The Alpha's Heart (Wilde Creek Two)

by R. E. Butler

  Clearing her throat, she said, “Want to watch a movie before bed?”

  “Sure, sweetheart. Your choice.”

  She stiffened her spine, determined to stick to her plan of making him work for her. “I think I’m in the mood for a romantic comedy.”

  He chuckled softly and opened the back door for her. “Bring it on.”

  * * * * *

  Monday morning, Acksel looked over the document he had printed that contained the new laws pertaining to choosing mates and the females’ treatment of the future alpha female.

  The elders sat on the couch in his family room. Hollis, Felix, Duncan, and Renfrow looked at their own copies of the new laws. Acksel’s dad sat in a kitchen chair in the family room, and so did Luke and Eveny. It had occurred to Acksel that he would benefit from a she-wolf’s perspective, so he had asked Ev to join them and hadn’t been surprised when Luke insisted on being there as well.

  Brynn had surprised Acksel by bringing out coffee for everyone and then moving to stand in front of the fireplace, watching quietly. He was glad she hadn’t waited for him to invite her into the room. As the future alpha female, she deserved to be part of what was going on, but he hadn’t been sure if she would understand that or even want it.

  Felix scratched at his beard and said, “I think the new laws are very clear, Alpha. You addressed the issues relating to the taking of human or other shifter mates and the behavior of the females in regard to the alpha female.”

  Eveny looked between Acksel and Brynn and then said, “Brynn, do you understand what the laws mean?”

  Brynn hesitated but then stepped close to Acksel. He slipped an arm over her shoulders and drew her close. She rested her hand on his stomach, fisting the material of his shirt. “I think so. I’ve read the laws but some of it doesn’t make sense to me.”

  Acksel’s dad said, “The mark on your neck tells everyone that Acksel has claimed you as his mate. Although you’re not fully mated to him yet, it’s a vow that he has chosen you and nothing will change that. If a female were to try to harm you physically to prove to Acksel that she was a better mate for him, the laws state that he can put her down or even banish her.”

  “Kill her?” Brynn squeaked and Acksel looked at her in confusion for a moment before he realized that she thought “put her down” meant death.

  “No, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head. “Not kill her but dominate her. Putting a wolf down means I exert my dominance over him or her in front of the pack. That fight you talked about last night in high school was me putting that male down. He showed me his neck, told me in an unspoken way that I was dominant to him.”

  Eveny nodded. “That bite tells our kind that you’re taken. Normally, the single females would physically try to intimidate you to leave the alpha and abdicate the position of alpha female. The blood-marking, coupled with the new laws, takes away their right to do that. The new laws mean that the alpha chooses who his mate is, who the best female alpha is, and everyone else has to toe the line or leave.”

  Brynn was very still next to him as she absorbed what Eveny had explained. Acksel was glad that she was comfortable enough to lean on him, to take comfort from him.

  “Doesn’t he get to do that anyway? I don’t understand why anyone cares who anyone else chooses as their mate.” She sounded frustrated, and a little bit of fear tinged her words.

  Duncan ran a hand through his auburn hair and said, “It’s the way our people claim. Hundreds of years ago, only the best and strongest survived. An alpha who mated to a weak mate would spend all his time protecting and caring for her instead of ensuring that the pack’s needs were met. An equally strong and fierce mate ensures that she can take care of herself as well as watch over the less powerful wolves.”

  Brynn stiffened and Acksel groaned internally. Duncan had just basically outlined Brynn’s human weaknesses and the reasons why she wasn’t the most suited for the position.

  But then Duncan continued speaking. “The problem with our laws is that they haven’t been updated with the times. Our people aren’t living in caves and out fighting for their survival every night. We’re not fighting pack wars. The alpha’s responsibilities are shared with his highly ranked males, which takes some of the burden from his shoulders and allows him to be a more effective leader.”

