And then she realized how dangerous this was, how she was letting down her guard. Bad idea. Would she next start blabbing secrets?
Hey, my sister is the eldest twin, but my father told everyone she died and only the younger twin survived. I’ve pretended to be her since birth to protect her from the Silver Wizard. See, there’s a prophecy in our family that the eldest girl twin will be spirited away by the Silver Wizard, who will take her away to the afterworld and then she’ll die. So my parents hid Nikita from birth and I just pretended to be the only female all these years. No twins. Just me.
And as a nice bonus prize, our whole damn pack is cursed because of Pandora’s Chest. All our males die when they reach puberty. Guess you didn’t realize all this was part of the package, huh?
Nia lifted her head and looked at him. He stared down at her, still singing the love song. She didn’t love him, couldn’t love him and this was a match of convenience and power, not feelings. Gazing around the room, she saw several satisfied smiles that told her several Lupines thought she was smitten with Aiden and he had her wrapped around his finger.
No way.
She threw back her head and released a long, mournful wolf howl.
Everyone laughed. Aiden’s expression shuttered but not before she glimpsed the heat in his gaze and a promise.
“I’ll get you for that later, Blakemore, when I make you howl for a much different reason,” he murmured.
Finally the music ended and they returned to their table. Nia wriggled her toes inside the white shoes.
Now that she’d had plenty of raw meat to consume, she felt the influence of the full moon coaxing out her wolf. Who needed absinthe when one was fully Lupine, and the moon caressed them with her silvery glow?
Careful. Don’t drop your guard lest he find out who you really are.
Darius and Kyle came to their table. “Aiden, it’s time,” Darius said, giving him a significant look.
Aiden picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, his lips warm and firm against her knuckles. “Stay here, enjoy. I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be back soon.”
He rose, all power and grace, and walked off with Darius and Kyle. Watching him, she felt desire, and apprehension, flood her body. Privacy for an alpha was rare in a pack; she had guarded hers with zeal over the years. Now she would have to share her bed, her home and her body with this big alpha.
And mate with him before their combined packs. Nia fingered the glass of absinthe. Maybe she should indulge. Take the edge off her nervousness. She picked up a cube of sugar to place on the slotted spoon, put the spoon over the glass and then reached for the nearby pitcher of ice water to dilute the mixture.
Hair rose on her nape. She turned her head, noticed there were several males from Aiden’s pack watching her carefully.
A real alpha, like Aiden, would not dilute the mixture. Neither would a female alpha determined to match her man’s strength when they consummated their union.
Nia removed the spoon and the sugar, set them aside. She took a small sip, grimacing at the sickly sweet licorice taste. She set down the glass.
Holy crap. The tables before her began to grow blurry. This was a sip? What would happen if she downed the entire glass without diluting it? Would the tables and their occupants start whirling around like spinning tops?
She couldn’t risk it. But she had spent her entire life pretending to be something she was not and knew she could continue to pull this off.
Nia poked at the glass with a little sniff. She said in a loud, clear voice, “No wonder Mitchell didn’t touch his. It tastes like old socks mixed with gasoline. And they call this Viagra for Lupines? I don’t need this. If Mitchell can’t get my motor running, no drink is going to help.”
Someone snickered and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a few male nods of approval. Sitting nearby, Sam shook her head, then moved over to sit next to her.
“Those guys,” she said, waving at the males in Aiden’s pack, “think that they are walking Viagra. It’s a trait in the Mitchell pack. But they’re good men, all of them. They work hard and they will fight to the death for Aiden, and now that you are mated, they will do the same for you.”
Nia thought of how her brothers and father would have done the same and a lump rose in her throat. Her family should be here at her mating day, and most of them were buried beneath the cold, uncaring earth.
She traced a line on the tablecloth, trying to remember the last time she’d attended a festive pack event. Unfortunately, those had been rare over the past few years. “It’s a challenge, leading a pack. I’m certain it’s been even more of a challenge for Aiden with struggling to control his males. You always have to consider your people’s welfare before your own.”
