Possessed by the Alpha

by Nancy Corrigan

  I strip, tossing my clothes in the ’Cuda’s backseat, along with my leather dress shoes, and call forth my jaguar, the best tracker out of my trio of cats.

  Using my jaguar’s wide head, I push the car door closed, then follow Zoe’s scent trail into the woods. Although overgrown, the path takes a definite route through the trees. I know where it’ll lead. I followed it once before, right after uncovering the scant few details I have about the night that resulted in Zoe losing her baby and her supposed once-in-a-lifetime love.

  The bitterness chokes me, tearing a huffing sound from my jaguar’s throat. The big cat shakes its head, then its body, before flicking its tail, essentially shaking off my anger. My jaguar has no use for the resentment. The dead can’t be killed again. In its primal mind, there’s no use exerting energy over something that might hinder its ability to hunt now. I can’t help but agree. This isn’t about my indignation. How would Zoe know the beauty of what a true mate bond could offer when I never showed her how good we’d be together? That’s my failing. And it’s one I plan on correcting. Starting tonight.

  The clearing where Zoe was found bleeding to death all those years ago opens before me. On four paws, I step onto the ground Zoe’s blood once soaked. A chill seeps into my jaguar’s paws. The icy snow covering the ground—that’s the only explanation for the reaction. With my cat’s core temperature raised to counter the cold, I survey the area. My cat’s gaze zeroes in on the human boot print and the scent of a Royal feline.

  Every muscle in my body locks as my cat interrupts the multitude of sensory inputs of this area and focuses on the sound of someone coming this way. The short gait and the lightness of the person moving though the underbrush hints at Zoe being the one approaching. After a moment, her scent with its lingering touch of fox piss reaches me.

  The debate plays through my head—shift and greet her as a naked male, or remain in my jaguar’s form.

  Wearing only a thermal top and leggings, Zoe steps into the clearing before I can make a choice. Then stops. Her body goes ramrod straight. She jerks her head to the woods, first to the left and then to the right. Her gaze locks on mine. Pride works its way through my jaguar’s body. It’s my emotion, just as the bitterness earlier, but the pleased grunt is all my cat’s.

  Zoe’s a fitting mate.

  In my jaguar form, I leave the underbrush and close the distance between us. Quicker than I’d expect a human to move, she pulls a gun from the waistband of her pants and aims. For a second time tonight, I freeze. Zoe doesn’t recognize me. Why would she? Zoe’s never seen me in my jaguar’s form.

  Tugging on the tether linking my soul to my jaguar’s soul, I rein in the animal, allowing my human form to emerge. Before our images blend, a pop rings out. The bullet hits my jaguar’s head—my head. Pain explodes between my eyes.

  Then darkness takes everything away.

  Nine

  Zoe

  A soul-shattering scream rips from my throat at the same moment Kade’s naked body hits the ground. The gun I shot Kade with falls from my limp hand. I rush forward and drop to my knees next to him. The curve of Kade’s spine, his tight ass, and his muscular legs paint the picture of a man in the prime of his life. The stillness in his limbs, the lack of breaths expanding his chest, and the blood turning the white snow red tell a different story.

  “He’s not dead.” I drag my shaky fingers over his head. The silky, soft strands slipping between my fingers teases my skin. “He can’t be dead. He’s immortal.”

  Speaking the truth doesn’t miraculously bring Kade back to life. Minutes pass, and he still doesn’t move. The pain in my chest spreads outward, eating away at my strength, my life, my very soul.

  “Don’t you do this to me.” I move my fingers to Kade’s chin and turn his head.

  Blood dribbles from the hole between his eyes over his nose and across his hard-cut cheekbones. His open golden eyes stare at nothingness. There’s no sense of consciousness, no hint of life, no recognition.

  I’m looking death in the face.

  The trembling in my fingers travels up my arms to my chest. My teeth chatter, and salty wetness coats my lips. I lick them, tasting the bitterness of mascara and tears. Who knew I had any left to shed? Or that I’d be crying over a man who lied to me? A shifter who claimed me like some abandoned toy that otherwise would’ve gotten tossed out.

  The knowledge I’m “owned” by this Royal alpha usually flusters me, spurring me to think up ways to defy him. It doesn’t tonight.

