Alpha Initiation (Alpha Blood #1) (Werewolf Romance) (6 page)

There was a bed on the opposite wall between two windows with heavy curtains. On the bed lay the ruffled, sleeping form of Luke with his hair messed up and his limbs strewn about the tangled covers. Alistair set a breakfast tray on a nightstand beside the bed, stepped over to one of the windows and drew the curtains, casting the room in bright, natural sunlight. It really was a nice day outside, and I hoped I could get out of the house to enjoy it.

The sunlight hit Luke full-force, and he groaned and tucked his head beneath a large pillow. I would have laughed if I hadn't been trying to escape from his company. He looked like a little boy who didn't want to get up. "Sir, it's time to get up," Alistair spoke up.

"No," came the muffled reply. I changed my mind. He
was
a little boy who didn't want to get up.

"Perhaps next time you will allow me to protect the estate grounds," Alistair scolded.

Luke sighed and peeked his head out from beneath the pillow. "I hardly had a choice in the matter, Alistair. With that girl here I can barely keep my hands off of her, much less fight the urge to protect her every waking moment."

"And awakening you is precisely why I've come. It's past ten, sir, and you asked me to wake you at nine."

Luke groaned. "Call me at eleven."

"I have your breakfast already prepared."

Luke sighed. "All right, you win, Alistair." Luke tossed off the pillow, and it flew over to hit the door and nearly me. "Have you heard anything from Stacy?"

"Nothing yet, sir, but she generally sleeps as late as you," Alistair replied as he set the breakfast tray on Luke's lap.

Luke glared at his manservant. "I'm currently infatuated by a young female. What's her excuse?"

"She finds herself infatuated with you," Alistair countered.

Luke sighed and shook his head as he glanced down at the tray. "I'm afraid I'm not the one for her, nor she for me. Rebecca's presence will tell her as much."

"Becky," Alistair spoke up.

Luke frowned. "What?"

"She wishes to be called Becky, sir," Alistair explained to him.

The young master smiled. "She told you that? It sounds like you two made some progress."

"She knows her mind, sir."

"Good. She won't be swayed by anyone else while we're at Sanctuary. Are the bags packed?"

"Nearly, sir. I'll finish that right now." Alistair returned to the door and I froze when his hand fell on the knob. He paused and turned back to Luke. "If I might say, sir, I'm not sure of your choice for a mate."

The young master looked up from his tray and smiled. "I don't have any more say in the matter than you do, Alistair, but your complaint is duly noted." Alistair bowed his head, and pulled the door shut behind him. I heard Alistair lock the knob, and Luke turned his eyes on me. I cringed against the wall and prepared for an outburst, but Luke's smile only widened to a grin. "Good morning," he greeted me.

"Um, good morning?" I squeaked out.

Luke whipped out his napkin and dug into his meal. "You don't have to be afraid. I could smell you the moment you entered the room." I frowned and sniffed my arm. He chuckled. "The scent is very faint, too faint for your senses to pick up just yet."

"Because you're a werewolf?" I guessed with a little bit of sarcasm in my voice.

"Exactly." He gestured to a chair beside a table much like in my own room. "Would you like to take a seat?" I shook my head, and he nodded at the end of the bed. "Perhaps something more comfortable."

"I don't think that's more comfortable," I countered.

He shrugged and continued his eating. "Then you can keep standing there looking like a sheep in a wolf's den without a hop of escape."

"Maybe I'm not done escaping," I shot back.

Luke's eyes glanced up from his food. "Oh? I'm afraid leaving by the hall is impossible. Alistair knew you were there as well as I did, and locked the door to keep you from running out that way."

I looked from the chair he offered to the opened window, both of which were on the right side of the bed. "Then I guess I'll just take a seat." I dashed over to the chair, picked it up and heaved it at the window. The glass shattered and the chair sailed out onto the side lawn. Luke's face twisted into fury and he flung aside his tray to fly out of bed. The dishes cracked and scattered along the floor in a terrible roar of shattered china. I chased after the chair and propelled myself through the broken window, which wasn't that bright of an idea when I recalled we were on the second floor. My feet met with air and my hands flailed about for something to grab.

They caught hold of something, namely Luke's hand. He jerked me back toward the house and I slammed against the brick wall, jarring everything loose from my bones to my teeth. Then I was hauled back up through the window and thrown onto the floor. When I looked up Luke stood over me with his lips turned back in a hideous glare. "Do
not
try that again," he ordered me.

I scowled right back. "Or what? You'll kidnap me? Throw me back in that room? You might as well just kill me now because I'm not going to stop trying to get away from you!"

Luke grabbed my arm, pulled me to my feet and shoved my face into his. His blazing blue eyes showered me with all the love and attention of a crazed bull intent on gouging a matador. His voice was low, dangerous, and sexy. Er, I meant serious. He was deadly serious about his threat. "You will not leave here, nor will I harm you."

"Then you're not going to beat me. I'll get out of here and-" Any further conversation was interrupted when he captured my lips in his. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against his strong, thinly covered chest. I put my hands on his shirt, but didn't have the willpower to push away from him. He broke the kiss to give us both air, and I could feel the hot blush on my cheeks.

He smirked at the misty look in my eyes. "You were saying?" he whispered.

I tried to shake loose the mist from my head but ended up with only a headache. "What? What was I saying?"

"About leaving."

"I was? Wait, I was!" I tried to pull away, but he held me tight. "Let go of me!"

"Admit that you liked that," he playfully demanded.

"No, now let go!"

"Not until you tell me the truth."

"I admit it, I was the one who stole all the gum in fifth grade science class. Satisfied?"

