Denying the Alpha Read online

  He didn’t know how to deal with this new revelation.

  “Boss?” Axel had shifted into his skin, a look of concern on his face.

  “What?”

  “Want me to kill her?”

  Despite his confusion, one thing had never been clearer. No one touched his mate.

  “She’s not to be harmed. Bring her back to the camp.”

  His beta threw his arms up. “Back to our camp? She’s a worthless human. End this now.”

  “Since when do I take orders from you? If one hair on her head is out of place, you’ll answer for it.” Titus returned to the ring, his wolves baring their fangs at the girl … his mate. He had to remember how to act as a human, how to converse and behave. Although he was a shifter, split between two worlds, he’d never embraced his human side as other shapeshifters had. The Black Rock Creek Pack had always inhabited the harshest expanse of wilderness, going back for generations. It was survival of the fittest, and he knew never to show weakness, not even within his own pack. The fact made him worry for his mate. The little human wouldn’t be accepted. And it would be a full-time job keeping her safe from all the forest predators.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  Her voice was barely a whisper, soft and feminine. “Lilly.”

  “I’m called Titus. Where did you come from?”

  She shifted into a sitting position, the rags she wore barely covering her full tits. “I was traveling with a group but got separated weeks ago. I’ve been surviving on berries and roots.” Lilly looked around at the wolves, her lower lip quivering. “Please don’t let them hurt me.”

  He bent down and tilted her chin up. She was breathtaking, and all he could think about was fucking her. “You’re safe with me. I’m taking you to my camp. We have more than enough food and supplies for you.”

  She touched his leg as he attempted to walk away. “I’m scared. Please don’t go.”

  Titus planned to let his pack handle her so he could get his thoughts together. There was so much to think about, and his emotions were getting the better of him. After all these years, the gods had sent him a woman. He felt blessed and cursed all at once. She’s wasn’t a she-wolf, but he’d deal with it. His entire life was devoted to Lilly now.

  ****

  Lilly wrapped herself around Titus’s arm as they hiked through the forest. It was hard and thick with muscle. The wolves had scattered in different directions, but she knew they were close and watching.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “We have plenty of meat. You’ll never be hungry again.”

  She expected to wake up from a dream. This was way too easy. Worst-case scenario, she expected the Alpha of the Black Rock Creek Pack to try to kill her, and at best, she hoped they’d lead her to their camp. But Titus had taken a liking to her, looking at her like a man possessed. She wondered if he was acting and leading her into a trap. Or had her flirtation actually paid off?

  “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found me,” she said, holding his arm a little tighter. Never mind tracking, she should get an Oscar for her performance.

  He growled and the sound traveled all the way down to her clit. She wasn’t supposed to have feelings for the enemy. But the enemy wasn’t supposed to be ripped to fucking perfection with dark eyes that tore down all her barriers. The Hawthorn Clan had sent her to find their missing elder, and her plan to infiltrate Black Rock Creek had gone better than planned.

  She knew why they’d sent her. It wasn’t just because she was one of the best trackers.

  Lilly was disposable.

  As one of the few unmated females in the pack, she was quickly ordered by her Alpha to find and retrieve their elder. He was a valuable asset, coveted by other shifters. Her Alpha believed he brought power to his pack, giving them strength and a leading edge. If a rival stole him away, they’d benefit from Oslow’s power. She was ordered to get him back at any cost.

  She remembered her Alpha’s last words to her. “Bring Oslow back alive, or don’t come home at all.” Part of her wanted to tell him to fuck off. She could survive as an exile, and she had for most of her life. Even as a child the wolf pups wouldn’t play with her. Adults barely tolerated her. Loneliness had always been her best friend. But she bit her tongue and followed orders, looking forward to the challenge and the chance to move up the ranks in the pack. She had something to prove, and the fact she was retrieving Oslow made it personal. He was the only wolf to treat her with kindness, standing up for her and teaching her hunting tactics when she was young. Now he was old and frail, and the only wolf in the pack who cared if she lived or died. She needed to find him and bring him home.

  It was unpleasant traversing the forest with her delicate human feet. She craved to shift into her fur, not only for comfort, but to have her teeth and claws ready in case of trouble.

  Her estimate wasn’t too far off. They arrived at the camp less than an hour later.

  “We live simply here, but you’ll be cared for,” said Titus. This pack really lived off the grid. There were no human structures, just a series of crude dens. They had a reputation for being cutthroat, one of the most lethal packs in the country. Other wolves rarely challenged them, and when they did, they never came out on top. She needed to find the elder and get out as soon as possible. It wouldn’t take long for one of Titus’s packmates to figure her out, no matter how good she was at playing human.

  He motioned for her to enter a den, and she did as told, crawling in on her hands and knees. It smelled like him … the Alpha’s den. Her body heated, her own traitorous desires distracting her from her mission.

  “This is probably not what you’re used to.”

  “It’s nice,” she said.

  He sat next to her in the large den, the floor a thick bed of soft needles. “I’m not sure where to start,” he said. “I never planned on any of this, but as soon as I scented you, I knew.”

  “Knew what?”

