Alpha Doms Box Set: 9 Delicious Stories + 10 Sexy Heroes = 19 Reasons to Indulge (33 page)

I smiled, feeling free for the first time.
“Don’t you mean wolf?”

“
Eh. Technicality.” He
grabbed his cup off the table and disappeared into the
kitchen.

My mother walked over to me. “Good luck,
dear.” She kissed my forehead and followed my dad into the kitchen,
officially dismissing me.

My wolf fucking purred as I pocketed the
ring and headed for my SUV. It looked like we had a mate to
claim.

—

Chapter Six

MICHELLE

John wrapped his arm around me, pulling my
head down on his chest as we sat on the couch together. Over the
past year, he’d become as much my friend as Bryan’s, but I knew, in
the end, I would be the one to lose his friendship. He was Bryan’s
beta; their lives were bound together in the pack. I was an
outsider. As welcoming as they’d been, our differences were
undeniable.

“
He’ll come around, Chel.
Just give him some time to get his head on straight.”

I didn’t want to hope, but I found my heart
soaring a bit at the idea. I would love to reconcile. Of course, I
would also love for him to hug me. Out of everything, that’s what
bothered me the most. He treated me almost as if I had a contagious
disease, like I was the one in a billion who’d developed
leprosy.

John trailed his hand up and down my upper
arm in a soothing motion. He didn’t try anything; he didn’t push
for anything more from me. He was there for me; he comforted me the
way I wished, the way I longed for Bryan to.

My eyelids grew heavy, my bones felt
weighted and weak as exhaustion settled over me. Emotionally, going
through the ringer was draining.

As John continued his calming rhythm on my
arm, I found myself slipping away. My eyes were on the brink of
closing when my front door burst open. I jumped up, a curdling
scream hurdling from me.

John sprung up from the couch and
immediately jerked me behind him.

Before I could see who’d barged in, I heard
him and knew.

“
What the hell are you
doing with her?” Bryan growled, his wolf loud and
prominent.

“
Trying to keep her from
kicking your ass to the curb.” John didn’t flinch. He never did. He
talked to Bryan as if he had no leverage over him every time. “So I
suggest you save the pissy bullshit for a rainy day.”

He turned towards me. “I’m gonna give you
two some time.” He nodded his head towards Bryan. “Call me if you
need anything.” He hugged me. “I’m serious,” he whispered. His
breath tickled my neck.

“
Thanks.” I kissed his
cheek as he pulled back.

He winked at me before facing the beast
snarling in my entryway. “Give me your keys.” John held a palm up
and out towards Bryan expectantly. When he didn’t respond right
away, John motioned his fingers.

“
Don’t wreck it, don’t dent
it, don’t scrape it, smudge it or do anything to it.” Bryan
reluctantly handed him the keys to his SUV.

“
I’ve got you.” John
slapped Bryan’s chest, snatching the keys in one lithe motion. He
moved towards the door. He stopped and whistled. “Thank God the
deadbolt wasn’t locked. That’s the only way this door will stay
shut now.”

I sighed, frowning. I
didn’t want to think about how much it would cost to re-frame the
door.
Men and their freaking
egos.

Bryan locked the deadbolt behind John.

I plopped back down on the sofa, my legs
folding Indian style as I wrapped my arms around my chest. I didn’t
want to look at him. I wasn’t ready to face him. The wounds were
still fresh, still raw. Seeing him now was like pouring salt into a
deep cut. It burned. I never knew my heart was towards the center
of my chest until now. It seared beneath my skin, a reminder of the
pain inflicted from walking away.

I stared into the fireplace, focusing on the
flickering flames rather than the pressure in my chest, rather than
the swarm of thoughts, the wind tunnel of emotions threatening to
take me under.

It was hell letting go of someone you loved.
I could only imagine this was what the death of a close relative
felt like. I existed in this moment. I was physically present, but
was being buried by the past, by a memory from hours ago and the
pain it inflicted.

Mindlessly, I rubbed my right thumb across
my left ring finger. I dropped my gaze to the empty space where
something had sat for the past six months. My hands began to
tremble as scenes flashed from hours before in my mind. I clenched
my hands together, mentally shaking myself. I couldn’t do this now,
not with him watching me. He couldn’t know how much he’d hurt me.
No one could.

