Dominating the Wolf

When  Eli  escorts  an  injured  shifter  to  Stone  Ridge
territory  for  medical  treatment,  he  arrives  in  town
suffering from motion sickness. The last thing he wants
is to meet his  mate while praying to the porcelain god,
but  that’s  exactly  what  happens.  To  make  matters
worse,  being  ill  messes  up  Eli’s  senses  and  he  doesn’t
immediately recognize the cute sub as his mate, sending
the other man running. When Eli catches up with Sam,
it  doesn’t  take  him  long  to  realize  the  wolf  shifter  has
been burned badly in a past relationship. Can he figure
out  a  way  to  earn  Sam’s  trust?  Or  will  his  mate  run  a
second time?

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Dominating the Wolf

ISBN: 978-1-77111-230-7

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Chapter One

li fought down his nausea. It was bad enough he
had to rely on vampires and their private jet to get

him  and  his  wounded  patient to  Denver,  but  now  he’d
managed to get airsick. When his alpha had told him he
was  flying,  Eli  had known  this  would happen, but as a
Dom,  he’d  walk  through  the  fires  of  hell  before
admitting  he suffered  from  severe  motion sickness.  He
would have taken something for it, but that would mean
downing  a triple dose of what  humans would  use  so  it
wouldn’t burn through his system too fast. The problem
with  that  was,  it  would  also  mean  he’d  be  drugged  up
and  couldn’t  properly  care  for  his  patient,  and  that
wouldn’t work either.

At least constantly checking the wounded buffalo

shifter gave Eli  something to concentrate on other than
his  roiling  stomach  and  spinning  head.  It  had  been  an
hour-long  drive  to  Sacramento  where  they’d  met  the
plane,  and  the  flight  was  supposed  to  be  less  than  two
hours. They were thirty minutes outside Denver, and he
couldn’t wait to land.

Eli pushed to his feet and moved carefully down the

aisle, keeping his face perfectly impassive. A couple of
steps brought him to the back of the plane where his
patient rested on a stretcher held still with straps.

Charlie Richards

Leaning  over,  he  checked  the  bandages,  the  IV,  the
oxygen, anything to take his mind off his own troubles.
His patient, Darrell  Angleford, was  mostly  unchanged.
A  little paler, perhaps, due to blood-loss,  but  his  pulse
was  still  steady.  The  buffalo  shifter  had  been  attacked
by  his  own  alpha  for  mating  with  a  human,  poor
bastard.  His  mate  and  two  cubs  were  currently  curled
up near the front of the plane.

He appreciated Yuma’s willingness to come along.

Not only did the  little penguin shifter have a way with
soothing hysterical next of kin, but he didn’t faint at the
sight of blood. He’d acted as Eli’s assistant more times
than  he  could  count  over  the  years.  A  quick  check  of
the front of the plane told Eli that  Yuma, the cubs, and
Darrell’s  mate,  Lydia,  were  catching  a  much  needed
nap.  He  envied  them  that  ability,  but  Eli  knew  even  if
he  didn’t  have  Darrell  to  look  after,  he  wouldn’t  have
been able to sleep.

“How’s he doing?”
The soft voice of the vampire acting as flight

attendant,  more  or  less,  came  from  his  left.  He  stood
next  to  Eli,  staring  down  at  the  injured  shifter.  Eli
thought  the  guy  had  been  introduced  as  Kyle.  He
shrugged.  “He’s  hanging  in  there.  I’m  confident  he’ll
pull through once we get him to safe, proper facilities.”

“And you think these wolves we’re going to are

safe?” Kyle cocked his head, his eyes narrowed with
interest.

Eli met the vampire’s brown-eyed gaze. “Yes,” he

replied. “Although I didn’t actually meet the wolf
alpha, Kontra believes Declan is a fair man, and I trust
my alpha’s judgment.”

Dominating The Wolf

Kyle nodded. He glanced down at the sleeping man

and  Eli  followed  the  look.  Relief  filled  him  when  he
saw  the  lines  of  pain  had  smoothed  out,  allowing  the
shifter to enjoy some discomfort-free rest. “It looks like
you won’t be needed for a bit,” Kyle said, drawing Eli’s
attention back to the vampire. To his surprise, the man
smiled  seductively  and  rested  a  hand  on  Eli’s  bicep.
“You look like you could use a distraction.”

The lust burning in the dark-haired man’s eyes had

Eli’s cock twitching  with  interest. A quick  fuck  would
definitely  give  him  some  time  away  from  trying  to
control  his  body’s  reaction  to  air  travel,  and  Eli  really
didn’t care that the man was a vampire. So, what was it
that  had  his  snake  coiling  tightly  in  irritation?  Never
one  to  ignore  his  snake’s  warning,  Eli  replied,  “I’m
flattered,  but  I’d  best  remain  available  in  case
something  changes  with  my  patient.  Perhaps  if  you’re
still  in  Denver  when  Darrell  is  stable,  we  can  get
together?”

A flicker of disappointment darkened Kyle’s eyes,

but he took the refusal in good stride. “We’ll have to do
that. Here’s my number.”

Eli took the offered slip of paper, and Kyle leaned

closer and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Something to
remember me by,” he whispered before moving on.

He watched the man retreat up the aisle for a second,

before  Eli  spotted  Yuma  watching  him.  The  small
shifter  raised  his  brows,  his  eyes  dancing  with
amusement.  Eli  smirked,  lifted  a  shoulder  in  a  shrug,
and turned back to his patient. To his relief, the captain
ordered  everyone  back  to  their  seats  fifteen  minutes
later.

Charlie Richards

When the plane landed and bounced its way down

the runway, his stomach lurched. Eli closed his eyes
and concentrated on breathing slowly, just managing to
swallow back the bile when his stomach threatened to
expel his dinner. He couldn’t describe the relief he felt
when the plane pulled into a private hangar and came to
a stop.

His relief was short-lived though, because fifteen

minutes  later, Eli  found  himself  and  his  patient  loaded
into a Life Flight helicopter. Eli looked longingly at the
rental car provided for Yuma, allowing him to drive the
patient’s  family  to  Colin  City.  The  helicopter  pilot,
Manon Lemelle, who from his scent was a wolf shifter,
grinned  at  Eli.  “Have  no  fear,  mon  ami.  Doctor
Carmichael  has  cleared  a  room  for  you  and  Doctor
Trystan to work on your friend. We’ll have you there in
good time.”

The ride wasn’t long, but it was enough to finish the

job the plane ride had begun. Eli sure hoped Doctor
Trystan could care for Darrell on his own for a few
minutes, because by the time he arrived at the hospital,
all he managed to do was stumble out of the helicopter
and lose his stomach contents on the landing pad.

An arm slipped around his waist, a firm body

pressed against his side and someone led him away
from the helicopter. His senses reeled. The smell of bile
and stomach acid clung to his tongue and the insides of
his mouth.

Whoever held him

—

a male nurse from the feel of the

sturdy arm around him and the firm body pressed
against him

—

took him into a small bathroom. Eli went

straight to the toilet and emptied his stomach again.

Dominating The Wolf

Hanging his head, he closed his eyes. Internally, he was
cursing a blue streak. He couldn’t remember the last
time he’d felt this bad.

A cool, wet cloth on the back of his neck drew him

out  of  his  misery.  He  grunted  his  thanks.  To  his
surprise,  the  man  didn’t  just  leave.  The  man  placed  a
hand  on  his  back  and  rubbed  gently  between  his
shoulder  blades.  It  was  soothing  and  nice,  and  pissed
him the hell off.

“Don’t you have something else you should be

doing?” he asked, the rawness of his throat and
thickness of his tongue making the words come out
gruffer than he intended.

The hand disappeared, but still he wasn’t left alone.

The stranger murmured, “I just wanted to make sure
you were okay.”

The soft tenor tones were like a caress to his dick,

bringing him to half-mast with just those few words.
Shit! Now is certainly not the time for this! He pried his
eyes open and flushed the toilet. “It’s just motion
sickness,” he snapped. “It’ll pass.”

Moving to the sink, he turned on the water and

rinsed  out  his  mouth.  He  heard  the  man  take  several
steps  toward  the  door,  but  he  didn’t  leave  completely.
Instead,  he  commented,  “I’ve  never  heard  of  a  shifter
getting motion sickness.”

“Fuck off,” he snarled, finally turning his head and

glaring at the man. His face still dripping with water, he
took  his  first  look  at  the  guy,  and  mentally  sighed.  He
was definitely cute, a slender, African American with a
toned,  twink-like  build  and  an  unmistakable  air  of
submission.  The  way  the  guy  looked  at  Eli  with  his

Charlie Richards

dark eyes under dark lashes had his cock hardening
further. If they’d met under any other circumstances, he
would have found a way to get the guy’s number.

A look of confusion crossed the man’s face. “But I-

we—”

“We, what?” Eli snapped, interrupting him.

Frustration at his inability to control his body’s reaction
to  air  travel  had  him  straightening  and  leaning  toward
the  other  man.  With  only  a  few  inches  between  them,
and  the  taste  of  his  own  internal  juices  mostly  cleared
from  his  tongue, the  other  man’s  scent  finally  hit  him.
A wolf shifter, to be sure, but the smell called to Eli on
a  visceral  level.  It  was  sweet,  tangy,  and  in  his  mind
Eli’s snake hissed with pleasure, wanting to coil around
the  man

—

not to hurt him, but to hold him. Realization

hit Eli like a slap in the face. This man was his mate.

He gasped and jerked back. “No, shit, no,” he

whispered, unable to accept not only  how he’d  spoken
to the man, but how their first meeting had taken place.
His  sub  should  never  see  him  as  anything  but  strong,
confident, and able to care for him. “Ah, fucking hell.”
Turning away, Eli ran a hand through his hair, trying to
get  hold  of  not  only  the  roiling  still  going  on  in  his
stomach, but his desire to pull the smaller shifter close
and  taste  him.  He  would  definitely  need  a  toothbrush
before doing that.

“Look,” he started, spinning back around. Eli froze.

The  door  stood  open.  Save  for  himself,  the  washroom
was  empty.  Frowning,  he  stepped  into  the  hall,  but
didn’t  see  the  man  amidst  the  others  hurrying  up  and
down  the  halls.  Eli  tried  to  figure  out  where  the  wolf
would  go,  then  he  thought  back  to  his  words  and

Dominating The Wolf

realized how his behavior probably looked. Groaning in
frustration, Eli leaned against the doorframe for
support. The man must have thought Eli didn’t want
him. His mate was gone.

Oh, hell no! Growling, Eli pushed upright and

inhaled.  Now  that  he  had  some  semblance  of  control
over  his  senses,  he  could  easily  differentiate  amongst
the  scents  filling  the  air.  Turning  left,  his  queasy
stomach forgotten, Eli strode briskly down the hallway.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Two

am rushed through the hospital, fighting back tears,
struggling to keep his composure. His mate didn’t

want him. Sure,  it had  been a shock to realize the sick
man  he  was  helping  from  the  helicopter  was  his  mate.
He’d never been with a man before, had only been with
a  handful  of  women,  really.  But  after  seeing  the  kind
and loving relationships between his friends

—and most

of those pairs were men

—the fact that his own mate

was a guy was something he could accept. Evidently,
the other shifter didn’t feel the same way.

“Whoa! Hey, Sam, where are you going?” The hand

on his arm drew Sam to a stop. He spun around to find
a frowning Doctor Ailean Carmichael looking at him.
The man’s dark brows creased even more as he took in
Sam’s obvious distress. “Is everything okay, Sam? Is
Eli all right?”

Eli. That was the name of his mate. Wrapping his

arms around his waist, he tried to choke out an
explanation. “Eli

—

Eli is—he—”

Ailean wrapped an arm around his shoulders and

drew him into an unused exam room. “Take a deep
breath.”

Dominating The Wolf

Sam obeyed.
“Now another one. Okay, tell me what has you so

worked up.”

“Eli is my mate,” he blurted out.
“Eli? Doctor Eli Raetz? The snake shifter who

brought the buffalo in? That Eli?”

Good grief. His mate was a snake shifter? Hearing

the clearly disbelieving tone in Ailean’s voice, Sam
shrugged. “Yeah.”

Ailean straightened. “Okay. Well, where is he? You

were supposed to bring him to the exam room once he
got over whatever bug bit him in the ass.”

“He had motion sickness,” Sam whispered. “And he

doesn’t want me,” he added forlornly.

The panther shifter leaped to his feet. “Doesn’t want

you!” he growled. “Why the hell not? He doesn’t even
know you!”

“That was a misunderstanding,” Eli stated, sounding

way too calm as he strode into the room.

Sam gasped, taking in the man’s determined

expression.  His  face  was  still  pale  under  what  was
probably  normally tanned skin.  The  man’s deep  brown
eyes stared right at him, too  many emotions to  discern
swirling in their depths. His tall, slender body remained
tense, as if poised to leap at Sam if he tried to get away.
Everything  about  this  man  screamed  dominant,  and
Sam’s wolf shivered, not in fear, but in anticipation.

“But you were cussing and you turned away,” Sam

said slowly, trying to piece together what the
misunderstanding was.

Eli grimaced for just a second, before schooling his

features. “I was cussing at the situation, mate, not at

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you.” Eli glanced pointedly at Ailean, then toward the
door. The order was clear.

“Bring him to the exam room once you’ve

straightened this out,” Ailean said. “Don’t take long.”

Sam watched him go, uncertain if the doctor’s

leaving was a good thing or a bad thing.

