Claimed by the Alphas (Shifters of Appalachia Book 1)

by Viola Rivard

  A light blush dusted her cheeks and she said lowly, “That woman was staring.”

  “Hmm?”

  He followed the direction of her gaze to see a petite sales clerk, probably in her early twenties, eyeing him with blatant yearning. When she realized he’d noticed her, her face flushed an unnatural shade of red, and she looked away, feigning interest in organizing boxes of hair dye.

  A slow smile spread over Asch’s face. It had been a long time since a woman besides Mila had looked at him that way. In the pack, there had never been any need to hide desire as sex had been something they’d all shared freely, until recently.

  In his adolescence, Asch had matured faster than his peers. Tall, muscular, and widely considered to be good-looking, he had turned a lot of heads in his small town and probably dashed a lot of teenage dreams. Girls had lined up to date him, but he had rejected them all, not out of selflessness—he had been too young for that—but out of fear—fear of being exposed, fear of hurting someone, and fear of losing control as his father and so many other males before him had, and creating a child he couldn’t possibly protect from the harsh realities of life as a werewolf.

  When he looked at her again, Mila still glared in the direction of the clerk, her expression pinched and utterly adorable.

  “What could you possibly have to be jealous about?” he asked, placing his hands on her waist. He leaned down and rubbed his forehead against hers. “Everything I want is right here.”

  She looked up at him coyly. “Oh?”

  To his surprise, Mila dropped her basket and put her hands behind his head, pulling him down into a heated kiss. He was vaguely aware of the sound of bottles clattering to the floor as he backed his mate against the shelves and delved his tongue into her hot mouth.

  His cock swelled and strained against the denim of his jeans—another thing he hadn’t experienced in a long time. But where it had been a painful frustration in years past, now it was an annoying reminder that they were in public. He gave her bottom lip a soft nip before pulling back.

  “It’s been over two weeks since I’ve been inside of you,” he said, lust making his voice thick. “Hurry up and finish shopping so I can get you back to our room and into bed.”

  * * *

  Mila ran her hands up and down her legs and sighed blissfully. It had been way too long since she’d shaved and just as long since she’d taken a hot shower.

  After drying herself, she climbed from the tub and stepped onto the cool tiled floor. She wiped the fog off the mirror, brushed her hair, and then dabbed a little concealer under her eyes. It was silly to dress up for bed, but waiting for her outside the bathroom was a sexy alpha who wouldn’t be denied.

  When she was done primping, she squeezed a generous amount of lotion into her hand and began smoothing it over her arms and chest. As she arrived at her waist, she slowed, gingerly rubbing the lotion over her lower belly. She thought it might look a little rounder than usual, but that was probably just her imagination.

  After another once-over, Mila deemed she looked exceptionally awesome. She left the bathroom and entered the small kitchenette attached to the motel bedroom. The drapes were drawn shut, blocking out most of the afternoon sunlight. A fat TV sat on a dresser against the wall and across from that were two moderately comfortable beds with crisp white sheets. Asch was sprawled out on the bed closest to the door. Too big for the double bed, his legs were bent and his arms draped over the sides. He was wonderfully nude, and also very much asleep.

  Mila was disappointed, both because she’d wanted to have sex and because she looked fantastic for nothing. Tiptoeing over to his side of the bed, she clicked on the table lamp, casting a soft orange glow over Asch’s body.

  She had never met such a perfectly rendered man, and not just physically. Beyond his sculpted muscles, beautiful eyes, and the symmetry of his face, Asch was everything she could ask for in a partner. He was caring, empathetic, and fair. She had yet to find any real flaws in him. Maybe that was why she had related to Caim much more easily. Caim was too hard and too sharp, too arrogant and too stubborn. As much as she loved him, Caim was far from perfect, and maybe that was exactly why it was easier to love him. She was a very imperfect person, and it was scary to love someone who seemed so much better than her.

