Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

“I was gonna have sex with him⁠—”
That damn sentence was on repeat inside his head. Anger, rage, and a certain green-eyed monster sat on his shoulder, egging him on as Brock carried the squirming female outside, through the woods, and to the small stream that ran across the property in back of the Dire Wolf Pack house.
Ever since he’d met the woman, he hadn’t been able to think straight. Right then, he could hardly see two feet in front of him. His Wolf was snarling and snapping at the image of that fucking asshole. Fucking Bison Shifter. He obviously wanted to go home missing a hoof or two for touching his Ariella.
My Ariella? No. She’s not mine.
Yes, she is, his beast argued.
Fuck. Brock was shaking with emotion. No, he hadn’t claimed her, but that didn’t make his Wolf any less possessive about the little wildcat.
Okay, fine. He was an asshole. He’d freely admit it, but there was a reason he hadn’t rushed into things with the woman. But yeah, he was a prick for keeping that reason to himself.
Maybe it was time they had a serious discussion. Of course, not now. Not when she was three sheets to the wind and probably wouldn’t remember half of what they said. Brock would have laughed if there was any chance she wouldn’t get even more pissed off at him.
As it was, the normally sweet and shy Ariella was busy punching, kicking, and cursing him out. She wasn’t hurting him, but damn, the woman had some wiggle to her. Brock was trying his damndest not to drop her on her fine ass.
Grrrrr.
He hadn’t needed Sheila’s text to tell him there was trouble. Between Phoenix and his own senses, he’d anticipated it before it happened. Of course, he did not know she would proclaim her virginity so spectacularly.
Saturday night and the place had been crowded as all get out when she’d made her announcement. His head snapped to the side, and he thought he heard something in the woods. This part of their property was private, but that didn’t mean the odd patron didn’t try sneaking around back there despite their security measures.
A virgin. Fuck.
He’d known it, but that wasn’t the same as having her shout it. It seemed tattooed inside his brain. Maybe not tattooed. Maybe more like a neon sign flashing on and off with the word virgin in bold letters.
Ariella was a virgin.
Mine. Claim. Now.
Fucking hell.
A part of him felt even more ferociously possessive of her now. Unfortunately, so did half the fucking bar. If there was one thing Shifter males coveted, it was claiming a virgin bride. Don’t ask why. Fucking Neanderthals, the lot of them. Apparently, he was no different. Once he’d thought those words, they got stuck in his brain.
Virgin bride. My virgin mate.
A picture of Ariella decked out in a white gown made of silk and lace flashed through his mind and his Wolf growled appreciatively. She’d be a beautiful bride. His beautiful bride.
No.
Grrr.
“Stop squirming or we are both gonna wind up on the ground,” he chided as he stepped over a mound of fallen leaves.
“Brock! You put me down right now,” she yelled and wiggled, but he only held her tighter.
Having his arms full of the voluptuous, sweet smelling, tempting as hell she-Cat might have been hell on his nerves, but damn, it was sweet to hold her. It was all he could do not to turn his head and give her a love bite on her plump cheek.
Her musky scent invaded his nostrils, and Brock was drowning in it. He would give anything to taste her. To memorize every nuance of her unique flavor. Putting one foot in front of the other was a chore. She made him lose all focus and reason.
Finally, he got them to the grassy shore of the creek. Brock hoisted her princess style into his arms, and Ariella’s large amber eyes appeared confused. She yelped and clutched at his shoulders.
“You’ll drop me,” she hissed, and he raised one eyebrow and growled his reply.
Silly she-Cat, he could more than handle her weight. The thing that was driving him crazy was her scent, and the fact her chest was heaving. Even through the loose sweater she wore, he could make out the swell of what he knew were perfect breasts.
Sexy sexy woman.
She was full and round as a woman should be. More than enough to make his mouth water. It might be poor timing, but fuck it. Brock dropped a hard kiss on her open mouth and watched her eyes flash with heat just before they opened wide as she realized his intentions.
“Hold your nose, kitten,” he growled and tossed her into the icy water before she could reply.
Little hellcat needed to sober up before he told her what he had in mind for the two of them. Of course, he had no idea if a dunk in the creek could freeze the catnip out of her. He was going to have to chat with her mother, and soon. Having been told of the older Lioness’ hijinks by both Phoenix and Sheila, the latter of whom had called him minutes ago with the news that his would-be-mate had just announced her intention to lose her virginity to the entire bar. Thank fuck Brock had already been on his way inside.
He’d almost swallowed his tongue when he’d heard that little blip of information. That she was pristine and untouched in this day and age somehow resonated with his primordial beast.
Caveman much?
Fuck yes.
His Dire Wolf was prehistoric in more ways than one. He wouldn’t apologize for it. Brock never claimed to be anything other than what he was. Imperfect and wholly unrepentant. It was just another reason for his whole hands off approach to Ariella.
He’d seen the half-eaten plate of food she’d left on her table. The waitress had almost peed herself at having to tell him what she said. Little minx. Brock wasn’t conceited, but he knew there were two things in life he did very well. One was ride. The other was cook. If Ariella didn’t finish a meal he’d prepared, it was a message. One he would ponder another time. He was currently busy making sure she was staying afloat in the creek.
“You sober yet?” he asked.
“Dammit!” she sputtered and struggled to keep her head above the surface.
Ariella could typically swim like a fish—yes, he knew that from spying on her. But she was having a hard time now. He frowned. She must’ve been more affected by the catnip than he’d previously thought.
“Ariella, you, okay?” he asked as she spit out some of the water she’d swallowed back into the stream.
“No! I’m freezing and I’m all tangled in my skirt. Brock, get me out of here,” she wailed.
“You can do it. Come on, swim to the side. Well, put a little effort into it,” he chided, uncertain whether the little minx was angling for a way to splash him.
“My clothes are dragging me down,” she gasped and went back under.
Hell, he should’ve considered that seeing as how it was early Spring and she’d been wearing a long flowy skirt with leather boots and a creamy white sweater that left one shoulder deliciously bare.
Fine. Yes, he paid attention to her. Any detail he could take in, study, agonize over late at night. His Wolf was snarling at him to hurry up and dive in, but he hesitated. She was a Shifter and should have had no problem staying afloat.
“Stop playing around, Ariella,” he frowned and waited a beat.
Shit.
This wasn’t good. When she didn’t come immediately back up, Brock panicked. His Wolf snarled and snapped, and he cursed soundly before jumping in clothes and all.
“Ari?” he yelled and dove beneath the chilly water, searching for her among the tall grass and rocks.
It was dark and murky, and he couldn’t see shit, never mind the fact his sense of smell did not work in water. His Wolf was agitated, furious at him, and he was more than happy to let the beast chew him out, but not yet. Not till after he found her. He breached the surface to suck in more air before preparing to dive back under.
Of course, he should’ve known better than to panic. The sassy little minx was waiting for him behind one of the larger boulders that sat at the bottom of the creek. She must have great lungs, he mused after Ariella snagged his foot and pulled him down.
“Yip,” he squeaked—to his Wolf’s unending shame, Going under and swallowing a mouthful of creek water.
She was a Lioness, so he should have known she was strong. But damn, Ariella was really really strong. More than he’d imagined she would be. She held him under easily, causing his chest to burn, but in a good way.
The game was officially on.