Bitten By the Alpha

by Annabelle Jacobs

  “Potential mate.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Trust me, if he was going to turn you down, he’d have done it already.” Stepping back into his space, she added in a low voice, “He’s got a lot of guilt to sort through, just give him time.”

  “I know, and I am.”

  She regarded him for a couple of seconds before seeming to come to a decision. “He just needs to let go of his past so he can accept this new version of his future. I know I’m an outsider to your pack, but I honestly think you blindsided him.”

  Gareth sighed and glanced up at the sky for a second, the pull of the moon already affecting him. “Maybe.”

  “There’s no maybe about it. I’ve only known him for a few days, and even I can see how resigned he was to spending the rest of his life alone. You hid your feelings far too well, and he buried his.” She smiled. “It’ll work out. You just need to be patient.” With that parting gem, she left him standing in front of his building. He turned and watched her walk over to a van parked down the street and climb in.

  A few seconds later Luke opened the front door and stopped when he saw Gareth standing there. “Everything all right?”

  Gareth nodded, still reeling from the morning’s events. “Yes. You off back to work?”

  “Yep. Was just helping Rachel move her stuff. Nathan stayed at the warehouse to finish some paperwork.” He glanced at his watch. “I said we wouldn’t be too long, better get going.” He grinned and, with a wave, was gone.

  This time Gareth managed to go inside and up to his flat without incident.

  WHEN RACHEL had said he just needed to be patient, Gareth had figured that would be easy enough—he was a patient guy after all.

  Or not.

  He might have had the patience of a saint before all this started, but not now. Thursday and Friday seemed like weeks not days, and by the time Saturday evening rolled around, Gareth was virtually climbing the walls. He’d kept his word to Cam and given him space, instead trying to keep himself busy with work. If the members of his unit thought it odd to suddenly see so much of him at the warehouse, they didn’t mention it, for which he was very grateful.

  Tonight was the full moon, and sooner or later, he’d need to go on his run. The full moon run was mandatory by law—human law. Put in place to prevent shifters from losing control by forcing them to shift and ‘let off steam’ at least once a month. All pack members were required to run for at least two hours at some point during the night. The runs were staggered, so as not to overload the park and scare the neighbourhood. And also not to leave any pack building vulnerable. Not that they had much to fear in that regard, these days. That was more a hangover from the pack wars.

  Typically, Gareth had drawn one of the later slots this month—just when he was itching to get out and shift. Losing himself in wolf form for a couple of hours sounded more appealing by the second.

  Finally the clock ticked round to four a.m. and he was out the door in a flash. At this hour, the roads were deserted. Humans tended not to venture outside in this area on a full moon, and most of the shifters would have completed their runs by now. As he hit the pavement in front of his building, he lifted his head, scenting the air. It was thick with pack scent, and Gareth let it fill his lungs, revelling in the comfort it gave.

  He set off past the other pack buildings at a jog, only to come to a grinding halt a few seconds later as one scent stood out amongst the rest.

  Closing his eyes, he took a couple of good lungfuls, savouring the way it warmed him inside while trying not to think about what that could mean.

  As Gareth walked along the pavement, Cam’s scent hung heavy in the air, as though he’d walked this same route only minutes before. If Cam had his full moon run at the same time as Gareth, was that fortuitous or horrendously bad luck?

  Back to a jog, Gareth crossed the road and entered the park. The place was alive with sound. There weren’t too many shifters about at this time of the morning, but if Cam was out there amongst the trees, he wasn’t alone.

  As Gareth skirted the edge of the lake, the sounds grew louder. Branches snapped, leaves rustled disturbed by heavy paws as the wolves weaved in and out of the trees. They didn’t spend all night howling at the moon, but every now and again, a howl or a bark cut through the night air. Sometimes a mixture of the two.

  The full moon shone brightly overhead, and Gareth’s skin clung to his bones too tightly, the feeling intensifying with each step he took. His jaw ached and his hands had a weird pins-and-needles feel to them. By the time he reached the bench by the side of the path, he practically tore his clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the ground in his haste.

