I Am The Alpha (15 page)

“Please,” she whimpered as I teased her entrance with my fingers.

I turned and slid up the bed until I was sitting with my back to the headboard and motioned for her to join me. She crawled over, breasts swaying hypnotically with each motion and went to straddle me, but I turned her so her back was to my chest and settled her against me. My hands slid up her stomach to cup her breasts and she arched her back, moaning softly as she bent her head back to kiss me again.
Oh yeah, just like that…
I thought.

Reaching down, I guided myself into her, first rubbing my head along the length of her lips then slowly sliding into her until I was buried to the hilt. The firm flesh of her ass was pressed tight against my abdomen and I returned my hands to her lush breasts.

We rocked together, gently, slowly, building an agonizing amount of pressure over time. I splayed one hand across her abdomen, feeling the taught muscles moving beneath her skin as I thrust into her, one breast gripped tightly in my other hand as I kissed and bit gently at her exposed neck.

Our moans grew louder, faster and I finally slid my hand from her stomach to gently rub that bundle of nerves at the top of her sex that served no purpose other than to bring pleasure to the woman I was reasonably sure I was falling in love with. Because I wasn’t fucking her, not this time. I wasn’t sure that I ever had, from our first time until now.

As I slid my finger across her clit lightly, she bucked hard against me and her moan cut off in a strained grunt. Her muscles clamped down tightly around me and I thrust almost frantically into her for a few more moments until I came too, slamming hard into her and holding still as I released myself inside her.

At the same moment I clamped my teeth into her skin, just where the sensual curve of her shoulder met the delicate slope of her neck. She moaned even louder, crying out, her pussy echoing the sentiment of her cry by fluttering and pulsing around me again. I was dizzy, almost light headed before we finally regained our senses. Her body relaxed completely against me, as weak as a newborn kitten and I carefully withdrew my teeth from her flesh and inspected the area.

I hadn’t broken her skin, thankfully, but there were deep teeth marks left behind that stood out sharply against the pale expanse of her neck.

“Sorry for biting you,” I murmured quietly into her flaming hair, breathing deep her smell, like peaches and fucking sunlight. A few heartbeats later she gave a quiet, sensual and satisfied moan in response.

“It’s alright,” she drawled, “I kind of liked it, made things more intense.”

“It isn’t, really,” I hated to say it, I really did. Considering the circumstances, any chance she had to enjoy something pleasurable should be taken to its fullest. I really didn’t want to inject any stress into her already tumultuous life, but I felt I owed her an explanation, at the very least. To be honest with her, completely honest. As much as it might lay bare feelings that I wasn’t even positive I really had yet. I sighed inwardly, instinct, when it came to my people, was a powerful thing, and I couldn’t argue with the evidence, I mean I
could
but it wouldn’t change anything.

“What do you mean?” Her tone was sharp and she tensed, nervous energy suddenly flooding into her as her hand flew to touch the place I had bitten. She pulled her hand away, looking at her fingers before she swiped at the place again.

“I didn’t break the skin,” I assured her, “Don’t worry.” I lifted her gently and moved her so we were sitting beside each other.

“This isn’t necessarily something bad. But it is something I should explain since you’re still new to the whole wolf-kind thing. Let’s get dressed and head back to the kitchen. I think we could both use a drink after the last few days don’t you?”

Her eyes held concern, but she nodded silently and scrambled off the bed to get dressed. She was trusting me, and I appreciated it.

I followed, pulling on a pair of jeans that she had selected that actually fit well enough that I didn’t need my belt. They hung low on my hips but were in no danger of falling off so I shrugged and led the way back to the kitchen.

“Red or white?” I asked as I pulled a couple of bottles of wine and some glasses out.

“White.” She had taken her seat at the table again, arms crossed protectively over her and I could almost see worry radiating off of her like a cloud. I could smell it, actually, her anxiety perfuming the air with a sharp, almost bitter, tang.

