Alpha Ever After

by Casey Morgan

  Anson is rambling at this point. I can’t imagine how confusing all of this must be, that fog in his mind lifting and being forced to come to realizations that are seemingly coming out of nowhere.

  “Does anything hurt?”

  “No,” he shakes his head. “I mean, my head kind does from all the thinking I’ve been doing, but that’s about it.” It sounds like a joke, which is a good thing. I can see that Anson is getting better, even if it is a slow process.

  I continue to wipe his face, feeling his stubble through my fingers. My heart pounds in my ears. It’s such a rush being in his presence. I’ve never felt so strongly around one person.

  “I just don’t know what to do anymore.” He shrugs.

  I take on of Anson’s hands and place it over my heart. His eyes go wide as he looks at me.

  “Can you feel that?”

  “Feel what?”

  “The connection between us. The mate connection. I know you weren’t sure before, but this thing between us, it’s something that is deep inside of the both of us.”

  The mate connection is something a werewolf cannot deny. It’s one of the simpler truths of our people. Ever since werewolves have existed, this has been a basic element of our lives. It may sound weird that fate decides who we fall in love with, that there is something more is going on behind the scenes, but for us, it makes sense.

  Anson has been trying to deny what I know is true. I understand that he’s been going through a tough time, so adding me to the mix was something he was not ready for. But now that the tides have turned, and it looks like Anson is no longer so much under the influence of Flint, maybe he’ll be more open to me.

  “Do you feel like you can trust me?” I ask him.

  I have my hand over the one he has over my heart. I know he can feel how anxious I am, but it’s not a bad kind of anxiety. There’s just so much anticipation wrapped up in what’s happening right now. I don’t know any other way to feel except for reacting to the pure adrenaline running through my body.

  I was looking down at our joined hands when I asked Anson my question. I bring my eyes up and see him looking at me intensely. He’s not saying anything, just looking at me with more intensity than the sun. I take this time to analyze his face. It’s distinguished, the wisdom of all his years apparent, but there are still hints of youth. I bring up my other hand to cup his cheek. He rubs his face into my palm, letting my fingers stroke his skin.

  “I think I can,” he whispers. “I mean, sometimes I don’t always understand what you’re talking about like auras and stuff like that. I’m not sure I’ll ever really understand it, but I can still trust you. You haven’t lied to me so far. And, even beyond that, there’s something in my gut telling me I can trust you. Regardless of the magic stuff, maybe because of the magic stuff. I don’t know.”

  I laugh at his sentiment. He’s not the first person to be confused by who I am, but he is one of the few who has shown an openness to it. It warms me up inside that he wants to try this whole thing out.

  “I know my life experiences are different from yours, but you can trust me. I know all the stuff I talk about can come across as weird or scary or whatever, but I only ever want to help people, and I very much want to help you.”

  “How do you want to help me?”

  “Any way I can. Do you know what you need?”

  We’ve been moving closer and closer together throughout our conversation. Our chests are almost touching, but we’re still only connected at our hands. At this point, I’m shaking slightly. There’s so much I want to share with Anson, and it feels like the two of us are on the precipice of something big.

  “I want you, Luna,” he whispers.

  He moves his face forward to kiss me. His hand moves from my chest up to the side of my neck. I grab onto his shirt, pulling him as close to me as possible. I want to feel every inch of him. In our sitting position, I wrap my legs around him, throwing them behind his back. We both pull our shirts off, breaking our kiss only momentarily.

  Anson’s hands go behind my back, unhooking my bra. I let it fall down my arms and toss it aside. It lands next to my shirt. He rolls my nipple between his fingers as he bites my lip. I let out a moan coming from deep inside of me.

  My whole body is on fire, and the stream close by would not be enough to cool me down. It wouldn't even come close to extinguishing the flames. The only thing that will temper the fire in my bones is having this man inside of me.

  “Why are you so beautiful?” Anson mumbles against my lips.

  “I don’t know,” I smile.

  He’s commented on my looks pretty often. I never put a lot of thought into them, but knowing Anson thinks I’m beautiful, it’s made me think about it all so differently. I want to look nice for him. I want him to be filled with passion every time he sees me.

  “You're not too bad yourself,” I say.

  “You really think so? I don't intimidate you?”

  “No,” I shake my head. My hands cup his face. I bring them down, sliding over his neck and shoulders. “You're strong, I can feel it.” I give his arm muscles a small squeeze. I never thought such overt strength would turn me on, but on Anson, I cannot get enough of it. “But you wouldn't hurt me. I trust you.” And I mean it. Even though I seemed doubtful, I knew Anson would find his way back to the light.

  “Even after everything?”

  He's probably thinking about everything that has happened. Remnants of Flint's spell still pepper Anson's aura. He does seem to be not so foggy anymore, but he needs to completely let go of whatever he is holding on to in order to push forward.

  I kiss him as an answer, pressing my body into him. Pushing him onto the ground, I grind my pelvis down into his. His bulge pushes along my center, making me shudder. Anson grabs my ass with both hands holding me still in his lap.

  “I need to be inside of you.”

  I affirmatively moan. With surprising speed, we get out of our pants and underwear. They end up somewhere on the forest floor.