The absinthe was making her tongue loose. Yet for once she longed to confide in a female friend. Her twin didn’t understand the burdens Nia carried, and Nia never wanted Nikita to worry about anything. Nikita had spent her entire life in the shadows, hiding, and her twin’s lack of a real life was a burden enough.
“I know the main reason Mitchell wanted me was for my pack and all the females in it. This is a mating of convenience more than anything.” She lifted her shoulders. “And you can tell that we have no males in our pack. I miss having them around, miss their humor, and how protective they were of us, their wisdom and their caring.”
Sympathy filled Sam’s eyes. “Did you lose your father?”
The lump in her throat threatened to choke off her breath. Nia nodded, struggling to maintain her composure. “And my two brothers. They were good Lupines.”
She bit her lip, knowing she must not say more. “We fell on very hard times.”
“And you kept your people together. That takes tremendous strength,” Sam said, touching her hand. “I’m glad you have Aiden now at your side.”
Nia gave a small smile. “I don’t really ‘have’ him. He’s very much an alpha who will do as he pleases.”
The half-Lupine, half-Elf looked solemn. She gazed around the tent at the couples on the dance floor. The males from the Mitchell pack had begun to pair off, a fact Nia planned to use for getting them off the ranch. The fewer males who were on her property, the fewer worries she faced.
“Aiden is a good male,” Sam said quietly. “He’s tough, but fair. I’m sure it won’t be an easy adjustment, but it never is with a male of great worth because they all come with their own traits. I hope he will make you as happy as Darius has made me. Aiden’s suffered a lot in the past, and he never talks about it, but you can see it in his eyes.”
Nia’s heart softened. She had seen the same torment shadowing the alpha’s eyes once in a while, but he always masked it with cool indifference.
Sam smiled. “I can also see how much he cares about you.”
That wasn’t affection. It was lust, but she could handle lust. Primitive, carnal desire. Love? She loved her twin, and her pack, and had sacrificed too much in life to share her heart with Aiden. Love was selfish. It demanded attention, and falling in love with a powerful alpha like Aiden could be her downfall. Love would derail her fierce devotion to her twin, her desire to save her pack, and maybe even loosen her tongue, unveiling the deception necessary to keeping her twin’s existence a secret.
Nia took in a deep breath. She had lost every single male she’d ever loved. She had to mate Aiden to save her ranch, but she could not love him and risk her heart. The emotional demands of love were a trap. You fell in love and then grieved when you lost that person.
Still, a small part of her longed to know what it was like to be cherished and cared for the way Darius cared for Sam.
Sam squeezed her hand. “Let your inhibitions go and release your inner wolf. Darius and I had a very, um, primitive first time together. We had to endure a Mating Rite. It was savage.”
Nia stared. A Mating Rite was brutal, even for a full-blooded Lupine. “You’re very brave.”
“No.” Sam glanced up and her expression softened. Nia
watched her look across the tent as Aiden approached, flanked by Kyle and Darius. “I’m very much in love with my man. Love makes all the difference in a very public and primitive ceremony like a Mating Rite. Or a Mating Challenge.”
But Aiden didn’t love her. Nia’s heart squeezed tight in her chest as Darius reached the table and picked up Sam’s hand, gently kissing it. His eyes were filled with tenderness and desire as he gazed at his mate.
Aiden’s gaze was filled with heat as he held out a hand to Nia. “Come. It’s time.”
She rose, took his hand, knowing her duty, knowing this was another role she must fill. Deep inside, she wished she could glimpse a little of the love and tenderness in Aiden’s eyes that Darius showed for his mate.
His palm was strong, yet his grip gentle as Aiden led her into the main lodge. Nia had read about this for many months, had mentally prepared herself for the eventuality of the challenge.
