AlphainHiding

by Lea Barrymire

  He sighed and the blank mask she so dreaded descended on his face. “Fine. Two days is all I’m giving you. Saturday night you are mine, do you hear me? You can’t hide from me after that. I’m claiming you and you’re claiming me and then I’m going to bring you home and make love to you for days straight.”

  She wanted to smile at that, wanted to make light of the threat, but she knew he was stretched to his limits. She just nodded, accepting his statements and agreeing to them. She quickly climbed into her vehicle and drove off before she could change her mind. Her wolf whined pitifully in the back of her mind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The wall was cool against her heated skin. How much longer was she going to have to wait? When would he get there? Emily stood at the back of the barn watching the pack mingle. Every time the door opened her heart would race until she saw it wasn’t him, then she’d slump against the wall again in dejection. Her disappointment was almost comical. She knew she wasn’t hiding the emotions well. Her walls weren’t holding everything in. She could smell the anticipation and periodic distress on her own skin.

  “So what do you think?” Her father leaned on the wall next to her, facing the crowd of single shifters, affecting a casual pose.

  “What do you mean?” She wasn’t playing his game, not this time. “I think lots of things, most of them you don’t want to hear right now.”

  “Em, don’t lie to me. I can smell it rolling off you in waves. Why don’t you run tonight and let him catch you? Put an end to this nonsense and claim your mate.”

  “Dad, it’s not that easy.” She turned so she could see his face. “What if you and Mom had claimed each other and then she’d found someone else she wanted? It would have killed you. I can’t go through that. I have to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he wants only me.”

  He sighed. “I understand the argument, honey, but if you both feel the connection this strongly then it’s plain ol’ destiny. He told me that your heartbeats synch when you touch. That is powerful magic. Not all mated pairs claim to have that happen. You and Seth are meant to be together, and all this pain you are causing the two of you is just ridiculous.”

  She sort of wanted to agree, but it didn’t matter. Seth wasn’t here. They’d all start toward the field in another few minutes. Maybe he wasn’t coming. Maybe he’d decided that she wasn’t worth the crap she was putting them through. Her heart clenched. What if he found another female? She fought the tears that threatened to escape and took a few deep breaths to get herself under control. She couldn’t give in now. If he really didn’t show up she could cry at home, without everyone seeing her weakness.

  She was saved from doing the unthinkable—asking her dad if he’d heard from Seth—when the door opened again. She held her breath and almost crossed her fingers. The breath she had sucked in left in a whoosh. In walked Seth in all his glory. His clothes hugged his new form as though they’d been painted on. Muscles bulged and rippled when he moved. He was grade-A eye candy with an attitude. She closed her eyes when his powers swept over her skin. Her body’s reaction was instantaneous. Nipples tightened, pussy creamed and her heart rate shot through the roof.

  She listened to his approach. Unerringly he swept through the room, stalking her. His scent reached her before he did and she sucked it into her lungs, holding her breath, savoring the taste of him on the air. The heat from his body touched her a moment before his hands did. She shivered with the simple caress of his palms sliding up her arms. She refused to open her eyes and see what lay in his.

  “Em, why are you standing here with your eyes closed?” His whispered words were another caress across her heated body. His voice was gravelly and filled with so much need that it almost was tangible.

  “I can’t look at your eyes yet. I’m not strong enough.”

  He pulled her into his embrace and just held her. She listened to his heartbeat slow and mimic hers. Her father’s words replayed through her mind. If they were fated to be together, then it was stupid to push her plan. Could she trust that assessment, though? Could she put her life and her heart on the line based on a mythical connection without testing it first?

  “Emily, introduce us to this tantalizing hunk o’ man you’re hoggin’.” The silky, feminine voice that intruded on Emily’s thoughts pulled a growl from the depths of her guts. She hadn’t heard the approach of “the three witches” but she was sure all three of them stood there if Amanda was talking. Amanda was blonde, well-endowed and exactly what many males craved—easy and superficial. Her two comrades were Liz and Barb, both brunette, stacked and obnoxious. All three had perfect bodies and they were not known for their modesty. They shopped for men like Emily shopped for soda, by the six-pack. Their appetites for men were well-known and bragged about by both males and females.

