Bound to My Mate Ch. 14

There was no more quiet in the infirmary once the Council got there. They were livid once they heard Sarah's thoughts. Source magic was considered almost taboo by the werewolves and I could understand why. The walls seemed to resonate with the threatening growling that kept erupting in the room.

When Joel and I left the infirmary later that night his mood had hit an all time low. He was seething mad and frustrated.

"Run with me?" I offered, hoping he would take me up on it.

We hadn't passed anyone in the halls that hadn't backed away from my mate. Several smaller men had actually showed their human throats until Joel passed. I needed to help him clear his head.

"No," he growled, "I would prefer to go to the gym."

I knew what that would mean. Hours in the infirmary patching up whoever was stupid enough to be his punching bag. Beating up his pack wasn't going to help him feel better, so I took a chance.

As we passed the back of the den, I bounded outside and headed for the trees. My clothes were torn to shreds as I shifted mid stride into my animal form. I locked eyes on the forest and headed for a path that lead to a large open field.

Joel's angry voice boomed into my mind, but I kept running. He wanted me to stop and come back. I needed to put space between him and his pack. I felt his shift as he took off after me.

In a sprint, I could easily beat Joel, but he had more stamina than I did. I just had to move him as far away from the pack as I could before he overtook me. It was the best I could do for them.

'Mate, it is not safe to be doing this. There is source magic that may be hidden in these woods. Stop and come back to the den,' he ordered.

'Catch me if you can,' I taunted and kept running.

Suddenly all the frustration of the day was directed at me and Joel barreled toward me. He was faster than I had anticipated and I bolted to stay ahead of him. We broke into the field and the terrain gave him the same advantage it gave me. I heard his angry pants just behind me.

I knew Joel would never hurt me, so I wanted to be the only outlet for his frustration. I'd be the safest target. Protecting the pack was a huge incentive to be quicker than him. I pushed both of us as fast as we could go, getting him as far away as possible.

Luckily, the field we were in was enormous. It used to be a cow pasture for the pack; way back when their extraordinary appetites would have been noticed. Now it made an excellent straightaway. I could see the dark forest finally looming on the other side when a soft voice invaded my mind.

'Yield,' was all Joel said.

'No,' I shot back, continuing to run.

I felt that he wasn't behind me anymore and I turned to see him stopped in the field.

'I yield to you, mate,' he panted.

I shifted back to a human form and walked toward him. He sat in the grass and shifted back as well.

"It's not safe to be out in the forest in this form," he said still breathing hard.

"I prefer to talk this way," I said sitting in front of him, "and I ran though the woods as a wolf."

"You don't understand how bad source magic can be," he said shaking his head. "I fear this is only the beginning. It attacks us at our very core, which is why we are affected by it. This could destroy us."

"Works on humans, too," I remarked.

"We are part human," he laughed humorlessly.

"I'm surprised the humans haven't gotten wind of this yet," I commented.

"You were with Sarah when it came on the news," Joel told me. "A gang of drug dealers was found with the flesh melted from their bodies. It looked like money and drugs had been taken from them. The witches are using the spells to gain riches. They are risking the humans knowing about all of us."

We sat in the quiet grass and stared at each other for a moment. I knew what Joel was thinking, the witches only cared about money. If the humans figured it all out, they didn't really care.

"We have to make it safe in the forest," I said remembering his prior commands about the woods not being protected. "The pack has to run."

"We have to increase patrols first and add some of that new technology to the woods. Right now anything inside the forest is not secure," he said.

As we talked I patted the grass down around me. The light evening breeze kept blowing errant strands to brush against me. It was making me a little crazy.

Joel and I talked for a long time sitting there. Joel seemed to get his wits about him and relax somewhat. Eventually, we decided on a rough idea of the defenses we would need.

"You don't have to protect the pack from me," Joel finally said. "I may have aired my frustration with them, but I would never cause them permanent harm."

"I thought it would be better to work through your frustration this way, with me. Now you have a plan and you feel improved. I know it's not what you wanted, but this way just seemed better," I advised honestly.

The wind blew and the grass behind me tickled across my mid back. I arched toward Joel at the sensation. He raised an eyebrow and his interest started to rise. "There is another benefit," he said crawling toward me. "We are together, with no clothes in the way."

His lips were on mine a second later. Kneeling before me, Joel cradled my head and nibbled at my lower lip. As the kiss deepened, I moaned into his mouth.

He pushed until I was flat on my back in the long grass. At least it didn't tickle this way. As he settled between my thighs I ran my hands across his back to his buttocks. Tilting my hips I ground against his now straining erection.

Joel took most of his own weight on his arms. Beyond him I saw the light twinkling of stars in the slowly darkening sky. I felt pressed into the earth and surrounded by the sky beneath my mate; it was a heavenly feeling.

"Is this why you tempted me out here, mate?" he asked nibbling at my neck.

"No, but it's not a side effect I mind," I answered exposing the full column of my throat to his searching lips.

"You are a tease, love," he panted in my ear.

Grinning up at him I ran my hands over his back feeling the flexing muscle. "When have I teased you?" I asked confused.

"The beautiful white wolf always two steps ahead of me. Your scent washing over me with every breath I take. Running behind you is the most frustrating and rewarding thing I do all day," he whispered in my ear.

"I'm caught now," I offered wrapping a leg around his hip.

