Waking Up Were (2 page)

Every time his foot collided with the floor, it growled a single, deafening word.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Fuck him sideways. The beast had finally settled on someone, finally found the other half of their soul. Of course it had to be now of all times. Now, when his pack was in turmoil because of the rogue. His wolf would be torn between protecting her and protecting his wolves, and Declan wasn’t sure which would come out on top.

Rogue…

Mention of the rogue shoved forward another problem.

Declan hadn’t been notified of any non-pack wolves in the area and his group was good at texting him the moment they came across someone who didn’t belong.

Which meant his mate wasn’t just a new wolf in town. No, it meant she was new. Period.

Fuck.

His animal didn’t give a damn how their mate came to be a wolf and on Swan Mountain. Nope, it just wanted her to come. Several times.

He paused outside the last exam room door and drew in a lungful of air. The scent was concentrated there, earthy and warm, and his. And it was… familiar? Beneath the undertones of wolf lurked something else, something that teased his mind and had his cock throbbing from an elusive memory. He knew that aroma. Or did he? It almost scented like…

He grasped the doorknob and gave it a slow turn, groaning when even more of his mate’s flavors came to him.

With the new concentration, his dick immediately hardened in his jeans until he ached to slide deep into her moist heat. He’d fill her over and over, making her scream and cry his name. Declan would leave her in a happily sated, fully claimed puddle.

He pushed the door open further, exposing the room’s occupants.

A few things happened with his entrance.

Harper screamed, “Alpha!”

His mate screamed, “Save yourself!”

And his wolf roared, “Mine!”

Thankfully the animal’s word was relegated to the back of his mind because several things became clear with his single sweeping glance at the female that would be his.

A rough wound marred her forearm, pink and swollen at the edges, but clearly healing. He also noticed she was soft and curved and he couldn’t wait to possess her.

There was also the fact that she was his delicious, too-tempting, maddening
human
accountant.

Or was she?

Declan stalked Brenna, boots not making a sound as he ignored Harper and crossed the room toward her. His mate’s whole body shook, the scent of her fear slamming into him like a sledgehammer. The wound was his first clue she was the rogue’s most recent victim, but that knowledge was followed by other thoughts when he caught the first hint of her inner-wolf.

Rogue victim? Yes.

New werewolf? Yes.

His? Fuck yeah.

He reiterated his mental claim by rounding the steel table and reaching for her. She didn’t shy from his touch. They’d known one another a long time and were far from strangers. So when he extended his hand, she didn’t retreat. She didn’t even put up any resistance when he tugged her close. Nor when he forced their bodies to align from shoulder to knee. It wasn’t until his cock jerked and her eyes widened that she seemed to realize all was not normal.

“Declan? Mr. Ross?” His last name was a single wavering syllable.

With his wolf urging him on, he bent his head and slid his nose along the line of her neck, drawing in more of her aromas. Her curves cradled him, her scent lured him close. Then he tempted himself even further. He lapped at the skin beneath her ear, savoring the heated sweetness that rolled over his tongue. A quick nip to her earlobe had her gasping and then he whispered the word that’d pounded through him from the moment he ventured down the hallway.

“
Mine.
”

Brenna clutched the passenger door like it was going to magically grow wings and fly her away from the group of Crazytons. Apparently, it wasn’t just Harper who had leapt into the depths of Insanelandia. Nope, Harper’s husband Connor had joined her, and then Brenna’s boss, Declan Ross, joined
them
.

Now, for some reason she still hadn’t figured out, she was locked in a moving SUV with Declan, while Connor and Harper followed. It was their own
were
-crazy caravan with Brenna being the focus of their fun times.

Yippee?

“Brenna?” Declan’s voice rumbled through her, sending trembles along her spine. As always, her body was aware of him, tuned into the gorgeous man. At over six feet of rock-hard muscle and sin, he drew every woman’s attention, but especially hers. From the moment she’d interviewed with Declan, she’d wanted him. No, want was too tame. Needed, desired, and desperate to hump his leg. Throwing herself at his feet and screaming “fuck me please” always seemed like a good idea when she was in his presence. Like, every day. Every hour? Just… a lot. Always.

