The Alpha's Pride

by Deidre Huesmann

  The power difference was incredible. Val didn’t dare back down, but Lona was pushing back inch by inch, using one hand, while Val struggled to keep the yew branch away with all her strength.

  Lona let out a yowling snarl. “I’m going to break your face, you fucking c—”

  Val let out a rough breath and kicked Lona between the legs.

  The lioness’s grip went slack. Val stumbled. Lona erupted in a wail of righteous fury.

  The other shifters surged forward.

  A lot zipped through Val’s mind in a split second. I’m fucked. Noting Lona’s face, the veins popping and purple. This is where I die. Riker’s expression not changing one bit, though his left leg shifted the tiniest fraction. Why did I think I could beat a shifter?

  Dimly, she realized she should have wondered why Riker wasn’t protecting her. But the answer was obvious, at least to her. Bringing a human to the pride for anything other than dinner was a statement. Riker had made a choice, but she had to back it up.

  She had to prove she was worthy of the pride. And lions proved their worth in battle.

  Val flung the branch, and it struck another shifter in the face. The shifter went down hissing, blood coursing from her forehead.

  Someone grabbed Val’s arm. She swung a solid punch to their nose. The resulting crunch and burst of blood was telling. Her knuckles stung.

  Yet her blood was afire with a savage delight that she had never fully realized before.

  Though she’d wounded three of them, it was still a fight between several shifters and one human. The next person sucker-punched her in the jaw, and another swept her feet out from beneath her. Val struck the ground. A rock sent sharp pain through her hip. The sky above was red, like blood, like the end of a violent war: grotesque yet oddly beautiful in its darkness.

  That was all Val saw before Riker bellowed and jumped into the fray.

  She’d fought, but had done her part. It was Riker’s turn to make his statement.

  Val scurried back, though couldn’t keep her eyes off the battle. Several of the naked shifters scrambled back the moment their alpha lunged, but others, mostly women, all made their opinions known in their way, lashing back.

  It was an unfair fight. Not because the numbers ended up four to one, but because Riker was so thorough and quick to put them down that Val almost felt embarrassment for the shifters trying. When someone lunged, he sidestepped, but he didn’t miss one of the naked males swiping at his head. Riker caught him by the wrist. With a brief snarl of warning in the man’s wide-eyed face, Riker threw him aside as casually as he might a bone.

  The scuffle faded off as quickly as it started. The shifters backed away, leaving Lona red-faced and visibly humiliated on her knees in front. None looked Riker—or even Val—in the eye.

  It seemed there was more than one reason he was in charge.

  Riker sneered at his pride. “If we’re done acting more circus fools than lion, I suggest you make yourselves useful.” His gaze flicked from shifter to shifter. “Arrange a comfortable sleeping area for Val in the summer den. Start a fire. Hunt dinner.”

  Lona bared her teeth. “And if we don’t?”

  The other shifters looked away uncomfortably. Whatever reasons they had for backing her up before were apparently gone now. Val covered her mouth to suppress a sore smile.

  Riker cocked his head and flashed a sharp grin. “Good luck finding a competent lion alpha in the area.”

  With barely audible mumbling, the pride split apart. A few shifted back into lions, while Lona retained her human form along with a couple of the other women.

  As Lona’s miniature posse led her away, careful of her already-swelling arm, Riker spoke up. His voice didn’t rise one bit, yet every shifter froze. “Lona.”

  Lona cast a dirty look over her shoulder.

  Riker wrapped an arm around Val’s shoulder—which, Val realized, was wholly deliberate. “Tend to that arm first. You’ll be useless until it heals up.”

  Val let out a harsh breath as the shifters stalked off. “Is it really that smart to taunt them?”

  Riker scoffed. “Lona’s head is far bigger than her brain. She needs her ego checked now and then.”

  “So her pride’s too big for the pride?” Riker shot her a bemused look. Val almost said something to apologize, but the more impulsive part of her stubbornly stuck to it. “Would you say she has the lion’s share of ego around here? Her mane’s too big for her mouth?”

