Rogue Alpha: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 1) (10 page)

“So can Asher tell where Luke is right now? Could he
lead Asher straight to us without even meaning to?”

“Normally, yes. That’s a risk. But Luke’s
unconscious and he’s lost a lot of blood. His heart even stopped beating a few
times as I was carrying him out. He’s not transmitting anything right now, and
I covered our scent when we came out. Mother Nature is about to cover our
tracks the rest of the way as soon as that storm blows in about twenty minutes.
It’s a temporary fix, but we’re safe for now.”

I nodded. I hugged my knees to my chest. My teeth
rattled together as I shivered. Mal carefully shifted Luke’s head to the floor
and came to me. He wrapped his arms and his body heat around me. I let out a
sigh as I leaned against him, pressing my cheek against the hard outlines of his
chest.

As he pulled me in close, I felt like I belonged
there. Like everything in my life would forever be defined as before I met Mal
and after. My world was turned upside down. Everything I knew and had worked
for had slipped away beneath my feet. I should be panicked, devastated. But, as
Mal held me like that, I just felt peaceful. Protected.

I could hear Mal’s heart beating steady and strong
beneath my ear. It took me a moment to recognize it, but my own heart had
slowed and now matched his. This man exerted some kind of biofeedback over me
that had me filled with both fear and wonderment. He’d answered most of my
questions about Asher and Luke; I needed to know more about what was happening
to me. To us. Ready or not, I had to know the truth. I shifted so I sat between
Mal’s legs and lifted my head off his chest, tilting my head to look up at him.

“Did you do something to me?” I asked.

Mal reached out and traced a line above my brow with
his thumb then smoothed my hair back. His eyes were warm, but his face grew
dark as he swallowed hard.

“I couldn’t help it.”

“Couldn’t help what?”

“Do you feel drawn to me?”

My turn to swallow past a lump in my throat as I
considered my answer. “Yes. It’s different than anything I’ve ever experienced.
I seem to, I don’t know, feel you. I like it better when you’re touching me a
whole lot more than when you’re not. It’s lust, but that’s not all of it, is it?”

Mal shook his head. “No.” He dropped his hand from
my face and stared up at the ceiling, biting his lip as he smiled. Then, he
turned his head back toward me and fixed those glinting eyes on me, making my
blood simmer.

“I didn’t go looking for it. I was mated once, to
another woman. I thought we were fated. She chose another Alpha. It’s part of
the reason I was sent away. Then, as soon as I got some distance from it, from
her
,
I knew it wasn’t what I thought. But, then I saw you in the woods that day. It
was . . . different.”

“I belong to you.” In my head, I meant it as a
question. But, by the time my lips formed the words, I knew the truth of them
in my heart. Possessiveness, tinged with a fair bit of anger broiled inside me
at even the mention of Mal with another woman. God, even though I knew I had no
right. I’d known him for all of a few days. And yet, it wasn’t just the feeling
that I belonged to him. He belonged to
me
, dammit.

His eyes locked with mine, blazing bright. He worked
the strong muscles of his jaw as he brought his hand up again and cradled my
cheek with his.

“You’re supposed to be mine.”

“What does that mean?” The air in the room seemed to
thicken. As Mal’s fingers trailed from my cheek around to the nape of my neck,
it got harder to breathe. Every nerve ending seemed attuned to his. I felt his
heat, his light, and a more urgent need down below as his cock stiffened
against my thigh as I sat with my legs draped across his lap.

“I may not have a pack of my own yet, but I’m an
Alpha, Laura.”

I blinked hard, trying to process his words. He was
an Alpha. Just like Asher. If I let him, would he have the power to control me
the way Asher controlled Luke? The thought of it made me shudder. At the same
time, a dark hunger rose inside me. Desire heated my blood, making my sex
throb. I wanted it. I wanted Mal. Some primal urge flooded through me at the
idea of letting Mal take control.

“Asher will keep coming. He’ll use any means to try
and bring me down. And it’s not just me. If I fail, he’ll keep coming after the
Wild Lake packs. I’ve put you at risk because now he knows you’re connected to
me. But, you’re not as connected as you can be.”

My pulse thundered in my ears, which meant Mal’s did
too. My breath hitched. I knew it. It was like I understood what he was going
to say before he said it. A question. An ultimatum. My body knew the answer. I
struggled to think with my head.

“If I mark you as mine . . . for real, I can protect
you, Laura. And if something happens to me, you can go to Wild Lake and they’ll
protect you. They may have banished me, but they can’t turn you away.”

Something tore inside me at the thought of anything
happening to Mal. God. I couldn’t breathe.

“But it also means there can be no question you
belong to me. It’ll make you an even bigger prize to Asher and any enemy of the
Wild Lake packs.”

