Her Two Alphas

by T. S. Ryder

  “You can’t take this back, Ri.” She nodded and kissed him again. Brent had a few condoms on him as an old habit, but he’d never expected to end up here with Riley.

  “I know.” Brent kissed her until she was breathless before he pulled away and unbuttoned his jeans. He slipped them off, and as his cock sprung free her eyes widened. “How is that going to fit?”

  “Perfectly,” Brent told her, and he smiled. “I have condoms with me, but I have always been careful. I’ve been tested on the regular, and I can be again for you if that’s what you want. I’d take it all back if I could.”

  “I know that you couldn’t hurt me. You’ve always been protective of me,” Riley told him, and he nodded as he knew she was right. “Use them now and we’ll see from here. I’ve never been on birth control.”

  “We’ll fix that.” Brent leaned in to kiss her as he gripped the foil in his hands and memorized the moment. He memorized the way her lips tasted and the way her body arched to meet his. Brent felt her wrap around his finger as he slipped it inside of her and the way that she moaned as she leaned her head back. She was so ready for him, and he stared into her eyes as he felt her tighten around him.

  Brent spread her legs and covered himself with the condom before he slipped just hit tip inside of her warmth. Riley was shaking as she looked at him and he leaned down to kiss her as he slid deeper inside. “Why did you wait for this?” Brent asked her, as he pulled back.

  “I’ve always had a crush on you, Brent. I dated but I just never felt anything for them. I have always loved you,” Riley told him, as she winced and froze beneath him. “Oh God. Keep going.” He did, against his will, and buried himself inside of her, then stilled for a moment. She loved him and here he was taking her innocence away when he didn’t know what he felt. “Brent, I want you. Make love to me.”

  He pulled back and did just that as she clung to him, and Brent knew that he loved her as he felt her open and take all of him. Their bodies rocked together, and he felt her release just before his own, one that he felt in every nerve ending in his body. Brent cried out her name as he moved inside of her and kissed her lips, and he dropped on the mattress beside of her as he took a deep breath. “Fucking hell. That felt like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” he told her, and she laughed.

  “I can agree.” Brent looked at her. “I want to do it over and over.”

  “Not right now,” Brent told her, and he watched her move closer and kiss him. “I love you, Riley. I want this to be real, and I always did from the moment I saw you in that hotel room. The problem is that Dec and Kenzie might not be so into the idea and kill me.”

  “They won’t,” Riley assured him. He held her close and breathed her in.

  They ordered room service and slept in until nine before they caught a cab back to the bus. Riley looked at the bus and held his hand as she gave him a determined look. They’d made love as many times as she could handle it and he just wanted to sleep with her in a bunk for the rest of the day.

  The door opened and her brother and sister stepped out. Brent took a deep breath. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Kenzie asked. Riley narrowed her eyes.

  “No cameras. No people. This is real to us,” Brent told her. Declan shook his head.

  “Brent, you’re not good enough for my sister,” Kenzie said.

  “I am better because of her. I just didn’t know that what I needed had always been around,” he said. He looked at Riley with a smile. “I love her, you guys. I am going to give her the best life that I can.”

  “I love him too. You know that, Dec.” Riley said.

  “I thought you were over that, but I suppose this would’ve happened without my help,” Declan said. He smiled. “Take care of her.”

  They decided to continue the tour as planned, only Riley slept in his arms every night. When he wasn’t doing stuff with the band, Brent was with her, whether they were alone or with a group. Alone was tricky, but he taught her about tour sex in a bunk every chance that he had.

  Epilogue

  The media confirmed them as a couple two months later when Riley was moving into Brent’s apartment, much to Declan’s dismay. She registered for school and Brent took her to take care of the finances. She held his hand and blushed as the other students stared at him. He signed a few autographs and posed for some pictures while she chose her classes, and she could barely keep her eyes off of him. “I love you, Brent.”

