Anger Management for Alphas (2 page)

As they left the room, Landon chuckled and commented,
"She's interesting. I'd have expected more surprise."

He didn't say why, but Angel didn't blame him, since they
couldn't risk anyone overhearing any mentioning of their world. Angel supposed
Mrs. Jameson was a neutral enough topic, one that he could actually discuss
without being too vague. "She's very nice. I had a very rough time in the
beginning, after... Well, after the incident with my family. The classes helped
me through my recovery."

Landon's jaw tightened, and Angel could easily guess what was
on the man's mind. He wished he could have been there for Angel. He wished Mrs.
Jameson hadn't been necessary at all. Smiling, Angel pulled Landon toward the
exit. "It's okay," he whispered. "You're here now."

Some of the tension drained from Landon's shoulders. "I
am. It's pretty hard to process, even for someone like me. To think that I
almost avoided coming today."

"You'd have missed out on something great, huh?"

Angel said the words jokingly, but Landon didn't seem
inclined to let him make light of the situation. He pinned Angel to the wall
and brought their bodies close together. "Something amazing," he
whispered as he pressed a kiss to Angel's jaw. "Amazing and so very
beautiful. Like you."

Angel shivered. He'd heard about the chemistry between mates,
but this was ridiculous. The only thing he knew about this man was his name—and
of course, the fact that he had anger issues. They needed to step back and
reassess the situation a bit.

Mercifully, Landon seemed to think the same. "Let me
take you out. We need to talk somewhere private. What do you say?"

Angel couldn't have disagreed to save his life. "That
sounds lovely," he mumbled. "I'm open to any suggestions."

Judging by the hot erection currently nudging Angel's thigh,
Landon had some suggestions that went beyond talking. And really, Angel
wouldn't have minded at all. In fact, it made sense to release some of the
sexual tension between them so that they could talk with clearer heads. Didn't
it?

Despite his previous resolve, he would have probably jumped
right into something inadvisable if the sound of approaching footsteps hadn't
interrupted them. Landon pulled away with a disgruntled huff, and Angel peered
over his mate's shoulder to see another big man round the corner.
"Alpha..." the man said in a breathless tone. "Thank the moon. I
sensed an... individual of interest nearby."

"That'd be me," Angel said, realizing Landon's bulk
was blocking the new arrival's view of him. "No need for alarm."

Landon released a heavy sigh. "Angel, this is my beta
Jason. Jase, this is my mate, Angel. As he said... No need for alarm. Now... We
should really get out of here before we disturb the other classes."

Or say something stupid in the heat of the moment, Angel
mentally finished. The presence of the other werewolf—other than confirming
Landon's species—dampened his ardor a bit. "We could arrange a meeting for
another time, if you'd rather," he suggested.

Landon shook his head. "I've waited for you for so
long," he whispered in Angel's ear. "Why do you think I was so
angry?"

What could Angel reply to that? He allowed his mate to lead
him out of the building, feeling like he was floating. After today, his life
would never be the same, and he couldn't be happier about it.

Chapter Two

At this hour, the park should have been busier, but the
cloudy skies made most humans lose interest in walks, outdoors games or
jogging. Landon sat on the grass next to Angel and inhaled, taking in the scent
of grass and life. It wasn't quite like the wild—the smell of concrete was
always there, reminding him of the way man had tamed nature—but it was nice
nonetheless.

Angel leaned with his head on Landon's shoulder and stared up
at the sky. "This is nice. It was a good idea to come here."

Landon agreed. After sending Jason to the pack, he'd wondered
where he could go with his mate. A bar or a restaurant didn't seem quite right,
and neither did their homes. In the end, he'd picked the park, and his choice
had proven to be quite inspired.

"You know, it's strange," Angel said. "I
really feel like I've known you forever, even if we've just met."

Landon wrapped an arm around his mate's shoulders. "I
feel the same. I'd heard a lot about the pull toward one's mate, but I never
expected to be quite like this. But... I still want to court you
properly."

"Court me?" The grin in Angel's voice amused Landon
in turn. "I suppose I could go along with that."

Landon faced his mate and met Angel's eyes. "I want to
learn everything you're willing to tell me. There's so much we don't know about
each other, big things, little things, vital things."

"We have time," Angel answered, wrapping his arms
around Landon's neck. "We have all the time in the world."

Landon moved back, planning to lie down on the grass and pull
his mate along. Unexpectedly, Angel released a soft gasp and went rigid, a
grimace of pain twisting his beautiful features.

Landon was immediately alarmed. "What is it? What's
wrong?"

"It's nothing." Angel sighed. "No, that's a
lie. I suppose you should know, since I wanted to tell you anyway. This is why
I was taking the anger management classes."

Landon blinked, not understanding. The sad smile on Angel's
face made him want to tear something apart, but he waited quietly for his mate
to speak. Angel stood and rolled his shoulder, as if stretching a kink out of
it. "The thing is... I'm a dove shifter. By our nature, we yearn for
mates, for the love and togetherness only a true bond can give us. It's not
really that unusual for a dove-shifter to have interest only in members of the
same sex, so I didn't think much of it. Maybe I should have..."

