Alpha Wolf Rising (6 page)

She rested her forehead on the cool, wet tiles surrounding the bath and breathed heavily.

“Wow. So much for being quiet.”

“Are you okay?” Marek’s hands soothed her back, but he didn’t withdraw. He’d swelled inside her, and they would need to wait a few minutes before he pulled out.

“I’m great. More than great.”

His lips brushed against her lower back. “I don’t normally lose my mind. I prefer a little more finesse.”

“I like my sex wild at times. You know that.”

“That’s what Nolan’s for.”

She laughed softly. “I’ve got both of you, because I’m insatiable.”

“There’s no doubt about that.” He wrapped his hands around her waist and squeezed. “But you and Nolan have been holding out. Keeping secrets.”

The pain in his voice seared through her. Marek had waited until he had her at her most vulnerable before he’d brought it up. Why had she not seen the punch to the gut coming?

“I had no idea what had become of Cole. I fell in love with him in college, and when I told him the truth, he threatened me. He was scared of me, and I was angry. I bit him.” Sierra closed her eyes at the memory of Cole’s fear. She’d trusted him with everything, and he’d turned on her.

Marek eased from her body and slid back into the water. She didn’t know what to say. For a while, she’d expected Cole to show up on her doorstep or worse, but when he didn’t, she did the best she knew how and put the past behind her.

“Why do you need him?”

“What?” She swung around to face him. “What are you talking about?”

“Last night, before you passed out on me, you said you needed him.”

Marek’s features were a stone-cold mask, but the heat in his eyes gave him away. So that was why he wanted her submission again. He’d not understood how she felt or how that affected his place in her life.

Sierra sank into the heated water and gave herself a few minutes to get her emotions under control. Being questioned bristled against her alpha nature, but the woman in her understood his need to assert his role.

“What he is now is of my making. I need to fix it. Whatever it takes.”

And what of Cole? Months had passed and he’d been half beast and half man for all that time with no idea how to handle it. She could only imagine what kind of emotional damage that might have caused.

“Your father and Nolan will be waiting.” Marek picked up the sponge and her favorite bodywash and began washing her arms.
She wanted to sink into his lavish attention and forget the last twenty-four hours. In a rare weak moment, guilt pulsed through her. Marek did not deserve this. But she was alpha now, and the mess was her responsibility. She would be the one to clean it up.

“Well, it’s not as if my father doesn’t know what’s keeping us. I think probably the whole town might have heard.”

He chuckled. “I think they’re used to it by now.”

“Oh, you.” She punched him in the shoulder and pushed him away from her. Time to step up to the plate and take care of business. She stood, allowing the water to run down her body. Goose pimples rose across her flesh from the sudden change in temperature. Sierra grabbed a towel and stepped out of the hot tub.

“Let’s go, lover. I think we’ve kept them waiting long enough.” She turned away before Marek stood and distracted her with his nakedness again. The man had a way of making her forget everything else when he entered a room, but she couldn’t afford another distraction. She had a price to pay, and it wasn’t going away.

Chapter Six

Nolan paced the concrete floor, getting more impatient by the second. He needed to wake up Cole and check on his vitals, but he wanted to wait until Sierra arrived. There was no telling what his frame of mind would be, and she had the ability to calm him.

Lying on the cot, Cole looked exactly like he did the last time he’d seen him at Sierra’s college, except without the pithy anger. The outrage that he’d somehow been duped. Just seeing him again brought the memories flooding forward.

* * *

“What kind of con are the two of you playing?” he’d demanded.
“Look, asshole, I don’t agree with what she’s done. By telling you who she is, she’s put us all in danger.”

“I don’t give a shit about you or her.”

“Well, if you value your life, you’d better start thinking twice about everything you do from here on out. Her secret gets out, not only will you have me to contend with, but the rest of her family. And trust me, Cole, when I say you’ll be a lot better off if I’m the only one you ever meet.”

“I really don’t care what kind of watchdog you are. You’re both a couple of freaks.” Cole rubbed mindlessly where Sierra had bitten him.

There hadn’t been much blood, so even with his limited pack knowledge, he doubted there was any physical danger. Had he not acted like a complete asshole, they’d have stuck around for a while and made sure.

He’d tried to warn him. Let him know his life depended on his ability to keep their secret, but Cole only saw the blood red rage of betrayal.

* * *

Nolan scrubbed over his face and turned away from the disaster lying on the cot.

