The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas) (3 page)

BOOK: The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas)
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“Like
what?”

“Do
you have a mate?”

Her
eyebrows shot up at that. “Excuse me?”

Something
that sounded very much like a growl came from him. It was a deep, rattling
noise from deep in his chest. The hair on her arms stood on end.

“Listen,
I don’t much like the situation we’re in and I don’t like havin’ to ask a lot
of questions. So why don’t you just answer my questions?”

Food
forgotten, she could only stare at the shadow of the strange man. An even odder
sensation came over her. With a start, she recognized the feeling—security. He’d
just made her feel some measure of safety and he did it without offering any
promises while she still had her wrists bound. She didn’t entirely understand
it.

“Well?”
Impatience laced his words.

She
swallowed, wishing she had more time to analyze this. He was so strange.

“Tell
me who you are first.” This could be a lieutenant, the alpha’s brother, or any
number of people though she had a feeling she knew. Only certain men packed the
kind of power an alpha did.

“Gavin
MacKellen, alpha of the northwestern pack of lykaens. I hold allegiance to none
but my people.”

“You’re
a new alpha.”

Their
lykaen species didn’t shapeshift as movies and books made them out to, but they
did have some unique traits. They were strong, stronger than vampires, but not
as fast. They outlived humans but could be killed any number of ways. In other
words, they weren’t infallible.

They
followed a hierarchy of strength just like pack animals. The connection between
pack members was said to put human relationships to shame. Though, that also
meant there was always one man that led them, protected them, and loved them.
He was their alpha, a position obtained by battling the strongest men in the
pack. Gavin had won that position.

Alicia’s
pack was from Arizona, one of the southwest packs, but even she had heard about
the goings on in the Oregon territories. The previous alpha, Joseph Harrington,
was an older alpha that mated with a young woman who didn’t much care for him.
She left him and fell in love with a vampire. The alpha went after her as most
were obsessed with doing and he died by  gunshot leaving the northwester pack
without an alpha. In stepped Gavin MacKellen.

“Yeah,
I am. I answered your question, now answer mine. Are you mated?”

She
answered honestly. “No.”

He
sighed and she sensed relief in the sound. “Do you know why you’re here?”

Her
back slammed ramrod straight. “You’re looking for a whore. I won’t be it.”

“You
disrespect me to suggest I would.” He paused, clothes rustling as he moved. “I’m
lookin’ to mate.”

A
mate. Someone to share love and responsibilities with, to have children with.
The mystery man wanted that. That seemed odd to her, though she didn’t know
why.

“Why?”
she asked.

“Are
you asking me why I want a mate?”

She
bit her lip. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Why
does anyone want a mate? I want it for the same reasons as anyone.”

True.
Then why did she bother to ask him in the first place? She had to stop and
think about it. Maybe because so far with him he’d put tape over her mouth,
tied her up, tossed her into a dark room and forced her to have this weird
conversation with only the light from the dimmest lamp in the world.

“Why
all the,” she waved to indicate the room, “theatrics then? Can’t you just seek
out a mate like everyone else does? You know, by dating.”

She
expected his answer so when it didn’t come she couldn’t help but frown and
shift in her seat. This man was beyond ridiculous.

“When
is the last time you were with a man?”

Her
body jerked. “Excuse me?”

He
sighed, the sound thick not with impatience. “I won’t repeat myself, Alicia
Clarkson.”

She
froze at the sound of her name even as a part of her understood that he had to
know her name. The tone of his voice had changed though, the grating sound
becoming a growl.

She
answered as soon as she collected herself. “Seven months ago. No six. Yes, six
months, I think.”

“Were
you sleeping with him?”

She
bit the inside of her cheek, jaw flaring as a blush covered her face. “I don’t
see what that has to do with---”

“Just
answer the question,” he said in that slow, measured voice. He sounded like
someone who didn’t waste words but chose them with care.

“Yes.”
Why that admission embarrassed her when she knew there was no shame in what she’d
done annoyed her.

“You
make clothes.”

She
nodded since he already knew this.

“Do
you sell them?”

Another
nod.

“How?”

This
was all too surreal. Now he wanted to know about her job? Losing patience, she
snapped. “I sell lingerie online. I have my own little e-store. I don’t do as
well as I’d like but I’m fine with where I’m at. I get by.”

He
didn’t say anything for a while. Alicia fidgeted with the ropes by wriggling
her wrists which seemed to make them itch more.

Then
he spoke and every inch of her stiffened. Even her heart skipped a beat. “What
do you look for…in a man?”

“What?”
she asked, her voice as soft as a whisper. He sounded curious, maybe even a
little embarrassed.

“Answer
the question.”

She
shook her head sending locks of hair snapping across her cheek. She came to a
stand, teetered, then widened her stance to steady herself. “No, I’m done with
this. I won’t play your little games anymore. You either explain what this is
about or let me go. Actually let me go right now and show me the door. I’ve
been ready to leave since I got here.”

He
stood and she took an abrupt step back. Was it because she feared him? Damn
right.

“Turn
around.”

“Like
hell.”

She
could hear him sucking in a mighty breath, perhaps trying for patience, but she
didn’t feel bad that he suffered. Not when she was the one tied up.

“Turn
around so I can untie you.”

Biting
her lip, she debated his words. He could by lying. “Promise that’s all you
want?”

He
grunted some sound of agreement.

She
was loath to give him her back but she did, slowly. Better to show him her back
than to keep the ropes on. He had to reach across her stomach to grab the rope
binding her wrists and her heart jumped with fear. He could kill her; hurt her
in so many ways.

