Broken alphas, p.13
Broken Alphas, page 13
“How are you feeling?”
She stopped in surprise. It took her a few seconds to respond. Logan could see the blush filling her cheeks. She was shy.
“I-uh, I’m okay.”
The mumble endeared her to him even more. He reached a hand for her.
“Come here, baby.”
Sheila walked to him slowly, taking his hand when she reached the bed. Logan pulled her to him.
“Kiss me, Sheila.”
He wanted her to have confidence that he will never reject her. And she needed to get used to his touch and needs. His tiger was very handsy with his lovers, but now that he claimed a mate? He was a demon. He would have tied her to him if he could.
Sheila leaned in slowly, unsure. Logan waited. She needed to take the step. Finally, her lips touched his. He didn’t deepen the kiss. She held the reins for now. Sheila played, experimented, and teased his mouth. Logan allowed her the exploration. She was learning. When she gained confidence, she deepened the kiss, stroking her tongue over his.
Logan buried a hand in her hair, and with the other, guided her leg over him to straddle his waist. Inhibitions and shyness gone, Sheila rubbed her pussy over his belly. The scent of her arousal drew the tiger forward. He licked the bite mark, making Sheila gasp and arch above him. She was so responsive, so sensitive.
“Logan, please. I ache between my legs.”
“Oh, I know, baby. I know.” He was aching too. His erect cock jerked at the thought of being buried deep inside his female.
“Logan, we need to talk. Are you awake?”
The pounding at the door threw a bucket of cold water on their teasing session. Sheila stopped moving, looking back at the door.
“Damn! That’s Trick.”
Letting out a long sigh, Logan slumped back on the bed, fighting to calm his breath. And his sexually raging body. A chuckle from the woman above him drew his eyes down from the ceiling. Sheila’s eyes sparkled with laughter.
“Do you think this is funny? My cock is about to burst.”
He grabbed her waist and tumbled her to the mattress, coming over her. It was a blessing that the sheet separated their lower bodies, otherwise he would have buried his dick deep inside her.
“Poor you.”
Logan leaned his face into her palm when she caressed his cheeks.
“Yes. Poor me. I am hurting. How am I supposed to think when all I see is your ripe pussy creaming for me?”
Sheila lifted slightly and kissed him.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Are you hungry? I can send some food to you.”
“Yeah. I don’t want to face your pride again. I had enough of fighting for today.”
“It was just Karla. The pride is cool. I have good people here.”
“Still, I’d better be with you when I’m walking around. At least for a while.”
Logan kissed her again. “Okay.”
“Come on, man. She won’t die without you. This is a security matter.”
Logan let out a long sigh. Then Sheila surprised him.
“You’ll never know!”
She sing-sang into the room so the man at the door could hear. They both heard Patrick’s groaning and gagging. She chuckled and pushed against Logan’s shoulders.
“Go. I might not die, but your Beta seems on the verge.”
“Really? I can always find another Beta.”
Sheila chuckled. “Go!”
“Fine,” he grumbled, kissed her quickly and rose from the bed reluctantly.
Fifteen minutes later, Logan exited the shower and dressed. He had given Sheila one of his t-shirts to wear. It was loose, so it wouldn’t aggravate her cuts. Besides, he wanted his scent imbedded into her skin.
Now, he watched her little ass sway under the t-shirt covering it. Logan grinned. She was so small and cute. His t-shirt changed function from a torso covering for him to a knee-length dress on her.
The beast inside him rumbled in satisfaction. Logan clenched his teeth, pushing down his own groan of pleasure. Gods! He had to fight not to jump on her and mount her then and there.
“Patrick’s waiting. Security matter.” He chanted the words so his body would chill the fuck out. As he reached the door, he looked back at her. Sheila’s bright green eyes glittered with arousal. Her flushed cheeks exposed what they had been doing. His lips tingled. He now knew her taste and how she was fitting against him. It wasn’t enough. He wanted more.
Both he and his tiger wanted to know the feel and taste of her skin. They wanted to kiss and lick every curve of her body. They both craved to feel her squeeze around his cock. It was an animalistic impulse to make her scream in pleasure, letting all the males know she was his. The tiger purred inside of him.
As if reading his mind, Sheila mouthed later, and took off the t-shirt. Her pale skin shined in the sunshine and her puckered nipples begged to be suckled. Logan almost ran from the room, stumbling into his Beta.
“Damn, man! What is wrong with you?”
Taking a deep breath, Logan sighed in relief. Clean air. Clean air. He needed air that was not filled with the scent of his mate’s arousal.
“I’m going crazy. I’m going to lose my balls, I’m sure. And I might never go back to that room again.”
“What? Did she do something to you?”
Logan stopped, grabbed Trick’s forearm, and looked intensely into his eyes. “She did something to me, man.”
“Oh, Gods damn it all to hell! No, man.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, shit!”
“Don’t tell the others yet.”
“They fucking know. We had a bet going. I lost. Shit!”
Logan ignored the betting thing. “They know?”
“Yeah. I thought it might be just lust, you know.”
“Thought so, too.”
“But it’s not?”
“Nope.”
