Page 1 of Curvy Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #4)

Music and laughter echo across the lake, sounds of happiness and contentment that fill me with joy.

When Kit first took over Cyan Lock, I had a lot of hope, but deep down, I really believed nothing would change.

I thought we’d be stuck forever in the old ways, the class divide splitting the town into warring factions that would eventually tear the pack apart.

I’m so happy to be wrong. So much of this is due to Lexa and her effect on Kit.

An awed rush sweeps through the crowd, and I realize Kit and Lexa are doing one of their famous dances. I hurry around the side of the house to watch, almost mesmerized by their grace and synchrony.

They are so connected. I wish I knew what that felt like.

“Hey, babes.” Cass jostles my elbow, making me spill my drink all over my arm.

“Jesus Christ, Cass. Where the fuck did you come from?”

“The mysterious shadows, my friend. I lurk in the darkness, silent as a ghost.”

“For someone sneaking around so well, you sound pretty drunk.”

“I am not drunk!” Cass declares, swaying. “I only had… um… okay, I don’t remember. But it wasn’t that many Jell-O shots.”

“You and James were in a slam challenge, and you don’t know who won because there were too many empty cups to count.”

“Well, anyway,” Cass mutters. “I’m not drunk.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why are you all miserable, anyway?” she asks. “It’s a party.”

“I’m fine,” I reply. “Watching Kit and Lexa just makes me feel a bit…”

“Jealous?”

“Yeah,” I admit, looking away. “I’m happy for them. I just wish there was something like that out there for me.”

“There is,” Cass says determinedly. “I know it.”

“How can you possibly know?”

“Because he’s coming this way.”

I turn around and look in the direction Cass is staring.

Xavier is walking towards us, fidgeting a little like he does when he’s nervous.

His long, straight dark hair falls forward over his cheek, and he shoves it back, muttering softly.

Through the darkness, his blue eyes burn, bright points of light flickering like gas lanterns.

“Cass,” I mutter.

“No, it’s cool!” she slurs a little. “Trust me.”

“Hi,” Xavier says, smiling shyly.

I’m a bit shocked by his meeker attitude. He’s usually full-on in my face, always teasing me and making jokes.

It’s not like him to be this nice. Maybe he hit the Jell-O shots, too.

“Hi,” I answer warily.

“I was wondering if you’d like to go for a walk along the lake?”

I narrow my eyes, staring at him as I try to gauge his mood. He looks completely serious, but for all I know, this is just a new level of humor for him.

His expression flickers, and doubt shines in his pretty eyes. His face is all sharp angles and hard shadows, with high cheekbones, a cut jaw, and a strong forehead. For the first time in my life, I allow myself to admit he’s incredibly handsome.

Although that might be the Jell-O shots talking.

“I… I’m not sure,” I answer. “I’m just watching the dance.”

“After that?”

“I’m hanging out with Cass.”

Xavier’s eyes darken, and he looks at the ground. His big, broad shoulders droop a little, and he looks a bit like a puppet with cut strings.

“Okay,” he mutters, turning around. “Catch you later.”

“You imbecile!” Cass whispers, shoving me so hard I fall against the wall. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t feel like a walk around the lake.”

“Mabel,” Cass says, holding onto my shoulders and looking into my face. “I need you to understand something.”

“What?”

“Xavier is hot for you.”

“Excuse me!” I’m so shocked that my voice comes out as a high shriek.

“Who needs to be excused?” Lexa asks, coming up behind Cass. “Are you two about to get physical again? Do I need to search you for weapons?”

“Come on,” Cass shoots back. “That was one time.”

“One time I’ll never forget,” I retort. “Lexa, it’s fine. Cass is too drunk to be giving me advice, that’s all.”

“What kind of advice?” Lexa asks.

“Xavier asked her to go for a walk,” Cass says, winking.

“Ooooh!” Lexa exclaims. “Really? This is it, then?”

“She said no,” Cass answers.

Lexa turns to me, shocked. “What the fuck, Mabel? You said no? Don’t you like him?”

“I don’t! I mean, I do. Oh, fuck...”

Cass and Lexa burst out laughing, falling against each other as they dissolve into giggles.

“He’s totally hot for you,” Lexa laughs. “You didn’t know?”

“He’s always teasing me,” I say defensively.

“I know,” Cass says. “But he isn’t mean, and he never puts you down. He’s just inviting you to a verbal joust.”

