Alphas Unbound: 8 Sexy Shifter Romances

by Elsa Jade

  Ronan could see just fine in the darkness, but knew that Rose would need guidance. He placed a hand on the small of her back and led her into his den. The tunnel remained narrow for several paces, until it gradually opened up and emptied into a spacious cavern. There was a smaller chamber where he usually rested, but the main room was cleaner and could be quickly warmed.

  Removing the drenched pelt from her shoulders, Ronan replaced it with a dry bearskin. The heavy pelt was far too big for her small body, but she smiled and rubbed her cheek against it. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he led her to sit by the fireplace.

  Ronan wished that he had not neglected to gather firewood. He grimly realized that he only had enough to last a day and any wood he brought in from outside would be too wet to kindle. Rather than continuing to stew over his negligence, he decided to focus on the present. Within a couple moments, he’d built a modest fire.

  When he finished wiping his hands clean, Rose wasn’t sitting, but lying in front of the fire. Her eyes were still open, but she looked even more tired than he felt. Ronan didn’t want to let her fall asleep before they had mated, but he also didn’t want to break the tenuous calm that had come over her. He crawled to where she lay and stretched his body out beside her. He was contemplating making one final shift into his wolf form, when she rolled onto her back and gazed up at him.

  “What did you mean, when you said I was your mate?”

  Ronan cocked his head. Did she want him to explain what a mate was?

  “You’re mine,” he said, though not entirely satisfied with his answer. A mate was so much more than that, but articulating it felt impossible.

  Rose also did not appear satisfied. Her nose scrunched. “Well, does that also mean that you’re mine?”

  He almost said no on impulse, but paused to consider the question. He had only just found Rose and already he could tell that life as he once knew it had ceased to exist. The days where he lived for himself and his own pleasures were gone. Now, in everything that he did, he would have to consider what was best for his mate. His life would be dedicated to ensuring that she had food, a safe home, and everything she needed to be comfortable and happy.

  On the surface, it seemed like she would practically own him. But Ronan knew there was more to it than that. Aside from mating, she would be his constant companion. In time, she would bear his offspring. Through her, he would have a family and he would never be alone again.

  “I’m yours,” he finally told her.

  He could tell that his answer had pleased her, but she still appeared skeptical.

  “You say that now, but you’re bigger and stronger than me. You could do whatever you wanted to me and I wouldn’t be able to stop you.”

  Ronan was almost offended. What sorts of males had she been associating with? He remembered the man that Rose had travelled with, the one with the axe. He had been at the farm and Ronan realized that he had also been the one whose yell had provoked fear in Rose.

  “Make no mistake, I am no human man. I’m a wolf, and a wolf protects and cherishes his mate above all things. I will never harm you.”

  He could still see fleeting traces of doubt in her gaze, but she accepted his answer with a small nod. He wondered what had happened to make her so suspicious of males and how long it would take before she trusted him.

  Unexpectedly, she turned, maneuvering her body so that she curled up against his chest. Ronan assumed that this meant she was ready to mate, but a quick assessment of her face told him a different story. Her sleepy eyes had finally closed and for the first time since he’d met her, she looked serene.

  They would not be mating today, and somehow, this didn’t disappoint Ronan.

  Chapter Six

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  Rose didn’t have another erotic dream, but she did wake aroused. Her mark throbbed with pleasure as the wolf nuzzled the side of her neck. His big hand cupped one of her breasts and was kneading it in an achingly slow motion. Even through the thick fur that covered her, she could feel his hard erection jutting against the back of her thigh.

  Although the wolf was a stranger and she was still very much at his mercy, Rose didn’t feel the least bit afraid. Why was it that Alf’s touch had felt repulsive and violating, but the wolf’s was pleasing and almost tender? In the wolf’s strong arms, she felt safe and cherished.

