Ruined Wolf: A Paranormal Why Choose Romance (Claimed by the Sea Wolves Series Book 2)

CHAPTER NINE

Ihadn’t meant to doze off, but I’d fallen asleep almost immediately, wrapped up in Maverick’s warm arms and tired from our love making. I jerked awake a couple of hours later. The house was silent with that chill that falls when the house is dormant throughout the night. I listened to Maverick’s breathing to reassure myself that he hadn’t woken when I did, but he was sleeping peacefully. Carefully, I wriggled my way out of his arms. It only took a few moments to pull one of Maverick’s huge T-shirts over my head and find the house keys tucked inside his jeans pocket. I closed my hand around them so they didn’t make any noise and slipped out of the door. I padded silently down the hallway. Possessing wolfish instincts meant stealth came second nature to me, but the two other wolves in the house had bloody good hearing, so I was extra careful.

I stopped outside of the last bedroom door. It took three tries to find the right key, and as I opened the door and stepped into the bedroom, my heart thudded hard in my chest. Crossing to the nightstand, I turned on the lamp and looked around. The room had been cleaned up and tidied, but dust had settled on the furniture and walls, with cobwebs weaving across the corners. It wasn’t furnished much differently to Maverick’s, with dark wooden furniture and soft grey accents. There was a musty smell, and I guessed no one had been in to air the room out in a long time. They’d left it here for him, just as it was, for when he came home, and it was home. I could feel Jaxon here, his presence lingering in the room like a ghost watching me sadly from the corner.

I felt my eyes fill with tears and brushed them away quickly. My heart ached with grief as I looked around at this portion of his life I had never been a part of—one he’d never even spoken of. Dozens of photo frames covered the dresser and the desk, and I leaned in to study them. I smiled at the boys in the pictures. All of them were so young, and the photos were clearly taken during happier times. Many were with a strong-looking, dark-haired man who looked like Lucas without the tats and the piercings, and a woman with soft brown hair and grey eyes. There were boating and fishing trips, camping under the trees, playing on the beach, first days of school, and birthdays. It was all here.

This time I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over. I ran my hand over my stomach as guilt washed over me. It didn’t matter if I found that gold or not, I would never be able to give my child any of this. When the guys found out how I’d lied to them, they wouldn’t welcome me into the pack with open arms, nor would they welcome the child of the brother who abandoned them. It would just be the baby and me wherever we went. Our child would never get to experience the joys of growing up in a real family. I had dreamed of being surrounded by that family, by a pack, and a community, and being loved, claimed, and wanted. I had never had that growing up, but I wanted my child to have it. Due to my choices, however, and Jaxon’s, they would never have it. We would always be alone.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ground myself. I couldn’t do this. If I slipped into the well of self-pity, I wouldn’t be able to claw myself out. My eyes connected with those of a teenage Jaxon as he laughed at the camera, holding up a fish he must have caught. No more thinking of what-ifs or of dreams. They were for children or people who didn’t have to worry about actual survival, and that was my first and only concern—the survival of myself and my child. To do that, I needed to find out what Jaxon had on Ethan. I needed leverage, and I had a feeling it was here somewhere.

I began to search the place, opening drawers and cupboards and rifling through the contents as quickly as possible. I was trying not to disturb things too much, but thankfully, Jaxon hadn’t been super organised when he was younger either, so it wasn’t as though clothes were folded. Most things looked as though they’d just been chucked in the drawers, and it meant they didn’t look any different after I had searched them. There was nothing there, though I did find a small teddy bear tucked away in the bottom drawer. It looked well loved, but it was still soft and had both eyes. Tears threatened to overwhelm me again, and I quickly placed it back where I’d found it before turning to the desk.

It was stuffed with papers and folders and books. Jaxon really had been into history in a big way, especially Desolation Island, and I flipped through pages and pages of notes, finding nothing. A heavy book sat on top of a load of papers, and I shifted it to get underneath. Just as I was about to set it down, I noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the side. I set it back on the papers and opened it to the marked page.

