Free Lover's Delight by Diana Persaud Page B

you!” His wolf eyes flashed brightly.
    They believed him.
    Nicolai turned to his newfound mate. He
didn’t need to ask how she had been treated by her former male. In
the six weeks since they joined his pack, Lucien and his soldiers
learned from Zane how the females had been abused at the hand of
their alpha and their ‘mates.’ All of them had been horrified at
the way Lost Souls females had been used by the males in their
pack. Not wanting to scare his mate, Nicolai buried his anger at
her mistreatment.
    “You still scent of fear. May I hold you?” he
asked softly.
    Delia was terrified. Her small frame shook
slightly as she faced her mate.
    Nicolai was tall and muscular, held the
confident stance of a soldier. He had powerful arms that could hurt
her. His blond hair was trimmed neatly and he had kind blue
eyes.
    Delia was afraid to hope that her painful
life had ended. Afraid to hope that she had found her true mate,
someone who would care for her, make her happy.
    Because he asked instead of demanded, she
decided to take a chance. Very slowly and almost imperceptibly, she
nodded. Nicolai pulled her gently into his arms and held her,
stroking her hair. She trembled in his arms, unable to believe he
offered comfort instead of pain.
    “My name is Nicolai and you are my mate. I
promise you, I will never harm you.” His powerful arms held her
until her fear subsided.
    Lanie walked up to the couple, carrying two
plates loaded with food. She indicated a nearby table and Nicolai
lifted his mate and carried her there.
    Fear gripped her and she worried that Nicolai
planned to harm her. Nicolai sat down and placed her on his lap.
When she realized he wasn’t going to hurt her, she relaxed
slightly, her fear dissipating. Lucien sat across from them, pulled
Lanie onto his lap and began feeding her. Nicolai did the same to
his mate.
    Delia enjoyed the feel of her mate’s arms
around her. It seemed that he enjoyed feeding her. The male that
she had been with would eat his fill, only giving her scraps. This
male, her mate , she corrected, fed her the most delicious
things. He ate nothing himself. She noted how the Alpha’s mate fed
him and wondered if her mate would mind if she did the same.
Cautiously, she picked up a strawberry and held it to his
mouth.
    Nicolai opened his mouth and bit into the
strawberry. His eyes never left hers. When he bit into the
strawberry, some juice ran down her fingers. He held her hand and
licked her fingers.
    The slightly rough tongue on her fingers and
hand shot a spear of desire through her. Her womb clenched
unexpectedly. His blue eyes darkened and he smiled knowingly.
    Nicolai nuzzled her neck, placed small kisses
along her neck as she squirmed against him. Enjoying the feel of
her bottom rubbing against him, he held her even tighter.
    She felt his erection pressing against her
bottom and she shuddered in terror, remembering how the male had
hurt her countless times.
    Nicolai felt her shaking and stopped kissing
her neck. He held her face, gently turning her so she faced
him.
    “You cannot hide your desire from me any more
than I can hide my desire from you, Little One. It angers me to
think of how you have been hurt. I would never hurt you in such a
way. I promise, I will only do as you command me,” Nicolai vowed as
he caressed her cheek.
    Delia’s eyes widened at Nicolai’s
declaration. She shook her head in disbelief.
    “It’s true, Delia. When I met Lucien, I ran
away. In fact, it seems like I was always running away from him.
Eventually he caught me.”
    “You enjoyed running from me!”
    “I did not! I really didn’t enjoy
falling on my face.” Lucien laughed as he remembered how his mate
had fled.
    “Graceful, you are not!” Lanie raised her
eyebrows and pointedly ignored him, turning back to the couple.
Lucien chuckled and slid his hand up her thigh, squeezing it
gently.
    “Anyway, Lucien caught me. We were all alone
in a cabin, in the middle of the woods. He was a