Read 2#Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Deliberate Theft) Online
Authors: Charlene Hartnady
2#Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Deliberate Theft)
Deliberate Theft
Stolen by the Alpha Wolf
Part 2
By
Charlene Hartnady
Copyright © February 2015, Charlene Hartnady
Cover Art by Melody Simmons
Copy Edited by Kimberly Reichmann
Produced in South Africa
Published by Charlene Hartnady
PO BOX 456, Melrose Arch,
Johannesburg, South Africa, 2176
Deliberate Theft is a work of fiction and characters, events and
dialogue found within are of the author’s imagination and are not to be
construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living
or deceased, is purely coincidental.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews no part of this book may
be reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including but not limited to digital copying, file sharing, audio recording,
email and printing without prior consent in writing from the author
To my favorite
rockstar because I’m a cowboy (…okay…cowgirl) who loves a little bit of bad
medicine…
Table of
Contents
Six
weeks later…
Groans,
moans, grunts, growls.
The
sound of rutting filled her ears.
Loud female shrieks
, resonating
through the hallways in time with a clunking headboard that seemed to shake the
very foundation of the castle. The whole dammed castle for blood’s sake…there
would be cracks in the wall plaster for sure.
Stephany
took a deep soothing breath. She knew the drill and thankfully it would be over
soon. She had an overwhelming need to cover her ears, but she knew it wouldn’t
help.
A growl.
Silence for a few beats.
A shrill scream.
“Zane….oh, God….Brant…” Stephany squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out
the sounds of untold pleasure.
She
put a hand to her chest realizing how hard she was breathing, more like
panting.
Her
body’s reaction wasn’t to the three upstairs, but rather to the memories that
the noises evoked in her. What exactly had the alpha done to her? For years her
libido had lain dormant. Buried somewhere deep inside her. Stephany hadn’t even
felt the urge to touch herself in the longest time. She couldn’t remember the
last time she’d felt the burning need to cum. Though ever since she had
returned from the wolf’s clutches, she’d felt like her veins were on fire. What
the hell had he done to her? What poison? What form of potent witchcraft was
this?
Poison.
Witchcraft
. If only the explanation was so simple.
She could’ve taken an antidote or visited with the Sentinel. Found a cure
somewhere, somehow. What she couldn’t do was erase her memories of the alpha.
Forget she’d ever met Ward. An image of the big wolf accosted her. His broad
shoulders, tight abs, that smattering of hair that ran from his belly button
to…she had to suppress a groan. What haunted her the most were his eyes. So
filled with emotion, so intense as they watched her. Whether it was doing
something as simple as walking across the room, or zoning in on her as she
talked. How their emerald depths turned almost black when he watched her cum, his
own body trembling with his release.
Ward.
Stephany
clutched at her chest. Surely the pain she felt was physical. Surely her hand
would come away crimson with blood. Looking down, she dropped her clean hand in
disgust. A wound of the flesh could be healed. One of the soul…
not so much
.
It was her own damned fault for going against her own better judgement. Her
body had decided differently. If only she had kept her eyes closed in the
shower, none of this would have happened.
A
bald faced lie.
Them
ending up in bed together had been inevitable. It would’ve been like fighting
the need to breathe or to take blood. Trying to stop her heart from beating
would’ve been easier than not rutting with her alpha. No, dammit…
not hers.
She
willed her legs to walk faster as she neared her suite. A hot shower and some
time alone was just what she needed. Stephany was sick of faking it. She didn’t
have many close friends, and the few in her close circle had picked up on the
fact that things weren’t the same since she had returned. That she’d changed
somehow.
Stephany
rounded the corner and almost walked into Lance. The male leaned against the
wall next to the door to her room. The moment his eyes caught hers, he pulled
himself upright and sucked in a breath.
For
blood’s sake.
This
was the last thing she needed. Stephany tried to side step the male, but he
moved in front of her door cutting off her escape.
His
ice blue eyes narrowed on her. “Why do you insist on avoiding me?” he sighed,
shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head.
“That’s not how I planned on starting this conversation.”
