Ice Wolf: A Shifter Romance Read online

  She licked her lips. She had never been able to voice her deepest desires aloud until now. But Wilder would understand what she wanted. No, not wanted. What she needed. It had to be rough, passionate, and primal. The way it was meant to be in the wild. “We’re wolves, Wilder. You know exactly what I want.”

  His answering growl drove her into a frenzy. He knew. Oh, dear God, did he know! Flipping her over, Wilder lifted her onto all fours with a hand beneath her hips. His teeth were sharp on the back of her neck and Jenny pushed back against him, letting him know she was ready. His hips rubbed against her ass, as his chest pressed to her back. He used his knee to nudge her legs farther apart, his cock bumping heavily against her thigh before coming to rest against her entrance. Jenny braced herself. He was enormous. His throbbing length was like iron as he prepared to push into her. Slowly, inch by throbbing inch, he slid inside. She was lost in a series of long, hot sensations, magnified by the deep growl in Wilder’s chest and the sting of his teeth on the tender flesh of her neck.

  Wilder’s hands reached over her shoulders to grip Jenny’s wrists as, with one firm thrust, he drove his full length into her. It was the most incredible thing she had ever felt. The searing friction of his chest hairs on her arched back, his legs braced against hers, his pelvis pressing her ass cheeks open, the feel of him in as deep as he could go, his balls right up against her . . . Jenny’s moan turned into something that sounded a lot like a howl.

  “Fast.” She managed to grind the word out as she lifted her ass higher.

  Wilder didn’t need any more encouragement. Immediately, his hot length plunged in and out in a furious rhythm. Jenny arched her back and pushed back against him, allowing him even deeper inside. His balls slapped against her ass, punctuating the wildness of his thrusts and adding to her frenzy. She went down on her elbows, clawing at the bedcovers, growling and baring her teeth. If she could have gotten to Wilder in that instant, she’d have ripped his flesh to shreds.

  Wilder pressed his lips to her ear, his panting breath hot against her skin. He drew the delicate lobe between his teeth, hard enough to make her cry out. Jenny’s growls turned to pleading whimpers as she writhed beneath him. Letting go of her wrists, Wilder gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh as he lifted her and slammed even harder. The next masterful thrust of his muscular buttocks gave her what she needed, dragging his cock along her burning nerve endings with exquisite friction, and she threw her head back with a low, keening cry.

  Hot, heavy pleasure burst through her, spiraling out in waves that grew stronger as Wilder continued to drive in and out. She wouldn’t have believed he could get any harder, but as her muscles clenched around his cock, he was like solid steel inside her, pumping in quick, short bursts. His hips slapped hard against her ass once more before he halted, his cock swelling and jerking inside her as he sank his teeth into her shoulder, the action turning the beginnings of his howl into a deep grunt. They stayed together, still joined, panting for breath, allowing the shuddering pleasure to fade.

  Wilder lowered Jenny so she lay flat on the bed and she arched beneath him, enjoying the feel of his chest hair rubbing against her back. Easing out of her, he turned onto his side, moving her to face him, and devouring her mouth in a long, leisurely kiss.

  “Some fights are definitely worth losing.” He tucked her head into his shoulder. “This conversation may be a little late, but we didn’t use any protection.”

  “My cycle is a wolf’s. I’m fertile once a year during the mating season, and then only if I have an alpha as my mate. You’re an alpha, but it’s not the mating season, so we have nothing to worry about.” Jenny ran her hand over his chest. “And I’m clean, I haven’t been with anyone for a long time.”

  His grip on her waist tightened ever so slightly. He was such a stereotypical alpha, she could tell exactly what he was thinking. At the mention of other men, he was jealous as hell. “Mortals?” The word stopped just short of being a bark.

  She hid her smile in his neck. “A few guys. No werewolves, of course, because . . .”

  “When we mate as wolves we mate for life. And you and I have a deal. No wolf sex.” He exhaled slowly. “Since I haven’t been with anyone for over four hundred years, I guess we don’t need to worry about protection.”