It was an article about a Spanish explorer called Vasco Balboa. I recognised the name from Jaxon’s journal, and I wouldn’t have read further, but Jaxon had underlined a few lines in the text and written notes on the side. I skimmed over the passages. Balboa had been a Spanish conquistador in the sixteenth century and had been the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean. He travelled around Central America, conquering and raiding the indigenous peoples, collecting treasure of gold and pearls. A fifth was sent back to the King of Spain, as was the rule, and he kept the rest. A note in the margin in Jaxon’s handwriting read, ”Colossal wealth, some used to commission more ships. What happened to the rest of the money?”

My suspicions rose, and I kept reading. I had been right. Jaxon seemed to think that the treasure collected by Balboa was the treasure stashed here on Desolation. I frowned. That couldn’t be right. We were thousands of miles from Central America, and the article stated that Balboa had only reached Mexico in his travels. I skipped forward to where Balboa and four of his friends were beheaded after being accused of trying to usurp the governor and create a separate government in the South Sea.

Another note from Jaxon said, “Governor Pedrarias is B’s FIL. He stood to claim the treasure on Balboa’s death, huge amount of wealth, and long standing enemies. B must have hidden the treasure to thwart P, but who else knew? The four friends were with him on the voyage to Atrato.”

My head swam as I checked the article again. In 1515, Balboa went on a voyage to the Atrato River in Colombia, because they thought there was a vast temple there filled with riches, but he never got there, chased away by the natives. I tapped on the desk. What if he had reached the temple and found a fortune? He’d have been expected to give a fifth away, and the resulting riches for himself would have increased his power and wealth far above his father-in-law’s. What if he hid the treasure in order to preserve his life? It would make sense to go north, because as far as the governor knew, the farthest north he’d ever been was Mexico.

Even so, Desolation was still one hell of a voyage away. Why go so far? It wasn’t exactly like many people had ocean worthy ships back then, and there would have been plenty of places to hide the treasure along the coast.

I slid the paper out. It had been folded in half, so I unfolded it and looked at the printout. It was a photograph of an old piece of parchment. The description at the bottom read, “Sailor’s Letter Home, 1515.” I squinted at the words. They were hard to read, and even when I managed to make out the letters, I realised they were in Spanish. Dammit. I folded the paper up and stuck it in my pocket. I had a feeling it was there for a reason.

I’d been in the bedroom for quite a while, and Maverick could wake up at any point. The stuff about the treasure was fascinating, but I needed to find the information about Ethan. I continued to search quickly, flipping over other papers and searching shelves. I even looked under the bed, but eventually, I had to admit that there was nothing here. I tidied the desk and slipped back out of the room, locking the door behind me.

I stopped and stared at the door a moment longer. I hated that this part of Jaxon was concealed. It was all that was left of him, and they locked it away. Of course, they didn’t know that. They thought they were keeping it for him, and I was the only one who knew he wasn’t ever coming back. Guilt flooded me once again. I knew what happened to their brother, and I could give them the closure that they needed, but I couldn’t tell them why he’d left, and if I was being honest with myself, I really didn’t want to lose them. I knew it would come out, but a part of me couldn’t bring this to an end just yet. I was being selfish, but I’d only had Jaxon for a year. Surely I could keep a little happiness for myself for just a bit longer. I sighed and turned to walk back down the hallway, running into a hard chest. Arms wrapped around me as I stumbled, and I looked up into Asher’s shadowed face.

“Nova, is everything okay?”

My heart thudded so hard I was convinced he’d hear it. I slowly moved my hand behind me, wrapping my fingers tightly around Maverick’s keys. “I’m fine, just... you know... bathroom.”

Asher’s eyes narrowed. “Maverick has his own bathroom,” he pointed out.

“Oh, yes, I know, but he was using it. I was a bit desperate, and he was taking ages...” I flashed him a cheeky grin, hoping he’d accept my explanation. He seemed to, nodding briefly as he looked down at me. His arms were still wrapped around me, and although I loved the feeling, I knew he’d regret it since he was so determined to keep away from me.

