“I don’t understand humans as well as you do. I’ve only ever known the few that lived here, and Bethy spent so much time trying to fit in until she left, and then she didn’t try….”
Jack nudged her. “You’re rambling.”
“Right, well, if you go to Bethy and you tell her you’re her mate right away, she might run. She really, really seemed to want to be out of here. I’m afraid she might not even give you the chance.”
It had never occurred to him that his mate could reject him. But Cara spoke correctly. Her sister was human. Once they mated, she would be as bound to him as a wolf would be, but until then she could deny her feelings as wolf instincts did not factor into her decisions.
Cara’s eyes gleamed. He tried to take a deep breath. “I assume your intense gaze means you have an idea.”
“I do.”
“Well?”
“You should contact that Madame Eve who runs that 1Night Stand thing. You can be Bethy’s one-night stand. Let her get to know you. Then she’ll want to come home with you and be with all of us forever.”
It seemed like a good idea. Luke tapped his foot. It wasn’t as speedy as hunting Bethy down and keeping her locked up in his house until he made her his own. But it would be a more human approach and his mate might appreciate a gentler touch.
He held the picture in his hand. Once again, all he could see were Bethy’s sad blue eyes. Could she wait a little while longer? Could she survive with sadness like that?
“Pull up the website, Cara. One way or another, this is starting now.”
Chapter Two
Bethany didn’t want to imagine what she looked like right at that second. She didn’t like flying and she particularly didn’t like doing it in a bush plane, even a private one with a very nice pilot. She smoothed down her hair and tried to smile at the receptionist who signed her in. To her left, she saw a man sporting a beard talking on the phone in a private office. She wondered if that was Nick Castillo, who ran the Castillo Lodge in Castle, Alaska.
Madame Eve had been downright mysterious when she’d e-mailed, telling her to get some warm clothes together and something nice to wear to a gala because she had to leave immediately for the Castillo Lodge. She didn’t have any other plans, having quit her job, so it wasn’t a problem. But still. It had been a little odd. Did Madame Eve handle all of her client’s dates that abruptly?
“You’re all set, Ms. Johnson.” The receptionist smiled at her and held out a key. “Down the hall is the elevator. Take it to the second floor. Mr. Denarius is already here.”
“He is?” She tried to swallow away the nervous lump in her throat.
“Yes, ma’am. He arrived quite early this morning.”
“I see.” She hoped the receptionist didn’t notice her sweaty hands as she took the key. She had been counting on being there first. It would have given her some time to relax, take a bath, and make herself look somewhat presentable before she had to face her date.
As if in a daze, she walked toward the elevator. What had her so spooked? This was exactly what she wanted. One night with a stranger who could fulfill all of her yearnings. She’d get it out of her system and then she’d go on to Italy the confident, capable woman she knew she could be.
Lucian Denarius constituted a means to an end. Maybe he’d be a nice guy who she could see again someday if the situation presented itself. She shivered at the name. Madame Eve hadn’t sent his picture in the e-mail, but the name alone inspired all sorts of ridiculous fantasies for her. He sounded mysterious.
She entered the elevator and took it to the second floor. The elevator traveled swiftly. In the morning, after she’d had her night of wild sex, she’d explore the lodge. It looked beautiful, like something out of a fantasy. She’d never been on vacation. Wolves didn’t take trips away from home and when she’d ventured out on her own, there hadn’t been the money to do those kinds of things.
With determination in her stride, she walked up to the door. Should she knock? Would he be found inside or had he gone skiing?
She leaned her head up against the door and forced the panic attack threatening her to go away. Just because she’d never had sex before didn’t mean she had to go her whole life without it. This was her Christmas present to herself. Madame Eve knew about her virginity. She’d put it on the form. He must be fine with having an inexperienced partner or he wouldn’t be in there.
Lucian Denarius would be fine. Better than fine. He’d be what she needed.
She put the key in the lock, turned it, and entered the room swiftly. Hopefully she looked better than she imagined she did.
Immediately, she saw him. He leaned up against the window. His gaze met hers instantly and she caught her breath. Heavens, the man defines the word gorgeous.
He was at least a foot taller than she, which would make him about six-foot, five-inches. She’d grown up with wolves. They were all tall and intimidating, but outside of a pack she didn’t see men this big and strapping—even in Alaska. He had dark brown hair, almost black, and at least a day’s worth of unshaved stubble on his face. She loved that look on a guy. His cheekbones were high and well defined.
Without a word, he moved quickly toward her, giving her a good view of his broad shoulders and strong gait. He stood before her, hand extended, and took her bag from her hand. She stared for a second at his fingers on top of hers. He had working hands. They were scarred on his knuckles. The hands of a strong, capable man.
He seemed to be every fantasy she had ever created in her mind of the perfect man. She almost turned and ran.
Finally, he spoke. “I’ll put your bag down on the luggage holder, Bethy.”
