by Jessica Ryan
She looked over at Hawk one more time. He was so strong, so powerful. She could tell his underlings and colleagues didn't question him; his word was rule. Confidence radiated from him so hard he almost glowed in the sunlight that poked through the trees. Yet all of that went out the window when she put a hand on his back.
She was beginning to wonder what his deal was. No man was like this, were they? Who would accept a position as head of a pack if they couldn't live a normal life? Was there something in his past that caused him to be this way? She had to find out. She'd learned enough from Doctor Haley's long therapy sessions; at least she thought she had.
"So why did you decide to become alpha of your new pack?" she asked.
Hawk gave her a strange look, like she'd just asked the most inappropriate question in the world.
"I didn't decide," he said. "It was offered to me."
"It was? By who?"
"Aster."
"The head alpha dude?"
"Yes, that dude."
"Was the celibate watcher pack his idea?" she asked.
Hawk gave her another strange look before responding. "Actually, it was my idea."
"So you really had no choice but to be the alpha since you came up with it, right?"
"Why are you asking so many questions?"
"I'm just curious about you."
"Well, stop being curious about me. There's nothing to me at all that you need to know."
"So you were raised by your grandma?"
"Partly."
"Where were your parents?"
"You are very nosy. You don't see me asking you this many prying questions."
"Oh, come on, Hawk, I'm just trying to get to know you."
"My father left when I was very young."
"I thought werewolves mated for life."
"So did I. My mother was human and I thought she was the apple of my father’s eye. But one day he just packed up and left us. No explanation, nothing. He was there one day and the next he was gone.”
“Do you remember him?”
“Sort of. He was a pretty big guy, very gruff. He liked to ride his motorcycle a lot, so he was never home.”
“I see.”
“It wasn’t a huge loss that he left. Like I said, he wasn’t around much. But when he left it did something to my mother. All the warmth, all the love that she had given me before vanished. I could tell she didn’t like being stuck with a wolf son in a wolf town after the man she thought would be committed to her forever had left. Eventually she started disappearing at night. Then one day she just didn’t come home either. I was only eight at the time. My father’s mother came to get me and raised me from that point forward.”
“Do you know where they went?”
“I have no idea,” Hawk said, a finality in his voice. She could tell there was more to this story, but she didn’t dare ask about it.
"I'm sorry," Ciara said, not realizing he had so much pain inside. "That's terrible."
"It's life," Hawk said. "I have no sour grapes over it. This is real life."
"So when was Bucklin founded?" Ciara asked.
"A long time ago," Hawk said.
"Has Aster always been the head alpha?"
"No."
"What happened to the old head alpha?"
"He was killed."
"By who?"
"You really aren't going to stop with the questions until you get some answers, are you?"
"I'm just curious."
"Look, here's the deal. Ten years ago a biker gang named Satan's Angels came to Bucklin and terrorized our town. They were too powerful for anyone to defeat. They killed a lot of the older wolves, including some of the alphas. In the end their leader, Abaddon, was after a female wolf in our town named Leena. She was my friend, Rowan's sister and Aster's love. They weren't mated or connected yet, though. In the end Rowan's father was killed trying to protect Leena. Leena made the tough decision to go with Abaddon to protect the town, despite Rowan and Aster's objection. They had no choice but to let her go for the greater good of the town. They signed a pact with Abaddon saying he wouldn't bother us anymore now that he had his mate."
Ciara noticed Hawk was shaking as he told the story, like every word that came out of his mouth was more and more upsetting.
"Did you know Leena well?" she asked. She was beginning to feel very concerned for Hawk.
"Just as a friend," he said, barely able to get the words out. It sounded like he was choking on his own rage.
"So why does it upset you so much?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.
Hawk pulled away, not letting her touch him at all. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I'm sorry, Hawk. I didn't mean..."
"Well, you did! I told you I didn't want to talk about it, but you insisted."
"I'm sorry…"
"Let's just go," he said, walking away from her very quickly. "We need to make it to Beorn's cabin by nightfall."
"Okay," she said, chasing after him.
Great, now I've pissed him off, she thought. I really didn't mean to.
As they walked, Hawk seemed to stew more and more, turning to her every few minutes like he had something to say before cutting himself off.
Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "What, Hawk? You obviously want to say something."
"You know why we're walking through this godforsaken forest?"
"No, because you haven't told me."
"Because we're trying to find Leena. One of our packs betrayed us and kidnapped Leena, bringing her out here to the forest. She's hidden out here somewhere and if we don't get her back, Satan's Angels will destroy Bucklin."
Ciara let the words sink in for a minute. This was a very important quest for Hawk and she'd found herself right in the middle of it all. She had nothing to say to Hawk; she just stared at him until he turned around to keep walking.
"So you'll need to understand why this quest is so important to me," he said. "I have to save everyone."
"I'm here to help!" she said, chasing after him. "I promise I won't let you down!"
I can't let myself down, she thought. I bet Leena is me. She's all the bad in me. I have to find her and confront her to unlock the good in me. This is a hell of a story. That damn cactus juice is something else.
