Alpha Wolf Rising (4 page)

“I want this room cleared now,” Nolan yelled. “Dale, you get everyone, and I mean
everyone
, out of here this second.” He grabbed the guard by the shirt and yanked him forward. “You and your men surround the perimeter, and no one gets in or out until I order otherwise. Do you understand?”

Dale looked pale and nervous. “Yes, sir.”

When he didn’t turn immediately to go, Nolan shoved him toward the exit. “I said now.”

Whispered voices and shuffling feet sounded through the station until the last of the men vacated the building.

Sierra couldn’t speak. What could she say? She understood nothing.

“As for you.” Nolan moved toward Cole, looking every inch the predator he was despite being human. “I’d hoped we’d seen the last of you.”

“You know him too?” Marek moved in Nolan’s face.

“Of course I do. You think anyone comes in contact with Sierra without my knowledge? Don’t be stupid, Marek. It’s not becoming.”

More growling erupted from Marek. If Nolan wanted to tease the wolf, then let him deal with the consequences. She glanced sharply at Nolan in question. Sierra had really believed she’d managed to keep Cole a secret. She’d only gone to him late at night, and not once had she sensed Nolan anywhere near them.

“How?” She had to know.

“Wolves aren’t the only ones with instincts, Sierra, and when the woman you’ve learned inside and out is having sex with someone, you know. You may be different, but you aren’t always superior, and someday that arrogance will cost the pack everything if you don’t learn the lesson.”

“While I enjoy watching this little tête-à-tête, which is mildly amusing, it’s wasting time and has nothing to do with what I want,” Cole interrupted. “And gentleman and lady, right now, it is all about what I want.”

Icy heat ran through Sierra’s veins at his words. On the one hand, he was an intruder who’d kidnapped her father, and the other, her college love, a man she’d vowed to forget. Yet faced with him, she wanted to melt into a puddle of lust. Fucking black moon.

“Fine, Cole. What do you want? My patience and resources have limits, so choose your demands wisely.” Sierra stiffened her spine and refused to look at Nolan or Marek, who surely knew her body betrayed her.

“My demand is simple, Sierra. I want you to finish what you started.”

Her pulse raced at the image of biting him, of sinking down onto his thickened cock and taking her pleasure however she wanted it and
biting
him. Getting rough during sex was normal, but to do so with a human on a black moon would bring the pack down on her and everyone she loved. They’d demand he be destroyed.

“Fine, whatever you want, then. Where’s my father and the other men?”

“Sierra, wait.” Marek grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

She turned on him with a snarl, teeth bared. “I am your alpha now, and you won’t be second-guessing me.” She reached for her knife as she prepared to fight for her way if she had to. Damn him.

Hurt flashed through his eyes for a brief moment before his spine stiffened. Marek stepped back with his hands raised in surrender. She spared a glance at Nolan, and the hard edge in his gaze boiled with anger, but fortunately, he said nothing.

She turned back to Cole, attempting to shield her emotions as best she could. The only three men she’d ever loved in this world stood in this room, and her instincts screamed it would not end well.

“I’ll do it, but we’ll have to be quick. Your arrival happens to coincide with the black moon, and honestly, it’s the only chance there would be any effect. It requires dark moon magic and sex.” She met his gaze and held it, letting him search for the truth of her words. Although having sex with him would be far more dangerous for her than he could imagine. "But, it's the longest of long shots and it's never worked before."

“I have your word as alpha?”

Damn, he knew how to play dirty.

“Yes, as alpha I will give you what you want in exchange for the freedom of our pack members and your promise to not attack any member of my pack again.”

After a few long-drawn-out seconds, he nodded. “Someone hand me a cell phone.”

Nolan handed Cole his phone and pulled Sierra to the side away from the cell. “Are you fucking crazy? I’m not letting you have sex with him in an attempt to turn him full wolf. No way. Not. Ever. Gonna. Happen.”

“This is not your decision. It’s mine, and if you don’t shut up and watch my back, then you can spend the rest of the night in one of these cells.”

He grabbed her arm and hauled her closer. “You’re alpha to the pack, not me, and if you ever threaten to lock me in a cell again, I’ll show you exactly who’s in charge here. But hell, if you want to fuck him and then get yourself killed or banished, fine…go right ahead. Who the hell am I to stop you?” He released her, but her biceps still burned from his grip.

