Soul Mates Box Set 1 Read online

  Lucien laughed as he pulled his mate into his arms.

  “Promises, promises….”

  He nuzzled her neck and his hands moved down her back to cup her bottom, pulling her closer to him. Lanie wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feeling of his hard body pressed up against hers. Her body reacted instantly to his touch. Her nipples pebbled and her channel tightened suddenly. Six weeks had passed since the birth of their daughter and she ached for him.

  “Socialize damn it, so I can take my mate to bed!” he ordered and they moved.

  Lanie just shook her head. Her mate was incorrigible!

  Chapter Two

  Delia stood quietly in the corner, knowing it was best not to speak to anyone. Her male would beat her badly if she so much as made eye contact with another person, male or female. He enjoyed causing her pain. She thought about what her Alpha’s Mate said. She wished it were true, that her male would stop hurting her.

  Nicolai wandered around the room, stopping to look at each new female. None of them were his mate. He had hoped that one of them would be his. Disappointed, he turned around and saw her, huddled in the corner, hugging herself. Her dark brown hair hung past her shoulders. Her head was lowered, her face partially obscured by her lovely brown locks. He was inexplicably drawn to her. As he neared, she glanced up at him and the air left his lungs. Her brown eyes widened as her wolf recognized him.

  Nicolai heard a threatening growl and turned his head.

  “Delia, you cheatin’ BITCH! I’ll teach you to flirt!” yelled a gruff voice belonging to a former Lost Soul wolf. His fists were closed and he moved towards the small female.

  The room became silent as everyone turned to look at them.

  Nicolai scented her fear and stepped in front of her, protecting her from the advancing male. The angry male stopped, clenched his fists as he assessed Nicolai.

  “Get away from my female!” the male demanded.

  “She’s my mate. I claim her as my own. Smell her fear. If you were her true mate, you would never threaten her. Nor would you cause her fear,” Nicolai said angrily.

  Lucien stepped closer to them. He had expected this to happen.

  “There will be no fighting here. Nicolai, I know you wish to injure him for causing your mate pain, for causing her fear. You forget that he was following his Alpha’s lead. He is no innocent, but he is not entirely to be blamed. For them to feel safe and assimilate into our pack, we have to forgive them their past deeds.”

  Nicolai shook his head in disbelief.

  “If it were your mate—”

  “I would want revenge. I would want to tear him apart with my bare hands. But think of this, he is someone’s mate. Would you deny her a chance to be with her mate? IF he finds a mate, he will learn very quickly that to hurt her, is to hurt himself. He will learn, Nicolai. Would you rather fight him or care for your mate?”

  For Nicolai, the choice was clear. Caring for his mate was far more important. Nicolai relaxed his stance but remained standing in front of his mate, offering her protection against her former mate. Lucien turned around, loudly addressing all of his pack mates.

  “You are forgiven for your past…misdeeds. You didn’t know better and followed your Alpha’s poor example. As of this moment, you all have a clean slate. It is the only way to move forward, to make you feel safe. You will not be punished for your past. Listen well. To threaten any female is to court death. If she is mated, her male will kill you. If she is not, I will kill you!” His wolf eyes flashed brightly.

  They believed him.

  Nicolai turned to his newfound mate. He didn’t need to ask how she had been treated by her former male. In the six weeks since they joined his pack, Lucien and his soldiers learned from Zane how the females had been abused at the hand of their Alpha and their ‘mates.’ All of them had been horrified at the way Lost Souls females had been used by the males in their pack. Not wanting to scare his mate, Nicolai buried his anger at her mistreatment.

  “You still scent of fear. May I hold you?” he asked softly.

  Delia was terrified. Her small frame shook slightly as she faced her mate.

  Nicolai was tall and muscular. He held the confident stance of a soldier. He had powerful arms that could hurt her. His blond hair was trimmed neatly and he had kind blue eyes.

  Delia was afraid to hope that her painful life had ended. Afraid to hope that she had found her true mate, someone who would care for her, make her happy.

