A Very Alpha Christmas

by Anthology

  “No worries. I have what we need. I only need a few drops, and I have some tech that’s integrated into my field med unit.”

  “Sounds high tech. Why are you telling me about it?”

  “Because you’re mine.”

  His grin lit up his eyes like fireworks on New Year’s Day. “I’ll ask about that field med thing…after.”

  “After? After what?” God, she was practically purring as her lioness rolled around, tongue lolling as if she were completely sated. But Kotara wasn’t sated. She wasn’t sure she ever would be again.

  * * *

  This wasn’t just sex. This was deeper, as in down-to-the-marrow-of-your-bones deep. Blue seemed to touch every part of her all at once. When he slid his fingertips along her biceps, warmth sank beneath her skin, set her muscles a-tingle, and infused her blood.

  God, the man was like a shot of adrenaline laced with his own special brand of liquid horny. Honey spilled from her channel as her sex caught fire, along with the rest of her.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this turned on with a woman,” he whispered into her ear. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been this far gone. What have you done to me?”

  “When I figure it out, I’ll let you know. In the meantime,” she panted, then lost her train of thought as Blue kissed a trail across her hip, then inhaled deeply.

  It was such a primal thing to do, it was as if he serenaded her with nothing but the wafting of breath over her skin.

  “God, I love the way you smell, Kotara. Is this normal for a human to be this attracted to a shifter? Or is it part of the mating heat thing?”

  Now that was a question she should ask her sister, Koreas, or her sister-in-law, Reya. They’d both mated humans and this was just so unexpected and what if he didn’t want to…?

  The flared head of Blue’s cock pressed inside, just past the strong ring of muscles at her entrance.

  Then he paused.

  “Hey, come back here,” Blue demanded with a whisper.

  “Huh?”

  “You slipped away for a moment. If I can’t keep your attention then I’m not doing it right.”

  “Oh, you’re definitely doing it right, Blue.”

  Blue’s cock was perfect—just long and thick enough to make her feel the stretch of her honeyed walls, but not so big that she couldn’t take him deep. Sure, she enjoyed the occasional rough play…okay, fine, she enjoyed rough play period. But that didn’t mean she wanted her pussy to feel as if she were being stretched so tight that she’d rather masturbate and get herself off.

  No, this man was well-endowed, but he knew exactly how to work with what he had.

  She swiveled her hips, trying to take him deeper, but he simply held her gaze as a mix of pleasure and frustration wrapped around her consciousness. And she knew he was holding back.

  “Oh no you don’t,” she snarled.

  His eyes widened, but it wasn’t fear. It was a challenge.

  And she was up for it.

  “Don’t you dare hold back, Harrison Daniel Blue.”

  “Did you just say my whole name, woman?”

  “I sure as hell did.”

  “Well, in that case, tell me how you want it, baby.”

  “Hard. Fast.”

  “Rough?”

  “Hell yes,” she panted.

  Something seemed to unravel from around him in that moment. It was as if he’d wrapped himself up in a coil of rope for ages and was just now figuring out how to unwind it.

  A whispered, “Oh thank God,” was followed by Blue sinking balls deep, then deeper still as he rode.

  The pleasure sank into her muscles, down to the bone until she felt as if she was drowning in it.

  “Oh my God, Tara, I feel you. I can actually feel how good this is for you.”

  She was streaking toward orgasm and let her emotional and psychological walls fall wide open. There was no desire to keep any of herself separate from Blue.

  “Holy fuck! That’s hot. It’s like your mind is naked to me.”

  Because it was.

  “Ah, I see,” he said, just before he angled her just the way she liked it. There was a lot to be said for the whole mind-meld mating thing. His strokes were long, then shallow digs that left her panting. And when she was sure she couldn’t take anymore, he flipped her over and dove in from behind.

  Sweat gathered at the base of her spine and formed rivulets down the backs of her thighs where his legs rubbed sensually against hers. A hand wrapped in her hair and pulled her back hard against him, even as he surged forward.

  Her orgasm ran toward her like a pack of mustangs, wild and unrestrained. And she welcomed it with open arms as her man pushed her toward it. Muscles went taut. Scalp tingled. Toes curled. And Kotara yelled her pleasure to the rafters.

  Blue’s cock pulsed deep inside her soaked channel as he joined her in the ultimate, most intimate of expressions, complete with a mind altering climax.

  It was as if he were made just for her, and she guessed he was. And true to his word, he allowed Kotara to take just a few drops of his blood…after.

  * * *

  When she woke from a post-sex coma, she rolled over and immediately missed Blue’s body warmth. She closed her eyes again and listened. He wasn’t in the house, but something delicious wafted on the air that made it clear she’d slept so hard, he’d not only gotten out of bed without disturbing her, but he’d made dinner, too.

  “Some bounty hunter you are,” she grumbled to herself. Sitting up, she then noticed that the little message indicator light on the comm unit she’d left on the nightstand was flashing.

  The message from Kory simply said, “Call me right away.”

  Since Blue wasn’t in, she slipped in a pair of earbuds and initiated a voice-to-voice call. Koreas was practically screeching with delight as she said, “I have some interesting news. Your guy has recessive shifter genes.”

