Bought By Their Alpha

by Bonnie Burrows

  Quinn nodded, and agreed wholeheartedly with that sentiment. He hadn’t taken a vacation in – well – ever. Being the alpha of a new tribe, never mind an existing one, left little room for anything other than focusing on it.

  Quinn decided, then, that he would take some time to be selfish. And he knew just who he would spend that time with.

  He wondered, not for the first time, how he had managed to make the girl of his dreams fall in love with him. He had to pinch himself as a reminder that she was real, and not a figment of his imagination.

  Quinn Maywell finally had the love of Evangeline Thomas. And there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her. He only wished he could keep his fears of losing her at bay.

  CHAPTER 12

  Evangeline wished that time could stand still, in the following weeks. Quinn had meant it when he’d said he was taking a vacation. They spent as much of their time together as they could in those short days. Winter blew in on the wind, bringing with her sleet and snow. That was, perhaps, the best part of those days: Eva and Quinn were forced to spend much of their time inside, by the fireplace, with nothing but each other to get them through the worst of the winter storms.

  Neither of them minded.

  They got to know each other in a way they never had before. Quinn found that Eva had a quick wit, and an easy laugh. It didn’t take much to send her into full-force gales of laughter – whether it was due to Quinn pulling his face, or a tickle, or even just a sideways glance – as Eva became more comfortable around him, her laughter fell from her lips like tinkling bells.

  It was an addictive sound, and one that Quinn found that without it, his day was incomplete. So, he made it his personal mission to make Eva laugh, every day, at least twice a day. He couldn’t figure out how he’d lived this long without the sound of her laughter to complete him - it was as if a part of his soul had been missing all along, and had finally come home to rest.

  Eva, for all her sarcasm, found that Quinn was the best sparring partner in a battle of words. He was quick on the draw, and his sense of humor matched hers perfectly. She often found herself mystified at the sharpness with which he could say something, while the slight tilt to his lips would always give him away as joking. She grew to love that tilt – that slightly sheepish grin that would inevitably find its way out into the open when provoked.

  Eva grew, too, to love the gentleness of Quinn’s touch. He never demanded from her, and gave back to her tenfold. For someone as physically strong as Quinn, it never ceased to amaze Eva how softly he could touch her, and bring her body to life with those gentle ministrations.

  She found herself craving his touch – even just the brush of Quinn’s fingertips against her temple as he brushed her dark hair off her forehead was enough to send sparks of electricity through her very core. Eva couldn’t help but find ways to ensure they were always touching – even if it was just their toes under a blanket as they watched the flames flickering in the fireplace while a snowstorm raged outside.

  Quinn loved the way Eva seemed to fit right into him – her head rested perfectly on his shoulder, and her body seemed to mold to his. Her hand in his felt like two puzzle pieces connecting at long last, to complete the picture of perfection that was their growing love. Any space between them was too much to bear; if they could melt into each other, they would have done so, happily. There was no moment where Quinn wished for more distance between them – he wished only for their bond to grow stronger.

  Quinn had never felt it necessary to speak unnecessarily, but with Eva, he found he could talk for hours about anything and everything. They discussed everything from politics, to climate changes, to their deepest secrets and heartfelt dreams. Quinn dove head-first into the mystery that was Eva, thankful for each part of her soul that she exposed to him. Quinn knew that, one day, the truth would come out, his deepest secret; he only hoped that day would wait, and that Eva would find it in her heart to forgive him when that day came.

  Eva found Quinn to be the greatest enigma she had ever known – for someone who had grown up with a father like his, Quinn was more forgiving than anyone with his past should have been. He always took care with his words, never inflicting hurt the way it had been inflicted on him.

  He was kind, and patient, too. Quinn never brushed off her fears, or told her they were invalid – instead he listened and only when he was sure he understood what she meant, would he give his opinion or thoughts. Eva knew Quinn only wanted her happiness, but she always wondered if there was something hiding just beneath the surface.

  There were times when she caught Quinn looking at her, when he didn’t think she saw him, that Eva could see that haunted expression flit across his face. Even if it was just for the briefest second, Eva had come to know that look well, and it tore at her core that there was something so haunting in Quinn’s life that he couldn’t speak to her about it.

  They relived their childhood memories together – all the years they had spent growing up together – no memory was left unturned. Eva remembered things that Quinn had never noticed, and he in turn, remembered things Eva had long forgotten.

  Their bond grew stronger in those days, as Eva’s smile came more readily. It was almost as though she were a flower, Quinn thought – blossoming under the gentle care and full-force of his love for her.

  Quinn knew, in those days, that he would love Eva unconditionally until the end of his days. There wasn’t a secret she could expose, or a fear she could uncover, that he wouldn’t accept or dispel. He knew, too, that he would do whatever it took to keep her by his side – for as long as she would let him.

  Quinn would never force Eva to love him; he knew he didn’t have that power. As an alpha, he could compel anyone in his tribe to obey his orders – but he could never order Eva to love him. She deserved better than that.

