Chapter 4

Oh, hell, he'd growled at her. He wasn't angry at her, just himself and now she probably had her feelings hurt. Females coming off the heat could be sensitive, he knew that. They needed a male to take care of them for a day or two as it faded, and he wanted to be that male for her. He should feed her, soothe and calm her, and make sure she rested because she might not know how important that was instead of upsetting her and making demands.

At least she had started eating. It was important that she replace the nutrients that had been used up over the days she had spent in bed with him. The thought made him smile and he grew hard as he remembered those delightful days. It wasn't over yet, he would stay a couple more days, if she would let him. He had a feeling things might go downhill now that her mind was beginning to clear. It was a shame he couldn't just tie her to the bed and keep her that way.

"Thanks for fixing the food," she said it politely like she was talking to a casual acquaintance and not a man who had made her scream in delight for days. Naqi frowned, this she-wolf was difficult to understand anywhere except in bed. He fought the need to carry her to bed and claim her in a permanent way that she'd never escape. Her wonderful scent washed over him as he took a deep breath then he growled.

He needed to think about his feelings before he acted on them. This was a new thing for him, this desire to take and keep. He'd always been cautious, and he'd never lost his head over a female until now. Watching her closely he wondered if it would really be so bad to have her forever. His mind thought back on his dream, the little he remembered of it. He had been tied with a ball and chain around him allowing him to move, but slowly. In his dream, he knew that he had mated, but he couldn't get a good look at the female who stayed mainly out of his sight.

His dream he knew was about his fear of being stuck with one female and it was his human feelings because his wolf would embrace a female, the right female. Things were so good between them in bed, but out of it she was as skittish as a colt, ready to run. That he had second thoughts too, occurred to him, but most males were like that when it came to commitment, weren't they?

She was finished eating and things were a little uncomfortable since her heat wasn't strong enough to draw them back to bed yet and neither seemed to know what to say. Maybe they shouldn't say anything. He moved to her and tenderly drew her into his arms reassuring her that he was here for her. Never before had he been tempted to calm another female like that before. It was fear, fear that she would run from him, and he would never find her again. She moved away, picking up the dishes and rinsing them off before placing them in the dishwasher.

He didn't regret coming to her house the night she had gone into heat. In his mind he had calculated the odds that she would want him there and been sure she would be ready for him. Now, he just needed to work things out for himself, keep her and satisfy his wolf and part of his man, or let her go and succumb to his fears. The rich smell of her arousal wafted to him on the air, she needed him now, and he would worry about his decision later.

Naqi moved to her quickly picking her up as she pressed against him her heat building again for possibly the last time, but he'd take it. He realized every moment from the second he had knocked on her door in the hopes she would need him to right now had been precious. He wanted her and not just to sink into her welcoming depths, he wanted a life, a future with her. Now he was afraid for a different reason. Once the need for a male wore off, would she still want him? He had a really bad feeling about it, but he pushed his insecurities aside and he would enjoy his time with her, and he would make her want to stay.

His wolf rose to the surface barely under control. He wanted her, wanted to mark her with his bite because he craved a taste of his mate's blood. Her scent wrapped around him as he carried her to the bed where he would take her again and again as long as she would let him. His wolf needed to dominate, but he lowered her to the bed planning to be gentle. He laid her down, flipped her over, and pulled her up on her knees as he growled when she tried to move, and he leaned over her grabbing her with his teeth where her neck and shoulder met. She stopped trying to resist him.

As he slid into her, his legs on the outside of hers squeezing hers together made her tight pussy feel even tighter. She moaned and pushed back against him showing her acceptance of his claim, at least that's what his wolf thought. He felt her shiver and she clenched him for a moment before he moved back and drove in harder. Their bodies slid together as he gripped her with his arm and his teeth to ensure she didn't get away and that she stayed in the submissive position.

Speeding up each time he drove in, until he was in a frenzy with the need to give pleasure to his mate and deliver his seed deep inside so that it might grow. The man couldn't completely control the wolf with instinct guiding him. The wolf had given the man enough time, he hadn't completed the mating yet. Naqi struggled to calm his beast knowing that the wolf wanted to mate her without her consent. He feared she would hate him forever if he allowed that to happen but try to reason with a wild wolf who has been held back too long.