I nodded. Again, my mind reeled trying to process
what he was saying even though my body already seemed to understand. I moved
toward him, hesitating for just a fraction of a second, knowing intuitively I’d
reached the point of no return.

Then we moved beyond words. Mal gently gripped my
arms and pulled me close, pressing his lips to mine. He kissed me lightly at
first. I sensed him struggle to keep his own dark desires at bay, unsure of
whether I could face them. But, I could. God help me, I knew I could.

Before I gave it conscious thought, I found myself
tearing at my shirt, forcing it over my head. My breasts sprang free as I rose
up and straddled Mal’s thighs. He looked up at me, running his hands along my
ribcage. My skin raised in gooseflesh as he rolled his thumbs across my
sensitive nipples, making them rise to peaks.

“Mal,” I gasped. I flung my arms around his neck and
wrapped my legs around his hips as he stood up, lifting me easily as if I
weighed nothing. I got dizzy as he whirled us around and headed for the door.
Unlatching it, he carried me outside.

The rain had just started to fall. A moment ago, I
had shivered from the cold. Now, with my body wrapped around Mal’s, his heat
engulfed me. I tilted my head, letting raindrops fall across my forehead,
dampening my hair. With four quick strides, Mal had me pressed against a thick
maple. I dropped my legs and threaded my fingers through the thick hair at the
nape of his neck.

“Do you want this?” he said, his voice ragged with
lust.

“Yes.” I choked the word out, not really wanting to speak,
but only wanting to feel. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, waiting to
feel his mouth on mine.

But Mal tilted my head down with his thumb against
my chin. “Open your eyes,” he whispered. When I did, his eyes flashed from the
black wolf’s to his own again. Heat rushed through me, settling between my
legs. While the driving rain soaked my skin, warmth spread through me, making
my most sensitive flesh throb for him.

“You’re mine. Do you understand? Do you want this?”

My eyes snapped open wide. I couldn’t help that
desire made the corners of my mouth lift in a slow, sultry smile. Oh, yes. I
wanted this.

“Laura,” he said again, his tone more urgent. “I
mean to claim you. For good. Do you understand? It has to be what you want.”

So, he would give me a choice. As desire raced
through me, I knew he wanted my eyes open and my mind clear. I didn’t fully
understand what he meant, not then. I only knew that when he said it, every
cell in my body cried out, “Yes! Oh, God, yes!”

“Say it,” he said through gritted teeth. His hands
went to his belt, ripping open the buckle and sliding the thin leather strap
through the loops. My eyes went to it, the corded veins in his strong hands and
the smell of wet leather. Desire flashed through me as I thought about what it
would feel like if he used it on me. The zinging sound it made when he whipped
it through the last belt buckle and dropped it to the ground made a fresh gush
of juices pool between my legs. I was so ready for him. Slowly, I unfastened
the button of my own jeans and tried to wriggle out of them. Thoroughly soaked
from the rain, they clung to me like a second skin, trapping my legs inside.

“Say it, Laura,” he said, his voice sexy and low. “I
have to hear it.”

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I want you
to.”

“What?”

“Claim me. Yes. Please. Make me yours.”

He stepped out of his jeans and cast them aside.
Then he hooked his fingers through my belt loops and jerked me toward him. I
gasped as he dragged my jeans and panties down, giving me enough space to kick
out of them. He took a step back and looked at me. I stood with my hands behind
me, one leg crooked against the trunk of the tree. My breasts quivered as my
breath came hot and heavy. Droplets of rain clung to his dark hair, pasting it
against his forehead.

“Good,” he said, his voice barely more than a growl.
Heat pulsed between my thighs. I was soaked for him. Swollen. Ready. He reached
out and slid a gentle finger across my clit. His fingers were so hot. I
shuddered at his touch, as he discovered just how eager I was. “So good, baby.”
He sucked air through his teeth.

“Please, Mal. Don’t make me wait.”

Thunder cracked all around us. The wind rose, making
the tree tops sway. Mal’s shoulders quaked with his seductive laugh. “Get on
your hands and knees, Laura.”

I didn’t hesitate. I dropped down to all fours,
stretching myself out on the bed of soft, wet wild grass. He didn’t have to
tell me. I spread my legs wide. He leaned down and put a gentle hand at the
small of my back, pressing me down a little further so my ass thrust up even
higher for him. I gasped as heat flared through me, making my swollen clit ache
and throb for him even more.

“That’s it, baby. Now brace yourself,” he whispered.
“This time, I can’t be gentle.”

Chapter Fifteen

Mal slid two fingers across my swollen sex, opening
me wider for him. I dug my fingers into the soft earth. My body shuttered as he
pressed the head of his cock against my slick opening. He worked me, tugging
gently on my sensitive bud, making me tremble with desire and expectation. God,
I was so primed already. All that I was seemed centered around that sensitive
space between my legs. But, Mal took his time, working me into a lather to
where I couldn’t think about anything but him. Rough. Hot. Wild.

