Owned By The Alphas - The Prequel (3 page)

“
W
ell
, this is interesting,” Rait said, under his breath to his son. “And dangerous.”

Calt nodded, staring at a young female werewolf, mostly in her human form, who couldn’t have been more than twenty. Maybe less. But by the look in her pale blue eyes and the knotted grime in her hair, she’d seen hard times and had no interest in seeing more.

Calt bent a little at the knees. “Hey, we’re not going to hurt you.”

“Fuck you!” the feral she-wolf spat back. From her bared fangs and sharpened claws, she knew they were werewolves, too. And she didn’t trust them. Squatting behind a large green dumpster, she wore dirty black jeans, a black hoodie, and scuffed-to-shit Converse high tops with ragged shoelaces. Her skin was dirty, too, and she didn’t smell too good. Her eyes were phenomenal though, like glowing ice.

Calt looked to his father for what to do since he was pack alpha. Calt was born alpha, too, but since Rait was such a great leader and had always held the pack together with loyalty, strong rules and respect, Calt was happy to play second-in-command. “If we leave, maybe she’ll calm down and put those fangs away. Stop putting us all in jeopardy, with our secret out here in the open like that.”

Rait concentrated. Voices came from the right as a couple of guys exited the bar two doors down. Without having to say anything, both male wolves turned their backs to the female, blocking sight of her with the breadth of their bodies closely standing together. Calt slid his hands into his jacket pockets while Rait pretended to pick a splinter out of his thumb. The two drunk bastards passed, and the werewolves nodded casually to them. The nods were returned and the two guys kept on their way, mumbling, “Were they in the bar? Those fuckers were big, weren’t they?” “Shut up. They can hear you.”

Calt glanced to his father on a smirk. They turned back to the she-wolf. Her shoulders were relaxed now and her eyes while sharp and cautious, were less supernatural in appearance. Her fangs and claws were retracted, too. She stared at them with curiosity, her hand on the large, green, metal garbage can, ready to push off and run if she had to. “Were you protecting me or yourselves?” she hissed.

Rait looked around. The streets were empty. It was well after 2:00 a.m., but someone could come out of that bar again at any moment. With quiet authority, Rait told her, “I don’t know what you’ve encountered living on your own, but I can take a guess. And I can tell you this: we will not harm you. We have a pack, and there are females among us, respected as family. Cared for. If you’d like to come with us, I can introduce you to them.”

“Yeah, right! Nice trick. I’m not stupid.”

Calt sucked on his teeth and glanced to his father.

The older wolf thought for a moment and said, “How about if I bring one here, to show you I’m not lying. Would you talk to her?”

“What do you want?” she spat.

Rait held her suspicious gaze and let the moment settle, to make sure she heard him when he said it. “To help. You don’t have to be alone.”

Startled, the she-wolf shifted her glance to Calt. Calt met her eyes with patience and confidence, two things he had more than enough of. “He means what he says. He is a very fair alpha. He’s also my father. You may not know it, but you can trust him. And me. We’re not barbarians.”

She blinked, and her eyes darted back to the older male, giving him one curt nod of agreement. “I’ll talk to her.” The males turned to leave. “Make him stay with me!” They looked over their shoulders to see her jerk her chin to Calt. “But stay right there, or I swear I’ll tear your fucking eyes out.”

Rait said, under his breath, “She’s afraid of someone, or something.”

“Or she’s afraid we’ll bring a pack with us, or not come back.”

“Stay here.” He looked to the girl. “I’ll be back soon.” Rait nodded to his son and headed north.

Calt ran a hand through his mid-length black hair and cracked his neck. He kept his eyes off the she-wolf so as not to spook her. But her boring holes into his back with her silent, charged stare made him finally turn and meet her penetrating gaze with his own. “What’s your name?”

“Fuck you.”

Letting out an impatient huff, he faced front again. “Suit yourself, Princess.”

From behind him she hissed, “Don’t try and wiggle your way into my pants with inane conversation.”

“Inane? Big word for someone who hasn’t bathed in about a month.” He threw her a challenging look.

