Taken by Her Mate Read online

  Taking her arm in his Shaun pinned her against the nearest tree. Leaning in close to her face he took the opportunity to inhale her sweetness.

  God, she smells amazing.

  His wolf growled in agreement. Everything about Addie pulled him in. His feelings for her were like a natural force clawing at him to take her and to taste. The thought of tasting her made him think of licking her pussy. She’d be exquisite on his tongue. He’d draw out her pleasure and have her pussy soaking wet before he fucked her, claiming what was rightfully his.

  Tightening his grip on her arm, Shaun battled with his control. Addie wasn’t his to take. He needed to respect his father’s wishes. His father didn’t want war with the other pack.

  “Do you really have any idea what you’re getting yourself in for?” He asked the question but didn’t give her a chance to answer. “You’re a wolf, and you’ll scent everything on him. Can you handle him taking your virginity, making love to you, and claiming you as his mate? Then think about him coming home smelling of other women. Their scent all over his skin and knowing in your mind he put his dick inside their cunts and enjoyed it. Can you handle knowing he didn’t give a fuck about you while he’s fucking those faceless women because you’re stuck at home looking after his kids?”

  Shaun painted an ugly picture. Tears were once again streaming down her face. Seeing her misery was like another punch to the gut. He didn’t want to cause her pain. Being in the Northern Mountains was about winning her back for him. Losing her wasn’t an option.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked. “It’s hard enough seeing it with my own eyes. I’ve got to mate him in one month, four days, and approximately nine hours.”

  He laughed. “You’re counting down the days until you’re mated?”

  “It’s not like that.” She fought his hold. Shaun tightened his grip refusing to give in.

  “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.

  “You’re hurting me. You being here hurts me. You left me without a word, and now you’re back to gloat. I thought you were my friend. I bet you’ve got a nice little mate waiting for you to take her. You’ve always had the better end of the life. I’m just a fucking pawn for my father.”

  Her anger was finally unleashing. Shaun kept his argument inside letting her growl, curse, kick, and punch at him. She needed this release before she went back home.

  Addie didn’t have the first clue how his life had turned out. He’d been forced away from her in order to protect her precious virginity. Her father denied him her hand. Knowing she could be with Brendan sent his anger spiraling out of control.

  “Do you really think I had a fucking choice, Addie? I was told I wasn’t allowed to see you. I’m not the one in charge. Our parents are. They control what we do and our mates. I never, ever wanted to leave you,” Shaun said. He couldn’t live with her thinking he’d walked away without looking back.

  The first time he’d seen her in nearly three years and she was crying over that rotten bastard.

  Her tears stopped along with her kicking and cursing. She collapsed against the tree, rubbing her temple. “My head hurts,” she said. “Do you realize in one month, four days, and nine hours, Brendan will have his tongue down my throat and his cock inside me? He’s a nasty piece of work, and he just told me he likes it rough. How can I go to him without being afraid? Do you recommend me getting drunk?”

  The fact that she asked him that and was being serious raised his hackles. He had always known Brendan was a piece of shit and treated females the same way, but the thought of his sweet Addie being on the receiving end of that had his animal clawing at the surface. Seeing the acceptance of her fate across her face was too much for Shaun. Fuck tradition and protocol and his family. He’d loved this woman all of his life. He wasn’t going to allow fucked-up rules to keep her from him. Making one quick decision, Shaun cupped her face.

  “There’s one thing you can do to stop that,” he said.

  She laughed. “Nothing can stop it. I think I’d rather face the Grim Reaper than face my fucking mate. I saw him with his tongue down a human slut’s throat. How am I going to ever forget that?” she asked.

  “Because of this.” Shaun tilted her head back and then pressed his lips against hers. She froze beneath his touch. He didn’t stop and continued going, coaxing her lips open underneath his.

  Addie moaned, opened her lips, and Shaun took total advantage of her open lips. Deepening the kiss, he plunged his tongue inside and tasted her. It was his turn to moan as she met his kiss with her own. Her return kiss was unsure and innocent. He knew he was the only male she had kissed, knew that he would be the only one she ever kissed again. He was sure of her complete innocence in her response.