  “I love you, Ri. All set?” he asked, and she nodded. “Let’s celebrate with lunch.”

  “You spoil me too much, baby,” Riley murmured, as he leaned in for a long kiss.

  “I always will.”

  They headed to his car and lunch, their hands interlocked tightly.

  Brent realized that hitting rock bottom had saved him, and he squeezed Riley’s hand as he looked down at her. He’d never take her for granted, and he thanked her every day for what she’d given him.

  Riley just reminded him that she always loved him.

  *****

  THE END

  Paranormal Shifter Romance Collection

  The Wolf's Mate

  Description

  What do you do when your mate isn’t looking for a mate?

  Bear shifter and virgin Iduna Hudson doesn’t want a mate. But she wants a baby. So she has herself artificially inseminated and is ready for life as a single mom. Who needs a man anyway?

  Werewolf Stephen Jackson knows his one chance to have a family is to track down the woman who received his sperm. His wolf knows he’s found his mate the moment he sees her.

  But love isn’t an option. Iduna is much younger than Stephen, and the relationship between wolves and bears is strained at the best of times. And these aren't the best of times.

  Things turn deadly when Stephan and Iduna come face-to-face with anti-shifter zealots who are out to kill every shifter that crosses their path.

  But Stephen has been searching for his mate for decades and isn’t going to give up when he’s finally found her. Even if it means fighting the fight of his life.

  Can Stephan and Iduna escape their enemies? Can they save themselves and their baby? Will love conquer hate?

  Chapter One – Iduna

  It was a beautiful day in the southern interior of British Columbia. The mountains were dappled green-and-yellow, the contrast between the deciduous and coniferous trees painting a picture of the transition between summer and winter. Iduna Hudson sat on a bench just outside the library in a rare moment of enjoying the beauty around her, rather than keeping her nose in a book

  It helped that there wasn't anyone around to try to draw her into conversation and then act like they didn't want to talk just as she was explaining why leaves turned color in the fall.

  Her baby kicked her, making her wince, and the Bear put a hand over her belly. At eight months pregnant, she couldn't wait for the next month to pass by. She was tired of being pregnant. As much as she enjoyed the sensation of being a little person move inside her, the backaches and swollen feet and her body's refusal to get comfortable at night was wearing on her nerves.

  But she didn't regret the decision to get pregnant. She wanted a baby, and she was going to have one.

  Iduna inhaled the fresh air. Her small Bear Shifter community was fairly isolated, made up mostly of farmers and orchardists, and they preferred to go about their business on foot or with their Bears. Rarely did people around here use vehicles, even though everybody had a car. The result was that the air was clean and fresh, and the community cozy and quiet. It was one of the reasons why Iduna enjoyed living here so much. She could breathe without worrying about the effects of pollution on her lungs.

  An unfamiliar scent caught her nose and she turned.

  Her eyes widened and her heart rate spiked when she saw the man walking towards her. He wasn't a Bear. That was clear. He walked with a certain amount of dominance and grace, not the heavy-footed steps that she was accustomed to. His dark hair was just starting
to gray at the ends, and crow's feet spread from the corner of his eyes. Iduna guessed he was around forty. His skin was a milky color, indicating he was more of an office worker than an outdoorsman.

  And he was beautiful. Iduna willed her heart to slow down, a little concerned about her reaction. There were plenty of good-looking men in the community, so why were hormones flooding her system now? That in itself was odd. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had been sexually attracted to someone.

  Well, it would be over soon enough. As soon as they started talking he'd start sounding like an idiot and her attraction would die as suddenly as it had blossomed.

  "Hello," she said.

  "Hello." He took off his ball cap. "Are you Iduna Hudson?"

  Iduna blinked in surprise. "Do I know you?"

  "No. I… this is weird, I know, and I apologize if I make you uncomfortable. But I'm the donor."

  What donor? Iduna gasped as her baby kicked again, eyes going wide. Of course. "You mean the sperm donor that I chose when I was artificially impregnated?"

