Alpha Wolf

Chapter Nine

Michael felt as if he could reach out and touch Scarlett’s soul. Her kindness had come into his soul first. That was no surprise. She was a woman who had graciously forgiven each and every person who had, at one time, abused her in some way. How was that even possible? Michael was certain he couldn’t do it.

Yet, as he now carried part of Scarlett inside of him, he could sense it. That level of forgiveness was an actual possibility for her. She was also capable, smart, funny and giving. Oh gods, she was so much more. He could hardly keep up with all the parts of Scarlett he was given.

He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her how fantastic she was when his wolf interrupted. Up until now, he’d been silent.

This isn’t over, Michael. This is our chance. I have to go and get her.

Michael’s head swam. He was exhausted, beat up, he’d just had incredible sex and now his wolf made no sense. What?

I have to go and get Scarlett’s wolf.

She doesn’t have one. She’s latent, remember?

His wolf shook his head. No, she has one. She’s just buried in there, terrified.

Michael tried to grasp what he was being told.

She has a wolf?

Exactly.

And you can go and get her? Isn’t that something Tristan does?

His wolf paused. Well usually, yes. I have no interest in these types of things, but we’ll never get another chance like this one again. If Tristan does it, he’ll have to call on pack magic and put her through the shift over and over again. We can spare her some pain this way.

Michael grabbed her cheeks in his hands. “Scarlett, you have a wolf. It’s in there. My wolf is going to go get it.”

Her eyes were huge, all amber light staring back at him. She swallowed. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “It’s going to hurt. The first shift into wolf hurts like hell and then the shift back is painful as well. After that, it never hurts again. Then it’s heaven.”

“I’ve wanted a wolf my whole life.” She sniffed and fresh tears came to her eyes.

“Whatever I have to go through, I’ll do it. Can you really make this happen?”

He looked at his wolf. Go get her.

In his mind’s eye he could see it. His wolf garnered energy, the same white light they used for all their shifts, and he pushed it forward. The power surrounded Scarlett. Bathed in the magnificence of the experience, she looked ethereal and Michael gasped at the sight.

Scarlett shrieked, grabbing his hand and he knew the pain started. It had been one hundred and ninety-three years since his first shift and he still hadn’t forgotten what that was like. The ripping of all of his muscles, the way his bones had cracked and reformed.

Agony was the only word he could use to describe the scream that came from Scarlett’s mouth.

The hand he held changed became more paw than hand and he let it go. Finally, as she bellowed in horror, her human body was gone and in its place stood a small black wolf.

For a second, Michael couldn’t move. He stared feeling dumbfounded at the tiny black animal that blinked back at him. She was totally black, just like he was, except she didn’t have his white spots. Her eyes, turned wolf, were still amber. If he had to guess, she was no more than fifty pounds in size.

Reaching out with a hand, that shook, he petted the top of her head and she whimpered.

“I know. It hurts.” He exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he held. “You’re beautiful.

You’re such a beautiful wolf.”

“I don’t know what to do, Michael.” He could hear her voice in his head and he wondered if she was conscious of the fact that she’d spoken to him telepathically. Her wolf whimpered and lay down on the floor.

Michael scooted over until he climbed off the bed and sat down next to her. She placed her head in his lap.

“You don’t have to do anything for a few minutes. We’ll just stay like this and then you’ll shift back and all the pain of the experience will be done.”

Her wolf sighed and closed her eyes. Scarlett’s wolf body shook beneath his hands.

Wow, she was skittish.

His own wolf spoke to him. She’s not an Alpha wolf, not at all. She’s watched Scarlett go through hell and she’s terrified of being out in the world.

The door to the room banged open and Seamus stood in front of it. With him were at least five other wolves and Michael could smell more approaching.

“It’s okay. We just brought out Scarlett’s wolf.”

Seamus’ eyes got wide and he stroked his goatee. “She has a wolf?”

“She does.”

Scarlett cried and whined, burying her head deeper in his lap. Finally, she jumped up on the bed and burrowed down beneath the covers. He could feel the bed shake behind him as she quivered in fear.

“Please make them leave. I’m terrified of them.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at that.” You know not one of them would hurt you. If they ever tried, I would rip them to pieces.”

It might have been his imagination, but he thought he felt the bed’s vibrations lessen.

“Yes, yes you would and you’re our mate.”

“I am.”

Michael looked at the shifters who looked as surprised as he had felt earlier. “Can you guys give us a minute, please?”

Seamus nodded and after a second moved out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Michael knew what had to be done. He’d done it before with some of the Beta wolves that were timid. There was no place for timidity in the pack, not while they were at war with his father. Honestly, not before then, either. Just because you were Beta did not mean you had to be afraid. If anything, the fact that a large number of Alpha shifters wanted nothing more than to protect you all day long made most Betas feel safer.

Scarlett had never experienced this sensation. Even if they were improving drastically by the minute, the ones who should have guarded her had abused her. This had driven her little wolf farther and farther inside of her until she hadn’t known she was there at all.

