Chloe froze, her back to him. Her shoulders tensed and he watched as she slowly turned to face him. A small light had entered her eyes, making her irises brighten.
“You’re not spanking me,” she replied with a throaty growl of her own.
“No?” he asked, studying her, angling his head to the side. He goaded her intentionally, knowing what he had to do. Chloe’s irises changed from the pupil outward, shifting color, her wolf responding to her distress. Heightened emotion always brought the animal from the cage.
Always.
“No.”
He moved, snagging her around the waist. Even though she fought, it wasn’t hard to carry her to the couch. He took a seat in the middle, turning her so her ass was exactly where it needed to be. Before she could say a word he gave her the first lick, using the flat of his palm to deliver a hearty slap to her right cheek.
“It’s time you learned your place, mate.”
He sounded a helluva lot calmer than he felt. This was about teaching Chloe something important but he wanted her so bad his dick was hard enough to hammer nails. When he finally went at her she’d be lucky if she could walk straight the following day.
“Let go,” she snarled, swinging her arms and legs.
“Make me.”
She tried, fighting to get free, screaming when he continued busting her perfectly rounded bottom. He steadily increased the force of the blows, making sure each swat landed on the softness of her ass. It didn’t take long, perhaps a half-dozen smacks, before he felt her wolf. He wasn’t surprised at how powerful her beast was. Since she’d broken free of his earlier command and, in turn, broken the hold he had over the pack, he knew she was going to be a handful.
“There you are.” He gave her another hard slap. “Bring it, little wolf. I’m waiting for you.”
“I’m going to kick your ass!”
He clucked his tongue, bringing his hand down, his cock jerking when his palm made contact. He couldn’t wait to yank off her clothing and see how red her ass was. Even now her pussy was creaming. He could smell it—almost taste it. She might not think she liked being in a submissive position but her tiny gasps and the way she clutched at the sofa betrayed her.
As soon as she stopped fighting he brought his hand down on her ass. He followed the seam until he came to her cunt. He palmed the mound, applying pressure. She cried out and pushed against him, shifting her hips up and down. Knowing the time had come, he released her and wrapped his fingers in her hair. He forced her head around so their eyes met.
“You will never disregard my orders again, Chloe.”
Green became almost neon, the vividness of her eyes nearly blinding. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
Son of a bitch.
Letting go of her hair, he resumed the spanking he’d started, the blows much harder than before. She howled—the sound one of pleasure and fury—and tried to bring her knees up to slide off the furniture. He didn’t allow it, using his free hand to keep her where she was.
If Chloe’s wolf didn’t relent she’d be a danger to the entire pack. Wolves couldn’t think without the influence of their human half. They were too wild, their behaviors unstable. The beast had to accept his authority and embrace him as her superior. He hoped like hell this would work, bringing the wolf to the forefront so Chloe could communicate with the creature inside her. Without that all-important connection the woman and animal would be at odds with who and what they were.
“Reach deep down, Chloe,” he instructed, sounding as livid and frustrated as she did. “You control your beast. It doesn’t control you.”
At first he didn’t think she’d heard. She screamed and fought, clawing at his thigh. He considered taking her into the bedroom and tying her squirming ass to the bed so she couldn’t hurt herself. If he wasn’t careful she might pull a joint out of place or actually manage to break free.
Then—subtly—he felt the shift.
Trembling started in her shoulders, wound down her back and traveled to her legs. Her hands opened and closed as though she was attempting to bring out her claws. He softened the slaps, watching as her nails dug into the giving flesh of her palm, leaving behind deep red crescents. She growled, a low steady sound that carried through the room, and stopped moving.
“That’s it. Don’t back down. Show the wolf its place.”
Chloe’s coat had risen to her mid-back as he’d spanked her, allowing him to slide his hand from her ass to the base of her spine. He reached out with his wolf, sensing the uncertain connection between his mate and her other half. It was the perfect time to have them recognize each other prior to her first shift.
“Your wolf listens to you and you listen to me. Take control. Show it who’s stronger. Don’t take no for an answer.”
Another snarl tore from her throat, but Chloe wasn’t fighting him.
Not anymore.
“Back off,” Chloe barked, voice trembling. Taking a deep breath, she repeated herself, more calmly this time. “Back off.”
While she hadn’t shifted and hunted with the pack, his wolf felt his mate’s despair. She was afraid she wouldn’t have the strength to fight her feral side. The power of the beast was more than she bargained for, so much more dangerous than she fathomed. Fortunately that fear served a purpose, driving her to work harder, to oppose the force that wanted to take over.
They fought—woman versus wolf—caught in the same body but retaining their individuality.
A part of him ached for his mate, knowing the battle she fought wasn’t easy. Being born into a pack, he’d had plenty of time to come to terms with his nature. The anger he’d tried to bury returned, his fury directed at the man who’d left Chloe to find her own way before she’d even been born. She never should have had to face things like this, experiencing a moon heat at the same time she came into her wolf.
When I see the bastard, I’m breaking his goddamn face.
A low whimper passed her lips. She went soft against him and he pulled Chloe to his chest. Her entire body shook, her teeth rattling. Her chest heaved as she panted for air. Cupping a hand under her chin, he lifted her head and carefully pushed sweaty strands of hair from her face. She looked dazed, her brows slanted together, but her eyes didn’t carry a trace of wolf.
That’s my girl.
“It’s there. Inside m-me,” she stammered and started to rock, visibly in shock. “I knew it was but I thought it would be different. Before I couldn’t remember things. Everything was blurry or blacked out. Now I do. I remember it all.”
Strike that. When I see Gavin I’m breaking his entire fucking body.
“You’re connected now.” He glided his knuckles across her cheek. “There won’t be any more back and forth. You’re two parts of one whole.”
“It doesn’t seem possible. I feel so different.”
“Nothing’s changed.” Brushing his thumb across her lips, he murmured, “You’re in control. Things’ll be different. You’ll see.”
“I can’t believe I wanted to hurt Gramps.” She dipped her head and buried her face in his neck. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Promise you won’t let me.”
Damn it.
He’d known her memories were jagged, but he’d thought she had access to slivers of them. Most had difficulty recalling certain events, especially during their first shift, but even then most retained a portion of what transpired when the wolf took control.
“If you don’t want to hurt anyone, you have to rely on me to take care of you.” And he would take care of her, even if it killed him. “That’s the duty of an Alpha to see to those who trust him. Especially when it comes his mate. Surrender control. Put yourself in my keeping. I’ll never give you a reason to regret it.”