The Wilder Alpha (3 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

A pressure shift and gentle light fell over Jay. He gasped and shot straight up, his eyes flying open. Someone had entered his cell. When his eyes focused, bewilderment grasped at his thoughts.

Navy blue tinted the landscape as a large, globule of white moon hung in the sky. Stars – more stars than Jay had ever seen – speckled the sky and galaxies painted streaks across the vast space. The scent of dew and damp dirt clung to him, pleasant and intoxicating. Then, his ears picked up on the falling water.

Jay pushed himself to his feet, brain still in an utter state of shock and awe. He stumbled toward the sound of rushing water, his eyes widening upon the sight. A luminescent blue waterfall cascaded into a lagoon, breaking over moss-covered rocks. As he wandered closer, he realized the cliff face that hosted the fall was unlike any other he’d seen. The rock ranged from deep gold to dusty mauve, glittering under the light of the full moon.

He rushed to the lagoon, dropping to his knees and cupping water in his hands. The cool liquid sloshed over his palms before he slopped it to his mouth. The water tasted sweet and cold on his parched tongue as he scooped up palm after palm of the liquid. Cold hydration coated his throat, filling his stomach.

As he sat back on his haunches, his eyebrows furrowed. Nothing made sense. Jay pinched the bridge of his nose and stood as logic shrieked through his wonder. He fell asleep underground. He couldn’t just wake up outside. He especially wouldn’t be allowed out during a full moon and he was certain he hadn’t been held captive for a month. Though, with his disorientation on time and the odd root, there was a slim possibility.

Jay jerked as a figure broke through the calm lagoon surface. He jolted, his eyes snapping to the figure. His heart 1iccupped as he realized it was her.: the she-wolf. Her black hair plastered to the side of her face and down her back. Water streamed down her face, her neck, her shoulders. A sudden ache to careened through Jay, wishing he could lick the droplets from her skin. The she-wolf smoothed her hair back, before her gaze flicked to the shore. Yellow eyes widened as they landed on him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Instead of ducking under the water and retaining modesty, Kristi charged through the liquid. Her fists balled as her head wheeled with shock and frustrating delight. Her instincts landed on reacting with violence.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” Jay held up his hands as he spun on his foot. His eyebrows furrowed, though, as a realization struck him. “Wait, why am I sorry? This is my dream.”

“What do you mean your –” Before Kristi could finish her inquiry, Jay spun back around.

He advanced to the edge of the water, where she had paused. His hands were on her in an instant, pulling her close as he swept down to catch her lips. A yelp caught in her throat, her eyes widening.

His surety sent an electric pulse through her body. Excitement tingled at her nerves as her body reacted without her counsel. Her arms flung around his neck and her eyes fluttered shut. They enjoyed the heat of the kiss, the taste on their lips. His hands explored her body as the kiss deepened, teasing at her curves and caressing her breasts. She let out an involuntary sigh against his lips as his hands slipped down further.

Jay’s finger teased down her pussy lips, enjoying how moist she was. Mentally, he mused, this must be “vivid dreaming.” His digit slid toward her clit, massaging the nub with ginger touches.

Kristi gasped against his mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she shoved the Sentinel away. Her hand hovered by her mouth, but she didn’t swipe it across her lips. She shook her head, yellow eyes wide with shock, and muttered, “Oh, no, no, no. We are not doing this.”

Jay breathed a laugh and shook his head. A rueful grin tugged at a corner of his mouth. “Not even in my dreams, huh?”

Kristi narrowed her eyes, her head listing to the side. He thought this was just a dream? “Do you not know?”

“Know what?” Confusion pinched at Jay’s face.

“Do you not feel it?” Two different facets warred inside Kristi. – relief from his lack of feelings and complete despair from her one-sided feelings. It didn’t explain why her body had strong reactions to him, but at least she didn’t have to worry about their circumstances.

His strained features didn’t relax. His dream had completely lost him, though something stirred in his guts. “Feel what?”

