Chapter 6 - Devon

Devon watched the fear swell in Beth's doe eyes. Fear of him. He deserved it, he knew that, after kidnapping her from her pack and forcing her to be his mate, but he wished he could make her understand that there was a reason for it. He'd only done it because he'd had to.

"We don't have to. Not today," he said.

He wanted to, though. His desire for her filled his every nerve. Her scent hung in the air, blown toward him by the breeze from the open window. If he let go of the restraint that made him human, he'd have her pinned down on the bed, moaning his name right then. But he wouldn't let go.

Instead, he reached down and tucked a loose wisp of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on the soft skin of her neck, her pulse strong and jumping beneath his fingertips. A frightened rabbit's heartbeat.

He thought she would push, demand to know when, demand for him to leave, but she stayed silent, gazing down at her hands. Was she thinking of home?

"How's your leg?" He sat down next to her, not quite touching, but almost. Close enough to feel her heat. "Still hurting you?"

She nodded, biting on her lower lip. "A little. It's better, though. Maybe another day or two before I can move properly. Is that when… is that what you"re waiting for? Before we mate?"

Her wide eyes fixed on him. Daring, he took her hand like he had at the mating ceremony. "Put that out of your mind for now, Beth. I just wanted to know how you were feeling."

It wasn't out of his mind, though, not with his skin against her skin, not with that slip of a dress. Sitting, it was so close to revealing her that his eyes kept dropping there, to the shadow between her legs. Damn Emma. This would be easier if she'd put Beth in something with a little more coverage.

"Excuse me if I find that hard to believe. You are keeping me prisoner after all, I didn't imagine my well-being was your top priority."

Her words landed like a well-deserved slap, and they had the same effect, making his blood boil. He twisted toward her, his hand coming up to grip the back of her neck. Her lips parted in an oh of surprise. She felt so delicate in his grip, weightless.

"Watch your tone." He traced her jawline with his thumb, up to her fat bottom lip.

"I'm your alpha now."

She was frozen in his grasp, but defiance radiated from her eyes. Her breath hitched when the pad of his finger touched her lip. He could see the tip of her pink tongue, and his body ached with the thought of what it could do. Restraint warred with desire.

"You're my mate," she argued, breathy. It came out like a gasp when he tugged her closer and followed the path of his thumb with his lips.

He kissed along her jaw, up to her lip, nipping the mound of it. "Both."

God, he wanted her. Too young or not, his body didn"t care. His fingers moved up her leg, along her inner thigh, stopping just before her dress did. Her legs parted for him. Did she mean to, or had her body responded to him without input from her stubborn mind? His mouth crashed into hers, claimed hers, and like her legs, her lips parted for him. The heat beside his hand was too much, too tempting, too close, and he grazed his fingertip against the crease where thigh met panty. She arched beneath him, pressing closer to the pressure.

"N-not yet." She broke away from his kiss, face flushed. "Please. Not yet."

She looked perfect then, with the color high on her cheeks, hair tousled, and lips bruised red from his kisses. Devon drew on every ounce of restraint he had to pull back from her. His cock strained against the fabric of his jeans.

"Okay. Not yet." He forced the words out and was rewarded with the barest hitch of a smile.

But he couldn't stay there. It was too much. The need for her was enough to drive him mad, and he didn't want to do something he'd regret. He had to get out of there. Had to put some space between them.

"I'll be in my office if you need me," he said, soaking in every inch of her before turning away.

And he would be. After he took care of his situation.He ran his fingers through his hair to give them something to do other than touch her and walked out of the room, praying he didn"t run into any of the pack on his way. The last thing he needed was for them to see him in this state.

He made it through the empty halls and into his room, locking the door behind him. He stripped down and stepped into the shower, turning the water up until steam filled it.

His cock was heavy in his hand, throbbing with a need he felt throughout his whole body. He gripped it lightly, stroking it with the soft, gentle touch he imagined Beth would have. He'd have her on her knees in front of him, her doe eyes looking up into his as that pink tongue lapped at his cock.

"Fuck, Beth." Eyes closed, he let his hand move faster now, fingers wrapping around his length. It was slick, precum leaking from the tip, and he imagined her moan when she tasted it, her hunger for more as he stroked his thumb over the head.

She'd try to take it all in, every inch of him. He pictured those lips stretching around the girth of him, that tongue working the underside of his shaft.

His forearms flexed as he pumped his hand faster, and felt the pressure building at the base of his spine. He was close. In his head, Beth was desperate for his cum, her hands on his hips to pull him deeper into her mouth. Devon groaned out her name as the first shot of cum hit the glass. His orgasm raced through him, hips thrusting forward with every pulse of cum until he was drained, empty, heart racing as the hot water ran over his back.