“I hate you. This will ruin us, man. I can already see the females swarming. If they get the mating scent, none of us are safe.”
Logan shook his head in regret. “I’m sorry, brother. This just hit. I can’t do anything about it.”
“Well, it is what it is. I wish you both happiness.”
Logan pulled his Beta into a hard hug. “Thanks. Now, what’s the news?”
“I’ll tell you on the way to the gym. I need a sparring partner.”
“Fine.”
“Someone left a note in a tree just inside our territory.”
Patrick pulled out a piece of paper. Logan took it. Sniffed it. “No scent.”
“Nope.”
He opened it and read the message.
“Be aware, you have a second traitor. The wolves know about the panther. Guard the girl well. She’s important to the shifter race.”
“The wolves,” Logan snarled. “How the hell did they enter our territory without leaving a scent? And another traitor? Fuck!”
“If the anonymous tipper is to be believed, Sheila is what the wolves want.”
“Yes, but why? Why is she so important? Who found the note?”
“JJ. He took over Ana’s shift. They left the note in the enforcer’s path. But there was no scent of tracks. It’s like whoever left the note floated.”
They had reached the gym. Logan pushed the door open and entered. There were a few soldiers’ training.
“I’ll stay with Sheila as much as possible. No one will get to her. Also, I’ll talk with her father again and share this piece of information. Maybe he knows something. You focus on finding out if we have another traitor in the pride. The information might be just a diversion.”
Patrick nodded, and they took their place on the sparing mat.
It was eleven o’clock and Logan was spent. Hours of training, running, and strategies drained him of energy. He wanted a shower and a good night’s sleep. Heading for his room, he thought of his mate and the promise she made him. Later, she had whispered. His dick twitched in anticipation.
Grinning, Logan opened the bedroom door. Sheila slept on the left side of the bed; the cover pulled to her waist. Multiple injuries, days of fever, and two orgasms exhausted his poor kitten.
Logan went into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and then headed for the bed. Naked. He slipped under the covers, spooning around Sheila’s body. His tiger sighed in contentment. So did Logan. His mate was safe and in his arms.
*
Sheila was hot. Not fever hot, just hot. Large hands caressed her.
“Hm, yes. That feels so good,” she mumbled, still half asleep.
A large body pressed against her back. Her dream lover was playing with her tight nipples. Sheila pushed her breasts forward. He cupped them easily in his large palms. His calluses rubbed against her sensitive peaks. Sheila whimpered, and he repeated the motion.
A hard stick poked at her backside. She pushed back and rubbed her ass against the thickness. Her core ached. She felt empty inside. Why wasn’t he filling her? The wetness of her womanhood leaked from her to coat her thighs.
“Please.” Sheila begged him to take her. Her lover growl in her ear.
“Please, what, baby?”
He moved his hand down her side until he reached the bottom of the t-shirt. His hand stroked underneath, caressing her belly. Sheila reached backward, gripping his hair. The man of her dreams licked and nibble on her ear.
“I need you,” Sheila whispered.
“Are you sure, baby?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“I’ll make you feel good. Do you want that?”
“Oh, yes, Logan.” His name slipped out, and she knew who he was. Logan; her mate. The hand caressing her belly move lower. Her body burned with need. He touched her clitoris.
“Oh, Logan!” Sheila’s hips jerked. The sensitive nub throbbed. The slightest attention to it shot arrows of pleasure through her body.
“You are so sensitive. I like it.”
She whimpered, knowing he will take advantage of that. Logan’s hand moved boldly, making her whimper again. He caressed and teased her, playing with her body until she thought she would go mad.
“I need to come.” The tightening of her fist in his hair accompanied the whispered plea. She pulled hard.
“Ouch! If you leave bald spots on my head, you won’t like me anymore.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered, pulling his hair again.
“Really? Why?”
“Because you know how to stroke me to orgasm.”
“Well, that’s a good point.”
“So do it.”
“What?”
“Stroke me to orgasm.”
“What do I get?”
Sheila stilled. “What do you want?” The question was cautious.
“For you to stroke me to orgasm the way you saw me do it.”
She relaxed. “Okay.”
Logan covered her lips with his. The kiss was long and thorough. His hand creeped down between her legs. Sheila arched when the tips of his fingers dipped into her opening. She moaned when he stretched her lightly.
Logan moved his hand over her; playing, always playing with her. Restless and needing him inside, Sheila bit down on his lip, hard. Blood coated her lips.
“Ouch!”
“Logan, I want you,” her growl was animalistic.
Logan’s eyes flashed to his tiger. Then he pushed two fingers inside her body.
“Ah!”
Her mate’s hips pumped against her back. His length slid between her legs, settling between her folds.
“Ah, shit. Sheila, baby. I’m dying for you.”
The whimper she let out was pitiful. Logan’s fingers moved over her clit, keeping to the rhythm of his thrusts. Unaware that her shift was taking place, Sheila dug the tips of her claws into Logan’s neck.
“Fuck, Sheila. Claws. The claws, baby!”
She stilled. Carefully, she pulled her hands away from his neck.
“Sorry, I didn’t even realize-”
“It’s fine. You can scratch me all you want, but there are some important arteries in the neck. You don’t want to kill me while we are making love, don’t you? I mean, I could get a heart attack from coming too hard...”