  Pride swelled within him. Addie would be his woman completely. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he pressed his body against hers. She melted in his embrace. Her hands circled his neck to bring him in closer.

  This is what you need. Claim her, take her home, and make her yours. Don’t petition the pack. Do what’s best for you and Addie.

  Little tiny sparks ran across his flesh as she touched him. Her hands moved from around his neck, down his arms and back up again. He worked her mouth, plunging his tongue inside and then stroked her lips, drawing out their pleasure.

  Thrusting his cock against her stomach, he pressed the evidence of his arousal into her. Her eyes opened.

  Reluctantly, Shaun eased back but didn’t release her from his arms. She was panting with each breath. Her eyes had changed color from a startling grey to glowing amber, and the passion she felt was evident on her face.

  She let him go to touch her lips. “What was that?” she asked.

  “That was how you can stop your claiming.”

  Addie shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. I can’t be with you. It’s not allowed. I’m meant to be with Brendan.”

  Her words were stopped by a male guttural groan. Shaun tensed as he recognized the sound.

  “That’s it, baby, suck it. You’re going to swallow every bit of my spunk. I want to see it on your face and lips. I’ve got a lot,” Brendan said.

  Shaun kept a firm grip on Addie so she didn’t have to see. “Let me go,” she said, whispering the words. He shook his head. There was no way she should see what he knew was happening.

  What was Brendan doing? Was he that drunk he couldn’t even sense his mate with another male?

  “Let me go. I need to see this.” Looking into her eyes, Shaun made up his mind. Dropping his hands from her body he let her go and see the evidence of her future mate’s rejection. Maybe his kiss had fucked with her mind and she thought she could handle Brendan’s infidelity. Leaning against the tree he waited for the inevitable. The urge to protect her from mental and physical pain was at war with the need to not smother her. Addie was an independent female, and the harder he fought to control her, the farther she would retreat. He would not let her retreat far, though.

  He heard her gasp. Closing his eyes he waited for her heart to pick up speed as her emotions changed. Letting out a sigh, he followed to where she was obscured by a tree. He saw Brendan with his pants around his ankles. The woman his tongue had been down moments before was now on her knees with Brendan’s cock in her mouth. The sight was pitiful and depressing to witness.

  Shaun stroked her arm. Addie sank against him taking the comfort he offered. From the look on Brendan’s face, the other man was oblivious to their presence. Shaun didn’t know if that comforted him or just plain pissed him off. They were wolves and should be on guard at all times. Any alpha’s son knew his responsibility with regards to safety. Brendan was acting like a fucking immature child.

  “This is the harsh reality, Addie.”

  “Suck it, slut. Take what you deserve,” Brendan said.

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” Addie kept whispering. She turned from the scene and ran up the mountains. Shaun followed her to make sure she was safe. He took his cell out and sent
a text to her brother telling him that he was taking her home. No sense in having them on the hunt for her.

  When she’d vomited, he removed his shirt for her to wipe her mouth. “Thank you for being here.” Before he got chance to say anything else to her, Addie disappeared. He let her go. There was nothing more for him to do.

  Chapter Three

  Addie ran as fast and hard as her legs would take her. To be honest, she wasn’t running from what she had seen Brendan doing, although that had been horrid. She knew what type of male Brendan was, had seen the way he treated females, but what really upset her was the total lack of respect he seemed to have toward her. All those times she had seen him flirting and touching other females had been when they were still teenagers. Since she turned eighteen she hadn’t seen Brendan as much, and certainly not with the opposite sex. A part of her, the stupid part, actually thought Brendan would have been faithful now that their mating was so close. What a fool she had been.

  Jumping over a fallen log, she let her legs take her deeper into the forest. The clean, fresh air washed over her, erasing the stench that had lingered around Brendan and the female he had been with. Hot tears tracked down her cheeks, and the feel of them further pissed her off. She should not be crying over Brendan Marston.