God, why hadn’t Sierra followed the rules? And what did this recent change mean? Supposedly, a human couldn’t be changed. He’d heard the few stories about feral changelings being hunted and put down.

The basement stairs creaked above him, and Nolan moved to a defensive position. He shifted his hand to the butt of his gun resting on his hip, and he waited. For now, Cole was his responsibility, and he’d make sure no one hurt him. For now…

“Nolan, it’s me,” Sierra called out.

His tense shoulders loosened a fraction.
Finally.

Sierra swept into the room with Marek right behind her. Her signature scent filled the space, and the man on the cot stirred restlessly. Whatever part of the wolf resided in Cole had awakened and wanted who he thought was his mate.
Great
. Nolan ground his teeth and turned tired eyes to his woman. He’d eventually seen the wisdom in sharing her with Marek. Politics not only required it, but Marek helped soothe the wolf inside her. He was no psychologist or even a medical doctor, for that matter. But for a long time after she walked away from Cole, Sierra had been overly aggressive, and to say that spilled over into her sex life was putting it mildly. Sharing her with the likes of Cole, on the other hand, made him ill.

“What’s happened? Any change? Is he awake?” She rushed over to the corner and placed her fingers on Cole’s neck.

“No. Every time he’s awakened, he’s come up fighting. I’ve had to keep putting him under.”

Her gaze shifted to Nolan. “Guess that explains your worse-for-wear expression.” She smiled.

He didn’t want a smile from her. He needed a hot fucking shower and his equally hot woman underneath him. That’s what it would take to work through some of his issues and the mind-numbing aggression.

“He’s on his third dose of tranqs, and he’s already stirring after only an hour. He’s either adapting or his wolf has grown stronger and scented you when you walked in the room.”

“He’s feral?”

Nolan didn’t love the hopeful tone in Marek’s question. He had enough guilt tearing him apart and wasn’t about to make the call that led to Cole’s certain death.

“Now hold on. Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We’re going to wait until he wakes up, and I’m going to try and talk to him.”

“Sierra, honey, I’m not liking this one bit. I don’t think the alpha should be down here in case something goes wrong. Why isn’t he in a more secure location?”

Nolan’s sharp gaze turned to the newcomer, and Sierra growled low at her father, startling him. The former alpha, being a smart man, took a couple of steps back. His gaze darted between Nolan and Marek.

Nolan shrugged and feigned innocence. He’d known her feelings for the college boy ran deep, and now seeing him like this probably tore her to pieces. Not that she’d ever admit it, though.

“Sierra, he’s right—”

Without thought, he stepped between Marek and Sierra, protecting her wishes.

“Nolan, you’re overstepping your duties.”

The admonishment from her father did little to change his mind even if he was right. But she was more than just his protectee, and in light of the night’s events, that information wouldn’t be held for long.

“Father, leave him alone. You’ve trained him well over the years, and no one serves me better. He only wants to protect me.”

“Protect you from your own mate? That’s overstepping, and I won’t have it.”

Hot rage began a slow burn in Nolan’s gut. He clenched his jaw in an attempt to hold his tongue.

“Nolan isn’t just my protector anymore.”
“Sierra, no!” Marek and Nolan both yelled in unison.

“What are you saying, young lady?” The expression on her father’s face gave a clear warning. Shut up or suffer the consequences.

The question may have been directed at her, but Nolan felt the surge of anger thrown in his direction from his head, down to the tips of his toes. Oh boy, this would not go well.

“Exactly what you think. What you’ve suspected. I’ve loved Nolan since I was a little girl and have been his lover for a while now. He, Marek, and I have a relationship, and it’s not going away just because Marek and I have officially mated.”

Her father’s face turned a scary shade of red, and Nolan worried he’d fall dead of a heart attack if they weren’t careful.

He twisted to Sierra and lowered his voice. “Maybe now isn’t the time to get into this. Don’t we have enough problems already?” Nolan nodded in the direction of the cot.

She turned to find Cole sitting up and awake, calmly watching the scene unfold in front of him.

“Oh don’t mind me. This little play-by-play is fascinating.” Cole smirked.

Sierra ignored his sarcasm. “How are you feeling? Any different?”

“If by different you mean no longer desperate to get into your pants despite everything, then nope, not different.”

