Chapter 11

Wiley

I 'm in a special kind of hell. Pleasure sizzles through my veins while my wolf stands by in utter agony, desperate to sink his teeth into our mate and wholly unworthy of claiming her.

I try to shut him out and focus on the pleasure Geneva lavishes on me, parting her lips and taking me deep in her hot, wet mouth.

"Oh, fuck me," I groan, fisting the comforter at my hips.

She giggles, using a twisting motion with her hand as she bobs her lips up and down my shaft. "Am I driving you wild, Wiley?"

I'm seeing a different side of Geneva tonight. I already knew she was sweet and kind, beautiful with sexy curves, but it looks like my mate has a bit of a sassy streak too.

"Absolutely."

"What would make you lose control?"

I shake my head. "You don't want that, babe."

Her brow furrows as she returns to taking me deep, sucking hard, her grip tight on my cock. Luckily, I like it rough, and her touch is perfect for my temperament. She slows down, languidly running her tongue up and down my shaft while looking up at me with her beautiful green eyes.

The vision of her lips stretched around my cock, her eyes on me, takes me to the edge. "Fuck, I'm going to come."

"Yes." She slides down until I brush the back of her throat, her gag reflexes kicking in as she pulls back. But then she surprises me by doing it again and again until I'm no longer able to hold back. Cum rushes up my shaft, my cock jerks with each spurt as I release my load, marking my mate in one of many ways.

I can't stop myself, thrusting my fingers into her hair as I pull her off me and drag her up my body. "Sweet Fates. You are perfect, Geneva."

She straddles my waist and rocks backward onto my cock still jerking its release. Reaching behind her, she wraps her fingers around my shaft and guides me to her pussy. Without words or discussion, I'm sliding inside her warm depths, her ass coming down to rest on my thighs as I tilt up my hips.

We groan in unison, her body a welcoming host to our coupling.

"I understand if you need to wait a half-hour, but I wanted to feel you inside of me." She bites her lip in a cute display of bashfulness.

What a time to play coy.

"I don't need thirty minutes. Hell, with your wet cunt gripping me, I don't need thirty seconds." I prove my point by thrusting up and wrapping my hands around her waist.

Her mouth falls open as I grow from semi to fully hard again, shifting her ass and grinding her down on my cock. "How do you like it, babe? Soft and slow? Hard and fast? A little of both?"

"Something tells me I'll like whatever you like, but right now I'll lose my mind if I don't come again."

"Not a problem." I roll us until I have her underneath me, her back flush with the mattress, her knee pinned near her face by my forearm as I sink my cock deep.

"Oh god," she gasps.

I drag the head of my cock back and forth over her g-spot in slow, steady thrusts, her cunt dripping with arousal. "That's it, babe. Come again and again and again for me."

"That feels so good it makes me want to cry."

"Cry, moan, scream—give me all you've got."

Geneva slaps her hand against my pec and curls her fingers, her nails digging into my flesh at the same time her cunt clamps down around my cock. Then her body breaks apart as a guttural scream rips from her throat, her pussy pulsating to milk me for my seed.

"Fuck," I grunt as my cock jerks and I fill her with come. I'm blown away by the way my little hellion comes undone. She's way more wild in bed than I would have guessed while watching her as a doting mother or battle-scarred survivor. Geneva is my perfect mate.

I collapse, my strength temporarily zapped, and pepper her face with kisses. "Fucking amazing."

"Yes." She pants, giggling as I roll my weight off her.

"I'll be right back." I jump out of bed and run into the bathroom, running a washcloth under hot water to clean myself before rinsing and bringing a damp cloth to bed. "Let me give you a non-medically approved sponge bath."

Waggling my brow, she giggles as I gently wipe her thighs and pussy clean. I toss the washcloth at the hamper and bend down, running my tongue between her damp folds.

She hisses, her thighs tightening around my head. "I'm sensitive. You're going to have to give me a minute."

Crawling on the bed, I pull her back against my chest, wrap my arms around her waist, and nestle my face into the crook of her neck. "What time does Bo wake up?"

"He's a good sleeper, but usually around six."

"If I set an alarm for 4:30, will you sleep with me until daybreak?"

"Are we going to sleep?" She wiggles her ass against my cock and moves my hand to cup her breast.

Lazily, I roll her nipple between my fingers, squeezing and tugging until she whimpers with pleasure. "We might. We might not. I think I will trade rooms with Jimmy tomorrow to make it easier for you to slip in and out in the middle of the night."

"That's a good idea. I'm going to want to do this often—at least for the next three weeks."

I sigh and still my hand. "You still have your heart set on moving to Canada?"

"It's not my heart, Wiley. Bo loves it here. He loves you and your family."

"Don't you think you could love me and my family?"

