Taken By The Alpha (Timber Valley Pack) (8 page)

“This is a bad idea, isn’t it?” She twisted around so she was facing him. 

“Terrible. And so is this.” He bent down and kissed her, his soft, warm mouth claiming hers.

              Heat climbed into her cheeks and raced south to her suddenly tingling pussy. Maddox was dressed only in a pair of jeans, which he’d presumably pulled on in haste when he heard the blast. His naked chest was burning hot, and he pressed against her so that she could feel his heart hammering. Her pulse was racing too.

              His explored her mouth slowly, tentatively, almost as if despite his Alpha nature he was unsure of her response. And she could understand that. This was crazy. He was kissing the step-daughter of a rival Alpha who had just issued him with a Death Challenge. But the strength of his hands as he cradled her face between them and the firmness of his muscular chest pressed against her breasts spoke of his strength.

              Slowly, unable to resist, she wound her arms around his neck, curling her fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He took a ragged breath and suddenly he was bearing her down onto the bed, kissing her with wild ferocity, as if her unspoken acceptance had snapped the thread of his control.

              His tongue tangled with hers and he bit the side of her throat, drawing a gasp from her as he ran his big palm up to her breast and tweaked her nipple between his fingers. A thread of arousal ran from her nipple to her clitoris and she mewled into his mouth. Frantically, he pulled at her pajama top, groaning with impatience when she broke their kiss and brushed his hands away so she could deftly undo the buttons. His eyes were feral with need, half-lidded, and his lips were parted. A flush of color stained his high cheekbones.

              He growled when she exposed her breasts, and drew her into his arms, nipping at her lower lip and working his hips against her. She could feel the needy length of him against her pussy, even through her pajamas and the thick denim of his jeans, and she blushed again as a gush of moisture soaked the flimsy cotton and the scent of her own arousal reached her nostrils.

              Maddox nipped at her throat again, then worked his way down her body, trailing his lips over her collarbone before drawing one peaked nipple into his mouth and suckling on it. His hand cupped her other breast, traced the curve of her waist, and worked its way lower to finger the sodden material of her pajamas. She gave an undignified yelp, which turned into a long, low moan when he began to rub her with his fingers, in slow, smooth circles.

              He tore his mouth away from hers for a moment, still circling his fingers, then stilled with a shudder of effort. “You want this?” It wasn’t a question, nor was it a statement. It was a plea, and the heady sense of power that washed over Katrina had her heart racing and her pussy clenching against his fingers. The biggest, baddest Alpha on the block didn’t just want her – he was begging her to want him too.

              Beyond words, she squeezed her thighs around his hand, rolling her hips, and a look of primal satisfaction washed over his features – satisfaction tinged with relief.

              Then he was working his way down, kissing her belly, running his hands over her hips and thighs. He dipped his fingers beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms and whisked them over her hips, leaving her naked and exposed to the cool night air.

              Katrina parted her thighs further as she felt his hot breath against the slick, swollen flesh of her pussy. She trembled with anticipation, but only for a moment before his mouth descended and he sucked on her clit, not letting up even when her hips arched up from the bed and she clutched handfuls of his long brown hair, crying out as the sensations built into a maelstrom of throbbing, shivering need that had her teetering on the brink of orgasm.

              He withdrew, teasingly, and placed sticky kisses on the insides of her thighs. Katrina whimpered, then moaned as he drew his tongue up the length of her slit, lapping up her juices. She thrashed her head back and forth on the pillow, unable even to beg as waves of sensation washed up and down her body.

              He flicked her clit rapidly with his tongue – delicate, fluttering motions that pushed her into an orgasm so fierce and intense that she almost howled with pleasure, writhing against his eager mouth as he gave a low growl of primal satisfaction.

              She was still spasming, still gasping for breath and control, when he positioned himself between her thighs, holding himself above her with one hand while he slid the head of his cock against her slippery entrance with the other.

              She gasped as he pushed inside. There was no hesitation, just one smooth, confident movement that had him lodged fully inside her as her pussy greedily clutched at him, squeezing him like a fist with the aftershocks of her orgasm. He froze above her, squeezing his eyes closed and giving a long growl. The expression on his face was halfway between bliss and pain. He stayed still inside her for long moments, his chest heaving with his labored breaths. He rhythmically clenched and unclenched his fists, his biceps swelling as he struggled for control.

