Pack Alpha (4 page)

“Sam said he ran into you after you met with the Boyd woman.” Logan paused for dramatic effect. It was something Gage usually found amusing. Tonight wasn’t one of those times. “He said you seemed agitated.”

Gage snorted in response. “I am not agitated.”

Logan nodded, his expression growing serious. “No, I didn’t think so. If you were agitated, you might be pacing your office liked a caged…wolf.”

Gage didn’t miss the twitch in Logan’s lips. His second in command kept the smile from his face this time, but barely. “I am not pacing.”

“No. Absolutely no pacing going on here,” Logan agreed too easily, proving that he was finding too much humor in messing with his Alpha.

“I have had enough with foolish talk for one night, so knock it off.” Gage barely kept the growl out of his voice.

Logan’s blue eyes sparkled. “Things didn’t go so well with Elizabeth’s sister, I take it?”

Gage snorted again and went back to pacing. “She’s rude, stubborn, and…”

“Beautiful?”

Gage swirled around. “How do you know she’s beautiful?”

To Logan’s credit, he kept a straight face giving only a careless shrug. “A lot of the men were quite impressed with her.”

“She is not here to be hit on by every available male in the territory,” he said strongly. Too strongly even to his own ears.

“Well, since she was raised in a Pack, I don’t think this behavior is that new to her,” Logan predicted. No doubt trying to be helpful.

Gage didn’t respond.

“Being raised in a Pack, she already knows most rules and our laws,” Logan continued.

“Oh, she knows the rules all right. Knows how to ignore them.”

Logan nodded as if he understood. “It’s not the first time you have encountered a rogue or undisciplined wolf. What makes her different?”

That question was what was bothering Gage. “I don’t know what caused it. There’s more to her story than just leaving her Pack because she didn’t feel comfortable not being able to shift. Or a break-up. There’s a pain deep inside her and I want to know where it comes from.”

“She’s only going to be here a week,” Logan pointed out.

“Yes but in that time she’ll be protected. I think that’s what she needs. There is no one out there making sure she’s safe and cared for. I wouldn’t be a good Alpha if I didn’t help in any way I can.”

“As long as that’s all this is,” Logan said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gage demanded. He narrowed his eyes, ensuring Logan knew he was serious. They didn’t get into many power battles but every now and then Logan challenged Gage. Not for Alpha status but in a way that Gage knew his friend was concerned.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Logan said. “She’s not going to stay.”

“Just get me everything you can on her.”

Logan stood then left Gage once again alone in his office.

“Let’s see what secrets you have, Marissa Boyd,” he said quietly. He turned back to his desk where he’d left his laptop. He would do some research of his own.

* * * *

After dinner, Marissa claimed to be tired from her trip and locked herself in her room. She was exhausted but really needed some time alone. Elizabeth’s future mate had joined them for dinner and Marissa had to admit she liked Greg even more than she’d thought she would.

It was obvious that he only had eyes for Elizabeth. Marissa didn’t miss the subtle touches that passed between the two of them either. Marissa was thrilled for her sister, but there was just a hint of jealousy deep down. She tried to push it away, but it was there—just as it had always been. Along with the question that haunted her late at night. Why was it that Marissa was defective?

Deciding a bath would soothe her, Marissa filled the tub with hot water then relaxed into the marble enclosure. Her sister’s house was nice. It was very homey and wasn’t too fancy. It was so different from the huge, cold house they’d grown up in. She thought this home matched Elizabeth just as this territory seemed to.

Marissa sighed, thinking about the territory. She had been shocked when Alpha Gage hadn’t demanded she leave. She had been rude to him. She didn’t know of any other Alpha who wouldn’t have punished her. And he would have had every right. She was his guest and was expected to follow his rules. It might have been more complicated if she had a Pack Alpha standing for her, but she had no one. She didn’t have anyone in her corner to help her smooth things over with him. It was Marissa’s responsibility to make sure she didn’t cause any problems. If only she’d come in later in the week instead of for the entire seven days.

