by Amanda Jones
My alpha rocked my entire body in time with his thrusts.
thirty-six
The pommel horse creaked. Jack’s hairy fingers continued their dance on my clit, wolf-claws slicing over my delicate folds.
“No,” I squealed, the endorphin cascade subsiding his every touch which burned my tingling skin. Then, like a tidal force the pleasure returned. I shook my head, moaning and whimpering, Jack driving my body like a leaf before a western storm, jagged lighting sparking into my clit and shooting into my mind. White hot light flooded me and my muscles went rigid. With Aubrey slumped in his chair, the mirror reflected my tormented body, shining with sweat, my quivering muscles standing out like ridgelines on the stark southwestern plains.
Again and again, Jack roared and his claws cut into my hips, slicing my skin like they sliced my clothes earlier. I prayed he could control himself, because I couldn’t.
Bound supine there was nothing I could do if his wolf took control anyway. He would devour me and I would be reduced to skin, bones, and blood. Trying to scare me straight, Rufen told stories about alpha lycans, how they turned to wolves when they took a woman, when they came inside her.
I shrieked in a mixture of fear and excitement.
Helpless, I whispered “Please. Please, I need it.”
Sitting up with burning eyes, Aubrey shouted, “Give it to her, Jack. Give it to her!”
Jack howled now, echoing off the walls. His body expanded into a great alpha dire wolf. Fanged jaws snapped the air and I wailed in terror. Aubrey sat frozen like a rabbit in the face of a predator. My terror fueled my excitement.
If being ripped apart by wolf claws is my fate, I might as well die now.
Everything rested in Jack’s hands now, in his power. Mindless, gibbering in pain and pleasure I writhed, nothing but an animal at the mercy of the world.
thirty-seven
In the eagle mirror Jack’s mane extended and his fangs grew long. His muscles stood out like the buttes around Maple Creak at sunset, sinewy and golden and shining in the lantern light.
Jack’s cock swelled and stretched me as if my pussy held an inflatable toy. I clamped my muscles tight around his member and my inner folds flattened against his hardness.
“Jeslie! Beta! Mate!” Jack howled and the walls shook. I shrieked in return as his sharp claws tore into my hips.
He made one final stabbing thrust. A boiling torrent blasted the walls of my inner passage and cooked off another spasm of painful pleasure. My body returned to the sky as his geyser pushed me into the stars. His muscles popped like the Rockies on the horizon, rigid and sky-scraping.
Jack howled, and the walls shook. Whips and bridles and gloves fell. The eagle mirror crashed to the floor, spraying glass shards. Aubrey bowed, covering his ears. The sound rolled through me, vibrating my muscles and shaking my overused clit. One last flash flood slammed through me and I screamed, “Jack, Jack, my alpha. My mate!” into the whirlwind of his howl.
thirty-eight
What seemed like hours later, heaving ragged breaths, my consciousness returned. Jack lay atop me, breathing hard himself.
“That was nice,” I sighed.
Jack pushed himself up.
“Thank you, ma’am. I enjoyed it myself.”
I wiggled. Jack got the hint immediately and knelt to untie me. Rolling upright I sat astride the horse. Staying on his knees, he rubbed my ankles, bringing the blood back.
Aubrey leapt up and put his strong hands to my shoulders, massaging my aching muscles bound too long in one position.
I gazed at Jack’s huge blonde head. I ran my fingers through his hair. If there is any feeling better than basking in the afterglow of multiple orgasms while two handsome men tend to the wounds their ravages have caused, I can’t imagine it. I leaned back against Aubrey’s hands. “I’ll give you an hour to stop doing that, Aubrey Wills.”
He chuckled and worked his fingers in. I leaned into his silent caress. All too soon, he quit.
“I should get going sooner than that, Jeslie. Tonight I’ll sleep out on the range, well away from here. I’ll ride through town, so Rufen will know I’ve left.”
“Rufen will have his riders after you.”
“Good. I’ll race them hard and well away from here,” Aubrey said, his voice buoyed by bravado.
“I’m not the kind to sit around naked. Could you please get me that shirt?” I pointed to the Maple Creek Leather Goods jerseys hanging on a deer-antler rack by the registers. The extra-large size would reach mid-thigh, good enough until I could get some real clothes.
Jack’s eyes went wide, he nodded to himself, pulling his pants back to his waist as he walked to the counter.
“I’m going to have to get you a new dress.”
“I hope you don’t think I do this sort of thing often.” He must think I’m a slut.
He looked genuinely concerned. Jack took my hand in his paws, still covered wolf-gray hair from the fading transformation.
“You are a beta, a human female who can mate with a wolf. That makes you the most precious kind there is.”