Then he pulled out nearly all the way just to slam in as far as he could. Had she been human, he might have hurt her, but she only made soft, sweet sounds of pleasure. The sounds became more urgent, and he knew she was close just like he was. She screamed when her release hit her, and it caught him off guard. He fought himself and won, he moved his mouth from near her throat as his body jerked and he shot his cum deep into her. While he may not have bitten her, he marked her with his seed, nevertheless. His wolf would mark her with his teeth soon, but he wanted her agreement. The only problem was he knew if it took too long to get it, his wolf would claim her anyway.

He held her tightly against him fearing she would try to pull away, but she didn't. It was his wish that he knew what was going on in her mind or at least that he thought he did. What if she felt the same and was just waiting for him to tell her first? What if she had only wanted a hard cock and didn't care at all? He sighed deeply and curled his body around hers. Right now, she was in his arms, and he would relax and enjoy it.

Naqi took her two more times before lunch then he got up to fix them something to eat. He had learned to cook when he had decided to live away from the village and embrace modern times for part of the year. The part he spent away from the village had steadily grown, but it had helped him to learn to deal with the rest of the world. He saw a day when village life would no longer be what it now was. Many of the young lost interest in the old ways and only counted the days until they could leave, most of them went far away. He was giving them a choice, a place closer to their families they could go to that had modern amenities. Some had chosen to come here instead of going to the big cities or even the warm places many miles away. Some just wanted to be far from here and see the world.

He thought about his little sister Rose, and he hoped that she would stay close by. She was so shy and innocent, away from home she could be taken advantage of and become bitter like his cousin Anik. Anik was back and she was the pack seer. So ironic she could see the future of others, but rarely her own. She had met a man and he had hurt her, not physically, but emotionally. Now that she was home, they could help her heal. She had a cabin near where Naqi lived because she had rejected the old ways and clung to the new. He wondered if she just avoided the village because she felt shame for what had happened. Her mother could be outspoken and might point out she would have never been hurt had she just stayed home.

Naqi had been the pack alpha since he was twenty five. It was a position he had inherited from his mother's father. While he may have inherited the position, he would have lost it had he not been strong enough to keep it. He had fought a handful of challenges when he first stepped into his grandfather's place. Now he fought rarely, less than once a year. His wolf was a large black beast that fought with a viciousness few could achieve. He didn't fear the challenges, he actually looked forward to them since it gave him a reason to release his wolf and pour all his frustration into a battle.

He tried not to kill his adversary, but occasionally he did. It was the risk they took when they challenged him. Most pack alphas mated young, they worried their pack would turn against an unmated leader. Half his pack were siblings, cousins, and other relatives that were loyal to him. Outsiders didn't challenge because they didn't like the harsh life they would have to live among the pack. Naqi had found a balance between the old ways and the new and he was proud of the way he led his people. He wondered, would the life here suit Joey? For the first time in his life, he found that he hoped a female would want him and wish to share his life.

They ate and returned to bed where he made slow and gentle love to her. It was different than the other times, surely, she realized that. It was more exhausting than when he had taken her fast and furiously. She was asleep before he had pulled out of her body. He looked down at the beautiful female in his arms. They had never been together in wolf form. What did her wolf look like? Was it grey, brown, a rarer gold? He heard her deep slow breaths and knew she slept. She was tired, not even sleeping restlessly as she so often had. The female had secrets, he knew she did because she always turned the conversation away from herself. Even Trev, who he had questioned even though he hated to, said she spoke little about herself beyond what she did. Never did she speak of her pack, and no one knew which one she belonged to. She acted newly changed, but she just might have been raised by rogues who rejected being part of any pack.

He knew she would never tell him. It made him think about having his cousin check into her. If she found out, she would kill him. He would think on it some more and decide another day. Naqi rubbed his face against her breathing in her sweet scent as he did. He was proud that she carried his scent almost like a mate would. It was the almost that made his heart ache. Soon, my sweet Joey, I will have you completely. He wasn't sure when his outlook had changed, he only knew that it had.

As he woke to the ringing of his phone, it was a bad part of being a pack alpha that you always had to be available. He moved his arms carefully from around his female as he slid out of bed slowly, but he was surprised the ringing didn't wake her. He grabbed the phone and moved to another room. He hoped for the sake of whoever was calling that it was important.

"Naqi here."

