Lone Wolf (The Westervelt Wolves, Book 8) Read online

  “Are you doing okay, son?”

  He turned his gaze on his father. At some point while Gabriel had been distracted, his father, the Alpha, must have donned the traditional mating ritual attire. In his hundred-some-odd years of life—he’d stopped counting when he’d reached one hundred; it seemed futile after that—he’d watched his father bring together so many couples. Somehow he’d never really believed he would be among them.

  “I’m fine, my Alpha. Thank you for your inquiry.”

  Other wolves got to pal around with their dads, to joke in preparation for the event. Not Gabe. No one joked with Kendrick. Gabriel would stand in front of the pack and swear his unending devotion to Carrie. Then they’d go off and be together for the first time. His groin leaped at the thought. The last weeks of anticipation had been horrific. Years of wanting her from afar had been nothing in comparison to knowing it would actually happen … and soon.

  “You are the first of my boys to be gifted with a mate. You know what that means, don’t you?”

  “No, sir.” He turned his full attention to Kendrick. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

  “Always so dense.” The Alpha shook his head. “Thank the gods you’re as talented a soldier as you are.”

  His words burned Gabe’s soul, pushing away the sweet anticipation he’d had since he’d risen earlier in the day. His father always did that, forever reminding him how stupid he was in comparison to his brothers. How seemingly worthless in all but battle.

  Don’t let it get to you. His wolf hushed his fury. Today isn’t about him.

  “If you want me to know what it means, sir, you’re going to have to tell me.” His words didn’t express his anger. Years ago, he’d learned how to hide it, how to make his face a mask of nothingness. No one could hurt him on the outside and what went on beneath the surface of his walls was no one else’s business.

  Except Carrie’s. His wolf reminded him.

  Except her. In about twenty minutes from now.

  “It means the gods think you’re the best.”

  Gabriel highly doubted that.

  His father continued. “It means you truly were born to be my heir.”

  “Michael’s your heir, the next Alpha.” Had Kendrick lost his ability to count? Michael, the firstborn, would be presumptive heir to Westervelt. And if not Michael, it would not be Gabe. He didn’t want to be Alpha any more than he wanted to drown in the lake surrounding Westervelt Island. Tristan would be a fantastic Alpha, if he could get his head out of his books to acknowledge it. Besides, none of them would challenge Michael.

  “He’s a fool.” His father bent over close to his ear. “And you know it.”

  Come. Go get mated. Get out of here. Something has gone wrong with our Alpha. I don’t even want to lower my eyes. He smells wrong.

  Gabriel moved away from his father to head out into the clearing. He’d had enough of that kind of talk. Lately, Kendrick only wanted to discuss succession. Why bother talking about it when it had been decided by birth?

  He shook his head. Kendrick’s smell followed him and he stopped moving. If the Alpha wanted to follow him, then he had to stop and speak with him.

  “Good luck tonight.”

  Okay. “Thanks.”

  “Things have to change. You realize that, don’t you? We can’t stay like this forever.”

  “Sir?” Gabriel didn’t know where this conversation had come from.

  His father spoke off into the distance. Gabriel might be the person Kendrick technically spoke with, but the way he looked out in the early night air told him anyone would do.

  “I made a decision a very long time ago to do what had to be done to keep this pack strong. I have to do it again. She’s right.”

  “I’m not sure what…”

  Kendrick’s eyes turned back on him. “Never mind, son. Enjoy your mating ceremony. We only get one, you know. One. For all of eternity.”

  “Right.”

  His wolf huffed. When you come back from your mating time with Carrie in a few weeks, I think you should talk to Michael. Talk to Tristan. Talk to anyone about what happened here.

  He swallowed, his mouth dry. To do so would be treason. We don’t talk about the Alpha behind his back.

  Even when you think the Alpha may have lost his mind?

