Claimed By Her Alpha by J.E. Cluney

13

Dray.

* * *

Isat in my car, dialing Ethan once more. He answered on the second ring.

“Dray, what’s wrong?”

“Everly and I are fine, nothing new there. But there’s news in regards to my Pack.”

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“The Black Pack’s Alpha was in my territory, sniffing around. It’s possible he may try to overthrow me, and could possibly have his Pack threaten mine and instil doubt. I certainly don’t need that. I want to put this alliance into action and call upon you and the others,” I said, keeping my voice level.

“Of course. We were meant to organize times tomorrow to visit your Pack, but if it’s come to this, I can get some of my wolves and head to your home at first light. We’ll be there to support you, and I can sniff around your females,” he said coolly. “The others will be willing to protect my territory while I’m away if needed.”

“Great, that’s perfect,” I said, my shoulders slumping with relief. Still, it would take him six hours to arrive. I just hoped Trenton didn’t try to make a move before I could get back.

“How are things going with Everly?” he changed the topic, and the interest in his tone frustrated my wolf.

“Fine. Things got heated, but I kept it under control.” Only just, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. “I’m taking her back home with me.”

“Do you think that’s smart?” he asked carefully.

“She’s my mate, I’m not leaving her behind,” I rumbled in frustration. There was no way I could leave her here unmated. My wolf was already snarling, refusing to even consider the concept. I couldn’t be away from her. Besides, I needed to claim her sooner rather than later to protect my Pack.

“Fine, she’ll be in your territory, so whatever happens, you’ll have to handle it as the Alpha,” Ethan reminded me, although he didn’t sound too pleased about handing over jurisdiction. Right, because out here, he could step in if he thought he needed to.

Not on my home turf though. I was free to do as I pleased.

Which was probably a bad thing.

Mate.

A growl rumbled in my chest as my wolf pressed against me, my skin prickling.

“I’ll be there by midday,” Ethan promised before the phone clicked off.

I gazed up at the night sky, my wolf pacing irritably within me. I wanted to shift and race through the forest, to let my wolf have free rein and hunt, to fulfill some of my natural instincts in hopes it would calm it down. But I feared it would fight me at every turn until I claimed what was mine.

As if summoned by my thoughts of her, Everly appeared at the front door, locking it behind her with her travel bag in hand. She padded over to the car, looking all cute and sexy at same time in her leggings, dull blue top, and a pair of small-heeled boots. Perfectly fuckable.

She tossed her bag onto the back seat before climbing in and settling into her seat.

“So, is everything okay at home?” she asked, her eyes rolling over me and seeming rather disheartened that I’d put my shirt back on.

“Just an urgent business issue I need to deal with in person,” I answered as I reversed down her drive. The only way to deal with it ultimately was to take her as my mate. Once mated, Trenton wouldn’t dare challenge me. It’d be too risky.

She bobbed her head as she checked her phone.

“I’ll get a coffee for the road, would you like one?” I asked, rolling the window down once more to try to dispel her intoxicating scent that had my dick reacting instantly.

I’d take this time to talk to her, build trust, and learn more about my mate. If she trusted me, she’d be less likely to reject me or freak out.

“Sounds good, although you’ll have to head to the gas station outside town. It’s the only place that’ll have coffee at this hour,” she said as flicked that emerald gaze my way while jamming her hands between her legs to keep them warm.

In human terms, it was a cool night, but being a wolf meant my blood ran hotter. As did other shifters, we didn’t feel the cold as much as our human counterparts.

But if I rolled the window up, her maddening aroma would become too much.

She didn’t complain though after a few minutes, and I managed to relax a little. As much as I wanted to reach over and touch her, I was worried it would only progress. At least she wasn’t trying to tease me again. We probably both knew how that would go.

“So, owning your own home is your main goal? What about a career?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road ahead.

“In my mind, a job is a job. I won’t lie, because I grew up in such a bad environment, I actually wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t my mother. I want to have a family one day and focus on them, while supporting my partner emotionally. That was my other goal, as for work, whatever paid my bills and got me closer to those. Maybe I have an old-school method of thinking, but being a stay-at-home mother has always appealed to me. Although, I’m sure working part time would be nice too,” she admitted after a few moments.

