The Alpha's Quest Collection (8 page)

Hawk definitely felt better after giving the truth to Ciara. She had shown some fright and uncertainty in her eyes, but overall she seemed to accept the truth well.

He looked at her and smiled as they walked; he was very lucky to have found and rescued her. She was an absolutely remarkable young woman, unlike any he had ever met before. Everything he had told her she had taken in stride and met head-on.

Other wolves who had revealed themselves to humans told horror stories about denial, violence and sometimes suicide because the humans couldn’t accept the truth. Not this one. No, she had accepted everything and seemed eager to dive in for more.

Just like humans, there were always wolves who wanted more out of life. Through his spying he’d learned Rowan’s young ward Rain was that way. Some people looked at the world around them and said, “Is this it?” Most of the time it was a human who uttered those words and they were wrong; that wasn’t all there was. But for wolves, who were privy to the secrets of the world, often that question was met with a resounding “yes”.

Ciara was probably one of those dreamers, one of those women who looked at her ordinary life and ordinary world and wondered what more there could be. Hawk was here to show her the world, show her so much more than she could ever anticipate.

Was he content with the world around him? Hawk had to believe he was, but when the evil had rushed him a few minutes ago his doubts had grown. His heart had always been closed off to others. He was a loner, one meant to watch and protect, not to give himself to another.

It should have been easy for the evil to latch onto his hard heart and take it for its own. There was no love in his heart, no joy, nothing that would fight back the blackness. Yet somehow the darkness had been beaten back, beaten back by a very faint feeling in his heart—a very faint feeling of affection.

Hawk glanced over at Ciara again, unable to wipe the smile off his face. She was probably wondering why he kept looking at her and smiling, but he couldn’t help it. The affection, the first stages of love that had beaten back the evil were for Ciara. He couldn’t believe it, but he was finding himself increasingly more attracted to the human.

Of course he had lusted after her since the moment he met her. He had never mated and his wolf was unhappy with that. The constant thirst from inside was enough to drive a lesser man to do unscrupulous things, but not Hawk. He had always denied his baser urges, pissing his wolf off beyond belief.

It wasn’t shocking that he had felt those feelings the first time he laid eyes on Ciara. She was shorter and a bit thicker than the werewolf females he was used to, but her emerald green eyes, fiery red hair and large, milky-white breasts were enough to break even the sternest man. Yet he had resisted, even though she had obviously lusted after him too. He could smell her arousal, driving his wolf even more mad.

No, the feeling inside of him right now wasn’t lust, it was something deeper. He was beginning to care for this human. She was under his protection right now; he had promised to get her to safety and he was taking it very seriously. Nobody would harm her while he was in charge, nobody. She was his to protect, she was
his
.

Hawk shook his head and tried to snap out of it. He hadn’t considered that this affection he was feeling could lead to love. He didn’t want to love another; he was alpha of the Skyvale pack. He was the supreme example for his pack, above reproach. Yet here he was, strongly considering claiming this female.

I can’t claim her,
he thought.
I barely know her.

Rowan barely knew Eva,
another voice said.
You know how happy they are.

Hawk grabbed at his hair and tried to ignore the voices. He had a mission, a mission that could save or doom the entire town.

“Are you okay?” Ciara asked.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been moving your lips like you’re talking to yourself since we started moving again.”

“I hadn’t realized I was doing that. I guess I was just deep in thought.”

“About what?” she asked.

He looked over at her and saw that there was genuine interest in her eyes. She wasn’t just humoring him, she wanted to know.

“Just alpha stuff,” he lied. “Listen, we’ve had a lot of serious conversations since we started walking. Can we just put a lid on that for a while?”

“Of course,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I thought you’d never say it. It seems every word between us has been about evil, and biker gangs, and kidnappings and wolf etiquette.”

“I guess it has,” he said, laughing.

“Want to play twenty questions?”

“I’m not familiar with that game.”

“Basically, I ask you a question and you have to answer. Then you get to ask me one. We go back and forth until we get to twenty.”

“What’s the point of that?”

She giggled, giving him a knowing look. He had watched plenty of human movies in the dead of night while the rest of the city slept, but none of it had prepared him for the dating world. He was a grown man, but he was acting like a nervous teenager in a John Hughes movie.