  Jenny raised herself on one elbow, looking down into his eyes. “Four hundred years?” Wilder nodded. “I’d say you have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Did you have any other plans for tonight?” She shook her head, mirroring his smile. He pulled her down on top of him. “Good, then let’s continue what we started.”

  * * *

  Wilder watched her as she slept. Watching Jenny was his new addiction. That luscious white-blond mass of hair, so thick it looked coarse, but which had the feel of silk, spread out on the pillow like a halo. In contrast, her lashes were dark crescents on her pale cheeks, her brows twin black arches with a slight upward slant. He studied her delicate features. Because he knew the wolf lurked within, he could see the signs that others would miss. She was a beautiful woman. As a wolf, she would be stunning. Her nose and chin were a fraction sharper than conventional beauty demanded and that glorious, generous mouth—he now knew exactly how that mouth felt wrapped around his cock, and the memory made him hard all over again—was wide and full.

  When she told him they could have sex in human form with no strings, Wilder hadn’t been able to believe his luck. He suspected she could be his wolf mate, but she was prepared to offer him this unconditional human deal instead. It was quite a way to end a four-hundred-year dry spell. Last night had been incredible. Jenny had been worth waiting all those years for. She was every man’s—and every wolf’s—erotic fantasy. So why did he suddenly want more? When she had mentioned other men, he had turned into a snapping, snarling alpha, baring his teeth and extending his claws. If he could, he’d have tracked down each of those former lovers and torn him apart with his bare hands. So much for the mild-mannered college professor.

  The problem was, Wilder’s Arctic wanted Jenny, too. Deep down inside, his wolf was making some very insistent attempts to claim her. Once they found the midnight sun and shifted, could he hold those instincts in check? Did he want to? What had Jenny said? If we ever do it as Arctics, that’s when it will be forever. Wilder couldn’t commit to forever. He needed to get that simple truth through to his inner wolf before things got messy. This was a one-time-only deal. Once Santin was dead, Wilder was walking away from the brotherhood forever. He hadn’t figured out the logistics yet, but he would find somewhere to hide so even Gunnar couldn’t find him. Because he wasn’t going back there. The panic attacks—pounding heart, tunnel vision, shaking hands—the inexplicable fear for his life were, for Wilder, inextricably linked to the brotherhood. Obscurity was his security blanket and nothing was going to deprive him of it.

  He had managed to sleep well in the snatched hours of slumber between last night’s marathon sex sessions. Sleep wasn’t always his friend. He had a talent for panicking while unconscious. His dreams were usually horror-filled, turbo-charged nightmares of blood and gore with a soundtrack of Santin’s laughter. Given a choice, Wilder preferred insomnia. Yet, with Jenny’s head on his chest, he’d slept like a baby. She really had worn him out, just as she’d promised. Despite the trend of his thoughts, the realization brought a smile to his lips.

  Was he worried that he’d lose it when faced with this new challenge of killing Santin? Until he’d faced the Siberian outside his apartment, the answer to that question would have been Hell, yeah. Now it was a resounding Fuck, no. He couldn’t wait to get his hands around Santin’s throat again, and this time he wasn’t letting go until the light was completely gone from those ice-chip eyes. Because only one of them was walking away. In his darkest moments, Wilder had thought about ending it all. Finding the midnight sun and just laying his head down in the snow, closing his eyes, and never opening them again. But suicide by Siberian? He wouldn’t give that smiling basta
rd the satisfaction. Just because he no longer wanted to be part of the brotherhood, didn’t mean he’d let them down.

  Me or you, Santin. To the death. Bring it on.

  “What did you say?” Jenny opened her eyes, fixing him in their honeyed beam.

  “Nothing.”

  She turned her head, checking the clock on the bedside table. “We still have a couple of hours before we have to leave to meet the others.”

  “So we do.” He kept his voice and face serious.

  “We really shouldn’t waste that time.” She stretched her slender arms above her head.

  “Did you have anything in mind?”

  “As a matter of fact . . .” Jenny slid an arm around his neck, tangling her hand in his hair and pulling him down to her. She traced her tongue along his lips before pushing inside, moaning softly as she urged him to reciprocate. Wilder murmured his approval and swirled his tongue around hers. His hand moved down her body, coming to rest on the curve of her hip. The wild fury of the night just gone was still there in the background, waiting to be released if they chose, but for now this was slow and patient as the heat between them unfurled.

