The Alpha's Quest Collection (6 page)

Hawk glanced to his right as Ciara continued to follow him as quickly as she could. He was maintaining a breakneck pace and he could tell the shorter girl was growing tired as she tried to keep up, but he had to keep going to make it to Beorn's by nightfall.

She is a remarkable girl,
he thought, admiring her out of the corner of his eye.

So far she'd taken everything in stride, not freaking out or losing it at all. He'd seen humans who discovered the truth about Bucklin lose their minds in the past. Usually there was disbelief, hysterical crying, violence and any other manner of making a scene one could think of. But this Ciara, she was taking it all with a smile on her face.

Another dark thought entered his mind. Maybe she was actually insane? It would explain why she didn't care; her five personalities were probably arguing over whether this was real or not. Maybe one of the personalities thought it was a werewolf and had found a home.

Now who sounds crazy?
he thought to himself.
You're just making up stories about this girl in your head. Stop it.

He glanced over at her one more time and smiled widely.

"What?" she asked cheerfully.

"Nothing," he said. "You're just an interesting person."

"Is that good or bad?"

"It's good. Don't worry."

"Well, I'm glad I could grab your interest, Mr. Hawk. Maybe it'll keep me alive?"

"I wasn't going to kill you anyway," Hawk said, looking into the distance as he chose his next words carefully. "That's a part of our history and a way of doing things that I don't, ah, necessarily agree with."

"Oh?" she asked, getting a bit closer to him. He sucked in a deep breath as he got a deep whiff of her. She smelled wonderful. The natural odor from her sweat mixed with the Japanese Cherry Blossom body spray she had been wearing plus the scent of her previous arousal was enough to bring his cock to full attention. He quickly closed up his nose, trying not to breathe in any more of her delicious smell.

Something in the forest was arousing them both; he had to make sure he didn't exacerbate the situation.

"Are you there?" she asked, slapping him on the back. "I lost you for a second."

Hawk shook his head, trying to regain his composure. He had spaced out while trying to squash the lust that was building inside of him. He just wasn't used to being around people so much; he didn't know how to act or keep a conversation going.

"I'm sorry," he said, realizing he was badly in need of a dip in a cold river. "What was the question?"

"You said it was a brutal part of your history that you don't agree with," she said, giving him a look like he was the crazy one. "I wanted you to expand on that."

"Oh, well, okay," he said, giving her his best boyish smile.

He had once read that human females were into the aloof type, and Hawk was realizing they didn't get any more aloof than him. He had thrown himself into his watcher duties to the exclusion of all else, even a social life. At town hall meetings he was usually silent, preferring to listen and speak only when spoken to. Now that he was babysitting a very attractive human, he was paying for it completely.

"A lot of werewolf packs still live in the wilderness of America," he continued. "They prefer to isolate themselves from human society, not wanting to be bothered. Those who do integrate into human society usually keep themselves secret. It's very popular for them to form biker gangs, because humans don't think twice about a nomadic group of ruffians out to cause trouble."

"Do wolves naturally cause trouble?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not saying that, but it's complicated. Wolves are aggressive by nature and can have a lot of trouble living in human society. We do things differently, since there's an animal inside of us that drives us."

"Okay."

"It's hard for me to explain. I'm sorry. I've never really had to explain this to anyone before."

Hawk could feel the sweat beading on his forehead as he felt her eyes burning into him. For the first time in his life he felt his cheeks flush with blood as his embarrassment grew.

"Just tell me as best you can," she told him, patting him on the back softly.

"A lot of other wolves who integrate prefer to do it alone. They take their mate and family and just integrate into human society. Without the pack dynamic they lose more and more of their inner wolf."

"So the wolf is separate from you?"

"That's even harder to explain. We're basically like two halves of the same whole. The wolf is me, but at the same time it does its own thing and pushes inside my mind to have its freedom."

"Like a split personality."

"Yes," he said, looking at her suspiciously. "Like a split personality."

You know all about that, don't you?

"Anyway," he went on. "We're different in Bucklin. We decided to move out of the forest and into town to give ourselves a better life. I told you about that earlier. And I mentioned the old ways, right?"

"Yes. You told me something about that, wolves kidnapping humans and forcing them to mate."

"That's just part of it. The old ways are very brutish, much more animal. Basically they believe that might makes right. The alpha is always the strongest. The alpha's word is absolute. The alpha can mate with any female in the pack. Humans are not to be respected or trusted. If a human enters your territory, you either claim them or destroy them, no in between."

"So some wolves still stick to these rules?"

"There is one pack in Bucklin that really hammers the old ways home: the Oakdale pack. They are all farmers, preferring to live closer to the land. Their alpha, Forrest, is the oldest one on the alpha council."

"What's an alpha council?"

"There are five packs in Bucklin. There is one alpha above all others, the supreme alpha. That is Aster, alpha of the Dawnguard. He basically breaks ties between the other four members and has final say. However, the biggest and most influential voice is Forrest."

"The guy who's stuck in the past?" Ciara raised one eyebrow at Hawk, like she was questioning what he was about to tell her.

