Claimed by the Alphas
PART SIX
Copyright ©2014 by Viola Rivard
All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTENN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
AUTHOR’S NOTE
BOUND TO THE ALPHAS
Many young and fanciful women speak of love at first sight, but it was simply not that way for me. From the moment I laid eyes on him, all I knew was that he would be nothing but trouble for me.
It was at least a day—when we were finally alone—that I dared to press my lips to him for the first time. It was then that I began to fall in love with my son.
Marie du Luponte, 1931
An excerpt from Wolves of the Cordilleras
CHAPTER ONE
Mila had gone to sleep being held by Asch. In spite of everything that had happened, she’d wanted to do a whole lot more than just be held by him. It had been two weeks since she’d seen him, smelled him, and been touched by him. The man could kiss like nobody’s business, and while Caim was still discovering the ways to please her, Asch knew every dip and curve of her body, and he knew just how to touch and tease her. Tired from a long trip, the alpha had been immune to her feminine wiles, and had insisted that she get her rest, and that there’d be time for that later.
But when she awoke, Asch was gone. She fumbled around in the bedroll, squinting into the darkness, but there was no one there. For the first time in a while, Mila had woken alone. She sat for a moment and rubbed her head, feeling disoriented. Briefly, she wondered if she’d dreamt of the cats attacking and of Asch’s return. Then, her stomach turned on her.
Mila shot up from the bed, nearly stumbling over the blankets and furs. Clearing the room in a frantic dash, she barely made it to her tub before losing her dinner. After the meager portions of venison, came bile, followed by dry heaving. When it finally seemed to pass, Mila felt as though all of the energy had been wrung out of her. She sank to the floor and leaned her head against the rim of the tub, grateful for the feeling of cold metal against her hot flesh.
She placed her hand over her stomach, knowing that she hadn’t dreamt any of it. Asch was home, the cats had attacked, and she was pregnant. Her stomach lurched again, as if in confirmation. She squeezed her eyes shut, wincing as the wave of nausea passed.
She looked down at her belly. “So this is how it’s going to be, kid?”
Was it too early to talk to it? It probably didn’t even have ears yet. Or fingers, or toes. Or did it? Mila ran a hand through her hair and frowned. How far along was she? One week, two weeks, when does the count even begin? How long would she be pregnant? Nine months, but was that at the beginning or at the end of nine months? Wasn’t she supposed to take vitamins?
Question after question raced through her mind, only to crash in a horrific pile-up when confronted with her complete ignorance and lack of preparation. Her thoughts spiraling towards self-loathing, she didn’t hear anyone approaching until the flap was pulled back on her doorway.
Brae stepped in, looking as lovely as ever. Her snow-white hair was gathered in a thick braid and tossed casually over one shoulder. Mila had trouble making out her expression in the darkness, but she could tell that Brae was smiling broadly.
“Mila,” she said emphatically. “I’ve missed you.”
Reacting on instinct, Mila opened her arms. Brae dashed over, scooping Mila up into her arms. For once, it didn’t bother Mila that they were both naked. She hugged Brae’s cool body tightly, her eyes misting over at her friend’s familiar touch.
“I missed you, too,” she said into Brae’s neck.
Mila let Brae hold her for a couple of minutes, until she realized that she was mostly leaning on Brae for support. She pulled back, keeping a hand on Brae’s shoulder to remain steady.
“Do you need to rest?” asked Brae, looking concerned. Mila waved her hand dismissively.
“No, no, I’m okay. How are you? How did things go with um,” she searched her foggy mind, and then snapped her fingers, “Blackthorn! How did that go?”
Brae shook her head, smiling. She put her hands on Mila’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about that stuff. I want to know about you. How are you feeling?” Her grin widened. “What did Caim do when he found out?”
Mila blinked at her, momentarily confused. At Brae’s expectant look, realization dawned on her. “Oh! You mean the baby. Yeah, he was happy,” her brows furrowed, “at least I think he was. We didn’t really have a whole lot of time to talk about it because…” Mila trailed off, remembering how she’d made a total idiot of herself, confessing to Caim that she was in love with him. Her eyes widened. “Is Caim alright?”
Asch had told her the night before that Caim would be okay, but in her relief, she’d never asked him to elaborate. It had been selfish of her, and now she could add ‘selfish’ on to the growing list of reasons why she was going to be a horrible mother.
“He needed a few stitches, but he’s fine,” Brae assured her. “Are you hungry?”
Mila expected the thought of food to make her sick again, but instead, her stomach growled loudly. They both looked down at her waist and laughed.