  Rather than ask him to stop, Rose was nearly ready to surrender herself to the wolf. However, she had a more pressing need than sexual gratification. Before she could bring herself to say anything, her stomach let out a voracious growl.

  Her cheeks warmed. “Sorry. I haven’t eaten…I’m not even sure how long.”

  She braced herself for him to become agitated, or maybe to ignore her altogether, but he did neither. His movements stilled, and when she braved a glance at his face, he appeared apologetic.

  The wolf gave her neck a final nuzzle, before standing. She watched him walk to the corner of the room, her cheeks growing even hotter as she spied his manhood. She had only seen a couple of naked men in her life, and it had always been inadvertently. The only time she’d seen an erect manhood had been when she’d walked in on a stable boy who was pleasuring himself. Rose had been mortified, both by the circumstance and by the angry red thing between his legs. After that horrible encounter, she thought she’d be fine never seeing another phallus again.

  The wolf’s erection looked nothing like the stable boy’s. It was far bigger, both in length and thickness, which Rose found rather intimidating. However, it was also smooth, shapely, and looked to be velvet in texture. Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips.

  The wolf grabbed something from a shelf that had been hewn into the wall. When he handed it to her, she saw that it was a flask that had been stitched from some sort of animal skin.

  “Water,” he told her. “Drink, and I’ll cook something for you.”

  She gladly complied, gulping down the contents of the flask as the wolf tended to the fire. He added another log, and then began roasting a thick piece of what smelled like rabbit meat. She was so distracted by the mouthwatering scent of food that she hardly contemplated how strange it was to have a man cooking for her.

  When he finally finished, the wolf blew on the meat several times, ensuring it was cool, and then passed it to her. She scarfed it down, not particularly caring about looking uncivilized in front of a wolf. It was overcooked, but she didn’t care. She imagined he hadn’t spent a great deal of time learning the culinary arts. This was soon confirmed, as he began to eat the leftover meat raw.

  Out of nowhere, he announced, “Tomorrow, I will find clothes for you.”

  To her horror, she looked down to see that the bearskin was no longer covering her. She was still wearing her slip, but it was the same slip that the wolf had carved a hole in at the river. One pink nipple poked out, and his amber eyes had honed in on it.

  “Don’t,” he said as she moved to cover herself. She instinctively tensed, as though he’d delivered a command, but after quick reflection, realized his tone was imploring. She didn’t cover herself, but she did give her shoulder a little shrug, adjusting the slip so that her nipple was no longer peeking out.

  After licking her fingertips clean, Rose folded her hands neatly in her lap. She did her best to look confident and composed as she locked eyes with the handsome wolf.

  “Am I the first woman you’ve done this for?”

  He raised a brow, and so she elaborated.

  “How long is this going to last?” Despite her best efforts, she began to fidget. “I mean, how long can I stay here with you taking care of me like this?”

  “You’re my mate.” His voice was even, but carried a subtle undertone of impatience. “I will always provide for you, for so long as we live.”

  Rose balked at that. “Wow, that almost sounds like marriage.”

  “It is much more than that.”

  “But why choose me?”

  “I didn’t. Your scent told me that you would be mine.
”

  Her shoulders sagged a bit. Of course a man that looked like him, even a wolf, wouldn’t willingly pursue a woman such as herself.

  “So it’s just that you like the way I smell, then?”

  Pressing his lips together, he moved to stand on all fours. With the gait of a stalking cat, he made his way over to where she sat. His amber eyes did a lazy perusal of her body.

  “I like a great many things about you, Rose.”

  She swallowed hard. It was the first time he’d said her name and she didn’t remember giving it to him. Had he overheard it when he was watching her?

  “Do you have a name?” she asked him.

  “Ronan.”

  Rose bit back a coy smile. She liked his name, and found that she couldn’t wait to say it.

  “So…what sorts of things do you like about me, Ronan?”

  His gleaming gaze moved to her chest. “I like your breasts.”

  He was so blunt that she almost laughed.

