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  She turned away from him and watched her pack being led away. There was such sorrow in the way they walked. Their shoulders were slumped and they were so quiet. It made her catch her breath.

  Dylan put his arms around her to offer her comfort. She tried to slough off his embrace but he held her close. He nuzzled her neck. “I’m sorry this is causing you and yours such pain. That was never the intent.”

  “No, the intent was to humble and destroy us. You and your bloody Council just couldn’t stand the idea of a pack of females who didn’t need you…”

  “What we couldn’t stand was the idea of your home being overrun by a superior force and the lot of you being raped and claimed against your will.”

  “How is what you did so different?”

  “No one has harmed you, much less raped you.”

  “You beat me and the night is young.”

  He fought the urge to swat her backside, turn her in his arms, and kiss her until she surrendered to him. “I didn’t beat you and you know it. Considering your behavior, you got off pretty light in the punishment department. That’s a decision I’m starting to regret. And no one will rape a member of my pack.”

  “They aren’t your pack.”

  “They are now. I will see to their welfare and best interests, but all your little escapade did today was tie my hands in terms of placement.”

  She turned within the strong circle of his arms and searched his face, but found no clue as to his meaning. “What do you mean?”

  “Had you voluntarily submitted to the will of the Council, I might well have been able to place two or three of you in the same pack. But now, the fear is the whole lot of you are rogues and need to be separated—not only for the good of our kind, but for your own good as well. Trying to cling to resentment and the past will not serve any of you well. These are your people, Skylar, do not abandon them when they need you most,” admonished Dylan.

  “What do you mean? I would never abandon them. You and your precious Council are ripping us apart.”

  Dylan smiled sadly at her, feeling her pain. “Aren’t you? They see you fight and choose to remain angry, resentful, and unhappy. They will follow your lead. Show them there is a different way. Show them that they can accept their new lives and be happy with their mates.”

  “Ah, so that’s it. You’ve figured out you got a bad bargain when you declared me your mate? Hoping I’ll make it easy for you? I won’t.” Her tone bordered on hostile.

  He shook his head. “Nay. I heard you call to me that night by the bonfire. You are mine and I am yours. You will accept that in time and I will persuade you to find love and happiness in our union. But your women need you to let them see that they should do the same. And they need you to do that now.”

  “So, what would you have me do? Throw my arms around you, declare my everlasting devotion, and mark you as my own?”

  He laughed. “You’re not that good a liar. They’d never believe you. But you could put forth some effort in trying to not fight me every step of the way. You could conduct yourself at supper this evening in a manner befitting an alpha’s mate and an alpha in her own right. You could lend me your counsel in selecting packs and/or mates for your girls. Can you not see that it would make it easier for them? Can you not see that if you at least pretend not to despise me and our way of life that they could leave you more easily and find happiness for themselves?”

  “So, you will see them mated against their will.”

  “Some, yes—at least to start. But I will make it clear to their mates that they are to be given every opportunity to embrace their new life. And I will check up on them. If any of them are abused, and being disciplined when they chose to misbehave doesn’t count as abuse, I will step in and make things right.”

  “What do you mean by some?”

  “Just that some are going to need to be paired to be kept safe. If at all possible, I’d prefer to place them in packs with more than one unmated male and allow them a choice. And before you ask, both of the ranking members of your pack will be paired with alphas. Both are far too strong-willed to be mated to anyone else. Fortunately, from Lacey’s standpoint, there are several younger unmated alphas who need a strong mate. I would not be opposed to hosting a weekend here and allowing her to meet with them and see if she is called to one of them.”

  “What about Roz?”

  He kissed her forehead. “You and I both know Roz is destined to be with Oliver. I could see the spark between them. You’re too perceptive to have missed it. He’s a good man and a strong alpha. He has a vibrant and engaging pack, which includes her sister. If you allow her to be, she can find happiness with him. Besides, I think I detected a Jersey girl accent there. I think she’d rather enjoy being mated to the alpha of the Hamptons.”

  Skylar couldn’t suppress her smile completely. He was right, Roz could really enjoy that lifestyle and to be reunited with her sister would make things easier for her. “But she’ll never have the freedom to call her life her own again—nor will any of the rest of us.”

  “No one wants to lock you up in a tower or shut you away from the world. Well, to be honest, that’s not true… but none of your girls will end up there. I swear it. They’ll still have their freedom. Perhaps not as you have so narrowly defined it for them, but they’ll have it nonetheless.”

  “What do you mean as I narrowly defined it?”

  “No men? That’s pretty limiting. You forced them to choose between your way of life or making one of their own.”

  “I did no such thing.”

  “Didn’t you? Susannah was forced to choose between you and Matthew. She chose him. She’s terrified that you will hate her for that choice.”

  “I could never hate Susannah. In fact, that’s the one bright spot in this whole bloody awful darkness you keep referring to as my future. I can’t wait to see her again. Did you know she was my omega before she left us?”

  “I didn’t. But it makes sense. She’s an excellent mate to Matthew and they’re very happy. Can you do something for me?”

  “What?” she asked warily.

