The Alpha Hunt: Wolf Shapeshifter Menage Romance (Taking Two Book 3) (3 page)

“
I
can still smell
her on you.”

Richard’s fingers tightened around the crystal glass, filled with whiskey and ice, as he glanced at the man he was supposed to call “father”. The word never sat right on his tongue, not even when he was a boy but with his sweeping grey hair and sharp, narrow nose, Gregor
was
his father. He'd turned his mother, mated with her, and given Richard life and title. It was because of him that Richard could call himself a high-born werewolf and reap the benefits without consequence.

Gregor maneuvered through his study with an intimidating grace native only to him. His long limbs were hidden beneath a black robe that swept across the carpet as he made his way from the door to the fireplace.

“Her scent will linger,” Richard said, knocking back his drink. “They always do.”

Gregor took a seat on the edge of an armchair. His pale, spindly fingers curled into the leather as his nostrils flared and he inhaled the lingering scent of Francesca, wafting from Richard’s skin. Richard’s nails dug into his palms, fists desperate to form but he knew better than to bare his teeth at his pack leader. Gregor may have been his father but he had no problem snapping his neck if he – or any of his pack – crossed a line.

“Not like this one,” Gregor said. “This one will linger for months.”

Gregor watched him as he poured another drink.

“What are you implying?”

“Is she pretty?” Gregor asked.

"I never chase anyone who isn't."

Gregor laughed. The sound of it was foreign to Richard’s ears. His father rarely smiled, unless he was standing over a woman, begging for her life or begging to be turned. “I remember saying something very similar to my father when he asked me about your mother.”

Richard bristled at the mention of his mother. He downed his drink to erase the foggy memory of her smile.

“Do you like her?” Gregor said.

Richard set his glass on the bar car, liquid residue sloshing lazily around the bottom. His mouth ached for another sip, but the night wasn’t over and he couldn’t afford to get drunk. Not yet.

“I don’t know her,” he said, facing his father.

Gregor raised an eyebrow. “Of course you know her. You know her in the most intimate way. You know her better than anyone else. Well,” he said, nostrils flaring once more. “Maybe not
anyone
else.”

Richard clamped down on his jaw. He’d been waiting for his father to pick up on Luke’s scent, heady around his thighs. No amount of scrubbing could erase the mark of his cum. He would smell like his pack brother for months.

“I’m glad the two of you are finally learning to share,” Gregor said, a smirk forming across his mouth. “Although I’m not sure how that will work if she’s the one.”

“She isn’t,” Richard snapped.

A sigh passed Gregor’s lips as he stood, growing to his full height. Richard grew comfortably above six feet but his father towered over him as he gripped his shoulder, fingers pressing into the fabric of his rumpled suit jacket.

“Naivety doesn’t look good on you,” Gregor said.

Richard ducked his head.

His father patted his cheek before sauntering towards the door, one hand twisted in the front of his robe.

“Don’t hide in here all night,” he said, throwing Richard a glance. “The festivities in the ballroom have just begun.”

T
here was
a knock at the bathroom door.

Francesca opened her mouth to ask who it was when the door flung open without permission. She yelped, throwing her arms around herself, hiding her damp and nude body from the woman who entered. She was silent, her eyes trained on the linoleum floor, a red dress folded neatly across her arm.

She hooked the hanger on the back of the door before she said, “Master Richard would like you dressed and ready in five minutes.”

A sliver of pleasure ran down her spine at the mention of the dark-haired Alpha. His blue eyes were engrained in her mind, his piercing gaze watching over her as she came three times in one evening.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said.

The woman nodded, shoulders hunched forward as she left the room.

Francesca had almost forgotten about her red dress. It was stripped from her body the minute she entered the Alpha’s headquarters and replaced with a silk robe. Said robe was now pooled around her feet, damp from the droplets of warm water that slid from her skin.

She’d washed away the cum and sweat but the scent of Richard and Luke still lingered on her skin. If she closed her eyes and pressed her nose to her shoulder, it was almost as if they were in the room with her, Luke pressed against her ass while Richard’s cock slid against her clit.

She itched to touch herself at the memory, but she shook the thought from her head and slid on her dress. It was simple but sexy, strapless fabric that fell just above her knees. It once belonged to her sister. It was the dress she wore to her first hunt and she’d passed it down to her with a smile.

Francesca exited the bathroom and found Richard waiting for her by the bed. He’d redressed and combed his hair, but like his scent was implanted inside of her, she could smell her air of sweetness trapped beneath his skin.

“Where’s Luke?” she said, glancing around for the blond Alpha.

A look of distaste colored Richard’s features. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not his keeper.”

Francesca nodded and swallowed her disappointment. She had hoped to spend the rest of the evening flanked by two handsome Alphas but the sight of Richard still made her mouth water.