"Yes," Hawk admitted. "He forces a lot of the old ways on the rest of us. He makes the alphas wear furs during council meetings. Furs! Can you believe that? We're not cavemen."

"Why does he insist on wearing furs?"

"He thinks it makes us look more intimidating and closer to our animal sides. I think it's silly and so do the other alphas, but Forrest usually gets his way."

"So he is the one who says humans are forbidden from leaving Bucklin?"

"Well, we voted on that and in the end he won out. He personally wanted all humans to be killed, but there are plenty of male wolves that like the, ahem,
feel
of a human female."

"What do you mean
feel?
"

"Werewolf females and human females are so different. Werewolf females aren't as caring and loving as humans and their bodies are all the same. They're all extremely lean and powerful-looking. Some guys are into that, trust me. But others prefer the soft curves of a human."

"Like mine?" Ciara asked, blowing a kiss at Hawk.

He quickly turned away, trying to keep the blood that was rushing to his crotch from getting too extreme. "Yes, like you."

"Good to know," he heard her say.

"Anyway, we voted and came up with the rule that if a human finds out about Bucklin they are either forced to assimilate as a mate or killed."

"So if they're not a mate they can't just live there?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "We can't have humans living amongst us freely. They need to be tied to a pack and a wolf."

"I guess that makes sense," she said.

They walked together in silence for at least an hour after that, a heavy sexual tension hanging in the air between them. Hawk would glance sideways at her, catching her eyes and quickly looking away. Each time he would hear her giggle and then catch a smile out of the corner of his eye when he looked back. Her laugh was infectious, making Hawk smile more than he ever had in all his previous years combined. Each time she giggled he felt a flutter in the bottom of his stomach. When she got close or touched him he would feel his heart begin to pound like a drum in his chest as sweat beaded up all over his body.

What is this feeling?
he wondered.
I've never had it before.

It was beginning to move beyond the simple lust he had felt before; he was actually growing attached to this female. He couldn't, though; he was alpha of the Skyvale pack. He led by example and he was forbidden from taking a mate.

Finally, Ciara broke the silence with a question that nearly knocked Hawk over.

"So you're obviously not going to kill me," she said tentatively. "I suppose that means you're going to claim me to be your mate."

Hawk began to stutter and stammer. He had no response for this. Finally he choked out the only word he could think of. "No."

Ciara's bottom lip pooched out in an exaggerated pout. It was so damn cute he wanted to take the bottom lip in between his and suck on it before feeling her tongue inside his mouth.

"Then what are you going to do with me if you aren't going to claim me?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I just don't know."

"You can claim me if you want," she said, rubbing her hand up and down his back.

Hawk didn't respond to that, he just shivered as he felt a mighty chill go through his body. This entire trip was a symphony of new feelings and emotions. He would leave the forest changed for better or worse.

Ciara laughed as she watched the nervous alpha wolf glance around, trying to figure out what to do with this short girl who had challenged him so much.

She was trying to control the overall lust that she felt, but it was getting harder and harder the more he talked. His body was amazing and he had a certain boyish charm that was hard to find these days. Most of the men she had dealt with puffed out their chests and tried to act tough to impress the girls. Hawk was different; he had an engaging smile and a nervous laugh that just sent her into fits. It was obvious he had no experience with girls and didn't know how to react to any of her good-natured advances.

This is a test, though,
she told herself.
You can't sleep with him. Don’t give in; it's what you always do.

It was odd that he hadn't made a move on her yet. Most of the guys she had ever been with had been pushy and aggressive. The moment she showed the slightest bit of interest in them they were on her with no questions asked. She couldn't count the number of times what was supposed to be a harmless make-out session had escalated into more. It always started with kissing, and then their hands would travel up her shirt and eventually down her pants. Before she knew it they were having sex right there on her couch.

That's part of the reason I'm in this situation,
she thought.
I do that stuff because of my drinking.

Of course there were a ton of times that had happened when she was sober. That was a troubling thought for Ciara. Did she really have no respect for herself or her body? The thought was beginning to creep into her mind.

This is good,
she realized.
You're making a breakthrough, finding reasons for your behavior. It still doesn't explain why you did what you did, why you had to go see Doctor Haley in the first place. That's okay, though, all in due time.

Everything Hawk had told her was just plain amazing. She couldn't believe her mind could think up a backstory as good as the one Hawk had given her. Werewolves and biker gangs and secret towns, it was all very exciting. Now they were journeying through a forest to find a big, cranky, but lonely, bear who was also human. If she could remember everything he had said after she woke up, she would have to write it all down. It might make a hell of a story.

She looked over at Hawk one more time. He was so strong, so powerful. She could tell his underlings and colleagues didn't question him; his word was rule. Confidence radiated from him so hard he almost glowed in the sunlight that poked through the trees. Yet all of that went out the window when she put a hand on his back.

She was beginning to wonder what his deal was. No man was like this, were they? Who would accept a position as head of a pack if they couldn't live a normal life? Was there something in his past that caused him to be this way? She had to find out. She'd learned enough from Doctor Haley's long therapy sessions; at least she thought she had.

"So why did you decide to become alpha of your new pack?" she asked.

