Page 20 of Alpha Wolf’s Arranged Bride (Rose Hollow Wolves #1)

From the moment I get in the car with Rex, I know he’s upset about something. It isn’t just a change of mood from this morning, either. I can tell by the look in his eyes that this is serious, and it appears to be taking up all his attention.

I keep the conversation light as we head home. Once we’re settled in at the house, Jarrod and I prepare dinner with Rex’s help. Even though he started to relax once we got home, I can still see a slight hint of tension in his jaw and trouble lurking deep in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Jarrod hasn’t stopped talking for a single moment.

“Then we went out to play football, and I was the captain of the blue team. It was so cool how we all worked together, and even the losing team got a prize! I love this place!”

“That’s great, little man,” Rex says with a smile. “I’m so happy you’re fitting in at school.”

“It’s more than fitting in,” Jarrod says, suddenly serious. “They look up to me. Even the teachers do. I have a huge responsibility to these people, Dad. They are going to expect me to take care of them.”

“Only when you’re older,” I remind him. “No one is expecting you to perform alpha duties now.”

“You were watching when we were out on the playing field, weren’t you, Mom?”

“Yes, I was,” I answer, knowing where he’s going with this.

“A hawk flew over,” Jarrod says, returning his attention to Rex.

“I noticed it first. When I stopped to look up, everyone else waited for me. The hawk cried out, just a bird sound, but I understood it. She was saying there was no immediate danger, but no prey, either. When she flew away, I realized everyone was staring at me.”

I reach out and take Jarrod’s hand, giving it a hard squeeze, but he doesn’t look at me.

“The rest of the kids—and the teachers—looked to me to understand what the bird said.”

“Yes, son,” Rex answers. “An alpha wolf has more developed senses than others. We can see ahead in situations and read the environment. That’s why it was automatic for the rest of the pack to look to you.”

“Whenever this happened back at Eccles, I felt like a freak,” Jarrod says. “As if my senses were overactive and something was wrong with me. The other kids used to laugh.”

“No one’s laughing now,” I say, squeezing his hand again. “You’re home.”

“I’ll help you work on controlling your abilities,” Rex says. “But not right now. After we clear up, you need a bath, and then it’s straight to bed.”

“This is really crazy,” Jarrod giggles. “I actually can’t wait to go to sleep—because I’m in a rush to get to school tomorrow!”

We all laugh, and for just a moment, I see Rex’s pensive look disappear, but by the time Jarrod is bathed and tucked in, I can see Rex’s worry getting heavier by the second.

“Rex,” I say as we close Jarrod’s door. “What’s wrong? You’ve been distant all night.”

Rex nods and points down the stairs. I nod in understanding, and we go back down to the kitchen. Clearly, Rex doesn’t want Jarrod to overhear.

This must be bad.

When we get to the kitchen, Rex goes straight to an upper cupboard and pulls out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He pours a small nip into each, downs his right away, then pours himself another as he hands me the other glass.

“Rex,” I say. “Please, tell me. I’m getting scared.”

“You probably should be,” he mutters. “I need you to tell me—right now—what you know about the ancient spirits in Eccles.”

His words ring through me, setting my blood racing. I can see Uncle Azarian’s cruel eyes in my mind, hear the certainty in his voice when he said he would sacrifice my son.

“The spirits themselves, I really don’t know much,” I begin, trying to stay calm. “There are urban legends whose details change all the time. Most of them are of the ‘something scary happened in the woods’ variety, but others talk of great power bestowed on the elders if sacrifices are made.”

“Sacrifices?” Rex asks, alarmed.

“Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it, until Uncle Azarian threatened to sacrifice Jarrod.”

“He fucking did what?” Rex almost yells, stopping himself just in time.

“He said if I didn’t agree to the marriage, he’d sacrifice Jarrod.”

“So that’s why you agreed,” Rex realizes. “I did wonder about that.”

I shrug. “I had no choice. We did try to get away, but they came after us. I was terrified for my son’s life. And honestly, I still kind of am.”

“I’ll get to that,” Rex says, scowling as he downs his whiskey and pours another. “But back to these spirits. What do we actually know?”

