The Alpha's Unwanted Mate: (BWWM) Paranormal Romance Standalone (10 page)

“In Lex’s absence, I’m the Alpha,” He snarled lowly, jerking her flush against him. “And you are
mine,
Angeline? Do you hear me? I’ll die before I let Tirion touch you.” She gasped as his dexterous fingers found the heat of her, probing her passage deeply so she whimpered. She could deny this man nothing. He had stolen her heart, her mind and her soul.

Clyde took a split second to open the front of his jeans before he was hefting her against the sink, shoving into her with a force that drew a muffled cry from the young woman. Angeline pressed her mouth to his shoulder, clinging to him as he set an unrelenting, breath-stealing rhythm. “
Mine.”
He chanted hotly against her ear with every thrust. “
My
mate.
My woman
.”

Every slide of his erection, hot and hard, into her wanting sheath drove Angeline closer and closer to her release; her legs wrapped around Clyde’s hips as he continued to rut against her, his face contorted in pleasure and need. They were quiet, her fingernails digging into his flesh as he fucked her wantonly, possessively. Angeline knew then that he needed her, and she him, and for that sacred moment, only the two of them existed, fused in mind-numbing pleasure.

When Angeline felt Clyde straining, his hips jerking as he came powerfully inside her, she gasped. Delectation crashed over her in waves, making her shudder against the counter as her inner walls contracted around him, milking him of every drop.

For moments afterward, they clung to one another as their heart rates slowed. Clyde’s breath felt warm across her forehead, and when he spoke, it was in a low murmur.

“I have to speak with Alicia about this. But, you hear me, Angeline Hayes.” Tipping up her chin, he met her dark gaze with his own, his eyes intense. “Tirion will
not
have you. We’ll find another way.”

Her eyes filling with tears, the young woman nodded. All she could do was trust her mate – her Alpha, and her only.

THE FINAL
CHAPTER

Clyde was not at all comfortable with this plan. It had taken him almost a full day to come up with it, and still, his gut churned in apprehension. There was no way they could win against the Reef pack. While the thought of his brother torn apart threatened to make him sick with fury and grief, Clyde knew he must keep his head. There was still a slim chance that Lex survived, and if he was alive, they had to get him back.

Discreetly, he had summoned the Yates pack from Savannah. Their two clans were more often allies than enemies, and after meeting with them, he struck a bargain to help provide them with females to mate as well, knowing that it would be a task in and of itself. But, for right now, he needed to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Even with twenty Yates pack wolves to aid them, he knew that Reef pack still had superior numbers, and relentless savagery. They had come after them for years, and now, it was time to end things. They would retrieve Lex, kill Tirion, and scatter Reef pack to the winds if they could.

If
being the keyword.

Clyde had absolutely no intention of allowing Angeline to be sacrificed to save Lex. He was clever enough to know that there were other ways to work around Tirion’s ultimatum, even as those members of the pack who had lost loved ones to Reef claws implored him to give his mate to Tirion, he had to refuse them. Lex, he knew, would never condone another life being given for his own.

Alicia, making him proud, retained her strength and poise, even as his plan began to come together, and they came up on thirty-six hours with Lex in captivity. She comforted her daughters and lent her resilience to the pack, proving, as she had time and time again, why Lex had chosen her to stand by his side. Clyde knew she must be terrified - that every moment she spent not knowing whether her mate was alive or dead must be pure torture. But the woman hid her emotions beneath a mask of calm. Angeline helped her care for her pups as Clyde set the last of his preparations into place.

Then, they were ready.

Forty males stood ready at the edge of the settlement as their mates and pups looked on. Clyde bid goodbye to his sons, handing them over Alicia, even as a sobbing Ian fought to stay in his arms while Elias met his eyes with pride, and Clyde’s chest clenched.

Even after all his planning, he knew that things could go wrong. Lives could be lost. He could at least rest assured in the fact that if he fell, Alicia and Angeline would raise his pups well. Turning from his family, he closed his eyes, feeling the change come over him. His snout pushed out from his face as fur rippled from his body. He dropped onto all fours as fangs slid from his gums and claws sprouted from his fingertips.

Within moments, he was in his true form, the scents and sights of the forest singing through him. He gazed upon the wolves that surrounded him and prayed that they had the courage and the numbers to execute his plan. Then, he turned to Angeline. Clad in jeans and a simple t-shirt, she was still lovely enough to make his chest ache. Perhaps the worst part of this entire endeavor would be putting her in harm’s way. But though he’d felt guilty asking her to be part of their scheme, the young woman hadn’t hesitated when he’d asked her.