My wolf was delighted by this. Having pups with her excited me already.

Slow down. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

It was hard not to. She was going to be mine. I’d make sure of it. I’d worship her like the alpha female she was, and protect her against everything. She’d be my world, the one thing that kept me going.

She would be mine. There was no question about it. My wolf would not accept anything else.

My poor mother, after my father’s death, had been broken, but she’d focused on me and the Pack. She was strong for being able to do that. When a mated wolf lost its mate, things fell apart for them. They struggled a lot, although I knew some had been able to hook up with other widowed wolves and form some kind of relationship that worked for them.

“Do you want kids one day?” she asked off-handedly as she looked out the window.

“Yes.”

She turned to look at me, cocking her head in such an adorable way. She scrutinized me for a moment before giving me that gorgeous smile with those sweet dimples.

“What’s your favorite color?” she asked as she leaned closer.

I held my breath, forcing my wolf down for the millionth time since first laying eyes on her.

“Navy blue,” I answered, my voice low as I tried to keep myself together. Why’d she have to lean over like that? Taunting me with that inviting scent. “Yours?”

She pulled back, nestling back in her seat and allowing me to relax a little as the cool night air whistled past outside my window.

“Green. Forest green,” she stated as she switched on the radio.

Like those gorgeous eyes of hers. I’d make sure to remember that.

She settled on some hit pop song, which I inwardly groaned at. I was a classic rock buff through and through, but she was smiling away and tapping her finger along on the window sill, so I pushed my misgivings aside.

As long as she was happy.

My wolf let out a contented growl at this. Yes, keeping her happy was our job now.

“So, what are your hobbies?” I asked.

“I like to read, binge TV shows, go for runs.”

“What do you read?”

“Urban fantasy and paranormal romance.”

My lip pulled up at this. So, magic and shifters in the real world. Perhaps revealing the truth to her wouldn’t be too difficult.

“What exactly are those books about?” I asked, keeping my guard up for now.

She gave me a smirk, as if I should just know what they were about. True, they were a common genre, and I did know, but I wanted to hear how she worded what they were about.

“They’re similar but different. Urban fantasy I enjoy because the female lead characters are badass, normally some kind of magical creature, a vampire, shifter, sorceress, you name it. They solve murders and fight the bad guys. I enjoy ones with a romantic subplot, because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like some romance? Then there’s the paranormal romance. I do read that fairly often. Women love a man who’s powerful and can protect her. Although, sometimes I feel like some of the women are a bit too helpless. They’re not infants, they can still fight back where needed. But the author probably wants the whole hero trope. I know there’s a huge love for it. Being saved by a mysterious man. Kinda like you tonight with Ben,” she said with a wink. “But I love the magical feel of it, the gritty romance where she discovers her lover drinks blood or turns into a tiger. It just lets you imagine a world so much more mysterious and amazing than this one,” she said with a sigh as she pursed her lips.

Her voice was something I could listen to all day, but hearing how she felt about the supernatural world made my heart skip a few beats. Too bad she was romanticizing vampires there too. Damn bloodsuckers.

“So, you think I’m a mysterious man?” I arched a brow as I glanced over at her.

“Yeah, but I’m hoping I can unravel the mystery that is you,” she said, fluttering those long lashes as she angled herself in the seat towards me.

Fuck, she was going to unravel me all right.

I drew in a calming breath, although, considering all I was doing was inadvertently scenting her, it did little to help. I could test this out quite easily actually. Thanks to the newfound love for all things supernatural these days. Hell, there was a damn show called Supernatural, and one that was a little too similar to our world for my liking called Trueblood. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the show creators had been trying to prepare mankind for learning about the supernatural beings that walked amongst them.

“So, if I turned out to be a wolf shifter, how would you react hypothetically?” I asked, keeping my tone playful and my face completely straight. I needed to see how she’d respond. It would help me decide how best to take my next step.