  Emily took a deep breath and pushed back from Seth’s chest. He didn’t release her easily but a quick scowl bought her a few inches. She turned in his arms and almost grinned as he settled his hands on her hips. She looked over the three women, barely keeping her lip from curling. “Hi, Amanda. This is Seth. Seth, meet Amanda, Liz and Barb.”

  “Ladies.” His voice rumbled against her back.

  Emily watched the threesome with interest. They obviously wanted to chat with him. He obviously didn’t want to reciprocate, judging from the firm hold he kept on her hips. She wanted to grin at the three, rub it in that this absolutely magnificent he-wolf wanted her instead of them. She realized that there was no way she could let him out of her sights. Screw the test. She knew he was her mate and there was no fucking way another female was getting anywhere near him. She swallowed the growl that was building in her chest.

  “Seth. Nice to meet you. Are you running tonight?” Amanda flipped her hair and tilted her head slightly. Wolf speak was blatant in her movements—come and get me, I’m submissive to anything with a cock. Emily snorted at her own thoughts.

  “Yep,” he answered. He bent forward and whispered in Emily’s ear. “But I don’t want to. I’m holding what I came to this shindig for.”

  A shiver worked its way down Emily’s spine. He knew everyone around them could hear his statement, yet he made it anyway. Physically and verbally he was claiming her before they could even get outside. She wiggled her ass against his cock in agreement with his words. She grinned at the answering chuckle against her back.

  “Oh, um, well, I guess that’s good. See you guys outside.” Amanda and her entourage quickly walked away, glancing over their shoulders a few times.

  Emily turned in Seth’s arms again and took a moment to really look at him. His jaw was clenched. Strong waves of power rolled from him. His shoulders and arms were built differently than the first time she’d seen him. She wondered where her geeky, weak male had gone. Had he changed as much inside as he had on the outside?

  His face softened before he bent forward and touched his lips to hers. “I’m still me, Em. I’m just hotter-looking now.”

  She finally gave in and laughed. The entire scene was absurd, or maybe surreal. She wrapped her arms around his waist and plastered her body against his chest. She rubbed her face against his shirt, savoring his heat and scent. “You are definitely hot. I don’t know if you’re hotter now—buffer, maybe, but you were hot even when you were wearing glasses and snuffling in my Jeep.”

  “You aren’t going to make me run in this thing tonight, right? I can smell your arousal and I’d much rather take you home than run around with a bunch of strangers that I don’t want to be with.”

  “Au contraire, mon frère. You are most definitely running with the singles tonight. You’re going to be so tired after tonight you won’t be able to even lift your head tomorrow morning.” She grinned at him with a devilish smirk. She had finally figured out what she was doing for the night and it looked as though she’d be running with the singles as well. If he wanted to claim her today then he would do it the traditional way, and she wasn’t going to make it easy.

  His scowl change
d to a grin. “I see. So does that mean you’re going to make me chase you?”

  “Yep. You’ll have to catch me and make me submit. It’s all part of the fun.” She patted him on the arm before stepping out of his embrace. “I need to let my dad know that I won’t be refereeing.”

  Would howling his triumph inside a packed building be bad form? Seth almost didn’t care, but he held in the vocalization for Emily’s benefit. If it was a no-no in the shifter manual he didn’t want to embarrass her. He wanted to shout to the rafters that his mate had finally given in and was going to claim him. Everything in his life had changed the moment Emily had walked through his door a week before, but he wouldn’t take a single second of it back. He finally felt complete. His wolf was an integral part of him—his body reflected his heritage, his father’s blood flowed through his veins.

