Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads)

by Hunter, Adriana

  Ben pulled Chris backward and after a couple of steps, they fell onto the bed, Ben yanking Chris on top of him. Looked like his mate wanted to be the alpha in the bedroom. Chris was used to being in charge everywhere, especially in bed, but this felt different. He realized he finally felt like he could relax. Without any evidence at all, he knew Ben would always stand by him.

  But for now, Chris was on top. He pinned Ben’s wrists over his head before Ben could react. Then Chris ground his pelvis against Ben’s.

  Ben struggled for a second, trying to free his wrists, but he didn’t try very hard. Instead, he pushed his hips up against Chris. The sensation of their dicks rubbing over each other nearly made Chris come.

  Chris captured Ben’s mouth in a rough kiss. Ben moaned, a rumbling growl of pleasure. With a quick move, he twisted one way then rolled them the other way, so Ben ended up on top, his wrists loose.

  “Mine,” Ben said. One hand gripped Chris around the cheek, holding him in place for a kiss. Ben shoved the other hand between them to grip Chris’ aching cock.

  Chris fought not to come. He brushed his teeth over Ben’s throat, but hesitated. Should they mark each other with Alex not there? It felt wrong.

  So he pushed at Ben’s shoulder instead. “Clothes.”

  Ben stood, pulling Chris to his feet. They ripped at their clothes, shirts and jeans and socks strewn every which way. When the last piece of clothing had been removed, Ben advanced on him, pushing him back onto the bed. This time, when he lay down, he lay down to Chris’ side, so they faced each other.

  “This all feels good,” Ben said. “But I’m not quite sure…” His gaze skittered down Chris’ body.

  “This is my first time, too. I figure we just keep doing what feels good.” Chris rubbed Ben’s arm. “About marking each other—I was thinking we might wait for Alex.”

  Ben slid his hand over Chris’ hip. “Yeah, that sounds right. She should be with us.”

  “She will be.”

  “I know. Nothing will be able to stop the two of us when we’re working together. Not even Alex.”

  Pride bloomed in Chris’ chest. This was his mate. “Exactly.” Chris grabbed Ben by the back of his neck and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss.

  Ben’s hand slipped to the front of Chris’ hip, then gripped Chris’ cock once more. He moved his body back enough so he could stroke Chris’ cock.

  Chris kissed Ben even deeper. He felt an overwhelming urge to bite, to mark Ben as his, but held back. Instead, he took hold of Ben’s cock and mimicked his actions until they stroked each other in time.

  Chris felt himself getting closer and closer. He pulled back enough to say, “Gonna come soon.”

  “Me too.” Ben leaned closer and resumed their kiss.

  Chris’ body tightened, every muscle on edge. He felt the tension rising in Ben at the same time, rising tighter and tighter then Chris slipped over into an explosive orgasm, coming harder than ever before.

  He felt Ben’s cock jerking in his hand and the slight moisture against his abdomen.

  They touched foreheads, both breathing heavy.

  “Amazing,” Chris said.

  “Fucking amazing. Let’s do that again soon.”

  * * *

  This couldn’t be happening.

  Alex drove far too fast through the sleepy streets of Marysburg, not even sure where she was going. Just away. Away from those two men who threatened everything she wanted. Away from the overwhelming desire to stay with them forever.

  She reached her house before she realized that was exactly what she needed. She’d tell Brett. Brett would know what to do. He’d tell her what to do and then everything would be all right.

  But Brett wasn’t there. The house sat empty, echoing the feeling in her body. Empty, without Brett. Empty, without her mates.

  What was she supposed to do?

  Even now, the need for her mates gripped her, tighter and tighter. She wanted to go to them almost as badly as she wanted to stay away.

  She went straight to her room then stood in front of her mirror, looking into her own eyes.

  Mates? She had always figured she could never feel more for someone than what she felt for Brett. How could she love anyone more? How could she want them more?

  But she did. And she didn’t want to. If she loved Brett, what kind of horrible person was she, to feel such feelings for two men she barely knew?