“Where am I supposed to take a bath? It’s not like I have a gym membership. If they even
had
one in this shit-hole of a town, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t let me in it.”

He thought about this and faced the street again, keeping an eye out. It was a small town, but it wasn’t a shit-hole. Canada had its appeal, particularly in the people. The winters were brutal, but wolves ran hot and could handle the snow. And snow meant less people, its why they lived in colder climates so frequently. But the humans weren’t bad here. Most of them were pretty nice, the few he’d encountered. His pack kept to the outskirts of town. It was best, so that they could maintain their secrets. Humans must never know what they really were.

Even though he knew the answer, he threw out, “You don’t have a home then?”

Lightning quick, she shot back, “Do I look like I have a home?”

He nodded slowly to himself. “Well, that’s about to change.” At her silence, he turned at the waist with his feet still locked in place facing out, and met her quieted expression. She was a looker under all that grime, that’s for sure. He’d never seen a young woman, wolf or no, with that color hair. Shaynah had white hair, but this she-wolf was really young, and hers was white with streaks mixed in of something between blond and brown; tan was the best way to describe the colored locks. And those eyes of hers. Well, their blue color meant only one thing. That one thing was probably most of her problem. Probably why she was so scared. He didn’t have to work hard to imagine the things she must have endured with those telltale eyes of hers.

After a half hour of silence, Rait appeared in the distance with his lover, the pack’s healer, by his side. She kept pace with the alpha, neither speaking as they walked.

“They’re here.” Calt dislodged a hand from his pocket and raised it in greeting. He received a nod from both in return. Hearing movement behind him, he glanced back to make sure the feral she-wolf wasn’t about to bolt, but she’d just shifted her weight, eyes filled with caution and fear, poorly disguised as bravado.

Rait slowed down to let the female elder break the ice. When she locked eyes with her, she smiled. “Hello. My name is Shaynah. What’s yours?”

The feral she-wolf glanced to Calt. He nodded in encouragement, and after a stubborn moment, she mumbled, “Tawny.” Her eyes flashed. “But if this is some kind of trick, you fuckers are in for a treat.”

Shaynah’s eyebrows rose, but her smile remained. “There are nine of us who live together. Two other females, beside myself. More your age. One is probably younger, by the looks of you. Lorn is only sixteen. What are you, eighteen?”

Tawny’s eyes flickered. “Almost nineteen. How did you know that?”

“I have a knack for these things. Would you like to come and see where we live? You can decide for yourself, after you’ve met the others, and have had something to eat.”

“Decide what?” Tawny asked.

“If you’d like to live with us,” the healer answered.

The young she-wolf’s heart raced. Calt could hear it, and so could the others. She stared at the three and rose up from the shadows. As she did, Calt saw her figure for the first time. He could not help but rake an admiring glance down it and up again. He was only twenty himself after all, primed to mount any female who would let him.

Remembering her situation he quickly covered his feelings, but she saw his look and surprised him by not spitting a fowl retort or refusal. Instead, she held his gaze as she walked to the healer, looking away at the last second.

Interesting,
Calt thought as a smirk played on his lips.
Very, very interesting.

The four of them walked up the street together, staggered with the males behind. Rait threw a knowing glance to his son. Calt caught it, and shrugged with a lopsided smile.

The whole way home, Shaynah kept the air light with casual conversation, giving Tawny tidbits about their lives. They lived in a large house at the moment, but planned to go back into the mountains in a month or so, to get their fill of the natural world again. It was where they could run free, and that was preferred. While in town, they kept their secret, as it must always be.

She explained how their pack members came from all over the world and had somehow found each other. That only Calt and Rait were related by blood. She warned the wary she-wolf that the two who she might be most guarded with at first, because of their size, were both good wolves and would not hurt her for anything. Dak, a redhead of Viking descent was best friends with Calus, an African beast who could be made to purr with a tender touch. “But at first sight, they are most imposing.”

