He’d taken over as alpha when he’d inherited his parent’s fortune and finally been able to throw his uncle out of the pack.
When his parents had died, leaving him and his twin Lock orphaned, his uncle had taken the chance to turn the pack against them. He was bitter that the pure alpha blood in their veins meant that they would grow up and take leadership of the pack from him. Unless he destroyed them, which he had tried to do.
Beatings. Isolation. Hunger. All the punishments that would feel worst for a young animal who should be part of a pack.
And Thor had closed off for a long time as a result. Holed up deep inside himself and tried not to let anyone touch him. Became mean and strong, the type who wouldn’t let anyone mess with him. Lock, his twin, his salvation, had been the one to protect him. The one to never lose his smile, even when he came back to their shack with bruises, the punishment for stealing the food he brought for them.
Lock had always been the sensitive one. The one who couldn’t stand to see his twin suffer, and as they grew, the strength in Thor made him want to become the truly protective one. Where Lock solved problems with his smile, Thor solved problems with his fist. He was fast, strong, a true alpha, and he wouldn’t let them hurt the one person in his life who had done something for him.
Thor sighed and looked out at the forest, wondering where Lock was now. He hadn’t seen him since he’d gone to the Tribunal and groveled to that brat Matt to free his brother. Matt, as the youngest pup and only son of the head of the Tribunal, was everything Thor hated. Privileged, born to wealth and protection, thinking himself superior to everyone around him. He’d made that plain in the short amount of time Thor had gotten to know him when they’d shared a mansion during a huge alpha challenge involving eight other males.
He didn’t know why Matt got under his skin so easily, why he kept wanting to pick the tiny male up and shake him. Why he couldn’t help teasing him.
He was pretty. Of course he would be. All of the Tribunal leader’s daughters were gorgeous. The type of female Thor would have been destined for if his parents hadn’t been murdered and his pack hadn’t fallen into disrepute after his uncle took over.
Things were recovering now. There was much more money, thanks to some savvy investments, and multiple pack members were running clean, honest businesses that brought in revenue. And Thor had slowly tried to lower the walls around him to be a fair and more approachable leader, though he still heard subordinates refer to him as “Thorns” occasionally.
He couldn’t help that his guard defaulted to being up. He’d learned too often that if you lowered it, people beat you. Hurt you.
He clenched his fist and set down the pen he’d been signing forms with so he didn’t break it. From the two-story lodge where he lived and performed administrative duties for the pack, he could see a beautiful, grassy valley stretching out into a thick forest at the foot of high mountains. His pack made up most of a small town nestled in a remote area, and didn’t bother the humans who did have the guts to settle there, despite the rumors of wolves.
The few males he’d had trouble with had left, and the other males were happy to have a strong leader who had good resources thanks to the work of his relatives. He’d make sure what was left to him increased, and he’d leave it to the next generation. Once he found a suitable alpha female.
But that wouldn’t be easy. The last one he’d known of that was available to claim had been the one in the alpha challenge three years ago. Misty. And the fact that ten full alphas had shown up to compete just proved how scarce alpha females really were. When they were born to a pack, they were usually affianced from a young age to keep a bloodline going, and they had their pick of males.
But Thor could wait. He’d make sure whomever he chose was strong and a full-blooded wolf so that they could have shifter offspring. And if not, he wasn’t in any hurry to get mated. He had enough to do already.
So when a loud knock sounded on the front door on the story below him, he rubbed his head and let out a deep sigh. Whoever it was should know better than to bother him at this time of night, when he could be sleeping. He wasn’t, but he could be, and they didn’t know any better.
He pushed himself out of his chair with a groan and slid his arms into his bathrobe, tying the sash around him as he went. He was wearing pajama bottoms but he didn’t think whoever was knocking would appreciate him coming to the door bare chested. Well, maybe some of the pack females wouldn’t mind, but their males would.
He crossed the wood floor of his lodge and over the large rug in front of the door.
He swung the door open and looked at the figure standing in the moonlight. Thin, soaking wet. Small, at least compared to him.