Now, she strode towards him to lift her hand and run her fingers through the fur on his back until he rumbled in pleasure. The awe and approval in her eyes when she looked upon his animal form made him proud, and he swore to himself that he would rip Tirion’s heart from his chest before he came near her.

“Are you ready?” His voice came out a raspy growl.

Angeline nodded once, curtly, before Clyde knelt down on his front paws to make it easier for her to mount him. They had precious hours left to meet Tirion’s due date, and the Reef Pack land was in southern Tennessee – over two hundred miles from where they were. They would have to run like the wind, and even then, they’d just barely make it.

Before they could leave, Alicia came towards them, her face an impassive mask. “You be safe.” She spoke quietly to Angeline, wrapping her arms briefly around the young woman before addressing Clyde. “And Clyde…bring him home to me. I don’t care if he’s breathing or…” Her voice hitched and she took a shuddering breath, pain finally breaking through, “Or not. Just bring him home.”

“Of course, Alicia. Nothing less.”

Touching his snout to the woman’s leg in a mixture of loyalty and empathy, Clyde then turned from her, Angeline’s weight warm on his back. With a yipping sound, he issued his signal, and the wolves split up into three groups before streaking into the dark forest.

Clyde ran as he never had before, bounding over streams, through glades and up mountains, as if hell were on his heels. But really, the silver-eyed male knew, hell drew closer and closer with every passing moment.

**

The run to Reef pack lands took roughly ten hours, and Clyde knew the moment that they entered foreign territory. Immediately, the air was pervaded with the scent of blood and the stink of rage. People had suffered here – Clyde knew it immediately and his hatred for Tirion and the wolves that served under him only grew. In this day and age, the only path that made sense was to mesh with the human world, to discover it and accept it. It was clear from the aura that pervaded these woods that many humans had died gruesome deaths.

Atop him, Angeline, already stiff with fatigue, only tensed further. She had endured through this trip well, only asking to stop twice to eat and rest. Through the hours, the other wolves had disseminated through Reef territory until only he remained, carrying Angeline straight into the belly of the beast.

He smelled Tirion before he saw him.

Skidding to a halt in a large clearing, Clyde caught sight of the immense, gray wolf. In a second, he shifted back into human form, revealing a muscular, scarred man almost seven feet tall with cruel, crimson eyes and a deprecating sneer; he was flanked on each side by no less than fifteen other males, all almost as sizeable as himself in animal form.

The Reef pack, Clyde remembered, had been one of the first to start breeding with humans. He had no doubt that the women in their clutches suffered powerfully at their hands, but the past twenty years had yielded them a fighting force that was truly a sight to behold. Angeline’s fear leeched from her, coloring the air as she took in the Alpha before them. Only fifteen feet of space separated them.

“I see you brought her.” Unlike other wolves, Tirion maintained the same rasping, low tone no matter which form he took. This was, Clyde knew, because Lex had almost ripped his throat out after killing Tirion’s father years ago. “Probably the smartest thing you’ve ever done.”

Clyde bit back the growl that welled in his throat. “Of course, if you’d taken the Alpha position as your incompetent father wanted, it would be you in this situation, and not
Lex
.” Tirion injected the word with derision. “Do you regret that now, I wonder?”

Clyde bristled. Tirion was trying to rile him, but it wouldn’t work. He’d had his reasons for rejecting the position of Alpha. He knew his brother to be far more suited to the position, for a bevy of reasons, but that hardly mattered. The Reef pack had Lex, and he was here to get his brother back.

“I’m here to make your trade, Tirion. But first, you have to show me that my brother is still alive.”

Tirion’s smile was as wicked as it was vicious. “Ah, that’s right. I did say I might consider keeping him alive.” A deep, harsh bark issued from the Alpha’s throat. Immediately, two wolves moved through those at his sides. Between them, they carried a figure that was barely recognizable.

From above, Angeline’s horrified whisper reached Clyde’s ears. “
Lex.”

It was clear that his brother had been beaten within an inch of his life. Lex was in his human form, completely naked, the expanse of his tanned skin covered with dark bruising and lacerations. He appeared unconscious, his mouth swollen and nose at an odd angle. Though it was clear the Alpha’s injuries were severe, the halting cadence of his breathing reached Clyde’s ears just moments after he was dragged forward, and relief suffused Clyde. Lex was badly hurt, but if they got him to Liara quickly, he might just live.

“Well there he is, Clyde. I’ve kept my end of the bargain. Now, it’s time for you to keep yours.”

