Bride to the Alpha (The Wolf's Pet Book Two) (7 page)

“Fine,” she said. “The men only want a bit of fun. Don’t you?”

A cry of agreement rose from the soldiers. They raised their fists, pumping at the air. I didn’t have to be in wolf form to sense the blood lust that ran through the crowd. They were an army, and they wanted to fight.

“You can’t barter yourself away in a fight,” Alekk warned.

Sara laughed, her dark hair rippling behind her.

“Who says I would ever lose?”

“Don’t,” he said. His voice made it clear that it was a command.

“I’ll obey, brother,” she said, her smile melting across her face. “But the men must have someone else to fight for. It will warm them up before the battle we’ll soon face.”

Her eyes turned around and settled on me. My fingers trembled at my side.

“How about your human whore?”

My breath froze in my chest as all of the soldiers’ heads turned to look at me. Alekk’s ice blue eyes glittered with anger. Sara had obviously known that I was a sore spot for him, because she smiled innocently. A lying smile.

“I’m happy to warm up the soldiers,” Alekk said. “Anyone want to fight me?”

He glared around the clearing, daring anyone to stand up to him.

I saw a few furtive glances my way. A growl from behind me made my hair stand on end. Then, two men stepped forward.

“One at a time or both of you together?” Alekk asked.

The soldiers looked sideways at each other and grinned. They stepped forward and positioned themselves on either side of Alekk.

I swallowed the anger that had risen in my throat. Alekk was going to fight two muscled, heavily trained soldiers at once? For what? To show off? Was he really insane?

As the two men circled Alekk, I thought of the terrifying prospect that Alekk would lose. Two men.. tearing me apart… Fear raced through me like fire through dry brush. This was what Leah had warned me about. I had been stupid to trust Alekk.

And yet, as the two men circled and circled and did not strike, my worry snagged somewhere inside. Alekk winked at me and feinted, a quick lunge that made both men jump back nearly a foot.

Alekk laughed, exposing his throat as he leaned his head back. The top of his scar gleamed gold in the firelight.

“Two of you, and you can’t even take a throw at me? Who are you? You are no warriors!”

One of the men growled and leapt forward, shifting as he rose into the air. His eyes flashed wild and his fingers grew claws for a moment.

Then he was met in the air by Alekk. I hadn’t even seen him jump! But there he was, crashing into the man’s side and rolling him across the ground. The man yelped as his body thudded, then scrambled to gain back his footing. He put his arm in the air to brace against Alekk.

Alekk was not there.

He was already on the other side of the clearing, chasing down the other man. All around me, soldiers cheered as their alpha drove the man back, back, in the curve of the clearing circle, with jabs and kicks into the air. His blows barely tapped the side of the soldier’s body, but he could have drawn blood if he wanted.

It made me breathe more easily to see him attacking, herding the two men to one side of the clearing.

Then he changed. I saw the change, not a shifting of the limbs or the growing of fur but instead a look in his eye. He jumped out and kicked high, sending one of the men flying backward into the other. Both went tumbling to the ground.

“Come!” Alekk roared, pacing in a large curve in front of his men. Sweat glistened on his forehead and chest. The fire was high and burning hot, and fighting next to it must have been excruciating. But Alekk had a grin on his face.

“Fight like wolves, you thirsty cubs!” he cried out.

The two men scrambled back, and split up as they advanced on Alekk from both sides. Their eyes had both taken on the curious glisten that made me think they were no longer men, not on the inside. They were wolves, showing it in the speed and strength with which they fought.

It was impossible, that they would be able to shift internally first. But somehow they could do it. I didn’t know if that was something I could do. I’d certainly never tried it.

The two wolves leapt forward together, and my attention snapped back to the fight. They hit Alekk at the shoulders and he tumbled backwards. His body landed with a hard thud on the ground. I couldn’t help clasping my hands together in front of me. I quickly dropped them. Nobody should know that I cared for him in any way.

God, I shouldn’t care for him. And yet, my body cried out to hold him, to pull him up and away from harm. I stood and waited and stayed human.

The growls from the men turned into snarls, and then they were shifting completely, becoming wolves.

