Bride of the Alpha (5 page)

it into the shape of a swan. Then I made its wings flap. “I’m a teacher,” I added. “I teach art class. My kids love origami.”

I’d temporarily distracted Virginia and her brother from their fight, at least. “Show me how!” Virginia said, delighted. I sat there and showed her the folds, and then she made a bird too, and threw it at her brother Lance. It stuck in his hair.

“Very mature, Ginny,” he said. “I can see you’re all growed up.” She leaped to her feet and tried to tackle him. He turned and ran, with her chasing after him.

I saw Maxwell standing back, watching me approvingly.

He walked over to me. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? We don’t bite. Well, I do, but you’ll find out

about that later.”

Once again I felt that swoony feeling. I wanted to consummate our wedding with him more than I’d

ever wanted anything.

I glanced around. “Where’s all the kids, by the way?” I said, to change the subject.

“Oh, this is a fairly adult ceremony,” Max said. “The cubs are spending the weekend with their

grandparents and the teenagers.”

I really, really wanted to know what Running and Claiming involved. Damn it.

I found out a short time later, when Maxwell led me out of the reception area to a clearing, where Lance was now standing and waiting for us. The woodlands stretched out behind us, vast and inviting.

We’d be running through ponderosa pines, so tall they shot up into the sky and I had to tip my head

back to see the treetops. The woods were thick here, and the forest floor was littered with pine needles. The smell was heavenly.

Crowds of wolves were gathering around, whooping and cheering.

“So, here’s how this works,” he said. “We’re very big on tradition around here, and this goes way back.

As you know, it’s vital that an Alpha be perceived as the strongest member of his pack. The way that we used to claim our brides around here up until about a hundred years ago was simply to go to another pack’s territory, run after a bride, and drag her back with us, caveman style.”

Wolves usually sought out brides from outside of their pack, for genetic variety and also to form or

strengthen new alliances.

“Yeah, that’s what our pack did too,” I said. Of course, this was modern times, we’d evolved past that

since then.

“On an Alpha’s wedding day, we re-enact a version of that. The Alpha has to prove that he’s wolf

enough to claim a bride. So we shift, I chase you through the woods, towards a finish line. If you make it there first, you are free from obligation. If I catch you, I claim you right there in the woods, and you are my bride.”

“How often does a bride actually get away?”

He grinned fiercely. “From a Battle? Never. And trust me, I’m faster than you.”

“We’ll see,” I smiled sweetly. He was in for a little surprise. Yes, I’m a big girl. I also have very, very powerful leg muscles.

He had the advantage of knowing the terrain. I had the advantage that I was a track star in high school.

Big doesn’t always mean slow. I wasn’t going to tell him that, though.

“How would I find the finish line?”

Leo was standing near us. He handed me a big piece of cloth which smelled very strongly of Max’s

scent.

“The finish line is due north. One mile from here,” he said. “My brother is there holding the other half of the cloth, so follow your nose. Oh, and you get a fifteen second head start.”

I nodded. Wolves have a great sense of direction and an excellent sense of smell. I’d be able to find the finish line without a problem.

We stripped off our clothing.

“Quit staring at me, you perv!” I said to Maxwell.

“You’re my wife. I’ll stare at you all I want.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said smugly. “I’ll wait for you at the finish line. Try not to get lost.”

“Oh, I already have so much to punish you for,” Maxwell said with a smirk. “Thank you for giving me

one more reason to spank that delicious bottom of yours.”

I heard Vincent’s voice booming out. “Attention everybody! It is now time for the Running, and, if my son is half the Alpha I think he is, there might be some Claiming in the near future!” The crowd laughed uproariously.

“Nice one, dad! Very funny!” Maxwell yelled out, and then he muttered under his breath “Might? My

furry ass.”

“Ready…shift!” Lance yelled.

I dropped down to all fours. My fur sprouted, my jaw lengthened, my ears popped up and reformed

themselves, turning pointy. My senses blazed to life. I could smell everything with astounding clarity. I could hear a squirrel leaping from one branch to another, and a raccoon scrabbling through the underbrush behind a nearby tree. On the other hand, my color vision vanished and it was now a million shades of

black, white and gray.

