The Wayward Alpha (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance) (3 page)

Forever was a long time to be with someone, souls, thoughts, bodies locked forever. The thought had never crossed my mind, but with Redthorn I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. What would it be like to be his mate? Would it be this consuming, this intense? Would our pups look like mini Viking, or more like me?

“I don’t think you heard me, little wolf.” Redthorn thrust up, and I bit my lip on a gasp. “Come for me!”

I couldn’t help but obey him, couldn’t help but tumble into the abyss. It felt so right, with him inside of me, that I couldn’t help but give him everything.

But Redthorn never relented, never allowed me a moment to catch my breath. My legs started to shake and before they could give way he’d pulled out and scooped me up.

I felt the edge of the bed as he laid me down and positioned my ankles on his shoulder. “Next time you’re going to scream my name.” Redthorn growled, and I looked up to see gold eyes, harsh fangs, and clawed hands.

“How are you able—?” I whispered voice hoarse.

I never finished because he was suddenly back inside. My head snapped back and I screamed. He felt different, hotter if that was possible. I could feel every inch of him, every ridge and bump and dip as he thrust savagely into me.

Still, a part of me recognized the power he kept on a tight leash, a power just beneath his skin that he controlled with brutal efficiency. I had no doubt I’d be sore with a couple bruises in the morning, but I also know he’d never hurt me. Instinctively I knew that as intense as this was, I wasn’t in pain. I wasn’t being hurt. If anything, I was being claimed.

I felt a sharp sting on my inner thigh before Redthorn ground his pelvis against me, stroking against my swollen, sensitized clit and I was hurdling into another orgasm, this one even more powerful. I felt the scream in my chest, bubbling up my throat a freeing from my lips.

Redthorn chuckled low and swiped his tongue against my inner thigh; “Music to my ears.”

***

I woke up naked, alone, with my phone ringing off the hook.

“Hello?” I asked groggily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

“You told me to wake you when he started to move.” It was Nadine, the other knight whom I recruited for the mission.

I flopped back on the bed and closed my eyes for a minute. God, I wanted to sleep! I wanted to crawl back into the cotton sheets, cover up, and sleep forever. I didn’t care that Redthorn was on the move or that Nadine was tracking him. Sleep was the only thing on my mind.

“Jade!” Nadine yelled over the phone, startling me.

“What?” I growled, ready to reach through the phone and choke my friend.

There was a long pause, and I realized that Nadine had just been following my orders and I was just being bitchy because I was sore and tired.

Sighing loudly, I swung my legs over and forced myself out of bed. “Sorry, Nay, I’ve had a long night—”

“I heard,” she interrupted.

Cursing myself, I walked out into the living room and grabbed my ceramic knife off the table. The transmitter was no smaller than a dime. No doubt Nadine had heard every single word.

Blushing from the roots of my hair down to my toes, I decided to just avoid the topic all together and get back to the job at hand. “Keep on him. Send me the location, and I’ll head over in five.”

“Sure you will. You know, Jade, a bath will—”

I hung up.

Grumbling under my breath, I walked back to the bedroom and scooped up Redthorn’s shirt. I groaned as I tugged the sweater on, muscles I hadn’t used in years crying out in protest. Wincing, I looked down at my thighs seeing a smear of red.

Then I saw it. The bite mark on my inner thigh. The mating mark.

“No, he fucking did not!” I screamed as I ran my fingers over the mark and felt the subtle connection there. I could feel him, Redthorn was in my skin, and very soon he’d be in my head.

Crap, the man had just marked me as his mate!

****

“… You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this, David.” I heard
Redthorn’s voice as I snuck in the back entrance of the warehouse.

I was quiet, but I
didn't doubt for a second Redthorn knew I was there. We were mated and if the heat coming off the mating mark on my thigh didn’t tell me he’d already known, then his call would have.

“Come out, little wolf.”

I briefly pondered what the best course of action really was: continue hiding or come out. A badly beaten man was on his knees in front of Redthorn and my mate was splattered in blood. I knew the addictive quality of revenge, and I also knew how easy it was to kill anyone who got in the way of that revenge. No matter who they were.

“I will not repeat myself, mate.” Redthorn warned his voice so low that if I hadn’t been a wolf I never would have heard it.

Palming the ceramic daggers hidden in the pocket of my jeans, I slowly moved away from my hiding place. I knew Nadine was close by, and just in case she was watching I shook my head and mouthed “no”. It was our code whenever we were out on a mission. Every wolf I worked with knew not to interfere when I didn’t want them to, and so far only one wolf hadn’t followed my directive. He paid for that mistake with his life.

My voice was soft and cajoling. “I’m here, my alpha. I will always be here, and revenge can always wait.”

Redthorn’s laugh was dark, and held a sinister quality. He never turned to look at me, never took his eyes off the man in front of him. I came closer and got a look at the wolf kneeling in front of Redthorn. Both his eyes were nearly swollen shut, blood raced across his shirt, and dripped onto the floor in a small pool. I had no doubt that if he wasn’t treated soon, he would die out from blood loss.