Tawny listened and at times nodded. With or without acknowledgement, Shaynah’s smooth voice continued on, never stopping, forever calming. The sound was soothing to Calt, too. It calmed his own wolf that had of late been tearing at him, aching for a little fun.

With his eyes on Tawny’s backside, he mused,
Maybe the fun has arrived.

As though she heard his thoughts, pale blue eyes peeked over a shoulder. He licked his lips and held her gaze until she looked away first.

Indeed, maybe the fun was her.

His father smacked his shoulder and Calt dropped his gaze to the street, and kept it there. Only time would tell if this she-wolf would become his mate.

Down, boy. Down.

M
ichael’s breath
hitched as Ali’s breasts tumbled out of her freshly unsnapped bra. “Oh my God, I knew you’d look awesome naked.” He was staring at them with wide brown eyes that shouted,
Eureka, I’ve struck gold!

Lodged beneath his straddling legs, Ali smiled up at him sheepishly, not knowing what else to do. Jake and Tina were in his bedroom probably doing the same thing as them, and while Ali understood Michael not wanting to have sex in his parent’s bed (“It’s gross!”), the floral couch in their living room whose walls were packed with family portraits wasn’t exactly hot, either. But still, she was determined to do this.

“Uh…thank you?” She watched as he grabbed her boobs with both hands and pawed them like he didn’t realize there was a girl attached. He bent down and mauled her mouth with his, his tongue giving little sharp jabs that were somehow too dry. She tried to enjoy it. It wasn’t easy.

Suddenly he was up and pulling off her jeans. “You ready?”

“Oh. Yeah. Uh-huh.” She sat up halfway, resting on her elbows as she lifted her ass to help him wriggle the too-tight purple jeans off her curves. She glanced down to see her Smiths t-shirt under her bra, both laying halfway under the coffee table. On an overstuffed salmon-colored chair, Michael’s phone lay, blaring Usher through its gritty speaker. And Michael was a bit too excited. Ali was trying to join him.

Still wasn’t easy.

“Could we put on something a little more…romantic?” She felt like an idiot for even suggesting it, but thankfully Michael jumped up and abandoned her, lunging for his phone.

“Yeah! Of course! What do you want to hear?” He thumbed through the playlist while simultaneously pulling his shirt off over his head with one hand, from back to front. It was a sexy gesture, and she smiled. A primitive part of her started to ache as his shiny black hair jogged into place with a shake of his head and he dropped the shirt on the floor. She stared at him, soaking him in, happy she was here. His chest was nice. She knew it would be. He was on the basketball and baseball team at school. Ali couldn’t believe it when he’d asked her out. He was fucking cute, and in the popular crowd. Ish. Not one of the total assholes at the top of the high school food chain, but in the group just below it, the ones who smiled for real. Not just for pictures, or because they were happy with their cocky selves.

“Have you got Etta James?”

His head shot up and confusion knitted his brows. “Who?”

Ali bit her bottom lip. “Um…how about John Legend?”

“Yeah, hang on!” His index finger went bananas until he found the album he was looking for. Throwing the phone down, he hurried back to her, staring at her naked breasts. His eyes fell to her panties. “Did you have to wear the most unattractive underwear ever?”

Ali blushed and looked down. They were simple white cotton panties, maybe a little too tight around her wide hips since they were low-slung, but hey, they were clean. “I wasn’t expecting this,” she lied, not willing to reveal that she didn’t have lacy, pretty panties. She was only sixteen for cryin’ out loud!

He shrugged and unstrapped his belt, tossing it to the ground. “Forget it. I was just kidding.”

He smirked and she smiled at him. He had such a cute smile. One dimple on the right side. Adorable!

“Forgotten.”

But then her heart nearly exploded with anticipation as he unzipped his fly, standing above her. Dropping his jeans to the ground, he revealed sexy boxer-briefs in navy blue. His thighs were slim and sinewy, and there was little hair on them. He looked hot, and she wished to God she could stop being so fucking nervous.

“You ready?”

