Possessing the Alpha: A Wolf Shifter Romance (Southern Shifters Saga Book 1)

by C. J. Beaumont

  I turned my gaze away from Brandon and his mother’s retreating backs and focused on the pack’s elder. My gut gave a nervous flip-flop, and I straightened my spine. I didn't know what to expect. I thought I was prepared for anything, but I certainly didn't expect the gentle squeeze of my shoulder, or the grandfatherly smile that went along with it.

  "What you did here today was very brave, Lucy. Your father would have been so proud of you. The other elders and I...we're honored to serve you."

  His words meant a great deal to me, and I had to clear my throat to dislodge the sudden lump that had formed there. The elders had done an abrupt—and surprising—about-face.

  I dipped my head in a show of respect. "As I am honored to serve the pack. But what changed your mind about me?"

  Eli glanced over at the wolves still standing in small groups here and there in the middle of the clearing. "You did your level best to do right by all the parties involved in this mess.” His gaze returned to me. “That's a hard tightrope to walk, but you did an admirable job. As you continue to grow and learn, I'm sure you'll honor your role as Blackburn Alpha."

  "I will certainly do my best."

  His eyes warmed in approval and he nodded, then cleared his throat. "You should probably go home and get some rest if you can. There's no telling when Maddox is going to strike again. We need to take care of ourselves and plan for whatever contingencies we can."

  I fought not to smile as he echoed my words from several days ago. This was a grave matter, and I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t taking it seriously. Because I was. I knew exactly what was at stake, and I didn’t want to give anyone cause to doubt that for even one second.

  With one final nod at me, Eli moved away to converse with the other elders.

  "Need a ride home?" Charlie murmured at my side.

  "You know I do. We came here together in your truck. I thought you were escorting Brandon off our Territory, though."

  "Dalton and the others can see to that. I wasn't just going to leave you stranded here, especially not since you intervened in what most would consider to be a justifiable homicide."

  My eyebrows arched in surprise at his words. "Were you worried that everyone might not be as onboard with my interference as Eli was?"

  "Something like that." He tangled his fingers with mine and tugged me back toward his truck.

  "Oh, ye of little faith," I teased. But it was sweet that he’d wanted to protect me.

  Because it felt like much more than just the pack Beta’s need to ensure the safety of his Alpha. It felt as though Charlie had been worried about me. Or was I just imagining that?

  He held open the passenger door of his truck and waited for me to get in before slamming it shut, then circled the vehicle to slide behind the wheel.

  "Guess again," Charlie said as he swung his truck out onto Old Pensacola Road and headed for my house.

  Guess what? I wondered and realized I’d lost the thread of our conversation. "I suck at guessing. Just tell me."

  "I didn’t lack faith in you, Lucy. But you surpassed even the example your father set as Alpha. I never thought I'd be as insanely proud of you as I am today." His voice got so quiet at the end that I almost missed him saying the last part.

  "You're proud of me? Really?" My heart felt like it had grown two sizes in my chest.

  He paused for so long I didn't think he was going to answer me. The last rays of the setting sun turned the sky to vibrant shades of pink and orange, painting the wispy clouds with golden light.

  He turned into my driveway, switched off the truck, and pocketed his keys before turning to me in the dim, intimate space of his truck cab. "Of course I'm proud of you, Lucy." He reached out and brushed my hair back behind my ear.

  I shivered in reaction to the gentle stroke of his fingers against my skin. "What for?"

  He slid a little closer to me as the sky darkened to midnight blue and indigo. I licked my lips and bit down on the bottom one as he reached out and captured my hand in his.

  His gaze captured mine. "I've been crazy impressed these last few days. The way you've stepped up and truly embraced what it means to be Alpha has blown me away. You’re finally becoming the leader your dad always knew you could be."

  Although I hoped my father was proud of me, I didn’t want to think about him in this moment. Not when Charlie’s touch caused heat to spread inside me.