  "Yeah. I'm that donor."

  "I see." She peered at him closely and nodded once. He was just as she had been assured of at the clinic. "How did you find me?"

  "You signed some papers that let the clinic tell me how to contact you. May I sit?"

  Iduna nodded, shifting to give him room. The man sat. Now that he was closer, the Bear could smell ink toner and a spicy scent to him. She leaned forward unconsciously, sniffing. Her heart rate picked up again and she felt her hands start to tremble. Her reaction surprised her and frightened her a little bit.

  She had ultimately decided to go ahead with AI at her young age because she wanted to be able to do the things with her baby that her parents had never been able to do with her. Everybody had asked why she chose AI instead of finding her mate. The answer was simple. She had met every Bear shifter for miles around, and quite a few humans, too. None of them were for her. None of them had her blood roaring like this man.

  And she didn't even know what his name was.

  "You're a Wolf!" she cried in surprise, detecting the distinctive scent of dog around him. "Or you live with one."

  "I'm a Wolf," he confirmed. "Didn't the clinic tell you?"

  She shook her head. She had requested a Bear Shifter's donation, but apparently either the sperm samples had gotten mixed up, or they didn't care. Given the way she was treated after revealing she was a Bear herself, the latter wouldn't surprise Iduna. Anti-Shifter tensions were high around here.

  "So." Iduna looked at him. "Who are you?"

  "I'm sorry. My name is Stephen Jackson."

  "Stephen. It means crown, honor. A kingly title. It's Greek."

  "Is it? I never knew." Stephen's smile was relaxed. "I don't think I have any Greek ancestry, but my grandfather's name was Stephen. Strange, come to think of it. The way names end up so far from their origins."

  Iduna nodded. "Yeah, it’s strange how names can spread through cultures. But why are you here? All your donation records were sealed. I thought it meant you didn't want to be contacted."

  "I didn't. When I made the donation I was feeling… frustrated. I don't have a mate, and the idea of having a child anyway was appealing to me."

  "And why look me up now?"

  Stephen looked away. "I was in an accident recently. It left me infertile."

  "Oh." Iduna clasped her hands on her knees. A rush of sympathy went through her, mixed with some disappointment as well. But what did she have to be disappointed about? "Just infertile or impotent as well?"

  Stephen's jaw dropped. "What?"

  "Are you still able to have sex?"

  Iduna's brow furrowed. It was a simple, straightforward question, wasn't it? Why was he shocked? Sometimes people baffled her.

  "I, uh…"

  "I said something wrong, didn't I?" Iduna bit her lip. "I'm always doing this. Mommy says I don't have a filter."

  "Mommy? How old are you?"

  "Twenty-five. I like the phonetics of Mommy better than other maternal nicknames."

  "I… see." Stephen ran a hand through his dark, graying hair. "Well, to answer your question… I can't have children anymore. And that's why I sought you out. I was hoping that I could be part of this baby's life somehow. I always wanted kids, and this is my only chance now."

  Iduna bit on her lip, stopping herself from blurting out an immediate yes. She couldn't just answer based on the sexual attraction she felt towards him. A commitment based on hormones was not a chance worth taking.

  "We need to get to know each other better first," she decided. "If you are going to be a part of the baby's life, you'll be a part of my life as well, and I want to make sure that our personalities are compatible before any decision is made."

  "Fair enough," Stephen said. " I mean, I understand if you don't want to. You must have a reason why you chose to go with AI rather than with your mate…"

  A scowl crossed her face. Her parents had made her wait two years after she decided to go with AI to make sure that she was certain she didn't want to wait for her mate. The fact was that everybody else she knew already had found their mates by the time they were her age. Twenty-five wasn't old by any means, but she had her life planned out and it didn't involve pining around for somebody she didn't even know. The chances that there was even a mate out there for her were slim to none.

