Chapter 3

Maya didn't know what had come over her. She had always remained in complete control of herself whenever she indulged in her need for sexual release. It had never been this clawing need to tear at a male's clothing and get as close as physically possible. Her wolf was lunging at the leash she had on her, threatening to take over, and her human half was on board with that plan, though maybe not in full view of the manor house where all the alphas from across North America were gathered for the Council meeting. It may have been a while for her but she could wait for a quieter, more private location. Though, Garrett better hurry the fuck up or she'd see how much he liked exhibitionism.

He tugged her along the grass, her shoes sinking in the thick turf. She stopped after the third time she almost twisted her ankle.

"Hang on." She bent down and slipped off the ridiculous heels she never wanted to wear in the first place, looping them over a finger. "Okay, now I won't kill myself. Where are we going?"

"The enforcers have quarters in a separate building. We all have suites there for when we're on site. No one will look for us there."

They rounded the side of the manor house and a nondescript brick house stood off to the side across the drive, a house Maya had seen when she arrived the previous day but thought it wasn't important. Now she knew it was a dorm of sorts for the Council Enforcers and support staff.

Garrett didn't pause, only stormed through the main door and up the stairs to the second floor and to a suite of rooms. He opened the door and ushered her inside, shutting the door behind them. Before she could react, he had turned and pinned her to the door, his hands framing her face, his lips on hers, re-igniting the fire that had gone to a low simmer since they had been interrupted a short while ago.

Her shoes dropped, and she wrapped her arms around him, arching into him, pulling him close. Their tongues dueled as if fighting for dominance. He nipped her lower lip and kissed his way down her throat to tease the pulse point that pounded wildly at the base of her throat. Her knees sagged, and he grabbed her under her butt, lifting her easily and carrying her further into the suite, unerringly through the space until he lightly tossed her on a bed.

He quickly stripped off his shirt and tie, his eyes never leaving hers. She propped herself on her elbows and watched as he revealed every inch of tanned muscular skin until he stood in front of her, clad only in his dress slacks. Her mouth went dry. Damn, he was hot.

"Are you going to sit there all night? Or do I need to rip that off of you?"

She grinned. "I'm going to need some help taking this off." She slid off the bed and turned her back to him. "Can you unzip me?"

The sound echoed loudly in the room and the dress sagged off her shoulders. She shrugged, and he slid it down, his callused hands stroking over her skin as he followed the material down her arms. He let it drop, and it pooled at her feet. She stepped out of it, leaving her standing in black thigh highs and a matching black lace bra and panty set.

He groaned. "You're so fucking beautiful, Maya."

She chuckled and bent over to roll off the thigh-highs, but he put a hand on her shoulder. "Not yet. Leave them."

She straightened and stared at him. "Happy now?"

"Almost."

He stepped up to her and kissed her until she was breathless. He walked them backwards to the bed and sat down, pulling her on top of him. She straddled his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her back, slipping his hands down to her ass, and one hand between her legs to stroke her pussy through the thin material of her thong.

He pushed the lace material aside and slid a finger over her clit. She gasped and arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest. He grinned and rolled the tight little bud between his finger and thumb. She tried to press closer, wanting more, and he rubbed his thumb over her, slowly at first, in a small circle, then faster and faster until she was writhing on top of him, digging her fingers into his shoulders.

When she was close to climaxing, and her orgasm was imminent, he stopped.

"What? No."

She turned her head to glare at him. He slid his free hand around to the back of her neck and pulled her down for a kiss that held no malice for denying her, just a promise that later, he would make her come again and again.

"Now, Maya, undo my pants."

She normally didn't go for a dominant male, but she was getting off on his commands tonight. She didn't want to dwell on what that meant for their mating, about their dominance, or their future. She scooted back and undid his belt and the button of his fly. Then she slid the zipper down. His cock leapt out, and she wrapped both hands around him. "Mmm, you're so hard."

"And you're so wet. So fucking wet." He groaned and pushed his thumb into her mouth. "Suck it. I want to feel those pretty lips around my finger, sucking me dry."

