Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Accidental Theft Book 1)

by Hartnady, Charlene

  Yes.

  She whimpered, her desire kicking up a few hundred notches as she slid herself against him.

  More.

  Rolling her hips, she sought the friction that would ease the need. Gods be damned, she needed to cum more than she needed to take her next breath. Her clothing felt scratchy against her skin. One final pull had her mouth filling with his delicious blood. Ward made the most sensual growling noise. It increased her need, her desire.

  She rubbed her aching core against his hard cock, making a sound of frustration at the layers of clothing that separated them. She needed to feel him inside her, needed to ride him until she found completion. Stephany tore away from his neck, sitting so that she could pull her shirt over her head. The worst of her need for blood slaked. His eyes dropped to her breasts. They weren’t very big and for the briefest second she thought to cover her chest. To stop this insanity. His intense green eyes flared with desire. His hands closed on her hips. She leaned back down, wanting to taste his mouth. Wanting all he had to give. It had been many years since she had burned with desire this fierce. So long. Too long. Even though she knew it was wrong she moved closer, her eyes zoning in on his lips.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea.” He said as his calloused fingers moved from her hips to cup her face.

  Ignoring him, she pressed herself more firmly against his chest loving how the smattering of hair she had seen earlier abraded against her nipples shooting zings of desire to her core.

  He held her in place, “As much as I would love to turn you around and rut you till you scream my name, you don’t want this.”

  The wolf was right, yet he was also very wrong. She hadn’t wanted this. By blood, she shouldn’t want it, yet she really, really did. “I do.” A breathless whisper just inches from his mouth.

  “I think my blood went straight to your head.” He smiled. “I’m a wolf, honey, I only possess so much will power. You really need to get off me and get dressed before I…do something we’ll both regret.”

  Her blood ran cold. For just a moment she’d forgotten the very reason she had chosen to stay celibate. She had accidentally mated Lance all those years ago. Even though they had never lived together as mates, it didn’t change the bond they had shared. Lance had died trying to save her, his body barely cold in his grave and already she was shamelessly throwing herself at another male. The horror of what she was doing rose up in her, she’d attacked Ward, had practically raped him.

  Thank the gods he hadn’t wanted her back. That flare of desire she thought she had seen must just have been her imagination. Most males she knew would rut with a female if she made herself available. Ward wasn’t like that and she could count herself lucky.

  Stephany scrambled off him, her arms clutched across her chest. Ward snagged her shirt and handed it to her. His abs ribbed as he moved to a sitting position. She noticed the major bulge in his pants as she grabbed the shirt, turning her back to him so that she could put it back on. Stupid, since he’d already seen her.

  Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry.

  Not happening.

  “About that rabbit stew.”

  “I’m not hungry,” she blurted.

  Ward laughed. The rich, warm sound almost made her want to smile. Almost. “Well some of us haven’t eaten yet and besides, I said I would make a decent cook out of you and I plan on making good on my promise.”

  It was the last thing she felt like doing. She sensed his presence behind her. Stephany squeezed her eyes shut wishing that the ground would just open up already and swallow her whole. Instead, by some sick twist of fate she would be forced to spend the next few days with this male. The worst part was, in her haste to rut with him, she hadn’t drunk her fill before pulling away. The chances were good that she would need to take blood from him again before he let her go.

  Stephany suppressed a sigh. She turned to face the wolf. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  Ward held up his hands. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “I should’ve warned you or…something. I really shouldn’t have…never mind…” She shook her head.

  “Is it always like that?

  “Like what?” It would be best if she played dumb.

  He arched an eyebrow. “That explosive, intense? Like the best foreplay I’ve ever had.”

  Stephany had the urge to gasp and grin all at the same time, but chose the best option instead…she suppressed both. “Not always.” Vampires drank from each other all the time without jumping each other’s bones. She must be attracted to him on some level…even though he was a wolf and she had sworn off males. This was why she preferred to drink from a safe source…Xavier. Tried, tested…no feelings of lust.

  “Not always? When does it happen then?” He threw her a lop-sided grin that told her he knew exactly why it had happened. Made her want to stomp on his feet and claw out his sexy eyes. Wait just a minute…the wolf was so not sexy. He might be really big and seriously stacked, and maybe he had an evocative grin and a deep commanding voice, but that didn’t make him sexy dammit.

  “I was in hunt mode. Not thinking clearly. It won’t happen again.”

  Ward looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “Actually, it was nice to see you let loose a little.” He lifted his eyebrows and pursed his lips. They were full, soft looking…edible. Ughhh…not going there.

  If she had been human, her cheeks would’ve flushed. “Yeah right, like you enjoyed my trying to jump you like that.” She could’ve slapped herself. The ground still refused to open.

  Those sexy green eyes of his turned stormy as they slid down the length of her. “Let’s get something straight, you can jump my bones any time you like. Just not when you’re in some blood crazed state.”

  “I’m a vampire.” She flashed him her fangs as proof.

  Ward locked his jaw, turning his eyes on her. “I told you not to flash your canines at me, yet you keep insisting—”

  “Fangs. I’m not a wolf. I don’t have canines.”