  Because he asked instead of demanded, she decided to take a chance. Very slowly and almost imperceptibly, she nodded. Nicolai pulled her gently into his arms and held her, stroking her hair. She trembled in his arms, unable to believe he offered comfort instead of pain.

  “My name is Nicolai and you are my mate. I promise you, I will never harm you.”

  His powerful arms held her until her fear subsided.

  Lanie walked up to the couple, carrying two plates loaded with food. She indicated a nearby table and Nicolai lifted his mate and carried her there.

  Fear gripped her and she worried that Nicolai planned to harm her. Nicolai sat down and placed her on his lap. When she realized he wasn’t going to hurt her, she relaxed slightly, her fear dissipating. Lucien sat across from them, pulled Lanie onto his lap and began feeding her. Nicolai did the same to his mate.

  Delia enjoyed the feel of her mate’s arms around her. It seemed that he enjoyed feeding her. The male that she had been with would eat his fill, only giving her scraps. This male, her mate, she corrected, fed her the most delicious things. He ate nothing himself. She noted how the Alpha’s Mate fed him and wondered if her mate would mind if she did the same. Cautiously, she picked up a strawberry and held it to his mouth.

  Nicolai opened his mouth and bit into the strawberry. His eyes never left hers. When he bit into the strawberry, some juice ran down her fingers. He held her hand gently as he licked her fingers. The slightly rough tongue on her fingers shot a spear of desire through her. Her womb clenched unexpectedly. His blue eyes darkened and he smiled knowingly.

  Nicolai nuzzled her neck, placing small kisses along her neck as she squirmed against him. Enjoying the feel of her bottom rubbing against him, he held her even tighter.

  Delia felt his erection pressing against her bottom and she shuddered in terror, remembering how the male had hurt her countless times.

  Nicolai felt her shaking and stopped kissing her neck. He held her face, gently turning her so she faced him.

  “You cannot hide your desire from me any more than I can hide my desire from you, Little One. It angers me to think of how you have been hurt. I would never hurt you in such a way. I promise, I will only do as you command me,” Nicolai vowed as he caressed her cheek.

  Delia’s eyes widened at Nicolai’s declaration. She shook her head in disbelief.

  “It’s true, Delia. When I met Lucien, I ran away. In fact, it seems like I was always running away from him. Eventually he caught me.”

  “You enjoyed running from me!”

  “I did not! I really didn’t enjoy falling on my face.” Lucien laughed as he remembered how his mate had fled.

  “Graceful, you are not!” Lanie raised her eyebrows and pointedly ignored him, turning back to the couple. Lucien chuckled and slid his hand up her thigh, squeezing it gently.

  “Anyway, Lucien caught me. We were all alone in a cabin, in the middle of the woods. He was a perfect gentleman.”

  “I didn’t undress until she commanded me to,” Lucien said.

  Lanie blushed and buried her face in his neck. She knew Lucien wasn’t trying to embarrass her. He was only trying to put Delia at ease with her newfound mate. She sighed.

  “It’s true. If I hadn’t asked him to, he never would have….”

  Lanie blushed again.

  “You…you commanded him?”

  Delia was sure she heard wrong. Lanie smiled slyly and leaned towards Delia.

  “You are mates. Equals. I’m sure your mate will fol
low every single one of your commands, especially in the bedroom.” She winked at Delia. Delia was suddenly anxious to find out if this was true.

  Delia’s male stormed out of Billy Rae’s, unable to stand the sight of Delia feeding her mate, Nicolai. Jacob and Theo noticed his angry departure and followed him.

  “FUCK!” he yelled as he kicked a tire. Scenting his pack mates, he turned, spotting Jacob and Theo.

  “Can you believe this shit? Delia’s been mine for ten years and that son of a bitch took her from me!”

  “They are mates,” Jacob stated, earning him a glare from Delia’s male.

  “You think I’m going to stand around and do nothing while he fucks Delia?” He thought for a moment then added, “Lucien severed your ties with your mates as well. What will you do when you find out Sue Ann and Mila have been fucking Last Hope wolves?”

  Jacob and Theo growled, clenched their fists at the thought of their former mates fucking other wolves.

