Capturing the Alpha (Shifters of Nunavut Book 1) (12 page)

The memory of their last kiss had taken on a life of its own, playing over and over in his head whenever a lull or idle moment came in his day. He even sometimes found himself zoning out of important matters, his mind going to that soft, warm place. He’d never obsessed so much over something, least of all a kiss, and he told himself that the memory was a fabrication, that his mind was exaggerating the intensity of that kiss, making it seem like more than it was.

But now, he could feel that her lips were more soft than he’d remembered, and as his tongue sank into her, he found her to be warm, inviting, and impossibly sweet. It made him think about other parts of her and other parts of himself, and wonder if they would fit together so perfectly.

He pulled back slowly, reluctantly, and they took a breath, sharing each other’s air. Her eyes were big and round, her lips red and full and wet from his attention.

She whispered, “Still not convinced.”

Zane gave a hard swallow, and then lowered himself to her earlobe. He took the soft pad of her ear between his blunt teeth and gently nipped it, before taking his mouth lower. His tongue ran the length of her neck, licking at her sweat-salted skin. Her scent was stronger there, and his aching cock strained, moisture pooling at the tip.

She arched into his touch, and he closed his mouth over the base of her neck, sucking and stroking her with his tongue. His fangs seemed to throb, the tension easing only marginally when he pressed them to her fragile skin. He held them there, and they both lay still, knowing that the slightest movement would cause him to mark her.

Long before his kind claimed humans, bites were exchanged between mated pairs. If he bit her, the mark would say to others that he intended to make her his mate, to keep her as his own, and to one day have pups with her.

Zane held his fangs there for a long while, as though tempting fate, but neither of them moved. When he pulled back, she was still looking at him with those same, big eyes.

She said, “It would be good between us, wouldn’t it?”

He wondered if she meant sex, or something more than that. What kind of life would they share together?

A short one, if Sedna had anything to do with it.

He rolled over onto his side, covering them both with his pelt and suppressing a groan. His cock ached in protest.

It was beginning to grow cold out, even for him, and he knew he’d have to get her back to the den soon. But he decided to wait, just a little longer. For a few more minutes, they could stay. If he could keep his urges in check, it would probably be the last time they were together like this.

Her eyes were on the night sky as she said, “I’m going to Port Trent with Marl tomorrow.”

“I know,” he said, his voice dripping with disapproval.

Zane was aware of most everything that happened in his den, and this news had reached him earlier in the week. He knew she wasn’t leaving for good, but a tension had been building within him as the day approached, and he knew that his wolf was not going to handle it well. It was bad enough that she was leaving the den, worse that she was going with Enzo, and worse yet that she was still unmarked.

“When I get there, I’m going to try to get in touch with Aaron. One way or another, I’m going to let him know that I can’t keep waiting for him. Once I’m done filming, he can either marry me or we’re going to go our separate ways.”

Zane felt his jaw clench.

“What are you hoping he says?” he asked.

“I don’t know. We’ve been engaged since I was nineteen. I don’t know what my future looks like without him, but…all of the sudden, I’m starting to wonder if maybe I want more than that, more than him.”

Ginnifer cocked her head to look at him. “I’m not saying I want you instead of him.” She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “I’m not saying I don’t, either. But I know that we couldn’t be together. Even if there wasn’t Coral and Sedna… It’s becoming clear to me that I don’t know myself as well as I thought I did. I shouldn’t be committing to anything at this point in my life.”

Zane listened, understanding her all too well. Despite being from different worlds, their situations mirrored one another’s. But while Ginnifer was conflicted, Zane’s back was against the wall, and he had no choice in the matter.

Suddenly needing to feel her, he pulled her into his arms, until she lay with her head against his chest. She was limp against him, though her finger drew lazy circles on the plane of his chest.

“Aren’t you worried about getting my scent all over you?”

“It’s already all over me,” he said, his lips twitching. “And mine on you.”

“Is it going to get you in trouble?”

He kissed the top of her head.

“I don’t care.”

“Zane?”

“Hm?”

“How are we going to get that half-ton muskox back to the den by ourselves?”

He laughed and hugged her closer. “I have no idea.”

Depression hung over her in a thick cloud when Ginnifer woke the following morning. It felt as though they’d spent hours on the cliff, talking, kissing. Several times, she’d considered doing something bold, something that would entice him to the point of throwing caution into the wind. Each time, she’d thought better of it, but she’d always had the sense that they were tiptoeing on the razor’s edge.

When he’d brought her back to the den, there had been a sense of finality to it all, and she got the impression that whatever was happening between them, it needed to end there. She knew it was for the best, like she knew that if she chose to break up with Aaron, there were still plenty of men out there, men whose goals aligned with hers, men whose lives weren’t so complicated.

Even so, she lay in bed like a lovesick teenager, pining over Zane as though he were the last man on Earth. It wasn’t until Marl came in, already dressed in full outerwear, that she remembered that she was supposed to be leaving for Port Trent.

