Alpha Returned: A Rejected Mates Reverse Harem Shifter Series (Feral Mates Book 3)

by Sabrina Thatcher

  I gasp for air and he sits me up, delicately pulling the silky negligee from my body, and letting it fall to the floor. I hold tightly to his shoulders as his hands sculpt my curves, and I close my eyes in total surrender as his ravenous mouth leaves trails of fire over my skin.

  My heard turns to stare at the glass, just for a moment.

  That damned glass.

  If he won’t drink it now, I’ll have to give him a good enough reason to.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I realize that I’ve lost track of time entirely, immersed completely in our passion.

  His mouth and his hands have consumed every inch of me, and I have lost myself in him time and time again, but though the absolute pleasure is intense, I have never forgotten all the while that there is a glass with poisoned champagne just a few feet away from us, and more than anything, I need him to drink it.

  My body, our bond, might betray me … but I can’t betray me.

  The brilliant pale light from the full moon pours in through great windows, bathing our nude bodies in illumination. We are lying in momentary rest as he holds my side to his chest and traces his fingertip along my curves. His lips follow slowly, teasingly, in tantalizing, scorching kisses that make me suck in my breath.

  The spinning in my head has slowed with the moon dropping in the sky. The pull in me that draws me to him has started to wane as well, and with it, a pit starts to form in my stomach. A sickness that makes my eyes flicker once more over towards the abandoned glass.

  The bubbles have faded, the champagne flattened. But it still must be drunk.

  Or else this will have all been for nothing.

  I’ll end up a prisoner for life … or dead. And I’m not sure which is worse.

  “This has been everything I fantasized it would be, and so much more.” Rylan’s voice is low in my ear as he moves his hand low over my abdomen. “And it’s going to get better.”

  I look at him in surprise. “Better? How could it be better?”

  He laughs at me. “Oh, I’m going to spend years showing you just how much better, but tonight is special.”

  “Oh yeah,” I get it. “It’s the honeymoon.”

  “No. It’s not that.” His voice is low and rough in my ear. His fingertips dip lower in search of my heat. I can feel him stiffen against my leg, and I know he’s going to be inside me again.

  But this time, with the moon long since dipped beneath the horizon, I don’t feel drawn to him.

  Instead, I feel repulsed.

  “I want you to get pregnant tonight.”

  My eyes open wide and I turn swiftly to look at him. “What?”

  He grins slowly. “When an alpha mates on a full moon, the chances of conception are almost guaranteed. I want to be sure that you will have my child, and that our first will be conceived on this night.”

  Adrenaline shoots through me. I had no idea that could happen. I never even thought about it.

  Of all the times Isla and I talked, of all the times I’ve been with the boys, all three of them, this never came up. I didn’t have the foggiest notion about full moons and alphas being factored into it. Like so many other wolf shifter things, I’m learning about this one the hard way. Panic shoots through me as my stomach lurches, threatening to empty the remaining contents of my stomach here on the bed. My mind speeds in every direction it can, trying to find a way out of the position I’ve just found myself in.

  Trapped.

  Even if Rylan dies here tonight, I’ll still be trapped.

  “Don’t you think we ought to spend awhile getting to know each other first? You know … a few years, or something? Babies later?” My heart is racing so fast I can’t even feel it beating.

  He slides his hand up my thigh and pulls me up on top of him. He’s hard again, and ready for me. “No. I want you pregnant now, on our wedding night, under this full moon. It will give us such a powerful baby.”

  All I can focus on is the glass. I lean down to him as his hands close over my breasts and kiss him slowly; sensually.

  I have to do this carefully. I have to end this while I can. If I still can.

  “I am a little thirsty. You’ve been such an incredible lover; it’s almost worn me out. Would you mind if I have a little more champagne?”

  “No, I don’t mind.” He smiles, letting his hands drift down to my hips. He gives them a firm squeeze, and I know he won’t wait long to be inside me again.