She nodded. With John Legend crooning in the background, Michael climbed on top of her and awkwardly took off his underwear while lying horizontal. She felt his penis before she saw it, and her instant thought was,
Wait. Is it hard?
It didn’t feel very big against the top of her thigh, and she frowned up at the water-stained ceiling as he pawed her breast roughly and painfully with one hand, shoved his tongue into her ear, and reaching over for the condom he’d put on the coffee table earlier. Quickly tearing the wrapping, he slid on the rubber while she tugged her underwear off. All of this was done while he squished her with his weight, adjusting and grunting and apologizing. He met her eyes for a quick second and asked, “You good?” She nodded and he shoved himself inside. She gasped from the speed rather than the feeling, and frowned as he groaned and moved against her like something big was happening.

After five or six minutes of inspecting the ceiling and returning hurried, jarring kisses, it was over. He pulled out, planted a quick kiss on her open lips and said, “I’ll be right back!” He ran to the bathroom to throw away the condom, his naked ass looking kinda funny as he ran.

Ali lay there, disappointed.
Is that it?
He didn’t even check to see if she was enjoying it, or if he could help her enjoy it. And the way he handled her breasts made them sore. His footsteps told her he was coming back and when he appeared above her, he had a moist warm washcloth in his hands. “Here.”

She stared at it and rose up, flashing him a grateful smile. “That’s sweet. Thanks.” She took it from him and went to wipe herself off.

“Oh shit!”

She followed his horrified look to find blood on the couch. “Oh no! I’m sorry! Will that come out?”

Flabbergasted, he asked, “You’re a virgin?”

She looked from him to the red little puddle. “Not anymore.”

He was speechless for a second. She thought he was about to blow a gasket over the stained couch, but instead he blurted, “Cool.”

“You guys still going at it?” Jake called from down the hall.

“Hang on!” Michael shouted back, bending to pick up Ali’s clothes and toss them at her. “Hey Jake, stay there, but in a second, we’re going to raid my dad’s liquor! We have to celebrate!” He threw Ali a secret, dimpled smile and shouted, “Just for the heck of it.”

As Ali smiled, grateful that Michael didn’t reveal her secret, Jake shouted back, “Ready when you are, buddy! Woohooo!!!”

“I’ll knock on the door. Just hang on!” At the sound of the door shutting, Michael pulled on his pants and ran into the kitchen for something to clean the couch with. Grinning from ear to ear, Ali got dressed and watched as he viciously scrubbed until there was only a wet spot left. Throwing a dry towel over it, he bowed and motioned with a flurry for her to sit. “Your chariot awaits m’lady.”

Ali curtsied dramatically, walked over and plopped down. “You’re funny,” she whispered as he bent to kiss her. This time his lips were gentler.

As he went to leave, he turned and his mouth opened to say something, but then it shut again.

“What?” she asked.

He blushed and shrugged. “I’ve never been anyone’s first. I heard you were easy, but I bet that’s because of your big boobs. You know how guys are.” He ran off.

Mortified, Ali stared after him. She felt her blood boil with anger at the people of her school. When the three teens walked into the living room, she was fuming and covering it well. They were acting normal, and when the scotch was pulled from the shelves, Tina squealed, “I can’t drink that stuff!”

The guys called her a wimp and she gave it a shot. They all gave it a shot. And another. And when the second one hit their stomachs, and the bottle sat on the coffee table, Ali grabbed it and brought it to her lips.

“Hey!” Michael said.

Tina chuckled, “Use a glass, badass!”

Ali ignored them and took a couple burning glugs directly from the bottle. She set it down with a slam, burped and nearly threw up the amber liquid. Nearly. “Alcohol burns off germs. The bottle is fine. And hey, it’s a reason to party. It’s my first time!”

Jake’s eyes went wide and Tina’s mouth slackened. Michael glanced to them and after the surprise wore off, he flashed a grin. “I know, right? I didn’t know either.”

Tina cried out, “Your first? Fuck, I was fourteen when I first got laid.”

With raised eyebrows, Ali picked up the bottle of Macallan 12 and handed it over. “Then this is for you.”