In the Alpha’s Arms

Sense of Sound

Cold water from the outside hose rushed into Cole’s eyes and mouth, the force of the water feeling like it was stripping his skin. Alex turned up the intensity. He growled and raged forward, but Alex pushed him back once again.

“You need to calm the fuck down Alpha before you hurt her…”

Alex turned up the pressure until Cole was close to screaming. His wolf howled and raged inside his head, desperate to get to his mate and mark her. It was so similar to the day be shifted and caught her scent. His wolf wouldn’t be swayed, no matter how hard he tried to explain why they couldn’t have

her.

Even then, he’d needed Alex to help him because he couldn’t control his wolf. And now they were at it again, Alex desperately trying to break the heat that was clawing his insides. His mate was fertile, and she smelled… like he should rip her clothes into pieces and press himself as deeply as he could. Alex sprayed his face again, “Get your mind out of the gutter!”

But even that stinging hadn’t been enough to squelch the white–hot hunger in his veins, Lita was sending hins over the edge. The subtle pull of the mate bond and her human scent smelling like heaven were bad. He could keep his wolf calm through that, though.

But her new intensified scent that sent his body straight to hell? He wasn’t handling that well at all. He knew he needed to pull away from her in the hallway, but the way her ovulation’s scent worked its way down into his baser self left him wanting to sink his teeth into every part of her.

He was shaking from head to toe with need. His wolf was tearing to get out and bite down on Lita. Especially where he’d already tenderized the area. This desperate desire to claim her forced him into a half–shifted state, just like seeing her unconscious at the apartment building. He was so close to the edge he could taste it. Cole thought about the way his fingertips just barely grazed the soft flesh between her legs. He growled once more.

“You’re still thinking about it, Alpha!” Alex yelled, spraying him again in the face, “That’s the opposite of calming the fuck down!” Soaking down to his bones and shivering, Cole’s heat finally dissipated. Cole dropped to his knees as the sensation of ravaging her passed out of him.

“Are

e you Enally good

finally good?” Alex turned off the hose and knelt beside Cole, eyeing his body for more signs that he was in between a shift.

Cole panted, still unable to speak, but he nodded as he caught his breath. He placed his palms on the ground and breathed deeply, hunching himself over on all fours. Then he suddenly jumped up and raced to the side of the building, Alex hot on his heels, thinking he was running back to Lita. But Instead, Cole upturned the entire contents of his stomach into the grass,

“Jesus, Alpha,” Alex patted his back as he wretched up his breakfast, “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle having her here? It’s just… I’m worried about what this is doing to you. Having a mate here who you haven’t rejected and won’t accept. It just seems like it’s tearing you up from the inside…”

Cole coughed and steadied himself against the wall, leaning his head onto the cool concrete, “I’m going to reject her… just not right now. Not until she’s healed. I hear rejection causes pain… and I don’t want to cause her pain…”

Alex nodded, though he didn’t agree. Keeping them bonded, in this constant state of ebb and flow, would cause her more pain in the end. Cole was only thinking of himself and what he could withstand. Not about Lita and what it would do to her heart if she were to become attached to him first…. Getting rejected when there’s no time to form a bond hurts. Getting rejected when you’re in love with the person destroys. He’d seen it firsthand in his birth pack. Alex shuddered, he never wanted to see that again.

But there was nothing he could do to dissuade his Alpha when his mind was made up. And he hoped Lita wouldn’t become attached. He’d just have to be extra vigilant over the man whenever he was near her. Perhaps they shouldn’t ever be alone until the rejection was complete. And poor Lita had to be as confused as they came, wrapped up in Cole’s wild emotions, not knowing why her body was suddenly boiling and unsettled.

Is the good? He linked to Stace but go

but got no reply. Hello?! is she okay? he linked again.

She’s physically fine, Aler. It’s a lot easier to cale a human down than I’m sure it was to get Cole back from the edge… But we have a problem… Send one of the others to watch Alpha, I need you up here… thurry.

Her mother’s voice grated on Lita’s already frayed nerves. Answering the phone had to be top tier on the list of stupidest things she’d done that week. Right behind, biting Brian’s lip. That was definitely number one. Shit, making out with Cole was up there too because now, she couldn’t get him out of her head. And in the hallway, he’d been so close to grazing her core. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. Lita needed to rein it in.

“Hel–lo?! Can you hear me, little girl?” Diane screeched. Her mother could be such a harpy when she wasn’t getting her way. Anytime Lita didn’t say or do something she’d asked, her eyes would turn dark and hard. And then Lita would do exactly as she had been told, not really understanding why.