“I’m
really tired, Lance. It’s been a long day and we’ve been through this. I
haven’t changed my mind.”
Almost
as tall and built as Ward, though that was where the similarities ended. Lance
had blond hair and he was breathtakingly beautiful like a movie star. Ward was
the epitome of male. All hard angles, so rugged and raw, so…perfect.
Lance’s
nostrils flared and he took a step towards her. Stephany had to fight the urge
to move away.
“You
don’t scent like you’re tired. In fact”—his nostrils flared a second time—“if I
didn’t know better, I would swear that you were aroused.” His voice dropped to
a husky rumble. “I could help you with that.”
“You’re
mistaken.” It came out sounding too sharp, too high pitched. “It’s this whole
wing, the newly mated three rut so often that this whole tower smells of sex,
arousal and other things I don’t wish to comment on.”
His
eyebrows raised. “What other things?”
“I
told you that I don’t wish to speak of them. Becky had a package delivered for”—she
gestured in the direction that she had just come from—“them.”
He
looked confused.
“It
was a sex pack with items to be used during rutting.”
His
brow creased even further. Stephany completely understood his confusion. It had
taken Becky at least ten minutes to explain what the pack was for before
Stephany had agreed to have it sent to the royal suite.
“Flavored
lubricant, chocolate body paint, edible underwear…” She wrinkled her nose in
distaste.
“Why
would anyone want to eat underwear? Why is underwear even in a pack for use during
rutting?”
She
couldn’t agree more. Shrugging, she continued, “The female wears the underwear
and the male eats it off of her.”
The
crease remained for a few beats before realization dawned. “Oh,” he nodded.
“The male probably eats both the underwear and her pussy. I get it…well sort of…why
not just eat her pussy in the first place instead of wasting time?”
She
shrugged again, “No idea.”
“What
is lubricant?” Lance lifted his eyes in deep thought.
“It
makes a female’s…um…you know…wet. Ready for rutting. Look, I’m really tired…”
The
male frowned. “Why would they need a lubricant? Do human females not get wet
enough to rut?”
Stephany
sighed, irritated with the line of conversation. “Yes they do, but human males
are not as good at rutting as our males are. They don’t always manage to get a
female wet enough to rut them, so sometimes they have to resort to using a
lotion.”
Lance
made a sound of disgust, “They don’t manage to get their female wet enough…” He
shook his head, muttering more to himself than to her. “A finger to the clit.
Even better, suck that little nub until she creams. I don’t understand the
problem.” He looked her in the eyes, shaking his head while looking completely
stumped. “It’s easy to make a female scream with pleasure.”
“Like
I said, humans can be very strange.” Best she steer away from this conversation.
“Now if you will excuse me, I really am tired.”
“Please,
Stephany. Let me come in for five minutes. We can talk”—he held up his hands—“I
won’t try anything. I promise.”
Stephany
had been relieved to hear that Lance had survived the attack on the castle.
He’d still been bed ridden when she’d first returned. Her relief didn’t last
long though. Not once he’d started pursuing her with a dogged determination.
She
shook her head. “It won’t do any good.”
“I’m
your mate,” he growled.
“Our
mating was a mistake. It happened twenty long years ago.” She paused for a few
beats, “Why are you doing this? Just leave it alone.”
He
clenched his jaw, looking at a spot just over her shoulder. “Not happening. I
want you…us…this…” He stepped in, so close that she could feel the heat rolling
off his body.
Stephany
tried to step away, but he grabbed her wrists. “Let go,” she said. “You rutted
anything in a dress for years and suddenly you wake up and decide that you want
me and what?” She paused, “I should just fall to my knees and thank you for
finally seeing me? For finally claiming me? It’s not freaking happening.” The last
was evenly delivered and sounded just like something her human friend Tanya,
the royal mate, would say. Stephany had to suppress a smile when Lance’s lips
thinned. Good, message delivered loud and clear.
“You
know as well as I do that the kingdoms were at war. Our union would never have
been accepted.”
He
released her arms and she took a step back.
His
eyes pleaded. “I have needs. I rarely rutted the same female more than twice to
ensure that they didn’t form a bond.”
