The Last Werewolf (The Weres of Europe) (12 page)

It took the terrified cry of the man beneath him to snap him out of his daze.

The next thing Leevi was aware of was his fangs sinking into soft, warm flesh as hot blood ran down his throat, spilling out of his mouth to run in rivulets down his jaw. Opening his eyes, Leevi looked at the curve of Rik’s neck where his fangs had bitten down hard.

And, simultaneously, as the realization of what he had done hit him, Leevi felt both his mate’s and his own cock erupting in jerky spasms of mutual orgasm. Their hips snapped together in perfect unison as pain—for one physical, for the other emotional—mixed with pleasure as they rode through their earth-shattering climax.

It took years for Leevi admit to himself that the worst moment in his life was also the most sublime.

“There you are,” Rik called out from the kitchen, grinning happily and glancing at Leevi over his shoulder, probably still marred by the scars where Leevi had bitten him and turned him into a werewolf. He’d hated himself for forcing the change onto his mate more than any words could convey.

Grunting, Leevi stomped past Rik in front of the stove and pushed him aside. “Don’t make yourself at home. This isn’t your place.” Fully aware that he growled most of his words, he took the frying pan off the top of the cooker and tossed it into the sink as he retreated back into the safety of the living room.

“You can be so cruel,” Rik murmured behind him, angry as he took off his apron and threw it against Leevi’s back.

Out of his mind with sorrow and fury, Leevi turned back, and, startled by his expression, Rik stepped back. “I am cruel?” He was part growling, part shouting, and he felt the eruption of all the emotions that he’d buried deep within since Rik had walked out of their relationship.

Though shaken and shorter than Leevi, Rik stared him down, not budging. His face was a changing masque of all the things left unsaid between them. “What did you expect me to do, Leevi? Stay with you after you took away my right to choose for myself? After I learned, and not from you, that you didn’t have to change me for us to be mates, that there are plenty of wolf-human couplings out there. You bit me, and took my humanity from me. And then by not telling me the truth, for several months, you effectively lied to me. Every day for four months.”

Leevi couldn’t take anymore. Seeing Rik was too hard. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner things would return to normal. Without looking at his former mate, he said, “I talked to my Beta. You were right to be concerned. Your woman seems to have been taken by Jaakko and his men this afternoon, but I don’t think they would kill her outright, for no reason. They’ve most likely taken her to our old fort by the National Park, as I hear they’ve commandeered it for their own purposes. It’s dark now, but if you want we can go there tonight, though the terrain is hard even for our kind. I worry that they would hear us stumbling and kill her before we got to her. Since I don’t know how many of my men are working with Jaakko or keeping him up-to-date on my doings, we’d have to go alone. Or we can wait until morning and head out at first light. Your call.”

Maybe he should not have made the offer to wait, but traveling up north was a long trip, and Rik must have been exhausted. Leevi wasn’t a total brute, so he sympathized with the man’s need for rest.

Also, though it was pure anguish to be so close to someone he could not keep, he wanted to hold on to Rik for as long as he could. Leevi felt conflicted, and his actions were proof of that. Not to mention the fact that by keeping Rik here under his roof and setting out to rescue this English woman Leevi was in effect going against Clan Law. He should summon the Council and inform them of the situation so they could, in unison, make an informed decision, but there was a chance they would not believe there was any real danger to Summer, and an even greater likelihood that they would waste too much time before acting, resulting in her death.

No, this was the only swift course of action available, damn the consequences.

Staring at everything else in the familiar room besides the other man who stood there, Leevi waited for a reaction. He may have been the Prime Alpha, but with Rik he had no strength of will. Rik was his love, and as such held control over him. For Leevi, so used to wielding power, this was not a comfortable position to be in.

“Damn. I knew it. Okay, if you believe she’s not in any immediate danger, we’ll go at first light.” That said, Rik spun around on his heels and made his way back to the kitchen, fishing the frying pan out of the sink and continuing to work on dinner. Leevi would rather have cut off his arm than join him, so he went upstairs to bed hungry.