“Let the Claiming begin!” Lance’s voice boomed through the air.

Not if I could help it. I took off like an arrow shot from a bow. I was a gray streak racing through the trees, leaping over bushes, over fallen logs.

I gloried in the run. A stiff breeze rustled my fur. The air was full of a million delicious smells.

Raccoons, birds, rabbits, squirrels, berries, fungus, sun-warmed leaves, pine sap, the loamy earth kicked up by my paws, the many different kinds of moss…

However, Maxwell was a better runner than I gave him credit for; soon he would be hot on my

haunches.

I was determined to win this. It was my “get out of fake marriage free” ticket. It was the graceful

excuse.

I felt a little guilty as I ran at top speed. Was I making an Alpha look weak in front of his pack? Maybe, but wasn’t that better than carrying on this charade? I couldn’t believe Max had even let it get this far.

The scent of the cloth was ahead of me. I was getting closer to it. I concentrated on running faster, all four legs churning, my ears flat against my head. He was still behind me, at least. That was good.

Up ahead, I heard a noise. It sounded like a cub in distress.

Not now, damn it! I thought, but I headed towards the sound, down a small hill, where I found a small

cub. His paw was wedged under a fallen log.

I ran down the hill, shifted to human form, and knelt down next to him. “You’re fine,” I told him, and

bracing myself, I summoned all my strength and shoved the log off him.

He shifted back to human form. He was a boy who looked to be about six, with a dirty face and leaves

and twigs tangled in his hair. I knelt down and looked at the leg that had been trapped; there was a bruise and a cut, but that was it.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him. “Shouldn’t you be with rest of the kids?”

“My brother dared me to,” he sniffled. “He called me a fraidy-cub. I’m not a fraidy-cub.”

He wiggled his ankle and looked down at it. He took a few steps.

“I know you’re not,” I said. “Can you find your way back?”

He looked indignant.

“Of course I can! I’m not a baby.”

“Go on then. And don’t do this again,” I said, and he shifted to cub form and ran off.

I looked up and saw Maxwell standing off in the distance, still in wolf form, watching me. Wow, he was

actually playing fair.

Good for him. I was still going to run my ass off. I shifted back to wolf form and ran like I’d never run before. I could not get trapped in a fake marriage.

For one thing, I was really starting to like Maxwell and his family. I didn’t want to start getting used to being here.

Even scarier, I could see myself really falling for Maxwell. It wasn’t just the fact that he was incredibly sexy. It was the way he looked at me, as if I were the sexiest woman in the world. It was the air of

possessiveness that clung to him, as if he didn’t want any other wolf looking at me. It was the way he’d kissed me, the way he touched me.

I was distracted, and I stumbled and rolled over, but quickly regained my footing. Where was he now?

The wind was really picking up, whipping through the air and playing havoc with my senses.

I kept running, and I knew the finish line was up ahead. About a thousand feet away – I could see it…

Something big, gray, and furry, launched itself at me through the woods, and knocked me off my feet. I

landed in the dirt with a thud.

It was Maxwell, crouched above me. He’d been so fast that he’d managed to get ahead of me, and then

had come back to block me before I got to the finish line. He’d totally kicked my ass.

Cursing to myself, I turned human, and so did he.

He was big, and he was stark naked, and he was pressing me down into the soft forest floor with his

massive, muscular weight. I could feel his rock hard cock pressing against my thigh, his pubic hair tickling my skin.

“Was it good for you too, princess?” he breathed into my ear.

“You son of a bitch.”

“Hey. I played fair. I played more than fair.”

His cock pressing into my flesh… the warm breezes caressing us…his hot breath in my ear…I stifled a

moan.

“Are you thinking about what it’s going to feel like?” his lips tickled my ear and I squirmed, trying to push him off of me, but it was hopeless.

“About what?”

“My cock inside you. Me, fucking you. Forcing you to come, again and again. Claiming you like an

Alpha claims his mate.” He ran his tongue along the curve inside my neck, and at the same time, shifted a little bit, his cock sliding along my stomach. I let out a gasp. The juices of my arousal were seeping out, and I was afraid I was going to have an orgasm, right there.

