Healing The Alpha Collection

by Jessica Ryan

  Eva was trying to be brave for everyone. It was sad that she had been an outsider less than two weeks ago, but now she was the one trying to keep two alpha wolves and a hysterical mate level-headed and in the game. She had already been through so much since she had learned werewolves, demons and other things that go bump in the night were real.

  "You should have burned her when you had the chance," Ciara said, turning back to Hawk.

  "She made a convincing argument," Hawk said, sitting up beside her on the bed. "It's a demon. 'They're very good at deception."

  "Nobody is blaming you," Eva said. "You did everything you could."

  "I heard one of the guards whispering last night," Ciara said. "They captured Beorn and Rain."

  "What?" Eva asked. She had been convinced the bear and her spunky friend would be able to elude capture out in the forest. "Who does that leave?"

  "Aster," Rowan said, finally breaking his silence. "Aster is our only hope."

  Everyone sat in silence, taking in the gravity of the situation. Eva didn't know much about the head alpha of Bucklin. Rowan talked about him with such reverence and respect that Eva thought he walked on water. Unfortunately they had kept so much from him, so much that he would need to know in a situation like this.

  "What if he sees Leena?" Eva asked.

  "What if he does?" Rowan responded.

  "Well, she fooled us…" Eva said.

  Everyone returned to silence, looking at the floor. They knew the implications of what she had said—Aster was as good as dead.

  "Would they let him live?" Ciara asked. "Hawk's filled me in on some details about what happened to you guys in the past."

  "No," Rowan said firmly. "There is no way in hell they would let Aster live."

  "You wolves live a pretty fucked-up life," Ciara said. Everyone turned to her. Rowan cocked one eyebrow and Hawk's eyes widened in shock. "I'm just saying. I did some crazy shit in my past."

  "I'll say," Hawk mumbled.

  Ciara slugged him on the shoulder. "But I've never encountered a demon that's trying to kill all of us."

  "Until now," Eva said, trying to smile and lighten the mood.

  "Yeah, until now," Ciara said, rolling her eyes. "This is insane."

  "We wolves live a brutish life," Rowan said, turning back to the window. "And somehow we've decided to try to become human. It all comes back full circle, though. Life finds a way of letting us know we aren't human and we have no business playing at it."

  Eva looked at Rowan a little bit longer; he wouldn't make eye contact with her, though. Finally she got up and crossed the small cell they were locked in and put a hand on his shoulder. His nerves had caused all his muscles to tense, and she felt like she was grabbing a rock.

  Rowan looked down at her with sadness in his eyes. "I haven't been fair to you."

  "What do you mean, you haven't been fair to me?" she asked.

  "You're a human and you have a human life. I've selfishly pulled you away from all of that. You lost your job, you lost your apartment and you lost your parents all because of me."

  Eva took a deep breath and put a hand on Rowan's scruffy cheek, turning his face towards hers. "Let's get a few things straight, mister. I love you and I want to be with you. The job and the apartment aren't important. My parents lost me, I didn't lose them. They didn't care about me or love me enough to fight for me when I was missing; my dad only cared about his reputation. You're the only man 'who's ever cared about me, and I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you."

  "Would you even give all of this up?"

  Eva looked around at the tiny jail cell. "Give what up? There's nothing here."

  "I mean this," he said, pointing out the window towards the city of Bucklin. "I'm not meant for this. I'm a werewolf. I'm not meant to live in a city with humans. I'm supposed to run a pack in the wilderness."

  "What are you saying?" Eva asked.

  "If I get out of this alive, I'm giving it all up, Eva," he said. "I'm returning to the wilderness and I'm going to live as I was intended to. I'm not human, Eva, and I'm not supposed to be here."

  Eva sucked in a deep breath, turning everything her perfect man had just said over in her head. This was a lot to ask. She had enjoyed modern conveniences forever, and now he was asking her to give it all up so that he could live in a cave and hunt wild animals.

  "So we wouldn't have any shelter?" she asked.

