by Zoe Perdita
At the sound of the alpha’s bedroom door closing, Alex pulled away from his mate and scowled. “You do the dishes. I’m going for a walk.”
He half expected West to follow him outside, wander through the woods with him in silence. But the other wolf stayed behind. Great. The one time he decided to do what Alex ordered!
In truth, the beta wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be alone, it was just easier that way. Even as a member of a pack he’d always been isolated. He wasn’t good enough to be an alpha – that was clear – so he worked hard at perfecting the role of beta wolf. Now even that slipped from his grasp. Was he just another pack member with no solid place? Like Danny, Gunner and Christian? How could he live with that?
Huffing, Alex kicked a pinecone into a tree. Then he glanced at the night sky, the dark mantle brushed with shimmering stars, and sighed.
West had known since they first met that Alex was his mate, but why couldn’t the beta remember? That moment obviously meant something to the other wolf, and it hurt him that Alex had no recollection of it. What would he do if he knew whom his mate was for years and years?
No matter how badly he wanted to push the West away, Alex knew he couldn’t. Everything the man had done was the same thing Alex wanted to do, he just wasn’t strong enough -- didn’t have the will. Sure, he could boss around Timothy, but that wasn’t the same as dominating a stubborn beta both taller and stronger than he was.
Alex cast a glance back at the lodge. No. He wasn’t ready to go back. Not yet. The waning moon called to him from her spot in the night sky. Her kind light illuminated the sprouting leaves – offered the promise of life to come.
He needed time to think on his own. Time to let everything sink in. So the beta stripped off his clothes and shifted into his wolf form. His body bent and stretched, fur sprouted from his flesh as he turned into a chocolate brown creature with sharp hazel eyes. Then he ran away into the woods.
As a beast Alex covered the ground more quickly than he could as a human, although he didn’t mean to run to the lake small mountain lake. When he spotted the mirror slick surface of the water, reflecting back the night’s stars, he skidded to a stop.
The almost totally round bowl of water stretched out before him and sweat beaded on his paws just from looking at it. Although he’d grown up in Sandpoint, Idaho, right next to Lake Pend Oreille, he wasn’t particularly fond of swimming. Just looking at the still water sent a shiver down his spine.
Then the memory of the redheaded boy flashed through his mind again. Shutting his eyes, Alex willed himself to remember.
“I dare you to jump off that rock,” Alex said and pointed at the jutting gray mass at least thirty feet above the surface of the water.
The boy glanced up at the outcropping. His red hair stood on end even though it was wet. Freckles spotted his cheeks and the wide, expressive eyes looked just like West. Yeah. It was West. But they were so much younger – only about twelve or thirteen.
“If you really are a beta you’ll do it with me,” West said and flashed him an easy smile.
Something twisted in Alex’s stomach, but he nodded nonetheless. He was a real beta and he wasn’t going to let some wolf from another pack tell him otherwise.
Together they scaled the outcropping. West held his slim hand out to Alex as they climbed, the hot summer sun beating down on them. Once they reached the top they stood with their toes hanging over the edge, the water lapping lazily below them.
From up there it seemed like a very long way down, but he couldn’t back out now. West would think he was a coward. And in Alex’s mind that was just about the worst thing ever.
“Come on,” the boy said and gripped the young beta’s hand.
The touch calmed his nerves, and Alex nodded. “Yeah.”
They leapt off the rock and the water rushed up to met them. West let out a whoop of joy just as the darkness of the lake consumed them both, drank them in.
The next thing Alex remembered, he was laying on the sandy shore with a rock digging painfully into his back. West knelt above him with his face streaked with either water or tears, it was hard to tell which.
Alex coughed. His lungs burned, and he took in great gulps of air. His entire body felt like wet noodles. What the hell happened to him?
Then West gathered him into a tight hug, his cheek pressed into the beta’s bare chest. “Don’t ever scare me like that! I can’t lose you. Not now.”
“Okay, I promise,” Alex said, although his voice was little more than a croak.
