STORY EXCERPT

Side by side, their little family advanced through the forest. The pack house was a good distance away from the wards, and they couldn’t seem to find the sole road that existed within the pack lands. It didn’t matter. Some things never changed, and Zane was confident he’d find his way to their destination.

Still, he couldn’t say he was surprised when they were stopped halfway there. Two massive wolves emerged from the greenery, already baring their fangs at Zane and Kendrick. If they recognized their former pack mates, they didn’t show it. It looked like Zane would get his wish and shed some blood after all.

Zane and Kendrick didn’t hesitate. They lunged forward, keeping their mates behind them, safely out of reach of their opponents. The wolves were already charging toward them, saliva dripping down their jaws, their eyes glinting with hunger.

Something about that look reminded Zane of the way Kendrick had been once, when he’d been lost to his own beast, when his feral nature had consumed his sanity and sense of self. These wolves were similar. They must have fallen prey to the curse then.

Zane didn’t feel guilty, but even so, he didn’t want to kill these people if he could help it. They might have still attacked him if they’d been in their right minds, but he didn’t know that for a fact, and he couldn’t judge them yet.

Zane shifted back into his humanoid form and grabbed one of the wolves mid-air, just as the creature was leaping. Like this, he had a little more versatility in terms of non-lethal attacks, and he threw the wolf to the ground, delivering a few well-aimed blows to his head. A werewolf’s skull was resilient, but Zane was strong, and within seconds, his opponent was unconscious.

When he turned, he found Kendrick had dealt with his own enemy. He’d chosen a slightly bloodier method and had maimed the other werewolf’s hind legs, but it wasn’t anything serious. Their so-called pack mate would live to bother them another day.

The whole thing lasted a minute, if that. These wolves hadn’t been a real challenge to him and Kendrick. If he had to guess, they were likely younger, inexperienced in combat. That didn’t make him drop his guard, and his caution was a good thing. More werewolves were already approaching, some closer than others.

“Looks like these two may have just been guards,” he told his brother.

Kendrick shrugged and cracked his knuckles. “It’s fine. We can take them.”

The dark look in his eyes made Zane suspect his brother looked forward to this confrontation more than Zane himself did. And why wouldn’t he? Kendrick had been a captive in this place for decades, constantly humiliated and berated for something he couldn’t help. It was laughable that a sorcerer had been the only one to show him kindness when he’d been in captivity.

Fuck. Why had he even agreed to become the leader of these people? They deserved to die for the way they’d treated his siblings.

Zane breathed through his nose, forcing himself to calm down. Kendrick was relying on him to maintain his hold on his composure. He had a responsibility, and he couldn’t forget about it, no matter how nice it would be to burn everything down and salt the earth in their wake.

He wasn’t completely successful, and when another werewolf jumped at him from the greenery, Zane caught him with a single hand. He squeezed the beast’s throat, reveling in the sounds of its pain and ignoring the way it was trying to flail.

“You really should learn how to acknowledge your betters.”

He tossed the wolf’s body away, and it went flying through several trees. The display gave the rest of the pack pause, and the other wolves lurked in the shadows instead of attacking outright.

Interesting. It looked like not everyone had succumbed to the curse. That was good news, because if that hadn’t been the case, this whole trip would have been for nothing.

“Well?” Zane called out. “Aren’t you going to welcome me home? Aunt Sharon? Elder Dominic? Come out. I know you’re there.”

He was bluffing, since the myriad of scents in the forest confused his senses. He could detect traces of more than one pack elder in the crowd, but strangely enough, he could also smell his sister—and he knew for a fact she wasn’t here.

His words seemed to infuriate the werewolves present. Moving as one, they all emerged from their hiding spots, zeroing in on Zane and Kendrick, determined to tear them apart. 

Zane couldn’t help but smile. So they were going to play things this way. Fine. He’d been waiting for this for a long time.

He was the Alpha of this pack, and he always had been. No matter what his mother had done to him, that had never changed. Today, he would finally prove that, and teach the unworthy members of his pack who they were supposed to obey.

ADULT EXCERPT

By the time Lee was completely naked, his body was burning with a diffuse but unbearable arousal. Every single nerve ending was aflame, and he felt as if he’d fallen into one of those dreams he’d first had of Zane.

His head was spinning, and he had to clench his fists into the sheets to stay where Zane wanted him to. 