“Which you rarely ever return,” Lexa adds. “But I’m telling you, that guy is head over heels for you. And if you want him, it sounds like your best chance is walking off around the lake right now.”

“Shit!” I cry, panic flooding into my guts. “What do I do?”

“Go and get him, you idiot!” Cass yells. “Quick!”

Lexa nods, shoving me. I start jogging around the corner of the house, heading for the open fields to the north of the lake. I can smell Xavier ahead of me, and soon I see him sitting on a pile of rocks, looking out across the water.

The stars are so bright, they are reflected across the lake’s surface, a giant mirror that gives the impression of an endless void. Xavier seems caught between the two worlds, his gaze fixed on the illusion of infinite sky and space.

I stop, suddenly nervous. All the feelings I’ve kept bottled up for years are bubbling up into my throat, making my chest tighten. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had my thoughts drift away in a council meeting while I slyly watched him, hoping no one noticed who I was looking at.

Maybe I should just forget about it. I’m too nervous. What if this is all a mistake, and he says no?

That would be utterly devastating, and so painful that I wouldn’t be able to face him in council ever again. With that thought, I start to back away slowly, knowing that my heart could never cope with the pain if he rejected me.

“Mabel?” Xavier’s light voice drifts through the darkness.

I tense up all over, holding in a string of curses.

Fuck. What do I do now?

“Yeah,” I answer, coming out of the trees. “I changed my mind about the walk, so I followed you.”

“Okay,” he says, sounding excited. “Did you want to come and sit up here, or actually go for a walk?”

“No, I’ll sit. You know I’m not big on physical activity.”

He chuckles. “Something we share. Who would want to be bouncing around a football field when you could be curled up on the couch, eating donuts?”

“I think I’ve said those exact words,” I laugh, sitting down next to him.

There is barely any space between us, and I can feel my nerves building as I think about touching him. It would be so easy to reach over and take his hand, but the distance seems too far to cover.

“Nice view,” I mutter.

“It is,” Xavier agrees, and I turn to see him looking not at the lake, but at me.

Blushing, I turn away, and then he gently takes my hand.

“I’ve been adoring you from afar for a very long time,” Xavier says. “Didn’t you know?”

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “I had no clue.”

“Well, now that you know… are you going to leave me hanging out here, or…?”

“Or?” I echo, grinning.

Xavier grins back and leans towards me. I feel the heat crackling between us as his lips get close to mine. When our mouths touch, I almost jump from the shock.

A soft moan echoes in my throat as the electric bolt running through me dissipates into thrilling waves of goosebumps. I’m trembling from the force of it when Xavier grips my shoulders and pulls me closer to him.

I wrap my arms around his waist and press myself against him, moaning as he pushes me down onto the ground and rolls on top of me. I open my mouth and kiss him even more deeply, feeling red-hot waves of pleasure pulsing through me, making my nipples hard and my body ache.

“Do you want to…” Xavier begins, then trails off. “I understand if you don’t.”

“No, I do,” I answer, breathlessly. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”

He smiles, and there is such a tender look in his eyes, it reaches my heart. I stroke his cheek with my knuckles, and he leans down again to kiss me, slowly and softly, until I’m writhing against him again.

Xavier’s strong hands grope me all over, rubbing my breasts, digging into my hips, and shoving my clothes out of the way. I help him tug my underwear off as he pushes my thighs apart with his knees and throws himself back on top of me again, his hot tongue sweeping into my mouth and caressing mine.

“You’re beautiful, Mabel,” he whispers into my ear. “I want you so much.”

“No more waiting,” I gasp, breathless. “Now.”

Xavier wraps his arms around me, thrusting forward with his hips. I feel the hard length of him slip into me, and I arch my back, wrapping my legs around his hips. Xavier clings to me, his lips and tongue gently caressing my neck as he nuzzles me under my ear.

I wrap my arms tightly around him and writhe, moaning as I feel him moving inside me. Xavier gasps in my ear, bracing himself against me so he can start to thrust.

Before long, his pace gets harder and faster, and I struggle to hold on to him, swept away by the sensations in my body as I keep my eyes fixed on those perfect stars above.

The throbbing deep between my legs pounds in time with his every thrust, and the rhythm echoes through me until I can barely breathe.

“Yes, yes, oh, God, yes!” I cry, clinging to him.