Hawk gave her a strange look, like she'd just asked the most inappropriate question in the world.

"I didn't decide," he said. "It was offered to me."

"It was? By who?"

"Aster."

"The head alpha dude?"

"Yes, that
dude.
"

"Was the celibate watcher pack his idea?" she asked.

Hawk gave her another strange look before responding. "Actually, it was my idea."

"So you really had no choice but to be the alpha since you came up with it, right?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

"I'm just curious about you."

"Well, stop being curious about me. There's nothing to me at all that you need to know."

"So you were raised by your grandma?"

"Partly."

"Where were your parents?"

"You are very nosy. You don't see me asking you this many prying questions."

"Oh, come on, Hawk, I'm just trying to get to know you."

"My father left when I was very young."

"I thought werewolves mated for life."

"So did I. My mother was human and I thought she was the apple of my father’s eye. But one day he just packed up and left us. No explanation, nothing. He was there one day and the next he was gone.”

“Do you remember him?”

“Sort of. He was a pretty big guy, very gruff. He liked to ride his motorcycle a lot, so he was never home.”

“I see.”

“It wasn’t a huge loss that he left. Like I said, he wasn’t around much. But when he left it did something to my mother. All the warmth, all the love that she had given me before vanished. I could tell she didn’t like being stuck with a wolf son in a wolf town after the man she thought would be committed to her forever had left. Eventually she started disappearing at night. Then one day she just didn’t come home either. I was only eight at the time. My father’s mother came to get me and raised me from that point forward.”

“Do you know where they went?”

“I have no idea,” Hawk said, a finality in his voice. She could tell there was more to this story, but she didn’t dare ask about it.

"I'm sorry," Ciara said, not realizing he had so much pain inside. "That's terrible."

"It's life," Hawk said. "I have no sour grapes over it. This is real life."

"So when was Bucklin founded?" Ciara asked.

"A long time ago," Hawk said.

"Has Aster always been the head alpha?"

"No."

"What happened to the old head alpha?"

"He was killed."

"By who?"

"You really aren't going to stop with the questions until you get some answers, are you?"

"I'm just curious."

"Look, here's the deal. Ten years ago a biker gang named Satan's Angels came to Bucklin and terrorized our town. They were too powerful for anyone to defeat. They killed a lot of the older wolves, including some of the alphas. In the end their leader, Abaddon, was after a female wolf in our town named Leena. She was my friend, Rowan's sister and Aster's love. They weren't mated or connected yet, though. In the end Rowan's father was killed trying to protect Leena. Leena made the tough decision to go with Abaddon to protect the town, despite Rowan and Aster's objection. They had no choice but to let her go for the greater good of the town. They signed a pact with Abaddon saying he wouldn't bother us anymore now that he had his mate."

Ciara noticed Hawk was shaking as he told the story, like every word that came out of his mouth was more and more upsetting.

"Did you know Leena well?" she asked. She was beginning to feel very concerned for Hawk.

"Just as a friend," he said, barely able to get the words out. It sounded like he was choking on his own rage.

"So why does it upset you so much?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.

Hawk pulled away, not letting her touch him at all. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry, Hawk. I didn't mean..."

"Well, you did! I told you I didn't want to talk about it, but you insisted."

"I'm sorry…"

"Let's just go," he said, walking away from her very quickly. "We need to make it to Beorn's cabin by nightfall."

"Okay," she said, chasing after him.

Great, now I've pissed him off,
she thought.
I really didn't mean to.

As they walked, Hawk seemed to stew more and more, turning to her every few minutes like he had something to say before cutting himself off.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "What, Hawk? You obviously want to say something."

"You know why we're walking through this godforsaken forest?"

"No, because you haven't told me."

"Because we're trying to find Leena. One of our packs betrayed us and kidnapped Leena, bringing her out here to the forest. She's hidden out here somewhere and if we don't get her back, Satan's Angels will destroy Bucklin."

Ciara let the words sink in for a minute. This was a very important quest for Hawk and she'd found herself right in the middle of it all. She had nothing to say to Hawk; she just stared at him until he turned around to keep walking.

"So you'll need to understand why this quest is so important to me," he said. "I have to save everyone."

"I'm here to help!" she said, chasing after him. "I promise I won't let you down!"

I can't let myself down,
she thought.
I bet Leena is me. She's all the bad in me. I have to find her and confront her to unlock the good in me. This is a hell of a story. That damn cactus juice is something else.

Ciara stopped and took inventory of everything that had happened. She had drunk the cactus juice and it had brought her on the spiritual journey she needed to save herself. She'd met her spirit guide, an alpha wolf named Hawk with a hell of a past of his own. Unfortunately, he represented her lustful temptation too and she had to resist giving in and making love to him, otherwise she would fail this spiritual quest. Now he was going to lead her right to the bad side of herself and allow her to find the good in herself.

What the hell does the bear represent, though?
she wondered.
And the other wolves in the forest? I guess I'll find out soon.

Ciara happily chased after Hawk, excited about the potential of being a new woman soon. She felt all her fear and worry wash away, knowing that her life was about to turn around.