“Stare
straight ahead.”

Naturally,
she tried to look over her shoulder but he grabbed the back of her head and
turned it to face forward before she could catch a glimpse.

“Don’t.”
A warning.

It
became difficult to breathe. This close, she caught his scent. It was fresh,
masculine and smelled of something rugged and outdoors. The lykaen in her
rolled onto its back and stretched, content.
Whoa. Reel it in, Alicia
.

She
jumped at the sound of his voice so close to her ear. “I’m searching for my
mate, not lookin’ for no whore. I want you to stay here while we get to know
each other. That means I’m goin’ to have some questions you’ll need to answer.
You got that?” He had a gravelly, coarse voice, deep as a bass singers. He held
the rope hostage as he spoke.

“Yeah,”
she said instead, since she didn’t see any other options.

Another
grunt of approval, then she heard the metal swish of a switchblade coming out.
She wiggled, tugging to get her arms free as fear rode her.

“Please
don’t hurt me.” She hung her head, arms trembling in his grasp.

“Stay
still. I don’t wanna nick you.”

Like
that her fear passed. The blade passed through the ropes with ease and her
shoulders sagged with relief. The itchy rope fell away. She smiled at the tiny
pleasure of being free.

“You’ll
sleep down the hall. I’ll have someone show you the room.”

He
touched her forearms, strong and direct. His fingers began rubbing in circles,
dipping into her muscle to massage it. She had to bite her lip to stifle a
moan. She hadn’t even realized how tight her muscles had become until he
touched her. He worked her cramped muscles until they were loose and warm, then
he did the same to her hands. His thumb dipped into her palm and rubbed in slow
circles shooting pleasure through her nerves. She was biting her lip so hard
she could feel it swelling.                                             

His
touch vanished in an instant.

Rubbing
her arms at the sudden chill, Alicia turned back only to find he’d retreated
back to the shadows.

“I’ll
send someone up.”

She
didn’t mean to ask but the words flew from her lips. “Why won’t you let me see
your face?”

He
opened the door, stepping into the hallway. She was so certain he wouldn’t
answer her that she fiddled with her reddened wrists to hide her eyes.

But
then he did answer and his words couldn’t have shocked her more.

“I
don’t want you to see my face ’cause I’m an ugly son of a bitch and you’re too
pretty to be lookin’ at that.”

She
gaped as he quietly shut the door behind him.

CHAPTER 2

 

 

 

Gavin
MacKellen climbed out of bed and dragged his heavy feet across the floor to the
bathroom. His tongue felt like he’d been sucking on cotton balls wrapped with
sandpaper all night long. He flexed his jaw to unglue the dried appendage from
the roof of his mouth. Widening his stance, he straddled the toilet and did his
business as he scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hand.

God
damn.

This
was going to be a bad day.

An
incessant knock pounded at his bedroom door. He hadn’t even finished his
business yet. Whoever waited on the other side at little after six in the
morning wouldn’t be carrying a plate of bacon and eggs and a steaming cup of
coffee. He just didn’t have that kind of luck. Sucking in a deep breath, he
washed his hands then opened the bedroom door.

A
pair of angry blue eyes glared up at him. “You brought women here to choose
from like cattle?”

Gavin
tried to rein in a sigh but all that did was make a grumbling sound. His tired
eyes peered at the doorframe and he couldn’t resist leaning into it for
support.

“I
don’t much like it either, Kaity.”

She
narrowed her eyes until they pinched. “Then don’t do it.” She threw up her
hands. “Voil
à
!
See? It’s that easy. Just send them back, Gavin.”

A
fierce thumping began in his temple. He rubbed at it but it looked like nothing
would be making the ache go away. Not for a long while.

“See
here now, you know this is how it’s got to be. I need a mate at my side. It’s
not for me, it’s for the pack.”

Her
mouth floundered opened and closed. Finally giving up she shook her head,
beaten. “This is wrong on too many levels.”

“Don’t
I know it, but you and I both know there’s no other way. None of the women here
can stand to look at me anymore.”

The
flash of pity in her eyes jolted him awake. Damn, just what he needed…like a
shotgun blast to the chest. He stepped back into his bedroom, readied his hand
on the door to close it.

“There
are plenty of women in the pack who will have you.”

He
looked at her. Just looked at her.

She
couldn’t hold his gaze for more than two seconds.

“I
have to talk to the women tonight. I’ll be sending some of them home. It’d be
nice if you and Hanna could stop in on them, make sure they’re taken care of,”
he said.

“Of
course,” she said, her voice much more subdued.

Now
he felt like an ass for making her feel bad. “Come here, baby sister.
Everything will be all right. I’ll take care of it.” He pulled her into a hug
then let her go with a goodbye.

Gavin
dressed then headed downstairs. Something stopped him when he reached the top
of the stairs. No, not something, but someone. His gaze drew to the far end of
the hallway where
she
was. The rest of the women that alphas from across
the country sent him had been stationed in his sisters’ houses, but the pack
from Arizona had sent an extra woman Gavin hadn’t counted on. As soon as he saw
her, even with the dirty red bandana covering her eyes, he’d ordered her to be
put in his house.

You’re
a filthy bastard, Gavin.

She
was beautiful to look at, but he’d be lying if he said that was all there was.
He’d found himself unable to resist asking about her. He wanted to know about
her from her own words not those her alpha told him. He wanted to know
everything about Alicia Clarkson. Something about her made him curious.

BOOK: The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas)
4.38Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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