Gray Lake Wolves Pt. 07

I woke up to a slow burn baking the insides of my lower belly. Grayson's chest pushed against my bare back. His arm left a searing trail where it laid against my side leading to his hand, which was cupping my breast. The more I woke up, the hotter the blaze inside me burned until I felt my pupils dilate and my wolf brushed against the inside of my mind, bursting my body into a fiery inferno.

I finally understood why they called this the heat. It wasn't like this before. My last cycle I felt agitated and restless, but I was able to have rational thoughts and my body never felt like it was melting. But now, with my mate's scent seeping into my nostrils, I couldn't contain myself.

I rolled over and pushed Grayson to his back. His eyes popped open when I straddled his lap. They darken to the nearly black shade I love so much as he takes me in. I can imagine how wild I must look, naked, eyes dilated, panting and grinding on him with my hair falling wildly around my shoulders and down to my waist.

He starts a slow pursuit of my body, starting at my hands that are braced on his pectoral muscles, smoothes his hands up my arms, over my collar bone, and down to my breasts. He cups each one, testing the weight and feel, before brushing his thumbs over my taut nipples. They harden even more and I push my breasts into his hands. They feel heavy and ache with need. His hands slide down my stomach, making me whimper and grind harder onto his fully erect cock. His touch somehow extinguishes the fire burning inside of me while simultaneously stoking it back up to a scorching heat.

His hand stills just bellow my belly button and he flattens his palm. His lips twitch, then spread to a full smile, one that I can't help but to mimic. I know what he's thinking, but he tells me anyway in a deep whisper. "I'm going to put a baby in there," he says, stroking the smooth skin and making me groan.

He pulls me down and sweetly rubs his nose over mine. He presses his forehead to mine as he looks deeply into my eyes. I try to pull away, whimpering and frantically rubbing myself against him, but he pulls me back by my neck roughly with my slight growl. I submit, resting my head against his and locking my eyes on his. The connection makes are bond flare to life. His emotions run into mine. Hope, arousal, but most of all, love.

He's in love with me.

He hasn't said it yet, but I haven't said it to him yet either though I have known with certainty for a few days. Neither of us needs to say it when it shines so brightly through our bond.

Grayson takes my lips for one sweet, loving kiss before dropping his face to nuzzle into where my shoulder meets my neck. He takes a deep audible breath and the atmosphere of the room changes instantly.

He growls, rolling us over and then flipping me onto my stomach. His wolf emerges as he pulls my hips up and slams into me, making me cry out. He pauses, fighting with his humanity to make sure I'm okay, but when I push back into him, he transforms. His shape is still very human, but it is obvious that his wolf has taken over completely on the inside.

My human side submits to the inner shift as well and I growl. Grayson's hands are everywhere, running up my back, gripping my hips, pinching my tight nipples, flicking my clit. He pounds on and on, not stopping when I come the first time or the second. Finally, as my third orgasm melts into a forth, I feel his cock spurting hot semen deep inside me. Exhausted, we both roll over and burrow into each other before falling asleep.

~

We woke, only to have wild animalistic sex over and over again and falling back asleep. Someone kept us supplied with water and snacks by leaving a tray outside the attic door, but other than that, we had no connection to the pack for three days.

When we awoke on the forth day, the burn was gone. Grayson pulled me close and nuzzled into my neck. "It's over," he whispered into my hair, "Welcome back."

I smiled and rolled over to face him. He gave me a boyishly happy grin while placing his palm on my lower abdomen. My smile faded. "I might not get pregnant this time," I warned him, my voicing sounding sad even to me.

"Then we get to try again," he said, punctuating his statement with a kiss. "And again," kiss, "and again," kiss, "and again..."

"Okay, okay!" I laughed, "I get it! Let's go take a shower and make sure the pack didn't kill each other."

All was well with in the pack. We congratulated not just one, but two newly mated couples. River wore his mark proudly, while Bug ducked her head and smiled shyly when Grayson pretended to be disturbed by the thought of his sister and best friend together.

The other couple was Iris and our newest pack member, Niko. I don't know what I expected from him, but I never guess he would be this big, hairy, bear of a man. Shorter than Grayson, but just as wide, with an unruly mop of curly black hair and an even more unruly black beard, he looks like the definition of a mountain man. It is almost comical to see Iris, with her honey blonde hair and petite features, sitting on his lap and gazing up at him adoringly.