Alekk shifted too, a split second later. He sprouted dark fur, falling backwards into a pouncing stance, haunches raised. His dark tail swept the ground and his eyes—oh God, his brilliant blue eyes—looked directly into my face for a moment.

One of the soldiers leapt and tore with his teeth.

But he came away with only fur in his jaws. Alekk had rolled out of his grip and now he pounced. He brought one of the wolves to the ground, holding his throat in a lock jaw. The soldier whined, a high pitched sound that made me cringe to hear it. I can only imagine what it would have sounded like had I had all of my senses as a shifter.

Alekk stepped back and pawed the ground. The wounded soldier dragged himself to the sideline. The remaining soldier jumped back, his jaws snapping.

I gripped my hands against my thighs to keep from clasping them. Alekk looked wounded. He tried to step forward, then his back leg crumpled to the ground. He stood up quickly, but I had seen the misstep.

The other soldier had seen it, too. He didn’t waste any time. Bounding forward, he lunged with snapping jaws.

Alekk cowered back, then at the last second rose to meet his attacker. With strong legs, he shoved off of the ground, sending the soldier flying above him and backwards, straight into the fire.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd along with the pained yelp of the soldier, and Alekk didn’t pause before lunging forward and biting the other wolf’s scruff. He yanked him out of the fire and tossed him through the air. The wolf flew and rolled, putting out the last flames that were on his tufted fur. A tendril of smoke rose from his blackened tail.

Alekk paced forward. As he walked, his body shifted back into a man’s. He stopped, naked and unashamed, and for the first time I saw the rest of his scar.

It spiraled across his hips and down one thigh, curling around his skin. I had imagined it as something added to his body, but instead it seemed to be carved inward into his skin. I gasped, my fingers curling into my palms in anger. For a moment, I wanted to run to him, to throw my arms around him. I wanted to kiss every inch of his scar, lick his wounds for him. He stood like a statue of a man: the very portrayal of strength. And yet, with the scar spiraling around his body, it looked as though he had been tied up.

The taut skin shone almost white for a moment, and then Alekk turned and faced down his attackers.

“I hope you’ve had enough exercise for the night,” Alekk said.

The soldiers groaned, and the one who’d been thrown in the fire slumped over in a posture of defeat.

“See that they get medical treatment,” Alekk said brusquely. He turned to me.

I almost reached out to him, but before I could decide what would be best, he’d grabbed me roughly by the arm and dragged me out into the clearing. He pulled my body in front of him. I could feel his naked body behind me, his chest pressed to my back.

“Now,” Alekk said, “If you will all excuse me, I have to exercise my bitch properly.”

A roar of laughter rose from the crowd of soldiers, and I ducked my head to avoid meeting the eyes of any of the shifters out there. Embarrassment burned through me as he walked me away, his hand gripping my neck in strict possession. He was making a spectacle out of having me as a slave.

Of course he is. It’s how he shows them that you’re his.

I breathed out a sigh of relief as we moved away from the large bonfire. I wanted to be alone with Alekk so we could speak in private. I wanted to know when he planned to stop this invasion.

If he truly wanted to avoid war, he needed to act soon. Or else we would reach my pack’s territory, and it would be too late for any act of peace.

Chapter Ten

Alekk paused at the entrance to his tent where two soldiers stood guard.

“I’ve no need of you tonight,” he said to them gruffly. “Go enjoy the bonfire.”

The soldiers left with smiles on their faces, looking eager to go and spar with the other soldiers who were drinking around the fire in the clearing.

At last, Alekk and I were alone. He fairly shoved me into the small tent, setting a small lantern on the side of the entrance. The dim light was just barely enough to illuminate the small space. Shadows played over his face.

The first tent he’d been in was huge, with space for a bonfire and many guards. This tent, though, was compact. There was no fire, and the air inside was just as chilly. For a brief second, I wanted to go back to the bonfire. There, at least, the fire would warm me.

“Are you alright?” I asked softly. I wasn’t sure if the blood on the side of his arm was his blood, or the blood from one of the soldiers he’d beaten. He seemed not to hear me.