  It made sense, now. The way she’d felt about each of them from the beginning. Nature giving her a preview. But if she was destined to be with Ben and Chris, how could she feel this way about Brett?

  This was all wrong.

  She fell onto the bed, overwhelmed not just with the emotions running through her, but the desire. Her skin burned. Her pussy gushed. Her breasts ached. And Brett wasn’t here to soothe her.

  She felt queasy at the idea of sleeping with Brett, but pushed that feeling down along with all the others. She would take care of herself.

  Chapter 6

  Alex’s hands moved over her body, rubbing. She peeled off her clothes and lay on top of the sheets, feeling bold just for being exposed to the empty room. Her nipples, almost sore, begged for attention, so she squeezed them and pulled on them until they were tight little buttons.

  Her legs squeezed together, her hips writhing. What she wouldn’t give for a man…Ben, licking her nipples…Chris, kneeling between her legs to kiss her pussy.

  Her eyes flew open. Brett. It was Brett she wanted. Not the other two.

  As her eyes fluttered closed, her hand moved between her legs. She pretended the fingers against her clit were those of her lovers’. Chris, gently opening her pussy lips before brushing his tongue over her clit.

  She wet her finger with her juices then slid it over her clit, over and over. No matter how much she pretended, it didn’t feel like Chris’ tongue or Ben’s fingers. It felt like her lonely hand.

  Alex clenched her eyes closed. To hell with them. This was her orgasm.

  She played with one breast while her hand continued to move over her pussy, teasing, torturing, building delicate pressure against her clit, on the top, on the sides, and deep inside.

  She suddenly pictured Chris looming over her, his cock pushing into her. Her hips lifted as though welcoming him in, and she shattered.

  * * *

  In the middle of the night, Alex felt someone shaking her awake. She didn’t want to wake up. She had the feeling she’d remember something she didn’t want to know.

  But the person persisted. “C’mon, baby. I wanna fuck.”

  She opened her eyes to see Brett looming over her.

  “‘Bout time.” He lay down on top of her and pressed his lips to hers.

  Her stomach turned over, her throat clenching. She shoved him off of her and ran for the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet before she threw up.

  “Fuck!” Brett screamed. He came over to stand in the doorway behind her. “Are you sick or something? Or did you eat something bad?”

  Still leaning over the bowl, her eyes closed, she didn’t answer. She knew why she’d thrown up. And she suddenly knew he wouldn’t like it.

  What would he do if he knew she had mates? Or that all it took to make her hurl was for him to touch her? That’s what happened when you mated. You couldn’t stand the touch of another.

  He’d hate her. He loved sex. If she couldn’t give him sex…she couldn’t even finish the thought. She just knew she needed to keep this secret, at least long enough to figure out how to handle it.

  “Sick,” she said. “Happened earlier tonight, too.” She stood and went to the sink to wash her mouth out.

  “Is that why you left the party early? Keith said you suddenly freaked and ran out.”

  “Yeah, that was why. After I puked, I came home.” The lie came so easily. Maybe because she knew the truth would go down so hard.

  “He said you looked nice, though. Sexy. Good job.”

  She couldn’t even enjoy his praise, bec
ause her stomach rolled when she even thought about looking at him.

  “Well, if you’re sick, I guess you don’t want to fuck.”

  “Yeah. Sorry.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked out of her room.

  What was she supposed to do now? She loved Brett. Didn’t she? Loved him, but couldn’t stand his touch. All the while craving two men she barely knew.

  * * *

  Ben woke, aware of someone else in his bed. By the time he opened his eyes, he remembered. Chris. Alex. The amazing night he’d had, and the despair that tinged it.

  Chris lay facing him, still asleep. He looked angry, or frustrated, his brow drawn down so furrows emerged between his eyes.

  He must be dreaming about Alex—and not in a good way. If there was one thing the morning had brought to Ben, it was a calmness. He had heard Chris the night before, even if it hadn’t seemed to get through. And Chris was right. They’d get her. They just had to be patient.