  He threw her a tight smile that had her belly doing a somersault. “Fangs, canines.” He shrugged his big shoulders. “Flash them one more time and I’ll take you up on the offer.”

  By blood, the wolf did want her. The desire in his eyes had been real. The feral gleam was there right now. That uncomfortable throb between her legs told her that the feelings were mutual and not just blood induced. No way, no how. This wasn’t happening. She didn’t like the female she became when she was in the throes of rutting. The all out, let loose, let ‘er rip female that had mated Lance by accident all those years ago. She detested that part of herself. His nostrils flared.

  “You promised to teach me how to make stew.” She turned towards the counter. Wolves and vampires did not mix. It would become her mantra for the rest of her stay.

  ****

  A not so subtle change of subject. Her arousal permeated the small space. Her scent drove him crazy. By now his dick would have an indent from his zipper. Her tight nipples speared the fabric of the t-shirt making it hard for him to think straight. Only because he could clearly remember exactly how her breasts had looked. They reminded him of succulent peaches, the smaller juicy kind, they were tipped with the pinkest plumpest nipples. His mouth watered for a taste.

  She looked at him from over her shoulder. “How many carrots should I cut?”

  “One more should do it.” He cleared his throat, his voice had that gravelly edge which only happened when he was feeling ultra-aggressive or ultra horny.

  His dick throbbed.

  “I thought you were hungry.” Her voice quivered ever so slightly, telling him she was just as affected as he was.

  For you. “I am.” He turned on the gas, the stove lighting after two clicks. Almost immediately, a delicious smell circled through the cabin as the butter melted and the onion began to fry. It helped to mask her mouth-watering scent, made all the more tantalizing by her arousal.

  He set to work cutting the ra
bbit into small portions, removing the meat from the bone. He added the meat to the onions, tossing in some herbs and spices followed by three cups of water as well. Next, he helped Stephany cut the remaining vegetables. He noted that she had done a much better job with the carrots and that she kept glancing at what he was doing so that she could mimic the action. Even her potato squares were actually half decent. “Put everything into the pot.” He walked to the sink and washed his hands.

  “All of it?”

  “That’s how you make a stew. Throw a whole lot of different stuff into a pot and cook slowly for an hour or two.”

  “That long? I thought you were hungry. What will you eat in the meanwhile?”

  Stephany must’ve caught his look that told her exactly what he’d like to eat, because she bit on her bottom lip for a fraction of a second.

  His eyes locked on the movement. “The apples looked really good.” He reached past her and picked one up, biting into the juicy flesh with a crunch.

  “I thought wolves only ate meat.”

  He shrugged. “A myth.” He winked. Stephany rolled her eyes at him.

  “What are we going to do while we wait?” Her eyes flashed with panic as she realized how he might take her question and she was right. The image of this sexy vampire’s head thrown back in utter ecstasy as he feasted on her pussy took residence in his mind. Once the image arrived, it moved in, kicked back, and settled in to stay.

  It was going to be a long ass night.

  Her expression quickly turned passive. It made him almost doubt the panic from a second or two ago. “How long have you been the alpha?” She arched a perfect brow as she sat back down on the sofa. Once again drawing those long, lean limbs underneath her. She leaned back on the soft rest and he had to work hard to keep from dropping his eyes as her chest thrust forward.

  “Too long. The wars have taken their toll on all the species, shifters included. Many of the elders were lost in battle, my father died too young.”

  “You were made alpha as a young wolf?”

  He nodded. “When most my age were out howling at the moon and rutting anything with fur, I was forced into the alpha position.”

  Her eyes widened. “Were you opposed? I’ve heard that although being alpha is a birth right to the wolves, your position can be contested.”

  Ward tensed. “What else do the vampires know about our kind?” He took a seat on the sofa opposite hers.

  Her startling blue eyes narrowed. “Not much. Relax. We can’t possibly know your well-guarded secrets you keep referring to.”

  He forced himself to smile. “You are right, just like with any of the species, alphas can be opposed and leadership contested. Just like with your kings”—he growled the word, not liking to compare himself with those dickhead rulers—“alphas have superior strength and ability. I was young, but I was also filled with pain and rage. My father had taught me well. I harnessed my emotion and retained leadership. I made some stupid mistakes, still do.” Trusting those blasted elves had been beyond stupid, somewhere in the realm of idiotic. “My mother still lives, and she was and still is a big help to me. I so should’ve listened to her. Hounds, she’s always right.” Ward’s gaze moved to the dying fire. He tossed in a few logs and stoked the embers.

  When he turned back to the female, she was smiling. “It takes a strong male to admit that he was wrong.”

  He shrugged. “She was against my taking the human female. Against a few other things as well, but I won’t get into all that.” His mom was against their alliance with the elves. Against this whole war with the vampires period. She believed that there were better ways of dealing with the inter species disagreements, but on that count she was dead wrong. The only known form of communication the vampire royalty seemed to understand was violence.

  “The human would not have agreed to the mating.” Stephany shook her head.

  “Oh yes, she would have.”

  Her eyes turned stormy as they darkened up a whole lot. “You would have forced her?”