  He watched her walk through the crowd. She was beautiful as she waded through the riffraff. They parted for her as she moved forward, pushed by her power and her reputation. He took great pleasure in watching the males move quickly out of her path. He growled low when Luke, the asshole from the diner, approached her. Seth knew she would get pissed if he intervened, but that pup was pushing the wrong buttons tonight. He had every right to challenge Luke to a fight for dominance, and Seth would if he needed to.

  He listened to the conversation between Emily and Luke, fighting the urge to run over and take the male to the ground. She rebuffed the loser quickly and efficiently. When she turned to look over her shoulder and smile at Seth, he thought he’d combust right there. That smile held nothing but sensual promise. He quickly shifted his cock from its uncomfortably twisted position. He was hard and ready. He also took note of the venom being shot his way by the other male. Looked as if Luke didn’t like being brushed off by a female.

  Seth continued watching her wind through the throng of people. She stopped and spoke to a few, hugged a couple of older shifters and finally made it to her father. Seth leaned back against the wall and watched the conversation unfold. He knew her father would be thrilled. They had spoken a few times on the phone since the weekend before and Emily’s father had been more than supportive. Her father had actually suggested Seth show up at her house, tie her to the bed and “take care of business”. As shocked as he’d been by that particular piece of advice, he was glad her father approved of their mating.

  As he watched, Emily and her father turned as one to look at him. He swallowed his nervousness and gave a smile and nod toward them. The nod and grin her father gave him was enough to let him know their pairing was sanctioned. Not that anyone could stop them, but he wanted their union to be approved by her father. As he watched her walk through the groups of people, he finally understood the undercurrent of loneliness he had sensed within her. She had been waiting for him with her father at the back of the room. No friends milled around her, none approached her as she walked proudly through the room. The only people she responded to were older, mated couples, and Luke. No wonder she kept talking about needing a partner in life. His promise to her would be for a lifelong partner in crime. He was used to being the lone wolf, figuratively and literally, but had longed for someone to share it with. Now he saw that she felt the same way.

  While he had been pondering weightier things a group of single bitches had approached. He didn’t notice until a wave of female arousal tickled his nose. He tore his gaze from Emily to find ten women standing near him, ogling him from head to toe with blatant lust. Their combined scents hung heavy in the air. He wanted to cover his nose with his shirt or something to help to filter out the odors.

  “Ladies.” He blanked his face and voice. He didn’t want to make a scene but with the number of males migrating their way he wasn’t sure he would get away without some sort of commotion.

  One of the women stepped forward, nominating herself the speaker of the group. She was pretty and her smile was warm but her eyes shone with determination. “Hi. You’re Seth, right?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Um. We know you’ve been seen around the last week with Emily, but seeing as she never actually gets involved with the males we figured we’d come introduce ourselves. All of us are single and will be running tonight. Most of us are…well, open to some group fun, so if you’re interested…” She left the invitation open but he understood her meaning. They were looking for some fun and didn’t mind sharing a male or two at these types of functions.

  Seth tried not to curl his lip in disgust. Maybe this was the normal way the females chatted with the males before a run. Maybe, but that didn’t mean he was interested. To be so flippant about sex was sort of shocking. He was trying to find a way to gently explain that he wasn’t interested when a growl sounded behind the group of females.

  “What the fuck?” A deep male voice carried over the women. The hairs on Seth’s arms raised. Luke. It had to be. His wolf growled in response.

  The one who had spoken turned and smiled widely at the asshole. “Luke. Hi, baby.”

  “Lyndsey, I thought you and I were gonna run tonight. What the hell you doin’ around this one?”

  “Hey, you and I can do our thing. I was just going to make plans for later tonight. You know how a mess of us like to get together for some partying, right?”

  “So you were going to fuck me and then run off to meet him?” Luke’s anger was building and Seth watched in rapt fascination as the other male’s canines lengthened and his eyes changed shape. Even Luke’s face started to lengthen and transform.

