Wolf Lake Ch. 07

"Enough to let her take your mate with her?" Nafarius asked. The question itself was disrespectful, insinuating that Alex didn't care for his mate's safety.

Alex ignored the slight. "There you go again with that phrase 'let her'. Sam is as much my leader as you are; you can imagine how well it would go over if I tried to tell you what to do. Here," Alex reached into his pocket. "She said to give you this."

The note, written in Sam's bold handwriting, was short.

4th & James ~ 4PM Don't blame Alex. Love, Sam

Nafarius felt some of his anger slipping away. Sam, predicting his response at finding her gone, had let him know where to find her as well as giving him a not-so-gentle reminder that no one could tell her what to do. Alex breathed a sigh of relief as the corner of Nafarius' lips twitched ever so slightly. Nafarius folded the note, put it in his pocket and grabbed the keys to the SUV. "Let's go."

Nafarius recognized the address; it was right in the middle of the shopping district, which meant parking would be a bitch. It took them longer to find a parking space then it did getting downtown. In the end, Nafarius got lucky and pulled up in front of the location Sam had given him.

He immediately saw her. She was sitting outside at a small bistro table; her hair was loose and her face turned up to the sun, one hand resting on the gentle swell of her belly. As he watched, she laughed at something Maddie said, the sound carrying to where he still sat in the car. It was at that moment that Nafarius realized that he'd never seen Sam laughing and looking so carefree.

From the very beginning, her time with the pack had been a test of her strength both as a leader and as his mate. It was only here, away from the rest of the pack members, that she had been able to forget her responsibilities - if only for a moment. Suddenly, Nafarius realized that he couldn't stay mad at her for taking the day to enjoy herself. Besides, Alex was right, there was no telling Sam what to do and she could definitely take care of herself.

Next to him, Alex snorted, drawing him out of his musing. "I should have known."

Nafarius turned to look at him. "What?"

Alex indicated the Starbucks sign behind Sam. "Before she met you, I would have said that there was nothing Sam loved more then coffee, including men and sex."

Nafarius started out of the car and saw the exact moment that Sam became aware of him. Her head turned towards him and her nostrils flared slightly, catching his scent. She wore a pair of new sunglasses but despite the dark lenses, he knew that her eyes had locked with his. Sliding into the seat next to her, he leaned over and nuzzled the soft spot just behind her ear. "Hello, darling."

Sam shivered. There was no mistaking the hint of his earlier frustration at finding her gone. She had known when she made the decision to go shopping that Nafarius would be worried and that his worry would turn into anger. However, she couldn't stand the thought of spending the day locked in the house after having been out of the city for so long. Trying to sound innocent, Sam asked, "did you know that this is Maddie's first time in the city?"

Nafarius didn't bother to look at the other young woman. "I did know that, which is why I thought she would be a good one to accompany us on this trip."

"Hmmm..." Sam said and took a long sip of her drink. "Well, I just had to show her my favorite shops and then we had lunch at this great little place I know. After that we did a bit more shopping and then I realized that my feet were killing me and I hadn't had coffee in almost a year and well...here we are!"

Nafarius looked around the table, "didn't you buy anything?"

"Of course we did," Sam pointed to where the car she'd found in the garage was parked. "It's in the car."

Nafarius' eyes about popped out of his head. Even from where he sat he could see that the entire back seat and storage area of the car was packed full of packages. "Is that all for the baby?"

"God no, we didn't even get to the baby store yet. I want to do that with you after my appointment tomorrow."

"Appointment?" Nafarius asked, feeling his grip on his sanity slipping. Surely his mate wouldn't be the death of him.

"Yep. I called and made an appointment with an OB/GYN for tomorrow at 10AM. I explained that I had been traveling for the past few months and had just now gotten back into States." Sam could see that he was worried. "I gave them a false name and told them that we'd be self paying so there is no insurance paperwork to fill out. It'll be fine, I promise. I just need to know that everything is okay."

Nafarius nodded. "Okay, let's head back. Seth and Jake should be back at the house by now. I thought maybe we could all go out to dinner. I hear there's a pretty good steak house near by."

Sam and Maddie both groaned. "No! No steak! I want Mexican," Sam said. "Or Sushi."

