Healing The Alpha Collection (19 page)

Leena was at the front with Aster and she couldn't be happier. He turned to look at her and she couldn't help but playfully lick his face. He returned the gesture by nuzzling her neck with his snout. Her life was back and it was good.

Chapter 24

Eva had fallen asleep in Rowan's overstuffed chair while watching television. Her dreams were filled with good times and plenty of naked Rowan, but she was shocked when she woke up and the rumble of his truck outside brought actual naked Rowan into the living room.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily as she looked around the dark room. The television had shut itself off and Ciara was nowhere to be found. "Am I the only one here?"

It took her a second to shake off the cobwebs and realize that Ciara and Hawk were gone… forever. Finally her eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room and confirmed that Rowan was indeed standing in front of her in his birthday suit, which looked better than any suit any other man could put on.

She was always aroused by the sight of Rowan, especially when he was showing off his washboard abs and thick musculature, but the confusion of the situation was a bit overwhelming right now. He had just gotten back from his big meeting with the town, the one she hadn't been allowed to participate in.

What the hell happened?
she wondered. She was getting a sinking feeling, looking at Rowan's solemn expression, that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, dropping on his knees in front of the chair and pulling her forward to embrace. She rubbed her hands up and down his muscular back before pushing him away. The knot in the pit of her stomach was so great she thought she would pass out from the pressure. She had already figured out that she wouldn't like what he had to say and she didn't think she could take bad news at this point.

"What happened?" she asked, slow and measured. She was afraid if she spoke any faster she would burst into tears right there.

"Something wonderful," he said, a smile wider than she had ever seen splitting his lips.

"Was it?" she asked, letting the doubt flood her voice.

"Of course," he said, reaching up and rubbing her shoulders while he talked.

"Why are you naked?" Not that she was complaining, but it did raise questions.

"Because I shifted in a show of solidarity with Aster and everyone else who wanted to join us."

"Solidarity? Against who?"

"The wolves who want to remain in town and remain as humans."

Eva felt the tears begin to flow as she covered her mouth and looked away. "Oh, Rowan. Don't say it. Please don't say it."

"Hey, hey, calm down," he said. "Nothing is going to change between us."

"It's not?" she asked, feeling renewed hope enter her heart.

"No," he said. "Not at all. We'll still be Rowan and Eva. Forever, remember?"

"I remember," she said, smiling at him. "I just thought you had made a rash decision. Aster is going to let you keep a human mate?"

"Of course," he said, nodding his head. "We're just leaving this lifestyle behind. We're throwing off these human shackles and returning to the forest where we can be wolves again. We mate for life. I would never give you up over something like that."

Eva immediately felt her heart sink again. "Rowan, I…I…I don't want to live in the forest."

"What?" he asked, his expression immediately turning from joy to concern. "I thought you wanted to be with me."

"I do," she said. "Baby, I want you more than anything else, but I can't give up modern society to live in a cave somewhere."

"A den," he corrected.

"Den, cave, hole in a rock, it's all the same thing! You're asking me to give up electricity, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, heating, the ability to take a shower or go to the store to get the food I want. I know it sounds petty and childish, but that's a lot to give up, Rowan."

"I know," he said. "But you'll be giving it up for me."

"I've already given so much up for you, baby," she said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "I've made a great sacrifice for you. I've given up my family, my home and my former life to be with you. I can't go back to that, Rowan. I can never return home because of the sacrifice I've made."

"But I want to go home," he said. The sadness in his voice was so heavy Eva felt a new wave of tears rushing to escape her eyes. This conversation was absolutely heartbreaking for her, and it wasn't getting any better as they continued to talk. "This isn't my home. Maybe at one time it was, but it's not anymore. What happened over the weekend has shown me that we don't belong here, Eva. We don't belong with the humans and we don't need to live like humans. We've lost something, something pretty big, by living like this. I don't want to lose who I am anymore."

