Alpha's Mate: A Steamy PNR Shifter & Fantasy Romance Collection (Hot Shifters Book 3)

by Casey Morgan

  Even though this mystery woman is gone, my dick is hard with thoughts of her. I wrap my hand around my shaft, lazily pumping. I think about what it would be like to bury myself deep into that girl’s pussy, how tight she must be. Jesus Christ! Every image that passes through my brain is more explicit than the last. It’s like a match was set under my imagination.

  I squeeze my hand, moving it faster and faster as my balls grow heavy.

  “Fuck,” I growl.

  My muscles grow tense. God, it’s been so long since I’ve found pleasure in a woman. I imagine that my hand is the soft, warm embrace of her body. Her hands would explore me, taking as much interest in my body as I do hers. My breathing picks up as I move with more and more ferocity, practically yanking my dick back and forth.

  I violently cum, the seed shooting out of my cock and onto the grass. I let out a long string of expletives, my orgasm feeling foreign to my body.

  I lean back on my hands, catching my breath. I haven’t felt this relaxed… ever, I think. I’m always tied up in knots, anxious over this thing or the next. The only other side of my mood is feeling completely and totally apathetic with the occasional burst of anger.

  I shift back to wolf form, preferring to sleep that way. If something goes wrong, it’s much easier for me to run away on four legs than two. Also, my senses are more attuned if I’m a wolf. I’ll be able to pick up on most disturbances before they enter the clearing.

  I circle a few times before curling up in the grass to fall asleep. I don’t need to go through a million different hoops to get myself comfortable. It’s quite unusual for me. I find my eyes fluttering closed. Sleep is coming to me easy for the first time in my life. Soon, I’m out cold, having the calmest rest of my life.

  Chapter Four

  Anya

  I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but I know I’ve been in these woods for hours. Though it feels like days because of how much my bones just want to rest.

  Looking up, I can tell the sun is about to come up. The night sky is shifting colors from the black darkness spotted with stars into that deeper purples with orange and yellow hues. The moon is still pretty prominent, though. It’s been lighting my way all night, which has been nice, but that doesn’t make me any less lost.

  I sigh. Whatever I’m doing isn’t working. I had no idea the woods were this deep and dense. My parents always told me not to walk in them because I’d get lost, and, look, they were right.

  I can’t keep going the way I’m going. I don’t actually know how far these woods extend. I’ve never actually explored them or studied a map that detailed the area. I didn’t bring a whole bunch of stuff because I thought I’d make it to the next town by now. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to get myself lost in the woods.

  I turn around to circle back. Maybe I can find that clearing I was in and take a moment to reevaluate what I’m going to do. For some reason, while I was there, I didn’t feel so cloudy or exhausted. Maybe it was because I’d just started this ill-fated journey, but it could have also been because there was so much more room to breathe. It’s just something about that place had my head feeling so clear.

  I might even end up going home after all of this. I am hungry. I am tired. There are scrapes and bruises all up and down my body. I’ve got bug bites. I keep seeing all kinds of weird shadows that may or not be there. Hearing things that may or may not be making noise. All I want is to fall into a nice warm bed. Going home after only a few hours defeats the whole purpose of running away, but I’m not sure how much further I can go. I know my upbringing absolutely sucked. There was a lot of hard work and not a lot of warmth or compassion.

  My parents were almost always cold and distant. The only time their mood towards me ever changed was when they were angry and passionately beating or yelling at me. It doesn’t sound like love, but they would always tell me that they cared about me and that they loved me. They just wanted what was best, what would keep me from falling from the path. Maybe violence was the only way they knew how to express it. I know that that isn’t the greatest way to receive love, but it’s still love, right?

  Like the time they caught me with a boy from the local school. We weren’t doing anything sexual. We weren’t even touching one another, but, at church, we would always hear about how we would get led astray by the nonbelievers in our lives. That we would be tested constantly by God to prove our loyalty to him.

  If we failed, that meant going to hell. Our eternal souls are forever damned. I’m sure my parents were always just thinking about me burning in hellfire for all of eternity, and the thought just made them go absolutely crazy. They just don’t want their daughter to die and be in pain forever.

  The beatings were definitely excessive and didn’t do what they were intended to do, but it was the only way my parents knew how to teach me. Running away is the wrong thing to do. I may be mad at my parents, but this is much too much. I can’t right one wrong with another wrong. That’s not how any of that works. Just because they messed up a few times doesn’t mean I have to leave them like this.

  It’s clear I don’t have what it takes to live on my own. I’ve never spent a single day away from my home. No sleepovers, camps, trips, nothing. All of my life has been centered around that house. It’s where I’ve lived from a very young age. I didn’t even go to school. Mom and Dad opted for homeschooling because they didn’t want my teachers filling my head with their “poisonous, secular” teachings.

  What this all amounts to is that I have never really done anything on my own. My life was much too sheltered for me to build any of those necessary life skills that people need to actually survive. I mean, it’s only been a few hours, and I am already close to the end of my rope. If this is what it’s going to be like all the time, there’s no way I’ll be able to adjust. I’ll lose all my marbles before then.