"Or Thai," Alex suggested.

"Italian?" Maddie offered quietly.

"Alright, alright," Nafarius held up his hands in mock surrender. "No steak."

As it turned out, Seth and Jake were home but only long enough to change and go back out. It seemed they'd attracted the attention of a couple of college girls and had been invited to a club in Pioneer Square. Nafarius gave them several strict warnings about how to behave before setting them free.

In the end, they settled on Mexican, Sam calling it the 'Pregnant Lady's Prerogative'. They found a family owned restaurant close to the house and were about half way through the meal when a young woman stepped up to their table.

"Alex? Is that you?"

Maddie felt herself stiffen at the sight of the tall redhead addressing her mate.

Alex was seated on the outside edge of the curved booth; Nafarius sat across from him, together they effectively prevented anyone from getting to Sam or Maddie without having to go through one of them first. Easily, Alex slipped from the booth and stood to greet the newcomer. "Caro, wow, you look great!"

Alex missed the low growl of warning that came from his mate as he gave his old friend a hug. Sam didn't. "How long has it been?"

"Too long," she said. "You seemed to have disappeared." Her green eyes shifted to the small party seated behind Alex. She'd been watching them throughout dinner. It wasn't hard to see that they were a close, almost intimate, group. The little blond in particular seemed to have a hold on Alex's interest. Alex had always been one of Caro's favorite lovers and she'd been disappointed when he'd stopped calling. It was rare that a man passed on the opportunity to be with her and she found she didn't care for it. To see Alex snuggled up with some...mouse...had driven Caro to interrupt their dinner.

Alex missed the calculating glint in Caro's eyes as he turned to introduce her. "These are my friends - Nafarius, Sam and Maddie, this is Caro. We used to work together."

Caro slipped her arm through Alex's and laughed lightly, "Oh, come now Alex, we used to do more then just work together."

Maddie felt her hackles rise at the insult both from Caro and her mate. Alex may not have realized it, but his introduction of her as a 'friend' was tantamount to disavowing her as his mate. To add insult, he hadn't bothered to remove the offending woman's hand from his arm.

Sam was torn between wanting to restrain Maddie, who was about three seconds from ripping the woman's throat out, and doing it herself. Maddie had a right to be upset but they were in public and if things got out of hand someone could get hurt.

Nafarius was also aware of the situation and was trying to give Alex a clue. He'd come to understand the young man as Sam's friend and Maddie's mate. He also knew that Alex didn't have a vicious bone in his body, which was why the young man was completely oblivious to the true nature of the shrew hanging on his arm. Realizing, that in the end the man had to learn for himself, Nafarius decided to sit back and watch events unfold. He was confident that, between him and Sam, they could keep things from getting out of hand.

Caro turned, careful to brush her breast against Alex's arm, and started to address the group at the table.

"That's it," Maddie said and slipped from the booth. Before anyone could so much as blink, Maddie had Caro by the throat and was slamming her into the wall. "Stay away from him, you bitch!"

"Maddie!" Alex shouted and went to grab his mate. Already he could see that she risked strangling Caro with her grip. "Let her go."

"Stay out of this!" Maddie snarled, without bothering to look at him. "Get this through your head; he's mine and if you ever come near him again I will kill you." Maddie punctuated her statement by banging Caro's head against the wall - hard.

Caro, her air supply not completely cut off, nevertheless struggled to breathe. The little bitch holding her was a hell of a lot stronger then she looked and there was something about her eyes that sent chills down Caro's spine. In that moment, she had no doubts that this young woman would make good on her threat. Quickly, Caro nodded. An instant later she felt her feet hit the floor and collapse under her.

As Nafarius watched, Maddie turned and stormed out of the restaurant. Alex stood for a split second in indecision before going after his mate and abandoning Caro to fend for herself. "Smart man," he muttered and heard Sam chuckle quietly beside him.

Quickly, they surveyed the room. Luckily, they had been seated off to one side and surrounded by other tall-backed booths so there weren't many witness to the attack. It would seem that not even the friends that Caro had been dining with wanted to stick around and help the young lady. Reluctantly, Sam slid out of the booth and helped the woman to her feet. Quietly, under her breath so that not even Nafarius could hear, she said, "next time, if Maddie doesn't kill you, I will." Caro fled.