              Katrina, feeling wicked, nipped his flat nipple between her teeth then, when he yelped with shock, caught him off-guard with a slow, deliberate flex of her hips.

             
“Fuck.”

              His eyes went wolf and he thrust into her, desperately, furiously, shuddering and working his hips. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her fingernails into his back as the sensations built inside her again. The skin of his back was sweat-slick under her fingers, the muscles flexing smoothly as he pistoned into her.

              Her legs trembled and she parted her thighs as far as she could, then wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting to get closer to him, feeling as if she could never get close enough. She threw her head back, closing her eyes and allowing her lips to part on a prolonged whimper of need, and he nuzzled against her, hiding his face in the crook of her neck as the orgasm roared through her and she clutched his muscular buttocks, urging him to go faster, deeper.

              His howl of completion was muffled against her throat, and the pulsing of his cock set off a cascade of tumbling orgasms that left her writhing, blind and mindless with arousal and desire.

              It took long moments before she drifted back to herself. Maddox lay heavily on top of her, his face still pressed against her throat, his breath shuddering unevenly.  His cock was still half-hard inside her; her thighs were sticky with her excitement and his cum. No wonder Lula was so desperate to fuck an Alpha.

              Of course, this particular Alpha was a sworn enemy of her step-father’s pack – and less than a month from now, one of them was going to die. Her heart lurched, and suddenly she was overcome by a feeling of low dread. She didn’t know whether she was worried that Maddox might win – or terrified that he might lose.

              All right, time to get this out of his system.

              Carver stood in the parking lot outside the Bitter Brew. Bambi had called him because she was bored and needed distraction, and apparently none of her other guys were available this afternoon. Today they weren’t even going to go through the motions of hanging out at the bar first; they were going to take their lunch break at her place, and then he’d head back to pack property.

              He had to admit, he was just about ready to move on. He’d only seen Bambi for this long because she was always available, she wasn’t a member of his pack and she didn’t live on their grounds. Made it easier to keep it casual.

              Growing up with a father who cheated constantly and finally walked out on his family when Carver was ten had made him question whether he even had it in him to have a real relationship. It didn’t seem to run in the genes.

              On the bright side, all those schoolyard taunts from his classmates, and the fights that resulted, had ensured that he’d toughened up very young.

              He scanned the parking lot, looking for any sign of any Mordhaus pack members. So far he didn’t see anyone.  He’d stationed a number of his men in town, and the residents of Greenville would notify them if they saw anyone. There was no love lost between the townspeople and the Mordhaus pack these days.

              “There you are, sweetie pie!” Bambi trilled, hurrying eagerly towards him.

              He was having a hard time dredging up any excitement at all at the prospect of this afternoon’s bedtime activities, he realized.

              As she strolled towards him, he heard another voice call out.

              “Oh, hi, honey!” It was the stunning brunette from the other day – she’d just popped out from behind a Volvo parked in the lot. What the hell?

              She threw her arms around him. “I am SOOO sorry about our little lover’s quarrel the other day!” she cooed.

              He turned to Bambi, trying to push the brunette away.

              “Bambi, I swear to God I have no idea who -”

              The brunette pressed her full lips up against his, and kissed him. To his shock, he found himself responding. Oh dear God was he responding. His cock swelled in his pants, and he reached down and gripped her hair and plunged his tongue into her mouth, exploring the sweet, silky cave with increasing fervor.

              “You son of a bitch!” Bambi screamed. “Didn’t even know her? We are through, you bastard!”

              He pulled away to see Bambi storming off.

              Bewildered, he looked down at the stunning brunette. “Listen, beautiful, I know you think we know each other-ouch!”

              She kneed him in the groin, incredibly hard, and he doubled over in pain.

              “That’s for Katrina, you asshole! Cowardly bunch of kidnappers, grabbing a helpless woman! And if you mangy mutts hurt her, I will personally come back and chew your face off!”

              She leaped into the Volvo and took off with a screech of tires.

