To Tame an Alpha (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance)

by Wilson, Joanna

  He took her hand. “You’re scared, aren’t you? I swear you’ll be safe from Jeremy.”

  “I know.” But it’s you that I’m scared of, this side of you that you’ve kept hidden from me until now. She added silently.

  “Maxine…” He squeezed her fingers gently. “There is something you should know. Something that I should’ve told you when I first saw you.”

  That you love me? Is that it? But the words still refused to come. “What is it?”

  “I think you better get dressed.” He stood up and offered her his hand.

  ***

  They met at the breakfast table, Vince, Maxine, and Vince’s mother Horatia. A full table of breakfast foods were laid out, tiny cups of espresso and lemon-flavored cupcakes, small rolls and jars of jam sat next to each other. The aroma was intoxicating but none of the food was touched.

  “Maxine.” Vince spoke first. “There’s something I—we—need to tell you.”

  She wasn’t in a position to say no.

  Vince exchanged another look with his mother before he took hold of Maxine’s hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. The familiar warmth rushed through her but a cold dread was there as well. She didn’t know what to expect.

  “Maxine, we come from a very long line of... protectors.” Vince began carefully.

  “My father was the protector of Huerto del Lobo, and his father before him for generations. I am the current protector of the town and its people. But I can’t protect it by myself, I need a—” Vince paused as if searching for the right word. Finally, he said. “Mate. I need a Mate to help protect it with me.”

  Mate? What is he talking about? But then Maxine remembered Sapphire and the tall hulking man who was her husband. She called her husband her Mate too…

  “Mate… I’ve heard that before…” She breathed. “You’re a… a…”

  “Werewolf.” Vince finished her sentence.

  Maxine slowly withdrew her hand from Vince’s and sat up straight in her chair. She looked at Horatia and then Vince. Her eyes landed on Vince’s soft silver ones, nearly translucent in the morning light streaming through the windows. She saw something move in his eyes again, something not quite human and knew there was nothing but the truth before her.

  She scrambled away from the table, the chair clattering to the floor as she retreated to the windowed wall. Everyone at the table rose with her, almost as if they were on marionette strings. It freaked Maxine out badly, but she didn’t yell hysterically or faint out. No, she just put a good distance between herself and the self proclaimed werewolves.

  Werewolf. Maxine looked at Vince like she’d never seen him before. He flinched away from her look. But Maxine felt neither sadness nor pity. Her world had just been turned upside down.

  Little things the townspeople did finally made sense to her now: the slight bows, the cheerfulness, the extra-attentiveness. The word she kept hearing in the flowing streams of Spanish: Alpha. She didn’t imagine it.

  “Werewolf.” She finally found her voice and it was no more than a whisper.

  Vince nodded. “We all are.”

  Maxine shook her head. “And I’m your Mate?” She asked carefully.

  Vince approached her slowly. She flinched back and he stopped. “Yes.”

  Maxine looked around the room again, the air shifting to take on an almost ominous breeze. “And what does that mean?” Maxine asked, knowing she really didn’t want the answer.

  Vince’s eyes pleaded for understanding. “It means you’re mine, Maxine, and that any man who threatens you threatens all of us. Jeremy is a danger to you and so, he is a danger to all of us and must be removed.”

  Maxine’s mouth gaped open at the steadfast conviction in his tone. Must be removed… The horrible truth was laid out to bear and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

  Chapter 6

  Maxine was still trying to come to terms of it all as she walked through the streets of Huerto del Lobos. Two guards trailed a short distance behind her. Ever since Jeremy had called, Vince appointed her two guards whenever she went outside.

  It wasn’t the fact that Vince was a werewolf that made Maxine uneasy but the rage that boiled in his eyes when he spoke to Jeremy and the candid way he said about Jeremy needing to be removed. It terrified her more than the threat of Jeremy coming to find her.

  There was no mistaking what Vince meant. He was going to kill Jeremy. How can it turn out like this? Maxine found herself wondering as she walked faster, hoping to put more distance between herself and her two guards.

  She knew she should’ve listened to her brain when she saw Vince, she knew he was trouble. Now her moment of weakness landed her in this predicament. Was this how her friend Sapphire felt when she submitted to Sin?

  Lost in thought, Maxine followed her feet through the winding streets of town. When she looked up, she found that she was alone. The town was strangely quiet. She paused in the middle of the street. The sun shone, the road was out in the open, yet a shiver of fear raced down her consciousness.

  There was a sharp pain at the side of her head and a strange sharp smell in her nose as a cloth was pressed against her face. She felt herself falling and being caught, then her vision went black.

  ***

  The first thing she smelled when she woke up was oil, and a lot of it. Maxine’s vision came to her in patches and blotches, the immediate need to throw up overwhelming her. But she suppressed it and tried to gather her bearings.

  Maxine groaned as she forced herself to lift her head and look around the room. It looked like some kind of airplane hangar but she was too disoriented to tell.