He braced his forearm on the shower wall and caught his breath, panting. Fuck. He felt better, but the aching need for Beth, the real Beth, sat in his gut, persistent. His mate. His luna. Restraint would only take him so far with that burning need inside of him.

Devon washed the wall with the shower head, then scrubbed himself clean. The rest of the pack would be celebrating. They'd be many glasses deep in the champagne by that point, and he knew he should join them and make a show for the pack"s sake.

He toweled off and pulled on his clothes. Beth's scent clung to them, that sweet, floral smell like a field of wildflowers on a summer day. His cock gave a twitch. He ignored it, pulling on his shirt and dragging a brush through his hair. He'd never felt this way before. Never had a woman he wanted but couldn't touch.

The sounds of the pack rose from the garden when he stepped outside. He glanced back at Beth's window just once, then pushed thoughts of her down, determined to focus on the pack.

"There he is!" Jonah crowed as Devon stepped into the garden.

The pack was sprawled over the benches or on the grass, bottles, and glasses littering the area around them. Even Emma was smiling, cozied up with Caleb on a blanket, his arm wrapped around her in a casual possessiveness. Something in Devon eased. It had worked. Already, finding a luna had brought the pack closer together. Here, they were celebrating without violence, without bloodsport. They could be more.

"Where's Beth?" Caleb asked, grinning. "Or did she need a little recovery time after you gave her the ride of her life?"

If only. Devon pointed his finger at Caleb. "Don't talk about her like that."

The wolves chorused oohs like a group of high schoolers.

Emma barked a laugh. "Testy, testy. Not at all the attitude of a man that just got laid. Don't tell me, sweet little Bethie turned you down? She does seem like a bit of a prude."

"Leave it, Em." Jonah snapped in before Devon could respond. Maybe the sight of Caleb draped around her was picking at a nerve. "He looks pretty flushed to me. I bet there will be a baby White Winter in no time."

He rolled his hands in front of him in imitation of a pregnant stomach, and a swell of drunken laughter rose.

"Get that man some champagne!" Caleb said, raising his glass into the air before drinking it down in one. "You've got some catching up to do, Dev."

He let them fill his glass over and over again until the world took on a pleasant haze. His eyes drifted to the open window that led to Beth's room, willing her to join them. But why would she? They were her pack now but in name alone. To her, they were kidnapping brutes. What would it take to change that? Was it even possible? The questions followed him into the night.

***

Devon woke with the sun. Three days after the mating ceremony, he hadn't seen Beth once. The pack took food to her room, and Jonah had gotten a few words out of her, but so far, she'd refused to leave her room. It was his pride that kept him from going to her door. Pride and that insatiable desire beat like a drum inside of him. It was easier to keep it at bay when he wasn't in her presence.

But the pack was starting to get restless. They were questioning whether he could manage the pack when he couldn't even manage his luna. Not to his face, things weren't as bad as that yet, but in whispers carried to him by Jonah. Dev had no doubt where the whispers were starting. Emma's snide comments jabbed at him constantly, at dinner, at the gym, passing in the hall.

Today. He had to do something about it today. He dressed with care, checking his reflection three times before heading to Beth's room. Jonah was at her door, sitting on the floor with a book in his hands. The rest of the pack was off on a hunt.

"What's up, Dev?" Jonah got up, jerking his head toward Beth's door. "Think she just got out of the shower."

Dev could smell the shampoo in the air. He tried not to think about Beth in a towel. That was useless. It was all he could think about.

"Go and see if you can catch up with the pack. I've got her," Dev said.

Jonah beamed, dropping his book. "Yeah? Thanks, man."

He ran off, loping down the hall without a backward glance. Dev watched him go, wistful for the ease and thrill of a hunt. It'd be a hell of a lot easier than what he was facing. But he steeled himself and knocked twice on the door.

"What is it?" Beth called, sounding far away.

By the window, perhaps. Dev opened the door, knowing she"d deny him if he gave her the choice. She was curled up on the windowsill, gazing down at the lawn, legs long and lean in cutoff shorts. Her hair was still wet from the shower.

"Come on, let's go," Dev said, holding the door open with one arm.

She got to her feet, unsure. "Go where?"

"Outside. It's beautiful out, and I hear you've been cooped up in your room for days."

"It's not like I'm allowed to go wander about on my own," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

Devon watched her move. The limp was gone. She leaned her weight on that leg without thinking.

"You're not alone now. You're with me, and your leg is feeling better, isn't it?" He pointed to it, and she looked down and frowned.