This was where things got dicey. Clyde wasn’t stupid enough to assume that Tirion would simply allow him to leave with his brother, even if he did hand over Angeline. But if he didn’t at least keep up appearances, he wouldn’t get the opportunity he needed. He felt Angeline clutch the fur at his shoulders before slowly sliding to land on her feet in the dirt beside him.

He could hear her heart pounding, and knew that every other wolf in the clearing could as well. Slowly, the brave young woman moved forward. Her eyes darted downward to Lex’s prostrate form as she passed him, and then, she was five feet away from Tirion. Then four. Then three. The Alpha’s salacious leer was enough to make Clyde snarl, low in his throat.

Then, all at once, Tirion reached out and grabbed her, jerking her against him. Even as Angeline cried out in pain, Clyde issued a long, high howl. And all hell broke loose. Twenty wolves burst from the woods, each of them smeared with Reef wolf blood to cover their scents. Clyde was pleased to see that more than half of them had managed to take down a reef Pack males as they’d planned, and after hiding their advance effectively with their rivals’ blood, they caught Tirion and his brethren completely unaware.

Their pack clashed with the Reef wolves instantly, and blood and fur went flying. There was at least one of them to every Reef pack male, and after seeing that they held their own, Clyde called to others. A second throng of wolves burst into the clearing. Half of the Yates wolves moved to encircle Lex’s limp body, protecting him, as the others rushed to help Clyde and his pack.

The Alpha’s brother didn’t even taste the throats he ripped into. He didn’t feel his claws ripping flesh. Every action he performed mindlessly, wanting only one thing: to get to the monster who had taken his brother and had his mate. He had to reach Tirion before he called for reinforcements, or they would be done. He took out perhaps four or five of the enemy sustaining a deep slash to his already injured arm before he finally broke free of the fray and raced into the woods.

He followed Tirion’s scent for perhaps a mile until he came upon the rival Alpha at the base of a steep cliff. He was still in his human form, his fingers tight around Angeline’s throat as he thrust her in front of himself, his crimson eyes livid. Clyde stopped in his tracks.

“I could crush her windpipe in seconds, Clyde, and you know I won’t hesitate, if only to see you suffer.”

Angeline whimpered, her dark eyes wide as she stared pleadingly at Clyde, clutching at Tirion’s fingers desperately. He was choking her, and whether or not he chose to break her neck, within moments, she would be unable to breathe.

“Then why don’t you?” The words physically hurt as they left him, but Clyde’s aim was to goad Tirion into being careless. If he transformed, the smaller wolf’s chances of defeating him in one-on-one combat would decrease significantly. “Lex is going to
live,
Tirion. You’ve lost.”

“No, Clyde,
you’ve
lost,” His enemy hissed, his eyes alight with fury. “In less than five minutes, these hills will be swarming with more Reef pack. They’ll crush this pathetic attempt at a rescue, kill your Alpha, and then you’ll
watch
as I defile your mate before crushing her skull in my fist.”

In that moment, Angeline did something both extremely brave and extremely stupid. Lashing out with feeble strength, she kicked out, connecting with Tirion’s abdomen. Though it didn’t hurt the Alpha, it drew his attention for long enough for Clyde to attack. He leapt at Tirion and the Reef Alpha shoved Angeline against the cliff face hard enough to stun her before meeting him head on.

He transformed in an instant, meeting Clyde in a blinding flash of teeth and claws. The smaller male felt searing pain in his flank and chest a moment before he turned to tear at Tirion’s left side. The Alpha released him with a snarl, only to knock him against a nearby tree with enough force to drive the wind from him. Then, Tirion pounced. His weight stole the remainder of Clyde’s breath from him.

Lashing out desperately, he managed to blind the larger wolf in one eye, but Tirion’s steely gaze leered down at him, blood dripping from the tattered socket.

“You’re a coward.” Clyde managed hoarsely. “And an insult to your race.”

“And you are
pathetic
, Clyde. You have spent your entire existence under a wolf half the male you are, and now, because of your weakness, he and your bitch mate are going to die. And after I’m through with them…” The greed in his expression was manic, “I’m going after your sons, and your nieces, and every
single
wolf I can get my claws into.”

All at once, the wolf’s snarl twisted into an expression of shocked agony. Above them, Angeline had plunged the knife Clyde had gifted to her months before into Tirion’s back. With an anguished cry of rage, she withdrew the weapon to stab him again, and again. By the time Tirion had recovered enough to retaliate, he was gushing blood from several mortal wounds. He lashed out weakly, snapping at Angeline so his teeth just grazed her side. The young woman hissed in pain, stumbling backward as Tirion collapsed in the dirt before her.