Mate's Call (Code of the Alpha)

by Lola Gabriel

  What the hell? Erin thought furiously, glaring at Colin as he walked by.

  “Did you tell him I bought him the drink?” she demanded.

  He nodded his head. “Yeah.”

  “What did he say?” she barked.

  “Nothing,” he replied. “He seems pretty quiet, Erin.”

  “Is he wearing a wedding ring?” she questioned, trying to make one out on his left hand, but her angle was off.

  “Nope,” Colin assured her. “Not that I could see, anyway.”

  So, she thought, her ego shattering with each passing second, he’s just not interested in me.

  She gaped at Colin and then turned back to see if the man was sneaking a look in her direction. However, he seemed oblivious to her altogether, and Erin unexpectedly found it was hard to breathe.

  Is tonight a bad dream? she wondered, shaking her head as if trying to wake up. First it was band practice, and now I’m being blatantly ignored by this guy? No way this is real.

  But it appeared to be so, and Erin simply sat there, fuming as the injustice of the night grew on her.

  At some point, she couldn’t take it anymore. She slipped off her stool.

  “What are you doing?” Colin hissed. “I don’t think he wants to be bothered, Erin.”

  “I don’t care,” she replied haughtily, snatching her purse from the chair with one hand and grasping her drink with the other. “It’s rude not to thank someone for a drink.”

  Colin groaned. Even though he was familiar with her go-getter personality, Erin could tell he didn’t approve of her current methods.

  “Erin, I have a bad feeling about this,” he muttered after her, but she did not heed his warning.

  She sashayed toward the man, ensuring that her heels made lots of noise against the pristine tiles to forewarn him of her arrival. Nonetheless, he barely glanced at her as she slipped onto the stool beside him.

  “How’s your drink?” Erin asked, and he peeked at her with vivid green eyes.

  She felt her heart pause as she recalled the creature she had seen, with its stunningly bright eyes flying above her head.

  What is it with you and that damned bird? Focus! she chided herself.

  “Fine,” the stranger mumbled, partially turning his shoulders away from her, as if to discourage further conversation. Erin was not having it. She had not gotten as far as she had in life by taking “no” for an answer.

  “I’m Erin,” she offered, willing him to look at her.

  The man nodded stiffly but did not look at her, nor did he provide his name.

  Erin felt a spark of frustration course through her body.

  “You know, when someone buys you a drink, it’s customary to say thank you,” she told him, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice.

  Slowly, he raised his intense green eyes and stared at her.

  “Thank you,” he almost whispered, and his face immediately returned to the screen in his hands.

  Erin’s brow furrowed uncomprehendingly, and she could do nothing but peer at him. She had never been met with such a level of resistance, much less from a man.

  He’s obviously not interested, a rational voice in her head said. Just cut your losses and go back to your seat.

  But it was simply not in Erin’s nature, and she couldn’t bring herself to move. She took a sip of her martini, leaning her elbows on the bar, feeling defeated but unwilling to let it go.

  Abruptly, the man rose from his stool, and Erin watched as he made his way back to the single bathrooms at the rear of the bar.

  Erin saw her chance and instantly seized it.

  “Woah!” Colin called, realizing what she was going to do. “You can’t follow that guy to the bathroom! It’s creepy, not to mention stalker-ish!”

  She ignored him. Although she knew that what she was doing was wrong, she had to know for certain that the guy wasn’t interested.

  I don’t even know this guy’s name, and yet I’m going after him to prove I can, she thought, shaking her head.

  Erin also knew that if she hadn’t suffered such a massive blow to her pride that night, she would not have done such a lecherous thing, but she felt like she couldn’t stop herself.

  I’m not doing anything, she reasoned. I’m just trying to talk to the guy.

  It was more difficult to convince herself than she’d thought.

  She leaned against the door to the men’s washroom, waiting for it to swing inward. When it did, she was ready, stepping inside and pushing the blond stranger back with her.

