Her Wolf: A Why Choose Urban Fantasy Romance (Silver Shifter Book 1) Page 8

  “Not…upset,” I said. “But maybe I should eat something.”

  “On it,” Owen said, rolling up from the bed to his feet. A minute after he padded from the room, Shira appeared at my bedside.

  “Maximus wants you to quit blocking him so completely from your thoughts,” she said with a small smile.

  “Tell Maximus to stay in his own head,” I said. “And that I’m fine.”

  “Do you need anything?”

  “Owen’s getting me food.”

  “Hmm,” she said. “Interesting.”

  “I know I’m Maximus's mate,” I said. “But there’s something else going on. I don’t know yet. Just tell him he doesn’t have to worry.”

  She studied me a minute. “Okay,” she said at last. “I sense that you’re doing what’s best for the pack. I don’t know how that can be, but you must know what you’re doing.”

  When she left, I closed my eyes and rested a moment. I appreciated her trust, but I didn’t know if I deserved it. I had no idea what I was doing.

  After I ate, I spent most of the day sleeping and recovering from the attack. Owen stayed by my side all day, and Maximus came in to visit as well. By evening, I felt stronger when I woke.

  “Want me to bring you up some dinner?” Owen asked. He was sitting in the chair where I’d been piling my clothes all week.

  “Maybe,” I said, pushing myself up to sit. When I yawned and stretched, I felt the tightness of my shirt. Looking down, I realized I was still covered in blood from the night before. I shuddered and peeled off the shirt without thinking. Owen averted his eyes, his cheeks going a little red. Around the others, I would have felt like they were staring, and I would have immediately felt self-conscious. But when Owen sat staring at the floor, I realized I wanted him to look at me.

  My wolf was growling things that didn’t make sense, and my body was just as bad. My cold skin quivered at the thought of Owen’s rough, hot fingers on it.

  “I should get cleaned up,” I said, bewildered by my own thoughts and desires. I clambered from the bed, and Owen rushed to my side. He scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bathroom. A large, clawfoot tub sat in the middle of the floor, and Owen drew back the curtain and turned on the water.

  “Can you sit up in the bath?” he asked.

  “I think so,” I said, though my legs felt like noodles when I stood. I looked into the rushing water, and suddenly I was lying on the pavement again, blood trickling down my neck, wetting my shirt. I turned away from the water and sank onto the edge of the tub. Swallowing hard, I avoided Owen’s eyes as I spoke. “Will you stay?”

  “Take as much time as you need, Ariana.”

  I nodded, gripping the button of my jeans. “Will you?”

  “Of course,” he said, crouching beside me. His big hand rested gently on my lower back, his eyes searching my face. “I’m going to take care of you.”

  I knew, somehow, that his words extended beyond this moment. That he was promising something that had nothing to do with my weakness or injuries. Sometime during the day, he must have began to listen to his bear as seriously as I was listening to my wolf.

  I nodded mutely, my throat suddenly tight. His hand felt hot against my bare skin, and I was suddenly aware of how close we were, that I could feel the heat of him climbing my arms, my ribs, warming my chest. Owen knelt and undid my jeans, slowly working them down over my hips and thighs. His lips were set in a determined, businesslike expression.

  When I looked down, I saw that my underwear were caught in my jeans, sliding down with them.

  My breath caught, and I rested my hands on his shoulders for balance while he tugged my jeans over my feet. He lifted his gaze, his eyes catching between my thighs. He swallowed and raised his eyes to mine. My fingers curled into the shoulders of his shirt, tugging him closer. His large, calloused hands closed around the back of my calves, sliding up to the soft skin behind my knees. Heat raced up my thighs, curling into a knot of anticipation at my core. I closed my eyes, drawing a shaky breath.

  “Let’s get you in the tub,” Owen said, his voice low but gruff. He stood quickly, lifting me and easing my body gently into the warm water.

  I reached behind my back and undid my bra, sliding it over my arms and dropping it beside the tub. Owen grabbed a bottle of bubble bath and dumped half of it under the tap. A mountain of bubbles began to billow up.