She’d missed Elizabeth, though, so she’d packed her bag and purchased a plane ticket. She really needed to work on not being so rash. She had no idea how she was going to make it through seven days around the Alpha. Thinking about Gage had her temperature rising. Oh, he was a good-looking man, although there was more to him than just that. There was power there—that was unmistakable—but she sensed something different in him from her old Alpha. Even though they had argued, she didn’t have the same fear of his power as she did others in his position. Oh, she had been scared, but if Gage had continued to touch her she was more worried about her own reaction. She’d wanted him, an Alpha. It was like she could feel the compassion inside him for others. That could only lead to trouble.

She’d given her heart once to a wolf, and it had ended badly. Very badly, and he hadn’t been an Alpha. She wouldn’t repeat that mistake. Although the Alpha was tempting. So very tempting that Marissa found herself caressing her breasts thinking about him.

This wasn’t a normal reaction for her. She could always resist her urges. The wolf inside her might not like it, but she could do it. Her only fear was that Gage could push past her defenses and make her vulnerable.

She dipped a hand under the water and rubbed the ache between her legs. She made a vow to herself right then and there. She would never be vulnerable again. Even if it left her sexually frustrated.

She let her fingers trail over the swollen folds of her sex before slipping inside. The pressure of two fingers entering felt so good. With her other hand, she pulled and pinched her nipple. The slight pain added to her arousal.

Marissa closed her eyes, and it was Gage’s face that popped into her head. What would he do if he walked in and saw her touching herself?

Weres were very sexual, and Marissa had stronger urges than most women she knew. She indulged herself often but only with humans who couldn’t hurt her. Even the man she’d been with the night she’d received Elizabeth’s invitation hadn’t evoked an ounce of fear. Sure, he’d been big and strong but he was still human. She tried to picture his face as she played with her pussy but her mind kept returning to the Alpha. Gage Wolf. She shuddered. His presence was so dominating that she could almost
feel
his eyes on her.

Would Gage drop to his knees beside her? Place his hand with hers? Pump his thick fingers inside her?

Marissa let out a low, long moan at the thought. Her fingers moved easily between the folds of her core, building the release she needed. She wondered what he looked like without his clothes. His tan arms had been revealed earlier. Even with his clothes, she could tell he was built. She’d bet he had a wonderful body.

Fingers moving faster, Marissa lifted her hips as she finally reached her climax. Biting her lip, she came slowly but fully with thoughts of Gage teasing her.

* * * *

Gage stared at the information in front of him. “They just let her go?” he asked, looking over to Logan.

The other man glanced up from the pages he was reading. “Apparently.”

Gage shook his head. “Something’s wrong here. They didn’t even try to keep track of her.” He could picture a young Marissa alone and scared, out of the Pack for the first time. His anger rose and it was all he could do to keep control of his wolf.

Logan placed the papers on the sofa next to him. “This is not telling us anything. It leads to more questions than answers. You need to talk to this girl again.”

Gage nodded, looking past Logan to the window in his office. Thoughts of Marissa Boyd had kept him up last night. The full moon was only six nights away, and every wolf got distracted as it came closer, but he was more than just
distracted
by this woman. If the hard-on he was sporting was any indication, he needed to do more with her than just talk. It’d been years since he’d felt this hot for any woman.

“Alpha?”

Snapping his head up, he didn’t miss the amusement all over Logan’s face. “I’ll go talk to her.”

“Elizabeth should still be teaching, so you should have all morning alone…so you can talk privately.”

Gage barely contained his groan. Not only had he been hard since first seeing this woman, but it seemed his Beta was determined to get him together with her.

“I’m just going over to talk to her.” Gage stood, stretching his back from sitting too long at his desk. He wasn’t even saying the words to Logan. He was reminding himself. Marissa was nervous and jumpy around him and he didn’t want her to feel pressured. But if she gave him even the smallest hint that she wanted him as much, Gage would pounce. He wasn’t going to torture himself if Marissa shared the attraction. And he knew she already did from their first meeting. He just wanted her to have to admit it. “I won’t be gone too long.”

“Of course, Alpha,” Logan agreed, not bothering to hide his huge grin as he left Gage’s office.