  Hollis nodded. “It was high time that our laws were updated anyway. You and your pup’s arrival are heralding changes that were a long time coming. You shouldn’t be afraid of what the changes mean, but should celebrate the diversity that our pack is enjoying. For the first time, our people can mate with whomever they want without fear of reprisal, without worrying about losing their pack and family or watching their chosen be tested and tried, forced to prove that they are worthy. Now the hearts of our people lead. Why shouldn’t our alpha also be encouraged to lead with his heart?”

  The tension eased away from Brynn by slow degrees and Acksel was pleased with the council’s thoughtful statements. He now knew that they supported him, not just because he was alpha, but because they also agreed with him.

  The council spoke a little while longer, asking questions and making notes on the laws for places where Acksel could further explain things. Then they headed outside to wait for the meeting with the females, which was in less than a half hour. Eveny took Acksel’s notes and made the changes to the document on his laptop, and printed out a clean set while Acksel stood with Brynn. Acksel’s dad joined the council outside and while Luke was helping Eveny, Acksel turned to his mate.

  She looked up at him, green eyes wide with worry. Without a word, she stepped close and snuggled against him and he wrapped his arms around her. Something about their revelations last night had changed her opinion of keeping him at arm’s length. Before he’d found her on the porch and heard her insight into their past, he’d wondered if he would ever be able to prove to her that she’d been on his mind for as long as he could remember.

  He still hadn’t shown her the tattoo, though. He wanted her to find it on her own. Inhaling the sweet cinnamon scent of his mate, he closed his eyes, his wolf attuned to everything around them so that she wouldn’t be in danger.

  “You’re making a lot of sacrifices for me, Acksel.” Brynn’s voice was low and filled with regret. “You could mate a she-wolf who would be able to protect the females and your puppies.”

  He lifted her face with one hand until she met his eyes. “First, sweetheart, it’s ‘pups’ not ‘puppies’. Second, the only thing that I’ve sacrificed recently is my sanity, because I refused to let my heart guide my actions. For too long our people have been stuck in the past, suffocating under laws that were not compatible with who we are as a people. Yes, some pack members may leave when I claim you on the full moon, but if they do then they weren’t worth having in the first place. And honestly,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “I wouldn’t trade you for all the she-wolves in the world. You’re mine, Brynn, and there isn’t anything I’d change about you.”

  Her hands flexed on his chest as her eyes darkened and the unmistakable scent of her arousal filled the air around them. He lowered his head slowly until their lips were almost touching, willing her to close the nearly imperceptible distance between them. Time froze as he ignored his howling wolf that wanted to kiss her, touch her, taste her. More, more. Mine.

  A throat cleared and Brynn jerked away from his lips but not out of his arms. “Sorry, Alpha, but the females are gathered and ready for the meeting,” Hollis said.

  Acksel snarled and Brynn gave him a light smack on the chest. “Stop growling at everyone.”

  Eveny giggled and Acksel gave her a dirty look, but she just shrugged with a grin. “I’m with the alpha female. You do growl too much.”

  Luke stood quickly and pulled Eveny off the couch with him, moving her to the other side of the room towards the kitchen. Although Acksel thought the male was overreacting, he did appreciate that he recognized when Eveny took teasing a little too far. Not that Acksel would e
ver lay a hand on his sister. But he might growl at her in a menacing way to remind her that he was the boss.

  Something small and dark zinged past them and Brynn bent over and picked up what looked like a fabric covered circle. Eveny said, “Pull your hair up so everyone can see the marks easily. It’ll help.”

  “Thanks, Eveny,” Brynn said, winding the band around her hair and baring her neck.

  “You’re welcome.”

  They were alone once more. Acksel’s hands tightened on her waist, mentally willing her to draw close to him again so they could kiss. Last night, after the yawn-inducing romantic comedy she’d chosen had finally ended, she’d turned to face him. The flicker from the TV had cast a blue tint on her skin, making her appear to be glowing. She looked ethereal, too beautiful to be real, but the slight squeeze of her hand on his knee had reminded him that she was definitely real.

