Saved by the Alpha Wolves Read online

  All eyes were on me as I climbed down the steps. My body heated and I fought the urge to blush. Damn it but these guys looked like they liked what they saw. Being constantly on the receiving end, it was quite easy to recognize raw male appreciation when faced with it.

  A low whistle was heard as I found a place to sit. Thankfully, there were five chairs in the room and since four were already occupied, I took the only available one.

  "You clean up nice."

  "Thank you, Blake," I said, knowing he was the one who had whistled. Sitting in their midst now, I could now differentiate their scents.

  There was Jake's forest.

  Tristan's sea.

  Then earth mixed with water. Like the smell after rain. Following it, my eyes settled on Hunter, and I smiled inwardly. For how handsome he was, he reminded me of a geek with glasses, nervous around women.

  Then there was the last scent. Pinewood and wild berries. I couldn't resist the chuckle that escaped. Blake. Sharp and wild.

  Jake, who was the closest to me, clearly heard it. His eyes darted to me and one eyebrow arched. I could see his unasked question, what was so funny? I smugly acted like I didn't see.

  "I want to thank you guys for everything. Really. My night would have been much different, if you guys hadn't come around. Even if I'd been able to escape from the fight with my life, I would probably still be roaming around in my wolf or my naked behind, in the cold and maybe hungry." They laughed at that and I smiled in return.

  "You are welcome. We had been tracking the bears though. We had run into them snooping around a while earlier but they were able to escape. We kept tracking them until we came upon the fight. We didn't even think twice. Two bears against one of our own. There was no choice to be made," Tristan said, and I nodded, taking it in.

  "That's right. Only regret I have is that we didn't kill them," Blake added.

  "At least we sent them home with enough fatal injuries. That would send the message across," Jake said quietly, and I nodded again... He was right. At least that way they'd know the wolves had meant business, and not to be messed with.

  "You were really good though. You had slowed them down enough. We didn't have to do much," Hunter put in, holding my gaze for the second time that evening. I smiled warmly at him, and his eyes darted away. The contact was broken.

  "I was totally teasing earlier. You really did a good job."

  "Gee. Look who else bit back their words. Thanks Blake. That means a lot." I said and I saw his grey eyes had begun twinkling.

  "Sassy. Sarcastic. Witty. Mighty fine, and hella strong. Whew! Is the whole pack of Black Mountain blind, or are they just plain crazy?"

  I don't know which caused my body to tremble all over; his words or the way his eyes roamed all over me as he said them. I heard a grunt beside me.

  We all fell into easy chatter. I was able to appreciate how hot these guys really were. I already knew they were tall, but they all had firm muscles bulging beneath their clothes. They too had cleaned up in the time I had, and were all looking like delicious pieces of cake.

  I checked out Hunter, who, despite his red hair and shyness, looked as hot as one of those football stars. He was tanned, which wolves usually were, and his green eyes shone with sharp intelligence. His jaw was nicely shaped and he was clean shaven. He had a nose that would make a makeup artist jealous and from when I'd seen him smile, I know he only got more handsome. Although he looked to be less muscular than Jake and Blake, he certainly wasn't lacking. Any woman with eyes would want a taste, and mine were in perfect condition.

  Resisting the urge to lick my lips, my eyes moved to Tristan. The intense one. There was just something about that aura that made him extra attractive. It was like honey that drove bees to a hive. Unlike Hunter, he had neat a beard running; a sexy goatee that I would not mind rubbing against at all. I imagined where else he might be hairy, and found my fingers itching to find out. Then my eyes settled on his lips. Oh Lord. I could kiss those lips all day long and never get tired. He almost caught me looking, thankfully, I was able to shift my gaze to Blake, Just in time.

  Blake had facial hair like Tristan’s, although there were no traces of a mustache. His nose was just perfect. Same with his lips, but it was his smile that drew me in. That lopsided grin with enough watts to melt me, to puddle at will. Especially when he teased and they curved lazily at one end, with laughter. I had a suspicion he did it on purpose, and planned on proving my theory. My eye went to his hands as he flexed them, and I immediately thought about a million things he could do to me with those long, clean fingers.

  "Brianna?" I startled out of my thoughts as I heard my name being called. Looking up, my eyes found Hunter's worried expression.

  "I'm sorry. I zoned out for a minute there. Lots of thoughts running through here." I tapped the side of my head and mentally mocked myself. Yeah, like the chance of going to bed with all of them.

  "She's probably suffering from shock after what happened earlier." Arrogant Ass! I turned sideways to look at him.

  "Have I offended you or your delicate sensibilities in some way? You seem to have an issue with me. So, please, enlighten me. What have I done to you?" I stared him right in the eyes. He would not intimidate me! He stared back at me, stunned. It looked like he was about to rip me a new one, when his pretty mouth opened to retort, and then he smiled. He smiled his beautiful smile at me. He was impressed.