  I don’t even have to go back to the clearing to recenter myself. I’ve made my decision. I’m just going to find my way home. It’s for the best. My life may not have been ideal, but it was a life, and it was mine. I’m sure if I go home and get on knees, begging for forgiveness, they’ll let me come back home. I mean, they must be freaking out because I ran away.

  I’m sure Mom and Dad will be so grateful that I’ve come back, we could figure out some compromises. Like maybe I could get a job. I’ve always wanted to meet more people and make friends. If they let me venture out a little bit on my own, my life would be so much better.

  And, if the beatings stopped, that would be great. I know we can all figure things out. If I show them that I can be responsible and do a few things on my own without fully turning into the godless heathen they fear I’ll become, then I can get a few things of my own.

  I’m already feeling better about my decision to go back home.

  I’m walking through all of the grass and trees, trying to find the direction that will lead me back to town and then my house. It’s kind of confusing, but I’m walking in the opposite direction that I was walking in before. That should get me to somewhere familiar, eventually like the road or something. It would be nice if I could see some kind of land marker, so I know I am going the right way. I probably should have marked my way, but it’s too late for that now.

  I keep going, hoping that this doesn’t take me way too long. I’m about to take a break for a drink of water when I hear something behind me. I turn around but don’t see anything. I know people like to come out here to hike or whatever, but I’m sure I’m the only one in the woods. I mean, I can’t be totally sure, but it is quite early, and I am pretty deep in here. I’d be surprised to run into anyone right now.

  That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing here.

  Maybe it was an animal? I hadn’t even given thought to the fact that other things live here before entering in the dead of night.

  I keep looking but still can’t see anything, I chalk it up to an overactive imagination. I mean, there’s nothing in these woods that should frighten me, I don’t
think. Except for the wolves, that is, but they are supposed to be super deep in the woods. I shouldn’t have gotten that far off course. I know I was walking for a really long time, but… there’s no way.

  I’m overthinking this and getting all in my head.

  I’m about to turn around, but I hear that noise again. This time, I know that it is not in my head. Whatever is out there is getting closer because the noise was louder the second time around.

  I keep my eyes trained on the source. After a few seconds later, a whole pack of wolves emerges, racing towards me. I start to freak out because they are a bunch of freaking wolves. They probably weren’t looking for me, but now that I’m in their way, it could very possibly divert their attention. My stomach drops as I try to think about what to do.

  Maybe I can hide myself or something. I start to move a little bit, trying to find a place for me to hide. It’s just tree after tree, and I’m not sure if there’s somewhere I can get away.

  All of a sudden, my mind becomes so much clearer, just like it was when I was in the clearing before. Not just that, but I can see and smell so much around me. All that stuff that I thought wasn’t in the woods before, the critters, and the like, my brain is being filled with their noises and scents.

  It’s the craziest thing. This must be what some people go through when they are having one of those holy experiences that the preacher is always talking about. I don’t know if I’m having one right now, but this is a whole new feeling for me.

  And I very much like it.

  But I can’t think about what to do. There is way too much stimuli all at once, and it short-circuits my brain. The wolves are getting closer. It is now becoming clearer to me that they are coming after me.

  Something inside me tells me to run. Usually, I’d be stuck to the spot, unsure of what to do, but my legs move before my brain can think about it. Suddenly, I am running through these woods, trees whooshing past me. Everything about this situation is weird. Including the fact that I am running faster than I have ever run in my life.

  I don’t understand it. I have no idea how it’s possible, but I also don’t care. I’m running fast enough to stay slightly ahead of an entire pack of wolves. The wind rushes past me so fast that my hair falls out of the sloppy bun I had it in. My waves flow behind my head. I must be going really fast to keep my hair aloft like that. Maybe I can take better care of myself than I thought.

  I keep going, thinking I’m about to make it out of here. My heart is racing with excitement. I have no idea why they are chasing me. Maybe it’s simply their instinct, but something inside is telling me that something else is going on. I don’t know how I know this, but there are deeper and darker things going on.

  I turn around because my curiosity is getting the best of me, and maybe a better look at these wolves will give me some insight. My eyes fall on to their faces, bared teeth, angry eyes, and I freeze up. Terror runs up my spine, and it’s like I can no longer move.

  I stop right in my tracks. I may be able to run fast, but there is no way I can fight all these wolves off. There’s far too many of them, and they look much too angry. Running that fast could have just been a fluke. I don’t think I’m going to find out that I have super strength as well. I’m not that lucky.

  I swallow, realizing I’m probably about to die. I ran away from home, and I didn’t even make it past the town limits. The worst part is it’s going to hurt. Their teeth are going to tear into my flesh, pulling me limb from limb. I can imagine myself on the ground bleeding out, my body mangled.

  “Dear God,” I whisper to myself.

  I close my eyes, preparing myself for my inevitable end. I say a little prayer. Just because my parents perverted religion for me doesn’t mean faith can’t offer me a little comfort right now.