Kristi pressed her lips together and inhaled. There were too many thoughts rushing around her mind. The urge to hit him, kiss him, talk to him all collided. She needed to see him, face-to-face. Not through Dream Walking. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“You’ll see me in a little bit?” The confusion in Jay’s mind thickened as he reiterated Kristi’s words. His eyebrows dipped lower just as the she-wolf turned away.

“This is for feeling me up.” Kristi paused and turned toward the Sentinel again. Her palm arched out, the slap echoing through the glade.

CHAPTER SIX

Jay grunted and jolted from his slumber. Darkness filled his field of vision. The scent of underground mildew and earth filled his nose. His cheek stung and throbbed. He risked bringing his palm to his face, finding the place where the she-wolf had slapped him red-hot.

It was just a dream. Right? His thoughts tangled among themselves as they rushed to explain the situation. Beneath all the chaos, his throat and tongue didn’t feel quite as dry as earlier.

A muted scent caught his nose.: sandalwood and sun-baked rock. His gaze flickered in the direction of the entryway. The scent didn’t go away and it didn’t get any stronger. Jay waited in silent anticipation for the lights to flicker on, but the seconds ticked by. He strained to hear anything outside his cell, but all he received were the muffled ghosts of conversation.

In desperation, he crawled closer to the boulder. He shoved his ear against the rock, hoping to catch the lilt of a familiar voice or eavesdrop. Stubborn silence plunked down in his senses. His ears ached to hear the boulder shift and he waited for the lights to flicker on. None of it happened.

Jay sighed and sat back. It had been a dream and, even now, his mind was playing a trick on him. She wasn’t on the other side of that boulder. She didn’t slap him. His fingertips pressed against his cheek, now cooled and still semi-stinging. He fell asleep on a pebble or a little insect bit him on the cheek. That was it. Nothing more.

As inevitable disappointment solidified in his throat, Jay realized light began to coat the room. It wasn’t the blinding, harsh illumination that usually stabbed into his room.

The boulder shifted, the shear of rock against rock filled the air. Jay held his breath and his gaze flicked to the entryway. It let out a sigh as the yellow-eyed she-wolf came into view. His nose twitched, finding something different in her scent. – something that sent a pulse of excitement through his groin.

Before turning to him, Kristi slid the boulder doorway back in place. It didn’t have to be perfect, just enough to make the late-night passerby think the door was closed. She also didn’t yet want to face the Sentinel. When she did turn to him, his pale eyes leered at her. She felt much more vulnerable than when he had seen her naked.

Then again, she wasn’t wearing her layers of protective clothing. – only a tank top and a pair of jeans. She had been in a rush to see him, to clarify the situation. Her bare toes dug into the dirt beneath her as she forced herself to meet his eyes.

Despite how much he enjoyed her presence, he couldn’t help his question, “What are you doing here?”

Irritation prickled at Kristi’s thoughts. Her hands bunched up at her sides as she hissed, “Do you have the memory of a goldfish?”

Jay sharply inhaled. The glade hadn’t been a dream. – the kiss, the slap, seeing her naked. His gaze wandered down her body, now supplied with reference material. The heat in his groin jolted. He brought his confused gaze back to her face.

She still glared down at him, but something softened in those yellow eyes. “You really don’t know.” She sighed and shook her head. Kristi advanced on him and crouched down to his level. Suddenly, she couldn’t bear looking him in the eye. The words stuck in her throat, never imagining it’d be this hard to discuss something. Her confidence flew the coop, leaving her awkward and uncertain.

As she closed her eyes, Jay’s attention dipped to her throat. It faintly crossed his mind just how easy it would be to tear it out and make a run for it. The thought sent a sour curdle through his stomach. It shouldn’t have, but it did. He ignored the violent thought and glanced back at her face.

Kristi inhaled deeply, tempted to simply transmit the thought via silent howling. The enormity of the situation, though, demanded verbal talk. She steeled herself, her eyes opening. He stared at her patiently. She just needed to say it. Her hands clenched on her knees and, with force, Kristi managed to grunt, “I think we might be Mates.”