  "We'd find a den somewhere," he said. "We can carve it out and make it our own and start building a pack life. You can have our pups and we can build something wonderful. Why not?"

  "This is a lot to ask," Eva said, feeling her chest get heavy. "You're asking me to give up everything I've ever known. I'm not a wolf; I'm not built to live in nature. I need a bathroom, cooked food, running water and air conditioning!"

  "We'll figure all that out," Rowan said, taking her face in his hands. "What's important is that we'll have each other."

  "I have to think about this, Rowan," she said, unable to meet his gaze. "It's asking a lot."

  "I realize that," he said. "If you can't go through with it, then I understand. But I wasn't built to live in this city and I'm not going to do it anymore. I hope you understand."

  "I understand perfectly," she said, fighting back tears.

  "I love you," Rowan said.

  "I love you too," she said as she felt his wonderful lips touch her forehead.

  She looked up, meeting his gaze, and couldn't help herself—he really was the most wonderful man she had ever met. Diving forward, she pushed her lips against his, feeling the warm sensation of love spread throughout her body as she squeezed him tightly. There was no better than Rowan and her heart was breaking at the prospect of losing him. Maybe he was making a rash decision and would calm down after all was said and done, or maybe this would truly be it for the two of them.

  She pulled away after several minutes of intense, passionate kissing and looked him in his beautiful honey-brown eyes again. "You said R and E forever."

  "It is R and E forever," he whispered back. "We'll figure it out, my love. I never want to lose you."

  "I don't want to lose you, either."

  As they held one another, Eva could hear Ciara and Hawk talking on their bed.

  "Do you love me like that?" Ciara asked.

  "Of course I do," Hawk said. "I'm leaving my pack for you."

  "Do you still want to do that? You don't want to go into the wilderness with Rowan and start your own pack?"

  "I already have my own pack," Hawk answered, laughing. "I'm giving it up for you and only you."

  "I love you, Hawk," she said.

  "Good to hear," Hawk responded with a laugh.

  Eva smiled as she heard the sound of a tiny fist hitting solid flesh. That was replaced by the wet sounds of Hawk and Ciara exploring one another's lips just as Rowan and Eva had done.

  Rowan had Eva pushed up against the wall and she could feel his lengthening manhood between his legs, pushing against her own wetter-by-the-second warm sex.

  "Rowan, we can't," she whispered. "They're right there."

  "The alpha doesn't care where he mates," Rowan said, smiling. "I have no problem displaying my love in front of others."

  Eva glanced over Rowan's shoulder to where Hawk and Ciara were sitting. Ciara's large, round breasts were already out of her top and Hawk's mouth was dancing across them, his tongue flicking out of his mouth to tease the pale pink buds of her nipples. Eva had to admit it was making her hornier by the second to watch the two of them express their love for one another.

  Ciara's breasts were bigger than her own, but Eva felt hers were perkier and better looking overall. It was a strange thought to have, but she'd never had sex in the same room as another before.

  "Ignore them," Rowan whispered to her. "Let me have you."

  "Okay."

  In a flash Rowan's mouth was on her, kissing his way down her neck and exploring every inch fr
om the top of her neck to the top of her cleavage. She moaned as she felt his teeth scrape across her neck right before he gave her a little nip. Sometimes it was hard for him to completely hold the animal in when they made love, but she welcomed it all the same.

  She felt a rush of cold air touch her breasts as Rowan pulled her shirt down, exposing her beautiful, perky, milky-white breasts. She moaned as she felt his warm tongue dart over them and she arched her back and gasped as his teeth lightly clamped down on her nipple, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. She was so wet she could barely stand it. Rowan knew his way around her body.

  Ciara was on top of Hawk now, his cock buried to the hilt in her as she rhythmically rode him. Eva had to appreciate the curves of Ciara's body as she moved back and forth like a snake dancing for the charmer.