“To get to know each other, silly,” she said, still giggling at him.

“That sounds wonderful,” he said, nervousness still evident in his voice. “You ask me first.”

“Okay,” she said, tapping her finger on her lip as she thought. “What’s your last name?”

“That’s it?” he asked. “That one is easy. It’s Ryder.”

“Hawk Ryder?” she asked, a cheesy grin playing across her face. It took a few moments but she busted up laughing. “Have you ever ridden a hawk?”

“Well, no,” he said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Why was she making fun of his name? “I didn’t choose my name.”

“I understand,” she said, still chortling as she continued. “Go ahead, ask me something.”

“Same question,” he said.

“You can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“That’s not how the game is played. You have to think of your own question.”

“But I want to know yours now.”

“It’s Langley, but you still have to think of another question.”

“Ciara Langley.” The name had a good ring to it, but not as good as Ciara Ryder.

“Well, ask your question.”

“Okay, give me a second to think. I’ve got one: do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have an older brother, the asshole.”

“Why do you say that?”

Ciara shook her head, not liking where this conversation was going. It was getting serious again, but he had asked the question. “My father was out of the picture when I was growing up. He just up and left us. My mother raised my brother and me to be good little Christian children. My brother could do no wrong in her eyes. He was the perfect little Jesus warrior. I tried, but when I went off to college I just lost my mind. All those years of being sheltered caused me to snap. My brother warned me it would happen when I refused to go to bible college with him. Instead I ventured out of town to Stillwater and went to Oklahoma State. Every time I came home for a holiday he would drag me into his room and force me to pray for my soul with him. It was demeaning, like he was just so much better than me.”

“That does sound demeaning,” Hawk said, shaking his head. “I won’t judge you like that.”

“Here’s your question: do you believe in God?”

“Of course I do.”

“Really? I didn’t think wolves would be religious.”

“Well, I think the organized religions have it all wrong. They’re following a book written thousands of years ago.”

“Then why are you so sure there’s a God?”

“Because I know angels and demons exist. On top of that, I’m pretty sure I’ve met a demon before.”

“A demon? Where?”

“Abaddon, the leader of Satan’s Angels. It’s been whispered he was more than just a wolf, that he was possessed. I believe it. Also, just look at the evil that’s facing us right now. It’s demonic.”

“Maybe I’ve been doing it all wrong,” she said, shaking her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been partying as much and maybe I should have been praying more.”

“Maybe, but who can say? How do you know God’s even listening? How do you know he didn’t just put you here to live your life as you saw fit?”

“I don’t know that.”

“Exactly. Why worry about the unknown? Just worry about what you can control.”

“Thank you, Hawk.”

“For what?”

“That helps. It was just...comforting.”

“Did you go crazy in college?”

“More than you can imagine.”

“How so?”

“I just did. I drank a lot, experimented with drugs, experimented with sex, did whatever I wanted, pretty much. They say a lot of sheltered kids do that when they get to college. It’s one of the things my mom warned me about. Hell, my first night there I got drunk and had a three-way with my roommate and some guy we met at a party.”

“That’s, ummm, interesting.” Hawk didn’t know how to react. Usually you wanted to claim a maiden to be your own, but most of the time human females had already mated. It was one of the reasons wolf females stayed away from human males—they usually had the stink of too many conquests on them, and that’s what they treated it like: conquests.

Wolf males were different. The alphas usually mated with a diverse group of females, hoping to have many different strong sons to succeed them. However, that was part of the old ways and was becoming less and less prevalent. Out of the five alphas only Aster and Forrest mated with multiple females. Forrest did it because he was stuck in the old ways; Aster did it for different reasons. Aster had no children, despite his constant carousing, but nobody questioned him.

Hawk could feel a little bit of jealousy rising inside of him, jealousy at the fact that other men had touched his Ciara. He tried to snap out of it, but his wolf was growling and barking—demanding that the other males who had touched her be punished.

“Are you okay?” Ciara asked. “I guess that was pretty heavy stuff to tell you so quickly.”

“No, it’s okay,” Hawk said, forcing a smile. “Everyone has a past.”