  “They wouldn’t dare.”

  Delia’s male laughed at Theo’s naïve response.

  “What makes you think they won’t? Lucien has freed them. They look up to Delia and they will follow her example and let other wolves fuck them. Unless we show them they still belong to us.”

  “What do you intend to do about it?” Theo asked, interested in keeping Mila away from other wolves.

  Lowering his voice, he confided, “I’m going to kill Nicolai in front of Delia. Once her mate is dead, I will claim her as my mate. Lucien won’t be able to stop me.”

  “Nicolai is a Soldier. Do you think you’ll be able to kill him on your own?”

  “I will have the two of you to help me kill him. Or are you going to do nothing while your bitches fuck every Last Hope wolf?”

  Angry at the loss of their females, they agreed.

  “What’s the plan?” Theo asked.

  “First we have to find out where he lives. It will be easier to ambush him when he is away from other wolves.”

  A short while later, Delia and Nicolai left Billy Rae’s. Her male shifted into his wolf form and followed them home.

  Chapter Three

  Once the former Lost Souls pack members joined Lucien’s Last Hope pack, he had ordered them to move into his town. Currently, single Lost Soul males were distributed throughout town, living with mated pack members until more permanent housing was built. Mated Lost Souls pairs had stayed in the local bed and breakfast inn.

  For their safety, the newly single Lost Souls females would now have different accommodations. Zane and Jackie had volunteered to guard them in her old house. Lucien felt his females would feel safer with Zane’s familiar face around. He also hoped they would see what true mates were like, a loving couple deeply devoted to each other.

  It was late and the seven newly single former Lost Souls females were anxious about their new accommodations. Lucien walked over to the group of females huddled together. Their whispering stopped as he stepped closer. Nervous, they turned to face him.

  “Lanie, my mate, thinks you would be more comfortable away from your former mates. I have arranged for you to stay in Jackie’s old house.”

  They blinked, cautiously saying nothing.

  “Jackie is Zane’s mate,” Lucien reminded them.

  “Oh.”

  “Of course,”

  “That’s right.”

  “Ah,” several females replied at once.

  “Kane and Harley will escort you to Jackie’s.”

  He nodded to Kane and Harley and they walked over to the group.

  The females’ eyes widened at Kane’s scarred face and they looked away. Keeping his distance, Kane clenched his jaw and crossed his arms as he stood near the group. Harley stepped closer, smiled and addressed the group.

  “Don’t worry Ladies, you’re in good hands with us. Kane and I will take you home then patrol outside. You’ll be completely safe at Jackie’s.”

  Harley’s charming smile and calm demeanor instantly put them at ease.

  “Jackie and Zane will stay with you tonight,” Lucien stated. “If you need anything, please let them know.” The ladies nodded in response.

  “Let’s go, Ladies,” Harley said.

  Still a little nervous about their new accommodations, they followed Harley out of Rae’s. Kane followed the group, staying far behind in an effort to alleviate their nervousness.

  It was a short but pleasant walk to from Rae’s to Jackie’s old house. Harley walked up to the lovely Victorian house and rang the bell. A few minutes later, Jackie opened the door, blushing furiously. The buttons on her shirt were not lined up, suggesting she had hurriedly buttoned her shirt. Harley grinned at her disheveled appearance. Winking, he said, “I hope Zane is decent.”

  Just then, Zane walked up behind her. He looked at the group of women, searching for someone.

  “Delia found her mate, Zane,” Sue Ann informed him quietly.

  “She did?” Zane was astonished.

  He smiled suddenly, happy that Delia had found her true mate.

  “That’s great, Sue Ann. I’m sorry the rest of you didn’t find your mates tonight.”

  He slipped an arm around Jackie, pulling her close to him.

  “This is my mate, Jackie.”

  “Hello Jackie.”

  “Hi.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “How are you?” several of the women said at the same time.

  “Please, come in,” said Jackie as she smiled, welcoming them to their new home.

  Once everyone was inside, Zane locked the door and joined them in the living room.