"Maddie! Maddie, wait!" Alex rushed to catch up to his mate.

"How could you do that to me?"

"Do what? Caro is just a friend..."

"Right, that's why you introduced me as your 'friend'?"

The hurt and anger in her voice caught him off guard. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how to explain 'mate'."

"How about wife?" Maddie asked. "Is that one she would have understood? Or partner? Soul mate? Girlfriend? Anything but 'friend'." Furious, Maddie turned towards home, Alex following beside her. She wanted to shift and run, to feel the earth beneath her paws. "Are you ashamed of me, Alex? Of what you've become?"

"What? No! Why would you even think that?" Alex reached out and grabbed Maddie; ignoring her snarl he forced her to look at him. "I love you. I've loved you from the moment we first met. You are everything that is wonderful in this world. I am proud to be your mate."

"Then why didn't you say that tonight?" Maddie didn't know what she would do if she couldn't make Alex understand the ramifications of his actions tonight. It hurt her to think that he could be so thoughtless about her feelings and their relationship.

Alex knew he was missing something. "Look, I'm sorry. I never thought about how I would handle it if we ran into someone from my past. The moment caught me off guard and I was worried about doing or saying something that could hurt Sam or Nafarius or the pack. Then there was Caro who was a friend and yes, for a short time a lover, and I didn't want to make her feel bad by rubbing our relationship in her face."

Maddie gave a small whimper of pain. "You thought of everyone else but me." Shaking her head, she stepped back when he reached for her. "I never want you to be rude or thoughtless or uncaring with anyone, either from your past or within the pack. But Alex, you let her touch you and mark you with her scent all while standing right in front of me and our pack leaders. It was hurtful, not to mention humiliating. You could have easily removed her hand and then made a point of introducing me. Anyone conscientious enough would have understood the implication and backed off. Your friend," Maddie hissed, "acted like a total bitch and you did nothing to stop her."

Alex stood and stared as his normally quiet mate walked away. How was he supposed to know? He'd never been in this situation before and it wasn't like there was a manual. How to Behave After Becoming a Werewolf had yet to be published. He hadn't been with the pack long and their isolation meant that he hadn't had to deal with anyone outside the pack since his change. Taking a deep breath, Alex followed Maddie as she walked the two miles back to the house. He knew she could take care of herself but it was his job as her mate to protect her and see that she was never forced to defend herself.

Alex stumbled and tripped over his feet as he realized exactly what had happened and how badly he'd failed Maddie. It was his job, his duty to protect her and not just from physical dangers. Caro had acted the bitch and instead of putting a stop to it Alex had forced Maddie to stand up for herself. Considering how sweet and gentle Maddie was Alex could only imagine how hard it had been for her. He had completely failed as a mate and Maddie had every right to be pissed. Still following her, Alex tried to come up with some way to prove to Maddie the he was worthy of her and that he would do better in the future.

Sam and Nafarius drove home in comfortable silence, enjoying the rare moment of uninterrupted time together. While there were moments at home, it was never long before someone came to them with a question or concern. Sam loved the pack and she missed them but she planned to soak up as much time alone with her mate as she could.

The house was quiet when they returned. A quick check revealed Alex and Maddie's scent heavy on the air; the lighter scents of Seth and Jake confirmed that both young men were still out for the evening. Sam hoped they were having a good time while staying out of trouble. This pregnancy was starting to wear on her, as was the busy day in the city. The last thing she wanted to deal with tonight was rescuing two young pups from whatever trouble they had found themselves in. Lord knew the possibilities were endless.

Following Nafarius upstairs, Sam fell onto the bed without bothering to undress or pull back the covers. Nafarius left her there for the time being. He had a surprise for her and had been waiting all day to get her home. By the time he returned to the bedroom she was snoring. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of his mate sprawled across the bed, one arm flung up over her head while the other rested protectively on her belly.

"Come on, sleeping beauty, come get naked with me."

Sam opened one eye and stared at her mate. "I'm perfectly capable of getting naked in bed."

"Yes, but you wouldn't want to get the sheets wet."