  “What about them?”

  The corner of his mouth curved. “I like their size and I like the shape of them. I like the way they feel in my hands. They’re so soft. Your entire body is like that. Soft and supple.”

  She found that his assessment didn’t make her feel self-conscious, but she was curious. “Most men prefer that a woman’s body be, um, tighter.”

  “I’m not a man, I’m a wolf,” he corrected. “And your body is perfect.” He extended a hand, placing it over her hip and squeezing a generous portion of her flesh. “You make me want to take you in this human form, just so I can hold onto this while I ride you from behind.”

  *

  His mate’s face turned a peculiar shade of red. Ronan found it interesting how expressive a human face was, and he looked forward to learning all of her quirks. That would come in time. Right now, all he wanted was to finally be inside of her.

  Ronan had thought that he would want to shift into his wolf form, but as he had just expressed to her, he was beginning to see the benefits of his human body. As a wolf, he could little more than mount her from behind and take his pleasure. In human form, he had hands—hands that could squeeze, ravish, tease, and tantalize his mate.

  But before all of that, there was something else he needed to do. He placed a hand on the back of her head, his fingers threading into her silky locks of hair. Gently, he tilted her head back, giving himself the access he needed. Bending his neck, he leaned in to place his mouth over hers.

  As a wolf, he had never paid much attention to lips and had not made it a habit of kissing females. But his mate’s lips had fascinated him from the beginning and he wanted to taste them before he gave up what remained of his self-control.

  They were warm, a little wet, and every bit as soft as the rest of her body. He swiped his tongue along the seam, tasting the meat she’d been eating and something that was uniquely her. To his surprise, she reacted by parting her lips. After a second of indecision, Ronan dipped his tongue inside, exploring the hot cavern of her mouth. Her own tongue moved against his in a rhythmic motion, as though she were trying to massage him. He’d never done such a thing, but decided he liked it.

  A lot.

  Heated blood flooded from every inch of his body and into his cock, taking it from hard to rock-solid. Ronan groaned, liking the way he sounded in her mouth. He deepened the kiss, while working to remove the thin piece of clothing she wore. When he realized he’d have to stop kissing her to take it off, Ronan considered just ripping it. But flimsy as it was, it was the only garment she had, and so he reluctantly broke apart from her.

  It pleased him to see that his mate was flushed and panting. When he took off her garment, he saw that the rosy hue of her face had spread down her neck and over the tops of her breasts. The sight made his mouth water and he quickly eased her back onto the floor. Once she was laid out before him, he wasted no time in devouring her breasts.

  He kneaded at one plush mound, while his mouth sucked on the other. His tongue drew hard circles around her nipple, periodically pulling back so that he could nip and tease the stiff little bud. When he finished with one nipple, he moved to the other. By the time he was done, his mate was crying out with pleasure. Her hands roamed across his muscular arms, over his broad shoulders, and finally settled on the back of his head. She gripped his hair, while her curvy body twisted and arched beneath him.

  Ronan could smell the sweet musk of her female arousal. He wanted her more than he could ever remember wanting anything, but he needed to be sure that she was ready for him. His human cock was not slick, and if she wasn’t wet enough, he could hurt her when he pushed inside.

  He parted her thighs and began to lower himself to inspect her. Her eyes widened and she attempted to close her legs. Ronan gave her a chastising nip on her knee and held her legs firmly apart.

  Dark, springy curls parted to reveal glistening pink folds. He reached out to brush a thumb over the outer fold. It was the barest of touches, but his mate moaned as though he’d penetrated her to her core. Were all human females so sensitive and responsive? He could only wonder what sound she would make when he finally did put his cock in her.

  He stroked her again, this time pushing his thumb past her outer folds to reveal her passage. Although it appeared quite wet, it gave him serious pause. The tight hole looked too small to fit his thumb, let alone his entire erection. He knew that it would stretch to accommodate him, but would it really be able to stretch that much?