  His lips twitched. “Lionesses don’t have manes.”

  Val folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Did she maul your sense of humor?”

  To her surprise—and surprising pleasure—Riker threw back his head and roared with laughter. He grasped her by the jaw, tender yet firm so as not to hurt her, and pulled her tight against him, where his cock prominently pressed against her stomach.

  “You,” he growled against her cheek, “are going to be a challenge to tame.”

  Val pulled her head away slightly. Talking back was foolish, especially considering she’d just seen the power Riker had displayed. Still, she gave him a grim smile and said, “You can try.”

  His eyes darkened. His expression sent tingles down her spine, straight to her groin, where her body betrayed her most fiercely by leaking evidence of her arousal.

  Riker glanced down and smirked. “That, my dear, I will.”

  Chapter Four

  Riker refused to be satisfied until the lesser males had arranged a comfortable spot in the den for Val—right by his side. As his soon-to-be blood bonded, there was no other place for her. He didn’t expect lavishness. To integrate with the pride, she had to live as one of them. But if he could lounge on soft rabbit furs, cooling off in the back of the cave, away from the blistering heat of the sun, she deserved equal comforts.

  More importantly, he was going to use that comfort to fuck her senseless.

  That didn’t mean he was any less wary of Lona or her fury. Though Riker did admire her tenacity and sometimes her temper provided much-needed amusement, she had never been a contender to lead the pride with him. Lona had always insisted they were potentially blood-bonded, but Riker had not once felt it. Not a tingle, not a single waft of desirable aroma, not even the naturally-building chemistry so many humans relied on.

  Nothing.

  That was why Val had struck him so immensely. Not one shifter had ever tantalized him as much as she, and the few who had stirred even the slightest feelings had spent more time trying to play coy than prove themselves worthy. Without knowing he was the alpha, Val had done that and more. She deserved to be held in high regard. In many ways, she was more lion than half his pride.

  It would be difficult, but he would ensure his people came to respect Val. They didn’t have to love or like her, but he’d be damned if she wasn’t given the same civility any other shifter deserved. She’d fought well, proved herself better than any human he’d ever seen. For a female to do so with their inherent lack of physical strength spoke volumes.

  She was more than human—and he was going to prove to her that he was more than lion.

  Val voiced her concerns when he led her to the back of the den after sunset. “You know that woman’s going to tear my throat out in my sleep, right?”

  Riker snorted. The other lion shifters remained outside. It was natural for lions to sleep out in the open. They were, after all, highest in the food chain. That didn’t mean Riker was apt to let the men ogle Val as he stripped her down tonight. “She won’t dare.”

  “Yeah? You know that for a fact?”

  “Of course.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “I’m the alpha. I know all my shifters.”

  Val made an unconvinced noise.

  Riker cast her a wry look over his shoulder. “Don’t tell me that the woman who struck me with a branch experiences fear.”

  “Of course I do,” she snapped. “You’re lions. I’m human. shifter or not, I’m an outsider, and she made it clear she’s out for blood, if
not the rest of them, too!”

  He stopped, whirling to face her. His fingers found her palm and snaked through her grip. “I am their alpha,” he said through his teeth. “And I’ve found my blood bonded. Whether they like that you are human or not is not my problem. They will accept you. And this is just the beginning. I will not stop with the lions. I will ensure all shifters understand the need for change.”

  She tilted her head back, her gray eyes narrowed. They took on a silver shine in what little moonlight reached them near the back of the den. It was more beautiful than any gold flecks of a shifter. “How?”

  He drew a steadying breath. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. As alpha, he was the epitome of strength, sensibility, and, in addition, stoic in the face of adversity. Keeping his temper in check had rarely been an issue before.

  Was this a side effect of the blood bonded? Would it wreak havoc if they sealed the bond or bring balance?

  Only one way to find out.

  Riker eased his tense grip, keeping his hands firm but not overpowering as he pulled Val close. Her firm breasts crushed between them, her breath mingled with his when he lowered his mouth within an inch of hers. “Once I stake my claim, the blood bonded are bound ‘til death.”