He urged her back onto him, straddling his hip. She nipped the pad of his thumb then sucked, swirling her tongue around the tip, mimicking what she'd do to the hard cock she felt pressed against her pussy. The salty flavor of his skin burst onto her tongue and she sucked harder, grinding her pussy against his other hand while she stroked his cock with her free hand. He slid his fingers inside her thong and pushed two of them into her. She moaned and clenched around him, the feel of his fingers a delicious stretch, and she began to move on him. He curled his finger against a sensitive spot inside of her and rubbed his thumb against her clit, edging her over the cliff that was so damned close. She moved faster, rolling her hips and sucking his thumb. When she came, she shuddered and moaned and felt his cock jerk in her hands, coating her fingers with his cum.

He gently eased her back and then stood, scooping her up and setting her down on the bed. He stripped the thong from her and tossed it on the floor. She lay there, panting, looking at him.

He climbed onto the bed and kissed her, his tongue moving to her ear, then down the side of her neck to her collarbone, until he got to the valley between her breasts. He teased the tip of one breast and then over to the other one.

"I want to taste you, Maya. All of you."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I can handle any more."

He nipped her. "You can handle this. I've been waiting a long time for you." He licked down her belly and pressed a gentle kiss to her navel. "I love your belly ring." He kissed her hip, slid his hand down her thigh and back up again.

He swirled his tongue around her belly button and then dipped inside. Maya's hands were tangled in his hair and she was pulling him closer, arching into his mouth. He nibbled his way up to the underside of her breast and then took her nipple into his mouth, where he sucked and licked until she moaned.

She lifted the other breast toward him and he took the other nipple and suckled, teasing her with his tongue until her nails dug into his shoulders. He slid his tongue down her stomach to her hipbone and then moved down between her legs.

He inhaled, and then he licked. Maya whimpered, and her thighs quivered, the muscles tightening in reaction to his touch. He kissed, licked, and nibbled her thighs, paying particular attention to the sensitive backs of her knees and the tender skin of her inner thighs.

He dragged his tongue over her hipbone and down to her other thigh, where he bit her gently. She gasped, and he smiled. "Do you like that?"

She nodded. "You're making it very difficult not to rip your clothes off and ride you to a quick orgasm."

"No. Not yet." Garrett kissed her inner thigh. "I want you to come apart with my mouth on you. I want you to come so hard you bite the sheets."

"Oh, my God."

He laughed and licked his way to her pussy, pushing her thighs farther apart. He swirled his tongue over her and she moaned and wiggled, trying to get closer to his mouth.

He nibbled his way down her pussy and then slid two fingers inside her, stroking her G-spot. She gasped and moaned and wrapped her legs around his neck as he licked and sucked her. She arched and her muscles spasmed around him, milking his fingers. He pulled them out and sucked them clean as she trembled.

Garrett licked his way back up her body and kissed her. "Please, Garrett. I need you."

Garrett rose and Maya wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him to take her. He entered her slowly, and she gasped at first contact, arching into him. He moved in and out, increasing the pressure as he went. She moaned and dug her nails into his back as pleasure built inside her.

He moved faster and harder, pushing her higher and higher until she was trembling from the force of it. Garrett reached between them to rub circles over her swollen clit with his thumb as he continued thrusting, bringing them both closer to the edge.

Lifting one of his hands, he intertwined their fingers together before pushing even further inside her than before. His thrusts grew shallower but more intense until Maya could feel a deep pulse growing within her body.

She screamed his name as she came apart, an orgasm washing through every inch of her body. Garrett followed soon after with a roar that echoed off the walls of their bedroom.

She clamped down on him, and he gasped. "Fuck! Maya!"

He gave one final thrust and moaned, burying his head in her neck as he came. He sucked her flesh at the side of her neck into his mouth and then licked the bruise, scraping his teeth against the sensitive spot. She shivered, her wolf eager for the teeth but the woman not yet ready to yield. "No, not yet, Garrett."

She was not ready for a mating mark.

He sighed, licked the spot again, then levered his weight above her so he wouldn't crush her.

Maya laughed softly and stroked his back. "Are you done?"

