Rebecca (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Alpha Marked Book 4) (3 page)

Honestly, it was good that structure was in place. He couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if wolves were allowed to run rampant and pounce on every passing female. This kept everyone safe.

Well, everyone but the female he hunted. This chase was so far out of bounds it was ridiculous, but the animal inside him wouldn’t let him break off his pursuit.

He let the door swing closed behind him. The loud scrape of metal on metal and the final echoing thunk of it latching bolted through the room. A low whimper followed on its heels, and he swung his attention toward the source. His quarry wasn’t in sight, but that didn’t worry him, or the wolf. They’d find her.

He took a step farther into the room, and her scent surrounded him. His cock twitched and hardened, not filling his jeans, but enough to make it uncomfortable to walk. No matter. This woman was the first female he’d wanted since… ever, honestly. He fucked plenty of women, but they’d always been after Carson. Aidan was always an afterthought to them. Which made him go through the motions rather than revel in the pleasure. He got off, but it was empty.

His wolf
would
have this female.

Aidan slowly made his way toward the back right corner of the room. The low, luring whimper had come from that direction, and he hadn’t seen her scurry to another hiding place. With each step closer, his body burned hotter, cock pulsing with need and his hip… He rubbed his right hip, a burning throb taking up residence the nearer he got to his prey.

Aidan froze in place, ceasing his travels as he stroked that spot. His dick ached, but that was because he wanted to fuck the woman he chased. The rest of him was healthy and strong. Wolves were hardy, and their very nature kept them free of illness. He hadn’t gotten into a brawl in at least a week and even then he would have healed in a day.

So there was no reason for him to have a random, ever increasing pain as he tracked the woman. Unless… He gulped. No.
No.

If an Alpha Pair found their Marked, their mate, then the woman’s Mark would burn and pulse. Which, in turn, caused that same area to throb on the men’s bodies.

So there was only one reason he’d have a painfully hard dick that had him ready to blow at any moment, and a burning sensation on his hip that refused to be extinguished.

She was there. His mate, their mate.

Aidan’s cell phone vibrated, the buzz slicing the silence, and the woman gasped. She kept quiet at least, nearly soundless, but his wolf’s ears picked it up.

He looked at his phone once again, only the words on the screen didn’t catch his attention. No, it was the scars decorating his hands and arms. Some were hardly visible, time having made them blend with his natural color, while others were raised and stark white against his tanned skin.

The ageless unease that lurked in the back of his mind rushed forward. He was certain she belonged to them, but he wasn’t sure he could survive if she turned from him and sought out Carson like every other woman they’d enjoyed. He wasn’t much to look at, not with the damage he’d sustained all those years ago. He hoped—

The grating of the door hit him a brief moment before Carson’s voice reached him. “Yo, fucker, we’re late and you know those guys—”

He hadn’t torn his attention from his mate’s hiding place so when she squeaked and jumped from her spot behind the table to bolt from him, it was easy to snare her.

Aidan snatched her to him, hooking his arm around her waist and halting her run for freedom. He yanked her against his body, molding her back to his front, and his cock took notice of their proximity. The burning on his hip became a full body ache to have her beneath him—he spared a glance for Carson—beneath them.

She was all plump curves and silken skin. The scents of the forest coated her flesh, but he delved deeper to that sweet aroma that had him following her. Yes, it was there. Perfection.

“Aidan!” Carson yelled at him, but it was as if it were at a distance. His entire focus remained on the female—on her deep brown hair that held shades of red in its depths. On the roundness of her ass as it pressed against his cock, the curve of her waist as he held her captive, the way her abundant breasts rested atop his forearm.

He wanted to see her face, look into her eyes and trace her features with his gaze. His wolf howled for her, demanding he claim her now, right this second. But that wasn’t how things worked. It wasn’t how the process progressed, and he’d never hated laws more.

“What the fu—” Carson gasped and he knew what his partner was experiencing.

Uncontrollable want and burning need.

The woman he held captive fought him, kicking and scratching, and he smiled. She wasn’t a weak female. Then again, one destined for Alphas couldn’t be a wilting flower. She had to be strong to stand up to men who led a pack.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, he spun her around. He shifted his hold until her front met his, and his arm was secure around her back. Shining blue eyes collided with his, fear and panic filling them. He should try to soothe her, release her and calm her obvious terror.

