Mated to the Beast (An Ironhaven Pack Romance Book 4) Read online

  Roark didn’t take his eyes off her as he picked it up off the floor, tracing the shape with his thumb.

  Jenna always believed that humans were more closely tied to the packs than any of the pack law claimed. She liked to throw around the word antiquated and stubborn a lot when it came to pack law. It’s why she wanted to run off to college, be immersed in their world.

  He’d heard Jenna describe Hailey that way a thousand times. He could smell the truth on her, as much as it pissed him off. He wanted vengeance, not some woman bringing up Jenna and rehashing pain that never seem to ease.

  He eyed her carefully as he spoke. “A damn witch killed her, killed them all. Bellemare sent them into our town, gave them the license to curse all our females.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “If she’d just taken another year to graduate, or decided to go on to more schooling, she wouldn’t have been here. She might’ve been safe.” He started pacing again. “Why did you even let her come back here? Jenna was always so much bigger than Ironhaven. She shouldn’t have been here.”

  Hailey cautiously moved closer. “If I had known this was what waited for her, I would’ve insisted on anything else. God, we used to talk about backpacking across Europe, seeing the world, before we came here to write. She always said this was home.” Hailey gently reached out, tentatively letting her fingers touch his forearm. “She was so proud of you, leaving the pack to join the army. The way she talked about you, I felt like I knew you.”

  When Roark didn’t immediately jerk away, she reached up and barely brushed her thumb across his scar. “I didn’t think wolves could scar this way.”

  Roark’s skin practically tingled at the gentle touch, and his wolf started whimpering again. As if he wanted more of this human than just a gentle touch.

  As if she was his mate.

  Roark was pretty sure he liked the idea of her being an evil witch better.

  “They don’t, usually. But if the trauma’s bad enough, it can happen.”

  Without another word, he grabbed her again, pushing her against the wall as his lips claimed hers in a hungry, desperate kiss. In an aching attempt to prove that she wasn’t his mate, that she really was a witch, sent to torment him.

  At least if she was, he wouldn’t feel bad killing her.

  But no. Those damn tempting berry lips might as well have been a live wire, for as much of a shock as ripped through his body and headed straight for his cock.

  He ground against her, lifting her clean off her feet in an attempt to get closer, to claim her mouth with more need, more passion.

  Hailey gasped and moaned, clawing at his shoulders even as her legs wrapped around his waist and he caught the first scents of her arousal.

  Gods, if he thought the combination of spice and coffee was powerful, it was nothing compared to knowing she was growing wet, her body needy for his thick cock inside her.

  With one hand supporting her ass, he used his claws to rip through her tank top and the front of her bra, letting those full breasts free of their binds.

  His wolf howled with glee.

  She was perfect. Dark, perky nipples tightened into peaks, begging to be licked. Sucked. Bitten. Such soft, creamy skin, contrasting to his tanned, callused fingers as his hand wrapped around one heavy breast.

  “Roark…” She groaned, arching into him, her heels digging into his ass as she ground against him.

  With the way she was clawing at his shoulders, his arms, trying to tug his t-shirt off, maybe she was part wolf after all.

  “Tell me to stop. If there’s any doubt in your head about me fucking you right here against the wall, tell me now, or I won’t be able to hold back much longer.”

  “Don’t.” She scraped her fingers over his scalp before pressing his face toward her tits, offering herself up to him. “I don’t want you to stop.”

  As he looped his tongue around one of her nipples, he thanked the Gods she wanted him too. Even though he would’ve stopped, he didn’t want to hold back his wolf with her wrapped around him.

  A Wolf in Love

  Hailey’s whole body felt like she was on fire with need.

  Never had she reacted this quickly to a guy’s kiss, to his touch. She was half-sure she should’ve been offended by how easily he ripped her out of her clothes, but as he practically worshiped her breasts, licking and sucking at one, then the other, back and forth as she ground against the steel rod in his jeans, she hated how many clothes were still on.

