go to school, fall in love, find a line of work (and hope and pray it is one we like), have children and do our best to mold them into good people who will travel the same path. This is the path so commonly referred to as the “real world”.

The characters in my books are destined to stray down a different path other than the one society suggests. Each story leads the reader into a world altered slightly from the one they know. For me, this is what good fiction is about, an opportunity to escape from the daily grind and wander down someone else’s path.

Lorie O’Clare lives in Kansas with her three sons.

Lorie welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Lorie O’Clare

Cariboo Lunewulf 1: Taming Heather

Cariboo Lunewulf 2: Pursuit

Cariboo Lunewulf 3: Challenged

Dead World

Fallen Gods: Jaded Prey

Fallen Gods: Lotus Blooming

Fallen Gods: Tainted Purity

Fallen Gods: Embracing Temptation

Full Moon Rising

Issue of Trust

Lunewulf 1: Pack Law

Lunewulf 2: In Her Blood

Lunewulf 3: In Her Dreams

Lunewulf 4: In Her Nature

Lunewulf 5: In Her Soul

Penance

Sex Slaves 1: Sex Traders

Sex Slaves 2: Waiting For Yesterday

Sex Slaves 3: Waiting For Dawn

Shara’s Challenge

Taking It All

Things That Go Bump in the Night 2004
anthology

Torrid Love: After Dusk

Torrid Love: Caught!

Torrid Love: The First Time

Werewolves of Malta 1: Elements Unbound

Werewolves of Malta 2: Living Extinct

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC

on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

www.ellorascave.com