The Alpha Wolf’s Baby

by T. S. Ryder

  And then he gave himself over to desire completely, and began to drive into her, every stroke a little faster, a little harder, each followed by a low, rolling grunt as he gained his tempo, goaded by the wordless pleas Bianca uttered each time he hit the right spot.

  Desperate to jump over the edge with her, together, Eric slipped his hand under her and reached around to her clit again, pressing the lusciously sensitive pearl of flesh in time with his thrusts. Bianca responded to it beautifully, rising up to grab onto the pillow and bite into it. He moved the hand that held on to her to brace himself against the headboard as he lowered his body down without losing his beat. “Tell me how you want me, Bianca,” he purred into her ear. “Faster? Harder?”

  She looked over her shoulder to him, her eyes glazed over with smoldering desire, and pleaded, “Harder... yes... please!” with a desperate need that matched his own, and it was all he needed to hear.

  With raw passion, he pushed into Bianca’s heat, his fingers working her clit hard. When he felt her sweet, juicy flesh quivering around him and heard her ecstatic moans growing louder and louder until they melted into one final, shattering cry, that was all that he needed to come undone and climax with a howl of ferocious satisfaction.

  Chapter Nine

  Bianca dozed off in Eric’s arms, their limbs tangled, exhausted, warm and deliciously sore, but stirred awake again when she felt him moving away. “Eric?” she called for him sleepily, and he turned around to give her a soft, slow kiss.

  “Shhh... sleep. I’ll be back in a few hours,” he told her.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, and he replied with a smile that was positively wolfish.

  “Listen,” he said. Out there in the distance, howls filled the silence of the night. “The moon is full and my Pack is calling,” he told her, smiling, and kissed her again. “Sleep,” he whispered, “I’ll be back before you know it and give you the best wake-up of your life.” Bianca couldn’t help but chuckle to that. She pulled him into her arms for another long, lingering kiss before she let him go.

  Eric went to open the window, an image of beauty and power as he stood bathed in the silver moonlight, and shifted right in front of her. It was a captivating sight, full of fluid elegance, as his body morphed from human to that macabre yet fascinating creature again. Bianca wondered how she could ever think of him as a monster.

  Sitting up, she reached for him, and Eric moved towards her on all fours until his massive, shaggy head was under her palm. “It’s so soft,” she whispered, amazed at how his fur felt on her skin, “I thought it’d be rough... like dog fur.” Eric let out a sound that reminded her of a scoffing laugh and let her pet him a little longer before he nipped at her fingers lightly, golden eyes shining in the dark, and jumped out of the window in one graceful leap. Bianca rushed to the window, and saw him land on his feet and break into a swift run, much faster than anything in nature could possibly move.

  God, what did she get herself into, she wondered, but not for too long. As sudden and profound as this new change to her life was, she loved the way Eric made her feel and wanted to see what this thing between them was and what it could develop into. With a happy little sigh, she closed the window and went back to bed. Sleep claimed her quickly, soothing and deep... so deep that she didn’t even notice someone was in the room until a hand pressed hard over her mouth, waking her up with a panicked start.

  “You fat little whore,” Jason McKenna growled at her, as he loomed above her, naked, his beautiful face contorted into an ugly mask of vicious fury. Bianca started to fight him, kicking and scratching at him, trying to free herself from his steely grip, even trying to bite his hand, but it was no use. He was just too strong. “Eric always did have abysmal taste,” he sneered at her snidely. “But at least this time I’ve got some use out of his vulgarity.”

  He moved his hand away, giving Bianca just enough time to utter one desperate scream for help before he punched her, sending her into unconsciousness.

  She did not know exactly how much time she spent passed out, but when she finally woke, she decided it couldn’t have been too long. It was still nighttime, and her head was in a whirl, heavy and thudding. Her wrists and ankles were bound painfully tight, and she was cold because the bastard had snatched her out of bed naked and just tossed her under a large oak tree in a clearing of some sort in the woods, adding humiliation to injury.

  “Oh, good,” Jason snickered. “You’re awake.” An angry howl cut through the air, making Bianca’s skin crawl with dread. “Ah... I hear Eric’s got my message,” he said, grinning. Still naked, he would’ve been an even lovelier sight to behold than his brother was, if it weren’t for that psychotic look on his face. He was standing just a few strides away, holding an enormous gun in his hand. Bianca recognized it from the movies as the infamous Desert Eagle. He lifted it, aiming for her, and she cowered against the tree. “I knew he wouldn’t resist playing your knight in shaggy armor,” he taunted her, relishing her fear. “Damn fool always did have a hero complex.”

  There was a rustle of leaves and branches, and Eric, still in werewolf form, jumped out of the bushes, landing just a few feet away. Unperturbed, Jason cocked his gun without a word, looking to Eric with a deranged grin on his face. “Not another step, brother, or I blow the bitch’s brains out.”

  A moment later, Eric shifted back to human, his expression grim. “Your note said you’d let Bianca go if I came,” he said, making Jason bark out a cruel laugh.