“Brenna? You doing okay over there?” He repeated her name and she realized her mind had ventured into “hump Declan’s leg” territory. Again.

“Yeah?”

“That sounds like a question.”

“Are you still convinced you’re a werewolf and Connor and Harper, too? You’re taking me to your secret werewolf compound because I’m also a werewolf?”

Please say no, please say no, please say
—

“Yes.”

“Then it’s still a question. Because, really, I am
not
anyone’s idea of strong and furry. I’m soft and squishy. And pale.” She held out her arm. “Do you see the paleness of the pale?”

Declan chuckled and that sound went straight to her pussy. She wanted to scold that part of herself.
Bad kitty, bad.
Then she remembered she was a werewolf.
Allegedly.

“Pale only matters to vamps, baby.”

Baby? Better yet,
vamps
?

“Uh…” That was it, her brain was on overload and any second now it’d go
blargh
and quit working altogether.
But
before it decided to take a permanent vacation, she did have a few questions. Or, one question. Okay, maybe two.

Shit, she wasn’t sure. She just wanted to know…

“Why the hell do you smell so good? I mean, like,
whoa
kind of good.”

The man-wolf purred.

God, she was so ready for that straightjacket. Because 1) she thought of him as a wolf, and 2) that sound made her wet.

“Baby—”

“I’m not your baby.” She hated that endearment. She wasn’t a child. She did not engage in kiddie play and if a guy asked her “who’s your daddy” she typically told them he lived in Chicago and would he like her father’s number. That was also about the time she kicked the man out of bed.

“
Baby
, that’s your wolf telling you it’d be a good idea to get to know me better. Naked.” Oh, there was that purr again. The one that enveloped her body in a sensuous hug and stroked her in all those pink places. Her pussy clenched, growing heavy and wanting with desire. Her clit practically screamed for his touch, and her nipples pebbled, hardening just for him.

She was a ball of “do me now.”

Twice.

Ten times if he had the stamina and lube.

Instead of screaming that from the rooftops, she huffed and glared at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Of course, while she was looking, she took in the muscles hidden beneath his stretched T-shirt and the way his jeans clung to his thighs. Then there was the bulge at the juncture of his thighs and…
Yum
.

His grin was seductive, the corner of his mouth hitched up the tiniest bit. He slowed the SUV to a halt and popped it into park, the click of the doors unlocking catching her attention. She scrambled for the door handle, but he turned toward her and snared her attention. She did her best to ignore his small grin slowly filling with pure sin. The man was too delicious for his own good.

“Oh, you do know.” He breathed deeply. “You smell like sex and sweet and I can’t wait to unwrap you, taste every inch of you, and make you mine.”

Brenna whimpered. She couldn’t help it. One second she was wondering how to escape the land-o-what-the-fuck and the next she wondered how quickly she could get him naked. The thoughts in her head, spinning through her mind and urging her to mount him like a bronco, weren’t hers. And yet they were. She was torn between running and crawling onto his lap.

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not what you think I am and I’ve worked for you a long time, Declan. Attraction aside, sexytimes are not on the table and…”

Oh, he leaned across the space separating them, intruding on her personal space, and he smelled
so
good. Her body tingled, something inside her urging her to get closer. It was strong as hell, pushing, whining, and demanding she lean forward. Damn her, she did. She closed some of the distance, and then shivered when he once again traced the line of her throat with his nose and tongue.

“We’ll do it on the table, Brenna. The table, the counter, the floor… our bed.”

Fiery warmth enveloped her, her body reacting to his nearness, and suddenly she wanted the same things as him. Lots and lots of nakedness.

Thankfully, she was saved by her obnoxious, crazy, amazing friend. Harper knocked on the window, the rap of her knuckles against glass breaking the seductive haze that surrounded Brenna.

She jerked away, shifting out of his reach until her back collided with the door. His growl followed her and she ignored that something inside her that was attracted to that snarling sound. She was not turned on by Declan. At least, not that part of him.