Stepping closer, Eli drew Sam’s attention back to

him. “Will you at least tell me your name?”

“Sam. Sam Bailey. I just started as an intern here.

I’m  a  wolf  shifter,  but  you  probably  knew  that.”  His
nerves transferred  into rambling.  “I  live close to Stone
Ridge.  I  don’t  really  have  a  rank  in  the  pack,  but  I’m
pretty near the bottom,” he admitted.

Eli moved even closer and placed his hand gently

over Sam’s  mouth.  “Shush,”  he ordered softly.  “That’s
enough for now. I’ll have to remember you tend to talk
when you get nervous.” He stared  into Sam’s eyes. He
drew  his  hand  away,  and  Sam  managed  to  keep  his
questions  to  himself.  “My  name  is  Eli  Raetz.  I’m  the
doctor  of  my  pack.  Your  being  an  intern  will  be  very
valuable to us.”

He cocked his head in puzzlement. “Your pack?”

Did Eli think he would just drop everything and go with
him to

—

well

—

wherever his pack was from?

“Yes,” Eli replied with a smile. “My pack. Now, as

much as I would love to do all kinds of wicked things to
you, Sam, I did bring in a patient, and from the
comments your doctor friend made, we should really
get in there to help. Come.”

Eli held out his hand. For a second, Sam stared at it

before he tentatively took it. Eli smiled, then led him
through the door. “After we’re done,” Eli added, “we’ll

Dominating The Wolf

have a meal and get to know each other.”

It wasn’t a request, which just enforced Sam’s

feelings that the snake shifter was a Dom. Still, he
replied, “Okay.”

They got to work patching up the injured shifter.

Sam  fought back a shiver when  he  learned the  injuries
had been done by the man’s own alpha. He knew all too
well  how  that  could  happen,  since  his  own  first  alpha
had  tortured  Sam  near  to  death  before  dumping  his
body  in a  forest. Sam shoved those thoughts away and
focused on Doctor Trystan’s directions.

The shifter’s leg had been broken in three places. If

he  were  human,  Darrell  would  be  stuck  in  a  cast  for
months,  then  struggle  through  physical  therapy.  As  it
was, he’d probably  heal  just fine  in a  matter of weeks.
It  was  where  a  horn  had  stabbed  him  in  the  side  that
would cause the most trouble. If the vampires who flew
the  jet  hadn’t  had  some  medical  facilities  and  made
them  available  to  Eli,  the  shifter  probably  wouldn’t
have survived. Sam wondered just who his mate’s alpha
was that he’d have such connections.

He worked side by side with his mate and Doctor

Trystan  while  Doctor  Carmichael  ran  interference  and
made certain the  human doctors working  at Colin  City
Hospital  remained  blissfully  unaware  of  what  was
going on.  Following the other  men’s  instructions, Sam
carefully  placed  clamps,  held  hoses,  and  cleaned  away
blood. It felt good to be part of the team, treated like an
equal. Plus, it gave Sam time to covertly study his mate.

The man was tall, six feet five inches, maybe. Sam

wondered what kind of snake Eli turned into. Whatever
it was, it must be big. The shifter kept his dark brown

Charlie Richards

hair cut short. Eli’s tall frame rippled with lean muscle,
indicating hidden power. His brown eyes were intense,
focused on the task of aiding the injured shifter.

By the time they’d cleaned and closed the wounds,

Sam  was  exhausted.  Technically,  his  shift  had  ended
ten minutes before Darrell arrived,  but he’d never been
more  grateful  he’d  agreed  to  help  Lark  when  he’d
shown up and asked  for assistance. In truth, he’d been
flattered by the alpha-mate’s request.

Sam followed Lark from the room as Ailean took

charge  of  finding  a  safe  place  for  Darrell  to  rest.  An
arm  wrapped  around  his  shoulders  and  pulled  him
against  a  firm  side.  He  unconsciously  nuzzled  against
his  mate’s  chest,  liking  how  they  fit  together.  Sam’s
rather  short  five-foot-ten-inch  frame  put  him  at  the
perfect  height  to  rest  his  head  against  his  mate’s
shoulder.

“Let’s get cleaned up. Then we’ll get out of here,”

Eli murmured into his hair.

“Okay,” he replied.
He led the way to the staff area where they both

scrubbed  down,  then  picked  up  his  clothes  before
guiding his  mate  out of the building. Once clear  of the
hospital,  he  heard  soft  tapping.  Sam  looked  over  his
shoulder to find Eli lifting his phone to his ear. The man
smiled and held a finger to his lips.

“Yuma, this is Eli. Yeah, he’s stable right now.” He

smiled  slightly.  “Let  her  know  he  should  be  just  fine.
The leg will heal up in less than a couple of weeks, and
the  horn  stab  missed  all  internal  organs.”  He  stopped
talking  for  a  second,  evidently  listening  to  Yuma’s
response.  “You’re  at  Declan  and  Lark’s,  right?”

Dominating The Wolf

Another pause. “Well, Lark should be home soon. Talk
to him about visitation. I’m sure he and Ailean will be
able to arrange something.”

After another few words of reassurance, Eli added,

“No, I won’t be back with him. I’m having dinner with
my mate.”

Sam could hear an excited shout through the phone,

and he turned to see an amused look on his mate’s face.
Eli winked at him and pulled him into a one armed hug
as they continued moving through the parking lot.

“I’ll call you later, Yuma.” He ended the call. Eli

turned to Sam and smirked. “My friend is excited to
meet you.”

“Really?” He stopped at his car and nibbled his lip

as a thought struck. “Are you going to be okay in
here?”

Eli’s lips tightened as understanding of Sam’s

concern dawned. “Yes,” he stated evenly. “As long as
I’m in the front seat, I’m fine.”

It was obvious Eli didn’t want to talk about his issue,

so  Sam  let  it  drop.  Instead,  he  asked,  “What  did  you
have  in  mind  for breakfast? I can  make omelets  if  you
want  to  go to  my  apartment,  or  we  could  go out to  an
all-night diner,” he suggested.

“An omelet sounds perfect,” Eli replied, buckling his

seat belt. He turned and grimaced. “I could definitely
stand to brush my teeth and shower, too,” he added
dryly.

Sam nodded. He started the car and headed home. “I

can offer the toothbrush and shower, but I don’t think I
have any clothes that would fit you,” he admitted.

When Eli didn’t respond right away, Sam glanced

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his way. Sam shivered under the heat filling the man’s
brown eyes. “I don’t think clothes will be required for
what I have in mind, Sam.”

A wave of arousal washed over him at the raw

sensuality oozing from his mate’s voice. After licking
his suddenly dry lips, Sam managed to whisper, “Oh.”

Uncertain what else to say, he kept his mouth shut.

Should  he  admit  he  didn’t  know  anything  about  sex
between men? Would that turn his mate off? How could
he  please  Eli  if  the  man  didn’t  instruct  him?  After  ten
minutes  of  internal  debate,  Sam  decided  to  bite  the
bullet  and  admit  his  inexperience,  that  is,  right  after
breakfast.

Leading Eli into his apartment, Sam watched him

surreptitiously. He wondered what his mate would think
of the place. It wasn’t new or fancy, but Sam kept it
clean and orderly. It was his place of solace, his own
space.

Eli smiled at him and waved a hand down the short

hall. “I’ll go clean up and then help you in the kitchen,”
he said.

Sam nodded. “Clean towels are under the sink. Help

yourself to anything.”

“Thank you.” Eli leaned down and brushed a kiss to

Sam’s cheek. The brief  contact sent tingles over  Sam’s
skin and a flush working up his neck. Sam watched the
sexy  man  walk  away,  his  ass  flexing  in  his  jeans.  His
cock  thickened  at  the  alluring  sight.  When  the  water
turned  on,  he  suppressed  a  groan  and  hurried  to  the
kitchen,  if  only  to  stop  himself  from  running  after  the
man and trying to catch a peek at a wet, naked Eli.

Giving himself something else to focus on, Sam

Dominating The Wolf

pulled  out  ingredients  and  started  making  the  omelets
he’d promised Eli. He went all out, wanting to impress
his  mate,  dicing  mushrooms,  red  and  green  peppers,
and  shredding  ample  cheese.  After  a  moment’s
hesitation,  he  pulled  out  his  favorite  spicy  summer
sausage from the back of his refrigerator and chopped a
fair amount to add some kick to the food.

He pulled out several cinnamon rolls he’d bought

yesterday from his favorite new bakery and put them in
the stove to reheat slowly. By the time they’d be ready,
so would the omelets. Gods, nothing tasted better then
warm, sweet rolls combined with spicy, cheesy omelets.
Yum!

Humming happily, Sam lost himself in the familiar

routine of cooking. He nearly hit the ceiling when
strong bare arms wrapped around him from behind,
locking him in a secure embrace.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Three

li loosened his hold, but didn’t let go. “Easy, Sam,”
he crooned into his mate’s ear. “It’s just me.” It

didn’t  take  a  rocket  scientist  to  realize  someone  had
messed  his  boy  up  bad.  Keeping  his  anger  hidden
deeply  away,  he  focused  on  the  soft  whimper  that
escaped  Sam’s  lips  as  he  sagged  against  Eli.  Nibbling
Sam’s neck, he whispered against his ear, “That’s it. I’d
never hurt you, my mate.”

“Sorry,” Sam immediately whispered. “I

—

you

startled me,” he finished lamely.

Pressing a wet, sucking kiss on the sensitive flesh

behind Sam’s ear, Eli enjoyed the shiver working
through the small wolf’s body. He’d have to discover a
way to get Sam past his initial response to apologize,
but he figured that’d be a long process.

He pulled away slowly, giving Sam plenty of time to

regain his footing “Those smell delicious,” he praised.
Catching another smell, he asked, “Why do I scent
something sweet?”

“Oh, those are the cinnamon rolls,” Sam replied. He

swung around and handed Eli the two plates with the
large omelets on them. Eli took them without question

Dominating The Wolf

and watched Sam use a potholder to pull a small pan
from the oven.

“You made cinnamon rolls?” he asked, heading to

what passed for the dining room, a little table pressed
up against the wall. He had to hand it to his mate. Sam
did a fantastic job of making the small place into a
comfortable home.

“No, these are from the new bakery in town,” Sam

admitted, setting the plate on the table.

“Ah,” Eli murmured. A suspicion of who made them

filled Eli and when he took a bite of one of the soft,
gooey confections, his suspicion was confirmed. He let
out a low, appreciative moan. “Gods, I’ve missed
Brad’s cooking.”

Sam cocked his head in a move very reminiscent of

a quizzical canine. “You know Brad?”

It hit Eli that he hadn’t actually told Sam anything

about  his  pack.  He’d  just  assumed  his  mate  knew,
which  was  pretty  foolish  on  his  part.  Cutting  into  the
omelet,  he  took  a  bite  and  nodded.  He  moaned
approvingly  at  the  spicy  omelet’s  taste.  “Wonderful,
Sam.”  At Sam’s pleased  flush, he  answered  his  mate’s
earlier  question.  “Yes.  Brad  used  to  travel  with  us.
When  we  came  through  this  area  two  months  ago,  he
scented his mate in a club.” Smiling at the memory, Eli
added,  “He  stayed  behind  with  Dagus  when  the  gang
had to move on, but we remain in contact with him.”

“Oh, wow,” Sam whispered, his face paling. “Kontra

is your alpha?”

Eli nodded, taking in his mate’s reaction. Sure,

Kontra was a badass grizzly shifter, but why would
Sam be afraid of him? And from the scent his mate was

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giving off, it was definitely fear. “What’s wrong, my
sub? Did you meet him?”

A tremble worked through Sam’s body, telling Eli

just how affected Sam was by that news. “Yes. I was
one of the wolves who attacked Brad.”

The whispered admission barely carried to Eli’s

sensitive ears. “You what?” he snapped, unable to hide
his surprise. “Why would you do that?”

Sam’s shoulders hunched, and if he’d been in wolf

form, his tail would have been tucked firmly between
his legs. “I’m sorry,” he squeaked.

Getting his emotions back under control, Eli leaned

over and hauled his trembling mate into his lap. At first
Sam  wriggled,  trying  to  get  away,  but  Eli  refused  to
release him. He crooned nonsense into his sub’s ear and
threaded  his  fingers  through  Sam’s  curly,  black  hair.
The course strands scraped against the sensitive pads of
his skin and the thought of how it would feel against his
dick  had  the  member  in  question  jerking  beneath  the
towel.

“Calm down, my sub. I remember Brad telling us

what happened now. I didn’t realize you were involved
in  the  incident.”  And  even  if  he  had,  Eli  should  never
have  snapped  at  the  man.  It  was  terrifyingly  obvious
that  Sam  pretty  much  did  whatever  a  more  dominant
shifter told him. He’d have to find a way to change that,
too. Sam should only follow Eli’s or his alpha’s orders
from now on.

Sam wriggled against him, this time to work himself

into a more comfortable position. The movement had
him pressing against Eli’s thick erection, and he hissed
out a breath, freezing Sam in place.

Dominating The Wolf

“I’m sorry.”
Closing his eyes, Eli rested his forehead against

Sam’s temple. “Don’t ever apologize for what you do to
me, Sam,” he admonished gently. “Just remain still and
let me hold you.”

“I’ve never done anything with a man before,” Sam

blurted. “I don’t know how to please you.”

The surprising admission from his sexy mate had a

blast of need coursing through him. Gods, is my mate
completely untouched? Reining in his desires, Eli
asked, “Have you had experience with women?”

