Page 10 of Alpha Bride (Alpha Kings Island #2)

The drive back down toward the town is nearly silent, with the exception of Ryan’s occasional groan as Kris tries to stem the bleeding from his wounds.

Shifters heal fast, but some of his wounds are taking too long to stop bleeding, and I can see the concern written all over Kris’s face.

Ryan fought as hard as I could ever ask of one of my betas, and he’s paid the price for it.

I glance back at his mangled form lying across the back seat, grinding my teeth with rage. “Tell him to hold on,” I grind out, “we’ll be at the clinic soon.”

Kris nods, grabbing more towels from the back to stem the bleeding.

I look at his side profile, noting his own injuries.

They both put up a hell of a fight and protected Emily against unprecedented odds.

My gaze flickers to her slumped form in the passenger seat next to me.

Her tangled hair covers most of her face, but the scrapes, ripped clothes, and dirt clinging to her pale skin are still all too visible.

Her whole being reeks of fear, and my wolf hates it.

It’s my fault. I never should have let her out there without a full patrol. It was supposed to be a quick job: replace the runes. Now we have missing villagers, including Samuel, a weak temporary border, and I nearly lost Emily.

I nearly lost Emily.

Along with Ryan and Kris.

I glance back at Emily. She passed out after Malik gave her a knock.

I’m not sure if it was from the impact or stress; given his supernatural strength, it could have been much worse.

Her breathing is steady, and she seems a bit more lucid now.

I bring up Marian’s number on the screen in the truck, calling her as we pull into town.

She answers on the third ring. “Marian, we need a group of witches to accompany a large patrol back to Samuel’s village,” I tell her. “Emily and my betas met Malik. They’re okay, but the villagers are gone, and the border is barely secure. The patrol is already on its way.”

I hear Marian’s sharp intake of breath as she considers the ramifications of what I’m saying. “Emily is unharmed?” she questions, and it almost takes me by surprise. I think it’s the first time I’ve heard her show any kind of concern or interest in Emily.

“She’s okay. A bit beaten up,” I reply.

“Mmm,” the witch replies thoughtfully. “I’ll come myself with some of the others now to secure the border with your patrol. Tell your men we’re on our way.”

Despite my feelings about the witches, Marian is a leader, and I knew she’d step up where Malik is concerned. I thank her, but a thought occurs to me before I hang up. “Malik wanted Emily,” I blurt out. “Ryan said he specifically wanted her. Do you know why?”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Marian actually cackles. “Goddess knows she has no useful magic. Her mother was one of the most powerful sisters our coven has ever known,” Marian says, almost wistfully. “But Emily is not. Malik must know she is your mate, that is all.”

My mate.

We hang up, and I concentrate on the road ahead, my mind running in overdrive.

“Kris,” I say, turning my head slightly. “What exactly did Malik say about Emily?”

Kris sighs wearily, rubbing a hand over his stubble. “It was odd; he zeroed in on her. Something about her being rare.”

“Not because she’s my luna?” I push.

Kris thinks for a moment but shakes his head. “Nah, it was about her,” he confirms. “You know, if it weren’t for Em and her runes, if they’d just attacked, we’d be dead.”

I nod grimly as we pull up to the clinic, with more questions than answers dominating my thoughts.

Molly, our pack healer, and some of her nurses are already standing outside the clinic as we pull up, ready to receive Ryan and the other injured betas.

I’m almost relieved to hear Ryan’s complaining as he’s helped from the truck—if he can complain, he’ll probably survive, even if the injuries look bad now.

“What about Emily?” Molly asks as Kris and Ryan disappear inside. I look back at Emily, who appears to be stirring. My wolf rages within me, desperately needing to get her home, away from everything and everyone.

“If she needs checking over, I’ll bring her back,” I say, climbing back into the truck. “She took a hit, but that’s it.”

Molly looks slightly disapproving, but she’s not going to argue with me.