No, there was no wasting time with this issue. He had to take control.

Calling the shift onto himself, he waited until he was in his wolf form. In this case, Michael didn’t have to be in control. His animal side knew just what to do. Jumping up on the bed, he pulled the cover off Scarlett by using his teeth. She looked up at him, her head down, until she averted her eyes.

Michael moved forward and nudged her with his head. She whimpered. No, that would not do. He pushed at her again. This time she lifted her eyes. He could feel her wanting to speak to him telepathically but he blocked her voice.

This had to be animal to animal.

Michael bumped at her stomach forcing her to stand up. Jumping off the bed, he motioned with his head for her to follow. This time she did. He lay down on the floor and she put herself next to him.

She panted loudly and he could tell her heart rate increased. Nuzzling her, he put his head on top of her spine keeping her down. Little-by-little, moment-by-moment, pressed against his warmth she calmed. The panting decreased, her tongue went back inside her mouth and her pupils became less dilated.

“Scarlett?”

“Yes.” Her voice was smooth. She didn’t sound worked up anymore.

“Anytime you feel tense, you come to me. It’s that simple. Things will get better.

You’ll get used to your wolf, she’ll get used to you. The shift won’t be odd anymore. Until then, think of me as your personal safety net.”

“Okay.” She really did sound good, which was nice to hear. That meant he had been able to calm her with his presence.

“Now it’s time to shift back.”

“Does it hurt as much as becoming the wolf did?”

He wished he could tell her it didn’t . “Just this time. Next time it will be like breathing or sneezing. It’ll just be something you do.”

Calling the shift onto himself, he pushed his magic onto her, forcing the white light to come and change her back. If she’d done this with Tristan, his voice alone would do it.

Michael was her mate, but not her supreme Alpha; Michael had to work a little harder to make it happen.

She collapsed onto the floor, back in her human form. “That really, really hurt.”

“I know.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

She was silent for a few moments before she looked at him wide-eyed. “I have a wolf inside of me.”

He smiled as he pulled her into his arms. “How does it feel?”

“Really right.” When she grinned, it was with tears in her eyes. “You can’t know.

I’ve wanted this my whole life. I could never go live with the humans. Everyone always asked me why I didn’t. I tried it. Oh gods, I just wanted to be around other wolves even knowing I wasn’t really one.”

“You did know.” Michael was sure of it. Standing, he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed where he set her down gently. “It’s why you knew you needed to be with pack.”

“Why didn’t she come before?”

“I don’t know.” He walked into the bathroom to get a warm washcloth. “Why don’t you ask her?”

“Ask her?”

Turning on the water, he ran the cloth underneath it until it was warm and then shut the faucet off. Ringing the rag out, he walked back into the room. “Yes, ask her. She does talk, right?”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes and sat in silence. He wasn’t offended. He knew just what she was doing, having done it a million times himself. In her mind’s eye she could see her wolf living as a separate being inside of her. Soon, maybe even instantly, they would start to fight for dominance.

It was never clear who won that battle. In his case, they’d come to a pleasant impasse. Sometimes Michael won, sometimes it was the wolf. At his age, he knew when to let the canine have his say. Younger shifters fought tooth and nail for control and in the case of Nero’s pack here in New Orleans they’d apparently been taught to hurt their wolves, to dominate them completely.

Westervelt was different. There were some members of Tristan’s pack who, although they walked around on two feet, were clearly more wolf than man. Lately, Michael worried his brother, Gabriel, was going through a major power change with his wolf.

Normally, it wasn’t a problem but it was highly unusual to have it happen at Gabriel’s age. Michael saw less and less of the human side of his brother.

Scarlett looked up at him. “She’s kind of skittish.”

He’d seen that earlier. He placed the warm cloth on the back of her neck. “I imagine she’s been through a lot, watching you suffer, unable to help.”

“She’s embarrassed that she hid. She was afraid because she wasn’t with her pack.

She was terrified to show herself here.”

“You can tell her from me we’ll be leaving shortly.” Immediately, if he got his way.

“Let’s go put together a suitcase. We can go to your apartment and get your stuff.”

She stood up and crossed to her discarded shirt from earlier. Putting it on, he was treated to a nice view of her ass as she searched for her underwear. Michael decided leaving wasn’t important. Not when Scarlett walked around naked.

His groin got hard at the sight. She turned around with her eyebrow raised. “I think I just recognized a new scent.”

“Oh yeah?” He couldn’t help his grin. “What would that be?”

“Arousal.”

She moved forward with a distinct sway in her step. She bit down on her lower lip and he was surprised he didn’t come right there. Scarlett was having no trouble with eye contact at the moment.

If anything she looked like a sexy, confident vixen.

“Michael?”

His throat went dry and he had trouble speaking. Finally, he managed. “Yes?”

“I was thinking about our sex earlier.”

“Okay.” Hell, he was becoming the king of one-word answers.

“And I was thinking about how you put your mouth on me.”

Her words brought the image back to him. The way her succulent pussy had exploded in his mouth. Gods, he wanted to do it again. His cock jumped in response.

