The Big Alpha in Town

by Eve Langlais

  “Can I buy you a drink?” Owen almost laughed at the question. Here he was, acting as though this was nothing more than a casual conversation at the bar when he’d literally just met the female who would be his mate until the day he died. Did she know? Did she recognize the connection? Gods, he hoped so. Otherwise, their conversation was bound to get more awkward as the night went on.

  “Sure.” She flashed another seductive smile. Gods, she was so hot she made him sweat. “What’re you having?”

  “SRB, Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll have one of those.”

  And she drank good beer? Could Owen have gotten any luckier?

  Owen got the bartender’s attention and ordered her a beer. A few seconds later, he returned with a tall glass of the dark, delicious stout. Mia took a sip, and her lids drooped almost imperceptibly. “Mmmm.”

  Holy fuck. Owen swore he felt the soft hum at the base of his sac. His wolf gave an appreciative growl in the recess of his mind. Down boy. He was a disgusting, horny son of a bitch for lusting after her like this. For shit’s sake, they didn’t even know each other! His wolf didn’t have a fuck to give about that, however. She was theirs. Period. That’s all the wolf needed to know.

  “So…” Owen figured he might as well do whatever he could to keep the conversation rolling along. Anything to distract his dick from taking over his brain. “Why did you come out tonight?”

  Mia took a long sip from her glass. She fixed Owen with her entrancing stare and licked her lips. “Right now, I’m looking to get laid. How ’bout you?”

  Whoa.

  So she did recognize the connection between them. Owen felt the urge to pump his fist in the air and give a celebratory “whoop!” He thought about Liam and the difficulties his alpha had faced when he’d found himself mated to a human. The trials they’d faced at Devon’s reluctance as she’d been thrown into a world she’d known nothing about and forced to decide whether or not she wanted to say good-bye to her humanity to become a part of it. Owen would never have to surmount those difficulties. For the first time in months, he felt as though his luck might finally be changing for the better.

  Would it be in bad taste to pound down the rest of his beer so they could get the hell out of here? His wolf was more than ready to go, yipping in the back of his mind like an excited pup about to go out on his first hunt. She might have claimed to be every bit as ready to go as he was, but Owen needed to play it closer to the hip. Besides her name, he didn’t know a damned thing about her. It might be a good idea to make a little small talk before he took her up on her offer and got right to it. He brought his glass to his lips to keep from saying something he’d regret.

  Mia leaned in closer and her clean, spring water scent washed over him. “Owen, do you want to get out of here?”

  Owen inhaled at the same moment he swallowed, choking on the beer that became lodged between his gut and his sternum. His gaze went upward and he gave a silent thanks to the heavens. No nonsense. No pretense. Perfect.

  Mia’s lips curled in a pleasant smile as Owen recovered his composure. He gulped down what was left in his glass and looked pointedly at hers. “Did you want to finish that first?”

  He hated that he couldn’t help but sound like an eager frat boy, but already she had him so wound up he could barely think straight.

  Her smile brightened. “Honestly? It’s not what I need to quench my thirst.”

  Hot. Damn. Owen hopped down from the bar stool like it was on fire. Finally, things were looking up.

  * * *

  Who needed powers of persuasion when there was a randy werewolf around? Mia had worried that it would be tough to seal the deal with such a strong-willed supernatural, but she’d barely thrown out her line before Owen jumped on the hook. Either the werewolf was hard up or Mia was much more powerful than she’d given herself credit for. Did it matter? She was one step closer to securing her place at the top of her band’s hierarchy. With the sort of clout that providing an heir would bring, Mia would finally make sure she and the other females of the band had a voice. When it came to having a say in how things were run, Mia wouldn’t have any power until she took a mate or provided their bloodline with an heir. And since she wasn’t interested in tying herself to any male, her only option at this point was to get knocked up. She only hoped the werewolf would be able to seal the deal.

  Because this wasn’t going to be anything other than a one-night stand.