“How
thoughtful.” She cocked her chin. “Are we done?”
“I
wouldn’t have minded if you had rutted with other males.”
She
sighed heavily.
“How
do I make it up to you? Name it, I’ll do anything.”
She
almost felt sorry for him. Stephany knew that the male meant well. What she
couldn’t divulge though was that her heart now belonged to another. There was
no going back. Some things could never be undone.
He
must’ve seen something in her expression because his whole stance softened a
second before he moved from her path.
“Thank
you,” she muttered as she walked past him. Stephany leaned back against the
unforgiving door as soon as she closed it. A single tear tracked down her
cheek. She rubbed it away with the back of her hand while making her way to the
bathroom.
Two
weeks later…
There
was something seriously wrong with her.
At
first she’d attributed the strange happenings to missing Ward so much. But
this…this was just too much. She was being punished. Wolves and vampires were
not meant to rut. It was unnatural. Stephany put a hand to her brow expecting
to feel fevered.
Nothing
. She wasn’t foolish enough to relax though.
Lack of a fever didn’t mean anything.
She
had to see Tanya. Her friend would understand, wouldn’t judge her. At the very
least her royal queen and friend would be able to assist her with informing the
kings of her ailments, if the need arose. Brant would be horrified when he
learned of her broken celibacy, particularly when he found out who Stephany had
rutted with. She really, really needed Tanya.
The
problem was that it was too late to bother her. The sounds of rutting had died
down at least an hour ago. That meant that the royal threesome would be asleep.
She really should wait until morning.
Her
heart raced.
She
just had to find out what the hell was wrong with her?
It
couldn’t wait. Maybe she was completely overreacting and just needed a calm
voice of reason. She changed out of her pajamas and headed down the hall. Once up
the winding staircase that led to the northern tower, she stopped at a large
oak door that lead to the master suite and lifted her fisted hand, intent on
knocking.
“Stop.
What are you doing here?” One of the royal guards, Ross, stepped forward as she
approached. His hands were clasped casually in front of him.
“I
need to see the queen.” She was sure to look him straight in the eye. Let him
try and stop her.
“They
have turned in for the night. It’s very—”
“It’s
important information that the queen will want to know.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Tomorrow—”
“No!”
She stomped her foot and Ross’ eyebrows shot up.
Oops
, this little show
of emotion was something else that she seemed to have learned from her human
friend.
“You’re
worrying me…Can I help you with anything, Steph?” His brow creased with
concern.
She
locked eyes with the male, trying to drive home the importance of her request. “It’s
nothing to concern yourself with, I just really need to see Tanya.”
“The
kings won’t like it.” Ross shook his head.
“I
will handle the kings. I told you that she will want to see me.” Without
waiting for a reply, she knocked on the door. Hard.
A
loud growl. A bang.
“What the fuck…?”
Another
growl.
“Ross, this had better be important…”
“I
need to speak with Tanya,” Stephany said in the most authoritative voice that she
could muster. “Please,” she added when she distinctly heard another low growl
from behind the hard wood.
Zane
pulled the door open. He was naked. The male frowned down at her, making no
attempt to cover himself. If he wasn’t a king, Stephany would give the male a
piece of her mind. Instead, she bit her tongue for a few beats, making sure to
keep her eyes averted.
“It’s
late,” the big male growled.
“It’s
fine, Zane.” Tanya stepped in behind him and Zane’s eyes instantly softened as
they landed on the human.
“Come
in.” He barked, his eyes narrowing as they landed on Stephany.
“No,
I’ll go to Stephany’s suite. Won’t be long. I actually totally forgot I was
meant to have some girl time with my favorite female vamp this evening. I’m so
sorry I forgot, Steph, please forgive me.”
“Of
course.” Stephany nodded.
Zane’s
brow creased. “Okay,” he kissed her quickly on the lips before continuing, “and,
sweetness”—his voice had turned husky—“feel free to mount me when you return...even
if I’m sleeping.”
Tanya
giggled. “Zane, we have guests.” She narrowed her eyes at the big male, but
Stephany could smell the arousal wafting off her human friend.