“Didn’t you wonder why I didn’t let you touch my back last night, little wolf?” Redthorn asked softly, surprising me.

I frowned, wondering where he was going with this. “No. I didn’t notice. You know he'll die from blood loss soon, is that what you want?” I kept my voice light, my movements slow, but never did I ease up on my weapons.

I had no idea what state of mind Redthorn was in, and I was not about to be his next victim. It wasn’t common for mates to attack each other, but nothing about Redthorn was common. I smiled to myself, thinking I could say the same thing about myself. We were two peas in a very dangerous pod.

Redthorn snorted and finally looked at me. I could see the wolf moving in his eyes, bloodlust snapping angry jaws at me. In a blur of movement, the alpha pulled his shirt over his head and tossed the garment at the other wolf.

I stared in horror at the whip marks on his back. There had to be dozens, and most of them looked like they required stitches.

Werewolves had incredible healing abilities yet those whip marks ran so deep on Redthorn's back that they were still apparent. I could only imagine the intense pain Redthorn had endured. Reaching out, I felt the marks, and my heart broke for him. No one should have to endure such pain, no one.

Taking an instinctive step close to him, I leaned into his back and kissed the worst of the markings. I felt his muscles bunch under my lips but he didn’t pull back.

He looked down at the bloodied man. “This piece of shit did that to me, him and his friends—for years.” His voice cracked and I shed a silent tear for him.

It wasn’t just as simple as revenge, and that in itself was never a simple thing. No, Redthorn was trying to take back so much more than wounded pride or hurt feelings. He was trying to take back his life, his sense of self that these men had taken from him.

I could understand that better than most. These people had done more than just mark him, they had made him a slave to his own nightmares, his own memory. And for the alpha, there was only one way out of it.

“Will killing him help you?” I asked softly, still leaning against his back with my eyes closed.

“Yes.”

I knew that was going to be the answer. I’d always known that was going to be the answer. For

once in my life there was nothing I could do, I couldn’t help Redthorn with his demons. And I also knew that I couldn’t be present to watch him expel them.

No one ever wanted another person to see them at their lowest, at their most base.

Moving away from my made I stuffed the knives back into my jeans. There were only a few feet between us, but it felt so much wider. I was his mate; I was supposed to help him, supposed to be there for him, but I couldn’t. There was only one way to help him, and that was by leaving.

Sucking in a breath, I forced myself to speak. “The plane leaves at eight tonight. I’ll make sure your things are on the plane—all you need to do it show up.”

Turning on my heel I forced myself to walk away. I mouthed for Nadine to follow me, knowing that no one should be witness to what Redthorn was about to do. The bloodied wolf whimpered on the ground, but I didn’t feel an ounce of pity for him. He deserved whatever the alpha decided to dish out.

“Thank you, mate.” Redthorn whispered as I opened the door and left the warehouse.

Nadine appeared beside me in an instant, and we began to walk. We were only a few feet away when we heard the first blood curdling scream followed by a piercing howl.

“Jade, maybe—"

“Keep walking.” I never stopped, never looked behind me. I just kept moving.           

***

The plane was quiet save for
the sounds of the pilots and stewardess shuffling around and checking to make sure they were ready for takeoff. I checked my watch again and squirmed in the leather seat. “Fifteen more minutes.”

For the hundredth time, I wondered if what I did was the right thing. I had left my mate to kill another wolf. No matter what the other wolf had done, I had condoned his murder. In a way his blood was on my hands just as they were on
Redthorn’s.

Sighing, I turned to look out the window at the landing stip. My phone started to ring, "Hello?" I answered it automatically.

I didn’t even recognize my voice; it sounded so sad, so forlorn.

There was a pause. “Jade? You okay?” Green asked, concern lacing his voice.

Turning away from the window I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose to keep from crying. “Fine, just tired”

Another pause; “Well… Did you get Redthorn to come back with you?”

“Not sure yet; he still has ten minutes left.”

“Hopefully he shows because things just escalated.” Green said urgently.

I snapped my eyes open and was on alert at once. “What’s happened?”

“Steel’s son has control. He’s going to start executing any wolf who sides with Redthorn.” Green’s voice was dark and angry.

“Any dead so far?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

I knew that as Redthorn’s mate, I was also the Vermont pack’s alpha. No matter what happened it was now up to me to protect the pack, with or without my mate.

“Not yet, but several wolves have been placed in the dungeon,” Green replied, and I could hear hushed voices in the background.

“Well, thank God for small—” the mating mark on my thigh burned and I whipped my head over to the open plane door and saw Redthorn standing in the doorway.

He was wet again, except this time he was fully dressed, and his expression was anything but playful or kind. My heart constricted at the look of loss and sadness reflected in his green eyes.