  Tonight, I ache.

  Jerking my hands away from Kade’s head, I press my fists to the sharp pain over my heart, then stumble back from where he’s lying there…dead. Or maybe pretending to be dead to punish me.

  “You didn’t lose your head. Your heart’s still in your body.” I rush back to Kade, bend over him, and scream into his face. “You are not dead, so stop playing this game. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Now, stop it!”

  Because the thought of Kade—dead—is not a happy one. In fact, it’s not one I’m sure I can face. The pain in my heart is worse than I’ve ever felt. Worse even than when I learned I lost my family. Worse than when I had to listen to Vince’s side of that night and his tale about how BJ attacked me.

  But it’s my fault Kade’s not breathing. I am the one who hurt him. I pointed the gun and shot.

  With my hand covering my mouth, I choke on a sob. “Damn you, Kade.”

  He can’t die. He just can’t. He needs to be alive. Everyone around him would miss his glare, his bossy attitude, and his know-it-all lectures.

  The hell with everyone else, though. I’ll miss him, if only for his smile. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who’s ever seen that side of Kade—the one where he’s actually sort of happy—and I’ll be damned if I never hear Kade laugh again. He has a good laugh—a deep, full chuckle. He’s got the kind of laugh a dad would have when his kids were acting goofy for him.

  More tears spill over.

  Sniffling, I grab his shoulder and roll Kade onto his back, cradling his head in my lap. Blood still flows from the hole in his head. His chest doesn’t rise. He doesn’t blink. Had Kade been human, I’d be calling the police to turn myself in for murder.

  “He’s going to be fine.” I brush the short strands of Kade’s golden-blond hair from his forehead. “Do you hear me? You’re going to be fine. You have to be fine. I need you. I need you more than I can put into words.”

  Nothing truer has ever come out of my mouth. I feel the conviction in my heart—in my soul. I need this man to live. I need his bossiness. I need his smile. I simply need Kade in this world.

  “Please don’t be dead.” I stroke my finger over his lower lip. Still soft, still warm, but no breath teases my skin. The flow of blood trickling from the hole in Kade’s head slows, however.

  Leaning over him, I brush my lips over his, and the taste of chocolate teases them. It’s his blood…the blood of a Royal.

  Another memory returns—Kade arguing with me and trying to convince me to take his blood. It’d heal me, he insisted. I’d been bleeding and in pain on the couch in Josh’s office at the Black Widow. Mira’s jaguar had just attacked me. And all I could think about was self-preservation. There was no way in hell I was putting my mouth on Kade, even if it was only his wrist I wrapped my lips around. That man oozed trouble, the kind that could get a girl hooked on him.

  He took the choice out of my hands and got his mouth on me—to heal me. And he did. With each swipe of his tongue over the deep cuts in my thighs, he sealed my fate.

  I stare at the spot between his eyes, but I can’t see well enough in the dark to tell if it’s closing even with the moonlight reflecting off the icy snow on the ground. There’s only one thing to do.

  “I need to go for help. Okay? I’m not abandoning you, but I don’t know how to help you. My phone’s in the ’Cuda. I’m going to go get it, hopefully call for help, then come right back. Promise, Kade. I promise. I won’t leave you.”
>
  Carefully, I ease out from under Kade, letting his head rest gently on the ground, then I turn from him and run. Twigs and branches break under my boots. Twice, I almost trip. Still, I push myself, running blindly at times when the canopy of evergreens blocks the moonlight.

  Finally, the ’Cuda comes into view. I yank open the driver’s side door. An arm hooks around my chest. And a hand covers my mouth.

  “A promise is a promise, Zoe Jane Conway.” Kade’s voice wraps around me with a force I feel in my heart, maybe my soul. “And I won’t ever allow you to break the one you just made to me.”

  The heat slipping through my body and settling low is all for Kade. The press of his naked body to my back reminds me I never stole a glimpse of Kade’s groin while he was lying on the ground. I wish I would’ve. The growing length pushing into my back promises to either terrify me as being way beyond anything a woman can safely take into her body or ruin me for other lovers. And honestly, both options leave me a little anxious.

  I curl my fingers around Kade’s wrist and draw his palm from my mouth. He doesn’t fight me. His thumb tugs on my lip as I pull his hand down. “What promise is that?”