  “What?!”

  “Yep. You mentioned to way he moves. The way he smells. Well, it may have something to do with why he seems to move faster than a typical human, as well as your attraction to him. He’s emitting hormones that he probably doesn’t know he has.”

  Holy crapdoodle on a cracker!

  “This is huge, Tara! I really can’t wait to meet him now. I’m wondering if we’ll all have the typical reaction to your mating since he has…”

  “We’re not mated, Kory. I’ve explained it to him, but he hasn’t agreed.”

  “What do you mean he hasn’t agreed?”

  “Just what I said. We get along well enough, but we haven’t discussed where this is going.”

  “So he’s not coming home with you to meet us?”

  “I don’t know, sis. I really don’t.”

  “Kotara, please don’t cry.”

  “I’m not crying, damn it.”

  “I’d be crying if it were me. And I hear you sniffing and snotting and trying not to bawl. I’d think you were crazy if you weren’t concerned about it.”

  And then Blue was there in her head. He’d obviously been close enough to feel her sadness because a second later, he not only bulldozed into her emotions, but he flew through the door as well…just like a true mate would.

  “Baby, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

  She looked up and her mouth fell open. The man was covered with sweat and bare-chested in a pair of stretchy pants that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

  “I was outside working out when I felt you…crack. Like something inside you was broken or wrong. What the hell, Kotara?”

  “Koreas, I’ll call you later.”

  “Listen, Kotara, just talk to him,” her sister said.

  “I will. See you soon.”

  “Did your sister upset you, baby?”

  “Nah. It was something else.”

  “Tell me.”

  When she just looked up at him with tears in her eyes, he walked over to the bed, picked her up and headed for the bathroom.


  “What is your deal with picking me up and carrying me around?”

  “I like it. Have a problem with that?”

  “No, not really. Was just wondering.”

  “Good. Shower with me so I can warm up while you tell me what’s wrong.”

  He stripped her with efficiency and set her into the oversized stall.

  “Okay, spill it.”

  “Wash my back first,” she said.

  The second his hands touched her skin, they both went up in flames. Her pain was forgotten, his worry receded. Instead, they explored each other’s bodies until the heat of the shower was nothing compared to the scorching need they had for each other.

  Kotara needed him to mark her, to take her like a lion takes its mate. And given his shifter genetics, which she and Koreas agreed to keep to themselves for now, he seemed to know exactly what to do.

  “Hands on the tile,” he said. “Bend at the waist.”

  “Hurry. Please.”

  “Say it again,” he whispered against her ear.

  “Please.”

  With that, he sank into her drenched heat and slid home in three strokes. Once seated, he gave her exactly what she needed…even if he had no idea why.

  Blue zeroed in on the super-sensitive patch of skin where neck met shoulder. The moment his lips covered it and he sucked deeply, she knew he would leave a bruise. But when his teeth sank into that spot, Kotara’s knees went out from under her and she came on the spot, even as Blue held her on her feet.

  As she pulsed around him, he joined her with a shout to the rafters.

  * * *

  “Blue, are you coming home to meet my family?”

  “I don’t know. I’m having a tough time reconciling this shifter to human thing. This is a bit fast for me, Kotara.”

  “You care that I’m a shifter?” she asked, incredulous.

  “Not at all. It’s just that you’ve spent your whole life understanding that when you met a man of mating material, it’s normal to make a decision on the spot. This is new to me.”

  “I understand that. To put your mind at ease, we may be in mating heat right now, but the bond doesn’t solidify unless both parties want it. I would never tie someone to me who didn’t want me back.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want you, Tara. It’s just that…”

  Suddenly, it was all right there in her mind for her to see. He was struggling with whether he deserved her or not. It was a holdover from his military days—the thought that his hands were so bloody that he didn’t deserve love.

  “You know,” he spoke into the darkness of his bedroom, “I really thought I was passed all this. Passed the worry and doubt about who I am, the things I’ve done. I’m a pretty level-headed guy, but I guess I have this little part of me that wonders whether I can truly make someone happy.”

  “I don’t need you to make me happy. I already love and like myself. It’s a matter of whether you’re willing to take a chance.”

  He pulled her in tighter into his embrace as if he were trying to imprint himself onto her skin, yet inside he seemed to distance himself at the same time. It was…odd.

  “We don’t have to stay in Wyoming all the time. My sister, Kory, is mated to a human and she goes with him to his family estate as often as he and his brothers come to ours. We’re a family, and we enjoy being together.”

  Harrison Blue had never experienced anything like what she was talking about. Couldn’t find a thread of experience to relate. He’d grown up in his grandparent’s care, if you could call it that. Born to his mother later in life, his grandparents were damn near ancient by the time he’d come along. Neither of them had relished taking care of a small boy during the years they should have been relaxing and enjoying their golden years. Not wanting to be a burden, he’d joined the military as soon as he was old enough to go.

  Even in the service, he’d been tight with his brothers in arms, yet never expected any of them to keep in touch once they’d parted ways. Besides, who would give up their lives to join him in his solitary existence, especially after surviving the hell of war? Not a soul.