His words sliced through her as sharp as if he’d stabbed her. She almost looked down to check for blood.

“Tell me how much you knew, Nolan. Were you aware every time I met him? Did you follow? Did you watch?” On those dark nights when she’d thought Cole and she were all alone, she’d let down her guard and had gotten close to a man who didn’t belong to her pack. More than close—she’d fallen in love.

“You are my duty, and you were away from Silverstone. That made you vulnerable.” He spoke with less heat this time, yet fresh pain bloomed inside her.

Cole’s rejection had ripped a hole in her heart she’d barely recovered from, and to know that Nolan had borne witness to it made it all the worse.

“And the bite.” She moved close, lowering her voice. “Did you know?”

Finally, his head dipped as if he attempted to evade her question. She cupped his chin and jerked him back until his gaze settled on hers.

“Tell me.” Sierra narrowed her gaze.

“Yes.”
She dropped her arm and let resignation wash over her. They’d both known and walked away without a thought to what had become of Cole on that moonless night. He’d crushed a young girl’s dreams, but she’d come to terms with the loss a long time ago.

“Then don’t question my motives again for helping him. He rejected the wolf, but it gave me no right to do what I did. It’s time to pay for our sins.”

Chapter Four

Cole narrowed his eyes and focused on Sierra whispering partway down the hall with her big, pissed-off bodyguard. He remembered him well from their college days. Cole had seen him following her around campus like a puppy dog—or pit bull maybe, ready to strike out at anyone who got too close.

She’d insisted on keeping their relationship secret, and he’d opted not to press her for more information. He was barely twenty at the time, and he’d met a young woman with an insatiable sex drive and a distinct taste that bordered on the rough side. As far as he was concerned, he’d died and gone to heaven.

Thanks to the vicious bite the bitch had left him with that final night, he’d heard their words perfectly. Seems the sexy little alpha was as hot as ever and feeling guilty enough for another fuck.

Good.

Every second of every day since she’d run, his body had burned for her. His dick pressed hard against his zipper even now as anger wrestled the arousal. Soon, very soon, he would have his revenge, and hopefully this would all be over.

“Release him,” she shouted down the hall to the wolf still standing near the cell.

Teeth bared, eyes glowing yellow, the angry wolf stared him down. “Like hell I will.”

“Marek,” she said, the name rumbling from her throat, a clear warning to do as she ordered.

“How do we know he won’t hurt someone?” The one she called Marek turned toward Sierra and crossed his arms over his chest. “We can’t put the pack at risk like that.”

She took a few steps in their direction. “The pack is locked down and safe. You and I are the only wolves anywhere nearby.” She turned toward Cole. “Is your plan to hurt or kill anyone here? Think about your answer, because I’ll recognize the smell of a lie, and then you can rot in here until I’m good and ready to deal with you.”

“That kind of talk gets my dick hard, baby.” He sneered, then licked his lips. “Is this our foreplay?”

Some unnamed emotion flickered through her eyes for a split second before her face went blank. “Insulting me isn’t going to change anything. You don’t want to answer? Fine.” She turned and walked away.

Damn woman had nerves of steel and a spine even stronger, and dammit, if she didn’t still turn him on like he was twenty.

“There is no plan to cause anyone physical harm,” Cole grumbled. “There. Is that what you wanted to hear?” He fisted his hands around the bars, peering between them.

She kept walking, and his gaze zeroed in on a tight, compact body that swished when she moved. She was all arrogant sexuality. Damn, he was screwed.

Marek strode quickly behind her, catching up in only a few strides, while he remained locked in the cell. When they were all out of sight, Cole allowed his head to fall forward and his forehead to press against the cool metal of the bars.

Heat raged through his blood and threatened his sanity from her lingering scent alone. By day, his anger festered to a near madman level, and by night, when his guard lowered in sleep, he dreamed of Sierra. Despite everything he’d tried, his need for her had grown to epic proportions, and he’d used those emotions to fuel the trials and tribulations of the changes his body had undergone.

Hair had grown where there’d been none before, every sense he’d possessed had tripled, and his sexual urges had grown even darker. He’d fucked other women when he couldn’t stand it anymore, but it only made him worse. He was convinced only Sierra could soothe the beast inside him, and he’d do whatever it took to gain her submission.