He pulled out of her, and his cock slipped from her body. She winced, and he looked at her in alarm. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine. It's been a while and you're a big boy."

He grinned. "I'm trying to be sorry about that, but I'm failing."

She shoved him jokingly. "You're such a jerk."

He just laughed and settled on the bed, rolling onto his back and pulling her against his side. He gathered the covers over them to ward off the chill now that they were relaxing. They laid there quietly for a few minutes, lost in thought, while their breathing settled. Reality crashed over Maya after a few minutes and panic set in.

His arms tightened around her as if he could feel her tension rising. "What is it?"

She sighed and propped her chin on his chest. "What are we doing, Garrett?"

"If you have to ask that, clearly I did something wrong," he joked, but then he sobered. "I think we're still figuring this out, Maya. We both feel the mating bond, but we know that it's not final. We have to explore it to see if this is something we want."

"And we explore it by jumping into bed together?"

He shrugged. "We're wolves. If this is a true mate bond, the goddess has already decided we fit together in all ways. But our human side needs to know we're compatible, and that means in all ways. So yeah, we jump into bed. The mating urge is overwhelming in newly mated wolves. You should know this from your training."

She sighed. She had heard this was how it could go. You meet your potential mate and felt that instant attraction that overwhelmed your senses, demanded satisfaction, which usually led to several days in bed. "I didn't expect it to be right away. I thought we would build up to it or something."

He laughed, his chest rumbling under her. "We won't be stuck in bed for the next several days right now. The mating urge is there but not demanding. We haven't given in to it completely. We're just exploring." He paused, uncertainty in his gaze. "You could still walk away, Maya."

"We both could," she whispered, not sure why the thought caused her stomach to drop and her heart to stutter in her chest.

"Is that what you want?"

"No, I want to explore this, but I don't want anyone to know." She knew that much anyway. She was a private person and wasn't ready to share this news with anyone.

His arm tightened around her. "Me too. We can trust Caleb. He won't say anything until I give the word. And I agree. Let's keep our packs out of it for now."

"Oh Goddess. Our packs." Horror dawned on her at the thought of telling their packs. "How will we manage that?"

He pulled her over him and hugged her close, stroking over her back, soothing her. "Don't worry about that for now. Let's focus on ourselves. We can deal with everyone else later."

"I can't help it. They're too much a part of us." Maya sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the white spackled ceiling.

He shifted to his side and stared down at her, his expression serious and tinged with regret. "I know. But we can't deal with it tonight. It's getting late. Do you want to stay or have me walk you back to your rooms?"

The walk of shame, though she felt no shame, not really. But the last thing she wanted was to have to explain to anyone where she had been and with whom. Like Garrett had said, they were wolves. It wouldn't be questioned if she spent the night with someone as long as she wasn't on duty. Since Caleb made her excuses, as long as she showed up tomorrow for her Luna, she was fine.

"Mmm. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

He settled next to her and hugged her tight. "Good. Night, Maya."

She just smiled and kissed him and then her eyes drifted shut, as did his.

* * *

Garrett laid awake long after Maya's breathing had evened out in sleep. Sex with her had been amazing, even better than he had expected. But the mood had soured when he brought up reality and their packs.

It had been four years since he'd been home, but he doubted life in the Saranac pack had changed much. They were still a traditional pack, focused on established gender roles of male strength and female submission. If there was one thing he knew about Maya, even after all these years, is that she was not submissive. She took her pleasure in bed, and would be a partner out of it, not just sit by and wait for him to tell her what to do and guide her actions. Nor would she accept any of the leaders of the pack ordering her around.

She understood the hierarchy of a pack. All wolves did. They had to in order to survive. They may be human, but the wolf half respected and needed the pack structure to survive. But Maya wouldn't be relegated to the sidelines because of her gender. She was here as an enforcer. Saranac didn't have any female enforcers when he last checked. He doubted they had evolved in four years to add any females to the ranks now.

How would she fit in?

One of them would have to leave their pack if they mated. They could not have a cross-pack mating with both staying loyal to their packs. One of them must break their bonds and join the other. Who would it be? Or would they choose to reject the mating and stay separate?