Reclaiming Her Alpha (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance)

by Reyer, Celina

  This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons--living or dead--is entirely coincidental

  Reclaiming Her Alpha copyright @ 2013 by Celina Reyer. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

  Reclaiming Her Alpha

  Katherine had lost herself in it, heart racing, sweat pouring down her back, legs turning to rubber. She was gasping for breath when she made it over the finish line first and collapsed on the cool grass, listening to the barely audible cheers of the crowd over her own pounding heartbeat.

  Monique came to her first, looking like she had never broken a sweat in her life. Kat envied the way her sister always looked so polished. She knew her own face was bright red from exertion, but only a delicate flushing tinged her sister's cheeks where the autumn wind had brushed her skin. Likewise, where Kat's long hair was falling out of its ponytail, Monique's locks flowed tidily around her shoulders.

  Kat forced a smile and looked past her sister. He was there, looking at her proudly, his blue eyes glowing as he reached past Monique to pull her to her feet. Ridiculously, she couldn't even stammer a "thank you" because her nerves jangled so violently when he took her hand in his. He gave her a strong yank that sent her stumbling against him, and she couldn't stop her body from reacting. Her heart raced, her skin felt feverish, and her mind murmured Oh, Nathaniel... as she felt the familiar, solid strength of his broad chest and smelled his irresistible scent.

  Her reverie was broken when he rumbled, "Nice, Little Kat. First place!" as her sister squealed and clapped and pretended to make a fuss. Her eyes met his and she felt the heat of his gaze, but Nathaniel was her sister's boyfriend now, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  ***

  The first two days of the Harvest Moon Festival were always family-friendly, the usual carnival rides and games and the annual 5K, which Kat had just won for her age group. The neighboring communities had their suspicions about their little enclave, but for appearances' sake the pack hosted very public events throughout the year, managing to prevent trouble by being "skin-friendly."

  The third night, however, was a private celebration held by the pack's Council, and Kat was equal parts terrified and determined. She knew she would be forced to see Nathaniel again with her sister, and she always fell to pieces in his presence. Her inability to form a coherent sentence when she was around him was noticeable to everyone and she hated feeling like a fool.

  Never mind that she and Nathaniel were mates; no one else knew what had happened between the two of them. She had never told anyone but Monique. And since they had not committed themselves in front of the pack, as far as anyone knew their only relationship was the one they shared because of her sister.

  But it was so much more.

  Kat sank against the door frame, her knees weak as she thought of the way he had touched her that sunny afternoon months ago, the way she still caught him looking at her sometimes. The unbearable craving for her stolen mate was agony, both a fiery physical yearning and a powerful emotional pull. And though most of her believed that he was happy with Monique and that there wasn't a chance in the world for the two of them, part of her still believed they were really meant to be together.

  Her thoughts turned to her sister, and a nearly violent rage bubbled inside her as she thought of the night Monique announced she was dating Nathaniel. Her sister had made her smug confession at dinner, in front of their parents, and then rubbed her face in it later, when the two of them were alone.

  ***

  Monique laughed. "Kat, Nathaniel doesn't think of you that way. You're like a little sister to him. Don't be ridiculous."

  Kat felt ridiculous, hot tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "Please, Monique, I love him." She felt a physical pain, like a cramping, in her stomach; she doubled over and wept, clutching the banister as she collapsed on the bottom stair.

  Monique merely smiled at her, an infuriating, saccharine smirk, and tossed her hair. "I'm not doing anything to you, Kat. If he wanted you, he'd be with you. He wants me. He chose me. It's as simple as that."

  Kat knew at that moment that she had never met a more selfish person in her entire life than her sister. But there was nothing she could do. And maybe Monique was right. If there really was something between her and Nathaniel, why was he with Monique? Why wouldn't he be with her?

  ***

  She would never forgive her sister for stealing Nathaniel from her. It was unspeakable what she had done, but Kat blamed Nathaniel more. He had told her he loved her... he had touched her... he had marked her... and then he turned around and started dating her sister only a month later. Who did that?

  With a sigh she pulled herself together and headed off toward the Council Meeting.

  ***

  The pack Alpha, Roman, was pacing when she arrived, deep in discussion with Nathaniel. He was tense, energy radiating from his muscular frame as he delivered his orders. Kat wondered what it could be. Every fall brought a migration from a nomad pack of bloodsuckers, and it was likely they were hunting too close to the pack's borders again, though there had never been any serious trouble. Still, she watched Roman's face carefully, concerned by his furrowed brow and steely eyes.

  Nathaniel gestured toward her and Roman waved her over.

  "Willmont," he said gruffly when she joined the men. "Ready to serve your pack?"

  "Of course." Her heart galloped in her chest and her mouth was dry. "How can I help?"

  "I need you to go with Hawke and patrol the northern border. There's a potential breach. We can do without you two tonight. You're the fastest if we need you back."

  She nodded, remaining composed but secretly pleased that he had acknowledged her as the fastest. And then she had a sudden, fevered flash of Nathaniel running. They often crossed paths during their morning runs, and just the sight of his tightly muscled thighs pumping and muscular shoulders shiny with sweat was usually enough to break her stride. Even just thinking about it, she struggled to maintain her neutral expression.