  The man’s brow knitted in confusion.

  “What are you doing?” he gasped, his jade eyes wide.

  “Why are you ignoring me?” Erin demanded, all coquettishness long gone. “I bought you a drink and you didn’t even say thank you! What is wrong with you? Are you that full of yourself?”

  He gaped at her, his face coloring beneath her steely gaze.

  “I–I’m not…” he stuttered, and it was only until his eyes dropped in nervousness that Erin realized what the issue was: he wasn’t an egotistical jerk—he was shy.

  She almost laughed, managing to hold herself back from doing so as she allowed her head to fall back in relief.

  “What’s your name?” she asked, her tone softening.

  “Spence,” he mumbled, and Erin’s grin widened.

  “Nice to meet you, Spence,” she murmured, noting his cheeks flushing crimson as she neared him.

  “You…” Spence swallowed, clearing his throat. “You said your name was Erin, right?”

  “Yes,” Erin said.

  “I’m—” He cleared his throat again.

  Erin couldn’t help finding his nervousness slightly endearing. Of course she had caused such a reaction in quite a fair share of men, but this was the first time said reaction was displayed so openly. She felt flattered, even.

  “I’m sorry about before,” he told her, his voice small. “I… I kind of thought I was dreaming. How come such a beautiful girl was talking to me?”

  Erin’s eyes widened. “Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately?”

  Spence’s cheeks grew even redder, and he let out a soft, nervous chuckle. For a few moments, neither of them said anything, though Erin was glad that at least her attraction wasn’t one-sided. Finally, Spence spoke again.

  “I really want to kiss you,” he said. “Would it be okay if I did?”

  Erin didn’t respond. At least, not with words. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his, her hands grasping his strong arms, savoring the gasp he let out at her actions.

  His hands moved to grip her hips with nervous reluctance, but he used that grip to pull Erin closer, their bodies pressed together almost from head to toe. Erin moaned into their kiss, and she sighed when she felt Spence’s fingers move to the hem of her blouse and stay there, as though he were asking permission to remove it.

  She pulled back from his sweet, delicious mouth long enough to nod her head.

  “It’s okay,” Erin whispered. She slipped her own hand over his belt buckle, lowering her fingers against his crotch.

  Spence looked up at her, shock and desire swirling through his green eyes, and Erin nodded in encouragement. His hands undid the buttons of her blouse to expose her lace bra before they came to rest—gently, almost shyly—upon her perky beasts.

  “You can kiss them,” she whispered, wanting to urge him on. His hands trembled for a moment, but suddenly he seemed to find a new bravery, fueled by passion.

  Spence’s grip hardened against her breasts and his head nuzzled into her chest, his lips falling onto the swelling curve of her bosom as he moved his hands to her rear, yanking her closer.

  Erin let out a small yelp. “Oh, there you go,” she coaxed him, drawing his head against her.

  Spence sighed against her skin, and suddenly he scooped her up, placing her onto the sink behind them, causing her to gasp. His teeth gently bit down on her taut nipple through the fabric of her bra, and Eri
n felt a surge of warmth fill her.

  He pulled at her formfitting leggings, yanking them down with one hand. Erin swallowed a smile.

  Well, that did not take him long, she thought with some amusement, her hands guiding his face lower across her belly and toward her thighs.

  In seconds, she felt his hot breath at her cleft, nuzzling her with precision, and Erin fell back on her hands, barely balancing herself on the edge of the sink as Spence’s tongue plunged into her deep and sweet center.

  Erin stifled a cry, not wanting to attract the attention of the patrons outside. Spence teased her skillfully and speedily with his tongue, bringing her to a climax faster than she could ever recall experiencing one.

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed. “I’m—Spence, I’m—I’m going to—!”

  Spence grunted in response, his tongue working faster. With the next skillful stroke of his tongue, Erin felt a strong sensation of pleasure undulate through her body, reaching every nerve. A satisfied groan made its way out of her throat.