“St-stop that,” I whimpered.

“Stop what?” he demanded.

“Stop…you know…”

“No, I don’t know. Do you want me to stop
this
…” He ran his tongue along my neck again, and I

thought I would pass out from pure frustration. I wanted him inside me so badly that it made me want to cry.

“Or
this
?” And he moved his hips, sliding his cock along my stomach.

“Both! Stop everything!” I moaned. I was liquid with desire, and he was tormenting me. How long

could I resist him? Did I even want to any more? Why exactly was I trying to fight him off? I couldn’t

remember.

“Okay. Just so we’re clear.”

And to my shock and dismay, he stood up. He was rock hard, and I could smell the animal musk of his

arousal pouring off him, but he climbed to his feet and reached down to help me up.

Numb with surprise and confusion, I let him pull me to my feet.

“They have clothes at the finish line, in case we want them,” he said, and without a word, he turned and trotted off.

I followed him to where one of Max’s cousins was waiting for us. He handed us clothing and I pulled

on a t shirt and sweatpants, and not looking at Max. I felt mortified. My squirming and moaning had given me away, and no doubt he could scent my arousal just as I could scent his. He knew I wanted him – and

he’d pretty much rejected me.

Was this his revenge on me for tricking him into marriage – getting me all turned on and then pulling

back, and secretly laughing at me? Or had he just said been respectful of my wishes?

Somehow, I felt that if he really wanted me, he’d have tried a little harder. He’d said that the ceremony

included Claiming the bride as soon as he’d chased her down, and he hadn’t even bothered. That pretty much meant I hadn’t been Claimed, didn’t it?

Big surprise. My mother’s words echoed in my brain from when I was a child. “A man just won’t love a

woman who looks like us, Josephine, better get used to it. He’ll use us for sex, sure, but he’ll never marry us. A one night stand, that’s the best I can ever hope for.” I’d felt sick and queasy when she talked like that back then, and I felt sick and queasy now.

I had to face it. It was pretty clear that he didn’t really want me. Sure, he was physically turned on, but he was also a young, healthy male wolf shifter. It wouldn’t take much to turn him on.

Maxwell winked at his brother. “We’re headed back to the wedding suite,” he said.

“Of course you are. See you tomorrow.”

“Don’t insult me, man. If you’re lucky you’ll see me Monday.”

My head was in a whirl. I felt as if there was something he wasn’t telling me, some game that he was

playing, but I couldn’t figure out what.

I looked out the window as we drove, feeling both sulky and ridiculous. The problem was, my body

wanted one thing and my mind wanted another. I knew what needed to happen – I needed to leave. I

needed to go back to my apartment, and my big empty bed, and stop pretending I could be married to an

incredibly hot Alpha with a rich, powerful family.

This was much harder than I’d ever imagined. It hurt me all the way to the bone. I didn’t regret it for a minute, though. Camille was in love with someone else, and no matter how hot Maxwell was, she would

never have been happy married to him.

At the big stone lodge, he swept me up in his arms and carried me over the threshold. Only a shifter

would have been able to do that.

Still, I knew what I needed to do.

When he set me down, I grabbed my purse.

“I’m going to use the restroom. I need to freshen up,” I said, and rushed down the hall without looking at him. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it.

“Hurry back,” he called out.

I quickly texted Bess. “I need you to meet me at the Gas N Gulp in half an hour,” I told her.

Then I texted Camille. I hoped she was somewhere safe and able to get my text. “The deed is done. I’m

about to run off. You need to keep running and don’t look back. Also you need to get pregnant during the full moon so your Uncle can’t force you to come back. Good luck!”

I wrote on the bathroom mirror in eyeliner “I can’t do this! I’m sorry.” Tears burned my eyes and ran

down my cheeks.

I climbed out of the bathroom window and dropped to the ground, with my purse. I quickly rolled up

the sweatshirt and pants I’d been wearing, stuffed them in my purse, and hung my purse strap from my