Owned By The Alphas: Part Two (2 page)

C
alt was preoccupied
for two reasons now. Tawny’s unprecedented insolence added another layer of unrest to his spirit, but it was Ali’s disappearance earlier that had pushed him near the edge. How had she been able to walk by them all without anyone noticing? Had he not worried they might think
him
weak, inattentive and unaware–and felt unsafe by so doing–he would have asked the pack why no one had smelled or heard her pass this very room where they had all been. If the human female could sneak by, would they have noticed an enemy stalking the passageways? He would have to speak to Dak and Calus privately to inform them to be on higher alert, even if that meant exposing his own negligence. The good of all is more important than the good of one, he’d told Tawny. Now he had to walk the talk by bringing up the subject no matter his embarrassment. Swearing at himself in his mind, he stared into the flames.

But then Ali did what Ali seemed best at–she lightened his mood without meaning to. As she fingered the cooked meat between her thumb and forefinger, she sat delicately on her heels with the fur pelt tucked beneath her. He glanced to her just in time to see her inspect the meat like she’d never seen anything more beautiful. Then she popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes on a moan, lightly chewing with what could only be described as elegance. “Mmmmm. That’s so good.”

The explosion of laughter surprised her and she searched the room for the reason. Even Calt found himself chuckling, his mood drastically and immediately changed.

Bloo chirped, “So dainty!” and did a dance, mimicking delicately held fingers dropping an invisible piece of food into her mouth. “Mmm…that’s sooooooo gooood!”

The room laughed again and Calt joined them full-heartedly this time.

Ali colored, but a smile played across her face. “What?!!” She crawled on all fours to snatch up another cooked piece. “Oh, come on! What? Should I have done
this
?” Tearing at it with her teeth, she chewed with her mouth open, twisting around to meet the eyes of her audience, growling all the while.

Calt grinned down at her as the room cheered. Over the noise, Bloo bobbed her head with approval, her hands on her hips and one muscular leg forward. “Now that’s the way to do it!”

The room took on a very different feel after that. Calt ate more than he expected to, and everyone chatted easily amongst themselves. Dak and Calus came forward to introduce themselves to Ali and she bowed her head to them, awe lighting up her soft brown eyes. His best protectors exchanged glances with Calt, about to return to their posts by the door, but he stopped them. “I wish to speak with you before the night is over.” They nodded and left him, shifting into their wolves with slow ease. Calt caught Ali watching, and she shut her mouth quickly as she met his eyes.

“It’s just so cool,” she whispered with a smile.

He touched her chin and asked Lorn for a piece of Ali’s portion of the hunt. He took pleasure in feeding it to Ali, enjoying how her eyes closed when the meat touched her tongue. “You have a way of making me smile, Soft One.” Her eyes sparkled as she chewed behind a smile. He rose his hand and called to their eldest, “Shaynah, come.”

Ali looked over to watch the approach of the sophisticated she-wolf, her tight, youthful skin barely touched by the years her eyes betrayed. Calt noticed Ali straighten up as she waited and he could smell her anxiety, which meant that Shaynah could, too.

His father’s companion stood before them on the other side of the fireplace, calm and motionless as her smooth voice slipped like heated butter off her tongue. “I am Shaynah.”

“That’s a beautiful name. I’m Ali…Ali Latham. Do you have last names?”

Shaynah paused and Calt wondered if she would share hers or not, but she decided to answer only, “We do not need them.” He took note of her reticence, but it was not surprising by any means. Time makes one more cautious rather than less, and the fact that there was no coldness coming from her demeanor now was enough for him. For now.

“I don’t even remember mine,” Bloo laughed, licking her fingers. “Do you, Lucin?”

He’d come to introduce himself as well, and he glanced to Bloo, shrugging like he didn’t care. “Tanner. But it doesn’t matter. Can I try one of those?” He pointed to the cooked meat and looked for permission from his alpha. Calt nodded and Lorn happily handed him a charred slice. He chewed it while looking at the ceiling to decide his opinion. Shrugging again, he said simply, “It is not nearly as good.” Lorn threw a raw piece into the air and Lucin caught it easily in his mouth, moving so quickly that Ali gasped. “Now that’s incredible!” he said. Lorn grinned up at him as he bowed to Ali. “Lucin, at your service.”

Ali smiled and held out her hand. “You move much faster than humans when you want to, don’t you?”

The young wolf shook her hand and nodded. “Way faster!” he beamed. He winked at Lorn before heading back to Borhan’s side, bringing Calt’s attention to his wounded friend as he followed the young wolf’s exit. Borhan had not risen and Calt searched his face to see if that was because of his injured leg or from a lack of respect. The flicker that lit his eyes suggested it might be the latter, but when he met Calt’s gaze, the hint vanished.

“Introduce yourself,” called Calt across the room.

“My apologies, and for not getting up as well. I thought we had been introduced when you arrived, when Tawny and I had greeted you.”

