by Carrie Kelly
The Alpha’s Cat
Copyright 2014 by Carrie Kelly
Published by Carrie Kelly
Cover Art:
© Can Stock Photo Inc. /michaeljung
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All rights reserved.
All characters in this story are made up by the author. They aren’t based on any real people.
Tate Wilson was a rich man. Every woman wanted to marry him and every man wanted to be him.
He was the typical ideal of perfection. A man of many talents, but I knew something the world didn’t.
Hiding somewhere in Mr. Perfect’s house was a rare diamond. One worth millions. One that could set me up for life. No more shitty jobs. No more scraping by. It was time to live the high life once again.
However, there was one problem. The man was a wolf. Strong and cunning. Cracking into the CPD’s computers, I found eight other burglary attempts. Attempts and failures. He had a pretty damn good security system, but not good enough to keep me out.
I twitched my whiskers and sniffed the air from underneath a small coffee table. Tate wasn’t the only shifter in Central.
It’d been two hours since I found a way inside the mansion. Being small, I was able to squeeze under an opened window in the attic. Took a while to explore. It was pretty ridiculous actually. All this space for one man.
I could hear him moving about in his lavish entertainment room. His television was an eighty inch which threw me off. Guess him having his own theater inside the place was a rumor.
Hurry up and get to bed! I thought. It wasn’t like I could snoop around while he was awake.
I curled up into a ball on the dusty wooden floor and waited.
It had to be at least three in the morning when the brute finally went to bed. I twitched my tail back and forth. Two security cameras in the hallway. One in the kitchen. Too bad they weren’t going to be working for the next couple of hours. Not with a good timed loop on them.
I trotted up another set of stairs. Lots of fancy carpets and paintings. Whew. Some of them looked authentic. Worth a good penny, but I had my heart on set on something sparkly.
I froze in my tracks as I heard a cough. My fur stood on end. Shit! Maybe the brute wasn’t asleep yet. I crawled slowly, and peeked around a large oak door.
Tate was getting undressed. I blinked my large blue eyes. Guess he was getting ready for a shower. I sat down and watched. I never would’ve considered myself a peeper, but damn oh damn was the man gorgeous. Definitely an image of perfection.
He tossed his shirt into a hamper followed by his pants. Then he scratched at his chest and turned his head abruptly. Sniffing the air carefully.
I took a few steps back. Still lost in all his manly glory. Long chestnut brown hair that hit just below the shoulders. Olive skin, taut over his muscular body and wild green eyes.
His strong jaw tensed as he kept taking in deep breaths. His nose appeared to have been broken before, but it only added to the charm.
I shouldn’t be lingering around. Not with a damn wolf this close by, but I couldn’t help it.
Come on wolfy show me the goods. I thought. Then I shook my head and hurried across the room and into a guest bedroom. What the hell was wrong with me? Get it together. Find the diamond and get the hell out of here.
When I heard the sound of running water, I finally relaxed and cleared my head.
It didn’t take long to find where he kept his hiding place. Stashed under a single tile in the middle of the piano room. Typical.
I shifted back into a human and touched my collar. A nice accessory for any shifter thief. One that adjusts its size with the change. Thank goodness for magic users. I barely had time to study the diamond when I heard footsteps echo behind me.
I shoved it into a small container on the collar and slunk back into my cat form, but it was too late.
Tate Wilson stepped into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist and chuckled. “Thought I smelt a cat,” he growled.
I stopped abruptly and arched my back, fur on end. I glanced around the room. No open windows in here. I was going to have to outrun him, an incredibly hard feat with a wolf, but it wasn’t as if I had any other choice.
Leaping forward, I shot out from the side of his leg.
“Oh no you don’t!” he shouted. Then he jumped and nearly grabbed me.
Crap! Adrenaline kicked my body into super speed, but everywhere I ran he was right there behind me.
Clawing up a bookcase, I waited from the top. Trying to catch my breath. My little heart beat like a jackhammer.
Tate’s body twisted and cracked. He hunched to all fours until I stared down at the largest black wolf I’ve ever laid eyes on. Shit! Shit! And more shit! This guy was an alpha. How the hell was I supposed to get away from the brute?
I hissed. Long and threatening.
Tate threw his head back with a snort, almost like a laugh.
Bastard! I thought. See if you’re still laughing with my claws inside you. I leaped off of the bookcase and nearly got snared by sharp teeth. Then I skidded on the floor and rammed right into an old grandfather clock.
Snipping, Tate kept his head low. Almost catching my tail in between his teeth until I leapt on the stair rail and slid down.
Come on! Were there really no other windows opened it the damn place? Swore there were some earlier. Did the son-of-a-bitch close them?
My muscles burned. Thirty minutes of dodging the mutt seemed to whiz by. I didn’t know how much more I could take.
Tate shifted back into a human. He leaned against the wall and took two sharp breaths. “You’re slippery. I’ll give you that,” he said.
I took the opportunity to try and get back up to the attic, but something large smashed against my head. A fowl smoke misted around me making me hack and sputter.
