Page 9 of The Alpha’s Hunger (Alpha Doms #1)

9

Ashley swung onto the corner of Platte and 15th, the address her sister gave her and pulled over, peering into the shadows. She saw movement and Melissa came bursting out from behind the building, trailed by a young man. She threw open the car door and rushed to meet her sister, the two of them falling into each other’s arms.

“Oh, my God, Melissa. Thank God. Thank God you’re all right. Oh, my God,” she said, hot tears spilling down her cheeks as she rocked her sister, not willing to release her from the hug.

“Come on,” Melissa said, “let’s get out of here.”

“Are you okay?” she asked, stepping back to look at her. Melissa looked pale and tired; a yellow bruise stood out on her cheekbone and her lip was cut and swollen.

“I’ll be a lot better when we get to your place.”

“Who’s this?” she asked, turning her attention to the man.

Melissa grabbed her sleeve and urged her toward the car, obviously nervous. “Jeremy. He helped me escape. Come on, let’s go.”

They piled in the car and Ashley took off for Zolla’s. “So tell me what happened.”

Melissa drew a breath, then closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “I’ll tell you everything, but can it wait? I just want to get somewhere I can breathe.”

Ashley reached over and squeezed her sister’s hand. “I can’t believe you got away. I was so afraid I’d never see you again,” she said, tears popping into her eyes again.

Melissa returned the squeeze, twisting to look over her shoulder, as if fearful they were being followed. Jeremy, who had climbed in the back seat, reached forward and put his hand on her sister’s shoulder.

Ashley drove as fast as she could without attracting attention to Zolla’s house, entering with the code to the garage door Ben had given her. “Come in, this place is safe. Ben should be back soon.” She spoke with confidence, but a twinge of fear gripped her stomach as she remembered the sound of animals yelping every time a shot had been fired into one of the shifters. Were they invincible? Or could they be killed if they were shot enough or in the right places? No, she couldn’t think that way. Ben would come.

She led them inside and showed Melissa to the bathroom where she could get cleaned up. She brought her sister some ice for her bruise. “This is for your face.”

Her sister touched her swollen cheek. “I don’t think it will do any good at this point. This is from Friday.”

Ashley lifted her own shirt to inspect where the bullet had hit the vest. A huge bruise had already appeared, the surface puffy and tender to the touch.

Melissa stared at it with wide eyes. “What’s that from?”

“A bullet. But I was wearing a bulletproof vest.”

“Thank God,” Melissa breathed.

She threw her arms around her sister’s neck and clung to her for a moment. “Mel… I thought you might be dead.”

Melissa hugged her tightly. “I know,” she said, her voice choked. “It was awful. Thank God for Jeremy or I might be.”

She gave her sister a kiss on the cheek and left her to finish cleaning up. Jeremy stood in the living room, looking uncomfortable.

“Thanks for saving my sister,” she said.

His eyes skipped around the room, and she thought he looked guilty.

Melissa reappeared.

“Are you guys hungry? There’s not much here, but I can make you something.”

“Yeah, I’m famished.”

She headed to the kitchen with Melissa and Jeremy trailing her. “So talk,” she said, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out a couple of cans of chicken meat, a jar of mayonnaise, and a Cajun spice mix. “I think there’s a jar of pickles in the fridge,” she said, looking at Jeremy.

He opened the refrigerator door and pulled it out.

“So I met these two guys Thursday night at work,” Melissa said, glancing at Jeremy, who Ashley thought looked guilty once again. Melissa worked as the manager of a trendy bar/nightclub in Colorado Springs. “They invited me to an after-party when we closed up, so I went.”

Ashley listened as she opened the two cans of meat and scooped them into a bowl, mixing in the mayonnaise.

“So we partied for a while and then?—”

“Wait,” Ashley interrupted. “Was he one of them?” she asked, looking at Jeremy.

“Yeah. So the house party ends and Jeff, the other guy, invites me back to his place—with both of them,” she said, blushing.

Ashley blushed too, knowing the two-men thing was her sister’s top fantasy. She ducked her head to hide it and pulled some pickles out of the jar Jeremy had handed her. She picked up a knife and started chopping them.

“But he drove us to this nasty warehouse instead, and a bunch of guys with guns were there.”

“Wait a minute,” Ashley, said, whirling and pointing the tip of the knife at Jeremy. “ You kidnapped my sister?” She took a menacing step forward, glaring at him.

He held his palms out. “I didn’t know what was going on. Jeff is a friend—not even that good of a friend. I don’t know why he brought me along.”

“Probably because you’re better with the ladies,” Melissa muttered wryly.

A sound came from the living room and Ben appeared in wolf form. His lips curled up in a ferocious snarl when he saw Jeremy.

Melissa screamed and Jeremy froze, the whites of his eyes showing.

Ben growled, advancing toward Jeremy slowly.

Jeremy backed up until he hit the counter, cornered by the huge wolf.

“Is that a dog?” Melissa whispered.

She hesitated. She wanted to tell Melissa everything, but not in front of Jeremy. “Um, yeah, he’s my friend Zolla’s dog. I don’t think he likes Jeremy. Easy, boy,” she said to Ben, who showed no sign of backing off. “He helped Melissa escape, although I think he also kidnapped her, so maybe you should bite him,” she said.

“What? Jesus!” Jeremy said, his face pale. “Get him away from me.”