“Chloe? Look at me?” I pleaded and she reluctantly met my eyes. “You aren’t hurt. You aren’t in danger of becoming like me, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I pulled the cork from the bottle and poured her a generous glass which I set in front of her. Her shoulders dropped and she looked so torn. I poured myself a glass and turned, my back against the counter and my arms crossed over my chest, glass dangling from my fingers.

“One thing you have to understand about wolf-kind is that it’s almost like dealing with a split personality.”

She arched an eyebrow at me in the middle of taking a sip of her wine. She swallowed and set the glass down. “So you’re saying that you’re crazy?” she asked, cautiously and I sighed and shook my head.

“No, nothing like that. Nothing quite that simple. I’m human, right?” She arched an eyebrow again and pursed her lips thoughtfully, I could see the struggle on her face, the hurt, the fear that she would hurt
me
;
it made me smile. I made the concession for her, “Okay, human-
ish
. My point is that I have thoughts… feelings and desires as a man. I like art, I like food and cooking. I enjoy music and reading and I have hobbies.

“But I’m also part animal,” I said soberly, “And animals operate largely on instinct. It’s something passed down from generation to generation. Each animal instinctively knows things without having to be told or shown how to do them. Birds, for example. Birds know to fly south for the winter and bears, bears know when it’s time to hibernate. Wolves know things too. The wolf inside me, the wolf that is a part of me, knows things about the world around me and the people that I meet that I, as a man, don’t consciously know or even understand.”

“Okay, so you’ve got a hyperactive sixth sense.”

“So to speak, yes.” I took a deep breath and then a large gulp of my wine. “One of those things the wolf looks for in people, is potential for a mate, that’s what the bite is about.”

She looked even more confused. “So, what? You bite every girl you sleep with?”

I shook my head, my still damp hair flopping into my eyes until I brushed it irritably away. “No, that’s not what I mean. Sex is one thing. I’m human, humans have sex. It’s one of the things we greatly enjoy as a species. And humans also get jealous, and territorial, like wolves do. Especially about their boyfriend or their girlfriend.”

“So what are you trying to get at?”

I sighed again and ran my hands through my hair. There was nothing for it but to say it flat out. “The wolf in me recognizes something in you. Strength, character, will,
something
and he feels that you would make a good mate for me. That’s what the bite is. If I break the skin, if I leave a scar, that’s the equivalent of asking for your hand, hell, of taking you to Vegas and sealing the deal. It marks you, telling others of my kind that you’re my mate. And wolves mate for life.”

Chapter 12

Chloe

I opened my mouth and closed it, opened it again, drew breath to speak then closed it again. William held my gaze across the short expanse between us as he leaned against the counter. His deep brown eyes with their gorgeous amber sparks were dim with almost sorrow. I bit my lips together and looked away because I couldn’t stand to see that look in his eyes. Here he was, telling me the truth, knowing how overwhelming it would be, how frightening, but telling it anyways. Because I’d begged him to never lie to me, no matter how bad it got.

Holy. Shit.

“I… I don’t really know what to say to that,” I told him and when I looked, his head was turned, eyes trained intently at the top of the steps leading down to his work shop.

“Shhh,” he set down his wine glass.

“Wow, okay, I’m sorry you just told me some really heavy shit, I’m just trying to process…”

“Chloe it’s not you, now hush! Someone is coming,” he said. I straightened and moved to stand up but he waved me back down into my seat.

“Is it the twins?” I asked fearfully. I
really
didn’t want to deal with those assholes again.

“William?” a deep voice beckoned from downstairs. William’s shoulders dropped, the tension easing out of the muscles in his back.

“Yeah, we’re up here Markus!” William called down the stairs.

A man, who appeared to be in his mid-forties, military style haircut going gray at the temples, appeared at the top of the stairs. He wore a green flannel shirt, white crewneck tee peeking out at the collar, tucked into dark blue jeans. A brown belt with a leather-man tool case on it, along with a matching pair of laced up work boots completed his look.