  That would be the first step. Prove that shifters and humans could truly be blood bonded. Feelings would not change overnight, but proof that shifters and humans were capable of being equals would be a good start. He was a risk-taker. He’d pave the way using his own strength—and Val’s.

  She rolled her eyes despite the shiver that caused a slight tremor through her body. Riker’s lust stirred from its nap. “Like marriage?”

  “No.” He traced his lips across her cheek until he nipped her ear. “This is permanent. I’ll never leave or forsake you.”

  “Lions don’t mate for life.”

  Riker scoffed. “I’m a lion shifter. There’s a difference.”

  Her fingers dug into his biceps until short nails bit into his skin. Just a little more pressure and she’d draw blood. The simple thought sent flashes of heat through Riker’s cock.

  “I just fucking met you,” she argued, albeit weakly.

  Riker drew back sharply, narrowing his eyes. “And?”

  “And you want me to bond with you permanently! With people out there wanting me dead, just feet away from where you expect me to sleep!”

  His patience was getting shorter, but his dick wasn’t. “So what?”

  “I—”

  “For once in your life, woman, shut up and let a man fuck you proper.”

  Val’s eyes widened, and he stole the moment to kiss her. Not gently, either—his erection was fighting the constraints of his jeans, and he would be damned to keep them on much longer. If his cock went soft one more time, he’d experience the worst case of blue balls in a man’s life.

  Riker shoved her against the side of the rocky den, relishing in her moan as he tore her shorts open and slid his middle finger against her clit. She was already wet. Not enough for him to fuck her, not quite, but he sensed he’d find little trouble getting her there.

  Riker yanked her shorts down with his free hand, using his height and build against her. But Val wasn’t fighting it, not even close. Her tongue slid along his, lips vibrating with each desperate moan as he pleasured and stripped her down all at once.

  He’d have time later to admire her body, though he couldn’t help a sharp nip to the lower swell of one of her tits as he knelt before her. His cock raged in his jeans, the friction almost unbearable.

  Fortunately, half the fun was seeing how long he could hold out.

  “What are you doing,” gasped Val. “You’re—you’re—”

  Riker breathed in her musky scent. Her labia were slick, ready but not eager. He needed to fix that. “Spit it out, woman.”

  “You’re an alpha. Why are—?”

  “An alpha takes care of his woman’s needs first,” he said.

  And that was all he had time for. Her pussy was calling, and he would be a fool to ignore it. He parted her wet lips with his tongue, caressing the sweet little nub. Each time the tip of his tongue passed over her clit, Val let out another striking moan, and it crashed waves of lust straight to his groin. Riker groaned as her juices dribbled down his chin.

  The more she writhed, the more it fed his determination. He slid his hands up her waist, reveling in the tight feel of her abdomen as she arched between him and the wall. The glorious smell of her soaking pussy, dried blood from her fights, and the earth twined together and made his balls ache. His tongue let off, but his lips replaced it, sucking her swollen clit into his mouth.

  “Fuck,” she cried out.

  Riker would have smirked if his mouth wasn’t so busy. Instead, he caught the little bit of flesh around her clit with his teeth, flicking it with the tip of his tongue. The noises spilling from her mouth grew in fevered pitch until she was doing little more than drawing thin, reedy breaths.

  With a gasp, she gushed into his mouth. Riker lapped up her taste, more refreshing than the clearest stream’s water. He unbuttoned his jeans with one hand as he licked her, freeing his cock.

  Pulling away, he looked up and ordered, “On your back, woman.”

  Her eyes flashed. Face flushed, she shoved his shoulder. Riker fell back, more surprised than defeated, but didn’t argue as she mounted him.

  “I told you,” she hissed, “not to call me woman.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Challenge accepted.”