"But you could lose the biggest piece of your heart," she said. "Aster and Leena lost each other for ten years. I can't bear to be apart from you for ten minutes. Do you want it to be forever?"

"No, of course not," he said.

"Please, Rowan," she said. "I've sacrificed so much for you. Don't force me into this decision."

"I'm a wolf," he said. "Not a human."

"And I'm a human, Rowan, not a wolf. And you knew that when you claimed me. You knew I was human."

Rowan looked at the ground and his body began to visibly shake as he did so. He curled his fists up and punched the ground with enough force to shake the chair Eva was sitting in. She was afraid, not of Rowan, but of the situation. She knew he would never harm her, but the fear of losing him right now was so great she couldn't hold still. She was shaking as she watched him struggle with his decision, unable to make eye contact with her as he did so.

"Rowan, please," she said.

He looked up at her, fire and passion in his eyes as their gazes locked.

"What are you…" she started to ask, but the word 'doing' was quickly replaced with a yelp as Rowan dove forward and caught her in his arms. In an instant his lips were upon her, passionately traveling over her own lips, down her neck and finally to the cleavage which was poking out of her shirt.

"Rowan," she gasped as his mouth found its mark again and again. It was like an animal was attacking her. The fire in Rowan's eyes, it wasn't a human's eyes, it was the wolf.

She yelped again as his powerful hand came up and ripped her shirt completely off her body. She had just been wearing a thin white tank top, but now it was in pieces on the floor as her heavy breasts sat exposed to the world. Rowan immediately buried his face in them, his tongue exiting his mouth to run across her stiff nipples.

She gasped as he bit down on one, sending a mixture of pleasure and pain that she absolutely loved through her body. She could feel his stubble rubbing on her bare skin as his tongue and teeth explored her breasts. The sensations were overwhelming her as she felt her panties growing wetter and wetter.

In the back of her mind she hoped he would savagely rip off the yoga pants she was wearing and do the same. Rowan didn't disappoint. He didn't tear them off, but he grabbed them at the seam that ran up the middle and tore them in half, opening a hole for his throbbing manhood to find its way home.

He looked at her and growled as they made eye contact, baring his teeth as she gasped for breath.

"Do it," she said, nearly falling out of the chair. She lifted her legs and put her feet on his hips as he rose up in front of her. "Please do it."

There was nothing gentle or caring about the way he took her. His rock-hard cock speared her, splitting her lips and plunging into her moist depths. She arched her back and moaned as she felt herself engulf him. Her entire body shuddered as he began to relentlessly assault her with his cock.

He was raised up in front of her, his eyes staring far off into the distance as his hips sent him into her with each thrust. She wanted to pull him down and kiss him or run her hands through his hair, but he was too far away. Instead she let her hands travel over his chiseled body. She felt a renewed surge of lightning through her body as her hands ran down his abs and across the sharp v-cut of his pelvis.

"Oh, Rowan," she moaned as she felt her inner walls shudder from his fucking. Her entire body began to shudder and spasm in rhythm with her nether regions as she felt the orgasm rumbling forward. It was all she could do to keep from clawing his abs as she grabbed on and screamed.

At the same time Rowan looked up to the sky and howled as he emptied everything he had into her. She could feel his rod growing stiff as it exploded inside her warm sex.

It took a minute afterwards for her vision to unblur and for her to see Rowan in front of her. He was on his knees, panting as he looked her up and down. She smiled at him, but no smile was returned.

"That is what the animal offers," he said.

"I know," she said, sitting up and pulling herself onto the ground next to him. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "But I can't sacrifice everything just to have mind-blowing sex all the time."

"Then what are we going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, feeling the tears coming back.

"I love you," he said, nuzzling the top of her head with his stubble.

"I love you too, baby," she said. She wanted to cry, but she was all out of tears.