  They were in the way. Keeping his obviously huge cock from being buried deep inside her.

  The feel of his claws skimming down her side, around over her stomach, and to the front of her jeans sent a shiver through her body. She’d never thought she was the kind of girl who wanted it hard, fast, rough, maybe with a little bite of pain, but with Roark, with his wolf still so close to the surface, she was having a hard time remembering liking anything but this.

  Anyone but him.

  She never even told Jenna about the crush she had on Roark, based solely on photos and the stories she told.

  Now that he was here, he was real, it almost felt like she’d been drawn to him from the start, like she knew he was meant to be hers.

  At least, that’s what she hoped this kiss, the rough way he toyed with her body, meant.

  When Roark’s fingers slipped into her jeans, the claws were gone. The pads of his callused fingers slid through her wet folds, making her moan as she rocked her hips, trying to get more. Her whole body felt like it was on edge, like he was just toying with her, keeping her hot, wet, and needy.

  Pressing kisses to the curve of her breast, he flicked his eyes up at her as he pushed two fingers deep inside her.

  “Gods, you’re wet. And so tight.”

  “Make me come, Roark.” Her pleading was just as desperate as before, but huskier, needier this time, as she clenched around the fingers moving roughly in and out of her.

  His thumb kept circling her clit as he thrust deep and bent down to scrape his teeth over her nipple.

  Her body went off like a rocket as her pussy tried to pull his fingers deeper, to squeeze them into release right along with her.

  As she started to come down, he growled in her ear, “Hold on, Hailey.” A moment later, both his hands gripped her jeans and pulled, ripping through the denim like they were tissue paper. The jeans and her panties both fell toward the floor as his hands went back to her ass.

  “I need you inside me.” She was practically whimpering, her body still on edge even after the power of her orgasm.

  He grinned, reaching between them to free his massive cock from his pants. “You need it? All of it?” She watched as he ran his hand up and down his length, his fingers still wet with her climax.

  “God, yes.” She licked her lips, feeling achy and empty, as she stared at his dick. He was huge—long and thick—and with as hard as he was, with as much as he was leaking for her already, she was practically drooling for it. She would’ve let him take her any way he wanted if he would just fill her up.

  Roark positioned the tip of his cock, making her pussy stretch wide over his head, and just as he pushed forward, his finger circled her asshole.

  Hailey’s eyes widened at the added sensation. She’d never even thought about letting someone touch her there, never considered it could be as erotic as it was, but as he bottomed out inside her and just the tip of his finger slipped into her ass, she let out a deep, husky moan, clenching down on both.

  “Gods, Hailey, you’re so tight. You’re soaking my cock.” He kissed her again, his tongue filling her mouth, as he pulled his hips back and slammed in again.

  She felt so full, as if every part of her body were his. It was more than she could’ve ever imagined, rocking her hips over his cock, letting his fingers play with her ass, filling her from both sides as his tongue slicked over hers again and again, as if he was fucking her mouth along with her pussy.

  It didn’t take long for her orgasm to build again, stronger this time, deeper,
coiling up, up, up. With every thrust of his thick cock, he rotated his hips, pressing against her clit, adding even more stimulation to her already over-stimulated body.

  She was his, everywhere, even if he hadn’t claimed her, and when his free hand came up to cup her breast, to pinch her nipple, she screamed into his mouth as her whole body shook against him.

  He pulled back from their kiss, roaring as she felt his cock shudder inside her, filling her with his release, adding to her own as she tumbled over the edge again.

  Roark didn’t pull out, even as he walked them over to the bed and eased down, keeping her pressed against him. His finger still circled her asshole as he slowly pulled it from her, grinning.

  “Gods, Hailey. That was…” He panted, kissing her again, as if he couldn’t find the words.

