Alpha Bait Read online

  Part of her didn’t want to get too close to Scorch. She knew Chain would be waiting at some point to take her or to take Scorch. If he knew she wasn’t trying to lure him out then Chain would kill her. She really didn’t want to die at Chain’s hands, but she also didn’t want to betray Scorch.

  “Most of the time he goes through life keeping the pack together, working toward keeping us all strong. He doesn’t allow men to lose control of the wolf. His father was similar, and our pack as a whole has flourished. Through it all he hasn’t once taken a woman as a mate.” Mandy was chopping an array of vegetables to go into a soup pot.

  Victoria loved how they all worked together as a family, eating, sharing fun. They had all talked about the chaos of Christmas. Scorch gave them all money, and at some point between September and December they all ventured to the local town and city to buy gifts. The house was decorated, and the food was nonstop. Victoria wanted to experience it at some point, but she knew she was never going to get the chance. The full moon was fast approaching. She could force it to two full moons, but Chain would be impatient.

  “What about Lidia? He seemed close to her.” Walking to the pot, Victoria started to stir the vegetables into the meat so they were all combined.

  “She was a distraction for him. Scorch will not pick a woman from the pack to find pleasure inside. Lidia was his fuck buddy.” Mandy chuckled. “She would come to the pack, fuck Scorch, and think it gave her respect. None of us talked to her at all. We all despised her, but she thought it meant respect. She also stank really bad. The city with all the pollution is not a good place for a wolf to be.” Mandy wrinkled her nose, and Victoria couldn’t stop laughing.

  The back door opened, and suddenly she was hurled in the air. Scorch’s manly scent surrounded her stopping the panic from rising up inside her. “Where is not a good place for a wolf to be?” he asked, sinking his head against his neck and breathing her in.

  Closing her eyes she tried to hold back the moan. Mandy was smiling looking between them when she opened her eyes again. “You two look amazing together.”

  “You hear that, Tori? We’ve got to get married. One of the women in my pack approves. We should strike while the iron is hot.”

  She couldn’t stop the laugh at his teasing. “Okay, we’ll get married, and I’ll be your queen.”

  He stopped smiling, cupped her face and stared into her eyes. “Be careful what you say.”

  “Why? We were only joking around.”

  Scorch leaned in close so his lips touched her ear. “I wasn’t.” He pulled away, heading toward the door. “Both of you should come out when the dinner is on. It’s cold, and I hear the kids conspiring that they’re going to snowball us.”

  He disappeared out the door leaving a cold spell in his wake.

  “I told you. You’ve made him so happy.”

  “He’s talking about marriage.”

  “Have you ever considered the fact your wolves are quiet when you’re together? Neither of you look put out or close to the edge. In fact, I’m sure I’ve heard you both purring in each other’s company.”

  “Wolves don’t purr,” Victoria said, trying to deny the truth.

  “Fine. I’ve heard you both growling lustfully at each other. I know what I heard, and I know the whole pack is looking forward to your mating. It’s only a matter of time before you realize the truth. Perhaps in wolf form you’ll see the truth glaring at you.” Mandy put the peels in the recycle bucket before heading toward the door.

  “Mating, how do you know?” Victoria had never found a male who made her feel this way. There were times in Scorch’s company she just wanted to rub all over him. He made her forget about her weight issues and Chain. For once in her life she was able to feel without being terrified. Chain took everything away while Scorch gave her everything.

  “When you find the male suited to you, you just know. I’m mated to David. He’s the love of my life, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.” Mandy looked outside, staring at her man. “You’ll know. At the moment you’re holding yourself back from whatever pain is keeping you locked in its trap.” Mandy shrugged. “Take your time. I know the alpha is not going anywhere.”

  She left the same way as Scorch did. Folding her arms underneath her breasts, Victoria stared out of the window once again. Scorch was chasing after the children, making his hands out to be claws as they ran away screaming. She chuckled. They all clearly loved their alpha. There were no kids in Chain’s pack. The parents with children had disappeared the moment Chain started to show signs of changing for the worse. Her parents stuck it out believing their alpha would overcome the strong hold of whatever it was that held him.

  All the children were wrapped up in coats, scarves, hats, and gloves. None of them had gone through the change as yet, so their temperatures were that of full blooded humans. The adults, the fully changed wolves, wore only jackets.

  Grabbing the jacket off the rail beside the door she headed out toward the group. Several women stopped her to comment on her appearance. They were all embracing her, wrapping her within their warmth. Arms banded around her waist, and Scorch pressed his nose against her neck. She hadn’t gotten the chance to leave the group of women, and it felt like he’d come to claim her instead.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to come out and play,” he said, breathing in deeply.

  “Women like to talk.” Her pulse pounded against her neck as cream soaked her panties. He turned her on so easily.

  They’d been spending time getting to know each other every morning. She’d tasted his cum on her tongue and loved how she got him to lose control. He never pushed her to do more. They touched, stroked, caressed and took the time with each other. Slowly, Victoria felt herself falling for him. His temperament and the way he treated her were so sweet she couldn’t help but fall. He was the complete opposite of Chain.

