Bride of the Alpha (6 page)

neck.

Then I shifted, and ran like the wind.

Chapter Six

For short periods of time, wolves can sprint at 35 miles an hour or so, although we more commonly

lope along at a leisurely 5 to 7 miles an hour.

This was a time to sprint. I ran like a bat out of hell until I’d reached the road near the Gas N Gulp. The road where I came out was a quarter mile from my destination. It was a narrow ribbon of road hemmed in

by towering pine trees that swayed in the wind. I trotted to the roadside…and was shocked to see Maxwell’s truck pulling up. Should I run? I wondered. What could he possibly want?

Oh, the heck with it. I shifted back to human form and pulled my clothes on, as he sat there with the

truck idling, waiting.

As I walked towards him, he leaned over and pushed the passenger door open.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

“What do you mean? Why are you letting it go this far? Are you trying to make some kind of point?” I

demanded, struggling to blink back tears. Any minute now, I expected him to start mocking me. Laughing at me.

He shook his head, frowning at me. “What kind of point would I be trying to make?”

“You know, it’s not just me that’s affected by this,” I said. “Just be honest, for God’s sake. Tell everyone that this marriage was a sham.”

“Is that what you want?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter what I want!” I didn’t know what I wanted any more. “What matters is doing what’s

right. Going through with this marriage isn’t right. Come on, you just met me. You can’t say you’ve fallen in love with me.”

I realized that part of me desperately wanted him to argue. He didn’t.

“An Alpha marries for the good of his pack; he’s lucky if loves come into the picture as well,” was all he said.

“Then there’s no reason for you to marry me. I’m no good for your pack. I carry no political advantage

whatsoever,” I told him.

“You underestimate yourself, Josephine Southpaw Battle. You’re also not thinking this through. Your

friend ran away, but she’s not safe yet.”

That got my attention. “What do you mean?” I asked uneasily.

“Her uncle would be within his rights as pack leader to track her down and drag her back. He’ll keep

hunting and hunting until he finds her. Do you know what would prevent him from doing that?”

“What?”

“If she mates during the full moon.”

Well. That was true. If she mated during the full moon, she would definitely conceive. However, the full moon wasn’t coming for several weeks yet.

“If he doesn’t know to look for her, then that would buy her enough time to conceive,” he said. “If he

finds out what happens, he may be able to track her down and bring her back.”

“Won’t he find out on his own?” I asked. “His pack lives what, like, an hour from you?”

“Not necessarily. Nobody in Timber Valley talks to anybody from his pack. When he inquires about the

alliance on Monday, I’m certainly not going to say anything.”

“That would require carrying on this charade for three more weeks,” I said.

He nodded, as if the matter were settled. “Yep. So do you want a ride back, or do you plan going back

the way you came?”

Oh, heck. I climbed into the truck. I’d had my fill of running for the day. My paws were getting sore.

We rode back to the property in silence. I sat there trying not to be turned on by his scent, and the sheer masculine presence of him, but it was impossible. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat until we pulled up

in front of the wedding lodge.

He held the door open for me. The perfect gentleman…until he ran his hand down my back and over

my backside as he followed me in.

I shivered and choked back a moan of frustration, biting my lip and moving out of reach of his hand.

I needed to summon all of my willpower. If I had sex with him, it would be addictive. Three weeks

would roll around, I’d have to leave, and it would be devastating.

“Since we agree this is just a fake marriage, I should probably sleep in another bedroom,” I said firmly.

“Of course. No problem at all.” He had that gleam in his eye again. “Of course, there’s always the issues of the bedclothes.”

“The bedclothes. What about them?”

“You don’t have the traditional scenting of the bedclothes in your pack?’

My, my, this pack was full of interesting traditions. “Ah, no. Do please explain.”

“The morning after the wedding, the bedclothes should be saturated with the scent of sex. That is how

the Alpha proves that he has claimed, and satisfied, his bride. We hand it out the door to one of my

brothers. He cuts it up into pieces, and hands the pieces out to the assembled single male and female

wolves, who scent the material, and then there is a mating frenzy. Big ole orgy right there”

“Seriously?”