Chest? Yes. Abs? Oh, let her lick them, yes. Thighs? She wondered if he could support her with those big legs. He’d push her against the wall and she’d wrap her legs around… and then the thrusting…

Okay, yeah, all of that was hornball worthy. His growl? Not so much. Because he wasn’t a werewolf no matter how hard he tried to convince her otherwise.

Yet her clit twitched, her cunt clenched, and her nipples sent up a great big “come to momma” signal.

She looked into Declan’s yellowed eyes, something unnatural peering through the orbs, and she realized several things.

Declan was possibly—probably—a werewolf.

He was hot as hell.

Should have stocked up on condoms for the eventual trip to Fucktown.

Because now, it was so gonna happen.

*

Declan was half a second from leaping onto Brenna and claiming her. The scent of her arousal permeating the air drew his wolf, and the beast was onboard with immediately sinking his fangs into her. He held the beast back through sheer force of will. He wouldn’t rush her, not when there were so many other things to discuss.

Specifically persuading her she truly was a werewolf and they belonged together. The way his cock pulsed and throbbed with the need to be inside her, he needed to sway her
soon
.

He gripped the back of her seat and placed his other on the dashboard, steadying himself as he inched even closer. “Is that how you want me to take you, baby? On the table? The counter? Our bed? All of it?” He breathed deeply, his wolf releasing a rumble when her arousal filled him. “Oh, that
is
what you want.”

Brenna opened her mouth to reply, but then the passenger door was wrenched open, sending her tumbling from the vehicle. The only thing that kept her from crashing to the ground was Connor catching her and saving her from harm. While his wolf should have been thankful of his Beta’s presence, it was enraged by another male touching the woman who belonged to them.

His beast rushed forward, shattering the bonds that’d held it captive and burst through with an overwhelming roar. It snarled, transforming and leaping in one rapid move that forced his Beta to release Brenna or fall prey to Declan’s wolf. The animalistic side of him half hoped Connor stood his ground simply because the wolf craved satisfaction.

Yet it wouldn’t be satisfied with easy prey. Not when Connor immediately dropped Brenna to the ground and scrambled away, putting space between Declan’s mate and himself.

But Connor wasn’t fast enough, not for Declan’s animal and not for Declan either. So instead of halting beside Brenna, he continued, landing with a grunt on the concrete driveway and then leaping toward his Beta once again. Connor tore at his clothes, the change rippling through him in a jerky series of spasms as he fought free of the fabric covering him.

Declan’s wolf recognized the disadvantage and reveled in the opening Connor presented. One leap, one tear, and the male threatening his mate bond with Brenna would be eliminated, one… little… snap…

“Alpha!” A woman’s voice sliced through the growl-filled air. “Your mate needs you!”

His mate?

“She needs you, Alpha. She’s bleeding.” The feminine tones pricked the wolf’s memory, prodding his mind until the beast and man connected the alto to a member of the pack.

Harper.

Beta’s wife.

He snarled at the rapidly shifting wolf. She was merely trying to distract him from his intent. Ridding himself of the interloper was the best course of action. Harper could find another mate. There were plenty of wolves in the forest.

“Your mate needs you, Alpha!” Harper’s voice carried a harried bit of anxiety and fear, drawing more of his attention from Connor.

He flared his nostrils, breathing deep, and found… Harper was telling the truth. The barest hint of Brenna’s scent came to him, the aroma tinged with the coppery tang of blood.

She
was
hurt.

With a final parting snarl to Connor, Declan spun and retraced his path, racing to Brenna’s side. The wolf gladly relinquished control, knowing that an animal couldn’t care for her. He shifted as he moved, paws and legs transforming to a human’s shape. The change was so rapid that by the time he covered the fifteen feet separating them, he’d become a man once again.

He lowered to his knees beside Brenna, ignoring Harper’s rapidly retreating form. He only had eyes for his mate now. Dust and dirt covered her arms and legs, small pieces of sand and rock embedded in her skin. Some parts of her were bright red from her fall, but there were several spots where her flesh had succumbed to the rough texture of concrete. Tiny wounds sprinkled her palms and knees, attesting to the fact she’d tried to catch herself when Connor suddenly released her.