“Asher?” I murmured when he still said nothing.

He was staring at my mouth, and I started to feel a little self-conscious. I was trying to keep away from him, physically at least. I knew he felt that strong pull as well, but he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore, so I was trying to respect that. I pushed gently at his middle with my free hand. Oh, that was a bad idea. As soon as my palm came into contact with his shirt, I could feel the contours of his abs underneath the material, and my fingers spread over them, sliding against him. In a second, his mouth was on mine.

I wrapped my free arm around his neck as he pulled me closer to him, crushing me against his body. His mouth was warm and soft, and I couldn’t get enough of how he tasted. His hand slipped into my hair, his fingers combing through the strands. I was used to Lucas’s hard passion and Maverick’s strong desire, so Asher’s gentleness came as a surprise, even though it shouldn’t have. His hand slid around to cup my face, his thumb stroking my cheek as he kissed me. His tongue explored me slowly, sensually, and the heat inside me felt like a warm glow, like sunshine in the summer where it starts off warm then builds to a searing heat.

I kissed him back, and all the while, I could feel his heart pounding beneath my fingers. I wrapped my other arm around his neck as well, using the other hand to grip my wrist. Even with the distraction of Asher’s mouth, I remembered to hold on to the keys in case they fell. He pulled back a little, both of us breathing hard, and stared into my eyes before moving forward to kiss me again and again, just brushing his lips over mine.

“I’ve waited so long to kiss you again, Nova.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. “And I’ve waited so long to touch you again. Why do I only feel alive when you’re in my arms?”

“Because it’s where you’re supposed to be,” I replied then inwardly cursed myself. Why was I leading him on? I was leaving, I had to leave. This would never go anywhere, and I was going to end up hurting him again.

He kissed me again, one hand slipping down to grab my leg and pull it up around his waist. I gasped at the feel of his hard cock pushing against my pussy. The only barrier between us was the thin cotton of his pyjama bottoms. He guided me backwards, pressing me against the wall before hitching me up to press me against it, then he grabbed my other leg so they both wrapped around his waist. I moaned into his mouth as his hands slid along my skin to cup my ass and pull me harder against him.

He broke away from my mouth to trail hot, soft kisses down my throat, and I tipped my head to the side, whispering his name as he covered me in kisses. His lips brushed over my skin, leaving a trail of fire in their path. I reached down between us where he ground his cock against my core and slipped my hand into his waistband. He groaned against my skin, grazing his teeth over me as I wrapped my hand around his cock and pulled him free. I moaned as the head of it rubbed against my clit, and he gasped.

Friction had already done most of the work, and adding the fact that I’d been craving him for days meant I was close. I slid my hand up and down his shaft, the head of his cock sliding against my clit.

“Moons, Nova,” he said, pulling back. “I can’t do this.”

I let go of his cock, breathing hard. My release was so close, and his body said otherwise as his hips pushed forward. His hard shaft slid through my lips, coating him in my slick, and I felt him press against my entrance.

“Asher, please, baby, please, I need you. I need you so much,” I whispered.

“Nova,” he rasped, his voice strained as he moved against me, rubbing his shaft over my clit.

“Fuck, Asher, I’m going to come.” I groaned as his fingers dug into the flesh of my thighs. Gentleness had been replaced by desperation as he struggled with the pull between us. He was stronger than me, whereas I wanted him so badly I didn’t care about consequences. I needed his cock inside me, needed to feel his seed filling me and his knot stretching me.

He looked into my eyes, and I saw the battle he was having with himself. I could already feel that he was close, the tip of his cock just entering my opening. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to take me and pound me into the wall until he came. He wanted to fill me with his seed and leave his mark. He wanted to claim me, but he was trying to fight it. I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth down to mine.

“Asher, please, I’m begging you, baby. Fuck me, claim me, take me, use me, I don’t care, just please do something.” I kissed him wildly, rubbing my pussy against his hard cock until he groaned.

