Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Accidental Theft Book 1) (2 page)

Stephany
rubbed at her wrists trying to get the blood flow back.

“Fine,”
Hayden huffed. “I hit her so that I could get her away from the vamps.”

“Why
did she head-butt you?” A low growl.

“I
touched the side of her leg. I just wanted to look at it.”

“What?
Look at it with your hand?” There was another loud crack and Hayden yelped.

“You
will apologize to the female.”

“I
don’t see why I—”

“I’m
losing patience with you, pup. You touched and unclothed this female without
her permission. You are lucky I came in when I did.”

Her
eyes finally managed to focus on the male in front of her. He was naked so she
looked up. His eyes were narrowed, angry, filled with hate. His lip was bleeding,
his right eye swollen shut and there was a small cut on his forehead, it oozed
blood.

He
clenched his jaw. “I’m sorry I hit you and touched you.” Her tormentor looked
anything but as his one good eye narrowed on her.

“Don’t
you ever forget your place in this pack.”

“I
won’t, Ward.” The male, Hayden, lowered his head.

“Why
did you take the female?” Her eyes drifted to the one she now knew to be Ward
and the air threatened to seize in her lungs. The male was huge. Taller than
Brant and that was saying something. His shoulders were broad, his biceps bulged.
Unlike vampire males, the wolves had some hair. The shirtless male had a light
smattering on his chest, as well as in a line that led from his belly button
down his rock hard abs…
thank blood he wore jeans.
Low riding, faded
encasing narrow hips and thick thighs.

“She’s
important, Ward. You should’ve seen how they fought for her. One of them gave
his life trying to save her.”

She
closed her eyes at the memory of Lance falling to his knees, his face contorted
in agony, his eyes pleading. They were locked with hers.

“I
asked you to bring me the human. This female is useless to us.” Her eyes
snapped to his face. This was the alpha. She swallowed hard to prevent herself
from sucking in a sharp breath. His hair was cut tight against his skull with a
five o’clock shadow on his hard jaw. Fierce looking. His entire frame radiated
raw energy. Pent up aggression like nothing she’d ever seen before. When he
looked her way, the greenest eyes she had ever seen swept over her and then locked
with hers for an instant before he turned his head back to Sawyer.

“I’m
sorry, Ward. I’ll get rid of it…her.” His words were tinged with excitement. If
this asshole got his way, she was dead for sure.

“I
refuse to go with this male.” Her voice cracked from lack of use.

“I
will take her.” Hayden threw her a look that had daggers attached.

Ward
grunted. “Like hell. Haven’t you listened to a word I just said? You won’t be
permitted anywhere near a female anytime soon. Maybe never.”

“But…that’s
not fair.” Hayden whined.

“What
wasn’t fair was you touching this female without her consent. I don’t trust you
period. Let alone with the life of a female. I’m not sure what to do with you.
You disappoint me, Hayden.” The alpha sighed.

Hayden
looked down at his feet, his throat worked. “I’m sorry, Ward. I will do better,
I promise.”

“Next
time I will not take your excuses. If this had gone any further I would have
exterminated you. Taken you the fuck out”—the alpha paused, his muscled bulged—“I
can’t have a male in my pack that does not know how to treat a female,
regardless of species.” He didn’t wait for the male to respond. “There is a
cabin that needs repairing, the two of you can head over there now.”

“But,
it’s night-time.”

Muscles
bunched and roped. Ward’s hands fisted at his sides. “Go, before I change my
mind and beat you some more. You sure as hell deserve it.”

“It
means we’ll have to cut down a tree in the dark.”

Ward
shrugged. “Last I checked, wolves could see in the dark.”

“What
about dinner?” Hayden whined. It never ceased to amaze her how bullies always
ended up being the biggest babies.

“You’d
better get to it then,” Ward said. Hayden grumbled an agreement, his shoulders
slumped.

“You
should’ve put a stop to that,” Ward addressed Sawyer.

“I
tried.” The male frowned.

“Should’ve
tried harder. Go with him.”

