The Alpha's Curse (Wolf Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (4 page)

T
he weeks passed
and Avery worked and missed her lover. She couldn’t stand waiting to see him again. Three months after the first time they’d first met, Avery swayed in front of a campfire, looking into the dark sky. Clouds unfurled around the moon, casting the world in a dusky gray glow.

Avery wrapped herself in a long sweater. The warmth of the fire radiated over her bare legs. She sipped a cup of hot cocoa and watched the fire spark, melancholy for her lover. A twig snapped in the distance and Avery looked up. Out of the dim grayness walked Lucien, dressed in black.

He came to her and cupped her face in his hands. His eyes caught the firelight when he leaned in to kiss her. Avery tilted her head back, ready to surrender to his touch. She’d missed him so much. The well of love overflowed and tears flooded down her face.

“My dearest, don’t cry,” he soothed.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said, nearly sobbing.

He kissed away her tears, one after the other, holding her face in his hands. He kissed her forehead. Avery grasped his wrists. She’d been feeling more and more aroused lately, despite her loneliness. With Lucien here, smelling of cedar and the wilderness, she couldn’t ignore the tight need inside her any longer.

“Come,” she said, taking his hand.

She led him past the flickering fire and up the front porch steps of her house.

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he said as they stepped into her living room.

“Oh?”

“You’ve improved it considerably,” he said.

She turned back to him, confused. How did he know about her house?

“Have you been here before?” she asked.

“That story is for another time. Lead on, my sweet little mate. Show me what you had in mind.”

A sly smile curved on her lips, and she pulled him onward to the bedroom. It was lit by a single lamp beside the bed and smoldering embers in the fireplace.

The hard planes of Lucien’s chest looked tantalizing under the unbuttoned collar of his black shirt. She reached up to place her hand on his bare skin, feeling the warmth under her touch.

All at once, the hunger overtook her, and she was pulling his shirt off. He helped her and threw it on the floor. She grabbed his waistband and he growled, pushing the sweater down over her shoulders. It fell to the floor around her feet. Lucien took her in his arms, lifting her off the ground to deposit her gently on the bed.

He unbuttoned his pants over her as she lay on the bed. His eyes locked on her as he pulled his pants and underwear down. His stiff cock stood proud and ready, making her hunger grow wild and demanding.

She climbed to her knees and threw the tank top over her head. Grabbing his waist, she pushed him down on the bed, his head on the pillow. She stood up and dropped her shorts and panties, stepping out of them and flinging them across the floor.

“I like this side of you,” he said, looking up at her. He lay across the bed, his muscles bulging and his cock stiff as a rod. She crawled over him and licked up the length of his shaft.

“Avery,” he growled, looking into her eyes.

He kept his gaze locked on her as she popped the head of his cock into her mouth. She closed her eyes, taking him deeper. He tasted clean and smelled of his deep forest musk. Her arousal mounted, whetting her appetite for so much more.

Lucien took her in his arms and turned her over on her back.

“I have to taste you,” he growled before leaning down to lick her.

He enveloped her sex with his mouth, tasting her with greedy noises. His tongue focused on her tightly swollen bud, teasing it towards release.

She threw her head back and let out a deep, full-body moan. Avery called out his name. Her body released with a massive gush of pent-up desire. She moaned so loudly, she wondered if her neighbors down the road could hear her. But she didn’t care. Lucien was here, and that’s all that mattered.

Lucien moved her on top of him as they kissed deeply. She was beside herself and out of her mind for him. Their kiss, their lovemaking, their bodies writhing together, was all that mattered.

She pressed her slick opening to his hood and pushed herself down over him. His grip on her waist helped her down, further and further. Each ridge of his shaft rubbing her inner pleasure.

Her skin erupted in goosebumps as she searched for a grip on the headboard to keep herself steady. Avery’s mouth dropped open as Lucien pushed her the rest of the way down over him.

