Mystic shivered in response to Hawk's command. Her cunt spasmed when he placed his hand on her thigh. Her nipples tightened.

She studied the contrast of his skin against hers. He was nightfall and she was the brown-gold of an autumn forest at dusk.

"Strip," Hawk repeated in a low growl, the order given to appease the wolf that crouched inside him and didn't like having Mystic covered with another male's shirt and scent.

He didn't follow up the command with a threat of punishment. He didn't need to. He knew she wouldn't deny him. He could smell her arousal. He could see it in the tight points of her nipples.

His hand slid up to where the fabric of Christian's shirt touched her skin and Mystic's breath caught. A small whimper followed as he stroked her flesh.

Hawk clenched his other hand into a fist in order to keep from reaching for the front of his jeans and freeing his cock. He'd do that soon enough, or he'd have her do it. At the moment he simply wanted to enjoy this first time of being alone with her. He wanted to savor the knowledge she wouldn't try to flee the room and his presence any longer.

He'd rarely succeeded in getting her to himself at the Zevanti compound. Her friends had run interference or she'd outwitted him.

Another male might have been angered by her continued evasions, or been driven to become more aggressive in his pursuit, but Hawk had seen it as confirmation that on some level Mystic recognized him as her mate. She wouldn't have felt so threatened by him otherwise.

Her eyelashes lowered to hide her expression as her hands went to the front of Christian's shirt. Hawk couldn't suppress a smile. She was beautiful, alluring, a potent mix of innocent and bold. His heart thundered in his chest and he had to concentrate in order to control his breathing as her fingers freed first one button and then another. A pant escaped despite the control he held over himself when the shirt parted and then fell to the ground. He wanted to lift his face and howl in joy and victory. He wanted to lean forward and press his face to her pussy and wallow in her scent and heat.

Hawk stood and scooped her up into his arms. There would be other days and other times for fucking her on the kitchen table or against the counter. For this first time alone with her, he wanted to be in a comfortable place.

He strode into Christian's bedroom. Though Christian had left for work hours before, the scent of sex was raw against Hawk's senses. It fed his natural need to dominate. It stirred the wolf into a frenzy even though the man knew he would need to get used to it.

Mystic would always smell of her other mates. Whatever place they eventually called home, he doubted any surface would remain virgin for long.

Hawk tumbled her onto the bed and stripped out of his clothing before joining her. He covered her with his body. There was no denying either the wolf's or his own need to touch as much of her as possible.

A moan escaped and he shuddered at the feel of her hot, smooth skin against his. He was no stranger to a woman's body and yet this woman made him revisit those adolescent moments when he'd feared he might spill his seed in a single stroke, or worse, before he could even get inside the fevered female flesh waiting for him.

As if to test him further, Mystic touched her lips to his and whispered, "I need you inside me."

Hawk grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the mattress before she could strip him of his control. The rush of blood to his cock and the fierce urge to impale her was almost unbearable. He took her offered lips and thrust his tongue against hers. He hoped to take the edge off his need to rut on her, but within seconds he knew he was lost.

The Angelini magic rose between them as it had in the woods. Its song was a primitive siren call that left them both helpless against it. There was no denying it, no fighting it.

"We'll go slower next time," Hawk promised before he got to his knees so she could roll to hers.

His cock strained and leaked. His wolf quivered in anticipation and reached out along the bond in an attempt to prod Mystic's hidden wolf into waking.

She positioned herself on her knees and elbows so her flushed rosy slit was exposed. Its open, wet folds were a temptation no male could resist.

It was impossible for Hawk not to explore the lush feminine mystery any time his face got close to her silken cunt. He licked her from her clit to the tempting pucker of her anus. He thrust his tongue in and out of her channel and hungrily swallowed her juices as the wolf moved closer to the surface of his human skin and reveled in the taste and scent and sensation.

Her moans fed both the wolf's hunger and the man's. His mouth remained against her slick folds until his cock pulsed in warning and he testicles tightened and burned in protest.