              Screw that. He jumped in his jeep and took off after her, calling Maddox to let him know what he was doing.

              “She seems to be heading out of town,” he told him.

              “And you’re positive she’s not a Mordhaus member?”

              “Oh, I’d remember this woman. Believe me.”

              “You want me to send backup?”

              Carver burst out laughing. “Sir, the day I can’t handle a five foot five she wolf is the day I hand in my badge as pack enforcer.”

              “Yep. Sounds like you’ve done a great job with her so far,” Maddox said. And he hung up.

              Carver scowled at that. Very funny. Unfortunately, since Maddox was the Alpha, he was the one person that Carver could not possibly suggest should take a flying leap onto a giant dick. Not if he wanted to keep his jugular intact.

              He concentrated on the road ahead – she kept driving and driving, zipping around curves, foot on the accelerator. He matched her speed easily, following her through human territory and out again, until a couple of hours later, they were in Timber Valley.

              As they crossed the county line, a half dozen cars pulled out from the side of the road and surrounded him, and forced him to a halt.  Two of them were patrol cars.

              He climbed out of his car, watching the beautiful brunette leap out of her car and slam the door.

              Within seconds, six male wolf shifters were barreling down on him. He pulled out his badge and held it up. They glanced at it suspiciously as they stopped and stood side by side, still bristing and defensive.

              “Carver Lawrence, enforcer for the Killingworth Pack,” Carver said. He glanced at Virginia, who was shooting him murderous looks. “I take it this she-devil is one of yours?”

              An older man with streaks of gray in his hair stepped forward.   Despite his years, he was in perfect physical shape, barrel chested and muscular, with a dominating air.  Clearly Alpha. Vince Battle, Carver was pretty sure, from various state-wide shifter gatherings he’d attended over the years.

              “Vince Battle, Alpha of the Battle Pack. I expect you’ve got a really good reason for following my daughter into our territory.” His voice was a menacing growl, his dark eyes blazing with anger.

              The brunette strolled up to stand next to her father, hands shoved in her pockets.

              Carver met Vince’s gaze and didn’t show a trace of submission. He didn’t bow down to anyone but his own Alpha.  He’d been told quite often that he could easily be Alpha of his own pack; he was just barely Beta. Sometimes he went over the line.

              “I expect your daughter’s got a really good reason for coming in to our territory and physically assaulting me, twice, despite the fact that I’ve never met her before. Something about Katrina?” He raised an eyebrow and shot her a look.

              Vince sucked in an angry breath. He turned to shoot an angry look at his daughter. “Virginia?”

              She lifted her chin defiantly. “They kidnapped her when she went in to town to go shoe shopping. It’s outrageous. We should be rescuing her. She’s my cousin, for God’s sake!”

              “We have discussed this. They did not violate the Covenant. This is an issue between two packs. She is not in danger, and the Killingworth pack does not have the reputation of abusing females or breaking the law.”

              She put her hands on her hips. “What would you do if it had happened to me? You’d just sit there and let me be kidnapped? We know you’d go all Alpha and declare pack war.”

              “We’re not having this conversation here. You’re grounded.”

              Virginia threw back her head and laughed, but there was a harsh edge to it. “I am twenty. You can not ground me!”

              “As your father and your Alpha, I damned well can. You just added another month to your grounding.”

              “Then I will move off pack property. I am an adult, and you can not continue treating me like a child.” Her eyes glittered with anger.

              “So you’re an adult, but you come in to my territory to harass me and then go running back to call for help and hide behind daddy like a five year old?” Carver said scornfully. She was a spoiled little daddy’s girl and a total brat.

              She was also incredibly hot and she turned him on like nothing he’d ever experienced before, but at the moment all he wanted to do was throw her over his knee and spank her.

              To his surprise, she nodded. “You’re right. Next time, I’ll handle the consequences on my own.”

              “There won’t be a next time!” Vince shouted, his face flushing with anger.

              “You all have a good day, now.” Carver turned and walked back to his car without looking back, climbed in, and slammed the door. He backed up, made a u-turn, and headed back towards Greenville.