  She wasn’t sure she could either. He was still hard inside her, even though she could feel the results of their combined climaxes coating both their thighs. Pulling back with a smile, she said, “I heard wolves had stamina, but…”

  Gripping her hips, he ground up into her with a groan. “You feel so incredible, I don’t think I’m going to be done with you for a while.”

  Hailey bit her lip, rocking her hips against his. “I’ve never… I mean, it’s never been quite like that for me.” She clenched around him, watching his reaction play out over his face. “I’m so fucking full.”

  He chuckled. “I should’ve made sure you were okay with it first. I just couldn’t help myself.”

  She could feel the blush spreading over her cheeks, making her redden. “It was amazing. You were amazing.”

  Roark smacked her ass, making her groan out as she rocked forward and then back down onto his cock again. “Are you ready for more?”

  With a nod, she rose up on her knees and climbed off him. “Take me from behind this time?”

  Roark’s growly moan sounded more wolf than man as he positioned himself behind her to claim her again.

  Hailey had no idea being sore could feel so good.

  When Roark finally drifted off to sleep, she snuck into the bathroom. She hardly recognized the woman in the mirror, with hickeys on her neck and breasts, fingerprint-sized bruises, and sex tousled hair. Her lips were swollen from so much kissing, light biting, and a couple rounds where she made him come with just her tongue. If she turned around, she had no doubt she still had a few red handprints on her ass. And more hickeys between her thighs.

  She felt like a claimed wolf, even though she didn’t yet wear Roark’s bite. Powerful. Sexy. Strong. And so well fucked.

  This was not at all what she expected when she showed up in Ironhaven.

  “What are you doing out of bed?” Roark’s growl made her jump and she spun to look at him.

  “I needed a minute.” She reached for him, as if she needed his body pressed against her to feel whole. “How is it that I feel like a changed woman, and you still look just the same?”

  He laughed and scooped her into his arms, carrying her back to bed. “The scratches all over my shoulders and back would suggest otherwise. Are you sure you’re not part wolf?”

  Hailey snuggled in against him, running her fingers through the light smattering of chest hair covering his pecs and trailing down toward his cock, which already seemed to be semi-hard again. “I definitely feel like I had some wolf in me tonight.” She looked up at him. “What does this mean?”

  “The sex?” His hand slid down over her ass, making it tingle from the combination of spanking and fingering she’d let him give her. “What do you want it to mean?”

  She bit her lip. “Jenna wouldn’t ever kiss guys in college. She dated, she did… other stuff, but she didn’t kiss. She said that a wolf knows they’ve found their mate through their kiss.” She felt a blush spreading down her chest again as she said softly, “I guess I was wondering if it meant that I’m yours.”

  “Not yet. A mate wears her wolf’s bite proudly. Many give their mates bites too. Not just a nip on a lip or an inner thigh, but a permanent mark that shows that they’re claimed.”

  “Oh.” She tried not to feel disappointed that he hadn’t bit her. He left plenty of marks, but not that one.

  Roark rolled her over onto her back, pressing against her again. “I said not yet, mate.” He smirked, leaning down for a softer kiss. “I know you humans like to be wooed. And I admit, I’m not yet used to the idea of wolves mating with humans. But I couldn’t pick a better mate for my wolf. Jenna already thought of you as one of us, as a sister.” He slid his cock along her folds, but didn’t take her again, didn’t just thrust right back inside her. “We can take our time.”

  Hailey’s body reacted to his slower, more tender movements just as much as she had the rough, hard sex that left her so deliciously sore, and when he finally did fill her again, she was practically panting for it.

  Roark’s kisses covering her body, his fingers gliding over her skin, his slow, deep thrusts, all made her tingle with desire, with need.

  As amazing as it was to take their time, to go slow, something deep in her core craved his bite. Craved his rough, animalistic, possessive side.

  If only he knew that she’d secretly wished to be his mate for years. That she didn’t need to be wooed.

  She needed to be claimed.