“Come, Wolfie,” she said, walking toward the kitchen door and patting her thigh. She doubted Ben would comply, but she didn’t know what else to do. “Come, boy. Is your master here?” she asked meaningfully.

Ben backed toward her, keeping his eye on Jeremy, his teeth still bared.

She tugged on the loose skin at his nape to turn him away.

“Be careful,” Melissa gasped.

“It’s okay,” she said, pulling with all her weight. “He won’t hurt me.” Even though she believed it, when the huge animal turned abruptly, she jumped back out of his way. He gave one baleful look over his shoulder before heading toward Zolla’s bedroom.

At the same time, she heard a car pull into the driveway.

She followed Ben, watching as he shifted gracefully back into human form, his naked body riddled with bullet wounds that only bled slightly, his cock jutting out at full mast.

“Ben,” she cried, emotion flooding her. She ran and threw herself at him.

He looked surprised, but wrapped her up in his arms and pressed his lips to her hair. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded against his chest. “Are you?”

“Yes.” He pulled away to look at her, holding the back of her head, looking down at her with an intensity that made her shift in place. “Ashley, you disobeyed me.”

The word disobeyed, combined with the burn of his dark gaze, made butterflies take flight in her stomach. The emotional turmoil of the entire meeting came flooding back. Pressure built behind her face, tears threatening. No words came to her lips.

“We’ll talk about it later,” he said meaningfully.

She gulped. Did that mean a spanking? Her pussy clenched even as fear turned her hands clammy.

“Where did you find your sister?”

She gathered her wits. “She called me as I was driving away from the bus station. She said Jeremy helped her escape. I haven’t heard the full story yet.”

“All right, let’s get it now,” he said, turning away and yanking on his jeans over his still enormous erection.

“Does that always happen when you shift?” she asked, eyeing his cock.

“No,” he muttered. “Just around you.”

She bit her lip to hide her smile.

Ben pulled on a t-shirt as the sound of the front door opening reached them. “Come on,” he said, leading her back to the kitchen where she found Zolla drawing a gun on Jeremy. Apparently, he had the same instincts as Ben.

Jeremy’s hands shot in the air. “Whoa, take it easy, man. We’re with Ashley.”

Zolla tipped the muzzle in Melissa’s direction. “ She’s with Ashley. Who are you?”

“Are you Ben Stone?” Melissa squeaked.

“No, I am,” Ben said, pushing through from behind Zolla to stand in front of Jeremy. “Who are you?”

Ashley’s sister’s face crumpled and she started to cry and he regretted his lack of finesse. The punk named Jeremy reached for her, drawing her against his side and Ben relaxed by a small measure. The two had clearly forged a genuine connection, whatever had happened between them.

“It’s okay, Melissa,” he said. “Why don’t you come into the living room, sit down, and tell us your story?”

“I’ll bring the food in,” Ashley said, pushing through the crowded doorway to where she had some kind of food preparation going on the counter.

“Yeah, all right,” Melissa said.

The group stepped into the living room, and Melissa told her story about being picked up by Jeremy and his friend, and delivered to some other thugs. It seemed Jeremy hadn’t known what was going on, and when he realized and tried to get her out of it, he became as much of a prisoner as she. They spent three nights in an old barn out between Denver and Colorado Springs. According to Jeremy, his friend was given the order to kill him that afternoon, but had set him free instead, and he had circled back to save Melissa before they took her into Denver for the meetup. The two had hitchhiked into the city.

He and Zolla questioned them for over an hour until Ashley touched his shoulder. “Ben, please. I think they’ve told you everything they know. I’m sure Melissa could use a hot shower and a comfortable bed right now.”

“They can stay here,” Zolla offered, “if you think he’s okay,” he said, nodding toward Jeremy.

Ben glowered at Jeremy, but eventually lifted his shoulders. “He did the right thing in the end, I guess.”

“The couch is a pull-out bed, and you two can have my bed,” Zolla said, looking at Ben. “I can sleep on the floor.”

He knew Ashley probably wanted to be with her sister, but after the fear of losing her that night, he just needed to hold her. “Ashley and I will get a motel nearby. Melissa and Jeremy can stay here on the sofa bed—just until we get the rest of this cleared up and we know it’s safe for Ashley and Melissa to go to their homes.”

Ashley stood up without a protest.

Zolla shrugged. “Of course. My place is yours for as long as you need it.”

“Thank you,” he said. He didn’t understand why the wolf seemed so inclined to help him, but he wasn’t in a position to argue with it. He needed all the help he could get.

Ben sat on the edge of the motel bed, resting his forearms on his knees and his head in his hands. He’d taken off his belt and laid it beside him, but he wasn’t sure he would actually go through with punishing Ashley. She was human, after all. It wasn’t part of her culture to resolve things in a physical manner. Still, if she was to be his mate…

But she couldn’t be, could she?

And even though she seemed to enjoy a little dominance from him, that didn’t mean she would stand for a full-on spanking. Hell, he didn’t even know if he could stand giving her one—the thought of hurting her made his stomach turn to lead. How did male wolves actually discipline their mates? Wasn’t it their role to protect?

But it was exactly for that reason—because her disobedience made it harder to protect her—that he needed to be sure she learned this lesson.

She came out of the bathroom and stopped, looking over at him. “What are you thinking about?”

