Alpha in Disguise

by Afton Locke

  “I prefer to handle everything myself so I can maintain my position.” He cocked his head. “Unless, you’d like to earn a little cash while you’re here?”

  She stood and rolled up her sleeves. “Well, I’m no lumberjack, but if you show me how the saw works, I’ll give it a try.”

  He put his arm around her, aching to feel her breasts pressed up against his chest again. “Oh, no. You’re not touching anything with a blade. I had sanding and varnishing in mind. There’s a whole stack of stair railing to finish.”

  “Sure, I’m easy.”

  Interesting choice of words. His gaze drifted to her hips. She had the sweetest, most rounded butt he’d ever seen. He tugged her plaid shirt at the waist.

  “Do me a favor and pull this out. If you don’t keep your beautiful ass covered today, I’m liable to accidentally cut myself.”

  Desire flashed in her gray eyes, but she did as he asked. After he trained her and they both set to work, a feeling of pure rightness settled into his bones. Their breakfast conversation was the longest one he’d had with anyone in ages.

  Did she want a peaceful home here, sharing meals and good honest work? To his surprise, he realized he could see her by his side, forever. Before he grabbed the next log, he watched her. The red streak in her hair looked jagged as she bent over her task.

  No, a woman like her wasn’t looking for peace. He’d best remember it and not get too attached.

  ***

  At Gee’s Bar that night, butterflies filled Lara’s stomach. She hadn’t played in a club since her mother had died. Her arms were so sore from woodworking today, she wasn’t sure she could play her guitar. She’d perform for a strange pack with some humans mixed in. The man who’d stopped her in the road was even here, watching her with the same wary expression. Although someone greeted him as Ryker, most kept a respectful distance.

  Realizing Ogden would be watching her made her the most nervous of all.

  Today was a fantasy. It had been wonderful to do some honest work and forget her problems for a while. Ogden was so easy to be around. They didn’t converse much after breakfast and had no need to. Thank goodness. He’d gotten way too nosey.

  She could see why the proprietors planned to renovate the place. It still looked shabby with the lights dimmed, but she didn’t care as long as she didn’t have to rub herself all over some rancher or hunter with bad breath and a sagging belly. Nor would she have to run away, fearing for her life, with the damning pictures she’d taken. No blackmail. Simply playing her guitar for the sake of music.

  The pines through the window, dark against the evening sky, formed a protective fence around the building. It would be so easy to lose herself here, but she couldn’t forget her home. Would there be anything left of her pack when she got back, or would they all be killed?

  Much as she’d enjoy playing here at night and watching Ogden’s muscles ripple under his faded shirt by day, she had to go home.

  Ogden sat at the back of Gee’s Bar for Lara’s performance. With so many orders piled up at the mill, he could stay no more than half an hour—maybe one hour, tops. If she hadn’t helped him today, he’d be even further behind. She was a hard worker, one more item to add to the list of things he liked about her.

  Her red shirt—unbuttoned too low as usual—sent his gaze from her red streak to her rounded breasts and back again. The first chord she strummed sent a delicious chill down his spine. Sounds of laughter, conversation, and beer bottles chucked into the trash faded away as everyone gave her undivided attention.

  He didn’t expect what came out of her mouth. The musical lilt in her voice when she spoke was even stronger in her singing. God, he’d never heard anything so haunting.

  His cock shot up like a pole, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He closed his eyes. Her scent mixed with the sound of her slow, sad song. Knowing her mother had recently died made the mournful lyrics even more haunting.

  Unexpected tears pooled in his eyes. Why hadn’t he been there to prevent the tragedy? He gripped the bottom of his stool with both hands. The urge to mate slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer.

  God, no! His shift was happening. The bones in his legs tingled, about to change shape. An incisor pierced his bottom lip, drawing blood. He had to get out of here! Shifting in the middle of a performance would be even more embarrassing than doing it during dinner. Even worse? Shifting back to human in front of everyone with his pants missing.

  His stool screeched as he stood in the middle of Lara’s song.

