Bought By Their Alpha

by Bonnie Burrows

  “Can we divert their attention? Is there anything we can do that will avoid an outright attack?” Quinn grimaced; not only was he not in the mood for a battle, but he knew his men weren’t either. The only thing more dangerous than this band of rebels attacking them first, was his men’s morale being low if they attacked. His troops needed a rest – it had been three years of constant battles and border protection.

  Quinn wasn’t sure if he could expect his men to give even more than they already had – they were exhausted and deserved a chance to be with their families. He also knew that he didn’t have much of a choice.

  “I don’t think so. I’m sorry,” Thomas hung his head, as though it was his fault this was happening.

  “When do you plan on making this attack?”

  “The sooner the better – before the week is out. We need to make a move; we need to show our strength. These skirmishes and attacks are starting to bring morale down amongst the people We can’t let that carry on.”

  “I agree with you on that,” Quinn replied, resigning himself to the thought of yet another battle.

  “If there were any other way, we’d take it,” Thomas stopped pacing and faced Quinn.

  “I know. I just have a bad feeling about this one.”

  “More tea?” Adrianna asked, waiting for Evangeline’s nod before refilling her mug.

  “It’s been a month, Adrianna,” Eva sighed, staring dolefully into her tea as though her future could be found in the leaves lying at the bottom of the mug.

  “I know,” Adrianna placed her hand over Eva’s, squeezing reassuringly.

  “I’ve had no contact from home, and Quinn seems to keep me at a safe distance at all times. So, you were right about one thing, I’m not here as an incubator, at least. He hasn’t even tried to kiss me, never mind visit my bed,” Eva frowned at the last. She wasn’t sure why this bothered her; she couldn’t begin to explain it if she tried.

  “What’s bothering you more, Eva? Quinn’s lack of interest or not hearing from home?”

  Eva pursed her lips, the obvious answer to the question not being the answer she wanted to give.

  “I can live with home pretending I’d never existed; in fact, I’d be too ashamed to make contact if I were them.”

  Adrianna nodded, “That’s understandable.”

  “Is it, though? I somehow think I should be more concerned with not hearing from my own father for this long – I’m all he has in the world, and he can’t even send a single text message to his only daughter? Does that make sense to you?” Eva sighed in exasperation.

  “Have you tried sending him one?” Adrianna raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, no,” Eva had the grace to blush and look ashamed at herself.

  “Then don’t judge him so harshly, Eva. Keep in mind, he feels like a failure for allowing the elders to sell his only daughter like cattle. And you can’t bother to let him know he’s been forgiven? Shame on you.”

  Eva’s eyes widened in shock. Adrianna had never minced words, but this was blunt even for her. Their friendship was based on the fact that they both appreciated honesty above all else – and Evangeline hated to admit it, but Adrianna was right, albeit a little bit rough with the delivering of the truth.

  Eva nodded, “You’re right.”

  “I know.”

  “Adrianna, stop being so smug,” Eva laughed at her friend.

  “What? And give you reason not to laugh at me? Believe it or not, I prefer it when you’re laughing. The question now is: What do you want from Quinn?”

  Eva sobered immediately, her laughter dying in her throat. Adrianna was not only astute, but observant.

  “Don’t make me answer that,” Eva mumbled, staring into her tea again.

  “I’ll read your fortune in those leaves if you want, Eva, but I think fortune favors those who take risks and make things happen, no?”

  Eva nodded, slightly confused. Adrianna had a bad habit of talking like a practiced mystic at times – there was always more to what she said than what was on the surface.

  “What I’m trying to say,” Adrianna had picked up on Eva’s confusion, “is that if you want something to happen, make it happen. Don’t expect the fates to hand you what you think you deserve. Life doesn’t work that way.”

  “Adrianna,” Eva said.

  “Don’t interrupt. You know how much I hate that,” Adrianna’s expression had turned stern. The older woman pursed her lips, deep in thought. She shook her head, as though coming out of a trance, causing the heavy earrings she was wearing to tinkle and chime with the movement.

  “Did I ever tell you the story of how I met my late husband?” she asked, changing the topic.

  Eva shook her head.

  “Strange. Well, my husband was promised to another girl in the village when we met. He was the most beautiful wolf I’d ever seen. He had this sleek reddish orange coat; I’d never seen a color like it before. I fell in love with him the first time I saw him out hunting,” Adrianna mused.

  “He must have been a good man,” Eva whispered.

  “Oh, to a degree,” Adrianna laughed. “My husband was a difficult person to please. But there was something about the way he hunted, as though it were the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment. It was addictive to hunt with him, to run with him. Do you know how we ended up getting married, instead of him and the other girl?”

  Eva shook her head, perplexed.

  “I told him how I felt about him,” Adrianna shrugged as though it was obvious.

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “Tell Quinn, Evangeline.”

  “Tell him what?”

  “Don’t play dumb, girl. Take your future with both hands. It’s yours to grab, but if you wait much longer, some other hungry she-wolf will grab what should be yours, right out from under you. I would know, I was that other she-wolf.”

  “But I don’t know how I can tell him. I don’t understand it myself, I should hate him with everything I have. And some days I really do.”