Sierra blushed a bright red, but Nolan knew better than to think it had anything to do with being shy. She had no qualms about what he liked to call “werewolf fever” in any company unless it was among humans not in the know. No, his hot little firecracker was getting pissed and nearing the edge of her tolerance level.

“How about we all take a step back and start over? In fact, maybe we should consider this discussion after we’ve had a chance to talk to our changeling here.”

“What the hell is a changeling?” Cole asked.

“It’s someone who’s been bitten by a shifter and has started to change, but the process didn’t complete,” Marek offered.

“So, this happens often enough to have a term for it, yet you left me to deal with the repercussions on my own?”

Nolan gripped the butt of the tranq gun hanging from his waist. He’d allow this to play out as long as he could, but he’d be damned if anyone hurt Sierra.

“Cole, try to stay calm,” Sierra began. “Part of your issue is anger and your system being unable to process the larger volumes.” Sierra touched Cole’s shoulder in an attempt to smooth out his emotions.

“Honestly, Sierra, do you think I’m that naive—that stupid? I’ve had some time to deal with this, to experiment, and I know exactly what I can handle and what I can’t.” He stood and towered over her. “But if you really want to see what I can do, keep placating me, and well, we’ll see then, okay?”

“Wait,” the former alpha interjected. “Am I understanding that you are accusing Sierra, my daughter and alpha of the Silverstone pack, of being the one who bit you?”

Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Everyone stood stock-still, not saying a word.

Sierra backed away from Cole slowly, so as not to provoke his wolf, before taking up a spot against the wall. She tilted her head back to rest on the concrete blocks, and her gaze traveled to the ceiling. “Yes, Father. This is my doing. Cole was my lover in college, and when he rejected me, I let the wolf get the best of me. I bit him. I was so angry and not thinking straight. I wanted Cole to love me for who I really was, and when he didn’t…well…I lost it.”

She avoided looking at any of them, and Nolan’s own facade nearly broke. Her pain was his pain, and they both needed to be held accountable.
“She isn’t—”

“Nolan, say another word, and I swear to the gods you’ll be reassigned.”

The shock of her words sliced through him, taking his breath away and cutting him deep. Never in all their years had she threatened him and meant it as more than idle words. The anger in her gaze dared him to defy her. For the first time, he saw the new alpha. Really saw her. He’d known she was strong enough to take it on, but never had she spoken to him with so little feeling. Nolan had ruled their relationship in every way he could. But this was a different woman, and she would have to be reckoned with.

Ruthlessly.

Chapter Seven

Gods, she wanted to go to Nolan and take back her words. She’d cut him down in front of everyone important and humiliated him. When he’d walked away it had taken every ounce of strength she possessed not to go after him.

“Sierra, we are going to have to deal with this. Something like this will not be kept secret. There are consequences for everyone.”

“Father, I’m the alpha now, and I am more than aware of my duties. If you’ll excuse me, I can start figuring out the next course of action.” She kept her voice cold and urgent so as not to give him any room to keep lecturing her. Sierra’s edges were frayed, but she refused to succumb.

Fortunately, her father shook his head and turned toward the door. “You’ve got your hands full, Marek. I hope you’re ready for the job.” He patted her mate’s shoulder and followed in the path Nolan had taken only minutes before.

“You sure know how to clear the room, babe.”

“Shut up, Cole.” His sarcasm was about to get his ass kicked.

Marek touched her arm, and she sighed into him, wanting nothing more at the moment than to curl up in his arms and sleep for a week. Her wolf might be recharged from the crazy night before, but the rest of her was dog tired.

“Okay, so what did dear old dad mean exactly when he said there were consequences for everyone?”

Somehow, she knew that would be Cole’s first question. Always practical and always listening. “Converting someone to a shifter is dangerous. Not only

to the one being bitten but to all packs.”

“Dangerous how?”

“It never works. I’ve not heard of a successful change except in rumors passed pack to pack and from an occasional history buff. The human usually turns feral, uncontrollable, and endangers everyone around them.”

“I’m not feral, Sierra. I have to work harder on my anger, and I became fixated on finding you. I know I look different to you. But I’ve kept my secret, and the men who helped me get here believe I suffer from a strange birth defect.”

She shook her head, not wanting to hear all the reasons that would prevent her from doing her job. “You broke through security. You kidnapped pack members to get what you wanted. You’re sarcastic and calm one minute and an angry wolf the next. Do you honestly think that’s normal?”

Cole’s hand snaked out and snatched her away from Marek, who growled and jumped to separate them.