Calt smirked. “Not exactly a greeting in my eyes, would you disagree?”

Borhan looked to the ground. “No. I suppose not.” He met Ali’s eyes and tipped his head a regal inch. “Borhan. A pleasure.”

“Ali. Pleasure to meet you as well.” Her heartbeat had picked up its pace and Calt and Shaynah shared a look, because the beat had sped up at the mention of Tawny, now planting the image of her emotional exit in the forefront of their minds, her behavior unacceptable to both. Shaynah stepped back to the wall where she transformed into her wolf, lying with her eyes half-mast. Calt sighed, knowing the problem was all his to solve and that she wanted him to know this.

“You are so hungry!” Lorn gushed, throwing a freshly cooked piece to Ali’s outstretched palm.

Ali caught it and tossed it from hand to hand until it cooled enough to pop into her mouth. “All I had today was a horrible breakfast at some diner. Oh, and a Balance bar and a box of coconut water I’d packed. But that was over ten hours ago at least. Maybe more. What time is it?”

Lorn’s eyebrows went up. “What is a Balance bar?”

“It’s not
this
,” Ali replied with an appreciative smile.

As they chatted easily, with Ali describing the foreign food to Lorn and anyone who was listening, Calt stared into the fire again, considering what to do with his fearless lover and the discipline that had to be dealt. She had to learn that she could not talk to him like that. He was pack master now, and she had to accept it and show him the respect his position deserved.

While he had bed all of the females–and they all the males–Tawny had always kept his cock its hardest, mainly because she was the one most like him. She was the strongest female, smart, and perhaps just as driven by her moods as he. She was a passionate lover and a loyal friend, but tonight she had disrespected his authority by speaking at him with shouts and warnings in front of watchful eyes. He needed her on his side, and what he’d told her was the truth. His preferential treatment had given her ego room to grow beyond the ability to control. If she could not control herself, she could not be trusted. If she could not be trusted, they were not safe. The pack needed unity; it was a must for their survival, let alone for the peace and quiet they so longed for.

Calt stood and walked toward the door. Dak and Calus raised their heads, expecting him, but he told them under his breath, “Later.”

They lowered their muzzles and closed their eyes.

T
urning
to watch his sudden exit, Ali blinked at the empty doorway. “Well, that was fast,” she said under her breath as she glanced to Shaynah. She had the impression that she was the mother-wolf; her maternal energy was strong and potent. But Ali found comfort there; the white-haired she-wolf seemed to be already dozing, her long snout rested on one soft paw. Ali watched the gorgeous beast sleep for a few seconds, marveling at how different werewolves were from what she’d been told. They looked like normal wolves other than their great size, and she guessed that size might be ‘explained’ in the normal world if enough of them had been seen over the years. She imagined farmers explaining them to neighbors with their arms spread wide like they did when telling of the fish that got away.

“He’s gone to talk to her,” Lorn whispered, bending over to pick up a piece of raw meat for herself.

“Oh,” Ali muttered under her breath. She shifted her gaze to the flames, letting the amber and yellow flicks of heat do their best to soothe her jealous heart. Fire has a way of calming the soul and time passed as she stared. When sparks flared out from a new log, Ali jumped and looked up, surprised to find Lorn had cleared up the meal and was replenishing the fire.

“I didn’t even know you’d left,” Ali whispered, more to herself than anything.

“I know. You were in another world.” Lorn sat on the rocks again, her legs slightly open, the pale pink of her folds visible beneath tufts of dark brown curly hair. All of the wolves were unshaved and it was incredibly sexy in a primal way–hard to avert one’s eyes from, but Ali managed to as quickly as she realized she was staring. Her own body was shaved, an annoying thing to maintain. She hated doing it. Here was one more thing she could envy about them, and one thing she’d get to join them in over time. She couldn’t wait.

“Yeah, I guess I was.” Ali glanced around the room because the air felt different. Two more wolves missing–Borhan and Lucin. Shaynah still slept, and Calus did, too. But when Ali spied Dak awake and staring at something across the room, she felt a tingle take hold of her. His yellow eyes were intense and she followed them to see Bloo stretching with satisfaction on her pretty face, her dark nipples perked up on risen breasts as her arms reached high. The muscles on her thighs pulled and her toes reached out.

“That was a nice meal, Lorn. Thank you,” she groaned on a stretch. When she opened her eyes, Bloo caught the lustful gaze admiring her. She paused for a moment and stretched her arms to one side as she offered him a smile, her long eyelashes like butterfly wings, gracefully fluttering. Ali’s mouth slackened as the she-wolf dropped her arms and crooked a come-hither finger to him.