Then he looked up at the bright blue sky and the memory faded.
The beta opened his eyes and frowned. What the hell did all of that mean? Well, there was only one way to find out. He glanced at the lake one last time, swallowed the lump in his throat and headed back toward the lodge.
When he arrived home, West sat on the porch waiting for him. “I was about to go looking for you, love,” the new beta said.
Even in the darkness, Alex noticed the slight pinch to West’s mouth and eyes. Was he worried?
The beta shrugged. The earlier anger drained away sometime during his run. Now when he looked at his mate, while he still longed to prove himself, he no longer resented West for his strength. It wasn’t the other wolf’s fault he was stronger.
The cool night air chilled Alex’s flesh as he gathered his clothes from the porch. “I think I remember you,” he said.
West sat very still for a moment. “You do?”
Biting his bottom lip, Alex nodded. “Yeah. Well, mostly at least. What happened after we jumped off that rock?”
The other wolf took a deep breath and smiled. “You almost drowned. I’m not sure why. Maybe the water was too deep or something, but you let go of my hand when we went under and you didn’t come back up.”
If it were possible, Alex was sure his heart stopped beating for just a moment. “You saved me?”
“What else was I supposed to do? Let you drown? I mean, you were kind of a little prick, but so was I,” West said and shrugged.
Despite himself, the beta laughed. All this time he’d been straining against the man that saved his life and he didn’t even know it. Hell, no one probably did. West hadn’t even told his own brother!
“When did you know we were mates?” Alex asked as his laughter subsided. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t recall a moment when he thought that redheaded boy was going to claim him one day – or that Alex wanted him to.
West looked up at him, his brown eyes soft. “When I almost lost you. It hurt, seeing you limp and pale. I knew I had to bring you back or everything would go horribly wrong. My life would all be wrong. Good thing I knew some CPR, huh love?”
A spark ignited across the beta’s flesh, electrifying his heart. West saved his life. No matter what else the bastard did, Alex couldn’t hate the man. They were mates. Destined for each other from the beginning. It just took him a little longer to realize it.
“Yeah. Good thing,” he grumbled as heat rose to his cheeks.
“What now, boss?” West asked and glanced up at Alex. He leaned back on the bench, his legs stretched out before him and his arms behind his head.
Alex squared his jaw, need pooling in his groin at the sight of the other wolf. “I’m going to fuck you. That’s what.”
West raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I like it when you talk dirty. Who says you can overpower me?”
The beta growled at his mate. Even now he had to be an ass! “Who says I can’t?”
“Determination! That’s what I love about you,” West cried and let out a great burst of laughter.
Something bubbled in Alex’s body – not the usual anger but a newfound need to prove himself to his mate. “You don’t believe I can do it?” he asked.
The other beta shook his head. “I think you can do anything you put your mind to, love. But I won’t make it easy for you. It’s not fun unless it’s a challenge.”
As the words clicked into place, Alex finally understood
his mate. Nothing was fun unless it was a challenge. No wonder West pushed him so hard. The new wolf wanted Alex to prove himself just as badly as the beta did. Well. He wouldn’t let the man down.
“Are you prepared?” West asked as he stood up.
“Prepared?”
Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, West produced a little bottle of lube. Did he always carry that around with him? His mate set the bottle on the wooden boards of the porch and smirked.
“We are now. I’ll let you have the first move since I know you need the handicap.”
Alex growled low and in his chest. West was just playing with him, like a predator toying with its prey. He tried not to let the bastard’s taunts get to him. He needed to think of a plan.
At the moment, the beta was naked; a disadvantage, but only in his human form. With a sudden leap, he shifted into a wolf and knocked West back. His mate slid across the wooden surface, his eyes wide, right before he too changed into his animal form. Jumping to his feet, the huge red wolf lifted his lips into a snarl.
Slowly, Alex stepped back and watched his mate. He had to time it just right if he wanted to –
West slammed into him with a great lurch of his hind legs, knocking the beta from his feet. The two of them tumbled down the stairs and into the gravel driveway. Barely realized nips found purchase on Alex’s neck, and he growled and pulled his fur free.