  My wolf strained just underneath the surface of my skin, craving another touch from Charlie.

  I didn't wait for him to make the first move. I unbuckled my seatbelt and fisted my free hand in his shirt. I tugged him closer and he immediately took the hint, leaning down and kissing me with fiery, out-of-control passion. I moaned my pleasure as I tangled my fingers in his hair and straddled his lap in one swift movement. I returned his passion in full measure, shivering with anticipation as his hands slid down to cup my ass.

  He pulled me closer and I bucked against the hard bulge that had sprung to life inside his jeans. "We should probably go inside," he panted in between trailing searing-hot, feather-light kisses down my neck.

  "Yes," I nodded, gripping his shoulders and arching closer to him as he slid us both across to the passenger-side door.

  He shoved it open and we spilled out of the truck in a hot frenzy.

  As soon as our feet hit the ground, we sprinted up the front walk in unison. We stopped short at the locked front door. I dug frantically in my purse for my keys as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck. I dropped the keys and had to bend down to retrieve them before straightening back up. I could practically feel his cock throbbing through the denim of our jeans as he pressed against my backside while I unlocked my front door with shaking hands.

  "Your room?" He rumbled as I let us inside and turned to face him.

  "I'm not sure I can wait that long," I groaned, trying to tug him toward the living room instead.

  "It'll be better up there," Charlie argued, scooping me up in his arms.

  I didn’t care where this happened, just as long as he didn’t stop touching me.

  I buried my face in his chest and breathed in his intoxicating scent as he took the stairs two at a time. He kicked my bedroom door open, and I shoved it shut behind us as he set me down beside the bed.

  He sucked in a breath when I grabbed the hem of my shirt and stripped it off over my head. I tossed it aside and he dropped to his knees, feathering gentle kisses against the sutured scar in my side.

  In that moment, I had a sudden realization. Well, actually, several of them. But I’d focus on the one that my wolf had been keeping from me up till now.

  "Charlie?" I whispered as he trailed kisses closer to my navel and started unbuttoning my jeans.

  "Hmm?" He tilted his head back just enough to cock a curious eyebrow at me as he tugged the zipper down. He hooked his fingers in my waistband and peeled my jeans off with torturously slow care.

  I almost forgot what I’d been intending to say, but I forced my brain to function. At least for a few more seconds.

  "You're my mate, Charlie. I don't know how it happened, or when, but I know that my inner wolf and I both want only one thing, and that’s you."

  “I know,” Charlie affirmed.

  He eased me back on the bed, running his hands up and down my thighs and causing my brain to short-circuit. I squirmed under his touch, wanting more. Needing more.

  Wait, what had he said?

  "You know?" I demanded with a puzzled frown. "How long have you known?"

  He stared into my eyes and gave me just the barest hint of a smile. "Always."

  I was about to ask another question, but I lost my train of thought as he leaned down and buried his tongue inside me. I cried out, the sound little more than incoherent babbling and whimpering as he alternated between tonguing my pussy and sucking and nibbling on my clit.

  I tangled my fingers in his hair and bucked against his face, unable to hold still while he ate me out. He didn't slow down
until I screamed his name in broken syllables as my orgasm ripped through me.

  "I need more," I groaned. "I need all of you."

  Charlie stripped in record time and came back down on top of me, but paused with his impossibly hard cock brushing against my clit as he guided it to my entrance. He remained motionless for an unbearably long moment, his eyes like obsidian flecked with the barest hints of gold as he stared down at me. I was just about to demand that he move and stop torturing me when he spoke.

  "I love you, Lucy."

  His simple declaration put a big, fat lump of emotion in my throat, and I struggled to speak around it. "I love you, too, Charlie. More than you'll ever know." That had been another realization from a few minutes ago.

