Rogue Alpha: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Later, after Mal spent every last drop inside me, my
legs finally gave way and I buckled beneath him. Mal put a firm hand on my ribcage
and gently guided me to the ground beside him.

Panting. Spent. I curved my body around his and
rested my head against his chest as he smoothed the hair away from my face and
feathered soft kisses over the crown of my head.

I don’t know how much time passed. Forever. A
second. The pouring rain gave way to a light mist. We were both drenched from
it and from each other. I should be cold. Freezing. Except I wasn’t. I’d never
felt more safe, warm, or protected in my life. Finally, when I could just start
to feel my bones again, I lifted my head and looked at him. Mal tilted his head
and smiled at me.

“What. Was. That?” My words were hard to form as I
still gasped for air.

Mal’s deep laughter vibrated through me. It seemed
that’s the way it would always be from now on. I felt what he felt. He warmed
me.

“I’ve marked you, Princess. You’re mine. And I guess
I’m yours.”

Maybe the news should have shocked me. But, like
everything else about him, it felt natural. Right. He filled in missing pieces
of myself I hadn’t known were lost.

“What does it mean?”

“You know what it means. You can feel it.”

And I could. My heart seemed to beat for Mal’s quite
literally now. He shifted, bringing himself up on one elbow; he leaned down and
kissed me. “And it means that no matter where you are, I’ll always be able to
sense you. If you’re frightened. If you’re in pain I’ll know it and I’ll be
able to find you. You belong to me, Laura. And I belong to you. We’re fated
mates. Do you understand?”

“I think so. God. Mal. It makes sense. I know that
sounds crazy, but it does. I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life
and never realized it until now. How is that possible?”

He leaned down and kissed me. “That’s just how it
works. Sometimes, anyway. I’m just sorry about the timing.”

“But, this isn’t something you plan for, is it? I
mean, it just happens when it happens right? How could
anyone
plan for
it any more than you can plan for getting struck by lightning?”

Mal flashed a smile that sent heat through me again.
God. My legs had turned to rubber. I was sore in muscles I never knew I had and
probably wouldn’t be able to walk straight for hours. And yet, I already wanted
him again.

He reached over and gently tweaked my nipple, making
it rise for him. He could make every part of me rise for him at any moment.
Desire coursed through me as I knew how much I wanted him to. I loved the way he
made me feel. I leaned up and kissed him.

“Well, now that you have me right where you want me,
what do you plan to do to me?” I smiled up at him.

He rolled to his back and threaded his fingers
through his hair. I tried to concentrate on his answer, but I couldn’t stop
looking at him. Every inch of him. He lay beside me with one knee bent. I
traced the sculpted lines of his abdomen. His body was covered with a fine
dusting of dark hair. I traced the swell of his hips, ran my hand over the
corded muscle of his thigh, then brought myself back up. I couldn’t stand not
touching him.

“I have to get you out of here.”

“I need to be where you are.” The words flew out of
my mouth before my brain even caught up. It was true though. I didn’t just want
to be near Mal, I
needed
to be. As if his body provided a different kind
of sustenance.

He turned to me, resting on his elbow. He traced
lazy circles around my shoulder, then a line down between my breasts, giving me
goosebumps.

“I know. I should have waited before marking you. I
just couldn’t help it. It
had
to happen.”

I nodded. I knew exactly what he meant. My hand went
to the small wound he’d given me at the base of my neck. He bit me, leaving a
crescent shaped mark on my skin. It didn’t hurt though. In fact, it had already
healed, leaving a raised scar that I traced with my fingers. Touching it like
that sent a shiver of pleasure through me. It connected me to Mal like a new
erogenous zone. His brand.

“You’ve changed me,” I said. “No. Maybe not changed.
It feels like you woke something up inside me that I hadn’t realized was there.
Imprinting. I didn’t know . . . I mean. Is that what this is?”

Mal shrugged. “It’s like that for me too, Laura. I
thought I’d felt it before . . . with someone else. But with you, it’s
different.” He pulled me close, cradling my head against his chest as he
smoothed the damp hair out of my face. I looked up at him. His eyes filled with
tenderness as he held me. He parted his lips, about to say something. But, he
held back. My heart raced along with his.

I couldn’t read his mind. It wasn’t that kind of
connection, but I think I knew what he might have said. I was starting to think
it myself. The bond between us was biological. I called it an imprint, and that
was perhaps the closest thing in nature I could compare it to. But, biology was
one thing; my heart was something different.