  Well, he would find out soon enough. His cock no longer ached for release—it was in pain. He needed to get inside of her and he needed to thrust.

  Ronan had considered taking her as they were, face to face and chest to chest. He had observed humans mating like this and knew that it may be more appealing to her. But in the heat of passion, it was difficult for him to override centuries of instinct. Before he was even aware of what he was doing, he was turning his confused mate and ushering her up onto her hands and knees.

  Once he had her positioned, Ronan fisted his swollen cock, stroking it twice until a bead of liquid appeared at the tip. His mate’s body was beautifully presented for him, and took his own position behind her, rubbing the head of his erection across her drenched folds. He expelled a long, shuddering breath, before slowly pressing himself inside of her.

  She felt incredible, but within seconds, Ronan was met with resistance. His mate was too tight for him, and he could tell from her sharp intake of breath that she was uncomfortable. His large body trembling with pent-up need, he leaned over to nuzzle his mouth against her neck. Gradually, the tension in her body began to ease.

  Once she had calmed, he prepared himself to thrust. Both because he wanted to cause her as little discomfort as he could and because he couldn’t bear to wait any longer, Ronan bit down on his mate’s neck and pushed forward, claiming her in one, swift thrust.

  He thought she might have cried out, though whether in pleasure, pain, or both, he didn’t know. Being inside of her brought on the most acute feeling of euphoria that he had ever felt. He threw his head back and his eyes rolled in his skull. Everything except where his body joined with his mate’s ceased to exist.

  Ronan remained like that for what felt like forever and no time at all. Soon, the urge to thrust welled up from within him, and he was clutching at her hips as he drove his hard cock in and out of her hot, wet passage.

  He kept hold of her neck as he thrust, and before long her cries were unambiguously those of exquisite pleasure. Her sweet sounds spurred him on, encouraging him to go faster and deeper, to test the limits of her human body. As fragile as she seemed, his mate was capable of taking so much more than he’d predicted, and Ronan allowed himself to become lost in the mating fever.

  As pressure began to build in his own body, he felt her inner walls begin to tighten. Sensing that she was going to climax, he flung an arm under her, securing her by the waist. Once he had a good grip on her, he began to thrust with wild abandon, his body crashing into hers with brut
al force.

  Within seconds, a ragged moan tore from her chest and the tight walls that cocooned his cock began to spasm. Unable to hold back any longer, Ronan slammed into her one final time. For a second, his entire body locked up. Then, a cascade of immense pleasure and relief crashed over him. With a massive shudder, he poured his seed deep within his mate’s body.

  Even as he collapsed on top of her, he could feel himself still pulsing within her. It was the longest and most satisfying climax of his life. He rolled onto his side, greedily clutching his mate close and making sure he remained inside of her.

  As he lay beside her, a slow smile spread over Ronan’s lips. He soon found himself licking at the side of her neck. His mate laughed and tried to brush him away, but it only made him more persistent.

  She was his, all his. His to protect, his to cherish, and his to mate with every night.

  Epilogue

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  Ronan woke to his mate trying to seduce him. There was nothing unusual about this, except his reaction. He gently rebuffed her wandering hands and angled his neck away from her warm mouth. Even in his exhausted state, he was aware that the rejection may upset her, and so he placed a hand on her head to give her a few soothing pats.

  At the sound of her disgruntled huff, he cracked open one eye. His mate’s expression was somewhere between a pout and a scowl. His hand, which he’d been certain was tender, was in fact patting her as one might an annoying pup. He immediately retracted his hand, having the grace to look ashamed.

  Rose continued to glare at him, and Ronan felt some of his immense tiredness skitter away in favor of an encroaching nervousness.

  Before he’d met his mate, he had never felt particularly anxious about anything. Everything about the early days of their relationship had made him nervous. Would she like their home? Did she approve of the meals he provided for her? Was she satisfied with having him for a mate?