"This is Akiak. I thought you would want to know there is a male wolf here asking questions about the female you have been visiting." Naqi relaxed when he heard it was Akiak only to tense when he told him why he was calling. Akiak was a first cousin of his and third in leadership of the pack. He lived in the village and his title was protector. His job was simple, he took out any threats to the village or the members of the pack. Only Naqi and Naqi's second, who also happened to be the brother born after Naqi, Uyarak, could best him in a fight regardless of form. Naqi had grown up fighting with his brothers and cousins, but he had always managed to best them from an early age.

"Who is he?"

"Says his name is Conrad Huegler and claims she's his fiancée and they had a fight, but he's had enough of her running and he's going to take her back to New Mexico if he has to chain her to him. He says he's spoiled her by always giving into her and he's had enough. I could almost feel sorry for him if I didn't have this nagging feeling that he's lying. What do you want me to do?"

"Keep an eye on him and don't tell him anything."

"That won't help. He's at Mad's right now and she's at his table filling his ear with who knows what."

"Just watch him and warn me if he heads this way."

"Gotcha."

An ex-fiancée was a complication Naqi didn't need right now. He knew Joey well enough that he knew she wasn't engaged, at least not anymore or she wouldn't have come here at all. She might be the type to run, he'd bet she was, but she'd break it off first. Maybe she wouldn't realize that wolves were a possessive bunch and once she had accepted him, he wouldn't want to let go. Naqi figured she'd find that out anytime now when Conrad showed up and he and Naqi had a territory dispute. He hadn't had a good fight in a while, and he hoped Conrad had some skill. Naqi was a nice guy, well mostly, but his wolf was one mean son of a bitch.

He hung up and put his phone back where it had been in his coat pocket. Now he wasn't sure if he should tell her about Conrad being in Wilde or not, but he finally decided hearing her side might help. He went back to the bedroom where she was still in bed, but not asleep.

"That call was about you, sort of."

She looked confused as she asked, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Do you know a guy, a wolf actually, named Conrad?"

She paled, she looked frightened for a moment then angry. "He's not allowed near me by order of the council. Does the local pack enforce the orders of the council?"

He knew she had good reason to ask since many packs only notified the council when their orders weren't followed, or laws were broken. They expected the council to send wardens to deal with the rogues or rule breakers themselves.

"Tell me who he is and what's going on and I'll call the pack protector myself so he can handle the situation."

She hesitated so long he thought she would refuse to tell him. He sensed this was a secret she felt uncomfortable about sharing. "I met Conrad through work. His pack covers a big chunk of New Mexico, and he is the alpha's son. The father is big in politics, and he helped Conrad get a job that dealt with tourism. They hired me to do an ad campaign, it was moderately successful. They had a very tight budget and that limited what we could do for them. I suspect it was used as an excuse so he could meet me. I know that sounds terribly egotistical, but he only wanted to meet me because my family is very influential. It was nothing personal, he just wanted the right female as a mate that could help him when he became a pack alpha someday. When he asked me out for drinks to discuss the ad in detail, it's a common custom so I agreed. He put the moves on me, and I told him I didn't move that quick. When he made some comments, I realized he knew who I was and that was where his interest truly lay. At that point I told him I wasn't interested."

"I'm not sure who your family could be that he would feel you were valuable because of them, but he claims you're his fiancée and you had a disagreement, and he wants you back."

"You can easily contact the council, give them our names and they will tell you exactly what I did. Damon McDougal would be a good council member to contact, he's a friend."

"I know him, not very well, but I've met him a few times when he was a warden."

"Then you know he's honest and above reproach."

"Let's fix something for supper, after we eat, I'll give him a call."

"Alright," she said as she followed him to the kitchen.

It was clear to him that her heat was almost done, and her thought processes were clearing up. What would she say if he wanted to claim her now? Would she prefer this Conrad to him, or would she not want either of them? His head hurt when he thought about it and he wished for the time when her heat ruled her body and her mind and nothing, but pure need mattered to her. He remembered how that had felt and he grew hard with the memory.

Naqi put out something for them to drink and chips while she made tuna salad for sandwiches. She put the tuna salad on bread adding a lettuce leaf then cut the sandwiches in half for easier eating. His female worked quickly and efficiently making him bet she cooked often and was good at it.

They sat at the table eating quietly. She didn't seem to feel like talking and he wanted to honor her wishes. He had so much he wanted to say, but he doubted she would wish to hear any of it. Once they finished eating, she did the dishes while he went to another room to make the call. He knew there was something more to find out and he wondered how much Damon would tell him.

"Hello, this is Damon McDougal."

"Hello Damon, this is Naqi Jones. We've met before, but I'm not sure if you remember me."