Instead, he noted the gentle slope of her nose, her heart-shaped face, and her plump lips. He wanted to capture them with his own and dive into a passionate kiss. He’d taste her, soothe her, and then take her.

She… did not feel the same.

She screamed so loudly it nearly shattered his eardrums. Then she asked the most absurd question imaginable.

“Are you an alien, too?” Her voice rose with the last word, and if he weren’t so enamored with the tinkling quality of the syllables, he would have laughed. Instead, his cock throbbed.

“No, I’m a werewolf.” His words were matter of fact and blunt.

She shivered in his hold, and her feminine musk drifted to him. She was aroused, or at least feeling a bit of desire, and she was focused on him. At his scars and crooked nose and the way his eyes were the deep yellow of his wolf twenty-four/seven.

“Werewolves aren’t real,” she whispered. “Can you be an alien instead? That would be better. An alien would be better.” She nodded, her fallen curls hiding her eyes. He brushed them from her face, and she didn’t flinch from him. If anything, the scent of her cream increased. “You know what’s even better than aliens? Passing out. Can I do that now? I’d like to do that now.”

Another nod from her and he grinned. She was perfect. A little bit crazy and gorgeous as hell.

“Tell me your name first.” His wolf filled his voice, and she gave a low whimper, but it wasn’t one of fear. No, not a hint of fright tinged the sound. It was all arousal.

“Rebecca.”

“Rebecca.” He tested the name on his tongue, savoring the syllables. “Pass out, Rebecca. I have you.”

“Thanks so much.”

She truly had been waiting for permission because the moment she said the last word, she went limp in his arms. Her head lolled back, and Carson was there, cupping her skull in his hand.

“Aidan?” Carson’s voice was rough. “Is she…”

“Yes.” There was no doubt in his mind. The burning need, the wolf’s reaction to her. Yes, she was theirs. “She’s—”

“Unhand the woman!” A familiar voice cut into their conversation, and Aidan groaned. “Penises better not have entered orifices! Or teeth!” Scarlet spun and snapped at the Gathering organizer. “Send a new text. No teeth.” Aidan’s cell phone buzzed with a text message. Then they were the focus of the Ruling Alpha Mate once again. “Let her go.”

“She’s ours,” Aidan snarled, and Carson added his own growl.

Instead of being afraid of their combined anger, the woman snorted. “What. Ever. Emmett and Levy felt her appearance and also informed me she has no idea what she’s doing here. So hand her over for orientation and then we’ll see what we can see.”

“She’s ours.” This time it was Carson, and the male sounded even more threatening than Aidan ever had.

Scarlet glared. “She’ll go through tests and meetings like every other woman here, boys. She needs to understand everything before she’s shoved into our world. Every year there are Marked who are dragged here by the Wardens and they have
no idea
what they’re in for. There are even more women this year because of the Warden Born. Do you think she’d have ended up in this room if she knew? Don’t you think she would have checked in like any other Marked woman and actually
showered
before coming downstairs?”

Aidan was reminded of the dirt covering his female, the smudges that lined her cheeks and the soil that covered her clothing. He accepted that Scarlet’s assumptions were correct. Rebecca had been brought to the Gathering through a Warden’s summoning, and she didn’t know about the wolves, Marks, or what awaited her when she awoke.

And… she needed to know before things went further, before he and Carson stripped her bare and claimed her as their own. He didn’t like it, but it was necessary. He hoped she’d accept them when she knew the truth.

“Where”—he cleared his throat and pushed back the emotions crowding his chest—“where should we take her?”

Rebecca stared at the three women surrounding her. They’d been there from the moment she’d opened her eyes and still hadn’t left her alone.

And alone would be a good thing. If she were by herself, she’d find a way to escape the crazies standing before her as well as those who lurked on the other side of the door.

Who knew they had an asylum that held thousands of people who all had the
same
delusion? It was one for the record books.

Even worse, they were her cousins. Blood relatives. Was Rebecca going to drink the Kool-Aid and suddenly join them in Crazy Town?