He sighed. “You and I have some unfinished business to discuss.”

She drew a slow breath, obviously expecting this. She stood where she was, looking at him warily.

“I specifically told you to go straight to the car and drive away. Did you obey me?”

“I—” She stopped, as if realizing excuses or defenses were fruitless. “No, sir,” she said softly.

Her use of the word sir gave him confidence to go on—she accepted his authority. “Because you were in danger, I could think of nothing but protecting you. I lost my game and some of them got away with the laptop.”

She sucked in her breath. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes flitted to his belt on the bed beside him. “Are you going to use that on me?”

“I haven’t decided yet. What do you think I should do, Ashley?” He wanted her compliance.

She lifted her slender shoulders. “You’re the boss,” she whispered.

He figured that was as much consent as he would get. She wasn’t going to ask him to spank her. He was the alpha; it was his duty to take charge. “Take off your clothes,” he said, putting the edge of command into his voice.

Her cheeks colored, but she began to undress almost immediately, unzipping the wrinkled skirt and letting it drop to a puddle at her feet. She pulled the t-shirt over her head, then opened the back clasp of her bra, her breasts springing free. They were perfectly shaped, round and lifted, pale with peach nipples, which jutted out in eager points. An angry bruise stood out over her sternum, where a bullet had hit her vest. He tensed at the sight of it, his body ready to shift and fight to protect her. But the mark underlined the need for this discussion.

His jeans became too tight in the crotch area. He kept his face impassive. “Panties, too,” he said, clearing his voice.

She hooked her thumbs in the waistband and lowered them over her thighs, bending to remove them.

When she straightened, fully naked, he suppressed a growl.

She slid her hands up and down her thighs, and then, as if suddenly aware of what she was doing, shook her hands out, but not before he caught the tremble in her fingers.

“Come here,” he said.

She took a few steps toward him, but stopped, out of reach. He smelled the metallic scent of fear, mingled with the heady perfume of her arousal.

“Ashley,” he said with a steely note of warning. “Come here.”

She swallowed but did not move, her eyes darting to the belt on the bed once more.

“I know you’re scared. Do you trust me to punish you?”

She caught his gaze, her blue eyes searching his. He knew she had no reason to trust him, but he held his breath for her answer.

She licked her lips and nodded, closing the distance between them.

The warmth of her trust spread through his body. Opening his knees, he grasped her hips and pulled her to stand between them. Her lips parted, her sternum rose and fell rapidly.

The conflict within him tore at his chest. His to protect. What if she cried? Would he be able to go on? He doubted it. He grit his teeth. Better to deal with this situation directly and have it over with. He pulled her face down over one knee and clamped his other leg over hers to keep her from kicking. Lifting his palm, he brought it down on one cheek, then the other. She gasped at first, but otherwise made no sound or protest. He spanked her with enough force to leave hand prints on her creamy flesh. She offered up her submission as easily as she’d given her whole self to him—placing herself in his hands with a trust he didn’t deserve.

He continued with the punishment, slapping her cheeks until they turned rosy.

She had begun to wriggle and make little cries with each loud smack, but she still hadn’t offered any resistance. As he paddled, her bottom bounced, cheeks flattening and springing back. Her pussy glistened between her legs, dewy with moisture. He wanted to stop spanking and drag his thumb over her glossy slit. He wanted to pleasure her with his fingers and his tongue.

But, no. Punishment first. And even if her body did respond to his dominance, that didn’t necessarily mean she would be in the mood after he had spanked her raw.

He stopped and ran his hand over her heated buttocks. He hadn’t expected her to take the spanking so well. He lifted her from his knees and stood with her, his body tight against hers.

She brought her hands to his chest.

Not yet.

“Go stand in the corner.”

She lifted her startled gaze to meet his eyes. Obviously, she had thought the punishment was over.

“This is a lesson I’m serious about you learning, baby,” he said. “Show me obedience,” he said, lifting his chin toward the corner.

“Yes, sir,” she said, blushing and dropping her gaze.

As he watched her walk to the corner, the evidence of his dominance standing out red against her pale skin, he felt a surge of some strong emotion. Love, maybe. Pride, that she had submitted to him, a desire to protect and care for her, yes, still the need to claim her, but for once, that took a back seat to the rest.

She faced the wall as he had directed, her pretty bottom painted red, her head bowed, juices leaking onto her inner thighs. He left her standing for no more than two minutes before he called her back.

“Come,” he said.

She turned, looking more vulnerable than he’d seen her look before and his heart surged again to protect her. She walked over to him.

“Bend over, Ash,” he said, pointing at the bed.

She looked over, her gaze flitting across his face, the line between her brows creased. He waited. Slowly, she folded her torso over the bed.

“Good girl.”

He wrapped the buckle end of the belt around his hand until only about eighteen inches of length remained. Picking up her wrists, he pinned them at her low back with one of his hands. “I require your obedience at all times, Ashley,” he said and swung the belt. The whoosh of displaced air sounded the moment before the leather struck her bare skin.

She yelped.

He stopped, trying to judge if it had been too hard or soft.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she squeaked.

“Thank you for your apology,” he said, bringing the belt down again, and then a third time. She gasped with each blow, but did not protest. He whipped her, slowly and deliberately, setting a cadence of slaps and silences, punctuated by her little cries that grew louder with each stroke. Ashley buried her face in the covers.