“Y–yes I’m here, I hear you, mm…” Lita sighed, sinking into the edge of the bed. Her body felt flushed and full of static. She messed to fina

Sense of Sound

temple and felt her pulse throbbing against her head. There was something about her mother’s voice right now that was giving her a migraine. She could feel it blocking all the cogs in her mind from tuming.

“Brian came to visit his family this weekend and color me surprised to find out someone trashed his apartment and cleaned out yours?”

head, trying to brush off

about it? Did something happen between

happened… mom… you’ve KNOWN things happen with

and it’s never seemed to phase you.

on her face. Everything seemed to slow down around her to

you think you’re talking to? Listen to me and listen well, daughter. I just spoke with Brian and I don’t know what you’re playing at by finding another Alpha. Hell, I don’t even know how you knew what a fucking Alpha

body seized up. Her mother’s voice sounded foreign, thick and heavy all of a sudden. The sound filled her to the brim. The sound was all she could hear. It wrapped her body like a vice grip and all she could do was obey. Those words had to be obeyed. No matter what. She didn’t even understand what an Alpha was or why her mother

I need to hear

It was like all of her train functions were dimming. The entire rooms seemed

phone.

flight that leaves for New York in an hour. Be on it. I’ll see you when you get here, her mother clipped, hanging up the

seemed to do something involuntary to her body. She could only think of doing as her mother had asked. Lita stood, making

that wasn’t good. Stace could hear Alex trying

room, Stace struggled not to react to the conversation, but it had been hard to listen to. How could she be so callous with her own child? As far as Stace could tell, going back to these people seemed like the last thing Lita would want to do. It wasn’t making sense. Stace had overheard their comersation but nothing was amiss, unless it was

just said whatever was necessary to smooth things over for the moment. Stace hadn’t considered for a moment that she would actually obey. But then here she was, actually trying to leave, Stace couldn’t make it make sense. Alex needed to hurry. Something was

what’s wrong?! Stace jerked her hard, trying to snap Lita out of her

right this instant and smooth things over with Bilan, Lita repented in a hollow sound, her feet carrying her forward

way… t’s not possible…

the background. Something that sounded like yelling, maybe a woman? But her mind couldn’t receive the information She desperately wanted to

moved on its own, though it seemed to push through extreme resistance. Something had hold of her arm and was tugging hard in the opposite direction. Again, sounds seemed to well up behind her, but she euldn’t make it out. Her head was underwater, swimming in the

Sense of Sound

home. Make up with Brian, Go hone. Make up with Brian. She reached the door finally,

in front of her now, just outside the open front door, but she couldn’t make them out. Were they men? Were they women? The strange sounds seemed to grow around her like a crescendo. Were they talking to her? Were they yelling at her? Did it matter what they were saying? Her body stopped moving, the resistance proving to be too great to move. Her body thrashed wildly, trying to loosen the binding that held her back. She wiggled her wrist and tugged hard, but it was bound not by fabric or metal, but by more

someone else’s skin touching her skin. Then the sparks began winding up her wrist and over her arm. It was electricity, wild and exhilarating as it climbed up her shoulders. She wanted to turn

And her body stilled, sinking forward against a body. An incredibly warm body. That rough depth of sound seemed to wind its way into her mind. Stop. Stop. Stop. It lulled her like a tide, pushing her back to shore. It wasn’t like the grating sound of her mother’s

faces around her. Cale. His dark eyes pierced through hers like he was searching inside of her. Her whole body felt

Lita whispered, her voice finally

to know that too,” he growled, “What

happened with Brian. But it wasn’t what

Lita realized everyone surrounded her: Stace, Alex, Andres, Brody and

It’s like the second I heard her voice, I got a headache. A terrible one. And the more she talked, the more it felt like my mind shutting down. I

with Brian. She told me there was a flight

avoiding her

for so many people to know. It had been her deepest secret

His eyes were red. Clearly red. This was not an illusion or a trick of the light. His eyes had been dark brown, almost black a moment ago, but now, they were red.

an important question and you really

okay?

She nodded.

heard

playing at

an Alpha… hold on… let me think. She said… ‘I don’t know what you’r another Alpha. Hell,

right, I overheard it as

she know that I was one? What would give that information away? You think they had cameras

recognition. That means they know exactly wh bought this land

are. Guess it’s a

a good thing you

in place for a breach…” Cole grumbled, “And he’s from the east coast?” That question he directed to