Scarlett looked down, her cheeks red when she regarded him. “You remember it too.”

“Seeing as it was only a little while ago, I’d have to be pretty dense not to remember it.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “You are pretty old. Maybe you just forget things easily now.”

“Ouch, it hurts.” Stepping forward, he grabbed her. “You’re maligning me. I have the body of a thirty year old guy.”

“Yes.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “It’s your mind I was questioning.”

“Wounded. You have mortally wounded me.”

She bit on her lip again and he groaned. “So anyway…”

“Yes?” Whatever she was going to say he wanted her to say. The way this conversation was going he was sure he would like it.

“I was thinking I might like to put my mouth on you like you did me.”

He had no words to answer her. What should he say? ‘Please, Scarlett, do it.’ Or maybe he should beg. Although that might seem pathetic…

“Would you like that, Michael?”

Managing to nod, he was still shocked when she fell to her knees before him.

Reaching out, her small hand encircled his shaft. Gods, he wasn’t sure he would make it this time. On the bed, earlier, when he’d suggested she fondle him it hadn’t been for purely selfish reasons. No, he’d wanted to instill some kind of confidence in her. To make his member seem less of a threat. It had worked.

Now, however, as her mouth touched the top of his cock, he was feeling like the luckiest guy on earth and happy to indulge in the feeling. “Wow.”

Her mouth was tight and moist as she moved up and down, taking him deep into her throat and then slightly releasing him. Back and forth, in a rhythm that was pure Scarlett.

He caressed the back of her head, massaging her neck, anything to keep physical contact with her outside of what she did to him.

“That’s it, baby, just like that.”

Not that she needed any encouragement. She was amazing. He, by contrast, would be lucky if his knees didn’t buckle and he didn’t fall right on the floor.

Suddenly, it wasn’t enough. He needed to be inside of her. Feeling his balls tighten, he knew he was close.

“Stop,” he begged, and was relieved when she listened.

“Did I do it wrong?”

“No.” He pulled her up to kiss her hard on the mouth. “I need to be inside of you.”

“I bet I could make you come like this.”

He nodded. “That’s a sure bet. You could but I really, really want to feel your sweet pussy around me again.”

Leaning her back on the bed, he crawled on top of her. She was so beautiful with her long, curly dark hair displayed behind her. Promising himself that someday he would lose himself for a while in her dark strands, he reached down to another place where Scarlett’s exquisite hair dominated his attention.

Finding her sweet spot, he pressed on the bundle of nerves until she gasped, her neck arching backward on the bed.

“Like that?”

“Yes, please, more.”

“I’ll give you more.”

He’d give her anything she wanted, always. Moving to where his cock was positioned right on the edge of her pussy, he pushed slowly at first, not wanting to overwhelm her with his pressure.

Michael knew he was right on the edge of losing control. She wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her mouth against his chest.

“I want all of you.”

Already her core welcomed him home. Scarlett’s inner muscles clenched in greeting, nearly making him lose himself. But, no, he wasn’t ready yet. It wasn’t time.

He wanted more. In and out, he moved, trying to stimulate her clit at the same time.

She made the most wonderful noises as her nails dug into his back.

“Michael, it’s so fast this time. It’s happening so fast.”

For him as well, which was why he couldn’t answer her. She needed to come. It was the most important thing in the world to him at that moment. Scarlett was everything. The universe only existed so he could please her.

Finally, as she shouted his name, he felt her sweet juices surround him. It was heaven. He was almost there … almost…

Michael lost himself inside her. He wasn’t sure where he went or how he got there, but it was okay if he never came back. In that moment, inside of his beloved, there was no pain to face. No one he loved would ever be hurt because he could and would always protect them. He could take care of her, live with her, make babies with her…

Scarlett sighed and he kissed the spot between her chin and her collarbone. Breathing in her scent, he looked down realizing he’d never taken off her shirt. “I think we were in a rush.”

She wiggled beneath him. “In the best possible way.”

What had they been talking about before his mate had made him lose his mind with lust?

His wolf supplied the answer. Getting the heck out of this heat and back to the winds off the Atlantic and our pack.

“It’s time for us to go home.”

She stretched. “Okay.”

Picking up her pants off the floor, she stood up and put them on. “I’m ready.”

“Shouldn’t we stop at your apartment and get your stuff?”

Shaking her head smiled. “I don’t have any. The guys brought you my clothes.

That’s it.”

Michael rubbed his nose. That was going to change. He was going to buy her things.

Tons of things. Anything she wanted.

Things she didn’t know she wanted, he would get for her.

He would buy her things she could return because she didn’t want them anymore.

“I love you, Scarlett.”

Her smile lit up the room. “I love you too, Michael, and now, forever,” she touched her chest. “I’ll carry part of your soul in here with me.”

She was right. That was exactly what happened now.

Scarlett wasn’t done talking. “I’ll take care of it while you take care of everyone else.”

He kissed her nose. “Someday it’ll be safe for us in the world. I promise you.”

Somehow, he would make that happen.