Fated Magic (Claimed by Wolves 1)

Because when—if—Sable ever truly becomes mine, she’ll deserve the best I can give her. Not some desperate fuck by the side of the road.

Because as badly as I want her body, I want her soul more. I want her heart.

And it will take time to earn that.

So I focus on our surroundings like the damn alpha I’m supposed to be. We need to stay alert and on guard so we don’t get caught unawares by witches. Trystan and Archer are doing a damn fine job of it, while I’m in the middle with a raging metaphorical hard-on, imagining Sable naked in the dust.

Way to prove yourself fucking worthy of her, I admonish myself.

We follow the branded trees along our route, knowing that we’re somewhat safer if we remain within their boundaries. All three packs worked together on these routes of safe passage—the sigils burned into the trees keep the witches away and make it safer for us to travel over land. Though, to be fair, the last few violent deaths had happened well within our marked boundaries.

The witches were getting craftier, and that reminder fills me with guilt. Our meeting today should have been the first step in ensuring further safety for our people. But it was completely fucked by Lawson dragging Sable in like he had some kind of personal vendetta against her.

That fucking ass-hat. The moment I saw him manhandle her into the center of the room, every cell in my body cried for his total annihilation. The only thing that held me back was the look in Sable’s eyes.

I didn’t want her to ever look at me like that. With such fear. With such pure, abject terror.

And she would have, if I’d ripped my brother limb from limb right in front of her.

The sun is fully gone when we come to a steady halt outside the mating cabin. We’re about thirty miles from the North Pack village but still within shifter territory. We’re at the base of a mountain, deep within a thickly wooded area so far off the beaten path that there’s not a chance in hell anything could find us here, human or otherwise.

Safe. For now.

Sable slips off my back, her body sliding over mine like silk. I shudder as she rubs over me, her fingers trailing in my fur, and I know she feels the shiver wrack my body. I can smell arousal in her body too. Faint, but there. She knows—without knowing how she knows—exactly what I’m feeling. She hits the ground, knees nearly buckling, and digs her fingers into my fur to hold herself upright.

I call on my magic to shift back before she can let go of me. I want to feel her fingers on my bare skin. I want it so fucking bad it’s all I can think about, and I’m damn lucky I don’t shift back to human with a rock hard dick.

The magic fades, and Sable’s hands are on my bare chest, her satin fingers resting near my nipples.

Her eyes widen and her gaze drops between us to my nakedness. I realize too late that I probably should have warned her. All of us are so used to seeing our pack mates naked, it’s just a regular part of life. Something tells me Sable’s never seen a man’s cock before.

And her gaze on mine pulses blood directly to that body part.

She backs away quickly, clutching at the straps on her backpack as her eyes dart away. But Trystan and Archer have shifted back too, so when she turns her head she gets an eyeful of them instead.

She lets out a small squeak and a red hot flush rises up her pale neck, painting her cheeks. Then she whirls on her heel and sprints toward the cabin, racing inside as if she can’t get away from the three naked dudes fast enough.

I’m not entirely comfortable with her running into the cabin alone before one of us checks it for wild animals or interlopers, but she doesn’t immediately scream bloody murder, so I consider that proof the cabin is safe. I’ll do a more thorough check in a second, but first…

I step ahead of Trystan and Archer to stop them before they go inside.

“We need to make something clear,” I say, pitching my voice low so Sable doesn’t accidentally hear me.

Trystan crosses his arms, his face turning to stone. “What? You trying to make some kind of ‘I found her first’ claim? Tell that to my wolf. We each have an equal chance here, fuckface.”

I clench my fists against the urge to break his stupid nose. “No, jackass. About Sable’s state of mind.”

“She’s been hurt badly before. Physically and emotionally. I can tell.” Archer speaks up, adjusting his pack on his shoulders.

“She has. Anyone with eyes can see she’s traumatized.” I glance toward the cabin, seeing the network of scars on Sable’s pale flesh in my mind’s eye. “I don’t know the details, but we gotta be gentle with her. She’s not used to this. Any of it. Nobody push her beyond what she can handle.”

Archer nods. “It’s more important that we respect her trauma than it is to urge her wolf to come out. We have to let her do this at her own pace.”

Trystan scoffs. “Thank you, Doctor Phil.”

I jam a finger into the man’s broad chest. “Play. Fucking. Nice. This is your only warning. If you so much as give her a nightmare, I’ll eat your entrails and feed the rest to the vultures. Got it?”

Trystan’s jaw clenches so tight I think he might break a few teeth off. But he finally nods, taking a step away