Sierra grabbed Marek by the scruff of his neck. “Relax. I’ve got this one. If you’d rather go join Nolan or my father, I’d understand. Cole and I have to work this out.”

He touched her hand and stared her down with so much emotion in his eyes she nearly choked.

“Cole and I are connected. Please give me the chance to fix this.”

Marek nodded and tentatively stepped back.

“Your guard dogs are pretty protective.”

“Cole, if you can’t show some respect to my wolf mate, then you and I are done talking. I’m not going to spend all my time playing referee.”

He leaned forward and licked her neck. The heat of the movement caught her off guard, and her pussy squeezed in reaction.

A slow growl sounded behind her that she did her best to ignore.

“How do you plan to fix this? As far as I can tell, our little romp last night, while fun, did little to change my situation.”

“You could have killed her, and you don’t even appreciate the sacrifice she made,” Marek spat.

“What the hell are you talking about? Kill her? Why would I want to do that when she fucked my brains out?”

Marek glowered, a tic in his jaw flaring. “She went too far in her effort to save you, and if Nolan and I hadn’t held you down, she’d be in pieces right now. You need to start listening, because we can’t emphasize enough how dangerous transformation is, and the black moon intensified that.”

Cole looked confused.

“Both of our memories from last night are a bit skewed, but he’s right. The pleasure hit me hard, and I lost control. At the point of frenzy, neither of us cared about anything anymore. Not even life or death.”

“But it didn’t work…”

“It’s science we don’t understand, and biting you in the first place was a huge mistake—and very much forbidden.”

“So what now? I leave and you go on about your merry life while I deal with being a freak?”

She couldn’t answer. Didn’t want to face her responsibility. He did look different now, but freak would not be the word she’d have chosen. She allowed the silence to stretch on and the tension to build in the room.

“I’m not going to be allowed to leave, am I?”

Sierra shook her head, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

Resignation quickly gave way to anger, contorting his features until they were even more wolf like. She took a step closer and touched her fingers to his cheek.

“I’m truly sorry.”

“Get away from me.” He jerked from her touch. “You’ve done enough.”

She dropped her hand to her side, pain lancing through her. Sierra had never gotten over Cole, no matter how hard she’d tried. She’d understood the emotional connection, but now a blood bond connected them. She loved him.

And now she had to kill him.

* * *

“Sierra, the situation is spiraling out of your control. You must do something to fix this soon.”

Her father’s words pushed at her pride and pricked at her anger. “I’m not sixteen anymore. Do you think I don’t know this is serious?”

“I’m not sure what I think anymore. First Nolan, and now a changeling of your own creation. It’s like you’re out of control. How did I go so wrong?”

She rolled her eyes. “Quit being so melodramatic. I’m a big girl and have been for quite some time. I’m perfectly capable of making my own choices as well as my own mistakes.”

“Then what are you going to do? This information won’t stay quiet for long, and you’ll be challenged.”

Her blood chilled. “Are you threatening to reveal this information, Father? Because I’d hate to think my own blood would betray me like that.”

His face turned bright red, his eyes opening wide. He took a step closer, invading her personal space.

“The changeling can’t be allowed to live no matter what feelings you may have. He’s an abomination.”

Sierra rubbed at her temples and the ache growing there. Her father’s preaching stretched her last nerve. Her lack of options was already crystal without him lecturing her.

Her duty as alpha came first above all else, yet the feelings she harbored for Cole fought against her at every turn. He’d had no idea who or what she was when he’d gotten involved with her, and now she was expected to take away his life. There had to be another way.

“Sierra, are you listening to me?”

“Yes, Father.” Not really.

“You don’t have much time. Your changeling will only get worse, and someone will be hurt or killed because of it.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him.

“I know how conflicted you are, and despite what you might think, I understand. I’m not without feeling, but the alpha has to make hard choices. You have to be able to take the road that benefits the whole of the pack, and sometimes that means sacrifices to others. If you can’t do that, you
will
be challenged.”

She jerked her arm from her father’s grasp and stepped closer, invading his personal space now. “Do you honestly think I don’t already know that? You’ve stepped down as alpha. It’s time for you to accept it.”

Her father sighed. “I may not be the alpha anymore, but I’m still your father. Don’t expect me to sit idly by while you destroy your life or the pack.”

She bared her teeth and lunged for him when the door swung open and Marek and Nolan entered the cabin. “Looks like we’ve made it just in time.”