  I close my eyes even tighter, just waiting, when, all of a sudden, I feel a whoosh go by me. It's so swift that my body moves forward from the force. The air leaves my body in a gasp. I open my eyes and see a whirl of fur quickly approaching all the wolves. Soon, there’s barking and growling. The yelps fill the warm sky.

  I think the wolves are fighting with whatever just launched itself at them. It's a flurry of fur and teeth and limbs. Because of this, they aren’t focused on me anymore.

  My chest moves up and down fiercely, thinking about how close I was to death. It's crazy thinking that I truly almost died, but I guess today is not my day. I watch as whoever or whatever this thing is fights off the wolves for me.

  I should probably take this opportunity to run away. With all of them distracted, I can save myself and get far away from here. Because if that thing is taking on all those wolves by itself and seemingly winning, what in the world is it going to do to me once all the wolves are taken care of?

  Even with that concern in the back of my mind, I still can’t bring my feet to start moving again. Something is telling me to stay right here.

  Because while I am relieved that someone is fighting these wolves for me, I don’t know why. I think if I wait around for this thing to end, I will get the answer to some of my questions, and that’s all I really want.

  I'm tired of being in the dark about things. I'm ready to leave the dark clouds that have taken over my mind behind.

  Chapter Five

  Raul

  I wake up in the clearing after the best sleep I had in years. My brain feels legitimately quiet, with none of those usual thoughts of dread and anxiety. I can't believe that worked. Hopefully, I can keep this streak up.

  It does seem like that girl from last night is long gone. It’s not like I could take a picture of her, so I could jerk off to her every night and get some sleep. That would be absolutely crazy and unnecessarily cruel. And it's not like she wants anything to do with me. I'm some random, sad, half-human, half-wolf in the woods. Why would she want to shack up with a depressed idiot like me?

  One night of sleep that good should be able to keep me somewhat sane for a little bit, though. Maybe when I need it to happen, another random woman will cross my path, and she’ll ignite a similar fire within me. I mean, I doubt it, but I'm feeling a sliver of hope after last night. One I haven’t felt in a very long time.

  I stretch, working any of the kinks out of my back. I don’t really have any plans for today except more wandering and doing nothing. My hodge-podge pack doesn't constantly stay together. We're more of an if needed type group, keeping one another safe if necessary, but otherwise keeping our space.

  I’m about to get a head start on these sad plans of mine when I catch a whiff of a rival pack. That’s weird. This area isn’t one that has a lot of packs fighting for control. There’s nothing special about the land that makes it desirable. The woods are great for concealment, but there are nicer ones some miles in the other direction.

  The rival pack is called the Shadewoods, and they do like to remind us that my pack isn’t strong enough to actually hold to the land, though. But, lately, their intimidation techniques have ramped down since my pack does our best to keep to ourselves.

  I run towards the smell, curious about what is going on. This is the most excitement I've had in a long time. It's kind of weird how it's all happening so back to back.

  I get closer and see the pack. They’re all chasing after that girl from last night. Why would they do that? What in the world could the Shadewoods want with her? Enough to travel all the way from their own home? I've had a few interactions with them when we first got here, but they've left is alone for the most part because we don’t give them a lot of push back. I do know not all of them have been friendly. Really most of them suck, but this is very bold of them, going after some human.

  This is the first time I've seen them so openly attack some random person, especially someone who isn’t inching on to their main turf.

  While the whole rival pack thing has got me a little freaked out, this girl has got me even more freaked out. I can’t believe she ended up back where I was. I guess that’s not the biggest coincidence, but some
thing feels fateful to me. I mean, this is the second time we’ve come across one another. That has to mean something, right? It's not just a coincidence.

  I don’t have too much time to stand here and contemplate what this all means. I need to get my ass moving. That girl is running fast, but… Actually, now that I can think about it, she was running way too fast for just a normal human.

  It couldn’t possibly be… I mean, she could only if she was… Is that why…?

  No! Now isn’t the time to think about this. Not only is it way too good to be true, but I have to go fight this pack off. There’s no reason getting my hopes up, not after years of disappointment.

  Plus, I need to focus. I launch myself past this girl, going straight for the Shadewoods pack. The second I hit one of them, I can feel that I’m stronger. I’ve fought them before, and the battles have always taken a lot more effort even with my fellow wolves. But, right now, it’s like they are putty between my teeth. This type of strength only comes once someone’s found their… no. I said I wouldn’t think about it, and I am not going to think about it.

  It’s time to fight, and I've got to win.

  I bite and claw, getting under their fur and throwing them out of the way. I tear through all these wolves, easily defeating them one by one. They start to retreat, tucking their tails between their legs and getting the hell away.

  A few of them stay behind, thinking they can still get me. I get down to the last two, and when it’s just us three, I take them to a more wooded and secluded area.

  What happened before was small potatoes. The fight we’re about to have is going to be a very brutal one, and I don’t want this girl to see if she doesn’t have to.

  The two of them circle me, baring their teeth in an attempt to scare me. At this point, their efforts have no effect on me. I’m not scared of them. After everything I just did out there, I’m not about to back down due to a couple of old-fashioned scare tactics.