12. Madelyne
My time with Nathan had been like a dam breaking after years of pressure, but my interest in Ulf and the others was different. Those had the blush of first attraction on them, and all the hesitation of wondering if they would mind me making the first move. Ulf, apparently, didn’t. Far from it.
He was impatient getting my clothes off, impatient with his jeans, his shirt, his boots, and the condom. I heard cloth tear more than once and didn”t know if it was his clothes or mine. His big, warm kisses were rougher and more direct than Nathan”s, and soon turned into little nips along my neck and shoulder. Just tiny caresses with his teeth, not breaking skin when he very much could have. His big, callused hands roamed me and then picked me up, carrying me to the bed.
He tore my panties, yanking them off. I didn”t care–barely noticed as he set me face down and I knelt there at the edge of my bed. He came up behind me, nipping and kissing his way up my spine before bending over to cup and caress my breasts. His huge hands engulfed each one easily, their restrained power leaving me moist and trembling and ready for him.
Neither one of us wanted to wait. He thrust into me from behind, panting hoarsely as his loins started slapping against my ass–slowly at first, strong but measured, sending jolts of pleasure through me with every thrust. His cock was as big as the rest of him, and he handled it with more care than I”d expected, holding back until I groaned through my teeth and started grinding against him.
He gripped my hips, holding me up as I squirmed and bucked against his hard-thrusting body, and gradually sped until we were both gasping and groaning in time. One hand slid up my side to knead my breast again as the other held my hip, keeping me upright while he kneaded the crease between hip and thigh and kept up his powerful strokes.
I felt myself tightening around him, his surging cock feeling better and better with every thrust until my vision swam and my heart pounded in my ears.
My back arched, my muscles clenched, and then I squealed in spite of myself, a high sound of delight through fruitlessly sealed lips as my climax broke over me in waves. I thrashed and ground back against him, sobbing blissfully until he stiffened, and I felt his cock jolt inside of me and heard him groan with relief.
I sagged in his grip. He bent over me, gasping for air while I struggled to get my own breath back. I could have gone straight back to sleeping then. The blissful peace of post-orgasm tempted me to snuggle down right there and pull the sheet over myself.
Instead, I remembered I had dinner to cook, Aidan to read to, and Ulf was going on guard duty soon.
I sighed as he pulled out of me, and backed off of the bed, getting unsteadily to my feet. My clothes were fine. I pulled my skirt and tank top back on and stepped into my sandals while Ulf was zipping up his jeans. His shirt was a loss. He held it up and peered at it, then shrugged and tossed it into the wastebasket.
He turned to me and opened his mouth to say something when I heard something strange outside: knocking. The doorbell. Not the intercom, but the doorbell.
Ulf and I looked at each other, and then I heard something even more alarming: the sound of my voice.
”Aidan? Honey? I got locked out. Come open the door…”
Eyes widening in horror, I grabbed my knife off the nightstand and ran out, headed for the stairs with desperate speed. Halfway there, a massive, pale-furred wolf brushed past me and bolted down the stairs, growling. But even then, I heard the door opening.
Aidan had been warned. But that was my voice, and in the end, he was just a child.
“Aidan!” I screamed. “Don’t––”
I heard his gasp of horror and Ulf’s snarl, and then shouts of alarm from the men scattered around the house and yard. I got downstairs just in time to see someone wearing my face grabbing Aidan and trying to drag him out the door.
Aidan screamed in panic and shock as my leering doppelganger dragged him backward. For a few moments, as we rushed toward him, all he could do was struggle fruitlessly.
Then he remembered.
The knife flashed out of its scabbard. Clumsy with desperation, he pressed the silver blade against the imposter’s forearm where it clutched close to his throat. She let out a shriek and jerked her arm away, and he twisted free and ran to me as fast as he could. She tried to follow only to have a furious Wolf slam into her and knock her out of the door.
I ran forward and closed the door, grabbing my son and pulling him toward the panic room. He was shaking but excited. “I got her, Mom! Did you see? I got her!”
“Yes, I saw, honey. You did very well. We need to get inside the panic room now.”
I was almost there when I heard Matthias calling for me outside. “Madelyne! Madelyne!”
I froze. I could hear the growl of Wolves and the snarl of a Tiger. And I suddenly knew… I had to face this.
“Go downstairs. Keep the knife in your hand. When I come get you, you put it on my arm like you did with that lady. You’ll know if it’s me right away.”
He nodded, wide-eyed. “What are you going to do?”
“Finish this.”
I locked him in and rushed to the front door, knowing I could not fight the Tigers but that I would never know peace if I didn’t see him die for myself.
Legs shaky from fear and Ulf’s pounding, I went to the window and saw Matthias standing in the yard, flanked by two Tigers. The smaller one was limping. Nathan and his Pack faced them from the porch, Nathan with his shotgun and the other three in Wolf form, pacing and growling.
“Send out my woman, or we’ll kill you all,” Matthias demanded as I peered through the blinds.