“Sooo…” Rebecca raised her eyebrows and looked to Scarlet, their “Ruling Alpha Mate.” Whatever that was. Rebecca didn’t wanna know. “I haven’t seen you three since we were kids. I mean, we last got together before the great
Family Implosion of Doom
during the last family reunion.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, it was your mom’s fault. She was all—”

“Focus,” Gabby snapped at Scarlet and then returned her attention to Rebecca. “Go ahead. We know you have questions.”

Questions? Right. She shook her head. “To recap. Werewolves are real.” All three women nodded. “And this is the annual Gathering.” Another set of nods. “And women who have either a weird scar tattoo thing or who are meant to be with magic werewolves”—
holy shit, magic is real
—“are summoned here with aforementioned magic.” More nods. “And I was dragged here by magic because I hadn’t shown up yet?”

“Right,” Whitney, the quietest of the three responded.

“Which means I have a Mark thingy, or I’ll glow in the dark and get a shit-ton of Mark thingies like Whitney.” Rebecca gulped when they all gave the same nods. “I would prefer aliens.”

Whitney patted Rebecca’s arm. “I know, but it’s real, werewolves are real. The existence of werewolves, Marked, and Warden Born are as old as time.”

“It could be a mistake,” she interjected hopefully.

“No.” Scarlet shook her head. “The mojo-wielding idiots may not have done things exactly right, but they aren’t wrong about getting the women here. You just didn’t end up in the right place here. You see, the ballroom is set up so that…” Scarlet gestured behind her and Rebecca peered around her cousins to find more clumps of women throughout the massive room. Small groups surrounded single, panic-stricken women, and she imagined they were all receiving the same news.

Werewolves were real, and they were meant to mate with one.

Mate…

“You realize I don’t have a Mark thing. I mean, I know my body, right?” Scarlet and Gabby had flashed their Marks during show and tell so she knew what she was looking for. But she also knew every scarred, taut inch of her body and nary a Mark was to be seen. Just burns, and she was thankful those were easily covered with clothing. “And there’s no scar thing.” Other scars, but they were twisted masses of skin and tissue. Not the pretty swirls that decorated her cousins.

“The thing about
that
is…” Scarlet began again, and Gabby picked up the end of the sentence.

“You wouldn’t be here without one. If you don’t have a Mark”—Gabby raised her eyebrows and Rebecca shook her head—“then you’re meant for a pair of Wardens. Which, I mean, is kinda cool. When I mated Berke and Jack, I only got awesome sex and those two constantly in my head. Whitney got super powers and this glowing thing when she gets pissed. I mean, it usually comes right before she whips out her power-dick, but whatever.”

Said woman suddenly glowed as she glared at Gabby.

“
Any
-way.” Scarlet clapped her hands twice. “Back on track, people. Gabby, quit antagonizing Whitney. When she burns your ass—again—I will totally forbid your mates from rubbing your butt.” Gabby shrugged and Scarlet continued. “Or fucking it.”

“Hey now, that’s a low blow,” Gabby whined.

“Uh…” Rebecca swallowed back her panic. “Berke and Jack? Two men?” Did they leave something out? Screw it, she’d ask. “Did you leave something out of this lovely delusion you’ve drawn me into?”

It was kinda nice if she ignored the werewolf part and enjoyed the fancy hotel, forced vacation thing.

“Oh. Yeah. You boink two guys. Never one. Single wolves boink single wolves, but Alpha and Warden Pairs need a non-furry human woman to balance them. Otherwise”—Scarlet waved her hands in the air as if they were cars and then rammed her fists into each other—“boom. Madness, and in the case of Alphas, lots of blood ensues.” Scarlet’s eyes widened. “Which reminds me. Are you super sure you don’t have a Mark? Anywhere? Because those guys you met—”

Guys… She’d met two and only got a good look at one of them. He was all kinds of tall, dark, and do me now. “Yeah?”

“They kinda sorta think you’re their mate but you can’t be their mate if you don’t have a Mark. So, if we could take an itty-bitty peek to make sure you don’t—”

“No.” She shut her cousin down before she voiced the rest of the question. It didn’t matter if they were family, there were parts of her she didn’t want anyone to see.

“But they think… And…” Scarlet frowned. “You don’t feel the need to climb them like a mountain and beg them to plant their flags? I mean, I know Aidan isn’t much to look at, but—”