His voice showed no discernable accent. He stared her right in the eyes when he talked and the heat there as he did made her core wet. That was the expression—that was what she’d always hoped to see when a man looked at her.
His words finally penetrated her haze and she nodded, watching him take the bag.
“Hi.” She hoped she didn’t sound dumb. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He lifted it like it weighed nothing and placed it down on the luggage rack. “How did your flight go, Bethy?”
She blinked. She needed to start as she intended to continue. “Some people do call me Bethy, but I really prefer Bethany, if that’s okay.” There, she’d said it. She hoped it didn’t make her seem like a bitch.
“Bethany suits you.” He smiled at her, a strange emotion she couldn’t identify in his gaze.
She stepped further into the room. He smelled like the woods, like fresh-cut trees, and the breezy wind she’d grown accustomed to her in youth. The thought stopped her short. No way should she be thinking about that now.
“And you’re Lucian, right?” She hoped she didn’t sound as nervous as she suspected she did.
“That’s right, but no one calls me that.” He put his hands in his pockets. “I think maybe I’d like you to, though. I like the way it sounds coming from your lips.”
Her cheeks heated up until she knew they must be red. “Lucian is kind of an old-fashioned name, isn’t it?”
“My parents are old-fashioned and I’m older than you by ten years. I just turned forty.”
She grinned. “Oh wow, you’re ancient.” Not everyone liked her sarcasm and usually she tried not to be, but the response popped out of her mouth.
He laughed, a joyous sound and she wished she could keep him laughing all the time. “Sometimes I feel like I am.” He extended his hand to show her the sitting area. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Um.” She resisted the urge to rub her nose. “Sure, that would be great.”
She moved further into the beautifully decorated room. Clearly, the designer had been going for a rustic look to match the rest of the lodge. Warm colors complemented the breathtaking view of Alaska that the windows provided. The chair she sat down in had been designed for comfort as well as utility.
“Did you have to travel far to get here?” She lov
ed the sound of his voice and hoped to get him speaking again.
“Not far. I live in Alaska. I was born in this area but then we moved away before I was a year old. I guess Montana would be where I think of as my childhood home even though we moved a lot.”
“Were your parents in the military?”
“No.” He shook his head. “My uncle wasn’t a nice man. My parents were determined I would grow up without his influence in my life.” She wanted to question him more about that, but he continued to speak. “Can I get you something to eat?”
“No. It’s not time for me to eat yet. I mean, I did actually eat earlier. Oh, drat.” She hadn’t wanted to discuss the topic but now, for some reason she couldn’t grasp, she was compelled to keep talking. “I actually had weight-loss surgery. I eat when I’m hungry, but small amounts. I just ate so....”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Don’t look down, ever, when you talk to someone. Nothing about what you just told me warrants any kind of shame or uncomfortable feelings.”
His comment stunned her silent. “I hadn’t realized I’d done that.” He was right. She always avoided eye contact when she talked about her weight problem. “Thank you for saying I’m attractive, but if you had seen me before you would have understood why I had the surgery.”
He stood up and crossed to her. Then, he sat down on the arm of her chair. That close to him left no question as to his sexual appeal. Power radiated from his every pore, sending her libido into overdrive. “I didn’t say you were attractive. You’re much more than that. You’re beautiful.” He tilted her chin up until she looked him straight in the eyes. Their dark depths called to her soul. She hadn’t expected to be that moved by her one-night date. “And I would have thought you were beautiful if I’d met you then, too.”
He brought his mouth down on top of hers before she could argue. The clock said three o’clock in the afternoon, but his one kiss made her lose all track of time. She pressed herself into his embrace. He broke it only long enough to lift her out of the chair and reposition her on top of him in the chair she’d been sitting in. She straddled him, dying for another kiss.
His tongue sought out hers and she heard herself moan. Her nipples got hard and she ached to take her bra off. Pulling back, she regarded him for a second. “I don’t usually behave like this.”
He pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I don’t mind. Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “I thought this would be the first step in getting to know myself better. I’m carving out a new life for myself.”
“How can you not know yourself? I knew you the second I first saw you.”
He looked so sincere she actually believed him. “I’ve changed a lot and not just with the weight loss. I’ve had to figure out why I ate the way I did. I think I’ve been pretty lonely.”
“I know that feeling. I’ve been so lonely, too.”
She ran her hands down the stubble on his cheeks. “How could you be lonely?”
“It’s possible to be all alone in a crowd. I’ve had so much pressure over the last few years, it has completely isolated me from everyone.”
She kissed his cheek. He looked gorgeous, but like she had always been hidden by her outside appearance, he had clearly had the same experience. Gorgeous and built didn’t necessarily lend itself to internal happiness.
“I can’t lie to you.” He took her off his lap and placed her on the floor.
“You don’t find me attractive, do you? You were being nice….”
“Hush.” He pulled her up against him. “Does that feel like I don’t find you attractive?”
She could feel the hard push of his cock on her leg. He really was turned on. What could he possibly have lied about?