I watch them for a moment, completely intrigued by this odd couple. She whispers something to him, her lips brushing his ear with every word. His mouth quirks up at the corner forming a small smirk, the only expression on his otherwise stoic face. His hand travels from the spot low on her back to the hem of her short dress, which is bunched up around the tops of her thighs. His hand sneaks in and I watch as it makes contact with her ass and she grinds into him. It is strangely erotic to witness their intimacy.

They untangle themselves as we get closer and get up to great us. "Hello, Alpha Grayson. Thank you for requesting my transfer," Niko said, surprising me when he spoke with a very strong Russian accent.

"You have my mate to thank for that one," Grayson replied with a smile, throwing his arm around my waist and pulling me in tight. "I don't think anyone from the Harbor Springs pack realized the extent of your relationship. I see congratulations are in order."

Iris stepped in then, to give me a quick hug and a whispered "thank you" in my ear. "Niko, this is Clara, Grayson's mate."

Later, when we are alone, I ask Grayson about this mysterious Niko, "So he is a transfer from Russia?"

Grayson takes a pull of his beer and props his feet up on the rail of the deck where we are relaxing and enjoying the sunset. "Yep. His whole family. There are six of them in total in Harbor Springs. That's one of the reasons he wasn't added to the transfer list."

I nod, understanding. Most wolves spend their entire lives in one pack. Occasionally, they switch packs once, but switching more than that is frowned upon. They get called pack hoppers, wanderers, nomads, or the worst, deserters.

"My Dad spoke openly with him. He admitted that he was planning on mating with Iris and the move changed his plans. We all thought it would be for the best if he switched with one of our pack members. Eric, one of our youngest males, was having a hard time without his family. He was eager to go back and offered when he heard that we trying to get Niko. This all happened because of you. An Alpha is in charge of his pack's happiness. This is why you are the other half of my soul."

His pride and love showed through the bond. "Things will be interesting between Niko and Griffin," I said.

Grayson laughed. "They will. Niko is all about honor and obeying his alpha, but I can't imagine having to be around someone who fucked my mate. I'm glad the Pine Mountain pack went though so much to keep your virginity intact."

"What?" I asked playfully, "You don't want to share?"

"Never, ever, ever," he mumbled against my lips.

~

The pack was back to business as usual. I couldn't get through a day without someone giving me a good sniff. Mandy and Iris were the worst, but Grayson scared them off with a threatening growl. It didn't really stop them, now they just try to be stealthy.

The last person I was expecting it from was Bug, but she cornered me in the kitchen and took a deep breath. "Really?" I asked her, quirking an eyebrow. Over the past couple weeks we have developed a strong friendship, which pleases both Grayson and River. Not only do we have a strong mated alpha couple, but a strong mated beta couple too.

"What?" She shrugs unapologetically, "My heat cycle is starting soon and I need to know if we have the go ahead to make a pup. You have to go first, oh alpha, my alpha."

I laugh at her sense of humor, which is bizarre to say the least. Growing up with five older brothers, Bug developed a shocking sense of humor and an attitude that can keep up with those five full grown alphas.

"I didn't know you wanted a pup!"

She tries to look indifferent, but fails and covers her face with her hands. "Yes, I do, and you have to know that's why Mandy and Iris are always sniffing around you too. We all want this pack to grow. We are waiting for you to start the next generation. Your baby will grow up to lead this pack."

I never thought of it that way and tears flood to my eyes. I imagined our child playing along side the children of Bug, Mandy, and Iris, but I never took it farther. To imagine them as adults, leading the pack alongside their parents.

"Aww, Princess is weepy. Does that mean she has a little prince in her belly?" River asked as he came around the corner and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You two, leave her alone!" Grayson growls, walking in behind River.

Bug, not intimidated by the looming alpha in front of her, pokes him in the chest. "Don't act like your not trying to catch a new scent every time she walks by too."

Grayson growls again, but River completely interrupts him by changing the subject. "So, we have some good news and bad news, what do you want to hear first?"

"Good," I tell him.

"We have three clients asking for personalized pieces. The revenue from those pieces alone can fund the pack for the rest of the year, never mind the stock items that are selling like hot cakes."

"What are hot cakes?" Bug asks.

"And the bad news?" I ask, ignoring her.

Its Grayson that answers this time. "The clutch is burnt out on the truck. That's what I get for letting a Russian drive. It's going to be a few more days before the part we need comes in, so I'm going to have to run to town."

"Run?" I ask, "but that will take all day. You have three clients? How long are you going to have to stay?" The pitch in my voice gets higher as I trail off.

Grayson winces. "Five days. I need to wait for the clutch to come in too, so it might end up being closer to a week. I'm going to leave you here with River and Griffin is stepping up to help lead."

"I can't come?" I ask hopefully.

