Delilah and Riley by Melissa Nichols (ebook reader browser .TXT) 📖

she has always hated our betrothal and the meeting date was suddenly moved forward three months. Of course she’ll be like this. I felt the same way, only I blamed it on Zak and not on her.

“Delilah, this is a happy moment. You’re meeting your betrothed and starting your life with me. You should not be so angry.”

“I don’t care! You can go to hell and I’d still hate you. Because of you, I have no rights and no choices and I wish you were dead!”

I was speechless. She hadn’t even met me and she was cursing me to hell.

“No rights? No choices? Delilah, I would never take those from you.”

“Really? Then why can’t I let David love me, and I him? Because I’m betrothed to you. Mother said I have to always be true to you and everything. But I won't. With every breath I take, I will fight you. I refuse to be faithful, I refuse to be loyal, I refuse to obey, I refuse to be docile. And I will also curse you to the seventh circle of hell, dream you meet the most horrible death, every day I live. I hope the pups we will have are malformed, stupid, and die at birth. I hope for every misfortune to fall upon your head. And I promise, I will make life a living hell for you. Such I promise and such it will be." she growled, advancing, hatred, loathing and everything related shining in her eyes. I backed up, grew pale and realized that not only was she a bitch, but I had underestimated her. Zak was right. I will have my hands full.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Delilah. I'd so hoped you would accept me. But even if all of this comes to pass, I still accept you as my betrothed and mate." I said, the last part putting the responsibility of getting married on my shoulders. Delilah's mouth twisted, lips forming a crooked, thin line, hatred and dislike in her eyes. But she knew she had no choice. She has to accept, as is the Law.

"And I accept you." She growled so fiercely that I was barely able to understand her words. And so the final part began. I advanced, a grin on my face, and I took her into my arms, closed the distance between us and captured her lips with mine.

Delilah paused, froze up. She tried to pull away, now that the acceptance ceremony was complete. But my grip was too tight. My hands had circled her face and when she tried to move away, I squeezed so very gently as a warning. I wasn't going to let this kiss end until I wanted it to and it wasn't going to end anytime soon. I increased the pressure, the heat and people from both packs started whistling and cat-calling but I didn't listen. I could feel her cheeks start to heat up, blushing, but I kept going, my kiss getting violent. In my kiss, I warned her of my strength and she started to squirm a little as she realized how strong I am but I still didn't let her go. Through the pressure of our connected lips, I told her how willing I was to fight to save our relationship, how powerful I am and how weak she is. I told her just what kind of trouble she was getting into.

I had just opened my mouth when a sudden pain entered my lower lip. I pulled away with a quiet yelp. Delilah was breathing hard, her teeth bared and red. A salty taste came to my tongue and a warm liquid ran down my chin. I wiped it off with my hand and it came away red. I licked the inside of my lip, put my finger to the wound and it also came away red. She bit me. The little bitch bit me.

As I was processing this, shouts of outrage and astonishment erupted among the packs but I didn't hear them. I was just staring at her, sure that hatred and violence was filling my eyes as quickly as my temper was rising to new, far more dangerous levels than ever before. The bitch had the guts to wound not only a male, but an Alpha, her betrothed and mate. I growled very low, shaking with rage, wishing I could reach out and beat her senseless. But I stilled my hands. I was not that type of man, to hit a woman, much less my mate. But I could threaten all I wanted. I growled and snarled, teeth bared, breath coming rapidly as I fought to overcome my rage and the urge to phase and rip her to shreds with teeth and claws. I shook with the effort and I watched as she smirked, turned on her heel, flipped her white hair over her shoulder and returned to her parents, leaving me standing there, growling and snarling like an idiot, shaking with rage.

 I was so engrossed in watching her walk away, teeth still red, planning many strategies of revenge and their bloody results that I barely noticed the Lune Pack and Delilah make her way back to me. However, she was smart enough to stay back, not that she could get anywhere. My pack had converged around me, my Beta male and successor shouting at me, checking to see if I’m okay, slapping me to get my attention. But I paid him no mind. I was giving a death glare to Delilah and fighting so very hard to stop my rage in its tracks. Finally, some cold liquid dumped over my head woke me, cooling my rage and bringing my back to awareness. Sputtering and surprised, I shook my head and used my hands to clear my eyes. I glared at the guy with the Gatorade cooler and paused when my Beta, Devon, held up his hands and approached me. I looked at the ground and shook my head, trying to shake the last of my anger. When I was ready, I looked at the boy apologetically and turned my attention to Devon. He put his hand on my shoulder and I picked up a corner of my mouth. The conversation was clear. He apologized for dumping the water on me, but explained it was the only way to get to me and my grin said I understood and that I wasn’t angry. Then I turned my eyes on Delilah. I didn’t say anything, just looked at her and she at me.

