Their Alpha Bitch (2 page)

It had been lonely as hell after living amidst the large, rambunctious pack. No big “family” picnics, or dinners. No one to talk to about things like the physical changes she could feel deep inside from time to time. No warm, masculine arms to hold her when she was afraid or hurt. Having three massive, protective older “cousins” around to make sure the men didn’t get too interested had insulated her from the need to know how to protect herself from predators.

And that wasn’t
necessarily the kind with sharp teeth.

She’d dated a few of the men she’d met in Seattle and had learned quickly that human men were nowhere near as trustworthy and reliable as male pack members had been. She had learned that, to many men, she was just a pretty face and a warm body. So she’d remained aloof to the heated flattery and the professions of eternal love that she grew to recognize as exactly what they were…attempts to gain a temporary bed partner. It had only taken one time to teach her that sex was something she could totally live without. One try and it hadn’t even been the least bit enjoyable. At least, not for
her.

When life on the outside had gotten scary and harsh, she had often thought of moving back to the compound, but she realized that she was an adult now, and would very likely be sought out by some pack males as a possible mate…and as a human, she knew that could be a dangerous thing. Not only because of the size differences, but because pack males tended to bite when excited. And sharp teeth were not one of the most endearing things about them. Besides…pack males were possessive and pushy, and kept their mates pregnant as ticks.

If and when she decided to look for someone special to come into her life, she would not be ruled by some hot-headed alpha and his siblings…since that was the way of the Dumont and Grayson Clans. Females were scarce, so the eldest three sibling males in a family unit most often joined together to protect and bond with one female. If one mate died, there were two others to continue the bond and keep their female alive and happy.

Aunt Maggie only had Uncle Pete, for some reason, in spite of having also been mated to his two younger brothers. Kenna had never asked about that. She’d always felt if Aunt Maggie had wanted her to know, she would have told her. Unfortunately, it appeared that Aunt Maggie hadn’t told her a lot of important things…

And so what the woman had just whispered into her ear with her last breath had totally floored her.

You must
now take my place, child. The pack needs a new Alpha hierarchy. You must take my sons as mates. They will care for you. They desperately need you now. You have been destined for this from the moment of your birth. Your parents wished this for you. I leave their fates and the fate of our pack in your hands, child…do not fail them…

As her gaze took in the three massive, magnificent males she was expected to mate with, she thought her heart would rip out of her chest, as fast as it was beating. They stood staring at her…waiting.

For what?

Did they expect her to flop down on the rug, tear all her clothes off, and wait to be gang-banged? As shock trickled along every nerve, she fought for clarity. She had never broken a promise in her life…but the thought of living in the remote compound, having babies for three huge, intimidating males who would outlive her by a couple hundred years was something she had never planned on. Her thoughts were scrambled, and her throat was tight.

Panic rose in her throat, making words difficult. “Um…I can’t do this. It’s
your
way…not mine…” Her voice was raw as she shook her head and hugged herself. “I had no idea Aunt Maggie planned this for me. Why would she ask me to do something like this? I mean…you are like…
brothers
…to me!” She swallowed the constriction in her throat. “I’m not one of you! And…all
three
of you?” Her sentences were disjointed and ragged. She took a step back and dropped into the chair at the bedside, her hand on her throat.

Gant hunkered down in front of the chair and met her eyes quietly. “We didn’t know Dad would die so soon, Kenna. Neither did Mom. But when he did, it left us no time to ease you into this. You took off on your own and left us. It left us with no alternative. She had made us vow to protect you and keep you as our mate.” His hands settled gently on her knees, setting off a whole shitload of hot tingles all over her body. “You know she left you this house? Along with enough money to keep you from ever having to work again?”

Unable to continue to look into those night dark eyes, Kenna hugged her chest and closed hers. “What about Uncle Ted and Uncle Will? They are her second and third mates, right? Why aren’t they here? Why does all this have to fall on my shoulders? Can’t they take over?”