  Wilder kissed his way along her jaw, down her neck, and over her collarbone, before skating his tongue around each of her nipples in turn. Jenny hummed with pleasure as he captured one puckered peak in his mouth, laving it with his tongue. He edged her legs apart with his knee and reached down to slide a finger along her soft, wet folds. Her molten heat tempted him, almost driving him over the edge, but he wanted to make this last. He slipped one finger into her opening, then withdrew it, spreading her juices up and over her clit, circling and teasing the swollen nub. Jenny began to lift her hips, her soft murmurs sending Wilder’s blood pressure into overdrive.

  When he thrust two fingers into her, she writhed, moving in time with his rhythm. Wilder brought his thumb up to rub circles in counterpoint to the thrusts of his fingers. He licked the pulse pounding in her throat before sinking his teeth into her skin as she arched her hips into his touch. It was enough to hurt her, but he knew it was what she wanted from him. Sure enough, she choked back a scream and clutched at his shoulders as he coaxed her to a crest. She came again and again with his fingers driving into her and his mouth on her throat.

  Moving into a sitting position with his back against the headboard, Wilder lifted Jenny so that she could straddle him with her knees on either side of his hips. She rubbed her cheek against his, her breasts pressing tightly to the muscles of his chest. Wrapping her fingers around his shaft, she guided him to her entrance, pushing down to meet his upward thrust. Wilder threw his head back, savoring the feeling as he slid inside her, watching her dig her teeth into her lower lip. She sank down the last few inches and he gripped her ass, holding her cheeks wide apart, opening her fully against him as the feelings intensified. Velvet heat wrapped around him. Consuming him. Searing him. Her moans mingled with his deep groan. Her scent, her taste, her body rubbing and grinding against his, were all maddeningly good. She fitted him perfectly. As if she were made for him. He tried not to hold on too tightly to that thought.

  Slowly, teasingly, he lifted her until he was almost all the way out, then slammed his cock back inside, plunging his tongue into her mouth at the same time. Jenny’s hips jerked in time with his, rocking and grinding. Wilder took control, thrusting up harder each time she lowered her body onto his, his hands moving her up and down more vigorously. Passion and pleasure mounted, and a light sheen of sweat dampened Wilder’s skin. Blood pounded in his ears as she ground down on his cock, chasing her own release and triggering his. Jenny gasped and her head fell back. He thrust into her one last time and the world flew apart. He heard Jenny cry out as everything faded but his body inside hers and the slick sounds and musky scents.

  Wilder clenched his fingers on Jenny’s hips, holding her as she shuddered. His own orgasm thundered through him, stiffening and jerking every part of his body from his cock to his spine. Then he relaxed, dropping his forehead onto Jenny’s shoulder. He could feel her heart pounding as she nuzzled her face into his neck. His own chest hitched in an unsteady rhythm before settling as he slowly caught his breath.

  When she could finally speak, Jenny’s voice was wobbly. “My Arctic likes it wolf style, but there’s a lot to be said for being able to see your face when you come inside me.”

  Wilder groaned as he eased out of her. “That sort of talk will make me hard again, which won’t get us to the airport on time.”

  She gave him a look that had the remarkable ability to start a tingle in his balls even when he’d just come. How did she manage to do that? Her smile held a hint of mischief and promise. “If we shower together, we can save time.”

  * * *

  The other five men were waiting for them in a private lounge at Helsinki airport. Gunnar had chartered a plane to take them to the Svalbard archipelago.

  “Where does the brotherhood get its funds?” Jenny asked, when Wilder told her how they would be traveling to their destination.

  “The fight against the Siberians has been going on for a long time. Every Arctic werewolf who lives as a mortal contributes in whatever way he or she can.”

  “Having entered the human world by unconventional means, I must have missed that memo. I probably owe Gunnar a fortune in late fees.”