Wordlessly, he offered his arm and she tucked her hand into his elbow. They left the bedroom and wandered down the hall, passing closed doors where fountains of moans spilled behind them. Francesca’s cheeks reddened at the cacophony of noise – whimpers, curses, flesh slapping against flesh – a musical of fucking. Her clit pulsated and her pussy grew wet. There was no underwear to mask the scent of her arousal beneath her hand she felt the muscles in Richard’s arm tense.

He led her down the wide staircase, her bare feet sliding against the carpet as they turned right, then left down a narrow hall lined with portraits, heading towards a room packed with music and laughter.

Francesca could barely keep her mouth from falling open at the sight of the ballroom – long white columns jutting out of each corner, massive windows running along the Western wall, two grand chandeliers hanging above their heads and a band of violinists playing on the stage in the center. Waiters and waitresses roamed the floor in the nude, balancing trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Older Alphas leered at their exposed cocks, pussies and asses, pinching and touching whenever they passed by.

A good amount of Alphas had brought down their prey, all of them barefoot and stinking of their temporary master. Francesca couldn’t stop herself from staring at their necks and shoulders, their skin covered in bite marks and scratches, and she was all the more relieved to have someone like Richard, who didn’t seem too interested in marking her up. Then again, at the sight of their bruises, a pinch of disappointment settled in her stomach. Why didn’t Richard want to sink his teeth into her?

Richard plucked two flutes of champagne from a waitress’s tray and handed one to her.

“You’re not a lightweight are you?” he asked, leaning close enough for his breath to brush against her skin.

Francesca shivered and wrapped her lips around the glass. “No.”

Richard watched her swallow the golden liquid, his eyes trained on the movement of her throat. Her fingers brimmed with excitement.
Please
, she wanted to beg,
lean in and bite me
, but Richard kept his composure.

They drank in silence, standing near the middle of the room, the stage a good foot away.

The other Alphas moved around them respectfully, glancing at Francesca until Richard shot them a look. They gave him a nervous but apologetic smile before turning their backs. She looked up at his sharp profile and tight mouth and wondered about his rank. None of the other Alphas (aside from Luke) dared to step out of line, so he must’ve been someone of importance.

Richard finished his drink and out of the corner of her eye Fran spotted Luke, standing near the window with one hand in his pocket, the other cupping the ass of a blushing waiter. Her eyebrows raised at the sight.

“Is Luke into men?” she said suddenly. Once the words escaped she bit down on her tongue. Prey weren’t permitted to be openly curious about the acts of other Alphas. “I…I’m sorry…I –”

A small smirk toyed at the corner of Richard’s mouth. “Luke’s into men, yes,” he said, finishing his glass. “But he’s also into women. He’s into anything with or without a pulse.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Without a pulse?”

Richard cocked his head. “Surely you’ve heard of vampires.”

Of course she had, only she’d never seen one in person. There were no vampires in their part of the world. Upstate New York and the rest of America were overrun with werewolves.

Out of the corner of her eye, Francesca watched as Luke pressed his nose against the waiter’s neck, inhaling his scent as his free hand reached between his legs. She could hear the waiter moan from almost across the room, his pale skin flushing beneath the yellow light of the chandelier.

A busty redhead wearing a gold gown climbed the small staircase next to the stage. She positioned herself in the center, tapping on the silver microphone with her gloved hand. All eyes and bodies turned towards her, the crowd’s attention unwavering. Francesca knew that there weren’t many female Alpha’s in upstate New York, but a handful existed. She wondered if she was one of them.

“How’s everyone doing tonight?” she said, straight white teeth glittering as she smiled.

The crowd applauded and Francesca joined in. Beside her, Richard remained still.

“So far, the annual hunt has been a riveting success if I do say so myself. You all look proper fucked and sucked.”

The crowd laughed. Francesca snuck a gaze towards the corner, where Luke was pulling the waiter, his hand tight around his wrist.

“But we all know our annual hunt is nothing without a few games to spice things up.”

The redhead snapped her fingers and the doors to the ballroom opened. Two naked men arrived, carrying a large fortune wheel on their shoulders, envelopes taped to each colored stripe. A third followed behind them, a bowl full of folded white strips in hand. They placed the wheel behind the redhead and she smacked both of their asses, earning a lusty chuckle from the crowd.

“Oh, I love the hunt,” she said, eyeing their swinging cocks as they took their places on either side of the wheel. She beckoned the third man over with a crook of her finger. “Let’s see who our first victim – I mean,
winner
– is.”

The violinists raised their instruments and fiddled out a string of suspenseful notes. The redhead dipped her hand into the bucket, rummaging around until she plucked a single slip.

“Richard Welles,” she said, her eyes locking on Francesca’s Alpha. The crowd turned their attention towards them, applauding as Richard tensed beneath their stares. His fingers tightened around his champagne glass as the redhead said, “Get your ass up here and bring your catch of the night.”