  “I’m just taking her over here, ladies,” Scorch said, lifting her up and practically carrying her over to the group he’d been talking to. David had his arms wrapped around Mandy, and she saw several men smiling at them. “We’re talking about the next full moon run. It’s David’s turn to stay behind to keep an eye on the kids while the rest of us go for a run to blow off steam.”

  “Do you mind staying behind?” Victoria asked.

  “No, it’s my turn. We all take turns. Mandy did it last month, and before that Blake did. We all take turns.”

  “Do you take your turn?” She turned her attention back to Scorch.

  “Of course. My turn is not next full moon but the one after. I pull my weight. It’s my pack, and I’m not willing to give out orders without doing it myself. I don’t work like that.” His arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

  She loved the warmth from his body as they stood in the cold. “Then I’d like to help.”

  “You can share Scorch’s day. He could do with the company,” Mandy said, smiling sweetly.

  “Sure, why not?”

  What about Chain?

  He’s going to kill you if you don’t give him what he wants. He wanted Scorch distracted by his attraction to her so that he could kill Scorch easily. What did Chain really want to do with him other than kill him? Scorch didn’t pose a threat to any pack. The old fear her previous alpha had caused rose up.

  She stared at the ground wishing there was some way out of what Chain had made her do.

  ****

  Scorch felt her withdraw from the conversation. Her body tensed up, and her gaze stayed on the ground covered with snow. Glancing at Mandy he saw the concern in the other woman’s eyes. All of his pack was concerned with the woman in his arms. He knew they accepted her as his life-mate.

  “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, whispering against her ear.

  She turned her head, nodding. “Of course. Nothing is wrong at all. Everything is fine.”

  “Tori, look up,” one of the kids said, calling her name.

  A white ball of snow landed on her chest. S
he jumped out of his arms, collapsing to the ground in the snow. Scorch tensed expecting her to lash out and say something to upset the whole of the pack.

  Instead, Victoria spread her arms out creating a snow angel while laughing.

  “Tell them they’ve got five minutes and then I’m going to get them back.” Her eyes were glinting up at him.

  “You got it.” Turning to the kids, he held his hands up to be heard. “You’ve got five minutes, adults against children. Snowball fight will happen. The main objective of this mission,” he said, looking all around, “is fun. If you’re not having fun, you’ve lost.”

  The kids ran around the back of the house, screaming and laughing. He heard them all whispering. The adults banded together, walked out of the gate and stared across the distance waiting for Scorch to announce the beginning of the snowball fight.

  He helped Victoria up out of the snow. She brushed it off her clothes and followed him toward his spot. They stood hand in hand waiting. His heart was pounding as the excitement built within. This was his future with Victoria by his side. He knew deep in his heart that they could achieve so much together.

  Every now and then he saw the pack watching them together. They were waiting for him to announce his mating with Victoria. Yesterday he’d gotten a call from Lidia demanding a second chance. He refused her offer, not wanting her anywhere near his pack. She was a sickness he didn’t wish to spread around.

  “Scorch, are you ready?” Victoria asked.

  He was ready for a lot more than a snowball fight.

  “Remember, key rules, have fun. Otherwise you’re a loser.” He made sure everyone could hear him as he shouted the words. “Five … four … three … two … one … fight!”

  The children screamed as they ran out behind them from the trees. Victoria squealed as they were pelted with snowballs from the children. Scorch had heard the kids coming behind them.

  Pretending to be scared, he jumped over the fence, picking Victoria up and over the fence. He rolled up balls, but once his arms left her, she was grabbing snow turning them into balls and pelting them over the wall.

  The laughter going on all around them was amazing. His pack was in full flow pelting snowballs and pretending to die as they were hit by a flying ball. The kids were stopping as they fell over laughing.

  The snowball fight was carrying on. Grabbing her hand, he led her away from the main fight. He pressed her against the side of the house, staring into her eyes.

  “I don’t want you to leave,” he said.

  “The fight, the kids, Scorch, we can talk about this another time.” She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her.

  “They’re fighting without us. I need to hear you agree to be by my side.”

  “Don’t do this. We’re having fun. I’m not ready to move on or to agree to anything.” She reached out, cupping his face. “I like you, Scorch, and I’m grateful to everything you’ve done for me. I was a stranger and you took me in, and I’ll always be indebted to you but don’t ask me this, please.”

  Touching her hands, Scorch saw the pain in her eyes.

  “You’re scared of someone, and I will protect you, Tori. You feel this between us.” He pressed a palm against her chest feeling her heart race under his touch. “I know what Mandy was talking about. You can stay inside the house at the full moon, or you can come and see what she means about our wolves.”

  Cupping her cheek, he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. She gasped, opening up and letting him inside. Plunging his tongue in deep, he pressed his body against hers, letting her feel his need for her. His cock was in a state of a constant erection around her.

  Pulling away, he let her go and headed off in the opposite direction. The fight had finished, and the kids were happy. Scorch didn’t feel like being around his pack at that moment. Victoria made no move to follow him. Heading through the trees he kept on walking knowing someone was following behind him.

