Chapter 1
Michelle woke up with a start. Had she been dreaming? Where the hell was she? She tried to sit up, groaning as her stitches pulled, the memory of being stabbed by that asshole returning with a vengeance. So, if that was real, was the wolf also real? The sexy brown wolf who had saved her life? Sexy? Where had that come from? She sighed as her thoughts ran wild. She was about to attempt more motion when she smelled something akin to pure lust that moistened her thighs and had her feeling like her clothes were suddenly too small.
" The fuck?"
" Ah yes, the lust, its a biproduct of having your mate nearby,"
The woman was beautiful in that way that some women are just...effortlessly beautiful. Her long raven tresses were bone straight and for a second Michelle wanted to ask her if she were 1/4 Cherokee too.
" Wait...did you say mate?"
" I did, Agent Carter. I was going to use my research to help the sick but the Colonel used my serum to experiment on innocent Marines and now they are Shifters."
" Why are you telling me this if you know who I am?"
" Because new sister, the Beta of this pack is your Mate."
Michelle felt like bolting from the obvious lunacy of the woman's words. Shifters? Mates?
" Let me look at that wound, then I will send him to you."
" Why do you think you can trust me with this info? You know nothing about me."
" I know you are mated to one of the sweetest people I have ever met and I know you can feel him, although you are determined to deny it."
Michelle scoffed, always the cute ones that are nuts, she thought. Apart of her wanted to rip her head off for referring to her mate as sweet. What was happening to her?
Cassidy redressed her wound and smiled before she left the room.
Michelle felt her heart speed up as an image invaded her mind. It was the brown wolf! He had saved her life and he was coming..to her.
Michelle froze as the beautiful dark skinned man who had carried her to wherever here was met her eyes. He entered the room and the smell of coffee had her salivating.
" Please tell me that coffee is mine," she groaned.
" At your service, ma'am."
Michelle clenched her thighs together as his voice conjured images of starry nights and sweat slicked bodies. Michelle's cheeks burned when he sniffed the air and groaned. He looked panicked as he quickly handed her the breakfast tray and turned for the door,
" Wait!"
She stopped his retreat cold and he slowly turned to face her.
" C-Can we talk?"
Jax nodded, afraid to speak as his wolf rose to the surface.
" Claim our mate!"
" I never got to tell you thanks for saving me that night.." her voice was doing strange things to his insides. Was this how Tristan felt? This burning need to see his woman, happy, safe...loved. He nodded again and it was her turn to frown.
" What is it? Am I not what you expected? Too yellow for your taste?" she snarled at him. Jax smiled and all the fire went out of her until he began to laugh.
" You son of a bitch! Are you laughing..."
She never saw him move. One minute he was standing there laughing in her face and the next, he was pressing her into the mattress as he invaded her mouth. He tunneled his big hand through her hair and almost came from the sheer bliss of being in her arms.
" Fuuuck," Michelle uttered in wonder as he lifted his head to stare into her soul.
" You are perfect in every way, Mish, I love your too serious face and your velvet skin, you don't know how hard it is right now to not make you completely mine but Doc says you need time to heal, time to accept that this old Marine is your mate. I don't have pretty words or big bucks all I know is Semper Fie.."
" Do or die," she finished with a smile, " I don't know why this happened but I am drawn to you, Jax. Guys, well one guy called me a worthless squaw one time in College and well it stayed with me. For a long time I was ashamed of who I am so..."
" Baby, I'm a 6ft 7inch black man, you can't tell me anything about bigotry that I haven't seen or heard or experienced. I love that you're Native American, nothing wrong with from where I'm standing."
She could almost feel his pain. Who the fuck had hurt him?
He smiled again and damned if her toes didn't curl but she had to keep a level head.
" They sent me here to bring you back, you know that right?"
" I had managed to figure that out baby but it don't even matter who or what you are, all that matters is that you're mine, my mate, my destiny. Hell, I can't talk pretty like Lance and I'm not pretty like Bruce .."
" Shut up, Marine, You are all I see, can't say I understand it but I don't need pretty, I need you Jackson,"
He swooped down again, capturing her mouth as she wound her arms around his neck. Never in her life had a man ever made her feel small or feminine before now. He was determined to go slowly with her even if it killed him. She sucked in a breath as he carefully pulled the t-shirt, his shirt, over her head. Her breasts were small but firm as his big hands covered them. Michelle writhed as he sucked one then the other nipple into his mouth.
" MORE!"
He grinned as she gave as good as she got, running her hand over his bulging muscles, her mouth watering. Her man was beautiful! He trailed his finger down her stomach, avoiding her bandaged side as his fingers went lower. They had removed her pants so he knew she only had on panties.
" If you don't want this, don't want me...now's the time to..."
" Shut up and kiss me," She had waited her entire adult life to say that to someone.
He looked deep into her eyes as he slipped his hand inside her nothing panties. Michelle groaned, bucking against his hand as he played her flesh like a Baby Grand.
" Oh Fuuuuck,"
" That's it baby, come for me." She thrashed on the bed, her body arching up off the bed as she cried out, a mix of pleasure and pain. He saw her touch her side and swore. She had pulled her stitches.
Cassidy looked between the two of them, trying hard to stifle a grin as she rewrapped the bandage around Michelle's side.
" Thanks Doc, " he said sheepishly as Michelle blushed furiously.
" No more of that until you healed a little more, baby."
He slid in beside her and just held her as she fought to stay awake. She didn't want to sleep, didn't want him to leave her once her eyes closed.
" I'm not going anywhere, my angel, rest"
She snuggled closer, loving the decadent manly smell of him. What was she going to do? Could she walk away from her responsibilities, namely her job, her parents long since dead. She was all alone, she thought sadly.
" I'm here now, you will always have me."
