Maara

Author's note: Thank you to everyone for reading. I really appreciate everyone who takes a moment to vote or comment.

Addressing something that was in the comments for the last chapter, it's important to know that although Makara has two mates, she did not choose either one of them. Mates are given by the Moon Goddess, not decided upon by the individual wolf.

As always, this is a direct continuation from the previous chapter, so if you'd like to know what's going on, I highly suggest going back to read from the start. Enjoy!

**********

True to his word, he swept me up, easily supporting my weight with a hand on my ass as he guided my legs around him. I clung to him, pulling him closer to me, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

The kiss was hard, fueled by passion, abandon, and years of brutal rivalry followed by weeks of tension. He nipped at my lower lip, and when I gasped at the sudden onset of pain, however slight, he slipped his tongue against mine.

He broke us apart long enough to pull my baggy shirt over my head, demonstrating an impressive dexterity with one hand. I detangled my arms from his neck, impatient to have the interfering fabric gone. He dropped a slow, lust heavy gaze down to my chest, heaving with excitement and barely able to contain my pounding heart, licking his lips before resuming our kiss.

I didn't realize we had been moving until he dropped me on the bed, the sudden movement putting my stomach in my throat. He tugged on my pants, holding them as I wiggled out of them, crawling backwards on the bed. He tossed them aside, not letting his eyes leave my body.

His scrutiny was intense, and with the lack of our heated kiss to distract me, it was almost enough to make me cover my nakedness with my arms. Before I could think about it too deeply, he pulled off his own clothes in smooth motions, giving my mind something much more entertaining to do than second guess my decisions.

He was on me again in seconds, his breath warm against my thighs as he moved between my legs, my head falling back against the pillow. He swiped his tongue lightly against me, teasing a whimpering moan from my lips. He kept his contact soft, never enough to bring me any real pleasure, and I knew he was doing it to torture me. I tried to buck my hips impatiently, but his grip on them was too tight, and he kept me pinned firmly to the bed. I raised my head to look at him, hoping he would read the begging plea in my eyes.

The instant we mad eye contact he buried his face against me, making firm sweeps along my core with his tongue, as if rewarding me for an action I hadn't known he wanted. The force from him, the unrelenting pressure, made me shake, and had me feeling helpless under the escalation of my impending release. Focusing on the feeling, I let my eyes fall shut, and then sighed in discontentment as Rodan lightened his touch again. I opened my eyes to question him, and was once again rewarded with the contact that sent me hurtling towards ecstasy.

It was obvious that Rodan wanted me to watch him, so I did, struggling to keep my head up and my eyes open as he feasted on me. The pleasure made it difficult, but I didn't want him to pull away again.

He loosened his grip on my hips to slide one, and then two, fingers inside me, allowing me enough movement to rock my hips, grinding against him. He kept his tongue concentrated on my most sensitive spot, circling me in a neverending spiral.

I felt my muscles tensing, my release coiling in them like a snake preparing to strike. Rodan continued his ministrations diligently, easily following me as my closeness made my movements erratic, my rocking hips losing their rhythm as my orgasm shot through me.

I didn't bother trying to be quiet, letting my moans pour from my mouth without restraint. Rodan lifted his face to smirk at me, pressing his thumb against my sensitive core to watch me twitch with aftershocks.

Either satisfied, or impatient, he withdrew his fingers, climbing on top of me. The vision of him above me, hovering over me, renewed my lust, and I ached to feel him inside me. He kissed me, and I could taste myself on his lips. The flavour wasn't bad, but I whimpered anyway, grabbing at his hips to draw his attention to my need.

He shifted his weight to one arm, the other disappearing between us. A shiver of anticipation ran through me as I felt him at my entrance, and nothing else seemed to matter at that moment. He pushed forward, slowly spreading me apart as he slid inside. I was too wet to offer any resistance, not that I had any intentions of resisting. Fully sheathed, Rodan let out a breathy, pleasure-filled sigh, drawing a matching one from my own lips as he began gently rolling his hips, as if allowing me time to adjust to being filled.

