Alpha (Wolves Creek Book 1)

by Samantha Horne

  Jackson had been so busy sorting things out within the community, and trying to reassure the terrified people, that I’d barely had five minutes to speak to him. For the first time in days, we finally had some quality time to spend together, but something had been playing on his mind and I couldn’t bear to see how much it was eating him up. Tyler.

  “How did I not see it?” He used his foot to gently push us back and forth in the porch swing, and he squeezed me tighter while kissing me on the forehead.

  “None of us knew, Jackson. How could you? He acted as your best friend and followed every single order you gave him. No-one would have ever suspected a thing.”

  “That’s not the point. It’s my job as Alpha to protect this pack. I trust those men with my life. I should have known something was up. What kind of Alpha lets a traitor loose in their pack to do whatever the hell they want? He managed to get them access to our town, set fire to my brother’s fucking house almost killing you, and pretended to rescue you from those guys when he was in on it all along! I wish I’d killed the little shit slower.”

  “Jackson,” I said softly, holding his face with both of my hands forcing him to look in to my eyes. “Please, don’t lower yourself to his level. Killing is never for pleasure. Tyler fooled us all.”

  He leaned towards me, and I instinctively reached up to meet his lips as he kissed me with a desperation I’d never felt before.

  “I need you,” he whispered against my mouth, his hot breath mingling with mine as I tried to steady myself.

  “Not here,” I giggled and he groaned as he pulled away. He sat back up, and pulled me more securely on his lap, just holding me in a comfortable silence. I loved the time I spent with Jackson, whether it was out on dates or in his bed. It was these moments I craved the most though. With Jackson, we could just sit in silence and it wouldn’t matter. We allowed each other moments of silence to process our own thoughts, but we were there if the other ever needed to talk about anything. I craved those instances because they made me feel even closer to him. It scared me how much I was starting to depend on him, and I knew that my life without him would be a much bleaker place.

  “I need you tonight. I need to feel you next to me. I need to feel that you’re alive and you’re with me.”

  I smiled at the urgency in his voice, and for the first time in days I felt weightless and safe. Like nothing could ever hurt me because I was in Jackson’s arms.

  “Wheeey!” Jackson and I were suddenly pulled apart by Blake, who sat in between us both, throwing his arms over our shoulders and squeezing us in to his body like we were kids.

  “So, what’s the conversation?”

  “Fucks sake man, we were trying to have some privacy.” Jackson sounded annoyed, but his lips turned up slightly in amusement at his brother’s antics.

  “No such thing as privacy when I’m around, guys.”

  “Good job we are sitting on the porch and not up on the roof, huh Blake?” I asked, winking at him. He looked at me, confused by my words before his eyes widened and he turned an accusatory stare on Jackson.

  “You told her!”

  “Told her what?” Jackson asked, innocently.

  “You told her about my fear of heights! Did you tell her the tree story?” He ended on a whisper, as if praying I wouldn’t hear him.

  “I think it’s sweet!” I laughed, when Blake turned his accusing stare on me.

  “Sweet?! Please don’t call me sweet. And can you please not tell anyone that story? Girls around here actually think I’m hot, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Well, at least if any of them want to get away from you, we can tell them to just climb the trees in the forest. They’d definitely be safe from you.” Jackson said, and we laughed as Blake huffed like a toddler having a tantrum.

  “Thanks man,” Blake grumped. “I’m gonna be extra annoying, just to get you back for that.”

  Blake going out of his way to be irritating? Yep, everything was definitely back to normal.

  ****

  It was late at night, and I was currently sprawled naked on top of Jackson after the most delicious lovemaking session which had knocked the wind right out of me. I was still trying to catch my breath, while Jackson lay underneath me, not even breathing any harder than normal with a smug smile on his face. Damn that shifter stamina. I wished I was a shifter just so I could keep up with him, although if I didn’t need to sleep then we’d probably just end up going at it all night. Although, that didn’t sound like such a terrible idea. I was covered in sweat from his body heat, and needed a shower but I couldn’t even bring myself to move, I was just too comfortable.

  “I love you,” Jackson whispered, and my heart felt full enough to burst.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Mate me,” he said. I stiffened on top of him, and turned to look at his face. His eyes were fixed on mine and the love shining in them made my heart pound in my chest. How could I have ever thought I was in love with Craig? The love I thought I had for him paled in comparison to what I felt for Jackson. The love I had for Jackson was that all-consuming love with terrified me at the same time as making me deliriously happy. It was nothing that could ever be put in to words, and I was incredibly grateful to have found something like it in my lifetime.

  “Seriously?” I asked, not wanting to believe it but praying he was asking what I thought he was. I’d already heard from Jasmine what happened during a mating, and had prepared myself for the moment if Jackson should ever ask. In a mating, the male would bite the female which released a chemical in to the bloodstream and tied the two together in a way that was impossible to describe. I laughed as I compared it to the way a vampire would act, and asked Jasmine if they were related to the vampires. She just laughed and it wasn’t until later that I realised she hadn’t actually denied the existence of them. Christ, I could barely wrap my head around the world of shifters, and finding out that witches existed had just about blown my mind. If I found out that vampires existed I think my understanding of the world would change so completely I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. This whole new world of shifters and magic was totally overwhelming, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’d always craved excitement and adventure, and fate had delivered it to me in spades.