Unfortunately his lucid moments were becoming fewer and fewer, and he suspected he didn’t have much time left.

Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall, and keys clanged together as they dangled from one of the men who’d dragged him in here in the first place.

“I guess she’s letting your sorry ass out, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine why.” The guard shook his head, then unlocked the door and opened it an inch. “Don’t think you’ll get away with hurting the alpha or anyone else in this town. No changeling has ever survived, and I don’t see you being the first to do so. So move slowly, and I’ll follow behind with my gun trained at your head. Is that understood?”

Anger surged through Cole, but he schooled his features into a smooth mask. He wouldn’t let some lackey get the best of him when he was this close to the prize. “Sure, whatever.” He shrugged.

The Billy Bob redneck yanked the door the rest of the way open, and Cole stepped outside. He’d allowed them to capture him, but he still breathed a sigh of relief. Being caged, even at his own desire, had made the wolf claw at his insides, daring him to do something. Luckily, seeing and scenting her again had worked like a switch in calming the beast. How long it would last he had no idea, but the last few months had gotten so bad to where he’d started to have periods of memory loss. He’d wake up somewhere strange with no idea of what had happened. It definitely wasn’t a good sign.

He needed her now more than ever.

They approached the outer waiting room, and Sierra and her two goons stood silently by the door—each one looking more pissed off than the other. He had to bite back the smile at the turmoil his appearance had created.

“So what now, Boss?”

She rolled her eyes at the term “boss,” turned on her heel, and stalked from the station. Oh yeah, gaining her submission was going to be a damned fun challenge. Sierra may think she knew him from the past, but the boy she bit in college was long gone.

He followed her out into the clear, dark night and cast his eyes to the sky. He’d guess they had about four hours before sunrise. Once the sun rose over the horizon, the cycle of the new moon would be over, and if his information was correct, his opportunity lost until the next lunar cycle. He sure as hell didn’t want to wait anymore.

“Where are we going?”

“Into the woods. Where we can have some privacy. Don’t be so stupid as to think we will be completely alone, though. I managed to order Marek and Nolan not to accompany us, but they won’t be far.”

“You don’t believe in a bed?”

She ignored him.
He took two steps and caught up with her. “So what’s with the double bodyguards? Being alpha of a pack this far out in the middle of nowhere that dangerous?”

“They aren’t my bodyguards. Well, Nolan is kind of, but Marek is my new mate, and he’s not too happy that you interrupted the mating ritual.”

Cole faltered a step as burning jealousy boiled in his gut.

Mine.

“You have a fucking mate? How is that possible? I thought wolves only mated once. You bit me, damn it.”

She looked at him then. Hard eyes that still swam with emotion made him step closer. Gods, if he didn’t touch her soon, he was going to go out of his mind.

“I was mad, Cole. Rejected. Remember?” She sighed, her shoulders lowering. “I bit you in anger, but I never meant…this.” She waved her hand in front of him.

“Well, too bad, babe, ’cause this is what you got. Besides, I don’t know what you expected to happen when I found out my girlfriend was a werewolf.”

Sierra winced, and a stab of guilt twisted in his gut. He didn’t have to be such a bastard, but years of bitterness had built to this, and old habits died hard.

“We don’t really think of ourselves as werewolves, but if the term works for you, that’s fine. I’m more interested in what happened to you and how you feel. No one’s ever survived the change without going feral.”

“Feral’s a good word for how I feel sometimes. I’m prone to bouts of unbearable rage and a hunger I can’t get satisfied.”

Her head jerked up, and their gazes locked. Heat flared, and his erection grew. The scent surrounding them changed as he picked up the distinct aroma of a woman aroused.

“It’s the black moon,” Sierra said, running the palms of her hands over her arms as if she was chilled. “Our sexual urges are damn near impossible to deny.”

“The what moon?” Maybe
she
blamed their attraction on the phase of the moon, but he suspected more.

“The black moon. It’s the second new moon in a month and only happens every few years. Sexual magic is stronger now than at any other time, and it’s the only night a mating ritual is accepted in the pack.”

“And the night you bit me?” Blood roared in his ears as he waited for her answer.