"That's not the point."

"What is the point, Geneva?" The conversation stings, but it's better that we're not facing each other, and it's the only reason she's being painfully honest with me.

"I believe you can protect us, but I don't know if I could forgive myself if John hurt any of you to get to me. I think it would be better for everyone if we left."

"You don't have to worry about John hurting anyone in my family, but if you really want to go—what if I came with you?"

"To get us settled somewhere?"

"No, I mean move with you, permanently."

"Is this because you believe we're fated to be together?"

"I don't believe it, I know it. I know it in the way your scent calls to me. In how my pheromones calm and turn you on. No one else thinks I smell good, I promise you. In fact, they will repel most other women. The simple fact is, Geneva, I won't be able to function not knowing you are safe and protected. If you don't want to be with me, I'll find a way to deal with it, but nature and biology require me to take care of you."

She shakes her head. "This is happening so fast."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't act like this is a casual thing for me. My feelings for you run deeper than you can possibly understand."

My heart breaks as Geneva lies quietly in my arms. She doesn't pull away, but she's no longer caressing my arms either. She's in her head, as she should be, and I'm a selfish bastard for dumping all of this on her.

"Am I throwing up too many red flags right now?"

She rolls over to face me. "Yes and no. Your words added to my past experiences should have me running for the border, and yet my heart tells me to stay. I care about you, and I know you care about me—about us. But John will see me dead before he'll see me happy."

"John could go away," I say softly, caressing her cheek while staring deep into her eyes.

My wolf chuffs his agreement and joins the party. Man, it is fucking weird being disconnected from him.

"You're not saying what I think you are saying."

"What do you think I'm saying?" I raise my brow and gauge her reaction.

Would I kill him? In a heartbeat.

Would she be okay with that? I'm not so sure.

"You can't kill him, Wiley."

"I could. I have lots of training and skills that would make it easy." Glancing down to the brand on her hip, I emphasize my point. "He hurt you. He put hands and a brand on you. You can call me a heartless, evil, fucking bastard, but I wouldn't think twice about removing him from this earth if it gave you peace of mind."

Geneva stares at me, her eyes searching mine for a hint of humor. "That's terrifying, and possibly the sweetest thing someone's ever said to me."

Sighing, I lean back and pull her onto my chest. "That's why I exist, babe. To say sweet things and give you peace of mind."

F or the last three weeks Geneva has slept in my bed, sneaking back into Bo's room a bit later each morning. It's almost like we're trying to get caught, her desire to stay and snuggle with me coupled with my unwillingness to let her go is creating a near toxic relationship.

Toxic in that I know I'm going to self-destruct if this doesn't end with me marking and mating her, and yet I'm not sure I can do it.

Meanwhile, even though I'm sexually sated, my wolf is struggling with what I want, what we need, and what he deserves, and I haven't felt the need to push Geneva or myself. There's a mental block stopping me every time my fangs descend and I've embarrassed myself multiple times by jumping out of bed before divulging my other half.

I could bite her without revealing my wolf, but that feels like the ultimate betrayal considering John hid trackers in her purse and car. My serum is nothing more than a biological marker that makes it impossible for her to hide from me, and I can't do that to her without her permission no matter what it means for my future.

Anytime I'm not with Geneva, I'm on edge and in a bad mood. The guys have noticed and are ready to take me down. I'm pretty sure Cricket wants to beat my ass, as he's challenged me to a few rounds in the ring. I snapped at Jimmy the other day and Sly nearly took my head off, lunging at me and pinning me to the ground before I knew what was happening. The closer we get to the full moon, the more tense things get, and my thinly leashed control on my wolf is disintegrating.

For the last few nights, I've denied myself release—pleasuring Geneva and then excusing myself, fearing I'll lose control and mark her. I also haven't slept while Geneva dozed in my arms, terrified I'll shift in the middle of the night.

At this point, I don't know what the fuck to do.

Nan walks into the clinic in her workout top and running shorts. She's been staying away from home, spending too many nights at the apartment in Great Falls. I don't know why, and I think her absence makes Geneva uncomfortable, which pisses me off.

Of course, lately, everything pisses me off except for Geneva and Bo.

"Where have you been?" I step out of the dark office. It is near midnight and Geneva is asleep. Cricket is hanging with Jimmy at my house while he installs the new kitchen sink, and Sly is chilling on the couch playing Xbox at Nan's house while Geneva and Bo sleep upstairs. I've been sitting here in the dark for over an hour contemplating my future. It was the only quiet place I could think of to hide.

She stops mid-step and swings her gaze in my direction. "Excuse you?"