I froze as he rounded the sofa. He studied
me for a minute before collapsing down beside me. He took several
deep breaths before turning towards me. “I’m a man; I’m the alpha
of my pack, but I can still admit when I’m wrong. I thought I was
waiting for the right reasons. Turns out I wasn’t. Turns out I was
bringing my parents into our relationship rather than keeping it
just between us. As a werewolf, I’ve never believed in waiting
until marriage. It’s engrained in us to claim our mate as soon as
possible. For most, that means the same day.”

I listened, I observed, but I didn’t know
how to react, how to respond to that. How did you speak up when
your opinion was contradictive and you didn’t feel like arguing? I
respected what he tried to do. I respected his parents’ beliefs
because he’d treated them as his own.

I didn’t grow up in that environment though.
My parents were more spiritual than religious. My mother went
through phases actually. They were the definition of hippies: free
spirited, guided by Mother Earth rather than a god. We had moral
and ethical standards, but they weren’t as strict as Bryan’s
family’s.

He unbound my hands and placed my palms
against his chest. He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms
securely around my waist. Merely seconds after moving me, his hands
slid down, under my hoodie and cradled my hips. He massaged the
broadest part of me. As he caressed my hips, his eyes darkened, his
lips pursed and his expression sharpened. Slowly his breathing grew
heavier and I felt his cock press into the underside of my
thigh.

I swallowed hard. This was the first time
he’d let go.

His gaze traveled up and down my body in a
slow, seductive manner. On his way back up, a low growl escaped
him.

The longer he soaked me in with his gaze,
the hotter I seemed to feel. He had the same intense gaze that
never ceased to affect me. I began to squirm beneath his heated
perusal. He clamped his hands tight around me, stopping me from
moving.

“
You’re mine, Michelle. I’m
done waiting.”

I screeched as he stood and threw me over
his shoulder. I held tightly to the back of his shirt.

He chuckled, walking towards the hall where
my bedroom was.

I knew I should have been overwhelmed by
either excitement or fear, or even a combination of the two, but my
mind blanked. I was fighting to wrap my mind around the idea the
fact that he’d just said he was going to finally claim me.

He burst through my bedroom door, kicking it
shut behind him. “Let go of me,” he ordered.

I found my hands instantly releasing his
shirt. I frowned. Did I always respond to his orders like this? I
wasn’t sure if I liked any man having that amount of power over
me.

He tossed me into the center of the bed and
immediately covered me, pressing his long, hard length against me.
My body rejoiced with the weight of him above me; the feel of his
muscled build flexing against my plump silhouette.

He captured my lips, stealing away any
sensible thoughts I could have had. His lips were soft, easily
molding to mine, but there was a demand in their touch. His lips
caressed my mouth with a gentle roughness that set my pussy
aflame.

I clamped my hands around his biceps,
indulging in the way his muscles moved beneath his skin; it alluded
to his strength, to one of the many things I loved about him.

He trailed kisses across my cheek and jaw. I
found myself tilting my head, giving him better access to my
sensitive flesh.

Abruptly he cupped my face, holding me still
as he pushed his hard cock, straining within his jeans, against my
center. He nipped my earlobe, a snarl erupting. “When it comes to
the bedroom, I’m in charge. Do you understand me?”

Excitement coursed my veins, sending jolts
of anticipation through me. I guess I did like a man with power
over me. I nodded my head in agreement.

“
Answer me.”

“
Yes,” I muttered dazedly.
God, I was such a floozy. What woman became a floppy doll around
her man? It was one thing to love someone, but he literally took my
breath away. It was like I was under his spell.

My body was so eager to join with his, my
soul was so enthused by his presence and my heart seemed to be
dancing in my chest as I gazed at him above me. This was really
happening. After all this time, I was finally going to be
irrevocably his. Perhaps this wasn’t a wedding ceremony, but in my
eyes, it was more than that. This was the highest level of
commitment a werewolf could make. Once Bryan marked me inside and
out, there was no escape clause for him. This was a permanent
marriage without a chaplain.