  Mila lay her head on his arm and leaned against the side of his bed, not feeling the least bit inclined to go lie down in her own. She was tired, and even a little achy, but she wasn’t in the habit of going to sleep alone and without the skin-to-skin contact she needed to feel safe and secure.

  Just as Mila was nodding off, she felt his arm shift beneath her. She looked up to see him staring at her fondly. His eyes were heavy-lidded with sleep, which gave his face a sultry look that made her pulse quicken.

  Neither of them broke the silence in the room. Asch pulled her onto the bed and tucked her body under his own. His hands came up to frame her face, and for a moment, he stared into her eyes. Then, he kissed her slowly, his lips moving across hers with practiced ease.

  He hadn’t bathed yet and still smelled like the forest. The muskiness of his scent contrasted with the tidy room and her own clean body, reminding her that the man above her—a man who could kiss and stroke her ever so gently—was so much more than just a man. Inside of him was a wild creature, a wolf that would never fit into the confines of humanity. And according to him, she was everything he wanted.

  Asch groaned as his tongue penetrated her mouth. His hips mimicked the action and flexed against her thigh. She tried to part her legs for him, not caring that she wasn’t fully ready for him yet. She wanted to feel him inside of her. Not about to relinquish control to her, Asch kept her legs pinned firmly to the bed with one muscular thigh. Too tired to fight a battle she didn’t even want to win, she surrendered her body to her mate.

  Lost in his sensual mouth, her body turned liquid beneath him. She focused on the sound of his heavy breathing and the feel of his rich hair between her fingers, and she tried to ignore the hard length that pressed between them and the throbbing need between her legs.

  When he finally pulled back from her lips, it was to drag his mouth along her jaw line. She almost cried out in frustration, but was immediately subdued when Asch traced a wet path down her body. He stopped briefly at her chest to kiss and massage her breasts appreciatively. Understanding her needs, he didn’t linger long and continued his downward trail.

  A grin tugged at his lips as he parted her legs and gazed down at her. She didn’t have to ask why. He ran his thumb over the thin strip of hair that remained between her legs, his eyes gleaming.

  Asch held her gaze as his thumb ran along the seam of her sex. As if compelled, she was unable to look away, even as his thumb parted her lips. Her heart pounded in her chest like a caged beast while the pad of his thumb worked her clit in small, deliberate circles. He lowered his head to press a kiss to the top of her knee, and then, as if she needed any more stimulation, he planted a series of wet, languorous kisses across her inner thigh.

  The pace of his thumb was maddeningly slow, and she tried to arch against his hand for more friction. His thumb pulled back and was replaced by his hungry mouth. She had been slowly building toward a climax for a while, but the second he scraped his teeth against her tender clit, she exploded and cried out with her unexpected release.

  Overwhelmed by pleasure, she didn’t notice Asch had moved until he was thrusting inside of her. The ecstasy of having him fully inside of her was amplified by her climax, and she arched into him eagerly. Despite his cool composition as he’d pleasured her, Asch’s thrusts were frantic and potent with need—need for her, his mate. He growled fiercely and slammed his fist down on the bed as he gave a final, hard thrust before pouring himself inside her.

  They didn’t clean up. Mila was content to lie next to him, surrounded by the scents of sweat and sex. Asch nuzzled her neck, one arm hooked under her torso to band their bodies together on the too-small bed. His other arm gently cradled the
slight swell of her belly.

  “Asch?”

  “Hmm?” he asked into her neck.

  “Have you ever held a baby before?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “My little sister.”

  She tried to turn and look at him, but he held her firmly in place. “You have a sister?”

  “Mhm,” he replied.

  She could tell he was tired. Despite it being well past her normal bedtime and the fact that she’d just had an orgasm and was newly pregnant, she wasn’t sure she could sleep. Her mind still buzzed with thoughts and questions, and she didn’t want him to fall asleep and leave her alone.

  “Where is she?”

  “Still lives with our mother a few hours south of here.”