  All thoughts of his father’s mental state were pushed aside as Carrie walked into the clearing. She wore a light lavender dress, the same one her mother had worn fifty years earlier. He’d watched her mother wed and never dreamed he’d see his own bride wearing the same clothes. On Carrie they were ethereal. He took a deep breath. It was the nature of his life to watch generations go by with no change in his own life and then suddenly be overwhelmed by how fast everything moved.

  She walked toward him. He loved the way the air shifted around her when she moved. Birds singing their last songs for the night ceased to make a sound when she passed. Carrie didn’t even know these things happened in her presence.

  Watching her for so long had given him so much knowledge about her, things he thought she didn’t even realize about herself. She twisted her hair when she tried to work out a problem. No one would ever be a more loyal friend than Carrie. Her fighting skills left something to be desired when she tried it on two legs. Four legs? She radiated strength and ability. Her wolf could handle anything thrown at her.

  Carrie took his hand. “Woolgathering again?”

  “Maybe.” He sighed. “Nothing overly important. I’m not solving the world’s ills tonight.”

  She scrunched her nose and he wanted to bend over and kiss it. The pack had started forming around them so he resisted the urge. There would be time for kissing—and lots of it—later.

  “Tonight is our mating. You can contemplate deep problems some other time.” She shrugged. “Unless, you know, it requires your attention this instant?”

  “No. It’s probably nothing.”

  Liar.

  He ignored his wolf. “Let’s go be mated.”

  Her grin spoke volumes. The woman wanted this as much as he did.

  Chapter 2

  Carrie sighed as Gabriel pushed a strand of hair away from her face. Her wolf had gone noticeably quiet since the mating ceremony. The pack had dispersed to leave them alone. All that remained were Gabriel, a warm night breeze that seemed to have been handpicked for their mating, the privacy of the Westervelt woods, and her. She swallowed.

  It’s all good and fine to be so confident about the whole thing until it comes time to actually do the mating.

  Her wolf didn’t answer. Nothing like being ignored during nerve-racking times.

  Her mate, and even thinking of that term still made her heart jump, kneeled down in front of her. He kissed the top of her nose.

  “Looks like everybody cleared out.”

  She swallowed through her dry throat. “Looks that way.”

  It had been one thing to daydream about being with a Kane when Gabriel had alerted her to his feelings, but another thing to acknowledge her own. Her wolf had been ecstatic. Now? Reality descended on Carrie’s shoulders. How would she ever be enough for a prince of Westervelt? Kendrick both terrified and confused every wolf he came in contact with. Would Gabriel get to be like that as he got older?

  “You’re thinking about something and it’s making you nervous. I can smell it.”

  She jumped. Gabriel’s deep voice resonated in her head. The mating ceremony had given them both the ability to communicate telepathically with each other. Some of the Kanes were strong enough to do that with the whole pack anytime they wanted, but Gabriel had never done that before.

  “Have you always been able to speak in my head?”

  He took her hand in his. “No. Dad can do that. Tristan can, but he doesn’t. Michael has a little bit of that ability. I guess he’ll have more after he’s Alpha. Me? No, I don’t have a lot of magic, not really. I’m pretty run-of-the-mill on the powers scale.” His dark gaze met hers. “But I have you, so I’ll always posses
s something the others can only, for now, dream about. You’re such a gift to me, Carrie.”

  “I’m nervous.” She didn’t need to tell him. He could scent it as much as her nose told her that possessive adoration floated through his pores. It seemed polite to at least acknowledge the truth. Besides, he had spoken in her mind. She needed to see she could do the same to him.

  The sensation of being able to send her thoughts to his mind warmed her blood. A bonding that hadn’t taken place even during the ceremony snapped into place between them.

  Magic. She didn’t need her wolf to tell her what had begun. Mates were connected in all ways. What happened to cause this stayed secret between mates. Unattached wolves didn’t know why their family and friends went into the woods one way and came out another. But everyone wanted it, craved it from the time they were old enough to understand it. Mating, childbirth, and the induction of the Alpha were sacrosanct. Up until that very second, Carrie hadn’t really understood the magnitude of the moment before.

  Her body tingled and he’d barely touched her yet.

