Holt: A Wolf's Hunger Alpha Shifter Romance

by Desiree A. Cox

  I was stunned to silence. I didn’t know what to say.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I’m sure you’ll do great in your new role,” Chadwick said.

  “Congratulations, kid. I knew with a little goading and prodding, you’d find what your dad knew was in you all along. Make him proud. Make us all proud,” Trey said. His eyes were teary.

  “Thanks, Trey.” I felt like a heel. How could I have thought Trey would turn on me?

  “There’s one more thing, Barry. One more very important thing that will directly impact your reign. You will only have one Beta from this day forward. Trey is relinquishing his services as Beta. He’ll still be available for Paul, as his schedule allows, but he can no longer serve as your Beta.”

  I looked at Trey. “Why not? What am I going to do? You’re such a strong Beta, and you said it yourself; Dolph isn’t ready for that position yet. What if there’s a problem that neither of us know what to do?” I was having a mini freak-out.

  “Calm down, kid. You are more resourceful than you think. And so is my little apprentice. Between the two of you I think you’ll be fine, but you can always call me.”

  “What are you going to do now?” I asked Trey.

  “Kid, I finally found my soul mate. I’m going to hang up my Beta boots, settle down, and enjoy being in love.”

  “Who is she? Do I know her?”

  “My soul mate isn’t a she. The love of my life is Chadwick. When we came to Council the first time about your Alpha status that’s when I knew he was the one.” Trey looked at Chadwick and smiled. I could see the glimmer in their eyes. They were head over heels in love with each other. I was shocked, but happy for them.

  “Congratulations to you both; that’s so awesome that you found each other. Where will you live? What are you going to do? Chadwick, will you stay with Council?”

  “Son, my life is so hectic here at Council I think Trey would leave me if I stayed on. We talked about it. I’m going to step down. We’ll be looking for a nice house and a Pack where we’ll be accepted and can live out the rest of our loving days in peace.” Chadwick looked at Trey and held his hand. “No offense, sweetie, but your house is just too small and way too cluttered. There’s no way I could live there.”

  “I may just know the perfect Pack, and may be able to help you with finding a larger house, too,” I said. “You’re both welcome to stay with us in the Loco Nuna Pack. Trey, you know everyone already. They all love you, and I’m sure they’d love Chadwick, too.”

  “But we need to find a house. I don’t recall anything being available.”

  “I’ll talk to Daci tonight. We both have homes, but we only need one of them. Whichever we choose to live in, you’re more than welcome to live in the other, if you find it suitable. You can look at it and see if it would be acceptable. And I’d love it if you both were close by, you know, just in case.” We all laughed.

  “Thank you, Barry,” Chadwick said.

  “Okay, now that I know you’re stepping down, there’s only one caveat to joining the Pack, Chadwick. You can’t call me Barry. Please, call me Holt.”

  Chapter 26

  Holt

  That afternoon, after Trey and I arrived back at the Pack, we decided this was the perfect night to announce the official news, and introduce Daci as my Alpha mate. Chadwick came back to the Pack to join in the celebration. I thought it was great that they might seriously be considering staying with us.

  Daci and I went to check up on our friends Dolph and Veronica since she wasn’t feeling well.

  I was disappointed in Dolph when he told me Jenny, our Healer, hadn’t been called. I immediately reached out to her and alerted her to Veronica’s nausea and dizziness. I was no doctor, but those didn’t sound like symptoms I’d want to suffer through if I didn’t have to.

  “That sounds pretty serious, Dolph. You don’t have any symptoms like that do you?” my beautiful soul mate asked.

  “No. I feel perfectly fine. Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to be contagious.”

  Jenny arrived within minutes of my call with her eyebrows furrowed as Dolph explained what was going on.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” she asked.

  “We thought it would just go away. If Holt hadn’t called, we may not have picked up the phone,” Dolph said.

  “”That’s silly. You shouldn’t have let your mate suffer like that. If nothing else, I can stop her upset stomach.”

  Dolph hung his head. I was furious that he’d not thought to make the call himself, but I hated seeing him beat himself up over it, too.

  I clapped my hand on his shoulder. “It’s fine, my friend. Veronica will be taken care of. She’s in the best hands possible now, medically speaking.”

  “Which way to your mate?” Jenny asked.

  Dolph pointed his finger to their bedroom, then he and I went to the living room to talk about the meeting with Council, the celebration that night, and about Trey and Chadwick while Daci followed Jenny.

  It didn’t take very long before my lovely beauty and Jenny strode back into the living room with grins on their faces like they were stifling the world’s biggest secret.

  “Your mate is going to be fine. In a couple of hours, some of her nausea should subside,” Jenny said. She had a huge smile on her face.

  “What’s wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?” Dolph queried.

  “You can go ask her. I think it’s best she reveal her condition to you,” the Healer replied.

  “My Alpha, come on. We have a celebration to prepare for,” Daci said. “And Dolph and Veronica need to talk.”

  I thanked Jenny for coming over, as did Dolph, then Daci and I left with Jenny right behind us.

  We made it to my house in record speed and no sooner did I get the door shut, I ravaged my beauty. We never made it past the entry way. She was irresistible.