“I know who you are because I am actually the Alpha of your family’s pack.”
The ground dropped out from underneath her. Or at least it seemed like it did. This whole thing—her family had done this to her. Why? Why would they have interfered?
“I don’t understand. Why are you here? Why this elaborate guise? Why did my family make you get involved in this? Did they not think I could even handle a one-night stand without their interference?”
She wanted to throw something. The whole experience had signaled the beginning of a new life for her, and now it had been tainted.
“I insisted. I couldn’t let you have a one-night stand. You’re my mate. I’d have to kill whomever you slept with.”
“What?” She shook her head. “This is the first time we’re meeting. Even I know how mating works. The ones involved have to at least see each other. You couldn’t have arranged this knowing I was your mate.”
What was wrong with her that she kind of liked the idea even as it infuriated her? The old version of herself had wanted to be part of the pack, to be accepted, to mate. Not the new Bethany.
“I smelled your scent in your family’s home the last time you were there. I knew instantly and then when I saw your picture it confirmed it for me.”
“When you saw my….” She sank into the chair. “I can’t imagine it made me look very good.” She closed her eyes.
“What’s the matter? I told you I think you’re beautiful. I thought it then, too. I would think that whether you weighed nothing or a million pounds.”
She opened her eyes, suddenly more tired than she’d ever been. “I wanted to lose my virginity to someone who had never seen me fat.”
“This is your issue. Not mine. I will always find you incredibly attractive. I will tell you as many times as you need to hear it.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She stood up, looking for her bag. I have to get out of here. Now. That’s right, he’d put it on the luggage rack. “I can’t be your mate. I’m going to Italy. And even if I were not, I can’t go back to all those full moons alone.”
He scratched the stubble on his cheeks. “Full moons alone?”
“The whole pack goes off, they do their wolf stuff and I wander the house by myself, always alone for not only one day, but three every month during the cycle. It’s hard enough being alone without knowing you will never be able to do what everyone else does.”
“I never thought about what that must be like. To simply be abandoned by your entire family for three days.” He stroked her cheek and she wanted to close her eyes and return to the feelings she had for him when she’d first arrived.
“Go find another mate. I can’t be her.”
“Sorry, not how it works.” He smiled. “Which you know.”
“I would be the worst Alpha mate in the whole world and if you think I am going to sit at home and not have the adventures I planned for myself because you happened to come along and decide I was yours, you’ve got another thing coming.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then I suppose it is beholden to me to convince you to change your mind.” He pulled her up against him. “You’re mine. Your body knew it instantly. You’ve waited your entire life for me, as I have for you.”
This time when his mouth took hers it wasn’t gentle or calming. No, he laid claim to her. She didn’t even attempt to deny him. Not when her body buzzed as though alive for the very first time.
“Oh,” she whispered between kisses. “This was how I imagined it could be, but I didn’t think it could be real.”
“It’s real between us. We were made for each other.”
He picked her up like she weighed nothing at all. She knew how strong werewolves were and Alphas were supposed to be even more so. She shuddered at the power the man possessed.
“Why did you suddenly get scared?”
He set her down gently on the bed, coming over her. A small gold pendant hung down from a small chain he wore under his shirt. She hadn’t noticed it before. Most weres that she knew didn’t own jewelry. The fact that he did looked strangely beautiful.
“Are you going to make me a werewolf, too?” She’d always wanted to be, but now that the possibility cou
ld be real, it made her stomach flip-flop.
“No. That is illegal. Not all humans can survive the transition. You will be human—my human—until we are both old, grey, and decide to depart this world together.”
His words relaxed her even as she recognized them for the “line” that they were. No one got to decide when they died.
“I haven’t agreed to be your mate.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you? You know what it will mean if we consummate this relationship. You will be mine. You will belong to me.”
“I’m human, not wolf. I could still choose to leave.” She didn’t even know if she believed what she said or if she would follow through on her threat. She wanted him. Her body begged for his attention.
“You won’t.” He exuded confidence.
Can I do this? Could she change all of her plans and go back to that world for one night with him?
His hands reached down as he began to slowly unbutton her shirt. She knew she could stop him. So why didn’t she?
“I’m a powerful man. I trained from the moment I came into this world to lead the Delta Pack. I fought for the right. I’m dangerous.” He bent over to nuzzle her neck, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. “The only person in the universe who has no reason to fear me is you. From now until I die, I will be yours to command. You own me, Bethany.”
His swift fingers undid the last button, leaving her bare to his inspection. His finger trailed up her stomach to her bra clasp, which he quickly undid. No matter how hard she worked at it, she’d never be as physically perfect as she would like and yet he looked at her with so much desire, it made her heart stutter. In the room with her, making love to her was a man who could have any woman on the planet, but wanted her instead.
“I’m scared of doing the wrong thing,” she whispered. “I’m terrified of regrets.”
“Then I guess you have to ask yourself what you would regret more; not going to Italy to teach English, or not loving me?”