He laid down five more and then dropped the belt, releasing her wrists.

When she jumped to her feet, he thought she was going to hightail it away from him, but instead she danced around, rubbing her bottom with a pained wince.

It was so cute, he had to bite back a smile and when she caught it, she flung herself at him. Her arms looped around his neck, her lips crushed against his.

He caught her up in surprise, pulling her body against his, squeezing the hot flesh of her ass. Kissing her back, he invaded her mouth with his tongue, claiming it. The animal in him roared to life, his cock swelling. Reason began to flee his mind.

Her fingers came to the hem of his shirt and she pulled it up, starting to peel it off him.

“What are you doing?” he croaked, trying to regain control.

She pulled back, frowning. “Don’t you dare push me away again, Ben Stone,” she said. “Not after everything that’s happened,” she said. The tears that hadn’t come during the spanking now popped into her eyes, causing his heart to constrict painfully.

Of course, she was right. How could he deny her the closeness she craved when she’d just surrendered to him, mind, body, and soul?

“Ashley,” he murmured, his body already painfully close to marking her. “Ashley…” He was trying to think of some words to explain why he couldn’t give her what she seemed to need, but his body had another idea entirely. He had already yanked her against him, her soft, naked form melding to his.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, her naked pussy hot against his belly. He walked her to the bed and laid her on her back where he bit and sucked his way down her neck to her left breast.

“Fuck me, Ben,” she begged in a guttural tone.

“I can’t,” he managed to croak, crawling down between her thighs. He spread her knees up and licked into her.

The taste of her arousal hit him like a bolt of lightning, a shock shuddering through his body, screaming at him to claim her.

Mark her. Mark her now.

Her fingers twined in his hair, pulling it roughly as she rolled her pelvis up and down, sliding her slit over his tongue.

She yanked his hair. “Why won’t you fuck me?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ash,” he managed to say, sliding two fingers inside her to distract her.

The walls of her vagina tightened immediately around his fingers, clenching. He shoved them up further, seeking her sweet spot. Finding it, he curled his fingers to stroke it, feeling the tissue thicken under his fingertips.

“I know you’re huge, but I think I’ll stretch,” she panted.

He choked back a laugh. “You think I’m huge? No, don’t answer—that’s not what I meant. It’s… wolves are rough, really rough.”

She moaned wantonly and he closed his eyes. Her scent filled his nostrils, taking over all his senses. He needed to cool down or he would lose control and mark her.

But Ashley was rocking her little pelvis, thrusting her breasts toward the ceiling. Her willing submission to both his punishment and his pleasure made her undeniably his . His need to please and protect her, to cherish her, to care for her in every way rose up so fiercely it almost blinded him.

Heat suffused his body, not the heat of the shift to mark her, but of something else. Something deeper and more emotional. He had never in his life acted with anyone else’s needs ahead of his.

His dad had modeled selfishness, and he’d followed suit. Leon had gone the opposite direction, caring for his hundreds of employees, his pack, and his family, all without complaint. Now, as he watched his female flushing with pleasure, her sensuous mouth falling open on a moan, he knew he’d do anything for her—even if he never found satisfaction himself. Giving her pleasure had become more important than receiving.

He circled her clit with his thumb as he continued to slowly penetrate her with two fingers, then three.

“Turn over,” he instructed.

She rolled to her belly, looking over her shoulder at him with glassy eyes. He found her slit from behind and slid inside with his two fingers, working his thumb against the little rosette of her back hole. She cried out, the muscles of her pussy clenching around his fingers.

He gathered some of her natural lubricant on his thumb and circled her anus, massaging the quivering hole as he continued to push in and out of her pussy.

“Please,” she whimpered, humping the bed.

He pushed more insistently on her anus. “Open for me,” he ordered, the timbre of command threading his voice. Her muscle relaxed and he breached the entrance. Massaging around the opening, he entered her to one knuckle, then the next.

She cried out, arching back like a bow. He finger-fucked her, rocking his fingers between her back hole and her pussy. When she began to thrash against him, he thrust harder, somehow miraculously able to keep his mind off his own body’s reaction.

Sliding his free hand underneath her, he rubbed her clit. She came, her entire body bucking, her internal muscles squeezing his fingers in a pulsing release. He groaned, his cock throbbing painfully for release. He continued to pump into both her holes until her muscles relaxed and she collapsed in a limp heap beneath him.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed.

He eased his fingers out of her, trying not to think about how badly he wanted to take her with brutal force.

She rolled over and gazed up at him, a contented smile playing on her lips. “Why do you do that?”

“What?”

She blushed. “You know. Put your finger there.”

He grinned at her embarrassment. “Because I like to see you come undone.”

She flushed a little more.

He leaned over and grazed one nipple with his teeth. “Little girl, if I ever have to punish you for putting yourself in danger again, I will put more than my finger there. I will fuck your ass with my big, hard cock until you see stars.”

“Oh, God,” she cried, reaching down to clutch her pussy as her hips bucked in another orgasm.

Ashley woke with Ben’s considerable erection still pressing into her back, just as it had when he’d lain down beside her the night before. He wore his clothes while she lay completely naked, which seemed to be the metaphor for their entire relationship.