  “Now, enough of this lovey-dovey crap,” I said with a teasing smile.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I had to bite his shoulder to keep from screaming my pleasure to high heaven as he thrust hard inside me again and again, pounding into me. There was nothing slow and gentle about it, but I never wanted him to stop. I knew I wouldn’t last long, though. As I felt my climax building, I wrapped my legs around his hips and squeezed them tight, wordlessly begging him to come with me.

  He did, and tears of pure bliss fell on my cheeks like dew. Charlie kissed them away and slumped down on top of me, then rolled us over to nestle me against his chest. I pressed a kiss on the spot where I could feel his heart beating.

  "Charlie?" I yawned.

  "Hmm?" He hugged me a little tighter against him.

  "If you knew we were destined to be mates, then why the hell were you always so hard on me?" I thumped the side of my fist against the hard wall of his chest in retaliation for all the stuff he’d put me through for years until recently.

  He chuckled and the sound rumbled through his body, vibrating against my cheek. "I did those things because I wanted you to be the best you could possibly be. I knew taking it easy on you the way Brandon always did would only be a disservice in the long run. Everything I did was meant to help you rise to the challenge of being the kind of Alpha this pack needs. The strong Alpha I always knew you would be."

  Chapter 22

  Early morning sunlight woke me, and I stretched against Charlie's still-sleeping form. I yawned and took a long moment to revel in the sound of his soft snores filling my bedroom, to savor the feel of his hard body pressed against mine and the sense of comfort I felt with his strong arms wrapped around me, before I shook him awake.

  He grunted and turned over, but didn’t open his eyes.

  "We should probably head back to the ceremonial grounds," I prodded.

  "Mm-hmm," Charlie mumbled his agreement into my pillow.

  I shook him a little harder. "Eli was right yesterday when he said we never know how soon Maddox might try to strike again. Or how he might strike at us. I don’t trust him not to start trying to pick us off one by one. We need to gather the pack and come up with a plan. We can’t just wait and see, and hope for the best."

  "Okay, I'm aware that you're right, but I really kind of hate you right now."

  I suppressed a giggle. "Not a morning person?"

  "Never have been, never will be," he grumbled, but he threw back the covers and started retrieving his clothes from around the room.

  I’d never known that about him. I laid in bed for a minute longer, propped up on one elbow, as I watched him. He was kind of cute when he was all grumpy in the morning. And he was totally hot any time of the day. Or night. But now wasn’t the time to let thoughts of him fill my mind. Climbing out of bed, I hurried to dress and get ready.

  Charlie and I discussed possible strategies on the drive, and I appreciated having him as a sounding board. I knew that whatever happened when we faced the coyote pack again, I could count on him.

  The council of elders and most of the rest of the tribe were all gathered at the ceremonial grounds when we arrived.

  I met Eli in the very center of the clearing, by the fire pit. "How is everyone?"

  "Prepared to do whatever it takes to shut these coyotes down for good."

  "Good. I think we should just set up camp here until they come back. We’ll be much safer if we stay together."

  Eli nodded in agreement with that plan. "They won't wait long before launching another attack. Maddox is too eager and too power-hungry to leave us alone for any length of time."

  "Well, that's one point I won't argue with you. He's impatient to gain this territory and moving fast." I looked out at my pack, my people, and a fierce wave of protectiveness welled up inside me.

  Worry and fear showed plainly on a number of faces. They were looking to me to keep them safe, to keep their families and children safe.

  “What are we going to do, Lucy?” a young mother asked in a trembling voice. “I want my babies to come home to me, but it’s too dangerous until the coyotes are dealt with once and for all.”

  “And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” I assured her. I scanned the wolves standing in a circle around me until I spotted Dalton. “Were you able to track the coyotes who killed the Parkers?”

  “No,” he replied, frustration edging his tone. “I followed their tracks into the woods behind the Parkers’ house for about a hundred yards, but then the trail just disappeared. As though they’d vanished into thin air.”

