Mated to the Alpha: The Complete Collection (4 page)

M
elanie sighed
and stretched her arms over her head. The black silk sheets whispered over her skin, and she shivered with pleasure. Her body felt like warm putty, every muscle relaxed and languid. She smiled as her mind floated back to the gym, and the massage table. Keith had been so strong and powerful as they made love. She had never felt so much pleasure, and never felt such a connection with another man. "Good evening, love."

Melanie sighed. "Good evening to you too. How long was I asleep?"

"Only a few hours. It's about 9 o'clock now. Would you join Kimberly and I for dinner in the kitchen?"

"I'll be right there."

Rolling over, Melanie was taken aback. She swore she had heard Keith just now talking to her, but where was he? The bedroom was empty, and she was certain she hadn't been talking to an intercom. Puzzled, she got out of bed and slipped an emerald green silk robe around her body. Cinching the belt tight, Melanie cautiously made her way out of the bedroom and down the hallway towards the kitchen. Inside, she found Keith and Kimberly both sitting somberly at the granite kitchen island, sipping coffees. While Keith's facial expression concerned her, she couldn't help but feel warmth and happiness at seeing her newfound lover again.

"You never told me that your penthouse had an internal intercom," she said, sitting down at the empty stool across from Kimberly and next to Keith. "The sound quality is incredible. I thought you were right next to me until I opened my eyes."

Keith sighed, and glanced at Kimberly. Kimberly nodded to her brother, who set his mug down. "Melanie, we have to talk."

Mel felt her world start to crumble around her. Whenever a man said that to her, it usually wasn't good. "Is this the point where the conversation has such classic lines as 'It's not you, it's me,' and ends with me feeling broken and alone outside somewhere?"

She could feel tears start to form in her eyes, and she blinked them back furiously. There was no way, not after all that she had been through over the past few weeks, that she was going to allow herself to break down crying over this. She felt her legs tense, preparing to flee from the room.

Her fears were almost immediately doubled when she saw Keith's jaw drop in shock, as Kimberly hid a small smile behind her hand. "I told you that wasn't the way to start this," she smirked. "You've scared the hell out of her."

"Will you please tell me just what the hell you are talking about?"

Keith reached over from his stool and set his hand on top of hers. "First of all, no, at no point will you need to feel broken and alone. I am not here to break up with you, or try to make you a one night stand. In fact, it's just the opposite."

"But he might be able to work in a 'it's not you, it's me' if you ask him," Kimberly interjected, giggling momentarily before her face regained its serious composure. She looked at Keith, who was almost scowling at her. "Sorry, brother. I was out of place."

Keith nodded, before turning his amber eyes back to Melanie. "Melanie, this afternoon was special to me. You see, I've never done that with a woman before."

"You've never had sex before?" Melanie was shocked. She wasn't exactly super experienced, but she was sure Keith hadn't been a virgin last night the way he went down on her. She had never had a lover lick her so thoroughly or tenderly to such a mind shattering orgasm.

Keith shook his head, frustrated with himself. "No, no, that's not what I'm trying to say. What I mean is.... well.... ah to hell with it. Okay, this is going to sound crazy, so I'm just going to spit it out all at once. Just please don't freak out, and at least think about what I'm going to say."

"I'm a cop, Keith. Or at least, I was before becoming a fugitive," Melanie assured him. "I'm sure whatever you're going to tell me, I've heard crazier."

Keith's eyes were filled with agonizing self doubt, as he looked from Melanie to Kimberly, who just nodded her head once before taking a sip of her coffee. Keith seemed to go inside for a moment, before he locked his gaze upon Melanie's again, and she could feel his amber gaze bore deep into her soul. "Okay. What if I were to tell you that some of the myths, some of the fairy tales you read as a little girl were true? What if I were to tell you that the night is filled with creatures, creatures that are normally consigned to horror movies alone? What if I were to tell you that I am a werewolf, as is my sister, and that this afternoon you and I went through our mating rite. We're now bonded, telepathically, emotionally, and eventually even physically, inseparable until our deaths. And to top it all off, that there is now about a 99% chance you are pregnant with our child?"

For Melanie, the whole thing washed over her in a wave. Finally, she fell back on an old cop habit of hers. When confronted with the impossible, take a moment to ponder, then crack a sarcastic joke. She took a deep breath, picked up Keith's coffee, and peered inside. "You know Kim, you've gotta use a different blend of coffee," she said, sniffing. "Whatever you've put in here, I'm sure the DEA would find it chargeable."

"You don't believe him," Kimberly replied, nodding. "I understand. But I will tell you this. This penthouse has no intercom system. Keith communicated with you in your mind alone. And in time, I will be able to do the same, since I am his blood relation."

Melanie felt her inner doubts start to crumble at Kim's statement. She said it so calmly, so matter of factly. There were no hints of deception, no tell tale signs of a lie. And she was sure from talking to them the past two weeks, neither of the siblings were insane. But it had to be.