Sam’s chocolate skin warmed under his touch. It

told Eli that if the man had fairer skin, he’d be blushing.
“A little. It’s pretty easy to see that I’m shy, and then
after Carol…” Sam shuddered. “I swore off
relationships.”

Keeping Sam’s face tucked under his chin to hide his

narrowing eyes, Eli speculated about Sam’s words. Was
Carol  the  one  who’d  hurt  him?  Hopefully,  he’d  feel
comfortable  telling  Eli  about  her  at  some  point  in  the
future.  After  schooling  his  features,  Eli  cupped  Sam’s
jaw and tilted his  head back so he could  look his  mate
in  the  eye.  “I  will  do  everything  in  my  power  to  only
bring you pleasure, my sub,” he vowed.

It pleased Eli that Sam held his gaze. Then the man

asked, “Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Calling you what?”
“A sub. What’s a sub?”
“A submissive, my mate.” Eli smiled while rubbing

the pad of his thumb up and down Sam’s jaw line. “You
like to follow orders, be dominated by a lover, be taken
care of by a more dominant person.”

Charlie Richards

A crease appeared between Sam’s brows as he

nodded slightly. “Yeah, I see. I do,” he agreed. “And
you’re okay with that?”

Eli grinned. “Considering I am a dominant, yes, that

will  work  perfectly  for  us.  Fate  knows  what  she’s
doing.” He leaned down and settled his lips over Sam’s.
Fighting  back  his  initial  instinct  to  just  take  what  he
wanted,  Eli  massaged  his  lips  against  Sam’s,  coaxing
the  man’s  mouth  to  respond.  Sam  sank  into  Eli’s
embrace,  giving  up  control  so  sweetly.  Eli  slid  his
tongue  into  Sam’s  mouth,  tasting  his  mate  fully.  The
sweetness  of  the  cinnamon  roll  mixed  with  the  natural
male  musk  of  Sam  threatened  to  overwhelm  Eli’s
senses.

Sucking gently on Sam’s bottom lip, Eli brought the

kiss  to  an  end.  He  reluctantly  released  Sam’s  lip  and
smiled down at his mate’s dazed expression.  “First, we
will finish this amazing breakfast you made us, then we
will  go  to  your  bedroom  so  I  can  explore  your  sexy
body.”  He  couldn’t  stop  the  slight  growl  filling  his
words as he expressed his intentions.

“O-okay,” Sam stuttered.
Tension again coiled through the muscles of the man

on his  lap. That  just wouldn’t do. Cutting a  bite  of the
omelet,  he  fed  it  to  Sam  as  he  whispered  into  his  ear,
“No  penetration  this  time,  baby.  You’ve  never  been
with a man, so we’ll just get used to each other, hmm?”
He  might  have  made  it sound  like a question, but both
of them knew it wasn’t.

Still, Sam nodded, and Eli found he liked the fact

that his mate would, at least sometimes, express his
opinion on things. Before long the food was gone.

Dominating The Wolf

“That was delicious, Sam,” he stated. “I don’t know
what all you put in that omelet, but you can make it for
me anytime!”

Pleasure lit up Sam’s eyes. “I enjoy cooking, but

sometimes it gets lonely only making food for one.”

“You won’t have to worry about that ever again,

Sam,” Eli assured. “Although, finding hotel rooms with
kitchens isn’t always as easy as one would think while
traveling on the road.”

His reference to his gang and their wandering ways

had  some  of  the  light  in  Sam’s  eyes  dimming.  Not
liking  that  one  bit,  and  not ready  to  have  an  argument
about  it  just  yet,  Eli  let  it  go. Eli’s  place  was  with  his
gang,  and  Sam’s  place  was  with  Eli,  even  if  his  mate
wasn’t  yet  ready  to  accept  it  meant  living  the  life  of  a
nomad.  He  set  Sam  on  his  feet  and  led  the  way  down
the  hall  toward  the  bedroom,  ready  to  show  his  mate
just how perfect they were together.

“What about the dishes?” Sam said, dragging his feet

as he looked over his shoulder.

“They’ll be there when we’re done,” Eli assured,

unwilling to wait another minute to touch his mate.
Once they reached the small bedroom, he glanced at the
bed’s wood frame, impressed with the sturdy design. It
would do nicely for what he had in mind. Dropping his
towel, he turned to Sam and ordered, “Strip.”

Eli pulled the comforter and sheet down, then turned

back  to  find  Sam  just  standing  there.  A  wide-eyed
expression on his face, Sam stared at Eli’s naked, very
erect  cock  in  open-mouthed  shock.  Okay,  Eli  should
have  known  he’d  have  to take this  part  a  little  slower,
but  after  holding  his  mate  and  breathing  in  his  scent

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while eating, Eli needed relief.

Letting his desire shine in his eyes, Eli prowled

toward Sam. “My mate,” he growled out. “Time for
pleasure, my mate.”

Sam moaned, and Eli couldn’t help but reach out and

palm  his  mate  through  his  hospital  scrubs.  The  thin
green  pants  really  couldn’t  begin  to  hide  Sam’s
erection. A firm squeeze had a gasp escaping his wolf’s
lips  and  Eli  smiled.  “Now  that  I  have  your  attention,”
he crooned, pumping once through the fabric, “take off
your clothes, Sam.”

Releasing Sam so the man could obey was one of the

hardest things Eli had ever had to do in his life. All he
really wanted to do was spin the man around, bend him
over  the  dresser,  and  pound  into  his  tight  ass.  But  he
couldn’t do that yet. He’d promised no penetration, and
Eli  would  be damned  if  he’d  break that promise  to his
sweet,  inexperienced  sub.  A  slow  exhale  went  a  long
way in settling Eli.

Once the last scrap of clothes fell from Sam’s body,

Eli nodded toward the bed. “Kneel on the bed and grab
the headboard with both hands,” he ordered, careful to
keep his tone soft while still commanding. He nearly bit
his tongue to hold back the groan as he watched Sam’s
sexy ass flex when he obeyed and crawled onto the bed
and into position.

A firm grip on the base of his dick helped ease Eli’s

desire to come. He eased onto the bed and moved up
behind the man. “Now,” he whispered close to Sam’s
ear, “you need to decide on a safe word.”

“What for? Are you going to hurt me?” Sam asked,

his voice taking on a tremulous quality.

Dominating The Wolf

“Only in the best possible way, baby,” Eli crooned,

running a hand down Sam’s  side.  “But I don’t want to
cause  more  pain  than  what  you’ll  enjoy,  and  only  you
know where that line is. If you don’t like what I do, you
say  your  safe  word  and  everything  stops.  Make  it
something  you’ll  remember,  but  something  you
wouldn’t normally say during sex,” Eli instructed.

Looking over his shoulder at Eli, Sam licked his lips.

“Okay. Um, how about lemon drops?”

Eli held back a snort of laughter, but he couldn’t

stop his brows from lifting. “Lemon drops?”

“I really like them,” he admitted, “but I wouldn’t

think I’d ask for them during sex.”

“Gods, I sure hope not, or I’m not doing something

right,”  Eli  muttered.  He  leaned  close,  laying  his  chest
against  Sam’s  back.  “Lemon  drops  it  is,”  he  breathed
into Sam’s ear before nibbling the sensitive skin below
it. He relished the reward of Sam’s full body shiver. “I
think  we’ll  start  with  sixteen  swats  this  time,”  he  said
softly, “just to gauge your tolerance.”

Before Sam could come up with a response, Eli gave

him  a  firm  but  gentle  smack  on  his  ass,  then  rubbed
away the sting with his palm. Sam gasped, but gave no
indication  he  planned  to  stop  their  interaction.  He
smacked  Sam’s  other  cheek,  soothing  it  in  the  same
manner. Sam shuddered.

Eli took that as a good sign, and began a steady rain

of  smacks.  Alternating  between  cheeks,  he  worked  the
skin  from  the  top  of  Sam’s  ass  to  his  upper  thighs.
While his hands worked, Eli laid a sensual assault with
his  lips  and  tongue  on  the  skin  at  the  nape  of  Sam’s
neck, his collarbone, and upper spine.

Dominating The Wolf

Chapter Four

am moaned. It had been so long since he’d allowed
himself to give in to his need to be dominated by a

lover,  but nothing  in  his past could  have prepared him
for  this  level  of  expertise  and  care.  Eli’s  hands  were
like  gold,  leaving  heat  and  sensation  and  just the  right
mixture of pleasure and pain zinging across his skin and
through his system.

His dick felt harder than he could ever remember

being, and  after that first well-placed blow, Sam  found
himself  rocking  into  each  subsequent  slap  as  it  landed
on  his  skin.  He  was  struggling  not  to  come  when,
suddenly, the slaps stopped. A hand rubbed the abused
flesh, sending  even  more  warm tingles through him.  A
drop  of  pre-cum  oozed  from  the  slit  of  his  dick  and  a
whine escaped him.

Instead of punishing him, Eli reached around and

palmed Sam’s dick. “Gods, you took that so well, baby.
Are you ready to come for me, Sam?” he crooned.

“Y-yes, please,” he hissed.
Eli pressed against him, and he felt his mate’s thick

erection press between his abused butt cheeks. The
bigger man rubbed his dick between the valleys of his

Charlie Richards

ass, the strokes stimulating his heated flesh. Eli’s large
hand  stroked  his  sensitive  cock  in  time  with  his
movements.  Sam  struggled  to  hold  on,  his  breath
coming  in  ragged  pants.  Beads  of  sweat trickled  down
his  temples.  His  testicles  were  pulled  so  tight  he
thought they might have crawled up into his body.

A tongue lapped up the sweat right before Eli

growled, “Come for me, Sam.”

Sam shouted hoarsely as his cock pulsed, his body

jerking  and  twitching  in  Eli’s  firm  grasp.  His  semen
streaked  in  hard  spurts  from  his  dick  as  a  wash  of
pleasure  coursed  through  him,  sending  him  spiraling
into the realm of bliss. Eli continued to massage  Sam’s
shaft,  forcing  more  and  more  waves  of  endorphins
pinging  through  his  bloodstream,  and  it  felt  like  the
pleasure would never end.

The feel of Eli’s rough palms smoothing over his

chest  helped  Sam  slowly  settle  back  into  his  body.  Eli
nuzzled  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  Sam  realized  the
bigger  man  was  holding  him  up,  since  his  arms  had
gone completely limp.

“Ho-how did you know?” he gasped out when he

could finally form a coherent thought.

“Mmm, how did I know what you needed?” Eli

asked,  clarifying.  Sam  jerked  a  nod.  “You  were  so
tense,  my  mate.  You  needed  a  release,  to  let  yourself
come apart in someone else’s arms. Who better to take
care  of  you  than  your  mate?”  Eli  pressed  a  kiss  to the
nape of his neck. “Besides, I’ve seen the signs in others.
I  wouldn’t  be  a  very  good  Dom  if  I  didn’t  recognize
them in my own mate, would I?”

The reminder that his mate had far more experience

Dominating The Wolf

than he could ever dream of having brought Sam down
from his natural high with a bump. “Oh, right,” he
whispered.

“Hey,” Eli growled, somehow picking up on Sam’s

sudden mood swing. “Did it feel like I wasn’t enjoying
things?” he asked gruffly, rubbing his hips against
Sam’s ass.

It was then that Sam became aware of the cooling

semen dripping down his back, ass, and thighs. “You
got off, too?”

“Of course, I did,” Eli replied. “You were so hot in

your enjoyment. How could I not?”

“Oh,” he murmured, surprised yet pleased. “Wow.”
“Yes, wow.” He pressed a kiss to Sam’s temple and

lowered him to the bed. “I’m going to get a cloth to
clean us up, then we need some rest.”

Sam didn’t bother to reply. His eyes slipped closed

as  he  listened  to  Eli  pad  across  the  room.  The  faucet
turned  on,  and  a  moment  later,  a  warm,  wet  cloth
moved  over  his  skin.  Sam  moaned  his  pleasure  at  the
intimate gesture. Eli eased Sam onto his stomach,  then
rubbed lotion onto his backside. Tingles erupted across
Sam’s skin and his cock stirred.

“Mmm, I do like the way you smell, my mate,” Eli

growled  against  his  neck.  He  pulled  Sam  into  his
embrace,  tucking  his  back  against  Eli’s  front.  The
man’s  arms  around  him  made  Sam  feel  protected  and
cared for. “Sleep.”

That was the last order he heard and he happily

succumbed.

An unfamiliar sound intruded into Sam’s wonderful

Charlie Richards

dream where he felt safe and cared for, pulling him
from sleep. The stirring of a warm body behind him had
the events of the previous night rushing back. It hadn’t
been a dream. He really had found his mate and the
man seemed to want him.

“Yeah.”
Eli’s sexy, sleep deepened voice rumbled across the

space between them, and Sam realized it was his mate’s
phone that had woken him. “Good to hear, Yuma.” A
pause. “No, I haven’t told him yet.” Eli chuckled softly.
“We both know he’ll be happy, just a little surprised.”
Eli paused again then sighed. “Okay. We’ll be there this
evening.”

Sam worried his lip while watching Eli disconnect

the  call  and  set  the  phone  on  the  nightstand.  He
wondered  if  he  had  a  right  to  question  his  mate  about
the call, or if he should wait to see if Eli would just tell
him. Eli rolled over and spotted Sam watching him. The
bronzed god in his bed smiled at him, then wrapped an
arm  around  his  waist  and  pulled  him  tight  against  his
chest.