  “Are you trying to hide me under those?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to be hidden. Everything was happening so fast. I’d just claimed Maximus a week ago, and now, my wolf was howling for me to claim another mate. But she didn’t want to give up Maximus. No, she wasn’t replacing him. She was…supplementing him.

  “The bubbles are for my sake, not because…” Owen’s voice dropped even more. “Not because I don’t want to see you. You’re beautiful, Ariana.”

  “But…?” I said, remembering the night before, when I hadn’t let him protest.

  “But I’m a man, and you’re a beautiful woman who my bear thinks is his mate,” Owen said. “It’s not easy being this close and not being able to touch you.”

  I met his eyes, my insides trembling at the rough edge of longing in his voice.

  “So touch me,” I whispered.

  Owen knelt beside the tub, sliding a hand behind my head to cushion it from the hard porcelain surface. His free hand moved a washcloth gently over my cheek, letting warm water run down my face and neck. He worked his way down my neck, the warm cloth caressing my shoulder. My body melted under his hands, and I sank back into his cradling hold. Slowly, he worked his way over my collarbones and down my chest. After a slight hesitation, he ran the cloth around the bottom of my breast.

  My nipples hardened, and tension coiled inside me even as my body relaxed further into the warm embrace of the soapy water. I sighed and shifted, the water lapping gently around me.

  “Ariana,” Owen said slowly, his hands stilling. “You’re Maximus's mate.”

  I opened my eyes to find him frowning in confusion. I knew in that moment that my wolf was right. If he’d been the one pushing for this, I would have pushed back. But he was trying to do the right thing for me, and even for Maximus, at the expense of himself. His selflessness, the fact that he’d be willing to give up his own happiness to make sure that we were happy, made me realize what my wolf alone hadn’t convinced me. He would do anything for me. He felt the same about me as Maximus did.

  “And yours,” I said, laying a gentle hand on his forearm. “I’m your mate too, Owen.”

  His brows furrowed deeper. “How can that be?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But I am.”

  After a long, long minute, he nodded, and his face relaxing into a hesitant smile. “I guess that’s one way to unite the clans.”

  I leaned up, circling a wet arm around his neck and pulling him down to me. His mouth met mine, his tongue skillfully claiming mine without hesitation. I pulled harder, wanting him closer. He slid over the edge of the tub, the water sloshing around us as he pulled me on top of him, his lips never leaving mine. His hands glided over my back, stopping at my hips.

  I wound my legs into his, my arms around his neck. My tongue danced with his, my body riding the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. The water swayed around us under the mountain of bubbles. After a few minutes, Owen’s hands moved lower, kneading the soft flesh of my bottom, crushing my hips to his. The tension in my core coiled tighter and tighter until I was squirming against him, the need in me almost painful.

  Growling into his mouth, I arched against him, trying to find the relief I needed. He echoed the sound back, a sound of frustration in his throat that vibrated through his chest and buzzed along my skin. I bit down on his lip the way Maximus had done to me, and Owen’s growl rose in intensity. The vibration through my body made my nipples harden against his chest, pushing me closer to the edge. I’d never felt this way before, didn’t have the words to tell him what I needed. I rocked my hips against his, the
water coursing around our bodies as I moved faster.

  After tugging at his shirt, I pulled it away from his skin and ran my hands up under it, over the ridges of muscle on his abdomen. My nails scraped his wet, slippery skin, searching further until I found his nipples. Owen sucked in a breath, his hand sliding down my thigh and hitching my leg up. As he raked his fingers up the back of my thigh, I arched my back, giving him better access. His fingers hesitated, then began to explore my folds. I gasped as he went deeper, dipping a finger into me.

  I bit down harder on his lip, tasting blood now. Sucking on his bleeding lip, I pushed back against his hand, arching my back and spreading my knees wider. With a groan, he sank his fingers all the way into me, biting down on my lip at the same time. I cried out, something pulling tight inside me until I thought I’d burst open like a ripe fruit. Owen sucked at the blood on my tongue, sliding his fingers out and then driving them deep into me again and again.

