Very soon, she’d wear all our bites. Even Finley’s. The bear shifter spent more time than he’d ever admit watching the omega, analyzing her every action. She upset the status quo for him, disturbed his hard-fought peace. He’d fucked up more than once in the early stages of their relationship, and while it would take him time to earn her forgiveness, I had no doubt it would happen eventually. I didn’t fail at anything in life, and securing our quintet wouldn’t be the place I started.
Emme shivered as flurries of sleety snow fell onto her bare arms. “Give us your phones and gear,” Kellan said, leaning through the door. “We’ll be back at dawn to pick you up.”
I handed him my phone, and Emme held out her little bag. Kellan shot her a warm smile and wink as he took them, and then he closed the door.
The vehicle pulled away, leaving me alone with my mate, the dimly lit forest our backdrop. “I’m surprised you wanted to run with me,” I said, unbuttoning my shirt. “Out here, all alone, with no one to hear you scream.”
Teasing her was my new favorite hobby, and I wondered how she’d take that statement. The screams I spoke of had nothing to do with pain, and I was sure she understood my meaning.
She stepped toward me, her socked feet already wet, and I was hit with the urge to get her into her wolf form before she got any colder. “Maybe I don’t want them to hear me scream,” she murmured, pressing her tiny hand against my bare chest.A spark of energy and warmth passed between us and my cock kicked even harder.
“Maybe,” she continued, leaning down to press her lips to the very spot her hand had just warmed. “I’m curious to see what big bad Hunter Reeves does when he has me all to himself.”
Oh, she had no idea the inferno she’d just ignited. My poor, precious little omega.
Leaning down, I cupped her face with my right hand, scraping over her soft cheeks until I collared her throat. The tattoo sent a shot of satisfaction through me and my beast.Mine.“I’m going to give you a five-minute head start, baby,” I murmured, tasting her sweet lips, barely stopping myself from tearing her dress off her luscious curves.
“Head start for what?” she replied breathlessly, pupils dilated.
My wolf pushed at me leaving my words rougher. “To escape me. I’m going to chase with the intent to claim you, Emmeline Anders. I’m going to hunt you through this forest.” Her breath caught as she licked her lips and watched me like I was the only thing she could see.Fucking intoxicating.“If I catch you before the sun shows up, then you will beg for my claim, and I will take you in the forest against the most ancient tree in the area. One of the western redcedars that were here long before Golden Claw, where the blood of our ancestors run.”
Her pupils blew out as she panted. “And… if you don’t catch me?”
There wasn’t a chance in hell that would happen, but letting her think she had a real shot only added to the thrill. “If you manage to hide from me, without leaving this forest, I will give you whatever you want. With no limitations.”
“What if I still want to escape?” she whispered, and for the first time I was sure she didn’t mean it.
“Sorry, little omega. That’s non-negotiable, and will never happen. You can’t leave Kellan, even if you wanted to. Which I know you don’t.”
She didn’t try to lie or argue that truth. “Okay, Hurricane Hunter. You have a deal. You give me a head start, and if I stay out of your grasp, you’ll owe me a huge favor. Without limitations, except for not leaving permanently.”
It wouldn’t matter. She’d barely last the five minutes head start, so I could agree to anything. “It’s a deal.”
Emme looked pleased with herself as she jumped away, as if she was going to undress herself.Oh no, sweetheart. Not a chance.
When I stalked toward her, she backed away until her ass hit the railing that separated the parking lot from the forest. Her expression remained calm and open as I reached for her, and there was no rejection in her gaze. With slow, deliberate movements, I pulled the ties on her shoulders and loosened each strap. She turned without prompting, presenting the laces that secured the back of her dress.
Slowly, taking my time, I unraveled and loosened the bodice until the entire top fell from her body. Emme made no move to catch it, comfortable enough to bare her breasts to me and the icy darkness. I’d devoured her body enough times now to know perfection didn’t remotely come close to describing Emmeline.
I reached out to cup her full, heavy breasts, pink nipples puckered in the cold and under my gliding touch. It was the same pink as her pretty pussy, and fuck, this omega was just pretty all over.
Through sheer force of will I released her and finished the process of stripping her dress away.
When she was naked, the long lengths of her limbs gleaming in the low light, she shifted into her white wolf. Her beast quicklyshook off the change, and I noted how well she blended into the wintery forest.
There’d been no white wolves where I grew up. No omegas in our area, no matter how hard my father searched for them. He’d been obsessed with omegas and dragons, and I still had no fucking clue why. Why did he care more about two outliers of the shifter world when he had sons and a daughter who needed him? When I’d first changed our name and moved to Golden Claw, I’d expected him to fight. Not just to keep me but also Slade, his greatest discovery.
But he never did.
Keeping Emme away was a new priority for more reason than one, and if I had to kill that old bastard to ensure he never touched my omega, then I’d do so without regret.
“Run, Emme,” I ordered as she pranced on the snow. “Your five minutes start now.”
With a yip and then a quick howl, she took off into the forest, and I lurched forward, instinct guiding me to follow. With squads patrolling the forest perimeter, we were as safe as we’d ever be. Still, it was a risk to have her on her own. Already, I’d stripped off the last of my clothes, prepared to bolt as soon as the five minutes were up.
After I placed our items into one of the wooden boxes set here for personal items, my beast rose to the surface. We shifted fast, a base, animalistic nature to our thoughts.
I threw my head back and howled long and loud into the night as a warning to anyone out there who might be hovering in the darkness, debating if they should touch what was mine.