Francesca’s eyes widened but she didn’t dare protest.

Richard helped her up the stairs, following behind her with one hand on her lower back. The redhead greeted him with two arms thrown around his neck, a kiss to either cheek.

“
Brother
,” she said. “Are you ready to spin the wheel?”

Richard scowled. “Do I have a choice?”

The redhead thought for a moment. “No.”

Francesca stood behind him as Richard unenthusiastically spun the wheel. The colors mixed together to form a constant rainbow of bright shades before the wheel stopped on blue.

The redhead snatched and opened the chosen envelope, a mischievous grin spreading across her lips. “A blindfold and a pair of handcuffs,” she said, glancing between Richard and Francesca.

The audience roared. One of the naked men left the stage and returned with the items in question – a pair of silver handcuffs and a black blindfold. He handed them to the redhead and she dangled them in Richard’s face.

“Tell us, brother,” she looked at Fran. “Which one is she gonna get?”

T
he blindfold went on first
.

Richard stood behind Francesca, the tips of his shoes pressed against her bare feet, his breath sweeping across the back of her neck. His fingers danced across her skin as he pushed her hair over her shoulder, the knot of the blindfold against the back of her head.

“You can’t remove this until I tell you,” he whispered in her ear.

“Okay,” she said.

Her hands were trembling but she wasn’t afraid. She could see nothing but darkness and could taste the anticipation on her tongue, sweet like her scent in Richard’s hair.

He pressed his fingers against her wrists and she visibly shivered. A small chuckle rumbled through the crowd. She could feel their eyes on her. Male and female, Alpha and prey, devouring the sight of her parted lips, her tongue darting between them to nervously swipe across the bottom.

“I have to undress you,” Richard said, close enough that his mouth almost brushed against her skin.

How she wanted to lean to the right, to feel his lips against her, but she remained steady and nodded.

Richard gripped the zipper of her dress and the sound of it, falling undone, played like lightening in her ear. In the dark all of her senses were heightened and she could feel every centimeter, falling away from her shoulders, past her breasts, her nipples hardening in the exposed air.

“Oh, look at that,” a man said in the crowd.

The crowd of Alphas and their prey shifted. Francesca imagined the Alphas grabbing breasts and cocks and licking the bruises of their prey as they watched Richard undress her. She could feel the heat rushing beneath her Alpha’s skin, growing with every inch of skin he revealed. Her dress pooled on the stage before she stepped out and someone – she imaged one of the naked men – snatched it up.

Francesca had a minute to process that she was standing in front of a room of salivating Alphas, naked and wet, when she felt Richard’s hands encircle her wrist.

“I’m going to handcuff you now,” he said.

The metal bracelets felt cool against her shockingly warm skin and a sharp hiss passed through her teeth. A wave of gasps rolled through the crowd and the thin hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

“Control yourself,” Richard growled, low enough that she was the only one to hear it. If her audible noises drove him and Luke crazy, she couldn’t imagine what a string of them would do to a room of horny Alphas.

The handcuffs slid in place with an audible click of the lock. The crowd cheered and another flush of red painted Francesca’s cheeks.

“Isn’t she gorgeous?” the redhead said, her heels clacking against the stage.

Francesca smelled her before she felt her hand on her breast, testing the weight of it, her thumb rubbing across her hardened nipple. Richard released a low growl but made no move to stop her. Francesca wondered if this was part of the game.

The redhead slid her hand up to her shoulder, brushing her hair behind her ear as she leaned in to sniff her. “Oh, she smells divine,” she said into the microphone. “What I wouldn’t give to taste you.”

Between the lips of her pussy, her clit twitched in interest. She’d never been with a woman before but the redhead smelled of lilac and wood, a scent Francesca could drink for hours. She imagined her full pink lips brushing against her nipples, her fat tongue sliding between her legs.

The tip of the redhead’s tongue barely touched her skin before Richard wrapped his hand around Francesca’s arm and pulled her away.

“I’d never thought you’d be one for breaking the rules,
sister
,” Richard spit.

The redhead laughed. “I’m just having a bit of fun,” she said, voice ignored by the microphone. “But just so we’re all clear, let’s all remember the rules,” she said to the crowd. “You can smell and you can touch, but you cannot fuck Richard’s catch. Got it?”

Collectively, the crowd released a string of disgruntled noise.

Francesca flared her nostrils, using her sense of smell and Richard’s touch to find where the dark-haired Alpha was standing. She suspected he was a few inches behind her.

She turned her head in that direction, eyebrows furrowed as she whispered, “What are they going to do to me?”

Richard’s hand tightened around her arm. “It’s a game,” he said into her ear. “I’m going to lead you around the room and the Alphas will feel you up. Some of them will smell you, others will say something rude or suggestive or both, but they can’t tear you away from me or claim you for their own. You have to trust me, Francesca, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

A warmth settled in the pit of her stomach. “I trust you.”