  Erin’s head gently fell back against the mirror as she gasped for breath, her body quivering, but Spence did not stop, determined to bring her to another orgasm. He dipped two long fingers inside her, as she gazed at him through hazy eyes, her thighs tightening across his head.

  His digits flowed harder into her, and Erin could not hold back her cries as she released hotly once more. Slowly, Spence lifted his head, and Erin gaped at him in disbelief.

  “God, you’re amazing,” she told him, pulling his head up so she could kiss him and taste herself on his tongue, her hands fumbling for his belt.

  In seconds, Spence’s pants were around his ankles, while Erin’s ankles were on his strong, muscular shoulders, her heels abandoned on the bathroom floor. They stared at one another, their gazes locked.

  In one move, Spence was inside her, filling her, and when Erin saw his bright green eyes boring into hers, she was again struck with the memory of the creature she had seen flying over the campus.

  He has the same eyes, she realized as he grunted, steamy breaths escaping from his parted lips as he thrust in and out of her.

  Spence braced himself against the countertop, driving into her as his erection grew harder, seeming to fill her in each and every spot.

  Erin bit down on her lower lip, knowing she was going to scream if he continued to take her with such fervor. Before she could lose control of her silence, she felt him burning into her with streams of his pleasure.

  He moaned loudly, thrusting one final time as he exploded, his face sweating with the exertion.

  For a fleeting second, Erin thought she saw trails of smoke around him, but she instantly cast the ridiculousness from her mind.

  Spence withdrew slowly from her, gently taking Erin’s legs from around his head and placing her bare feet on the floor.

  Under normal circumstances, the realization that she was standing barefooted in the men’s washroom of a bar would have sent Erin screaming, but the euphoria of the encounter was still clouding her mind.

  “Can we go have a drink now?” she asked teasingly. “Or are you still feeling shy?”

  To her amusement, Spence looked away as he fumbled with his clothes.

  “Okay,” he almost whispered, and Erin smiled to herself.

  It’s endearing, she decided. In a world where every man is full of themselves, he’s a breath of fresh air.

  She nodded, dressing quickly. “You can go out first, if you want,” she told him, noting he was already dressed. “I need to use the washroom.”

  Spence’s brow furrowed. “This is the men’s room,” he remarked, and Erin chuckled.

  “Yeah, I’m okay with that,” she replied. “Considering what we just did in here.”

  Spence flushed bright red.

  “Right,” he muttered, and again, she was enamored with his bashfulness. He snuck out, looking both ways before leaving her alone in the small bathroom.

  Erin turned to look at her reflection, ensuring that she had put her clothes on correctly and that her appearance didn’t give anything of what had happened away. As usual, not a hair was out of place, her shirt was unwrinkled, and her make-up was perfect.

  It was as if nothing had even occurred.

  It’s a good thing no one can see my shaking insides, she thought, noting that even her lipstick seemed to be untouched, despite the fervent kisses she had shared with Spence.

  Humming happily, Erin opened the door and nodded at a man who was waiting to use the facilities. He gave her a reproving look, but she didn’t care.

  Given the opportunity, she would do it again.

  As she rounded the corner toward the bar, she stopped, looking around.

  The blond god was gone.

  “Where’s Spence?” she asked Colin as she approached the bar.

  “Who?” he asked, eyeing her with a half-approving, half-contemptuous look.

  “Spence,” she snapped. “You know who I mean.”

  “Oh…” Colin drawled out the word for all it was worth, placing a freshly wiped glass onto a rack. “The guy you did in the bathroom, you mean?”

  Erin stared at him, her happy mood diminishing instantly.

  “Where is he?”

  “He left.”

  Erin’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean, he left?”

  Colin shrugged and reached into his bar apron, removing a scrap of paper.

  “He said he had to go,” he told her, “but he left this for you.”

  Erin reached over the counter for the paper in his hand and unfolded it, a myriad of emotions flowing through her.