Keith cut that defense down quickly. "You're thinking we are both insane," he said, the surprise of the statement causing Melanie to jerk her eyes towards him. "Let me prove at least one thing. If I cannot do that, you may consider my insanity."

"All right, but if I think you two are insane, I want my Glock back."

"It's always been available to you, you just never asked for it," Keith said, "and if you want it back at any time, it is yours."

"Okay. Kim, please get my Glock for me."

Without a word, Kimberly got up from her stool, and walked out of the kitchen. She returned a moment later with Melanie's pistol, holding it barrel first. She handed the weapon to Melanie, who quickly popped the clip, confirmed that it was loaded, and jacked the slide, loading a round into the chamber. She then pointed the pistol at Keith, fear and hope mixing in her eyes. "You've got thirty seconds. Do what you want."

"All right." Keith closed his mouth and eyes, before his brow furrowed in concentration. Melanie wondered what the hell was going on, before she felt it in her head.

"Melanie, from the first moment I saw you in that alley battling those evil men, I knew I wanted you," she could hear Keith say, as his mouth and lips stayed unmoving. "I rescued you because I saw your courage, your heart, and your goodness. For the past two weeks, I have left every night because I had to hide my true nature from you, and the nights are very difficult for me to do that. But I don't want to hide any longer. I want you as my First Mate, and I love you with all of my heart. I know you can't feel my emotions yet, that will come with time. But please feel my words, and trust your heart."

Melanie felt her hand loosen, and the pistol tumble from her boneless fingers. Keith opened his eyes, and his warm smile lit up his face. "My God, you aren't crazy," she whispered, the pistol clattering to the floor. "I had sex with a telepath."

"Not just a telepath," Keith replied. "But a full werewolf. Although most of our kind prefers other terms. Recently the younger males of our kind have an affinity for the term Lycan, and some of the females prefer Shapeshifter or Shifter. Pop culture and all, you understand."

Melanie laughed in spite of her misgivings. "So do you howl at the stars and turn into a wolf on full moons and such?"

"Most of our kind do turn involuntarily at full moons, yes," Kimberly said, "Although as Alphas, Keith and I can control ourselves somewhat. And all werewolves can voluntarily turn, to varying degrees."

"Alpha? What's an Alpha?"

"Werewolves are arranged in family groups, often called Packs or Clans. Just like in nature, it's a very hierarchical structure, although much more complex than a normal wolf pack. At the top of each group is an Alpha Male and an Alpha Female. Normally, the Alpha Female is the First Mate of the Alpha Male. In our case, since Keith and I are twin siblings, I am the Alpha Female of our Clan."

"And what does that make me?"

"You are my First Mate," Keith replied, taking Melanie's hand in his. "You will be the bearer of our children, and they will become the future Alphas of our Clan. You will be respected and honored by all in our Clan, and every member of our Clan would die to protect you and our children."

"And if I want more?"

Keith laughed, realizing how old fashioned his speech came across. "You are not expected to merely be barefoot and pregnant in my kitchen."

"Well, if you're right, I am barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen," Melanie ironically interjected, earning a chuckle from both siblings.

"True. But I was saying, perhaps in my grandfather's time, if an Alpha and a non-werewolf had done what we have done, things would have been different. But you are too smart, too strong, and too intelligent to simply be a den mother. It will take you time, but I want you to be as involved with my life as you wish."

"And what's this about a Clan? Just how many members are there?"

"Currently there are two hundred and thirty six members of Clan Lockwood along the eastern seaboard, most of them within the tri-state area," Kimberly immediately replied. "There are other Clans within North America, but we can discuss that later. I look forward to your education on those fields."

"That is because you have borne the stress of Alpha Female alone for far too long, Kim," Keith said. "But let's not overwhelm her tonight. I would like to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Melanie asked, confused yet feeling Keith's enthusiasm wash over her.

"My love, I said you are my First Mate. We are now the equivalent of married. If you don't mind, I'd like to celebrate our matrimony."

Melanie sat shocked for a moment, then shook her head. She bent down from her stool, and retrieved her Glock from the kitchen tile. "I love you Keith, my heart knows that. But my brain needs time to think. It's time that I go out. Alone."

Keith and Kimberly nodded. "Take all the time you need," Keith said. "But before you go, at least pick out some clothes and stuff to be ready."

T
he night air
was unseasonably crisp as Melanie strolled the streets. They seemed so different than just a month ago, when things had made more sense. Sure, she knew there were corrupt cops, and her life was in danger, but at least there weren't werewolves to think about, as well as most likely being pregnant. What did you call werewolf children anyway? Pups?