  I pick up my glass and go to the champagne bucket, aware that his eyes are locked on my nude form. I pour myself a glass and return slowly to him, letting him watch me. I want him completely distracted, and he’s definitely there.

  “You never toasted with me to our long and happy marriage.” I give him the very slightest pout, and I see it light a fire in his eyes as he stares at my lips. He wants me badly again.

  I round the bed to his side and pick up the poisoned glass, handing it to him. He takes it, but his eyes are riveted on me. I lift my glass, and he toasts me again. I raise mine to my mouth and sip as I watch him.

  He begins to tip his back, and then stops just before it reaches his lips, lowering it once more. He frowns and gives me a sharp look.

  “Why is your heartbeat suddenly skyrocketing?”

  I drain my glass and set it down, crawling up into the bed with him. I slide my thighs over his legs, straddling him with a little space between us.

  “It’s because I’ve never known such pleasure at the hands of any man. I want you again, more than anything,” I murmur as seductively as I can. I move my hands up his thighs, and he laughs deeply in his chest.

  It is a triumphant laugh. A laugh of pure confidence. Pure control, power, and more than anything, ego. He tips his glass back and empties it in one giant gulp, then tosses the glass aside.

  The sound of it shattering feels like it rattles through my very core.

  He yanks me onto my back, moving above me, but as he reaches to spread my thighs, he begins to choke.

  My eyes go wide as he rolls off of me and sits up. His body begins to convulse, and he stares horribly at me; reaching out and gripping my arm so tightly that I cry out in pain. He coughs and splutters, his body quivering out of control, and I wrench myself free of him. A bruise is already forming on my arm.

  Rylan suddenly, violently, shifts into a wolf amidst screams of torment, and after an agonizing howl of pain, the wolf shifts back into a human. He writhes in agony, twisting in every direction, and I back away as fast as I can, staring, filled with shock and fear. I had no idea what it would do to him, or how it would go.

  Rylan gives one last blood-curdling scream, and then glares at me furiously, reaching his claw-like hand out to me, his fingers desperate to close around me, and suddenly he is gone. His dark eyes grow dull, his heart stops, his blood stills, and his body collapses onto the bed at an odd angle.

  I stand over him, frozen and afraid.

  It’s over.

  This is over.

  But it’s still only the beginning. There’s still so much to be done.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I can barely catch my breath.

  I’ve just witnessed the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen. My veins are coursing with adrenaline, and my heart rate must match that of a hummingbird at this moment. My whole body is shaking as I slowly edge toward him. I am terrified that at any moment he’ll suddenly jump up, very much alive, and kill me where I stand.

  There’s something unusual though; something unexpected. Any trace of the physical desire I had for him has died with him. It’s like the invisible connection between us has been cut. I have nothing but loathing for this man. Morbid curiosity overtakes my fear, and I get close enough to reach for his wrist.

  I can barely get my own pulse under control so that I can try to feel his, but I steady my breathing and feel as I listen. There is no sound but my own body. There is utter silence coming from him.

  Silence and stillness.

  As I watch, a grayness begin
s to color his skin all over. I drop his wrist and step back. It’s a dark gray, like a heavy storm cloud. It colors him completely.

  I stand over him for just long enough to gather my wits about me, and not a moment more.

  I have to get out of here. I don’t know what else is going to happen, but I do know that I have got to go. The first thing I have to do is find the incubi and succubi and tell them he’s dead, and maybe, just maybe it will stop them blowing up the compound. Also, I have no idea what’s going to happen now that the alpha of such a massive pack is dead.

  We were married, two shifters with the right to claim alpha.

  I, of Nashville. He, in a way, of both.

  What will this mean for me? For everyone?

  I see that he had clothes set upon a chaise lounge for me. They were intended to be for the morning after our wedding night—nothing so practical as what I would have picked out for myself. I pull them on anyway, struggling to keep my balance as I’m shaking so badly. I grab the remaining champagne and take a long pull off of the bottle, making myself cough as I get it down the wrong pipe.

