Enslaved by the Alpha: Part One (Shifters of Nunavut Book 1) (5 page)

“You know you can’t keep her here.”

Erik peered up at Sten through one half-opened eye. “I was not aware that I took orders from you.”

The central chamber was unusually empty that day. The pack had spent the morning high on sweets, only to collectively crash midday. Most had retired to their respective rooms, and the few who remained were either dozing or lazily grooming each other in wolf form.

The freezing temperature within the den made staying in human form for any length of time largely impractical. For the majority of the pack members, taking human form was reserved only for times when nonverbal communication would not suffice.

Erik never had trouble getting his point across. He hadn’t even held a direct conversation with at least half of his pack members. In his opinion, an alpha did not need to explain himself, and any message he needed to relay to his inferiors could be easily conveyed through barks, growls, and snarls.

But unlike most alphas, he did not particularly favor his wolf form. It was simply more practical than his human form, as it kept him warmer, was more capable of killing, and it prevented Sten from trying to engage him in conversation.

“It’s not an order, it’s logic,” Sten said, folding his arms over his chest. “You’ve always been quite vocal about not wanting a mate, but if she stays here, you won’t have much of a choice in the matter.”

Erik gave a small growl of appreciation as Ila worked a particularly troublesome kink from his back. The limber she-wolf was straddling his back, carefully working out all of the tension in his muscles. His nightly massage was perhaps the only activity Erik did exclusively in human form. He enjoyed the feel of a female’s hands on him, flesh against flesh, skin against skin. Unfortunately, Sten knew that this was the one time he could coerce the alpha into conversation, which meant that the massages were rarely peaceful.

Opening his eye all the way, Erik said, “Do not presume I share your lack of self-control, brother.”

It was a low blow, but too often, Sten forgot his place.

“It doesn’t matter how much self-control you have,” Sten stated flatly. “You only have to lose control once. Besides, if you don’t take her as your mate, it will only make you more aggressive towards the other males. And we both know that your temper is one area that you don’t exercise self-control.”

Erik didn’t bother denying the last part. He had never found much use for reigning in his temper. It was his volatility that kept his pack members in line. If they didn’t fear his wrath, they would all behave as Sten did, questioning his actions at every turn. That was no way to lead a pack.

Stretching each of his arms out, Erik found the muscles and joints to be loose and relaxed. He gave a grunt of approval and Ila hummed with delight. He felt her draw a finger along his spine.

“Shall I do the front now?” she asked demurely.

To his disappointment, he had to decline. “Later. My niece is here.”

Ila took the signal to climb off. She covered his back with a muskox fur, concealing his nudity just as Halley came bounding into the chamber. Rather than immediately dashing to her father, the pup was preoccupied playing with the dog. Erik’s lip curled distastefully as he watched his niece pounce on the animal. The two exchanged playful nips, and then began chasing one another in a circle.

He had been aware of the dog’s presence in his den—how could he not smell it? But he had not sanctioned it. He’d intended on ordering the animal be removed. Unfortunately, it seemed to have latched on to the one person that would complicate that process.

Erik was not fond of Halley—not in the way he imagined an uncle might be. She was loud, needy, and had the tendency to cry over senseless things. But despite his aversion towards the pup, he couldn’t help but feel a pull towards her that was driven entirely by instinct. She was not only family, but also a member of his pack. Her age and size made her weak, and his wolf felt compelled to guard and nurture her.

It was one of the many reasons that he disliked his wolf.

While Halley and the dog tussled on the floor, the human emerged from the darkness of the main corridor. She had hair the color of chocolate, and it spiraled down past her shoulders in springy curls. Her eyes, which lacked the guile typical of female wolves, were the color of freshly ground coffee beans. He would have compared her skin to caramel, but it had certain radiance to it that conjured images of a sweet toffee candy that he’d once had in his youth.

Erik still wasn’t sure if he wanted to fuck her, or eat her.

Perhaps both
, he mused as his cock began to swell.

The human scanned the room, her arms wrapped around her midsection. Was she aware of how vulnerable she was making herself look? The few males that lingered in the room certainly were. They leered at her from their perches and alcoves, practically salivating. The human in Erik found this amusing. The wolf had the sudden urge to mark his territory. Images flitted through his mind. Forcing her down onto the floor. Tearing apart her clothing with his claws. Flipping her onto her belly, and then mounting her from behind. Sinking his teeth into her neck as he fucked her with wild abandon.

The alpha suppressed a groan. He glanced up at Sten, expecting his brother to be eyeing him with reprimand. The physical evidence of Erik’s arousal was covered by the muskox fur, but the scent was doubtlessly hanging in the air. In Erik’s opinion, Halley was far too young to understand what this scent meant, but his brother was militant when it came to preserving his daughter’s innocence.

But Sten’s pale gaze was not even on him. Like the other males, he appeared to be captivated by the human. His nostrils flared, and to Erik’s complete surprise, the beta male licked his lips. Inside his chest, Erik’s wolf gave a warning growl. He managed to crush the sound before it reached his throat.

Deliberately taunting the beast within himself, Erik said, “You can fuck her.”

Sten’s head snapped down to regard his brother. Shame and disbelief warred for dominance of his hard face.

“What?”

Slowly, Erik said, “When I’m done with her, you can fuck her.”

“Don’t be absurd,” Sten said, even as his eyes searched Erik’s face for any hint of deceit.

“You can even take her as your mate.”

This statement had Erik’s wolf thrashing against the confines of his chest, and it gave him a twisted pleasure to hear the beast howl in outrage.

“I’m not alpha,” Sten said, clearly taken aback. It pleased Erik that after all these years, he could still shock his older brother.