  He smiled. “Seriously. I know it’s not the traditional human wedding, but the sentiment is the same. I want to be with you forever, and hopefully have a family. Recent events have shown me how short life can be. If you become my mate, hopefully we can enjoy a long and happy life together.”

  “Well, I mean…how does it work? Will everyone know that we’re mates?”

  He rolled over until he was above me, and I shivered with anticipation as I felt him harden against my thigh. He caged me in his arms, and rested his forehead against mine.

  “Everyone will know we are mates. The whole thing is done in private, but if you like we can have a party for the whole town to celebrate, so it will be like a wedding.”

  “Can we get rings? I kind of want to show the whole world that you’re mine, even if they already know.”

  “Hmmm, possessive aren’t you?” He smiled and kissed me. I gasped when I felt him enter me, and moaned as he started to slowly move inside me.

  “Yes,” I whispered, and he stopped moving causing me to pull him towards me so he would continue. I wanted him forever, and all that came with it.

  “Yes?”

  “Yes, I’ll mate you. If you don’t move in a minute I swear to god…” He laughed and picked up the pace, both of us moaning as the intensity built. I felt him placing soft kisses on my neck, and I tried not to tense as I prepared for his bite.

  “Relax,” he murmured against my neck. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  I smiled because I knew that to be true, but I still worried about the pain that could be caused from a bite. I mean, I’d had love bites before but his saliva needed to touch my bloodstream, so I knew it was going to be a deep bite. I’
d never really been in to any kinky pain stuff, and even though the delicious things Jackson was doing to me were acting as a great distraction, I still found myself panicking at the unexpected. I needn’t have worried though, because as soon as I felt his teeth bite in to my shoulder, my climax hit and I screamed out in pleasure whilst stars clouded my vision. It was like his bite had a caused a chain reaction within me, and as he started pounding in to me harder, he caused three more orgasms from me in quick succession. I had never felt anything like it, and I honestly wondered if an orgasm could kill you. The feel of his teeth in my neck and his body in mine was the most intense feeling I had ever experienced, and I pulled him in to me as if trying to get him even physically closer. Even though we were joined and his teeth were even inside my neck, it still wasn’t close enough. By the time Jackson found his release, I was completely spent and could barely hear over the sound of my own breathing and Jackson’s groans as he came inside of me. I focused on his harsh breaths in my ear as I tried to regain composure, too tired to even be embarrassed by the sounds I had just made, and the fact the whole town had probably heard the amazing sex I’d just experienced. If I’d known it was going to be like that, I would have asked him to mate me a long time ago. Jackson kissed me sweetly and rolled to the side of me, pulling me in to his arms and burrowing his face in to my neck. I lifted my shaking hand up to my neck, to find the bite had healed itself already and although tender to the touch and probably bruised, I could feel no bite marks or any evidence of what had just happened. If my body wasn’t so sore I’d have thought I’d imagined the whole thing. Although, I don’t think even my mind could have conjured up something so amazing.

  “You’re mine now, forever,” Jackson whispered and I smiled with contentment.

  “I’ve never felt so wonderful about anything,” was all I could reply, as with all of my strength depleted, and in the safety of my mate’s arms, I closed my eyes and was asleep within minutes.

  Epilogue

  It was a week after what can only be described as the best night of my life, and the party celebrating mine and Jackson’s mating was in full swing. It made me emotional to see how much effort everyone had put in to making the night special for me, and had gone to great lengths to ensure the party was as much like a normal wedding as possible. There was the first dance, the table full of presents, the humongous cake that I couldn’t wait to get fat from and the sit down dinner for everyone to enjoy an amazing meal. The town centre had been transformed, with long tables set up for people to sit and eat, and a space in the middle for people to dance. I was having the best night, and spirits were high after recent events. Annabelle had wanted to dance every single dance with me, and whilst I had granted her wish for the first couple of hours, Jasmine had taken pity on me and distracted her so I could dance with Jackson. Annabelle seemed to be no worse off for her ‘adventure’ as she called it, but Jasmine and Noah were still affected, and kept her close by every day. As far as we knew, the wolves had done no harm to her, and she didn’t seem to be too traumatised by the experience. Thankfully, her seatbelt had protected her from most of the damage when the car had rolled over, and apart from a bruise on her head, she was absolutely fine. Thank God for that. We knew we weren’t completely out of the woods when it came to the Grove Pack, but we agreed that for this one night we would try and put all the worries behind us, and show a united front.

  Jackson and I had managed two dances, before Blake, Ethan and Isaac had all shown up demanding I dance with them. I laughed at Jackson’s disconcerted face, before agreeing to one dance with them each. It soon became apparent that they weren’t the only ones who wanted to dance with me. I struggled to remember the names of Jackson’s men as they each requested a dance with me, but it warmed my heart as they congratulated me and wished Jackson and I all the happiness in the world.