Xavier gasps, thrusting even harder as he tries to hang on to me through the momentum. I feel his cock thicken inside me, and as his climax shudders through him, I feel my own exploding deep inside, every muscle in my body clenching around him as he trembles in my grip.

“That was… amazing,” I murmur after a moment, still breathless.

“I’ve imagined this for so long, I knew I wouldn’t last,” he whispers back. “But I’m ready to go again.”

“Really? Wow.”

“It’s you, Mabel,” he says, kissing me softly. “This is what you do to me. I’m like a man possessed.”

“I’ll happily possess you,” I answer, grinning and kissing him back.

“Good,” he mutters, starting to thrust again. “Because this is where I want to be.”

I give myself up to the pleasure of the moment, and as the night unfolds around us, endless moments of sensation and emotion affect my body in ways I never imagined. By the time I wake in the pale dawn light, held tightly against Xavier’s warm chest, I know I’m a changed woman.

I never knew I could feel like that. Not just the best orgasms I’ve ever fucking had… but feeling held. Loved. Seen.

I look at Xavier’s handsome face and brush a long strand of dark brown hair off his cheek. Before I can think of anything to say, there’s a strange buzzing sound nearby.

“What the fuck is that?” Xavier mutters.

“Someone’s phone?”

“Oh, shit. Yeah,” he says, getting up. “I think it’s mine.”

He scrambles across the rock to find his pants, which had been cast off like the rest of our clothes. When we finally fell asleep, I must have pulled my coat over us. I wrap it around myself while Xavier shakes out his jeans to wrestle his phone out of the back pocket.

I see his face pale a bit as he stares at the screen.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says. “It’s my mom. She needs to see me, like now. I have to go.”

“Okay, sure,” I say. “It sounds important. I’ll catch up to you later, okay?”

“Yeah,” he answers. “Fine.”

As he finds his clothes and gets dressed, he doesn’t look at me, and a sliver of fear pierces my heart. I try to tell myself I have no reason to be scared, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong.

How could anything be wrong? We were so connected last night. No one could fake that.

I get dressed slowly and head back to the manor. Since plenty of people spent the night, breakfast is being made, so I stop for a bacon and egg roll and a coffee. Cass and Lexa aren’t there, and I can’t help feeling a bit abandoned.

I messaged Xavier a couple of times, but there is no reply.

I’m really starting to panic by the time I get in my car and head back to town.

I keep telling myself over and over that everything is fine and I’m just being paranoid, but deep down inside, I feel like I’ve made a terrible, incredibly painful mistake.

By the time I arrive at Xavier’s, I’m barely keeping my shit together. I hurry to the front door and bang on it, desperate to see that gentle, appreciative look in his eyes.

He opens the door, looking tense and angry. His eyes widen when he sees me, and it’s from shock, not excitement.

“Mabel,” he mutters.

“Xavier?” I say, hating the pleading tone in my voice.

“I can’t do this now,” he snaps. “I have to go.”

“Go where?” I ask, in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m leaving!” He turns around and grabs some bags from the hall. “Like, now. So you better get out of my way.”

I stare at him, unable to believe my eyes. “What the hell happened? This is obviously an emergency. Can I help at all? What did your mom say?”

“My mom isn’t—” Xavier starts, then shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter, okay? Something personal came up, and I’m leaving Cyan Lock.”

“Why?” I cry, pain shredding my chest. “What’s going on?”

“Look, Mabel,” he says, pushing past me to throw his bags in the car. “Some shit I didn’t expect has gone down. I can’t be worrying about you at a time like this. You’ll be fine.”

“But… Xavier!” My voice reaches a high note as tears pour down my cheeks. “After last night, I thought—”

“You thought what?” he asks, glaring at me coldly. His blue eyes look like chips of ice, and the sharp angles of his face make him look incredibly stern and hostile.

“I thought…” I can’t finish the sentence, and tears run hot, stinging trails down my face as I try to hold in my sobs. “Please don’t go!”

“I have to,” he says, pushing me out of the way so he can get into the car. “Bye, Mabel.”

I watch in absolute horror as he reverses down the driveway, pulls onto the road, and heads straight out of town towards the Pass. Pain shocks through me, like shards of broken glass have invaded my blood, shredding every inch of me and completely destroying my heart.

I start to shiver as his car disappears, and slowly, a realization dawns on me through the pain.

I was right. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to the others. I will always trust my instincts from now on. And I will never let this happen to me, ever again.