My body seemed to know what to do. I arched my back,
bringing my hips higher, stretching my inner thighs as wide as they could go.
My legs started to shake as I held myself in position. But, everything in me
told me this is what he needed. Me, stretched out on all fours, leaving myself
exposed to him completely. I was his for the taking, and this is how I needed
to prove it. I begged for him with my body and my words.

“Yes. Please. Oh, God, Mal. Do it!”

Finally . . . mercifully, he withdrew his fingers
and put his hands firmly on my hips angling me back even further so I had to
struggle to keep my knees in position. He took a breath and in that split
second before he entered me, I knew everything about me would shift yet again. I
welcomed it. Craved it. Craved him.

He thrust himself deep, stretching me wide. I cried
out from the pleasure of it and tried to keep my legs from buckling beneath
him. He was huge and hard and I took in the full length of him. He thrust deep
and strong. I gripped the ground tight to keep myself still. He reached around
again and his fingers found my clit. He stroked me as he pumped me deep.

I found my voice again. “Yes,” I cried. “God. Yes!
Please!”

My body knew what it craved even if my mind had no
concept. This was different than the day before. I understood it now. As mind-blowing
as that had been, Mal had held back somehow. But this. This. He filled every
corner of me. Body and soul. I felt part of him. He was part of me. The more he
gave me, the more I wanted. All of it. All of him. I couldn’t bear not having
him touch me. Not having him fuck me. How had I lived twenty years without
this?

His body vibrated in a low growl. I knew he warred
with the beast inside of him. I wanted to face him, watch the brilliant flash
of gold as I sated the man and quelled the beast.

I felt his balls seize against me and knew he was
close. I struggled to open myself ever wider to take him all in. Part of me
didn’t want him to come yet. I wanted to savor this because I knew
instinctively this would change us both forever. I felt the surge within him
and knew he couldn’t hold back much longer. With skillful fingers, Mal worked
me, bringing me to my own cresting desire. I couldn’t contain it. Not for
another second. Stars flashed in front of my eyes as my knees started to shake.

My orgasm began to rip through me, spreading from
the core of my being to the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. Still
though, I knew something was missing. I still felt like I had more of myself to
give. A different burning need rose within me. One I couldn’t understand.

But, Mal did.

His thrusts became erratic as he struggled to
contain his own desire. Then, he went rigid behind me. He pressed one hand flat
on my back then ran it up, threading his fingers through my hair. He moved my
hair aside and leaned forward until I could feel his breath against my ear.

Just that small shift in his posture as he leaned
down bringing his head close to mine sent heat zinging through me. He was in me
now as deep as he could go. My walls clenched around him as I shuddered through
the last of my orgasm. Yes. This. All of him. All of me. I never wanted it to
stop.

“Are you ready?” he whispered.

“Y-yes.”

He leaned down even further, flicking his tongue
along the base of my neck. That powerful need rose in me again and I knew I was
about to have a second explosive orgasm on the tail of the first. That had
never happened to me before. On instinct, I knew that was just the first of
many new things opening myself to this man would bring.

An instant later, he proved me right. As the second,
even more powerful orgasm coursed through me, Mal pressed his lips against my
skin and bared his teeth. I felt a sharp stab of pain at the base of my neck,
followed immediately by a flood of warmth. He let out a low growl that vibrated
through me, hitting every pleasure center and making me gasp. Heat spread through
me, starting at that point on my neck and joining with the throbbing pleasure
between my legs. My whole body shook from it. Then, Mal shot his seed deep
inside me. I felt penetrated in every pore.

Something was happening. Mal wasn’t just inside of
me anymore. He was part of me. His pulse became my pulse. My heart beat for
his. For an instant, I went outside of myself. Or rather, I went inside of
him
.
I saw myself through Mal’s eyes. My head thrown back, my back arched.
Everything else around me drew sharply into focus. As if I could see infrared.

And the hunger.

In that flash of time, I felt it as Mal did. Burning
desire unlike any I’d ever known. Fearsome. Primal. Mine. I was Mal and Mal was
me. Stronger together than each of us ever had been apart.

I had two centers of desire. The one between my legs
and something new. At the base of my neck, where Mal had marked me, heat pulsed
there in perfect time with my heartbeat and now his.

It was as if nothing had ever happened to me except
for this moment. It was all that I was. All that I needed. Just me. Just Mal.
The woods, the scents and sounds, somehow, they were all part of us too. I
cried out. My voice no longer sounding like my own, as if I were part beast now
too. Thunder boomed and lightening cracked all around us, illuminating the
woods in blue. I should be afraid. Seek shelter. But, Mal was all the shelter I
needed. The storm seemed part of this too. Soaking us. Washing away whatever we
were before this moment and leaving something new and stronger behind.