Then I laid still. It took a few moments to realize I was human. And very naked. Oh crap! How the hell did that happen?
Tate walked up to me slowly. Eyes wide with surprise.
With a few heavy coughs, I backed away. Painful jolts shot through my body as I tried to shift back. What the hell was happening?
“Don’t bother. It’s a useful drug I acquired by a witch. You won’t be able to shift for a few hours,” Tate said. Then he squatted down in front of me. His enormous manhood on display.
I tried to move, but he grabbed my wrists and pulled me underneath him. His muscular thighs squeezed my hips and his cock pressed against me. Holy crap! All I had to do was open my legs a little wider and he would be able to….
“A bit close for comfort don’t you think?” I asked, trying to keep the shake out of my voice.
He smirked and eyed me like a predator. “But if I get up. You might get away,” he said in a husky voice. “So, kitty. What are you doing in my house?”
I licked my lips and smiled. “I’m, um, homeless and I ran into your place. I swear I was just going to steal some food and leave in the morning,” I said and leaned up. “I mean you have a lot to go around right?”
He didn’t move. Our faces stood inches apart. The wolf musk was heavy and I had to admit kind of arousing.
“You’re lying,” he said and raised an eyebrow. “Oh and what have we here?” He yanked my collar off and out fell the diamond.
“Oh, well how did that get there?” I asked and chuckled. No good. I needed to come up with something fast. Before th
e man ripped me apart. Wolves were notorious for their short tempers.
Tate picked the diamond up with one hand and put it to my face. “Not many people know about this. How do you?”
I shifted my weight and rubbed on him in the process.
He groaned and narrowed his eyes.
“So many questions,” I said. Then I turned my head away and yelped when he chomped his teeth in my face. Those razor sharp fangs could do a big number on a cat. “Okay, I’m not working for anyone. Truth is I’m supposed to be a retired thief, but I snooped around and found out a lot about you. This job would set me for life. I was curious to see if I could pull it off.”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” he growled.
I looked back at him. “You know if I could get five bucks every time I heard that line, I would be rich by now…Um, what are you doing?”
He sniffed my hair and took a deep breath. His green eyes glowed and pooled with hunger. “You smell pretty good, kitty. You got a name?”
I bit my bottom lip. The heat from his body scorched my skin making tingling sensations flow through my nerves. “Okay, I hope you don’t mean to eat me, and usually Cat is what people scream at me when they see me.”
He snorted. “Sarcastic and beautiful,” he said.
“I’m not…wait what? I asked. Did Mr. Perfect call me beautiful?
“You know what I smell, Cat?”
Now the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “What?”
He moved closer. So close our lips brushed. “I smell a potential mate.”
My eyes widened. He couldn’t possibly be serious. Wolves mated for life and who ever heard of one mating with a cat shifter? “Oh, you don’t mean that!” I said and struggled. That just proved a bad idea on account that his cock stiffened from it.
With a soft moan he leaned to the side and ran his sharp teeth across my neck.
Muscles tightened while every nerve ignited with sexual need. A tremble surged deep inside my cunt as I stared up at the ceiling. Was this all really happening? Was Tate Wilson, billionaire extraordinaire, actually trying to fuck me? I mean it wasn’t as if I was going to complain. It’s been awhile for me in that department.
However, the fact remained that the man’s a wolf and wolves can never be trusted. Who’s to say he wouldn’t have his fun then teach me a lesson for trying to rob him?
A moan escaped my lips as he suckled the skin. Getting a pretty good taste there. He could bite my neck out and in seconds it would all be over.
“You like that, kitty,” he breathed.
I bit my bottom lip. Eyes like big orbs.
Putting his knee between my thighs, he nudged them wider apart. Slowly, the tip of his cock pressed against my entrance.
My gasp was stifled as our lips met and locked. His tongue parted my mouth, gliding against my own. Tasting sweet with a slight hint of alcohol. Funny I would never peg the man to be a wine drinker.
I gripped his shoulders. Drops of sweat meandered down his smooth skin. The muscles in his back shifted under my shaky hands. Oh, how I wanted to give in so badly, but…
In one quick move, I head-butted him as hard as I could.
“Fuck!” he growled and reared back.
Taking the opportunity, I punched him in the gut and stood up on wobbly knees. Then I leaned down and grabbed the diamond from the floor.
Tate jumped up and nearly caught hold of my ankle.
There was only one quick way out of here now and that was through the window. Running at top speed I braced myself and crashed through.
Shift! Come one shift! I thought. My body twisted as I was falling through mid-air. Urging that part of me to fight and wake up. I closed my eyes. Bones snapped as I shrank. I cried out. The change had never been painful, but now it felt as if every bone was breaking over and over again.
Landing on all fours, I dug my claws into the muddy earth and twitched my whiskers. Then I jumped around, looking for the diamond. Couldn’t be too far away.
“Cat!” Tate yelled from the broken window.
Finally found the damn thing nestled into a thick bed of grass. I wrapped my mouth around it and ran up the tree closest to the front gate.
On a high branch, I looked back. Even from the distance I could see the golden glow from Tate’s eyes.
He leaped from the window and landed firmly.