  Planting my hands on my knees, I close my eyes and try to steady myself. After I finally manage to stop shaking so much, I run for the door and yank it open. Sergei is standing guard outside. It’s dark, but the entire compound is lit up to a near daylight quality with all the party lights, and the party is definitely still going.

  He gives me a strange look; worried, and uncertain.

  “What is it? Are you all right?” He glances over me and sees the dark bruise on my arm. He clenches his teeth and gently takes my hand in his. “Did he do this to you?”

  I nod. “He did, but Sergei …” I don’t know how else to say it. “He … he’s dead.”

  Sergei stares at me and drops my arm, then runs in through the doors to the bedroom. I wait for him outside on the balcony. He returns a minute later, looking absolutely stunned.

  “My queen.” He speaks quietly, dropping to one knee before me. “I will serve only you now.”

  An ally.

  A true ally.

  I feel a rush of warmth, and I nod to him—one hand reaching out to rest on his, just for a moment. I can only hope to find other allies.

  “We have to tell everyone. Now. Right now.”

  He rises and follows me as I run back to the throng in the main courtyard. I make it to the dais where the band is rocking, and I take the microphone, stopping them in the middle of a song. They, like everyone else, look at me in surprise.

  “I’m sorry to … uh … I have some terrible news.” My heart has vaulted up into my throat, but I can sense Sergei not two feet from me. Nothing is going to happen to me; not with him there.

  “Rylan has died.”

  There is absolute silence for a moment; so complete that I could hear a pin drop. Then pandemonium breaks out. Rylan’s shifters are outraged, while the remaining Nashville shifters grow fearful.

  I notice one of the demons near me; a succubus I’ve seen around the compound many times. She has a folded slip of paper between two hands—a message just as quickly tucked into her pocket on her way out of the compound, and I pray that it’s to the demon army. I pray that she is telling them to stop the attack.

  “It’s not true!” someone yells, and the cry is echoed.

  Sergei takes the microphone from me. “It is true. I’m the captain of Rylan’s guard. I saw his body for myself. Rylan is dead. Anyone who doubts it can go see for themselves.”

  The chaos erupts again, but it is cut short suddenly by a massive explosion. Sergei pushes me down to the floor of the stage and covers me completely as chunks of stone wall and metal go flying everywhere. Screams fill the night air, and brilliant lights suddenly flood the entire compound.

  I was too late.

  Rylan might be dead, but I wasn’t able to stop the war.

  The debris hasn’t even stopped falling when I hear yells and roars of anger, and I peek through Sergei’s arms toward the front wall of the compound, which is no longer there. The entire thing is blown wide open, and an unthinkably huge army of demons is pouring through it toward us.

  Shifters begin to try to change, but they’re inhibited by the tonic they all ingested when they arrived, leaving them to fight as humans. The guard is on double duty, slaying left and right every chance they get, but the demons are well armed and prepared for it, and they are giving it back just as much or better than they are getting.

  Only one thing flashes in my mind at that moment. I have to get to Isla.

  “Isla!” I yell, trying to squirm out from under Sergei. “I have to get to Isla and free her!”

  As I’m saying it, Conan runs at me, and I nod to him.

  “I’ll take you. Stay close to me and let’s go.” Sergei scans the crowd quickly and pushes Conan and me in front of him toward one of the breezeways leading out of the main courtyard. We run together, and Sergei leads us almost to the back of the compound, to a place I have not yet had a chance to explore, though I was sure I’d seen most of it.

  We race from the ground level up to a second floor, and down a narrow hallway. We turn a corner and come face with face with a massive hunter, guarding a solid iron door behind him. He draws his sword and grits his teeth at us.

  “You will cost the woman her life and lose your own! Come no closer!” he bellows at us.

  Sergei holds his hands up. “STOP! As your captain, I command you to stop! Lower that weapon!”