Hawk bit her inner thigh just as he'd done her neck, a hard aggressive remarking of his mate. He gave her a gentle nip on one ass check before pressing kisses up her spine until he got to her shoulder. A small lick and a low growl were all the warning she got before his cock plunged into her sheath and his teeth sank into muscle and flesh.

Ecstasy rushed through Mystic like hot lava. She cried out as she gripped the bed sheet and used it to anchor herself.

Hawk thrusts were hard and fast, fierce and primal, as if his wolf was looking for one inside of her to mate with. She felt the magic rise to meet the essence of Hawk's wolf as if it would substitute for what she didn't posses herself.

Mystic shivered at the sensation. It was exquisite agony and unbearable pleasure to be so full of magic, so full of cock. She pressed backward and thrust her buttocks against Hawk in an effort to drive him deeper.

With a low, dominant growl he went into a wild rutting fever. He pounded harder, faster, until the ring of muscles hidden inside her trapped his cock and locked him in place in the way of her kind, in a way that satisfied Hawk's wolf as well. He released his grip on her shoulder and they both cried out as the first rush of seed splashed into her womb, only to be followed by another, and another, and another until they collapsed on the bed in a weak heap of sweat-slick skin and tangled limbs.

Hawk closed his eyes and savored the feel of her against him. He buried his face in her luxurious hair and smiled in complete satisfaction. He'd felt her wolf rise to meet his own and mate with it. And though her unguarded thoughts told him she believed it was Angelini magic answering his wolf's call, he knew differently.

In the long hours he'd spent with the Zevanti twins he'd had a chance to question them about Mystic. At first they'd been cautious about sharing any information other than what he could have learned from the pack. But after they'd hunted and run together as wolves, he'd slowly become not just an alpha but their alpha. It was a subtle shift brought about by a shared purpose and their tie to Mystic, but it was enough for them to open up and confide in him.

Much of what he'd learned confirmed what he'd guessed, given her vampire fathers and nontraditional mother. From the day of her birth Mystic had been under intense scrutiny not only by her grandparents but by the other Renaldis and their wolf allies. From an early age there had been whispered rumors she would be unable to shift form because her blood was too diluted by her vampire heritage.

Whether it was fear of failure, or because her wolf slept too deeply inside her, or because the magic had decided it wasn't time for Mystic to embrace that part of herself, when she never took a wolf form her inferiority was confirmed in the eyes of her Renaldi relatives. Added to that disgrace was the way her parents had raised but failed to train her. No one expected her to become a gifted hunter. As a result, Mystic's value in the eyes of her grandparents rested in what alliances might be gained if she took Were mates.

Hawk growled in protest at the pain she'd suffered. She was more than anyone had given her credit for and one day she'd believe it as firmly as he did. But for the moment he could only reach for her wolf and continue coaxing it into wakefulness. When it had risen and accepted him as alpha, then he'd be able to guide Mystic through the change. Until then he would subtly stroke and prod because he was afraid if he told her he could feel the wolf's presence, it would hurt her and cause her to shield parts of herself from him in order to avoid more pain.

She'd long ago accepted she couldn't shift and so she'd come to think of the wolf's stirrings as belonging to the Angelini magic. She would think that's what he felt too. She'd cringe in the belief he was seeing what he desperately wanted to see-that she was as desirable a mate as a pure Were female-and she'd worry he would ultimately be as disappointed in her as her grandparents were.

It could never happen. But Hawk knew the subject of her wolf was too sensitive to discuss, to painful to be eradicated with words. He stroked Mystic's side and felt his heart swell with tenderness. He would never willingly cause her pain.

At the Zevanti compound he'd been driven to possess her. She'd been the cornerstone of his dream to form a pack. But now she was so much more. She was his heart, his soul, his life.

He nuzzled aside her hair and nibbled on her neck. The frenzy he'd felt to mate and mate repeatedly had eased. He felt calm, content. A chuckle escaped. Or perhaps she'd just milked him of seed so thoroughly he had nothing more to give.

Mystic turned in his arms and gave him a quick affectionate kiss. What's so funny?