Mace gave a bark of unpleasant laughter, bringing her gaze up to his where he stood across the room. “Those worthless pricks? Unlike Dad they couldn’t fight their way out of a playpen. Neither one of the bastards ever took any responsibility for the pack, or cared at all for any of us. They lived here, ate here, and sat on their asses. They got fat and weak. They didn’t even try to find things to do. Neither one of them sired any pups with her, but neither one of them kept his dick in his pants when it came to the pack’s other bitches. Mom dumped their sorry asses years ago, and Dad appointed us to lead the pack if anything ever happened to him and Mom.”

Kenna once again tried to swallow the tight knot at the back of her throat as Mace growled, his scintillating green eyes slipping over her where she sat. Dune shoved his older brother and got in his face by going nose to nose with the bigger man. “You don’t need to scare the shit out of her…”

Gant glanced back at his brothers and growled viciously, stopping the argument. “Knock it off…both of you!” 

Fighting to think clearly, Kenna shook her head. “But why me? I’m not a
were
. I’ll be old and grey when the three of you are barely in your prime! She said this was destined from the moment of my birth. What did she mean?”

Dune turned his sapphire blue gaze from Mace and answered her. “Your parents weren’t wholly human, Kenna. They were both hybrids. They had been cut off from their own pack because half-breeds were shunned in the Canadian packs. They found us before you were born, and joined us for protection.” His large hands ran through his dark hair as he stepped a bit closer. “When you were born, they asked Dad to assure your place in the pack by linking your future to us. Why else would three adult males not have formed mate links with other eligible females? Surely you thought about that at some point? We were pretty damn clear in our intentions.”

Kenna stared up at him, her mouth open with shock. Images of the three hot brothers following her wherever she went, keeping the other pack males away from her when she obviously was ready to experiment slid through her mind. The memory of Mace jerking Chad Grant off her as the young shifter had attempted to shove her jeans down her legs in the barn slammed into her. She had assumed that they were simply being overprotective. It brought their attentiveness into better focus now…

As Gant’s gaze slid back to her white face, he said in a much softer tone, “I know this has hit you in the worst way, Kenna…but this is the only way Mom could make sure the pack doesn’t splinter and that her two exes can’t try to take control. That would leave us open to Vincent and his assassins for a takeover.” He gently squeezed her knee. “We are full brothers, and each one of us has the ability to take over leadership of this pack…but the thing we need right now is you. We need you as our mate. The political stuff can be dealt with later. But this can’t.”

Kenna again swallowed hard to clear the tightness in her throat that seemed to be unmovable. Her gaze moved from man to man. She shook her head. “Look…you are all great, hot guys and I know first hand that there must be a dozen female pack members that would love to get their claws into any or all of you.
Why does it have to be me?
I’m too damn independent. I wouldn’t make you happy.”

Dune growled softly, dragging her attention back to him. “You have no idea how long I have waited to get my chance at you, Kenna. I don’t give a shit what the pack thinks. If Dad hadn’t warned all of us that you were strictly off limits until you knew the score, I’d have gone for you the minute you were old enough. I, for one, have no intention of letting you walk out again.”

Kenna opened her mouth to speak, but Gant cut off her protest. “Look, sweetheart…I know you think of us as sorta big brothers…but Dune’s right. We spent a lot of time and effort keeping the other wolves off you…not because we were afraid of Dad, but because you were ours…and that goes for Mace, too, in spite of his nasty disposition. We nearly died when you left us and just took off. Mace nearly killed the Kennard brothers when we got back from our trip. Dad had to stop him. He was ready to chase your ass down and drag you back.”

Kenna stared at Gant, then shifted her gaze to Mace, who frowned from the other side of the big bed. “That’s not true. Mace has hated the sight of me for as far back as I can remember.” She had always been in awe of the green-eyed wolf who seemed to avoid her at all costs. He had been abrupt and stand-offish for as far back as she could recall…except that night when he’d jumped Chad Grant in the barn. He’d tossed the kid across the barn, and had knelt to help her drag her jeans back up with shaky hands before he’d turned and attacked the younger wolf in a fury.