  With a roll of his shoulders, Gareth closed his eyes, and let his wolf take hold. Pain, oh so good, tore through his body, and he welcomed it with open arms. This was what he needed to clear his head. His bones cracked and lengthened, his sharpened senses bringing the park even more alive than before.

  The sight of his two front paws greeted him when he opened his eyes, his silver fur almost glowing in the moonlight. Lifting his head, he sniffed the air again. In this form, Cam’s scent stood out even more. It called to him, drawing him in like a magnet, and Gareth didn’t hesitate to follow its pull.

  Pack etiquette dictated the pack gave the alpha a wide berth on a full moon run.

  In his human form, Gareth would more than likely have adhered to the rules, but with the potential bond guiding his instincts, his wolf had no such intention. Jumping over the fencing that edged the trees, Gareth set off at a lazy run, weaving his way through the trees, nose in the air as he searched for Cam.

  A couple of wolves passed him going the opposite way but paid him little attention.

  Cam’s scent grew suddenly stronger, and Gareth stopped in his tracks. His low, rumbling growl frightening what wildlife remained nearby. Padding along the damp ground, Gareth poked his head around the tree in front of him to find Cam’s huge black wolf staring back at him.

  Cam’s lip curled into a snarl, fangs bared.

  Here we go.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Cam watched, teeth bared as Gareth slowly walked out from behind the tree. He’d sensed him close by minutes before and had been waiting, wondering if Gareth would come find him or skirt around him like the rest of the pack.

  He should’ve known.

  Gareth stopped about ten feet away—head held high, defiant.

  Cam’s wolf recognised the show of strength, appreciated it in a way that made Cam’s heart beat faster.

  He liked it.

  Cam liked it.

  In this form, the guilt he carried with him was more like a distant hum, buried in the back of his mind as instinct took over. And at the moment, his instincts told him his potential mate was right there in front of him: strong, fierce, and loyal.

  And Cam’s… if he wanted him to be.

  But his human side still had some control, and without a second thought, Cam shifted back. “What are you doing here?”

  Gareth afforded him one last look, then the air shimmered for a second, and a very naked Gareth stood before him.

  Oh fuck.

  Maybe we should have stayed as wolves after all.

  With the power of the full moon coursing through his veins, Cam struggled to focus on anything but Gareth. Broad shoulders, lean body, bathed in the silvery light filtering in through the trees… he was glorious. Finally finding his voice, he spoke again. “I asked you a question.”

  Gareth swallowed, the bob of his Adam’s apple drawing Cam’s attention. “I came for you.”

  The tips of Cam’s fangs slid out of their own accord, his gaze fixed on the side of Gareth’s neck—that one spot that would join them forever. He ran his tongue over the edge of his teeth, imagined setting them against Gareth’s skin and… biting.

  Gareth’s sharp intake of breath snapped him out of his daydream. Cam closed his eyes for a second and tried to regain control of himself. He couldn’t do that with Gareth
looking at him like he was one second away from tackling him to the ground. “You should go.” His voice was rough, alpha power leaking out, and the words felt wrong as he said them—the exact opposite to everything he was feeling. But it was the right thing to say. Wasn’t it?

  Gareth reached down and palmed his erection—now jutting out proudly.

  Fucking hell. With Gareth standing in front of him, looking and smelling like that… Cam just didn’t know anymore. He tried to ignore his own cock, now as hard as Gareth’s, but his hand snaked down his body unbidden.

  Gareth took a step closer to him.

  His gaze met Cam’s, the intensity of it pinning Cam in place. “I’m in love with you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life.” Another step, and Cam’s heart hammered so loud he put his hand over his chest as if he could muffle the sound. Gareth bared his teeth—his sharp, elongated teeth, and whispered. “I want to bite you.” He licked over the tips, exactly like Cam had done, dark eyes fixed on Cam with a look so hungry it made something inside Cam crack open.

  Waves of want and need rushed through him, pushing all the guilt and doubt to the very back of his awareness, until only raw instinct remained. “You’re mine,” he hissed, the words slurred as he let his fangs slide all the way out, claws too—unable to stop them as the moon called to him.

  “Yes.”

