WithHerHunger
With Her Hunger
Lorie O’Clare
Book eight in the Lunewulf series.
Mariah has just lost her entire family. For years, lunewulf have lived peacefully in the Yukon Territory. But when humans burn the werewolves’ homes, Mariah and her pack run to a new home. Determined to embrace her new life and not be destroyed the way her pack was, Mariah refuses to be controlled by anyone. When she spots Luther with two other males, she’s not only interested but willing to take all three of them on. Only one of the males remains in her thoughts though. She will have Luther again.
Luther runs on the edge of the pack that leaves the Yukon Territory and heads to British Columbia. He is Cariboo lunewulf. The lunewulf think his kind are barbaric and run with less honor. Luther has no need for all of the lunewulf’s laws and traditions. He does have a need for Mariah though. It burns so hot through him he won’t let her out of his sight, or his bed, until she agrees to be with him forever.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
With Her Hunger
ISBN 9781419937651
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
With Her Hunger Copyright 2011 Lorie O’Clare
Edited by Mary Moran
Cover design by Syneca
Photography: RomanceNovelCovers.com/Shutterstock.com
Electronic book publication December 2011
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With Her Hunger
Lorie O’Clare
Forward
Dear Reader,
I’m so excited to introduce you to the lunewulf and Cariboo lunewulf, who have been forced to seek out new homes due to human paranoia. My lunewulf live in the same world that you and I live in. Would you do everything in your power to run a werewolf out of their home if you learned they were your neighbors?
I hope not. These lunewulf could be who you buy your groceries from or the police officer who keeps your town safe. They might be land owners or business owners. Most of the time they look just like you and me.
The lunewulf and Cariboo lunewulf in With Her Hunger run to Prince George, a beautiful city in British Columbia. They’ve come out of the Canadian Rockies into the prosperous city because of the well-known, successful pack that already lives there. Many readers will remember some old friends from my previous books in With Her Hunger.
For those of you new to this lunewulf and Cariboo lunewulf community, you can get to know some of the minor characters by reading some of my other books. Johann Rousseau has his own story and meets his mate in In Her Dreams. You’ll also want to check out, or possibly revisit, In Her Nature where the notorious Cariboo lunewulf Rock Toubec meets his mate Simone DeBeaux.
Check out the previous lunewulf and Cariboo lunewulf series at Ellora’s Cave. Visit www.jasminejade.com and click on either by Author or by Series links to find my books.
I hope you enjoy Luther Alger and Mariah Engel’s story. I love hearing from all my readers. Please email me at lorieoclare@aol.com and thank you for enjoying my world of lunewulf. And remember to be nice to your neighbors, they might be part of the pack.
Lorie O’Clare
Chapter One
Mariah Engel ran from the flames until they were just a glow in the darkness behind her. The smell of so many dens burning until they were ashes blowing in the breeze was something she would never forget. Mariah’s world as she knew it was gone.
They’d been warned not to look back. She did anyway. The horizon in the darkness was a mixture of yellow, orange and red melting together and rising at varying heights with a darker backdrop of the mountain range she knew by heart. Mariah was staring at where her pack had hunted, played, mated and lived their lives in peace for years. Now most of that pack was dead, including her sire and mother. She’d fought tooth and claw to save them and failed. The humans wouldn’t kill her too. Mariah would survive.
One of the older females running next to her bit her shoulder, and Mariah snarled at her but then obeyed the previous warning and looked ahead into the darkness. She ran with the pack. Make that her new pack. Her pack in Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory, had been burned out by humans. Whoever had decided it was a smart idea to tell humans werewolves lived among them, and always had, must smell like the worst idiot ever.
She had howled in mourning over the death of her litter. Now she would run forward. There was no reason to look back again. There were thirty survivors running with her, all of them purebred lunewulf like herself.
At the moment they were covered with soot, each of them carrying the stench of the fire with them. But once they had a chance to bathe, they were all pure white, the color of the moon. Lunewulf were known for their speed and their pure white fur. It was that speed that allowed the thirty survivors to escape and cover the mountainous terrain in record-breaking time. Soon they would reach their new destination and Mariah would start her new life.
* * * * *
On day three of running, Mariah was more than willing to rest for the night. They were buried deep in the Canadian Rockies with the wildlife so abundant around them her mouth watered just smelling nearby elk among the trees and trout in the rushing river where they stopped.
Without waiting for anyone to give permission, Mariah dove into the frigid water and came out a minute later with a large rainbow trout flopping in her mouth. She dumped it on the bank and turned, diving again into the mountain-fresh rapids.