  I arched my back, burying my cries of pleasure in his mouth as my pussy clenched around his fingers. He pushed deep and held, pulsing his fingers against my walls. The tension that had been building suddenly reached an unbearable level, and then, all at once, it broke. Stars bloomed behind my eyelids as waves of pleasure uncoiled through my entire body, my tightness throbbing around his fluttering fingers. Blood spread across my tongue, and I tasted him, and me, and us.

  Inside me, my wolf shuddered with approval. She had claimed her second mate.

  13

  Ariana

  Warm light caressed my cheeks the next morning, pulling me from sleep. I blinked into the golden rays, squinting at the sheer curtains. I yawned and stretched, my muscles tensing and relaxing in turn.

  Owen grumbled something beside me, his face buried in the pillow, and his arm tightly wound around my waist. I couldn’t help but smile. Though he might be a large bear shifter, he could still somehow be adorable while asleep.

  I lay my head down and brushed dirty blond hair back over his ear. After our encounter in the bathtub, Owen hadn’t wanted to go further, and for that I was thankful. Though my first and only orgasm had been explosive, I wasn’t sure I was ready to take the next step, even if my wolf howled for more.

  My cheeks heated and I clenched my thighs at the memory. It felt strange to have someone be so sweet after all my years as a captive. I didn’t think it was possible until I met my mates.

  Mine, my wolf agreed.

  I didn’t think my wolf could get any happier. She’d already claimed two mates, and she’d purred like a cat ever since.

  Owen shifted, peeking up at me, his face still half hidden by the pillow. He inspected my face so long that I had to drop his gaze.

  “Good morning,” he said, his voice a deep rumble even while muffled in the pillowcase.

  I shivered involuntarily and shook my hair back. “Morning.”

  Owen raised his head to plant a kiss on my forehead before swiping his long hair back. “Did you sleep well?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. Are you hungry?”

  My stomach growled in response. “Apparently.”

  He chuckled softly, and before I could pull him back down into the sheets for a little longer, he’d sprung up from bed and tugged his jeans on. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”

  I looked from his face to the door. It had been a few days since the incident in the city, and I finally felt like myself. Though I wanted to see the others, I was afraid of what they might say. I’d barely seen Maximus, and I felt him at the edge of my thoughts constantly, poking and prodding for a way in. Every time I felt him I slammed my mental barriers down. I wasn’t ready to have him in my head, seeing my thoughts, seeing Owen. I knew once I dropped my walls, both alphas would be there. How was I supposed to explain that to Maximus?

  Owen pulled on his shirt while I slipped out of bed.

  I’d slept in a large t-shirt and panties. I changed quickly, pulling on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve maroon shirt with a v-neck. Once we were both dressed, I hesitated by the door.

  Owen grinned, flashing his perfect teeth, then opened the door. “Come on.”

  I sighed and took the lead like I had with our first kiss. I steeled myself as I descended the stairs, the hum of voices clear from the kitchen. I could smell Maximus and Shira, along with eggs and bacon. My stomach growled in response, and my feet carried me through the dining room doors.

  Maximus looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting mine. He stood in front of the stove, a spatula in one hand and the handle of the frying pan in the other. His smile dropped, and something unreadable flashed through his eyes. He turned away just as Shira bounced up from her seat at the island bar.

  “Good morning,” she said with a wide smile. “Are you feeling better?”

  “Much.”

  “Come on, have a seat.” She ushered me over to the dining room table, pulling out my seat for me.

  I smiled at her and nodded my thanks as she sat down beside me. There was already a glass of chocolate milk sitting on the table, and I grabbed it hungrily.

  “Breakfast smells great,” Owen said as he took a seat on the other side of the table. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “No,” Maximus grunted. He didn’t even look over his shoulder, but continued to flip eggs like he was spearing a vampire.

  I sucked down my chocolate milk, wondering how they knew I’d come down today. It didn’t seem like Maximus was in the best of moods, though that wasn’t exactly surprising.