  They both moved at once, meeting with a crash of bodies. Cam’s alpha strength won out and he pushed Gareth back against the nearest tree, knocking the breath out of him. Gareth gasped in air, clawed hands gripping Cam’s shoulders so tightly they pierced the skin.

  Cam welcomed the sharp sting; the pain keeping him from losing all control. Fisting Gareth’s hair, he tilted his head to the side and ran his nose along the side of Gareth’s neck. He smelt so good, and the urge to sink his teeth into the soft flesh filled every part of him.

  Giving in, Cam stopped and set his teeth against Gareth’s skin—in the exact spot where a mating bite would go. Gareth tensed underneath his hands, claws digging deeper into Cam’s shoulders, sending a jolt of heat to his groin. It would be so easy to do it—exert a little more pressure and his fangs would easily slide in, kicking off the bonding process. He knew Gareth wanted it, knew he’d return the favour, joining them together forever—

  “Do it,” Gareth whispered, voice raw with need. “Please.”

  Cam hesitated, and his wolf howled inside him, wanting him to take what was his. But ten years of being responsible just wouldn’t let him act so rashly. He was a fucking alpha.

  After indulging in a few more seconds of feeling his teeth against Gareth’s skin, Cam sighed and forced his fangs away. Gareth’s shoulders slumped in defeat, and Cam placed a soft kiss in that same spot before drawing back. Taking Gareth’s jaw in both his hands, he stroked his thumbs across his cheekbones. “I’m the alpha of this pack. I can’t give you a mating bite in the middle of the fucking park.” He slid his thumbs down and pushed gently on Gareth’s fangs until he retracted them with a soft snick.

  “But you want to?” Gareth’s question took him by surprise. Cam had been so lost in his epiphany, so focused on not losing control, that he’d neglected to inform Gareth of his decision.

  He smiled. “Yes, I want to.”

  Gareth’s answering smile was brighter than the moon. “What about all the complications?” His grin turned sly and he ground his hips against Cam’s, his cock rubbing along Cam’s length in a delicious slide. “Don’t they matter anymore?”

  Cam choked out a laugh, desire coursing through him. “Oh, they matter.”

  “But?”

  “But not enough to stop me from doing this.” He captured Gareth’s mouth in a kiss that started out slow and deep, teasing Gareth’s bottom lip with a stroke of his tongue. Then Gareth moaned, the sound low, guttural, and Cam pressed against him, needing to get as close as possible, wanting to feel him everywhere. The kiss deepened, Gareth clung to his shoulders, claws back out, and Cam arched into his grip, silently urging him to press harder.

  Gareth broke the kiss with a gasp as he gulped in air and nudged Cam’s head back into the crook of his neck.

  Fuck.

  He moaned, burying his head in further, teeth aching as he fought to keep them human.

  Gareth slid a hand up into Cam’s hair, the pressure a gentle plea for Cam to stay where he was. “I know as alpha, you think you need to do everything in a certain way, like there’s a standard you need to maintain.”

  “Hmm?” Cam wasn’t sure where Gareth was going with this and his scent was so very distracting. “I do, and there is.”

  Gareth rolled his hips again, and Cam whimpered—his hands finding Gareth’s waist and holding on tight. “We’re in your territory, out amongst the trees under the full moon, with pack all around us….” As Gareth spoke, Cam heard the odd bark and howl from other members of his pack out on their run. “I can’t think of a more perfect setting for us to claim each other and seal our bond.” He trailed a claw carefully down the side of Cam’s neck, stopping halfway. “Can you?”

  Gareth’s words hit Cam like a sledgehammer. “No,” he growled. He was the fucking alpha, but lately he’d been too concerned with doing the right thing, the right human thing, and ignoring what his instincts had been screaming at him to do all along. Tilting his head back, he let his fangs slide out agonisingly slowly, the pain grounding him while giving Gareth time to see his intentions and change his mind.

  Meeting Gareth’s gaze once more, he whispered. “It won’t be easy for us.”

  Gareth raised his chin a little. “I know that.”

  “There’ll be those who think we shouldn’t have done it.”

  “I know that too.”