Rufen also told me I was one of those rare ones. But Rufen lied regularly to suit his own self. I never knew how much truth hid beneath his words.
I pulled the shirt over my head, and smoothed the wrinkles demurely.
“I’ll be going as soon as I can get that Sportster running,” Aubrey blurted.
“You need any help?” Jack asked. He had better not.
If ever a woman needed a bath, I did. Aubrey was right, best for him to be out in the wild, away from Maple Creek. Rufen could come back here any time, with more men than even Jack could handle. Besides I had questions I needed to ask Jack. He spoke about breeding and he came inside me, for one thing. Also, I had yet to see him naked, and I’d like to see him naked.
“I can handle it, Mister North. Just need to grab a filter. I’ve got some stashed back here.” Aubrey Wills hitched his pants, determined. “I’ll show myself in town, and let folks see me headed west. I’ll hole up a few ridges west. I know a spring, good place to camp.”
“I’ll meet you at Rattlesnake Pass tomorrow, Aubrey. We’ll figure out how to handle Rufen.” Jack made a fist. “You’re in the Sons of Thunder now. We protect our own.”
The shirt hung to my mid thighs. I felt more myself with my nakedness covered, back from passion’s stormy shores.
“Thank you sir. Before you rode in here I was just waiting to die. Now, I’ve got another hobby.” Aubrey raised his own fist. “Smashing Sunwalkers!”
I rolled my eyes. Males.
“We’ll meet you. I’m also part of the pack, and I’ll grab some silver bullets for my Desert Eagle,” I said with determination.
“Silver bullets will just slow Rufen down a little, ma’am,” Aubrey said through a clenched jaw.
“We’ll discuss proper vampire hunting armament tomorrow.” Jack winked at me. “Tonight, I need to take care of my beta.”
I’ll save that story for another time.
Dear Reader, thank you very much for reading Shifter’s Curse. This is a stand-alone novelette set in the same world and sharing characters with my Alpha Series. The Alpha Series begins with Alpha Heat, and if liked Shifter’s Curse, you will enjoy Alpha Heat.
Alpha Heat
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dedication:
To my readers. I hope you enjoy this. I would be nothing without you.
Bearly Hanging On
by Wednesday Raven
Chapter One: Holden
Holden Ryder had had enough. He'd just said goodbye to yet another girlfriend when a stray text message alerted him to the cheating that had went on right under his nose.
How difficult is it to find someone that just is truthful and good-hearted? He wondered. He didn't have trouble getting women. At six feet tall, dark hair and eyes, and a muscular frame, women naturally flocked to him and giving them attention was one of his favorite pastimes.
He worked hard and he played hard, but there was no getting over the pain of another opportunity passing him by. As much as his friends liked to tease him, Holden was looking for someone to fall in love with. He'd finally found his calling and opened up Bearskin Tattoos where he was the lead tattooist. After a couple of years of operation, it was generating a nice little profit and four more tattooists in the area were working along side him. Money, while not overwhelming, was enough to pay the bills. He was content.
However, his heart still longed for that one person to call his own and while there was never lack of a warm body in his bed, there was a severe lack of a person to fill his heart. While it was a fun thing in his late teens and twenties, at 30 he was starting to get the feeling it was time to find something real to hold on to. He needed someone to confide in, to show his bear shifter side and them not be afraid of it, and even to spend a life with. He was beginning to think it may never happen.
He'd had enough.
"End of an era," he started as he looked around the bar that evening with his friend, "I'm done. Seriously done."
"Done with what?" Jason, Holden's oldest friend, asked.
"Women."
"Woah dude, you know I'm honored but..." Jason started to laugh. Jason had known he was gay years before coming out to Holden in their high school gym.
"Oh stop flattering yourself, Jase; I'm just saying I'm taking a vow of celibacy."
Wild laughter emerged from Jason, almost making him choke on his drink. He'd always thought of Holden as a bit of a player and now he was saying he was done with sex?
"Holden you know you can't go two weeks without wanting to get with some girl you barely know. You'll never last."
"I have to. Tell you what, we'll make a wager. If I don't last six months, you can have the shop. I'm that serious. I want a lasting relationship and not just random sex now. It's important to me."
Give up his shop? Jason was taken aback. His shop meant everything to him; he'd never just casually throw that on the table unless he truly meant he was serious. He looked deep into the brown eyes of his best friend, the man who stood by him no matter what. In that moment, he saw the pain of years of loneliness and wanted nothing but the best for him.
"Alright. Six months from today. December 12th," Jason put the date in his phone and turned to Holden with a good natured slap on the back, "I sincerely hope you make it."