A bitter wind gusted and Melanie pulled her leather jacket and hoodie up tighter over her head. While she normally detested wearing hoods, she knew that with the entire police force was looking for her, she had to be careful. It was why she had chosen The War Zone for her walk. The notorious red light district was a haven for street hustlers, gangsters, pimps, prostitutes, and just about every other form of illegal activity in the city. If your tastes ran towards the illicit side of life, most likely The War Zone could cater to your desires. It was the most dangerous section of the city, and the cops didn't come down unless they were in serious force. Like SWAT team force.

"Hey babe, you lookin' for some playtime?" A prostitute that couldn't have been older than 14 called to her, wearing fishnet stockings, a ripped skirt, and bringing gorge to Melanie's mouth, a Hello Kitty t-shirt tied up in a way to try and accentuate the girl's developing breasts. She was fish belly white, and looked like she was starving. Her dirty auburn hair was done up in pig tails, and she wore enough makeup that you could pretend she was 18, if you were drunk enough. "I can go a lot of ways, you know. I'm the best scissor in all The War Zone."

"No thanks," Mel said, turning away. Why did it have to be this way? She had joined the force to protect children like this. And now she was running from the very same force, after finding it corrupt. Why did humans have to be such evil bastards?

Mel kept walking, her mind whirling with thoughts about her life, about Keith, about the whole situation. She knew that she loved Keith. To call it a whirlwind romance would be an understatement, but she knew she loved him, not just lusted after him. Suddenly, someone grabbed Melanie's arm, breaking her from her reverie.

"Hey bitch, you weren't being very nice to my girl April back there," a greasy looking man scowled in her face. "She asked you for some playtime, real nice like, and you just walked off. That ain't polite."

Melanie pulled her arm back, out of the pimp's grasp. "Fuck off, buddy. You don’t want to fuck with me tonight." The pimp looked closer under Mel's hood, and a cavity ridden smile grew on his face.

"Yeah, I bet so.... Detective. Although you picked the wrong night to go for a walk, lady. Way I figure it, you got two choices. You can give me every cent you got, or I call out that a cop wanted for child kidnapping and murder happens to be walking down the street, and someone should call your cop friends. I don't know who'd kill you first, the cops, or everyone else on this street." While The War Zone was nowhere near as busy as the more famous metropolitan districts such as San Francisco's Tenderloin or New York City's Times Square, there were still dozens of people within sight, all of them engaged in some form of criminal enterprise or another.

Melanie twisted to the side, seeming to think for a moment, before whirling back to the pimp, her fingers already formed into a spear hand. She jabbed the pimp's throat, and relished at the gagging sound he produced. His hands flew to cover his throat, and she used the momentary distraction to kick the exposed inside of his right knee with the side of her tennis shoe. His knee buckled outward, at least three of the major ligaments torn, but before he could even collapse, Mel followed up with a Thai knee to his solar plexus. The pimp hit the concrete with a mailsack thump, his eyes fluttering once before dropping unconscious.

Mel looked around the street. Fights and altercations were nothing unusual in The War Zone, so the patrons and hookers barely paid her any attention. The only person who paid any attention was the young prostitute, who was looking at Melanie with a strange mix of fear, anger, and adoration. "What am I going to do when Danny wakes up?" she asked fearfully. "He likes to cut girls that disappoint him."

Melanie reached for the pocket of the fatigue pants she had borrowed from Kimberly, and pulled out the money clip Kimberly had insisted she carry. She pulled the clip off, and peeled the first bill off the top, not even looking at what it was. Pocketing the bill, she thrust the rest at the girl, folded discreetly so as not to draw attention. "He called you April, right?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah, but that's not my real name."

"I know. I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. You're better than this bastard. I don't care what line of bullshit he used on you, I don't care what angle he played to get you out here, you're better than this fucking shit. Get out of this life."

"But I got nowhere else to go!" the teen wailed, tears starting to course down her pale face, streaking her cheap makeup. Mel glanced again, and stepped closer to April in order to cover the scene.

"You stay out here, and you're going to either be dead or strung out on Ice by the time you're 20," Mel whispered fiercely. "Get yourself over to City of Hope in the Financial District. They've got programs to help girls like you, and I know the director, she's legit. Take this money, get some food, and get yourself uptown. Now I gotta go, before the sack of shit behind me wakes up and starts screaming about his knee. Get. Yourself. Uptown. City of Hope. Tonight. Got it?"

The young pro could only nod as Mel turned, fixed the hood around her face again, and took off at a fast walk up the street. She turned the corner a block up, and April watched her disappear into the night. April looked down at her hand, which was holding the packet of bills the hooded woman had thrust to her. She wouldn't dare count it out here in the street, but she did know that the packet was thick, at least five or six bills thick, and that the face looking up at her belonged to Benjamin Franklin. The girl looked up in the direction the hooded woman had disappeared, tears of joy falling from her eyes for the first time since she could remember. "Thank you," the young girl whispered, before turning and running off into the night.