They had defeated the Darkness, an evil that had stalked Rémy’s family for generations. There had been a great celebration at Rivière Du Loup both for their bonding and the vanquishing of that malevolent entity. Rémy and Piper had settled in at Wolf Meadow as a bonded pair. Her father still continued as Alpha to the Wolf Meadow pack and Piper ran the ranch. Ted Somersby had made Rémy a job offer that had been hard to refuse—it was lucrative, intellectually interesting, and required very little time away from Piper.

On one such business trip, he’d only been gone from her for a few days before he was able to start back for home, and yet it felt like they’d been apart for a year. His cock was of the opinion that it felt like a decade, but then his cock was convinced it belonged inside Piper at all times. Fortunately, his mate was of a similar opinion.

When the plane touched down, he was surprised to find Piper’s brother, Cody, waiting for him instead of Piper. Cody would one day be his beta. Rémy walked toward his brother-in-law, who was sitting on a horse and holding the reins of a second one.

“Just tell me she and your father haven’t locked horns again,” said Rémy as a greeting.

Cody laughed. “No more than usual, although I did hear my father grumbling something about her being easier to deal with when she slept at your side. But I don’t think it’s the sleeping that puts her in such a good mood.”

“God, I hope not. So where is my wayward mate?”

“Wherever it is the two of you go when you don’t want to be bothered.”

Rémy grinned. If Cody was right, Rémy’s cock was going to be very, very happy. Rémy swung up onto the waiting horse. “Thanks, Cody. Let the pack know we’ll be home in a few days.”

He turned the horse away from Cody and loped off, heading toward the waterfall and the entrance to the tunnel that it hid. A tunnel that led to a secret box canyon and the small shack that they had claimed as their love nest.

After several hours, Rémy rode in behind the waterfall and through the tunnel, keying in the alarm code to open the gate that blocked the canyon’s entrance. Piper’s horse was turned out into the big pasture, which was a good sign. He rode up to the shelter, dismounted, and unsaddled his horse. Taking his saddle into the tack area, he found a note:

Rémy,

Give your horse a good rub down then come inside and do the same to me… I missed you.

                                   Love,

                                   Piper

P.S. Quit grinning about my note and get your ass in here!

Sassy didn’t even begin to cover the attitude of his beautiful, spirited alpha she-wolf. She was a handful on her best day, but he wouldn’t change a thing about her. He went back out to see to his horse and to ensure there was enough hay in the feeder that they wouldn’t need to worry about the animals until sometime tomorrow.

Slapping his horse on the rump to send him out into the field, Rémy thought about how much more satisfying it was when it was his mate’s ass that he was applying some sting to. He had to call upon every fiber of his willpower in order not to go running up to their small cabin and rip his clothes off as he went.

He opened the door and could hear the distinctive sound of her boots on the wooden floor planks as she paced back and forth, as well as the jingle of her silver spurs. The sight that greeted him when he walked into the room fulfilled every fantasy he’d ever had about the she-wolf he’d taken to mate.

Standing in the diffused sunlight that filtered through the windows was Piper—her red hair flowing down around her shoulders. She was dressed only in chaps, boots, spurs, and a cowboy hat. Nothing else. Her beautiful breasts displayed their stiffened tips, just begging him to suckle them. Her chaps were buckled around her slender waist and framed her gorgeous and naked sex. Rémy inhaled deeply and confirmed what her pebbled nipples had already told him—his mate was even more wildly aroused than he was.

Piper tipped her Stetson. “You just going to stand there staring or you going to get naked and take care of me?”

“Luckily for you, I’m far more interested in hearing you scream my name as I fuck you than listening to you yowl as I turn that pretty bottom bright red.”

She grinned. “Lucky me.”

The register of her voice had dropped and Rémy knew he needed to gain some control over the situation for Piper to get the most out of their lovemaking. He loved driving her crazy, but more than that, he loved feeling her give over to him and revel in what they shared.

“Bed. Now,” he growled.