  “I see you’re awake, sweetheart.” Jeremy’s voice floated over to her. “You look beautiful.”

  Despite the immediate pain it brought her, Maxine forced her head up and found Jeremy standing behind her with a self-satisfied grin on his face. His watery eyes quivered as he looked at her and his lips split into a wide smile. A spot of orange glowed and she smelled the acrid odor of burning cloves. Jeremy’s favorite cigarettes.

  “What do you want, Jeremy?” Maxine’s mouth went dry.

  Jeremy took a long drag on his cigarette and teetered back on the chair. He was ignoring her. Maxine decided to try again. “I said, what--?”

  His hand came out of nowhere and covered her mouth. “I got worried Maxine.” Jeremy whispered. “When you hung up on me like that, I knew you were in danger. I had to come find you and rescue you from this place.” Jeremy tilted her head up and kissed her. The bitter taste of smoke filled her mouth and she pursed her lips to keep his lusting tongue from gaining entry. “Now we can go back home, Maxine. We can be together again.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Jeremy. Please, just let me go.” She begged.

  “Mistake?” Jeremy took one last drag and stamped out the cigarette. “There’s been no mistake, Maxine. You belong to me. Didn’t you feel it that night when you were on my lap? The way you moaned? I remember it.” His hand traced down Maxine’s neck and drew away at the last second. “It was… amazing. I love you, Maxine, you know that, right? Right?”

  “Jeremy.” She shook her head. “That was just what I do for my job, Jeremy. I swear, it’s not what you think it is. You were just a client.”

  Jeremy didn’t raise his voice. “You’re lying. It’s okay. I know it’s not something that you’re used to dealing with in your line of work. But there was a connection, Maxine. I felt it.”

  No, Jeremy. Maxine thought. The only connection I felt is with Vince. He’s my Mate, not you.

  Jeremy took her silence as acceptance and smiled. “That’s a good girl. We’ll be on our way back home soon. Then we’ll live together and have a wonderful life. I promise, Maxine.”

  Maxine fought to keep the tears from coming. She didn’t want to go back with Jeremy. She didn’t want to live with him. She wanted Vince, she wanted her mate.

  Jeremy reached up to wipe away her tears. “Don’t cry, Maxine. I hate to see y
ou cry…”

  I hate you. Maxine thought bitterly and the tears did not stop.

  Something moved in the corner of her eyes and she felt warmth gushing through her body, driving away the fear in her. Vince, she thought.

  Suddenly there was a low howl and a blur of gray and silver. Snarls and screams rose up and Jeremy fell to the ground as a wolf pinned him down. The wolf snapped at Jeremy, dribbling saliva from its maw. But it made no motion to hurt him. When it turned its face to Maxine, she saw a pair of familiar silver eyes.

  More eyes stalked from the darkness and wolves swam in front of Maxine’s vision.

  “Vince?” Even to her own ears, Maxine’s voice sounded weak. Her world was fading in and out of darkness again.

  Strong arms surrounded her, broke the chains of the handcuffs, and lifted her out of the chair. Maxine felt her head loll before it finally settled on Vince’s chest. Her vision was hazy and the last thing she heard before the darkness claimed her again, as clear as day was: “I have you, Maxine. You’re safe.”

  Chapter 7

  They brought Jeremy back alive with them. For the next few days, Vince nursed Maxine back to health. When she was well enough, he told her what they would do with Jeremy.

  “There is an old amphitheater from the Roman days. He’ll be given a trial there and sentenced to prove his innocence by combat, as the old Lycan ways dictate.” Vince explained.

  “What does that mean? By combat? You don’t mean to make him fight, do you?” Maxine asked. “Have you seen him? He’s not a fighter. He’ll die.”

  “He threatened you.” Vince said.

  “Yes, only because he thought I loved him. Please, Vince, please don’t kill him. He’s just misguided, that’s all.”

  “He kidnapped you from me. The old ways demand his blood.”

  “Please, Vince. No killing.” I can’t bear it. Maxine stood her ground, knowing that this was something Vince must understand. If he killed Jeremy he’d be a murderer, but worse still Jeremy’s death would be on her mind because Vince would kill him in her name. He’d be killing Jeremy for her. In her mind, it was no different than her killing Jeremy and she couldn’t live with that thought.

  But Vince wasn’t convinced. “There is no other way.”

  “There must be.” She fired back. “You have your traditions but if you want me to accept you as my Mate, you’ll have to make compromises. I came to Spain to escape, not to become a murderer.”

  “It’s not murder, Florecita, it’s justice.”

  “Justice doesn’t mean ripping Jeremy apart.”

  “You don’t understand our ways, but you will come to understand them soon enough.” He slid his hand around her waist but she pushed him away.

  “No, Vince.” She must convince him. “You can’t kill him. I won’t allow you to kill him.”

  “You would defend a man who tried to kidnap you?”

  “From death? Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “You told me that you’d never let anything happen to me, but if you kill Jeremy, you’d be no better than he was. You’d hurt me.” It was the last argument she had.