  Shortly after we showered and cleaned up, Daci left for her house to get ready. I hated every nanosecond she wasn’t by my side.

  I called Daci on the phone while I was getting ready for the night’s festivities. “Daci, my love, we have an issue that needs to be discussed.” I pulled on my shirt.

  “What’s that, Alpha?” I loved the sound of her voice. So melodic and sweet.

  “Princess, my house is very lonely right now. Is yours?”

  “Yes, baby, it is. I wish you were here with me.”

  “Those are my sentiments exactly. Let’s figure out which home we’re keeping and make sure we don’t spend another night away from each other for any amount of time.”

  “Which house do you prefer to live in? I know my home is larger than yours, but you have all of the fond memories of your parents in yours.”

  “My memories of my parents will be with me no matter where I live. But my future is with you. I’d prefer to live in your house. Then, when our family expands, we’ll have plenty of room to grow without feeling crowded. Plus, you have that beautiful lake in your back yard.”

  “What are you going to do with your house? It doesn’t make sense to keep it, does it?” she asked.

  “Trey and his mate, Chadwick are in the market for a larger home. If you agree, we could let them live there. Then we know it’s not just sitting idle,” I said. A pang of hurt rushed through me at the thought of leaving my family home. But I had to. It was the right thing to do. I loved Daci, and this house wasn’t large enough for a growing family -- whenever that time came.

  “I think that’s a great idea. An even better idea is getting off the phone so we can get ready and to the venue on time.”

  “You’re pretty mouthy with the Pack Alpha, darling.”

  “Perhaps your Wolf can teach my Coy-wolf to respect the Alpha later this evening during a run through the park,” she said.

  “I love you, and really do love the way you think, princess. I’ll see you shortly.”

  “I love you, Holt,” she said. We disconnected and I finished getting dressed.

  Da
ci

  I loved my mate, and the thought of living together was exciting. I had been wondering about what we would do, and I was thrilled we had a resolution.

  It didn’t take long before I heard my doorbell ring. I made my way to the door and looked through the peephole and saw Holt. I opened the door and drank him in from head to toe. He was so handsome in his suit. He didn’t have on a tie, and the top button of his shirt was undone.

  “Hello, beautiful,” he said.

  “Hi, Alpha.”

  He stepped inside and pulled me into an embrace that turned into one of the most sensual kisses we’d shared. “I love the dress. Is it new?”

  “It is. I’ve had it for years but never had anywhere to wear it. You look amazing,” I said.

  “Thank you. Are you ready?”

  “I am.”

  “Let’s go, princess. We don’t want to keep the crowd waiting.”

  He held out his arm and I held onto him like my life depended on it. To me, it did. We left my house, our house, and walked the short distance to the hall where the festivities were scheduled.

  As we approached the door, I stopped. I inhaled deeply, then released the breath I took in.

  Holt draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close to him. “This will be a piece of cake, my love. Relax.”

  “I’m trying.”

  He lowered his head and touched his nose to mine. “We’re together and we will be until the end of our lives. That’s what matters most. These titles are secondary. Let’s have a great time at the party for the Pack. Don’t overthink it.”

  “Holt,” I murmured. His lips descended on mine. His hand was getting close to moving under the fabric of my dress covering my breasts when the door of the hall opened.

  “Ah, you both are here. We were just getting ready to send out a search party,” Dolph said.

  “Very funny. I told you we’d be here,” Holt said.

  “Relax, I was just kidding. I’ll tell you when to enter. We’ll announce you guys in a few minutes.”

  Dolph disappeared back inside. That gave Holt and me a few more minutes alone before the party.

  “Alpha,” I said. “I love the way that sounds.”

  “I love hearing you say it. You know what Alpha means, right?”

  “No, baby, tell me, please.”

  “It means I’m a bad ass male who’s superior and confident. I’m the wanted man.”

  “I sure want you. So if I’m referred to as Alpha does that mean I’m a bad ass, too?” I asked.

  “You damn straight it does. You are a bad ass. You’re my beautiful, smart, bad ass.”

  Dolph reappeared at the door and let us know to come inside. Within minutes we heard our signal to enter the main area.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and join me in welcoming your new Alpha, Holt Scofield, and his Alpha mate, Daci Coleman.”

  We entered the room together, my hand holding onto Holt’s bent arm. There was a lot of clapping, whistling, and I heard a lot of oohs and ahhs as we walked the carpeted path leading up to the stage. This was so much more than I’d expected. I would have been happy with a huge cookout where everyone was able to be casually dressed and the atmosphere more relaxed. This was a lot of pomp for nothing, in my opinion.

  We stayed at the party nearly the entire night. It was nice to meet Chadwick, Trey’s mate. They made a great couple. They were excited to know we’d decided to live in my house and offered them Holt’s home. They eagerly accepted. Trey said he was hoping that was the house we chose to relinquish.

  Veronica even felt well enough to come out. She insisted she would have come no matter what.

  When the evening ended, Holt and I decided to return to my house. Our house. We’d begin moving his things in tomorrow. Several other Pack mates offered to help us so we could make the transition for everyone faster. But tonight, we were christening the home as ours.