Others joined her in the fishing adventure. The school of trout was on to their predators and immediately swam quickly, fleeing for safety. With other lunewulf splashing in the water, the fish were harder to catch. Mariah sank her teeth into a second large trout. It fought for its freedom and Mariah bit down, tasting the meat of the fish.
She fought not to down her kill that moment. Her stomach growled in protest when she dropped the fish on the bank as she had with the first one. There was a pack to feed. She would contribute. As she shook the water free from her fur, already several males were taking off into the mountain, following the scent of the elk. Before long, all of them would be feasting on what they had killed collectively.
Mariah found a sunny clearing and began cleaning herself. She took her time straightening her fur and getting it to lay right as the sun slowly dried her. The spot she’d chosen was a bit of a distance from where her new pack was setting up camp.
She could hear a few of the older females and males, who had changed into their flesh, talking among themselves as they gathered wood and started fires. The smell of burning wood and the sounds of it crackling as flames grew made her feel lazy.
Another sound prevented Mariah from stretching out and basking in the sun. It was the sound of males moving in the rocks above her.
Mariah rolled over, tilted her head and listened. She sniffed the air and breathed in the virility of males on the prowl. They weren’t hunting her but something else. She moved lithely to her paws and pounced onto the cliff just above her. That’s when she smelled the elk. It was a large bull elk, a male with antlers a good four feet in height above its head. The beast stood around nine feet tall.
Mariah froze as the bull elk turned from where he stood on rocks not twenty feet from where she was and looked at her. Her stomach growled. She licked her lips. The elk let out a fierce bugling sound and dug its large hoof on its front foot into the ground. She hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if she should charge or not. The creature was almost three times her height.
Before she could decide, three males flew at the bull from different locations. They leapt at it as the bull bugled one last time before it collapsed to its death. Mariah watched in awe while the males settled in to enjoy their kill. These weren’t lunewulf males. They weren’t males who had run from her new pack. These were Cariboo lunewulf, a wilder, unpredictable breed of lunewulf. Cariboo were larger. Pale streaks of red tarnished their white fur. As she stared, one of the males ripped a piece of raw flesh from the beast and tossed it at her. Mariah hadn’t realized she’d been spotted.
If she hadn’t gone without stopping to eat all day, and possibly if she hadn’t spent the day running hard through the mountains, Mariah might have considered how clearly tradition was howled when it came to a male offering his kill to a female. Instead of giving any of this thought, she leapt at the raw meat and settled down to enjoy the treat.
The male who had tossed her the meat lay on the other side of the dead bull, his massive paws resting over the creature’s midsection. All three males were so much larger than lunewulf males. Their thick bodies, broad shoulders and strong cheekbones unnerved her and spiked her curiosity.
She honestly didn’t know how they compared to the males in her new pack since she’d had little time to sniff any of them out. The last three days had been filled with intense running and all of them remaining focused on their surroundings so they wouldn’t run into more trouble. Also, as was tradition, if not law written down on some antiquated tablet, mated females ran, forming a circle, surrounding unmated females, who were kept in the middle of their group as the pack ran together.
But these males, Mariah mused, as she finished the meat and relaxed in the thick, cool grass near the ledge where she’d jumped to see the elk, were damn near twice the size of a lunewulf male. She’d never met a Cariboo lunewulf before. They were known to live deep in the mountains. The howlings had it that they were wild and virtually untameable. She’d heard once or twice how a Cariboo always fought to the death. Their laws and traditions were harsher, allowing no toleration for weaknesses of any kind. The howlings were clear about them being less civilized.
Although the ripe smell of the warm blood draining from the animal was strong enough to mask any other scents, Mariah smelled her own curiosity. The cool grass didn’t stop the warmth forming deep in her womb. What would it be like to fuck such a large, powerful male? Obviously he would be rough, dominating, if not fierce in his lovemaking.
Mariah blinked then realized she’d been staring at the male who had tossed her the meat. Not only had he caught her damn near drooling over him, he looked more than curious when he returned the attention. Almond-shaped silver eyes never blinked as they focused on her.
Something shifted inside Mariah. It wasn’t fear, although it crossed her mind that she should put full speed into running back to her pack. She dismissed the thought without wondering why she did and instead held on to the gaze of the powerful-looking male.
The other two males helped devour the bull elk, although now Mariah noticed both of them were aware of her too. That warmth deep inside her slowly swelled and began pulsing, matching the solid thumping of her heart. Outnumbered didn’t begin to describe her situation. If all three of them came after her.
That thought damn near made her come. Mariah had never questioned the laws and traditions all lunewulf ran by since before she’d been whelped. Her litter had protected her. Her sire and mother provided for her, taught her their ways and kept her close and sheltered. Once she’d come of age and had begun running with other single males and females, the primary intention being they find a mate, Mariah had rolled in the large meadows with one or two males. None of them had ever impressed her enough to do more than that.