  “That you’re the only woman for me.”

  Holy shit. This couldn’t be happening. The Alpha of the Black Rock Creek Pack was coming on to her. He probably wanted the novelty of fucking a human, but she still felt flattered by his attention. She needed to stay focused and carefully turn down his advances while trying to locate Oslow.

  “You don’t know me,” she said.

  “This isn’t the city, Lilly. Things are different out here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We don’t date. We don’t play games. Out here, we mate for life. There’s only one female for us.”

  She giggled, trying to be cute. Alphas had an innate desire to protect and dominate, and she was going to use it to her advantage. “And you think I’m that mate?”

  “I don’t think, I know.”

  Lilly swallowed hard. He sounded sincere. Did her rival, the pack Alpha no less, actually think she was his fated mate? She wasn’t falling for it. Her life had been a long series of disappointments. She’d learned one thing—she could only depend on herself, and she didn’t need a man to feel complete. Being unmated at twenty-eight put her in an uncomfortable place in the pack. Other shifters treated her like she had an infectious disease, unable to understand why she lived alone on the outskirts of their camp. Getting too close to anyone only ended up badly, so she focused on becoming the best—hunting, tracking, and pack protection.

  “What if I’m already married?”

  He frowned. Titus took both her hands, examining her fingers. “No ring. Don’t your males claim their women with rings?” His ignorance about humans was oddly endearing. Lilly had lived in both worlds and could blend as a woman or an animal.

  “Sometimes.”

  His jaw twitched, and she wondered what he was thinking. “You were on my territory. I saved you from my wolves. I’m claiming you as mine.”

  Those words should be raising her hackles, instead her pussy pulsed and her heart pounded in her chest. Her inner b
east wanted this, wanted him, but she knew better. She’d never be owned. Still, she played along for the sake of her mission.

  “How can a human own wolves? Aren’t they wild animals, impossible to tame?” As long as she was stalling, she’d have some fun with him.

  “I guess I’m a good trainer.”

  “And you want me as a pet too?”

  He took a deep breath, his large ribs expanding. Even though the den was a mix of shadows, his eyes were intense, staring at her with unblinking focus. “I want you for a lot of things, but not a pet. The gods sent you to me, I’m certain of it. That’s why I found you in my woods. Do you feel anything for me, Lilly?”

  She shrugged, tempted to play along, but knowing it would be her own undoing.

  “I’ll give you time. I’m a patient man.”

  Lilly pulled her hair over one shoulder, fiddling with the knots. She had to get alone so she could search for Oslow, but Titus wasn’t budging.

  He reached out and felt her hair. “Such a pretty yellow.”

  “It’s called blonde,” she said, unable to hide her smirk. She’d never met such feral shifters in her life.

  “Is all the hair on your body the same?” He reached for the cotton shorts she was wearing, but she swatted his hand.

  “You promised to be patient. That means no touching.”

  “But you’re my mate.” He leaned closer, his Alpha aura pulling her in. Was he going to kiss her? She was supposed to hate him and his entire pack. The Black Rock Creek Pack was the worst of the worst. They’d kidnapped their elder. But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t crave to feel him pressed between her legs, his muscular body glistening in sweat as he fucked her like an animal.

  “I need to get out of here.” She bolted to her feet and rushed to the entrance of the den.

  Chapter Two

  Titus watched her leave his den purely to see her ass as she did. It was nice and plump and he couldn’t wait to feel it nestled against him as he rode her pussy or after when she fell asleep in his arms. So many years of waiting, and he’d finally been blessed.

  These feelings were shocking to him. He’d always dreamed of finding his mate. The scent he picked up around her was fucking incredible. Her human part, that was a little … tricky. He didn’t want to hurt her and humans were so damn fragile.

  His cock had never been this hard. The need to take her beneath him, spread her pretty thighs, and fill her tight cunt was so intense.

  She’s in danger.

  He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was scared, that she needed him.

  Getting his head in the game, he climbed out of his den, which already had her scent lingering in, and came to a stop.

  His pack had circled around her once again. Fuckers. Others stood by in their human forms. Lilly turned around, watching all of them. She looked petrified, but he also saw the determination in her gaze.

  This woman.

  This stranger.

  She was a fighter.

  A human surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves that wanted blood for her daring to come onto their land.

  “Who are you?” Axel asked.

  “I don’t have to answer to you.”

  “You think you can come in here and just take our Alpha with your disgusting human pussy?” Danny, one of their strongest females, spat at her feet.

  Lilly rolled her eyes and he didn’t like how she seemed to be mocking them. She didn’t understand that as a human there was no way for her to fight these people. They were all wolf shifters and she was a human who entered their pack.

  “Enough!” He broke through the circle and crouched down with his back toward her. He kept his gaze on his pack.

  “You’re seriously going to allow this human access to our pack, to our way of life?” Axel asked. “If you’re going to keep her alive, she should be in a cage.”

  Out of all of the men, Axel had always been closest to him. There had been a time he considered him a friend but just of late, Axel had proven his thirst for leading, for wanting to take over. To make this pack his own.