"Get the sheets...? What the...oh..." Sam was rendered speechless at the sight that greeted her. Fixated on the idea of shopping, she hadn't bothered to explore beyond the bedroom. If she had, she might not have wanted to leave.

The bathroom, like the rest of house, was large and spacious. On her left, a vanity table built into the existing counter separated a double sink. Directly across from where they'd entered, floor to ceiling windows looked out into the forest surrounding the house and filled the room with moonlight. But by far, the piece de resistance was the bathtub. Sam couldn't be sure, but she would guess it was part of the original design. Where others might have installed a large, claw-footed bathtub or updated it with something with jets what spread out before her was a hundred times better.

A Roman style bath was set deep into the floor, almost more of a shallow pool then bathtub, and could easily accommodate five or six people. Sam and Nafarius had it all to themselves.

"Do you like it?" Nafarius asked, setting Sam back onto her feet.

"It's marvelous." Sam said. Her breath caught in her throat when Nafarius stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head, the motion causing the muscles across his chest and shoulders to flex and stretch. The sight of him never ceased to affect her; just as it had the first day they met. He was beautiful with tawny skin, wide shoulders and reddish-blond hair that was so thick her fingers positively itched to touch it.

Nafarius' nostrils flared as he caught the first hint of her desire on the air. As he watched, Sam's breasts quivered slightly as they rose and fell, her breathing having picked up a slightly erratic rhythm. Slowly, he let his eyes wander over both breasts before sliding up to her face.

Sam's eyes locked with Nafarius'. The room, already filled with steam from the water, grew warmer. While her eyes never left his face, she was completely aware of his hands as they moved to the buttons of his jeans. Time seemed to stand still and she thought she might scream in frustration as he slowly slipped the buttons free and started to push the denim off his hips.

"Oh god," Sam couldn't stop the low exclamation as his cock sprung free and stood out from his body. He was already hard and swollen and she could see his shaft pulse once, twice, until her body responded in kind.

Nafarius reached up and grabbed her hands were she had started to work at the buttons of her shirt. He wanted to unwrap her himself, baring each piece of her to his gaze in his own time. Slowly, not letting her rush him, he slipped the first few buttons free, revealing the swells of her breasts. She'd always had generous proportions but pregnancy had caused them to swell and fill out in a way that only nature could do. Lightly, he ran his fingertips across the tops of the swells, ignoring her as she thrust her breasts forward trying to push them more firmly into his hands.

He let his hand move from her chest to the hair at the nape of her neck; reaching up, he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back. Sam stared up at him, her eyes glowing slightly in the moonlight. He could feel her breath brushing against his face as he lowered his head.

Sam instinctively let her lips part expecting to be taken in a deep kiss. Instead, she shivered as Nafarius ran his tongue up the long line of her neck.

Nafarius growled as the taste of his mate burst over his tongue, she was better then any wine and more intoxicating. Again, he bent his head and licked, this time pressing his tongue and then his teeth into the pulse point below the edge of her jaw.

It was a dominant move that bordered on aggressive; Sam recognized that she was in the submissive position with her jugular literally exposed and beneath his teeth. At the same time, she also showed tremendous trust. Tipping her head back, Sam sought to give Nafarius better access while at the same time reaching between their bodies.

Nafarius' growl of appreciation turned into one of pleasure as he felt her fingers wrap around his shaft and squeeze. A moment later, his hips rocked forward as she started stroking him. No longer able to take it slow, Nafarius released Sam long enough to strip off the last of her clothes pick her up and step down into the bath. Identical sighs of appreciation echoed in the night as their already heated skin met warm water. Sam thought she might expire in a burst of pure pleasure on the spot and that was before Nafarius took one of her nipples into his mouth.

Nafarius felt Sam arch in his hands; in the same moment both of her hands tangled in his hair and grasped his head to her breast. Restlessly, she moved and moaned, trying to get closer until finally he took pity on her and set her straddling his lap.

"Nafarius, please," she whimpered. Sam's breasts felt heavy and full. Pregnancy had not only caused them to swell but any touch was almost more then she could bear. The feel of Nafarius' mouth hot and pulling hard at her nipples caused her clit to throb in response and she longed to feel him filling her.