  “Hate and love are two sides of the same coin.” Adrianna smiled.

  Eva shrugged, not quite sure what to say.

  “You can’t hate without knowing love,” Adrianna said, as though that explained it.

  Evangeline sighed, and drank the last bit of her now-cold tea.

  “I’ll put it simply,” Adrianna said as though it pained her to have to explain it, “Tell him what you want from him. If he gives it to you, he’s the man you think he is, and you can stop hating him. If not, well, then he’s less of a man than we all think.”

  Quinn was panting when he finally caught up with Evangeline. She had been running at full tilt, as though she were running away from something, rather than towards it.

  Quinn couldn’t help but admire the way her flanks moved when she ran; her raven-black coat shone in the late afternoon sun. It was as though she were built for running. The freedom she seemed to feel changed her entire demeanor, and it was addictive to Quinn to watch her run. It was the only time she was truly free from worry; she was most herself, the way he knew her, when she ran.

  Eva was sitting on her haunches, tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth, when he finally caught up with her. They always seemed to run to the same rock by the stream, without meaning to. It had become a sort of haven to both of them, at the end of every day at least one of them could be found at the water’s edge.

  Eva’s eyes sparkled with mischief and glee, her wolf-smile seeming to laugh at Quinn.

  Quinn shifted into his human form first, the air around him shimmering as he did.

  “I can’t tell if you’re running away or towards something today, Eva,” he raised an eyebrow as he placed his hand on her head, scratching behind her ears. Eva’s wolf-eyes closed in bliss. She licked Quinn’s hand, before shifting into her human form.

  “Two sides of the same coin,” she murmured as though that should mean something to him.

  Quinn shrugged, and took a seat
on the rock.

  “Quinn,” Eva hesitated, causing him to look up at her.

  Eva’s breath caught in her throat as those green eyes met hers, her soul laid naked in front of Quinn’s intent gaze.

  She exhaled sharply, her hands trembling slightly. Quinn cocked his head to one side, waiting for her to say something.

  Eva struggled to catch her breath, her thoughts barely intelligible to her. She cleared her throat, her nerves fluttering in her stomach.

  “Eva, is everything OK?” Quinn’s concern was clear on his face.

  “Yes, of course.”

  Quinn raised his eyebrows, not entirely convinced.

  “I hate this,” Eva sighed.

  “What?”

  “The distance between us,” she finally said.

  “I thought we were closer than ever?” Quinn was perplexed. They’d come to what he thought of as some form of a close friendship in the last month. He knew that Eva still kept herself reserved from him, and he understood why perfectly well.

  He wished he could know every part of her, from her darkest depths to her lightest height, but he knew that would come with time. His decision to pay for her had made sure that nothing between them would come easy.

  But there were days, he had to admit, that they both seemed to forget about it, and the gulf between them became nothing more than a crack in the ground. Those were the best days – they were the days Quinn lived for.

  She shook her head, “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” Quinn said gently.

  “I know,” Eva said as she stood up. Quinn squinted up at the sky; storm clouds were rolling in. They would have to leave soon if they didn’t want to get caught in it.

  “I think we should head back,” he said, nodding at the sky.

  Eva nodded, and they both shifted into their wolf forms. The atmospheric pressure was changing quickly as they ran back, the ground hard at their feet.

  Quinn could smell the rain on the wind that was picking up around them. The village had just come in sight when the heavens opened up above them, rain sluicing down from the sky. Lighting cracked in the distance, thunder rolled across the ground like an angry bull. They pushed forward, together, their coats soaking wet and plastered against their flanks.

  The village seemed deserted, as everyone must have gone inside their homes and businesses to wait out the torrential rain that was accosting the countryside.

  Quinn and Eva burst into the kitchen, shaking off the rain before shifting back into their human forms.

  “Sally usually makes a fire in my office on days like this, let’s go get warm,” Quinn suggested. At Eva’s nod, he led the way. He was thankful to find that Sally had, as he hoped, built a fire in the room.

  Eva’s dark hair was plastered to her face, making her eyes appear even bigger than they were.

  Quinn walked over to the fireplace, and stoked the fire. Thunder reverberated through the floor under his feet; this storm was likely to continue throughout the night, he thought to himself.

  He motioned for Eva to come closer to the fire, who smiled in thanks. A shiver ran down her body, causing Quinn something very close to physical pain – he wanted to hold her, to keep her safe and warm. Ignoring the screaming voice in his head telling him she wouldn’t appreciate it, Quinn walked over to Eva and wrapped his arms around her.

  Instead of stiffening as he expected her to, Eva seemed to melt into him. She placed her head on his shoulder, and it scared him how perfectly she seemed to fit against his body. Her arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer into her, as though any distance between them was too much.

  “Eva,” Quinn’s voice cracked slightly. He cleared his throat and said her name again, as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. Her lips were red from the cold – she had, he thought not for the first time – a perfectly voluptuous bottom lip that he longed to claim as his.

  She smiled, as though she could read his thoughts.