  “Stop!”

  Her gray eyes widened. “You don’t like my singing?”

  Everyone turned to stare at him. The room was so quiet, the pounding of his heart seemed to fill it.

  “I-I like it fine,” he managed to utter before his voice changed. “Just, stop.”

  Taking a deep breath to halt his shift, he rushed outside before he lost all dignity. He’d made it to the edge of the parking lot when the shift overtook him. Bones snapped into place, dropping him to the ground in agony. Each hair pushing through his skin stung. A whimper filled his throat when the transformation was complete.

  On shaky legs, he ran. Away from the bar. Away from her and the voice haunting his soul. He tripped over rocks and low-hanging branches slapped him in the muzzle, but he no longer felt the pain.

  Before long, he heard panting and footfalls behind him. The streaked black Wolf was hardly visible in the light of the waxing half moon.

  Lara! You should have stayed and finished your song.

  I had to find you. Are you okay?

  To answer her, he nipped her shoulder and locked his jaws around the side of her neck. She dropped to the ground, rolling onto her back in a pose of submission. Fire roared through his veins. His mate was giving herself to him!

  But before he could nip her neck again, she bounded onto all fours and growled at him. Then she turned and ran. What the hell? He should have known Miss Red Streak wouldn’t give herself away without a challenge.

  Without even knowing why, he chased her. More branches hit him in the head. One made him see stars, but he kept running. When he finally caught up to her, he wedged his head under her belly, knocking her off her feet. She landed with a growl and turned on him, all teeth and claws.

  They wrestled on the ground, rolling over and over each other, a blur of muscle and fur. She froze, lying so still he was afraid he’d killed her. No, she was shifting. He watched in amazement as her legs lengthened, black fur turned to pale skin and paws turned to fingers. The force enveloped him, shifting him, too.

  In moments, he lay on top of her, man to woman. Even though he’d regained his human form, the aggressive Wolf still howled inside his body, giving free rein to his primitive needs. He pinned her wrists to the ground and devoured her mouth with a ravenous kiss.

  A light shone somewhere, or maybe it came from the moon. She moaned and spread her legs, letting the bulge of his erection rest against her soft cleft. Damn all these clothes! Because of his messy shift, his shirt had ended up backwards and inside out. But he could focus on nothing else except getting hers out of the way.

  He ripped open her pretty red shirt, sending the buttons flying. After pulling down her bra cups, he captured a hard, berry-pink nipple between his teeth. Her back arched as she cried out.

  “Omega, my ass,” she scoffed, scraping his scalp with her nails.

  They grasped each other’s waistbands at the same time, snapping open buttons, jerking down zippers, reaching inside…. She grabbed his cock first, encircling it in a tight grip, which brought him close to emptying his balls.

  Groaning, he stroked her soaked cotton panties. The stormy scent of her, stronger than ever, overpowered him. Even if someone held a gun to his head, he’d fuck her. Right here. Right now. She writhed and gasped as he slid a finger into her slippery, soft cunt.

  When he worked his digit in and out, she rocked her hips. The woman was strong. Imagining her shapely legs locked
around his waist lit his entire groin on fire. The sexy lilt in her voice even colored her moans.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked, looking into his eyes. “Mating will bind us forever.”

  He withdrew his finger, unable to resist popping it into his mouth to taste her sweet dew. How he wanted this woman! But she was right. There would be no going back, and a good lay wasn’t worth upsetting his carefully built life.

  Panting, he rolled off her and wrestled his erection back into his jeans. “I’m sorry, Lara. We can’t.”

  “I know.” She sat up, panting, too. “We might be frustrated now, but tomorrow we’ll be glad we didn’t.”

  Finally tearing his gaze away from her, he realized they’d ended up back near Gee’s Bar. Much too close to do what they’d been about to do. Thank God she’d stopped him.

  “Shall I take you home?” Or to the nearest airport? He couldn’t live with this kind of temptation much longer. He’d eventually give in to his urges.