"I do remember. You're the alpha up in Wilde. What can I do for you?"

"I have a situation where I might be of some assistance to the council. A Conrad Huegler is up here, and he claims that Joey Smith is his fiancée, and he intends to take her home with him by force if necessary. Of course, we don't condone that, but he's spun a pretty sad story that's gotten him some sympathy. I've spoken to Joey as well and she says that not only is that not true, but that the council has warned him off her. It's hard for me to understand this situation because we don't force mate anymore, but the council doesn't tend to step in either. They usually leave it to the families to settle these types of problems."

"I can see where you might be confused. Joey is…special and the council is…protective of her as a whole. Conrad Huegler has been ordered to leave her alone and clearly isn't doing it. If you aren't in a position to protect her, I'll get someone up there right away."

"I have no trouble protecting her. I just wanted to see what's going on. Could you tell me a little bit more? What pack is she a member of?"

The silence was so long he thought the call had been dropped. "You know Blake and Ariel, don't you?"

"Yes," he answered. Hell, everyone knew them.

"She belongs to their pack. Mac's pack is protective of her too."

Those packs were both influential and he wondered who her family was but knew even if he asked that Damon wouldn't tell him. "I'll tell Conrad to leave her alone, but what do you want me to do if he won't?"

"Whatever it takes," Damon said with a cold tone.

"I'll take care of it."

"If there's any trouble over this, call me. I'll take care of it. And thanks for calling, Joey's special to me too."

It was surprising, since so many people wanted to look out for her, that she was in this mess. Damon should have warned her of the dangers of going away from home. He couldn't help but wonder who Joey's family was that they wielded so much influence in his world especially since he knew she wasn't born wolf.

He made his way back to the bedroom where Joey was sleeping. Conrad being here had stressed her out, he had smelled the fear, anger, and tension coming off her in turns. She wouldn't tell him the whole truth, but he bet he could get more out of Conrad. As he leaned down, he kissed her cheek softly so she wouldn't wake then turned to leave. He made sure he locked the front door after he checked all the other doors so she would be safe. Now he pulled out his phone and called Akiak.

"Where is Conrad?"

"He's still at Mad's." Naqi hung up without saying goodbye. He jumped in his truck and drove straight to Mad's. Had he taken the time to think things over, he would have stopped at home to shower and change.

Since it wasn't very far, he drove to Mad's in no time. He took no time to think, he just rushed in because he needed to know what was going on. His Joey, yes, he wanted her to be his, was in the middle of something and he needed to know what. Once he pushed open the door closing it behind him, he turned to look around. He would have to go to the bar side because the diner side was almost empty.

He pushed through the saloon style doors and his eyes searched the room finding Mad at the table with a couple of unknown males. She looked up as if she had sensed him there, she probably had. Moving toward them he saw the two males noticed where she was looking, they turned to watch him too. He got to the table and Mad's eyes narrowed. Not the welcome he had expected.

"May I sit with you?" he asked those at the table in general. The two males nodded, but Mad refused to answer. He noticed she kept taking deep breaths and that was when he realized he must smell like sex and Joey. The two males had to notice too, but they said nothing, at least not yet.

"I'm Naqi Jones, the local pack alpha. Who are you two?" he asked with a neutral voice. It wasn't the time to pick fights, he would try to get answers first.

"I'm Conrad Huegler and this is my friend Paul Jordan. We're visiting from New Mexico."

"What's your business in Wilde, Conrad?"

"I have a personal matter, I'm trying to straighten things out with my intended mate."

"Who might that be?"

"Someone you clearly know a little too well, Joey Smith."

"We have a problem if you're claiming Joey. She says she's not engaged to you and that you're not even her boyfriend."

"We just had a little spat. She likes to get her way, my Joey does. She's more than a little spoiled. I'm about to go talk to her and we'll work it out like we always do."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I've just spoken to her, and she doesn't want to see you, not now, not ever."

"I won't believe it until I hear it myself."

Naqi looked around the room and he didn't miss the four other wolves sitting at a nearby table. Conrad had some back up, but he had some help nearby too. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. It seems the council is against you being around her."

"Who put you up to this, Jones? That damn cousin of hers?"

"What cousin?"

"Don't play coy with me. You know her cousin is Ariel and she's a white wolf. You want the bitch for yourself, don't you? You can't have her, she's mine!" Naqi expected Conrad to froth at the mouth, he was so worked up.