  This pack was one of the most feared because Titus didn’t have an agenda. He wasn’t cruel to his people, nor did he go on the offensive. But he would protect his land and his pack with no mercy. Glancing toward Sean and Anna, a new couple in the pack, he noted they weren’t hissing or glaring at his mate. They stood on the sidelines, looking, waiting.

  Axel had a thing for Anna, but it hadn’t been reciprocated, and because Titus approved of the relationship, Axel had been seriously pissed off. Every decision he made, Axel tried to overturn.

  His friend and beta was starting to wear on his last nerve. The mating call was clear, and Titus knew that firsthand now. His beta was acting like a prepubescent pup.

  In recent years, the power Axel had as beta had gone to his head. His friend needed to remember who was Alpha of their pack.

  “She needs to be destroyed,” one of the pack yelled.

  “She could lure other humans here,” another cried out. “They’ll destroy us all.”

  He listened as they all started to yell at him.

  They stank of fear.

  The same fear that Axel had instilled in them. Without a strong, fearless leader, they had no hope.

  “You will not kill her. Or harm her.” He stood up tall, letting them all see his strength.

  Killing Axel wouldn’t be a hardship.

  It would be so fucking easy, but he didn’t want that.

  He’d trained Axel, but the cocky bastard was power-hungry.

  He wouldn’t allow Axel to even think he could win. But he’d give him a chance to alter his ways. Hoped he’d have a change of heart.

  “She’s my mate,” Titus said, letting his words sink in. The words seemed to echo through the forest canopy. Silence settled over the camp. It was unheard of—a wolf mating a human.

  As a collective, they took a step back.

  “If you hurt her, I’ll consider that a personal threat, and you’ll have to take me on. To fight against me. Are you willing to let that happen after all I’ve done for you?” He paused, letting them think about all the times he’d saved them. How he’d made their pack strong, fearless. They never had to worry about anyone or anything and that was because of him and his ancestors.

  “No!” Axel’s hand slashed through the air. He’d remained standing so close. Too close.

  Titus made sure to stay between him and Lilly.

  There was no way that Axel would take his woman or demand he cut her loose. Not after all the years he’d put off finding her for the sake of his pack.

  They all knew he’d waited long and hard, forever putting the pack first.

  “You choose a human over us?” Axel’s voice rose so all could hear. “They are forever getting closer, determined to wipe us out with their technology. They’ll kill us all given the chance, and you’re going to take a human female as a mate?”

  ****

  Okay, Lilly thought her pack was bad, but this was so much worse. The way the beta kept on back-talking and trying to instill fear from nothing was unreal. She watched him closely, seeing the insanity lurking behind his eyes, and her beast wasn’t happy.

  They all thought she was a human, which simply … irritated her now. Especially as she’d never been a human.

  She was one hundred percent shifter, just not a wolf breed. They clearly all lived in the dark ages if they thought she wasn’t a shifter.

  There was no way she’d have survived this long and this deep in the fucking forest if she’d been a pathetic human. They had no idea what they were dealing with.

  Humans were … animals.

  She’d had a run in with them many years ago when she’d been a young shifter and loved exploring. Lilly had stumbled onto a human camp and they’d hunted her, shooting at her. It had been the scariest five hours of her life.

  As an adult, she’d adapted and embraced her human side to benefit her pack. She could easily blend in to human
society for supplies, information, and to understand their customs. If they stayed in the dark ages, only living feral, it would be to their downfall.

  One thing she learned—she’d choose life as a shifter any day. There was no way she’d ever be cruel like humans were. She only wished her pack was more accepting of her, but she was a misfit, and that wasn’t going to change.

  She’d ventured far from everything she knew to find the elder her pack loved so much. He was special to her in so many ways. Studying Titus’s pack, she saw they were all struggling with Axel’s demands. This wasn’t good.

  She couldn’t let them know what she was.

  If they didn’t have the elder, then she intended to leave. Glancing around at the group, she saw them all staring at her with fear and uncertainty.

  The last thing she wanted to do was hurt them. They were just as innocent to human ways as their Alpha, and she didn’t fault them for that. It was almost refreshing.

  The beta was different. She sized him up. He was clearly strong, but she believed she could take him. Why was he so uptight?

  Relax.

  Show fear.

  Be human.

  Don’t give them reason to think you’re anything different.

  She was good at trying to fit in. It was the story of her life. Being a wild cat in a pack of wolves was a special kind of hell. The Alpha female had pity on the abandoned cub, taking her in, and over the years she’d been … tolerated. She still felt alone every day of her life.

  While she had no location on the elder, she’d have to blend in. To pretend to be human. What she did next went against everything inside her. She was a fighter. Growing up in a pack of wolves, she had to be. No one allowed for weakness and as she sank to her knees, placing her hands in the dirt, and forced tears to her eyes, she tried to remember this was for a good reason.

  “Please don’t kill me.” She tried to appear submissive. Every single part of her wanted to kill this piece-of-shit beta. He didn’t deserve to be by Titus’s side. Her own thought surprised her. She came here already hating Titus, but he was already growing on her.