He pulled back, picking up his pace, he thrust forward once again. Each stab of him into me sent waves of pleasure along my body, starting from my core and spreading so thoroughly through me that I felt encompassed by it.

His lips found mine again, muffling the sounds that I wasn't able to hold back. His rhythm quickened, a new surge of pleasure starting before the previous one faded away, blending into a torrent of ecstasy that threatened to undo me. I could see his own desire on his face, his own desperate need for release, but he held back, maintaining his movements until I tensed around him, my second orgasm tearing through me like the tide over a sandcastle.

After a few more thrusts, he withdrew completely, grunting out a quick demand that I turn over. I did so immediately, my mind too distracted to do anything but obey. He pulled my hips up to meet his, driving my head into the mattress and filling me again with the same movement. I yelped, and my ass stung as his hand came down in a smack, the sharp sound of flesh on flesh ringing throughout the room.

He leaned over me, supporting himself with a hand between my shoulder blades, pinning me down. His free hand wound through my hair, and he tugged hard enough that I lifted my head as far back as I could.

He moved with such speed, such intensity, that he could only have one goal in mind, and a moment later, when he pressed himself tight against me, and I felt him shutter, I knew he had reached it. He grunted as he released into me, still gently thrusting his hips to ride out his orgasm.

Panting, and with one last squeeze of my ass, he pulled out, the bed shifting as he stood, already reaching for his clothes as I turned around.

"You're leaving?" I asked him, hating how needy it sounded. He was my brother, so I hadn't expected, or wanted, a love confession or cuddles from him, but I had at least thought he would stick around long enough for his dick to dry.

"Yep, I got what I came for," he stated, doing up his pants.

I glared at him, not entirely surprised, but angry with myself for having expected anything else. So that's why Bridger brought me here. After Silas, it was the perfect opportunity for Rodan to seem sweet, and understanding, to lure me into bed with false declarations of power, to make me feel like I was in control, when I was really doing exactly what he wanted.

He saw the daggers I stared at him, and shrugged.

"Just be happy I let you cum first. Twice," he stated, pulling on his shirt and walking towards the door. "I could have had mine and been done with it. I didn't have to spend time on you, that was a favour."

I scoffed.

"Fine, go. I don't care."

He stopped, taking a long look across my still-naked body, smirking as he spoke.

"Yes, you do." He opened the door, and left.

"That went well," I heard Bridger say before the door was even closed.

"I had her purring like a kitten," Rodan answered him.

"She seemed to enjoy that more than when she was with Silas."

I rolled my eyes, but kept my anger held back until they were done.

"It certainly is convenient, that the Omega is my sister, and I know her so well."

They kept talking, but had traveled too far down the hallway for me to hear.

I felt the rage bubbling forward. It was obvious Rodan didn't care about me, and everything he had done to make me think that he did was just a ploy, the groundwork leading to this moment. It wasn't just about me, it couldn't have been, or Rodan would have raped me a long time ago.

But everything changed when I left with Silas. Rodan got off on being better than him, being able to convince me to give myself to him willingly when Silas hadn't been able to, to have me enjoy being with him more than with the older man.

I felt used, and violated, and I needed to wash them away from me. So I took a shower, the scalding water not hot enough to burn away the memories of both men. I cleaned myself thoroughly, making sure not to leave a single trace of them.

I walked out of the bathroom remembering that, the last time I did, Silas had been waiting for me. In a brief moment of paranoia, I scanned the room, making sure I was alone.

I opted not to wear the baggy clothes Bridger had given me, the scent of Silas, however slight, still present in the fabric. Instead, I rummaged through my drawers for clothes I had left behind, the one minute Silas had given me not nearly enough time to pack my entire wardrobe.

Fully dressed, and happy to be out of the clothes that reminded me of Silas, I crept to the door, opening it slowly to peer into the hallway. I could hear Rodan talking. It was muffled, and it was impossible to distinguish what he was saying, but it was definitely Rodan. His office wasn't far from my bedroom, and I knew that's where him and Bridger likely were, discussing, laughing at how Rodan so easily manipulated me. I had to get out of there.