  “Is she a werewolf, too?” He nipped her ear. “Ow!”

  “No. Different father. I’ll tell you all about her later. Now go to sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  He laughed. “You haven’t even tried yet.”

  “I have a lot on my mind,” she said defensively.

  “Are you worried about Caim and the pack?”

  “Not really,” she said and felt a little guilty at the admission. “It’s not that I don’t care about them. I just trust that Caim will get them all there safely.”

  Asch loosened his grip and let her turn to face him. She swallowed hard, blinking back tears she didn’t quite understand. “I’ve never held a baby before.”

  6

  Brae rode shotgun the rest of the drive. Mila lay in the backseat with a blanket she’d pilfered from the motel. Sleep was hard to come by, especially when they finally left the highway to travel down the bumpy back roads. In all fairness, Mila didn’t really deserve to get any sleep since she had kept Asch up nearly all day.

  It hadn’t been her intention to unload on him, but he was such a good listener. Patiently, he had listened to her fears surrounding pregnancy and her insecurities about motherhood, and then he had reassured her. He promised to make sure she had everything she needed during her pregnancy and explained there was at least one discreet doctor they could call on when the time came for her to give birth. He told her werewolf children were less prone to disease, infection, and disabilities. His words soothed the sharp edges from her fears but did little to make them less prominent.

  Mila sat up when the car came to a stop. She rubbed her eyes and took in their surroundings. A thick forest fringed the narrow road that had been etched into the foot of the mountain. The road before them glistened with unblemished snow in the headlights of the sedan.

  Asch handed Brae the car keys before getting out. As Mila heard the trunk pop open, Brae cocked her head back to smile at her. She looked more like her usual chipper self now that they were away from the city.

  “I’ll be taking the car back, and then I’ll meet you both at the den.”

  Mila nodded, too groggy to care what that entailed. Her door clicked open, and Asch was there, extending his hand.

  They said their goodbyes to Brae and then set out into the forest. Between the thin moon and the thick trees, Mila couldn’t see more than a few steps ahead of her. She held on tightly to Asch, letting him guide her through the woods.

  After a few minutes of walking, she asked, “Are you too tired to shift?”

  “Never,” he replied and sounded amused. “I just don’t want to leave tracks this close to the road. We’re going to walk for a little bit, then I’ll carry you. Are you tired?”

  She was tired, but she didn’t like his cajoling tone. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sad to go back?” he asked, giving her hip a squeeze.

  Mila looked up at him. “No, I’m relieved.”

  He looked surprised. “You are?”

  “Yeah.” She shrugged. “It was nice for a little while, and I’ll definitely want to go back again, particularly when I run out of toothpaste and deodorant, but, I don’t know, it just wasn’t what I thought it would be.”

  She wasn’t sure how else to explain it. After living in the pack, being back around humans was kind of weird. Sure, the amenities were great, but everything else felt shallow and … cold.

  In the city, everyone seemed to keep each other at arm’s length. Mila knew she used to be one of those people who meandered through life in a bubble of personal space, a little too distant and a little too self-contained. That wasn’t who she wanted to be anymore. She missed her friends, the females who talked with her and touched her without reservation.

  “I get it,” he said. As if reading her mind, he added, “It takes some getting used to. It’s hard to leave everything behind, but once you experience the sense of community in a pack, it’s almost impossible to go back.”

  She ducked down as Asch brushed aside a low-hanging branch. “Why did you leave?”

  He was silent for a moment. Only the crunch of snow accompanied their trek. Finally, he said, “I spent a lot of time denying what I was and trying to be human. In the end, it made me weak because I didn’t understand how to control my instincts, particularly when it came to women.”

  “Did you hurt someone?”

  “Almost,” he said. “There was a girl who lived nearby, a year younger than me and really sweet. Our sisters were always hanging out, and eventually, we became friends—watch your step.” He paused and lifted Mila up over a large tree root.