  “To never leave me.” Kade brushes his lips over my cheek, then touches the tip of his tongue to the corner of my mouth.

  I turn my head, twisting in his embrace. The blood is gone. So is the hole between his eyes. All that’s left is a determined and focused gaze of a predator who’s caught his prey. “I never said never.”

  Kade’s mouth curves into the smile I’ve only seen a handful of times. Each one left my heart racing. This time’s no different. My quickened breaths fog the air.

  With his focus on my mouth, Kade reaches down and raises the lever for the seat, folding it down. Then he lifts me with a hand under my bottom and maneuvers us into the backseat. I don’t resist him. I cling to him, hooking my ankles at his lower back and interlacing my fingers behind his neck. His intense gaze holds me captivated, intrigued, and…caught.

  My rear meets the cushioned bench seat, and my hands slip over Kade’s shoulders. He releases me and closes the door, then lowers the passenger seat, opening up the space in the back. He kneels on the floor in front of me, somehow squeezing his large frame comfortably into the spot. Then studies me, a slow sweeping inspection that has me trembling by the time his focused stare reaches my face.

  Darkness paints a streak over his rough face, except for part of his nose and one golden-brown eye. Green, yellow, and black streaks bleed into the white of that single eye locked on to me, turning it completely golden and etched like the most exquisite gemstone. Never have I seen anything as dangerously beautiful as Kade with his primal side peeking through.

  A guttural sound slips from my throat. It’s not a pretty sound, not a noise I’ve ever made before, but it’s all I can manage. The anticipation building within me blends with the sexual heat warming me and leaves me pliant and eager. I can’t explain the reaction. Or say I’ve ever felt anything like this before. All I know is I’m hanging on every nuance in Kade’s expression. In this moment, he’s my entire world, my reason for living.

  Blocking out his image, I take a moment to get myself together. My thoughts are as crazy as the voice in my head sometimes makes me feel. Kade’s hot but he’s just a guy. Okay, he’s a shifter, but he’s not my everything. To that, I swear, but each passing second, Kade’s scent fills my lungs and strengthens me. He smells rich and earthy and reminds me of life.

  “I mean it, Zoe. I’m holding you to your promise.”

  Kade’s voice works through me, sensitizing my body and making me ache for his touch. “I didn’t say I’d never leave you.”

  Kade drags the back of his hand over my cheek, answering my silent wish, and turns my head slightly, then bends over me, his mouth inches above mine. “You will.”

  And then Kade’s lips cover mine. His tongue twines with mine. And my resistance—if I even had any left—slips away.

  Ten

  Kade

  With my cats hovering close to my psyche, every inch of my body is sensitive and alert. Every breath Zoe exhales is a caress of air dancing over my skin. Every brush of her clothes over my body is an erotic stroke. Not even the coolness emanating from her chilled frame counters the heat radiating from mine. Or dims the primal hunger gripping me. It’s mine as much as my cats’. Returning to life after healing our death wound to find our possession fleeing broke whatever control I had. Now all that’s left is this need to claim what’s ours.

  What’s mine. What’s always been mine. What I refuse to ever lose.

  On a hard tug, I draw Zoe forward, tumbling her onto my splayed legs. Her gasp breaks our kiss for a heartbeat before she rests her elbows on my shoulders and weaves her fingers into the strands of my hair. With me held in place, she covers my mouth, twining her tongue with mine and meeting my every stroke with one of her own.

  The loss of control wars with the desire to give Zoe what she wants. I rest my splayed hands on her hips and fight the instincts demanding I take from her. The moment of restraint is all she needs. She kisses me harder, trying to crawl inside me, then leans against me—over me. Strands of her hair tease my cheeks. Her scent surrounds me. So does the stench from the fake animal cover-up she used to escape my brother. She ran from Zach tonight and, in effect, ran from me as well.

  Given the chance, she’ll run again, maybe using more animal cover scent to throw off her trail.

  The press of my fingertips over her hips tears another gasp from Zoe. I lift her, reversing our positions, and scoot back until the leather seat stops me. The move gives me a glimpse of Zoe’s lust-hazed expression and slightly swollen lips before I curl my fingers around the back of her neck and draw her close.