“So you’ve been around the block too?” she asked.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” he answered.

“You know, you’ve had your fair share of sexual adventures. Right?”

“Sure. Who hasn’t?”

There must have been a look on Hawk’s face that betrayed him, because a devilish smile appeared on Ciara’s face.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “You
have
been with a woman, haven’t you?”

“Of course I have!” he protested.

“That is just too fucking cute,” she said, reaching up and stroking his face.

Hawk quickly slapped her hand away and put some distance between them. He had never been more embarrassed in his life. The only thing on his mind now was finding a hole and crawling into it.

“That’s not how most wolves are,” Hawk said. “We mate for life. Besides, my vows and duty to my pack require me to remain alone with no mate. Duty and honor is more important than getting my dick wet.”

Hawk’s wolf growled in protest after he said those words, but he ignored the horny beast.

“I understand,” Ciara said.

“You do?”

“Well, no, not really. Sex is awesome, I can’t live without it, but you’ve made a choice so I respect that.”

“Thank you. That’s pretty mature of you.”

“Yeah, well, being lost in the forest with a hunky alpha wolf makes you grow up pretty fast.”

Hawk just chuckled nervously and smiled.

She thinks I’m hunky!

Ciara couldn’t believe Hawk was a virgin. This was just too perfect. He was definitely the innocent guide she had to resist. She knew that now more than anything. The old Ciara would have laughed and wanted to take his virginity because she thought it would be fun, but the new Ciara had to respect his decisions.

She also had to admit she was extremely attracted to the idea of mating for life. In human society two people got married, but that didn’t mean anything. There was still infidelity and divorce running rampant. She was the product of an overbearing mother and a broken home, proof that marriage didn’t always work between humans. There was also her last boyfriend, who couldn’t help but get his dick wet with someone else the first time she turned her back.

Did wolves really mate for life? If they did, then that would be the ideal life. A big, strong wolf who loved you more than anything else and would do anything to protect you? She was beginning to wonder if she should sign up.

“So, are we making any progress?” she asked. It had been about an hour since he had told her the evil should let them go, but the trees all looked the same. All around her stood massive oak, pine and cedar trees towering far into the sky. On the ground were smaller shrubs, fallen logs and a bed of leaves and rocks.

“Yes,” he answered, sniffing the air. “We are actually very close.”

“Really?” Ciara could feel hope bubbling up inside of her. She had obviously passed the first part of her spirit journey quest, and now she was on her way to round two. Would this be where she confronted her evil self? Or were there more temptations to be found?

“Yes,” he said, pointing to their right. “I can smell fresh water in that direction. Beorn lives close to the waterfall, and we’re just beside the river.”

“There’s a river in here?” Ciara wasn’t very familiar with the geography of Cedarpoint forest. She knew it was one of the highest elevations in the state, and her calves definitely told her that. They’d been going up at a slight incline since they started walking.

“Yes,” Hawk told her matter-of-factly. “It’s a pretty big one, too. Back in the day people used to go white water rafting on it, but over time people have come to the forest less and less.”

“Why?”

“Modern technology? Not as many people camp and adventure outdoors as they used to. The park service doesn’t make it easier, either. They’ve let a lot of the picnic and camping grounds fall into disrepair. It’s probably budget problems.”

“Hot
and
smart.”

“I keep up on my home and surrounding area. Who doesn’t?”

“Sometimes you’re like a nervous teenager and sometimes you’re like a crotchety old man.”

“Okay,” he said, dismissing her completely. “Let’s head this way. If we get to the cliff face it might be an easier path to Beorn’s.”

Ciara nearly fell over forward as the exited the trees. Hawk quickly grabbed her and pulled her backwards onto her butt as vertigo began to grab hold of her.

They had exited the trees onto a rocky path that jutted into the side of the cliff face they stood on. Below them was a steep drop leading to a raging river at least seventy feet below.

“Are you okay?” Hawk asked, still holding her by the arm.

“I think so,” she answered, trying to compose herself. “That’s never happened to me before.”

“Have you ever been this high up on the edge of a cliff?”

“I haven’t,” she admitted.