  “I’m always going to take care of you. I promise you that. From this moment forward, for the rest of my existence, your safety and well-being will be paramount to me in all ways.”

  She rubbed her cheek against the rough callus of his hand. “That sounds like a vow.”

  “It’s a night for vows.” His gaze bore into hers, the bright light of the full moon making them look as if they glowed.

  “It is.” She kissed his knuckles. “I give you my oath as well. Always us. Always us two. Beyond all else. Forever. We’ll never be alone. Even if we’re apart.”

  In a heartbeat his mouth fused to hers. His lips were warm and she pressed deeper against him. A groan sounded in his throat, vibrating against her. She sighed and he pulled back.

  “You want this too.” He didn’t have to ask her. She could smell his arousal and she knew he’d be able to scent hers.

  “I want everything from you.” The words were wrenched from her heart.

  Gabriel planted kisses on her cheek, small touches of his mouth caressing her all over her face. It tickled and she laughed, covering her mouth. A growl left his lips and he pushed her down onto the ground, his body coming over hers to cover her.

  Her dress, which had seemed so light and whimsical when she’d put it on earlier, clung to her skin, now way too hot. All she wanted touching her was Gabriel.

  He nipped her ear lobe. “Relax, beautiful lady, we have all night.”

  She rubbed the stubble on his chin, loving the rough parts of him. They contrasted so distinctly from the gentleness with which he handled her.

  “I don’t want all night. I want it all now.”

  Gabriel grinned, the wolf coming to his eyes. “Ordering me around, wolf?”

  “Yep, and you love it. No one orders you around. Not even our Alpha.”

  Something that resembled concern crossed Gabriel’s gaze before disappearing. “You can tell me what to do any time you want. Except when it comes to matter of safety. Then I get to be in charge. All of the time.”

  She mock-saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

  He grabbed her arms and pushed them to the top of her head until he had her pinned down beneath him. Her pussy wept and she gasped. In a million years, she’d never believed she would have liked such a thing. But Gabriel being a little dominating? Yes, she really craved it.

  He kissed her, hard, before reaching down to rip her dress from her body. In one swift move, he’d torn her wedding attire from her body. She stared down at her now exposed midsection with her mouth hanging open.

  “That was my mother’s.”

  He shrugged. “I can’t be sorry about that right now. Try me later. Then I’ll feel ashamed.”

  He ran his fingers around her belly, stroking each muscle, adoring her with his eyes as he did so. “You have the most incredible body. You’re so athletic, so long and lean.”

  “Stop it.” She reached up to kiss him. “Only you see me that way. I’m skinny and gangly most of the time.”

  “Then no one else can see what I see. End of story.”

  She hadn’t bothered putting on a bra. Her straps would have shown through the material, and the gods hadn’t given her very much to work with anyway. There had to be some benefits for not being well-endowed.

  Gabriel bent over, taking her pink nipple into his mouth. He bit down and she reared up beneath him. Yes, she wanted more. Her skin had become molten lava and only Gabriel had the salve to cool her down. She wanted him inside her.

  “Why are you still so dressed?”

  He rubbed his nose against her stomach. “Because I’m enjoying this part. I’ve got you entirely at my mercy and I want to keep you that way.”

  “But I want to play too.” Gabriel smelled like jasmine, a result of some of the magical herbs that had been thrown at them during the ceremony. Beneath that, however, still lay the scents she’d come to associate with him over the years. Even though it must be impossible, he carried the scent of the breeze on the trees inside him.

  “Fair enough.” He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it behind him.

  She sucked in her breath. They’d all seen each other naked. All of the shifting made modesty impossible, but this moment felt different. Gabriel belonged to her. His body had been made for her.

  His sculpted abs made him look like he’d been made from stone. Wolves were always strong, but Gabriel’s physique came from constant training. He never quit.

  She ran her hands down his stomach, surprised by how soft the skin there felt beneath her fingers. A small brushing of dark hair covered his chest.

  “You’re perfection.” The quiver in her voice couldn’t be helped.