  “Can you make an effort tonight to let Susannah know you aren’t angry with her and are happy to be pack mates again?”

  Skylar shook her head. “No.” Dylan growled at her. “But I can let her know that I’m happy to see her and to get to be around her on a regular basis.”

  He sighed. “Just try to think of how your attitude is going to affect all the other females. Those of your old pack and the ones of your new. They will look to you to set an example.”

  Her laugh was somber. “But what if you don’t like the example I set?”

  He shook his head and said in a stern voice, “Then you will suffer the consequences for that behavior. Do not mistake my leniency at the moment for an acceptance of bad behavior. And do not think that just because I let your ladies have a pass on their punishment this afternoon that I will do so in the future.”

  “You call the beating you gave me this afternoon lenient?”

  “I call the spanking I gave you more than lenient. As I understand it, your first taste of discipline from Micah involved his taking his strap to you.”

  “Remind me to pummel Ioan the first chance I get.”

  Dylan chuckled. “That, cariad, would earn you a punishment spanking you wouldn’t forget. You’d be lucky to sit down within a week of receiving it. But play your cards right, and I might be persuaded to take you for a visit. Ioan has invited us to come and spend some time. He says that he and his pack would love to see you.”

  He nuzzled her again and she started to squirm. “Must you hold me so tightly?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Aye, I must. How else am I to keep you from running away?”

  “Fair warning, Grainger… I will do everything in my power to escape from you and your brethren and I’ll help any female who wants to do the same.”

  “I appreciate your honesty. Now let me be just as blunt and just as honest. You run? I w
ill track you and run you to ground. If I haven’t already done so, I will mark you as mine that same day and leave a trail of welts from the backs and insides of your thighs up to the top of your bottom cheeks. I’ll make you wish you’d never even thought of running from me, much less acted on that impulse. And then, my sweet mate, I will show you what it truly means to be mated to an alpha. When I get done plowing that sweet pussy of yours, you won’t be able to walk for a few days.”

  Skylar found herself holding her breath. When she tried to breathe, she found it difficult to take in any air. She desperately wished that it was fear that made breathing a challenge, but it wasn’t. It was arousal, pure and simple. A flame she thought long since extinguished burst back into life, threatening to consume her with its fire.

  Chapter Six

  They walked toward the large stately manor house. It made her former home look quaint. She watched as a beautiful blonde emerged from one of the sets of French doors onto the expansive brick patio.

  Skylar turned to look at Dylan, who nodded and smiled before releasing her hand. She ran the rest of the way and hugged Susannah close. “I’ve missed you and your wise counsel. I’m so happy to see you. They tell me you are truly happy… are you?”

  Susannah hugged her back. “I am, Sky… more than I ever thought possible. Is everyone okay? I mean, I know you’re not happy about what happened, but no one was hurt, right?”

  “No one save your former pack leader. And I’m beginning to think ‘twas more her pride than her backside I bruised,” said Dylan as he joined them.

  “You left my backside plenty bruised,” retorted Skylar but not with the level of venom he had come to expect from her.

  Skylar looked up to see another lovely blonde emerging with her arm linked with Roz’s.

  “Ah, the fierce leader of the Bae Diogel pack. God, how badly did I butcher that? Some of us have tried to get our Welsh alpha to let us go by Wild Heart instead of Calon Gwyllt, but he’s kind of old-fashioned that way… aren’t you, Dylan?”

  Dylan surveyed the four beautiful women standing before him. He twirled his finger indicating them as a group and said, “This, gentlemen, may not be such a good idea. At least Roz will be up in the Hamptons, but that may not prove to be much of a deterrent.”

  Bianca and Susannah laughed. Skylar was surprised to see them so comfortable and casual around their alpha and pack leader.

  Dylan took Roz’s hand in his own. “Have they shown you your room?”

  Roz nodded.

  “And is it to your liking?”

  “I liked the one I had at Bae Diogel better,” she snapped. She started to say something more but thought better when she heard her own alpha mate growl from behind her.

  “Not to worry, Oliver. I don’t take lightly what transpired today or the loss all of you must feel. Besides, after you torched the place, there’s nothing for any of you to go back to. Nick? Have you heard? Is it a total loss?”

  “It is, Dylan. The harbor patrol chose to let it burn itself out. The wind caught the flames and the place was gone in less than three hours. Do you want us to start work on clearing it?”

  “Yes. Let’s get the rubble and ash cleared away so we have a clean slate. I think it might prove distressing for those who once called it home to see nothing but ashes and charred wood.”

  “Much like our futures,” said Skylar.

  Dylan closed in on her. “You are done for the day. If all of you will excuse us, I need to show my mate to our suite. Come, cariad.” He took her by the elbow and steered her through the small group of bystanders into the house and up the magnificent staircase. He propelled her through the door, slamming it behind him. “You just couldn’t do it, could you? You couldn’t just think of the ache the others might be feeling at their loss. You had to compound it with your own.”

