Claimed by the Alphas (Shifters of Appalachia Book 1) Read online

  The white wolf circled back to stand beside her. She leaned down, inviting Mila to climb astride. She accepted the invitation gingerly, trying not to squeeze too hard as she grabbed the pliable flesh on the back of Brae’s neck and used it as leverage to hoist herself up. No sooner had she gotten herself settled than Brae darted forward, taking off in a gallop. Mila screamed, seizing Brae’s neck in a vise grip. The wolf let out an excited bark and sped faster, darting into the woods.

  Brae moved through the forest with the finesse of a nymph, nimbly avoiding boulders and fallen tree trunks. Slowly but surely, Mila eased her grip on the wolf’s back, unwinding enough to take in her surroundings.

  Far away from the cities, the night sky was a kaleidoscope of stars. The trees grew tall and wide, towering above them like sleeping giants. Cool wind nipped at her face, smelling sweetly of decaying earth and aged wood.

  All at once, it hit her that she was riding on the back of a giant wolf, speeding through a virgin wood at night. It was just the sort of thing she had dreamed of as a girl, and for a moment, all the years of disillusionment peeled away, and it was just her and Brae, chasing the horizon.

  Mila expected Brae to slow when they came to the river, but instead, she knifed to the side, running along the bank for several minutes. Mila saw their two sentries moving through woods, but they gave the women a wide berth and didn’t come near.

  They came to a bend in the river where the water swelled into a large, slow-moving pool. Her only warning was a loud yip from the wolf before she sprang forward, plunging them both into the icy depths.

  The water was deep and Brae pulled away from her, leaving Mila to find her own footing. When her feet touched the riverbed she pushed up, surging for the surface.

  She came up sputtering and cursing, arms flailing wildly. Brae came up seconds later, having shifted back into human form. When she saw Mila’s face, she laughed in her crazy, half-barking trills.

  It was too infectious, and Mila soon joined her in hysterics.

  “I am sorry,” Brae said, her eyes sparkling. “I find that it is much easier to dive in than to wallow in indecision on the shore.”

  “And here I thought you just got tired of smelling me.”

  Brae’s grin widened. “Well, that too.”

  Mila snorted and splashed at the wolf. Brae brought her hand up to block the water, but didn’t attempt to retaliate. When she lowered her hand, Brae was staring at her warmly.

  “I very much like you, Mila,” she said. The sincerity in her voice caused a lump to form in Mila’s throat. Tears prickled at her eyes as she abruptly became emotional.

  Her brows drew together. “Really?”

  Brae nodded, closing the distance between them. She put her hands on Mila’s cheeks, cupping her face gently, and gave the human an imploring look.

  “Shall I undress you?”

  Mila’s eyes bulged and she backed away, stammering, “W-what?”

  Brae gave her a quizzical look.

  “I am not trying to mate with you. I prefer to couple with males,” she explained airily. She swam behind Mila. “I merely desire to establish myself as someone whom you can trust. It is my hope that you will let me share in the responsibility of raising your pups.”

  “Oh.”

  Mila got the impression that she’d be saying that a lot for a while. She had gone into this with only a general idea of what pack life was like, and there were so many subtle nuances she thought she might spend a lifetime trying to understand them all.

  Brae unzipped her dress. Mila lifted her arms, allowing her to peel it off. She slipped out of her panties while Brae unfastened her bra. She took Mila’s clothing and waded over to a flat rock where she set them down to rest before returning to Mila’s side.

  “I will groom your hair,” she announced, diving her fingers into wet tangles before Mila could protest. It was strange having a beautiful, naked woman preening her hair and massaging her scalp. Even stranger still was that she was apparently doing it so that Mila would let her around her pups.

  “Hey, Brae?”

  “Hmm?” she replied, gently tugging at Mila’s hair. Mila let Brae arch her neck back, so that her hair fell into the water. She looked up into Brae’s face as the she-wolf began rubbing her hair clean.

