Forrest, Dawn - Alphas' Prize [WeresRus] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  The mating bond was a lifetime connection and could normally only be broken by the death of one partner. It was only formed during sex on a full moon when the male was fully changed. Only bound pairs could have offspring, except of course for females like her and Jo. Not thanking the moon for that.

  She’d heard that the mating bond formed between two full werewolves was unbreakable, even if one died. Bloody hell, if she ever found her true-mate, she sure hoped she liked the son of a bitch, because there would never again be another mate for her or him. It was an ancient verse in the Lore’s text, but she didn’t doubt its validity. What would it feel like to forge a bond with another being that was so strong it would prevail even after death? Yep, if she ever found her mate, she sure hoped he was a werewolf stud muffin with a sharp mind. Now there’s an oxymoron.

  Jesus, Katherine could only imagine the apprehension and downright terror that most women must feel on the bonding night. A changed male werewolf was a frightening sight to behold. It took some courage and trust to go through with it, knowing that a beast weighing at least 350 pounds would be at your back. A very large, very aroused beast. It was fortuitous that werewolves produced an aphrodisiac in their scent and saliva, which grew stronger with the moon and around their mate. It helped facilitate the first full-moon mating, until the mating bond took over.

  Once true-mated, a woman took on some werewolf characteristics, such as better sensory perception and longevity. Her body clock would reset itself to werewolf time so that a forty-year-old would quickly have the body and looks of a much-younger woman. It was a biochemical change caused by a bite at the time of mating, the combination of blood, saliva, and semen under the full moon.

  A lifetime bond between the pair was formed, and it was a very cherished and beautiful thing. Katherine had grown up with loving parents and true-mates within a Pack, and although the start of such relationships was often based on biology, she had witnessed a connection and closeness between couples that went way beyond anything she’d seen in the human world.

  She thought back to her time with Connor. At least she had also been changed and in beast form when he took her. He had transformed into a seven-and-a-half-foot, heavily muscled creature with a shaggy, long red pelt that matched his human hair. He had expected her to submit straight away, to go to her hands, spread her haunches wide and present herself with her back arched, tail to the side, and butt held high. Her? Submissive? Not in a million years. Instead her instinct had been to run and to defy him. He had pursued her for miles until he’d finally caught her and took her like the beast she was, on all fours with his jaws holding her neck steadfast. When he’d released into her and bit down harder on her shoulder, she’d howled an involuntary climax. The muscles at the entrance of her vagina had contracted and locked Connor’s engorged “bulbus glandis” inside her. They’d stayed tied together for fifteen minutes, but no mating bond formed, much to his disappointment, and his bite had healed completely, leaving her skin unmarked when she’d changed back.

  She wanted her true-mate, but how the hell was she going to find the elusive devil?

  “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Maybe we should tentatively contact the American Prime, put feelers out and try to gauge their reaction to us. Listen, Joey, if anything happens to me, don’t hesitate to run, do you understand?”

  She couldn’t bear to think of her daughter all alone without her, but it was preferable to the alternative of being held captive by a Packless rogue and used against her will.

  Jo nodded. “I’ve already searched on the Internet and found some information on the Packs. There is a web site called WeresRus, and I’m sure that it’s for real Weres. At first it seems like a fun and frivolous site for werewolf fans, but I think that is just a front. They seem to know a lot about Weres. I think that we can get to the Prime through that site without too much risk to ourselves.”

  “The next full moon is in three days’ time. There are others in this area, so we should head to the emergency cabin in Colorado rather than use the closer forest like we planned. We’ll think about Pack contact after that. If for some reason we split up, then head there anyway and hopefully we’ll meet up. If I get captured, you must run and leave me. I’ll do the same because if one of us is free then there’s a chance we can get help.”

  Joanna took hold of her hands. “If anything happens to you, I’ll go and plead for help from the Pack, whatever the cost, because I can survive anything knowing that you’re okay. You’d do the same for me.”

  I’d die for you, Katherine thought, then revised that, because she would live for her daughter, even though that would probably be harder. She was about to advise against going to the Pack but realized that it was Jo’s choice and that she understood the consequences. Maybe the Montana Mountain Pack could provide a semblance of security. She would do the same thing if it meant rescuing Jo from a vicious rogue.

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that until we’re sure of our reception.”

  * * * *

  Ashok Khan’s face twisted into a rare smile of true predatory pleasure. He looked at the boat bobbing on the water and could smell that it wouldn’t be long before he had a werewolf female to call his own and heirs to pass on his legacy to. He needed strong sons to continue the line. He didn’t even want to consider the possibility of a female child, as that would be intolerable, although he conceded that there could be some political advantage if the girl later mated a strong Were.

  He had parked the rented car near the wharf south of Reedville, a town directly across the water from Onancock. Apart from having good vehicular access, Reedville was located within several water inlets and even had a small private airfield. He’d guessed that she’d take a direct route with a number of possible escape options, because that’s exactly what he’d have done.

