The Alliance wouldn’t be a bad thing after all.
While I mused on this, voices rose downstairs. They didn’t sound happy. I patted Holly on the knee. “Get in the safe room with Trina and don’t come out until I tell you it’s okay.”
She nodded and raced into the room. I flew down the stairs, heading toward the commotion. It seemed to be coming from the front of the house, so I headed there.
And stopped in surprise.
Connor Anderson and his sister Gracie stood in front of Roscoe, refusing to let him enter the house. Nearby, a few were-cougars were giving him ugly looks. All were arguing.
The baby was nowhere to be seen.
I stormed forward, pushing my way through the crowd. “Where’s Eddie, you son of a bitch?”
He sidestepped me when my hands reached for his shirt, moving behind Connor. “I came to help you look, you dumbass.”
That made me stop short. I looked over at Connor, the Anderson alpha.
He shrugged. “That’s what he told me.”
I narrowed my eyes at Roscoe. It didn’t make sense. “You…didn’t steal the baby?”
He gave me a disgusted look. “Why would I hurt a kid? That ain’t what an alpha does.”
None of this made any sense to me. “I thought…I thought you took him to force an exchange.”
“Fucking hell, woman. I want a pack, not jail time.”
My hands lowered. I seemed to be having trouble grasping that my most hated enemy - the man that had harassed me since Cash had died - had shown up to assist in the manhunt. “Why….why would you come help out?”
“Cause he’s a kid and he’s a wolf? That’s what we do.”
Why was I now feeling like the asshole in this? “I don’t think I want you here. Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about what you did to me.”
Connor eyed my bruised face, his arms crossing over his chest. He looked over at Roscoe. “That you?”
For once, Roscoe’s hard face looked a bit ashamed. “I was pissed off. Got carried away. I almost had the pack in my hand and she had to go and get herself another alpha.”
“I’ll show you carried away,” Gracie said, and smacked a fist into her open palm threateningly. “Beating up on girls? You wanna try beating up on me? I’ll kick your ass into next week—“
“Gracie,” Connor said, holding up a warning hand to his sister. “If you’re just looking for a pack, you’re welcome in mine.”
“He is?” both Gracie and I echoed.
“He is,” Connor said grimly. “I’m used to putting assholes in their place. He’d just be one more in need of a lesson. But you’d have to show throat.”
Roscoe’s face hardened into a sneer. “I’m an alpha, boy.”
“So am I.” Connor didn’t back down. “But if you want to be part of my pack, you need to show throat and accept that not everyone gets to be alpha.”
“And if I don’t like it?”
“Then you can get out of our territory.”
“I ain’t in your territory right now,” Roscoe said.
“You need to get out of mine, too,” I told him. “And you’re not invited to this pack. At all.”
He glared at us, but Connor didn’t budge and neither did I. At my side, Gracie continued to smack her fist into her palm, clearly itching for a fight.
After a moment, Roscoe dropped his eyes. “I’ll head out once the kid’s found. I still want to help. Ain’t right that the kid’s lost and we’re busy having a pissing war.”
“Agreed,” Connor said, glancing over at me for my verdict.
“Fine with me,” I said. “But I don’t ever want to see you here again. Or next time, I won’t tell Jackson to back off.”
He said nothing, simply stalked away.
I exhaled a breath - one I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My hands trembled, so I put them on my hips and tried to seem all casual. Roscoe was leaving. He didn’t have the baby and I still didn’t know where poor Eddie was, but Roscoe would be gone and out of my hair soon. Thank god. I looked over at Connor. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said easily. “Just took a few alphas giving him hell to make him realize his place. He’s not as alpha as he thinks he is.”
“Maybe not,” I began, then cocked my head. I could have sworn I’d heard my name outside, in the distance.
The house grew silent.
“Alice!”
There it was again, but this time coming from the back of the house. I headed to the kitchen and passed by Bathsheba, who was still making calls, her cellphone at her ear. The back screen door slammed behind me, and I strode through the tall grass, listening for my name again.
“Alice,” the voice called again, and I began to run toward it, toward the edge of the property. That was Jackson’s voice.