  “Why does it seem like everyone, except for you and Asch, hates me?”

  Brae frowned.

  “They will all come to care for you,” she assured Mila. “It is not you they hate. If anything, they are angry with Asch for agreeing to take you without considering the effects it will have on our pack.”

  “Which are?” she pressed.

  “I am not sure how much you know about wolves, but our packs rarely have two alphas. In such rare cases they are always blood-related and one is submissive to the other,” Brae explained. “In the case of our pack, Asch and Caim are merely good friends. Both males are dominant but in different ways. Asch is a strong leader and Caim is a powerful warrior. They complement one another very well, which is why Lazarus has been so successful in carving out such a large territory in just a few short years.

  “Having two alphas, our pack is so strong that many of the wolves have grown complacent in their security. While the promise of new life in the pack is appealing, the path there will not be easy.” She gave Mila a pointed look. “Asch and Caim will have to fight for you, and only one will be able to stake his claim and remain our alpha.”

  Mila shot up, the abrupt movement causing Brae’s fingers to get caught in a tangle of her hair. She winced, carefully extracting the female’s hand.

  “Why do they have to fight?” she asked. “Caim clearly isn’t interested in me, so what does it matter if Asch … claims me?” The word sounded foreign on her tongue. It was a primitive but arousing concept, and in spite of the cold water, she felt herself color.

  “You are not one of us, so you do not understand,” Brae said, shaking her head. Her face saddened. “The alphas will not have a choice. Once you are fertile, they will be overcome by the mating thrall. In that state, there can be no reasoning with them. The urge to sire pups on you will be overwhelming, and they will fight one another—perhaps even to the death—to do so.”

  The blood that had risen in Mila’s cheeks drained away and bile rose in her throat. Asch and Caim would fight to the death? For her?

  No wonder they all hated her!

  Brae put a hand on Mila’s shoulder and squeezed. “Do not be afraid. They will not harm you.”

  “No, that’s not it,” she replied, her voice choked. “I just don’t get why they have to fight to the death. I mean, shouldn’t I chose who gets to be my stud?”

  “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you choose the strongest male?”

  Mila gaped at her. “There are more important things to choosing a mate than just accepting whoever the strongest man is.”

  Brae cast her a dubious look. “Perhaps in human society, but among wolves, that is simply not the case. Whichever male you choose will be responsible for protecting you and your pups. It will become especially relevant once we lose an alpha and the other packs begin encroaching on our territory.”

  “What?” Mila asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

  “Oh, yes,” Brae said, waving her hand absently. “I imagine they have been waiting a long time for Lazarus to lose one of its alphas. War will be inevitable.”

  Good God, this was not what she had signed up for. All she had wanted to do was get out of having to take her aptitude tests again. She had wanted an escape from the boring life that awaited her: two years of graduate school followed by a dull career, a lame husband, and maybe a few annoying, overly-entitled, children. The future that had seemed like the fourth ring of Dante’s Inferno a week ago was now looking pretty damn peachy compared to murderous alphas, social upheaval, and pack wars.

  The night sky shifted and spun as Mila became dizzy. Numbly, she began swimming toward the shore. Brae paddled alongside her.

  �
�Are you all right?” she questioned.

  “I am so far from all right.”

  The scenery stabilized once her feet had finally touched down on the rocky bottom of the riverbed. She stood in the water for a moment, curling and uncurling her toes in the gravel.

  “I want to go home,” she announced.

  Brae moved in front of her, crouching so that she could gauge Mila’s expression at eye level. “Truly, you don’t mean that.”

  Mila ran her hands through her hair. She did mean that, but there wasn’t much that could be done about it at this point. If she went back to Tye County, the mayor would just pawn some innocent kid off on the pack and Mila would spend the rest of her life feeling guilty about it.