  “What happened?” she asked, a little too eagerly. She could tell it wasn’t something he wanted to rehash, but both of the alphas had been so private about their pasts, and this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

  He secured his arm around her waist as they walked. “Well, we spent a lot of time together. I knew that she liked me—most girls did.” His smile gleamed in the scant moonlight. “But I liked her a lot, too. Eventually, I told her the truth about what I was.”

  “What did she do?”

  “Nothing. She thought it was really cool. If anything, it made her like me more.”

  Mila could relate to that. When she was younger, she’d regularly fantasized about falling in love with a handsome young werewolf and sharing his secret. Meeting Asch would have been the ultimate dream-come-true for her at sixteen.

  “We started fooling around, nothing major, just kissing and a little touching here and there. But the more time we were together, the less I was able to control myself around her. I was afraid of hurting her, but she was convinced I was overreacting.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I told her to stay away from me during the time of the month that she was fertile, but she didn’t listen. She snuck in my window in the middle of the night. She brought condoms and scented candles. I’m pretty sure she planned on trying to seduce me.”

  “Oh, god…”

  Mila remembered how Asch was during the thrall. Once his control had snapped, he was gone. All he had wanted was sex, and he had taken it over and over, none too gently. And that was after what she imagined was years of learning self-control.

  “Caim was nearby. He heard her scream and he was able to stop me. A week later, we left. I spent a few years with Caim’s pack, and then we struck out on our own.”

  “Did you ever see her again?”

  He shook his head. “According to my sister, she got married a few years ago. Probably has kids by now, too.”

  “Did you love her?” She wasn’t sure why she needed to know, or why his wistful tone created a pang of jealousy in her chest.

  “I was a teenager and she was the only person who knew what I was besides Caim, who was, frankly, an asshole. At that point in my life, I needed her a lot, but that’s not the same as being in love.”

  “So, you’ve been in love before?” she asked, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. Hearing about Asch’s past was turning out to be a lot less pleasing than she’d thought it would be.

  “I love you.”

  Mila tripped. Asch caught her before she fell and pulled her up by the arm. She tried to look up at him, but her face was on fire,
so she fixed her gaze on his chest.

  “Why did you say that?” she asked, wringing her hands.

  He tilted her chin up. “Because it’s true,” he said with certainty.

  “But if I say it back, you’ll think I’m just saying it because you said it first.”

  “You don’t have to say it. I know you love me.”

  She gave him a skeptical look. How could he possibly know she loved him when she didn’t even know for sure if she loved him?

  Asch gave her an enigmatic smile and continued walking, pulling her along, deeper into the wilderness.

  7

  “You’re late.”

  Caim spat the words out like they were venom in his mouth. Between no longer being intimidated by him and missing him like crazy, Mila completely ignored his words and made a mad dash toward him with her arms spread wide. At the last second, he uncrossed his arms, permitting Mila to fling herself into them.

  “You’re late,” he repeated in a grumble.

  She ignored him again, rubbing her face against his hairy chest and breathing in his scent. “I’m so happy to see you!”

  He rolled his shoulders awkwardly, clearly unsure how to deal with his mate. After a brief moment of indecision, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

  “Why are you so late?” he asked, this time speaking to Asch.

  Mila turned to look back at Asch and winced sympathetically before burying her face again in Caim’s chest. Secretly, she was happy Caim directed his ire at Asch instead of her. She was dying to snuggle up against him and go to sleep, and she was way too tired to deal with his attitude.

  “We got a little sidetracked,” Asch replied and came to stand next to them. “Everything go all right?”

  “I have been waiting for hours,” Caim continued stubbornly. His grip became a little too tight.

  Deftly managing Caim, Asch replied, “Well, let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.”

  He winked at Mila and then sauntered passed, heading for what she presumed was the den’s entrance. Caim scowled and hoisted her up into his arms. She protested, but not with any real seriousness, as he carried her to their new den.