  Eva was strong-willed and head-strong, Quinn had always known that. That he now had her love, willingly given, was his greatest honor. Quinn had been through much in his life that had left him craving love and attention – with Eva, her love filled the hopeless dreams of a teenage Quinn.

  Eva drowned in Quinn’s eyes, now willingly. She had given up fighting the tide of their bond – she knew that, when it came down to it, Quinn was the only person who had ever taken the time to unlock the gates that held her secrets at bay.

  Neither of them deluded themselves – they both knew that when the weather broke, life would return to something more normal. It only meant that they appreciated their time together even more.

  Quinn showed his love for Eva in the little things he did – brushing her hair off her temple, followed by a soft kiss where his fingers had brushed her skin a few seconds before – a cup of tea when the weather was particularly nasty – stroking her hair when she had a nightmare – he promised himself that he would always show her his love as best he could.

  Quinn found he could finally sleep, for the first time in what felt like years, and he could only attribute that to the woman who so willingly shared not only his life, but her heart. There was something calming about her presence; her breathing was a lullaby as her warmth in both the physical and emotional aspect was a healing balm.

  Quinn found that, in talking through his painful childhood, that he could finally let it be freed from him. He could only sigh in relief as the weight of all his demons sloughed off his shoulders, and Eva continued to love him even as he told her about the things his own father had called, and said to, him.

  Eva’s beauty was in her kindness, Quinn realized. She was the rarest of people – she gave without expecting anything back. And he realized, too, that he would spend his life, if she would allow him, giving back more than she gave, if he could.

  Quinn fell in love, far past anything he had thought possible, in those weeks, with a spitfire she-wolf, who somehow fell in love with him, too. He decided then, not to question his luck. There was something to be said for a fourteen-year-old Quinn who had sworn, in his loneliest of lonely hearts, that E
va would one day be his.

  And she was his, completely and fully. In every part of her being, Eva knew she would never be complete without Quinn. He awoke within her a passion she had never known existed; her body belonged to him, just as surely as her mind and heart did.

  Quinn was the other half of Eva’s soul. He was the red of her passion, the answer to every question she had never asked, and the home she had never known she needed. She fell headlong into their love, and as they explored each other’s minds, they explored each other’s bodies, too. They lay exposed before each other, hearts in their hands, as they walked their path together.

  No fear would hold them back.

  ***

  As surely as the earth turns, so too did the seasons. Winter was drawing to a close, the weather slowly but surely turning to something less frigid and frozen.

  While the tribe went about its usual business, Quinn and Eva kept themselves locked up for as long as the weather would allow. They thrived in that time, growing closer and stronger together.

  “The weather is turning,” Quinn remarked one morning, as Eva lay in his arms, refusing to let the day begin just yet.

  “I know,” she kissed his chin lightly.

  “We have to surface eventually.”

  “Just not today.”

  “I can live with that.”

  “Tell me again about that story your grandmother used to tell,” Eva looked up at Quinn.

  Quinn smiled down at Eva, as he started, “My grandmother used to tell me all sorts of stories. My favorite by far, was this one, so I’ll tell it again, only because you asked so nicely. Legends tell of a wolf, born with half a soul. He spent his childhood always on the outside, always knowing that somewhere out there, was a she-wolf who held the other half of his soul.

  Bakar was his name, it means ‘alone’. He always insisted he would find her, and when he did, he knew his soul would recognize her for what she was – his other half. Bakar traveled the length and breadth of the land in search of her, his other half, for many years. He finally gave up, when his mother died, and returned home in defeat. His broken soul was not meant to be fixed, he thought.

  It was only when he returned home that he found she had been there all along – his love, Amor. When he saw her face for the first time after those many years, he felt his soul reach out to hers, and hers answered. He couldn’t believe that she had been there, all along, right in front iof him. She had waited for him in their village for all those long years, knowing that her soul belonged to his, knowing that he would return to find her there, waiting.”

  Eva sighed, and snuggled closer to Quinn. “Do you believe in a love that strong?”

  “Mi Amor, how could I not?” Quinn kissed the top of Eva’s head, his heart breaking at the secret he held so close.

  CHAPTER 13

  Time drifted on, as winter slowly found its grip on the lands loosening. The days lengthened, as the sun’s strength grew. The landscape slowly but surely changed from a blanket of white, to a carpet of green. The sun rose earlier and set later, as life began anew.

  The tribe had made it through another winter.

  The new additions to the tribe slowly found their own rhythm within their new environment; those who could still work the land would do so, while those who had skills had begun teaching the young during the cold winter days.

  No sight nor sound of Conrad had been noticed during the long nights of winter, yet Quinn couldn’t shake the fear that the last of him hadn’t been seen. It seemed too easy to Quinn – that Conrad would run away with his tail between his legs seemed too good to be true. If there was one thing Quinn had learnt, it was to never ignore his instincts.

  Conrad would be back, he felt it in his bones.

  The only thing Quinn could do was wait, and prepare as best he could. If Conrad came looking for vengeance, he would not find an easy fight. Conrad’s fighting strength had been cut off at the Achilles tendon, and Quinn highly doubted he would find much in the way of support from the other tribes. If anything, Conrad would most likely show up alone. Quinn would be ready when he did.