He burst out laughing. “You should see your face right now. You’re red as a stopsign.”

“So…you were kidding?”

“Oh, hell no. If there’s no bedclothes handed out…well, it’s never happened. The pack would question

my virility. I probably couldn’t be Alpha any more. I’d never be able to start my own pack.” His face had taken on a mock tragic expression.

Oh, wow. No pressure at all.

“Uh…But what if the marriage ended in three weeks? How would that look? Wouldn’t that also make

people question your virility?”

“Let’s worry about that then, shall we?”

Before I had a chance to argue, he swept me off my feet with his shifter strength, and carried me down

the hall and to the bedroom. He dropped me on to the bed.

“By the way, I don’t know how you do things where you’re from, but tradition says that in the

bedroom, the Alpha always takes the lead. I am the boss in the bedroom. End of story, period.”

While I was still spluttering with indignation, he grabbed the front of my shirt with his two hands and ripped it in half.

“Hey!” I squealed. “I don’t have another shirt!”

“Well then. I guess you’re trapped in the bedroom with me. Or, if you want me to get you another one,

you’ll have to ask very, very nicely. I do accept sexual favors as bribes.”

He grabbed the waistband of my sweatpants and pulled them off before I could argue with him.

Then, he gestured at the table full of sex toys.

“You know what happens when a pack member disrespects an Alpha, don’t you?”

Yes, I must certainly did.

“Well, er, in California the Alphas tend to be very forgiving,” I lied. “They tend to give the offender a second chance.”

That was not true. Nowhere in the world was it a good idea to show disrespect, or in any way displease

an Alpha.

“Really? If I called your pack to verify that, what would they say?”

My cheeks heated, and I stared at the ground.

“Oh, Josephine, you are getting yourself in deeper and deeper,” he said.

“I see that now,” I murmured. “Too late for a do-over?”

He laughed at that. “I’m going to let you pick your implement of punishment.” So, that would be a no.

I looked over the table hesitantly. “Um.”

“Or, I can pick.”

That sounded dangerous. I quickly pointed at a riding crop. He grabbed it, picked it up, and handled it lovingly.

“Lie face down on the bed,” he said sternly.

“By the way,” he added, “Your safe word is tomato. I would never take a woman who doesn’t want me.

If you say the safe word, I will stop immediately, and go to sleep in my own bedroom.”

Meekly, I turned around and complied. The comforter was silky and soft, and smelled sweet, like pine

needles.

I tensed, waiting for the blow, but instead he trailed his fingers lovingly along my buttocks. Everywhere that he touched, my skin lit up with pleasure.

“You like it when I do that?” he crooned.

“No,” I lied again.

He ran his fingers along my pussy lips, which were oozing with the juices of my arousal. I whimpered

in pleasure, and squirmed at his touch.

Crack! The whip came down, and struck my buttocks, living a stinging stripe on my skin. I jerked and

cried out.

“I’m your husband. I’m also the Alpha. You shouldn’t lie to me. Every time that you do, I will punish

you. Now, let’s try that again. Do you like it?” He traced the red stinging line gently with his fingers.

“Yes,” I gasped, shuddering with pleasure.

So, the reputation of the Timber Valley pack was partly true. They were domineering and kinky. I’d just never realized how incredibly sexy it was to be dominated – if it was by the right man.

“You deceived me by wearing that charm,” he said. Crack! The riding crop came down, and I jumped

again, and let out a squeal.

“You climbed out the window and ran away from me, your husband.” Crack!

Oh, mercy, I could feel those stinging lines. At the same time, I felt a heat flaring through my body that I’d never experienced before. I felt hollow and filled with liquid desire. Every inch of my body was

exquisitely sensitive, craving Maxwell’s touch.

I’d dated a few guys in college, had sex with two of them. They were okay. I didn’t orgasm. I’d learned to take care of myself, after we were done. I even faked orgasms with them, just to be polite.

Right now, I was incredibly close to coming without Maxwell even entering me.