“Good Lord, what happened in here?” She glared around the room with distaste, until her eyes fell on Ginnifer, still buried under the covers. “You’re not even dressed yet? And look at this mess, this’ll take you half a day to clean, at least.”

Ginnifer lifted her head to peer around the room. It wasn’t
that
bad.

“I’m getting up,” Ginnifer sighed.

As she dressed, Marl hovered around, giving instructions.

“Don’t pack a bunch of crap. I have everything you’ll need. Be sure to wear some human clothes, otherwise they’ll look at you like you have two heads. But make sure you wear some furs over them—no, that one, the one with the hood, do you want to wake up and find your ears frosted off?”

Despite Marl’s insistence to pack light, Ginnifer did bring her camera equipment and cellphone. By the time she’d put her coat on she was uncomfortably hot, and she hoped they’d be outside soon, before she started to sweat. Marl stepped up to her, pulling the strings on Ginnifer’s fur coat taut to secure the hood. She gave Ginnifer a pat on the cheek, her stern demeanor giving way to a motherly smile.

“There, pretty as a picture. Now quit being so gloomy. Whatever it is, it will pass.”

Ginnifer offered a weak smile. “Okay, I’m all set.”

“You are, but your camera boy isn’t. We have to go get him now, and that’ll be a doozey.”

When she’d told Boaz about going to Port Trent, he’d volunteered himself to come along, mostly so that he could call his mother. Ginnifer was glad to have familiar company, and eager to spend time with Boaz again, given that he always seemed to be with Tallow these days.

It came as no surprise to her when Marl said they’d be picking him up from Tallow’s room, and they set out down the hallway in the direction that led deeper into the den. Ginnifer had never been so far down before, though she knew from passing tidbits of information that Zane’s room was somewhere down there as well. She thought she caught a trace of his masculine scent, but when she raised her nose to sniff the air, it eluded her the second time.

The door to Tallow’s room was covered in a shaggy white pelt. Above the doorway, carved into the stone were the words STAY OUT in scratchy letters. Ginnifer rolled her eyes and pulled back the pelt, stepping into the room.

There were two candles lit, providing just enough light for Ginnifer to see the room, but she didn’t look around. Her jaw went slack as she stared at the bed, where Tallow was naked and on her knees, straddling an equally naked Boaz.

Before she could figure out how to react, Tallow let out a vicious snarl. She grabbed something from above the bed and hurled it in Ginnifer’s direction. Ginnifer barely had time to duck as it went whizzing by her head. It collided with something and then clattered to the ground. As it rolled in front of her, Ginnifer could see that it was a metal candlestick.

Anger flared inside her chest. She was fully prepared to lay into Tallow, not giving a damn that the other woman could probably rip her to shreds, when she heard a soft grunt from behind her. Ginnifer spun on her heel in time to see Marl slump onto the floor, a thin trickle of blood running down the side of her head.

Ginnifer fell to her knees, but not quickly enough to catch Marl, who hit her head once more on the side of the doorway. She moved to check Marl’s pulse, but Tallow shoved her away. Ginnifer’s back hit the wall hard, only her layers of clothing protecting her from serious damage.

“Marl,” Tallow cried, shaking the older woman. “Marl? Marlie, wake up!”

Ginnifer’s head was still spinning when she saw Tallow glaring fiercely at her.

“This is all your fault!”

“No,” Ginnifer said. She tried to shake her head, but it only increased her sense of vertigo.

Just when it seemed as though Tallow were going to pounce on her, Boaz stepped in between them. He had managed to put his briefs on, but nothing else, and he held his arms up, preparing to push Tallow back if need be.

“Tallow, this isn’t her fault. You’re being emotional and—”

“So you’re taking her side? What gives her the right to come barging into our room like that?”

A moan from Marl drew their attention back to the floor. Tallow pulled Marl into her lap, her voice softening.

“Marlie, are you okay?”

Marl’s face was a mask of pain. “My hip…”

Tallow pulled back Marl’s coat and gave her hip a once over before prodding at it with her index finger. “It seems fine.”

Marl howled in pain, and Ginnifer couldn’t stand by any longer.

“Stop that,” Ginnifer said, smacking the shifter’s hand. Tallow gave her a scathing look, but Ginnifer gave one right back to her. “There’s probably internal damage. Her bones are frailer than yours. What she needs is a doctor.”

“Fine,” Tallow seethed. “Then you go get Indigo.”

“Indigo?” Ginnifer asked doubtfully.

“Did I stutter?”

***

Zane slept horribly, and when he woke, things only got worse. Coral was beneath his pelts, rubbing herself against him. He wasn’t completely immune to the fact that she was a woman, but while her antics could sometimes arouse him, he had almost infinite self-control when it came to disengaging with her.

Putting a hand to her shoulder, he gently pushed her back.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a voice still thick with sleep.

She pushed his hand away. “I shouldn’t have to explain why I’m in your room.”