  It was a good thing Roark was so much bigger than she was. At least then, as he walked her back to her car in nothing but one of his t-shirts, she was fully covered.

  “I don’t like you going back to Bellemare. They’ll know you found your mate.”

  “I’m not just going to live in some basement apartment, naked in your bed, Roark. I have to get some clothes, a hairbrush, a few things so that I can come back. It’s a few hours.” She rose up on her toes, tugging him down to meet her for a kiss. “And then we can find somewhere in town where we can both live?”

  “I don’t need to find anywhere else.” His hand slid up the back of her leg, and for a second, she was sure he was about to expose her to the whole street. “I only stay in the basement apartment because my house is too big alone. I’ll take you there when you come back to me.” He pinned her against her car, and this time his hand didn’t stop at her leg. His fingers found her core like they had radar leading them, and she groaned against his lips as they thrust inside.

  Too soon, he pulled his fingers from under the t-shirt and slipped them into his mouth, sucking her arousal off. “To remind you what you’re coming back to. To what’s waiting.”

  As if Hailey could forget. She’d showered, and it still felt like her inner thighs were coated with what they’d done. Or maybe it was just her constant state of arousal, with the hulking ex-soldier near her.

  She licked her lips and glanced down between them. “Just know that I give as good as I get. You want to tease me? I’ll tease you right back.”

  Leaving him in her rearview mirror felt wrong, like she was leaving a piece of her heart behind, and the further she drove, the closer she got to Bellemare, the more she wanted to turn around and run right back to his arms.

  Her loft was just as she’d left it, and she quickly changed into clothes of her own, things that fit her right and didn’t leave her so exposed to the world. Her space seemed cold, and for the first time, she realized that she’d never really made it home. No pictures were hung, nothing covered the walls. Most of her personal effects weren’t even in the loft—she kept a storage unit that kept everything other than her clothes, since the loft had come furnished.

  Packing up her life took way less time than she expected.

  As she locked it up and hauled her suitcases toward the car, a chill made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Only, there was no breeze. Nothing to warrant the chill.

  Until she saw the wolves.

  Two big beasts, one white, the other dark grey. Both staring at her from across the street.

  “So, when you said you were sick, what you meant was you were fucking a wolf.” Callum, Zain’s right-hand man, leaned against her
driver’s side door, arms crossed over his chest.

  “I was sick.” She tried to keep her voice even, tried to stay as calm as she could, even though all she wanted to do was run.

  No one had paid attention to her before. Why now?

  “Zain won’t like this. I think you’d better come with us.” Callum moved in closer, gripping her upper arm as he dragged her toward the waiting black SUV. “You should come quietly.” The threat in his voice was enough to keep her from pushing him.

  She grudgingly got into the car, glad Roark hadn’t come with her. If he had been there, it would’ve been just meant a fight and Roark would be in danger too.

  Part of her still had a hard time believing that the Bellemare wolves were as dangerous as Roark made them out to be. But when the two beasts jumped into the SUV, one on either side of her in the back seat, she knew she’d underestimated them.

  Callum stopped at an old mill and shut off the car. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Snooping on the Mayor’s computer. Sleeping with the enemy.” He opened the back door and the white wolf jumped down. The grey one nudged her until she followed, and Callum practically dragged her to the mill. “We’ll just have to see what other answers you have hiding under your whoring skin.”

  As he manhandled her toward the ominous building, Hailey screamed with every ounce of breath in her lungs, as long as she could. She doubted anyone would hear, but she had to try. If there was any chance there was a connection between mates, she hoped Roark would sense that she needed him.

  Before the Bellemare pack did their worst.

  Shifting for Her

  Roark couldn’t even wait the three hours they’d agreed upon.

  His Hailey, his mate was across enemy lines. Unarmed.

  He should’ve just fucking bitten her. She’d practically begged for it, as much as she exposed her neck to him every time she came.

  Jenna would’ve taunted him for dragging his feet.