  Ben put his thumb between Chris’ eyes to gently smooth out the worry. It seemed to work; Chris resettled his body, his face easing into a small smile.

  Now he must be dreaming about Alex and Ben in a good way.

  Ben crawled out of bed and hit the showers. Several minutes later, he pulled open the curtain to see Chris walking into the bathroom, buck naked.

  Chris’ eyes traveled over Ben’s body appreciatively. “I didn’t get to take a good look last night.”

  Ben felt a little weird standing on display; none of his girlfriends had ever wanted to look like this. But he couldn’t complain. He wanted to look just as bad.

  It had been obvious, even with his clothes on, that Chris had muscles like nobody’s business. Naked and in the light, Ben could see every beautiful cut. Werewolves had muscles without trying, but they didn’t look like that. His pecs, his abs, his biceps. He must spend hours in the gym.

  “Nice,” Chris said.

  “What, me? Nah…” Ben pointed up and down Chris’ body. “That’s nice.”

  “You like?” Chris got a glint in his eye. He lifted his arms into a stereotypical bodybuilder pose, showing off his guns. His fists twisted in then out.

  Ben laughed. “Yeah, I like.” He stepped out of the bathtub. “How much time does it take to get muscles like that?”

  The two men stepped up in front of the mirror. Chris grabbed Ben’s toothpaste and squeezed some onto his finger. “Not as much as you’d think.” He shoved his finger in his mouth and started vigorously brushing.

  “Can you show me?” Ben said.

  Chris smiled around his hand and nodded.

  This is what he’d wanted. The sex was great, but more than that—he’d wanted a mate who’d be his best buddy. And maybe he’d gotten just that.

  After Chris finished brushing his teeth, he said, “I have a meeting this morning. Pack business. I’d like you to be there.”

  Ben continued to shave. “I’m not pack.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that, too. The whole trial period is ridiculous at this point. You’re in.”

  Ben grinned. “Is that what a night of awesome sex gets me?”

  “Yep, that’s all it took.” Chris ran his hand up Ben’s back then gripped his shoulder. “And there’s nothing I’d like better than to jump back in bed with you.”

  “But?”

  “But, this meeting.” Chris then gave Ben the rundown on everything that had been going on, all the reasons he’d wanted that trial period in the first place. “I think Alex is in the middle of it. After last night, I’m positive. When she first approached me, she mentioned a guy…but she made it sound like they weren’t together anymore. She was lying. And I want to know why.”

  “We need to find her. I just don’t know how.” Ben finished shaving and wiped the excess shaving cream off his face and neck.

  “She knows Keith, one of my pack members. We might have to squeeze him, but he can tell us. After last night, I doubt she’ll come back to the bar on her own. Only problem is, I was hoping not to tip Keith off that we knew something was up.”

  Ben met Chris’ gaze in the mirror. “So manipulate him. When she doesn’t show tonight, ask him where she is. Say she’s going to screw up her trial period if she doesn’t show. He’ll either get her down there or we’ll know he knows something’s going on and then we can squeeze him.”

  Chris smiled, first one corner of his mouth then the other. “I like the way you think. Let’s do it.” He leaned in and kissed Ben, long and hard. By the time he pulled back, they were both breathing heavy. “Gotta get going.”

  Ben groaned. All he wanted to do was go back to bed with Chris. “There should be some sort of dispensation for wolves who’ve just found their mates.”

  “Usually, mates get a lot of leeway.” Chris leaned into him. “But you’re mated to the pack Alpha. No leeway there.”

  He could live with that.

  Half an hour later, clean and dressed, they arrived at the Weeping Widow. The hostess led them to a private room. Several Roanoke pack members Ben had met at the bar stood around the room, mixing with some new faces. As Chris had said, this wasn’t the whole pack, just his most trusted wolves and some allies from Stonewall pack.

  Jake, the Stonewall Alpha, came up to them as soon as they entered the room. His eyes slid over Ben, but he spoke to Chris. “You left in a hurry last night.”

  Chris rested his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “I found my mates.”