He filled her so sweetly, so completely, it was as if they had been made for each other. Her whole body went into overdrive. Her sharp, tight nipples thrust up to the ceiling, and she looked down at him with a growl.

“What makes this so right?” she asked, breathless, pushing her palms to his chest.

His eyes searched her face as if lost for words.

“You are my mate,” he said in a low whisper, running his hands up her thighs.

He moved her back and forth on his lap once before moving his hands up to her swollen breasts. His thumb ran over her tender nipples, causing a surge of electric desire to shoot through her body.

She leaned down to him, her hair falling over to one side, blocking out the lamplight. She stared at him in the shadow. Their eyes locked.

“I love you more than words,” she said.

“And I love you. You are my salvation. The promise of a new life. You are my everything, Avery Miller.”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her, sweet and full of need. He held her hips in his hands and rocked up under her, moving her in a waving rhythm as he thrust deep and hard.

He held her close to his chest, one hand at the base of her skull and the other at the base of her spine, moving her body over him, taking her on the ride of her life. She tilted her face and caught his lips, moaning into his mouth as she came again.

Her core pulsed around him. Avery pushed back, sitting up on top of him, her hands placed on his chest for support.

Their eyes met, and the connection between them radiated back and forth with a sparking energy that radiated throughout the room. She rode his wave of need, taking him as deep and hard as he wanted.

He sat up, burying his head in her breasts. Avery wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. Her soft, rounding belly pressed between them.

He held her tight to him, groaning as his cock grew thick and stiff inside her. He licked up her neck, over her earlobe, and claimed her mouth.

With a growl, he released deep in her womb, his hot seed pulsing inside her. Avery throbbed around his release with one of her own, wanting it to never end.

They sat there, holding each other in the dim light, kissing softly and gently before any words were spoken. When she crawled off his lap and curled up beside him, he threw the blankets over their naked bodies and covered them both in warmth.

As she lay her head on his chest, she ran her palm over his heart.

“Please don’t leave me again, Lucien. I can’t bear it.”

“I have never left you, Avery. You must believe me. I will always be here for you.”

“I need you beside me. In my home. In my bed. I need your body here with me. Not just your heart and soul.”

“Sleep now, dearest. All will be well. All will be revealed.”

She held him close, committing everything about him to memory. His smell, the curve of his waist, the ridges of his abs, and the feeling of his chest under her cheek.

He turned off the lamp, and Avery rested in his arms. The part of her that thought this was all crazy screamed out for answers. She wanted explanations. She wanted to demand he stay.

The quiet, faithful part of her that believed in magic and fairy tales sighed. Knowing that fate would play out as it saw fit. She knew in her soul that Lucien adored her as much as she did him. There was no denying that. She could feel it as plain as day. There was no question in her mind that his words were true or that he would be faithful to her.

She drifted off to sleep, both comforted and anxious about what tomorrow would bring. There was no way around the split in her emotions. Not until this all made rational sense and Lucien came to stay, forever. Until then, she had to accept that she would feel unsettled and not quite right.

She didn’t notice when he slipped away in the night, but when she opened her eyes, she knew he was gone. Avery didn’t even have to get up and look around the house to know he wasn’t there.

The whole place felt somehow empty, as if even the house missed him. Her heart hurt as she lifted herself out of bed. How many months would she have to live without him?

She placed her hand on her rounding belly, feeling the quickening of her child within. It was a strong one, just as the doctor had said.

Her baby moved and twisted almost constantly, as if telling her he was there, that he belonged to his mysterious father. Lucien belonged to the night. He belonged to the forest. But mostly, he belonged to her. No matter how long he stayed away, no matter what happened, the connection they shared was unbreakable. They were part of each other: mated, fated, two halves of a whole soul.

As she went about her daily chores, her mind replayed the previous night’s events over and over, keeping her aroused and anxious all day.

How she missed him already. Even with the deep, abiding knowledge of their love, she couldn’t help but feel depleted by his absence.