Our sibling bond differs from a mating bond—not nearly as fine tuned or dependable. When she was tased two months ago, my veins flooded with fear-laced adrenaline and my stomach cramped, but if I hadn't known where in the hospital we'd left her, I wouldn't have known exactly where to run. And if I had multiple siblings I was close to, chances are I wouldn't have known who was in trouble or if they were in trouble.

The more siblings you have, the weaker the bond. Kade—who comes from a big family with six siblings—gets nothing off of them regardless of how close they are. The triplets are probably in sync, but I don't know that for sure.

The only reason Nan and I share a bond is because there are only two of us and we've been incredibly close since I separated from the military and moved here.

Sadly, I can feel that bond crumbling, and I'm betting she can too.

"Why have you been spending so much time at the hospital?" I ask, my tone accusatory.

And away from your family, I think.

"You haven't been there in three weeks, so I figured I'd pick up the slack."

"Bullshit. You're staying away because I've found my mate. How do you think your absence makes Geneva feel?"

Her mouth falls open. "What are you talking about? Geneva and I had lunch a few days ago."

"Yeah, but you drove back to Great Falls that night."

"You're ridiculous." She waves me away.

"Am I?" I stare her down, daring her to dismiss me again.

Nan narrows her eyes. "You're trying to start a fight with me, which means your wolf is begging to be unleashed. Have you marked her yet?"

I turn my back on her, my hands clenched in fists. She's absolutely right; I am starting a fight, and I can't seem to stop myself. "No."

"Why not?"

Shaking my head, I take a deep breath to calm myself. "I can't."

"Why not?" she presses.

"I just fucking can't, Nan!" I snarl, my wolf making his presence known.

Fucking hell, I'm losing it. It's like I'm a teenage shifter all over again—everyone is a challenge, everything is a fight. I've been fine around Geneva and Bo, but otherwise, I'm falling apart.

"Let's go for a run," Nan says gently, going into big sister mode. "It'll settle your wolf so you can talk to me."

Glancing at her ensemble, I arch my brow with a brilliant idea. "I'll make you a deal. I'll run with you until I'm a puddle of goo, but only if we do it in our wolf forms."

She blanches and takes a step back from me. "No deal."

"Because you can't anymore?"

"Fuck you, Wiley." She spins on her heels to walk out the back door and I launch myself at her before I can think twice about it. We tumble to the floor as humans, rolling down the hallway until I have her pinned underneath me.

"Shift!" I snarl, my fangs elongating as I struggle to maintain my form.

"Get off me!" Nan bucks underneath me, her impressive strength no match from my weight and muscle mass.

A black wolf busts through the back door, knocking me off Nan.

I'm on my feet instantly, yanking my shirt over my head. "Stay out of this, Sly."

He crouches down and bares his teeth, ready to spring forward.

"You're such an asshole." Nan kicks off her shoes and strips out of her workout clothes, instantly shifting into her beautiful fawn and white wolf.

Something about seeing her do it effortlessly settles some of the rage simmering in my veins.

She snarls and jerks her head, telling me to hurry and join them.

I project to Sly. "Who has eyes on Geneva and Bo?"

"Jimmy and Cricket—fucktard."

Yeah, I deserve that.

Kicking off my boots, I toss Nan's and my clothes into the office and shift into my gray wolf. Nan turns and trots out the door, skirting around the side of the office building and making a B-line for the woods. Sly and I chase after her, breaking into a sprint when we hit the trees. For the next hour, I run the hardest I have in months.

Nan slows as we approach the creek, the nearly full moon overhead reflected in the calm water. She wades in, shifting back into her human form to swim.

I follow and also shift, swimming to the deepest part and diving until my lungs burn. Sheer survival instinct is all I have beckoning me back to the surface.

As soon as my head is above water, Nan is barking at me. "What is your problem, Wiley?"

"Yeah," Sly adds. "You've been a dick for the last week."

"I don't deserve a mate." Exhausted, I swim to the shallow waters and find a submerged rock to sit on.

"Obviously you do, or else the Fates wouldn't have presented you with one." Nan stares at me, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Yeah, that's what we're told growing up, but I think there is more to it. Or at least my wolf thinks there is.

I lock eyes with my sister. "Where do you think Dad is?"

She shakes her head in surprise. "What?"

"Do you think he's alive? Dead? Man? Wolf?"

"This shit again?" Nan grits her teeth and casts her eyes up at the moon.

"My wolf urged me to find, protect, and keep Geneva safe. And sure, in the heat of the moment he wants to mark her, but deep down we both know we don't deserve her. Not after what we did."

Nan's open palm contacts my cheek before I see her move. I hiss, taking the slap for what it is, her justified frustration. "It was your fault. You pissed the pack off and when Dad tried to fix it, you pissed them off again. Every time he built a bridge, you burned it down, distracting him from the actual problems inside the pack. Mom died, and it's all your fault. Is that what you want to hear?"