“We can address your… demands at a later time. Right now, we have a wedding to prepare for.” I said, my voice neutral as Switzerland and held out the crook of my arm to her. She hesitated, then tucked her hand in its place and came to my side and we turned north, toward our motel. Then, tugging her forward to the front of the pack, I let her hand go and phased, then watched as Delilah phased into the matching white wolf that her hair portrayed, then Devon into his red wolf form, and everyone else.

Once everyone was in their other form, I led the pack and Delilah through the forest to the motel at the edge of her territory.

 

 

 

 

 

Delilah

We ran through the trees in formation. Riley, the black wolf, and I were at the head, the red and brown wolves behind us, obviously they are the Beta male and female, and everyone else behind them. All of us made a horde of every color and combination in the wolf kingdom, although there were a lot of greys and rime greys. But my only concern was keeping up with Riley. He was a fast runner, took long strides, and I was unfamiliar with this area, so if I was separated from him, his black pelt would blend with the night and I would then have to rely on the red wolf to guide me. Naturally, relying on a Beta put a ding in my pride and I had precious little, so I couldn’t afford to lose any. To avoid that, I stuck to Riley’s black pelt like dried glue to paper. When our pelts brushed, Riley looked at me and I backed off, giving him the respectable space bubble all wolves demanded. But Riley growled and motioned with his snout for me to join him again. I reclaimed my place at his side and lengthened my stride so we matched perfectly. I could see as well as he could and with our gait matched perfectly, we moved as one. Looking from the red wolf’s point of view, we were amazing. The startling white wolf next to the invisible black, both moving in perfect synchronization was a sight equal to seeing a Bald Eagle in flight.

How big is your pack, Riley? I asked in an attempt to break the quiet.

One hundred and twenty-three individuals including myself. Your presence brings it to a hundred twenty-four.

So big? My father’s pack is only forty-nine now.

Yours is a young pack, just starting out. The Domiscuss pack has ruled California for well over a century, each new Alpha pair bringing in many pups and encouraging outsiders to join. And the pups produced usually became Alphas in other packs, or impregnated all of the females at one point or another to produce even more pups. That’s been the key to our growth. Lots of pup producing. It also helps when a lot of outsiders join.

And I thought my father’s pack was obsessed with growing.

Well, Tennesee wolves like pups because of the efforts behind their conception. Riley whispered, then everyone started snickering. Well, all of the males. Riley had a huge grin on his wolfy face and I started getting angry again. Obviously, that grin and the matching innuendo were from experience in that department. He wasn’t a virgin anymore, and yet I was. How unfair. Just another thing I had been deprived while everyone else around me indulged.

So what else are Tennesee wolves famous for? Lumberjacking? I barked, breaking formation and dashing into the forest. I felt it when Riley chased after me and heard it when he ordered his Beta to lead everyone back to the motel, but I didn’t care. In all of my years, the only thing that really helps me calm down is a good, hard run in the forest.

Delilah, we have to talk in private. Stop and de-phase. Riley said, nipping lightly at my tail. I veered away from his jaws and de-phased, knowing that what I had to say was a private matter. But I didn’t wait for Riley before I was screaming “I hate this! I hate this life.”

“Why? What’s so terrible about it? You’re my mate, going to be my wife in a few hours, Alpha Female of the largest pack in the country and you’ll have everything you can ever want. What is it that makes it so horrible?”

“All my life I’ve been told that I’m engaged, yada yada yada, but what really ticks me off is that you can do anything and I can’t. Judging from that innuendo and your grin, you’re already experienced in sex and I haven’t been allowed to even think about it, or look at a book that even hints at any romance, physical or not.”

“Okay, so you’re not pissed because you’re engaged, but because you’re still a virgin and I’m not? Sweetheart, that’s easily fixed and it’s absolutely unfair to hold it on my head when I had just as much say in this betrothal as you did!”

“But it’s not even a tenth of the problem! I’ve never had an upbringing normal to an Alpha’s daughter, or even a betrothed child. I’ve been raised to be a princess, yes, but I was also raised violently and…” I cut off, knowing I had said too much. Father didn’t want anyone to know about the beatings.

“Raised violently? What do you mean, Delilah?”

“Nothing and that’s hardly enough to worry about. I still have a lot