Her head bowed, and she looked down at the ground. “It was a new moon but not a black moon. A bite from a shifter on any new moon does have an effect…but we aren’t mated.”

Cole dragged air in and out of his lungs in an attempt to calm his erratic breathing. “Then why am I about to die if I don’t get my hands on you?”

“Cole, there is so much you don’t understand about us. A mating with one doesn’t prevent a bonding with others. Oftentimes when two wolves mate, it’s very much an exclusive relationship. They might not be able to stand the touch of another, or the male is so possessive over the female that another male around her will only cause a fight. It’s not a one-size-fits-all type of relationship between wolves. Especially not with an alpha.” Sierra stepped back and leaned against a tree, giving them both some space so she could explain.

“My father was a one-woman alpha, and because of that many of our old traditions fell away. With the exception being on the night of the black moon. On a night like this, pretty much anything is fair game. We could have sex ten times tonight and still not be satiated.”

“What kind of alpha are you, Sierra? Are you like your father?” If she said yes, then everything he’d dreamed of would be for nothing.

“No, I’m not,” she whispered. “I have two lovers.”

“Nolan and Marek.” The sound of their names coming off his own tongue was about as pleasant as acid burning in his gut.

She nodded. “All of this is beside the point. What matters now is what will happen to you. If we go through with this, you could end up far worse than you are now.”

“I doubt that.” He scoffed.

“Trust me. It gets worse.”

He took three steps forward until his body pressed into hers. “I don’t trust you.”

A soft sigh fell from her lips, the warm air caressing his face. “If this goes south, I won’t have a choice.”

His dick pulsed against her hip. “You’ll kill me.” It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t answer. He bent forward and scraped his teeth across the soft skin of her neck until she shivered underneath him. “I’ll take my chances, because I can’t keep going like this. Almost every time I close my eyes, I wake from a fitful sleep with the scent of you filling my head. Only it’s not the way I remember you. It’s like you smell now”—he stroked his tongue over her bared flesh—“sweet and earthy with a primal undertone that calls to me.”

“It’s the wolf.” Her voice trembled.

“I suppose Nolan and Marek are going to want to kill me after this. Will seeing my hands on your body make them want to tear me limb from limb like I feel at the mere thought of them touching you?” He brushed down her neck, his fingers warm and sensual.

“It’s not them you have to worry about.” She grabbed at his shirt, and the sound of ripping cotton tore through the air. Then nails—no, claws—scratched at his chest and stomach.
Her scratches drew blood, adding a tangy sweet aroma to the mix. He noticed an unmistakable change when her eyes glowed yellow and she growled low in her throat. He wanted her naked and underneath him—now—but she clearly had a different plan.

Sierra shredded his shirt, then ripped the fabric from his body, flinging it away. She dipped her head and nuzzled the skin around his nipple until her teeth scraped over the sensitive nub.

Cole threw back his head and howled in pleasure, her sounds joining in. He couldn’t think past the roaring in his head and the pounding pulse of his cock. Even with her fingers fumbling with the button and then the zipper of his pants, he couldn’t react. This was exactly how he’d dreamed of her. The woods, the sounds, the scents, every detail the same.

Where was his anger? The outrage he should feel?
His hands fisted in her hair and forced her head back until their gazes met. A low growl rumbled up from her chest. His only warning to let the alpha have the lead or else. Just this once, he’d let her have her way. He needed her experience for the ritual since he had nothing but hearsay to go on in regard to how to complete his change.

“Fix this, Sierra. If anyone can, I know it’s you.”

She snarled in response and released his dick. She’d already undone his pants, and when she yanked them down, he helped her by stepping out of them.

For a few minutes, they stood frozen while her gaze raked up and down his body. The pause at his cock made him smile. She may have started this out of some perverted sense of duty, but now she wanted him as bad as he did her.
Sierra grabbed at her clothes and yanked the soft T-shirt she wore over her head and tossed it to the ground. Gorgeous tits that would fill his hands perfectly captivated his vision. Tight, puckered nipples stood out begging to be touched. God, what he could do with those. His mouth watered.

When she bent over and removed her pants, blocking his superb view, he wanted to cry out in protest. He fisted his cock and pumped the hard length, waiting. Precum oozed from the head and slid through his fingers.