Alpha Province_Polar Opposites

by Becca Van

  “Motherfucking son of a bitch,” Brooks snarled.

  Emmy startled. She could feel how tense he’d become. His thigh muscles flexed and hardened under her own legs and ass. She was just glad he wasn’t mad at her.

  “If I ever set eyes on that prick I’ll rip his fucking balls off and shove them down his throat,” Jett said in a low dangerous voice.

  Emmy’s heart warmed at how angry they were. No one had ever been angry on her behalf before and she liked it. In fact, she loved it.

  Every second she spent with Declan, Jett, and Brooks, the more she fell in like with them, and it was getting harder and harder to remind herself that she was supposed to be leaving.

  And her heart wasn’t the only part of her that was affected.

  Her girlie parts were on fire and the yearning in her soul to stay with these three men was a phenomenal craving which was too strong to ignore.

  “You haven’t mentioned your father, love.” Jett stroked a finger down her cheek.

  Emmy shrugged. “That’s because I don’t have one.”

  “What happened, baby?” Declan asked.

  “The bastard took off with his mistress just after I was born.”

  “What an ass.” Brooks wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer against him.

  Emmy inhaled when she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her crotch and squeezed her eyes closed. She was scared if she so much as breathed she would cream her panties so bad that he’d be able to feel the dampness through his and her jeans.

  “Fuck, you smell good, Emmy. I’m salivating so bad I can almost taste your cream on my tongue.” Brooks groaned.

  And just like that Emmy was done for.

  She shook and shivered as she came in her pants.

  * * * *

  “Fuck yes, love. So fucking sexy,” Jett rasped as he palmed her face between his hands, lifted her gaze to his, and slanted his mouth over hers.

  Emmy moaned as his tongue stroked into her mouth. He tasted so sublime she never wanted him to stop kissing her. He groaned as he glided his tongue along hers before starting a carnal duel. Jett was so hungry for his mate, he wanted to snatch her out of Brooks’ lap and carry her toward his bedroom, but he couldn’t.

  After barely getting a taste of her, Jett broke the kiss and backed away as he tried to get his breathing to regulate. His bear was roaring and snarling and shoving his big head up against his insides as he tried to get out. Fur was sprouting and receding over his skin, and when he glanced down at his tingling fingers, he realized his claws were doing the same thing.

  “I’m sorry, Emmy.” Jett stopped at the entrance to the kitchen and dug his talons into the palms of his hand. That small bit of pain helped him to keep his hunger for his mate at bay.

  “For what?” Emmy frowned.

  “For backing away.” Jett gulped in another breath and closed his eyes, hoping to get her gorgeous passion-flushed face out of his mind, but he should have realized his efforts would be futile. She was his mate, and no matter whether he was looking at her, smelling her delectable feminine scent, or far away from her, Emmy was already imprinted on his mind, heart, and soul. Her gorgeous image was also imprinted on his retinas for all time. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back on track. “My beast wants to claim you. I’m hanging on by a thread here, love, but I’d never do anything you didn’t want.”

  Emmy nodded. “I believe you.”

  Declan glanced at his watch and then met Brooks’ and then Jett’s gaze. “We’re late. We should have opened up half an hour ago.”

  “Do you think I give a fuck?” Jett snarled. He inhaled deeply, held the breath in his lungs for the count of five, and as he released it he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry.”

  Emmy shifted on Brooks’ lap, and when he groaned, Jett realized she had to be wiggling on the poor guy’s hard dick. When he glanced at her and saw how flushed her cheeks were, Jett knew she’d realized the same thing.

  “Uh, sorry,” she whispered as she got to her feet and then stepped away from the sofa.

  “It’s okay, darlin’,” Brooks rasped. “You can squish my cock anytime you like.”

  “Oh. My. God. You did not just say that!” Emmy gaped at Brooks.

  Declan chuckled. “Actually, he did.”

  And just like that the sexual tension in the room was broken. Jett, Brooks, and Declan howled with laughter while Emmy’s lighter voice joined in. “Everyone’s a comedian,” Emmy gasped and then doubled over as her laughter pealed out into the room.