  Except the woman next to you.

  Into the still of the night, Kotara spoke again. “I’m going home in the morning.”

  Blue jack-knifed in the bed, full of a snarly rage he knew he had no right to.

  “So if I’m yours and you’re mine, then why the fuck are you leaving me, woman?”

  “I’m not leaving you. Well, I am, but I don’t want to. It’s just that my family means everything to me. I want you to be a part of that, but you won’t even come and meet them. You just want me to hole up here with you and pretend that my life, up to this point, never happened?”

  “Maybe it’s because I wish the rest of my life never happened, Kotara!”

  “I’m not responsible for your emotions or dysfunction, Blue. As much as I love being with you, I can’t heal you. I can’t make you ease out of your comfort zone. I…” Her voice broke. “I can’t make you love me.”

  With the full moon’s glow casting shadows in the darkness of the winter night, he watched the misery etched into the lines of her beautiful face. Something inside of himself cracked like the hairline fracture on the shell of an egg—barely visible, but there none the less.

  Each crease between her brows held a story, every spark of fire behind her eyes told a tale. But right now, she was eerily silent as he refused to give her what they both needed—a chance to be together.

  “Okay, then. I have your answer.” A single tear slipped down her cheek and Blue’s gut did a free fall as his emotions morphed from abject resolution to outright horror.

  “Oh my God, Tara, please don’t cry.” He reached for her but she moved out of range.

  “No. Don’t. If you touch me right now, Blue, I’ll shatter.”

  He lay back on his pillow, pulled the covers up, but felt no warmth whatsoever. His insides seemed as frosted over as the ground outside. But he still said nothing.

  “I’m going for a run.”

  “Kotara, it’s dark and…”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. I just need to go. I need…”

  What she needed was the man in front of her. Both she and her lioness were steeped in anguish over the thought of leaving here without him. But if he wouldn’t budge, then there was nothing she could do about it. Better to keep him tucked into the little part of her soul along with other fond memories. The decision was his and there was no way in hell was she going to force a man to be with her that didn’t want her.

  He sat up and looked at her as she got up and moved over to the wide swatch of moonlight streaming in through the window. Kotara let the magic of the change rush through her body. His expression moved fluidly between awe and dread as he proceeded her out of the room, and to the front door. He opened it for her, and she could have sworn she heard him whisper her name as she bounded out into the snow-covered terrain and away from what she’d hoped had been her destiny.

  8

  Blue was blowing up her phone.

  Kotara pretended to ignore him. It was for the best after all. She allowed herself to grieve because she missed her mate to the depths of her soul. She missed him so much it was as if she had a defective bloody and torn limb—it would hurt until the healing process was complete. The end.

  Preparation for the holidays were in full swing. The guys had gone off hunting a few days ago and come back with a beautiful venison that Neesia was cooing over. The thing was so big it would need a trough full of marinade, but it would be delicious.

  Lou had just returned from the high country with a gigantic ten-foot-high tree. The family had spent last night decorating it, and the staff was constantly in the kitchen with Neesia preparing all the dishes for Christmas dinner.

  They’d also just gotten word from the council elders of Kerr’s former pack. The councilman and his nephew, who’d set him up, had been quietly dealt with. Captain Johns was working with Jason and Lou on figuri
ng out who the mole in the agency was. There was no way a kill order should have been shuffled through and approved solely on the word of a virtual unknown. That meant someone else had to be in on it, and they would indeed learn who.

  In the meantime, Kotara would do what she did best—bury herself in work and solve everyone else’s problems.

  * * *

  Blue missed Kotara more than he thought possible. He imagined her drowning herself in bacon at his kitchen table, moaning as she caught the hint of chocolate he’d put into her coffee. Kotara’s scent lingering in the bathroom after a shower. Kotara tucked in his bed. Kotara underneath him as he rode her into oblivion. Kotara on top of him as she rode him.

  God, the woman was everywhere. It was as if he nursed an abscessed tooth—it hurt so bad he wasn’t sure he could bear it, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

  You could go see her, you moron.

  She was probably so disappointed in him, surely she wasn’t interested in seeing him again. Besides, he’d been calling her since she left and she wasn’t answering the phone or returning his messages.

  Oh well. He’d royally blown the chance to be with a woman who was invigorating, brilliant and a total smart ass.

  Mate.

  His mate had gone home.

  He’d always loved living in this house, on this land. But right now, it felt so empty and bereft, it was all he could do not to put his hands over his ears and yell to the top of his lungs about what an idiot he’d been.

  His workouts, which usually centered him, had done exactly jack shit since she’d left, but he would go and work up a sweat anyway. Stripped down to his underwear and a pair of snow boots, Blue tossed a few logs into the coals smoldering in the hearth and then headed out.

  He opened the front door, took two steps and froze.

  Less than ten paces from where he stood were two male lions in their prime, and two lionesses by their sides.

  * * *

  A quiet knock sounded at her door. She’d been dreaming about riding on the snow mobile with Blue. Running through the forest doing parkour with Blue. Eating pancakes with Blue.