  David joined him without saying a word.

  “You should be with the pack and your mate.” He growled out the last word knowing David and Mandy didn’t deserve his anger.

  “I’m not leaving you alone. I heard what went on between the two of you.”

  “So, she doesn’t want to be with me. She’s grateful for my help.” He snarled the words out hating himself for being angry because she wouldn’t give him what he wanted.

  “Scorch, it has nothing to do with you, okay? She came from a pack that clearly hurts its people. Think about the way she looked the moment you found her,” David said, stopping Scorch from moving.

  He’d not considered her old pack or what it meant. She had been tied to a tree. There was something he was missing. Victoria tried to keep him at arms’ length as if she were afraid to get too close. Her nightmares were always about chains and being hurt.

  “Someone tied her to that tree,” Scorch said.

  “I didn’t want to bring this up because she’s a lovely woman, and I know your wolf wants to mate with her.” David stepped closer. “But I need you to look past your need for her and think about something else.”

  Staring at his man, his wolf wanted to deny the claim he’d not been thinking clearly. Scorch knew what David said was the truth. All he’d thought about was her care and how her recovery was going. There was not a mark on her beautiful body.

  “I’m listening. Voice your concerns.” He folded his arms waiting for David to speak up.

  “The pack adores her. I adore her and so does Mandy, but you’ve got to think about why she’s here and where she came from. We can’t trust that. Mandy thinks my concerns are unnecessary, but this pack is my home.”

  Scorch didn’t want to hear anymore, yet everything David said did raise concerns inside him. “Talk. You know the pack comes first.”

  “I’m really sorry to bring this to you. She was tied to a tree, and the wounds had purposefully been left open. The cold didn’t help. She was bound to a tree that is far enough away so we wouldn’t suspect anything yet close enough for our pack to stumble on her. Her body was washed of all scent. I can’t help but think someone tried to wash the scent from her skin. She doesn’t talk about where she comes from, and there is always a guilty look in her eye when she looks at you.”

  “She’s not here by mistake.” Scorch hadn’t given it any thought. His wolf loved her, wanted to mate with her, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until he got what he wanted.

  “I’m really sorry to bring this kind of information to you,” David said. “I think she’s after you, or at least someone wants you to be vulnerable.”

  “I don’t want you to talk to anyone about this, you understand? I will be talking to her immediately, but I cannot do my job if I’m worried about you and the danger she could pose to our pack.” Scorch waited for his man to agree.

  “You know me, alpha, I’m here for you.”

  “Good, let’s head back. I want to get some time alone with our little guest.”

  His wolf was demanding he turn back, but Scorch finally saw the error in not questioning her dubious entrance into his life. The pack came first. Pleasure was last on his list of concerns to deal with.

  Everyone had moved inside the house as another fresh layer of snowfall had started. Entering the house he saw Victoria serving up the soup with Mandy. She smiled at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to smile back. His suspicions were high when it came to her.

  Taking a bowl and some bread through to his office, he sat down letting his thoughts flow through him with ease. The pack came first, and he hoped to whoever was listening that Victoria was innocent of the crimes David was thinking.

  Chapter Six

  Victoria stood at the window once again feeling nervous. Scorch hadn’t joined them for dinner, and David hadn’t looked her way at all. Dinner had been a stilted affair. The whole hour had left her feeling uncomfortable. Scorch had locked himself away in his office. She’d seen the door closed with only David going in
and out. Unable to handle the nerves she’d disappeared to her bedroom. What should she do?

  Every passing second scared the hell out of her. What would he do when he found out the truth?

  Crap. Her hands started to shake. Holding onto the window frame she tried with all of her might to hold onto her sanity while at the same time feeling terrified of what was about to come.

  Get a grip. Nothing is going to happen.

  He knows the truth.

  Tell him the truth.

  Her thoughts were threatening to kill her.

  “Shut up,” she said, trying to stop her thoughts.

  “Where do you come from?” Scorch asked.

  Jerking, she turned to see him stood in the doorway. He entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

  “What do you mean?” Her heart was thumping, and it had nothing to do with sexual arousal.

  Scorch was locked down. There was no smile in sight as his blue eyes stared up and down her body.

  “You’ve got a story to tell. I want to hear it, and you’re not leaving this room until you tell me the truth.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She stared out across the distance hating Chain for doing what he did.

  “You’re my mate, Tori. When we turn you’ll know our wolves are destined to be together.” He leaned against the doorframe stopping her escape.

  The window is still my way to freedom.

  “I won’t let you jump. I’ll stop you before you can even take the plunge,” he said.

  “Are you a mind reader?”

  “No, I want to know the truth about the woman who I would do everything in my power to protect her. David knows there is something about you that doesn’t add up. I agree with him. Answer my questions. You haven’t forgotten anything about your past, have you?” he asked.

  Running her hand up and down the window frame she battled with her own thoughts about what was to come. Scorch and the Fire Pack had been nothing but nice to her.

  Don’t let Chain win. Defeat him. Stop him from getting what he wants.