“Like I said, next to nothing. I could sit here and recount the urban legends to you, but I don’t know how much truth is in them. I do know that my parents were very interested in them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Uncle Azarian has been alpha for a really long time, and my father was on the council as a potential successor. He and Mom did a lot of research into the legends before they died.”

“They were killed in a car crash, weren’t they?” Rex asks, giving me a shrewd look.

I shiver a little, my blood going cold. “You don’t think—”

Rex shrugs. “I’m getting to the stage where I’ll believe anything about your uncle.

So, we have enough information to be sure there are spirits, who seem to like sacrifices.

It’s got to have something to do with the excavations out of town.

Have you heard anything at all about the power involved with these spirits? ”

I shake my head. “Only that the power is massive, and few have managed to wield it. A relationship with the spirits can ensure an alpha stays strong and in power for a very long time as well.”

“That might explain why your uncle has stayed strong for so many years and never considered stepping down.”

I shrug. “Maybe. He’s always been a tough ruler, but about four years ago, things got a lot worse.”

“Oh?”

“A woman joined him—Vanessa. She’s not a wolf, but is obviously supernatural in some way. Ever since she started living with him, he’s been cruel, not just arrogant.”

“The woman,” Rex mutters.

“What?”

“Oh, my scouts mentioned there was a woman trailing him. They didn’t know if she was his mate.”

“No,” I shake my head. “Not in the wolf sense, at least. But I think they are a couple.”

“So, why the change?” Rex asks. “Your uncle starts cohabitating with a strange woman, becomes even more violent than before, and then decides to tear up a field outside of town. Why?”

“Maybe he knows how to transfer the power!” I blurt out in sudden realization. “In the past, any alpha that tried a full transfer was killed, and there was significant damage to the pack. Maybe Vanessa knows something, and whatever they are digging up is linked to it!”

“Yes,” Rex agrees, nodding. “I should tell you, these parts really aren’t just urban legends. We have reports in the Wolf’s Shadow archives that prove explosions and earthquakes have happened over the years.”

“Holy shit,” I gasp, covering my mouth in shock. “Are you serious? That’s real?”

“It’s real,” Rex confirms. “We know that it happens, and it’s big, but none of the reports give us any clues about how.

I think the biggest mystery at this point is, why doesn’t it work?

It seems like someone in power works with the spirits for some time, but when they attempt the full ritual, the area ends up being decimated. ”

“It must be what they’re digging up,” I say. “That has to be the key.”

“I agree. We are still working on understanding the runes carved into the thing. It appears to outdate any settlement in the area.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Apparently, our science guy said the same thing,” Rex chuckles.

“At least Jarrod and I are safe here,” I say, relaxing a little.

Then I see the haunted expression still hasn’t left Rex’s eyes.

“Oh no,” I mutter. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yeah. It looks like the marriage treaty was a lie. They just wanted us to take down our defenses and stay out of their way. I have no doubt that the second your uncle has access to power, he’s going to come after Rose Hollow.”

“But Jarrod is safe, right?” I ask, fear making my heart flutter in my chest.

“Warriors from Eccles are moving through the woods,” Rex says, reaching for my hand. “I’m not going to lie to you—there is danger, but I’m on top of it. My guys at WS are watching over us, and all our forces have been alerted.”

I remember my glass of whiskey and grab it, slamming it down in one gulp. My hands start to tremble, and when I almost drop it, Rex takes it out of my hand and puts his arms around me.

“I’ll never let anything happen to you or Jarrod,” he whispers in my ear.

“I know,” I whisper, still trembling. “I’m just so scared.”

Rex pulls back a little, looking into my eyes and stroking my cheek. Even though I can see that he’s troubled by all of this, there is a sense of confidence in him. A determination that lives deep in his soul.

“I will do anything to protect you and Jarrod,” Rex states. “Your uncle can’t win. I promise you that.”

Rex’s words and the sincere look in his eyes affect me deeply. I stand up so I can wrap my arms around his neck and press my body against his. He puts his hands around my waist and squeezes me, comforting me with his strong presence.

I know what I need right now. I need more than reassurance—I need to forget.

I pull back a little, brushing my lips against Rex’s. He returns the kiss softly, tenderly, keeping his hands on my waist until I grab his shoulders and writhe against him.

“Don’t hold back on me now,” I whisper. “I need you to take me and make me forget all this, even if it’s just for a short time.”