"It is, but that doesn't mean I want to spend any more time with you than I have to." She could be as petulant as a child.

"Look, if you want to go outside, if you want to run, it's going to be with me. So accept it, and let's go. When was the last time you shifted? I know you must be itching for it. To feel the grass under your paws, to put your head down and just run." He could see it in her eyes—she wanted it.

It was her weak spot. She wouldn't have been loping off that day the White Winters had taken her if she hadn't loved the freedom of running so much. Devon wasn't afraid to use that against her now, not with so much on the line.

She looked away from him and out the open window. Obligingly, the sun was out, casting a butter-yellow light over the landscape. Birds sang. All of it screamed, "Come out and play."

Finally, she nodded, lips pressed tight together. He could still vividly remember them parting for him, though, and the need he'd felt radiating from her, mirroring his own. That had been real, no matter how much she'd deny it now.

"After you," he said, gesturing toward the open door.

She shot a wary glance over her shoulder, leading the way down the hall. He pretended he hadn't been staring at her ass in those tight little shorts. Didn't think he fooled her, though.

"Where is everyone?" She asked, trotting down the stairs. She was getting excited now, a looseness in her stride that hadn't been there before.

"Off on a hunt." He shut the door behind them and sucked in a deep breath of fresh air, the sun warming his bare arms. "We'll go the other way so we can be alone."

She flicked him a look then, dark and suspicious. "Hunting what, exactly?"

"Deer, probably. An elk? Nothing more nefarious than that, I promise. That's all in the past."

Beth didn't believe him, but he could see that clearly on her face. But she turned away, giving her head a little shake.

"If you say so."

"I do. Ready?"

Her face split into a grin for the barest second, and he got a glimpse of the fun she must have had when she was among her friends. It was a devilish look.

"Try and keep up!" She called back to him, leaping off the deck and shifting into her wolf form in midair. It was an athletic feat that made his appreciation for her grow. She was strong, fast, capable, and hot as hell. He couldn't have picked a better luna.

She was off across the grass already, tongue lolling out. He hopped off the steps and shifted to follow, catching up in a few strides. In wolf form, their size difference was even more dramatic. His fur was the deep brown of pine bark, threaded with strands of gold and black for a mottled coat that blended well in the forest. Like Emma, his eyes were golden, and they were glued to his luna running by his side.

They raced down to the tree line, Devon steering them east, away from where the pack had gone. Their scent still lingered, strong enough to direct him, but Beth's sweet scent filled his nose, and her form filled his thoughts.

He chased her, nipping at her heels, and she put on a burst of speed. Darting between the trees, he felt a swell of childlike joy at their game of chase, a loosening in his chest he hadn't felt since becoming Alpha. She was good for him. For the pack. She dipped sideways, dropping into the dense part of the forest where his height worked against him. Shorter, she slipped under branches that he had to duck, and he found himself struggling to catch her.

She pulled ahead, taunting him, glancing back to check how far behind he'd fallen. She vanished into the brush. Devon growled, not willing to be undone by his luna. He was stronger, faster, and he'd show her that.

He put on a burst of speed, snapping branches, but she was gone. He couldn't spot her in any direction. The bushes were still, not revealing anything. Dev breathed in deeply, searching for her scent. She could never hide that from him. He wanted to believe it was just another game. Hide and seek instead of chase. But he knew, deep down, in that niggling part of him, that she was trying to lose him. Trying to escape.

He snarled, catching her scent. She wasn't far. Head down, he sprinted after her. She was heading back toward Rosewood territory. The underbrush was less dense here, the trees farther apart, and his superior strength gave him the advantage. A flash of fur between two pines, and he was on her.

They tumbled together, their combined speed skidding them across the forest floor through the leaves and over the roots, until they came to a stop beneath a pine bough. He was breathing hard, but before she could rise, he pinned her. Snarling, snout to snout, he bared his teeth. So close to her neck, she could not help but feel the threat for what it was.

Her lips pulled back in a snarl, and he braced himself for the fight. He didn't want to hurt her. She was his luna. But he would fight for her, if he had to, even if it meant fighting her.

Then, she softened. A low whine came from her as she submitted, ears lowering, tail curling. Slowly, he backed off and let her rise. Every bit of her showed submission, from the lowered tail to the narrowed eyes, her stance crouched and low beneath him. He could have taken her right there if he had wanted to, and she would not have fought him.

He snapped at her, once, to get her moving back toward the compound. She slinked off, slow enough for Dev to stay close to her flank, but he could tell the fight had left her. Her hope of escape had fled, and Beth, his luna, was finally broken.