He shakes his head. "I need you here. You are the glue that binds this pack together." Pulling me closer, he continues in a low voice, "I know this is not a good time, but these clients could make or break us. We need this business to fund the pack. It will go by fast and maybe when I get back, you will have a happy surprise for me." He says the last part with a gentle rub of his thumb against my lower abdomen.

~

A couple days later, Grayson is gone and I'm hanging out at the kitchen island with some of the pack members. Raven walks by and acknowledges me with a glare. Things haven't gotten better between us, but they aren't worse either. The stand still is driving me crazy. I feel like she's plotting.

River walks in and tries to give me a discrete sniff, but everyone catches it anyway. "I don't know why you are all walking around with your noses stuck in her ass. She's not pregnant. Get over it. She probably can't even get pregnant. Look at the size of her hips," Raven grumbles with a arm swinging out to point out my flaws.

Taking a breath so I don't strangle her where she stands, I decide to educate her. "Human women have hips that widen during child birth, but since I'm a shifter and my body is already use to changing, my hips will definitely allow for a child."

I swing around to face River and the girls. "And you guys, I don't mind if you check my scent, but you don't need to look so sad if nothing changes. It's okay. I don't mind. That just means I get to try all over again with Grayson."

I'm just repeating what Grayson said to me, but when I look to Raven I see that the trick worked. Her smug smile is gone. "What is it like?" Mandy blurts out.

"Intense," I smile, "I don't know how it was for Grayson, but the best word to describe it for me was intense."

River chuckles and I raise my eyebrows at him. "What? What did he tell you?" I ask punching him in the shoulder as he shakes his head still laughing.

"I can't..." He starts, then bursts out laughing again.

"River!" I yell with another hit to his shoulder.

"Everything Grayson tells me is confidential!" He yells back, still shaking with laughter.

My hits continue and Bug joins in until River folds. "Okay, okay!" He says with his hands raised, "but, I swear to God, if this gets back to Grayson I am going to tell him that you tortured it out of me."

He runs his fingers down his face to calm himself. "I brought up some dinner for you and when I went to leave it at the door, Grayson opened it like a wild animal. Seriously, he was like half shifted, panting, and completely naked.

"He scared me a little bit so I was like, 'What's up, man?' and he starts freaking the fuck out about how crazy he is going, how hard his dick is, how much your scent and the sight of your naked body is effecting him."

"Where was I?" I ask, confused because I never stepped out of the room during the days of my heat.

"Sleeping. He didn't want to wake you."

"Awww!" Mandy and Iris both call out. I look up and notice that Raven is still there, listening to the story, her face pale.

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to hear about this, but what did you say to him?" Bug asks.

River chuckles. "I told him to wake her up and fuck her, of course."

"Did he?" Mandy blurts out and I'm beginning to realize that this girl has absolutely no filter on her mouth.

I open my mouth, but River beats me to it. "She was moaning before I even got down the stairs."

That comment gets a series of whoops and hollers. My cheeks tint pink. "Don't be embarrassed, Princess," River says, sincere expression cloudy his normally goofy face.

"No, don't be," Bug says, giving me a sideways hug. She doesn't let go as she continues speaking, "As wolves, we love intimacy. We like touching, we like watching other touch. I saw you watching Iris and Niko. That feeling you felt, multiply that by five and that's how we feel when we see you and Grayson."

I smile just as Griffin walks into the kitchen with a stranger. As he walks closer, I realize it's not a stranger, but Griffin and Paloma's father, from the Pine Mountain pack, but the solemn look on his face is something I've never seen on him before.

I stand up to greet him with my pack flanking my backside. "Clara," he starts, "I'm so sorry. Your father..." His voice chokes out, but I still understood the message.

"He's dead?" I ask, my voice void of emotion.

He nods and my stomach sinks.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Hunters. He was on his way back from visiting with Monadnock with Sable, Snow, and Aspen. He sent them ahead and he was shot. It was too fast. They shot to kill."

I feel the hands of my pack members rubbing my arms, holding my hands, touching my back. They are all behind me. Supporting me. "I need to go... I need to see my sister. I need to bury him." My throat is thick with emotion.

"Wait for Grayson to get back. I'll send someone to get him," River says.

"I can't. Have him meet me. I have to go."

River tries to get me to change my mind, but I won't. "I'll go with her," someone says and I look up, meeting Griffin's eyes. I nod at him and he nods back. We'll go back. I'll see Snow and I'll bury my father. Then I'll get to the bottom of this because there is no way that my father would let a hunter trail him without noticing. The facts aren't adding up.