He was trying to make light of the situation, Sheila knew that. But she felt like she did something wrong. Like she was out of control again. Logan must have felt her withdrawn because he pulled her to her back, settling over her.
“Hey, it’s fine. You are not the first to lose control in bed. This is new for you; the shifting and the sex. You’ll learn control over time. I’ll help you.”
A tear fell down her temple and Logan wiped it away.
“Do you want to continue?”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Yeah. I-”
The crash of the window made Sheila scream. She didn’t know what happened because Logan grabbed her and rolled them away from the window. They landed on the other side of the bed. Sheila looked around frantically, brushing away the hair falling over her face.
“Are you okay?” Logan grabbed her face.
Sheila nodded, keeping the sheet to her chest. Then something else registered. Smoke and heat. Fire in the room!
“Logan!”
“Fucking hell! Fire-starter cocktails. The room is lighting up.”
Logan grabbed her in his arms and ran for the door. Sirens pierced the house and people rushed toward Logan’s room. He placed her down in the corridor.
“Go outside. I’ll come get you after we’re done with the fire.”
Patrick and the other enforcers ran over with fire extinguishers. Sheila stood back. Someone came over and touched her bare hands.
“Come on, sweety. Let’s get you some clothes. He’ll get you when he’s done. Let’s go keep the mothers and cubs calm.”
It was Logan’s mother. Sheila nodded, tightened the grip on the cover sheet she had on. Embarrassment filled her when she realized that Logan’s mom probably guessed what they have been doing.
“Don’t worry, darling. I know what goes on between mates in the bedroom. You’re not shocking me. Let me tell you the day that my mother-in-law caught me and Logan’s father buck naked in a stream.”
Chapter sixteen
Standing outside the main house of the pride, Sheila waited for Logan to finish dealing with the aftermath of the fire. Her stomach was churning. Who wanted Logan dead? Or was she who was supposed to die? Was this a warning?
Karina, Logan’s mother, had helped her find some clothes and had led her to the space where the children played during the day. There were none at the moment. With the commotion over, the mothers had taken their offspring home.
Sitting on a bench in the dark, Sheila gathered her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. It had been such a wild day and evening. She shivered with dread when she remembered the attack on Karla. The healer would not let things go.
Then she smiled when she remembered the pleasure Logan had given her. Shivers of delight spread through her. She wished she could talk to Eva about it. She wanted her best friend to laugh and share their sexual experiences. But Eva was home and her mate was dead.
Home. Sheila didn’t know where home was anymore. Was it with the family that adopted her? With the pride of her mate? Or where the half-shifters were created?
The snap of a twig made her pay attention to her environment. She squinted but couldn’t see shit in the dark forest. Was that a shadow moving closer? The air shifted next to her. Before Sheila could turn to see who it was, something hard hit the back of her head. Nothingness took her in an instant.
*
Soot and sweat covered Logan from head to toes. The fire was finally extinguished. Only his personal things had suffered. The structure of the room was intact. His carpet, though... His soft carpet! His tiger snarled in fury. And his mate! Someone had threatened his mate.
Sheila! Where was she?
“Trick, where’s Sheila?”
“With your mom.”
Logan went in search of his mother. He found her in the nursery, singing a child to sleep. There were five mothers and about thirteen children in the large nursery. He went straight for his mother. She smiled when she saw him coming.
“Logan, darling, is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Surface damage only. Where’s Sheila?”
“I left her in the front garden. Karla came to get us to help with the babies, but Sheila wanted to be alone for a few minutes.”
“Damn it! She wasn’t supposed to be alone.”
“I’m sorry, Logan. I didn’t know.”
Karla came to stand next to his mother, holding a sleeping girl.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Logan. She has a lot of fight in her. Too bad she can’t bother to give that energy to help the pride.”
“Karla...”
His mother’s tone warned the healer that she should thread carefully. The other woman shrugged and left.
“I’m going to find her. Stay here and protect the cubs. Patrick is securing the perimeter of the house. We’re on lockdown until we know who the hell attacked tonight.”
Logan left the nursery, heading for the front garden. It was the place where the kids liked to play. She should be safe. It was close to the house. Then again, someone had tried to burn down his home. And the note said he had another traitor in the pride. Could the fire be a way to get Sheila out of the house and unsupervised?
Reaching the garden, he sniffed. Sheila’s scent lingered in the air, but she wasn’t there. Panic rose inside Logan. His beast paced, restless. She wasn’t there. He approached a bench and smelled his mate’s blood. A nail had scraped her skin. Next to the bench, he saw a thick branch fallen like it belonged there. He knew it shouldn’t. The area was clean of limbs, so the smallest children wouldn’t fall because of them, or on them.
Logan picked up the branch, scenting Sheila on it. Pieces of her hair tickled his nose. It was enough to tell him someone had taken her. The beast inside him leaped to the surface of his mind. Logan didn’t fight him. Unlike other times, the shift happened almost instantaneously. The roar of the angry beast told the pride that he was on the hunt. If they hurt his mate, he would feast on the body of the kidnappers.