“We’re expected for dinner at Declan’s this

evening,” Eli told him.

He nodded. “Okay.”
“A couple of members of my gang will be there, too.

I’ll introduce you to Kontra as my mate.”

“Will he—will he be okay with that?” Sam managed

to ask the question that concerned him most, then saw
Eli’s frown of confusion. “I mean, because of what
happened before?”

“Ah, I see what you’re asking, and I’ve never known

Kontra to hold a grudge.” Eli cupped Sam’s jaw and

Dominating The Wolf

tilted his head to the side, then nibbled along his
collarbone. “Everything will be fine,” he crooned.

A shiver worked through Sam’s body and his

morning wood firmed further in excited expectation.
“Oh,” he gasped when Eli slipped his hand down and
wrapped his long fingers around his shaft.

“Now, my mate,” Eli growled out softly as he

continued to pump Sam’s dick, “I plan to bury my cock
in your ass.”

“Oh,” he whispered again. He didn’t know if it was

fear or excitement that made him shiver. When Eli gave
his  dick  another  slow  stroke,  he  groaned.  Definitely
excitement.  He  didn’t  offer  any  resistance  when  Eli
pushed  him  to  his  back,  easily  letting  his  mate  take
control.

Eli grabbed his wrists and pulled Sam’s hands above

his head. He wrapped Sam’s fingers around the spindles
of his headboard and ordered, “Keep them there.”

Leaning to the side, Eli pulled open Sam’s

nightstand drawer. He grunted his satisfaction and
pulled out the bottle of lube Sam used to occasionally
assist with jacking off.

Sam trembled as Eli pulled the covers off and

shoved them to the foot of the bed. Eli’s gaze roving
over his skin was almost like a physical caress.

“You’re stunning, Sam,” Eli purred, the sound

seeming to come from deep in his throat.

Finally, Eli reached up and skimmed the tips of two

fingers  up  the  inside  of  Sam’s  knee  and  thigh.  The
touch  stopped  just  shy  of  his  groin  and  Sam’s  shaft
jerked and flexed in the air, as if  begging  for attention.
Eli  stared  at  him,  a  pleased  smile  curving  his  lips.

Charlie Richards

Leaning down, Eli followed the same path with his
mouth. He placed soft, open-mouthed kisses on Sam’s
skin.

Sam’s flesh came alive at the contact, goose-bumps

breaking out on his skin. Eli’s nose bumped Sam’s balls
and  nuzzled  them  gently,  then  the  man  nipped  at  the
sensitive skin of his sacks. Sam gasped then bleated out
a  strangled  moan.  He  grew  lightheaded  and  had  to
remind himself to breathe as Eli drew  his  balls into his
mouth and sucked.

He spread his legs wide, his body bowing, trying to

get closer to that talented mouth.

“Mmm, so responsive,” Eli murmured against his

skin as he rose higher and licked the head of Sam’s
dick.

“Eli,” he whimpered. His penis was so hard it hurt.

He needed like never before.

His mate must have understood what that one word

meant, for in the next instant, his shaft was engulfed in
warm,  sucking  heat.  Sam  let  out  a  strangled  cry,  his
hips  bucking  convulsively.  A  lean-fingered  hand
splayed  over  his  stomach,  holding  him  still.  With  his
other hand, Eli reached between Sam’s legs and pressed
a well-lubed digit into him.

Sam didn’t remember hearing or seeing Eli open the

slick, but with the way his body accepted the invasion,
he  quickly  stopped  thinking  about  it.  Then  he  could
think  of  nothing  at  all  as  Eli  played  his  body  with  a
familiarity  that  had  sensations  pouring  through  Sam
that  he’d  never  experienced  before.  Sparks  of  pleasure
shot  through  his  ass  from  where  Eli  pegged  his  gland
again and again. He rocked between the twin points of

Dominating The Wolf

ecstasy, the sucking on his dick and the fingers working
his ass. When the hand on Sam’s stomach slid up and
pinched Sam’s nipple, he couldn’t have stopped his
orgasm even if he’d tried.

Cum erupted from his cock, filling his mate’s mouth.

Eli drank it down, continuing to work Sam’s dick with
his tongue, heightening his pleasure, sending heady
endorphins pinging through his system. A soft whimper
escaped him when Eli pulled his fingers from his hole
and released his shaft.

With his eyes at half-mast, he watched Eli crawl up

his  body  to  cover  him.  The  head  of  the  man’s  dick
nudged  his  hole,  and  as  Eli  held  his  gaze  steadily,  he
pressed  in.  Sam  instinctively  tightened  against  the
pressure, and Eli growled.

“Push out, Sam,” he ordered. “Let me in.”
Sam obeyed, and immediately the sensations became

more comfortable. Eli’s slender erection slid the rest of
the way inside him. Eli’s balls brushed against his crack
as the man held his position over him, his dark eyes
boring into Sam’s. Eli lowered his head and captured
Sam’s mouth in a deep, carnal kiss, thrusting his tongue
in deep, nipping and nibbling his lower lip.

Eli’s hips began to move, drawing his shaft slowly

out  then  pushing  back  in.  Sam  found  himself
whimpering and moaning into the kiss, his hips rocking
to meet each of Eli’s deep thrusts. Eli dragged his cock
over  Sam’s  gland,  and  his  shaft  filled  again.  His
sensitive  head  rubbed  against  Eli’s  abs  as  the  bigger
man  moved  above  him.  Eli  stroked  Sam’s  body,
pinching  and  pulling  his  nipples,  tickling  his  ribs,
gripping his ass and hips. His mate seemed  determined

Charlie Richards

to consume him, to imprint his very essence on Sam’s
soul. Then Eli snaked a hand between them and gripped
Sam’s erection.

He lifted his head, breaking the kiss, but the rhythm

of his hips never faltered. Eli matched the stroking of
Sam’s cock to the punishing thrusts in his ass. His dark
eyes roved over Sam’s face as he kept his weight on
one elbow. “I want to see you come apart for me, Sam,”
Eli crooned. “Come for me.”

Eli issued the command as he massaged the sensitive

flesh  just  under  the  head  of  his  dick,  and  Sam  was
helpless  to  do  anything  but  obey.  His  balls  contracted
and his penis exploded, painting both of their stomachs
and chests with  his cum. His ass clenched on the  shaft
nestled  inside  him  and  Eli  groaned.  The  man’s  body
jerked,  his  hips  stuttered,  then  he  roared  his  release  as
he filled Sam’s ass with his essence.

Sam thought the tortured expression twisting Eli’s

face while in the throes of orgasm was the most
beautiful thing he’d ever seen. That was the last thought
Sam had before darkness swallowed his pleasure drunk
mind and he passed out.

Dominating The Wolf

Chapter Five

he only way Eli could have been more pleased with
himself was if he’d claimed Sam, but fucking him

into  unconsciousness  was  definitely  a  close  second.
After  cleaning  them  both  up,  he’d  reclined  on  the  bed
and  held  his  sleeping  Sam.  He  couldn’t  remember  a
time  when  he’d  been  so  relaxed,  so  sated,  and  if  he’d
had his way, Eli would spend the next week in bed with
his mate.

As it was, he could only let Sam sleep for another

hour  or  so  before  they  needed  to  get  ready  to  head  to
Declan’s  for  dinner.  He  snagged  his  phone  from  the
nightstand  and  hit  one  on  speed  dial.  He  wasn’t
surprised when the call went to voicemail.

“Hey, Kontra. I met my mate. His name is Sam

Bailey. You’ve met him, since he was involved in that
incident with Brad. I’ll be bringing him to Declan’s
tonight. See you then.”

He hung up and slipped from the bed, pressing a kiss

to  Sam’s  forehead.  He  found  a  washer  and  dryer
stacked in a closet and took the liberty of  borrowing  it
to wash his clothes. Smiling at the memory of the tasty
meal his mate had made for him,  Eli  made quick work

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of cleaning the small kitchen.

“You didn’t have to do that.”
Sam’s soft voice sounded behind him just as Eli was

drying the last pan. He turned and smiled at his mate. “I
know, but you looked like you needed your sleep and I
needed something to do.” He crossed to Sam, sank his
fingers into the man’s wiry curls, and tilted his chin up.
Eli liked how Sam immediately opened to him when his
lips claimed him. He liked it even more when Sam
plastered his body against his and moaned into the kiss.
Oh, yeah. That’s good.

His naked cock firmed up quickly, pressing into

Sam’s stomach. A growl rumbled through his chest and
Sam whimpered so nicely. To his surprise and pleasure,
Sam broke the kiss and dropped to his knees. The man
stared up at him through his lashes as he reached out
and wrapped a hand around Eli’s dick. A soft growl of
pleasure escaped him when Sam leaned in and licked
the head.

He cupped the back of Sam’s head, offering support

and encouragement as the man sucked the cap into his
mouth. Warm, wet heat coupled with the innocent
brown eyes staring up at him, seeking reassurance, just
about had him shooting right then. His balls drew tight
against his body, but he ruthlessly squashed his need to
come.

Sam rested one hand on Eli’s thigh for balance then

pulled more of Eli’s dick into the blissful cavern of his
hot mouth. Going too far, Sam choked slightly and had
to back off.

“Easy, baby. Just take what you can,” Eli murmured

when Sam went down on him again. “Wrap your fist

Dominating The Wolf

around the base.”

His mate followed his instruction and began working

him with his mouth and hand. Sam traced the throbbing
vein  running  up  the  underside  of  his  dick,  delved  his
tongue  into the  slit,  and  massaged  the  sensitive  nerves
under the cap, all while  jacking the  base of Eli’s  stalk.
Seeing  his  mate  on  his  knees  combined  with  the
pleasure  Sam  was  giving  him  brought  Eli  back  to  the
edge in a matter of moments.

“I’m going to come, sweet sub,” he warned. Eli

loosened his grip, letting his mate decide if he wanted
to pull back.

Instead of pulling away, Sam seemed to double his

efforts.  He  sucked  strongly  while  cupping  Eli’s  balls,
rolling the orbs in their sack. It was too much, and oh so
good, and Eli  came with a  long,  low groan as  his dick
shot out stream after stream of seed into Sam’s mouth.
To his pleasure, Eli  watched Sam swallow every  drop.
He even licked Eli’s softening shaft clean.

Grunting, Eli pulled away from Sam’s ministrations

and  grabbed  his  mate  under  the  arms.  He  hauled  Sam
up  and  lifted  him  onto  the  kitchen  counter  before
inserting  himself  between  the  wolf  shifter’s  legs.  He
gripped Sam’s hard shaft in a tight fist and stroked.

Sam’s mouth dropped open as he panted, his head

falling back on his shoulders.

“Come, Sam,” Eli ordered, nearly as desperate to see

the look of bliss cover his mate’s face as he had been to
enjoy  his  own  release.  Never  had  he  needed  to  please
his lover as much as he needed to please Sam. It scared
him  and  excited  him  all  at  the  same  time.  As  he
watched  Sam  shoot,  shouting  his  joy  to  the  ceiling  as

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pleasure contorted his features, it hit Eli with startling
clarity. He would do anything for this man. Anything!
Somehow, I already love him!

He held the panting man close, stroking his back,

letting  Sam  relax  in  his  arms  as  the  wolf  came  down
from  his  endorphin  high.  Eli  nuzzled  Sam’s  neck,
nibbling  the  tendons  there.  The  urge  to  claim  the  man
rode  him  hard,  but  he  wanted  Sam’s  trust  first,  and  he
knew he didn’t have that yet.

“I’m going to toss my clothes into the dryer, then

we’ll hop in the shower and get cleaned up,” Eli said.
“Then we need to head to Declan’s.”

Within two hours, they pulled up outside a large

stone  and  log  style  building  tucked  deep  in  the  woods
near  Stone  Ridge.  To  Eli,  it  looked  more  like  a  lodge
than a home, but he recognized the rented SUV that had
been  provided  to  Yuma,  so  he  knew  they  were  in  the
right place.

Eli eased out of the car and the scents of various

shifters hit him. A quick scan of the trees showed him a
motorcycle  tucked  beneath  the  shade  and  he  grinned.
The  front  door  of  the  home  slammed  open  and  the
blond  man  who  rode  the  large  bike  appeared,  a  large
smile revealing even white teeth.  “Hey, Eli! Long time
no see, man!”

Striding forward, Eli grabbed the man and gave him

a big hug. “Brad! How have you been, old friend? I’ve
already sampled your cinnamon rolls, so your bakery
must be up and running.”

To his surprise, a low growl reverberated behind

him, and Eli looked over his shoulder. He released his

Dominating The Wolf

friend  when  he  saw  the  scowl  marring  his  mate’s
slender  features.  Brad  lifted  his  hands  in  a  placating
gesture.  “Hey,  sorry,  Sam.  We’re  just  old  friends.
Yuma told me you all were mates. Congratulations.”

Eli felt a rush of pleasure from Sam’s jealous

reaction.  Not  that  he  wanted  to  upset  his  mate,  but  he
liked the idea of Sam not wanting him to touch others.
It  wasn’t  practical,  Eli  knew,  but  it  still  felt  good,  just
the same. He figured he’d probably react the same way,
if  not  more  strongly,  if  someone  he  didn’t  know  well
hugged his mate.