  A smile dawning on his face, Jake looked from Chris to Ben and back again. “Oh, yeah? Congratulations. Who’s your female?”

  The hand on his shoulder tightened. “That’s a problem,” Chris said.

  “It’s Alex.” Ben didn’t see any point in beating around the bush. Chris had already told him Jake knew everything.

  Jake’s smile fell away. “Shit.”

  “Yeah,” Chris said. “Well. We should probably get this started.”

  A few minutes later, Chris and Ben still stood near the doors, but everyone else had settled around the long tables in the center of the room.

  “You still want to join, right?” Chris said softly to Ben.

  “Of course.”

  “Ready to do it now?”

  Their eyes met. Ah, his pack Alpha had planned this. He could have pledged fealty at any time, but he’d waited until they were in front of all these people. He’d have to remember his mate knew how to be a political animal. “Of course.”

  Chris turned to face him. “Kneel.”

  Everyone in the room watched as Ben lowered himself to both knees. He’d seen wolves pledge themselves to his father as he grew up, but had never done it himself. Luckily for him, as with all things wolf, the procedure was quick and straightforward.

  “I pledge fealty to you,” Ben said.

  Chris placed his hand on Ben’s head. “I accept your fealty.”

  Ben felt a calm settle over him, like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment. He belonged again. Belonged to this big, strong man who would never let the bad guys win.

  Chris helped him up and they took their seats at the table.

  “For those of you who are wondering,” Chris said, “Ben is my mate. We found out last night. We can trust him.”

  “You’re sure he’s not in on it?” asked a wolf Ben didn’t recognize.

  “I’m sure.” Chris leaned forward on his elbows. “So, anyone hear anything last night?”

  Matt, Chris’ third, spoke up. “I heard rumblings. Only among the new wolves. It sounded to me like they were trying to stir up discontent.”

  “They say why?” Chris said.

  “Nothing outright,” Matt said. “Just a lot of little digs at you, a few at Nick and me. Little complaints and vague references to bad Alphas and needing new blood.”

  “That’s about what I heard, too.” Nick was Chris’ second. Ben had met him two nights before. “A lot of whining. All coming from the new wolves.”

  “Anyone hear any specifics? P
lans?” No one replied. “What about anything proving a conspiracy?” Again, nothing. Chris sat back.

  “You could kick out all the new wolves,” Jake said. “Just don’t send them my way.”

  A low rumble of laughter spread across the table.

  “And what if I kick out a few legitimate wolves with them?”

  “It’s better than having an uprising,” Ben said. He knew that first-hand. Probably better than anyone else at the table.

  “What we need is someone on the inside of this little group of conspirators,” Nick said. “Assuming there is one. Someone who can tell us who’s in on it.”

  Chris cocked his head and looked at Ben. As their eyes met, Ben knew exactly what he was thinking. They needed Alex. And they needed her on their side.

  Easier said than done.

  They’d be lucky if they could pry her loose from the asshole she thought she loved. Ben didn’t believe for a minute she really loved him. How could she? She belonged to Chris and Ben. But even if they pried her loose, the chances that she’d turn on the fucker were next to zero.

  Ben shook his head side to side, once.

  Chris closed his eyes for a second then turned back to the group. “I’m pretty sure Keith is in on it. I’ll approach him later today.”

  “I don’t think he’ll turn…” Matt said.

  “No, but he might give up some information. I don’t want to tip him off that I know something’s up. So none of you say anything to him.”

  The wolves at the table nodded and otherwise gave their assent.

  “Anything else?” Chris said. When no one spoke up, he continued. “I’m going to take care of this, one way or another. Thank you all for backing me up.”

  The wolves rose and mingled, many of them coming forward to congratulate Chris and Ben on the mating and on Ben joining the pack. And to get a look at him, Ben was sure. He’d met many of them at the bar, but he hadn’t met Jake’s family. Most of them were at the meeting—his two mates, his female’s three sisters, and four of their mates. Jake’s female—Deirdre—had a baby on her hip. A very quiet baby. Ben hadn’t heard a peep out of her all during the meeting.