If the bastard wanted to play dirty the beta could play dirty!
He bit back, growling and snipping at West’s solid form. Together, they rolled through the rocks and soil – leaving the lube behind. Shit! He needed to get back to the porch if he wanted to win!
Breaking free of his mate’s hold, Alex sprinted toward the lodge and transformed back into a human right as he reached the stairs. One. Two. Three quick steps and he scooped up the lube in his hands.
A moment later, West barreled into him, shoving the beta face first into the outside of their home. Alex coughed, fighting to bring the air back into his lungs and get out of the wolf’s iron like grip.
“Oh, you got the prize, but can you use it?” West panted in Alex’s ear. At least he was out of breath too.
The hard muscles and slick sweat of West’s body ignited the beta with lust. Alex wiggled, the rough wood scraping his cheek. He could win this if he played his cards right. Alex gripped onto the bottle of lube in his hand and took a deep breath.
“Can you get it away from me?” he huffed.
West’s chuckled, his chest rumbling against Alex’s back. “Good come back, love. But I think you’ll give me the lube if I ask nice enough.”
Then the other beta’s lips scorched Alex’s neck. The combination of soft lips and sharp teeth lit his feverish skin on fire. Each touch seared his flesh – branding him with West’s scent, his hungry need. Biting his bottom lip, the beta let his mate work lower, hands and lips trailing down his eager body with undisguised fervor.
West’s calloused fingers slid down the small of Alex’s back, his burning lips in hot pursuit. With just the slightest touch the beta’s whole body sang for a stronger caress, his cock throbbing for release. Release he’d find when he claimed the new wolf once and for all!
Strong hands suddenly gripped Alex’s cheeks and forced them wide, exposing his entrance to the cold night air. Involuntarily, the beta gasped as his lover’s breath tickled his hole.
“How pretty. Just like a little rose bud. Good thing we washed up earlier,” he groaned.
“What are you – ah!” the thought slipped from Alex’s mind as the wet tickle of West’s tongue grazed his ass. Shivers of delight danced up his spine and down his thighs at each hearty taste.
The other’s wolf’s breath blazed against Alex’s twitching orifice, and the beta squeezed the lube even tighter in his hands. Shit. How was he supposed to stay strong under this glorious attack?
After another playful flick of moisture, West’s fingers joined the party. They brushed the sensitive taint with swift stokes, rolled Alex’s eager balls in their palms like a master masseur.
“If you give me the lube I can make it even better,” West said, his tongue trailing over Alex’s quivering need with relish.
The beta moaned, his skin alive with goose bumps. How did this bastard do it? Entice him into a state of pure erotic hunger in such a short span of time?
“I want to win,” he moaned.
West chuckled, his breath searing. “Haven’t we both won? We found each other. We have a pack. You’re so fucking gorgeous I can’t keep my hands off you, and I know you feel the same about me. What have you lost?”
Even through the fog of lust, his mate’s words made perfect sense. “You don’t think I’m weak?” Alex asked and shifted his weight.
A hot kiss scorched his lower back. “You’re the strongest wolf I know, and we only just met for the second time. It takes just as much strength to give in as it does to fight.”
The beta wolf squeezed his eyes shut. The strength to give in. Was this just some kind of trick West was playing to fuck Alex silly again? No. His mate wasn’t like that – they longed for each other with the same desperate passion. Hell, even between Jake and Holden one of them had to be the submissive party from time to time. It wasn’t weakness, it was just what he enjoyed.
Slowly, Alex nodded and let the bottle of lube slip from his fingers.
West’s tongue continued its assault, lapping at the beta’s eager body. Over his tight hole and trailing the length of his aching taint. Alex moaned, longing for the thick heat of his mate to fill him up – claim him again. Make the world disappear into nothing but writhing pleasure.