Moving quicker than his tired reflexes could stop her, she climbed on top to straddle him. They were both naked, but she knew better than to try to mount him without his consent. She’d tried that at the beginning of winter, when she’d come back from her visit to Sedna, proclaiming that her mother thought it was high time they became mates. It wasn’t the first time Shale had said this, in fact, if the Sedna alpha would have had her way, they would have mated the first time Coral had been fertile, nearly three years ago.

The thought turned his stomach and dampened whatever small amount of arousal had stirred in him.

“I have needs, Zane,” she said, jabbing a finger against his chest. “Or shall I go find a human pet of my own?”

Zane almost told her that she had no idea what needs were. He couldn’t imagine being anymore sexually repressed than he already was, and while Coral had been on her best behavior at Siluit, he knew for a fact that when she was at her own den, she was no more chaste than he was. He suspected that part of the reason Shale was so desperate they be mated was that she was afraid Coral would end up pregnant by another male.

“We’ve been through this—”

“Yes, we’ll mate during the thrall,” she said, looking away. “Why is that? Is it because you can’t bear the thought of being with me when your instincts aren’t compelling you?”

Her tone was hard, but he knew her well enough to know that she was upset. He almost asked what had gotten into her, why she’d picked today to come into his room and try to…

I’m not exactly sure what she’s trying to do
.

He found it amusing that she thought she could seduce him simply by rubbing herself against him, like he was some juvenile male. Then, he thought of Ginnifer, and what would have happened if it had been her he’d woken to, her warm skin rubbing against his. Then, he recognized what was different about today—he was still covered in Ginnifer’s scent.

Zane was about to address that, but when he looked at Coral again, a smile had spread over her lips. He realized that thinking about Ginnifer had caused him to become aroused, inordinately so, and Coral must have assumed it was her own doing.

“Coral—”

She bent to kiss him, but stopped short at the sound of commotion from somewhere down the hall. Before she could resume, Zane shot up, glad for the distraction. Coral slumped back, and made an impatient sound.

“Whatever it is, ignore it,” she said, trying to push him back down. She might as well have been trying to move a wall of stone.

Coral tried to complain again, but he put two fingers over her mouth while he listened. He couldn’t make out what had happened, but instinct told him something was wrong.

He got up and threw his pelt around himself. He left his room and made his way down the hall, Coral chasing at his heels. A small group had congregated around Tallow’s room, concerned looks on their faces. His gut clenched as he recognized Ginnifer’s scent, but as the path opened up for him he could see that she was crouched down, appearing worried but otherwise fine.

Across from her, Tallow was crouched beside Indigo, who was gently fingering Marl’s hips. All except Indigo looked up at him as he arrived. Before he could say anything, Coral came up alongside him, pushing the others out of the way.

“What happened here? What did you do?” she asked Ginnifer.

“Shut the fuck up, Coral,” Tallow said, leveling a glare on the younger woman.

Zane put a hand on Coral’s shoulder to calm her. “Why don’t you get the pups out of here?”

She made a sour face. “Why me?”

“I’ll do it,” Ginnifer said, pushing up on her thighs to stand. One by one, she rounded the small ones up, leading them away with promises of chocolate.

Tallow slumped against the wall and sighed. She looked up at Zane, appearing exhausted. “I threw a candlestick at your human and it Marlie. I didn’t kill her, but…”

She motioned towards the older woman, who was breathing heavily with her eyes squeezed shut. Marl seemed oblivious to their conversation.

In light of the situation, he held in his irritation at Tallow, and resisted the urge to ask her why the fuck she was throwing things at Ginnifer. Coral had no such reservations, and beside him, she began to bristle with anger.

“She is not
his
human.”

Zane gave Tallow a sharp look, cutting short whatever retort she’d been planning. Given that tempers were high between the females, he looked to Boaz for an explanation. By the time he’d relayed what had happened, Indigo was finished her examination.

“There isn’t much I can do, aside from giving her something for the pain,” Indigo said. “She’s going to need medical attention.”

“She
is
our medical attention,” Tallow protested. “You have to figure something out.”

“I can mend a wound, maybe fix a simple fracture, but what Marl needs is an x-ray, possibly a CT, and fast,” Indigo said. “We’ll have to take her to Port Trent.”

Tallow gave a reluctant nod, and then looked to Zane. “I’ll leave with her now.”

Zane almost agreed with her, but then reconsidered. “I’ll take her through the south road.”

Indigo stiffened. “Are you sure about that? If you go attracting the wrong kind of attention…”

“Let me worry about that,” he told her. “If it’s as bad as you say it is, then she can’t wait for us to take her through the eastern pass.”

Coral was looking between them all, her brows drawn together. “Wait, why do you have to go, Zane? And what’s so bad about the south road?”

“Seriously, Coral? How many winters have you lived with us now?” Tallow huffed. “The south is all bear territory. If a wolf gets caught wandering through there, they aren’t going to stop to listen about his sick granny. They’ll kill him.”