  “What the fuck is going on up here?” Zayn Strike shouted.

  Emmy startled so hard, her feet left the floor and she almost fell. Brooks moved so fast he was a blur, and he caught her around the waist to steady her.

  Declan shoved to his feet as Jett leaped over the sofa, and they both stood in front of Emmy, blocking her from the wolf shifter’s view.

  “Don’t you ever raise your fucking voice in front of our mate again,” Declan ordered in a low, growly tone.

  When Zayn’s eyes began to glow and his lips curled up in a snarl, Jett was worried the alpha wolf was about to unleash his animal. For long breathless minutes, Jett and Declan stared the alpha in the eyes, neither of them willing to back down when it came to protecting their mate.

  Jett didn’t think Zayn was going to back off, but when his gaze shifted between them, his hard-combative gaze softened and his eyes returned to normal. He shifted his stare back to Declan when his bear grumbled a warning.

  “I’m sorry for scaring your mate. That wasn’t my intention.”

  “We’ll be down to open up in a minute,” Jett said.

  Zayn nodded, spun on his heel, and disappeared.

  Jett and Declan turned to face Emmy at the same time.

  “Are you okay, baby?” Declan asked.

  “Zayn would never hurt you, love,” Jett explained.

  Emmy gulped, and while she nodded, she kept glancing toward the stairs. Jett wasn’t sure she believed them, but he couldn’t blame her for being cautious. Wolf shifters could be unpredictable at the best of times, but a pissed-off alpha could be lethal.

  “Was…” Emmy paused to lick her lips. “Is that…Zayn a shifter, too?”

  “He is,” Brooks replied as he wrapped his arms around Emmy’s waist.

  “What is he?” Emmy gazed up at Brooks over her shoulder.

  “He’s an alpha wolf.”

  Emmy turned in Brooks’ arms and hugged him around the waist. “Does he turn into a real wolf or one of those half things?”

  “Half things?” Jett asked with a chuckle.

  Declan choked and then bust a gut as he doubled over. He laughed so hard he ended up with tears rolling down his cheeks.

  “I can hear you,” Zayn’s voice drifted up the stairs.

  Jett guffawed and nudged Declan’s shoulder. Declan howled and fell to his knees.

  All the hilarity stopped when low rumbling snarls echoed over the sniggering.

  “What the fuck, Zayn?” Brooks roared as he shoved Emmy behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and spread his feet shoulder-width apart.

  “Fuck, Zayn, are you trying to give our mate heart failure?” Declan yelled.

  “Oh, wow.” Emmy came to stand beside Brooks and would have taken another step closer to Zayn’s wolf if he hadn’t put his arm out in front of her.

  Zayn’s tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, and as he sat he swished his tail back and forth. If Jett didn’t know any better, he would have thought the alpha wolf-shifter was trying to hone in on his mate.

  “Can I pat him?” Emmy asked.

  “I don’t think that’s—”

  Zayn cut off Jett’s sentence with a loud whine. He watched with disbelief as the normally antisocial alpha wolf lowered to his belly and then crawled toward Emmy. If Jett hadn’t known there’d be retribution for ragging the alpha wolf, he would have yanked his chain by calling him a pussy, but he wasn’t a glutton for pu
nishment. He’d had a run-in with one of Zayn’s triplet brothers, and it had ended in a bloody battle. Luckily, they healed fast, and underneath all the dominant testosterone, the men in this town were all good friends. That didn’t mean they didn’t have their run-ins every now and then, though. They were all alpha shifters, so there was bound to be differences of opinions that ended with blood being spilt.

  When Emmy sank down to her knees, Brooks crouched behind her and Jett was pleased about that. If the alpha wolf snapped at their mate or scared her in any way, Brooks would pin the fucker to the floor. There would be no way the wolf could get up if that happened. Polar bear shifters had a hell of a lot of muscle, and with the added weight of their inner beasts, none of the other shifters had a hope in hell of moving once they were pinned.