I closed the door behind me as I tiptoed into the hall, not wanting them to follow me, or even notice that I was leaving. I would have to pass by Rodan's office to get to the front door, and if my footsteps or scent didn't give me away, the loud creaking of the old, wooden, front door as I opened it, or the resounding boom when I closed it, certainly would. No, better not to risk it.

There were many entrances in the estate, but there was one in particular that I had in mind. It was mostly used by staff, specifically those who worked in the yard, the close proximity to the garage convenient for them. I knew I would run into someone, walking through such a high traffic area, but it wouldn't be Rodan, and it wouldn't be Bridger. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for anyone else to find me here. I was sure Rodan hadn't bothered to tell anyone the truth behind my absence, so no one would know I wasn't meant to be there anymore. No one, save the one man who had seen me leave. No one, save Walter.

As if my thoughts had summoned him, I rounded the corner and nearly ran into the human, his eyes wide as if I were a harbinger of death.

"Miss Makara!" He nearly shouted, his voice a mix of relief and desperation.

"Shhhhh!" I whispered, covering his mouth, stifling the words he spit against my hand. I maneuvered him backwards, opening a closet door and pushing him through it in the same motion, following quickly behind him.

"Miss Makara," he repeated as if we weren't crammed in a small, dark room together. "I can't believe you're here! I thought-, well I thought-"

"You thought Silas was going to kill me?" I finished for him, annoyed at his interruption in my escape.

"Yes! He said he was going to, but then he took you, and I thought he was going to-, well I thought he might have...other...intentions."

I winced. He had no idea.

"That didn't seem to matter when you led him straight to my room," I accused him, not realizing I had been angry about Walter's betrayal.

His heart raced, and for a moment he was silent, his shame nearly tangible in the small room.

"I admit, I made a mistake. It was with poor judgement that I let Silas convince me to help him. I regretted it the moment you left with him through the tunnel."

"That's no consolation, Walter. You were going to let him kill me."

"Please, Miss Makara," he shrieked. "You must forgive me. At the time, I didn't think that-, well, I simply didn't think."

I didn't remember Walter being so whiny, but then again, I couldn't remember much about him, and I realized that perhaps I hadn't known him very well to begin with. Maybe that's why it had been so easy for him to sell me out, to set up his employer who hadn't bothered to learn much more than his name. Still, being overlooked was a far cry from murder, and I still felt like he owed me.

"Show me how sorry you are, Walter," I told him, even though I was convinced he was only apologizing because he had never expected to see me face to face again. "Help me get out of here. I want to go back to the hotel, and I don't want Bridger or Rodan to know."

He went quiet again, and I could hear him chewing on his cheeks, pondering his next move. I thought he was about to decline when he spoke again.

"You'll need a car," he told me, dragging me out of the closet and pulling me along the hallway, whispering harshly. "There's a truck in the yard, at the back, by the fence. It's far enough from the house that I don't think either of them will hear you, and blocked by enough trees that, if you leave the lights off, they won't see you either."

He walked me through the garage, barking a few orders for his subordinates to get back to work as they stopped to stare at us. He opened the door to a small office with a key from a ring on his belt, guiding me in with a wave of his hand, and closing the door quietly behind him.

Swinging open the door on a small, silver cabinet on the wall, he perused the selection of keys inside, selecting one quickly and tossing it to me.

"That will get you in the truck, and this," he stated, pulling a key off his own chain. "Will get you out the back gate."

I nodded, gripping the keys tightly, as if they would jump out of my hand if I didn't.

"One more thing." He held up a finger, and I waited while he opened a safe behind a small desk. "Silas asked me to keep this here for him, in case he ever needed it. I don't know what it's called, but he said it would cover his scent, or something, I'm not really sure how it works. He never used it, so maybe it could help you."

He held out a black flower, so dark I could barely distinguish one petal from another. I took it from him, rubbing the petals between my fingers. It felt like I had seen it before, but there was no scent to identify, and when I released the soft membrane, my fingers were smudged, like they were marred by a dark bruise. No, I would remember if I had ever encountered a flower like this, and the idea that it could cover my scent seemed a little far fetched for me to believe.