“You’re outmatched, outnumbered, and one of you is wounded,” Nathan replied coldly. “We even have the law on our side. License to kill an outlaw shifter.” He racked a round into his shotgun and pointed it. “So please, push the issue. We’ll all enjoy watching you die.”
Matthias’ head jerked up and he caught sight of me looking out at him. His eyes narrowed. “There you are, you betraying little bitch,” he growled. His face was gleaming with sweat, and there was madness in his eyes.
I stared back at him defiantly. Nathan settled his finger on the trigger.
Matthias lunged forward, racing straight at the window, straight at me. I stumbled backward, yanking the silver knife from its sheath behind my back as he started to change. When he leaped, cloth tore, and his body blurred and shifted. The shotgun went off three times, and a black-red bloom appeared on the tiger’s side a second before he burst through the glass.
Chaos erupted outside, the two other tigers attacking as Matthias landed in my living room, narrowly missing me. He reared up, claws out, fangs bared in a snarl, and I lashed out with the knife, catching him in the loose skin of his throat and almost losing my grip.
His growl became a shriek of pain and surprise. I stabbed again, and this time, I hit him in the chest, burning flesh as I sank the blade into muscle. “I do not belong to you!” I yelled as he staggered back.
His eyes went even wilder, blank now save for the killing urge I could see at their backs. He tried to lunge for me again a second before Nathan leaped through the window as well.
He landed in a practiced roll and came up shooting. The stink of cordite and blood choked me as he fired more silver shots into Matthias before he could reach me. He racked another round, fired again, and this time, struck Matthias in the head.
The tiger staggered, blood drooling from between his jaws, and one eye gone dark. He dragged himself forward, claws out, still trying to reach me, bent on my destruction. But before he could, a final shot went off, and he collapsed at my feet.
My ears rang in the sudden quiet. Outside I could hear running paws, and then the sound of more gunshots. Then, that went quiet as well.
Seconds later, three naked men pushed open the door to my home and walked in, looking between me, Nathan, and the dead tiger on the floor. I was trembling, hugging myself. The bloody knife slipped from my fingers and landed blade-first on the carpet in front of Matthias’ ruined muzzle.
“Are you okay?” Nathan took me into his arms before pulling back and looking me over.
“I’m okay,” I reassured, but I felt sick. It was mostly the smell. The relief hadn’t quite broken over me yet, but I knew it would.
It was over. We had won.
* * *
Nathan hada cleanup team on speed dial. As soon as the coroners were gone, they came in, cleaning up the window glass and boarding it over, cutting away the blood-soaked carpet and washing the spatter off the walls. A second team was working outside.
Ulf and the others, shirtless and in jeans, had washed up already. Bela was grumbling about Matthias’ mother managing to run away after she had been wounded. The bodyguard was dead, his corpse wheeled into the back of the coroner’s van along with that of my ex.
Interpol would be looking for Matthias’ mother, and we would be on guard until she was caught. I needed a new window and new carpeting, and even with an industrial air purifier going, I could still faintly smell blood and cordite. But we had won. We had won.
I brought Aidan out, let him check me with the silver blade, and then told him we were out of danger. He beamed at me, still proud of himself for overcoming his fear and fighting. “You did well,” Nathan reinforced. “You’re brave, just like your dad… and your mom.”
We had a lot to talk about, but that could only be done once Aidan was asleep. So instead, we went out for an early supper at a cafe in town for burgers, beers, and a big sundae for my son.
“So, are you guys gonna go back to Sedona?” Aidan said worriedly. “I like having you here.”
Nathan spoke up. “Well, that’s up to your mom.” Five sets of eyes turned to me, and I smiled a little awkwardly. “If she wants us to stay––”
“I do,” I said simply, taking a page from Ulf’s book. “We have room, and we’re a close enough drive to Sedona to make it worth it if you don’t mind the commute.”
“Not me,” Jamie said. “I’d love to stick around.” The others nodded.
“Yay!” Aidan crowed, making people at some of the other tables look over. I shushed him gently, but that didn’t dampen his spirits. He just kept smiling as he demolished his sundae.
We made the rounds, telling the Sheriff, Colony security, and Nellie what was up. Nellie looked relieved. “Do you think his crazy mom’s going to come back around looking for revenge?”
“Not for a while,” Bela said confidently. “If at all. We hurt her pretty bad, and she’s got a pattern of running whenever there’s real trouble. Losing her accomplices and family members is as real as it gets.”
“Whew. I’m glad. This whole thing has been crazy!” Nellie gave me a one-armed hug. “Was it an epic fight?”
“Kinda. But fast. I wasn’t expecting it to be over so fast. But I guess most fights are like that.”
“They are,” Ulf rumbled. “Even long sieges have you mostly waiting for the next clash, and they are often just as fast.”
“It’s messy and stinky, too,” I said, booping Aidan on the head as his nose wrinkled. He giggled. “We spent like ten times as much time cleaning up afterward.”
“Yeah,” Nellie admitted, “I don’t think that’s my cup of tea. I think I’ll watch an eighties action movie if I want a dose of over-the-top badass.”
I had to laugh at that. “Good plan. Less risk, less property damage.”