  Cam licked over the edge of his fangs, smile turning feral when Gareth’s breath hitched. His heart pounded as adrenaline flooded his system.

  This was it.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” With a flick of his head, Gareth’s fangs dropped and he bared his teeth.

  Cam needed no more assurances; the time for talking was done. Reaching between them, he wrapped a hand around Gareth’s cock. Precome covered the head, and Cam smeared it down over the length to ease the slide of his palm. This would be rough, primal—none of the comforts of home available to them, but maybe that’s how it should be for the alpha and his mate.

  Their scents combined in the air around them, the heady mix making Cam’s head swim. He stroked Gareth harder, fingers forming a tight tunnel, and Gareth moaned as he pushed up into the grip of Cam’s fist. Looking down between them, Cam watched, captivated, as every stroke took them closer to a future they couldn’t easily undo.

  “Cam,” Gareth whispered, desperate.

  With his other hand, Cam grasped the back of Gareth’s head and tugged him forward towards his neck. “Do it.”

  Gareth’s dick pulsed in his hands, and with a roar, Gareth grabbed his shoulders again, pulling him close. Cam bared his neck, anticipation setting his nerves alight as Gareth’s warm breath washed over his skin. It was all the warning he got before Gareth bit down hard—razor sharp fangs piercing his skin as Gareth came between them.

  Pain, lightning fast and white hot, fused with the desire coursing through Cam’s body. His back arched, grip faltering, and only the claws sunk into his shoulder blades and teeth in the side of his neck kept Cam from tumbling over with him.

  As Gareth’s orgasm waned, he lapped at the bite mark, a contented hum tickling Cam’s ear and drawing him back from the edge.

  “Fucking hell.”

  The smell of sex filled the air, and Cam revelled in it. He let go of Gareth’s cock and gave his own some much-needed attention—his hand slippery with come. His neck throbbed where Gareth had bitten him, the ache keeping time with the rapid beat of his heart and fuelling his desire as he imagined doing the same to Gareth. “I know,” he gritted out, closing his eyes.

  “Hey.” Gareth’s voice was soft yet firm. “Look at me, Cam.”

/>   Slowly, Cam opened his eyes to meet Gareth’s.

  Leaning in a little, Gareth planted a careful kiss on his mouth, avoiding the sharp ends of his teeth. “I’ve got you.” He kissed Cam again, a little harder this time, and Cam tasted the faint tang of blood on his tongue. It sent a shiver down his spine and a jolt of desire straight to his groin. Moving Cam’s hand out of the way, Gareth took hold of his cock and whispered. “Your turn.”

  Alpha power flowed through Cam, amplified by the pull of the full moon. Gareth had been so right before; this time, this place was perfect. With a growl he fisted a hand in Gareth’s hair, pulled his head sharply to the side, exposing his neck.

  “Yes,” Gareth breathed.

  Opening his mouth wide, Cam closed his eyes for a second, savouring the moment: the sound of the woods all around them and the full moon heightening his senses until his whole body felt on fire. Gareth moaned, tightening his grip on Cam’s cock, and Cam snapped his eyes open on a snarl.

  His gaze zeroed in on Gareth’s neck, and as a wave of pleasure hit him full force, he lurched forward and bit down, spilling over Gareth’s hand.

  “Fuck!” Gareth cried out as Cam’s teeth sank in, the sound igniting a possessiveness inside him that Cam embraced wholeheartedly.

  Mine.

  Blood oozed from the bite, and Cam swallowed it down. White flared in front of his eyes, blinding him for a second, with Gareth’s harsh intake of breath coming a moment later. The connection between them swelled. Each beat of Gareth’s heart solidified their bond, so loud in Cam’s head it felt like the whole park could hear it.

  A rush of warmth hit him, filling him up inside, and it took Cam a second to realise it was coming from Gareth.

  Love, want, need, possessiveness. All flowing through the bond in a jumbled mass of emotions that Cam struggled to sort through.

  Carefully retracting his teeth, he gave the bite mark one last swipe with his tongue before meeting Gareth’s gaze. “I can feel everything.”

  Gareth’s smile was blinding in the moonlight. “Me too.”