“You’re so good for me, love,” Zane murmured, “my beautiful mate. That’s it. Let it all go. Give me your everything.”

Zane’s voice was thicker and lower, the cadence almost hypnotizing and musical. Something about his aura had changed, but it didn’t alarm Lee. It was just an extension of his mate, a beautiful wave of power that was slowly enveloping him, consuming Lee’s very sense of self and granting him the freedom he had always wanted.

Zane’s hands left his body, but only for a few moments. When Zane came back, he climbed on the bed, lowering his body over Lee’s. He was naked too, and Lee whimpered. Impossibly, his heart started beating even faster. At this rate, it was going to burst out of his chest. Lee didn’t think he would care. His heart, like his whole body, belonged to Zane.

Even now, Zane seemed to understand what he was thinking. “Shh,” he said, slowly licking over the shell of Lee’s ear. “I’m here. I belong to you, too.”

The fog that had settled over Lee’s mind melted into something different, into a hunger he could no longer contain. As much as he had wanted to obey his mate, he couldn’t help but reach out and touch. He spread his legs and wrapped his arms around Zane’s neck, wanting to pull him closer, always closer.

Zane didn’t berate him for it. Instead, he pressed their mouths together again. Before long, his gentleness melted away, leaving behind only lust. Zane’s cock insistently nudged Lee’s hip, but Zane did nothing to address his arousal. His claws raked over Lee’s side, leaving behind trails of fiery sensation. His fangs bit into Lee’s lower lip, just enough to promise more without actually hurting him. 

Lee dug his nails into Zane’s flesh, his patience slowly beginning to reach his limits. He might not have Zane’s strength, but this sort of thing always worked on his mate, and today was no exception. Zane groaned against his lips and snatched his mouth away. “What a naughty mate I have. Don’t worry. I’ll give you what you need. Close your eyes.”

Lee couldn’t have disobeyed if he’d wanted to. The heat in Zane’s eyes was too hypnotic, and it echoed within their bond, within that tight connection that meant so much for both of them.

An explosion of sensation erupted over Lee. It felt like Zane’s hands and mouth were all over the place. Lee’s brain simply couldn’t keep up and make sense of what was happening. One moment, it felt like Zane’s lips were on his nipples, and the next, they were on his dick. His fangs trailed over his throat, and then they were over the soles of his feet. He was being moved around, his body almost like a plaything, at Zane’s mercy.

Lee had always known Zane was fast. He’d seen Zane fight more than once and, on one memorable occasion, Zane had carried him on foot from the spot where he’d been held when he’d been kidnapped. He’d also asked Lee to close his eyes then, but he’d never done something similar when they were in bed together.

On some level, Lee could see why Zane hadn’t tried it before. It was a little disconcerting, and at any other time, maybe it would have thrown Lee. Maybe it would have been too much and overwhelmed him. But now, it was exactly what he needed for both of them.

When slick fingers penetrated his body, Lee almost came on the spot. If he didn’t, it was because the wave of sensation that had already swallowed him was refusing to allow it. Zane’s powerful aura pulsed through him, stronger than ever before, and Lee sobbed, both overcome and comforted by his mate’s strength.

Zane set him back down on the bed and positioned his cock against his opening. In a single, smooth motion, he slid home. Unlike earlier, he no longer had any interest in taking things slow. If anything, he’d completely changed tracks, and his speed was increasing more and more.

He thrust in and out of Lee at a dizzying pace, always aiming for Lee’s prostate. Lee didn’t even get a chance to catch his breath or process each sharp burst of pleasure before he cascaded into another and another. It was practically inhuman, a level of visceral carnality no mortal could ever manage to wield. But if he died that way, Lee would be more than happy to accept it. 

“You won’t die,” a husky, animalistic voice growled in his ear. “Never again. I won’t allow it. Do you understand?”

The mere concept of answering a question right now was staggering, but Lee’s vocal cords seemed to work with no input from him. “Yes, Alpha.”

“You’re not allowed to leave me. You’re not allowed to endanger yourself. You’re not allowed to love anyone but me.”

Fierce thrusts that threatened to melt Lee’s brain punctuated every command. And yet, somehow, he still replied, a litany of “Yes, Alpha” escaping his bruised lips. He didn’t recognize the hoarse sound of his own voice, and he could barely understand what he was saying and thinking. And Zane refused to stop, his indomitable will sliding over Lee like a knife wrapped in silk.