  She’d spent so many years afraid to acknowledge her obsession with him. Oh, she’d tried everything to deny it, even to herself. If he came toward her, she’d run the other way. Tried to think of other men so she wouldn’t think of him. Carrie had forcibly removed him from her mind because part of her had known—even if she hadn’t let herself think it explicitly. What if he hadn’t felt the same way? And yet somehow he had. The years of pent-up emotion threatened to spill.

  “You’re talking about yourself.” He tugged off his pants, exposing his hard cock through his briefs. “Not me.”

  She could get used to having a man around who didn’t seem to see any of her flaws whatsoever. But maybe that was mating. No one ever spoke about this part of it, this feeling of needing the other person so completely.

  His cock jutted out from the cotton material of his briefs. She reached out to grab the large head through the fabric. He hissed in his breath and closed his eyes.

  Carrie’s breasts ached. Gabriel Kane desired her as much as she did him. “Imagine how good that would feel if you didn’t have anything covering it up.”

  Gabe’s eyes flew open. “I want you naked too.”

  As if saying it spurred him into action, he yanked her panties down her legs. A glint lit his eyes before he moved down to inhale against her pussy. He growled, his eyes turning wolf as he sat back up. “You’re mine.”

  He hadn’t phrased it as a question because it wasn’t one. She did belong to him. And he belonged to her. “I thought I told you I wanted you naked too.” With a strength she usually saved for shifts and fights, she ripped his briefs off him and tossed them aside. “You’re not the only one who can tear off clothing.”

  “I see that.”

  She reached out to stroke his hard length. He felt hot to the touch. “I’m burning up for you, Gabe. I see now that you are, as well.”

  “For weeks, Carrie. For weeks. Hell, it’s been years. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t smolder for you.”

  He grabbed the back of her head, pulling her against him before he inserted his tongue into her mouth. They clawed at each other. She wanted to get closer, needed to be up against him. Their tongues melded together before pushing apart, only to thrust into each other’s mouths agai
n.

  Gabe petted her pussy. She shuddered. No one else had ever touched her there before. With one finger, he teased her until he plunged it into the moist folds of her dripping pussy.

  “You’re so wet.” He sniffed the air. “It smells like manna from heaven. I may have to keep you this way, permanently.”

  Now that sounded like an idea, but first she needed fulfillment and that meant getting Gabe inside her immediately. But then he was stroking her clit. Stars appeared before her eyes and she had to close them to block out the brightness.

  “That’s it. Come for me.” Her body obliged his command. Pressure built inside her until she exploded around his hand. Her pussy drenched, and shivers traveled up and down her spine.

  Gabriel continued to stroke her through her convulsions until she fell back down to earth. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her.

  “I love you, beautiful lady. I’ve watched you for so long. You’re just … perfection.”

  She swallowed, his declaration bringing out such emotion that it clogged up her throat. “Would you be inside of me now? Please?”

  “No need to ask me twice. Ever.”

  Carrie had a moment to wonder if Gabriel’s large cock would actually fit inside her. She’d known he’d be big when fully erect, but she hadn’t really considered the mechanics of the whole thing. However, all thoughts and worries fled her mind when he actually plunged within her warmth. The earth changed its axis and the moon dropped from the sky. Or maybe all of that only happened in her mind.

  Seconds later, he’d filled her entirely. “We’re perfect together.” She breathed because that was all she could manage to do. “Made for one another.”

  “I knew we would be.” Gabriel moved within her. He started out slowly. She groaned, wrapping her legs tighter around him. She wanted more … needed more.

  “Yes.” Gabriel’s word came out as barely a whisper while his body picked up speed. Gone was the slow, easy pace of earlier and in its place was a fast pounding of their bodies together.

  The friction brought her orgasm back on her but this time with no warning. A wave of frantic pleasure she hadn’t known existed shook her body. If Gabe hadn’t been on top of her she would have reared off the ground. He shouted her name and she knew he would follow her into the oblivion she thought might consume them both.