  “Wh—”

  Val let out a small yelp when he flipped over. Riker yanked her shirt up until the material tangled around her neck. To his delight, she wasn’t wearing a bra, not even an infernally thin one human women insisted was “sexy.” He grasped her breast, squeezing until his thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple near-red. Val squealed and squirmed beneath him, the combination of the two threatening to bring him back to full swell.

  With a snarl, he left a sharp nip to her other breast. The flesh raised pink where his teeth left their mark. He didn’t stop there, nipping and biting, never quite enough to break skin, making his way down to her thighs. Hooking her knees over his shoulders, he let a swath of warm breath wash over her labia.

  Val’s hips jerked. “Wait—”

  Riker shoved two fingers into her. She was so wet, there was hardly any friction left. The way she moaned and clenched around him would only be a fraction as good as when his cock was burrowed deep inside, but her noises encouraged him to tap a fierce rhythm between swiping his tongue over her clit.

  Her every cry pierced his soul, reminding him why they were there. Beyond physical pleasure, beyond this woman’s taut, writhing body that constantly threatened to drive him into a craze, there was a connection deeper than anything he’d ever experienced. It was part of what brought him to insane levels of hardness despite the cooler conditions about them.

  Whatever this human woman was made of, there was more to be had than just this pleasure. This was only the beginning, and Riker would make damned sure of that.

  He raised his lips from suckling her clit. “Tell me when you’re about to come.”

  “Oh, fuck,” moaned Val.

  With a wild grin, Riker left a trail of biting kisses on her thigh. The way her muscles quaked and shifted before his eyes sent another throb of agonizing pleasure down his core, all the way through his cock until he damn near exploded.

  Instead, he withdrew his fingers.

  Val groaned. “Oh, fuck y—”

  Riker forced her up, heedless of her protests. He turned her so her back was facing him, that round, taut ass in the air. Her backside was utterly vulnerable, her dripping pussy hot and wet for the taking, and he took full advantage of it by shoving his cock in.

  The initial penetration was his favorite. Riker took the time to revel in it, with her muscles clenching around him and arousal so strong it dripped from her even before he began to thrust. He grasped her by her hips, pulling her back with each furious move
.

  Val cried out and moaned. She dug her fingers into the soil, deeper and deeper, until her foremost knuckles were completely buried. She glanced back at him, violet hair falling loose from her ponytail, and Riker took the opportunity to lean forward and tilt her chin back with one hand so their lips could meet again. She reached up and twined her fingers in his hair, tugging until he complied with her silent demand and drove into her harder. Skin slick with sweat slipped as they fucked, her in response to his movements, he in a near-desperate attempt to feel her come.

  “Riker, please.” She gasped and arched down even as she pressed back. She grasped the collar of his shirt after a couple failed attempts, pulling him forward until her breath washed over his cheek. “I'm so close…”

  Well, who the hell was he to deny her that?

  Riker stopped, silencing her outraged cry when he turned her around and yanked her hips down to his cock. The front view was ten times as exhilarating, especially when she floundered for something to hold on to and had to settle for his arms.

  He knew he'd have to start several steps back to bring her to orgasm, but the work was more than worth it. Riker picked up right where he left off, the slippery sounds of her arousal a wondrous cadence to his ears. He groaned as he felt his own release within reach. It took serious effort to remind himself not yet, not just yet.

  An alpha tended to his woman first.

  Val made it so much more difficult, her firm breasts jiggling, her ecstatic moans driving his desire to near madness. Riker snatched her hand, urging her to stroke her clit. She eagerly complied, and soon her cries reached a fevered pitch.

  Then.

  Then that glorious sensation as she trembled around him, clenching tight against his cock as the slippery evidence of her orgasm poured out. Riker at last allowed his momentum to reach its peak, and he came shortly after.

  When they did separate and relax, the den floor was cool and welcoming to his fevered skin. Riker had no compunctions resting there, and she seemed too wrapped up in his afterglow embrace to argue even if she'd wanted. He lay in the forest, his blood bonded wrapped in his arms, fulfilled sexually as the electric intensity of their blood calling to one another settled into a soothing hum.