“Get dressed. Let’s get you something to eat, and then we’ll talk.”
~~~
Caim leaned over the table, feigning interest in the map. River, Fern, and Lotus crowded in close, listening intently to Asch as he pointed to various marks and summarized the movements of Blackthorn and the areas that would likely be affected, should the military become involved. The small chamber was inordinately crowded, and it irked him that Asch felt the need to involve others in their discussions.
Maps had never appealed to Caim. He was familiar with his territory and the surrounding lands in a way that a scrap of paper could never encapsulate. He knew the forests and the water, he knew where the trees broke into vast stretches of plains, and where those plains abruptly jutted up to form towering mountain ranges. He knew all of the best paths, both over and under those mountains and he knew where each and every one of his dens were, which bluffs were best for scouting the areas, and where the best game could be found. None of this was on a map—a map which was drawn by a human and for all he knew could be equally flawed.
Nonetheless, he humored Asch, peering at the incoherent mess of colors on the glossy paper. As Asch detailed their movements, Caim was going through his own list in his mind, one that would get his pack and his mate as far away from danger as possible. Beyond the mountain range that bordered the valley and past the lake shaped like a foot, was a den, deceptively small and tucked away beneath an obscure outcropping of rocks. If they left tonight and did not stop to rest, they could be there just before nightfall. The area around the smaller den was not as defensible, but it was hidden within miles of thick forest and well beyond the boundaries of any human territory.
Asch drew a line on the map, his arm casting a shadow in the candlelight. “Their primary den was abandoned. They have at least two more that we know of, here and here, and there was no sign of them at either.”
Fern added, “From what we know of their raid patterns, we deduced that their new den must be just north of Gainsville, which says that whoever is leading them is both arrogant and idiotic.”
Caim took a break from his planning to listen to the conversation.
From what he had gathered thus far, their closest neighboring pack, Blackthorn, had dissolved after the death of their former alpha. His only living son, Talon, had tried to assume command of the pack, but was too weak to maintain order. Many of the members of the pack were transplants from a recent merger, and they rebelled against the young alpha, driving him out of his territory, presumably.
“Do we know how many there are?” Caim asked. Everyone at the table glanced over at him, seemingly surprised by his participation.
“Hard to say,” River said, scratching his bearded chin. “They had at least twenty members before the merger. I’d imagine they have almost twice that, provided they didn’t split.”
“I doubt they would divide their pack in winter,” said Caim absently. His mind was already moving on to the next matter at hand.
“We can go back,” said Asch. “Do a more thorough scouting of the area. If they have divided, we can easily take out the rebels.”
Caim turned to him. “No, we are leaving.”
He had briefly considered the idea of taking out the pack. If they were divided and leaderless, they would be easy prey. But how long would it take them to besiege their den? It was precious time that would be better spent moving the pack to a safer location.
Asch shook his head. “I just don’t think running is the right move,” he said. “I’m surprised you don’t want to fight for once.”
“We’re leaving,” Caim repeated, crossing his arms over his chest.“The small den past the lake. We will leave tonight.”
It was a strange side of the debate to be on, but just hours before, Asch had told Caim that he needed to be more responsible and put his mate first. He was not going to send half of his pack away to deal with another pack’s problems, potentially drawing fire from soldiers in the process. Not feeling that he had to explain himself though, he locked his jaw and fixed Asch with an obstinate look.
Before they could come to any resolution, their attention was drawn to the doorway. The sound of footsteps was accompanied by the scent of his mate and one of her companions. Her head appeared, peeking from around the corner. Realizing she had the attention of the room, she colored slightly.
“Hi,” she said, giving a small wave before stepping into the room. The other female, Brae, caught up with her.
“Mila, we should go eat,” Brae said, taking her by the arm. She tried to tug his mate from the room, but she shrugged Brae off.
“I want to know what’s going on,” she said, looking between Asch and Caim.
Asch straightened his back and walked over to her, hooking an arm around her waist. “We’re still trying to get everything figured out,” he said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Why don’t you go relax and we’ll talk about it later?”
She looked up at him and smiled, her brown eyes full of warmth. Caim felt his jaw tighten as a vague jealousy smoldered in his gut. She should be looking at him that way. He was the one that was advocating for her health and safety.
She pressed a hand to Asch’s chest. “I’ll be able to relax once I know what’s going on.” She glanced around the room. “You all look tense. What happened with Blackthorn?”
With obvious reluctance, Asch explained the circumstances surrounding Blackthorn, glossing over several key details, namely the number of humans that had been killed, and the fact that military involvement was very likely.