Hawk cupped her breast and lazily rubbed his thumb back and forth over her nipple. He mentally shared the source of his amusement with her and smiled when her eyes danced with mischief as she said, "The night's young. I think you're underestimating yourself."

He nearly purred when her hand encased his cock and she stroked him slowly, up and down, over and over again until his penis was rigid and pulsing against her palm. She tormented him until his buttocks clenched and his hips flexed in order to drive his hard flesh through the fist of her fingers.

Hawk growled in protest when she freed him, then moaned in pleasure as her fingers explored the sac containing his testicles. It felt so good to have her touching and caressing him.

There'd been days in the Zevanti compound when he'd had to ease himself more than once because he refused to couple with any other female but Mystic. Some of the fantasies he'd used as he'd brought himself to orgasm had been of rough matings with her, but others had been like this, with her hands and mouth willingly seeking him out and giving him pleasure.

Heat began to build, first in his balls and then in his cock. It moved up his spine and into this chest and threatened to steal his breath.

He jerked when Mystic's hand once again captured his cock. He panted and wondered how long it would be before he begged.

It took every ounce of control he had to let her be the aggressor. He wanted to spear his fingers in her hair and force her down to his straining cock. Instead he tangled his fingers in her hair and guided her mouth to his.

You're torturing me, he said as his tongue licked over her lips.

I thought you were tougher than this.

He laughed. Not where you're concerned.

Her lips parted and she met his tongue with her own. She pushed into his mouth only to retreat. So you want me to stop?

No.

She rewarded his answer by luring his tongue into her mouth and holding it hostage. She sucked in the same rhythm as her hand pumped his cock.

Hawk shuddered under the dual assault. His hands left her hair to trail down her sides and grasp her hips. His balls tightened with the need to come. Mystic, he growled. The wolf inside him couldn't stand the thought of his seed coating her mound and belly. The man promised himself one day he'd mark her like that.

Mystic released his tongue only to lean down and lick over a hardened male nipple then blow on the wet nub. Hawk grunted and felt every muscle in his body tighten with the urge to pounce.

"Put my cock inside you."

She looked up at him from underneath her lashes. Her smile was sultry as her thumb rubbed the exposed head of his penis in a not-so-subtle challenge to his authority.

Hawk's hands tightened on her hips in response. His nostrils flared to capture the scent of her arousal. Man and beast battled over how to respond to her disobedience but before either prevailed Mystic ducked her head and found his nipple with her tongue and teeth.

Lightning flashes of erotic fire whipped through Hawk as she licked and bit and sucked. His hips jerked and his chest rose and fell in fast pants as her hand caressed his cock and her thumb ruthlessly tormented the sensitive head. A continuous growl rumbled in his throat as she took him to the point of release over and over again.

He reveled in being the sole focus of her attention even as he fought the wolf's urge to force her to her elbows and knees in order to mount her. This time he wanted to see her face as they made love. He wanted to watch as ecstasy shimmered through her and she cried out in orgasm.

Hawk's hands left her hips and went to her hair. His fingers tangled in her luxurious locks and forced her mouth away from his chest.

He guided her face to his, took her lips in a hard, wet kiss, before saying, "Put me inside you, Mystic. Fuck your mate until he comes."

Delicious sensation slid through Mystic as she looked down at Hawk's face. His cock pulsed in her hand and her cunt clenched in reaction.

She guided him to her entrance and took just the very tip of him inside her. His face tightened, the muscles in his abdomen were hard and taut. She lifted off him then settled again, using her hand to keep him from sliding all the way in.

His lips pulled back in a snarl. The wolf was a shadowy presence in his eyes and she could clearly read what it wanted-to dominate completely.

"Mystic," Hawk growled. Tension vibrated from him but rather than intimidate her, it emboldened her.

"Play with my breasts while I take you," she whispered, arching her back in a provocative display.

Hawk's smile was a flash of feral confidence as he obeyed her command.

Her buttocks clenched when his palms rubbed and circled over her nipples. Heat curled and spasmed in her clit when he began tugging, squeezing areolas already made sensitive by the attention her mates had given them.