“Aren’t you going to get me naked?” she teased, tossing her Stetson at him.

He caught it deftly, hanging it on the peg just inside the door. “Not a chance, Cowgirl. I’ve been fantasizing for years about having my way with you while you have those chaps on.”

Piper’s predatory smile matched his own. His mate didn’t have a single inhibited bone in her body. She strode to the bed, sitting down on the edge and lying back. He thought every fantasy he ever had of her from that point forward would be accompanied by the sound of her spurs as they jingle-jangled across the floor. Pulling off his shirt and removing his boots and socks, he stalked across the room to join her, spreading her legs as he knelt in front of her, breathing in the sweet perfume of her arousal.

Parting her labia, he grinned. Piper was already wet and ready for him. Rémy nuzzled her before thrusting his tongue up inside her. He could spend hours in foreplay with her, but he never had to; it seemed as though she was always slick, hot, and ready to fuck.

“God, Rémy, I missed you,” she moaned as she writhed beneath the onslaught of his tongue.

Every moan, every wriggle, every pulse of her pussy went straight to his cock, communicating her need and desire for him. His body thrummed with need as he continued to suckle her, encouraging her hips to begin to undulate in a timeless and instinctive invitation.

He made a feast of her pussy—licking, sucking, and nipping—before moving his mouth up to cover her clit as he penetrated her core with a single finger. Her little jewel was swollen and peeking out from under its hood as he hovered over it, his tongue flicking and swirling all around it. Piper shuddered and clenched her fists in the bed covers beneath her.

“I swear to God if you don’t get on with it, I’m going to dig these spurs into your flanks,” she growled.

Rémy chuckled. He loved it when she was so far gone that she gave him an excuse to spank her pretty bottom.

“That’s going to cost you five before I give you my cock,” he purred as he continued to stroke her with his finger.

Piper howled in frustration as he settled his mouth back over her clit and suckled. That sent her over the edge and her orgasm crashed down around her. Her pussy spasmed, her back arching as she cried out. When he released her, he stood up, opened the fly of his jeans, and lifted the lower half of her body, wrapping her legs around his lean waist so he could surge forward and drive himself balls-deep into her.

“I missed you too, Cowgirl,” he growled as he began to thrust in and out with a strong and steady pace.

He’d only been gone for a few days, but he’d been miserable without his mate. As he stroked into her repeatedly, he could feel the connection between them spring back to life. He reveled in her response, loving the way that she was so open, and that there were no barriers between them. She gave him everything—her love, her affection, and her submission—he could want for nothing more.

Tightening his hold, he began to pound into her. His primal urge to claim her as often as he could was overwhelming, but fortunately Rémy found he had no need to resist it. Piper reflected his feral desire in kind. He loved and needed her past the point of reason.

Slamming into her relentlessly, he could feel her body tightening in anticipation, her inner walls quivering as he lost himself in the pleasure only she could provide. Her breath became erratic, and the noises she was making became little whimpers as her orgasm approached. Piper screamed with ecstasy as her pussy clamped down hard, and her legs trembled as she thrashed in his hold. Her pussy greedily milked his cock and she seemed to savor every bit of pleasure she could wring from his possession. The familiar tingle at the base of his spine signaled his own climax and he poured himself into her in an explosion of pure bliss.

He withdrew from her, lazily pulling his jeans back up. They hung loosely from his hips as he lowered her to the bed. He lifted each of her legs to remove her spurs and boots. Then he drew her limp and sated body off the bed, unbuckling her chaps and letting them fall to the floor. Rémy scooped her up in his arms and placed her on the bed as if she were a present for him—some kind of payment for all he had endured to get to this time and place with her.

No, not a payment exactly—more like a reward. A gift he’d tried to deny himself and had never expected to be able to claim. One he would treasure for all eternity. A she-wolf he would honor and adore because she was all that was right, good, and true in this world. A fated mate he could build a life and legacy with because she was the bedrock and magick of every dream, fantasy, and plan he had ever had or could dare to imagine.