"What happened?" Landon asked quietly.

"My parents encouraged me to meet female doves from
other flocks. I was surprised. I thought they'd realized I didn't like women in
a romantic sense. But when I told them... My father reacted poorly. He... He almost
chopped off my wing."

Landon shot to his feet and snarled. He might not be an avian
shifter but he knew what that meant. Harming a bird shifter's wing was the
worst thing someone could possibly do. It was considered a punishment reserved
only for the worst individuals. "How dare he? I'll... I'll..."

"You don't have to do anything, Landon. He was already
put to trial for it." The pained expression on Angel's face chased away
Landon's anger and melted it into protectiveness. He tenderly pulled his mate up
and into his embrace, careful so that he wouldn't jar Angel's arm. "For
the most part, I'm fine now," Angel whispered against his chest. "I'm
going to make a complete recovery. But I still have moments when the old injury
acts up, so I'm grounded."

It all made sense now. Angel was basically stuck unable to
fly, and to a bird shifter, that was a huge loss.

"But I can't be angry anymore," Angel finished.
"It occurs to me that if not for what happened, you and I might have never
met. I will always regret my father's actions, but I don't feel the loss
anymore."

Landon was left dumbstruck. Did Angel even realize the gift
he was giving Landon through those words? Probably. Angel wouldn't have said
those words lightly, not when it concerned flight.

Once again, they sat together on the grass, neither of them
in a rush to take things further. Landon told Angel about his own experience,
about being an Alpha and the increasing pressure he received from his pack.
Then, the conversation turned to all sorts of subjects. Angel spoke of flying,
of the unique freedom of soaring through the clear skies. In turn, Landon
described what he felt in his shifted form, what his wolf meant to him.

They must have spent hours in the park, and would have
probably stayed longer, but the humans turned out to have the right idea. The
clouds opened with no real warning and a heavy rain started to fall.

Landon found himself running through the park, with his mate
by his side. They splashed through the rapidly forming puddles, laughing like
children as they made their way to the car. By the time they slid into the
vehicle, they were wet from head to toe, their clothes sticking to their
bodies, their sneakers letting out distinctive squelching noises when they
walked.

Angel tried to shake the water out of his hair, but he only
succeeded in getting the drops all over the place. "Hey," Landon said
in mock offense. "I thought I was supposed to do the wet dog thing."

Angel stuck out his tongue. "Your hair is shorter. You
have an unfair advantage."

"Indeed, I do." Landon grinned, letting his gaze
feast of the sinful sight of his mate in his wet clothes. He cleared his throat
and met Angel's piercing dark eyes. "But it's your call now. Where do we
go from here?"

"My place," Angel said breathlessly.

He rattled an address which Landon quickly inputted into the
GPS. Normally, he wouldn't have had any trouble finding the street, but it was
getting increasingly hard to think rationally with his mate so close to him. It
definitely didn't help that the scent of Angel's arousal filled the car, and
Landon knew that his beautiful dove had no intention of making him go back to
the pack after dropping him home.

By some miracle, they reached Angel's apartment building with
no incident. Finding a parking spot took more time than Landon would have
liked, but he finally managed. The moment Landon pulled the key out of the
ignition, Angel was already opening the door of the car and rushing out.

The mad dash that followed was very much like a hunt. Landon
had to lock his car, so Angel had a bit of a lead, and the advantage of knowing
exactly where he was going. But that was okay with Landon, because Angel's game
roused his basest instincts, stirring the wolf, feeding the fire of need
already burning inside of him.

He followed Angel into the apartment building and up a flight
of stairs, his mate's scent guiding him better than any GPS. Angel lost
whatever advantage he'd gained when he was forced to stop and look for his
keys. Landon reached him just as Angel managed to enter the apartment.

He followed his mate inside and closed the door with his
foot, thus ensuring their privacy. "Now... I think we had something to
finish from earlier."

Angel shivered, and Landon knew it wasn't because of the wet
clothes. Still, his mate was enjoying the game, because he teased Landon.
"It was your beta who interrupted us. Not my fault."

"True." Landon hummed thoughtfully and took another
step forward. "But as it turns out, it's not my beta who drives me crazy
with lust. In fact, I'd very much prefer it if we didn't speak of anyone else
but us."

His voice came out husky, almost animalistic, and he half
thought Angel would be taken aback since it was nothing like what a
dove-shifter would be familiar with. His mate released a small gasp, but the
look in his eyes clearly pointed out that fear couldn't be further from his
mind.

"Or maybe... We should not speak at all." Landon
crossed the rest of the distance between them and cupped Angel's cheek. "I
want you, Angel. I want to claim you. I know this is fast, but—"

"Yes," Angel interrupted him, "please. Please,
claim me. You know as well as I do this is what we've both been waiting
for."

Landon didn't need any further invitation. He took Angel in
his arms, cradling him close to his chest. "Bedroom?"