Hawk left her sitting there for a moment as he scouted ahead a bit. The world was spinning, but not as fast as it had been earlier. Finally Ciara worked up the courage to crawl on her hands and knees to the edge of the cliff. There were trees jutting out the side of the cliff face in spots, but for the most part it was a straight drop to the water below. If she survived the fall she’d immediately be swept away by the current.

“We’re below the waterfall?” she asked Hawk as he walked back up.

“Yes,” he said, pointing behind them. If we make our way on the path that way we’ll come to another waterfall. It’s a pretty big one and a long climb. Luckily there’s a landing a little more than halfway up that we can stop at and rest, if you get fatigued, before continuing up the cliff face. When we make it to the top, it’s not a long walk to Beorn’s cabin.”

“Why is the water raging so hard? I thought it calmed down below the waterfall.”

“There’s probably another one downriver. We’ve already made our way to a pretty high elevation.”

“I didn’t know Oklahoma had mountains,” Ciara said, shaking her head.

“It doesn’t,” Hawk said. “This is the world’s tallest hill.”

“Semantics,” she muttered, flipping her hand in dismissal. “I think I’m okay to continue.”

Ciara stood up. Things were still spinning but she was able to walk straight without much more trouble. She smiled as Hawk reached back and took her hand, holding tight as he led her over the treacherous terrain.

He doesn’t want me to fall,
she thought.
How sweet. It’s slowing him down but he’s still concerned about me.

Earlier, Hawk had told her not to slow him down, and now he was purposely doing it for her safety.

A wolf is a wonderful thing to have,
she thought.
Too bad this one is celibate.

She couldn’t imagine they would all be as protective and helpful as Hawk, but who knew?

Slowly they made their way up the treacherous side of the cliff, each step causing the world to spin around Ciara. Finally the ground leveled out, allowing her to step away from the edge and gather her bearings.

The world had teased her, moving like a funhouse as she navigated the narrow trail. Now the world was returning to normal and Ciara had to hold back a shout of surprise as the beauty that lay before her became apparent.

They were standing on a grassy opening from the trees, about twenty feet by thirty. There was plenty of room for her to move without feeling like she was going to fall, but her eyes were drawn to the area that had previously caused her so much pain and trouble. Instead of seeing her certain doom sprawling out before her, she witnessed the splendor that was Mother Nature.

There was a roaring waterfall to her left that shot straight up into the sky, so high the setting sun nearly blinded her as it poked its light out from the top of the waterfall. Behind her were the same drab trees that she had spent much of the last two days trying to navigate through, but in front of her was the magical canyon that the waterfall was emptying into.

The cliff face on both sides was steep, but she could see small islands and outcroppings all along the cliff face inhabited by hawks and eagles taking care of their young. The sun shone perfectly into the canyon, reflecting off the water and giving everything a heavenly glow. She had spent so much of her life with her nose buried in books, to please her mother, or her mouth wrapped around a bottle of Bud Light, to anger her mother, that she had never stopped to appreciate the beauty that the rest of the world had to share.

“My mind is a wonderful thing,” she whispered, taking in the scene her vision quest had created for her.

“What’s that?” Hawk asked, coming up beside her.

“Nothing,” she said, inching closer to him. “I was just commenting how beautiful it is, like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“It is beautiful,” he said, one of his lean arms coming up around her shoulders to pull her in close to him. “It almost makes me sad we left the forest. Sad I live in a city now. Occasionally we shift and enter the forest to hunt or reconnect with nature, but we never make it this deep into the forest, never take in the splendor that our ancestral home offers us.”

“I never want to leave this spot,” she whispered. “This is everything I need in life right here. Everything I need to keep me sane and out of trouble.”

“I hear that. All we’d have out here is each other.”

“That’s all we’d need.”

Hawk looked down at her, a smile appearing on his face as what she had said registered.

It’s now or never,
Ciara told herself. She knew she couldn’t ruin it with Hawk like she did with every other guy, but there was a connection here that she couldn’t deny any longer. She was being very careful not to do anything that would fail her quest, but she was sure she was meant to do what she was about to do.

Hawk obviously had the same idea as he turned towards her, his muscular arms wrapping completely around her.