  The redhead's eyes turned toward Eva, forcing her to look down in embarrassment. She hazarded a glance back up and Ciara was still looking at her, a devilish smile on her face. Eva started to look away again, but sucked in a deep breath and moaned as Ciara winked at her. At the same time Rowan had managed to work his cock out of his pants and her pants off. It was pure ecstasy as she felt the forbidden pleasure of witnessing two other people engaged in the erotic dance and the raw pleasure of Rowan burying himself completely inside her waiting cavern.

  He was like a man possessed, his hips pounding against hers as she felt the full length of his hardness sliding in and out of her. She could feel herself being stretched in a good way as the pleasure overtook her. Her body might never get used to Rowan's sheer girth, but she didn't care at all. Every time he stretched her out she felt something that she had never experienced before.

  "Rowan," she moaned as she gripped his back and dug her nails into him. At the same time Ciara's pace was beginning to quicken and she was throwing her head back and moaning loudly as she continued to ride Hawk's long cock.

  Eva could feel the pressure building between her legs as Rowan continued to piston his rod in and out of her. She was so wet the sound of him moving in and out was becoming audible, but she didn't care. The walls of her vagina were beginning to clamp down on him, forcing him to moan and grab onto one of the window bars for support.

  A cascade of erotic release rolled over Eva as she screamed out. She could feel Rowan's hot love juice spraying into her, filling her to the brim. At the same time she heard Ciara cry out from the orgasm that was surely gripping her body.

  The aftershocks of the orgasm continued to make Eva shudder and spasm as Rowan removed himself and stepped back, allowing her space to gather her senses.

  "I didn't expect that," Eva panted.

  "It might be the last chance we have," Rowan said. "I had to have you one more time."

  "Way to ruin the moment," Eva said, rolling her eyes as she remembered the predicament they were in.

  "I'm sorry," Rowan said, looking hurt.

  "It's okay," Eva said, rubbing his stubble one more time. "You're just telling the truth. Hopefully we'll make it out of this alive, though."

  After the erotic session the two couples could do nothing but lie on their respective beds and ponder their future. Another word wasn't spoken for several hours. It had begun to grow dark outside and nobody had brought them any food or given them an update on their situation.

  Just as Eva was about to doze off, a shrill scream exploded through the jail house, forcing them all to stand up and rush to the bars. It quickly became apparent that this was not a scream of agony, but one of victory. Someone was celebrating just outside the door to their wing.

  Eva strained to listen, but she didn't have the keen hearing the wolves did. Still, she could make out a few excited shouts of "Got the fucker!" and other crude declarations. It was at the time she felt her heart drop into her stomach that she realized what they were talking about. One look at Rowan's face was enough to shatter her world.

  "They're talking about Aster, aren't they?" she asked softly. The words had hung in her throat and it took everything she had to force them out of her mouth.

  Rowan looked at Hawk sadly before looking back at the ground. He gripped the steel bars so tightly she thought they would bend under his mighty grip at any moment. Finally he looked at her, defeat written across his face. "Yes."

  Chapter 12

  "Wake up, Aster," a soothing, angelic voice said. "Please, honey, wake up."

  "What?" Aster said, trying to shake the grogginess from his world. "Who's there? Who said that?"

  "It's me, honey. Leena."

  Aster sat up with a start. He felt around for the bed he was sitting on to hop up, but he quickly realized he was on the floor. As he looked around at the darkness that enveloped him it became apparent that he wasn't even on the floor. The room he was in was pitch black; he couldn't see a thing even with his keen night vision. As he frantically searched for the wall or some sort of light switch he began crawling on all fours.

  Leena was in here with him; he had heard her. But it wasn't the same Leena that he had known before. She had been brainwashed by Abaddon. Their love, their unrequited passion, had all been a ruse to distract him long enough for Abaddon to sneak up on him. He had been foolish to let his emotions overtake him in a time of such dire need. Why would Leena be at the house while Rowan and Eva weren't? None of it made sense and he should've seen through it immediately.

  "Aster, please calm down," she said.

  He looked around, trying to find his former love. She could be anywhere in this unholy darkness, waiting to shove a knife into his back. She'd already shoved a pretty big one into his heart. He had never thought his heart could break again, but in that moment the evil smile played across Leena's face and he felt Abaddon sneak up on him as he realized real pain all over again.

