Alpha Doms Box Set: 9 Delicious Stories + 10 Sexy Heroes = 19 Reasons to Indulge (32 page)

I knew my eyes widened as I
scanned my surroundings. I didn’t see anything yet my heart still
thundered.
It was a quick flash. Maybe I
imagined it.
I wasn’t exactly in the best
mental state.

Suddenly someone tapped on my driver’s side
window. I shrieked, my hand flying to my chest.

I took a deep breath before looking at the
window. At the sight of John, Bryan’s beta, my heart sunk.

His tall, lean muscled build was so similar
to Bryan’s. He was resting his arms against the top of the car; his
head was angled downwards with his abs and chest in clear view. He
wasn’t wearing a shirt, only athletic shorts, which meant he’d just
shifted back.

Reluctantly, I rolled down
my window. “It never ceases to amaze me that you don’t catch a cold
dressed like that in this weather.” I aimed for a lighthearted
comment, but my voice cracked near the end.
Damn it.

“
Mind if I hop in?” The way
he was eyeing me told me he knew something was wrong. His asking to
get in told me I couldn’t run.

I sighed, rolling up the window. Reaching
over, I unlocked the passenger door.

No sooner had I unlocked the door then John
was slipping inside and closing it behind him. “Why don’t we turn
around and go back to my house?”

“
I don’t think that’s a
good idea.” I trusted him, but I couldn’t bear to be on pack
grounds for another minute. I wanted to escape. I was hoping
getting away would help me escape the pain.

“
Then let’s go to your
place.” He faced the front and pulled on his seatbelt. I always
chuckled when one of them did that. They were damn near
indestructible it seemed yet they still obeyed the law.

Then again, they were all about following
the law. They were a clan of rules and order, dictated by the
alpha…the wolf I’d just walked out on.

“
John, you should probably
go.” I fidgeted with my hands in my lap, keeping my foot firmly on
the break pedal. “Bryan and I just broke up.”

“
I know.”

I spun on him. “What? I
mean, it
just
happened.” My brows furrowed as I studied him, utterly
confused and borderline exhausted. I felt wrung out, my limbs weak
after- I immediately cut off the thought. It didn’t stop the hollow
pang in my chest though.

“
Calm down, Chel.” He
patted my forearm. “Your eyes are puffy and your nose is red,
telltale signs that you’ve been crying, had I not heard your sobs.
The dead giveaway though is your missing ring.” I frowned at him.
He shrugged. “We have supernatural senses, sweetie. Now, let’s go
back to your place and talk about what the big oaf did
wrong.”

I studied him for a moment, debating whether
or not to go along with it.

He smirked, mischief gleaming in his eyes.
“You can’t get me out of this car.”

I rolled my eyes, facing the road again.
“Just my luck. I leave one wolf and get stuck with another.” I
shifted the car into drive and headed home.

John opened every door and escorted me up to
my apartment. My neighbor gave him a strange look before scampering
back inside. I couldn’t blame her though. He was barefoot,
bare-chested and only in shorts in the middle of November when the
weatherman had threatened snow tonight.

I flicked on the lights
while John headed straight for the kitchen.
Figures.
Wolves had a metabolism to
envy. They ate all the time but never seemed to gain an ounce.
Meanwhile, if I had one too many bites at dinner, I immediately had
to unbutton my pants. Yes, I was absolutely jealous.

“
Want some coffee,
sweetie?”

“
Sure, thanks.” I hung my
coat on the rack by the door along with my purse. “I’m going to get
comfy.”

“
Alright,” he
called.

I changed into a pair of black capri sweats
and a black tank top before throwing on an oversized grey hoodie
over it. A pair of black socks kept my feet warm.

I moved into the bathroom. Peering in the
mirror, I was a wreck. Mascara was clumped around my lashes and
streaking down my face. I threw my hair into a messy bun atop my
head before splashing some warm water on my face and using an old
washcloth to wipe off my makeup. I wasn’t beautiful like this, but
then again, if I wasn’t Bryan’s type, I certainly wasn’t
John’s.

Accepting reality just plain sucked
sometimes.