  “No, it said I’d kill her if you didn’t come,” he corrected Eric snidely. “Two very different things, those.”

  The look on Eric’s face grew even darker. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked, tranquil fury in his voice, cold and cutting.

  Jason’s reply sounded unhinged. “Taking what’s rightfully mine!” he growled, bitter resentment thick in his voice. “I should’ve been made Alpha – I’m smarter, and better, and more talented at everything that makes a good leader! But all anyone cares about is whether or not I have the brute strength to win in a fight. What’s the use of fighting skill in today’s world? The Pack needs a political leader, a cunning diplomat to solidify its position and build influence, not a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal who’d let it stagnate as a petty family commune. Even that blockhead Hector knows that – that’s why he passed down the title. He just chose the wrong brother to give it to.”

  “The Pack is happy with the way things are,” Eric replied, but Jason just laughed him off.

  “Oh, what do they know?” he scoffed. “They have no vision, no ambition. Twenty years from now, when the Government in the entire Tristate Area is full of our people and we can run this territory as we see fit, they’ll thank me for this.”

  Insane, Bianca thought. Jason McKenna was utterly insane.

  Sadly, Eric waved his head. “Don’t be a fool, Jason,” he said to his brother. “The Pack would never accept you as the Alpha.”

  But that only made Jason angrier. “After I put you and Hector down, they’ll have no choice,” he snarled. “Everything you own – the land, the shares in the company – it’ll all be mine, and I’ll have the power to cut off every single one of them. And when I’m done with you, I’ll get rid of this whore as well. With you gone and no other heirs around, The Law will support my claim, and no one will dare stand against me!”

  Eric sighed, looking hurt, beaten and exhausted, and Bianca’s heart hurt for him. To see his own brother turned into such a monster... she couldn’t imagine his pain.

  “There’s just one problem with that plan,” Eric told Jason, his head dropping in defeat.

  “Oh, yeah?” Jason jeered. “And what is that?”

  Eric lifted his eyes, now shining gold. “Hector and I aren’t dead yet,” he replied, his tone sharp.

  As if on cue, a werewolf with a red-brown pelt leapt out of the trees behind Jason.

  Terrified, Bianca turned her head away and closed her eyes.

  There was a horr
ific crunching sound and a thud, and then silence, heavy and eerie. The air was permeated with the iron scent of freshly-spilled blood.

  Moments later, she could feel a pair of strong, gentle arms pulling her into a tight embrace, and something inside her broke in that moment. She began to cry, all of the stress of this horrible, magical day pouring into her tears. She knew it was Eric holding her, and she buried her head into his chest, desperate for his comfort and protection. Silently, he held her, letting her vent her emotions for as long as she needed, not even moving to cut her restraints until she had finally begun to calm down.

  “Go bring her something to wear,” he murmured, and Bianca looked over his shoulder to see the enormous, red-brown creature was still there. He stood over Jason’s dead body, licking his bloody chops, before running away to do as his Alpha bid him.

  “Was... was that Hector?” she asked Eric, her voice weak and choppy from crying, and he nodded. Gathering a bit of courage, Bianca looked at Jason... or what was left of him.

  His body was on the ground, laid on its stomach, and Bianca could see large claw marks on the shoulders and lower back. His head resembled a smashed watermelon, skull cracked by the powerful jaws of his eldest brother, blood and brain matter spewed everywhere around it. The sight made bile rise in Bianca’s stomach, but the shock wouldn’t let her look away. She let Eric remove her bonds and scoop her into his arms protectively, almost catatonic from the experience.

  “I’m sorry,” Eric whispered, holding her close, warming her with his body. “It’s all my fault.”

  Bianca closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder, and sighed. “It was Jason’s fault, all of it,” she told him, her voice weak, “And it’s over now... right?”

  Kissing her forehead, Eric petted her hair and nodded. “It’s over.”

  And, for Bianca, that was enough.

  Chapter Ten

  Eight months later

  The moon was full and, after spending a good hour pleasuring his wife, Eric McKenna opened the window of their bedroom and morphed so he could go run with his Pack.

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to seeing you shapeshift,” Bianca said, her tone full of pride and wonder as she sat up on the bed. Lolling his tongue out, Eric stalked over to her, wanting to feel her touch again, putting his head in her lap. She was so beautiful, his Bianca, even more so now that the baby bump was starting to show, even though she always complained that nobody would be able to guess she was pregnant anyway, considering all the padding she carried on her. To Eric, it just meant that there was more of her to love. He did not care about her size, or the stretch marks the pregnancy was putting on her expanding stomach, or any of the changes her body would go through over the years. He found endless joy in her body, yes... but he loved Bianca.

  Suddenly, the baby in her womb kicked, making Bianca gasp and start laughing. God, but he wanted to spend his life watching her this happy. It had taken him months to convince her that, yes, he really did love her, and no, he wasn’t with her only for the baby. The day she had accepted his hand in marriage was the happiest he’d ever had. He didn’t even care if the baby she carried was a girl; he just wanted to be with her and make his family with her. To hell with everything else.