While Asch spoke, Caim’s eyes roamed over his mate’s body. Much like maps, clothing was another human convention that he had never favored, though he found that this was more of a situational dislike. He did not like clothing when he was forced to wear it; he still disliked his mate wearing clothing to bed, as he needed to feel her smooth flesh against his own.
But during the night, as she moved about the den, Caim enjoyed seeing her clothed. Not just because it hid her body from the eyes of other males, but also because of the way the clothing played against his favorite curves. Now, in particular, her tight shirt hugged the swell of her breasts. His eyes were drawn to her nipples, which had been drawn to stiff peaks by the chilled air. Caim was so wrapped up in thoughts of his mate’s body, that he almost missed the shift in the conversation.
“Really?” his mate asked excitedly. “Will we be able to stop anywhere? Can I pick up a few things from my aunt’s?”
Asch replied, “No. We may be able to stop a few places, but we won’t be going to Tye. There’s a very rural town that’s a little closer. We should be able to slip in and out without turning any heads, then we’ll take the highway north.”
“What?” Caim interjected, narrowing his eyes on the pair. “We are going through the mountains. It will take us less than two full nights to reach the den.”
Now it was Asch’s turn to look obstinate. “I’m not going to argue with you about leaving, but I’m not dragging Mila through the mountains for two nights, especially not in the middle of winter. It’ll be better for her if we drive up and meet the rest of you at the den.”
Caim channeled his anger into his clenched fists. He did not care overmuch for the opinions of others, but in this circumstance he knew that there was nothing he could say that would favor his argument without making him sound irrational in front of the beta members of his pack. He knew that Asch was right. The northwest mountain range would take a great deal of time to scale in the snow. At the top, the air would be thin and cold. They would not have time to stop and rest. It was not suitable for any human, let alone a female carrying a pup.
“Very well,” he said tightly.
CHAPTER TWO
After breakfast, Mila excused herself to her room to pack. Asch had told her to dress warmly and bring a spare change of clothes, as the wolves would bring the rest of her belongings to the new den. She realized that she’d never actually unpacked anything except her clothes. The rest of her belongings were still stored in her luggage, which had remained stacked neatly in the corner for some time now.
She lit a candle and sat down next to her bags, unzipping them and rummaging through the contents. On the whole, it was all useless crap, with the exception of her copy of Wolves of the Cordilleras. She considered skimming some of the pages, particularly those surrounding pregnancy, but remembered Marie had miscarried her first child, and decided she’d rather not think about that right now.
When she’d first opened her luggage, Mila had been appalled at the lack of foresight and general naivety that the contents conveyed. Magazines, electronics, and high-heel shoes to name just a few dumb things, but the book had struck a chord with her. It had been one of the few practical things she’d brought with her from Tye County—a veritable primer on living among werewolves.
Mila heard a rustle of fabric and set the book down. She tilted her head back to see Caim leaning nonchalantly against the stone wall. The light cast shadows over the sharp planes of his body, highlighting his ripped chest and hard jawline. His severely drawn face was in repose as he regarded her with a perfectly blank expression.
Only his mouth moving, he asked, “Are you ready to go?”
She stood, stretching her back before tip-toeing over to him. Giving him a quick once-over, she looped her arms around his neck.
“Almost,” she said. She nodded towards her luggage. “I don’t think I need any of that stuff. You can tell the others to leave it.”
“Fine.”
Mila reached up, placing her hand on the side of his face and forcing him to meet her gaze. His amber eyes burned with a pent-up intensity that made her heart sink. She had known that Caim didn’t want her to leave, but when Asch had given her the opportunity to go back to civilization, it had been too good to pass up.
“We haven’t been apart before,” she said, stroking the nape of his neck. She chose her next words carefully. “Does it…is it strange for you?”
Sometimes Caim could be remarkably candid with her, but tonight was not one of those nights.
“Why would it be strange?” he asked, his expression unyielding.
Mila knew him too well to fall for his tough-guy act, and considered calling his bluff, but decided against it. It was the last time she’d see him for at least a night or two, and she didn’t want to waste it. She leaned her head against his warm chest and lowered her hands to rest on his hips.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, taking in his scent before saying, “I’m going to miss you so much.” She rubbed her cheek against him. “Hold me?”
He acquiesced, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and drawing her further into his warmth. They fit together so perfectly that it made her chest ache. Caim had never admitted to being in love with her, but she knew there was something between them, something that wasn’t entirely one-sided.
Claimed by the Alphas: Part Six Page 1