  That’s what I had feared. It was seeming more and more like Darius’s theory was correct that the coyotes were receiving help from a demon. Which only added another enemy to the pack’s already dire situation.

  It went against my every instinct to just wait until the coyotes came at us again. But we didn’t have a choice. Without knowing the location of their den, we couldn’t take the battle to them.

  I turned to address the gathered crowd. “I know everyone here wants peace. To live your lives without fear of attack. No one wants to risk their lives battling the coyotes endlessly.

  “But peace will not just be handed to us. We must fight for it. The coyotes may have greater numbers, they may have had help from one of our own, but our pack is stronger than they are. We won’t give up because we can’t give up. We have much more to lose than them, but that is what will ensure that we win. Because anything else is not something we can accept.

  “Maddox and the coyotes want this territory, but we are fighting for our lives. For the lives of our families. For our home and friends and neighbors. For our pack. And together, we will win.”

  Even as the echo of my words faded away, coyotes started pouring out of the trees surrounding the ceremonial grounds.

  "Tight formations and teamwork," I shouted, just seconds before I shifted.

  One thought pulsed through my body, thrumming through my veins, and I pushed the sentiment out to every single one of my wolves via the pack bond.

  Protect each other. We're stronger together than they can ever hope to be. Today is the day we end this. Today is the day we drive these coyotes out and bring our children home.

  I spotted Maddox leading the charge toward us and leapt into action. I ran at him full-tilt, determined to meet him on even ground despite whatever demonic forces might be trying to help him.

  Cut him off from the others. Don't let them split our numbers, though. If they wander, don't follow. Just stick close and focus on the main problem at hand. We're not here to give chase, we're here to take a stand. Without Maddox commanding them, the rest of the coyotes will falter and flee.

  We hit Maddox and his pack like a rogue wave. Just as had happened before, they splintered while we worked in unison. I could sense Maddox's panic rising as his forces split this way and that, scattering in all directions as my pack worked as a singular unit with a unifying goal.

  It took hard work and blood, but we managed to cut Maddox off from his forces. When we did, I noticed that his messenger and pack Beta, Ethan, was the first to turn tail and abandon Maddox in favor of the safety of the trees. More than half the coyotes followed his example.

  I smiled grimly. It seemed
Maddox might have taught his ranks a little too well to retreat when the odds were against them. They were abandoning their leader without a second thought or a backwards glance.

  We encircled the coyote Alpha, gave him no quarter and no way out. One by one, as his remaining forces noticed he was trapped, they left him to fend us off on his own, running away in an every-man-for-himself mad rush.

  I launched myself at Maddox, my jaws clamping around his throat as I knocked him backward and pinned him to the ground.

  He struggled and fought, but couldn’t break my hold. And there was no one to come to his rescue. They’d all run, disappearing into the trees.

  Lucky for me, Maddox couldn’t go for a knife while in coyote form. He must be hating that he couldn’t even use underhanded tactics against me to free himself.

  I bit down, my teeth sinking deep into his flesh, as I cut off his air until he passed out and shifted back to his human form. My jaws remained locked around his throat for a long moment, as I warred with my wolf because she wanted desperately to rip out his jugular and just be done with it. I didn’t really want to fight her on it, if I was being honest. If anyone needed killing, it was this vicious coyote.

  I squeezed my jaws a little tighter and more pearls of blood bloomed around my teeth. The second the taste registered, I released him, nearly gagging as I tried to rid myself of the foul blood coating my tongue. It felt corrupted, wrong, poisonous, and I knew I didn't need that in my system. A shudder shook me at just the thought.

  I shifted back and spat repeatedly, getting rid of all traces of the blood before I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I stood and stared down at Maddox’s unconscious form.

  "Imprison him. We need to find out more about this demon, and he's the only way we have to get any real answers right now."

  Wolves shifted back around me, some arguing for the coyote Alpha’s death. Some even demanding it. Others didn’t know why I hadn’t already killed him when I’d had him by the throat.