  “I did…”

  He crossed the room and put his hand over her mouth. “You will not interrupt me, mate. Did you not see how downtrodden Roz was? Did you even consider what I said down on the docks? Do you think your behavior down there is going to help her in any way, shape, or form?” He removed his hand from her mouth. “You may speak now.”

  “My home is gone because of you and your Council.”

  “Your home is here with me. Your former home is gone because you refused to yield even when you knew you had no chance at winning. Your burning the place that all of you put so much time and effort into was your way of giving the finger to the Council.” He shook his head, trying to reel in his temper. “I thought just for a moment when you saw Susannah and she told you how happy she was that perhaps you’d be able to put the others before your own arrogance.”

  “I’m not arrogant.”

  “But you are and by far too much. That, I will temper right now. Take your clothes off and go stand in that corner,” he said, indicating the corner by the large fireplace.

  “I will not.”

  He closed in on her, his face mere inches from hers. “You will or by God, woman, I’ll strip them from you and put you in the corner.”

  Skylar wasn’t sure which was more unsettling—the pounding of her heart or the throbbing of her pussy.

  “Don’t try me, cariad. My patience with you has hit rock bottom. Now do as you’re told, of I’ll punish you for that disobedience as well. I wouldn’t push me any further, Skylar. As it is, you’re about to get your first taste of leather.” He saw her breathing become more erratic and her eyes widen. He couldn’t tell yet if it was from fear or arousal. He suspected the latter.

  Dylan stepped away from her to give her the space physically and emotionally to make the right choice and obey. She stared at him, her eyes shining with anger and passion. He rolled up his sleeves and started toward her. She tried to dart around him, but he was far quicker than she anticipated.

  He caught her by the arm and only managed in the nick of time to duck the blow she threw at him with her other fist. Dylan used the momentum from her swing to trap her against the leg he had braced on the seat of a chair. He stripped her of her jeans with very little trouble.

  “I’d have thought with the color I put on your bottom this afternoon, you would have wanted to avoid tangling with me again so soon. But apparently it’s going take a much harder show of dominance for you to decide that being face down over my knee is not a place you want to be.” His hand began to connect with her ass in a decidedly painful manner. She yelped and squirmed but could not get away from him.

  “You, my nasty-tempered wench, are going to learn to show respect and manners in front of others.”

  “You can’t do this to me. I’m alpha. I won’t be treated like this.”

  He continued to bring his hand down on her backside hard. “You are mated to the alpha. You will be accorded the respect and treatment of an alpha female when you act like it. The behavior I’ve seen since we got home, with one notable exception, has been far beneath an alpha. Since you want to behave like a spoiled brat who’s had her favorite toy taken away, let me treat you as such.”

  Dylan held her in place and continued to spank her soundly and methodically. She danced and squirmed to try and get away from the punishing blows but to no avail. When she finally accepted her punishment, he stopped… but only long enough to sit down on their bed and pull her more fully onto his lap.

  “This should be more comfortable for me, but I mean to ensure its consequences are far less comfortable for you.”

  He began to spank her once more. He rained blow after blow across her bottom and the backs of her thighs. She kicked and squirmed but refused to make any sound whatsoever. Dylan was determined to get through to his errant mate. He could well understand now why Micah had felt taking a strap to her the first time was justified.

  The more she squirmed and kicked her legs, the more painful the contained erection in his jeans became. He wanted desperately to hear her call his name in pleasure and plead for him to lavish his time and attention between her legs as opposed to her pert backside.


  He’d been right when he’d thought she had an ass ripe for spanking. Her fanny bounced beneath his hand and continued to deepen in color. He smiled as he remembered Ioan telling him that Micah had said it took the judicious use of a hard hand on her bottom and a harder cock in her pussy to keep her happy. He meant to ensure she was happy so a bright red bottom and a rather sore pussy were going to be a regular part of her world from here on out.

  When she finally ceased to fight, he stopped. “Had enough, mate?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, trying hard not to cry from the heat and pain radiating off her backside. It had been years since anyone had disciplined her. Years since she’d allowed anyone to care enough to see to it.

  “Do you think if I let you up you can finish undressing yourself and go stand in the corner like I told you to before you got your bottom blistered?”

  “But you’re done spanking me, right?”

  “Not by a long shot. That spanking, mate, was for not being an obedient mate and going to the corner when you were told to do so. When I let you up, I want you to go stand there and think about what got you put in that corner with nothing but the sting in your tail and the knowledge that your abysmal behavior downstairs garnered you your first encounter with my belt.”

  “No, Dylan. Please, no. I hate being spanked with a belt or a strap.”

  “Ioan mentioned it was an effective deterrent for you when used properly. He also mentioned that in addition to a hard hand and a good leather strap or belt that you tended to behave best and seemed the most at peace and happy when your alpha was mounting you long and hard on a regular basis. Just as I will see to your discipline, cariad, I will see to your bedding as well.”

  Dylan began to rub her bottom soothingly and erotically. He could hear and feel her breathing and state of arousal increase dramatically. He slid one finger between her punished ass cheeks, then ran it down between her legs. He fluttered his fingers against her sex but she did not open herself for his exploratory touch.