Trapped Between Two Alphas (3 page)

He’d
scented death on many human beings in his time, and he hated it. When he’d
stared at Cynthia, she’d captured his attention with her exquisite scent, and
she was dying. She was sick, and he didn’t have the first clue what was wrong
with her.

The
desire to claim her struck him the moment he saw her. Her blonde curls were a
dream to see. Kris had stroked her hair and inhaled her scent as if he’d felt
the same way. Matt heard the other pack making their way towards him. Turning
his attention in front of him he waited to see them. Holding up his hand, he
signalled for his pack to stop and wait.

His
gaze once again lingered on the house a mile away from him. The mile was the
safest distance between his woman and death.

Her
scent still lingered in the air. His pack had sensed it the moment she walked
out onto the porch. There was something special about Cynthia, and Matt
intended to claim her for his own. What he didn’t like was the way the other
pack seemed to be as affected as he was. Pushing his doubts aside, he waited
for Kris to make his presence known.

There
was no way he’d allow Cynthia to go. His beast knew what he wanted. Her blue
eyes held a well of knowledge. She was only twenty-three years old, and he knew
she’d had to deal with matters far out of her reach.

She’s a virgin!

Matt
couldn’t deny what he’d scented on her. She reminded him of sunshine and honey
along with the subtle fumes of death and the honest scent of innocence. Very
few women held their innocence intact, but there was no denying her fragrance.
The scent reminded him a little of warmed vanilla. Shaking his head, he saw
Kris making his way through the clearing.

The
muscles in his arms thickened as he prepared to fight for her.

Kris
stopped in front of him waiting. They both inhaled seeing if they were in
danger from hunters.

“She’s
not yours,” Kris said.

“I
scented her.”

“So
did
I
.” Kris slapped his chest in anger.

Matt
clenched his teeth together angered by his enemy. They were personal enemies,
but their packs came first.

“Did
you see what her presence did to both of our packs?” Matt said.

Kris
glanced past his shoulder, and Matt saw the same thought dawn in him as it had
in Matt.

“That’s
not possible,” Kris said.

Their
second-in-commands walked up to join them.

Arnold
stayed by his side.

“She’s
our mate,” Matt said. He’d never known for two alphas to share a mate. His own
father wouldn’t have let another man near his woman.

He
thought about the way Kris had touched her. Matt hadn’t felt anger at the
touch. He’d felt a deep calm settle over him. There was no jealousy or hatred
inside him.

“We
don’t share,” Kris said.

Matt
took a step closer. “I’m not happy about it. Tell me something, Kris, when you
saw me holding her hand were you angry? Did you want to kill me to force me to
let her go?” Matt asked.

The
man shook his head. “No, I felt happy,” Kris said through gritted teeth.

It
was a huge step for them. They’d never been good at sharing anything in their
whole lives.

“She’s
human,” Kris said.

“And
she’s dying.”

Matt
folded his arms over his chest. Did Cynthia suffer with her illness? She didn’t
appear to be in any kind of pain. It hurt him deeply to think of her hurting.
He’d kill anyone who tried to lay a finger on her.

“You
can change her,” Leonard said. He was Kris’s second-in-command. They’d all
grown up together and had prepared themselves to take their places in the pack.

“That’s
dangerous even for women of our own kind,” Matt said.

Most
of their packs were males. Women were not capable of going through the
transition from human to wolf. The shock and pain of the first transition
killed them. Their own mothers had been human.

“A
female werewolf is rarely heard of,”
Arnold
said. “The transition could kill her. Mating her might be the safest option.”

Matt
shook his head. “No, I scented her illness. It’s far too progressive, and she’s
not strong enough to fight it.”

Human
mates could survive and live a long healthy life that lasted centuries rather
than decades. His own father had lived over one hundred years. They aged slower
than most humans, which was why they lived far enough away from the nearest
town. Few people saw them and never asked questions. They aged naturally until
they hit their first turning. Matt had turned at eighteen, and the aging slowed
down. He was nearing fifty in human years but looked no older than thirty-five.

“Then
we need to claim her,” Kris said.

“She
has no knowledge of our kind.”

Kris
shrugged. “We’ve got a limited of time to get her used to us. She’s not
repulsed by us, as otherwise we’d have sensed it.”

Matt
couldn’t argue. She’d not argued with his hand on her. He’d wanted to do far
more than hold her hand, but the small touch had been enough to keep his beast
at bay.

“We
call a truce then. No more fighting while trying to claim her?” Kris offered
him his hand.

Staring
down at the hand in front of him, Matt grasped it. For Cynthia he’d do
anything.
Even strike a deal with his sworn enemy in order to
claim her.
He’d felt the bolt of electricity run through him the moment
they were all touching.

 
He shook Kris’s hand.

They
had a woman to claim.

****

Kris
walked back to his home feeling calmer than he’d felt in years. Cynthia called
to him in ways he couldn’t describe. Her beauty outshone all the women he’d
been with. Leonard walked by his side. His pack travelled close behind him.

He
would change and then make his way over to where Cynthia lived. He and Matt
were going to take her out shopping in the town over from them for her to get
her groceries. The thought of spending time with her filled him with a buzz.

“What’s
the matter, Leonard?” he asked.

His
second-in-command disapproved of what was happening. Kris felt it deep down in
his core.