Mandy had turned a guest bedroom into a dressing chamber for the event. It was carpeted, had pegs for clothing, a small bathroom with a shower, and a dressing table with a lighted mirror. When she went into the forest to mate with Aiden, nothing could be on her skin. No lotions, powders or scents other than her own.
The rules were quite specific. If she violated them, she risked someone from Aiden’s pack complaining, perhaps even enough to draw the attention of Tristan, the Silver Wizard.
No thanks. She’d play by the book.
But now as she and Aiden entered the room to shed their clothing before they would walk to the forest for the consummation of their union before their packs, Nia felt no confidence.
All she felt was a terrible sense of loss.
Her twin should be here, reassuring her. Her mother. Someone from her family who would make her laugh, ease her apprehension.
Instead, she faced Aiden, her new mate, who turned and closed the door behind them. Lights from the overhead fixtures filled the room with glaring white light. Nothing to hide. Mandy had tried to make the atmosphere softer by burning several candles in jars upon the shelves, but the lighting made the room cold and impersonal.
Nervousness churned inside her stomach, which felt as if she’d swallowed ground glass. She hated this. A mating should have love and tenderness, not this ritualistic formality.
Aiden leaned against the closed door. “I thought you’d be more comfortable if we changed into these for our walk to the forest.”
He pointed to the white robes hanging on the pegs.
Nia blinked. “Isn’t that a violation of the rules? I thought we were to be bare skinned.”
“The rules can be bent.” His dark gaze was unwavering. “I want you to feel as relaxed as possible, Niki.”
Relaxed? She’d never felt this awkward before. She’d never even undressed before a man. Nia’s insides quivered. Maybe if he didn’t call her by her twin’s name, it would feel better and she could pretend that there was love between them, pretend Aiden cherished her.
“I wish we didn’t have to do this,” she murmured.
“I don’t like this either. But we have no choice. We have to adhere to the rules of the challenge. As much as I want us to have privacy for our first time together, we can’t. We have to set the example as alphas.”
If only I were the true alpha of my pack.
Aiden seemed larger than life, sucking up all the space in the dressing room. The scent of him overpowered her senses. Musk, spices, and pine. All man.
All wolf.
And soon this wolf would lay claim to her body, taking her in the traditional Lupine manner of an alpha claiming his mate. Only the consummation of their union would be done before their united packs.
She could barely look at him, couldn’t even summon a flicker of desire at this moment. Nia was too nervous.
He jammed his hands into the pockets of his trousers. They were such nice trousers, and he’d ruin them.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
She hugged herself. “I can’t do this.”
Aiden approached, his manner relaxed and easy. “It’s just the two of us now. You’ve already seen me naked. Undress for me, darling. There’s no one else here to see. Only me.”
She’d have to remove her clothing either here or in the forest. The forest would be darker, but this was far more private.
Nia swallowed hard, and turned around. “Unzip me, please.”
She felt his fingers brush against her back as he slid the zipper downward. Aiden stepped back.
Nia wriggled out of the white gown and let it puddle at her feet. She slipped out of the white satin pumps.
She had not worn stockings. Only her satin bra and the white matching panties remained between herself and total nudity.
Steeling herself, she slid the panties down, past her wide hips, wriggled out of them and tossed them aside. Last, she fumbled with the heavy bra. Nia unfastened the hooks and let it drop to the floor. Air brushed against her skin and her sensitive nipples. She stared at the wall, a flush igniting her face as she crossed her arms over her breasts.
Never had she felt this exposed.
Aiden stepped close, slid a thumb beneath her chin. He tipped up her face to meet his eyes. Warmth, and deep tenderness lingered in his smoldering gaze. “You’re so beautiful,” he said hoarsely. “So damn lovely. Better than all my dreams.”
Very gently he took her hands and removed them from her breasts. Nia stared at his solemn expression.
“You have an unfair advantage, Mitchell. You’re still wearing clothing.”
“True, that.”