  "Ready?" Nathaniel asked, and she nodded and headed off beside him. Her legs were weak as it registered that she was going all the way to the northern border with Nathaniel - alone.

  ***

  "I requested you," he said finally, after they had walked nearly a mile together in silence, enveloped by the sounds of the forest around them.

  "Oh..." Her insides were aflutter and she knew she should say something more, but she had no idea how to begin.

  He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "You were magnificent today." He turned to her, his face filled with admiration. "You must be training hard."

  She nodded. "I feel better when I train hard. It's easier to phase, too, when I push myself. I think it's because I'm more in tune with my body." She didn't say, Mostly I run to take my mind off you. She wished she were the kind of woman who could say things like that, a woman like Monique who took what she wanted and made no apologies for it.

  Something she couldn't identify flashed in his eyes, and she looked away as they fell into step once again.

  "By the way, you don't need to worry," he said. "The border breach isn't a serious concern. We're not going to run into anyone. The only people in this woods are you and me."

  She breathed a sigh of relief, even as her heartbeat kicked into o
verdrive. Nathaniel was so close she could smell his soap, the fabric softener that scented his clothes, and underneath it all his own earthy, musky male scent. She longed to bury her face in his neck and just breathe him in. And her body, in full agreement, began to tingle. She wondered if he smelled her, too, her soap and hair products and sweat - and arousal.

  "We'll probably be out here all night," he continued.

  "Fine," she managed to squeak. Again he looked at her, his gaze holding hers a bit longer, and her hands began trembling. She shoved them in her pockets.

  "Cold?" he asked, suddenly concerned. She shook her head and they began walking again.

  It took nearly an hour to reach the northern border on foot. Eventually they fell into easy conversation, and she relaxed enough for him to make her laugh. She loved how his eyes lit up when he elicited a giggle from her. Nathaniel's eyes were like none other - a beautiful, cerulean blue with a halo of gold around the pupils. Even in the dark they shone.

  They found a clearing and set up camp. "It's okay. See? No one here," Nathaniel said as he busied himself with the bed roll he'd been carrying. Kat eyed it nervously. No doubt he would call first watch, but there was absolutely no way she would be able to sleep with Nathaniel standing over her. She'd probably talk in her sleep or moan his name in one of the fevered erotic dreams that haunted her nights and completely embarrass herself.

  "Should we make a fire?" she asked.

  He shrugged. "Might as well. Temperature's dropping a bit and even if they smell the smoke, I'm pretty sure they won't cross the border. If they do, we'll deal with them." She must have looked worried again, because he touched her shoulder reassuringly and promised, "There's no one out here, Kat. Just relax."

  They built the fire and sat on the open bed roll. He fell silent again, seemingly deep in thought until finally he said the very words she'd been hoping to hear.

  ***

  "I've always wanted to ask you about that day," he began. In his voice she heard an unfamiliar vulnerability and was surprised at it. "I didn't want to push you, but I need to know, Kat. What did I do to scare you off?"

  Kat looked at him, completely confused. "You didn't scare me off... What do you mean?"

  He turned to her, capturing her face in both of his hands and looking deep into her eyes. His jaw tightened and his nostrils flared as he gazed intently at her, emotion swirling behind his stare. "I waited for you to come back the next day. To the apricot tree. I told Monique to have you meet me there, but she said you wouldn't come, that you were too scared."

  Kat trembled in spite of herself. Tell him, the voice cried, but the words wouldn't come. She tried to look away but he held her fast.

  "Tell me why," he urged, and her insides twisted when she heard his voice crack just slightly. "Tell me you felt nothing that day." His thumbs caressed her jaw as his eyes, clouded with pain, begged for a reason. She was shocked to see him like this, his guard completely down.

  And his touch brought her back there, under the blossoming tree near the barn, where he had forever changed her.

  ***

  "Kat," he murmured, gazing down at her intently, drawing her close. Her heart lodged in her throat as he leaned down to kiss her, and the emotion in his blue eyes as he looked into hers took her breath away. She trembled in his embrace, equal parts fear and desire coursing through her veins.

  When his lips brushed against hers, his touch was so feather-light that she swooned with need. He kissed her more deeply, and she moaned. Her soft, primal sound triggered the animal in him; he growled in response and covered her mouth roughly with his own, his tongue slipping easily against hers, probing and claiming. Within seconds she was responding feverishly, gasping as she kissed him back with equal urgency, arching against him and losing all inhibitions as she sank into the joy of his long-awaited kiss.

  After a moment he stopped and stared at her, dazed and slightly out of breath. She recognized that hungry look, though she'd never had anyone look at her that way before. Her mind raced, wondering far he would go and how far she should let him should go--

  "Nathaniel, I --" She was tongue-tied. She knew she had to tell him. She had to make herself form the words.

  But he spoke again, his voice husky. "I've thought about that day every day since."

