Claiming His Need by Ellis Leigh Read Free Book Online Page A

because she cried when they hurt her. I called them cowards for putting their hands on her in the first place.  
    The wolf at my side whined, so I tightened my grip on the scruff of his neck to quiet him. He was so large for one of our kind, much taller and heavier than a standard wolf. There was no way people would mistake him for one of the wild creatures that roamed our lands. His strength was a force around him, something alive and pulsing. It blanketed me, and I was thankful for his protection. No wonder my mate had chosen him to stay with me.
    Mate.
    I could still sense the reverberations of the mating bond between us, and I reveled in the knowledge that he stood close behind me. His presence eased the burn of my heat cycle and made it easier to bear. When I’d touched his face and kissed his lips, the pain had receded completely. He was my own personal cooling device, and I looked forward to staying close enough to him to keep the burn at bay.  
    A tingling along my back told me he was watching me, his gaze traveling the length of my spine. I wanted to turn around so badly, to look into those ice-blue eyes again and remind myself how lucky I was. My mate was gorgeous—attractive to the extreme, like a model walking right off the page, but with enough manly scruff and rough edges to make him approachable. Handsome, well-spoken, and charming enough to woo me with little more than words and the slightest brushes of his skin on mine—I could not have asked for better. Plus he’d shown his respect by telling me he would meet with my Alpha .  
    I will court you as you deserve.  
    My heart beat faster remembering the words. I wanted to know more about him. How many years had he lived alone while waiting for me? Why did he ride with the Feral Breed instead of settling in to a pack? Where did he live, and would he be happy on the peninsula with us?
    Would he object to me pressing my body against his to rid myself of the insufferable heat radiating from my abdomen?  
    But first, we needed to reach Wariksen pack land. Lanie needed medical care, and Helina looked exhausted. The strain of the night had taken its toll on all of us, but we wouldn’t have to suffer much longer. I had no doubt my father and brothers would be nearby, waiting for us to escape to safety before destroying the animals who’d broken in to our home. I wouldn’t have minded a little revenge myself. I owed the short nomad for his rough handling of Lanie.
    As we neared the entrance to the mineshaft, the blond man leading the way paused at a bend, light spilling in from the right.
    “This is it. Shadow, you’re up first with these two.” He pointed to Lanie and Helina, who were huddled together in the pool of light. “The Valkoisus pack has their extraction team over the far ridge. Ladies, I need the two of you who can shift to do so when I say go.”
    Helina nodded. Lanie stood next to her, her eyes flitting around the space as her panic escalated. I reached for her hand and pulled her closer to me.
    “They won’t touch you again, sister. I promise you that.”
    She nodded and choked back a sob. The blond man looked up at the noise, and seeing Lanie in a full panic, hurried over.
    “Honey, I don’t want you to be scared.”  
    Lanie squeezed my hand as tears began to fall down her face.  
    “No, no. Don’t do that.” The man hunched down until he was eye-level with the short brunette. “You’re going to be fine. Your mate was very specific about how he would dismember not only me but also my entire family if I let a single hair of yours be damaged in this mission. He’s creative in his deadliness; I wouldn’t want to cross him.”
    Lanie smiled through her tears. “He can be a little overprotective.”
    “When you’ve found the one person who makes your soul sing, there’s no such thing as overprotective.” He reached for Lanie, and after a pause, she took his hand and released mine. He pulled her under his arm and against his