When I returned to the living room, cups of
coffee were laid out for us. I smiled, seeing that John had already
mixed cream and sugar into mine.

He sat back on the sofa, his long legs
sprawled out in front of him. His arms were thrown over the back of
the couch. He’d purposefully sat in the middle spot so I couldn’t
escape him.

“
Come on,” he said, never
looking away from the fire he’d started in the hearth across from
the sofa.
Damn that supernatural
hearing.

I went to the couch, plopping down on the
right side of him. I immediately tucked one leg under the other and
picked up my mug of coffee. “Thanks for the coffee.”

He looked me up and down, giving me a small
smile. “Let’s talk, sweetie. What happened?”

Damn. He always was straight to the
point.

I stared into the hot cup in my hands. My
emotions returned with a vengeance as I tried to gage what to tell
him and what to keep. At the end of it all though, I didn’t really
know what happened. So much had happened so quickly. Before I knew
it, he was yelling for me to go.

I frowned, feeling the tears well again as I
recalled the harsh growl in his tone. It wasn’t just him who’d sent
me away. It was his wolf too. I was almost certain of it. I guess
they’d finally had enough of me.

“
Chel?” John’s voice was
soothing as he caressed my cheek with the back of his
hand.

I glanced at him, shocked by the fear in his
eyes.

His brows pulled down as he studied me
carefully. He angled his head. “What did he do to you?”

“
Nothing.” I stood, setting
the cup back down on the side table. “I’m sorry, John. I’m just not
ready to talk about this yet.” I scrubbed my face, moving towards
the fireplace.

“
Then we don’t have to
talk. Come sit back down.”

I could tell he was trying to pacify me,
which unfurled anger within me. I wasn’t a child. Damn it. I was a
woman, a woman who deserved to be loved, regardless of her size. I
deserved love. I deserved a man who loved me just as I was, who
appreciated every curve, every bump, and every divot.

I turned back to him with an air of
thoughtfulness. “John, why don’t men like curvy women? I mean,
we’re just like thinner women, only with more.”

“
Is that what the fight was
about?” He appeared slightly confused.

“
Can you please just answer
me?” I hugged myself.

He shrugged. “I don’t know how to answer
that because I personally love curvy women. I’m a wolf, not a dog.
I prefer meat over bones.” He winked, giving me a sly smile.

I chuckled lightly, feeling a small weight
lift off of me. “Aren’t dogs and wolves in the same category?”

He frowned, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Depends on who you ask.” He dropped the pretense, the mysterious
façade, and smiled again.

My smile faded as I reflected on tonight.
“Why won’t he touch me, John? I can understand waiting until
marriage to go all the way, but he-“ I felt my cheeks color as I
fidgeted. “He’s never…”

John raised a brow, squinting his eyes as he
leaned off the couch, as if getting closer would allow him to
collect my unspoken words.

“
He holds my hand and
touches my face. He’ll kiss my lips for a bit, but never lingers.
But…I mean, he hasn’t done anything else. He hasn’t even hugged
me.”

“
Uh, wow.” He sat back on
the couch. His expression was unreadable.

Regret washed through me. I should have
stayed quiet. I never should have said anything. “Forget it, John.
Let’s just sit quietly.” I moved back to the sofa, grabbing my
coffee as I sat down. I crossed my legs Indian style, resting my
forearms atop my thighs.

John wrapped an arm around me. “It’s
different for us, Chel. It’s especially different for him. We don’t
have the luxury to cut loose every once in a while. The moment we
lose control, our wolf gains it. Even when we shift, we have to
mentally be superior or else our wolf will wreak havoc. It’s not an
easy job. We literally can never let go.

“
Throw in a year and a half
without sex and we’re damn near combustible. One wrong move and
we’ll explode and lose everything we’ve worked so hard
for.

“
I know as a human, you’re
used to physical reassurance. Once he’s claimed you, trust me, you
won’t be able to keep his hands off of you. But until then, he
really is walking a tight rope. I know it’s not that he doesn’t
want to touch you, it’s that he’s afraid to touch you. The last
thing he wants is to hurt you.”