  Leaning slowly, so slowly that he thought she’d never get close enough, she had brushed her lips over his with delicate precision, igniting his blood and making his brain misfire. He’d gripped the couch cushion to stop from pulling her into his arms and deepening the kiss, his nails gouging the material as she sighed softly and pulled away. With a soft murmur of good night, she’d left him in the room alone, his heart pounding and his wolf whining to go after her. If he hadn’t promised to let her lead this time between them, he probably would have heeded his wolf’s demands and crawled to her without shame, begging for her touch.

  He didn’t really care if that made him the biggest pussy on the planet. He was head over heels in love with the one woman made perfectly for him. And the only thing he really regretted was how long it had taken him to get his head out of his ass.

  “You’re sure about this?” Brynn asked, drawing him from his thoughts.

  “Never been more sure of anything in my life,” he promised, pulling her even closer and inhaling more of her sweet scent.

  They turned and walked through the family room, into the kitchen, through the open sliding glass door, and out onto the back deck. The entire female population of the Wilde Creek Pack stood on the grass below the deck. The protectors stood like sentinels around them, each of them scanning the crowd. The council members stood on the bottom step of the porch and Acksel led Brynn to the top step and stopped, looking out over the group.

  Young and old alike, the she wolves looked up at him, their gazes dancing between himself and his mate. He lifted his hand and rested it on her neck, just underneath the blood-mark, drawing further attention to it.

  Drawing on the power of his wolf, he said, “I have chosen my mate, and the alpha female of our pack. She is human.”

  He’d been fairly certain that everyone in the pack knew that Brynn was human, but there were a few quiet gasps that carried to him and told him that not everyone had known.

  Nodding at Renfrow, Acksel listened to the reading of the new laws pertaining to the choosing of mates and the treatment of the future alpha female. He was confident that no one — male or female — would physically harm Brynn in an attempt to drive her away, and that the same would apply to other mates as well. He was most concerned with Brynn’s treatment, but the laws would now help his pack members to feel comfortable in choosing their mates whether they were wolves or not.

  Briefly he wondered how many currently mated members of his pack had ignored their feelings because they hadn’t wanted to choose a mate that would require their banishment. Although Eveny was the first one of their pack to be mated to a non-wolf, he doubted she was the first one to ever love a non-wolf.

  When the laws had been read, Acksel looked out over the females and tried to gauge their responses. Mostly he saw acceptance. Mia and Eveny stood in the front of the group, their faces alight with happiness. Some of the females his age and younger looked unhappy, but they were the females that he’d taken to his bed on the full moons and he wasn’t fooling himself that there wouldn’t be some hurt feelings. If he cared for a female and she chose a human over him, he’d have a hard time with it. But at least the laws protected Brynn.

  “This is my mate and alpha female,” Acksel said, his voice carrying across the yard. His wolf demanded that Brynn be shown proper respect, and he growled loudly. The females hit the ground on their knees as a group, bowing their heads in deference.

  Acksel pulled Brynn to him with a soft snarl and crushed her mouth with his. She melted against him immediately, pressing her body to his. He devoured her, drinking down the sweet taste of her as his wolf leapt and danced in his head. The protectors lifted their voices in a joyous howl, their support for their alpha’s mate evident.

  Lifting from the drugging kiss, he waited for her to open her eyes and then he whispered, “Mine.”

  Without hesitation, she smiled and said, “Yes.”

  Chapter 16

  Monday afternoon, Brynn sat on her bed and watched Acksel unpack his duffel into the top drawer of her dresser. Although he was going to be sleeping on the couch, he still needed a place to stow his things. She liked the idea of his clothes near hers.

  When Acksel had kissed her in front of the females, council, and protectors, she had felt their acceptance of her. She had a feeling it was a combination of things — the new laws, the partial mating, and sealing things with a kiss that rocked her straight to the core.

