The Alpha's Captive (8 page)

Aiden reached up to touch the window, almost waving to Devon. The next thing Aiden knew, Devon was moving. Quick, wide strides were carrying the man to the house in record time.

“Shit.” Aiden pushed away from the glass and hopped up on the bed and pulled the comforter over his head.

Now that he wasn’t looking at the most beautiful man he had ever seen, his brain decided to catch up with the current events. He saw five wolves in the yard and five men came out of the woods where the wolves had entered.

He couldn’t rationalize what he just witnessed, but the eyes didn’t lie.

The sound of the front door shutting had Aiden pulling the blanket tighter around his head and clenching his eyes tight. Devon was coming for him, and the only thing Aiden could think about was werewolves.

Josef thought it would be a good idea to go for a run, so Devon agreed. Running helped him sort out his thoughts, and it would also help him burn off all that excess sexual energy. He’d love to expend it on his mate, but that wasn’t going to happen. Aiden made it pretty clear he didn’t want anything to do with him. But Devon couldn’t fault him that. Being held against his will could cause that.

Devon also didn’t want to tell Aiden they were mates because if Aiden did have feelings for him, it’d be harder from him to let Devon go when the time came. It was only fair to keep Aiden oblivious to that particular knowledge.

Skyler had still been with Aiden when they gathered in the yard, so he gave off one long howl to get his attention. Once Skyler had joined them on instinct Devon looked longingly toward Aiden’s window. To his surprise the young man stood staring back. When Aiden noticed him looking, he stepped out of sight.

Devon didn’t think anything about Aiden seeing them in wolf form. Most humans didn’t know of werewolves’ existence, so Devon assumed Aiden just thought he saw a pack of wolves. No big deal. They were in the woods after all.

But when they returned he came out of the woods in human form and saw a dark mass standing in Aiden’s window. He stood there and with his keen eyesight saw the flicker from Aiden’s eyes. Aiden didn’t run in fear, just stood still while looking him over. It wasn’t until he headed toward the house did Aiden move away from the window.

His feet ate up the distance until he reached the house and took the stairs two at a time to get to his mate’s room. With Aiden so near and changing from wolf to human caused his libido to skyrocket. But most of all he wanted to check on Aiden. He did just watch as five grown men walk naked out of the woods.

Devon knocked lightly on the door but no answer. He knocked a little louder and still nothing. “Aiden,” Devon called out. There was no way Aiden had fallen asleep that fast.

He gently turned the knob, trying to appear as innocent and nonthreatening as possible and stepped into the room. A balled-up figure lay on the edge of the bed, and Devon moved to sit next to Aiden.

His cock twitched against his thigh from being so close to his mate. Devon looked down and saw that he was still naked. With a silent curse he stood up and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. He wrapped it around his waist and sat back down.

“Aiden.” Devon shook Aiden’s leg. “I know you’re still awake. I can hear your rapid heartbeat.” Devon bit his tongue on that last part. He didn’t mean to give away any of his wolfy secrets, but damn it he wanted his mate to acknowledge he was in the fucking room.

The blanket slowly came down to expose Aiden’s eyes. They were the size of baseballs. He looked afraid. “That’s impossible.”

Devon ran his hand through his hair and fisted a handful. What was he supposed to say? It was impossible for humans like Aiden but not for werewolves. The normal human abilities didn’t pertain to him.

“What are you?” Aiden whispered as he scooted to sit up against the headboard.

Devon studied Aiden’s rigid posture. He had to wonder if Skyler said anything to Aiden about what they were.

“What do you mean?” Devon thought it best to feign ignorance. He didn’t want to give anything away.

“Seriously? You’re going to play dumb?” Aiden took a deep breath, and Devon watched the rise and fall of his chest through his thin T-shirt. “I’m not stupid. I saw five”—Aiden held up his hand with his fingers outstretched—“wolves outside earlier then I saw five naked men come out of the woods.” Aiden crossed his arms over his chest and looked his nose down at Devon. “So try again.”