* * *
Aidan was alreadysleepy from the warm day, his big meal, and exhaustion from all the excitement. He dozed off in the SUV, leaning against me. I kept an arm around him, my need to feel him close to me the only leftover from our insane afternoon.
The living room still stank faintly, and the boarded-up window was depressing to look at. I took them down to the basement game room instead while Ulf brought Aidan up to his bedroom to sleep off his adventures. He came down quickly enough, bringing down the beer cooler with him.
“So, you want us to stay,” Nathan said quietly. “Understanding that it’s… a package deal.”
“You’re a Pack. I don’t want to split you up… or come between you.” I smirked. “Well-––”
Bela snickered. “Guess that depends on the context, eh?”
I laughed a little nervously. I’d had a taste of Nathan and Ulf, and knew I was going to be worn out from the regular attentions of four men, let alone four Wolves. “Yeah,” I said finally, cheeks prickling a bit. “Guess it does.”
“Well,” Nathan said, eyes smoldering as he looked at me, “You heard the lady.”
Jamie reached for me first. He hadn’t had a chance before, and Nathan and Ulf held off while he and Bela slipped up on either side of me and started caressing me. I squashed a surge of self-consciousness as Bela unbuttoned my blouse and Jamie helped him pull it free of my jeans. I stood, closed my eyes, feeling hands on me, hearing Bela step up behind me as Jamie started kissing me. Nimble fingers unfastened my bra. Two sets of hands pulled it off me and started caressing my breasts.
I wavered on my feet, weak-kneed as they stripped me of every thread and ran their hands over my body. I heard the rustle of clothing and the shivery breaths of two men who had been waiting for this for days.
Doubt and worry fled. Self-consciousness vanished entirely, and then coherent thought started to go as Jamie took one of my nipples into his mouth while Bela kissed and nibbled at my neck. His hand slipped around to my mound to knead and caress me until I was trembling and wet.
They threw couch cushions on the floor for us and laid me down on them, Bela parting my legs and settling his head between them while Jamie pleasured my breasts with mouth and hands until I squirmed. When Bela’s agile tongue found my clit, I went from gasping to squirming and moaning in bliss.
Jamie caught my wrists as my hands flailed, holding them down as the two men bathed my trembling body in pleasure. My breasts tingled, my cunt ached, my back arched, and my heels dug into the carpet as both men pushed me closer and closer to the edge. Then I rocketed over it as Bela started to suck, crying out wildly with each spasm that ran through me.
Good thing the basement was soundproofed.
Bela mounted me first, sliding his condom-wrapped cock into me eagerly, cursing in Russian as our hips met. He started pounding away, turning my aftershocks into rising pleasure as he moved against me fiercely. Time stretched out, my thoughts scattered, leaving me digging my nails into the carpet and letting out incoherent cries of bliss. Then Bela’s back arched and he shuddered, grinding against me roughly until he finally sagged with relief.
Jamie was next. He was gentler, more playful, fascinated with my breasts. He lay me on my side and looped one of my legs over him, thrusting into me while his mouth and hands teased my nipples into tight points again. When I started squirming against him, he slipped a hand between us to tease at my clit, and I ground against him out of reflex, meeting his thrusts in time with his hips and the delicious movements of his two fingers. I clutched his shoulders and sobbed breathlessly as I came again seconds before he finished himself and groaned into my ear.
Ulf took me roughly, rolling me over and over while he pounded into my slick, tingling cunt, kissing me, nibbling at my jaw, his powerful body taut with pleasure, then trembling before he went rigid as we ground and slid together until my body started ramping up again. He came a few seconds before me, growling with bliss as his thick cock jumped inside me. And then, he dug his fingers into my ass cheeks and kept himself moving until my third set of spasms rolled through me.
Nathan took me last, pulling me onto his lap, holding me in his arms, and kissing me softly as we made love slower and more luxuriantly than we had on the ground next to my forge. He murmured my name, showered kisses onto my face and neck as he thrust up into me, slow but strong, rocking the knuckles of two fingers into the top of my pussy in time with his movements. It was sweet and tender and yet still fierce, every thrust slow but powerful, until finally we were shaking and clinging to each other and riding over the edge together. My final climax rippled through me as he groaned in ecstasy and caught me in his arms, holding me tight.
I collapsed to the cushions, falling sideways with him as he held me. The four of us lounged around the floor, nude, clothes strewn everywhere, catching our breaths. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I did enough to drink them in–their magnificent bodies and bright fierce eyes, and the tender way they all smiled down at me.
I had made the right decision in asking them to stay. As Nathan wrapped me in a throw blanket and carried me upstairs, I thought dimly of how our lives would change now. Four men, four Wolves, to keep us safe, to be my lovers, to help me raise my son.
Ben would be pleased, I realized, to see me safe and happy with people he’d trusted. And Matthias? Matthias would be furious. Helplessly so. Just as he deserved.
I dozed off blissfully in my bed, the blanket tucked around me, and Nathan curled sleepily against my back. My ordeal was over, and my newfound happiness was just beginning.