  “Oh yeah?” Owen gave her a lopsided grin that caused Mia’s heart to pick up its pace in her chest. Tonight’s hookup certainly wasn’t going to be a hardship. “What do you need?”

  Any other night, she would have enjoyed the innuendo and playful banter. Who didn’t like to flirt a little? Mia didn’t have time for games, though. Her fertility cycle was coming to its end and it would be another six months before it would swing back around.

  “I think you know what I need.” It was time to get down to business. She only hoped they wouldn’t have to get down to it in a bathroom stall. She might have been desperate, but Mia had standards. She asked again, “Do you want to get out of here?”

  A bright gold light shone behind Owen’s eyes, revealing the animal part of his dual nature. The wild glint was a total turn-on and a glow of pleasant heat gathered low in Mia’s stomach and fanned outward through her limbs. Nope, tonight wouldn’t be a hardship at all.

  Owen leaned in close. Mia took a deep breath and held his delicious, masculine scent in her lungs. She tilted her head toward him and his mouth brushed her ear as the one heated word left his lips on a breath. “Absolutely.”

  “Do you have a place nearby?” Gods, please don’t let him suggest the ladies room.

  “About fifteen minutes from here.”

  Mia said a silent prayer of thanks. She could wait another fifteen minutes to put her plan into action. “Perfect.”

  Owen pulled away and gave her a wide, mischievous grin that turned her insides to mush. She hadn’t come across such a spectacular male in years. “Let’s go.”

  Mia hopped down from the bar stool. Owen followed but before she could turn to leave, he reached out and took her hand. His brow furrowed as his gaze delved into hers. The wonderment in his expression nearly stole her breath. The depth of emotion was unexpected and it caused her stomach to curl into a tight knot.

  “I almost reconsidered going out tonight.” The deep rumble of his voice resonated through her in a pleasant vibration that coaxed goose bumps to the surface of her skin. “You have no idea how glad I am that I didn’t.”

  There was way too much sincerity behind his words for Mia’s peace of mind. It could have been that he was laying it on thick in order to make sure she wouldn’t change her mind about leaving with him. A twinge of guilt tugged at Mia’s chest. Was it wrong to take advantage of him when she clearly had the upper hand? She’d come here tonight fully prepared to use whatever powers she had at her disposal to seduce a bedmate. Now wasn’t the time to let her conscience get the better of her.

  “I’m glad too.” She let her voice go low and breathy as she infused the words with her inborn seductive power. A little insurance to make sure she kept the werewolf’s engine nice and revved.

  His fingers twined with hers as he led the way out of the bar. The contact was too intimate, as though they were more than two strangers looking for a distraction for the night. Mia fought the urge to pull away, to sever the connection between them. There was something about Owen that threw her off her game. Unnerved her. She couldn’t put her finger on it and that bothered her more than anything. She’d been so certain she was in complete control of the situation, but with every step she took, she became less confident that anything was in her control.

  Gods, she hoped she wasn’t about to make the worst decision of her life.

  Owen led her through the parking lot to a Toyota pickup parked at the far end. The midsized truck seemed to suit him: not ostentatious and ready to go anywhere at a m
oment’s notice. Mia wondered at how firmly the thought had planted in her mind. As though she knew Owen much better than she should for having only just met him. Strange.

  “Where’s your place?” Nymphs were notoriously sexual creatures. It was simply part of their biology. There was no shame in taking someone to bed without having vetted them first. Supernaturals didn’t need to worry about things like diseases, and humans were so comparatively weak that they were more often prey than predators. Owen wasn’t human, though. Far from. On the supernatural food chain, werewolves were pretty high up. Strong both of mind and body. Resilient to damage except when exposed to silver. Mia didn’t feel threatened by Owen. In fact, something told her that she was safer with him than with anyone. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to exercise a fair amount of caution. She was desperate, not stupid.