  “No, I don’t,” she lied, pinching the bridge of her nose. Brae breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Mila into an awkward hug. Mila went rigid at the feeling of Brae’s breasts pressed against her so intimately.

  Yet another thing that she was so not gonna get used to.

  “That is a relief,” she said. To Mila’s own relief, Brae pulled back, putting an arm’s length between them.

  “Glad I could help,” Mila replied half-heartedly.

  She grabbed her clothes from the rock and made her way to the shore where she began to dress. Brae followed her, eyes roaming over Mila’s body appraisingly. Mila squirmed under her gaze and fumbled to get her underclothes on.

  “You should not bother wearing clothes. If you are cold, we can provide pelts for you.”

  She replied, “Brae, if I looked like you, I’d walk around naked all day, too, believe me.”

  “I am a hunter,” Brae said. She flexed her arms. “I need to be limber and muscular, but my body is not as suitable for breeding as yours is.” She squeezed the water from her hair and added, “Besides, I believe Asch much prefers your body to one such as mine.”

  Mila blushed at her frankness. Thinking about the charming alpha reminded her of what she’d diverted herself from. Asch would fight Caim for the right to claim her. Brae had said that Asch was a leader, not a warrior, which meant …

  Her heart sank at the thought of him giving his life for her.

  “I just don’t get why they can’t, I don’t know, share me,” she said without thinking.

  “What do you mean?” Brae asked, coming around to zip her back up.

  “I just mean, they share everything else, why not share a mate? I mean, does it really have to be a fight to the death?”

  “You would … take them both into your bed?”

  Mila turned to face her. Her heart began to race at the implications of what Brae was suggesting. “Is that crazy?”

  Brae didn’t answer immediately. She chewed her tongue, her face the picture of contemplation. Finally, she looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “I am not sure. It would be very dangerous, but...”

  “But, what?”

  Brae clasped Mila’s hands in hers. “I have an idea.”

  5

  “A nd I said to him, ‘Kallie is my female. I laid claim to her before the pack three years ago, and she has always belonged to me’. And do you know what he said? He called me weak. He challenged me. I cannot stand for this. I will rip out his throat if …”

  Caim suspected monogamy had caused the wolf to lose his mind. That was the only reason he would be pacing back and forth in human form, making a fool of himself in front of his alpha.

  Caim stretched languorously in his wolf form, clearly not paying attention, but the pack member continued his rant anyway. Caim despised the nights Asch led the hunt, and he despised having to stay in the den to listen to the nonsensical problems of the pack. This was Asch’s duty, not his.

  The only good thing about these nights was that he could usually spend them rutting. He could lounge on his dais while Sable and Lotus spent the night pleasuring him. When he felt so inspired, he could roll over and take one, or even both of them, whenever and however he pleased. Neither female had reservations about rutting in view of the pack. They enjoyed showing the other females that they had their alpha’s favor.

  But Sable and Lotus were both gone. It was no mistake. Asch had sent them to the human towns, both to establish the new borders of Lazarus territory and no doubt to stop him from rutting, at least in the main room—all because of the human.

  As if summoned by his ire, Brae returned with the female. Caim had never wanted to mount Brae. She hailed from a northern pack, and like the rest of her kin, she was pale and weak. Walking beside the human, though, she looked more appealing by the second.

  Caim never understood what Asch saw in creatures like her. Her bones were frail; her flesh was loose and undefined. He wasn’t sure how any of his kind took pleasure in rutting with one such as her, unless they were trapped deep in the mating thrall.

  His mood blackened as he considered what was to come. Caim resented everything about her. He resented that Asch had brought her here without heeding Caim’s warnings. He resented that she would likely drive Caim to kill his closest friend. He resented the power she wielded over him simply because her womb was capable of catching his seed.

  He glowered down at her as she and Brae made their way up to his perch. Just as he had earlier, he smelled her fear as she approached. At least she wasn’t stupid.