  That didn’t mean the other animals would stop trying though. The lion shifters would as likely eviscerate them with their claws and walk away without a backward glance. Thank fuck they usually all got along like a house on fire.

  Jett moved until he was standing beside Zayn’s wolf, and while the animal glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, most of his attention was on Emmy.

  Emmy held her hand out toward the wolf and waited for Zayn to sniff her. When the wolf licked the tips of Emmy’s fingers, Jett relaxed for the first time since Zayn had returned in his beast form. He couldn’t help but smile when Emmy giggled, and then she cautiously caressed her hand over the top of the wolf’s head.

  Jett’s animal growled with jealousy, but he shoved his bear down to his haunches. His human side knew this was just about Emmy being curious and that she wasn’t attracted to Zayn whatsoever. His polar bear sniffed the air and then grunted with approval when he realized Emmy’s wasn’t scenting of attraction to the alpha wolf.

  “Oh wow,” Emmy breathed out. “His fur is so soft and fluffy.”

  “Is it the same as our fur?” Brooks asked.

  Emmy shook her head. “No. Your fur is thicker, although it’s soft and not coarse like I expected it to be. The wolf’s…Zayn’s, is a little thinner, finer.”

  She scratched behind one of Zayn’s ears, and the alpha once again surprised Jett when he turned his head so she’d have better access. Emmy giggled again and then used both hands to scratch. When Zayn started making moaning noises, Jett decided he couldn’t take anymore. He was just about to tell Emmy enough, but before he could she gave Zayn one last pat and then leaned back against Brooks.

  “Thank you for showing me your wolf, Zayn. He’s beautiful.”

  Zayn chuffed in answer, pushed up onto his paws, turned, and trotted away with his tail wagging happily from side to side.

  “That was amazing,” Emmy said as Brooks helped her to stand.

  “I think you’ve made a friend for life, darlin’,” Brooks said as he slung an arm around her shoulders.

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because Zayn doesn’t let any human talk to him, let alone touch him,” Declan answered.

  “He doesn’t?” Emmy frowned. “Why?”

  “Zayn and his brothers are alpha wolves,” Jett started to explain. “And while they are pack animals, they hate being around humans.”

  “What have they got against humans?” Emmy crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Other than fighting fanatical humans while serving in the military, nothing,” Brooks replied. “They just prefer to keep to themselves.”

  Emmy sighed. “I can understand that.”

  “See.” Jett winked at her. “Compassionate as well as beautiful.”

  Emmy blushed and glanced away.

  Jett wanted to ask her what her plans were, but he bit the inside of his lip instead. He didn’t want her feeling pressured to do anything she didn’t want to, but he also didn’t want her leaving his and his friends’ sides.

  He was worried that the bastard who’d been following her would arrive in town, and he needed her close so they could protect her. However, he didn’t want Emmy feeling obligated to work either, and he knew she would if she came downstairs with them. She was still tired and needed all the rest she could get.

  “We need to get going?” Declan leaned down and kissed Emmy on the forehead before turning toward the stairs.

  “Yeah,” Brooks sighed. “Why don’t you go and take a nap, darlin’?”

  Emmy crossed her arms beneath her breasts and stared at Brooks. “Why would I do that? I just got out of bed.”

  Jett mentally groaned and turned his back to her as he shifted his hard dick to a more comfortable position in his jeans. As soon as she said “bed” his mind had gone straight back to the gutter.

  How the hell was he going to concentrate on working when he had a constant boner?

  Chapter Seven

  Emmy eyed all the men in the bar and tried to figure out what type of shifter they were. She’d been sitting in the same spot for the last two hours, and at first, she hadn’t been able to keep her gaze off of Declan, Brooks, and Jett. They were all such tall, brawny, handsome men, and she found her eyes wandering to their beefy toned asses each time they turned their back to her or bent over to get something out of one of the many fridges under the long mahogany counter. Lucky for her there was a mirror on the back wall that spanned the length of the serving area, and she was in the optimum position for a bird’s eye view.