As if he read my mind, he slipped his fingers between my legs, and began rubbing the pad of his thumb

on my clit. Lightning bolts of pleasure shot through my body.

“Oh,” I whimpered, and moved my legs wider apart. I never wanted him to stop.

“How does that feel?”

“S-so…good…” The heat was building, gathering in a point low in my groin. It was a pressure that was

as painful as it was pleasurable. I needed release.

It seemed as if he could read me all too well. “You’re not allowed to come yet.” He pulled his hand

away.

“Wh-what?”

“You heard me. You’re not allowed to come until I give you permission.” Crack! There was another

stripe across my buttocks.

He ran his finger along the new stripe. “Every one of this is a mark of ownership. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes…” I gasped.

“Who do you belong to?”

It was foolish of me, but I was a stubborn woman.

“I belong to myself!”

Crack! Crack! Crack! I shrieked aloud, legs kicking up with each strike. I wasn’t going to say the safe

word, though. No way. I would not give him the satisfaction. I would not show him weakness.

Also, to be honest, there was no way I was going to send him off to his own bedroom. I wanted him so

badly that I was almost ready to cry. I wanted him to plunge into every orifice I had. I wanted to lick his well defined abs and take his cock in my mouth and…

“Who do you belong to?”

I wanted to be sassy again, but I was running out of skin that hadn’t been whipped.

“Y-you,” I choked out.

“Say it a little louder?” he taunted. “I’m a little hard of hearing sometimes.”

I gritted my teeth. Bastard.

“I belong to you!” I shouted.

“That’s right, baby. Don’t you ever forget it,” he said, running his hand gently over my stinging flesh.

His big, rough hand felt feather light as it moved over my skin. I bit my lip and swallowed tears of

frustration. I wanted to scream “Fuck me now, damn it!” but I refused to beg.

He’d moved over to the table.

He came back with a bottle of lube and a plug.

“Has anyone ever taken you there?” he said.

“N-no,” I panted.

“Good. I’ll be your first. Since I’m a nice guy, sometimes, I’m going to go easy on you tonight. We’ll

start with this.”

He dripped lubricant on my puckered, rosy hole, and massaged it in, slipping a finger inside. I squirmed at the unfamiliar sensation.

Then, he pressed the butt plug against my rectum, firmly. He pushed harder…harder…until he’d

breached the resistance and it was inside me, filling me. It throbbed, but in a pleasurable way.

Then he flipped a switch and I felt it vibrate. The vibration hummed inside me and drove me nearly

mad with frustration. I clutched at the comforter so tightly my knuckles turned white, and I blinked back tears as he lightly ran his fingers along my pussy lips again, with a soft, teasing touch.

“What do you want?” he crooned.

Forget pride. I was about ready to pass out with need. I felt as if I were burning up from the inside.

“You,” I begged. “I want you. I want you to fuck me. Please!”

“All you had to do was ask.”

He moved between my legs and thrust into me. He was huge, stretching me out almost painfully, and I

could feel his cock and the vibrating butt plug pressing against each other through the thin wall of flesh that separated him.

“Oh God,” he panted. “You are so fucking tight. Oh, yes, that’s it.” He pumped into me, his testicles

slapping against me. His hips moved in a steady rhythm, each thrust sending pleasure twisting up inside me until I could barely stand it.

“Remember…” he gasped out. “You need my permission…to…come…”

“Please! I want it so bad! Please let me come!”

He began moving faster, slamming into me so hard that the bed moved with each thrust. I buried my

face in the cloth and cried out.

“Come for me!” he barked, and I did, my body jerking, my muscles convulsing and clamping down on

his cock. I felt the rippling waves travelling through me, and he held on to my hips so hard this fingers sank into my flesh. He let out a guttural cry, and his hot semen flooded me and leaked out onto my thighs, sticky and warm.

I came and came, waves of orgasm flooding me until I lay spent and shuddering and drenched in sweat.

He pulled out of me very slowly, and I crawled up onto the bed, breathing hard.

“I hope you realize that was just a preview of the coming attractions,” he growled, moving to lie on top of me. He was already hard again.