A white wolf, huh. He'd heard something about white wolves being found and even that Ariel was one, but he thought it was just a political claim, an attempt to gain an advantage of some sort. He hadn't seen one and he wouldn't believe it until he did. Joey was special to him, special to a lot of people from what he had heard, but he would bet money she was no white wolf, that was just an old legend.

"Maybe you can find yourself a different white wolf, she's not interested."

"There aren't many that are changed. I picked her and I found her first. If you try to stop me, someone will die."

"Yes, and it will likely be you."

Mad chimed in, "Let him take her. She isn't worth this kind of trouble."

"The council says he can't have her, since when do you advise us to go against the council?"

"He's got a bunch of wolves with him, she's not worth losing wolves over."

"Are you so jealous that you would turn someone over for a forced mating?"

"Her stink is all over you. You are unable to make a smart decision where she is concerned," Mad spit out, her face screwed up in disgust.

"I'm not making a decision. The council has already made one and I am following our rules which include cooperating with the council while you are trying to sacrifice someone because of petty jealousy. Stand down and stay out of the way."

Mad stepped back, but Naqi didn't trust her to stay out of the fight. He was alert as he kept an eye on Conrad and his wolves which he assumed all the strangers were. It was a standoff for now with each side watching the other, but neither willing to start the fight. To a casual observer it might be funny, but to Naqi it was aggravating and just kept him from Joey. They needed desperately to talk, but the longer he was gone, the more he feared she'd not listen.

He finally motioned to his wolves. Naqi wasn't going to stand out here and stare at Conrad all night long. He had important things to do with his time and he was going to do them. There was a term he'd heard before and he felt it applied to Conrad. He was more bark than bite and Naqi was leaving.

"Just remember to stay away from Joey or you'll be dealing with me," Naqi said as he left followed by half a dozen of his pack. He didn't know if he was relieved because they had, at least for now, avoided a fight or disappointed that he hadn't gotten to fight. The night was young so he might yet be able to battle.

"What should I do now?" Akiak asked.

"Keep someone watching him. If he heads to Joey's, let me know."

"I'm on it," he said as he turned and slipped away.

He was wound tight and needed to calm down before he saw her. Naqi went home first where he took the shower he should have taken earlier. He stood in the hottest water he could stand which was pretty damn hot. His muscles relaxed under the pounding stream of water, and he tried to relax and clear his mind. It kept returning to her no matter how hard he tried not to think about her.

Naqi finished his shower, dried, and dressed. He thought about her now trying to decide what to say and if she would listen. There was only one way to find out, so he hopped in his truck and headed to her house. It was strangely quiet and dark as he pulled up to her garage. At least there was no sign of Conrad though he hadn't expected there to be. Akiak would call him if that happened.

Using his spare key, he went right in flicking on the light. As he headed to the bedroom a little unsettled because he couldn't hear or scent her, he flicked on that light too, not because he needed it in order to see, but because he simply couldn't believe what he wasn't seeing. She wasn't in bed or any place else that he had been in the house. He decided that he would check the garage for the SUV she had rented. It was gone and it hit him hard even though she had probably run from Conrad she hadn't cared enough for Naqi, to stay.

His troubles with Conrad were over, his troubles with his heart had just begun. He felt numb and had trouble thinking and he would go home and sleep, in the morning he would wake up and this would all be a bad dream.

Slowly coming awake he rolled over in bed. His hand reached out for her, but she wasn't there. How could he have gotten so used to her in such a short time? Reluctantly, he got out of bed his dreams had been a replay of the days they had spent working through her heat and he feared his reality was not going to be so good. He went to the shower quickly cleaning up, drying, and dressing.

Calling his cousin John whose mother had been a human from Kansas, he was a pilot and the one that would have flown Joey out of Wilde.

"Hello?" He recognized John's voice when he answered the phone. He was probably in bed with his mate or playing with his kids. A sharp pain shot through Naqi, who would have thought he would ever be jealous of that?

"This is Naqi. Did you fly Joey out of here last night?"

"Yeah, she called me for a last minute flight. I had a load to pick up in Anchorage and I happened to already have a small load on board. I was just waiting for something else so the trip would be worthwhile. Did she leave owing you something?"

"Something like that," he said thinking she had stolen his heart. Worse yet she had stolen his wolf's heart and he hadn't even known he had one. All he had was her name to track her down with. Should he go after her or should he wait to see if she returned to him once Conrad was gone?