  The guys let the moment pass, said nothing, and then started talking like we had been friends forever. Pretty soon I was yawning, and they caught the hint. They all stood up, and waited for me to stand. I thanked them again for taking such good care of me.

  Jake spoke up, "Everybody get some rest. Since the bears have been sniffing around a lot, I think we should all stay here together tonight." With that, he headed upstairs.

  Blake took it upon himself to walk me up to the room I had been in earlier, to clean up, and was going to sleep in. He didn’t hang around, just showed me to the door and walked away with a kind good night.

  I smiled, and headed in the room. All the guys were on my mind, but one stood out in particular. Why did he have to be the one occupying so much of my thoughts? I slipped in under the covers and closed my eyes.

  It seemed like only minutes had passed when I awoke to bellowing. Jake. Jake was yelling at us all to wake up. I slipped out of bed, not bothering to add any pants and hurried down the stairs. We all congregated at the bottom of the stairs. Hunter and Tristan were in tight boxers, and Blake had a blanket wrapped around his hips. Oh. He sleeps naked? My dirty, unmated brain was in a tizzy, but Jake interrupted my salacious thoughts.

  "Reina called. She said Sky Land was attacked. A couple of lives were lost. Including two pups."

  "Fuck," Blake blurted out, while the others stayed quiet as they took the info in. Sky Land was more than just a pack. It was a wolf village and it prospered. Was that where Blake and Jake had come from?

  "Bears?" Hunter asked, and Jake nodded. They all cursed now.

  "We need to head there. Now. Everyone get packed. We eat and leave in less than 30." Jake's voice was so still and calm, it chilled my insides.

  Then everyone was on the move. Heading back upstairs, to get dressed and packed. I followed.

  Jake turned to me. “You don’t have to come. You stay here. We can handle this.” His tone implied his Alpha-ness, and assholery.

  I was having none of that. “What? I’m going. You guys saved my ass yesterday. I feel fine, better than fine. I am going,” I replied, in a tone that implied I was not to be argued with.

  Jake was definitely not an Alpha anyone would want to piss off. Blake had been right; this was one big bad wolf. But he would not intimidate me. I wanted to help. I owed them for saving my life.

  Jake stared at me, like he could not believe the way I was acting, or the words coming out of my mouth. I saw his shoulders relax slightly, and then he nodded, a short nod, but a nod nonetheless, in the affirmative.

  I nodde
d back. I would not smile, not to his face. He didn’t need another arrogant member of his team, he was enough!

  I retreated to the room I had slept in, searching for the pants I had worn the night before. There was a knock on my door. I opened it and was surprised to find Jake standing there. It had taken him thirty seconds to gather clothes for me? Wow.

  He passed me the pile of clothes, and said quietly, “Thank you, Bri.”

  I smiled, and took the clothes from him. I liked the nickname. He turned and walked away. I watched his fine ass walk away from me. I almost giggled, but then remembered the serious situation we were about to embark on and closed the door to get ready as quick as possible.

  Chapter Four

  Thankfully, I had my small backpack back, which contained my credit cards, cell phone, a couple pairs of underwear, a light t-shirt, and other personal items. Tristan had retrieved it for me when he had gone out to patrol last night. In all that had happened, I had completely forgotten about it. I was really thankful he had been able to get it to me. I had only brought a small backpack with me because I figured I would journey in my wolf form, and it could stay on my back. The plan had been to join a pack, get to civilization, get new stuff, and get a job. It had sounded simple enough.

  There was a knock on the door. Since I had been in this house, my senses were heightened. I sniffed and could tell who it was. Sea.

  "Come in," I called out, and heard the door open. I knew when he stepped in, and not looking up from what I was doing, I greeted him. "Good morning, Tristan."

  "Good morning, Brianna. I can see that you already have our scents figured out. How are you feeling now?" I looked up at him.

  "As good as new. Fully healed. Whatever you rubbed on my injuries, and gave me last night, worked. Thank you. And yup, you smell of the sea. It's quite refreshing. Packed?"

  He nodded and I smiled. "I'm about ready, too." There was a pause before I asked. "Are you from Sky Land, too?"

  "Me? Nah. I'm from Blue River."

  "So, how did you get to meet the boys?" I was curious.

  "College. Same with Hunter, he's from Snow Earth. We all met in college, and became very close. After college, we stuck together and then one day, just decided, why not form our own pack? So we did."

  I snorted. "Yeah. And you had to go and make Mr. Asshole your Alpha. Whoever came up with that grand idea?"

  I looked at Tristan with a smile on my face, and when I saw he had a serious look on, I almost laughed.

  "Jake isn't a bad person. He just likes giving off that attitude sometimes, especially around strangers. And as for making him Alpha, it's not like there was really a choice about that. He has the scent. We've always known he'd be Alpha."

  Wow... Had he actually taken my teasing seriously? "I know. It practically oozes off him," I said calmly.