  “Is he okay?” I whispered to Shira. He could probably hear me with his enhanced wolf hearing and all, but still I pitched my voice low.

  Shira glanced between him and I. “I think you keeping him out of your head is making him anxious.”

  I nodded and leaned back, setting my glass back on the table. I didn’t want to explain why I wasn’t letting him back in. It couldn’t end well for anyone, but especially not for Owen. I didn’t want to cause any fights, especially on pack land where dozens of wolves might jump in to aid their leader.

  Maximus finished up breakfast and set a plate in front of each of us, though he visibly tensed when delivering Owen’s. I wanted to roll my eyes and tell him to cut it out, but I chose not to. I had to pick my battles.

  We ate in silence, and it wasn’t until halfway through my plate when Maximus finally decided to speak up. “It looks like your injuries have healed.”

  I glanced up, surprised by the broken silence. My fingers went self-consciously to my neck and shoulders, where dozens of vampire bites had covered my skin only days ago. Now it was as if it had never happened.

  “They have,” I said cautiously.

  “I’m glad.”

  And that was that. Maximus didn’t say another word, only finished his breakfast in silence. I exchanged a look with Owen, not sure what to do or say. He shrugged.

  Once we were finished, Shira grabbed our plates before any of us could stand to help. She insisted we stay seated, that we had a lot to talk about. She slipped away to load the dishwasher and clean up the counters before I could argue.

  “So,” Owen started, clearly trying to break the awkward silence. “When do we visit the dragons?”

  Maximus glared at the bear shifter. “When the problem with the vampires has been dealt with.”

  “What?” I asked. “I’m fine now. We should visit Cash and his clan tomorrow.”

  Maximus shook his head. “No. I won’t put you at risk again. You’re safer here on pack land.”

  “So you want me to stay here and twiddle my thumbs for what? A week? Two?”

  “However long it takes.”

  I growled. “We don’t even know how they found us. It could have been a coincidence.”

  Maximus scoffed. “Unlikely.”

  “I won’t just stay here in captivity, Maximus.”

  Maximus's jaw hardened. “You’re not a captive.”

  “Exactly. Which is why we’ll leave tomorrow.” I crossed my arms and stared him down.


  He sighed. “Ariana...”

  “We’ll take a different route,” I said. “We can bring Shira and some of the other pack members. It’ll be fine.”

  Maximus worked his jaw back and forth. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  I smiled. “I know. But keeping me locked up isn’t the answer.”

  Maximus stared me down for several long moments before finally nodding his approval.

  Owen stood abruptly, pulling a cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Cash.” He stepped out of the room, holding the phone to his ear.

  Maximus looked at the table, his fist clenched atop it. I reached across and laid my fingers over his knuckles. “It’ll be okay.”

  He took my hand in his and squeezed. He didn’t say anything, only held on as Owen made plans for us to leave tomorrow.

  Maximus's Jeep moved smoothly through the city streets, taking an unnecessarily winding route to wherever we were going. To be sure no vampires got the jump on us this time, we didn’t tell anyone what route we were taking. I looked out the back window as we made another sharp turn. Owen’s truck barely kept up with us, especially when Maximus made last minute turns seemingly at random.

  By the time we stopped in front of a towering skyscraper, it was noon, and the sun blazed off the glass panels of the building, nearly blinding me as I craned my neck to see the top.

  “This is it?” I asked.

  Maximus grunted something that sounded like yes. He’d had the same standoffish attitude since breakfast yesterday, and it was starting to grate on my nerves.

  I glanced into traffic to make sure I had a moment to slip out, then opened the door and made my way around to the sidewalk.

  Maximus was at my side in moments. He took my hand, and I squeezed his fingers, hoping to reassure some of his anxiety. Owen pulled up behind us and jumped out with Shira at his side. Together, we made our way to the glass doors and slipped inside.

  “You’re late,” Cash said the moment we were through the door. He sauntered across the luxurious lobby wearing pressed black slacks and a white button down shirt. His grin made me smile in return.