Luke blinked in bewilderment. "Why?"

I shrugged in his arms. "Why else? To make the biggest bubble in the world. And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for that pesky teacher's pet." Luke was dazed by my admission of truth, and I managed to slip down out of his arms and step away from him. I folded my arms across my chest and stuck my tongue out at him. "I knew you couldn't handle the truth."

Luke grinned, and the look was decidedly lecherous. "No, but I can handle you." He jumped at me so quickly I could barely follow the movement, much less evade his attack. Luke flipped me around and wrapped his arms around me, effectively pinning my own arms to my sides and my back against his chest.

I squirmed and pulled, but he had an iron grip. "Let go! Lemme go!" I protested. I stiffened when he leaned down close to my ear, and his breath tingled my skin.

"Don't you like being captured?" he teased. His hands in front of me splayed out and rubbed tantalizing circles against my stomach just below my breasts. "Don't you like this submissive feeling?"

"Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?" I shot back, but my voice had a quiver to it that I couldn't hide.

"Not when it's about you," he whispered. His sharp teeth nipped at my ear and I shuddered. "I can smell your arousal. You like this as much as I like doing it to you."

"M-maybe if you weren't holding me I'd like it better," I stuttered.

Luke chuckled. "I know your tricks, little she-wolf, and won't let you go."

"Then know this one." I stamped my shoe on top of his bare foot and crushed his toes beneath my soles. He yelped and loosened his grip, and I dove for the window again. This time I was prepared for the fall and caught a vine just outside the glass. My bandaged hands screamed in protest at my weight, but I ignored them. I shimmied down it just as Luke leaned out the window and tried to catch me. He missed, but just barely, and I hurried down the vine as fast as my panicked hands could take me. I hit the ground with my feet already in running mode and covered a dozen yards toward the woods before I looked over my shoulder.

Luke stood on the edge of the window, and like a suicide jumper he flung himself down the dozen or so feet to the ground. Like an oncoming train wreck I couldn't look away, and I had the expectation of seeing him break both his legs, but he neatly landed on his feet and pushed off after me. I gasped and sprinted toward the trees, but his speed was incredible. I'd hardly gone more than two yards before he barreled into me. We rolled onto the ground and I ended up on the loser's end, otherwise known as the bottom, with him on top of me. Luke pinned my arms to the ground at the wrists and sat on top of my gut. He thrust his face into me and growled. I cringed back from that feral, dangerous look in his eyes.

"Don't ever do that again," he ordered.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked him. "Why don't you just let me go? I won't tell anyone!" He snarled, and that cowed my pleading.

"You don't understand at all. How can you be so dense?"

I didn't like being called stupid at the best of times, and this certainly wasn't the best of times. I thrust my face into his in a challenge to his own actions. "Why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on? Werewolf this, people that, can't let me go and don't want to keep me. The only thing I've learned is you and your butler guy are nuts with a capital squirrel."

"Master Luke, you're hardly dressed for an outing in the woods," a voice called from the house. We both looked in that direction and saw Alistair standing at the back corner of the house.

Luke snapped his head back to me. "You want more proof than what I've shown you?" he asked me.

"If you want me to believe you, then yes," I shot back.

He stood and hefted me up with him. "Alistair, hold her for a moment, will you?" Alistair raised an eyebrow, but came over to firmly hold my arms. Luke stepped back five yards and narrowed his eyes. "I will show you proof, but don't blame anyone but yourself for your fear."

I didn't know what to expect, but his body changing wasn't one of them. His muscles swelled and bulged out of his white nightshirt and pants. Fur sprouted all over his body, and his hands and feet lengthened to long, dangerous claws. His face stretched out into a long snout and his ears became pointed and fuzzy. He bent over on all fours as though it was a natural position, and when he lifted his head a great howl escaped from his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

Luke turned his orange eyes on me and stomped toward where I stood. I pushed back against Alistair, but the manservant held me tight against his chest so I couldn't escape. Luke stopped a foot from me and his nostrils flared as he looked me over. I shut my eyes and turned my head away. All I could imagine was being fed to this creature, this monster. He leaned forward and his nose brushed against my hair. I shuddered and whimpered, and he pulled away. I didn't hear anything for a long while, so I dared to open my eyes. Luke stood in front of me human once more and completely naked. I blushed, gave myself a moment to admire his nice package and muscles, and slammed shut my eyes.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked me. I furiously nodded my head. "Good. Take her to her room. She can stay in there until we leave."

Chapter 8

I didn't fight to free myself. What would have been the point when I had to go up against something like that? All those times I escaped were lucky breaks, surprise attacks against a man. Now I understood who, or rather what, I was dealing with and frankly it scared the shit out of me. Alistair led me to my room and locked me inside. I stumbled over to the bed, but my legs didn't make it and I collapsed to the floor. My thoughts buzzed with the incredible, terrifying miracle that I'd just seen. It all seemed so fantastic, so impossible, so-

"-screwed. . ." I muttered. That was the general gist of my situation, and I shuffled over to the bed and fell face-first on top of it. I was captured by a monster, probably two when including Alistair, and they were going to take me to someplace far away where nobody would ever find me. "How did I ever get into this mess?" I grumbled.

The day passed through my depression and crying, and I occasionally checked the time on the watch. Five o'clock rolled around and there was a knock on my door, followed soon by it opening. Alistair stood with a suitcase in each hand and a surprisingly apprehensive expression on his face. "I have your clothes for the trip if you would like to inspect them."

I wiped the most recent tears from my eyes and sat up. "What does that matter? You'll just make me wear them anyway."

"I wish to know if I matched your style. I only had the clothes you're wearing to guide me."