A
s evening approached
, the day after Lucien’s visit, Avery went to check on the barn. It had been a massive project at the back of her mind that she didn’t want to deal with. Since she was feeling distraught already, she was more willing to open up the depressing can of worms that was the barn.

She pulled open the creaky barn door and peered inside with her flashlight. The rays of late afternoon sunlight streamed through the openings between the wooden plank walls.

Running her flashlight over the ground, walls and then up to the ceiling, she noticed something that almost made her drop it in the moldy, old straw that littered the floor.

The roof beams that had been a rotting hazard had been replaced by pressure treated lumber, creating a whole new support structure for the roof.

What the hell? Backing away, she closed the door behind her and strode back to the house, past the chicken coop. Her little birds were doing well and would be laying in a few more months. They clucked at her as she hurried by.

How had the barn roof beams been replaced? Her mind had been fuzzy since the first time she’d met Lucien under the full moon. Things hadn’t quite made sense since. It was only because Avery trusted the unseen forces of the universe that she didn’t think she was stark raving mad.

But this? Her barn repaired without any explanation? It just wouldn’t incorporate into her mind, no matter how fuzzy. She hadn’t heard a single peep overnight. She didn’t have beams stocked for the repairs or any of the other heavy equipment it would require.

She shook it off as she put her tea kettle on the stove. If she let this get to her, she surely would lose it. There was far too much at stake to freak out now.

There was a farm to run and the baby would come in six months’ time, no matter if the father came back to her or not. She couldn’t let the strangeness of her world rule her. There were other forces at work. Forces like mortgages and snobby older brothers.

After pouring herself a cup of tea, she took the warm mug into the spare bedroom and looked around. Maybe it was time to start getting her nursery ready. It might take her mind off all the other craziness happening in her world.

Making a note to herself to go nursery shopping the next time she was in Portland, Avery took her tea to the living room and watched TV on her new satellite television. Ever since the satellite company had installed her TV and Internet service, she’d felt a little more connected to the real world.

She’d even started making a website for the farm. Eventually, she planned to sell value added items to customers through the site. Stuff like herbal remedies and healing salves. It would be a good supplement to her income from the farmer’s market.

She sat down beside her computer in the spare room and clicked on the Internet. There were a few emails in her inbox so she opened it up and read through the senders list.

There were a few from the small health food stores she’d started selling through. She read them quickly, making note of their orders for the coming week.

Her first zucchinis would be ready to harvest soon and there were plenty of buyers for her goods. When she finished with the business emails, she noticed one from her mentor, Valerie.

She opened it quickly and read through the text.

Hi Avery,

I haven’t heard from you in a few months. How are you doing out on your land? Have you been to the market yet? I’m sure you are working as hard as ever, but how are you with your stress management? Have you had any more strange dreams?

My friend Margaret is a healer who specializes in the kinds of troubles you’re having. She told me she’d stop by your place tomorrow on her way to Portland.

Valerie added her friend’s phone number and name so Avery could get a hold of the healer if she wanted to cancel or arrange a time.

She didn’t want to reject Valerie’s kindness, but the way things were going, Avery really didn’t know if she wanted to talk to anyone about it. Even a “healer” might think she was insane if she told her the truth. There was only so far that most people’s minds were willing to go before they thought something was just bonkers.

Still, Avery knew she could use someone to talk to. Maybe it would be easier to talk to this woman. She’d known Valerie a long time. She looked up to her. She almost idolized her. That made it all the more difficult for Avery to open up to Valerie about this kind of thing.

Maybe Margaret would be exactly the ear she needed to share her troubles with. She hoped so. So, using the Wi-Fi to connect her cell phone, she sent a text to the number Valerie had left for Margaret.

I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow whenever you can make it.

A few moments later, a message pinged back on her phone.

Looking forward to meeting you too. Valerie has told me a lot about your situation. I hope I can help.

One thing Valerie didn’t know was that Avery was pregnant and the father was a phantom, a phantom who she could swear was also a wolf.