  She suspected they’d all caught her ogling them at individual times, but she quickly glanced away whenever they gazed toward her. A couple of times she’d actually wiped her chin since she’d been so caught up in her fantasies about their amazing bodies, she’d been worried she’d been drooling. When she’d caught Declan staring at her with heated green eyes, Emmy thought it would be prudent to find something other than staring at him, Brooks, and Jett to occupy her. Especially when her body lit up from the inside out. She’d been so turned on, her panties were soaked through, and from the way Declan’s nostrils had been flaring as he inhaled, he’d been able to smell her arousal.

  She gazed toward the other end of the bar and studied the three huge men dwarfing the stools they were sitting on. Emmy thought her guys were big, but they were tiny in comparison. Declan was the biggest of the three, standing at approximately six foot seven or so, but she suspected the other men were even taller than him.

  They were so muscular their arms were straining the extra-large-sized sleeves of their T-shirts, and the cotton was molded to their bodies. She could see the definition in their lower abs. Even though she wasn’t attracted to the handsome men in any way, shape, or form, she was having fun and didn’t want to look away until she’d figured out if they were shape-shifters, too.

  When she saw the man closest to her gazing at her from the corner of his eye, she decided to give up her game. She didn’t want any of the men in here thinking she was flirting with them.

  “Hey, sugar, what are you doing in here?”

  Emmy blinked up at the man standing beside her and smiled. “Hi, Zayn. I’d like to officially introduce myself, especially after the treat you gave me this morning. I’m Emmy.” She offered her hand in greeting.

  He took her hand in his but instead of shaking it and releasing it, he lifted her hand to his mouth, sniffed at her skin, and then kissed the back of it.

  “That’s not Zayn, Emmy.” Declan was now standing right across from her, and he had his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

  Emmy frowned. Does he think I’m stupid? Of course it’s Zayn.

  Not Zayn winked and smirked at her, and when she saw the small scar on the bridge of his nose, she realized that Declan was right. This man wasn’t Zayn, but he was definitely his brother. Maybe even his twin.

  “What’s your name?” Emmy asked.

  “You got me.” He released her hand and placed it over his chest as if she’d somehow wounded him. “I’m Karter, one of Zayn’s brothers. How did you know?”

  “I just told her, you idiot,” Declan said in a growly voice.

  “I know, but she didn’t
believe you until she took a closer look at my handsome face. I’m so much better looking than these wily bears. Why don’t you run away with me?”

  Emmy rolled her eyes. This guy was a consummate flirt. She shook her head. “I’m fine where I am, thanks.”

  When she saw Declan partially relax from the corner of her eye, she frowned. Did he think she was easy and just accepted any offer from the opposite sex? She turned her gaze toward him and scowled. He quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked.

  God, why does he have to be so damn sexy?

  Emmy shifted in her seat when her pussy moistened and her clit began to throb. She actually felt her breasts swell, and her areolae tingled just before they ruched into tight buds. Her nipples hardened and began to ache. If it wouldn’t be drawing attention to her chest, she would have crossed her arms over her breasts to hide her body’s reaction.

  Why do Declan, Brooks, and Jett affect me so much? Is it because I’m supposedly their mate? How is that even possible? I’m fully human and not a polar bear shifter.

  When Emmy realized she was asking herself questions, she wondered if she was finally cracking up. Nothing would surprise her after the stress of the last eighteen months.

  She frowned and tried to remember the last time she’d thought she’d seen Dwayne’s goon. If only she’d thought to use her cell phone and take a photo of him. If she’d been thinking straight instead of letting fear take over, she might not be in this predicament right now. Maybe the detective could have run his photo and arrested the asshole for stalking.

  However, if she had, would she be in Ambrose? She shook her head. Emmy probably would have never left Houston, or her small apartment. She’d still be spending long hours cleaning one room after the other in the hotel. And while she wasn’t afraid of hard work, she’d been so bored with her job. It was mind-numbing work, but she hadn’t been able to find any other employment since the economy had taken a turn for the worse. Even though the economy was picking up again, businesses and employers were being cautious with the amount of people they were hiring. Hopefully, as the economy grew, more and more people would find work.