  Besides, she didn't like to be around people. She would want to share everything with him, and she'd drive him crazy like she drove everybody crazy. A mate would only be one more person who didn't really understand her.

  "I don't have a mate and I'm not looking for one," she replied, a little more harshly than necessary. "I was just heading home. You can come meet my parents."

  Stephen had the familiar surprised look that people had after talking with her for a little while, but he smiled at her invitation.

  "Good." Iduna nodded. "Let's go, then."

  ***

  The Hudson home was in the middle of town. Well, the residential area of town, at least. It was only a ten-minute walk from the grocery store, fifteen minutes from Main Street, twenty to Iduna's favorite restaurant, and forty from the library. Sixty-five if Mrs. Hart saw her walking and decided to demand to know every little detail of how her father's business was going.

  Stephen insisted that he drive her, even though Iduna had told him that exercise was vital to a healthy pregnancy and that she was far enough along that if labor was induced the baby would still be plenty developed. For some reason, that didn't change his mind at all.

  Her parents were working in the greenhouse garden like they did every day since the two of them retired as teachers at the local high school and started a flower nursery. Both her parents looked alarmed when Iduna introduced Stephen to them and told them who he was and why he was there. Her mother, Charity, shook her head when Iduna was finished.

  "I know that this is all a surprise," Stephen said. "It's a surprise for me as well. But I want you to know that everything is up to Iduna. I'll respect her decision, no matter what decision she makes."

  Iduna clasped her mother's hand. "I invited Stephen to stay for supper."

  "I hate to intrude," Stephen said. "I don't want to put you out at all."

  Iduna's father, Tyson, made a low noise in his throat the way he did when he was upset, but her mother intervened, smiling at Stephen.

  "It's no trouble. And you," her mother pointed at Iduna. "Go sit down and put up your feet. Don't argue with me, just because you've read every baby book written doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I hope you've been drinking water today."

  Iduna sighed but went inside as her mother followed. Her father and Stephen lingered outside.

  "Mr. Jackson and I will talk a little," Tyson said.

  Iduna couldn't help but be disappointed. The last thing she wanted was for Stephen to be driven away by her father, who could be a little overprotective at times.

  In the living room, her moth
er made her sit on the couch with a pillow under her feet and sat next to her. She had the 'we need to talk' expression on her face and Iduna flinched. She was twenty-five years old, but her parents still treated her like she was a teenager–or even younger–sometimes.

  "What are you thinking?" her mother asked.

  "That water retention is paradoxically caused by not drinking enough water."

  Her mother sighed. "I mean with this Jackson man. He's far too old to be your mate."

  "Mommy, I never said that he was my mate. I said that he was the sperm donor who fathered my child."

  "I heard what you said. But I also saw the way you looked at him. He's old enough to be your father!"

  Iduna frowned. "He can't be more than fifteen or twenty years older than me. I suppose technically he's old enough to be my father, but on average—"

  "Don't get smart with me."

  That again. Iduna folded her arms and was silent. She wasn't trying to 'get smart', she was just being logical. Her parents were teachers, they should know these things. Unfortunately, Iduna had been cursed to live in a community that thought she was a know-it-all. Just because she knew more than them. But there was so much she didn't know and wanted to. If they only knew what facts she kept inside her head…

  "The point is that I saw how you looked at him. It's the same look you get when there is a new shipment of books in at the library. He's too old. You tell Mr. Fancy Pants to pack up and go, do you hear me? I'm not going to have a man like that take advantage of a naive girl like you."

  "I am not na—"

  The crack of a gunshot interrupted her.

  Chapter Two – Stephen

  Stephen had just finished explaining his intentions, and reiterating that ultimately his involvement in the baby's life was up to Iduna when a gunshot made him jump. Before he could even process it, more gunfire erupted. He dropped instinctively. A hail of bullets rushed over his head. A truck, splattered with mud, drove by. Half a dozen men were in the back of the truck firing hunting rifles and semi-automatic weapons into the air.