I nodded again, shoving the flower in my pocket. I wasn't sure how to use it, and was even less convinced that I needed to. It's not like I was running off to some unknown land. Scent, or no scent, it wouldn't be hard to figure out where I was going as soon as the two men realized I had left. Of course I would go back to the hotel, I had nowhere else.

I needed to get back to Cade, where him and I would call Atlar and the three of us would figure out what to do. Silas wasn't a theoretical problem anymore, and Rodan was more than just the rival Alpha.

I turned, making towards the back door, but Walter's hand on my arm stopped me.

"If you walk through the yard, they'll see you if they happen to look out the window." He pulled me towards a large tool chest, rolling it aside with practiced ease, revealing a narrow set of stairs leading into the cement floor.

"This will take you to the garden. The bench is on a slider, just like this." He motioned to the tool chest. "The truck isn't far from there, and this route will be much safer."

"Thank you," I told him sincerely before stepping into the tunnel, despite my reservations about entering such a confined space on the behest of a man who had once played a role in my attempted murder. It truly did seem like the quickest, and safest, way out of there.

The tool chest slid shut behind me, leaving me in darkness. I ran my hand along the wall for stability and orientation, thankful that the stone floor seemed free of debris and tripping hazards. I tried to move quickly, but running while I couldn't see went against every instinct I had, so I settled for a brisk walk.

With nothing to distract me, I opened my mind to the link I had with Cade, almost forgetting that I had sealed it earlier in the night. We hadn't discussed it, but I attributed it to the mate bond, even though I had never heard of such a thing happening before, but with the secrets my father and Rodan kept, that hardly meant anything.

I searched for Cade, sending my mind out as far as I could manage, but I felt nothing. There was too much distance between us, with me at the estate and him with the Vampires, in the opposite direction. I wished for my phone, cursing that I had left it in my bedroom at the hotel when I took a shower, although it was unlikely Bridger would have let me bring it with me anyway.

It felt like a life time in the shadows before I kicked something hard and stumbled forward, recognizing the shape of the stairs under me almost immediately. I climbed them tentatively, reaching for the ceiling and pushing on it in every direction until it gently rolled aside. It was nighttime, but it felt like a bright, sunny day in comparison to the tunnel.

The silhouette of the truck sat a short distance away, and I stopped only to swing open the back gate on my way to the vehicle. For a moment I was transported back in time, to one of the few lessons my father had actually given me, how to drive. He had taught me many things, but I recently discovered he had lied, or told me partial truths about pretty much everything. I turned the key in the ignition, thankful that this was one thing he had shown me accurately. The memory still came easily to me, and I almost smiled at the thought of Rodan laughing in the back seat as my father grabbed the dashboard, a guilty look on my young face as I eased off the brakes I had slammed.

For a split second, I had the urge to turn around, to go back inside. But the moment was brief, fleeting, and easy to brush aside after the night I'd had. I drove through the gate, wondering how I'd started the day a virgin, and finished it having sexual contact with four different men, and cursing the Alpha-Omega bond.

The drive seemed long, although I had long ago ignored the posted speed limit signs. It wasn't a difficult route to follow, even though I had never driven it before, and I soon found myself in familiar territory, passing by the bar Cade had taken me to all those nights ago.

I knew I was getting closer when I felt Cade's presence touch my mind, more aware of it now that I knew what it was, and was watching for it. Questioning myself, I wondered if I should tell Cade everything that happened. He could be in danger if he returned home and was greeted by Silas. No, Bridger would never have taken me from the hotel if he had reason to believe Silas would be returning right away. More likely, whatever Silas had left to do would occupy him for the rest of the night. Cade was safe, at least for now, and I quickly decided to save the confession for a face to face meeting. I still reached for his mind, the connection comforting, but the closer I got the more I noticed the intense emotions running through Cade, the fear and confusion, but most of all, the rage.

I tried to send him calming images, my own thoughts attempting to break through to his, but he ignored me. Something was wrong.

I pressed my foot harder to the floor, urging the truck to go as fast as it could, despite the loud protests from the engine, the machine built for strength, not speed. Not long after, I pulled up to the hotel, seconds before another vehicle skidded to a stop and parked haphazardly beside me.