"Ah, and I plan on taking full advantage," he said pushing his hands up my arms until they were both above my head.

Switching his grasp he held both my hands in his one.

"Hey," I said annoyed at being pinned, "what are you doing?"

Reaching out with his other hand Joel plucked a stiff strand of the grass from around us and smiled wickedly.

"Are you ticklish, love?" he asked running the blade over the inside of my elbow.

It felt good and felt awful at the same time. Tiny brushing strokes over the thin skin on the inside of my arm had me writing underneath him.

"YIELD!" I squealed.

He ignored me and ran the grass closer and closer to my armpit. "Because I noticed," he said, "you seemed very adverse to having the grass touch you."

"Joel, I yielded. Yes, I'm ticklish," I panted trying to wiggle free.

"Doesn't count now," he said.

"How is that fair? I stopped running when you said 'yield'. It's the polite thing to do," I argued breathlessly as the grass blade travelled down my side.

I let out a peel of strained giggles and tried to buck Joel off. It wasn't working. He was too strong and thought my reaction was much too fun. He continued to slide his chosen device against my ribs, tracing each one.

"How did I never know you were ticklish?" he marveled.

Desperate to distract him from this form of entertainment, I moved my hips to stimulate his erection, which was still nestled between us. I wrapped both legs around him and pressed up. He wasn't even slightly distracted and instead used the blade to tickle right at my waist.

I wailed. My skin was alight. It felt like there was nowhere he couldn't reach. The anticipation of waiting for the tiny fleeting whispers of sensation was maddening. He even switched hands, so he had access to my other side.

"Do you know, love," he asked tickling one ear and then the other, "what's it's like to be the Alpha and have a wolf in your pack you can't catch?"

"I had a head start," I pleaded watching the slender piece of grass hovering over my neck, "and I'm the Alpha, too."

On my sensitive neck the sensation would unhinge me and Joel grinned playfully above me.

"I can catch every member of my pack in a foot race," he said punctuating each word with a light swipe down my neck.

It tickled, it itched, and it absolutely had to stop. Once he'd drawn a line, the flesh felt tingly and prepped for more. I'd never escape him and he seemed determined to drive me to distraction.

In desperation, I pressed myself against him. His chest and neck I covered in kisses. Between squeals I murmured affection and promised to let him catch me next time. I would have promised him anything to make him stop; he was making me crazy.

Joel took mercy on me finally and lay the innocuous piece of plant down.

"You are something to work for," he said into my ear, "a goal only just a little ahead of me. I enjoy having goals and I always get what I aim for."

Despite my absolute dislike of the game, being pressed to Joel had me wet and weeping for attention. It did not escape his notice.

"You like to be tickled," he noted dragging his powerful tool down my soaking slit.

"No," I argued as he released my hands, "I like my mate."

Joel let my hands fall until they were on either side of my head and then he grabbed them again.

"Tell me I'm right and I'll let you go," he crooned into my ear.

Staring up into his stormy eyes I tilted my hips so I slid against him. Up and down I moved on his length, never breaking contact with his eyes. Grunting Joel shifted to try to penetrate my flesh, but I wouldn't let him.

"Need your hands for something, Alpha Latro?" I asked coyly.

"Not when I could just lay here and do this," he said nibbling at his mark, "until you take care of it for me."

The scrape of his teeth across that strange sensitive scar sent lightening to my pussy.

Damn him, damn his logic, damn that mark that drove me mad.

"I like it when you touch me Joel," I moaned as he grazed his mark with sharp canines. "I don't care what you touch me with, I love it. Now please, let my hands go and take me."

One hand, he released one hand and looked down into my eyes.

"Aim me and impale yourself on my flesh," was the low command.

He raised off me enough to let my arm wiggle between our bodies. I watched his face as he watched mine.

"You're being controlling, aren't you Joel?" I asked, but still did what he asked.

Truthfully, I needed him as much as he needed me. Grasping his shaft I pumped it a couple of times before pressing him into the right spot

"You frustrate me, love, in more ways than one. I was just repaying the favor," he told me slipping is firm rod inside.

I moved my free hand under his arm and around his back and he growled.

"Put it up by your head," he said lowering his lips back to his mark.

"Are you done with this, yet?" I moaned pressing my face into his salty skin. "Can't we just make love in this field like normal people?"

Joel laughed and pulled my hand back beside my ear. "You ignored a direct order from me, nobody does that," he said plunging in and out forcefully, "and we aren't people, we're werewolves."

Joel rode me hard pumping hard eventually leaving my arms free to move. I stroked his face and whispered how much I wanted him into his ears. Grunting his approval, Joel just thrust faster.

My hips moved restlessly against him. I sought to scratch that insatiable itch that Joel caused every time he was inside of me. When I finally found my release I screamed it to the heavens.

When Joel found completion his shout sounded like a howl as he released above me.

"I can't help it if I don't listen to you every command you give," I panted as he rolled off of me. "I'm just not that kind of person. I think we've already addressed that."

We lay in the grass for a moment letting the breeze cool our overheated bodies.

"Hmph," he grunted rising and stretching, "think you can beat me when you don't have a head start?"

"I'd give you a head start," I told him thoughtfully, "but it won't help."

Joel laughed at me as he shifted. Despite my statement I was done aggravating him and ran home beside him.