He took a step forward, toward the figure, which was drenched by rain and trembling slightly in the cold wind. Thor reached for the hood and pulled it off to reveal the face of the person he’d already identified by scent and stature.
“Matt?” he asked, astonished.
Pale blue eyes with long lashes looked up at him with determination glowing in their depths. “Thor. That favor you spoke of? I need you to return it.”
Thor took a step back, allowing Matt to come into the lodge. Matt looked behind him briefly and then shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a huge sigh of relief in that high, feminine voice he tended to have. Even when he tried to sound gruff, it just didn’t sound quite right.
“I’m safe,” Matt said, sinking against the door.
Thor pulled his robe tighter around him and tried to figure out why exactly this man of all people would be here, now, in the middle of the night. And also, why the sight of him bothered him in ways that didn’t make any sense.
Matt stretched with a loud yawn and then slumped over to the nearest couch and curled up in it. Thor watched curiously, wondering at how small the thin man could be when curled up. With the hood back, Matt’s blond hair shone softly around his face. His features were truly beautiful, as beautiful or more beautiful than his sisters when Thor had seen them. A thin, slightly upturned nose, pale, flushed skin, long lashes over his cheeks.
Thor felt blood rush to areas of his body it had no business rushing to and turned away from Matt with a hand over his mouth.
What to do? He knew he owed Matt big time, had promised to repay the debt he owed him for saving the one person who meant more to him than anything in the world. But he’d forgotten how confusing it could be to be around Matt. How it made Thor feel things he’d never felt. Made the mean part of him defensive, made the other part of him feel…protective?
He rubbed a hand over his face with a groan. It made no sense for him to be feeling all alpha over another male. Some males did prefer males, but he never had. Just this one, obnoxious troublemaker of a kid that seemed to get under his skin like no one else could.
He heard soft breathing and realized the kid had fallen asleep. He took a step toward him and looked down to make sure.
Yup.
He felt an urge to touch the other wolf’s hair, to grab a towel and dry the drops on his cheeks. But he didn’t. He just stood there, wondering if he should wake him and demand an explanation or just let him sleep and hope answers would be forthcoming when he woke up. He settled in a chair that faced the window.
Matt had said he was safe now and Thor would make sure that was the case. Whatever weird thing was going on between them, he had a debt, and he would repay it.
No matter how much his urge to put his hands on the other wolf made his eye twitch.
Alpha Defender on Amazon
Also by Terry Bolryder
The Alpha Series
Alpha Games Serial (Novellas with cliffhangers between volumes)
An alpha female returns home to the pack mates she left and finds herself choosing between three alpha males in this paranormal romance serial from Terry Bolryder
Alpha Games Boxed Set on sale for .99
Alpha Rogue Serial (Novellas with cliffhangers between volumes)
Alpha Rogue Boxed Set on sale for .99
Alpha Contender Serial (Novellas with cliffhangers between volumes)
A average human woman finds out she’s a desirable female alpha and ends up in a mansion with ten possible suitors in this paranormal romance serial from Terry Bolryder.
Alpha Contender Boxed Set on sale for .99
Alpha Defender
When alpha wolf Thor finds an acquaintance on his doorstep needing his help, will he take the mysterious person in, or step aside?
*Stars Thor from Alpha Contender Series*
Alpha Defender on Amazon
Wolf Protectors Series
Three hot, wolf shifter brothers run a martial arts studio and divide their time between training to be the toughest around and winning over their sexy, independent mates. All in KU!
*Stars Asher from Alpha Contender Series*
Alpha Champion
Alpha Hero
Alpha Protector
Bearstone Park Series (Standalone novels)
A billionaire tech mogul, a movie star, and an Olympic snowboarder come back to Bearstone Park and find unexpected but wonderful mates.
Bearllionaire
Bearlebrity
Bearthlete
Polar Heat Series
A matchmaking papa bear sets his three bear shifter sons up with women on a Caribbean island.
Bear-ever Yours
Some Bear to Love
One in a Bear-llion
Remem-bear Me (Dad’s book)
Thanks so much for reading!
Terry
Ultimate Alpha Boxed Set: A BBW and Wolf Shifter collection Page 68