She squeezed her bottom, trying to see if it was still sore. Not at all. Why did that disappoint her? She remembered Ben’s punishment with a flutter of her belly. As strange as it may seem, she loved when he got stern with her, and she loved that he punished her physically. He was the embodiment of every fantasy she’d ever had.

Melissa had always told her she liked authority figures. Ashley had gone moony over male teachers and coaches in her teen years, and had full-on crushes on several professors in college. It only stood to reason she would fall head over heels with her hot boss when she entered the workplace. And he was so much more than a hot boss. He was an alpha wolf—stern, dominant, and sexy in every way. And he took her to task.

She knew every red flag should be flying over the fact that he’d taken a belt to her ass—not for kinky pleasure, but for an actual punishment—but she had loved it. Well, she hadn’t loved the pain when she was in the middle of it, but she loved that he had done it and that the threat of future punishment dangled over her head. Besides, she was fairly certain he would have stopped if she’d told him no. There seemed to be a moment there when he had been looking for her consent. And he’d seemed saddened or troubled beforehand—he hadn’t lashed out in anger, it had been more like he faced a difficult, but necessary task. He would make a good leader if he ever chose to be alpha to his pack.

From what she had deduced, the other wolves were disappointed in his reluctance to step forward. They wanted to follow him, and she understood why. He possessed sheer power of presence and mind. If only he believed in his own ability to lead.

She rolled over and he adjusted in his sleep to keep her in his arms, tucked against his muscled torso. She still owed him for last night. She’d drifted to sleep while he’d lain beside her with probably the world’s worst case of blue balls.

She slipped out of bed to go to the bathroom, then returned with a condom. She didn’t engage in casual sex, but Melissa’s last boyfriend had stuffed a bunch in her purse as a joke a while back and she’d never taken them out. Now she was grateful she had them. She sat beside Ben and ran her hand over his arm, marveling at the definition of his biceps. Sliding her palm down his side, she slipped it under his shirt, feeling the heat of his golden skin.

He stirred, reaching for her and pulling her back down beside him without opening his eyes. As if she belonged there. She smiled and tugged on the button on his jeans, working it open. Sliding down, out of his grasp, she straddled his legs and unzipped his pants. He didn’t wear boxers or briefs—probably with all the shifting back and forth it wasn’t worth the hassle. Didn’t wearing underwear make men’s sperm count lower anyway? As if Ben Stone needed to be more virile. Regardless, it made it easier for her to free his length, which sprang out with its impressive size.

She gripped the base and squeezed and he groaned, shifting in his sleep and mumbling something. She lowered her lips to taste him. The moment she put her mouth over the head, his eyes sprang open. His cock also seemed to double in size, which she hadn’t believed possible. She licked under the rim, all the way around, as Ben stared down with a startled expression. A drop of pre-cum emerged and she lapped it up with her tongue, then licked her lips while holding his gaze.

A shudder ran through his entire body. Satisfied with her results, she closed her lips around his shaft and lowered her head over it. Her jaw felt way too small, but she did her best to relax her gag reflex and take him deep into her throat.

He made a sound as if in pain.

She did it again.

His face twisted, eyes never leaving her face. “Ashley—” he groaned.

“Mmm hmm,” she said, keeping her mouth over his length and humming her response, knowing the vibration would drive him mad.

Like the first time she’d sucked his cock, he gripped the headboard, as if afraid to touch her.

“Why are you doing this?” he croaked.

She smiled and released his cock from her mouth. “I want you to feel good,” she purred, then dragged her tongue from his balls up the underside of his cock to the frenulum, where she swirled her tongue again.

“Ohh,” he groaned.

“Does it?” she asked.

“What?” he grunted.

“Feel good?”

“No! Yes, Oh, God. Ahhh-uh… it’s too much. It’s too fucking good.”

Encouraged, she took him deep into her throat again.

“Noo.” He sounded pained again.

“No?” she asked innocently, sitting up. She ripped open the condom wrapper and rolled it down his cock before he could ask what she was doing.

She understood he was worried about being too rough with her, but she wanted to give herself to him. And while she’d never had a rough lover before, it sounded delicious. She moved quickly to straddle him.

“No, no, no, no,” he said, lifting her hips off and holding her pelvis suspended in the air.

“Ben,” she said in her sexiest voice. “I need you inside me. I need you inside me now.”

His cock strained to reach her, enormous, thick and pulsing, just inches from her pussy.

A drip of her arousal fell onto it and he inhaled sharply. His green eyes flickered to amber once, twice, then they stayed yellow, an inhuman growl emerging from his throat. He yanked her down, impaling her with his cock. Even as ready as she was for him, his size stretched her wide, sending tears of pain springing to her eyes.

She cried out, struggling to adjust to the suddenness of the invasion, but he was already pushing and pulling her hips forward and back. Her clit rubbed over the base of his cock, sending shocks of pleasure shooting down her inner thighs and curling her toes. Her pussy emitted a fresh gush of moisture, easing the stretch so she could take him deeper.

She moaned, arching into his hands. His fingers tightened on her hips. Another growl passed his lips and he yanked her harder and faster. She gave herself over to him, knowing any resistance might cause her pain. Her muscles went limp, as if she’d already orgasmed, relaxing to let him move her like a rag doll.

His lip curled and he snarled, the pads of his fingers digging into her ass as he thrust upward at the same time he yanked her forward.