  Katherine Akara was a true bitch and the one worthy to carry his offspring. He wanted her badly, with a selfish intensity that burned his black soul. He wanted to inhale her, to suck out her spirit, to have her submit to his every whim. He absentmindedly rubbed his hip where he had been shot and then she had run over him years ago. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent again with a shudder of lust. The chase, the waiting to have her, had heightened his need. Yes, the hedonists of ancient times had the right of it—delayed gratification intensified the experience. Love was a weak emotion that he didn’t know or understand, but he admired and adored her.

  He licked his lips as he thought about fucking her, especially in full beast form. He just knew it would be fantastic. She was built to take the kind of punishment he could give, and take it she would once he got her back to his palace in Maharashtra. He had, of course, fucked women before while in full beast form, although it was strictly against the Lore, except with mates. He didn’t care, because dead women don’t tell tales. He growled to himself thinking that any female he wanted, whether in his Pack or not, would roll over for him at any time, yet Katherine had denied him. Sometimes the females pretended not to want him, but he liked it that way, liked to master them. He’d tried savagely biting a few unmated Were females in an attempt to turn them fully, but nothing happened. When he did the same with human women the pathetic creatures didn’t even survive.

  He had disguised his scent as much as possible, and the wind direction was in his favor, but still he decided at the last minute to slip into the cold water and wait. It was dark, and no humans were nearby to see him with their weak eyes. Katherine and the other female were in the cabin of the boat, steering it in to the side of the jetty. He was going to take them both if he could. Two birds in the hand and all of that, two bitches being better than one.

  He saw a tall, lean shape come out on deck and grab a rope. Katherine’s scent teased his nostrils, called to him, caused his heart to thump and adrenaline to pump around his body. As she leaned over to tie the boat to the jetty, he surged up out of the water and clawed his way onto the deck of the boat, snatching at her long hair. She screamed in shock an
d then let lose a curse with his name on it as she tried to struggle from his grasp. It pleased him that she recognized him. The other woman was alerted and came racing out of the cab with a gun. He held Katherine in front of him in a choke hold.

  “Drop it or she dies, and I’ll take you instead.” He lied. He’d never kill Katherine, but he would take another if he could.

  To his surprise the young woman threw the weapon over the side, but then she dived off the boat after it. There’s loyalty for you. It just reaffirmed his belief that you could not trust anyone. Katherine then began to fight in earnest. The female had—what was it the Americans called it? Spunk. She was a warrior, feisty and cunning and the perfect mother for his pups. She was also surprisingly strong but of course no match for him. He couldn’t keep his attention on both of them and so focused on the woman in his arms. Oh, she smelt good, he wanted to rip her clothes off and—

  “Oof, ow!” He grunted in pain as she first elbow jabbed him in his abdomen and then brought her fist back in a hammer punch to his engorged groin, but he didn’t lose his grip.

  Through the melee he heard the sound of glass smashing and then an engine revving hard. He craned his neck around in time to see a car—no, his car—screeching away. The other bitch had made it to the wharf and was fucking stealing his SUV! Strong, ruthless, self-serving and manipulative, werewolf females were creatures to be reckoned with, and he felt a strange kind of pride in his species.

  Katherine was squirming out of his grip, no doubt also intending to throw herself overboard, but he blocked her and spun her around. She was flexible and had some fighting know-how. She managed to wriggle free and make a dash for the small cabin, possibly going for a weapon. He caught up and grabbed her neck hard in one hand, not caring if he hurt or bruised her, and shook her like an errant puppy. He pushed her against the wall of the cabin, unzipped the fanny pack he was carrying, and pulled out the hypodermic needle filled with horse tranquilizer. He grasped it firmly with his free hand and was about to jab it into her arm when she relaxed against him, inhaled deeply, and moaned as if in pleasure. It shocked him into stopping.

  “Ashok,” she murmured, her voice the epitome of sexual hunger. It dripped with lust and longing, and his body reacted immediately.

  She held his hard stare, with passion-heavy eyelids half-closed. Females never caught and held his gaze, and the challenge in it turned him on even more. Instinct insisted that he fuck her now. Her nostrils flared, and she smiled seductively.

  “You smell so good.” She moaned, licking her plump lips.

  Did he affect her the way she affected him? He proudly assumed it must be so. She moved her body closer and rubbed against him. “I never knew it would be like this,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I ran.”

  Her arms encircled his neck, and she pulled him down into the softest, most alluring kiss he’d ever had. Part of him—the political, conniving man part—questioned what was happening, but the beast part only wanted to take her. His lust-clouded brain barely registered that he dropped the syringe as he held her head and kissed her back aggressively. Of course he didn’t need the tranquilizer, his own animal magnetism was enough. How could he ever have doubted that she’d want him? His hands roamed over her tits and squeezed roughly with impatience. She broke away from his mouth and right there and then, in the dark of the cabin, she pulled off his wet shirt and kissed her way down his muscular chest and stomach. Oh yes, you know who your Alpha is.

  “Let me taste you. I need to.”