Taking three steps backward, Eli wrapped an arm

around Sam’s shoulders and pulled him against his side.
He  leaned  down  and  pressed  a  hard  kiss  to  Sam’s
temple.  “Relax,  my  mate.  You’ll  get  used  to  how
touchy-feely  my  gang  members  are.  In  the  meantime,
growl  away.  Just  don’t  attack  anyone,”  he  added,
teasing.

“Sam, is there something ye want to tell me?”
The Irish accented voice had the three men turning

toward  the  porch.  Declan  McIntire,  the  alpha  wolf,
leaned  casually  against  the  railing,  if  there  could  be
anything casual about a six foot three, heavily  muscled
African  American  predator  staring  intently  at  them.
Sam’s  body  vibrated  slightly  in  his  arms  as  a  shiver
passed through his mate under Declan’s intense focus.

“Alpha, this is Eli Raetz. He’s my mate. I met him

yesterday at the hospital,” Sam rushed to say.

Eli gave the shoulder he held a squeeze, helping his

mate settle. “We’re getting to know each other,” he
stated calmly. “But at some point, I plan to talk him
into leaving your pack for me. My home is on the road

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with my gang.”

He felt the tension in Sam’s body intensify

immediately, but Eli didn’t turn to the man. He knew
Sam would be stressed about leaving his pack, but his
place really was on the road. His gang needed him and
his abilities, and Sam’s skills would come as a valuable
asset as well.

“I see,” Declan rumbled. “If that is what ye want,

Sam, I’ll support ye,” the alpha said, looking at the
wolf. “Ye’ll be missed, Sam. Ailean and Lark tell me
ye’re learning quickly.”

“I…” For a second, Eli thought Sam would out and

out refuse to leave his pack, but then the sweet sub
lowered his head and murmured, “We haven’t
discussed it, but mates should stay together, and it’d be
nice to be needed.”

Eli smiled, liking his mate’s logic. He pressed

another kiss to Sam’s temple. “You are needed, babe,”
he crooned. “I need you.”

Sam jerked his head up and looked at him, his eyes

wide. His mouth opened and closed in obvious surprise.

“Well, I for one will be very happy to bequeath the

job  of  doctor’s  assistant  to  you,”  Yuma  said,  drawing
everyone’s  attention  back  to  the  porch.  “No  offense,
Eli,”  he  added  with  a  grin,  “but  that  wasn’t  really  my
first choice for a hobby.”

Eli smirked. “But you do it very well, Yuma.”
“Meh.” The man shrugged. He stepped forward and

gave Eli a hug. “I’m glad to see you looking so happy,”
he whispered into Eli’s ear. Then Yuma turned and
hugged Sam. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Sam murmured.

Dominating The Wolf

Lark appeared in the doorway and clapped his hands

to  get  everyone’s  attention.  “Food’s  almost  ready.  Do
you know when  your  friends are supposed to get  here,
Yuma?  We  have  a  pack  meeting  at  nine  this  evening
and can’t be late.”

The small, dark-haired shifter shrugged. “Probably

within the next half hour.”

“We’ll be out of your hair long before then,” Eli

assured. “Anything interesting going on?” He didn’t
really expect an answer, since he wasn’t part of their
pack, so it surprised him when Declan answered.

“Nothing too serious,” the alpha stated. “We’re

giving half a dozen wolves the opportunity to earn a
position as one of two new enforcers for the pack.
We’ve grown quite a bit over the last year.”

“Ah, good luck to them,” Eli replied. While it was

never  questioned  that  Kontra  was  the  alpha  of  their
motorcycle  gang,  their  group  was  small  enough  to  not
really  worry  about  betas  or  enforcers.  Everyone  else
was  treated  with  equality,  their  opinions  heard  and
respected,  but  Kontra  always  had  the  final  word.  Eli
liked  their  system,  feeling  more  freedom  from  the
reduced structure.

The group trouped into the house, where Sam led the

way to the kitchen. His mate handed him a beer, and Eli
gratefully  took  the  cool  beverage.  He  didn’t  feel
comfortable  in  the  house  with  so  many  members  of
another pack. Eli knew it wasn’t rational, but he liked to
be  in  control  of  the  situation.  Here,  he  wasn’t,  and  his
snake knew it.

He settled on a couch in the living room, his mate

next to him. Holding the smaller man close settled

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something  inside  him.  A  subdued  Lydia  wandered
through  the  room,  and  Eli  asked  after  her  mate.  She
responded with gratitude that he and his gang had been
able  to  act  so  quickly  to  aide  her  husband.  Eli  waved
her praise away.

The roar of several motorcycles outside caught

everyone’s  attention.  When  several  large  men  trooped
into  the  house,  Yuma  squealed  with  excitement,
throwing himself into Adam’s arms. The two men were
close.  Although,  even  while  watching  the  kisses  the
small  shifter  peppered  over  the  tiger  shifter’s  face,  Eli
wasn’t certain if the men were actually intimate beyond
that.  They  weren’t  mates,  and  Eli  knew  Adam
occasionally  took  others  to  his  bed.  He  honestly
couldn’t  remember a time when  Yuma  had gone  home
with or brought someone to their hotel.

Eli distractedly pecked a kiss to Sam’s lips when his

mate  offered  to  get  drinks  for  the  four  men  who’d
entered.  He  figured  it  was  just  a  way  to  put  off  being
introduced  to  Kontra,  and  didn’t  blame  the  sub  for
wanting to escape the bear shifter’s intense stare.

“That him?” Kontra asked bluntly after Sam

disappeared.

Eli smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Sam’s my wolf.”

When Kontra just nodded back, Eli switched his
attention to Yuma and Adam. Yuma was at least on his
feet again, but the smaller shifter still had his hand
twisted into the front of Adam’s shirt. He couldn’t help
but tease, “I think Yuma may have missed you, Adam.
He sure didn’t greet me like that when I walked in.”

Yuma spun to face him, cocking out a hip as he

settled one small hand on it. “Well, I didn’t realize you

Dominating The Wolf

felt so short-changed, Eli.” Yuma huffed as he flounced
toward Eli. Eli’s brows lifted, amusement making the
corner of his mouth lift into a smile. Before he could
react, Yuma rested a hand on his shoulder, leaned over,
and planted a firm kiss on his mouth.

A strangled gasp, followed by glass shattering, had

Yuma jerking away. Eli turned to find a pale and
shaken Sam staring at them. “Sam,” Eli started, rising
from the couch.

“No!” Sam stumbled back a step, his dark eyes wide.

His lifted a hand. “That’s why you didn’t claim me this
morning. You already have someone. You’re just like
her!”

“No, Sam, that’s—”
Before he could finish, Sam gave a violent shake of

his head, turned and fled. “Sam, what are ye—” Eli
heard Declan start to say from the other room, but he
was cut off by the sound of a door slamming.

“Oh, Eli. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think…”

Yuma’s voice trailed off.

Eli turned and focused on the pale shifter. He

swallowed  his  anger  and  ran  a  hand  through  his  short
hair.  “Not  your  fault,”  he  growled.  He  glanced  at  his
alpha, but Kontra just lifted a brow and pointed the way
Sam had disappeared. “Right,” Eli snapped, striding out
of  the  room.  “This  is  becoming  a  habit,”  he  muttered
irritably  under  his  breath  as  he  followed  his  fleeing
mate’s scent.

“What the hell happened?” Declan asked when Eli

stepped onto the back deck.

“A misunderstanding,” Eli replied, scanning the

large meadow behind the house. “Where’s Sam?”

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“Hell if I know. He shifted and took off.”
“Fuck,” Eli snarled. Taking a deep breath, he let his

snake out. His arms melted into his torso, his legs
realigned to form a solid column and his head slimmed
down to a blunt arrowhead. Seconds, later, Eli’s twenty
foot python slithered out of his clothes.

“Bloody hell.” Declan’s whispered words had Eli’s

head turning back to stare at the man for a second. The
man’s tension didn’t surprise Eli. He knew what the
alpha saw. Kontra had shown him a picture of himself
in shifted form once. He was a fucking huge snake.

Dismissing the alpha wolf, Eli flicked out his tongue

and picked up his mate’s scent. He found his sub’s trail
and slithered swiftly after him. Once he found Sam, Eli
vowed to paddle his ass, then claim him so the little
shifter never again doubted who he belonged to.

Dominating The Wolf

Chapter Six

am ran and ran with no destination in mind. He just
let his wolf out and his human mind shut down. The

wolf didn’t understand why he was running from his
mate, but he loved the opportunity to get out and play.
He bounded across fields, splashed through streams,
and chased after rabbits.

Eventually, he ran out of steam. Sam stopped at a

brook and lapped up water for several minutes, then he
settled  on  his  haunches  and  looked  around  the  forest
with canine eyes. Finally,  his  human thoughts intruded
into  his  solitude.  His  mate  had  been  kissing  another
man.  His  unclaimed  mate  had  been  kissing  another
man. A guy he’d probably known and traveled with for
years.

Sam knew he’d probably overreacted, but that didn’t

stop the hurt of seeing his past replay in his present. At
least  it  wasn’t an alpha,  this time,  who could  bust him
up  and  kick  him  out  of  the  pack.  As  Sam’s  thoughts
returned to his predicament, the hated image of the little
dark-haired  man  laying  one  on  Eli  flashed  in  front  of
his  eyes  again.  For  a  second,  he  fought  it,  but  then
something stuck out in his mind. Eli wasn’t kissing him

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back. In fact, the snake shifter looked more shocked
than anything else.

His wolf whined as Sam realized that what had

happened  years  before  with  Carol  had  completely
clouded  his  current  perceptions.  He’d  have  some
explaining  to  do  when  he  got  back.  He’d  known  he’d
need to explain his relationship hang-ups with his mate,
sooner or later. Sam just hadn’t realized how quickly it
would come back to haunt him.

He gazed up at the sky, surprised to see how low the

sun hung in the sky. He’d been running for a couple of
hours,  at  least.  Needing  just  a  little  more  time,  Sam
decided  to  attend  the  pack  fight-for-position.  Sam
wasn’t  too  far  from  the  circle  where  it  was  to  take
place, so set off at a slow jog.

It didn’t take him long to get there. He watched from

the trees as two wolves he recognized as Phillip
Abernathy and Kyle Rainier went at it. The fights were
to submission, and within ten minutes, Kyle revealed he
was the tougher, more aggressive, wolf. Phillip was
flipped to his back and went limp under the gray wolf.

A large brown animal stepped into the ring next,

Kade  McGraw.  The  big  repair  shop  owner  faced  off
against a slightly larger tawny colored animal,  Franklin
Drunger.  Kade  won  easily,  showing  off  agility  and
swiftness  not often  seen  with  a  wolf  his  size.  The  guy
had  to  be  over  two-fifty  in  wolf  form.  Both  these
wolves were probably rivaled only  by their alpha, who
was a solid three hundred pounds when in his chocolate
colored  wolf  form.  Sam  shivered,  remembering  when
he  was  taken  down  by  Carson,  because  he’d  followed
the wrong wolf’s instructions. He hoped never to be in

Dominating The Wolf

that predicament again.

As the wolves continued to fight, Sam became aware

of a presence behind  him. He spun and  if  he’d  been  in
human  form,  would  have  gulped  audibly.  Two  men
stood behind  him. One was Declan McIntire, the other
was  Kontra  Belikov.  Both  men  looked  upon  him  with
speculation  and  concern.  Sam  tucked  his  tail  between
his legs and cowered.

Seeing his movements, the two alphas traded looks,

but  in  his  agitated  state,  Sam  couldn’t  hope  to
understand its significance. Declan spoke first. “Kontra
explained  what  happened.  Eli  is  out  looking  for  ye,
Sam. It’d probably be best if ye stayed still long enough
for him to catch up with ye,” the alpha wolf added. “Ye
have  some  things  to  discuss.”  With  that,  his  alpha
walked  back  toward  the  fighting  circle,  leaving  him
with the bear shifter.

Kontra cocked his head, eying Sam for several

seconds with an inscrutable look. Or maybe he was just
waiting for Declan to be out of earshot before he yelled
at Sam for hurting a member of his gang. When Kontra
finally moved, it was to take a step forward and drop to
one knee. It might have put the man in a position that
looked vulnerable, but Sam knew better than to think
he’d ever be able to take the shifter.

“I can see something traumatized you in the past,

Sam.  Declan’s  been  good  to  you,  and  I  want  you  to
know,  I  take  care  of  my  own,  too,”  Kontra  stated.
“Neither  I,  nor  any  of  my  gang  members,  will
purposefully  hurt  you.  Yuma  would  like  the  chance  to
apologize for his indiscretion.”

Shocked that an alpha would actually attempt to

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reassure him froze Sam for the span of almost a minute.
During that time, Kontra remained perfectly still,
waiting patiently for him to work through his words and
decide on an answer.

Sam knew what needed to be done, so he initiated

his shift. Looking up from where he sat naked on the
ground, Sam screwed up his courage and met Kontra’s
gaze. “I’d like to talk to Yuma,” he whispered.

Nodding once, Kontra rose. “He’s around here

somewhere. Stay here and I’ll get him.” With that, the
big man strode through the trees and disappeared.

His focus strayed back to the ring. Kade again

fought, this time a smaller wolf named Manon Lemelle.
The  wiry  animal  was  quick  and  agile,  keeping  just
ahead of Kade’s attempts to subdue him. Manon nearly
succeeded  in  getting  Kade  on  his  back,  but  the  larger
wolf  used  his  greater  weight  to  roll  them  in  a  move
more  reminiscent  of  a  wrestling  maneuver  than
anything Sam  had  seen  between  fighting wolves  in the
wild, and Kade won.