She cried out, fresh tears stinging her eyes, although the pleasure by far outweighed the pain.

In a single motion, he lifted her completely off his cock, flipped her onto her belly and pinned her down, straddling her legs. Another snarl reached her ears. He wrapped a fist in her hair, pulling her head back until she arched as he plowed deep into her channel. She felt like a virgin, stretched to the maximum, shocked by both the pain and the pleasure of it all.

Ben slammed into her, over and over again with an urgency and violence that stunned her. Even so, her body wanted all of it, wanted more of it, until she’d raised her voice in a continuous, keening cry.

Ben’s breath panted hot in her ear, his desperation for release evident in the way his hand tore the sheet beneath her, yanking even the mattress cover up with his effort to bury himself inside her.

He roared, his seed so hot she felt it, even through the condom.

And then a searing pain ripped through her shoulder, blinding her.

It was the salty smell of her tears that jerked him back to his full human form. Her blood was in his mouth, her scream ringing in his ears. He released the grip of his jaws and reared back off her, horrified.

Blood ran down her back, soaking the bed.

He shouted in alarm, his voice mingling with her sobs. Oh, no. His heart rate shot to arrhythmic levels, palms turned cold and sweaty. “Ashley?” he croaked, his voice hoarse.

She had scrambled up, crouched in a ball at the head of the bed, her eyes wide with terror. He reached for her and she flinched.

“Don’t touch me,” she cried. Her lips trembled, tears streamed down her face, mingling with her blood on her collarbone.

Oh, God. What had he done?

He stumbled back, his limbs cold. “Ashley…”

She cowered, holding her hand up, as if to ward him away.

Hot tears filled his own eyes. “Please,” he whispered, not even sure what he was begging for. Don’t hate me. Don’t be seriously hurt.

“Don’t,” she cried, pressing herself up against the wall as if she wanted to push herself right through it to get away from him.

“I won’t,” he said, a tear streaking his cheek as he backed up. “I won’t touch you. I won’t ever hurt you again.” He turned and ran, throwing open the door and shifting without changing his clothes, which caused them to rip at the seams and fall off as he raced away.

He gulped the cool morning air, ignoring the occasional joggers who looked terrified at seeing a huge wolf race by. He ran fast and hard, with no destination in mind. He followed a creek bed and ran through parks, killing a goose just for sport.

When he found himself at Zolla’s back door, he figured some better instinct must have crept in, and followed it inside. Bursting through the doggy door, he ran past where Melissa and Jeremy still lay on the fold-out couch. Zolla opened the bedroom door just as he reached it, probably hearing or smelling him.

He looked unsurprised by his arrival, as if he’d been waiting for him to appear. “It’s Jack,” he announced the moment Ben shifted to human form. Zolla pointed to his computer screen at the IP address listed. “Every one of Stone’s servers crashed fifteen minutes ago. Stone Gaming is completely down all over the world. I don’t know what his plan is, but I do know for certain that computer that logged in with your password thirty minutes ago is registered to Jack Laden. Here’s his address.”

Ben snatched the paper and memorized the address.

“Is that blood on your face?” Zolla asked, sniffing the air.

He tried to breathe and failed. “Yeah,” he managed to say. Knowing her sister was in the other room and would also hate him for what he’d done only increased his shame. “I marked her. It’s bad. Really bad. I need you to go to her.” It was a sign of his desperation that he would send another male to take care of his mate.

Zolla’s jaw dropped, but he thankfully didn’t comment. “Where?”

He gave him the name of the motel and the room number. “You’ll go now?”

“Of course. Where are you going?”

“To take care of Jack.”

“You shouldn’t go alone. Call Mark or wait for me.”

He shook his head. “No, I can handle him. You just make sure Ashley—” he swallowed. “Just go to her. Now.”

Zolla pulled on a Rockies cap. “I’m leaving.”

Ben shifted back to wolf form and followed Zolla out, taking off for the place he’d hidden his car Friday night. Using the hidden button to pop his trunk, he rummaged in the duffel bag for a pair of pants, shirt, and shoes. With the spare key, he started the car up and drove toward the address of Jack’s foothill residence. His mind was blank—or rather, held only clear focus of intent: eliminate Jack. After he dealt with him, he would open the box in which he’d stuffed his anguish over Ashley.

He parked in front of an ostentatious house with a cobblestone driveway and a giant fountain in the front. Getting out, he stalked up the sidewalk. He tried the door first, and finding it locked, slammed his shoulder against the heavy wood. The wood bowed against his shifter strength. He threw his weight into it again, then a third time, cracking the door from the hinges.

It swung open and he found himself face to face with Jack, who pointed a revolver at him.

Ben spread his hands. “What’s your plan, Jack?” he asked, stepping in and swinging the broken door shut behind him.

Jack’s nostrils flared, his little eyes darting past Ben toward the door.

“You planted a bomb in my laptop, but haven’t triggered it yet. You kidnapped Ashley’s sister. You just toppled every one of our servers. Are you trying to lower our stock so you can buy it all out with me out of the picture? Do you think Shayla would let you do that?”

Jack’s face had gone pale, that muscle under his right eye twitched as it always did when he challenged Ben. The hand holding the revolver shook slightly, but his expression was all sneer.