I was falling in love with Mal Devane. Hard. And
yet, it was all too new. I couldn’t give voice to it for fear it was too soon
for both of us. I bit my lip and nuzzled deeper into him.

“There’s one thing though,” I said, trying to find a
way to ask some of these questions without offending him or sounding ignorant.
Well, I was ignorant. The scientist in me had a thousand questions. Ones I knew
I should have asked before we took things as far as we did. Again though, the head
is one thing, and hearts and desires are something else.

“You can ask me anything, Princess.”

“The way you are. Have you always been like this? Or
did someone bite you too? Is it an infection or congenital?”

Mal smiled. “It’s not an infection. It’s in my DNA.
I can’t make you like me just by marking you. We’re mated, but you won’t be
able to shift like I do. Not unless you already have recessive were DNA in you
already. Even then, it would take more than just my mark to shift you. Your
blood would need to mix with other weres.”

His face darkened, and for a moment it felt hard to
breathe. Other weres? The idea of letting another man near me, let alone sharing
something like what I had with Mal, made my blood run cold. My pulse quickened,
and I realized instantly it was Mal reacting to the thought as well.

“You’re
mine
, Laura. No matter what. I don’t
plan on sharing you. I’ll never make that mistake again.”

His eyes went to some far off place. Attuned to his
moods as I quickly became, I knew he was thinking of the other woman and
whatever led him to exile from Wild Lake. I reached up and ran my thumb across
his forehead, smoothing away the furrowed lines of worry there. Whatever
happened to him in the past, whatever put that darkness in his eyes, I wanted
to wipe it away for good. He was here with me now. A simmering rage rose within
me too. I hated the thought that anyone or anything had caused him pain. He’d
sworn to protect me. I wanted to protect him too.

He leaned back and smiled. “Didn’t take much to
bring the wild thing out of you, now did it?”

I playfully slapped at his chest. He took my hand,
threading his fingers through mine. Strong hands. Hands that held and protected
me. Fingers that played across my skin and worked the most sensitive parts of me,
making my body sing for his. I traced the thin blue line of one of the veins
across the top of his hand leading to his wrist. My wheels started to spin.
What I wouldn’t give to put some of Mal’s cells under a microscope. He must
have seen my thoughts written on my face. Feeling bashful all of a sudden, a
slow blush warmed my cheeks.

“I can’t help it. I just have so many questions. You
said we’re mated. But, I mean . . . I don’t want a baby. At least, not yet.”

Mal smiled and kissed the top of my head. “I don’t
either. Bad timing. Though I sure as hell don’t mind practicing with you. But,
before you could become pregnant, I’d have to mark you many more times.”

I nuzzled against him, liking the sound of that. A
lot.

“Would the babies be like you or me?”

Mal threaded his fingers through mine and brought my
hand to his lips. “Like me, most likely. That’s the only thing that’s keeping
my kind from completely dying out. About ninety-nine percent of our offspring
are male. It’s been like that for about a hundred years.”

Fresh excitement prickled along my spine. Again, the
budding scientist in me wanted to dive into this with both feet.

“Do you know why? I mean has anyone ever tried to
figure it out? God, there could be so many reasons. Genetic markers that . . .”

Mal interrupted my train of thought with a kiss.
“God, do you realize how sexy you look when you’re mind’s buzzing like that?
Don’t worry, Princess, if I have anything to do with it, you’ll have all the
time in the world to study me. For now, we need to get back inside and check on
Luke.”

God. With everything that had happened in the last
hour, I’d almost forgotten about Luke. It had been too easy to forget about
everything that wasn’t Mal and the way he made me feel.

Mal stood up and held a hand out to me. He let out a
devilish laugh as he watched me gingerly pick myself up off the ground.

“Saddle-sore, are you?”

“Your fault.”

Mal wagged his thick brows at me. He reached out and
swatted my ass, making fresh desire course through me. I couldn’t explain it,
but soon I knew I’d have a burning need for him again that would drive out any
other thought. For now, though, I needed to focus.

I crossed my arms in front of my naked breasts. My
clothes were torn, soiled, soaked, and strewn halfway through the woods.

“I’ll find you something to wear when we get
inside,” he said.

“Good. But you expect me to walk in there buck naked
with Luke laying right there?”

“He’s a wolf right now. Unless you’re a piece of red
meat, he’s not interested. He’s probably still unconscious anyway. And you’ll
walk behind me.