Jay could almost hear the capital in the word ‘mates.’ He didn’t know what was so special about being Mates, other than what instantly came to mind. Judging from her difficulty getting the words out, it was a huge deal. She waited for him to ingest the words and understand the importance. There was only one thing Jay could think to say. “What?”

“We’re…Highly compatible,” Kristi averted her gaze, attempting to keep her voice steady, “To the point, you could say, we’re destined for one another.”

Jay swallowed down his foolish grin. Uncertainty chiseled away at his immediate enjoyment. He cocked an eyebrow at her, “How do you know that?”

“Do you want to constantly touch me? Is your head full of these hot, sticky feelings when I’m around? Am I always on your mind?” Kristi swallowed, her face darkened with a blush. When she was younger, the descriptions sounded so straightforward and obvious. Now, as she reiterated them, she realized how juvenile and silly the feelings sounded. She quickly added, to brush aside her mortification, “Plus, dream walking is only something Mates can do.”

“Dream walking?” Jay cocked his head to the side. The vague suspicion that she lied bobbed along in his thoughts. If she
were
lying, she deserved an award for her acting.

“The glade,” Kristi murmured. She glanced him at him, her lips pursed with frustration. “When you felt me up.”

“Oh.”

“How could you not know about Mates?” Kristi’s brows furrowed and lips turned down in a frown. Memories of Mate conversations echoed in her head. “My pack and parents taught me to notice the signs early.”

“I was abandoned. My pack wasn’t really there to teach me anything.” Jay shrugged off the she-wolf’s stunned expression, along with the slight pain that still jabbed at his heart. His abandonment was long ago. No use crying over it now. Jay pressed forward with his inquiries, curiosity piqued, “Why is this Mate stuff so important?”

“Because nothing is worse than unwittingly killing your Mate.” Kristi’s voice came out softer than before. She eyed the wolf in front of her, a slight sadness tore at her thoughts. “You feel it.”

Silence fell as Jay mulled over this information. Before his capture, no one else cared about him. Jay could crawl off into the forest and die for all Goldbridge cared. Yet, here he had a mate – no, a Mate – that would mutually suffer with him? A shameful part of him felt happy, another part of him was disgusted at his own delight.

He couldn’t deny his strong feelings, especially after the kiss he planted on her in the dream. A thought struck Jay. His gaze swung back to the she-wolf, curiosity in his eyes and a cocked grin on his lips. “If we’re Mates, do you feel the same way?”

“What?”

“The tingles, the urges to touch,” Jay leaned close, brushing his knuckle against her jaw.

Kristi froze and suppressed a shudder of enjoyment. She bit her bottom lip in frustration and embarrassment. The words clogged her throat.

Jay’s grin flickered brighter, “You
do
!”

“Shut up,” growled Kristi. She jerked her head away from his touch, despite her mental dissent. She clung to her irritation, though she didn’t crawl away from the Sentinel. “This is a problem. I’m part of the native pack; you’re a Sentinel for Goldbridge. Pack members
kill
Sentinels.”

That was true. Jay’s eyebrows furrowed as his mind digested the hefty information. His years alone weighed down on his shoulders. Finding someone made for him, someone to be his lupine Mate, should have lessened the pressure. Yet, Fate pitted them against one another. The bitter irony wasn’t lost on him.

The heat in his gut curdled as juvenile disappointment sulked in his head. The packs would never accept one another and no compromise would ever be met. Over the two hundred years of Goldbridge’s establishment, none of the packs had extended a civil invitation of treaty. It was too late for agreements. Now, only blood and destruction would suffice. And the Sentinels were on the front lines.

Jay focused on the she-wolf, a mixture of emotions tugging at his heart. A heat clawed through his chest, too strong to be labeled as affection or fondness. Jay couldn’t call it love, though, as much as he wanted to. He barely knew anything about her. Hell, he still didn’t know her name!