  A whimper escaped Lyndsey’s lips and she tilted her head, baring her throat to the angry he-wolf. “No, baby. I was going to play with you and then I figured we’d go together to party with the group. We don’t have to do that, though, if you don’t want to.”

  Luke lunged forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her into his chest hard enough to snap her head back. “I don’t share. Get that through your fucking blonde mind. You are mine tonight.”

  Seth’s anger was building. No, he didn’t want to touch any of these bitches with a ten-foot pole, but that didn’t mean they deserved to be treated like shit. He looked quickly around for someone else to step forward, to stop the male from harming the female. When no one moved he took a deep breath, ready to beat the male if needed. A growl rumbled in his chest.

  “Let her go, Luke.” Seth’s voice sounded strange even to his ears.

  “Fuck you, newbie. You don’t know what you’re stepping into, so just turn around and leave the bitch to me.”

  “I don’t think so. You need to let her go. Now.”

  “Or what, pretty boy?” Luke scoffed. “You had to have Emily protect you just the other day. If you keep pushing this you’ll be sorry.”

  During the exchange the female hung limply in Luke’s hands, baring her throat. She whimpered when he squeezed her arms tighter. The noise triggered a primitive response in Seth. There was something about a weaker female being abused that just set him off. With a deep growl he took two steps toward the male and felt his powers coursing through his veins. He pushed them out instinctively. “You will let her go. Now.”

  Luke growled but slowly released Lyndsey. He staggered back from the group and rage twisted his face. “You will regret doing that to me.”

  Other males had gathered around the group. Some were actively gawking at the spectacle, others were glaring at Seth. Those turned to follow Luke out of the barn, throwing angry looks over their shoulders. Great. He’d made some enemies already and he hadn’t been in the building for more than twenty minutes.

  “Thank you.” The quiet whisper pulled his head around. Lyndsey was rubbing her arms but was already back to her overly flirtatious stance. What was it with these people? She’d been manhandled, abused in front of friends and potentially family, and she was already over it?

  “No problem.” He turned to find Emily. He needed to be near her, especially if the behavior he’d just witnessed was the norm with this group. He needed to protect her, keep her safe.


  A small feminine hand stopped him. He looked down to find Lyndsey plastered to his side, looking up at him like he was her favorite flavor of ice cream. “Now that you’ve run Luke off, let’s you and me go find a quiet corner and I can thank you properly.”

  “No, that’s fine. I just did what any decent person would do.” He tried to turn away again, but she was holding him in place. He didn’t want to be rude and pull away but she was pushing him toward that.

  She leaned in and whispered. “Look, I get it that you have a thing for Emily, but let me clue you in. She’s a bitch of massive proportions. She’s never taken a male in one of these events and has sent many of them home hurting. She’ll never let you mount her. We, on the other hand, would love to run with you.”

  Anger boiled just under his skin. He didn’t have a problem with the women approaching him and letting him know they were interested. Hell, it fed his ego. To have her badmouth Emily to his face, though, in a room full of shifters who could hear every word, was enough to make him forget he was a gentleman. He growled at her and whipped his arm out of her grasp. “You know nothing about Emily and you certainly don’t know anything about me. I would suggest you go run after Luke or one of those other puppies if you want a quick roll in the grass.”

  He stalked off, unsure of his direction or destination, but he needed to get away from them. Their eyes were still on him. He could feel their perusal and it made him shiver. His mind was working through the events he’d just witnessed and he was quickly coming to the conclusion that the shifter world was much more animalistic than he’d originally thought.

  Someone’s voice sounded over a loudspeaker. “Everyone. Please meet in the field for the rules of the run.” Everyone’s excitement ramped up as they filed toward the door. Seth still hadn’t caught a glimpse of Emily and he was starting to get worried. What if she’d seen him talking to those females and she’d got angry? What if she’d left? He growled. If she had he’d just track her down and force her to listen to the explanation. He wasn’t losing her over some stupid gaggle of bitches.