The male who had tossed her the meat rose and ran his long tongue over his teeth and the fur around his mouth. Mariah was entranced by the action. In spite of her heart suddenly beating faster and apprehension mixing with her curiosity, she didn’t move. Every muscle in her body tensed as those silver eyes darkened and turned a cool, determined metallic gaze. There was only a moment to react when he leapt over his kill and flew through the air directly toward her.
At the same time as he roared, his fierce tone being quite clear, Mariah knew she could run or belly up and surrender. Be it a quality or fault, there wasn’t a submissive bone in her body. Mariah snarled, jerked into action, and at that moment breathed in the intensity of his lust.
Lunewulf were known for speed. Mariah raced from the cool grass up the side of the mountain. Over rocks larger than her and undergrowth with branches trying to trip her, she ascended the side of the mountain. Once she reached a plateau of trees and dark stretches of shade, she raced across the wilderness. And with each breath, she filled her lungs with the scent of the male bounding after her.
Mariah was aware of the scream she made when the male leapt on her only because her throat ached from the strength of it. She went toppling paw over tail as the Cariboo captured her.
For a moment, with the wind knocked out of her, she lay dazed, smelling rushing water not too far from where she lay on the ground. The powerful male pinned her body underneath his. Then, to her surprise, slowly and with erotic precision, he began licking her fur.
Sensations rocked her entire body. Mariah’s insides spiked as her flesh suddenly burned with a fever hotter than she’d ever experienced. Without thinking, she shoved herself to her feet. It was all too much.
She gave herself a fierce shake before it dawned on her that the male had let her up. As roughly as he’d bombarded into her, toppling her over, he now stood next to her, staring down at her with a dangerous grin.
Don’t get any ideas, she growled, taking a step backward.
My ideas aren’t any different than yours.
Mariah couldn’t breathe. He was so large—everywhere. And muscular. More male than she’d ever fantasized about. Not to mention, there was a carnal sex appeal about him. If he smelled this rough and ready in his fur…
Swallowing proved as difficult as breathing. When she did manage to inhale, the smell of lust was as ripe and fresh on her as it was on him.
Damn. She was in trouble. Serious trouble.
There was a chance Cariboo lunewulf weren’t as uncivilized as howlings said they were.
It doesn’t matter what you smell, she tried, stepping sideways this time.
God damn him for laughing. She snarled, inching around him so she wasn’t between him and the racing water that sounded like a waterfall and probably pooled into a fast-paced stream. Swimming her way back down the mountain would be her ultimate last resort. That’s when she noticed the other two Cariboo lunewulf.
Mariah braced herself, glancing from the large male who’d pounced on her and the other two who stood back watching. She smelled their lust, curiosity and delight. Mariah didn’t want to be the second prey the three of them captured today.
/> Did she?
Try running if you don’t want this, the male closest to her rumbled what had to be those exact words.
In their fur, their growls and roars were almost always closely interpreted. It wasn’t the same type of communication as in their flesh where words were cut-and-dried. The male’s meaning was interpreted through his growl, body language and scent. Mariah was pretty damn sure she nailed what he’d just growled at her with little to no error.
Not to mention, he was suddenly a hell of a lot closer than he’d been a moment before. Mariah turned and looked up. He was so masculine, the mere definition of the word. She was speechless, frozen where she stood. Her brain didn’t want to function, nor did her body. At least not where escape was involved.
If she did want this, could she handle three Cariboo at the same time? Because as strong as this male’s lust was standing right next to her, the other two wanted her also. Their scent was powerful enough to drift toward her in spite of aromas mixing between her and the male closest.
His silver eyes grazed over her body, igniting the desire inside her she’d first felt while watching them with their kill. Muscles flexed under white fur streaked with faded shades of dark orange red. Staring head-on, Mariah got an eyeful of his thick, barrel chest. But when she raised her attention to his face, his penetrating gaze left her mouth dry.
The male moved closer and lowered his head. A low growl emanated from deep inside him as he pushed the side of his head against her shoulder. Mariah damn near fell over. Although it could be how weak her legs suddenly were. The moment his hot tongue seared a path down her neck to her shoulder, she became acutely aware that this was going to happen.
More so, Mariah decided she wanted it to happen. She’d endured her sire and mother dying. Her entire pack had gone up in flames. The den where she’d been whelped, that held all her memories until just a few days ago, no longer existed. Then, with barely enough time to perform a burial ceremony, those remaining had taken flight. She’d run for three days. And although exhaustion would probably hit her soon, at the moment she felt exhilarated.