I can sense my wolf is already in my eyes, and I need to get out of here to coordinate the patrol at the border.

I might be a selfish bastard and want to get Emily home, but I’m not stupid.

I wouldn’t put her in danger if I thought she needed help.

Knowing my men are getting the medical care they need, I slam my foot down and get back to the house as quickly as possible.

Taking the steps two at a time with Emily in my arms, I ignore my phone ringing in my back pocket until I get her settled on the bed.

On my bed. I set her down and then stand back, watching how she seems to instinctively turn her head into my pillow, her hair fanned out around her on my sheets.

My hands ball into fists at my side as I’m confronted with how close I came to losing her—if we’d arrived any later, they’d all be dead.

Like Samuel and his family? Are they dead?

I know my work is far from over today, so I turn away, heading toward my office next door to coordinate the border reinforcement and call my brothers for an alpha update. The words I have to deliver are already sticking in my throat.

Hours later, and with the border finally secure, my patrol and the witches have returned home.

The news regarding the villagers is more mixed.

They were clearing debris from the first attack when the rogues came.

Most escaped into the forest, were tracked to neighboring houses and villages, and brought down to the town to be looked after.

Samuel made a stand with two of the other men to give the others time to escape.

Their bodies were retrieved from behind what was left of the houses.

I only hope they knew their sacrifice meant their families survived.

Standing at my bedroom door, I lean against the door frame and watch Emily sleep.

She looks far more peaceful now. Not wanting to wake her but feeling drawn to be close, I move silently to the side of the bed and sit back so I’m resting against the pillows.

If she’s aware, she doesn’t object. In fact, she sighs in her sleep, turning toward me slightly.

I study her face in the half-light, the beauty of her pale skin and pink cheeks despite the scrapes and cuts from the fight.

She was so brave, laying out the runes and not cowering away from Malik.

My wolf urges me to rest now that I’m close to her, to hold her.

Her scent fills my nose, a mixture of blood, fear, and something unique to her that calls to my wolf.

My fingers trace over the scrapes and bruises on her face, tracing the outline of a cut on her cheekbone.

She looks so innocent, so fragile like this.

I know she’s anything but, really. She has a strength of will that demands I acknowledge it, and as much as I hate to admit it, I do respect it.

She’s fought demons and won—literal ones, today.

I have no idea how she’ll react when she wakes to the events on the border or being in my bed. For now, I simply don’t care. My wolf wants her here, and I’m done questioning it.

The first light is filtering through the open window when she stirs.

I'm instantly awake, and my body tenses as she reaches out, half asleep, touching my chest. Suddenly, her eyes fly open, and she looks around in alarm, but doesn't remove her hand.

In fact, she grips my shirt tightly in her fingers.

I’m not sure what she sees in my eyes, but she freezes. Her hand stills on my chest, and she swallows hard.

“You’re safe,” I say softly, reaching out to caress her cheek. Her skin is like porcelain beneath my fingers, and it takes everything in me not to claim her mouth. “You’re with me.”

She blinks up at me, confusion warring with a hint of something else in her eyes. Longing? Desire? It makes me hard just looking at her like this.

Her gaze flickers to me again, and I feel the air change between us.

It’s like she’s seeing me for the first time since that night in the forest when everything felt so right, and I don’t want to scare her off.

Not now. I lean down, brushing my lips against hers gently, tasting fear and something else—something that makes my wolf howl with joy.

When she responds with a tiny whimper, I deepen the kiss, pressing her back into the pillows as my hand tangles in her hair.

She tastes divine, and my wolf urges me on.

She groans into the kiss, pulling me closer until we’re practically tangled together on the bed.

My hands are tangled in her long, soft hair as her fingers fly to my shoulders before lightly dragging down my chest. She bites her bottom lip and moans softly against my mouth as I grind my erection against her core. Fuck.