  She wanted to suck his cock? Or did she seek to control him? Seeing her kneeling before him brought out his cruel, perverse streak that always lurked, skimming the surface. He would show her who the boss was when he fucked her face hard. He closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed as he felt her reach into his wet jeans and her warm hand wrap around his hard shaft. He imagined her tears, and the puking, gagging, slurping noises she’d make as he shoved his huge dick to the back of her throat. When he got her home he’d make her wear black mascara and watch it streak down her wet cheeks. The thought had his balls throbbing in anticipation. She’d soon learn that it was cock first, oxygen second. It would be priceless to see the panicked look on her face as she struggled to breathe and when she realized that she would be his submissive for the rest of her life, that she would spend most of it on her knees one way or the—

  “Ow! Fuck!” he cried as something sharp stabbed into his cock.

  He shoved her away and stumbled backwards, falling on his ass. She sprang up and stood over him with a smirk on her face and the syringe in her hand.

  “Not quite the blow job you were expecting, shithead?”

  The last thing he saw was her booted foot heading straight for his face. The last thing he felt and heard was the crunch of his nose before he slipped into darkness.

  * * * *

  Katherine decided not to follow her daughter, who was hopefully putting some distance between them and heading for the cabin, not the Pack. She had to first ensure that Khan ceased to be a problem. She tried to contact Jo without success and guessed that her mobile phone had been damaged in the water.

  It took over an hour to motor the boat back out into the middle of the Bay where the current was strong and the water was deep. While the boat moved slowly through the calm, black water, she dragged Khan’s heavy, unconscious body to the side and stood over it, mentally preparing herself for what had to be done. Sometimes you’re the bug, and sometimes you’re the window shield, and today it’s not me bleeding over the floor, you asshole. He looked a mess. She’d given him a good kicking while venting some of her rage and frustration.

  An internal bickering discussion over what to do occupied her thoughts. Oh God, I shouldn’t do it. I’m not a murderer, but if I don’t stop this jerk now, he’s going to keep looking for me or Joanna. That was justification enough for her. She realized that she had to do it if she ever wanted any peace. But if he finds his unfortunate mate, then he’ll stop chasing me, she counter-argued to herself, grasping at straws. Yeah, but what are the odds? Maybe I could just castrate the fucker and leave him on the shore? That sounds like a good compromise. Hell, what a choice.

  He groaned, and that settled it. He was coming around. He was a strong werewolf and he probably had an even chance of making it. If by now he hadn’t had enough of Katherine Akara and ever came back for thirds, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. Without deliberating the issue further, she kicked him hard over the side. Swimming time, old chum. The boat continued forward, leaving him in its churning wake as she accelerated away. She definitely heard splashing and coughing. Crap, his odds are probably much better than even. She had the feeling that she was later going to regret her mercy.

  Chapter 5

  “Excuse me, Wi—Prime Alpha Hawke, I am sorry to interrupt you, but something has come up that requires your urgent attention.”

  Brad actually established eye contact for a fraction of a second. For a submissive dormant Were that was a monumental effort, letting him know that whatever it was, it was damned important.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen,” he said to the Alphas he was sitting with. “I will return as soon as possible.”

  “What’s up, Brad?” he asked as he rushed to keep up with the rapid pace the young man set.

  “Jo made contact through the WeresRus website and has just asked me if I know who Katherine Akara is.”

  “Whoa, that’s not a random question. What do you think this Jo wants?”

  “I think he’s making sure we are who we say we are and not a bunch of wackos in their mom’s basement before he gets to the point.”

  “Is Jo online right now?”

  “Yep.”

  They entered the office to find Angela, his assistant, at her desk, sitting on Mike Evans’s knee. Was nothing going to go easy today? He let out a loud sigh. The place was going to the dogs…or wolves…whatever.

  “Angela, have you heard from Ashok Khan or the Russians?”

  His normally sup
er-efficient assistant had a glazed look to her eyes. He wondered what Mike was doing with his hand under the desk. A slight flaring of his nostrils, and he knew for sure.

  “Angela, pay attention when your Alpha speaks to you.” He used “the voice,” which had her blinking and suddenly looking flustered. Mike, on the other hand, visibly bristled.

  “She’s my mate, you’re not—”

  “I am until Thursday night,” he interrupted.

  Mike glared at him for a moment, and they locked eyes. For a second the air seemed to thicken with tension, but then the normally reasonable Australian shrugged and smiled.

  “You’re right, Will, I apologize for my overenthusiastic response.” Mike spoke softly and broke eye contact first.

  “I understand, and mate actually trumps Alpha. I’m sorry that I need Angela to work at all. You’ll soon be bound, my friend, and at a Were Council full-moon run, too.” He slapped Mike on the back in congratulations. “Angela?” he said again, trying to keep her focused.

  “I can’t get hold of Prime Khan, but the Siberians called a few hours ago, they said”—she put on a heavy accent—“‘We are making big good time and party. We will be back soon.’”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle at her impression of the normally stoic twins. He guessed that everyone needed to blow off steam sometimes. He looked at his pretty assistant and then at Mike.

  “Go on,” he jerked his head at the door, “it’s late. We’ve a lot to do tomorrow, but Brad has agreed to continue to take on most of your duties.”