Avery had only seen the wolf a handful of times since Lucien was shot. Each time he would come to the edge of her land and watch her from afar, then disappear into the underbrush without a sound.

Avery knew that Lucien was the wolf, but she could never tell anyone else about that. Not Valerie, not Margaret, and certainly not her family. But she’d let Margaret do whatever healing techniques she knew and then be on her merry way. It couldn’t hurt anything.

The next morning, Avery waited for Margaret to arrive while harvesting her crop for the farmer’s market. As the sun reached its zenith, Avery heard a car rumble to a stop in her gravel driveway. She hurried around the house to see a short, plump, Hispanic looking woman emerge from a beat up old Honda.

Margaret flashed with colorful fabrics and the light that reflected off the dangling silver jewelry she wore. The woman strode forward and swept Avery into a big hug before Avery knew what was happening. Margaret seemed ageless. From what Avery could tell from her embrace, she was surely quite strong.

When Margaret let her go, her eyes glinted in the noonday sun. She squinted at Avery and smiled.

“I can see why Valerie sent me to see you,” she said.

“Why?”

“These are things to discuss over tea and cookies. I brought the cookies.”

Avery led Margaret into the house and made a pot of tea before sitting down with the older woman at the kitchen table. A plate of freshly baked lemon shortbread sat between them. Margaret took a sip of tea from her mug and squinted at Avery again.

“I haven’t seen this kind of thing in a long time,” Margaret said.

“What?”

“You’ve got shadows around you but they aren’t dark.”

“What does that mean?”

“The baby is due in the fall. But will
he
be here then?” Margaret said.

Avery hadn’t told anyone about the baby except her doctor. She stiffened, staring at Margaret’s cryptic expression. What else could this woman see?

“When will he come?” Avery whispered.

“The shadows are dark around him. Deep darkness. It keeps him hidden from view. Only the moonlight can chase away the shadows.”

“That’s when he comes. During the full moon.”

She might as well spill the beans now. Margaret was further out there than Avery even was. Margaret could see it all. Maybe she could make sense of it.

“The wolf howls in the woods at night, but the shadows keep him.”

“What shadows?”

Margaret gripped Avery’s hand and her eyes went blank as she stared into space. Her fingers curled around Avery’s wrist, biting and cutting off the circulation.

“Anger. Tradition. Dominion. Force. A curse is upon the house.”

“You’re hurting me.”

Margaret let go of Avery’s arm and her face slowly turned back to normal.

“This is good tea,” Margaret said, taking another sip.

“What about the curse?”

“Curse? I was channeling; I can’t remember.”

Avery frowned. “You said there was a curse upon the house. Do you know when he will come back?”

“The wolf or the man?” Margaret said, picking up another shortbread.

“The man. I need him. I love him.”

“And so you should. For fate has woven this web. But a web can trap the unsuspecting. It can snare the saints and sinners alike.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It isn’t for me to say. But, I can tell you this. Your child will be healthy, no matter how it comes into the world. Now, I’ve got to get going. I’m expected in Portland in less than three hours.”

“Wait. Can’t you help me?”

“No one can help you, dear. You must help yourself.”

Margaret stood from the chair and started to the door before she turned back to Avery.

“You can keep the cookies though.”

Avery leaned back in her chair and watched the woman disappear out the front door. She didn’t even bother getting up to see her out. Manners weren’t important at times like these. She just sat there, her arms crossed, her face in a confused scowl.

Why the hell had Margaret come here? There was a rumble in the driveway and Avery got up in time to watch the Honda pull away. She sighed and turned back into the living room, suddenly feeling cold in the drafty old house.

She pulled a sweater around her shoulders and made her way out to the garden to finish packing up her vegetables.

Margaret had created more questions than she’d answered. But at least she’d said the baby would be okay. Avery had a sonogram appointment in a few days and would finally learn the sex of her baby.

That thought was what she had to hold onto now, now that nothing made sense, no matter where she turned.