Page 13 of Cruel Alpha (Nightfire Islands Alphas #1)

One minute, Alyssa’s wolf was dashing through her obstacles—a picture of speed and strength and grace—and then she was flickering, failing. Human, she dropped to her knees in front of me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t resist looking down at her.

Alyssa was breathing hard, her pale skin rosy from the exertion, her round, heavy breasts rising and falling with every pant, and I felt my cock twitch at the sight, my mouth watering.

“Did I do good?” she asked, looking up at me with round doe eyes, and I nodded.

“You’re so good, Baby,” I told her, unable to stop myself from reaching down to take a handful of her hair, pulling it away from her neck. She sighed at the contact, leaning forward to rest her face against the front of my sweatpants. With every exhale, I could feel her hot breath on my dick through the fabric and my hand tightened in her hair.

“If I’m good,” Alyssa breathed, “don’t I get a reward?” She palmed my hardening dick through my pants, looking up at me again through sinful eyelashes. Her mouth was open against my hip, her lips red and shiny, and I couldn’t deny her anything.

“Yeah,” I agreed, pulling my sweatpants down to free my cock, already hard and leaking from her brief attention.

Alyssa left an open-mouthed kiss on the cut of my hip, her tongue hot and gorgeous against my skin, then another, and another, working her way across my body to where I was aching for her. Her kisses continued up my shaft until she came to the head, opening those perfect pink lips to take me in just enough to have my legs quivering. She suckled on the tip as she reached up to wrap a hand around the base of my cock; with another teasing glance at me, she took me all the way in, and I groaned in pleasure. Her mouth was so hot, so wet, so perfect, and when I was able to tear my eyes away from the sight of my cock disappearing between those plump lips, I saw that her free hand was playing with her nipple and her hips were rocking against nothing.

“You like that, Baby?” I panted, and she whined around my dick, sending vibrations shuddering through me. My hips began to jerk, and she gave a pleased little hum, opening wider so I could fuck her mouth properly. With both hands free, she plunged one between her legs, grinding her wet pussy against her fingers as I filled her mouth again and again and again. It was so good. She was so good. I was going to come, I was—

I jerked awake, rock hard and panting. Shame twisted in my gut as I prepared for another day of torture. Since our first wolf training session, I had been plagued with dreams of Alyssa, naked and vulnerable and all mine. In the sessions, she was always trying to hide herself from me, as though her lush curves were something to be ashamed of. I don’t know what possessed me that first time, but I could still feel the inviting softness of her thighs beneath my palms and smell her inviting jasmine and vanilla scent. If Liam hadn’t returned exactly when he did, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from taking her right there on the floor of the hall, and she might have been willing at the time—I knew she’d been willing; she was as bond-drunk as I was—but she would have regretted it afterward. I never wanted her to regret us again; I was willing to wait, but it was getting harder by the day.

Speaking of things that were hard, my dick was still twitching beneath the coverlet, and I didn’t think it was gonna let me get on with my day without being seen to. Grabbing a towel, I hobbled to the bathroom, turning the shower on hot. The moment I stepped beneath the spray, I felt some of the tension begin to leak out of my body, and my hand wandered down to my cock. That dream had been so vivid, and the memory of it rose up before I could stop it—the perfect pink of her hard nipples, the jiggle of her belly and her thighs as she fucked herself on her fingers, the scalding heat of her mouth around my dick—and it didn’t take long before I was painting the wall of the shower. Slumped forward, I took several deep, steadying breaths before I could trust myself to stand back up and wash myself properly.

It was the second Thursday of the month, which meant market day. We’d have wolves from all over the islands coming onto our land, and it would be all too easy for an Arbor wolf to sneak in amid the traders from other Packs. I had to be focused today. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Once I’d washed the last of the suds from my body, I gave the temperature gauge a vicious twist, gasping as the water turned ice cold.

Yeah. That ought to do it.

The market was being set up when I arrived, and I saw Liam winding between the stalls, checking out each setup and numbering each party. He was a good Beta, solid and dependable, and he hadn’t questioned any of the measures I deemed necessary for Alyssa’s safety. If the market traders were surprised by the increase in security on Lapine, they didn’t show it. I noticed that a couple of the usual stalls were absent as I made my first lap of the town square; I figured they were either friendlier with Arbor than I’d anticipated or they didn’t want to risk seeming like they were friendly with Lapine.

The A-Team was due to reconvene following the market. It was always a good excuse to get together. Xander threw me a salute from where he was helping set up

Ensign’s usual stall selling knives and other hunting gear. Jace didn’t notice me, too invested in an early customer who needed help fixing his motorbike—unlike other Packs, who traded in particular goods, Opifex shifters specialized in mechanics and, in so doing, made themselves quietly one of the most powerful Packs in the Nightfire archipelago. Noah didn’t have a stall but was hanging out watching Jace work; Cunic provided the coal for every fire that was lit on the islands, so Noah’s father did business with the other Alphas directly. Few shifters outside the Pack had ever set foot on Cunic, so protective was their Alpha of the island's secrets.

I’d seen a truck loaded up with metalwork items driving past as I left, so Ethan would be around somewhere, too, but Leo probably wouldn’t show up until later in the morning. Argent’s silverwork was beautiful, but it was rare that someone on Lapine had the occasion to trade with him.

By the time I’d completed my second lap, the market was getting underway properly, with nothing as yet needing my attention. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t, though—I kept an eye out for Alyssa and Julia, knowing that they’d turn up in the next hour or so at the latest. The topic of attending the market had been another contentious one, but Alyssa had eventually won out. I had to admit she was probably right that Arbor wouldn’t strike in such a public forum. Kidnapping and murdering a young mother and her two children wasn’t a good look, and Arbor knew it; they wouldn’t carry out their plan, if they had one, in front of half the Packs in the Nightfire archipelago. If anything, she was probably safer amid the bustle of the market than she would be staying at home and out of sight while everyone else shopped and chatted.