He filled out his clothing nicely, for his age, with plenty of muscle, and he looked me over just as I was looking over him when a feminine voice piped up behind him, “It smells like sex up here.”

“Oh, that’s just fucking great,” I muttered and felt my face take off flaming to match my damned hair. How could they smell it with the bedroom so damn far away and behind a closed door? William laughed which just pissed me off more. I gave him a tight-lipped smile and flipped him off, that just made him laugh harder.

The military man raised an eyebrow at our exchange and stepped aside to let four others come up the stairs.

“You sleeping with the enemy now, Son?” he asked William, but he was clearly sizing me up. There was no hostility in his tone, he just struck me as one of those kind of guys who spoke what was on his mind and fuck whoever got offended. That it was their problem and not his. I suddenly felt way underdressed in just William’s tee under the man’s scrutiny but I would be damned if I would let this guy’s sizing me up get the better of me. I ignored him and turned my attention to the rest of the crew that’d followed him up the stairs.

There were two women and two more men. One woman looked like a librarian of all things. Prim, pressed slacks, and a floral blouse with a light blue cardigan sweater over it. She even had on the little old lady slip on shoes to complete the look. She wasn’t old, maybe early fifties with short, graying hair styled in a cute pixie cut. She wore gold earrings and a gold crucifix necklace, a wedding set on her left hand. Everything about her screamed ‘good Christian woman’ right down to the disapproving glare she had fixed on me.

“What?” I asked her softly taken aback a little by her intense stare. Where the other guy was curious, she was downright hostile. She growled at me, like a full on growl that would come out of a dog, well, wolf. Like human vocal chords shouldn’t be capable of making that sound.

Military man Markus and William stood their ground, unphased by the display. But the others? They all shifted on their feet, nervousness flickering in their eyes, across their faces, like lightning over the city. I stared at her, taking my cue from William and didn’t let the display phase me. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t though. My heart picked up pace and my mouth went a little dry.

“Sharon!” Military man barked, “Calm your shit, woman.”

The librarian lady’s growling ceased as if by a flick of a switch. It just stopped, gone, and the uneasy silence that rushed in to take its place was damned uncomfortable. I got to my feet, slowly and William held out his hand to me. I took it and he towed me in front of him and put his arms around me.

I got the distinct feeling from the surprised and incredulous looks on their faces that he was calmly staring them down over my head. The librarian lady, Sharon, scoffed, making a rude, disgusted sound and looked away from us and I sighed inwardly.

“Nice to meet you too,” I murmured and William’s hold on me tightened.

“Chloe,” he said calmly, an edge of warning to his voice, but I was done. I had nothing else I could say. It struck me then. Came down on me like a ton of bricks, and fuck what these people thought of it but tears sprang to my eyes. I forced them down. Didn’t let them spill over but… Shit.

I very highly doubted I would ever be able to go home. My father, like his daughter, wasn’t exactly the forgiving sort. But, neither were these people. Even if I did find that I maybe was starting to fall in love with William,
this
,
this
is what we would get. Disgusted looks. Rude noises and people turning away.

“It’s not my fault my dad’s been running around my whole life acting like some racist hillbilly piece of shit,” I said quietly and I shrugged gently out of William’s embrace. Five sets of curious eyes and one sorrowful one followed me as I stepped up to the Military Man, Markus. I stuck out my hand.

“Chloe, Chloe Young,” I introduced myself.

“Markus,” he said, taking my hand in his much larger, much warmer one. “Markus Lance, I’m Arbiter of the Pacific North West Pack,” he said.

“I’m a… I mean, I
was
a law student. Now I guess I’m just a Hunter’s daughter.” I sighed, “Sorry,” I added for Sharon’s benefit. Her brow crushed down in confusion as she looked me over. She wasn’t giving an inch, but it wasn’t like I knew her story, so who was I to judge? I was just going to leave all that up to her. I didn’t have the energy.