The
were’s
frowning stare was burning a hole through her, his sharp teeth still visible between his full lips. Dune chuckled softly. “That’s where you are
soo
wrong, sweet stuff. Mace wants you so fucking bad, he has to fight to stay away from you so he won’t just tear your clothes off and fuck you blind.”

“Shut up!” Mace snarled viciously at his younger brother, and Gant glared at both of them over his broad shoulder.

“Can it, guys. You aren’t helping, Dune. You are simply scaring the shit out of her.”

Kenna shot to her feet and backed up into the corner behind the delicate antique chair, her heart pounding and her breathing ragged. The sight of all three big men facing her, watching her expectantly was enough to scare the pants off her…but the slow burn that had begun in her belly told her that she should be more afraid of her own response to these men than of their obvious interest in her. Gah! What was wrong with her?
This situation should not be making her horny
!

“I am going home. Got that? I can’t do what Aunt Maggie expects of me. I can’t be your mate, guys. It won’t work. Hell, I can see how you three are built, and I am no way going to be able to take all three of you…” her voice cracked, as Gant rose from his haunches to tower over her where she cowered behind the delicate chair.

“Without even giving us a chance to prove it will work?” His deep voice sounded rougher. “We would never hurt you, sweetheart…but we can never let you go. You
are
ours.”

Mace felt her fear go through his chest like a spear as her wide grey eyes fixed on him. She seemed to home in on his rioting emotions more than those of his siblings. He met her gaze and the thought of finally possessing this female sent his blood rushing to his cock, leaving him slightly light-headed. He blinked slowly as she stared at him, then he said in a rough tone, “You have no need to fear us, Kenna. But Gant’s right…you are it for us.” He moved with slow steps as he neared her. “This first time is the only time you have to take all of us together. After that, you can pick and choose who you want to make love to you…whenever you want us.”

His rough voice sent shivers through her body. And then he slowly stripped out of his flannel shirt, revealing that mouth watering, ripped body she remembered so well. Kenna leaned back into the corner, her numb fingers clutching her sweater tight to her chest.

As if that would stop any one of them from getting the damn thing off her…

Chapter
Two

Her heart caught in her throat as she stared into Mace’s glowing green eyes. Her thoughts were wicked…wild…and she blinked, switching her gaze from brother to brother. Her initial shock and trepidation at suddenly finding herself
belonging
to three men she had admired seemingly forever, and had worshipped from afar as a child and as a young woman, no longer choked her. As Gant began to slowly unbutton his shirt, and Dune quickly tore at his own buttons, Kenna felt as if she might melt right where she stood. Heated needs and shocking desires swamped her. Her entire being felt hot and loose, and as the bodies beneath their clothes were revealed, she thought she might spontaneously combust.

She had always been aware of their amazing bodies as she had grown into womanhood…had realized with a sense of wonder how beautiful and muscular her three ‘cousins” were…but because of their supposed familial bonds, she had never allowed her thoughts to stray to carnal things. But now, as they stripped off their clothes to show her how very serious they were about mating her, she wondered how she was going to survive having three huge men taking her to bed at once. And as she let her gaze rove over Mace, who now stood magnificently naked, she felt a frisson of hot lust wind its way into her belly.

OMG! Talk about your hot, decadent fantasies…

What in the fuck am I doing?
“Stop!” Her voice sounded shaky instead of strong like she had intended it to. Gant’s shirt slid off his wide shoulders, and his hands went to his belt as he toed off his boots. Dune was already beautifully naked, his lean hand wrapped around his very fine cock as he stroked himself in slow anticipation of what they were certain was to come. “Aren’t you forgetting that I haven’t agreed to this? Our folks might have had an agreement, but they didn’t clue me in! How the hell am I supposed to be able to…I mean…Oh, my God! Just seeing you, I know for a fact that
you won’t fit!”