Knowing I can’t wait any longer, I pull back just enough to look into her eyes. “Are you sure?” My voice is rougher than I expect, and she nods shakily, and it’s then that I sense her fear. “You’ve done this before?”

Her eyes dart away as her cheeks flush, telling me everything I need to know before she even speaks. “I haven’t even…” she whispers, “since that night in the forest.”

She’s completely untouched. The thought floors me even as my bastard of a wolf rejoices, almost feral with the need to take her. I swear, my wolf would have me take her right here, but I can’t. Not until she’s ready.

I pull back just enough to kiss her forehead and brush the hair from her face.

“We’ll take it slow,” I promise her softly, and she nods, eyes bright with unshed tears.

Then she does something that takes me by surprise: lifting her body slightly, she pulls her shirt over her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

My wolf watches with hungry eyes as she reveals a lacy black bra that barely contains her full breasts.

With a groan, I lean forward to lick one of her nipples through the fabric before tugging the delicate material aside and taking her in my mouth.

Her scent is intoxicating as she moans again, arching into my touch.

I trail kisses down her stomach until I reach the waistband of her yoga pants, pulling them down slowly as I go until she’s naked beneath me.

My cock throbs at the sight; she’s even more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.

Her hips lift slightly in a silent plea as I slide my fingers through her folds, making her gasp.

I chuckle as she tangles her fingers in my hair.

"Please," she whispers, and I willingly give her what she's asking for. My tongue delves into her heat as she cries out, hips bucking off the bed. I taste her arousal and feel her wetness against my lips, and it’s all I can do to hold back from taking her right here, but I know she needs to be prepared first. I suck her clit into my mouth as I slide one and then two fingers into her tight entrance, stretching them slightly.

“So fucking tight, baby,” I murmur against her skin.

Her walls are already clenching around my fingers, so I scissor them while sucking her clit until she’s crying out, squeezing her thighs around my head.

I know she’s close, so I don’t let up, curling my fingers inside her to stroke her inner walls as I flick my tongue back and forth on her sensitive bundle of nerves.

My cock feels painfully hard, and I need to be inside her, but only when she’s ready.

I feel the moment she comes, her beautiful face etched with a silent scream as her inner walls clench down on my fingers.

Her passage was already tight, becoming almost painful around my fingers.

I can’t imagine how good it’s going to feel around my cock.

As she recovers, I know her body is ready to take me.

Slowly, I pull my fingers out of her heat and push her legs apart with my knee.

I rub her arousal onto my cock as I line the head up with her entrance; her eyes flicker open to look at me in question, but she doesn’t push me away.

I take a deep breath and push inside her, inch by inch.

Her tight heat clamps down on me, and I feel her flinch around me.

“Fuck,” I say through gritted teeth. She feels impossibly good around me, but I don’t doubt this might hurt her. “Sorry, baby.”

I pause as she adjusts to my size, feeling each inch of my length disappear into her tight velvet channel. When I’m seated to the hilt, she looks up at me with tears in her eyes.

I lean down and kiss her tears away before looking back into her beautiful eyes.

“You feel so fucking good,” I growl against her lips, pulling back slowly until just the head is still inside her before thrusting again.

She gasps, arching into the mattress as I start a slow but hard rhythm.

Her tight walls clench around me over and over, making me grunt with the effort it takes to hold back and not let my wolf lose control.

Her nails dig into my shoulders as I watch her face contort in pleasure, and finally, I can’t hold back any longer.

I plunge into her again and again, fucking her hard and deep until I feel the first wave of my orgasm hit me.

She cries out beneath me, my body shaking with hers as I spill myself deep inside her.

I collapse beside her, panting hard as I try to catch my breath.

Emily is still trembling beneath me, and I carefully pull out of her before rolling onto my side to wrap an arm around her waist. She tucks herself against me, her head resting on my chest. The room is silent, apart from our erratic breathing.

I don’t know what to say. But one thing I do know—once will never be enough.