I ran toward him, and began to laugh with delight, giddy relief surging through me.
Jackson strode through the edge of the woods, heading back to the house. Two were-cougars walked beside him, and his arms were full of wiggling, squirming, muddy wolf puppy. He held up the puppy with a relieved grin of his own, a smear of mud on his face.
I launched myself at him, pushing past the others. “Is that—“
“It is,” he said, and held the puppy out to me.
I pulled the cub into my arms and inhaled. Sure enough, the puppy smell of wolf was mixed with Eddie’s familiar baby scent. My little guy had figured out how to turn wolf before he’d even figured out how to walk. Figured. I laughed, and my laughter turned into sobs as I pressed frantic, relieved kisses onto his ruff.
Baby Eddie was home. The pack was whole and safe. I continued to kiss my squirming bundle, ignoring the puppy tongue that tried to lick my face and the happy, relieved conversations of the other shifters around me. Someone pulled out a walkie-talkie and began to murmur into it, but I was oblivious. I just needed to get Eddie inside and to the others so they could see he was okay.
I cast a grateful look at Jackson over my shoulder. He was the best, but then, he knew that.
Chapter Eleven
It took a few hours for the others to come in and head out. Someone had brought a couple of cases of beer and people relaxed and celebrated while Dan, Holly, Trina and I fussed over the baby. We gave him a bath and put him to bed, and Holly opted to sleep in his room. She pulled her bunk across the door to ensure that he couldn’t shift again and get back out. We’d clearly have to watch him closer, but judging from the chastised look on Trina’s face, it wouldn’t happen again.
Spence and Len had returned home from the concert, embarrassed to find the house crawling with shifters and caught red-handed. They were horrified to hear the news about baby Eddie, and as punishment, Jackson was taking them under his wing and apprenticing them for his plumbing company. I didn’t think that was much of a punishment and said so.
“You haven’t had to deal with sewage much, have you?” he said with a grin.
Judging from the smirk on Dan’s face, it wasn’t going to be a good punishment. I let it stand. Spence and Len needed jobs anyhow. This would give them something to learn, at least.
True to his word, Roscoe had taken one look at me and Jackson, hugging baby Eddie. He’d turned around and left in his car. I hoped we never saw him again, but it didn’t matter. Virginity didn’t matter, either. Jackson and I were a cohesive team, and it was obvious to everyone present. He was part of our pack - alpha, leader, and father to the others, and mate to me. Roscoe would never be able to worm his way in. Not now.
Bathsheba and Beau had pulled us aside and ensured that everything was fine before they left. I thanked them for their help, but Beau simply shook his head. “This is exactly what the Alliance is for,” he told me. “Banding together to help each other out. No thanks are necessary.”
“We’re still grateful,” I told him. I glanced over at Jackson, who’d stayed at my side ever since returning. “And we’d like to talk about having the Savage pack join, after all. I’m starting to see the benefits.”
Beau looked pleased. “We’re having an alphas meeting of the various groups on Wednesday night. I’d love for you both to come.”
“We’ll be there,” Jackson said, his arm going around my waist.
They left, and the house was silent. The others were in bed, and it was late at night. Jackson locked the door and I moved through the house, checking everything before we met at the stairs and headed up to my room for the night.
As soon as we shut the door, I was on Jackson. My mouth went to his, and I began to tear at his shirt, overcome by a wealth of emotions. Pride in how he’d handled things tonight. Relief. Pleasure.
And overwhelming lust. Seeing him take control? A turn on. Seeing him return with baby Eddie in his arms, safe and secure? Turn on. Every time he put his arm around my waist or absently touched me, letting the others know I was his mate? Turn on.
And right now? I was incredibly, undoubtedly turned on. My tongue slicked against his, my movements more fierce than practiced. My nails dug into his shirt and I tore at the fabric, wanting it off of him.
He kissed me back, then pulled away, clearly surprised at my passion. “You okay, Alice?”
“I am so incredibly attracted to you right now,” I told him breathlessly.
“You are?” He looked surprised, though his hands went to my waist and he pulled me closer. “You’re not exhausted by tonight?”