Sam realized the fight-for-position was complete

when both wolves in the middle shifted to human form.
Declan strode forward, offering congratulations to both
men, stating that both men had earned their place as
enforcers, with Kade being the senior.

A strangled squeak came from Sam’s left. He took a

step that way and peered through the trees.

A dark-haired man in a dark-blue button-down dress

shirt  and  dark  charcoal  gray  slacks  stood  on  the
perimeter  of  the  circle.  His  blue  eyes  were  big  as
saucers  in  his pale  face. The  man’s chest heaved  as he
struggled  to  keep  breathing.  Sam  didn’t  need  to  be  a

Dominating The Wolf

genius to realize this guy was human and had just
inadvertently learned of shifters existence.

“Tom,” Kade’s deep voice sounded through the

clearing. “What are you doing here?” The amount of
concern in the big shop-owner’s tone showed the man’s
familiarity with the stranger, and Sam felt relief that at
least the human would have a friend to help him
through the shock.

“I-I needed to talk to you. I—What the hell is going

on?” From Tom’s whispered words, it was clear he
didn’t believe his eyes.

Another man appeared through the trees nearby. “I

told you to keep watching, didn’t I? Isn’t it obvious,
Tom? These men aren’t human. They’re abominations.
They all deserve to die.”

The soft growl erupting from Sam’s throat at the

stranger’s  animosity  was  easily  drowned  out  by  the
angry  noises  made  by  the  other  shifters  filling  the
clearing.  The  guy’s  right  hand  twitched,  and  Sam
spotted a glint of metal. Ah, shit, the man has a gun.

“Tom, baby, I need you to come here. Let me

explain,” Kade said softly, imploring the man with his
voice and an open lifted palm to move away from the
evil-speaking man.

Unfortunately, Tom took a step backward, toward

the other man. “I-I don’t understand what’s going on,”
he squeaked. From the way Tom’s eyes were dilated, it
probably wouldn’t be long before the stress overloaded
his system and he passed out.

From the way everyone seemed focused on the pair,

watching with more interest and concern than animosity
or aggression, Sam didn’t think the others had seen the

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gun. Knowing he needed to act, Sam shifted back to
wolf form and crept through the trees. He circled
behind the pair of humans.

“We are not abominations,” Declan growled

gutturally,  even  though  he  obviously  tried  to  keep  his
tone  reasonably  soothing.  “That’s  a  bigoted  attitude  of
someone  who  doesn’t  know  what  they’re  talking
about.”

Tom swayed on his feet, shifting restlessly, as if

ready to flee any second. The unafraid human shrugged
negligently. “I’m not here to discuss that with you,” he
stated  with  a  smirk.  The  man  stepped  forward  and
placed  a  hand  on  Tom’s  shoulder,  holding  the
distressed  man  in  place.  “My  name  is  Raven,  and  I’m
looking for Miach. Our friends don’t like him here.”

Kade snarled and the big man lurched forward a

step. A hand held up by Declan stopped him in his
tracks. “Ye can’t think we’re gonna let ye out of here
with Tom, Raven,” he said, his tone turning cold. “Tom
has nothin’ to do with this.”

Raven shrugged again. “I don’t plan to harm Tom.

Have Miach meet me on Lake Renue. I’m staying on a
houseboat at the west end of the lake. I’ll hang a green
flag on both sides. Tell him to come in a canoe, and he
better be alone,” Raven ordered.

The kidnapper pressed the gun against Tom’s side,

urging him sideways. “Come along, Tom.”

Evidently, this was too much for the traumatized

human,  for  Tom  suddenly  went  limp.  Seeing  his
chance,  Sam  leaped  forward  and  latched  onto  Raven’s
arm.  The  man  let  out  a  roar  of  pain  and  anger.  He
released Tom and Raven’s left fist slammed into Sam’s

Dominating The Wolf

jaw. Sam knew he wasn’t strong for a shifter, but he’d
thought he could handle a human. But the power behind
the human’s blow surprised him, and it knocked him
loose. He dropped to the ground, dazed.

The butt of the gun slammed into Sam’s skull,

making  black spots dance  across  his  vision. He  wasn’t
certain  if  he  could  trust  the  image  of  a  massive  brown
and gold snake weaving toward them at amazing speed.
Since  Raven  turned  his  gun  on  the  creature  and  fired
three times, making the large snake recoil, it must have
really been there.

Then Sam felt a steel-toed boot slam into his ribs,

then his head, and unconsciousness silenced the shouts,
growls, and yells of those around him.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Seven

li paused, scenting the air with his tongue. He’d
spent several hours tracking his lover through the

forest.  It  was  as  if  the  human  half  of  Sam  had  shut
down for a while and the wolf had led him on a merry
chase  romping  through the  trees. But  finally,  Eli  knew
he  was  close.  His  mate’s  scent  was  so  much  stronger,
fresher, and he picked up others nearby as well.

The sound of Declan and several strangers speaking

told him Sam had led Eli to the enforcer right-for-
position challenge. He paused, scenting again when he
realized he didn’t hear any wolves fighting. Instead, the
acrid scent of fear hit his tongue.

He slithered swiftly through the underbrush, his

massive body weaving between trees and eating up the
yards between him and his mate. When others came
into view and the glint of metal caught his attention, Eli
paused and assessed the situation.

A stranger with black hair was holding a gun on

another  man  who,  from  his  scent,  was  near  to
panicking.  Eli  spotted  movement  behind  them  and
wanted  to  shout  a  denial  at  what  he  witnessed.  As  the
fearful human collapsed, his mate, in wolf form, leaped

Dominating The Wolf

at the gunman. It didn’t take the stranger long to knock
Sam loose, hitting him several times.

Anger unlike anything Eli had felt before surged

through  him,  and  he  put  on  a  burst  of  speed.  His  one
desire  was  to  wrap  his  coils  around  the  human  and
squeeze.  He  wanted  to  listen  to  the  bones  of  the  man
crunch,  feel  the  internal  organs  rupture,  and  see  the
light fade from the man’s eyes. No one hits my wolf!

As if sensing him, the gunman turned and fired. Pain

flared through him  in  more than one place,  making Eli
recoil and shift sideways. He  hissed, watching the man
pick  up  a  now  unconscious  Sam  and  back  through  the
trees, the barrel of the gun planted firmly against Sam’s
temple.  Pain  radiated  from  several  points  on  his  long,
thick body, but Eli forced his coils to move so he could
follow the man and his mate.

It didn’t escape his notice the wolves, some in

human form, some in wolf form, followed but kept their
distance.  From  the  speed  the  human  had  moved,  and
from his scent, Eli knew there was something not quite
right about this  man. He  responded with almost shifter
speed  and  precision,  making  the  cold-blooded  human
incredibly dangerous.

A slow simmering rage boiled in Eli as he watched

the guy shove Sam into a car, then shout over the hood.
“Ten  o’clock  tomorrow  morning.  Follow  my
instructions or the wolf dies.” Then the guy settled into
the driver’s seat. A second  later, the vehicle peeled out
down  a  dirt  road. It took  everything  still  human  in  Eli
not to  give  in  to his snake’s urge to head after the  car.
Even as big as he was, Eli couldn’t follow fast enough.

He forced his snake to retreat and resumed his

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human  form. Naked and  bristling with rage, he stalked
toward the man who held the unconscious human Sam
had  rescued.  If  anyone  knew  what  the  hell  was  going
on,  that  man  must.  Before  he  could  reach  him  and
demand answers, Kontra and Declan intercepted him.

His alpha gripped his shoulder in one massive hand

and squeezed. The dull pain forced Eli to turn his
attention to the bear shifter. “Who was that? Why has
he taken my mate? What the hell is going on?”

Kontra didn’t even flinch at Eli’s snarled questions.

The  grizzly  inspected  Eli’s  flesh,  probing  a  wound  on
his shoulder, then another on his hip. “Just grazed you.
It’ll  heal  just  fine  once  it’s  cleaned.”  Blood  dripped
down Eli’s arm and thigh, but he didn’t care about the
wounds.  He  cared  about  his  mate.  No  amount  of  pain
would stop him from hunting down that strange human
and killing him for taking his mate. Declan called Lark
over, and Eli stood still for the bandaging, but growled
a warning that Kontra understood.

Finally, the bear deigned to answer his questions. “It

seems  we’ve  stumbled  in  to  the  middle  of  the  fight
between  Declan’s  pack  and  the  scientists.  That  man,
Raven,  wants  us  to  trade  someone  named  Miach  for
Sam.”

Declan growled softly before replying, “Miach was

one of their men until he mated with one of me wolves.
The scientists must not like the fact that we now have
access to inside information.”

Eli hissed softly, not at all pleased his mate had been

drawn into this mess. “What’s supposed to happen at
ten o’clock tomorrow?”

“Raven’s staying on a houseboat on Lake Renue.

Dominating The Wolf

Miach is supposed to paddle out to the boat, alone, in a
canoe. Sam can take the canoe back to shore,” Declan
answered.

“Smart man,” Kontra stated coldly. He crossed his

arms over his chest and frowned. “Out on a lake, he’ll
be able to see if someone is coming other than just
Miach.”

Eli fought back bile. Shit! Boats sometimes made

him just as queasy as planes.

He watched Declan’s eyes narrow in speculation as

both  alphas  thought  of  options  to  get  around  the  open
water  issue.  Eli  grunted.  He  knew  what  he  had  to  do.
“I’m  a  Burmese  python.  I  can  hold  my  breath  for  a
good thirty minutes. I can get to the boat undetected.”

“There’s one other I know who could do that, as

well,” Declan stated. “There’s no way we’ll send Miach
alone. Besides the fact that information he’s provided is
too important, he’s mated to one of me wolves. While
ye save yer mate, the other two will capture Raven.”

Eli hissed at the alpha wolf’s words. “Raven’s life is

mine to take!”

“Easy, Eli. I think Declan wants the man alive,”

Kontra pointed out. Declan nodded and Eli snarled.
Both he and his snake wanted this man’s blood for
injuring and taking his mate. Kontra’s grin turned feral.
“Relax, Eli. Once Declan is done with Raven, I’m sure
he’ll let you seek retribution.”

Declan lifted one dark eyebrow and muttered, “And

I thought wolves could be blood-thirsty.”

Kontra chuckled. He wrapped an arm around Eli and

guided him away from the alpha, calling over his
shoulder, “We’ll meet you back at your lodge to plan.”

Charlie Richards

They arrived at an open field filled with vehicles,

and Kontra led Eli to his bike. He tossed him a pair of
sweats from his saddlebags. “Get behind me,” he
ordered. “It’s a short ride to the lodge.”

Eli tried to hide his surprise at Kontra’s

announcement,  but  he  didn’t think  he  succeeded.  He’d
never  seen  anyone  ride  behind  Kontra,  ever.  The  bear
didn’t  like  others  pressed  against  his  back.  An  arm
around the shoulders or waist was about all he tolerated,
and was used mainly to reassure one of his pack. Out of
respect,  Eli  took  great  care  to  keep  as  much  distance
between them as possible.

Eli didn’t sleep much that night, visions of what Sam

was going through keeping him awake and restless. His
fingers were desperate to feel  his  mate’s  firm  skin. He
wanted to hold  his  man  and paddle  his ass  for running
from  him  in  the  first  place.  He’d  thought  they  were
getting  along  well,  and  he  knew  he’d  have  to  find  out
what  caused  Sam’s  relationship  fears.  What  had  she
done to cause such residual fear?

At six in the morning, he was introduced to a large

man  named  Doctor  Gordon  Digby,  a  psychiatrist  as
opposed to a  medical doctor. He knew the  look on his
face made his confusion clear, not only as to what kind
of  shifter  the  slightly  heavy-set,  steel-gray-haired  man
was,  but  how  he  and  his  partner,  Detective  Grady
Stryker,  fit  into  the  rescue  plan.  Declan  simply  stated,
“His  swimming  abilities  are  almost  as  easy  to  hide  in
deep water as ye will be.” And wasn’t that an odd thing
to say?

Miach was easily pegged as ex-military, and his odd

Dominating The Wolf

lemongrass scent spoke of altered DNA. His mate,
Nick, remained silent, and rode with everyone in
Declan’s SUV.

They reached the specified lake at almost nine-thirty,

and  Eli  caught  himself  lifting  his  nose  to  the  wind,
trying  to  catch  a  whiff  of  Sam’s  scent.  The  smell  of
fish,  gulls,  forest,  and  water  overpowered  everything,
making  it nearly  impossible to smell anything else. Eli
had  to  hand  it  to  the  guy,  grudgingly.  The  scientist’s
henchman  knew  how  to  pick  his  hiding  spots.  They’d
never have been able to track him there.

“We’ve been looking for this fucker for nearly three

months,” Grady growled. “I can’t wait to get my hands
on him.”

“Relax,” Gordon soothed. “We’ll have him soon.”
“I wish I could go with you,” the big detective said,

pulling Gordon into his arms.

The psychiatrist went willingly, snuggling close to

the tiger shifter. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

To his surprise, Grady’s cool blue eyes locked on Eli

for just a second before fixing on Miach. “You two
better keep my mate safe,” he growled.

Eli’s eyes narrowed at the implied threat and he

looked  toward  Miach,  wondering  how  the  human  was
taking  the  shifter’s  words.  Miach  simply  nodded,  then
pulled  his  own  mate  even  closer  and  nibbled  Nick’s
neck, murmuring reassurances.