  Anson's cock is strained with the ferocity of his erection. The head is a deep red, his shaft lined with throbbing veins. It's so long, the tip hits me in the middle of my stomach. I wrap my hand around his shaft, my fingers encasing the velvety smoothness of his erection.

  “Fuck,” Anson sighs.

  The more I wait, the more I am just teasing myself. I bite my lip as I pick my pelvis up and position my pussy opening at the top of his shaft. Anson grabs himself and teases me, rubbing his head along his folds. I do my best not to flinch, but the pure sensation is so much to handle. Every muscle of mine is tense, holding onto this moment with as much focus as I can muster.

  “Please,” I beg. I can’t take another second of this torture. If Anson doesn’t fuck me soon, I might just lose my mind.

  Thankfully, Anson keeps me from going totally nuts when he drives himself into me. My back arches as I ball my fists. I bring my hand up to my forehead, pushing my hair out from my face.

  Grinding my pelvis down, I hit that perfect angle and let out a high-pitched moan. I almost fall off of Anson, but he grabs onto my hips, slamming my body down into his. He continues to guide me, popping up his ass, so our centers meet in a crescendo of grunts and lust. Nothing has ever made me feel so complete as being with this man. He opens up a part of me I didn’t even know existed.

  My lower belly twists as every sensation I have drops down into my center. I scream Anson’s name as I come violently, my body shuddering with every tremor that passes through it. Anson spills into me, a roar escaping his lips. I feel his sticky cum coat my insides before dripping out of me and down my thigh. I collapse onto him, catching my breath.

  Anson holds onto my me, his arms wrapping around my back. I rest my hand on his chest, right by his head. I play with his chest hair, swirling it around my finger. There is no place I’d rather be than right here with him.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask him.

  “Better,” Anson sighs.

&n
bsp; And I know he means it. I can feel that the second time around, he doesn’t have those feelings of guilt and shame. His aura feels calmer and not so muddled.

  “It’s like a fog has lifted from my mind, and I can see things clearly now.”

  “What do you see?” I pick my head up and look into his eyes. The amber flashes brightly.

  “That you were right. About everything. Flint is the real enemy in all of this. He manipulated me and almost destroyed our pack, but I won’t allow him to hurt the Staymans any longer.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Anson sighs, holding onto me tighter. “I don’t think we can defeat him ourselves. We need manpower, and we need a plan. We have to go back to the manor.”

  That sounds like a great idea, but Anson said it with such solemnness, it makes me wonder.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s just that my nephews exiled me because of all the troubles I caused while under Flint’s spell. I know why they did it. I was a liability and couldn’t be trusted, but I’m not under Flint’s spell anymore. Hopefully, they can forgive me and let me back into the fold.”

  “Okay,” I nod. “I like that plan.”

  Kenzie and Mini should be back at the compound by now. They might be willing to plead on my behalf, and if I can convince them that Anson is with me to help, we might be able to gain access.

  Anson runs his fingers down my hair, wrapping them around one of the strands.

  “I know we should get going as soon as possible, but you do distract me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I like to be distracted by you. If we had more time…” he trails off.

  I kiss him with all of the passion I can muster. I know exactly what he means and feel the same way, but we don’t have time. We have to get going. We break apart and finally get ourselves up from the forest floor. As we get dressed, I look up at the stars. They are sparkling as brightly as Anson’s eyes. It’s a beautiful night that I can only hope ends well.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Anson

  Luna has managed to bring me back from the edge of oblivion. I haven’t felt this clear-headed in a while, and it has shown me what I must do. I have to go back to the manor. There is a very high chance that the pack won’t be happy to see me. I was just exiled mere hours ago, but that was when I didn’t have the words or wherewithal to defend myself, but now, I know what to do and say.

  As Luna and I get closer to the manor, I can see the guards patrolling the grounds.

  “How are we getting in?” she asks me.

  We could probably find a way to sneak by. Luna did it that night we first met, but we’re not here to get in and out undetected. I’m here to see if my pack will let me come back and right what I did wrong.

  “We have to just go up to the guards. See if they’ll let us talk to my nephews.”

  “Do you think that will work?” Luna understandably sounds unsure. There are a lot of ways this could go wrong, but there are also a lot of ways this could go right.

  “I don’t know,” I shrug, “but it’s the fastest way, so let’s go.”

  The two of us head towards the manor. It doesn’t take long for the guards to spot us, and Luna and I are surrounded.

  “What are you doing here?” Rolf barks.

  “I need to talk to my nephews.”

  “You’re not supposed to be here.”

  “I know I messed up before, but I was under a spell, and it was making me do things I would never do. I’ve come back to make things right, and if you let me talk to Pax and Tamir, it’ll all become clear.”

  Rolf gives his patrolling partner a look. I’m worried they’re going to throw me out, but then I see their shoulders go down.

  “Okay, come with us, but stay close.”

  I have to humble myself a whole lot, but it’s what must be done. My pack is extra wary of me right now, so I’ve got to prove to them that I’m back to a version of myself they can trust.

  We all walk over to the great room where Pax and Tamir are speaking with the elders. They all turn to us when the doors open, and the tittering begins almost immediately.