Ciara stopped and took inventory of everything that had happened. She had drunk the cactus juice and it had brought her on the spiritual journey she needed to save herself. She'd met her spirit guide, an alpha wolf named Hawk with a hell of a past of his own. Unfortunately, he represented her lustful temptation too and she had to resist giving in and making love to him, otherwise she would fail this spiritual quest. Now he was going to lead her right to the bad side of herself and allow her to find the good in herself.
What the hell does the bear represent, though? she wondered. And the other wolves in the forest? I guess I'll find out soon.
Ciara happily chased after Hawk, excited about the potential of being a new woman soon. She felt all her fear and worry wash away, knowing that her life was about to turn around.
The Alpha’s Quest Part 2
Chapter 11
Eva rolled over in bed and looked at the man she had grown to love so passionately over the last week and a half. He wasn’t asleep; instead, he had a content look on his face, like he had been watching her sleep this entire time.
“Well, hello, Mr. Rowan,” she said, giggling.
“Hello, Ms. Eva,” he said, laughing back at her.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked.
“Of course I did. I was right next to you the whole time.”
“But you don’t get to sleep in wolf form anymore when you’re with me. Doesn’t that bother you?”
Rowan’s face scrunched as he thought about it for a second. Eva always thought he looked even sexier when he was thinking hard. Finally he smiled and shook his head. “No, babe, not at all. I used to sleep in wolf form because it helped me avoid the nightmares of my past. My human skin fel
t like a prison, like it was holding me captive. I had to escape it and stretch and be free. I don’t need any of that anymore, now that I have you. The nightmares are gone and I’ve never felt more comfortable in my human skin.”
“Really?” Eva asked. “All because of me?”
“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me,” Rowan said, leaning over and kissing her softly on the forehead. “The best.”
“I feel bad, Rowan,” she said, looking down.
“Why?” he asked, placing his thumb under her chin and forcing her to look him in the eyes. “What would you ever have to feel bad about?”
“I just feel bad that we’re here in bed together having fun while Hawk is out there alone in the woods, trying to solve a problem we’re very much involved in.”
“I told you, my part is done in this. I can’t defy my alpha’s orders.”
“I don’t think our part is done, honey. Your sister will be back if Hawk succeeds. I know you and Aster are going to avoid her, but that might not be possible. Plus, can we really trust Abaddon to keep his word?”
“No, we can’t trust him at all. Unfortunately, we have no choice. We can’t beat them in combat, Eva, we just can’t.”
“I know,” she said, looking away again. “Have you ever considered what will happen if Hawk fails, though?”
“Hawk will not fail,” Rowan said, his hand forming into a fist that he began to grind into the mattress. “He can’t.”
“Why can’t he fail? Not everyone succeeds one hundred percent of the time.”
“Hawk won’t fail,” Rowan repeated, still grinding his fist. “He’s our only hope and he knows it. He’s the one who watches over Bucklin. He loves this town more than anybody else. He’s sacrificed so much in his life to be Bucklin’s vigilant father, and he would never let us down. He will attack this mission with a single-minded desire like nothing you’ve ever seen before. He can’t be stopped.”
“I know,” she said, looking back at Rowan. She wanted to believe him so much, but it was hard for her to. She felt the evil in the forest, it was there and it was very real. Could Hawk overcome that by himself? Rowan looked so determined, so sure of himself. “I guess I’m just worrying about nothing, honey.”
“Don’t worry about it, beautiful,” he said, leaning over and kissing her. “By now Hawk is probably at Beorn’s house, eating a hearty breakfast. He will have been in the forest all day yesterday and all night.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said, cuddling up closer to Rowan and smashing her bare breasts against his heavily muscled chest. “Poor guy, all alone in the big forest. Too bad he doesn’t have something like this to keep him company.”
She could feel Rowan’s manhood stiffen as she pressed against him. She loved that it only took a simple touch to completely turn her man on and send him over the edge.
“Every wolf should have something like this,” Rowan said, cupping one of Eva’s heavy breasts in his hand. “Or someone as wonderful as you.”
She yelped and then smiled as his other hand reached around and squeezed one of her round butt cheeks with force. Maybe it would be helpful if every wolf had a human.
* * *
This is a nightmare, Hawk thought as he stopped for the umpteenth time and stared up at the sun, trying to find his way.
Nightfall should have already come, but the sun still remained high overhead. Every patch of forest looked exactly the same and he couldn’t pick up any scent to lead him out of his endless loop.
It was the evil presence, he knew it was. It was corrupting the forest and corrupting his mind. He was completely and utterly lost. He was the all-powerful watcher of Bucklin, but now he was completely and utterly blind—his worst nightmare.
The incessant chattering and questioning from the human he had dragged along didn’t help matters, either. Were all humans this damn chatty and inquisitive? If so, he didn’t understand how Rowan put up with it, since he had even less tolerance for extraneous bullshit than Hawk did.