Francesca held her breath as Richard led her down the steps, her palms sweating as the heat of the Alphas grew closer. Her toes curled against the floor before Richard touched the back of her neck, a shiver shooting down her spine as he nudged her forward. With every step the crowd of Alphas grew more aroused, their scents thickening in her nostrils and tightening a pleasurable knot in her stomach.

“Get ready,” Richard whispered.

She sucked in a breath at the first stranger’s touch, tender fingers stroking the curve of her breasts. Another stranger – or maybe the same – grabbed the second, knuckles brushing over her hardened nipples, a small moan brewing in the back of her throat. Richard led her forward and more hands appeared from the side, touching her stomach, her hips, her thighs, her neck. One Alpha seemed transfixed by her hair, their fingers threading through the brown strands, catching on the ends as Richard maneuvered her away.

With her heightened hearing she picked up on the grunts and pants surrounding her, the scent of sex heavy in the air. She imagined the Alphas with one arm thrown around the waist of their prey, hand encircling their cock or fingering their pussy as they reached out to touch her.

It was almost too much – too many hands on her skin, too much pleasure building between her legs - but Richard led her on. She could feel the growl of protest, growing in his throat, but he tightened his jaw and swallowed the noise.

There was a small scuffle to her right.

“She’s so wet,” a male Alpha said.

“I wanna get on my knees and lick her,” said another.

Francesca shivered delightfully at the thought.

“Don’t touch her there,” Richard growled towards her left.

She swore she felt someone recoil.

Richard’s fingers tightened around her neck and the air around them grew thick enough to suffocate.

The touching pressed on – slick fingers pinching her stomach, nails digging into her hips. A hand slapped her breasts and she stumbled backwards from the surge of pleasure, teeth sinking into her tongue as she bit back a moan. Richard caught her, his free arm thrown around her waist. Against her back she felt his heart, beating fast and hard like the erection poking her ass.

She settled against him, looking for a short break, but the caressing continued. Francesca tilted her head against Richard’s shoulder, turning until her mouth was inches away from his throat, moaning at the blanket of pleasure washing over her. She heard him gulp, swallowing a thick lump of arousal as he pressed against her.

“We have to move,” he said into her ear.

“Why?” she whispered, grinding her ass against him.

A throaty whimper passed his lips and the smell in the air changed to something spicier and more pleasant, a scent she could drown herself in.

“Francesca,” Richard said, his mouth moving against her ear.

“
Richard
,” she moaned.

A wet finger trailed down her stomach, sliding between her lips before it pressed against her pulsating clit. She arched her back, lips massaging Richard’s neck as the finger dipped into her wet cunt.

Richard’s arm tightened around her waist. The growl in his stomach flew from his mouth as the finger inside of her was snatched away. Richard lunged forward, Francesca still pinned against him as a pained whimper filled her ears.

She swore she heard something break.

“I should snap your neck,” Richard said, his words cutting against his teeth.

The painful whimper grew and Francesca jerked her arms in an attempt to pull down her blindfold. Her wrists slid against the silver bonds of her handcuffs and a curse poisoned her tongue. Richard tightened his hold around her and she buried her face in his neck, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

A pair of heels clacked against the floor as the scent of the redheaded Alpha grew. “You know the rules, Bernard,” she said.

The redhead snapped her fingers and two pairs of feet made their way over. Francesca assumed the footsteps belonged to the naked men, who bypassed her with a brush of their shoulders. Bernard screamed and Richard leaned against her as his wails grew distant. The doors to the ballroom opened and slammed shut, swallowing his vibrant cry.

“Don’t you hate it when someone tries to ruin a perfectly good party?” the redhead said.

The crowd murmured, agreeing with her.

The redhead’s signature scent wafted beneath Francesca’s nostrils as she made her way over, the tips of her heels pressing against her feet. She felt her hand against her cheek, soft and caring.

“Are you alright, dear?” she said, her breath smelling of peppermint.

Francesca nodded. “I thought that was Richard.”

She could almost hear the smirk tugging at the redhead’s mouth. “Would you like Richard to be inside you?”

Richard pulled her close to his chest, his bulging cock pressed against her ass. Francesca gasped.

“Yes,” she said, a flush of red covering her cheeks.

The redhead’s fingers danced across her cheeks, sliding to Francesca’s mouth where she ran her finger along her bottom lip. “She’s precious,” the redhead purred. “And how cruel would I be if I didn’t grant the girl her wish?”

A round of applause rung through the room. Behind her, Francesca heard a smack followed by a laugh. The redhead must’ve playfully patted Richard’s cheek.

“Up on the stage you two,” she said. “Let’s give these fine people a show.”