  Acksel had led her down the steps onto the grass and stood by her side as the females stood and came forward, one by one, to greet her. Eveny was first, calling her sister and hugging her tightly before hugging Acksel and kissing his cheek. Mia was next, her eyes alight with tears that made Brynn want to cry, too. She steeled herself, not sure if she-wolves thought crying was a sign of weakness in their alpha female.

  Well, she wasn’t exactly alpha female yet. But darn close enough.

  “I’m so happy for you, B. Friend of my heart, mate of my alpha.” Mia’s words seemed significant, and Brynn hugged her tightly before releasing her.

  Most of the women seemed content, following what Mia called a mate-and-let-mate attitude, even with their alpha. But there were a few females who looked down their noses at Brynn. They were girls she’d known in high school to be very wolves are better than humans. She’d known there would be opposition to their mating, but at least with the new laws, they wouldn’t be able to hurt her.

  Carissa, a leggy blonde, narrowed her brown eyes at Brynn and said, “Welcome, Alpha,” and ducked her head in a tiny bow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Then she turned her attention to Acksel, beaming at him with unrestrained joy. Brynn frowned and tightened her hold on Acksel’s hand. She very much wanted to punch the female in the face for smiling like that at her mate. Yeah, they might not be mated completely yet, but he was still hers, damn it.

  “Move along, she-wolf,” Brynn said in a dark tone. She was surprised at her quick anger, but embraced it.

  Carissa sniffed derisively at her and then walked away, her hips swaying exaggeratedly.

  Two more females — Hailey and Ava — behaved in a similar way, looking at Brynn with barely contained disdain and practically beaming at Acksel. When the last of the females had come by to welcome her, she was still seething at the females’ behavior. Something feral was building inside her, and she wasn’t really sure what to do with the feelings. She felt…slighted. Acksel had said she was his mate and had to be treated with respect, but those females hadn’t respected her at all.

  Acksel told her afterwards that the females were behaving like children, testing her worth through words and behavior because they weren’t able to do so physically. She had a feeling that if the laws hadn’t been in place, she would have been tag-teamed by three pissed off she-wolves. Apparently the laws only covered physical assaults. They could still make her feel like shit, as long as they appeared to be politically polite. ‘Lip service’ was the term that Dade had used when he came over to them as the females were leaving the yard. Acksel said he was proud of her for asserting herself with the females, and she was proud of herself, too,
but she didn’t know if she could handle being snarked at forever. They’d eventually accept her, wouldn’t they?

  The sound of the drawer sliding shut drew her back to the present. Acksel leaned against the dresser and folded his arms, his biceps bulging and drawing her attention. “The males are coming to my house tonight for a similar meeting. I thought we could go to Luna’s for dinner afterwards, if that sounds good to you. Eveny and Luke would like to join us, and Mia and her brother Malachi, too. Mal will be driving you to work and guarding you during your shift tomorrow and Wednesday, and then my dad is going to take over for the remainder of the week. And before you ask, yes, I know that Malachi isn’t mated, but he’s trustworthy and he’s going to join the protector ranks on the full moon and fight for position. He’s strong enough to beat Sam for theto, but he doesn’t want to.”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” she promised.

  He snorted and then said, “I have some work to finish up so I’m going to settle into the front room. Do you need anything?”

  Another kiss would be nice.

  “Nope.”

  He nodded and walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts, which waffled between her wanting to go out into the front room to snuggle up to him and get another kiss and reminding herself that she was trying to make him show that he cared about her for more than the little bun in her oven. Granted, she was very certain at this point that he did care for her, maybe even loved her.

  So how did she feel about him?

  The answer came to her quickly. She loved him. She loved his arrogant smile, his inner strength, the way his eyes always searched her out first when he walked into a room, and even the way he growled at her and everyone else. In the past, she’d cared about him, but it was a soft love, born of friendly concern and superficial lust. Now, the feelings she held for him were strong like the trees that towered in the woods, hot like the blood in her veins, and as wild as the wolves on the full moon.