Fuck!
Aiden was smarter than Devon thought. Most times the logical part of a human’s brain tried to rationalize what they see especially when it’s not normal. But instead of ignoring the coincidences, Aiden put two and two together and now wanted validation for his discovery.

“What do you think is going on here, Aiden?” Devon asked.

“Well.” Aiden’s hands began to fidget, and he looked uncertain. “This is going to sound completely crazy but I think you are a man and a wolf.”

Devon nodded his head. “Yes, I am.” No use denying it now. The cat, or in this case the wolf, was out of the bag. “Are you scared of me now?” That was the most important question for him to ask. The only reason Aiden was here was to get Erik back, but sitting so close and talking about their differences, Devon couldn’t help but want to see what this meant for them as a couple.

“No, I’m not.” Aiden chuckled. “Your brother? Yes. He scares the shit out of me, but you’re different.” Aiden pushed his covers away and scooted toward Devon until he kneeled in front of him. “Why is that?”

Aiden’s eyes darted between his, begging for answers. Answers Devon was too afraid to say out loud.

“Please say something,” Aiden pleaded. “It’s taking everything I have in me to not fall to the floor and have a full-blown anxiety attack. I’m scared but not when I’m with you.” Aiden grabbed Devon’s hand. “Why is that?”

The warmth coming from Aiden’s tight grip stole Devon’s breath away. To be able to touch his mate felt exhilarating. Devon didn’t want to lie to Aiden, but the alternative would cause more heartache for both of them.

Devon turned his hand palm up and grabbed onto Aiden’s hand. He closed his eyes then slowly opened them, keeping his gaze downward. “There’s no reason. Maybe it’s because we’re attracted to one another.”

“So you are attracted to me?” A warm, inviting smile curved Aiden’s lips. “So, Devon, do you take all the men you are attracted to hostage?”

“Only the ones I want to keep.” Devon reached out and cupped the side of Aiden’s face. His eyes dropped to Aiden’s soft, full lips. Just one taste, that was all he needed. Slowly he leaned forward, and Aiden met him in the middle. Devon moaned at the contact. Nothing ever felt so perfect or meant to be.

Aiden nibbled teasingly on Devon’s bottom lip, and his inner wolf growled its approval. Devon took both hands and looped them around Aiden’s neck, bringing him even closer. His tongued pushed at the seam of Aiden’s lips, and the younger man opened instantly. Devon licked and sucked until he tasted every inch of Aiden’s mouth. It was heaven. Like honey and dark chocolate combined to make the sweetest mixture Devon could imagine.

What are you doing? You can’t do this to yourself. Aiden’s dad will call you in two days. To get Erik back you will have to hand over Aiden. Don’t get too attached. He’ll be gone soon.

Reluctantly, Devon pulled back. Aiden’s mouth was still parted and his eyes shut. Devon thought the man looked gorgeous in his wanton state, but no matter how much he wanted to continue this, he had to stop. It wasn’t fair to Aiden or to himself to become addicted to something they couldn’t have.

“What’s the matter?” Aiden asked, confusion playing across his face.

“Nothing.” Devon stood up. “But it’s late, and we both need our sleep.” He bent down and kissed Aiden on the forehead then hightailed it for the door.

With the door shut safely behind him, Devon rested his weight against it. It took all the control he had to walk out of that room. He wanted Aiden so badly, and the younger man seemed to want him just as much, even with the whole kidnapping and being-chained-up thing going on. Aiden kissed him like he meant it. A person couldn’t fake that.

“Nice boner.”

What?
Devon looked down. The towel he wore did nothing to hide his full-blown erection tenting the material.

“I see you are taking my advice,” Josef said as he stood there with a knowing grin on his face. “So how was it?”

Devon growled at his friend as he headed for his room. He was so not having this conversation right now.

“Oh, come on, Dev. Is it as great as they say? Don’t hold out on me.” Josef followed Devon into his room oblivious to his internal struggle.

He didn’t say a word, just went straight into his bathroom and took a shower. After he dried off and stepped back into his room, he saw Josef laid out on his bed staring at the ceiling. “What the hell, man? Get out of my room.”