Chapter 25

The wolf watched the fish swimming in lazy circles, no idea that fanged death was waiting right above them. The weather had grown cold, with a decided bite in the air, but it wasn't cold enough to freeze the water or force the fish to slow down. It was beautiful outside to her, much better than the heat of the summer she had just endured.

A cold breeze blew over her, forcing her entire body to shiver. Luckily the fish paid no mind to her as they swam in circles, looking for any piece of food that they might have overlooked on their previous round. Life as a fish must be boring, she thought. It was just mindless swimming and eating. That was why she was up here and they were about to be her meal. She was at the top of the food chain, the apex predator of this area.

Just as she prepared to plunge her snout into the water and retrieve a succulent meal she was doused in water as a monstrous paw stabbed into the water, then retreated with two fish impaled on its claws. She followed the paw as it tossed the fish onto a pile to its left before looking up at the owner of the paw.

She bared her teeth and snarled at the giant brown bear that stood in front of her. She was the apex predator, not him and he needed to know it. She snapped and snarled, letting him know he had messed up. If he was smart he would tuck his tail and run, but instead he dismissively growled at her before plunging his paw into the water again and returning with another fish.

This was serious. She had to show him that he wasn't all that and she wasn't a helpless wolf here for the scary bear to take advantage of. After another snarl and snap she plunged her snout into the water, immediately closing her jaws on a fish's body with lightning fast efficiency. She withdrew her face from the water and tossed the fish onto the bear's pile before yapping at him in annoyance.

The bear reared up on its back legs and roared at her, standing at least twelve feet tall when it did so. She refused to back down, staring up at the bear as he continued to try to intimidate her. It wasn't going to happen; she knew that underneath the bear was a giant softie she had wrapped completely around her finger.

Finally the bear began to change, its body shrinking and contracting as its fur disappeared and its snout shortened. In a few short seconds the bear was completely gone, replaced by a beefy, hairy man who looked at her with amusement on his face.

"You're too slow," he said, smirking at her as he crossed his arms.

Quickly she joined him, her fur disappearing and her body shifting as she took the form of a beautiful young woman. "Hey, asshole, let me fish, alright?"

"I'd like to eat at some point today," he muttered. "You weren't getting them out of the water and into my belly fast enough."

"We have Thanksgiving dinner today," she said, looking at the pile of at least eight fish that sat beside him. "How much do you really need to eat? There'll be plenty of food there and we need to get back home to get changed."

"This is just an appetizer," he said, motioning towards the fish. "I guess you can have one."

"I want the one I caught!" she shouted, pointing to her prized catch. "I would've caught more if you'd just given me a chance."

"Five years of fishing and hunting and you still suck at it," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Back off, Jack," she said. "Five years of hunting and fishing versus eighteen years of having food brought to my doorstep by a guy in a Pizza Hut shirt. You do the math."

"At some point you'd think natural instinct would kick in," he said, throwing his hands up in confusion and shaking his head.

"You're lucky I love you," she shot back, unable to hold her smile back as she tried to make the nastiest face she could. "Otherwise I'd whip your sorry ass right here on these rocks."

"Bring it on," he said, holding his arms out to his sides and leaving himself wide open for attack. "There's no fence built around me, big girl!"

"Big?" she asked. "You son of a bitch."

Rain leaped across the rock and onto Beorn, her arms wrapping around his neck and her legs wrapping around his waist. He caught her like she was weightless and held her close, their lips locking together instantly.

"I felt a kick," he said, as he sat her on the rock. "Maybe you shouldn't be leaping around."

"I'm fine," she said, returning to her feet and rubbing her hand across her large stomach. "A wolf baby can handle a lot."

"It's a bear," Beorn said. "I felt how powerful that kick was. No wolf could do that."

Rain sighed, refusing to get into this debate with him again. "Whatever it is, I'll love it the same. Wolf, bear, wolf-bear, wolf-bear with wings, it's all the same."

"Wings would be pretty cool," Beorn said, hugging her one more time before turning back to his fishing handiwork. "I'm absolutely starved."