  “About fifteen miles outside of town, near the Bench Lakes trailhead. It’s a bit of a drive and sort of out in the middle of nowhere.” Owen paused and his gaze searched hers. His brow furrowed once again, this time with concern. “Is that all right?”

  His consideration for her comfort level caused a warm bloom of emotion in Mia’s chest. Despite the fact his dick was taking the lead tonight, Mia knew that deep down, Owen was a good guy. He wasn’t the only one having second thoughts, dammit. She was about to use him in the worst way possible. But her time had run out and Mia was out of options. It was either take him to bed or be forced to pair off with a male of her father’s choosing. She refused to lose the battle of wills her father had pushed her into. Owen would simply be a casualty of war.

  “I know the area,” Mia replied. In fact, her band didn’t live too far from there. “And I’m totally fine with it. We’re both adults. We both know what’s about to happen. I’m not going to change my mind, Owen.”

  His bright smile nearly buckled her knees. “Good. But I want you to know that if you’re not totally sure…” He reached back to rub the back of his neck as though to banish the sudden tension that had formed there. “I’m okay with that. I can go slow. Whatever you need.”

  Dammit, he was killing her! The Mr. Nice Guy ploy could have been a routine, but Mia didn’t sense any duplicity in his words. Why the sudden tenderness? Maybe taking him back into the bar and going to town in a bathroom stall was a better idea. Already, she’d formed an intimacy with this stranger that left her shaken.

  No. Mia couldn’t afford to have second thoughts. She’d made her decision. Whatever happened tonight, she was prepared for the fallout. Her future depended on it.

  “I don’t want to go slow.” She’d give Owen all the reassurance he needed and then some. “I’m a big girl and I know what I want.” She stepped up close to his chest and let out a slow breath that ended on a sigh. Even with the added layer of his puffy winter coat, she knew Owen might as well have been chiseled from marble. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes and gave him a slow, seductive smile. “I want you.”

  Owen reached up and cupped her cheek in his palm. Mia had heard that werewolves’ body temperatures ran a little hot and that wasn’t an understatement. Seriously, why was he even wearing a coat? The delicious heat that flooded her turned her bones to Jell-O. She couldn’t wait to feel the heat of his naked body against hers.

  “Good. Because I want you too.”

  His head dipped and Owen’s mouth met hers. Holy shit. Her knees did give out this time and Owen’s arm went around her to crush her against him. Tonight was going to be one hell of a ride.

  CHAPTER 3

  He should have waited until they were back at his cabin, but Owen couldn’t help himself. Instinct took over and his animal nature drove him to claim some part of his mate as soon as possible. He didn’t even know her, but already he craved the intimate contact. Her clean, freshwater scent drove him wild. He knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he tasted her.

  Owen wasn’t disappointed.

  The dewy sweetness of her mouth had no equal. Her petal-soft lips brushed his, tentative at first, and then moved with purpose as he deepened the kiss. She responded as though she was just as starved for him as he was for her. As though they’d been reunited after centuries spent apart. Such was the mating bond, though. It formed an immediate attraction that drowned out all reason in its intensity.

  Nature’s way of solidifying their bond.

  Owen tightened his grip as he held Mia against his body. His mouth slanted over hers, hungry, desperate. He couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t taste her deeply enough to satisfy his need. There were too many layers of clothes between them. Too much separating the skin-to-skin contact that he craved. His pickup was too cramped for what he wanted to do with her and his mate deserved so much better than a quick fuck in the front seat.

  He needed to get a grip on his damned lust and treat her with the respect she deserved. A nearly impossible feat when his senses were awash with her scent, taste, the feel of her body against his. Gods, she was heaven.

  “Mia.” He whispered her name against her lips. He loved the way it sounded, the familiarity of it, as though he’d spoken it a thousand times over a hundred years. For weeks he’d sulked around the compound, jealous of Liam’s mate bond with Devon and bitter that his alpha had moved their pack into a sparsely populated territory where the other members of their pack would have little to no chance of finding their mates. Perhaps there was more to life than random chance. Fate had brought them to Idaho. Fate had brought Owen to her.