“I can’t... I can’t!” he said as he pulled back, lowering my legs to the floor and stepping backwards as he pushed his cock back inside his trousers.

He was still hard, and he stared at me as I stood there with my slick dripping down my legs, so close to release I had to lean against the wall for support.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I just can’t.”

I nodded, trying to catch my breath.

“Well, fuck, baby brother. I heard I was cruel to women, but getting our little omega riled up like that and not making her come? That’s beyond anything I would do.” Lucas’s voice drifted out of the shadows, and Asher turned, letting us both see Lucas leaning lazily against the wall, completely naked. My eyes dropped to his cock, inked and hard, the light from the moon outside glinting off his piercings.

“How long have you been there?” Asher demanded.

“Long enough,” Lucas replied, straightening up. “You two are pretty fucking hot, but it’s a shame you can’t close the deal. Good job you have a big brother to make up for your failings.”

He strode past Asher, and my mouth fell open as he reached down and lifted me, pressing me against the wall. I cried out as he brought me down hard onto his cock, each piercing pushing into my pussy. I grabbed onto his shoulders, gasping as I sank down his entire length.

Holding me against the wall with his weight, Lucas ripped Maverick’s shirt down the middle, baring my breasts. He turned to Asher and grinned. “Need some lessons, little brother? Just watch.”

He began to fuck me hard and fast, a shock to the system after Asher’s gentleness, and I could barely think straight. My nails raked over Lucas’s back as he fucked me, leaving red marks, and he groaned at the pain.

“Fuck yes, you little whore. Mark me.”

“Lucas!” I gasped as he thrust into me hard.

One hand slipped under my ass to hold me up, and two fingers pressed against my ass in a way that made me moan, while the other reached up to pinch my nipple. I felt the tension rise in me. I was so close. I looked over Lucas’s shoulder at Asher. His face was so cold, I couldn’t bear it, but I couldn’t stop Lucas even if I wanted to. My eyes locked onto Asher’s, even as I screamed and fell apart around his brother’s cock. Tears ran down my face at the intensity of my orgasm, but it might have been the look on Asher’s face as he turned and walked away that caused them to fall.

“Asher,” I murmured.

Lucas’s hand connected hard with my ass, making me cry out.

“Not anymore,” he said, grinning at me when my eyes met his. “Hold on, my little omega.”

I did, and all thoughts of Asher flew out of my head as Lucas pounded into me. His fingers slid in and out of my ass, and I couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, as he fucked me.

“Oh yes, baby, yes. You’re such a dirty little whore, aren’t you? I love how much you love my cock. I can feel your slick all over me,” he murmured into my ear, his words firing me up inside. I should have stopped him, but my body responded to every touch, every word, and I felt helpless, even as I sank my nails into his shoulders and dragged him closer.

“I’m going to come inside this slutty little pussy and then you’re going to suck my cock, because I love seeing you on your knees.” He drove into me over and over until he roared his release, slamming me back against the wall. “Fuck!” He paused to breathe for a moment then pulled away before his knot could form.

I stumbled as he set me down, and then he grabbed me and forced me to my knees.

“That’s it, my sweet omega. On your knees for me, where you belong.” He guided his cock into my mouth, and I could taste his cum as well as my own as I cleaned him off with my tongue. His fingers tangled in my hair, but gently this time, and when I licked him clean, he pulled me back up to my feet.

“Good girl,” he praised, pushing me back. He dropped to his knees and lifted my leg over his shoulder.

I cried out as his mouth found my pussy, licking and sucking, the wet noises reverberating down the dark hallway as he ate me out like he was starving. In minutes, I was climaxing again, crying out his name over and over as he sucked my clit through the waves of pleasure, keeping them coming until I collapsed, my knees finally giving way. I couldn’t keep my eyes open, but I felt him lift me into his arms and take me back to bed. I was dimly aware of him lying me down and Maverick’s arms wrapping around me before everything faded away.