  Petting him behind the ears with both hands, Bianca leaned to kiss him between the brows. “Happy hunting, love,” she murmured. He touched the tip of his snout to her nose, making her giggle, before leaping out of the window to meet his Pack in the woods of the reservation.

  With his mate and child happy and safe, with his Pack thriving and strong, Eric felt nothing but joy in his heart.

  Through all the tragedy and pain, they had earned their happy ending, he thought, and bellowed a long, victorious howl, sharing his happiness with the world.

  *****

  THE END

  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading “The Alpha Wolf's Baby” as much as I liked writing it. Please consider leaving an honest review here; it means a lot to me to hear from you.

  T.S. Ryder

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  Bonus Book 1: The Shifter's Nanny

  Description

  Does this hot panther shifter need me to take care of his daughter or does he want my curves for another reason as well?

  Rose Doctor needs a job. After years of emotional abuse by her ex-boyfriend, she’s broke and deeply scarred. So when a gorgeous shifter needs her help to take care of his infant daughter, she accepts.

  Her new boss is hot as hell. But she’s not going to let her heart get the best of her. Not this time.

  Devon was always a loner. He’s not looking for romance, much less a mate. All he needs is a nanny. Yes, she has curves in all the right places. But no, she’s here to look after his daughter, and that’s it.

  But everything changes when Rose’s past catches up with her. Her ex-boyfriend is back and will stop at nothing to force her to take him back...

  Will Devon do what it takes to protect Rose? Can he resist the primal urge that’s roared to life in him? And can Rose find it in herself and trust again?

  Sometimes risking everything is the only way to find out…

  Chapter One – Rose

  Maybe I should have worn something a little more casual. After all, I'm interviewing to be a nanny, not a supernanny.

  Rose self-consciously smoothed down the plum pencil skirt that she wore to all her interviews, glad she had at least matched her business suit with a fun frog-themed necklace and had kept her dyed autumn-red hair in loose waves around her face. It showed that she was fun as well as professional. At least, that's what she hoped it showed and didn't make her look crazy.

  I look fantastic, she told herself to try to calm her churning gut. Anybody would be lucky to have me working with them.

  She took a deep breath before she knocked on the front door. Her pep-talk wasn't helping the butterflies in her stomach at all, but then she hadn't thought it would. This was her first job interview in nearly five years. She didn’t know what to expect anymore.

  The door opened, revealing her potential employer. The first thing that struck her about him was the suspicious squint in his silver-grey eyes. They swept up and down her, and she got the feeling that if he didn't like what he saw, she wouldn’t even get the interview. She tried to stand a little straighter, unconsciously sucking in her gut to try to make herself look thinner. Not that it was possible… her ex-boyfriend was always fond of telling her how she needed to trim down for him, and she'd only gained weight since she left him.

  "Hello." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Rose Doctor, here to interview for the position of nanny."

  "Devon McGullicuddy," the man replied. He didn't shake her hand. "We'll sit out here for the interview."

  Rose nodded. She thought it was strange that he wanted to interview her at his home but was relieved she wasn't going to have to insist on not setting foot into his house just yet. She wanted to get to know him a little better first. They sat on a couple of chairs set out on the covered porch.

  "Miss Doctor," Devon started, setting down. "Before we start, you are aware of my heritage, yes?"

  Rose's gaze swept down his strongly muscled body. What did he mean by that? His ethnic heritage? If he came from money? Did he have some sort of famous ancestor? His bronzed skin spoke to a more temperate climate, but what was she supposed to guess?

  "Er…"

  "I'm a shifter," Devon clarified.

  Heat rushed to her cheeks. "Oh! Yes, yes I understand that. And the baby is a shifter as well, yes?"

  He nodded. "She is, yes. She won't start shifting until she's a little older, though, so you don't have to worry about knowing how to care for a kitten."

  "A kitten.
So what are you?"

  What did I ask him that for?

  Rose bit her lower lip, ducking her head. She hated it when people walked up to her and asked her that question. Her Eurasian heritage was something she was proud of, but for some reason, people thought that they ought to be privy to her heritage. It annoyed her to no end–and here she was asking the same question!

  "I'm sorry," she blurted. "That's none of my business."

  Devon grunted. If Rose's heart sunk any lower, it'd be on her feet. This was exactly the kind of disaster she was worried about on her first new job interview. Social awkwardness combined with five years of emotional abuse from someone she loved was not a good combination.

  "I suppose if you are going to work for me, it is something you ought to know… I'm a Panther." Devon folded his arms and scowled at her.

  If she wasn't so desperate for a job, she would have run right then. Not because of his alternate form, but because of his expression. She didn't need any more short-tempered men in her life, and from the look on his face, Devon looked like somebody who always wanted things done his way and fast.