Oh, I was. But more than that, I was aroused. Seeing Jackson be a leader? Leaning on Jackson while he handled things? It had done crazy stuff to my libido. “I’m ready to move forward with the mating. All of it. Everything.”
He pulled back, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. “This…isn’t some sort of gratitude thing, is it? I want it to be your choice, Alice, not something you do because you think you have to—“
I kissed him again to shut him up, brushing my breasts against his chest. My tongue slid against his parted lips, and I whimpered at how delicious he tasted. “Can’t I just be aroused by you being all alpha?”
“You can,” he agreed, and his hands slid to my ass. “I just want to make sure you don’t feel coerced.”
“I’m not. Roscoe’s gone. The baby’s safe. The pack is good. And I…I want my alpha. Now shut up and kiss me.”
He chuckled, his lips moving closer to mine. “Ah, the sweet charms of the female alpha. So demanding.”
“Shut up,” I told him breathlessly. “You like it.”
“Hell yeah, I do,” he admitted. “But I might be equally demanding. Especially in bed.”
A shiver ran up my spine at the thought, and I gave another hard tug at his shirt. The material split down the front, his collar gaping. “I can give as good as I get,” I told him. The scared virgin that I’d been? Gone. All fear had somehow gone out the window, leaving me only ravenous with need and excited to experience everything that mating an alpha would bring me.
He wanted to take charge in bed? He’d have to fight me for it.
And I was so, so looking forward to that.
“You just ripped my favorite shirt,” Jackson said in a low voice. “Bad girl.” His hands fisted on my tee. “You wouldn’t like it if I did it to you, would you?”
I gave him an arch smile, though my skin was prickling with excitement and awareness. “Go ahead and try it.”
He did, his big hands ripping the front of my shirt away and exposing my bra. And oh god, that was such a turn on to see him ripping my clothing away from my body. My nipples were hard through the soft fabric of my bra, and my breathing was coming in short, excited pants.
“Learned your lesson?” There was a low growl in his voice that was oh-so-suggestive.
I snorted. “I learned that you tear clothes like a sissy,” I taunted. “Asking permission and then barely backing up your threats.”
“That so?” His big hand went to the front of my bra, and before I could say anything else, he tugged and snapped the material. My breasts flew free.
I gasped, startled at that move. I hadn’t been expecting that. My nipples ached, though, and when his hungry gaze turned there, I instantly got aroused. Oh boy.
But I couldn’t let him get the upper hand in the clothing-tearing war. I dragged my nails at his shirt, ripping away more of the material until his chest was fully bared. Then I stopped and admired, licking my lips. God, he was pretty to look at. Those hard pectorals, that sprinkling of chest hair. All of it was incredibly appealing. He stilled, letting me admire him unmolested, and I couldn’t help but rake my nails over one rock-hard slab of muscle. Just doing that made me shiver with want. “Is it weird that I like just looking at this?”
“Not at all,” he said in a husky voice. He reached out and cupped one of my loose breasts. “I know just how you feel.”
I whimpered at the sensation of his big hand on my breast. It was the first time I’d ever been touched there. It was ticklish and arousing and squirm-inducing all at once. And when his thumb lightly brushed over my nipple? I couldn’t suppress the gasp that escaped my throat - or the way my nipple hardened in response.
“So lovely, Alice. I want to put my mouth all over you,” Jackson whispered, moving in closer to me.
“So do it,” I goaded him.
“If you insist,” he said, and grabbed me by the ass, picking me up.
My arms automatically went around his neck, clinging to him as he lifted me and headed to the bed on the far side of the room. The movement pressed my bare breasts to his chest, and the warmth of his skin - combined with the tickle of his chest hair was just as arousing as his touch.
By the time he gently laid me down on the bed, I was squirming with need. My legs went around his jeans-clad hips, trapping him against me before he could move away. Jackson chuckled, and pressed his weight down against me, his hips resting between the cradle of my thighs, and I could feel the hard length of him there. My breath sucked in when he gave a suggestive thrust.
His mouth moved to my neck, and I moaned aloud when he bit and licked at my bare skin.
“Shhh,” he warned me. “You don’t want the others to hear us.”