“I was just leaving. Sierra has a lot to think about, and I certainly hope her mate will help her make the right choice.” With that, her father swept from the room, leaving her with two men and a roomful of anger.

“I don’t need the two of you to start on me either.” She paced back and forth across the living room. “I’ve had enough lectures to last a lifetime. My relationship with Cole was over the minute he rejected me, and I never expected anything like this to happen.”

“You didn’t? You know getting mixed up with humans puts a shifter on a direct path toward trouble.” Marek glanced at Nolan. “No offense to you. You may not be a shifter, but you are part of the pack.”

“Yet, I’m as off-limits as Cole.”

“I’m not stupid and I think I've more than learned my lesson. I would never bite you on the night of a new moon.”

“Are you sure about that? You’re aren’t always in control of your actions.”
Marek’s reasoning burned through her. No, she would never let this happen to Nolan. Ever. “Isn’t that what you’re for, then? To make sure I don’t go too far.”

More guilt washed over her at the stricken look on Marek’s face.

“Enough. We shouldn’t be attacking each other. We’re a team. A family. And together we’ll figure this out. But not while everyone is so pissed off. We all need to cool off. Sierra, when was the last time you ate something?”

She shrugged. It hadn’t exactly been a priority since the attack.
“Give me a minute to whip up something, and then we’ll start figuring this out.”

She nodded her assent, but she didn’t really feel like sitting around. She’d pissed off her father, insulted Marek, annoyed Nolan, and was holding Cole against his will in the basement. So far, she’d really scored as the alpha.

“You worry too much, babe.”

She turned to Marek, guilt already churning in her veins. “I don’t deserve your understanding. I’ve been acting like a bitch ever since I saw Cole again.”

“You still have feelings for him.”

She wasn’t sure whether he’d meant that as a question or not, but just thinking about everyone’s emotions made exhaustion sweep over her. She shoved her fingers through her hair and paced to the window.

“He was my first love. He may have ripped my heart out in the end, but there’s something about your first that sticks with you.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”
Something about the way he said that made her turn and look at him. “Do you have a first love, Marek? Someone who got under your skin and never quite left you?”

“You, Sierra. It’s always been you.”
She sighed. How had they gotten down this road? She’d known he was interested in her before she ever left for college, so if she’d given half a thought to his feelings, she’d have known.

“I’m sorry, Marek. I had no idea something like this would happen.”

He held up his hand to stop her. “Doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. What’s important now is what happens next.”

“You want me to put him down?” She didn’t really want the answer. “Just kill him like someone who has no rights. Someone who’s not human.”

“It’s not about want. It’s about what’s right and safe for everyone. I witnessed him almost tear you apart. Gods, Sierra, if Nolan and I hadn’t been there…”

“But you were, and I’m fine.” Hell, she couldn’t stand thinking about this without her stomach doing every kind of twist and turn, leaving her nauseated and disgusted. “This is my fault, and now he’s lost the right to live? There has
got
to be another way.”

“We both know there ain’t a hell of a lot in this world that’s fair. And yeah, you are the one who bit him, and like it or not, you have to live with the consequences.”

The renewed anger vibrating in Marek’s voice took her back. For as long as she could remember, he’d always remained the calm and reasonable one. She didn’t know what to think of this new, possessive side of him.

“Come and eat, you two. Fighting over the inevitable isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

The grim line of Nolan’s lips hid his feelings to some degree, but she knew the man better than that. His restraint served him well when it came to dealing with the pack, but when it came to her, she’d always done her damnedest to break through the reserve to the man underneath. The one who loved passionately and protected fiercely.

“I’m really not hungry.”

“I don’t recall asking if you wanted to eat.” His sarcasm bit into her resolve.

If she kept poking at him, she’d end up tied to the bed while he took what he wanted from her. A shiver of pleasure snaked up her spine at the image, arousal building between her thighs.

Marek glanced at her sharply before shaking his head and striding to the dining table. “You know it’s not food she’s hungry for, right?”

“Of course I do. And I aim to satisfy whatever it is she needs, but first she is going to eat some food.”

“
She
is right here where
she
can hear you perfectly.”

“Good. Then get your ass to the table.”

Sierra started to snap back but bit her tongue instead. Fighting with Nolan wasn’t what she needed at all. While she’d been stressing over Cole and Marek, she’d failed to notice the scent of vanilla and chocolate.