She put her face against his chest, nuzzling it softly with her nose. As her nose traveled across the jagged lines of his impossibly chiseled chest, she took in a deep whiff. He had been traveling for several days, the sweat pouring out of his body the entire time. But it didn’t stink to Ciara like any other man would; instead it was a scent that made her tingle all over. He had a very woodsy smell to him, a musk that only the most earthen of men could have. It was the scent all men should have, but that they sadly lacked due to the conveniences of modern living. At that moment Ciara realized she had never taken in the scent of a real man, not until this very moment.

She looked up at him, knowing that her face appeared hungry and desperate. Desperation and want were plastered across Hawk’s face, too, almost pleading with Ciara to move in and do it.

She didn’t keep him waiting any longer. She reached a hand up behind his head and grabbed a handful of his silky hair, pushing his head down towards her own. Hawk obliged, taking her direction as he did something he had never done before.

Their lips met there on the cliff face, overlooking the beautiful canyon below. The passion that raged between them rivaled the waterfall that roared in the background as their lips frantically moved over one another.

Ciara’s tongue left her mouth, probing its way through Hawk’s lips and into the warm, wet embrace of his mouth. His powerful jaws clamped down lightly, catching her tongue between his perfect teeth. He laughed as he held it, before pulling it farther into his mouth and then drawing back, sucking on her tongue the whole way out.

She shuddered and tried to maintain her composure, but it was hard to with this man holding her tight. His hand had now found its way into her hair, gripping her ponytail tight and yanking it down.

Ciara’s head snapped back, revealing her long, milky-white neck. She nearly fell to the ground as her entire body tried to melt away when Hawk’s wide tongue exploded out of his mouth to trace its way from the bottom of her ear all the way down to the base of her neck. It would have been okay if he had stopped there, but his tongue continued across her collarbone to the base of her throat and then back up.

She balled her hand into a fist and lightly pounded it on Hawk’s chest, trying to get him to stop. Each passing second brought her closer and closer to losing control of everything. Her panties were growing wetter and wetter as her vagina ached and cried out for his tongue to find its way south.

His tongue continued its urgent trek, rolling back down her throat and across her chest. One of his powerful hands reached up and began to gently massage her breast. His grip was so strong she might as well have not been wearing her shirt and her heavily padded bra. She could feel his strong, yet soft, touch as it caressed her.

Then she knew she had to stop as she felt the bulbous head of his cock press against her thigh, nearly bruising her skin with its girth and force. It was huge, bigger than anything she had ever felt before. She knew it would stretch her and hurt, but in a good way. Her vagina was now screaming louder, aching to feel the alpha wolf’s enormous staff filling every inch of her.

“No,” she said, looking down and gently pushing Hawk away.

“What?” he asked, breathless and still grabbing with his hands.

“We can’t do this,” she said, pushing his hands off of her. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Why not?” he asked, frustration mounting in his voice. “I need you.”

“I need you too,” she admitted, looking up at him. “But I can’t just sleep with you because I’m attracted to you.”

“Why not?” he asked, appearing to be in pain more than anger.

“Because it’s not right,” she said.

“Why the hell not?” he asked, his voice rising.

“Because it’s what I’ve done my entire adult life, okay?” she said, feeling the frustration of years of self-disrespect boiling over. For years she had refused to treat her body like the gift it was, choosing to just give it to anyone who asked nicely rather than keeping it for someone special. “I’ve always jumped into bed immediately with the first guy that gave me a second look and it’s gotten me nowhere. The only thing it’s gotten me is zero self-esteem and a police record.”

“Ciara, I...” Hawk started, obviously feeling bad that he was pressing the issue.

“No, just listen for a minute!” Ciara said with emphasis—she was on a roll and she had to get it all out. “You seem to be a very special guy, Hawk, and I really like you. But if I fuck you just like that, then how do I know you won’t be like all the others? How do I know you won’t dump me at the bear’s cabin and never speak to me again?”

“I wouldn’t ever do that,” he said.

“You’d be the first,” she said, suddenly feeling very cold and alone.

They stood apart for several minutes as Ciara tried to regain her composure, embarrassed that she’d had such a wild outburst. At the same time she felt relieved, like she had finally verbalized something that had been lying in wait inside of her for quite some time.