Crap! Need to go. I paced the branch. In order to get away I would have to make a pretty good leap.
A howl broke through the silence and chilled me to the bone. Tate transformed and was coming at me fast.
Oh, please let me make it over the wall. I shook my body and finally jumped. Soaring in the air. Closer to freedom. Make it! I can make it! I…crap not going to make it.
I scratched at the top of the brick wall and hanged on for dear life. Muscles burned as I pulled my weight. This would be easier if I hadn’t of gained thirty pounds in the last couple of years. Gotta lay off of the tuna sandwiches.
“Meourgh,” I choked. Keeping the diamond safely between my teeth. It took all my strength, but I finally made it up the wall. Panting, I looked down to see Tate sitting at the edge. Staring.
A low growl emanated from deep inside his throat. He jumped.
I stifled a hiss. Fur standing on end, I fell over the side and this time didn’t land on all fours.
Ouch!
I managed to stand and shake the dirt away. Then I hurried away. Zigzagging around like a drunk.
It took forever to finally get home on account I took as many different routes back. Trying to hide my scent as best I could. Wouldn’t want him trailing me, but then again a man like him would never be caught in the slums.
I sat down on my bed after a nice long bath and stared at the diamond. “You are quite a beauty aren’t you?” I said and chuckled. After I get my money where should I go venture off to first? Maybe Italy or Ireland. I shook with a big smile plastered on my face. I knew a lot of fences in town, so it wouldn’t be hard selling something like this off.
I clicked the light on to get a closer look and gasped. A knife twisted in the pit of my stomach and grazed harder with each glance. The cut was all wrong. The cloudy mass inside. It was a fake. Nothing but glass.
My hand shook uncontrollably. Fire ignited my entire being as I threw the thing against the wall. Then I glanced around the studio.
The cracked walls seemed to close in as a breeze whistled through the broken window.
This is what trying to be a good citizen got me? Nothing but misery. Now my one chance at being happy again sank down the drain. It wasn’t like I could go back and try again. Not now that he knew what I looked like.
He’s not stupid either. He’d probably have the entire place locked down even tighter than it was.
I frowned. Damn you Tate Wilson.
***
Two weeks passed by slowly as I flowed back into my normal routine. Mostly working extra hours to scrape up enough money for rent at the pizza diner.
On Friday during my lunch hour two men came in with expensive looking suits. Odd for big shots to be way out here. Maybe they got lost or something.
I looked at my lunch and picked at it with a bent fork until my boss called.
“Elise, these gentlemen are here for you,” Bobby said and pointed in my direction.
The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I looked up and watched the two suits walk over and sit at my table. Wolf musk assaulted my senses.
Shit!
Most likely these were Tate’s pack. I licked dry lips and stared. Trying to keep my composure. “What do you want,” I asked.
One of them smiled, flashing a set of bright teeth. “I’m Bay and this is Cal,” the wolf said and motioned to the other. His gray eyes glowed. His smile was slightly crooked with a hawk like nose and slicked back blond hair. He looked calm and dangerous.
The other one, Cal, however, appeared on edge. His knee bounced up and down while he ran a slender hand through his messy brown hair. Full l
ips curled into a frown. His eyes, so dark brown they almost looked black. He probably wasn’t used to wearing suits on account that his was wrinkled at the collar and one size too big.
Bay leaned forward and smiled. “I think you know why we’re here,” he said and took a meatball off of my plate. Then he tossed it in his mouth and wiped his hand on a napkin.
I chuckled at the dissatisfied expression on his face. “This place is a dive. You’re not going to find good cuisine here,” I said and leaned back, ready to run the first chance I got. As a cat in a crowd of people I could lose them easily.
“Yeah, got that,” Bay said and took a sip of my water.
“No wonder the boss likes her,” Cal said and looked me over. “You’re one sexy cat.”
I smiled. Wolves must have bad eyesight. Seriously.
“Tate want’s a word with you,” Bay said and leaned back in the chair.
“Well, I don’t want to see him,” I said and pouted. “Look, I learned my lesson. I won’t ever try to steal from him again. Cross my heart. He has no reason to come get me since I didn’t actually get away with anything. I mean unless this is about teaching me a lesson.”
Cal shrugged. “We don’t get details. Just orders,” he said and leaned forward.
“Oh,” I said and looked up at the clock. “Oops, lunch breaks up. Guess I won’t be able to come in today. Got to get back to work. We should set up an appointment for next time.” I stood up, but Bay grabbed my arm.
“Don’t think so,” he whispered.
Without another word, I swung my fist in the air and caught him in the jaw with a crack. The wolf fell back.
Cal stood up with large eyes and chased me to the back of the diner. Dodging cooks and staying hot on my heels.
Once I shot out into the alley, I urged the change to happen, but hit the ground before I had a chance.
Straddling me, Cal pulled out a small bag and let the powder fall over my face.
“No!” I choked and struggled to free myself.
The smaller wolf gripped my wrists and used all his force to hold me down. “Damn! You’re pretty strong for a cat,” he said and moved over as soon as Bay approached his side.