Tanya
looked down at her thin, silky robe. “I just need to change. It won’t take long”—she
stopped and then shrugged—“to hell with it. I’m right behind you, Steph.”
There
was a growl from somewhere in the room. “You’re practically naked.” Stephany
could recognize Brant’s voice anywhere.
“I
thought you liked me practically naked.” Tanya glanced over her shoulder.
Brant
made a sound of denial. “I like you naked, Cenwein, but for our eyes only.
Practically naked is good, but only if one of us is with you.”
“What
rubbish,” Tanya huffed. “No one will try anything. I’m the freaking queen.
Besides, vampire females walk around half naked all the time.”
“You’re
not a vampire.” Another growl from Brant.
“I
sort of am. I’m carrying a vampire child and I have both of your essences
running through my veins since mating you. I’m still growing stronger by the
day. Oh and my ass is tighter and my skin is glowing…so quit worrying and go
back to bed.”
“Don’t
talk about your ass, Cewein, or I won’t let you go.”
Tanya
giggled.
“Fine.”
A low growl.
“Only if you mount me first when you get back.” Brant’s
voice had turned smoky and seductive.
“Hey”—Zane
put his hands on his hips—“My female will mount me first. Stand in line.”
“I
am in line,” Brant threw back, “…I’m in the front.”
Tanya
rolled her eyes. “Let’s get out of here.” She stepped around Zane, who had
turned to face Brant.
“Like
fuck! And make sure you stay on your side of the bed.” Zane said as Tanya
closed the door. “Don’t you dare try and spoon me like last time.” Stephany
heard Zane bellow as they moved down the hall.
“
You
fucking tried to spoon
me
.” Brant snarled.
“I
don’t give a fuck who tried to spoon who, it can’t happen again. Are we clear?”
Stephany
sighed, moving down the stairs as quickly as she could. The sooner she was out
of hearing range of those two the better. They could be royal pains in the ass.
She smiled at her own joke. Her smile quickly turning to a frown as her breasts
jiggled, reminding her of one of the symptoms of her illness. The whole reason
she was out of her suite at this late hour.
Thankfully,
Tanya didn’t say anything as they made their way back to her quarters.
Unfortunately,
the moment the door closed she turned narrowing her eyes on Stephany. “I was
wondering when you would finally let me in on whatever is going on with you.
Now out with it.”
“Let’s
sit first.” They made their way to the cozy love seat in the corner. It
overlooked the beautiful gardens. “Can I order you something to drink?”
Tanya
shook her head. “I just had a double order of all I could drink blood with sex
on the side.”
Her
friend must have seen something in her expression because she added, “I’m
sorry.” She shook her head. “I know you don’t want to hear about…never mind.”
Tanya folded her hands on her lap, leaned forward slightly, her eyes focussed
on Stephany.
“Um…something
to eat maybe?” Stephany really hated to have to talk about this.
“Quit
stalling and spit it out already,” Tanya said.
“Fine.”
Stephany threaded her fingers together. “It would probably be better if I
showed you. I’m a little freaked out. I need you to promise to keep this
between us.”
“Of
course. You know you can trust me right?” Her eyes widened and her brows
lifted.
“I
know.” Stephany nodded once. What choice did she have? Stephany undid the catch
on her jacket, pulling it off her shoulders. Next, she unbuttoned her blouse while
glancing in Tanya’s direction. Her friend’s brow had pulled into a deep frown.
One quick flick and the clasp on her bra unsnapped. She’d taken to wearing the
human contraptions on occasion before. Ever since the wolf, Sawyer, had tried
to…do stuff with her though, she’d taken to wearing them all the time. That bra
had saved her humility big time.
“Sheesh”—Tanya’s
eyes bugged out—“you have really big boobs…for a vampire.”
Stephany
cupped her breasts, as she had done several times already that day. They
definitely felt fuller, almost too big for her hands. Her bra had been digging
into her lately in the most uncomfortable way.
“Okay,
so you have really great breasts. Why you needed to show them to me is a little
peculiar though.” She sighed, “What’s really going on?”