Eli longed for Sam. He wanted the closeness these

others had with their mates, to be able to hold Sam,
have his mate turn to him for comfort. He vowed, once
this was over, he’d figure out a way to earn his mate’s
trust, his devotion, his love. And he sure as hell would

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claim the shifter!

“It’s time,” Declan declared. Eli stripped down and

shifted,  Gordon  did  the  same,  and  the  rest  of  the  men
slid  a  canoe  into  the  water.  At  first,  upon  seeing  that
Gordon  was  a  massive  Asian  elephant,  Eli  couldn’t
figure  out  how  he’d  fit  into  the  plan.  But  Declan  had
chosen a secluded lagoon and Eli watched with interest
as  Gordon  waded  into  the  water,  not  stopping  until  it
was  completely  over  his  head.  The  animal  used  his
trunk as a snorkel. It occurred to Eli the elephant could
easily  hide the tip of  his trunk behind the canoe, so no
one would know he was there from the boat.

Quickly, he followed Miach into the water,

submerging almost immediately. He knew it would
only take maybe fifteen minutes for the man to pilot the
watercraft to the indicated boat. He and Gordon
followed steadily.

He heard voices, but since he was underwater, he

couldn’t make out what was actually being said. Miach
bumped the canoe against the boat, and that was the cue
Eli was waiting for. He slithered up the other side of the
craft, quickly moving until he was on the roof of the
houseboat.

Knowing his job was to locate and free his mate, Eli

ignored  the  heated  conversation  between  Miach  and
Raven.  He  searched  for  a  way  into  the  cabin  and  was
relieved  to  discover  an  open  window.  Eli  maneuvered
along  the  edge  of  the  roof  before  sliding  his  head  and
body down the side and through the window, confident
the  rest  of  him  would  follow  as  he  moved  into  the
kitchen.

He flicked his tongue out, scenting as he moved

Dominating The Wolf

around  the  room.  Sam’s  smell  hung  heavy  in  the  air,
telling Eli his mate was close. Using his broad flat nose,
he  pushed  open  a  door,  only  to  discover  a  tiny  privy.
Moving through the kitchen and dining area, he looked
around and  spotted another door. This one was closed.
He thought  about shifting, so he could open  it, when a
hard  bump  hit  the  side  of  the  boat.  The  signal  from
Gordon that Miach wasn’t doing too well.

Working through his options swiftly, Eli abandoned

his search and slithered up on the counter, heading back
to the open window. “Get moving.” Raven’s voice
carried through the window.

Eli paused, scenting. The door handle turned.

Flipping  around, he wrapped  his prehensile tail around
the  track  lighting  bar,  giving  himself  an  anchor.  The
door  swung  open,  and  Miach  stumbled  through.  As
soon  as  Raven  appeared,  Eli  struck.  His  massive  jaws
gripped  the  arm  holding  the  gun  and  yanked  up  as  his
powerful  body  undulated  and  coiled,  wrapping  Raven
in a stranglehold.

Unreasonable pleasure shot through Eli. The man

who’d hurt his mate was within his grip.

“Eli, wait! Don’t squeeze, damn it,” Miach shouted,

although  he  couldn’t  really  do  much  since  his  arms
were locked behind his back with handcuffs. As it was,
the  guy  still  swung  a  leg  up  in  a  crescent  kick  and
knocked  the  gun  from  Raven’s  loosening  grip.
“Gordon! Get in here!” Miach screamed.

Seconds later, a dripping Gordon burst through the

door. He skidded to a stop and stared up at Eli and
Raven, obviously taking in where he half hung from the
track lighting and half of his coils rested on the kitchen

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counter.  His  thick  body  was  wrapped  tightly  around  a
gasping  Raven.  Eli  released  the  arm  he  held  in  his
mouth  and  turned  to  hiss  at  the  two  men.  He  and  his
snake  were  in  agreement.  They  didn’t  want to  give  up
their prize.

“Find Sam,” Gordon ordered softly after unlocking

Miach’s handcuffs.

“Right,” Miach muttered, scrambling to obey.
Gordon lifted a hand as if trying to stay Eli’s slowly

tightening  coils  with  that  simple  gesture.  “Come  on,
man.  You  know  the  plan.  We  need  the  bastard  alive.”
Eli hissed again, showing off his huge mouth filled with
sharp teeth. The big elephant shifter actually shuddered.
“Yeah,  I  get  it.  You’re  a  freaky  dude,  Eli,  but  that
doesn’t  change  the  fact  that  we  need  him  alive.  You
don’t have to release him, but let up a bit so you don’t
crush him, huh?”

Eli saw the wisdom in that. No reason to kill the

human right away. The best way to torture someone
was to give them hope then take it away. Loosening his
hold, Eli heard Raven suck in several life-giving
breaths of oxygen.

“Eli?”
His name whispered by Sam was the sweetest music

to vibrate over Eli’s sensitive skin.  He turned  his head
and  focused  his  eyes  at  the  slender  African  American.
His  coils  loosened  from  around  his  victim,  releasing
him  to  spill  on  the  floor.  The  gasping,  sputtering  man
was  immediately grabbed  by  Miach,  but Eli  paid them
no attention.

He uncoiled his tail from around the bar above him

and moved swiftly to Sam. To his pleasure, his mate

Dominating The Wolf

didn’t back away from him, although Gordon did. Eli
weaved around Sam’s body, wrapping him protectively
within his folds, and his mate brushed soft caresses over
his skin.

Knowing his python was probably too cumbersome

for  his  little  shifter  mate  to  completely  hold,  Eli  kept
half  his  weight  resting  firmly  on  the  floor.  Once  his
face  was  level  with  Sam’s  head,  he  flicked  out  his
tongue,  scenting,  pleased  to  discover  nothing  but
pleasure  and  contentment  radiating  from  Sam.  Eli
scraped his head against Sam’s cheek in a semblance of
a nuzzle. Sam sighed, his eyes closing.

“All right, that’s enough,” Gordon’s amused voice

interrupted. “We need to get out of here. Everyone is
waiting, and it would be a good idea to get Sam cleaned
up and checked out.”

Eli knew the man was right, but he needed just a few

minutes more of touching his mate to reassure himself.
He needed to glide his hands over Sam’s skin, check his
mate himself for injuries. To do that, he needed to shift.
The thought was enough, and Eli’s snake, already
having relinquished its need for vengeance in favor of
holding his mate, retreated.

The leather skin softened, the dark brown and green

diamond patterned  scales  evened out to a deep bronze,
his  body  shortened,  legs  split,  and  his  arms  emerged.
Seconds  later,  Eli  wrapped  those  newly  formed  arms
around  Sam  and  pulled  the  man  close.  Eli  pressed  his
now  human  nose  against  Sam’s  neck  and  inhaled
deeply, drawing the man’s scent into his lungs.

“My mate,” he growled against Sam’s skin, nipping

and sucking lightly on the tight cords of his mate’s neck

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as his hands skimmed over Sam’s body. “You will not
leave me again.” The gruff words were an order, a
demand.

“I will not leave you,” Sam replied softly. “There are

things I need to explain.”

Eli nodded. He lifted his head and cupped Sam’s jaw

so he could stare into those beautiful dark eyes he’d
come to love so much in so short a time. The soft, warm
light shining from those orbs settled something in Eli’s
soul.

The boat’s engine roared to life, sending vibrations

through the craft. The blood drained from Eli’s  face as
it  started  to  move,  sending  a  wave  of  nausea  through
him.  When  the  houseboat  hadn’t  been  moving,  he’d
been fine, but now, his stomach lurched violently. “I’ve
gotta get off this damn boat,” he moaned, dropping his
head back to Sam’s shoulder.

Sam petted his back, his touch meant to soothe, not

incite. “I’m definitely ready to go.”

Gripping Sam’s hand, Eli led the way from the

cabin. The wind across his face helped cool his clammy
skin and let him breathe a little easier. “How long will it
take to get to the dock?” Eli asked Gordon, who stood
next to a trussed up Raven.

Gordon remained focused on their captive as he

answered. “Ten minutes. The dock is near the middle of
the lake, and we’re on the west end,” he explained.

Knowing there was nothing else he could do but

suck  it up  and wait,  because there was  no way  he was
leaving  his  mate to shift and swim to shore, Eli  settled
onto a deck chair and pulled Sam into his lap.

Dominating The Wolf

Chapter Eight

am helped his queasy mate debark the houseboat. It
still amazed him that Eli had such violent reactions

to  planes  and  boats.  His  mate  had  explained  that  even
sitting  in  the  backseat  of  a  car  often  made  him  sick,
which  was  why  he  enjoyed  the  freedom  of  riding  a
motorcycle with his pack so much.

“I fucking hate boats,” Eli growled, allowing Sam to

support him as he stumbled onto dry land.

For a second, Sam felt certain Eli was going to drop

to his knees and kiss the dirt, and he hid a smile. Then
Sam watched the Dom reassert itself in the slender
shifter, and he saw Eli school his features.

Once they reached the parking lot, Eli waved toward

several  bikes  parked  in  the  back.  Figures  Sam
recognized  as  Kontra,  Yuma,  and  Adam  stood  nearby.
Declan  and  the  pack  beta,  Shane,  and  the  enforcer,
Carson,  had  met  Gordon  and  Miach  at  the  boat  with
their charge, and had hustled Raven away. Eli and Sam
made their way over to the biker’s gang, and Eli leaned
against  a  large  black  motorcycle Sam couldn’t hope to
identify.

“Thanks for bringing my Goldwing,” Eli muttered

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even as he rested his hands on his knees and took slow,
deep breaths.

“Didn’t handle the boat well, ay, boyo?” Adam

teased.

Yuma shushed the big shifter, slapping his arm. Eli

curled his lip and growled softly.

Kontra stepped close and gripped Sam’s shoulder,

spinning  him  to  look  at  the  bear  shifter.  He  trembled
under  the  scrutiny,  but  all  the  man  did  was  check  him
over  for  marks.  “Anything  we  need  to take  you  to the
hospital for?” he asked gruffly.

Sam shook his head. “No, Alpha. He may have

bruised  a  rib,  but  it  feels  all  right  now.  He  left  me
locked in the cabin alone all night with food and water,
so  I  healed  just  fine.”  Gods  knew,  he’d  had  so  many
worse  injuries  than  a  knock  on  the  head  and  a  kick  to
the ribs.

The bear shifter grunted acknowledgement. Sam

watched Adam press a flask into Eli’s fist. “Drink, man.
It’ll settle ya, all right.”

Eli took a sniff, curled his lip at whatever scent hit

him, then took a deep swallow. “Shit, you and your
cheap-ass whiskey,” Eli hissed after swallowing.

Adam chuckled. “Gets the job done.”
“Glad to see you’re with us,” Kontra stated, arms

folded over his chest. “We need to ride out tomorrow
afternoon at the latest,” he said flatly. “Haben was
called by a friend who needed a favor. He’s already on
his way to Kansas with Terence.”

Eli nodded once and straightened. His gaze shifted to

Sam. He held out a hand, and Sam went to him eagerly,
fitting comfortably between his mate’s spread thighs.

Dominating The Wolf

Cupping his cheek, Eli pressed a chaste kiss to Sam’s
lips. “We have some things to discuss, my sub,” Eli
murmured. “Are you ready?”

Sam nodded, turning his head and snuggling close,

enjoying the way Eli’s arms slid around him, holding
him tight. One arm left him, then something appeared
in his peripheral view. A helmet. Sam took it tentatively
and looked questioningly at his mate.

“Our talk should be done in private,” Eli said. “I’ll

take us to your apartment.”

Sam agreed a private talk would be best, so he pulled

on the helmet, let his mate help him with the buckle and
swung onto the bike. The closer he got to home, the
more the butterflies bounced around his gut.

Eli must have read the anxiety on his face, for he

didn’t say anything even after they entered. Instead, he
settled Sam on his small couch, then got them both a
drink of iced tea from the kitchen. He sat down next to
him and pulled him close.

He’d never have thought his big bad biker would be

a snuggler, but it sure felt nice.

Eli took a sip of his tea before setting the glass on a

coaster on the coffee table. “I’m sorry you walked in on
Yuma  kissing  me,”  he  stated  bluntly.  “He’s  very  free
with  his  affection,  but  it  was  done  in  jest,  not  because
there’s  attraction  between  us.  I’ve  never  had  relations
of any kind with the shifter.”

Which didn’t mean Eli didn’t have relations with

someone  else  in  his  gang,  but  Sam  couldn’t  figure  out
how to tactfully ask that one. It  seemed  he didn’t have
to.  Eli  gripped  his  chin  between  his  thumb  and
forefinger  and  turned  his  head  toward  him.  Eli’s  dark

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eyes bore into him as he stated, “I’ve not been a saint.
I’ve been with plenty of men. But know this now, I plan
to claim you this afternoon, then there will never be
anyone but you in my bed.” The man paused, maybe for
effect, before adding. “And I don’t share. Ever.”

Sam swallowed hard, and began to talk. “I was an

orphan at twelve. Members of the pack raised me. They
were nice, but it wasn’t like they were really my family.
I had a girlfriend or two, but since I had no position in
the pack, and I’m a submissive wolf, I really had
nothing to offer them,” he admitted.