I gave him side eye and shrugged, but let him tuck
my body behind his as he opened the door. He swung it open and I peered out
from behind Mal’s shoulder, still feeling self-conscious about my nudity in
front of another werewolf despite Mal’s reassurances.

“Son of a bitch!” Every muscle in Mal’s body tensed
beneath my fingertips.

Luke was in front of the fireplace, just where we’d
left him. But, he was struggling to get to his feet. The wolf was gone. Luke
turned, and I came face to face with the man. He stood naked before us, his
body glistening with sweat. With great effort, he raised his uninjured arm and
pointed a quaking finger straight at us. He said one word that struck terror
through my heart.

“Die.”

Chapter Seventeen

Time froze for a moment as I stared at Luke. He was
big. Nearly as big as Mal. But, his hair was light brown, wavy, falling to his
shoulders. He had a thick, unkempt beard that hung down well past his chin. He
was all lean muscle and sinew, covered in grime. Even as a man, he seemed more
wild than human, like some sort of caveman.

“Shit.” Mal reacted while I stood dumbfounded. Luke
made a wild lunge for me. His green eyes fixed on mine, and his still held the
bloodlust I’d seen when his wolf came at me yesterday. Mal dropped low and
wrapped his arms around Luke’s core, pinning one arm to his side. Luke had to
be fueled purely by adrenalin, as he didn’t look like he had the strength to
stand, let alone fight. Mal twisted his body, flipping Luke over his shoulder
in a wrestling move.

Luke’s movements were halting, ungainly, as if he
couldn’t remember how to work his limbs. He scratched and clawed at Mal’s back
but didn’t make solid contact. Mal had him on his back and pressed one knee
into his chest, pinning him down.

“Laura! The cabinet under the sink. Rope. Get it!”

I ran to the kitchen, found the rope, and grabbed a
knife from the counter. I uncoiled the rope and thrust it into Mal’s
outstretched hand. Luke twisted and kicked beneath him, his eyes cloudy and
unfocused. They flashed from wolf to man and back again. Luke’s flesh rolled
and the cabin filled with a sickening popping noise of bones going in and out
of joint.

“Stay with me,” Mal said, his voice deep and
commanding. “Don’t you fucking shift!”

Luke screamed in agony. The effort of being either
wolf
or
man sapped what little strength he had from him. His shoulder
wound opened again and blood poured out.

With quick skill and strength, Mal wound the rope
around Luke’s legs and his uninjured arm, hog-tying him. Then, he took another
length of rope and tied Luke’s injured arm flat to his body. Luke thrashed and
hissed, baring his teeth as he struggled both to free himself from the bindings
and to give in to the urge to shift back to the wolf.

Mal moved off of Luke and cupped his face in his
hands. “Luke. Dammit. Look at me. Look at my eyes. Fight. Do you fucking hear
me? Stay here.”

Luke growled, gritting his teeth so hard bone
scraped against bone. He foamed at the mouth and blood filled his right eye as
he strained hard enough to break a tiny vessel within it.

“What’s happening to him?” I stayed pressed against
the wall. Luke was in no position to do me harm, but I knew on instinct if I
stepped into his line of sight, his agony could worsen. He was one of Asher’s
soldiers. He’d been sent out to kill me. He warred with the command. I could
see it in his face as veins popped out along his temple.

“He broke free. Just for a moment. Asher’s trying to
call him back.”

“What do we do?”

“Wait,” Mal said, his own voice mirroring the agony
Luke must have felt. “See if he’s got the strength to fight it off.”

Luke’s face changed from red to white to a pale
shade of green. His brows lengthened and started to grow together as the wolf
fought to get out.

“What if he doesn’t? Mal? If Asher’s got a hold of
him, won’t he lead him right to us?”

 “I’ll stop it if I have to.”

I meant to ask him how, but I saw the answer in Mal’s
curled fist as he held it over Luke’s face. Luke jerked his head back,
struggling to meet Mal’s eyes. I sank to the floor, hugging my knees as I
watched the horrific spectacle.

As he thrashed against his bindings, Luke found the
strength to hold his head still and focus on Mal, just for a moment at least. Asher
may have been his Alpha, but Mal’s force was strong.

“H-help me,” he said in a ragged whisper that tore
at my heart. “M-make . . . it . . . s-stop!”