Maybe Gage would come back to the house and take Logan down a few notches. That wouldn’t take care of the most pressing problem but it might make him feel better. If Gage was going to be sexually frustrated, a fight would at least take some of his own edginess away.

He had a feeling that any amount of time spent with Marissa was going to test his control.

Marissa stood on her sister’s back porch, looking out at the woods that surrounded the house. It was so beautiful here. The warm wind blew her bangs into her face and she brushed her hair away. The quietness of the area was soothing, and being alone, getting to bask in nature, almost brought tears of happiness to her eyes. How long had it been since she’d just opened up to this feeling?

She remembered a time when she’d hated having to be around crowds. In the years since she’d left her Pack, she had gotten used to people and the noise. What she had once hated now served the purpose of keeping her from having to admit that she’d never have what her sister did. This place was too beautiful for the likes of Marissa. She had to pay penance for her past mistakes. Giving up a view like this was her punishment. Elizabeth didn’t understand but Marissa didn’t expect her sister to either.

They used to stay up late talking in the room they shared, about the perfect place to make a home. This territory was everything they’d wanted growing up and Elizabeth had finally found it. Marissa had to push down the kernel of resentment that wanted to grow. No, Elizabeth belonged and she didn’t. Even if the property was picture perfect and, what she’d dreamed about. Foolish wishes of a teen who hadn’t understood how the world really worked.

Back then, Marissa had still had hope that one day the Pack would accept her. She no longer carried that hope. It had been replaced by the bitterness that she didn’t belong anywhere. The wind called for her wolf to run. She couldn’t. She literally could not shift.

The thick green grass cushioned her bare feet as she stepped onto it. The animal inside moved restlessly to be let out. Her skin prickled and she shivered. The wolf needed to be released. Normally she would do this with sex, but this was not the place for her to indulge. It was going to be a painful and agonizing week.

Moving farther away from the porch toward the edge of the trees, Marissa felt her wolf jump inside her skin. Some weres thought of their animal as an extension of themselves. Marissa was different. From an early age she’d determined that her wolf was separate. A part of her that was suppressed so hard that the animal and human were not linked. Since no one knew why she couldn’t transform like other shifters, Marissa figured her feelings were just as good as what anyone else thought.

She scratched her arms out of habit because of the feelings she was having. God, how she wished she could shift. Could let the wolf completely free like it wanted, like it needed.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Resigned and unhappy, she turned back toward the house and stopped short, noticing the man who stood on the porch watching her. Her wolf growled its approval, demanding she take this available male.

Marissa tried to push the feeling aside but if she couldn’t run like a wolf she wanted to have sex. It didn’t help that she couldn’t stop thinking about the hot Alpha.

Gage watched as Marissa’s eyes widened. She licked her lips, and his cock jumped in his jeans. He’d been surprised to find her staring into the woods like she was ready to go running. He didn’t know much about non-shifters. They were not common. Only a handful of them existed. But the intensity of her stare was like that before a shift.

He quickly covered the distance between them. Marissa didn’t move away from him when he reached her. Her green eyes had started to glow.

“The wild calls to you?”

She nodded and licked her lips again.

“How does it make you feel? Not being able to shift?” He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to reach the woman, and the wolf, under the skin. Maybe if she felt he understood her she’d open up to him.

She looked so sad he wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay. He couldn’t make that promise to her, though, at least not yet. Hopefully soon he’d be able to guarantee her safety and acceptance.

She cleared her throat twice before speaking. “Trapped.”

Her words broke his heart a little. She had started shaking so he reached for her and pulled her into his arms for comfort. “Does it hurt?” He couldn’t imagine how it would feel for his wolf to be trapped.

When she only shrugged a shoulder, he continued, “What can I do?”

Her gaze met his before dropping to his lips. Fuck, his cock was hard and he wanted to plunder her mouth. The moment she sucked her bottom lip, the last thread of his resolve slipped. He yanked her to him before taking control of her mouth. She didn’t fight him, but opened immediately. He plunged his tongue inside, dominating the kiss. Her low moan only drove him on farther, harder. With one hand wrapped in her hair, holding her head still, he used the other to bring their bodies closer.