Shit. Werewolf hearing was far too keen. I stretched an arm over the bed, fumbling for the clock radio there, and started smacking buttons until music began to play. Latin music wailed out through the small speakers, full of trumpets and Spanish words.
Jackson laughed against my throat. “Way to be obvious.”
I didn’t care if it was obvious. I just didn’t want him to stop. My hands went to his hair and I pushed his head lower, angling him toward my breasts. I wanted him to touch them again. “Too much talking, not enough licking,” I told him in a whisper.
“A man needs to keep his alpha female happy, doesn’t he?” Jackson murmured, and he obligingly moved his mouth to my breasts. He licked the tip of one.
I moaned again, unable to help myself. That felt incredible. Every time his lips touched my nipple, I felt it all the way down to my toes. I arched my back, pressing my breasts forward for his mouth, and he nuzzled one nipple, then moved to the other to give it equal attention. His lips moved over them, grazing, then suckling at each tip, and just when I’d whimper my appreciation, he’d change it up, nipping at my flesh or switching breasts. Soon enough, I was writhing on the bed under him, desperate with need.
“Jackson,” I breathed, my fingers digging into his shoulders. “Your mouth is driving me crazy.” I wanted him to stop. I wanted him to keep going forever.
“Baby,” he murmured, and leaned in to press a kiss to my breastbone. “You haven’t seen anything yet. You want me to drive you even wilder?”
Oh god, did I? Hell yes, I did. I nodded. “Show me what you’ve got.”
He chuckled and his hands went to the zipper of my jeans. “Then let’s get these off.”
That sounded like an incredible idea to me. As he undid my jeans, I began to wriggle, maneuvering them down my legs until I was in nothing but my panties, and he pulled the heavy denim off my legs. Then, he reached for my panties and tugged them off, leaving me naked and panting on the bed, staring up at him. He was still in his jeans. It didn’t seem fair, and I opened my mouth to protest.
But then he dropped to the floor beside the bed and pulled me toward him, and I went silent, my eyes going wide.
“Your smell is driving me wild, Alice,” Jackson murmured, his voice barely audible over the mariachi music. “Been driving me wild for days. Love the scent of you in my nostrils.”
He’d been smelling my constant arousal for days? I’d known it, and yet I squirmed at the thought. His big hands went to my thighs, spreading them, and I heard him inhale sharply again. He gave a sigh of pleasure, and then pulled me closer to the edge of the bed. “You just tell me if any of this makes you uncomfortable, Alice,” he murmured, and his fingers grazed the inside of my thigh.
I quivered at that touch, propping up on my elbows to watch him. Like I’d be able to complain about anything? Like I’d want to? I was practically trembling with anticipation of his mouth on my sex.
Luckily, I didn’t have to anticipate long. He made another sound of pleasure, and then I felt his fingers skim my sex, moving over the curls and parting the petals underneath. His fingers stroked over my flesh. “So nice and wet already.”
I collapsed back on the bed, my eyes closing as I lost myself to the sensation. Oh, god. If I’d thought his mouth on my breasts was heavenly, his hands on my sex were pure bliss. I parted my thighs wider for him, encouraging more, and my hands went to his hair again, the urge to push him to where I needed him the most rising inside me.
He chuckled at my response. “You want to lead for a bit, Alice?”
“Just touch me,” I bit out, my breathing raspy and shallow with anticipation.
“You want fingers or tongue?”
Oh god, I had to choose just one? I trembled at that.
“Maybe I’ll decide,” he murmured huskily. A moment later, I felt his tongue brush over the slick folds of my sex.
The shuddering moan that crept from my throat was not sexy. It was strangled with a mixture of surprise and desire, but Jackson seemed to like the sound of it. He made a noise of pleasure - like I’d make when tasting a favorite dish - and licked me long and hard.
And I made another one of those garbled moans.
“Mmm, sweet Alice,” Jackson said against my flesh. “Knew you’d taste incredible. Love that you’re all mine.” He licked me again, long and hard, and my thighs quaked in response, lifting to follow his tongue. “My sweet, sweet alpha mate.”