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  She glared at him, which only caused him to chuckle again. He reached up and unbuttoned and then unzipped her jeans, pulling them down to her knees. Dylan grinned when he realized that she wasn’t wearing panties and that the small patch of hair nestled at the apex of her thighs was as red as that on top of her head.

  Dylan looked at the other men. They were transfixed. Best he get them busy on board securing the women for the ride home. They didn’t need to be watching his mate’s bare backside. “Can I send them on board, or do you need them to watch you take your spanking?”

  Her lip quivered but just for a moment. “You can send them on board.”

  It had been a long time since she’d had to submit to a spanking or anything else for that matter. She reminded herself that a spanking wouldn’t kill her. She had survived Micah’s discipline; she would survive Grainger’s until she formulated a plan to regain her freedom.

  “Gentlemen, please take the rest of the ladies on board. My mate and I will be with you shortly.” He drew her over his knee. He stroked her backside sensuously. She had a great ass. One that a man could give a good spanking to when provoked and one that would fill his hands while he stilled her as his cock plowed her pussy.

  “I will never forgive or forget this,” she said softly.

  “Forget? I hope not. It’ll go a long way in reminding you to have some respect, obedience, and manners. Forgive? I’m not going to do anything that needs your forgiveness. You were a very naughty cyd-enaid…”

  “I am not your soul mate,” she interrupted.

  But before she could continue his hand landed on her ass with considerable force. She made no sound other than an inhale through clenched teeth.

  “You are what I say you are. And I say you are my cyn-enaid. I know you can feel it and have since the night you lit that bonfire for Micah to say goodbye.”

  “How do you know about that?” she asked with suspicion.

  “I was there. I saw you. I felt your soul call to mine. You felt it too, but now want to be stubborn about admitting it. You didn’t feel a need to howl for him because you were finally ready to let go of your past and embrace your future. I am that future regardless of whether you like the idea or not.”

  “Well, I don’t…” and again his hand crashed down on her bottom and caused her to inhale sharply.

  “And you, my mate, will learn not to argue with me in front of others or when you’ve already earned yourself a trip over my knee. Now as I was saying, you were a very naughty wolf and have been so long enough. It’s time you learned to whom you will give your respect, obedience, loyalty, and at some point, love.”

  “Never.”

  “Never is a long time.” And with that he began to spank her. His hand was large, hard, and delivered an agonizing intensity when it connected with her bottom. The blows that Dylan landed were no erotic love taps, or even a reminder to behave. This was a discipline spanking of the first order.

  Skylar could feel the heat radiating throughout her backside as he covered it with strike after strike. It had been years since anyone had dared to spank her. She had forgotten how much it hurt. It was humiliating and painful. She struggled but couldn’t find any purchase from which to wrench herself away from him.

  Dylan didn’t get angry, but simply held her in place and continued to punish her backside. He could feel that her resolve not to give in had not lessened from when she’d taken a shot at him with the flare gun. “The sooner I feel you truly submit, the sooner this can be over.”

  “I despise you. I will see you dead for this,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Dylan shook his head. She was stubborn. He needed to cure that before anything else. As the strength he was currently using to redden her backside was proving insufficient, he ratcheted up the burn he left each time his hand connected with her ass. “Threats of any kind are not allowed. Are we clear about that?”

  Skylar said nothing but tried to breathe through the pain he was inflicting on her bottom.

  “The longer you refuse to answer me, the longer I’ll spank you at this level of discipline. If you want me to blister your bottom with a little less power, then you have to give. The next time you threaten me in any way, I’ll take my belt to you. Are we clear?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. “We’re clear.”

  Immediately he lessened the strength behind the blows. It wasn’t that it still didn’t hurt a great deal, just not as much as it had before. Skylar could breathe a little easier.

  “Can we agree that you were very naughty this afternoon for your behavior and for inciting the other girls to follow you in your foolishness?”

  “It wasn’t foolishness…” Again, he ratcheted up the pain level he was inflicting. Skylar gasped. “All right.”

  “Not good enough. What is all right?” he asked in a very matter-of-fact tone. “Were you naughty this afternoon?”

  “Yes, damn it.” The spanking lessened once again.

  “And you agree not to incite your pack to violence or foolishness again?”

  “I can’t be responsible for what they choose to do to regain their freedom.”

  “That’s not what I asked you. I asked you to agree not to incite them… can you agree to that?”

  “Yes.”

  “You are also not allowed to endanger yourself or others without an imminent threat from someone other than me. Clear?” When she paused, he said quietly, “Do I need to go back to the harder spanking?”

  “No, Dylan, please.”

  “Better. Do you understand me about putting yourself in harm’s way?”

  “Yes. Please, Dylan. Please don’t make me cry.”

  He stopped spanking her and rubbed her very red and swollen bottom soothingly. “Why shouldn’t I spank you until I’ve brought you to tears? That’s generally a good indication that one has gotten through to his misbehaving mate.”

  “Because I’m asking you not to.”

  “Ah, so my mate thinks she’s behaved well enough during her spanking to ask for leniency?”

  “During my spanking, yes. I only struggled. I didn’t try to bite you or anything.”