“I
worry what the human will do. She’s affected both you and Matt. It doesn’t feel
natural to me. I’ve never heard of two alphas sharing a woman. This could be a
trap.”

Kris
stopped and glared at his second.
“Trap?
What kind of
trap?”

“The
human hunters could be lulling you into a false sense of security.”

Grabbing
Leonard around the throat Kris pulled him in close. For the longest time this
man had been his friend. “You scented her, Leonard. Did you smell deception on
her person?” He growled the words in his face.

He
felt angered that one of his pack members could think something so awful about
his woman. Cynthia wasn’t like that. Her scent was filled with the innocence of
vanilla and the sweetness of honey.

Leonard
shook his head. “Calm down, my Alpha. I meant no disrespect. The rest of the
pack is nervous about the hunters. They’re unstable, and none of know what is
causing the hunts. I heard three wolves went down last month at the height of
the full moon. Do you have any idea what could cause that? No human is a match
for us.”

Kris
let him go. He understood the fear. Humans were not supposed to know about
their kind, and yet there were hunters who could find and kill them like they
were nothing but common cattle.

“Cynthia
has nothing to do with this. I want you to round up the alphas. We all need to
address the matter of the hunting.”

Kris
walked away moving towards his home. Their kind had been hunted for years.
Wolves of any kind were a threat to the human race. Shaking his head he moved
to his room to shower and change.

Mistaking
their kind for actual wolves was easy. In the darkness they were as threatening
as wolves. If a human showed fear then it could drive them crazy with the need
to hunt.

Whatever
happened he would protect his pack.

He
climbed into the shower, and the vision of Cynthia entered his mind. She was a
true beauty on a rainy day. Her illness scared the shit out of him. What was he
going to do if the transition didn’t work? Wolves were not well known for surviving
life if their mates disappeared.

The
cold water ran down his body warming the chill in his bones. His body
temperature ran hot most of the time. He and Matt needed to find out more about
her. She could be the success or the destruction of their packs.

Turning
off the water he climbed out of the shower then wiped the steam away from the
mirror in his bathroom. He wondered what his father would think of Cynthia. She
was too thin to take him. Her bones showed through her skin. They’d have to
make her eat more before they even thought to claim her.

Thinking
about her full and ripe made his dick ache. He knew she was ill, and in his
mind he saw her healthy. The glow of her skin would capture him. Closing his
eyes he let the desire for her pulse through his body before he cut off all
thought of her. It would do him no good to think about her like that. First, he
needed to spend more time with her.

He
hoped she could survive long enough so he and Kris could claim her properly.

Chapter
Four

Cynthia
put the few items of clothing she owned away then made her way downstairs to
sit out in the sunshine with her book. She glanced between the two properties,
wondering what the history was with regards to the two men who’d visited her.

Glancing
down at her watch she saw it had passed lunchtime. She was hungry and waited
patiently for her car to come down the driveway. Matt had said he’d have a car
for her to use at her disposal. Running her fingers through her hair she
relished the feel of the soft silky strands.

She
thought about the two men who’d visited
her a
couple
of hours ago. They’d been intense to be around. Their masculine scent had surrounded
her in a protective cocoon. She’d felt protected by them. The way Kris always
seemed to touch her excited her. At the time she’d been a little startled by
his attention whereas now she wished she’d done something about it.

You’re not going to lose your virginity
fighting off the men who show an interest.

With
the way she was going she’d die a virgin. The thought sobered her up. Most
women thought about that statement because they didn’t expect to die. Her death
was inevitable. She’d planned for it. Dr. Martin had all the details of what
she wanted with regards to her funeral. Before she’d left she had settled all
the details. Her heart pounded inside her chest as her thoughts took on a
gloomy feel.

Maybe
she’d find a miraculous cure and be able to spend the rest of her days with
Kris and Matt.

What are you thinking?

You don’t know those two men. They
could be axe murderers plotting your death.

The
ringing of her cell phone startled her out of her thoughts. She glanced down
and saw it was the good doctor himself.

She
accepted the call. “I’ve been gone less than twenty-four hours, and you’re
checking up on me.”

“I
don’t like this, Cynthia. Your parents trusted me with your care.”

Dr.
Martin had become more like a close uncle than one of the men who handled her
treatment.

Cynthia
sighed, feeling the weight of his words. “You’ve cared for me unlike any other
person. I know you think I’m making a mistake, and I probably am, but I’m
enjoying it. I don’t want to be in pain anymore,” she said.

“You’ll
be in pain soon.”

“If
it gets too bad I’ll call you. I promise.”

“Did
you get there safely?”

“Yes.”

“Good.
Let me know about your progress.”

She
knew he meant the opposite. There was no good thing that would come from her
decision. She had accepted that and still walked away from the hospital.

“I
will.”

Looking
up she saw a truck driving toward her. She said her goodbyes and then closed
the phone. Tears had dropped to her cheeks during the phone call. She quickly
wiped the tears away then stood up. Kris and Matt were in the front of the
truck. She hoped that truck wasn’t for her to drive.

They
parked the truck then climbed out. She glanced left and right to see if their
men were present. Both spaces were free from any person.

“Is
that my vehicle?” she asked.

Kris
ran up the steps to cup her face. The action happened so fast it made her gasp
at the sudden movements.

“Who
made you cry?” he asked. The anger in his voice couldn’t be mistaken.