****

Unable to sleep a wink, Leevi watched the red light of the alarm clock move slowly from 2:12 A.M. to 2:13 A.M. Sighing, he felt despondent and alone. Where his heart had once beat now was a hollow space. He longed for Rik to fill it, like he once had, but, after all was said and done, Leevi knew it was too late to wish for what could never be.

A light knock came from the door.

Leevi jumped in shock, realizing he’d been so wrapped up in his own head-space that he’d missed the nearing scent of his mate.

Without waiting for a reply, Rik opened the door and came in, carrying a small tray. “You must be hungry. I brought you dinner.” He laid the tray down on the nightstand and stood by, watching in defiance at what Leevi would do.

“Thanks,” Leevi managed to murmur as he swung his bare legs from under the covers and sat up on the edge of the bed, reaching for the plate filled with minced-meat steaks and mashed potatoes with carrots and peas, all microwaved.

As Leevi stuffed his face with food, Rik stood for a moment, as if undecided, before he sat down next to him. “You must realize that me leaving had nothing to do with how I felt for you. How I still feel for you. I had to go. You do understand that, right?”

The plea in Rik’s voice did not go unnoticed by Leevi, who sighed. “I do.”

Yes, Rik probably did still love him, or at least that’s what Leevi hoped for, but how did that change anything? This wasn’t a question of who loved who more, but a mess born of the lack of trust. Leevi had to admit he shared most of the blame for that. Oh, if only love and knowing another loved you back were enough to sort things out, but alas they weren’t.

Rik’s hand came to rest on Leevi’s thigh, and that old black magic between them sent fireworks exploding hot in his groin. “I’ve missed you.”

Nodding a little, Leevi whispered, “Not as much as I’ve missed you.”

Suddenly Rik chuckled. “You know, it’s not a race.”

That made Leevi finally look at Rik, the man he loved above any other. In the dim light of the full moon through the blinds, Rik appeared glowing and transformed into an ethereal angel. Leevi’s heart ached, but he dared a smile. “I know.”

Rik’s brown eyes fell to his lips, and Leevi felt the old hunger return. His claws began to grow, his eyesight rippled as his vision began to alter, and his gums itched as the impending fangs threatened to burst out. Vehemently he shook his head, forcing the wolf down.
It’s just the first night of the full moon. You can fight it.

Deflection and distraction would help, he decided. “So, why this particular girl? Other than her being catnip.”

He was aware that Rik tensed noticeably. “Summer is strong and smart and funny. She’s a sports coach in some university in
England
.” He sighed ruefully. “I admit I don’t know her that well, and yet I feel like I’ve known her forever.” He dared a glance at Leevi from under his brow. “I felt that way with you too when we met. That’s why I came up north with you.”

“And then I betrayed your trust in me.” Leevi knew it was the truth, but saying it out loud was a sheering pain in his soul.

“Yes, you kind of did,” Rik affirmed, but his hand moved from Leevi’s thigh to find his hand and squeeze gently. “I was so mad at first. I thought I was over it by now, and then you go off the deep end and behave like a fucking jerk.”

“I’m sorry,” Leevi mumbled, ashamed. “I just…seeing you again brings it all back, and I’m not over you. You’re my mate, so I never really will be.” Leevi slowly withdrew his hand. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you are never going to be with me, it’s best you don’t come back here—ever. It hurts too much.” He was certain this was the first time he’d spoken this openly about his feelings, and he didn’t like this sharing one damn bit. But the words rang true nonetheless.

He felt Rik quiver at his side. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you, even under the circumstances, but I don’t know if I can ever trust you again.”

Leevi turned to face him, locking their gazes. “I’ve hurt you twice, once by biting you, once by a lie of omission. I have no more secrets, nothing else that could hurt you. Unless you consider me still being in love with you as a problem.” Grunting gruffly, he added, “Especially now you’ve found your, uh, catnip-woman.”