“What
about the female?” Sawyer glanced her way.

“You
really fucked up this time, Hayden. In more ways than one.” Ward ran a hand
over his scalp. “We’ll have to hold onto her until I decide what to do with her.”
He shook his head.

“Should
I send her to the other females?”

“No,”
Ward snarled. Stephany’s breathing hitched and she bit down on her top lip to
keep from making a noise.

The
big alpha paced across the room. “There are things about us that this vampire
is not to find out. Things that will weaken our position amongst the species.
Use your head.” He turned his icy green shards on her. They narrowed making her
feel like she was to blame for this predicament, like she’d somehow asked to be
here.

Utter
nonsense.

Stephany
squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes right back at the alpha. There was
no way she was going to take the blame for this. She outright refused.

His
stare softened somewhat although his mouth remained a white slash. “I want the
repairs completed before you turn in,” his eyes stayed on hers as he spoke.
“You are to report in on time tomorrow morning. Get out.” He sighed. “You can
inform the pack that I will take personal responsibility for the female.”

What
the fuck.

Although
his decision was the right one, he didn’t have to like it. Truth was, he didn’t
trust anyone else with her. A vampire female? In the middle of
his
pack
amongst women and children? The weak were his to protect. Yet, it was important
that nothing happened to this female either. She was in danger. His wolves
didn’t take kindly to bloodsuckers. The pain from the loss of one of their own
still fresh.

They
were at war.

Their
alliance with the elves was in tatters, it looked more and more like those
bastard vampire kings were going to retain their dominance over the rest of the
species. A bitter taste filled his mouth.

Turning
his eyes on her, he looked at her properly for the first time since walking
into his cabin. Her wounds were minor and already healing. Tall, although his
first thought was skinny, it was incorrect; she was lean, athletic even.
Covered in dirt, blood and grime from head to toe. She wore what looked like
had once been a business suit. Her sheer stockings were torn. Her blouse gaped,
her breasts concealed in a thin fabric casing. Definitely female. Of that there
was no mistake.

Ward
grit his teeth forcing his gaze back to her large, blue eyes. The female was a
sorry sight yet she still stood tall, a slight lilt to her chin sparking an
instant respect.

“What
are you going to do with me?” her voice was parched. Her lips dry. Her demeanor
was unflinching, even when he narrowed his eyes at her. In fact, she squared
her shoulders and stood even taller.

“Right
now…tend to your wounds, get you cleaned up and fed. What is your name?” Ward
snagged a bottle of water and handed it to her. The vampire opened the lid and
drank her fill using the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.

Her
eyes narrowed in distrust. Ward waited patiently, keeping his eyes locked with
hers the whole time. She finally sighed softly. “I suppose it won’t make any
difference if you know…I’m Stephany.” She paused as if she expected it to mean
something to him. “My wounds are almost healed. Though if you are going to
insist on holding me prisoner then a bath would be appreciated.” Her eyes
drifted around his small space, landing on the two doors on his back wall.

Despite
himself, he felt his lips draw into a smile. His personal lodgings were not
meant for non-shifters. “I’m Ward. It’s the one on the left. Wait a moment while
I fetch you a towel.”

The
female took a step towards the exit but halted at his bidding. He rummaged in a
cabinet, hoping he still had a clean one…
thank hounds
. He grabbed the
fabric, stepping in front of her in order to open the door.

She
made a sound of disgust. Ward had to work to keep from chuckling.

“What
the…?”

“It’s
an outdoor shower. Cold water only I’m afraid. I would’ve lit the fire that
heats the tank for it if I had known I was going to be having a guest.” Ward
had been a part of the team that had breached the castle earlier today. In what
was an attempt to get their hands on the future vampire queen. His blood
ignited at his knowledge of their failure. In the end, the elves had run.
Yellow-bellied
cowards.
The wolves had been forced to flee. Somewhere in the chaos, Hayden
had taken this female. He suppressed a sigh. As if he didn’t have enough to
deal with.