  He chuckled. “Good thing you didn’t. And I agree, you’ve actually been very good about taking your spanking. But I’m not sure that not making you cry is in your best interest. What will you give me as a boon to let this be over?”

  “What do you want?”

  “How about I can ask you one question and get a straightforward, truthful answer?”

  “That’s it?” she asked suspiciously.

  “You haven’t heard the question,” he teased her.

  “And the spanking will be over?”

  “Yes, for now. But should you misbehave on the way home, I’ll take you back over my knee, spank you past the point of tears, and ensure that you can’t sit down for several days. Then I’ll finish you properly to make my point.”

  “Should I ask what you mean by properly?”

  “You know all too well what I mean, by taking you below and bedding you so that the howls that people hear will be those of you being pleasured and marked as my mate.”

  She thought about threatening to kill him if he tried to mark her but had no doubt that he would take his belt to her. God, how she hated leather. “Fine. What’s your question?”

  “Are you as aroused as I am, cyd-enaid?”

  It was only then she could feel his hard cock straining to get out of his jeans and between her legs. And to her mortification, her pussy had produced more than enough nectar to allow him to mount her easily and bring them both satisfaction.

  He continued to rub her bottom sensuously. “Answer me, Skylar, or I resume the spanking and won’t stop until I have you in tears.”

  “Yes, damn you. I’m aroused as hell and I hate you for that.”

  He chuckled and patted her bottom affectionately even though it caused her to recoil from his hand. “There’s a good mate. See? Agreeing to be reasonable and telling the truth is a much be
tter way to behave. You can get up.”

  She got up and went to pull her jeans up.

  He slapped her hands and said, “No, when I take them down, I pull them back up or take them off completely. Do you understand me?”

  “I speak English and I’m not stupid.”

  “And I’m about to lose my patience with you and decide that Ioan was right when he said never to let you slide on anything. Was he right? Is my trying to let you off a little easier than I probably should a bad idea? Because if it is, I can put you right back over my knee and remedy that. Is that what you need?”

  “No,” she said softly. “I’m sorry I spoke to you that way.”

  He stood up and drew her jeans up carefully over her bottom, liking the way she winced from the contact. “Who’s your alpha?”

  She looked up at him defiantly, the difference in their heights seemingly more than the mere 6″ it was. “I call no man alpha.”

  He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Not yet, but you will. Now, are you ready to rejoin everyone else?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Yes. You can choose to be happy in your new life or you can choose to try to make yourself and everyone around you miserable. Choose the latter and I will use all of the tools at my disposal to change your mind. Some of them I rather suspect you will enjoy. Others,” he said patting her bottom again, “not so much. Ready to get on board?”

  “The boat? Yes. The rest of it, no.”

  “You’re in luck. Tonight, I’m willing to settle for just the boat.” He guided her toward the boat and helped her on board. Once there, she went to go check on her pack. He stopped her, saying, “They’re fine. You will stay at my side.” He waited for her body to lose its tension and accept that she was going to do as he told her.

  Chapter Five

  Once all the women were settled and secured where they could be comfortable but not get into trouble, Dylan headed the speedboat for Calon Gwyllt. He put five of the members of his pack on the Zodiac, leaving five male shifters on board with the six females. Dylan hoped that they’d behave on the trip home but had the Zodiac stay close in case he needed the extra manpower.

  “Afraid the she-wolves of Bae Diogel might mutiny, take over your sweet little speedboat, and feed you to the sharks?” Skyler asked sweetly but with some venom behind it.

  “No, but you’d best tread carefully when teasing me. That sounded awfully close to a threat, mate. Had I taken you seriously, Matthew there would be driving the boat and you’d be over my knee having my belt applied to your backside before being taken down below to be bedded and marked.”

  “Not to worry. I won’t give you a warning before I take you out. The first inkling you’ll have is when I slit your throat.”

  “Oh, she’s charming, your new mate, Dylan. Tell me again why it is you feel drawn to this female?” Matthew asked, only half teasing.

  “Because she has that famed British sense of humor that we Americans don’t always fully appreciate. That’s it, isn’t it, cariad?”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  Matthew looked at Dylan, raising an eyebrow in question.

  “Cariad is Welsh for beloved,” explained Dylan. “Tell Matthew you were joking, cariad.” His eyes bored straight into hers.

  Matthew stepped back. While watching them verbally spar might be entertaining, he knew that right now Dylan was building the basis for his relationship with his mate, but still trying to allow her a way to back down gracefully.

  She remained silent.

  “You either tell him now, cariad, or afterwards when your pretty backside is sporting a set of welts,” Dylan growled.

  The female alpha who thought about challenging him realized that she would have no way to help her pack members. She chose to back down.

  “Dylan is right. It was just my off-beat sense of humor. I’ll have to remember that the boys from Calon Gwyllt have no sense of humor.”

  Dylan growled again. “Enough, Skylar. I’m not going to tolerate any more disrespect from you. I’d prefer not to bed you the first time with an audience but one more smart-ass remark and I will take my belt to you. Clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  “Good. Now be a good mate and come stand closer to me.”

  “I don’t suppose that’s a suggestion or a request.”