Eli’s hand slipped up his jaw, then down his neck,

settling  his  fingers  on  the  pulse  point.  The  odd  hold
offered strength and support and gave Sam the courage
to  continue.  “A  she-wolf  joined  the  pack  and  took  an
interest  in  me.  Carol.  She  was  dominant,  like  you,  but
less…”  he struggled  for a second as  memories of how
she’d  beat  him  and  cut  him,  then  soothed  him  with
touches while crooning her devotion flitted through his
mind. “She never asked about a safe word. She liked to
be  in  control,  of  everything,”  he  explained.  “Even  my
job. She wanted me to stay at home and cook and clean
for  her.”  He  swallowed  hard  and  admitted.  “I  was  so
starved  for  attention,  I  didn’t  even  question  when  she
started going out at night. It never even occurred to me
that she was dating someone else,” he whispered.

Sam remembered that fateful day when Carol’s date

had caught a whiff of Sam’s scent on her. He’d stormed
into  the  house,  beyond  irate.  The  pain  of  that  beating
transcended  anything  Carol  had  ever  put  him  through.
The  blood  dripping  down  his  back  and  ass,  the
lacerations  on  his  arms,  Sam  had  never  thought  he’d

Dominating The Wolf

heal.

“Who?”
Eli’s soft question drew Sam out of his memories,

and  it  was  then  Sam  realized  he  was  trembling  in  his
mate’s  arms.  “The  alpha,”  he  admitted.  “My  old  alpha
had  taken  a  shine  to  Carol  and  decided  he  wanted  her
for his mate. She’d told him I was hired help. One day,
she didn’t wash well enough, and he scented me on her.
Since  I  wasn’t  allowed  to  wear  anything  but  a  jock-
strap while in the home, it didn’t take a genius for him
to realize exactly what was going on between us  when
he barged in.” Sam’s tone took on a flat quality, almost
as  if  he  spoke  about  someone  else  as  he  finished,  “I
don’t know what he told the pack about me, if anything,
when I disappeared.”

“God damn it,” Eli growled, much to Sam’s surprise.

Refocusing on his  mate,  Sam was surprised to find the
rage  simmering  in  Eli’s  eyes.  He  reacted  immediately,
pulling  his  legs  up  to  his  chest,  folding  in  on  himself.
But instead of a  blow, Eli’s arms were gentle when  he
pulled Sam close. Eli’s face nuzzled against the back of
his  neck  as  he  held  him  in  his  lap  and  settled  Sam’s
back against his chest.

“Ah, baby, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at your

old alpha. It’s obvious Carol was in the wrong, leading
him on that way, and yet he punished you.”

Sam sank into Eli’s embrace, and into the

knowledge that Eli still wanted him, even after his
confession. Proof of his mate’s desire pressed against
his ass. He remembered what it felt like to be filled by
Eli’s shaft, the pleasure it had brought them. He wanted
to feel that again. His hole clenched and he wriggled on

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Eli’s lap.

To his surprise, Sam felt his own cock fill, and he

realized  he  no  longer  felt  fear.  Not  even  a  little.  This
man  would  never  hurt  him,  at  least  not  in  a  bad  way.
He’d  give  Sam  pleasure,  devotion,  maybe  someday
even  love.  His  heart  swelled  at  the  idea  that  his  mate
would love him in return. In return? When did I fall in
love with this man? Is love in less than forty-eight hours
even possible? Yes, Sam decided, because he loved Eli.
Loved being held by him, loved being touched by him,
loved everything about him.

A soft growl rumbled through Eli’s chest, and it was

then Sam realized he’d been rubbing his cheek against
his lover’s neck, smoothing his hands down the man’s
chest, trying to touch his mate everywhere.

Eli stroked his chest, tweaking a very erect nipple

through his shirt. “Are you needing, my mate?” Eli
growled.

Sam whimpered. “Want to be close to you,” he

admitted, knowing his mate would never use his
admission against him.

Suddenly, Sam was moving. Eli had somehow

managed to stand while still holding him, and they were
headed for the bedroom. After dropping him on the bed,
Eli ordered gruffly, “Get undressed. I’ll be right back.”

Sam didn’t question the man. He stripped as quickly

as possible, folded his clothes, and set them on a chair.
He stood by the bed, suddenly uncertain. His mate
hadn’t told him how to stand, lie, or kneel. Falling back
on old instincts, he knelt on the floor and settled his
hands behind his back, one wrist holding the other, and
waited.

Dominating The Wolf

Eli paused in the doorway. With his head down, Sam

watched  his  mate  through  his  lashes  as  Eli’s  gaze
slowly took  in  his chosen position.  Approval  shone on
Eli’s  face,  and  his  eyes  glowed  with  heat.  The  naked
lust  in  his  mate’s  eyes  made  Sam’s  erection  jerk.
Stepping  close,  Eli  gently  touched  the  back  of  Sam’s
head,  then  he  threaded  his  fingers  through  Sam’s  hair
and used his grip to tilt his head back. “My sexy mate,”
Eli crooned, a pleased smile curving his lips. “You will
still  be  spanked  for  not  letting  me  explain  about  that
kiss before running away from me.”

The flash of surprise must have shown in his eyes

before he could hide it, because Eli grinned. “Don’t
worry, my mate,” he said, leaning down to brush Sam’s
lips with his mouth. “We’ll both enjoy it.”

Stepping back, Eli waved toward the bed. “Get up

there and grip the headboard, same as before.”

Sam obeyed, his body shivering with excitement as

he remembered the pleasure being spanked had brought
to  his  body  the  last  time.  He  watched  Eli  slowly
undress,  revealing  inches  of  toned,  bronze  skin  Sam
longed to lick and taste. Eli growled as he caught Sam’s
attention,  his  gaze  heating  further  in  response  to
whatever he saw in Sam.

He watched Eli turn to one of the saddlebags he’d

brought in from his bike and pull out a black, disk-like
object  with  silver  gleaming  on  the  side.  Once  he
realized  what  he  was  looking  at,  Sam  choked  out  a
gasp.  A  paddle.  A  leather  covered  paddle  with  round,
silver studs embedded in it.

Eli smiled and headed over to him. He set the paddle

and a tube of lube on the pillow near Sam’s knee.

Charlie Richards

Climbing  onto  the  bed,  he  draped  himself  over  Sam’s
back,  his  hard  shaft  nestling  into  the  crevice  of  Sam’s
ass.  “We’re  going  to  do  twenty  paddles,  I  think.  That
way  when  you’re  riding  my  bike  tomorrow,  you’ll
remember the pleasure I’ve given you this evening.”

The soft, crooning sounds, combined with the warm

breath ghosting over Sam’s ear, plus the imagery
caused by Eli’s words, had Sam’s erection bobbing and
a soft moan escaping his throat.

“Oh, yes, you like the thought of that, don’t you,

baby?”

He mewled.
A sharp smack connected with the fleshy part of

Sam’s ass, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from him as heat
and tingles radiated over his flesh.

“Answer me,” Eli demanded.
“Yes, Sir. I want my ass to burn so I can remember

our time together tonight.” Somehow, he managed to
get the words out.

“Good.” Without further preamble, Eli picked up the

paddle and swatted Sam’s ass. Sam clamped his jaw
shut, holding in his cries of excitement. After the third
smack, Eli whispered, “Open your mouth, baby. Let me
hear it. I want to know the pleasure I give you.”

Sam obeyed immediately and the next smack had

him  shouting  his  joy  to  the  rafters.  He  thrust  his  ass
back,  anticipating  the  next  scalding  sting,  needing  to
feel the way the flash of pain followed by the soothing
burn  made  his  cock  twitch  and  weep.  He  didn’t  know
how he did it, but somehow Sam managed to keep from
coming, even though his dick was harder than he could
remember it ever being.

Dominating The Wolf

“You take that so well, my mate,” Eli growled,

rubbing his hands over Sam’s burning flesh. Suddenly,
Eli  was  gone  from  lying  across  his  back.  He  spread
Sam’s tingling cheeks with his palms and a rough, wet
tongue  slid  across  the  sensitive  tissues  of  his  hole.
Nothing  could  have  prepared  him  for  the  pleasure
swamping  his  system  by the unexpected rim  job. He’d
never  felt  anything  like  it.  Tingles  spread  through  his
body and goose-bumps erupted over his skin.

It reduced him to whimpering cries in less than a

minute.  The  slit  of  his  cock  leaked  like  a  sieve,  but
every  time  he  drew  close  to  coming,  Eli  would  reach
between  his  legs  and  pull  his  tightening  balls  away
from his body, easing his need to come.

Finally, two slicked fingers were thrust into his

channel.  “That’s  right,  Sam,”  Eli  rumbled,  again  lying
across  his  back,  his  toned  thighs  and  hips  rubbing
deliciously against his heated skin.  “Beg for my cock,”
he demanded.

And Sam did, without reservation. Those two fingers

quickly  became  three.  He  moaned  like  a  wanton,
spreading his legs as wide as possible when the head of
Eli’s  dick  finally  bumped  against  his  sphincter.  One
hard  thrust  and  his  mate  was  balls  deep  inside  Sam.
And this—this was perfect. His mate filling him, his ass
and  thighs  tingling,  and  Eli’s  arms  wrapped  tight
around  him  as  if  he’d  never  let  him  go.  Nothing  had
ever felt so right.

Sam tilted his head, exposing his neck even more,

and whispered, “Please claim me.”

A hiss of what could only be called excitement

tickled his ear before twin fangs sank into the fleshy

Charlie Richards

meat  of  Sam’s  neck.  He  cried  out  in  ecstasy  and  his
cock  erupted  without  being  touched.  His  mate  pulled
his  dick  out  and  thrust  back  in,  nailing  Sam’s  prostate
with each stroke, sending Sam higher and higher as his
shaft continued to paint the wall and headboard in front
of him.

Eli’s arms tightened around him just a little more as

his hips stuttered. Then his mate rammed his  cock into
Sam  one  more  time  and  erupted.  Eli  growled  and
grunted  against  his  neck,  drowning  out  Sam’s  pleased
sighs  and  moans.  He  rhythmically  tightened  his  ass
muscles, enjoying how Eli shuddered in response. Yeah,
that’s perfect, too.

Finally, Eli pulled his fangs out of Sam’s neck and

licked the claiming mark, sealing it and sending shivers
through  Sam’s  body  in  the  process.  His  mate  slipped
from his body and settled him on the bed. Sam let out a
soft  grunt  as  the  sheets  rubbed  his  sensitive  skin.  Eli
smiled  knowingly  and  pressed  a  soft  kiss  to  his  lips
before  slipping  into  the  bathroom.  A  moment  later,  he
returned  with  a  warm,  wet  cloth  and  cleaned  Sam  up.
Once done, he threw the soiled cloth in the direction of
the  bathroom,  climbed  into  bed,  and  curled  his  larger
body around Sam.

Sam snuggled with his python and let out a

contented sigh. “I love you, Eli.” He could no more
keep the words at bay than he could have stopped
himself from drawing his next breath.

A smile curved Eli’s lips where they were pressed

against his temple. “And I love you, Sam,” Eli replied.
Suddenly, he stilled, making Sam turn his head and
look into his dark eyes. “If anyone touches you but me,

Dominating The Wolf

I will kill them,” he stated flatly.

Sam paused for several heartbeats, thinking about

those words. He couldn’t ever imagine looking or
feeling for another the way he did for Eli. “That goes
for you, too,” he whispered.

His mate’s grin was radiant. “I’d expect nothing

less,” Eli replied, leaning over to sweep his tongue into
Sam’s  mouth  in  a  searching  kiss.  They  pulled  apart
when breathing became necessary.  “Baby, did you like
the way Carol treated you as a Dom?”

Sam frowned, confused by Eli’s question.
“I mean, she chose every aspect of your life. Is that

how you want to be treated as a sub?”

He thought about Eli’s question for a moment,

remembering how Carol had controlled everything,
from the time he got up to the time he went to bed.

“There is no wrong answer, baby,” Eli said softly,

interrupting his thoughts.

“No, I like you in control in the bedroom, and maybe

even making decisions about lodging or proper riding
clothes, but I didn’t like the way she decided what to
eat, when to get up, how to fold a t-shirt, stuff like that.
I’ve liked deciding things for myself,” he admitted.

“Very good,” Eli stated, pressing another kiss to his

temple. “We’ll figure out what mix will be right for us.”

Sam liked how sure Eli sounded, but had to ask.

“But how will we know?”

“Ah, my sweet submissive mate,” Eli crooned softly,

sleep making his voice slur slightly. “Patience, love and
time. We have all the time in the world to figure it out.”

Liking that thought, too, Sam let the exhaustion of

the day and the release of tension caused by a fantastic

About the Author

Charlie  lives  on  a  mini  ranchette  in  Utah  with  her
husband  and  furry,  four-legged  children.  She  started
writing fantasy when she was eight, and after stumbling
onto  her  first  erotic  romance  at  age  nineteen,  she
realized  her  true  calling.  She  now  focuses  on  writing
erotic  romance,  normally  of  the  paranormal  variety,
with  heroes  and  heroines  of  all  kinds.  You  can  often
find  her  curled  up  with  her  laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or
glass  of  wine,  creating  her  next  adventure.  Charlie
enjoys  exploring  the  mountains  on  horseback,  4-
wheeler,  or  motorcycle.  Her  favorite  exercise  is
jumping  lessons  with  her  Arabian  gelding  Apache  or
her  Thoroughbred  mare  Repo.  And  she  can’t  get
enough of sexy highlanders with their kilts and swords.
Right  now,  she  and  her  muse  are  working  with
dedication  on  her  Wolves  of  Stone  Ridge  series  and
Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com