She
shook her head, stepping into the small space outside. It was closed in with a seven
foot makeshift fence made from fine, stripped branches tied tightly together to
form a screen. He had made it himself.

“I’ll
manage.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke, dismissing him with her body
language.

Ward
folded his arms across his chest.

“Um…this
is kind of private.” Her eyes widened.

“A
few quick rules before I allow you to shower. For your own good.” he added when
she narrowed her eyes and cocked her head.

“You
stay at my side at all times…when I say at all times, I mean it. There are
males out there that would see you dead in a heartbeat. The fact that you are a
female means nothing. Your kind is not welcome in my territory.”

“Listen,
Mister…wolf.” She remained polite, her voice even. “I didn’t ask to be stolen
away from my people. I didn’t ask for you to attack us in the first place. As
to my being female, I just had a very definite taste of what your males would
do to me.”

Ward
felt his blood ignite. A knot twisted in his belly. “What happened with Hayden
was inexcusable. The male worries me. It is something I will deal with. You need
to know that you are in no danger of being rutted against your will by one of
my males, but make no mistake that they will not hesitate to remove your head
or burn you at the stake.”

Stephany
kept her composure, which impressed him.

“I
apologize for the way you were treated. It should never have happened. I don’t
want anything to happen to you.”

She
pursed her lips. “Okay so let me get this straight, my only crime is that I am a
vampire? For this I deserve persecution? There is no love lost between our
species, but I would’ve thought that being a non-human species in general meant
that we were somehow on the same side at the end of the day.”

“Look,
it’s complicated.” He sighed shaking his head. “Quite frankly I have no idea
what any of them would do if they got their hands on you, but I don’t want to
take any chances. You are right, there is no love lost between our species. We
are not on the same side. Never have been, never will be. It is that type of
arrogance that makes it so.”

She
shook her head. “It is not arrogance, but simple fact. We vampires may not want
to move in next to you, but we have no issues with the shifters’ existence in
general. At least we won’t once you swear your allegiance. You must realize
though
wolf
that after this fiasco, my kings will make you work for
their forgiveness. Which is your own fault, seeing as we were quite content
with keeping our distance.”

A
snort escaped him. “You tolerate us as long as we stay in line. For centuries
your species have occupied the best territories. Do the townsfolk of Sweetwater
even know who their landlords are? Every time I so much as raise my voice, I’m
expected to go down on one knee at the feet of one or both of the kings. We can
do as we please as long as it doesn’t mess with their plans. They can do as
they please period. Regardless of how it affects the rest of us. I’m done
grovelling.”

A
thoughtful expression crossed her face. “You will be annihilated.”

“They
have to find us first.”

She
shrugged. “You can’t run forever.”

“I
don’t plan to.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Look, you should never have
been taken. It was a mistake. One I plan on rectifying. I need a few days to
let things cool down and then I’ll take you back.”

The
female narrowed her eyes at him.

“I
mean it…I’ll take you back myself. Until then, we need to keep you safe. Also”—he
grit his teeth, contemplating how he should best continue—“there are things
about us that would be best kept a secret. If you were to find them out, then I
would have to keep you…here. You would never be permitted to leave.”

Her
brow furrowed. “What things?”

A
snort escaped. “Didn’t you just hear what I said? If I told you, you’d have to remain
my captive”—he narrowed his eyes at her trying to drive the seriousness of what
he was saying home—“indefinitely.”

“As
if you could keep me here long term,” she huffed. “Are we done?”

He
nodded. “I mean it, Stephany.” Her eyes widened at his use of her name. “Your
species would never find you. Don’t you want to go home?”

She
nodded once. “Of course I do. The sooner the better.”

“We’re
in agreement then.”

“Yes!”
she snapped. “Very much so.” She looked around, a heavy tilt to her chin meant
that it happened from down her nose. What could only be a soft snort of disgust
escaped from between her pursed lips as well.

Her
eyes returned to him, they narrowed. “You tried to kidnap the chosen human
female. Did you plan on mating her yourself?” Her eyes flashed a brighter blue.