Ben advanced slowly. “The FBI knows all about the kidnapping and the bomb,” he said, only partly bluffing. Mark knew, after all, so if or when things came out with the authorities, Mark would see that the right people were prosecuted and any references to wolves were left out. “They already traced the server crash to your IP address.”

Jack fired the gun, hitting him in the gut.

Ben did his best not to flinch, despite the burn, and gave a mirthless laugh, his upper lip curling. He walked casually forward as if the bullet didn’t bother him. “Who are you working with? The Sandoval cartel?”

Jack gaped, his eyes dropping to the bleeding wound, then back to Ben’s face. The sneer faded, confusion creeping in. “I don’t know who that is.” He fired again, this time hitting Ben right in the sternum.

He lost his breath, but he did not stagger backward. “Who then?”

Jack’s hand trembled violently as he finally comprehended that Ben couldn’t be eliminated as easily as he had thought. “What are you?”

He grinned. “I can’t be killed, Jack,” he lied. “What does that do to your plans?”

Jack’s eyes darted around the room and he began to back up.

“Your idea was clever, I’ll admit that,” he said, hoping to get him to talk. He needed to know who else was involved and what Jack’s exact motivation had been. “And rather elaborate. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just shoot me right from the beginning?”

Jack’s eyes fell to the bullet wounds again. “Yeah, but I wanted the server crash to be on your watch.”

“You wanted the board to fire me?”

His mouth twisted into a bitter grimace. “I wanted there to be nothing left of Stone Technologies,” he spat. “So my stock options from the employment package at Suma Games would make me rich.”

“You already are rich,” he muttered, then shook his head. Why was he arguing with an insane man?

A bead of sweat dripped down Jack’s face, but he gave a twisted grin. “It’s nothing more than I deserve. I invented the NE3, not Leon.”

A flash of irritation on Leon’s behalf made him surge forward.

Jack fired again. This time it caught Ben in the ribs, well below his heart. The impact seared and momentarily knocked him back, but he kept his face blank and snatched the gun out of Jack’s hands. Ben turned it around and smacked Jack on the head with the handle side.

Jack crumpled to the carpeted floor, groaning.

Ben kicked him in the ribs. “Hey, Jack—you’re fired.”

He flipped the gun back around, pointed it at the little weasel’s head, and discharged it.

Ashley’s head swam like she’d downed three margaritas on an empty stomach. The dizziness seemed different than weakness caused by blood loss—there was a pleasant, but disoriented sensation, too. She’d somehow managed to get dressed and held a towel to the puncture wounds, but blood had soaked through her shirt and the towel and the sight made her nauseous. Her emotions were a tangled mess, too. She couldn’t stop crying—not because of the pain, although it was still excruciating, but more from shame and betrayal. Why had he bitten her? She had trusted him, given herself to him, and he’d turned savage. Had she somehow angered him? Surely tearing a hunk out of her shoulder wasn’t what he meant when he said wolves were rough when they had sex. Or was that the ‘marking’ she’d heard them talk about? Was this why he’d been so afraid to have sex with her?

Maybe so, but why had he just abandoned her afterward? He’d walked out the door while she’d been huddled naked and bleeding and he hadn’t returned. Even as she swore she’d never forgive him for this, her lovesick heart kept waiting for him to return and explain himself. But he hadn’t.

A tap sounded on the door.

She froze. Ben wouldn’t knock. Who could it be?

“Ashley? It’s Zolla. Ben sent me over to help you. Can you let me in?”

He sent Zolla? She felt queasy. She didn’t even merit him coming himself? She stood up from where she’d been sitting on the edge of the bed and wobbled over to open the door.

Zolla took in the bloodied towel without surprise. He stepped through the door and closed it quickly behind him. Pulling out a chair, he pointed at it. “May I look at your wounds?”

“Where’s Ben?” she asked as she found her way to the indicated chair.

“He went after Jack.”

That made her even angrier. Clearly, she meant nothing to him—he’d pawned her off on his friend while he went for revenge. It seemed he had only been keeping her around to make the trade with his laptop. She’d been a fool to think he had any feelings for her.

Zolla tore her shirt open at the neckline to expose her shoulder.

“Hey,” she protested. “You could’ve just asked me to take it off. This is the only shirt I have at the moment, you know.”

“Yeah, I’m not going to answer to Ben for having your shirt off,” he muttered.

“Ben has no claim on me,” she said bitterly.

Zolla raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips as if to show he disagreed, but wasn’t going to argue. He inspected the punctures in her skin and then walked to the bathroom where he wet a washcloth in the sink. When he returned, he cleaned the wounds.

She drew a breath. “Why did he do this to me? Is… is this what wolves do when they have sex?”

“No. He marked you. Do you know what that means?”

She shook her head, then stopped, wincing as the pain shot across her trapezius muscle.

“I don’t think he meant to do it, but his instinct probably took over. It means he’s chosen you as his mate. When a shifter male marks his mate, a special secretion coats his teeth. You probably feel a little drugged right now?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“The secretion is embedded in your flesh and his scent remains permanently, telling other wolves you are taken by him.”

A flood of indignation soaked through her. How dare he permanently mark her? She would be scarred for life and he hadn’t even asked first. And then he’d just walked out on her and sent Zolla over like she was some mess someone else had to clean up.

“This is bullshit,” she said, twisting to glare at Zolla, as if it was his fault his pack mate was an asshole. “He just bites a chunk out of my shoulder and then disappears and sends you to clean it up? Can you get his scent out of me, because I am sure as hell not sticking around for this kind of treatment.”