Angel waved a hand in the general direction of a closed door.
Landon pushed it open with his hip and stepped inside. At this point, it
finally occurred to him that they were still wet to the bone, and a shower
might not be a bad idea—even if he did get Angel messy all over again after
that.

He found the bathroom without too much trouble and set his
mate down on the counter. As he reached for Angel's T-shirt, planning to take
it off, his mate arched a brow at him. "I can undress myself."

"I know you can," Landon replied, "but I
couldn't protect you in the past. Let me care for you now."

It wouldn't compensate for what Angel had been forced to
suffer through, but it was a start, and more than anything, a vow. Perhaps
Angel understood that, because he smiled gently. His eyes glittered with unshed
tears as he allowed Landon to divest him of his wet T-shirt and remove his
shoes.

Somehow, Landon's promise changed things. The hours they'd
spent together and their short hunt had stirred Landon's wildest desires, but
beyond all that, the wolf inside him needed something else. He needed to keep
his mate safe, to show Angel that they'd never be apart again, and to make
himself believe that too. He wanted to worship every inch of Angel and reassure
himself that his mate was truly here.

If his fingers lingered a bit more on Angel's skin than would
have been necessary, his mate didn't complain. He released one of those
trademark gasps when Landon caressed the arch of his foot, but beyond that, he
didn't say much of anything. He helped out a bit, since the once loose jeans
turned out to be quite uncooperative while wet.

Finally, Landon had his mate naked. And oh, what a sight he
made—beautiful and very, very hard, right there within Landon's reach. His face
was bright red, and he looked anywhere else except at Landon. "You
should... You should take your clothes off too."

"Embarrassed, Angel?" Landon teased.

Angel crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course not.
I'm a shifter. Nudity doesn't embarrass me."

Or so he said, but it was different when they were in a
sexual situation. Either way, Landon had no intention of staying dressed, since
that would have been counterproductive. He jerked off his shirt and toed off
his shoes far more expediently than he had with his mate's. It was when he
reached for his zipper that he realized Angel was no longer looking away, and
instead was studying him with an attention so intense it was almost fierce.
Truly, if Landon hadn't known any better, he'd have thought his mate was an
eagle-shifter.

Now focusing on Angel's face, Landon wriggled out of his
jeans. His distraction cost him and he ended up lowering his zipper with a bit
too much zeal. His pubic hair became the victim of his enthusiasm, but he
couldn't really mind. His grimace drew a light airy chuckle from his mate, and
Landon thought he'd never get tired of hearing Angel laugh.

"So it's like that, huh?" He growled playfully.
"You're challenging your Alpha? Well, let's see who wins this fight."

He stepped out of his jeans, completely naked and yes, just
as hard as Angel. His mate didn't seem to take his threat seriously, not that
Landon expected him to. His laughter faded when Landon embraced him once again,
but he was still smiling, not so much with amusement, but rather, with happiness.

Landon slid into the shower stall and started the water. Once
he made sure the temperature was appropriate, he guided his mate under the
stream. Heat and steam rose between them as the water chased away the chill
left behind by the rain. Then again, maybe it wasn't the shower at all and just
his mate's proximity that did it. Landon couldn't hope to figure it out.

He pinned his mate against the wall, careful not to hurt
Angel's arm. He needn't have worried, because his beautiful dove was completely
relaxed and blissful in his embrace. Landon took shameless advantage of it and
caressed every inch of exposed skin he could reach. He found the shower gel and
used it to massage his mate's front, from his chest, to his legs. Angel
twitched slightly when Landon knelt in front of him, perhaps waiting for a
touch that didn't come. It wasn't that Landon wasn't tempted. Angel's dick was
right there, and Landon's mouth watered with the yearning to taste it. But he'd
told himself he'd pace this, worship his mate like he deserved—like the angel
he was.

He got up once more and gestured for Angel to turn around.
Angel did so without protesting, and Landon repeated the process, massaging
Angel's shoulders and rubbing any tension out of his mate's muscles. His
efforts were rewarded with sweet little whimpers and sinful groans that made
Landon's dick throb and his wolf stir with the need to claim what was his.

However, even his wolf knew how to be patient, and Landon had
been completely honest when he'd told his mate about his intentions to court
him. It felt right to do this, to simply enjoy the moment, this moment that was
so precious to both of them.

That didn't mean his caresses didn't grow sensual. It was
unavoidable really, since Angel was a very sensual creature, and he didn't seem
inclined to let Landon get away with anything. To be fair, he probably wasn't
thinking too much about it, and when he moved, he must have done so
unconsciously. Still, he ended up pressing his body closer to Landon's and
setting his head on Landon's shoulder. In the process, he rubbed his tight
little ass against Landon's dick. And well... Landon might be a werewolf Alpha,
but at the core, he remained just a man. There was only so much he could
withstand.

He flipped his mate around again, facing his beautiful dove.
Angel's eyes were glazed with lust and need, and Landon couldn't help himself.
He crushed his mouth to that of his mate, reveling in the taste of Angel's
desire. Their cocks slid against one another, and Landon found his good
intentions rapidly flying out the window.