Ward
didn’t feel like discussing this with her or anyone else for that matter. The
plan had been a colossal clusterfuck to begin with. He felt like an idiot for
having trusted the elves, for having gone along with it in the first place. Hopefully
in time he’d be able to forget the events of the last twenty four hours. If
nothing else, it had taught him not to trust any of the other species. “That is
none of your concern.”

“It
would be a good way to ensure long-term success against our species. No vampire
heirs would mean that our species would eventually crumble. It is seriously
low, uncouth behavior even for a wolf.”

He
pursed his lips. They had no clue what he planned, and he would use that to his
advantage.

“You
will not have her. Not this time, not next time, not ever. You can call off
your dogs.”

“What
do you know of it?” Ward growled. “Who are you?” his voice softened.

“A
female. A nobody. You don’t strike me as the type of male that would take a
female against their will though, or maybe human females are different to you.
There to use as you please.”

His
whole frame tensed. “I would never force a female. The plan was not mine and
I’ll admit, stupid. I should never have gone along with it.” He clenched his
teeth for a few beats. “I would never have forced the human. Never.” The last
he said on a growl.

 The
vampire’s tense frame eased. “You can go now.” She lifted her eyebrows as she
spoke.

He
gave a humourless chuckle. “I said that you needed to stay at my side at all
times…
at
all times,
vampire.”

Her
mouth dropped open and she made an incredulous noise. “I didn’t mean in the
shower. You couldn’t possibly mean while I’m…”

“Naked?”
He huffed. “I’m a shifter. Nudity is one of those things. I won’t even notice.”

She
grit her teeth and her hands moved to her hips. “I’m a vampire. I refuse.
I
will
notice.”

Ward
shrugged. “Then let’s go back inside.”

“But,
I’m filthy.”

“I
must say, I would prefer to share a bed with a clean—”

“What?”

He
felt his eyes roll back. The vampire clearly hadn’t understood a single thing that
he had said. “You will stay at my side at all times. I plan on sleeping. If you
are at my side, it means that you will need to share my bed.”

“I
refuse to share a bed with you, wolf. Forget it. Think of something else.”

Ward
looked up to the heavens. The gods surely hated him. “I still have that silver
infused rope…” For a second he was tempted to agree to letting her have the bed,
but something in him resisted. “I’m sure you’ll be comfortable on the floor. I
heard vampires don’t need sleep anyway.”

She
narrowed her eyes. “A myth. Please be a gentleman and let me have the bed.”

“Sorry,
honey, I’m a wolf. That means I’m neither gentle nor a man. I won’t touch you
if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Her
chest heaved as she took a deep breath into her lungs, holding it for a few
beats before slowly releasing it. “We’ll discuss the sleeping arrangements
later. How are we going to do this? I need to get clean, but you’re not
watching me. I’m not one of your wolves. I don’t undress in front of others.”

“Makes
me feel sorry for your mate. It can’t be easy, rutting with clothes on.”

Her
eyes clouded for the briefest second before she schooled her expression. “I
don’t have a mate.” She mumbled something that sounded very much like no
rutting either, but he had to have misunderstood her. She was a healthy female
in her prime.

Stephany
chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds before she asked, “You really need to
stay by my side while I am in here?”

“That’s
what I said.” He didn’t trust her to stay put. Hell, if he was in her place he
would try and escape too. He would have a hard time believing that his captors
would just set him free in a few days. Especially after how Hayden had treated
her.

“I
can’t believe I’m about to say this”—she shook her head—“but desperate times
and all that.” She finally looked him dead on. “I suppose you have to stay but you
don’t have to look.”

“You
could slip away.”

“You
just told me you were a wolf. So start acting like one. Use your senses.”

She
smiled briefly. Even under the grime, he could tell that she was pretty with
her defined cheekbones made more prominent by her short hair. Her eyes were a
little too big and her mouth a little too full to be deemed a classic beauty,
but pretty all the same.

“Close
your eyes, Mister Ward.”

“Just
Ward.” He did as she said. He could make out her heartbeat easily. Hear her
breathing.