  “No, I need to get back in there and honor my commitment to sing tonight.”

  He nodded, admiring her character as much as he had her practical, cotton panties a few minutes ago.

  She glanced down at her ruined shirt. “Damn. This was one of my nicer ones.”

  “Sorry.”

  She shrugged and tied it into a halter to cover her bra. Remembering the sight of her swollen nipples would keep him awake all night.

  “I’m going to work at the mill,” he said. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours to pick you up.”

  “Okay. Tomorrow—”

  He put his finger to her lips. “Let’s get through tonight first.”

  When they stood, a large animal stirred the bramble bushes nearby, but he couldn’t quite catch its scent. What if it was a Wolf? Damn! Now the entire town would know Ogden Woods had met his mate. The last thing he needed was scrutiny. This woman had go to and soon or his secret would be secret no more.

  Chapter Three

  On the way home, Ogden spotted a tall man lumbering down the side of the road. Gee Rivermoon? Perfect timing.

  He slowed to a stop and rolled down the passenger window. “You need a ride?”

  “No.” The dusky-complexioned man eyed him without smiling. “Do you need to give me one?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. Hop in.”

  Gee dwarfed the passenger seat and placed a bag on the floor at his feet. Judging by the smell, the sack contained a fresh kill of small game.

  “What’s on your mind?” Gee asked as Ogden sped up on the dark, lonely road.

  “I met a woman. Another damn newcomer. She’s a real firecracker.”

  “Ryker told me her mother sent her here, but why?”

  “Hell if I know,” Ogden replied.

  “Unless she’s your mate?”

  He squeezed the steering wheel. “Not officially…yet.”

  “You came pretty close in those bushes near the bar.”

  Ogden laughed. “You were the one spying on us? I’m so relieved.”

  Gee crossed his massive, bare arms. “I was hunting, not spying.”

  “I worked damn hard to have the life I do. Mating with her will mess everything up.”

  But he didn’t need to explain. Gee seemed to know everything that went on in Los Lobos—past, present, and future.

  “I even want to tell her my secret.” A secret none except Gee knew, and the bear had kept quiet for years.

  “Why not tell everyone? Los Lobos is a better place now with Drew in charge.”

  “No way.” Ogden gripped the wheel harder. “Once the cat is out of the bag, there’s no stuffing it back in.”

  “Suit yourself, but mating changes everything. Is change so bad?” Gee scratched his bare back by rubbing it against the seat, reminding Ogden of the bear his passenger was. “Are you happy with your life?”

  “Hell, yeah, I’m happy.”

  Then he remembered how empty his bed felt—whenever he could actually sleep in it due to his long hours. Worst of all? Always looking over his shoulder, afraid Drew or one of the Dominants would discover his tainted heritage and drive him out of the pack.

  Nothing on Gee’s stony face revealed whether or not he believed Ogden.

  “You’re right to consider this decision carefully instead of in the heat of lust,” the other man commented. “If you don’t mate with her, how will you feel when she leaves?”

  “Like crap,” Ogden admitted.

  He stopped at the base of Gee’s long, secluded driveway because the man preferred not to have anyone come near his house.

  “Thanks for the advice,” Ogden said.

  Gee opened the door and got out. “I didn’t advise you anything.”

  “True.” Ogden pointed to the floor. “Don’t forget your baggage.”

  Cracking a rare smile, the other man grabbed the bag, closed the door, and raised a hand in a farewell wave.

  Ogden drove away, more confused than ever.

  ***

  The next morning, Lara donned another plaid shirt and hiked to the mill with her heart low and heavy in her chest. She couldn’t believe how close she’d come to mating with Ogden last night outside Gee’s Bar. No other male had stirred her desires the way he had as he’d spread her legs and mastered her with his thick, strong fingers. A flood of heat rolled through her pelvis from thinking about it.

  What would it be like to make love and experience pleasure instead of using sex as a weapon?

  Unfortunately, she didn’t plan to find out. If she stayed here any longer, they would end up in bed…or on a big, flat rock with the sun shining on their bare, damp skin.