  "Aster, stop," she said again.

  He could hear her voice all around him, closing in on him from all directions. Where was she and where was he? Aster's stomach felt like it was going to hop right out of his mouth at this point. He had never felt fear like this before. Was Abaddon with her?

  "Leave me alone!" he called out. "I don't know what you want! You're not Leena!"

  "I am Leena. If you would just calm down and listen."

  "What is this room?" he asked, still frantically searching for the wall. "Where have you taken me? What evil spell is on this place? There are no walls, no light, nothing!"

  "That's because you're not in a room."

  "Witchcraft!" he called out. "This is the work of the demon. Leena, how could you? I loved you with all my heart and you betrayed me for him!"

  "I did not betray you for him. Please, Aster, just listen and I'll explain it all to you. Please, honey, I love you. Just calm down and listen to me. I've been trying to contact you for ten years, baby. This is the first time I've been close enough to be able to do it. Just listen to me, please."

  Aster sat on his rear and pulled his knees in to his chest, rocking slowly back and forth. It wasn't very becoming of an alpha to act like this, but his nerves were fried and his heart was shattered into a million tiny pieces. He was an emotional wreck and he didn't know how to cope or deal with it. His entire life he'd been able to defeat everything with his power, but now he was powerless—just like ten years ago.

  "Are you going to calm down now?" Leena's voice asked.

  "I have no choice," he said, resigning himself to his fate. "If you kill me, then you kill me. I can't defend myself against this kind of witchcraft. Just at least tell me where you are and where I am. I can hear you but I can't see you."

  "Aster, you were always so dramatic," Leena said. "I'm sorry I can't show you any beauty in this place. I'm sorry I can't show you the diamonds on the lake or the sea of stars."

  Aster perked up. She remembered some of their most tender moments together. "I don't look at beauty anymore. The beauty of the world is dead to me."

  "Why?"

  "Just because."

  "But you always told me there was so much beaut
y in the world. You told me that it hurt your heart sometimes to look at it and realize how imperfect we were."

  "I did love the beauty in the world, once upon a time."

  "What changed, honey?"

  Aster couldn't believe he was having a conversation with what appeared to be the disembodied voice of his ex-mate, but there was nothing else he could do. "You changed. You were always the most beautiful thing in the world to me and then you sacrificed yourself to that psycho. It was such a beautiful day when you left, so peaceful. I just can't look at beauty the same again."

  "Oh, Aster, I'm so sorry. I've felt your pain for the last ten years. I know how much you miss me. We're together for now."

  "How? You set me up to be captured by Abaddon." Aster stood up, feeling himself growing angry. "You used my love against me! You knew after all these years I'd be desperate to see you. We never consummated our relationship and you used it against me! The first time we made love, it was a lie!"

  "Baby, that wasn't me you made love to."

  "What?"

  "Well, it was my body, but I wasn't driving it."

  Aster grabbed his head and collapsed back to the ground. Nothing made sense.

  "There's a reason Abaddon wanted me. The demon that's in control of him had a mate and he needed a vessel for the demon. Aster, it's been horrible."

  He could hear his love begin to choke up. Wherever she was, she was now crying, her emotions pouring out. Aster shifted uncomfortably where he sat. He wanted to run to his lost love and hold her, but she was nowhere to be found.

  "I've been a prisoner in my own body. I've spent the last ten years tied up in the backseat while the demon drove. I've experienced every feeling that it has. I've watched it murder people. I've watched it make love to Abaddon. I've watched every unholy ritual it can perform and I've been powerless."

  "How are you able to speak to me?" he asked.

  "The demon has to go dormant once every forty-eighty hours to regain its strength and maintain its hold in our world. When it does that I'm basically free from my cage inside its brain. I'm not able to control the body, but I am able to reach out and free my consciousness. That's what I've been doing for ten years, Aster. I've been trying to reach you, been trying to get you to rescue me."