  “It’s a four bedroom house, so you’ll have to double up. Angie, one of the maids at the inn, delivered your bags earlier. We took them up to your rooms,” Jackie informed them.

  “Relax. This isn’t some trick. Lucien and his pack are nothing like Murdock. He could have had me killed on sight for killing Sean, but he didn’t. He talked to me and learned the truth about what happened. Murdock would never have done that,” stated Zane. “Lucien could have refused to let me claim Jackie as my mate, but he didn’t. Do you know what he did instead?”

  They nodded, curious about their new alpha.

  “He invited me into his home and offered us his private cabin. He gave us time to work through our...issues. He gave me a chance, a real chance at happiness.”

  Zane turned to gaze at Jackie. His love for her was unmistakable. Jackie smiled and moved to stand by him, slipping her arm around his waist.

  “It was exactly what we needed,” Jackie said softly.

  “Yes it was,” Zane agreed as he lowered his head and kissed Jackie.

  The females watched enviously as Zane kissed his mate tenderly. None of them were used to gentle touches or public displays of affection. A few of them began to wonder what it would be like to find their true mates.

  Zane’s wolf eyes flashed at Jackie as he scented her arousal. Her wolf eyes flashed brightly before she reluctantly turned away from him.

  Zane forced himself to address the females in his care. The sooner he got them settled, the sooner he could fuck Jackie.

  “Jackie will take you upstairs. I promise you, your males won’t come near you. Kane and Harley are patrolling outside and I will be on guard downstairs. None of the Lost Souls males can get past either Soldier. But if they do, they won’t get past me.”

  They saw his wolf eyes flash and they felt reassured. They knew they could trust Zane to protect them.

  Quietly they turned and followed Jackie upstairs. While Jackie showed them their rooms, Zane pulled out the air mattress, plugged it in and inflated it on the living room floor. He spread their bed and took off his shirt, tossing it onto the couch.

  Jackie returned to the living room and stopped to admire Zane’s bare chest. She bit her lip.

  “Zane, maybe we shouldn’t.”

  Zane raised a brow.

  “We have a house full of guests. What if they come downstairs?”

&nb
sp; “Then I guess they’ll get quite a show. Strip, Jackie,” he demanded as he unbuttoned his jeans.

  “Zane....”

  “Your scent is driving me crazy. You need to be fucked, Jackie. I will take care of your need, mate. Now get undressed...or do you want me to undress you?” he asked with a wicked smile.

  Jackie shook her head adamantly. If he stripped her, her clothes would be in shreds. Quickly she undressed and joined Zane on their bed.

  Sue Ann, Mila, Jezebel and Tori quietly walked down the stairs. They stood on the staircase, frozen as they heard Jackie, her voice a bit agitated.

  “Don’t Zane! I mean it!”

  The females exchanged glances, worried for Jackie. Could they have been wrong about Zane? Was he hurting his mate?

  “St-st-stop it!” Jackie demanded between fits of laughter. “Za-Zane, please!”

  Zane chuckled as he ran his fingers along Jackie’s side. She pushed his hands away, giggling as he tickled her with his other hand. Smiling, he moved swiftly to her feet. Kneeling, he lifted her legs apart and leaned down. He placed a soft kiss on her pubic hair and Jackie stopped giggling. He spread her gently and licked her clit. His tongue slid downward, found her channel and plunged inside.

  “Oh, Zane!”

  The females blushed as they listened to Zane and Jackie’s enthusiastic coupling. Judging from the groans and moans, Jackie enjoyed her mate’s touch. By the time Zane found his release inside of his mate, the females were flushed and panting. Not wanting to advertise their presence, quietly they turned and went back upstairs.

  Chapter Four

  Nicolai held her hand as he led Delia to her new home. She allowed him to carry her over the threshold, because he asked nicely and it seemed to mean something to him. Once inside, he set her down and gave her a brief tour, ending in their bedroom.

  “We are mates, so I expect you to sleep in our bed. I will not touch you until you are ready, Delia. Even then, I will only do as you wish, no further.”

  Feeling brave, Delia asked in a whisper, “What would you do?”