  “I thought we had this conversation already and that I made myself clear. I would never have forced her,” he folded his arms across his chest. “There would’ve been no need for force. In the end, the human female would’ve begged for me to take her.”

  The vampire burst out laughing. It took her several long seconds to get herself back under control. He couldn’t help but to smile even though he knew she was laughing at him.

  “Full of it much?” She shook her head. “You males are all the same. Alpha wolf, vampire kings…all the same…”

  “I am nothing like them.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “You are exactly like them.”

  He felt his brow crease. “How would you know? Who are you?”

  “I told you…nobody. My coven is a close knit unit though. We all know our king and know of King Zane. My initial statement was that you males are all the same. I should’ve left it at that.”

  The tension in him eased.

  “I still don’t understand why you would take the human. I thought that you and…that wolf female…are supposed to mate.”

  It was probably his imagination but she seemed to watch him closely now. Leaning slightly forward in her seat, her hands clasped over her lap. Her eyes tracked his every move. If he didn’t know better, he would think that she cared. “Luna is my best option for a mate. I have not made any commitment to take her though. If I had, I would never have gone after the human.”

  “It sounds like Luna has made her decision.” Stephany pulled her knees up, hugging her legs to her body.

  Part of him wanted to groan his frustration of not being able to see her glorious breasts beneath the thin shirt. Another part of him was relieved, his eyeballs actually hurt from trying to keep them averted.

  “I’m sure I will end up mating Luna. I must do what is best for my pack. What we need is a strong male heir and some females to secure our future. Luna will give them to me.”

  A flash of pain crossed her face. How could he be so insensitive? Chances were good, like many of her kind, that Stephany was infertile. “What if you only have females?” she asked once her expression turned neutral.

  He shook his head. “We’ll keep trying”—he paused—“until there is an heir. Females are just as important if not more so.”

  She smiled, almost sadly. “Again back to my original comment. You males are all the same. I can choose any female and she will eventually beg me to take her…” She imitated a male voice, “My seed is so strong, it will sire an army of heirs and my enemies will shiver in fear.”

  An icy fist clenched around his heart. “Is that what those bastard vampires are saying?”

  She cocked her head. Her expression cool. “It’s what you are saying.” Stephany laughed. “It is what you have been saying ever since I got here.”

  He felt his brow furrow. “It doesn’t sound like me at all.” His lips pulled into a self-satisfied grin. “Besides, the female you talk of would immediately beg me to take her. It wouldn’t take much convincing.”

  Chapter 5

  He winked at her.

  What a cheek! “Cocky much?” She shook her head. Okay, maybe she had thrown herself at him and begged him to take her, but that was because she was in hunt mode and well…because his blood had tasted so damned good.

  Ward threw her a lopsided grin. “Cocky? Actually yeah, I am, literally.” He adjusted himself in his pants and she felt her eyes widen. “That whole blood drinking thing…” He looked pained for a few beats. “How long does it take to wear off?”

  How could she tell him that it should’ve worn off ages ago, like immediately? Yet, there was still a definite bulge in his pants. Her eyes snapped up to meet his. That feral gleam was back.

  She swallowed hard, then shrugged. “No idea.”

  “At this rate, I might need to take a cold shower. It’s not like I can take care of it”—his eyes flashed to hers—“myself…or anything. Not with you here.” He smiled at her
in a way that looked like a dare.

  “You had better not,” she said, with as much force as she could muster. Even though heat ignited at the thought of his strong hands palming his cock. Those long fingers wrapped around steel. How his mouth would tighten, his hips would undulate. Would he growl or hold his breath as he found release?

  It had clearly been too long for her. Why the hell did her libido choose such an unfortunate time to come rushing back?

  Ward clenched his jaw, his nostrils flared. Shit, he could probably scent her renewed arousal. He turned and made for the closet where he rustled around for a few beats. The big wolf pulled a washed out grey shirt over his head. It had probably been black once upon a time.

  By now the fire was raging, the room was almost too warm. Was he really so worried that she was going to attack him that he felt the need to cover up now? It wasn’t like she had noticed his acres of bronzed skin which covered muscles of steel. Or the line of hair that disappeared beneath the snap on his jeans. A vision that might just become an obsession if she wasn’t careful. Maybe the shirt wasn’t such a bad idea after all. She shut her eyes, trying to banish the image of his naked torso.

  When she looked again, he was at the stove stirring the pot. The scent of gamey meat intensified. Not altogether bad. She would eat. Hopefully it would stave off the need to drink again. Maybe, just maybe it would buy her the time she needed.

  “Your eyes are glowing.”

  “I guess I’m still hungry.” She pursed her lips. Shouldn’t have said that.

  Ward hooked his thumbs into his jeans, his eyes narrowed on her. “Let me know if you need to drink again.”

  “A sucker for punishment I see.” She shook her head.

  He smiled. Too darned good looking for his own good…or was it…for her own good? “I will admit that foreplay without a happy ending is something akin to torture, but I’ll deal.”

  She pursed her lips.

  Ward’s brow creased, he walked over and dropped to his haunches in front of her. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I wouldn’t let you do anything you’d regret while under the blood influence either.”