The immediate sounds of bones cracking echoed through the cavern as the wolf became a man. He was something else, with his red hair, pale skin, and body of a warrior. He wasn’t as tall and majestic as Calt was, but he was
male
through and through, and Ali’s body responded instantly to his nudity. Since he was not looking at her, she felt safe to check him out without feeling like she was being unfaithful to her alpha. Who would know? She took her time tracing the lines of his body with an appreciative stare. She admired the way his muscles moved as he walked with purpose. The way his cock bounced, the engorged tip pointing at the she-wolf who called to him. As his tight ass came into view, she was mesmerized…but then she blinked rapidly as she realized these two were going to have sex right here, out in the open. Thrilled, she glanced to Lorn for confirmation.

The young beige-eyed wolf motioned with a jerk of her chin to watch, waving Ali up, and touching Ali’s hand as she rose to sit beside her on the rocks, the flames so close they would singe her if she bent closer. She moved the pelt to stay safe and Lorn said, “Watch. They want you to.”

If that was true, she never got verbal confirmation. Dak circled Bloo; neither giving sign that they cared that they weren’t alone. The pretty gray-eyed female stood still in the circle he paced around her, her nipples excited, waiting crests. Ali held her breath as Bloo swiped his chest with clawed nails. Dak recoiled his torso in time to escape, and shook his head at the she-wolf. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” The curve of his lips was teasing, but the smoldering look in his eyes as he carefully stalked his prey made Ali’s sex clench and throb with need.

Bloo reached out to scratch him again. Then once more, and on that third try, tear-sized drops of blood appeared in four short lines on the Viking’s chest. A low guttural growl gave her warning and he grabbed the offending hand so quickly Ali didn’t even see it until his fingers were already wrapped around Bloo’s wrist and had raised it above her head. She struggled against him, her eyes alight with lust as she reached up to scratch his face with her free hand. But he foresaw the move and quickly snatched that wrist, too, before she cut him. He pinned her arms in the air with one great hand, and raised her up on her toes, their faces inches from each other. Bloo’s soft breasts crushed against the chiseled rock of Dak’s pecs, both heaving and smashing tightly together with each short pant of their excited breaths. He groped down her side, his thumb and fingers inspecting the goods. They hovered over her mound. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for something. She craned her hips forward until her sex touched his fingers. He smirked and slipped inside the folds, spreading her and watching as she squirmed, panting.

Ali glanced to Lorn, surprised to find that she was watching Ali with interest. Ali stared at the young she-wolf and struggled for what to say or do. Were they testing her, these creatures? Is that why Lorn stared? Is that why this public display? She didn’t want to ask and look foolish, and deep down, she didn’t want to speak at all, lest the lovers stop.

A moan from them grabbed her attention back and her breath hitched as she saw Bloo’s eyes closed now. Dak worked her with thick, rough-skinned fingers, probing her body, the sexy sound giving away how wet he made her. Ali felt herself throbbing hard, and when Dak let go of Bloo’s wrists and picked her up by her waist to launch her onto his enormous erection, Ali held back a gasp, afraid they’d hear her and stop. The she-wolf slid her arms around the warrior’s neck and threw her head back, riding him with her legs locked around his waist. He suckled her breasts as he fucked her; the thrusting of his strong hips and their rhythm drove Ali’s ache to painful proportions. She felt as though she might burst watching them and her breath had shortened without her knowing it, her eyes blurred with hunger. Dak pulled out and flipped Bloo around, pushing her toward the wall where her hands slapped the stone with a thud, her fingers splaying out as Ali’s had on the boulder. It increased Ali’s arousal to see it because she knew exactly what it felt like, and could now almost feel it again, like it was happening to her. With her shiny black hair draped down her back and over her shoulder, Bloo locked eyes with Ali just as Dak grabbed her hips and brought her ass in the air. She moaned as he penetrated her from behind.

Watching them pant and fuck like the animals they were, made Ali lose herself. She needed friction to ease the ache. She rubbed herself against the stones, the pelt soft and very warm between her naked skin and the flame-heated rocks. Her breath hitched as a burning sensation ignited from deep inside her. Dak’s beautiful ass clenching each and every thrust, the muscles on his thighs and calves undulating, drove her to moan as she watched. When she felt gentle fingers sliding up her thigh, she didn’t stop them. As they dipped under her pelt and slid up her inner thigh, she didn’t say no. Her legs instead opened, and the fingers slipped in to stroke her ever so slowly, like she might not notice or stop them, this way. Dak groaned and Ali couldn’t help but crane her own hips up to beg the fingers to stroke her harder and faster. She closed her eyes as the wolves climaxed together, her own climax joining them as she burst and rocked against the hand, moaning.

The room got quiet and she opened her eyes, shocked to see that Shaynah was awake and staring at her. Dak and Bloo were, too, but their expression was different. And Ali jumped up and averted her eyes from Lorn, not able to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry! I don’t know what just happened. I’m so sorry!” She tightened the pelt around her and, tripping over Calus’s paw, muttered, “Excuse me,” as he awoke with a sinister growl. She dashed out and ran toward Calt’s den.