Aiden sat on the bench to remove his shoes and socks. Standing, he tore off his tie, shrugged out of his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt, shrugging out of it. He hung both on a clothing peg. Nia’s breath hitched at the sight of his warm, tanned skin. Muscles rippled below his skin. She studied his ridged abdomen and felt her arousal kick up several notches.
Then he unbuckled his belt, and unzipped his trousers and pulled them down, along with his boxers. He stepped out of the clothing, and hung both trousers and boxers on the pegs.
Nude, he stood before her, his erection nearly reaching his belly button. Nia licked her lips, not sure if she should quiver with fear or rejoice at his size.
Wow.
He was alpha. No doubt about that.
He stepped forward and looked down at her. “No one here but us, Niki. Only you and me.”
This big male desired her, only her. And soon he would be exclusively hers in bed, just as he’d make her his own.
She would not think of the consequences if anyone discovered she wasn’t the true alpha. Tonight, she wanted to think only of Aiden, and fulfilling the sexual desire she’d held for him ever since she first saw him years ago.
“Niki,” he said thickly. “I’ve wanted you for so long. I couldn’t wait any longer, wolf. You drove me crazy. If I couldn’t have you, I’d die.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but passion filled his voice. Tonight, passion would suffice.
She wanted to run her hands up his back, over the thick muscles, and then downward, touching the slope of his firm ass. Nia thought about him pumping that ass as he took her and her arousal sharpened. The forest would be dark and she would ignore the packs, focusing only on Aiden and his fierce need for her.
But the rules of the challenge were clear. No sexual touching after they had spoken their vows, then they would consummate their union before the packs.
Ever since she’d set eyes on Aiden, she’d wanted him, wanted him with a ferocity that she’d never claimed. Nia denied her feelings, concentrated on her people, and pushed aside desire. Nervousness rippled over her body. When you wanted something for so very long, and the very thing you wanted stood, larger than life before you, it was hard to believe it was real.
Aiden took her hand, guided her over to the dressing table. “Sit. Face me.”
She did.
A small smile played on his full lips. “Relax. I’m not going to eat you.
”
“Pity,” she murmured.
His smiled turned wicked. “Vixen.”
“Wolf,” she corrected.
All those fantasies she’d had late at night, pleasuring herself and thinking of Aiden as she did so, now surged to the surface. This was real and intimate. Too intimate.
As if he read her mind, Aiden walked over to the light switch and flipped it off. Candlelight played over his honed muscles, danced over the chiseled angles of his face.
He dominated the space in the room, sucked it up by the sheer power of his presence. Dominated it as he would soon dominate her.
But there was a smile lifting the corner of his mouth, a smile filled with wicked promise. No trace of the big, arrogant alpha. Except for the desire always on the surface.
Feeling shy again, she covered her breasts.
“You are perfect. You have nothing to hide.” Aiden took her hands and placed them at her side.
A lick of scent threaded through the air, her desire and his intense, male smell of forest and spices. Nia drew in a breath.
“Spread your legs.”
She bit her lip and balked.
“Do it.” He gentled his voice. “Please, honey.”
Flushing with heat and embarrassment, she opened her thighs wide. He sank to his knees before her, like a supplicant. It made her feel more relaxed, instead of him towering over her. He was a big man.
She resisted looking at his groin. In more ways than one.
Aiden drew in a breath as he stared at her center. “You’re so perfect. Wet and glistening, like dew on a rose.”
Nia trembled.
“Did you ever touch yourself at night, thinking of me?” He rested his hands on her thighs.
She said nothing, not wanting to give him that power.
“I stroked myself a lot at night, thinking of you.”
She stared at him. “Really?”
That same, intimate smile filled with heat. “Really. I’d take my cock in hand in the shower, and think of you. Dreaming of this moment when we’d be alone together, naked.”
His voice deepened. “Ever since I saw you, pixie, I’ve wanted no one else but you as my mate. And I knew I had to have you. Until I claimed you, I had to be content with my fist.”