  With Zoe held still, I kiss her harder, devouring her and savoring her soft mewling sounds of submission. Those little noises feed the wildness seizing me, revving up my need for more. The tips of my fangs slip free, cutting her lips and tongue, cutting mine. Chocolate-flavored blood mixes with her copper-tanged blood. Her satisfied moan assures me she feels no pain, only pleasure, but adding more of my scent to this woman doesn’t dim the need riding me. It inflames me.

  I run my hands over Zoe’s back, her sides, her hips, her thighs. Each caress grows firmer, quicker. I sit straighter, pulling Zoe’s slight frame closer until every breath she takes is one I feel along my chest. Still, it’s not enough. There’s too much space between us. I pluck her top from over her breast and release my claws, shredding the cotton with a single curl of my fingers.

  Zoe’s squeak breaks the wild melding of our mouths long enough for me to press my other hand against her chest and push her until she arches, the move lifting her exposed breast to my waiting mouth.

  The strips of her ripped shirt offer dappled peeks of her creamy skin. The ugly white cotton bra covering the lower half of her flesh hides the erect tip I need in my mouth. With my chin, I push down the bra cup, then touch the tip of my tongue to her erect nipple. Instincts war within me. Things that conflict with what a human male would do in this situation. Desires that would shock the woman straddled over me. Cravings I have never given in to.

  Compulsions the beast I am at heart can’t resist.

  “Zoe.” The growling quality of my voice gives my female’s sweet name a wicked edge. “Tell me to stop.”

  A whimper and the light caress of Zoe’s fingers over my stiff dick answer me.

  On a groan, I let the tether to my humanity slip away and embrace what I am—an alpha in the presence of his true mate. Latching on to her exposed nipple, I suck, letting my saliva numb my female’s skin at the same time as I pull deeper, harder. Zoe’s breast fills my mouth. Her cry echoes in the car. Her nails bite into my rigid dick. Pain races through me, and lust surges. I ease my hard pull on Zoe’s flesh and let the erect tip tug at my lower lip before slipping free.

  Flushed skin surrounds her rosy nipple, showing where my mouth covered her…where the mark of my possession stands o
ut against her creamy white skin.

  A chuffing noise escapes me, a sign my primal side is close. There’s no containing this part of me. There’s only the need to appease it.

  With slow strokes, I lick Zoe’s breast, each pass bringing me closer to her nipple. After a moment, she pushes her breast against my wandering mouth. My lips graze her nipple, and she whimpers. The sound’s muffled. She’s trying to contain her pleasure. I won’t allow that. I want to hear her every reaction to my touch, to feel her response, and to smell her excitement.

  I flick my tongue out, catching the tip. She jerks but doesn’t pull away. She leans closer, rubbing her nipple over my lips and dipping the erect bud between them. On the next pass, I catch the hard point between my teeth.

  Zoe inhales. She doesn’t move. Doesn’t so much as take another breath. She’s waiting on me.

  Tipping my head back tugs on the point I’m holding. It also gives me the full visual of the effect the slight pain has on my true mate. Slumberous, dilated eyes focus on where my lips are wrapped around her flesh. I let the tips of my fangs descend until the sharp points press into Zoe’s breast. The heavenly scent of her need invites my touch, encouraging me without her having to say a word.

  With a small nibble, I draw her nipple deeper. Once more, her flesh fills my mouth. My fangs drag along her skin but don’t cut her. The danger is there, though. Her squirming over my thighs and the quickened breaths through her nose tell me she knows it too. And she’s not pulling away. She’s not telling me to stop either. She’s trusting me with her body…and her pleasure.

  Holding her gaze, I slowly suck on her breast. She arches with me, pushing against me as I pull on her flesh.

  “Kade.”

  Everything I want to hear is twined into her voice: pleasure, submission, need.

  I let her breast slip free. The wetness of my mouth leaves her skin glistening…tempting. If I toy with her, licking and teasing, she’ll come for me. I scent her excitement. Hear it in her voice. See it in her expression. She likes the roughness to my touch. I skim my fingers over her pinkened skin. She licks her lips and watches the glide of my fingertip across her breast…waiting on me. She’s hanging on my next move. The knowledge appeases a part of me. It’s not enough. I want more.