Although, knowing anything about her wouldn’t change their situation. A thought slammed through Jay’s attention. It had been something scratching at the ends of his synapses this whole time. He thrust his hand out toward the she-wolf, a smile on his lips. “My name’s Jay.”

“What are you doing?” Kristi stared at the Sentinel’s hand – no,
Jay’s
hand – as if it were a strange, writhing worm.

“Now, I’m not just a Sentinel. I’m Jay.” He leaned closer, delighting in the heat that radiated from the she-wolf. If the two of them were Mates, he may as well make the most of it. His voice softened to a sultry rasp, “And what’s your name, gorgeous?”

Kristi became hyper-aware of Jay’s presence next to her as his eyes bore into hers. His body heat sifted through her clothes, into her skin. His rough palm landed on the back of her hand. His warm breath played over her jaw and neck. She swallowed, fighting down her blush, “Kristi.”

“Kristi,” Jay tried out the name on his tongue. Tingles lit across his skin as her name formed on his lips. His hand tightened around hers, his thumb caressed her knuckles.

“I don’t see how that changes anything,” breathed Kristi as she jerked her gaze away from his. Her hand refused to move from beneath his touch. “We’re supposed to be enemies. We’re going to kill each other.”

Jay leaned closer, her smell intoxicating his senses. His free hand came up behind Kristi, stroking her dark hair. His fingers tingled every time he touched her. “We can change that.”

Kristi fought the urge to look at Jay. She closed her eyes, shamefully enjoying every touch. A small part of her cinched to his words. Maybe they
could
change this feud. No more fighting, no more death, no more struggling for food during the winter months. A cold certainty bore down on her thoughts. The Goldbridge packs would never listen. They never did.

With the feeling she had to convince herself, Kristi shook her head, “No, we can’t.”

Frustration ticked at his brain. Jay pulled away a little, drawing his hand away from Kristi’s hair. He knew she liked the idea of compromise, almost as much as he did. Jay couldn’t explain how he knew, but he was certain. “Then kill me.”

Kristi’s eyes snapped to Jay’s face as he positioned her fingertips against his chest. All Kristi had to do was will her claws out and slice into his chest. She could plunge her claws into his heart, get rid of the Mate issue, and continue her job as Beta while securing their ancestral lands,, but the thought of his blood on her hands sent a painful pang through her chest.

“Jay,” Kristi’s voice cracked as her eyes searched his face. Jay’s somber expression remained in place, his jaw clenched and his gaze never faltering. The air between them crackled with electricity and heat. She couldn’t believe how much had transpired in the last few hours. Looking him head-on made everything flood through her thoughts.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, tugging him forward. Her free hand went to the back of his head, her fingers knotting into his hair. She clenched her eyes shut as the kiss connected. She wanted to forget all their worries, forget the inevitable future. Finding her Mate should have been happy, exhilarating, and wonderful.

Heat and electricity flowed through both of them, as Jay’s hands found their way to her body. He gathered her into his arms, his hands drifting down her sides and up her back. Their lips parted, their warm, malleable tongues danced around each other. A moan bubbled up Kristi’s throat and she leaned into Jay.

He found himself on the ground, Kristi straddling him. Through the layers of fabric, he could feel the heat resonating from her sex. His mind supplied residual memories of her soft skin, her thighs, and her breasts. His cock pulsed with excitement. His fingernails lengthened, hardened, turned into claws. The wolf inside him wanted to burst forth.

As a growl rumbled through Jay’s chest, a thrill fingered through Kristi’s whole body. No one had ever made her feel so raw, so hot, or so prickly. She parted from the kiss as Jay grasped the hem of her shirt, hauling it up and over her head. Her bare nipples hardened in the slight chill. Jay threw the shirt away, his hands drifting toward her warm, supple breasts. His thumbs ghosted over her nipples, tingles intensifying through Kristi’s chest.