  “Owen.” Her playful tone caused his gut to knot up tight. His cock throbbed hot and hard behind his fly as a renewed rush of lust coursed through his veins. “Unless you plan on getting down to business right here in the parking lot, you’d better take me back to your place.”

  Her words coaxed a cleansing breeze of common sense to blow through his lust-addled brain. The animal part of him wanted her right here, right now. The wolf didn’t give a single shit about who might see them. All the wolf wanted was to claim what was his. Owen couldn’t let that part of his instinct take over. He might have been dual-natured, but he wasn’t completely wild. He let his forehead rest against Mia’s as he took several cleansing breaths.

  “You’re right. We need to go.”

  Her warm laughter was better than a long soak in the nearby hot springs. It relaxed him from head to toe and quieted the sound of his wolf in the recess of his psyche. Amazing. He took her hand and by a sheer act of will put a little much needed space between them. The winter air helped to further clear the haze from his mind and he let out a slow breath that fogged between them.

  A clear sky full of twinkling stars stretched out above them. It was going to be another cold night. Thankfully, Owen wouldn’t have to pass the hours alone, huddled under the blankets as he questioned every single one of his alpha’s recent decisions. His life had finally taken a turn for the better, and tonight, he’d have a warm body beside him in bed. It was like he’d been reborn. And he had this extraordinary female that he knew nothing about to thank for it.

  He led her the thirty or so feet to where the pickup was parked. He might have had the good sense to put a little space between them, but that didn’t mean Owen was ready to sever all physical contact. The reassurance of her touch was a balm to his troubled soul. It calmed his wolf and kept him level. The mate bond was truly extraordinary.

  He unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. She gave him a reassuring smile that sent his heart racing in his chest before she gave his hand a light squeeze and released her hold. She settled into the seat and he closed the door, taking off at a jog as he rounded the front end of his pickup to unlock his own door and climb behind the wheel. Damn. He was so anxious to get her home that he could barely get the key in the ignition.

  Owen laughed as he turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. He reached over and turned up the heat as Mia buckled her seat belt and turned to face him. “What?”

  “Just wondering how fast I can safely drive to get us home,” he replied. “It’s abo
ut twenty minutes when the roads are plowed. I’m thinking I might be able to shave that down to fifteen.”

  Mia laughed. She reached out and ran her palm up the length of his thigh. “Let’s get back to your place in one piece. Five extra minutes isn’t going to kill us.”

  Oh no? Owen was worried he wouldn’t last fifteen seconds let alone fifteen whole minutes. She was right, though. He wasn’t about to risk her safety. His mate was irreplaceable. Priceless.

  Her forest-green eyes sparkled as her fingertips grazed the outline of his erection through his jeans. “I promise I’m worth the wait.”

  Fuckin’ A.

  Owen’s hips gave an involuntary thrust as he put the pickup into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. If he didn’t get them home soon, he was pretty sure he’d spontaneously combust.

  Mia reached for the dash and turned on the radio. She fiddled with the buttons until she found a station that played something mellow, but Owen’s brain was too full of her to make sense of what he heard. The drive passed in relative silence as she gazed out the window at the scenery illuminated by the nearly full moon. Her hand never left his thigh and her occasional, purposeful caresses over the length of his cock nearly prompted him to pull over to the side of the road.

  Seven minutes down. Another seven or so to go.…

  Time passed in a blur. Before he knew it, Owen turned onto the long, winding driveway that led to the pack’s compound. He’d never been more grateful for his own space as he pulled into the narrow parking area outside of his tiny cabin. It might not have been a palace, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about any nosy pack members bothering them tonight.

  “This is me.” Ugh. Of course this was his place, where else would they be? He resisted the urge to bang his head on the steering wheel as he parked the truck. His muscles had grown taut during the drive, his excitement cresting with each mile they covered.