  Why would he leave? He said he’d stay for a drink.

  She read the note with trembling hands.

  Erin, you are beautiful. I will see you in the stars now. Spence.

  A phone number accompanied the poetic words, and Erin felt a shiver flow through her, a beaming smile returning to her face.

  “You bitch,” Colin sighed as he studied her face. “He paid the tab, too,” he informed her. “And bought you another drink.”

  Strangely enough, Erin didn’t feel the need to drink her sorrows away anymore. She shook her head and laughed to herself, reaching for her cell phone.

  “No, thanks,” she said. “You can have it. I have to go.”

  Erin turned to leave, all her earlier troubles suddenly seeming trivial in light of the recent events. She pushed her way into the warm autumn night, her heart lighter than it had ever been before.

  As she walked, her gait was almost a skip, but something made her whirl in her spot, as if yanked by an invisible leash. Her eyes rested on an alleyway, though there was no fear in her as she stared into the darkness, instantly locating a set of brilliant green eyes peering back at her from the giant beast she had encountered earlier.

  Spence.

  He raised his majestic head, a stream of smoke emanating from his blue-black nostrils, and he blinked once, nodding.

  Erin raised her hand tentatively, and he extended his huge, primitive wings to levitate above the gloom of the laneway, his irises still fixated one her. Suddenly, he released a mournful shriek and flapped his wings, claws curled before disappearing into the sky.

  “Bye, Spence,” she whispered. “See you soon.”

  She could not wait to tell the girls about this.

  If they would believe it.

  But given the words they had all heard from Sylvie, another girl from the Kappa Mu Pi sorority, perhaps they would.

  THE END

  Click Here to Read the Entire Shifter Pursuit Series

  3

  The Black Wolf

  The sunset was unlike anything MJ had ever seen, spilling glorious shades of reds, oranges, and pinks over the horizon, setting the Italian province of Lucca on fire in the early evening. Although it was her third night in the country, it was her first visit to Lucca, and she was treasuring every second of it.

  MJ smirked slightly, thinking of what her family would say if they could see her taki
ng in the Italian sun alone, almost a college graduate.

  This is a far cry from a shack in Louisville, she thought, closing her eyes as her rosebud lips met the glass of wine in her hand. And I guess Daddy was wrong about me; I have amounted to something after all.

  She inhaled, smiling happily to herself.

  I will have to take a picture of this for the girls, she thought, and her brow furrowed for a moment as she wondered how everyone else’s summer was going.

  It would be the first year that MJ had left the States, but she knew it was going to be her last opportunity before the real world consumed her. She had saved up for this trip for two years, always wanting to visit the glorious countryside that had been her great-grandmother’s home.

  When she was a child, her mother had told her stories of her ancestors living off the sun-kissed land. It had always seemed like a dream to MJ: some fairy tale-like story adults told children to keep them optimistic, but MJ had learned over the past three years that dreams could happen, even with a disquieting past haunting from the shadows.

  And while MJ was enjoying her trip, she could not help but wonder how her sisters at Kappa Mu Pi were faring.

  She tried to dismiss any concern tickling her brain.

  They are all grown women, just like you. They have gotten by without you before, and they are surely doing just fine right now.

  Moreover, they would want MJ to be enjoying herself and not thinking of them. After all, she always took care of them.

  This vacation is about me, MJ thought to herself. Then she paused for a moment, worry still gnawing at her. I’ll email them all later, she decided, just to make sure.

  She couldn’t help remembering one of the last nights before she had come to Italy, when she and the rest of the girls from Kappa Mu Pi had been in her room and listened to Sylvie tell them about their so-called “duty.” Part of her still couldn’t believe what had happened, what she had seen, what Sylvie had said…

  “Hi, do you speak English?”

  Her eyelids half parted, and she gazed up at the speaker, her breath catching for a fleeting second—she felt like she was peering at a Norse god on Italian soil.