“Alekk?” I asked again. He spun on me. I gasped as he gripped my shoulders, pulling my face close to his. I could smell alcohol on his breath. He’d been drinking, then. A pang of worry ran through my body, even as his touch made my body ache for him in that same familiar way.

“You want to be my bride?”

His voice was hoarse, and his hands ran roughly down my arms, pressing against my skin. With each touch came a flash of desire that sent my heart to pounding.

“Alekk—”

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? To marry the Scarred Prince?” Alekk gestured down at his own body. I couldn’t help it. My eyes swept downward, paused, then moved back up. All of my breath was gone. His body looked deliciously strong.

“I want peace,” I said. It was meant to come out boldly, but in the tent it seemed like a whisper. My voice was absorbed into the pelts that made up the sides of the tent.

“Peace
,” Alekk spat. “I wish I had ever known it.”

“Will you stop them?” I asked, looking up into his dazzling eyes. It was like looking into the mouth of a glacier. His gaze swallowed me up, turned me cold. My blood ran like chilled water through my veins.

“You ask for everything!”

Alekk pulled me up against his body. His cock stirred against my stomach.

“First, undress.”

“Please—” I only wanted to talk. No, that wasn’t true. I wanted more. But this—he seemed angry with me, or with something else. This wasn’t how I had imagined it.

“Fine, Princess. Do you want me to help you with undressing, too?”

His hands tore at my clothes, snapping the leather cords that held them together. I cried out, but he grabbed my arm tightly. My clothes fell away as scraps to the ground.

“Temptation,” he growled, and threw me down onto the bed of pelts. My hands scrabbled on the thick furs, but he flipped me over and pinned me back with a strength that surprised me. Even after seeing him fight two soldiers off, I was shocked to see how easily he handled my body. I was scared, yes. But I also knew that he wanted me. And I wanted him so badly that I couldn’t breathe.

His hands pressed against my shoulders. The bandage at the back of my neck rubbed at the place where I was branded, and I let out a gasp as the pain shot through my spine.

“Kinaya,” he said. His breath was hot with alcohol and the scent of juniper berries. He pressed his hand against my cheek and turned my face to his.

When he said my name, all of the fight went out of me. There was something deeper that drew me toward him, and I couldn’t resist his pull. His fingers traced my cheek, brushing away my red curls. He’d see soon there was no taming them. He might be able to tame me, but he’d never tame my frizz.

I smiled at the thought. He saw my smile and cocked his head curiously.

“Aren’t you scared of me, my princess?”

“No.”

“You said that you’ve never been with a man. Is that true?” he asked.

I steeled myself and looked up into his face. I didn’t know if he would want me, inexperienced as I was. But I wasn’t going to tell him whatever he wanted to hear.

“I don’t lie,” I said.

“Why have you come to me?” he asked. The words were almost a whisper, and his fingers continued to outline my face, as though he was looking at something else. As though he was looking past me, past my eyes and deep into me. The thought made my core ache with fresh desire.

“I’ve come to give myself to you,” I said, and my body arched slightly up to meet his. “To make peace between our people.”

That was true, but there was another reason, one that I couldn’t yet understand myself. I had already met Alekk in my dreams. Now, as he touched me, I knew that I had felt it before. In the long nights of sleep where I met the man who stayed in shadows. He had a name now.

He was Alekk.

In all my life, I had never believed in the signs that Granny Dee believed in. I thought that her premonitions came from her experience, from her skilled senses. I always thought that the idea of dream omens was a silly one. Not now.

Alekk’s cock twitched against my stomach and I moaned softly, needing him.

“You won’t fight me, then?” Alekk asked.

“You know that I won’t.”

His lips pressed against mine, softly at first. The shock of recognition that passed through me made me lift my mouth to meet his. This kiss—this was the kiss I’d felt before in my dreams. But now it was Alekk kissing me, Alekk on top of me, his lips seizing mine hungrily, kissing me harder and harder until he had taken away all of my breath. I gasped even as I pressed forward to kiss him back, wanting his touch more than I wanted air in my body. Every nerve of mine was quivering in sharp vibration.