  The guard refuses. I don’t even know where it comes from, but at my core I feel such anger and power that I explode from the inside outward, and in the span of a breath I have transformed into a wolf—concoction or not. I snap and growl at the guard, and realize as I hunch down in preparation to spring toward him, that my body is much bigger than it normally is in wolf form. How could I be bigger?

  Behind me, Conan struggles to transform, but only manages to get his head to shift. I know that even though it’s difficult for him with the tonic in his system, he will fully support whatever it takes to get into that cell behind the guard.

  Sergei shouts at him over my roars. “Listen to me! Rylan is dead! I saw his body for myself! The compound is under attack. There are demons infiltrating the main entrance; they’ve blown it open.”

  The guard’s eyes grow wide and he lowers his sword. “Was that the noise I heard? It sounded like an explosion!”

  “Yes. Now, stand down. That’s an order. We are releasing the captive to our queen.”

  The guard looks at me and drops his sword, looking somewhat ashamed, shocked, and enormously humbled. I shift back into my human form and glare at him.

  “Forgive me, my lady. I was under explicit orders.”

  “Open that door and take her chains off!” I demand.

  The guard rushes to the door and pulls a key out to unlock it. Conan beats me through the door and falls at the ground beside Isla, who is lying there uncomfortably. She looks a bit ragged, but she’s alive. She’s healthy—under the grime and fear. I can smell it on her. She’s been fed and given the basics, but she’s been treated like a dog on a chain.

  There’s nothing more than a mat on the floor with a pillow for her to sleep on, and a toilet and standing shower in another corner.

  The guard removes the shackles from her ankles. I can see they are chafed. She pays no attention to him; instead focusing solely on Conan, whose arms are closed tightly around her. They are both weeping in relief, and I give them just a moment together before I rush to her and hug her myself.

  “What’s happening out there? I’ve been locked away this whole time! I heard some awful noises just a bit ago!” Isla’s been sitting in here, worried and afraid, and now I can finally give her answers.

  “I married Rylan today—” I begin, and she gapes.

  “You did not! You were supposed to be my sister-in-law! I thought the boys would stop it, or something would happen.” She is horrified. Conan helps her to her feet.

  I take her hand in min
e, comfortingly. “He died, Isla. He’s dead. He died not fifteen minutes ago.”

  She stares at me, and gives her head a little shake, trying to make my words make sense in her head.

  “How? How did he die?” she demands, gripping my hand.

  I shake my head. “I’ll explain later. We’ve got bigger problems right now. The demons attacked the compound as soon as they found out he died, and there is a huge battle being waged in the main courtyard on the other end of the compound. We’ve got to get back now. What you heard was an explosion; they blew the entire front wall off. Our pack … they’re here!”

  Isla’s face hardens. “Let’s go. Now.”

  With Sergei in the lead once more, and Isla’s former guard not far behind, we fly back to the battle. It’s in full swing. I’ve never seen more violence, injury, anger, chaos, or death anywhere, ever. Movies are a lie. It’s nothing like that in real life, but then I tell myself, werewolves and demons aren’t supposed to be real either, and yet, here we all are.

  Isla’s former guard rushes into the thick of it, swinging his sword. Sergei stands like a wall between the battle and me, ready to defend me if anything gets near. Isla transforms into a wolf instantly, and I realize that of course she’s the only person who didn’t drink the elixir tonight, and then for a second my mind stops.

  I wonder why it was so easy for me to transform into a wolf. I drank the elixir. I shouldn’t have been able to transform, especially so effortlessly. Conan could only do a partial transformation. What made it different for me? And why was I so big? I was twice the size I normally am.

  Suddenly it all clicks. Everything slips into place in my mind and in my soul, and I understand.

  I’d wondered, briefly what would happen.

  But now I know for sure.

  This can only mean one thing.

  I transform again into the massive wolf, and I growl so loud and fiercely that it startles everyone in the vicinity, and all eyes turn to me in shock. I leap onto the dais where the band was playing before they ran for a safe hiding place. In an instant, I retake my human form and pick the microphone up from the floor.