I mulled over his words. I knew things were
different for them. Believe it or not, I even understood why he was
always so tense and on edge. What I didn’t understand though, what
I couldn’t accept, was why John could smile and play, but Bryan
couldn’t. I knew the alpha had more responsibility, but- Oh hell. I
didn’t know anymore. I was so confused now; I didn’t know what to
think. All I knew was that he sent me away. He broke my heart and
sent me away.

“
John, he told me to go.
No, he yelled for me to leave at the end.” My chest tightened just
thinking about it. “I love him. He tells me he loves me, but-” I
sighed. “I don’t know.”

—

Chapter Five

BRYAN

I knocked on my parent’s door. I’d gone stir
crazy after she left. It felt like my entire world had collapsed in
on me. I’d gone in search of my best friend and pack beta, John,
but hadn’t found him. I didn’t trust anyone else with this, so I
came back to them, back to the ones who’d loved me since they’d
found me.

My mother opened the door. Her eyes widened
marginally as she cocked her head. “Bryan, come in. Is everything
alright, dear? You seem upset.”

I slipped past her, shoving my hands in my
pockets. Her grey eyes pierced me, dissecting me the way only a
mother could.

“
Oh, dear. Come along
then.” She slid her arm around one of mine and escorted me to the
kitchen table.

My father already sat there, a cup of coffee
in hand. “Hey, son. Everything alright?”

I sat on the other side of him, the opposite
side from where another cup of coffee sat steaming. “Not really. I
need to talk to you and Mom.”

He sat up straight, studying me.

My mother walked back into the room with a
fresh mug of coffee for me. She set it down in front of me before
taking her seat.

They both looked at me expectantly.

My mother’s eyes were keen, but the creases
around them softened them. Her lips feathered at the edges, hinting
at her fifty-something age. Always impeccably dressed, she wore a
navy blue polyester skirt and a white button-up shirt. The outfit
didn’t do much for her robust mid-section, but she was covered. At
least the navy looked great with her blonde hair cut into a
semi-stylish bob.

My father was gruff in appearance. Even
though he shaved daily, his face still seemed rough, the hard
angles of his features were intimidating to most. Take into account
how he towered over my mother and most of the people he came into
contact with, and it only perpetuated his reputation. Anyone who
spoke with him though quickly discovered he was a soft bear. It
took a lot to open him up, but he’d do anything for you once you
earned his respect.

Which was what I was afraid of losing.

“
I know I messed up in the
past and disappointed you both with my actions. In church they
engrained into me that I needed to wait until marriage to have sex
again, and God knows I’ve tried.” I huffed as my wolf stirred,
taking a swipe at me. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve
tried to fight my instincts because I don’t want to disappoint you
again. But I’m not human. I’m a werewolf. It’s different for us.
We’re ruled by the physical.”

I pulled the ring from my pocket and set it
on the table between us. My mother gasped. “I’m sorry, but I can’t
wait any longer. She walked away from me because since the moment I
met her I haven’t been able to hug her because I’m so afraid of
losing control. We had a disconnect because I was trying so hard.”
I frowned, staring down at the ring. “I tried to wait out of
respect for you and the church and all that you’ve taught me, but I
can’t any longer, especially if it means giving her up.”

My mother clasped my hand. “You’ve never
disappointed us, Bryan. You’re a wonderful leader, a strong example
to the pack. I know things are harder for you, but they’re not much
different. We all have urges and needs. There comes a time though
when you have to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice to live
this life. I think you’ve drawn your line. I could never be mad at
you for declaring your limits.” She squeezed my hand.

My father was quiet, his expression pensive.
It was a long minute before he spoke.

“
We’d never look down on
you for making an informed decision about your life, son. We
respect our differences. It’s why we moved across the country for
you. Lord knows I hate the humidity that seems to drown the east
coast.” He met my gaze. “But you’re right. Thou shalt not have sex
before marriage is not one of the Ten Commandments, and losing your
mate, the girl He made specifically for you over it isn’t worth
it.” My father stood, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Go get her,
tiger.”