“You think I would be threatened?” The prospect of the mild-mannered Sten vying for dominance of the pack was almost laughable, though Erik masked his amusement as best he could. “When I’m done, she’s yours. Mate her, have a whole brood of pups with her for all I care. No one will question who their alpha is.”

“You’re too arrogant for your own good,” Sten said, his eyes shifting back to the human. They now regarded her with a flicker of lust. “You have no idea of the power she’s going to hold over you.”

Erik considered Sten’s words for all of a second, before promptly discarding them. So far as he’d seen, there were two types of shifters. There were those like Sten, who suppressed their inner beasts in favor of indulging human emotions and desires. Then there were those like their father, who suppressed their humanity and allowed the beast to reign supreme.

Early on, Erik had learned that in order to become a truly powerful and formidable alpha, he would have to create his own unique type. Where most alphas discounted humanity as weakness, Erik saw its true potential. There was no species he’d yet encountered that had such an immense capacity for violence and cruelty. He embraced these traits, while keeping his physically powerful but emotionally unstable wolf on a short leash. He was the master of the animal within, keeping it caged and indulging it just enough to keep it hungering for dominance. That way, when he did unleash it, its ferocity was without compare.

Halley bounded up to them, shifting mid-jump to spring into Sten’s open arms. Erik’s combative brother vanished, replaced by the doting father.

“What are you doing up so early?” he asked, mussing up his daughter’s hair.

“I made friends,” she enthused, pointing at the dog, and then the human. “That’s Noona, and that’s Astrid.”

Erik had already been aware of the human’s name. He overheard it while listening in on her conversation with Sabine. For some reason, hearing her name made the muscles in his abdomen coil.

The human was approaching them now, her eyes fixed on Sten and Halley. Her face was slightly flushed, and the alpha found himself wondering if that was because she was intimidated, or because she found his brother to be attractive.

“This is my papa,” Halley announced, worming free of her father’s hold to stand between them.

He extended a hand to Astrid, shaking it in a very human gesture. “My name’s Sten. I hope Halley hasn’t given you any trouble.”

The color on her cheeks deepened. “No, no, she’s wonderful. No trouble at all.”

“She smells like a dog,” Erik interrupted. They both looked down at him. Noticing him for the first time, the human’s expression instantly hardened. “Go get her washed up.”

Halley let out a whine, but didn’t object. Sten hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. It was the closest any of his pack members came to defying his orders, but he tolerated it because they were family.

“Pleasure to meet you, Astrid,” Sten said, inclining his head. “If you need anything, you can always ask for me.”

Erik considered pointing out that he was perfectly capable of providing for the human’s needs, but Sten was already walking away, his daughter in tow. They would talk later, he decided. While Erik was going to make good on his promise to give the human to Sten, for now, she belonged to him.

The human stared after his brother, looking very much like she wanted to follow him. Erik sat up, feeling the need for a little leverage. She was so short that he didn’t have to lift his chin very high to gaze at her face. He liked how short she was. It set her apart from the leggy she-wolves he was accustomed to. Fucking her would be complicated, but he found the challenge appealing.

Erik pinched the hide shirt she wore, rolling the fabric between his fingers. “These clothes suit you.”

He had her full attention once more, though she seemed at a loss for words. Surprising, considering how incessantly she’d chattered during their previous encounters. Perhaps the alcohol that he’d smelled on her breath had loosened her tongue.

“Which breed of human are you?” he asked, scrutinizing her face.

The majority of his pack was mixed with Inuit blood, though there were a few who had the markers for fairer skinned ancestry. Erik’s father was of Scandinavian descent, but his mother’s pedigree was a mystery to him. Sten remembered her having dark hair, which seemed to be the sole trait that she had passed on to Erik.

For some reason, the human appeared to dislike his question. “I’m a lot of things. My dad’s Spanish, so I guess I’m mostly that. My mom is half Korean, half Jewish.”

Erik gave her shirt a measured tug, forcing her to sit lest she lose her footing. The simple act of bringing her to her knees brought his arousal back once more.

“So you are a mutt,” he said, fingering one of her chocolate curls. He had never seen hair quite so curly, never felt hair quite so soft. In fact, everything about her was soft—so much softer than a she-wolf. He just knew that when he buried his cock in her, she would be just as silky smooth on the inside.

“I’m not a mutt,” she bit out. “I’m
diverse
.”

He let his fingers sift through her curls. “There is no shame in being a mutt. Purebloods are too predictable.”

She tried to smack his hand away. He ignored the gesture and continued to stroke her hair. Despite his growing arousal, his wolf seemed largely content with just petting her. Distantly, he recognized that the beast thought it was courting her—gently grooming her to accept him as his mate. He would dispel that notion later, but for now he would enjoy playing along. If he could strike a balance between indulging the wolf’s urges, while remaining otherwise detached from her, claiming her would be an exquisite pleasure.

“So, have you thought at all about how you’re going to help me get my sister back?” she asked, her lips pursing.

“Mm,” was his noncommittal reply. He ran a lock of her hair across his lips, and then under his nose. “What is that smell?”

“Uh, my hair?”

“Mm.”

She was blushing again, but this time it was for him. “I’m not sure. I haven’t washed it in over a week. Maybe it still smells like my shampoo?”

“
Shampoo
,” he repeated slowly. “I have not heard of such a flower.”

She looked confused, and then her eyes lit up with humor. The simple glint transformed her face, and further tightened the coil in his abdomen.

“Shampoo isn’t a flower. It’s a scented hair soap. It usually smells like flowers though. Flowers and fruits, mostly.”

Erik didn’t mind being corrected.

“Flowers and fruits,” he mused. “Two things one does not often encounter on the tundra. No wonder I find your scent so appealing.”