He looked back at her as she smiled at him, still following closely behind. She was radiant in the sunlight, not letting the fact that they had been walking for close to fifteen hours get her down.
Does she even know how long we’ve been walking? he wondered. She hasn’t even commented that night never fell. Does she know?
Hawk was becoming even more convinced that this human was insane. Who knew what crazy thoughts were flying through her head?
Was she going to brandish a knife and kill him the moment he let his guard down? Humans did love to kill each other for petty reasons. Or was she high on some sort of drug or alcohol? It was impossible for a werewolf to be affected by either due to their high metabolism, but he had heard plenty of stories about the way humans reacted to those things.
“What?” she finally asked as he continued to stare at her.
“Do you notice nothing?” he asked, doing nothing to hide the annoyance in his voice.
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking confused.
“Do you know how long we’ve been walking?” he asked.
“A long time,” she said.
“Try fifteen hours,” he said.
“Fifteen hours?” she asked, her eyes growing wide. “It hasn’t been that long. I’d be dead if we’d been walking that long.”
“It has been that long,” he insisted. “And you haven’t noticed something else?”
“No. What?”
“It should be nighttime.”
“You’re right,” she answered, looking up at the sky. “Where’s the moon?”
“Where’s the moon?” he asked, growing very annoyed. “How about why the hell is the sun still up?”
“Oh yeah, that.”
“Oh yeah? Oh yeah? Oh yeah!”
“Whoa there, Mister Hawk,” she said, putting both hands out in a slow down motion. “Calm down. There’s no need to be shouting.”
“What is with you?” he asked, grabbing at his hair. His calm and cool demeanor had completely left him now. He was powerless against the evil that was manipulating him and powerless against the human female. “Nothing seems to bother you at all. Does it not bother you that you’re on a quest with a werewolf to find a missing girl who was kidnapped by some bad dudes that could very well be waiting to do us harm?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she said, rubbing her chin as if she was deep in thought. “That is pretty bad.”
“Are you insane?” he asked bluntly.
“Excuse me?” she asked, finally growing angry. “What did you say to me?”
“Are you a crazy person?” he asked, leaning over close to her face. He took his index finger and pressed it against her forehead, pushing her head back with it. “Are there five people running around up there telling you what to do?”
“Why in the hell would you ask me that?” she asked, slapping his hand away.
“Because you act like a crazy person,” he said.
“Maybe you act like a crazy person to me,” she shot back.
“This isn’t about me,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him. “This is about you and whatever mental issues you have. No human should be this calm and cool in the face of so much danger. No human should want to fuck someone they just met in the middle of a forest after almost being kidnapped. No human should be able to trudge along for fifteen hours straight without questioning why they’ve been walking for so long with nightfall never hitting!”
“Okay,” she said. “I admit it looks bad that I want to jump your bones so badly, but I’m trying to be good. I can’t explain why I feel the way I do, but damn, you’re hot. I mean, look at that cute face and those lean, powerful arms. I just want them wrapped around me while...”
“Focus!” Hawk shouted. Although he had to admit he liked where she was going with that story.
“I don’t know why I feel that way,” she said. “I’m trying to control it. But I’m not scared, because I know everything will be alright.”
<
br /> “That’s it?” he asked, growing even more flustered. He threw his arms in the air and rolled his eyes. He was getting nowhere with her.
“Yes, that’s it,” she said, putting her hands on her hips as she stomped one foot. “I don’t appreciate you questioning my sanity. Sure, I’m in therapy, but not because I’m insane.”
“You’re in therapy? What in the hell for?”
“Oh, man,” she said, smiling mischievously. “I didn’t mean to let that slip.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“That’s not a compliment. You still haven’t told me what you’re in therapy for.”
“Well, Mr. Hawk, if you’re nice to me, maybe you’ll find out,” she said, pushing past him. “Now, let’s go! That bear isn’t going to find himself!”
Hawk watched her walk away, feeling completely helpless. He wasn’t sure what scared him more: the evil presence or the short, attractive human girl.
Chapter 12
Ciara laughed as she waited for the befuddled alpha wolf to catch up with her. She had completely thrown him for a loop with her reaction to his questioning. She could tell she was annoying him with all of her questions, but she wanted as much information as possible.
Of course, if this were real life she probably would look like a crazy person unafraid of anything. But Hawk was just a figment of her imagination, as was this entire quest. It hadn’t turned to night because this was her vision quest and it didn’t follow the normal rules of everyday life.
Who cared if her spirit guardian was annoyed with her? All she had to do was follow him and avoid having sex with him to pass the tests laid out in front of her.
However, a devilish thought had been forming in her head for quite some time, one that might lead her to completely jump Hawk’s imaginary bones and take him to town. He was nothing like the guys she normally slept with. He wasn’t an overconfident, cocky, sociopathic frat boy who thought the world revolved around him. He wasn’t a leering predator who would take advantage of the drunk girl and then high-five his buddies about it the next day. As a matter of fact, he was completely lost and nervous around her, a quality she found quite endearing and adorable.