  The air between them crackled with electricity that had nothing to do with the storm raging outside. Quinn’s fingers tingled, and his breath caught in his throat. He ached to taste her lips, to show her how much he wanted her in that very moment. His fear of her reaction warred with his desire for her.

  Eva’s lips parted slightly, causing Quinn to feel a pang deep in his chest – he was losing the war against himself.

  “Screw it,” he groaned, as he lowered his mouth to hers.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Time stood still.

  The world around them seemed to disappear as their lips finally met. Eva’s heart pounded in her ears as Quinn kissed her, gently at first, then with a hunger that was matched only by her own.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could. Eva moaned against his mouth, as she melted into Quinn. Her lips yielded to Quinn’s, as he drove the kiss deeper, further. Eva’s hands tugged at his hair, as she drank him in.

  They breathed as one, chests rising and falling in unison as the kiss slowed. Their breath mingled, the only distance between them occupied by their clothing. Quinn’s hands traveled around Eva’s waist, from the small of her back to the gentle curve of her hips.

  Quinn didn’t want the moment to end – her lips were soft beneath his, yielding yet assertive. Eva tasted of honey and sunshine, her pliant body resting against his felt as though it belonged there.

  Eva blushed as she pulled back and looked up at him.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you to do that for,” she whispered, her cheeks flushed and her breathing labored.

  Quinn released the breath he’d been holding. He had half-expected Eva to slap him for his actions. He had not been expecting her to say that she had wanted it, too.

  Quinn cupped Eva’s face in his hands; he could drown in her eyes for the rest of his life. There was no fear, no regret, in their depths. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  A slow smile crept across his face.

  “We should get out of these wet clothes,” he said, scared to break the spell.

  Eva nodded, pulling his face back down to hers.

  “I expect you to keep me warm, then,” she murmured against his lips.

  “With pleasure,” Quinn growled, as he claimed her mouth again.

  He lifted Eva up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The kiss deepened, and Quinn knew he would never be the same again. He was addicted to the taste of Eva’s kiss, the feel of her body pressed against his, her tongue seeking his.

  Eva pulled her shirt over her head, as Quinn laid her down in front of the fire. Her fingers fumbled at the edge of his shirt. He rose above her, and pulled it off, his muscles flexing in the light of the fire. Eva’s breath caught in her throat, as she took in the perfection of Quinn’s torso. Her eyes traveled down his chest, over the smoothness of his stomach and down the V-shape that hinted at so much more.

  Quinn was amazed at the hunger on Eva’s face – hunger for him, he realized. He ached to be inside her, to feel her move against him.

  Her hands traveled everywhere her eyes did, exploring the planes of his body, touching every part of him, devouring him.

  When she looked at him, it was as though she were trying to memorize him – he felt it must be true as that was what he was doing as he looked at her. Quinn would always remember Eva as she was in that moment, hair dishevelled, rose red lips parted as she sighed his name, blue eyes drowning in his own green ones.

  He rained kisses down the length of her body, never stopping, even as she begged him to. The tension built between them until it couldn’t be drowned out by even the storm raging outside. Eva’s hands trailed lightly across the length of Quinn’s chest, a direct contrast with the heat with which she kissed him, the passion with which her body moved against his.

  In the moments of silence, unbroken by even their breathing, their eyes locked, and their souls found each other. Quinn felt himself completed in those moments, as he
fell into the depths of Eva’s eyes. He hungered for her, just as she ached for him. As Eva pulled him down to kiss her again, Quinn knew in his deepest of hearts that he would always belong to her. There was nothing that could save him from losing himself to her completely.

  As they kissed, their hands fumbled at each other’s remaining clothes, until they lay before each other, skin against skin, nose to nose. Quinn stroked the length of Eva’s body, trailing kisses wherever he touched, as he explored her body, committing each part to memory. His mouth followed his fingertips over the gentle swell of her hips, down the length of her leg, before coming back up along her inner thigh. Eva gasped at the sensations that were awakening within her under Quinn’s gentle touch.

  He bent his head to lap at the wetness that was growing between Eva’s legs, as she reached for him, hands tangling in Quinn’s hair. Eva could feel herself slipping, losing control of her senses as Quinn gently teased her with his tongue. She felt herself buck against him, wanting more. Eva sighed as Quinn thrust his tongue inside her, teasing ever so gently.

  Quinn could feel Eva’s body buck against his, as the tension built between them.

  Eva moved against Quinn again, lost in the moment. When Quinn couldn’t take it anymore, he thrust himself deep within her, finally home in her welcoming depths.

  They moved as though it were a dance their souls had always known. For every thrust Quinn made, Eva was there, matching his pace and tempo. They moved to the rhythm of their hearts, pushing harder and faster, closer and closer to the edge of their bliss. The cadence of their movement increased, as the storm outside raged against the sky. Breath mingled with breath, as their bodies met and their passion ran free.

  His inner wolf howled at the joy in finding his perfect mate, as Eva’s wolf purred in pleasure.

  Quinn drove into Eva, faster and harder, as she begged him to give her the release she needed. The passion in her eyes, the hardness with which she kissed him, told Quinn all he needed to know. The move of her body against his, the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, mixed with the taste of her on his tongue drove Quinn to new heights of passion and desire.