Shocked and ashamed, I lower my head. "I've been low key waiting for him to kill me for years."

Nan hauls back to smack me again, but this time I pull back and let her miss me. "You are so fucking pigheaded sometimes. He's not going to kill you, dipshit, because no matter how badly you want to believe otherwise, it wasn't your fault." She turns and looks into the trees. "You want to know where Dad is, then search the shadows for the one pair of eyes that never blink."

"What do you know?" I say, an eerie chill causing my skin to prickle. This isn't my sister placating her rotten brother. This is Nan sitting on crucial information that has her convinced of my innocence.

She sighs, sinking into the water until it hits her chin. "While you were gone with the military, news about our old pack filtered through the underground community at my school. Our father was Alpha, but there were multiple families challenging him for control. When you shifted, your first fight was with Billy. Your second was with Dylan. Do you remember?"

I nod. "Yeah. They used to pick on me, and when my wolf came I lost it and attacked both of them."

"No. They set you up and provoked you into attacking. Their fathers orchestrated it all to declare war on our family. They are the ones who rallied the pack and asked for your head, knowing our parents would never give you up."

"How do you know this?"

"Because, a year after you joined the military, our old pack found each new Alpha disemboweled on Tablet Rock. Ghost stories filtered through the pack and eventually no one else would step up to lead. That's why they no longer exist. Rumors that the pack was cursed took root, but we know what really happened. Dad avenged his mate and our family, and I'm sure he is out there watching over us right now."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

She glances at Sly who nods. "Tell him."

"What the fuck?" I turn to my best friend who knows shit I don't know.

"At first, I was afraid you were the rogue wolf. I called your unit to verify you were with them the entire time."

Sly nods. "Erick got the call and checked with me. We'd been hanging out, but we weren't as close as we are now."

"You got closer to keep tabs on me?" Now I'm pissed again, but for an entirely different reason.

"No, man." Sly leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees, staring me right in the eye. "And if you're itching to go a couple of rounds, I'm your huckle-bearer."

With Sly, it will actually be a fight. He and I are closely matched, except I'd say he's a tad stronger where I'm faster. But we're incredibly in sync in our fighting styles.

"Then why?" I narrow my eyes but don't accept his challenge.

"Because I realized you needed a friend as badly as I did, and I figured if you were going to do something stupid, I wanted to be the one to have your back."

"Awww. That's sweet." I flash him my middle finger.

"I know, fucktard." Sly rolls his eyes.

"Simple fact, Wiley, it was already done and with your SpecOps family, I'd hoped you were over the past. I also hoped slapping the shit out of you every time you brought it up would help. Obviously not." Nan shakes her head.

I bow my head. "I'm sorry, Nan."

"Yeah, yeah."

"No, seriously. I'm sorry for resorting back to the pain in the ass baby brother?—"

"But you are my pain in the ass baby brother," she interjects.

"And I'm sorry for making you shift, but I worry about you."

Sly clears his throat. "Not to be a buttinski, but why are you reluctant to shift?"

Nan glances between us, her jaw working back and forth as she formulates her answer. "Because, I'm not sure there's a point for me."

"What are you talking about?" I say at the same time Sly says, "You'd give up your wolf?"

She shrugs. "I love being a doctor, but shifters don't need me like humans do. Everyone I meet, everyone I help is human, and it's just another thing I have to worry about around them. Another secret I have to keep. Besides, just because I can't shift doesn't mean I can't help shifters when they need me."

"No." I shake my head. "We need you and your wolf. My future pups need their Auntie Nan to teach them how to pounce and hunt and howl and all the other fun stuff you taught me when I was young. My mate is human, so I need my big sister."

"Well, that's not going to happen if you don't mark her!" she snaps.

I nod. "You're right. We should get back so Geneva and I can talk."

"Does that mean that you're over this self-deprecating bullshit?"

"Yeah." I check in with my wolf, who is ready to go. "We're good."

"Finally." Nan wades out of the water, the moonlight bouncing off her skin. She's a beautiful woman who deserves a strong mate. As soon as I settle my own life, I'm getting back on those dating apps to find her an Alpha worthy of her love and affection. I don't care if I have to fly the fucker in from the other side of the world to get them together.

Sly watches Nan walk onto land, his gaze following her naked form before flashing me a shit-eating grin.

"Eyes off my sister, asshole."

"Hey, there's at least one part of me that is all man and Nan is hot. Besides, she's not my sister." He jumps and shifts into his wolf mid-air while laughing at me.

Grumbling, I swim to the edge and shift with Nan. We run home, me and my wolf a lot more in tune than when we set out.

Time to truly claim my mate.