  Until that day came, Quinn refused to let it hang heavy on his shoulders. There was nothing he could do in any event – he wasn’t going to go looking for Conrad. He would wait for him to come to him; Quinn was strongest in his own territory.

  The extra land that had come with the new settlers would help immensely, Quinn couldn’t deny that. The land was arable, and more than enough to hold the tribe’s growth comfortably for at least the foreseeable future.

  Quinn found himself once again thankful for not only Eva’s advice, but Thomas’s guidance. He knew he had been far too preoccupied in the weeks before winter’s full strength had taken hold of the land. Quinn knew that things could easily have fallen apart if it weren’t for the steady hand of his beta – he was only as strong as his right hand.

  And Thomas had proven himself more than capable of managing the aspects of the tribe that Quinn didn’t have the time to get to.

  Eva had settled into her new life far better than Quinn could ever have expected – she seemed almost happy, and if not, at least content. Quinn found that she was more than capable of holding her own against anyone, including him.

  It left only one issue that Quinn had been avoiding like the plague: his father.

  Quinn had managed to avoid his father this long only because he had barely poked his nose outside his front door, but he knew that excuse was no longer valid.

  There was only so long until he would have to face his father, and Quinn wasn’t sure whether he was dreading it or looking forward to it. There was a certain closure that he knew he needed, that only his father could give him.

  That day came sooner than Quinn could have hoped for – he had left the village to make his usual visit to the hunters out on the ridges to the east and found his father amongst their ranks. Sighing deeply, Quinn squared his shoulders and walked over to his father.

  “Shall we talk?” he asked simply. Trevor nodded, and they moved off a few yards, further into the trees. They were far enough away that only wolf-ears could hear them, but human eyes could still see them. Quinn didn’t trust his father as far as he could throw him, but he still owed him some measure of privacy.

  “How are you adjusting to the new tribe?” Quinn asked, avoiding any other pleasantries as far as he could.

  “Well enough, son,” Trevor fidgeted with his hands. Quinn only noticed then how his father had aged over the past few years – he was far past gray, the laugh lines around his eyes had fully formed into wrinkles, and his hands, though still strong, were weathered and tired.

  If Quinn had thought longer on it, he might have realized his leaving the tribe had aged his father so drastically. But Quinn refused to believe that his father felt an ounce of pain at the loss of not only his son, but his wife, as well.

  “Don’t, Trevor.”

  “Don’t what?” Trevor’s perplexed expression irritated Quinn more than it should have.

  “Don’t call me ‘son’ like you know me. That is a right that is earned – you may have helped create me, but you didn’t raise me. You don’t know me.”

  Trevor hung his head, and Quinn felt a pang of something akin to guilt lance through his heart. He wished he could believe that his father wasn’t the monster who had raised him anymore – but that was something Trevor would have to prove. Quinn was done handing out free passes to the man who had run his own mother out of their house.

  “I hope to fix that, Quinn,” Trevor said, looking Quinn straight in the eye. Quinn could find no sign of a lie in those watery brown depths, but he refused to let one new promise undo the lifetime of broken promises he had endured at Trevor’s hands.

  “That will take time, and effort,” Quinn sighed.

  “I have nothing but time, and I will put in the effort, if you will let me.”

  “Let’s see how it goes.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “How goes the
hunting?” Quinn made a feeble attempt at changing the subject. He had conveniently forgotten that his father had been a brilliant hunter in his day; none had matched his tracking abilities. He could have kicked himself for forgetting that fact – he would have sent Thomas in his stead if he had. Quinn sighed; it was as though his own mind was forcing him to be in the vicinity of his father. There was nothing else for it.

  “Well enough. You have some mighty fine hunters in your ranks. The young one, Clayton, has a skill when it comes to tracking. There is much I can still teach him – if you’ll let me – the boy has the nose for it.”

  Quinn nodded; Clayton was a good kid, he deserved to develop his skill to its full potential regardless of Quinn’s personal feelings towards Trevor.

  “Marcus is good with setting traps; he just needs to work with Clayton in future so that he lays them in areas where they are more likely to be set off,” Trevor continued. “James has the brawn of the lot – he can take down a bear on his own. It’s impressive to watch him.”

  Quinn looked at his father out of the corner of his eye, as they faced out towards the hunters, and he thought he saw the unmistakable glint of pride in his father’s eyes. He wasn’t sure in that moment if it was pride in the hunters, or in Quinn himself for having chosen them to do the task. He wasn’t sure it mattered, either way.

  “I was told there was a decrease in new births last fall; does that look to be improving?”

  “It was a cold winter,” Trevor shrugged as though that explained it. To Quinn’s raised eyebrow, he said, “It depends on how many of the does made it through the winter; we’ll be seeing the results soon enough. Be patient, Quinn. All things in life have their cycle, this will right itself soon enough. John – don’t put the nets there, on the other side of the cabin.” Trevor raised his voice just enough so that John could hear him – at John’s nod that he’d heard, Trevor turned back to Quinn.

  “I’d forgotten how much you know about these things,” Quinn waved in the general vicinity of the forest behind them.