Mystic moaned and took all of his cock inside her. She felt his pleasure along their link and saw it in his face as she moved up and down on his shaft. She lingered. She savored. She drew their lovemaking out until neither of them could stand the torment any longer. And then she did has he'd commanded earlier, she fucked her mate until he came, until they both came.

A contented smile settled on Mystic's face. She trailed her fingers over Hawk's muscled abdomen until she got to the pack brand he wore near his right hip. He only had the one, a crescent moon with an intricate symbol in the bare space formed by the moon's curve.

An older wolf would often have two or three brands, each one connected by a lightning bolt in order to identify which was the pack of origin and which was the current pack. A banished or outcast wolf would have an ugly pucker where the brand had been burned away.

"Tell me about your pack," she said, tracing the symbol inside the moon's curve.

"My old pack." Hawk rolled to his elbow and covered her thighs with one of his. His braids hung down on either side of his face like dark beaded curtains. "Now that I have a mate I plan to petition the council for a pack. You'll support me?"

"Yes," she whispered, heart racing and nerves fluttering in her stomach. She'd known what his intentions were from the moment he'd appeared at the Zevanti compound. She'd feared them.

She'd thought he only wanted her because she was Angelini and could help him gain a pack. Now that they were bound together, she didn't question the rightness of it, but she was still afraid she'd let him down. She had no wolf form. Even worse, without the tattoo of an Angelini hunter and the magic that came with it, she was weak, very nearly human.

Enough, Hawk said, lowering his head and growling against her throat before giving her a sharp nip. He'd intended to answer Mystic's question and tell her about himself, but when she became softly submissive underneath him the blood rushed to fill his cock.

Hawk growled again, this time against her mouth. Open for me, he said and she parted both her lips and her thighs.

He thrust his tongue into the wet heaven of her mouth as his cock forced its way into the clinging heated core of her. I was willing to talk.

Mystic's arms and legs wrapped around him. She smiled against his mouth. We can talk later.

Hawk began pumping, slowly at first, just as she'd done when he allowed her to mount him. Then faster as her moans drove all thought from his mind and the only thing left was fierce emotion and overwhelming sensation.

Afterward Hawk reached down and pulled the comforter over their bare bodies, not because it was cold, but because suddenly the idea of cuddling under the covers appealed to him. He smiled when her fingertips found the pack brand and she teased, "Being mated to you isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be." Her leg slid over his and she pressed more tightly against him. "For one thing, you're very, very warm."

"Warm?" He trailed his fingers down her spine before his hand cupped a sleek buttock. "You're supposed to say I'm hot."

Her laughter made his heart sing. A curtain parted deep inside him and a lifetime of fierce determination gave way to feelings he was loath to put a name on.

"Point taken," she murmured, rubbing her lips on his collarbone before peeking up at him through dark lashes. "Not that you need to have your ego or anything else stroked. You sent more than one of the females at the Zevanti compound into heat just by walking into the room."

He flashed his teeth and growled softly. "I didn't realize you stayed in any room with me long enough to notice that kind of thing."

She pressed another kiss to his collarbone. "I had to run from you. The magic wanted me here because of Roman and Christian and because of the dead fledgling."

Hawk repositioned her so he could take her mouth with his. Just don't run from me again, Mystic, he said as his tongue thrust aggressively against hers.

I won't.

He gentled the kiss. She'd become his sole focus from the moment he'd first seen her but now she was so much more. Any time he touched her he felt the overwhelming need to meld every inch of himself to her.

This was what it meant to be an Angelini mate. On an intellectual level he'd known it would be like this. But nothing could have prepared him for the reality. When he was younger he probably would have railed against the loss of freedom that came with such a bond, but now, now he could only moan and shudder with pleasure as his heart swelled with intense satisfaction at having Mystic for a mate. She was everything to him. His life. His future. His dream. All in a body that made him constantly hard.

He took her again. Filled her sweet, wet channel with his cock as the mental barriers fell away and their souls danced and merged, two hot flames becoming one incandescent blaze in a timeless place of magic.