Stephany
took a deep breath. “What is your take on this?” Stephany gave her nipple a
squeeze and the same white stuff from earlier oozed out. “I think they might be
infected.”
“No
way… You aren’t… Don’t kid around at a time like this,” Tanya clapped a hand
over her mouth, her eyes wide in her head. “Are you?”
Stephany
didn’t know what to say, could only frown back at her friend.
Tanya
shrieked. “Oh my god! You are, aren’t you?”
“I
am what?” What the heck was wrong with Tanya? She narrowed her eyes at the
human, who seemed to have gone quite mad.
Tanya
shook her head, looking amused. “Have you had sex?”
Although
posed as a question, Tanya had been stating a fact. It was just as she had
thought, there was something terribly wrong with her. Thank the Gods that Tanya
knew what that problem was. Her friend could hopefully help her now. “What’s
wrong with me?” she whispered. Her voice shook almost as badly as her hands.
“Why are you acting so weird? It’s bad isn’t it?”
Tanya
burst out laughing, stopping almost as soon as she had started. Her so called
friend cleared her throat and visibly pulled herself together. “Nothing is wrong
with you. I really thought you had been avoiding Lance. You must’ve had sex
with him soon after you came back though. Like the very same freaking day. How
could you not have confided in me?” Tanya smiled, taking her hand and giving it
a squeeze. “You’re pregnant honey. Leaking breasts is a sign of pregnancy. I
can’t believe you didn’t know that.”
Stephany
felt the blood rush from her body. “No…I can’t be. I never went into heat. No…”
“Have
you noticed any other changes? Are you struggling to fit into your clothes?”
“Now
that you mention it, but I thought it was because I’ve been eating a lot more
than usual.”
“I
don’t blame you. Blood has become my new fave…can’t get enough of it.”
Stephany
was talking about solid food, but she wasn’t about to tell Tanya that. She
suddenly had a craving for bread and jam…
Craving!
Oh
gods. No.
No way!
It wasn’t possible. She hadn’t gone into heat for so
many years that she was sure her body wasn’t capable anymore. Yet, if she
looked at all the facts…tight clothes, over emotional—which she’d blamed on her
broken heart—leaking mammary glands. Bigger mammary glands.
Wait a minute.
“I
still don’t understand why my breasts are leaking white stuff. What is it?”
Stephany squeezed her nipple again and more of the white stuff beaded.
Tanya
looked at her, her face a mask of confusion. “Why would you ask that?” Then she
nodded in a knowing fashion as if she had figured something out. “You may not
know this, Steph, but you will feed your baby with your breasts once you’ve
given birth?” Then she frowned. “Surely vampires breastfeed?” She muttered almost
to herself.
“Don’t
be silly, of course we breastfeed. Our breasts may fill, but they fill with
blood.” Almost the second the words were out, she regretted them. Stephany
cringed, waiting for the onslaught.
“Blood.
Really?” Tanya cupped her own ridiculously big mammary glands. It was a wonder
the female could even walk upright with those mammoth things on her chest.
Especially since she was so small and weak. They had grown even larger since
she fell pregnant. Something the kings were obviously enjoying.
“Yes,”
Stephany nodded. “Once the baby is born, you will feed him or her from your
breasts on a blood only diet for the first year or so. At that point, the child
will start to try and drink from your vein, may even bite on your breasts, he
or she will eventually start to eat the odd bit of solid food.”
She
chewed on her lip for a few beats. “My breasts will fill with blood?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
Tanya sighed, eyes up in thought. “Oh god. It’s going to be really hard to keep
Zane and Brant from helping themselves whenever they feel like it. There’ll be
nothing left for the baby.” Tanya looked thoughtful.
“I
wouldn’t worry, there will be plenty to go around. I need to warn you though that
you’ll be really thirsty.”
“It’s
going to be all fun and games, especially if it’s a boy. I’ll have three
demanding men in my life.” Tanya smiled wistfully while rubbing her hand over
her belly, which still looked exactly the same. Scrunching her eyes, her hand
froze in mid rub. “Wait a minute.”