  “So, I just wanted to tell you that I gave him fair warning, if he—”

  Realizing the wolf was still talking, Caim swatted a paw at him and flung him from the dais. There were a few yelps from below. He heard the wolf groan in pain, but he had not heard the sound of a bone break. The wolf was fortunate.

  He returned his gaze to the females. Brae was tugging at the pale-faced human, urging her forward. It had not been his intention to frighten her, but her fear did please him.

  “Caim,” Brae said, bowing her head. “The pack mate would like an audience.”

  She was hardly the pack mate yet, but he wasn’t going to bother shifting to point that out. He rose to his full height and sauntered over to the pair, fixing a pitiless gaze on the human.

  “I was hoping we could speak in private,” she murmured, her eyes darting around the room in a nervous gesture. “But I can see that you’re busy, so, we’ll just be going.”

  She started to back away, but Brae kept a firm grip on her arm. His keen ears picked up a hushed exchange.

  “Caim is your alpha. He will not harm you.”

  “Are you high? I’m not going in a room alone with him!”

  Caim didn’t bother letting them carry on. She would have her audience.

  Before she realized what was happening, Caim had lunged at her. He snatched her up by the back of her dress. His teeth tore the flimsy fabric, but it held fast as he jumped down from the platform and carried her toward the passageway that led to his chambers.

  She kicked and screamed, thrashing in his grip. With his nose so close, he smelled the potent musk of fear coupled with the sharp scent of anger. He hadn’t expected her to fight against him so vigorously. Excitement spurred him forward. He could hardly wait to put her in her place.

  The walls of his chamber had been strategically carved so that during the day the room was well-lit and warm. Here, he spent his days, lazing and basking in the sunlight. He loved the way the dark fur of his back soaked up the heat while the limestone floor stayed cool against his belly.

  Right now, his room was flooded with moonlight. He padded over to a well-lit corner and deposited the squirming human onto a pile of deer pelts. She collapsed in a heap, letting out a few choice curses. He sat, waiting for her to speak her piece.

  “Who do you think you are?” she seethed, clambering to her feet.

  What an absurd question. He was her alpha.

  Her hands flew to her back. “My dress is ruined!” She fixed him with a heated glare. “I haven’t even been here a day and you’ve ruined the only piece of clothing I own.”

  Caim merely blinked at her, unimpressed by her tirade. If she were one of his pack members, he would have disciplined
her for such insolence. He would pin her to the ground and close his jaw around her jugular until she cried out in submission. She was not pack, though. She was a human, and this made her ranting less of an affront to his authority and more of a mildly amusing bout of lunacy.

  Did she think to make him feel repentant? To intimidate him? He laughed inwardly at the thought.

  “And can you please, for the love of God, stop staring at me in that dog suit?”

  His eyes narrowed and a low growl worked its way up from his chest. It was the second time she had insulted him as such. He would suffer her theatrics, but not that level of disrespect.

  The human reacted immediately. She recoiled and threw her hands up in front of her in a defensive gesture. The smell of her fear returned.

  Good.

  When she spoke again, her tone was slow and placating.

  “I just mean that it’s hard to have a conversation with you when you’re in that form. There are a lot of important things I want to discuss, and I’m going to need some input from you.” He watched her swallow, and then wisely, she lowered her head. “Can you please shift, Caim?”

  Pleased that she was learning her place, he acquiesced and shifted in place. He felt the familiar buckling sensation as his massive body folded in on itself, reshaping into his large, humanoid form.

  It wasn’t a pleasant experience. Unlike more domestic wolves, such as Asch, the transition into human form was uncomfortable and repressive for him.

  He stretched his arms and cracked his back. The popping of bones relieved only some of the pressure he felt beneath the surface of his skin. Large though it might be, his human body did not seem sufficient to contain his entire wolf.

  A new smell brought his attention back to the human. She was staring up at him, eyes wide and jaw slack. His nostrils flared, taking in the heady aromas: fear, anger, and … arousal?