Zolla had leaned in close to inspect the marks under her collarbone. “Ashley… do you always heal this fast?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” She stood up and walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror. The gashes that had been so horrible forty-five minutes before had mostly closed, the bleeding stopped.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Is this fast?”

Zolla waited for her to return. “Yes. Most humans would require multiple stitches and would still be bleeding freely, but your blood has already coagulated and the flesh is sticking together as if this wound were a day old, instead of an hour.”

She touched her shoulder, trying to understand what he was telling her.

“Do you have any shifter blood in the family?”

She gaped at him. “You mean…?” Her mind raced, instantly arriving on Grandma Jane, who had given birth to her dad out of wedlock. It had been a scandalous family secret, and her father had been raised believing Abe Bell, his stepfather, was his real father until he saw his own birth certificate when he went off to college. The line for father had been filled in as ‘unknown.’ He’d confronted his mother and she’d refused to tell him anything, other than that Abe Bell loved him as his own and that was all that mattered.

Had Grandma Jane had a fling with a shifter?

Ashley considered how her father had always bragged that neither he nor his daughters ever got sick. It was true, their mother had her share of colds and flus, but Ashley and Melissa rarely caught anything, and when they did, it was mild in comparison to other people’s.

“Maybe I do heal fast,” she said slowly, remembering times when she or Melissa thought they’d sprained something only to have the swelling and pain be gone by morning. “I think I just always thought I was lucky.”

“It would explain Ben’s fascination with you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

He waved his hands as if to ward off her temper. “I didn’t mean any offense by that. You’re gorgeous and smart, anyone can see that, it’s just that alphas don’t usually choose humans as their mates. Biology would demand they choose the strongest or most suitable female for breeding.”

She sniffed, her anger with Ben returning full force.

“Listen… it’s none of my business, but—” He broke off when she whirled to glare at him.

“What?” she demanded.

“Just—don’t be too hard on him. He looked about as miserable as I’ve ever seen him this morning. I don’t think he meant to hurt you and I know he felt terrible about it.”

Some of her anger lessened, which for some reason made her feel weepy. She drew in several breaths to get control. “Well, why in the hell did he leave?”

Zolla shrugged. “I don’t know. My sense is that he carries around a lot of guilt—something to do with Leon’s death. He feels responsible for some reason. And I think hurting someone else he loved just made him tuck tail and run.”

Hearing that Zolla believed Ben loved her made her nose burn. She rubbed it.

“Honestly, Ashley. I know he didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She looked away to hide the emotion in her face.

His phone rang and he answered it. “How’d it go?” He listened for a moment. “Do you need cleanup?”

She strained her ears to hear the other person talking, wondering if it was Ben.

Her question was answered with Zolla’s next reply. “She’s okay. No major arteries, the wounds are healing well… No, she won’t need to see a doctor, unless she wants to.” He raised his eyebrows in question at her and she shook her head. “Okay.” Zolla held out the phone to her. “He wants to talk to you.”

She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head.

Zolla spoke into the phone. “Hey, man, she’s not feeling up to it, yet.” He turned away as if having a private conversation with Ben. “Give her a little time. It was a little shocking for her, that’s all.”

“A little? ” she muttered.

Zolla hung up and turned back to her. “He thinks it’s safe for you and Melissa to return home.”

“What happened with Jack?”

“Ben took care of him. He had taken a job at Suma Games and wanted to ruin Stone and steal the code before he left.”

“What did Ben do?”

“He finished it,” he said with a finality that made her shiver. “He thinks it’s safe for you and Melissa to go home now.”

Though it was irrational, disappointment at once again being dissed by Ben sent bile into her throat. “Great,” she said in a strangled voice. “Is Mel still at your place?”

“Yeah, I’ll head back and let her know. Do you want her to call you or anything?”

“Tell her to meet me at my place,” she said, picking up her purse and fishing out the keys.

“Will do,” Zolla said, opening the door and waiting for her to go through it first.

“Thanks,” she said, turning and giving Zolla a hug.

He froze, patting her awkwardly on the back. He cleared his throat. “Uh, no problem. You shouldn’t need to put anything on that bite—no hydrogen peroxide or antibiotic. The serum will protect you from infection. Are you okay to drive or do you still feel drugged?”

“I’m okay to drive,” she said. She felt odd, but the vertigo had worn off. “Is it okay to get it wet? I could use a long shower.”

“Should be fine. Just take it easy today. Put my number in your phone and call me if you have any questions or if you feel worse. Or if you need anything.”

She entered him into her contacts and gave him a weak smile. “Thanks again, Zolla.”

“Yeah. Be kind to your wolf, Ashley. He really is sorry.”

She shrugged. “He has yet to tell me that.” Not that she’d given him the opportunity.

She was grateful that Zolla didn’t point out that would have been impossible since she’d refused to take Ben’s call. She knew she was being somewhat irrational, but Ben’s abandonment was the clincher in a whole string of emotional shut-outs from the very beginning of their relationship.

She’d had enough. She didn’t know where they’d be going from here, but she was damn sure she wasn’t going to let it continue like this. She couldn’t go on feeling this unsteady. She didn’t give herself to a guy only to have him vanish every time things got intense.