  “I don’t suppose it is as you seem determined to skate as close to the line as you can. So, let me be more clear—get your tail over here next to me… now.”

  She considered her options and decided that complying was the best one available. She moved closer to him. He stepped back from the wheel and pulled her so that she was directly in front of him facing the wheel. She could immediately feel his cock straining against the front of his jeans again.

  Matthew made his excuses to exit the cockpit. He thought giving them a little space and privacy might be best. He went and sat next to Oliver, the alpha from the Hamptons, who was trying to engage Roz in conversation by talking about her sister.

  “Did I run him off?” asked Skylar, watching him go.

  “Hardly. Matthew is Susannah’s mate. He’d prefer if you could behave yourself around her. I’ve assured him you will behave yourself at all times. If you don’t, alpha or no, you’ll suffer the same consequences as any other female in my pack.”

  “And what pray tell would those be?”

  He shook his head. “The same as you would have suffered when you were with Calon Onest. I’m not going to take any more disobedience from you than your first mate did.”

  “Do I have to stand here and suffer your cock poking my backside?”

  He chuckled. He was finding that any time his mate was feeling uncomfortable she went on the offensive. That was a trait he’d need to help her moderate. He wrapped one arm around her middle and pulled her even closer to his groin.

  “There will come a day in the not too distant future, cariad, when you’ll be glad of my cock poking your backside as you’ll know I’m getting ready to mount you and plow that nice wet pussy of yours until I’ve exhausted you.”

  “Don’t hold your breath, you bastard. I told you’d I’d never forgive you or forget what you did.”

  “I rather imagine that forgetting might be close to impossible at the moment considering the state of your backside. And keep giving me attitude, little girl, and I’ll give you more of the same to improve your memory.” They rode the rest of the way to Calon Gwyllt in silence. Dylan decided he liked having his arms around his mate. It felt right to have her there. He also decided that Ioan had probably been right when he’d warned him not to give her any slack. In the future he wouldn’t make that mistake.

  He maneuvered the boat next to the dock and held Skylar back while the rest of her pack was off loaded. She struggled to get out of his embrace but he held her fast.

  Matthew turned to Dylan. “Where do you want them?”

  “Roz is your beta, yes?” Skylar nodded. “Who’s your omega?”

  She said nothing until he swatted her bottom and growled at her. “That would be Lacey,” she said.

  Dylan turned back to Matthew. “Put Roz and Lacey up in the main house. Make sure Oliver and at least two others are up there to keep an eye on them.” He turned back to Skylar. “Who rigged the sailboat?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he said to her, “Do you want to do this the easy way or should I just put you back over my knee to ask you even the most simple questions?”

  “Anna,” she said, nodding toward the dark-haired woman with the pixie haircut.

  “Thank you. Take Anna over to one of the couples’ houses. Put at least two guards on her door, keep her away from anything electronic, and have our people stationed around the house. Of the remaining girls, who is closest to Anna?”

  “Probably Darby.”

  Dylan nuzzled her neck. “Good girl. Put Darby in the same house but not in adjoining rooms. That makes five.”

  “That’s only four,” Skylar said petulantly.
r />   “No, cariad, that makes five counting you. You’ll be in our room with me. Take the last three girls down to the other couples’ house and again, a man on the door and people stationed around the house.”

  “Yes, Dylan. I’ll see to it,” said Matthew as he excused himself and escorted the women and their guards toward the designated dwellings. He relayed Dylan’s orders for the men and set up watch shifts.

  Once he was out of hearing distance, Dylan spun Skylar around to face him. “That is the last time I’m going to put up with that attitude of yours, little girl. From here on out when I ask for your input, I expect you to give it to me if for no other reason than it will help those women who followed you so faithfully. If I don’t get it, you’ll get your bottom spanked and be sent to stand in the corner until you decide to behave. Clear?”

  “Clear,” she hissed. “I truly hate you.”

  He looked down at her breasts to see her nipples had formed into hard buds and were poking through both her bra and her shirt. “Hmm, it would seem at least part of you doesn’t hate me. We’re going to go up to the main house. You’ll get to meet the other members of our household. Do you think you can conduct yourself in an appropriate manner to join us all for dinner, or should I send you to our room for your supper and to wait for me?” He watched as tears formed in her eyes. He pulled her gently into his embrace. “It’ll be all right, Skylar.”

  “No, it won’t,” she said, holding back the tears.

  “It will, cariad. It will. Just give it time.”

  “Don’t speak Welsh to me. You aren’t Welsh. I can’t abide hearing it come out of your mouth.”

  He smiled. “It’s true I wasn’t born there, but I’m only first generation American. My father and all of his ancestors came from the Welsh coast. My mother was a Scottish shifter. My Welsh is better than my Gaelic. I grew up hearing my father call my mother by Welsh terms of endearment. So, like it or not, those are the words that come to mind when I speak to my mate.”

  “I’m not your mate.”

  “You are and you know it. My plan is to wait until the other girls have been placed in their new packs before I claim you. But if you continue to deliberately provoke me, I may revise my plan. Make no mistake, I will claim you and you will be mine in every way possible.”