* * *

The sunrise painted a red and orange glow along the horizon, and the high, jagged mountains were outlined against the sky. The pack was up early, as ever. Maddox and Katrina stood on the front porch of the common house, sipping coffee and watching the morning mists swirl on the ground.  Soon the sun’s rays would burn the mists away and chase the mild chill from the air.

“Wow, we still haven’t gotten it out of our system. I thought maybe we’d be sick of each other by now.” Katrina shook her head in amazement. It had been a week. A week of the best, most earth-shatteringly delicious sex she’d ever had. A week of waking up, wrung out and sweaty, in Maddox’s arms, breathing him in and feeling his heart beat against her chest.  And wishing it could last forever.

              Maddox winked at her.

              “We’ll have to try harder.”

              “Ha,” she scoffed. “I may need a day off just to recuperate.” At his stricken look, she added quickly “Oh, there are other things that we can do. It’s fun to get creative.”

              He slung his arm around her shoulder, and she started.

              “What?” he said, looking puzzled.

              “Everybody can see us. You. Me. The enemy. Together.”

              Maddox threw back his head and laughed heartily. “Sweetheart, you know that every wolf pack is like a high school full of teenaged girls when it comes to gossip, right? Everybody knows. And they’re fine with it.”

              She stared up at him. “Are you fine with it?”

              “If you are.” Now his expression turned serious, with maybe the faintest hint of worry.

              She bit her lip.  The Death Challenge was getting closer and closer.  “Is there any way that you’d consider seeking an alliance with my stepfather?” she finally asked him. “He might be open to it. It’s worth a shot.”

              He sighed. “It’s not possible. Even if he would agree to it, I wouldn’t. I’m sorry.”

              “Your two packs would be stronger together.”

              “For me to form an alliance with someone, I have to be willing to defend them and their actions, and stand behind them. I can not defend or even tolerate your stepfather’s actions.”

              She nodded. She wished she could talk to Maddox about whatever the hell was going on with the gophers, and with everyone in town for that matter, but that would be betraying her own pack.  It sucked not being able to confide in him. The more time that she spent with him, the more she felt like they were melding together, like two halves of a whole.

              Across the common area, she saw Peony and Alexander walking hand in hand. They were smiling.  Peony caught her eye and gave her a happy wave.

              “Hello, check that out,” she said.

              “Yep. I had a few words with Alexander and his mother, both. His mother won’t be moving in next to them – I let them know that I personally was forbidding it, for the sake of pack harmony, which took some of the responsibility off Alexander – and Alexander actually stood up to her.”

              “Well, praise the Lord and pass the pudding. It’s a miracle.”

              He laughed. “See, I do have my uses.”

              Her tone turned lascivious. “Plenty of uses.”

              “Really? Would you like to use me right now?”

              She wanted to, but she couldn’t let this death match thing go.  It was nagging at her like a sharp splinter she couldn’t quite reach.

              “Maddox, you do realize, and I am not questioning your abilities as an Alpha, I’m being completely respectful for once – enjoy it while it lasts, which will be about sixty seconds – that it is possible that my stepfather could win? He has not lost a single Death Challenge. Ever.”

              “Neither have I. And I will win.” He met her gaze, and he’d gone dead serious. “Believe me when I tell you that I’m very, very good. There’s a lot that I’m fighting for. I won’t lose.”

              She could tell what he meant.
Her. He was fighting for her.
Not just for his pack, but her.

              “He’s up to something,” she blurted out. “There had to be some reason why he set the death match in a month.”

              “I’m sure he is. That’s your stepfather’s nature.”

              For once, she didn’t lash out and defend the honor of her pack.  Maddox was right, she knew it, and she’d probably sensed it on some level for a long time but loyalty to her pack had prevented her from acknowledging it to herself. “He’ll find a way to cheat.”

              Maddox shook his head. “He can try. You know how much the Council of Elders has tightened the scrutiny on the  Death Challenges.”

              There had been a terrible cheating scandal a couple of years back, when it turned out that one of the officials who oversaw the Death Challenges was actually being blackmailed by an Alpha.  The official had pretended that the Alpha tested clear of magic enhancement, but the Alpha was doping himself so he could win.