“Not until you tell me what happened.” Josef sat up and swung his feet off the bed.

Devon yanked open his dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of boxers. “Nothing happened.”

“Nothing?” Josef’s eyebrows arched up to his hairline. “I can smell the sexual bliss in the air. It’s like a fucking aphrodisiac. I’m getting high off it myself.” He rubbed his cock through his jeans. “I need to get laid.”

Damn his best friend and his sensitive nose. Devon sat down on his bed, rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head. “Aiden knows what we are.”

“And?” Josef pushed.

“And we kissed.” His heart raced just thinking about it.

“Then what’s the problem? He obviously accepts it if he let you kiss him. So what gives?”

“Maybe it’s the fact that his dad is a hunter who is hunting us and has my baby brother. To get Erik back I have to turn Aiden over to his father. That’s the deal.” Devon stood and began to pace the floor.

“That’s all technicalities.” Josef batted a hand in the air. “I totally get what you’re saying, but maybe Aiden wants to be with you. And if he does, daddy dearest can’t do anything about it. Aiden’s a grown man.”

“We both know it’s not that simple. He’d hunt us down until we’re all dead just to keep his son away from the monsters he thinks we are. I won’t put my brothers or the pack at risk for that matter. Keeping everyone safe outweighs what I want.” Devon accepted his fate, but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

“No one ever asked you to be a martyr. You’re punishing yourself to a life alone because you’re afraid to take a chance. Hunters come and go, and there’s nothing to say they won’t come after us with or without Aiden being with you.”

Devon understood his friend’s line of thinking, and he appreciated it. But he was the alpha. It was his job to keep everyone else safe.

“Josef, I know you mean well, but this is the way it has to be.” He held up a hand when Josef opened his mouth to argue. “I’m really tired, so please just go.”

Josef stood up and walked to the door. He turned around like he wanted to say something but just sighed and left the room.

Devon wished it was as easy as Josef made it seem. After that one kiss he craved another.

Maybe a good night’s sleep would put his focus back on track. Getting Erik home safe and sound meant everything.

Aiden tossed and turned for over two hours. He finally kicked his blankets aside and lay with his back on the bed. The more he thought about his encounter with Devon the more he got upset. The man kissed the very air out of his body then left like it didn’t mean anything. Aiden could tell that Devon wanted him. He could see it in the other man’s eyes and in the way he touched him.

This whole situation was fucked up, and Aiden knew it. He shouldn’t be so attracted to Devon, but it was beyond him to deny it. Of course he was upset he’d been kidnapped, but after learning that Devon and his friends were wolves, it had him thinking they weren’t lying about his dad taking their brother.

Aiden loved his father, but maybe he had been keeping things from him. And if he was Aiden wasn’t sure he really knew his father at all.

Not wanting to think about his father, Aiden pushed those thoughts aside and focused on Devon. They shared one little kiss, and the man flew out of his room like it was on fire.

Aiden wasn’t the most experienced lover, but he could kiss. That was practically the only thing he had done. He’d been hanging onto his virginity for nineteen long years. It was time to kiss that bitch good-bye and what better way than with an older man who had a body like a god. Plus it’d make for a good story to tell his friends when he got back to school, but he’d leave out the whole werewolf thing. He didn’t want them to think him crazy.

And it wasn’t just about sex. Aiden felt a connection to Devon. It was like an invisible string tethering them together. He didn’t want to have sex with just anybody, but something told him with Devon it would be everything he’d always dreamed it would be.

He wanted Devon to come back to his room but how to do that? If he broke a lamp or screamed, one of the other men in the house could come and check on him. He didn’t want to see anyone else, just Devon.

“Devon, I need you,” he said softly. He’d just have to wait until Devon came back on his own to check on him. Feeling defeated, Aiden brought his arms up to place under his head. “I would love to see what you look like as a wolf up close.” The last part he said as an afterthought. Aiden believed that these men were wolves, but he wouldn’t mind getting actual visual proof.