Shaking his head, Rik said curtly, “Summer is not the problem between us. It’s your expectations of me, and what our relationship should be like. I do love you, Leevi, but you’re not an easy person to be with. You keep all the important stuff bottled up inside. You may be the Prime Alpha of the clan, but by shutting me out we’re not equals in the relationship. And as a Prime’s mate, I should be equal with you, shouldn’t I? As much as I may enjoy submitting to you in bed, I can’t be your slave-boy out of bed.”

To his credit, Leevi actually stopped to think about what Rik claimed. As an alpha wolf, Leevi had expected that Rik concede to his wishes in all matters, in and out of bed, but apparently nothing could be farther from the truth. “Are you, um, more assertive with, er, that woman?”

“Her name is Summer, and we were equals in bed, neither trying to gain the upper hand to dominate over the other. Well, I teased her about submitting to me, but it was fun and light and playful.” Silence fell between them, heavy and loaded until Leevi felt Rik’s fingers brush the hairs on his temples. “You have a touch of gray in your hair. You didn’t have them last we met.”

Warmth of familiarity poured over Leevi from Rik’s barest touch, and he shivered. God, how badly he wanted to toss him onto his bed and make love to him.

But that was what had gotten them into trouble in the first place.

Gently, Leevi took Rik’s hand and moved it aside. Only then did he see how Rik’s pupils had dilated with deep desire. The mating bond between them was as strong as ever, he realized, and he was aware that his wolf pheromones were calling out. Yes, he could have Rik tonight, override his sense and fuck him through the mattress.

But Leevi couldn’t do that to Rik. He’d be using his wolf to get what his human side wanted, and not only was it unethical, but the end result would push Rik away completely in the face of yet another betrayal.

“We should get some sleep,” he said in a low voice, intending to soothe Rik’s raging need and quell his own. “We have to get up soon, so goodnight, Rik.”

He didn’t miss the relief that washed over Rik’s face, and knew he’d made the right call. “Goodnight, Leevi.” With a small, tender peck on Leevi’s cheek, Rik got up and left the room.

Leevi let out the long breath he’d been holding for who knows how long. He’d faced his beast’s craving of his mate and not only survived intact, but come out the victor. Pushing the tray back on the nightstand, he wiggled his way back underneath the covers, closed his weary eyes, and allowed himself the rest he so desperately yearned for. Tranquility was a rarity for beast men, and he had only had it once before, when he had thought he’d live happily ever after with his mate in sweet ignorant bliss. But this time the serenity came from sleep and from the truth that his love didn’t hate his guts after all.

Chapter Seven

“Fuck, it’s cold.”

Leevi rolled his eyes at Rik’s commentary, repeated for the umpteenth time until he was ready to throttle the guy. His mate was shivering noticeably, likely exaggerating the effect, and he was mumbling a few select curses that made Leevi grin.

“Don’t be such a wuss. All that time in centrally-heated
Helsinki
, being able to go everywhere underground, has made you unfit for the country and the outdoors.”

Rik nudged him with his elbow, hard, as he angrily stomped past Leevi in an attempt to show him his true colors and stamina.

Smiling, Leevi let Rik take the lead for a while. The path to the old fort was winding and not well-trodden as only shifters knew the way there. It had been built by their kind centuries ago and remained hidden in the wilderness, covered up by rock formations, trees, bushes, and moss. No matter what angle one approached from, the construction was virtually undetectable. On top of the rocky ridge, covered by branches and stones, stood the square lookout tower and the small landing behind it, the only parts not underground. But even they were well camouflaged by natural earthworks. No human had discovered the site since its early construction, and only two humans in history had the misfortune of becoming casualties of trespassing and seeing too much.

Stopping, Rik looked around, suspiciously at first, then confused.

“You’ve only been there once,” Leevi reminded him. He had taken Rik on a tour of all the places in clan lands where shifters could seek safe haven in troubled times, and the old fort was one of them. But there were so many hidden sanctuaries in the wilderness that Rik couldn’t possibly recall them all.