  Stop it, Lara. It was time to go home. Staying would screw up both their lives.

  Her visa in this place was limited, anyway. The last thing she wanted to do was plead for sanctuary and bed down here. Back in Yellowstone, Tyler Brooks awaited. Because she’d gotten away from the scene of her mother’s death, she was finally strong enough to face him.

  And she would do anything necessary to stop him and get revenge. Anything. She would even spread her legs if she had to. A tear trickled from her eye when she realized the next time she gave her body to a man, it would be an act of hate, not love.

  When she reached the mill, Ogden was busy guiding a log through the saw. Morning sunlight shone on his mint-green shirt and his dusty work boots. Why did this place feel so right? Why did he? But she already knew. He was her mate.

  She could see herself here, helping him with his work and raising a litter of pups—cute blue-eyed and gray-eyed ones. It would make her mother happy to see her content and settled. Where had such a thought come from?

  No, Mama. I need to save our pack. Don’t you want me to avenge your senseless death?

  Why hadn’t she left at the crack of dawn? By hanging around to say goodbye, she risked losing her nerve to leave. After all, she couldn’t predict what might happen when she encountered Brooks. What if she lost control and killed him or vice versa?

  She waited until Ogden had finished cutting the log before approaching him.

  “Good morning. I’m glad to see a pair of helping hands.” His blue gaze intensified as it drifted over her face and body, claiming her as his.

  “I heard you chopping wood at your house for hours last night,” she said, helping herself to a mug of coffee. “It sounded like you were trying to kill it.”

  “One can never have too much wood.” He dropped a fresh board onto a pile of others. “Winters here are pretty harsh.”

  “Ogden, I came to say good-bye.”

  “Damn.” His tanned face turned pale. “Let’s go inside and discuss it.”

  Realizing he was fighting to keep his mate, her heart fluttered in her chest. They stepped into his office and closed the door. The room had his stamp all over it. Bits of wood, tools, dusty papers, and rags littered the worktable, and the air smelled woody and masculine.

  But he didn’t seem to have conversation on his mind. Instead, his str
ong arms slipped around her.

  “Don’t go,” he whispered in her hair.

  His woodsy scent, mixed with his lust, made her dizzy. Her fingers dug into the back of his coarse cotton shirt. Against her will, her nails clawed the fabric, pulling it out of his jeans. They eyed each other, two predators circling a kill.

  “Convince me,” she whispered.

  In reply, his mouth surged against hers, the force knocking her back against his file cabinets. His tongue breached her mouth, claiming her so fast her breath faltered. While she tangled her fingers in his tousled chestnut hair, broad hands squeezed her breasts, bringing her nipples to rock-hard points. With her heart thundering in her ears, she unbuttoned her shirt before he could rip the buttons off this one, too.

  Panting hard, he paused to ask, “When can you conceive?”

  “D-during the full moon,” she replied, struggling for her own breath. “It’s safe now.”

  He jerked down the zipper of her jeans and spun her around. “Then hang on!”

  As she bent over and grabbed the two nearest metal handles, her swollen breasts tumbled out of her bra. Hot moisture flooded her core. No matter how many penises she allowed inside her, for whatever reasons, she vowed she would only remember his.

  “Just this once,” she gasped as he tugged down her jeans. “I can’t stay.”

  “It doesn’t work that way,” he ground out as he grabbed her hips, keeping her immobile. “You’re my mate, and you’re going to stay here where you belong.”

  The slippery head of his cock brushed her buttocks, scorching her sensitive skin before he plunged it home. He filled her cunt with the force of a sledgehammer, making her cry out. Any doubts she had about the man being a Dominant evaporated.

  “You’re no Omega, Ogden Woods.” Her voice cracked as he pulled out and plunged back in. “You’re a Dominant in an Omega’s clothing. Why?”

  The file cabinets rattled to the tune of his urgent thrusting. “I’m a little too busy to talk right now.”