  Chapter 27

  Holt

  Everything was falling into place perfectly. It had been several months since I moved into the house with Daci. Our house. Our love nest. And there were a lot of changes happening throughout the Pack and with us.

  Veronica was finally over her morning sickness. It was funny that it was called that. She was sick all day and night. Dolph was super excited to be welcoming their first child any day. We kept bugging them to find out if it was a boy or girl, but they said they wanted to be surprised, and they just wanted a healthy baby. Veronica had the nursery nearly complete and decorated it nearly all in mint green. It made sense when she said they wouldn’t have to repaint for the next child.

  Dolph was talking with Trey nearly every day about anything he could think of. They had formed a strong bond in their time together as Betas.

  Trey and Chadwick were finally getting settled into my old house, their new home. It took Chadwick a little longer than either had anticipated to get all of his belongings moved in. Each time he’d mention he had something he wanted moved, a couple of the men from the Pack went with him to help. The Pack was happy Chadwick was joining us, and they already loved Trey.

  It felt weird not living in my childhood home, and knowing someone else was, but it was the best thing for all of us.

  Chadwick told me when he gave his notice to Council they were upset and tried everything they could think of to keep him. As much as he really hated leaving, he knew he had to. His love for Trey was worth more than the position. And here with the Pack, they both could live comfortably and stress-free.

  Chadwick set up a program for the youngsters to help teach them more about Council and some of the things they were responsible for. Council has a fairly high turnover because it was so demanding, but Chadwick thought if the kids knew and understood the responsibilities, they could decide if maybe that was something they’d like to pursue when they got older.

  Trey was also using some of his spare time to pass on his knowledge to the youngsters. Plus, after the day in the park when so many Pack mates were captured, he thought it best to help everyone understand more about safety while in public places as Wolf. Most of the pups he was teaching hadn’t reached the age to shift yet, so his hope was they’d shift with awareness when the time came.

  Ah, and my life was changing, too. My beautiful mate was beginning to show. We were expecting our first pup. We, unlike our best friends, Dolph and Veronica, didn’t like surprises. We were so excited when we found out we were having a boy. A son. The thought of being a father brought tears to my eyes. I could have never imagined being so happy. If anyone had asked me when I was younger if I thought any of this was possible, I would have said no without any hesitation. Not only was my soul mate the most breathtaking woman alive, but now she was carrying my son.

  I shook my head, and fought the tears that always threatened to fall when I thought of how blessed I was. Thank you, Goddess. Trey tells me all the time my parents would be proud of me. Proud of the man I’ve become. Knowing how he used to feel about me when I was younger, that meant a lot.

  Daci

  “Holt, darling,” I said. I was standing on the porch, watching my handsome husband daydream again. He had a lot on his mind these days. He won’t talk about all of it with me because he said he doesn’t want me to worry or get upset while I’m pregnant. Instead, he chooses to spoil me rotten when we’re together.

  “Yes, my love. Is something wrong?” he asked. Always the worrier, always the most concerned about everyone except himself. That’s why everyone loves and admires him. He’s following in his father’s footsteps perfectly.

  “Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart. Dinner’s ready.”

  He stood from one of the rocking chairs we had built for our porch, and turned to face me.

  “You look absolutely stunning, princess.”

  “I look fat.”

  “This little guy in here,” he patted my stomach, “he isn’t making you fat. He makes you beam brighter than the sun. To me, you are, and will always be, the most beautiful wom
an in the world. I love you.” His mouth captured mine before I had a chance to reply. I’m pretty sure that was a strategic move on his part.

  I melted against him and his arms held me tight. Each kiss, each touch, sent shivers through me like it was the first time, only better.

  Our kiss was interrupted by Holt’s name being hollered. We both looked over the horizon and saw Dolph running in our direction. Without a second thought, Holt shifted and ran toward him. After talking for a few minutes, Dolph ran back in the direction he’d come from and Holt trotted back to our house.

  “It’s Veronica,” he gasped.

  My heart sank. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s in labor. The Healer is on her way, but Dolph said she’s been trying to call you. She wants you there with her.”

  “My phone’s in my purse. Let’s go. Dinner can wait until we return.”

  We both raced to our friends’ house, and as we neared we could hear Veronica screaming bloody murder. I was scared. What the hell have I gotten myself into if she’s in so much pain and it’s causing her to scream like that, I thought.

  We entered the house, and Dolph told me to please go into the bedroom with her. He followed me and stood in the doorway.

  “Veronica, I’m here,” I said.

  “It’s about fucking time! I’ve called you a million times.” She gritted her teeth and grasped a handful of the bedsheet.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m here now. What can I do?”

  “Kill me! Please, I don’t care how, just fucking put me out of my misery.”

  Jenny, the Healer, looked at me with sad eyes. “It’s been nonstop since I got here an hour ago. I’ve given her a shot to help ease the pain, but it hasn’t helped.”

  “Maybe it just needs a little more time,” I offered.

  “Let’s hope,” Jenny said.

  “Let’s just all shut the fuck up about it. It’s not going away until Dolph’s demon child is out of me.” Veronica grunted in agony.