That didn’t mean I liked having her out in the open. I’d placed my Betas at strategic points throughout the market, each one equipped with a walkie-talkie that allowed them to summon me as quickly as possible. I touched the device hooked into my best for maybe the twentieth time that morning. It was silent. Everything was fine. Alyssa and Julia were probably still wrestling the twins into their coats and shoes. Nate was waiting for them at the cottage, ready to escort them to the market, and everything was fine.

My walkie buzzed.

“Come in, Alpha. Over.” The distortion of the walkie-talkie meant that I couldn’t quite tell who was speaking, but my gut said it was Nate, which meant something was wrong with Alyssa.

“This is Alpha. Over.”

“Non-emergency situation in the north corner,” said the voice. I was almost certain it was Nate. “Need you asap. Over.”

I’d started running before he even finished his sentence, barely remembering to bark,

“On my way. Over.”

The crowds parted easily for me, and I was in the northern corner of the market in moments. It took even less time to ascertain what the problem was. Leonard Pearce had a face like thunder, and his cronies, Bill Maddox and Trent Ford, looked none too pleased either. None of them could hold a candle to Julia, though, who was scowling like she’d been born that way, while Alyssa tugged her sleeve, trying and failing to get her to back down. Jack was crying, and Emmy was clinging to Julia’s leg, looking almost as murderous. For a moment, I felt relief—if it was just a disagreement within the Pack, I could handle it—but then I remembered the look on Leonard’s face when I’d dismissed Slade.

“You wanna try that again?” Julia was saying, and Leonard spat out a wad of brown saliva before he replied,

“You females all need telling twice these days.”

I didn’t like the way he was looking at either of them, and I stepped forward before things could get any further out of hand.

“What’s the issue here?” I asked, my voice heavy with authority.

“The issue,” said Leonard, before either of the women could get a word in, “is that my tobacco guy is from Arbor. He’s not here today because this half breed-slut couldn’t keep her legs closed, and she’s brought her half-breed bastards back to our island.”

I took a deep breath in through my nose before I replied. As much as I wanted it, ripping Leonard’s throat out was not an option for me right now. It was hard to believe that I’d once admired the man. My father had none but the strongest as his Betas, and the stupid, arrogant, teenage version of me had been in awe of his speed and his skill with hunting. In the last year, though, I’d seen a different side to Leonard; removed from the comfortable seat of power he’d always enjoyed, he’d turned real nasty—or maybe he’d always been nasty, but I’d never been smart enough to see it.

“Alyssa is a member of this Pack,” I said, keeping my voice low and even. “So, by extension, are her children. Any member of Lapine is entitled to our protection.”

I wanted to say more. I wanted to tell him that she was my mate, that one day she’d be his Alpha female, and that he’d better watch his tongue if he wanted to keep it in his mouth. I didn’t, though, because now wasn’t the moment. I didn’t want to claim her just to one-up Leonard Pearce.

“You forget she was banished?” Leonard spat. “You own father—”

“My father is no longer the Alpha of this Pack. I am. You seem to have forgotten how I should be addressed.”

Leonard’s eyes widened. I’d never spoken to him like that before, never exerted my Alpha authority over him. I’d wanted to respect my father’s memory, treating his Betas as respected elders, but that time was done.

“My apologies, Alpha,” Leonard said, bending his neck with clear reluctance.

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to.” I jerked my head at Alyssa, and Leonard’s eye twitched. It was a long few seconds before he said, through gritted teeth,

“My apologies, Miss Graves.”

Alyssa said nothing, standing behind Julia with a sniffling Jack pressed against her chest. When she raised her gaze to mine, her need to leave was palpable.

“Okay, the show’s over everyone!” I yelled, and the surrounding crowd dispersed. Crossing to where Alyssa and Julia were still rooted to the spot, I scooped Emmy up off the ground, leaning in to ask Alyssa,

“You okay?”

She shook her head.

“I want to go home,” she said, her lip trembling. Her hazel eyes were large with unshed tears, and if she started crying, I had no idea what I would do. Crying women were not my specialty. I took her arm as gently as I could and led us through the remaining crowds, Julia following at my heels.

No one spoke as we made our way back to the cottage, Alyssa only intermittently shushing Jack’s whimpers. I’d hoped she might be a little softer with me now that we were training together, but the opposite was true. She’d barely made eye contact with me for the last five days, and it felt like forever since I’d touched her smooth skin as we sat on the floor of the hall. I wanted to touch her again so badly it hurt, but for now, I’d settle for taking her arm and leading her safely home.

When we reached the cottage, Julia unlocked the door and held her arms out for Emmy.

“Why don’t we make some hot chocolate?” she said, and Emmy beamed, slipping out of my arms without so much as a wave goodbye. I didn’t blame her; Julia’s hot chocolate was awesome. I tightened my grip on Alyssa’s arm as she made to follow, and she turned to me reluctantly. Shit. Now I needed something to say. My mind was blank. I wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to promise that nothing like this would ever happen again.

“Don’t listen to assholes like Leonard,” was what I said. “And if anyone else says anything like that to you, you come straight to me. Got it?”

I didn’t expect her to swoon or anything. I didn’t think she’d fall gratefully into my arms for doing the bare minimum of defending her from an asshole. I don’t know what I expected, really, but it wasn’t for her to stare up at me, her brow furrowed and her pretty lips pursed in frustration.

“You are so confusing,” she said. “Do you know that?”

She didn’t wait for me to reply before she stormed into the house, closing the door behind her with a little slam.

Standing on the step, I blinked.

“No. I didn’t know that,” I said to the closed door.