| Bonus chapter: Fluttering Hearts

Five times. Dominic had strolled the length of the makeshift bar five freakishly unnerving times, searching for Natalie. Where the hell was she? For a second, he wondered if she had backed out, but the thought had left his head as quickly as it came. Natalie West wasn't the type to wriggle out of a deal.

He knew she had been in this exact spot not so long ago. Her scent still lingered and it was reasonably fresh. His wolf was even growling at the exotic smell, wanting to hunt her down. Hunt her down and mark her, claiming her as his.

"Her scent disappeared not far from here," said Talon as he reappeared at his side. "Looks like she went into that event tent across the camp and she hasn't come out yet."

"What would she be doing in Renee's event tent?" If anything sexual was going on, Dominic was going to kill that woman. Everyone knew how much of a flirt she was. Surprised by the vehemence behind that thought, Dominic's heart fluttered. The sight of his Head enforcer, Beta, and two other enforcers grinning at him, told him that they knew what he'd been thinking. They had all warned him that because his wolf was so near to the surface his possessive streak would be hard to control. Know-it-all bastards. They were right as always. Not that he'd ever tell them.

They couldn't know just how deeply his body reacted to Natalie. He was reacting strangely. No other woman had ever brought his needs to the surface the way Natalie did. He tried to think of it as a good thing; it would mean the sex would be amazing. But he didn't like that she seemed to have some sort of power over his body, not to mention his wolf. Already he was feeling possessive of her for God's sake.

No longer able to control his need to see her, Dominic began edging through the throngs of people toward the tent. He was barely three feet away when the tent opened and Natalie walked out looking pale and shaky. He knew that look. It was the same look his old pack fixer had worn whenever she had used her gift. Concern – relatively unfamiliar and unwelcome – traveled through him, but then a smile split her lips at something her friend said and a shaft of lust shot through his system.

Seeing that she hadn't noticed him, he stayed where he was and waited for her to come closer to him. Once she was near, he deliberately bumped into her and watched in satisfaction as a look of surprise, and then lust flashed in her eyes.

*****

Oh God, Natalie thought as she saw the heated, determined expression on Dominic's face. His enticing male scent surrounded her, blocking all else and Raven shot to alertness and growled her arousal. Natalie could do nothing but hold still as Dominic buried his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. When his face returned to hers, his eyes had turned wolf and he was so unbelievably focused on her that they might as well have been the only two people in the entire camp. She knew it was an act, but her body still reacted as a flash of heat struck her already throbbing clit, her pulse pounding beneath her chest as blood rushed through her veins.

Knowing what she was supposed to do, Natalie placed her nose at the junction of his neck and shoulder and, just like he had done to her, took in his delicious scent on a long inhale. She didn't have to fake being drunk on it, and as she returned her gaze to his, Dominic's hands landed on her hips and he tugged her to him. Then he pretty much took her over, his mouth slamming over hers as his tongue thrust into her mouth, sweeping against her own. The kiss was dominant and possessive as he sought her tongue with his which she immediately met with hers in an act of submission.

Dominic growled and one of his hands collared her throat possessively and the other clutched her ass, branding it as his. She didn't realize she was grinding against him until he hoisted her up and curved her legs around his hips to better the friction. Helplessly she moaned her pleasure into his mouth, digging her nails into his back. If the growl that rumbled up his chest was anything to go by, he liked to be scratched. Funny, because she was just getting started.

*****

Dominic couldn't believe how responsive Natalie was to the way he was taking her. The whole claim might be an act, but he knew that her body's reaction wasn't forced or exaggerated. She was like molten lava and he couldn't help but revel in it, in her taste, in her scent, in the feel of her skin, and in how her body seemed to mold perfectly to his. It shouldn't have been possible that a slender person could fit snugly against someone as broad and burly as he was, and yet she did. Those little moans she was making were driving him insane and he wanted nothing more than to flip up her sexy as fuck emerald dress and fuck her right there. Only his awareness that there was a nearby threat to their claiming kept him from thrusting into her.

Pulling his mouth from hers, Dominic moved his hand from her throat to tangle in her slick silver hair as he kissed and nibbled his way down her throat before settling in the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He scraped his teeth over the spot, letting her know what was to come. When he was sure her climax was near, he bit down hard, breaking the skin and tasting blood. Instantly she shattered, groaning and shuddering. He sucked strongly on the patch of skin he had bitten, being sure to leave a distinct mark that couldn't be considered anything other than what it was. A claiming.

As quick as that, a rush swept through Dominic and he felt a sort of snap in his head similar to that which he'd felt with each of his pack members when they bonded. Then he sensed her through the pack link, not her thoughts, but her fiery, spicy, sensual presence. It was done, she was his to protect as his mate and part of his pack. His wolf growled his approval, urging Dominic to sweep her away to their territory, away from the threat that her dad's enforcers presented. He pulled back to admire his work and swiped his tongue over the mark, loving the look of it on Natalie's skin and how she trembled in response.

It was done. She was his. Now all he had to do was avoid a war.