  Vince looked torn. Maxine could see the conflict in his eyes. While his wolf snarled for blood, his human side saw the logic behind Maxine’s words. Finally, he said. “The pack will demand his blood.”

  Relief washed over her. She was swaying him. “So deal with it. You’re the alpha, aren’t you? Lead them. Tell them the same thing I’ve told you.”

  “They won’t like the explanation.”

  “But I will, Vince. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Us?”

  “Yes. It’s about us.” Vince nodded. Quicker than any human could move, Vince slid his arm around her waist, bent her back, and took her lips in a possessive kiss. But it was so much more than a kiss. It was a contract, an agreement. So long as he held up his end, she would hold up hers and become his, completely his.

  ***

  Maxine held her breath as Jeremy was brought out into the amphitheater. Jeers and hoots rose up from the pack all around him and he whimpered. Vince waited in the pit. He was shirtless and his muscles seemed to glow under the fierce Mediterranean sun.

  The din of the crowd died down when Vince held up his hand. Silence descended and Maxine could hear Jeremy begging for mercy. Vince moved forward and rested his hand on Jeremy’s neck. A patch of darkness spread between Jeremy’s legs and he sobbed “Please…”

  All it took was a single voice. Someone in the crowd shouted a word and soon the entire crowd was chanting it. Maxine knew what word they were shouting.

  Please, Vince. You promised.

  Vince raised his free hand for silence again. When the only sound was the soft wind, he announced. “I will not kill this man.” A collective gasp rose up in the audience. Vince paused to let that information sink into the crowd before continuing. “I will not kill him because if I did so I would be no better than him.” He turned and looked lovingly at Maxine “I would be hurting my mate.”

  Maxine smiled brilliantly up at Vince, so proud that he had chosen her over his blood lust. But then his face hardened, and he turned to look once more at Jeremy his lips drawn pack in a snarl. “But a punishment is still due.”

  The crowd erupted into applause and hoots as Vince called back the guards. Maxine held her breath. This wasn’t part of the agreement! What was Vince about to do? Would he torture Jeremy? Maim him? Disfigure him for the rest of his life? She realized that Vince had only agreed to spare Jeremy’s life, nothing more. A dozen scenarios ran through Maxine’s head, none of them pretty.

  “Jeremy,” Vince began clearly, “For the crime of kidnapping and attacking an alpha, I hereby banish you from Spain. You will be sent to Alpha Oslin’s pack in Norway, where you will serve as a servant to the pack for the next two years.” Vince paused and looked down his nose at Jeremy. “And though I should not have to say it, I will. You are forbidden to ever contact Maxine again. If you do, you forfeit your life.”

  Maxine shivered at the cold vehemence in Vince’s eyes. She was happy that he hadn’t kill Jeremy, because if he had… it would have been a long road for them ahead. But he hadn’t. Hand over her heart, Maxine knew the bloodlust that Jeremy ignited in a person, because she’d had fantasies about killing him a time or two, but Vince hadn’t given in.

  He hadn’t let the wolf control his actions. Only the man.

  Before Maxine realized what she was doing, her feet were already carrying her to Vince’s side, an invisible tether pulling her along. She reached his side and tilted her head up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

  Vince nodded and bent to capture her lips in a lingering kiss. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  ***

  “Can you really accept... everything?” Vince asked suddenly and Maxine paused, her hand on the door knob.

  Silently she let the door swing closed and then turned to face Vince. Maxine heard the thousands of words and meanings he stuffed into “everything”. Smiling softly, she moved to Vince, her eyes roaming over his bare muscled chest.

  So much had happened in the few days she’d been in Spain. Meeting her werewolf mate, being kidnapped by a stalker, and falling in love.

  Love? She paused, a dozen feet away from his, a blush creeping up her neck. Do I love Vince? She hadn’t even paused to think about that emotion, or really anything else but the here and now. It was strange to think that she loved someone, that she was someone’s mate, someone’s alpha. Maxine supposed she hadn’t really given herself time to evaluate all her emotions, all of the things that had happened.

  Maxine should have been scared, should have been freaked out and worried, but she felt the exact opposite. Despite her new responsibility, her new emotions, none of it really scared her; it exhilarated her.

  And maybe it was something inside of her genealogy calling to a time when her ancestors were animals. Animals that fought for their people, and protected their own. All Maxine knew is that ever since com
ing here, her life had felt… right. Like the pieces of the puzzle finally fit into place.

  “I accept everything, Vincent.” Maxine said heavily and took a breath. “I accept you.”

  She reached up and kissed him; let him know that his wolf didn’t bother her and that she wanted him all the same. She felt it then, like the last time, a sudden displacement of air, energy sizzling and crackling between them. In a blur of speed she felt the door at her back, the wood creaking ominously.

  Vince’s hands were rough on her skin tearing at the material of her clothes, but Maxine was just as savage ripping the linen of his pants and reaching inside to grip the length of his cock. “I want you. Now.” Maxine growled as she gently stroked him.