  “You are better than this, Addie Caldwell.” Talking to herself didn’t help, but she was sick of always being alone in her head. She was getting lonely in there by herself. She let her speed take her deeper into the forest and farther away from the ugliness that was her life. She didn’t worry about what Jackson would do when he found out she ran off by herself. Did he even know Shaun was here?

  It didn’t matter if she told her father or the alpha about Brendan’s betrayal. In their eyes he was the future alpha and therefore could do no wrong.

  Her disgust and sadness morphed into pure rage. She drew the smell of the wildness into her lungs. The urge to shift was strong, but she didn’t want to trade her human emotions for the chaotic sensations that sometimes consumed her when she was in her wolf form. The sound of sticks snapping behind, and of smooth, even breathing, pierced her inner monologue. She didn’t need to inhale deep and smell the spicy, potent scent of Shaun to know he followed. Just thinking about him had mixed emotions slamming into her. She shouldn’t feel aroused after what she had just seen, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he had pressed her against the tree with his body. He was so big and muscular, and so very male. Seeing him again after all these years was like gasoline to the fire of arousal that simmered inside of her. She now realized that what she felt for him all those years ago was nothing compared to how she felt now.

  She closed her eyes, easily moving through the forest without actually seeing. The sounds, smells, and emotions all around her were like eyes, showing her where to go. There was no destination in her mind, but she knew she wanted to get as far away as possible. The image of Shaun McCallum flashed in her mind, and her footing faltered. Before she fell flat on her face she righted herself and moved faster. She couldn’t let herself feel for Shaun, not now, not ever. For one thing he was the future alpha of another pack. He was older than she, big and intimidating, and far more domineering than any male she had ever met, Brendan included. If she allowed herself to surrender to him she would be lost. She could not be lost.

  She looked over her shoulder, saw the man of her desires right behind her, and quickened her pace. The scent of water pierced her senses, and she followed it, needing to feel the cleanliness wash away the ugliness she felt. Shaun, with his messy black hair and equally dark eyes, eyes that seemed to know exactly what everyone thought and felt, made her feel things that scared her. He saw too much, knew too much. His kiss still made her lips feel singed, as if fire had licked across them instead of his wicked tongue. Just as she reached the tree line that would open up and show her the crystalline lake strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against a hard chest. A gasp left her at the feel of hard muscles contracting as he spun her around and pressed her against the thick trunk of an oak.

  “You can run, but not from me, Addie. Never from me.” With that he slammed his mouth against hers and licked the seam of her lips. She opened for him instantly, needing this from him desperately. “Do you understand me, baby?” His tongue ran over her jawline and down her throat. Teeth nipped at the base of her neck and sent tingles throughout her body. This was wrong. Even if she didn’t love Brendan and even though he betrayed her over and over again, she knew this was wrong. Shaun was the first man in years to touch her that wasn’t her family, but she couldn’t find the strength to push him away. If anyone from her pack were to find out that she was with Shaun alone, that he had touched and kissed her, their packs would be at war. No, she couldn’t do this, no matter how much she wanted to.

  Hands on his chest, she pushed him back. He relented, and she knew he had let her push him away. Their combined breathing seemed loud in the darkness. “We can’t do this. It isn’t right.” Her chest rose and fell, and her breasts pressed against the material of her dress. Addie could feel how hard her nipples were as they rubbed against the fabric. It didn’t go unnoticed by Shaun as his eyes lingered on her chest. “We can’t do this. I’m to be mated to another male.” Just saying those words had bile rising in her throat.

  Incredulity washed over his face. “You can’t be serious? After what you just saw you’d still mate with that fucker?” His voice was jagged and harsh, like a sharpened blade. His broad shoulders heaved with the force of his breathing. The air was scented with his rage, and if she didn’t know without a doubt he would never harm her, she would have been frightened. Pressing her palms against the bark of the tree, she stared warily at him.

  “I have an obligation to my pack, Shaun.” He shook his head, hard. He speared his hands into his hair and tugged on the short strands. Those words were acid on her tongue, but how could she go after what she really wanted? How could she have Shaun when it would mean disaster?

  A fierce look crossed his face before he took another determined step toward her. “He won’t have you, Addie. No one will have you but me. I’ll make damn sure of that.” His hand speared into her hair, and he tugged her head back, baring her throat.