Chapter Two: Emily
The quiet giggles radiated through the room as she typed rapidly on the keyboard. An introvert, Emily kept up to date with her friends through the computer. It was easier than trying to meet up only to have some medical emergency come up and her have to leave. She'd resigned herself to staying at home as much as possible and living vicariously through her extended social media friends.
Caught in the middle of a battle of wits with a group of friends that had joined together on a chat messenger, she was interrupted by the blaring of her cell. It took her a few moments to get to it on the far table as she winced trying to get up from her seated position.
Getting old, she laughed, growing stiffer by the day it seems.
Emily had just sat the phone back down on the charging base and walked into the small kitchen of the apartment she rented. While it had always been enough for her through the years, it now felt too small and confining for her taste. The glass rattled in her hand as she tried to pour her some juice; still shaken by the news. She knew this day was coming, but deep down she always hoped she had more time. At 27 she had already beaten the odds, and she had hoped that luck would last. The doctor today had let her know the luck she'd had for so long would soon run out.
Six months, plus or minus a few weeks. I need to get the rest of my life condensed down in to a six month timeframe now.
She wondered if she should tell her friends and family and then decided that it would be better for them not to be burdened, for them to continue to be positive and happy while around her instead of sad. Emily exhaled, stopped feeling sorry for herself, and started making a plan.
'Do or Die' she wrote at the top of a piece of paper. Under it, she began to list everything she needed to do. Everything she'd ever considered but was too afraid to do she hastily scribbled down. The list held secret desires ('get a tattoo'), things normally outside her moral code ('have a one night stand'), and things she thought everyone deserved to have before they died ('find love').
Tomorrow, the new Emily Heart was preparing to enter the world and the world needed to watch out.
The sun peeked through the window blinds and let Emily know it was time to rise and especially shine. It was the first day of her 'Do or Die' plan which meant to cross off the first listing. One quick internet search and she had the number to the local tattoo shop, a place called Bearskin Tattoos. She called to set up an appointment, paid her deposit over the phone, and jotted the date of it on a post-it note and stuck it to her fridge. One week from now, she'd be the proud owner of some ink. Now I probably need to figure out what to get, she thought.
She eyed the rest of her list. Some of the things that stood out for her included 'travel', 'eat something exotic', and 'wear something sizzle-hot'. She laughed over the last one. She was always dressing comfortably because of her medical issues. Things that hugged her lush frame were, at times, painful. Pressure points were everywhere on her, so instead of looking sexy or fashionable, she looked ready for bed. To her, it was the price she paid for better days. Now, she thought, screw better days, I'm going to look hot for once in my life.
A shrill chime alerted her to incoming messages on her computer. Emily went and sat in front of the sleek machine; last year's birthday present to herself. Soon she found herself engulfed in gaming and conversation with four of her closest friends. Everyone asked how she felt and she was warm with love for them and their caring nature. She didn't, however, tell them her news. Better they grieve later than to be sad for months on end.
Chapter Three: Bearskin Tattoos
Holden opened the shop feeling better than ever. Over the past week he'd let go of 30 years of anxiety. Today started his new life, at least for the next six months, of not focusing on turning dates and one night flings into something substantial. Taking sex off the table was going to open him up to new experiences and new thoughts, and he couldn't wait to see what life brought him.
His appointment book was filled with his regulars. His clients loved his work and Holden loved how easy it was to enjoy his work when it was filled with people he saw on a regular basis. However, there was one name on the list he didn't recognize. He'd never tattooed her before, he wasn't connected with her on his tattoo social media account, and he did not remember ever talking to her about a tattoo. Emily Heart was penciled in for his last appointment with a "tattoo idea unknown" beside it. Holden rolled his eyes and tried not to tense up. He hated people who had no idea what they wanted. Typically it would take most of the appointment time for them to pick something and then would fuss ab
out getting it because they weren't in love with the tattoo itself just the thought of getting one.
He hoped that this experience would be different and even went to sketch in his down time some ideas in case she liked them. With the day filled as it were, there was only enough downtime for three sketches to be completed in the interim. If she doesn't like any of them, I'll just put them up on the wall as 'custom' work that people can chose.
He looked over his drawings which consisted of a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis, a tribal heart in reference to her last name that also has remnants of the letters that made up Emily, and lastly a black and white lion with an anatomically correct heart in vibrant red. He loved them all and was hoping that one was going to thrill her as much as it did him to draw them.
At 9:05 a blonde haired curvy girl strode in looking like she belonged anywhere else but there. Everyone else in the shop was busy in their cubicles on other clients, so he went out to greet her.
"Emily?" he asked as she came to the sales counter.
"Yes, sorry I'm a little late." She seemed pale and a little out of breath to Holden.