There was no stronger way for him to
proclaim his love for me, to declare a future for us.

I shrieked as Bryan flipped us. My shock
quickly gave way to laughter as I gazed down at him.

“
I’m choosing to invoke my
authority in the bedroom, sweetie.” There was a mischievous glint
in his eyes that sent a flutter through my body. He lightly bit his
lower lip. The action sent heat shooting to my pussy. He released
his lip, giving a knowing chuckle as he smirked. “Strip for me,
baby.”

I let my gaze fall down his body to where
his hard cock met my apex. He wanted to be in charge, fine. I’d
gain my power in this room in other ways.

I froze for a moment,
shocked by my bravery. Wow. Since when did I become so ballsy? The
second I met his heated gaze again, I had my answer.
Since the moment he dropped all pretenses and
shared his desire for me.
Bryan wanted me
just as I was; he made that very clear. He was making it clear now
with his bulging erection. If I allowed my insecurities to take
over, I’d ruin what I’d been longing for.

Love required risk. Love required trust. I
had to trust Bryan with my body; I had to believe that if I
confidently gave it over to him, he’d take me to places I could
only have dreamed of before.

I was ready. Damn was I ready.

—

Chapter Seven

BRYAN

She gave me a wicked grin. I frowned as my
confidence briefly slipped. I was the one who gave devious smiles
in the bedroom.

Damn. Nature didn’t play fair.

Chel slithered down my body. She stopped,
hovering over the crotch of my jeans. She winked at me before she
bent her head and kissed the material. The little devil put just
enough pressure to send shockwaves through my dick. I stiffened,
clenching my muscles to keep from whipping out my cock and begging
her to suck him dry.

Fuck. Since when did a single brush over
thick jeans affect me like this? My cock bulged further as my wolf
roared. He was primed and ready, anxiously pacing, waiting for the
moment I set him free.

She chuckled lightly as she pushed off the
bottom of the bed. She rimmed the hem of her hoodie; her eyes
glittered with delight. She knew she had an affect on me, she
finally saw that I was truly attracted to her, and she reveled in
it. The spicy, confident woman I fell in love with was making a
comeback.

She drifted the hoodie up her body, up her
arms and over her head before tossing it aside. I had to pinch my
cock at the sight of her breasts, spilling over in the spaghetti
strap tank.

She slid her fingers beneath the waistline
of her sweats. My mouth fell open and I knew my eyes widened as she
rocked her hips back and forth. My mouth watered, my chest rumbled
as an erotic growl shook me. Goddamn, she was potent. She hadn’t
even taken off her pants and I was salivating, on the verge of
losing control. My grip was growing slippery. Every sexy move she
made was a drop of oil to it, making it harder to hold onto my
sanity, making it nearly impossible to fight my instincts.

She continued to shimmy her hips as she
allowed the thick material to slip down over her lusciously plump
thighs. My groin tightened to the point of pain as she swirled her
hips, gracefully giving me her backside. I hissed, fisting my balls
to keep from blowing my load as she bent over to free the pants.
Pain and pleasure fought through my lower stomach as pre-come
dribbled down my throbbing cock.

She stood upright, glancing back at me over
her shoulder. She gave me a flirty grin before spinning around to
face me again. And then, before I knew what she was planning, she
was climbing back onto the bed, wiggling between my legs. She
grabbed my hand, removing it from my swollen dick and straddled
me.

I clenched my teeth as my body shook beneath
the pleasure erupting from my center the moment she slid her warm
crotch against mine. Before I could stop myself, I grabbed her
hips, holding her in place. “You’re on thin ice, baby,” I warned.
If she kept this up, my wolf was going to break free too soon. He
wouldn’t be gentle. He’d make her howl the same way he would.

“
Duly noted, sir.” Her
voice was seductive. There was power in her tone, a power that came
from knowledge. She knew what she was doing to me. Fucking
minx.

She thrust her tank up and off her, allowing
her breasts to spill free. God, they were beautiful. She was
beautiful. She must have seen something change in my expression.
“You like them, don’t you?”