  “It doesn’t matter, Shaun. The pack won’t let me be with any other males.” He bared his teeth at her in a purely animalistic way. When he leaned in close she felt his breath tease the shell of her ear.

  “Addie, when I say you are mine, I mean you. Are. Mine.” He took her mouth again in a bruising kiss that had her heart stuttering. “There is no one that will keep me from you. I made the mistake of leaving you, knowing you would mate with Brendan. I let others dictate what I should and shouldn’t have in my life. Not again.” The conviction in his voice scared her more than his actual words. Shaun had never acted like he wanted her as a mate, but the way he spoke, so passionately, told her otherwise.

  “It’ll be war between our packs, Shaun.” A look crossed his face, but she couldn’t tell what it meant.

  “Nothing will keep me away from you. Not again, Addie. Not again.” Tongues dueled together, and she found she didn’t have the strength to push him away again. It would have been the wise thing to do, but she couldn’t. She was sick of denying herself. Too many years she had let others run her life. For once she wanted to do something that would please her.

  His hands gripped the edge of her dress, his knuckles brushing along her thighs.

  “Let me in, Addie.” His eyes implored her to listen to what he said. His words weren’t sexual, but from the heart. A suspended moment passed between them, and she felt herself nod. A look of pure male satisfaction crossed his face, then he was on his knees before her.

  Heart pounding wildly, she stared down at him. To have such a big, powerful male at her feet was a little surreal. His hands started at her ankles and slipped up her calves and stopped at her knees. The whole time he kept his gaze locked on hers. Licking her lips, she nodded because Addie knew that’s w
hat he had been waiting for. Ever so slowly he pushed her dress up, revealing her thighs and silk-covered pussy to his gaze. The feel of his hot, hard breath against her flesh had her cunt creaming. She was so wet, ridiculously soaked for Shaun.

  “I want to taste you, baby. You’ll let me, Addie, won’t you.” It wasn’t a question. His hands tightened on her dress as he lifted it higher, baring her rounded belly. She was far from thin, but the way he looked at her, as if her body was made to be worshipped, had any feeling of being self-conscious leaving her. Letting her head rest against the tree, she licked her lips. “Yeah, you’ll let me do whatever I want.” His mouth was suddenly on her pussy, his tongue licking at her through her panties. It shouldn’t have felt so good, but it did. God, but it did.

  “Shaun.” His name left her on a soft moan, and she closed her eyes and spread her legs wider. She felt his finger frame either side of her pussy a moment before he pulled the lace of her panties aside. Cool air met her overheated flesh, but that was short-lived when his hot, wet tongue delved between the folds of her cunt. “Oh, God.” The feel of his thumbs spreading her lips apart nearly had her coming right then.

  “Look at me, Addie. Watch what I’m going to do to you.”

  Addie lifted her head and pried her eyes open. Pleasure had dizziness washing through her, but she blinked it back and stared into Shaun’s onyx eyes. She hadn’t realized that she had been holding her dress up, that her fingers were clenched around the fabric so tight her knuckles were white.

  “Take off the dress.” His voice was cut hard and brooked no argument. She pulled the offending material off her body until she stood in front of Shaun in only her bra and panties. “God, Addie.” His warm breath teased her exposed cleft. “You are so fucking beautiful.” The sound of her panties tearing aware was obscenely loud in the still night. “The bra, Addie, take it off. I want to see those hard little nipples that are begging for my mouth.”

  Her hands shook as she unclipped the front clasp of her bra and let the straps fall off her shoulders. The heavy weight of the mounds swayed now that they were free from the confines of lace and underwire. For several long moments all he did was stare at her breasts. She felt the tips pebble under his feral gaze. He tore his eyes from her chest and looked at her pussy. It took a lot to keep her eyes open as his hand slid around the back of her thigh and back down to grip behind her knee. He lifted it and put it over his shoulder. The feel of her labia parting was a shock. No man had ever seen her this intimately, and the fact she was spread out, completely nude and at his mercy, sent heat up Addie’s neck and to her face.