Mal pounded his fist against the ground. “Where is
he? Tell me where to find his den. I swear to God I’ll kill him, Luke. I’ll get
you home to Wild Lake where you belong. You and the others. But, I need you to
help me do that.”

Luke shook his head. “C-can’t. T-too strong. Have to
go.”

“No! Luke. You stay with me!”

“He’ll m-make me h-hurt you. K-kill your g-girl.
H-he knows. W-wants you to watch her d-die s-s-slow.”

Now it was Mal having difficulty keeping his wolf at
bay. He threw his head back and let out a growl loud enough to rattle the
windows.

“Mal!” I shouted, knowing on instinct if he couldn’t
keep his shit together either, we were fucked. He turned and looked back at me
with wild eyes. A muscle twitched in his jaw, then he turned back to Luke.

“Where is he?” He shook Luke hard enough to make him
yelp. The pain in his shoulder had to be searing.

“H-help me!”

 “Goddammit, I’m trying! What do you want me to do?”

Luke’s body went very still. It was only a fraction
of a second, but he found the strength to make his eyes clear. He focused them
on Mal as he cradled Luke’s head in his hands. Luke shut his eyes tight then
opened them again. In that brief space, the wolf inside him had quieted. Luke
leaned forward. When he spoke, his voice was strong and dark.

“Kill me.”

Then hell seemed to break loose within him once
again. His eyes clouded over and blazed green, the irises receded leaving only
the beast’s. Mal didn’t have to tell me what could happen if Luke shifted back
completely. He was awake now. Only the man had the strength of reason to fight
against Asher’s control. The minute he became fully wolf again, Asher would
know where to find him. Where to find us.

“Fuck!” Mal shouted, throwing his head back again.

“Mal!” My own voice ripped from my throat, terror
rising.

Mal cocked his fist again and brought it down hard
across Luke’s face, shattering the small bones in Luke’s nose. Blood sprayed
across his forearm. But the light went out of Luke’s eyes and his head lolled
back. Injured as he was, he shifted quickly, almost peacefully back into the
wolf. His body heaved with unsteady breaths, but he was out cold. Mal adjusted
the bindings, immobilizing Luke if he woke up again.

I grabbed the first aid kit and went to Mal’s side.
I took a length of gauze and wiped the blood off Mal’s arm. He stiffened but
let me do it. He buried his face in his hand and sank down on the floor.

“Fuck,” he said quietly.

I looked back at Luke. He would have ripped me to
pieces in the woods, but now I understood. God, the torment he endured under
Asher.

“He needs to die,” Mal said, echoing my thoughts. “I
swear to God, Laura. Asher is never going to get near you again.”

“I know. But, Mal. I get it now.
Really
get
it. You have to help Luke. And you think the rest of Asher’s pack are like him?
They’re suffering inside like that?”

Mal closed his eyes and slowly nodded. “I think so.
The last skirmish we had with Asher’s pack, we killed the last of the wolves
truly loyal to him. All that’s left are those who I think want to return to
Wild Lake if given the chance.”

“So what do you need?”

Mal let out a humorless laugh. “My own army.”

“I’m serious.”

“I need to know where he goes when he sleeps. He’s
got numbers, so the only way I can kill him is if I take him by surprise. The
minute he’s dead, hell . . . the minute he’s unconscious, his hold over the
others will break.”

“So why don’t they just sneak off when he’s
sleeping?”

“Not that kind of unconscious. Asher’s exerting
total influence over the pack. They sleep when he commands them to. They’re
easier to control in wolf form. You just saw that with Luke. He isn’t letting
them shift back to human form. God, Luke looked like he hasn’t shifted in
months. It’s going to kill him eventually. It’s already driving him mad.”

I shuddered. Asher was keeping the rest of his pack
imprisoned within themselves. It was torture for them. Hell.

“I need to know where he’s going before he goes
there. I need the impossible,” Mal said. The instant he did, something clicked
in place. My mind raced as an idea formed in my head. Shit. Oh, shit.

Mal narrowed his eyes at me, sensing my pulse
quicken. “Laura? What is it?”

I stood up, tearing my hand through my hair I paced
in front of him.

“Laura?” Mal reached up and grabbed my wrist,
turning me to face him.

“I know what you need,” I said, my heart beat so
fast I gasped out my words. “I know how to help you see where Asher’s going
before he gets there. Well . . . kind of, anyway.”

Mal cocked his head. I pressed my hands against his
chest and smiled wide. “I have a plan. You’re really,
really
not going
to like it, but it could work.”