  Jenny attempted humor to cover up her nerves. It didn’t work. As they entered the room, silence fell and the five men rose to their feet, standing tall and straight-legged. Intimidating enough as individuals, in a group they were breathtaking. I shouldn’t feel overawed. These are Arctic werewolves . . . my kind. Nevertheless, with six alphas in such a confined space, Jenny’s instinct was to bow down in submission. Gunnar chose me for this task. I’m an alpha, too. The thought stiffened her spine a little and she resisted the impulse to roll over and bare her belly to them. They were not in wolf form, so starting the mission that way wouldn’t be exactly dignified.

  “Wilder.” All the members of the brotherhood were big, but the man who broke the silence was immense. His biceps put the chambray shirt he wore beneath a quilted waistcoat under serious strain. The deep rumble of his voice drowned out the sound of an approaching plane.

  “Samson.” Jenny decided it was the only possible name for a man of such imposing proportions.

  The greeting broke down any lingering reserve there might have been and the six men clustered together. There was a flurry of slightly awkward man-hugs, made more difficult by their bulky clothing, followed by some less inhibited nose nudging. This gentle upward push of one wolf’s nose against the other was a friendly gesture, signaling nonaggression and acceptance. Observing them, Jenny thought how, in any other situation, six alphas would be tearing each other apart by now instead of greeting each other with affection. In the wild, they would be fighting it out to decide who was dominant, especially with an alpha female close by. This brotherhood was unique in so many ways.

  “This is Jenny.” Wilder led her forward and introduced the five men. “Samson, Lowell, Madden, and Sebastian.” He turned to the fifth man, who stood slightly apart from the group. “And you must be Vigo.”

  Vigo’s grin held a hint of nervousness as he turned to Jenny. “That’s right. I’m the other newbie.”

  “You know I’m never going to remember which one of you is which, right?” She was glad her nervousness didn’t show in her voice.

  “I’m the good-looking one.” The man Wilder had introduced as Madden, stepped forward, pressing his nose gently to hers. The comment caused much hilarity among his companions. Blushing slightly, Jenny returned the nose bump. Each of the other men stepped forward to greet her in the same way.

  Wilder introduced each of them in turn as Jenny did her best to remember the information he gave her about them.

  “Samson is our tracker. His intuition is second to none. He doesn’t just follow a scent, he can pick up on emotion and atmosphere.”

  Jenny was surprised. The hulking strongman didn’t
strike her as the perceptive type. The next man had a serious expression, and something about him made her picture him behind a desk rather than running through an Arctic wilderness.

  “This is Lowell. He’s our intellectual and he has a photographic memory. If there is anything he doesn’t know about werewolf history or werewolf folklore, it’s not worth knowing.”

  Lowell hunched an impatient shoulder. “That sort of introduction is usually the cue for a question I can’t answer.”

  “I’ll try not to do that,” Jenny said. “Although, since I come from a first-generation werewolf family, I have plenty of questions.”

  Lowell had a charming smile. “I’ll always do my best to find the information you need.”

  “This is Madden.” Wilder rolled his eyes. “As well as being the handsomest member of the brotherhood, he is our resident sleuth.”

  Jenny eyed the man who had introduced himself as “the good-looking one.” Even in a group of striking men, Madden stood out. Even though he was stunning, something about his manner suggested that he didn’t enjoy being singled out for his looks. She suspected that he had gotten the comment in first before someone else said it.

  “I’m a police officer in my human job,” Madden expanded on Wilder’s introduction. “So I try to use my powers of observation to help the brotherhood.”

  “Then we have Sebastian.” Jenny realized Wilder was giving her an insight into the additional powers each man had, helping her to remember them that way. “His specialty is thinking differently, solving a problem in his own unique way.”

  Sebastian grinned. “He means I’m a maverick. I don’t do things in a conventional manner.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “It drives these guys crazy.”

  “And that leaves Vigo.” Wilder beckoned the newest member of the team forward. “Until recently, we had a longstanding member of the team called Hendrik Rickard, but he decided he no longer had the strength or skill to be part of the brotherhood. That’s why Gunnar recruited Vigo.” Wilder smiled at the nervous newcomer. “But I don’t know anything about any special skills you may have.”