  “Anson?” Pax says, standing up.

  Tamir also stands and walks over to me. Some of the elders protest, but that doesn’t stop my nephew. He stops with some distance between us. Rolf and his partner guard and given us some space so Tamir can speak with me freely.

  “Anson?” Tamir only says my name, but there are a lot of questions behind that single word.

  “I’m here, my boy.”

  Tamir smiles before bringing me into a big hug. “You’re back. You’re finally back.”

  I pat him on the back. Pax comes over when he sees the moment me and his brother are sharing. When Tamir and I end our hug, I look over at Pax.

  “Yeah?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” I nod. I give him a hug next. It feels good to reconcile with my nephews. If anything were to come out of coming back, I would want my nephews and me to be family again.

  All the hugging ends, and I remember the woman behind me. I don’t think Tamir or Pax have ever met her, and now is a good a time as any to introduce my new mate.

  “Uh, nephews,” I step aside to have Luna stand next to me, placing my hand on the small of her back to guide her. “I’d like you both to meet Luna Mathis.”

  The air in the room changes. I know I’m still on thin ice with a lot of people in the room, and having Luna with me might not be the best way to regain trust, but I’m not having her leave my side.

  “She’s my mate, and she’s here to help us with the crisis.”

  Everyone turns to look at Luna. I can feel her hand getting tighter around my arm. I rub her back to reassure her that I am here.

  “Yeah, of course. We can use all the help we can get,” Tamir nods. “You guys should join us at the table,” he motions. “Rolf, you guys can go back to your post.”

  The guards leave, and Luna and I follow Tamir over to the table. He and the elders have a map of the mine unfurled.

  “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do. Kenzie and Mini found this silver bowl in the mine. We’ve tried everything we can think of to remove it, but nothing has worked.”

  “It doesn’t matter who tries,” Kenzie starts. I haven’t noticed her until now.

  I see Mini is in the room as well. This really is all hands on deck. Which makes perfect sense. There’s no knowing where the idea to defeat Flint will come from, so we should have as many people as possible working on figuring this out.

  “The bowl is protected against werewolves and humans. We can’t stay close to it for too long, or we’ll pass out, and the bowl is somehow stuck to the ground. No matter how hard we pull, it stays there.”

  That sounds like quite the pickle. I’m not sure if I have a solution for that particular problem. Luna told me a little bit about it earlier, but there were a lot of things going on then. I hadn’t given it too much thought. I still don’t know what we can do, but I’m here to help.

  “Um, I actually might know how to get the bowl,” Luna pipes in.

  I look at her with surprise. Not because it’s her coming to the table with the idea. Of course,, Luna would have some sort of plan. She’s the one here with the most experience in magic. I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask her myself.

  “What is it?” Pax asks.

  “Well, when I was in the cave, I got a reading on the bowl. If I had some help from you guys, I could draw on our energies and move the bowl.”

  “Draw on our energies?”

  “I know it sounds weird, but I’m pretty sure I can tap into our collective energy and use it to break the spell.”

  A lot of people at the table look skeptical. They are probably feeling the exact same way I did the first time Luna came to me with talk of auras and the like. We’ve basically all given up on magic. Not because we don’t necessarily believe in it, the ancient texts have tales of magic all over them, b
ut magic hasn’t existed in so long that we don’t think that there is any chance of it coming back.

  But Luna has challenged all of those notions and made me reconsider. She’ll change the way all of us think pretty soon.

  “I guess there’s no harm in trying,” Pax shrugs.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Tamir agrees. “Tell us who you need, what you need, and we’ll get it for you.”

  “Well, you, Pax, Kenzie, Mini, and Anson should be enough. We’ll all pull on the bowl together, and I’ll concentrate our efforts. I’ll probably have to call the battle plan by ear, but that is the general idea. Are you guys okay with this?”

  “We’ll have to be. If it’s how we defeat Flint, it’s worth the risk.”

  It’s interesting watching Tamir be in charge. Taking a backseat is admittedly hard for me, but I trust the pack in the hands of Tamir. Whenever I end up leaving the Staymans for whatever is in the next life, I know the clan will be in good hands.

  “Time to head over there, huh?” I clap my hands. Everybody nods. The mood is pretty calm for what is about to be the fight of our lives.

  It’s go time. It’s time to put an end to this.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Anson

  Luna and I lead the pack over to the silver mine. When we get there, the entrance is surrounded by the Mathis pack. That must mean Flint is inside.

  “Is there going to be fighting?” Luna whispers to me.

  I know how much she hates all the violence that’s been going on. And she’s right. This has all been so useless. Everything that has happened was orchestrated by Flint, and I won’t let him push us towards destruction any longer.

  “Beau!” I call out.

  The Mathis alpha looks around before his eyes fall on me. There’s a fire in them, one that I recognize being in myself when I was under Flint’s spell.

  “Anson! Have you come to challenge me?”

  “No! I’m here to defeat our mutual enemy. We’ve been pitted against one another by Flint, who is only here to serve his own interests. You don’t need to listen to his influences anymore. I was able to get out from under his spell, and I am sure you can do the same.”