  "Oh..." It came out like a sigh, and she stopped thinking as he kissed her hairline, just as he had that day, trailing his lips across her forehead, down the side of her face, and finally along her throat, his tongue lingering on the pulse that fluttered in the little hollow. She struggled to remain upright as his lips found a spot that made her blood sizzle. He nuzzled enthusiastically as she made little cries of ecstasy. Her nipples ached, dampness flooded her cunt, and she whimpered and arched her body toward his as his mouth worked magic on her flesh.

  "Tell me what I need to do, Kat," he breathed in her ear, his hands clutching her fast. He lowered her to the bed roll and covered her with his own body, claiming her mouth again as he settled on top of her, his welcome weight pinning her to the forest floor.

  She could feel him, insistently hard through his jeans, as he rocked his pelvis against hers. His lips and tongue traveled over her collarbone, dipping down to explore the bare expanse of flesh where her jacket was slightly unzipped. With a quick tug he opened her jacket and his fingers began unbuttoning the sweater beneath. Kat stopped breathing as with each button his fingers traced teasing circles on her skin, caressing the hollow between her breasts, gliding over the clasp of her white satin bra and down her naked stomach.

  He looked boldly into her eyes as he opened the remaining buttons with his skillful fingers, deftly exposing the swells of creamy flesh encased in demure white satin. "I've missed touching you," he murmured. His tongue dipped into her cleavage as his fingers unhooked the clasp and the satin fell away.

  ***

  Nathaniel kissed lower, sliding the straps of Kat's sundress from her shoulders. His skillful fingers found the hidden zipper and slowly pulled until the dress was open to her waist. She heard a sharp intake of breath as he realized she wasn't wearing a bra, and even as his hands cupped her tits reverently, he looked at her with obvious surprise, one eyebrow raised.

  "I can't wear one under this dress," she confessed. And then, rueful, "They're on the small side, anyway."

  "Shhhhh... They're perfect," he breathed, brushing his palms over her hardened nubs, making her gasp and arch against his hands. And then, slyly, "Though it is naughty of you, walking around like that."

  At the word "naughty" her pulse quickened and her lips parted. He saw it and kissed her again, this time more teasingly, until she grabbed the back of his dark hair and held his face to hers. "Don't tease me," she pleaded when they separated for breath. "Please, Nathaniel, don't tease me..." She sank into the ecstasy of his kisses, his firm body only inches away from hers.

  He lowered his mouth to explore her breasts with his tongue. She gasped as he took one taut peak between his teeth, nipping gently and then savoring it with his mouth, slowly sucking away the sting of his bite. Again and again he nipped and soothed, pain and pleasure pulsing in alternating electric shocks through her body, seemingly connected from her nipples to her pussy. Between her thighs she was ecstatically liquid and hot.

  "Please..." She didn't even know what she was begging for.

  "Kat..." He brought his face back up to hers and kissed her tenderly. "We belong together."

  "I'm yours," she whispered. "Please, Nathaniel, don't stop."

  "I don't think I could if I wanted to," he said. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

  She nodded mutely, her lips swollen and parted, her entire body thrumming with need.

  "I love you, Kat," he vowed, and he lowered his mouth to the base of her neck.

  Nathaniel growled deep in his throat as he seized her tender flesh between his teeth, and she exploded with pleasure. She was falling, then splitting into a million little stars, every molecule of her being dividing and reassembling in tho
se seconds of ecstasy, heat radiating from her core as the shocks rippled through her entire body. His grasp on her became more powerful as he struggled not to phase. She, too, fought against her animal instinct, teetering on the edge of her human self, straddling the line between wolf and human. She drowned in her pleasure and resurfaced, crying out Nathaniel's name, as he licked at her little wound, soothing and healing it and murmuring quiet endearments. And when she sank, spent, into his arms, he buried his face in her hair and whispered, "You're mine now, beautiful girl. You're mine and I'm yours."

  Kat barely had time to realize what had just happened when Monique's voice, clear as a bell, sang out from the side of the barn.

  ***

  The shock of remembering that day under the apricot tree sobered Kat. She pushed a dazed Nathaniel away and pulled her clothing tightly back around her. He was unable to quickly comprehend what was happening, confusion all over his handsome face. It took all her willpower to keep him at arms' length, but she couldn't lose herself again. Not like this.

  "You said I never came," she began slowly. "You said Monique gave me the message. What did you mean?"

  "After you ran away, she asked what happened and I told her. And then I asked her to have you meet me there the next evening, at dusk. But I waited and you never showed. She came instead and told me you weren't coming because I was moving too fast for you and you were scared."

  Ice filled her veins. "Monique never said you asked to meet me," Kat said bitterly. "When she came home that day she warned me about you. She said you had laughed about me after I left, told her how inexperienced I was, told her that you just wanted to see if I would sleep with you."

  He looked at her incredulously. "How could you even believe something like that? What have I ever done, in all the time you've known me, that would make you think I'm capable of that?" He stood up and angrily paced back and forth. "I thought we connected. You were supposed to be my mate. How could you possibly think I'd do that?"

  Her voice sounded pitiful even to her. "She's my sister. She's done horrible things to me all my life, but I never thought she'd do that. It might seem stupid to you, but I believed what she told me. And obviously, you did too."