Then the other wolf lifted the bottle and squirted the lube on his hands, a rough finger easing inside the beta’s tight entrance.
Alex shifted and squirmed, his cock so hard it throbbed against his stomach. “Fuck!” he moaned.
Behind him, West chuckled and slipped another finger inside. “You’re still tight,” he said and scissored his digits gently.
Each probe woke nerves Alex didn’t realize he had, and the beta groaned into his arm. Then a third finger slid in to join the other two, lube slick and calloused, they bumped the bundle of nerves buried inside and a jolt of electric anticipation flowed through him.
“Lean back,” West groaned and pulled Alex’s hips after he yanked his fingers free.
“Make me,” Alex growled, more to see his mate’s reaction than out of malice.
“If that’s how you want it,” the other wolf said and knocked Alex off his feet.
A moment later the beta sat in West’s lap, his ass perfectly positioned for the assault. He wiggled under his lover’s masterful hands and gasped as the fat, throbbing head thrust inside. Without a word, West pulled Alex onto his cock until he was buried to the hilt.
The beta’s body ached and sang all at once. It felt like he’d been ripped in two in the most wonderful way.
“Fuck,” he groaned as West’s hands trailed up to Alex’s eager nipples.
“Ride me,” the other wolf huffed, his lips peppering the beta’s shoulders with feather light kisses.
Alex’s body was too far absorbed in ecstasy not to obey. He needed the release. Wanted the release more than he could ever deny it. The surrender to his lover and mate consumed him. Lifting his hips, the beta brought himself down on West’s shaft again.
The pounding heat impaled him, filled him to the brim. Again and again he slammed his ass down on the tumescent member. West’s moans mingled with his own as the man’s fingers nipped and pulled at Alex’s delicate nipples.
His body responded to each touch, each pull and push with another gasp of delight, another moan of pure pleasure. Kisses burned Alex’s neck and teeth pinched his flesh, suckling the skin raw with need.
The beta gripped his lover’s thighs for a better hold. Lifting himself up faster, anticipating the perfect moment when the velvet force of West’s cock thundered into his body’s trembling nerves. His ass absorbed the turgid length h
ungrily.
Then the other wolf’s fingers trailed down Alex’s stomach and settled at the base of his cock. West’s fingers stroked his member with barely realized touches.
“Tell me you love me,” the other wolf groaned into Alex’s ear.
The beta gasped at the touch as another thrust filled him to the brim. He really didn’t need to think about it this time. Unlike before he wasn’t afraid of losing this game – he’d already won.
“I love you,” he moaned.
West’s breath hitched in his throat and the man wrapped his slick fingers around Alex’s aching erection. Each stroke was timed with the forceful thrusts. Guiding them both closer and closer to the edge of their ecstasy.
Thrust. Stroke. Thrust. Stroke.
The beta’s whole body tingled for release. Fingers brushed the tip of his dripping cock just as West’s heat overflowed inside of him. The sudden explosion threw Alex over the edge. He arched his back, moaned and spilled his creamy load as the pleasure over took him, rolling him in the depth of his desire.
Heart pounding and slick with sweat, Alex didn’t know how long they sat there. He didn’t know if he’d ever catch his breath again, or if he ever wanted his lover to be more than arms length from him. Slowly, he leaned back into West’s powerful hold and the man wrapped his arms around the beta, interlocking his fingers over Alex’s stomach.
“Tell me you love me,” Alex panted into the still night air.
West didn’t hesitate. His heart beat a fierce rhythm against the beta’s back, and his lips singed Alex’s ear.
“I love you,” he breathed. “Always have. Always will.”
Alex, wholeheartedly, believed him.
Alpha Bait
Russian Wolf Pack 1
Chapter 1
Staring at the old Victorian farmhouse, the garden over grown and the driveway dusty in the hot summer air, I wonder if I can do this. I’ve had time- six long months of grieving before I came out here to deal with my parent’s things. Shit! I’m way too young to be left alone. Twenty-five and both parents gone? What the hell am I supposed to do?