  After three hours of continuous merriment, and walking around to talk to everyone, my feet had started to ache. I decided to sit down for a few minutes when a movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. There was a girl whom I did not recognise, limping from around the corner, and I gasped when she walked under the lights and I could see the bruises covering her face. I jumped up and ran over to her, catching her just as she fell on to the floor in a heap.

  “Oh my god!” I shouted, and everyone looked over at me with equal shock. I noted the suspicion in each of their eyes, and knew they hadn’t gotten over their aversion to strangers yet. After recent events though, I couldn’t blame them.

  “Are you okay?” I asked the girl, and she shook in my arms, looking up at me with fear in her eyes.

  “Please…I need help.” She asked, before being violently pulled out of my arms and up off the floor. I looked up to see Isaac holding her up, with an angry look on his face.

  “Who are you?” He shouted in her face, and she cringed back in fear. I understood Isaac being protective, and untrusting the girl, but I wasn’t going to stand by and watch his terrify the poor thing.

  “Isaac! Stop it, you’re scaring her.”

  “She could be here to hurt you, Laura.”

  “Oh please, the poor girl has been beaten, she’s not in any positon to hurt anyone!”

  “You trust too easily,” he said, and I felt Jackson come to stand beside me, watching the girl with equal distrust.

  “Please!” The girl cried out, and Isaac let her go so she could stand. “I need help. I’m from the Grove Pack and I’m requesting refuge.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Isaac growled at her and I left Jackson’s side to go to the girl, worried as to how badly she had been injured. I smiled at her to show her I meant her no harm, and she gave me a tentative nod back. I noticed that all around me the guests were watching us with curiosity and a hint of trepidation on their faces. I noticed Jackson take a step closer to me, as if ready to snatch me away if the young girl tried anything. I was stronger now since the mating, and I knew I was capable of kicking ass if I had too. Not that this poor girl would be able to fight a feather right now, with the way she was swaying all over the place.

  “What’s your name?” I asked her.

  “Lori. Please, I don’t agree with what they are doing. I swear to you…”

  “How do we know you aren’t just a traitor? Sent to us with a few bruises so we feel sorry for you, and then you can get all the intel on our plans.”

  “How do I prove to you that I am no spy?” She cried, and I spun around when I heard Annabelle shouting out whilst in Jasmine’s arms.

  “She helped me, Daddy!” Annabelle shouted, pointing at her father who was stood next to Jackson.

  I looked at Lori, who was watching Annabelle with a smile on her face.

  “I’m so glad she’s okay. The men left her in my care and I made sure she was fed and stayed safe. I wouldn’t have let any of the men touch her, I promise you. When I heard your pack arrive and start fighting, I left her on the bed and went to hide, knowing you would kill me on sight.”

  “We don’t harm women or children, even from rival packs.” Jackson said, his eyes narrowed on Lori, still not trusting her. Lori’s eyes widened as if shocked at his words, and I worried about how badly the women were being treated in that pack.

  “Please, you have to believe me. The pack was angry at losing the fight, and they took it out on me because they know I disagree with their views. I’ve been vocal on more than one occasion about how I feel, and they’ve shown me just how much my opinion will not be tolerated.”

  Lori had long blonde hair and a tiny frame, but the bruises covering her hid her beauty, and it made me sad to think how badly she had been treated by those who should have been her family.

  “I understand why you don’t want to trust me, but I swear to you all I am doing is begging for your help. They have no idea I’m here and I made sure no-one followed me. Even if I could have just a meal and a bed while I rest, and I can be gone in the morning.”

  The whole group remained silen
t, and Isaac was still evil-eyeing Lori as if hoping she would just disappear. Or catch on fire. Whilst a part of me agreed that his could possibly be all part of an elaborate plan to get insider knowledge and break us from the inside, the rest of me just saw a young, injured girl begging for help. There was no denying that those brutes had hurt her, so would she willingly be on their side if they treated her in that way? I know I wouldn’t.

  “Please. I’ve left everything I know to come here. I’ve been running for an entire day with no food or water to try and find this place, it’s so well hidden. I thought I would end up dying in the forest, but even that was preferential to facing whatever the guys had waiting for me. If they find me once they know I have run away, my life will no longer be worth living. I would rather die than go back to that hell hole. Annabelle spoke a lot about your pack, and it seems you treat people fairly and justly. I would beg on my knees if my ribs didn’t hurt so much. Please will you help me?”

  I looked at Jackson and pleaded with my eyes for him to help her. He looked torn, but I knew that he was a good man and he would do what was right. As always, he was thinking with the brain of an alpha, and the potential consequences from bringing a stranger in to the pack. But even he couldn’t deny the sight that was in front of us, and that the girl - whether a member of the Groves or not - was terribly injured.

  “Isaac, take Lori to yours and get her cleaned up.”