“Maybe it won’t be a short time,” he says mischievously.

“Even better,” I say, grinning.

Rex runs his hands down my arms, gently tracing my skin with his fingertips. I lean my head back, enjoying the light, tingling sensation. When I feel his hand on my chin, I tip my head forward, feeling his lips touch mine.

Suddenly, Rex grabs me around the waist and kisses me hard. I gasp, writhing in his arms as he thrusts against me, his tongue slipping into my mouth. He wraps one arm around me to keep our bodies pressed together, then reaches down to slide his hand up my thigh, pushing my skirt up.

When his hand reaches my pussy, I let out a sharp cry and arch in his arms. He runs his tongue along my throat as he grinds against me with his hips, his fingers probing into my wet pussy.

Rex growls, and I feel his teeth against my neck. I shiver in his arms, and he grabs my hips, lifts me up, and puts me on the kitchen table. Immediately, he shoves my skirt up and buries his tongue in my pussy.

I cover my mouth to stop myself from screaming as Rex pleasures me with his tongue. His strong arms wrap around my thighs as he puts my legs over his shoulders and drags me closer to him so he can thrust his tongue in even deeper.

Both hands over my face, I buck and twist, struggling not to cry out. The pressure builds, and just as I’m about to come, Rex changes his pace and gently runs the tip of his tongue along the outer lips of my pussy, slowly turning his attention to my clit.

The second his hot tongue touches my throbbing clit, I come so hard, I almost black out. As my pussy spasms with the force of my climax, Rex fingers me gently, and I keep coming, a chain of multiple orgasms that leave me shuddering and gasping and at the mercy of Rex’s hands and tongue.

When I can barely draw a breath, Rex stops and leans back, teasing my thighs with his nails as he watches me come back to myself. When I look up at him, the expression on his face is so tender and loving, it almost makes me come again.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says, and all the heat throbbing through my body seems to rush to my cheeks.

I run my hands down the front of my dress, slowly undoing the buttons so I can open it up. Rex gasps when my breasts pop free, his eyes swiveling from my face to my nipples. He grabs my waist and tugs me closer to him so he can bend over and trace a line across my breastbone with his slick tongue.

I writhe under him as he teases me with his lips and tongue, sweeping close to the nipples but not actually touching them. I’m thrashing under him by the time he slowly drags his tongue across my right nipple and drags it into his mouth.

“Oh my God!” I choke out, grabbing the back of Rex’s head and thrusting my chest towards him.

He grabs my other breast hard, then squeezes it for good measure before pinching the nipple in between two fingers and attacking it with his tongue.

Rex trails his lips back to my breastbone, squeezing my breasts with both hands as he slowly runs his tongue down my belly.

Roughly, he grabs my thighs, then wraps his lips around my clit and sucks on it, alternating with small, soft licks from his tongue.

This time, a moan I can’t contain rips out of my throat as another orgasm shudders through me.

I look up as Rex leans back, a small smile on his face. I shake my head, gasping, completely breathless as I watch him standing over me.

“Are you ready for my cock?” he asks.

I nod helplessly.

Slowly, he pulls off his shirt, revealing his huge chest and bulging arms. I watch his hands trail down to his waistband, where he undoes the button and zipper with agonizing slowness.

“Please, Rex,” I murmur as he pulls his pants down. “Please, fuck me.”

“Well, okay,” he says, leaning forward to kiss me. “Since you asked so nicely.”

He kisses me harder, putting the weight of his body on mine. I can feel his hard muscles against my soft body as I thrash in pure ecstasy. His huge, hard cock presses up against my slick pussy, and I writhe, trying to join us together.

Rex laughs softly, pulling back to look into my eyes as he pins my wrists to the table. He slams his hips against me to keep me still, rocking slightly from side to side so his hard cock rubs against my clit and my pussy without slipping inside.

I thrash back and forth, kicking and struggling against the pressure of his hands as the ache inside me intensifies. All I can feel is the hot, throbbing point of my clit and the fierce, sharp pleasure deep inside me that begs for his cock.

Rex leans back, just a little, and I gasp as I feel the head of his cock slide across my pussy lips. He pauses, then slams his hips forward, ramming his cock into me as deep as it can possibly go in one long, hard stroke.