  He laughed. "Yea, it does." I peered into his beautiful brown eyes and felt my breath thicken as the attraction became palpable. Jeez, Brianna. Why was he so fine? Unable to help myself, I chewed on my bottom lip, and licked my lips slowly. He watched my mouth intently.

  He leaned towards me, I pursed my lips to keep my breaths from coming out in shallow pants. "Are you okay?"

  "Oh, yeah. I am. Just a… little dry… throat." I lied.

  "Oh. Okay. I'll get you some water." I chuckled. How could anyone be so serious all the time?

  "You don't have to, Tristan. I'm fine. My throat is just getting all dried up from your hotness, I guess. Your presence practically turns this place into a desert. All that heat and what not..." His cheeks creased, and I watched them turn red. He smiled. Good!

  "Huh. I don't know about that. I feel pretty cool myself. Not quite hot."

  "You do know I didn't mean that quite literally, right? I mean, you are hot, and yeah, you kinda emanate some kind of body heat but it's a good thing. Makes me feel all hot and bothered in return — in a good way" His eyes widened and then he looked at me, really looked at me.

  My breath held as he took in my features and when his eyes strayed to my lips, I found myself leaning towards him involuntarily, my eyes on his lips, too. Inching closer, I lifted my hands and did what I'd been dying to do since last night. I pressed my fingers against the side of his face and scratched his beard. I was not ready for the low growl from his lips, sounding low and full of longing, almost like a moan. It turned me on. Badly. Our lips were barely two inches apart.

  "Brianna?" My name sounded perfect on his lips. However, for some reason, I shook my head and leaned away.

  "I'm sorry," I apologized.

  He shook his head, and seemed to pull himself out of a fog. "It's fine," he muttered softly.

  Then mumbling that he'd leave me to get ready and see me later, he turned away. I watched him go, knowing deep down the reason why I had cut off the kiss. I had smelled a hint of forest. Jake had either passed or was nearby.

  For as much as friction we had, I could not deny that I was strongly attracted to Jake. And in my confusion, I still had not chosen which one of these boys I wanted to get down with. All I knew was that I was going to, and soon. Their scents were like a drug to my senses.

  It had drowned me all night long, leaving me hot and wanting in places that the sun does not touch. I had been tempted to stroke myself as I tossed and turned, and bring myself to pleasure, release some pent-up sexual frustration I was feeling, but resisted. Being in a new place, I didn’t know how thin the walls were.

  I had held out on sex for a while, with the hope I would meet my mate during mating season. Being celibate before that had seemed to make sense. Now that I was surrounded with four embodiments of sex gods, who looked like they had been carefully put together specifically for the pleasure of women, all those months of dry spells were taking its toll.

  In blunt terms, I needed to get laid, and soon. I had a pretty good idea that any one of these guys would gladly oblige. The problem was, I just couldn't decide which one. They all passed with flying colors in the looks department, and their personalities were just as charming. I can't eat my cake and have it, can I? I had to make my choice.

  As if on cue of my thoughts, the scent of forest slammed into me, just before his second knock of the morning came. I stood at the end of the bed, informing Jake he could come in.

  "Need anything?"

  I turned to look at him. My heart started to beat harder.

  "Uhm... No. I'm fine... I guess."

  "Sure?" He asked, stepping further into the room. I was feeling small with all his Alpha presence. I knew he had turned it up for me. It made me want to roll my eyes.

  "Yeah. I'm sure." There was a long pause and he nodded as if digesting a vital piece of information. Then I spoke again, breaking the silence.

  "I know you aren't too keen on me going with you, but I still feel the need to reiterate that I am grateful for the help last night, the accommodation, making me as comfortable as possible. And also for accepting me to come along with you guys on this trip."

  He lifted his shoulders in a shrug, and looked sexy as hell doing that one movement. I was expecting a snarky remark in return and knew it could have been a lot worse when he said, "We wolves take care of our own. Lost pups, delusional females. Same same. We keep them safe."

  I scoffed, then lifted my head to stare him straight in the eyes, holding his electric gaze, challenge in mine. "You really get off antagonizing me, don’t you? Is it like that thing boys do in eighth grade when they have a crush on a girl? They find every means possible to make her life miserable? Just to get her attention?" His eyes widened slightly before he caught himself and masked it with a smug smirk.

  He started closing in on me and I found myself moving backward. He just kept following until my back was against the wall and nowhere else to move.

  Then he bent his head, leaning close to my face. It suddenly reminded me of the position I'd been in with Tristan much earlier. Only that time, it felt like I was in control. Now, I felt like a cornered mouse, at the mercy of a prowling cat.
For some reason, this felt incredibly hotter. I resisted fanning my face.

  His voice held humor when he finally spoke, in a deep, husky tone. "I know you are smart but your analysis is a little way off, honey. You see, I wouldn't be wasting my time trying to get the attention of a wolf, who couldn’t decide which wolf she wants to fuck."

  My breath caught in my chest, as I narrowed my eyes at him. He chuckled mockingly, and it made me want to tear him apart with my teeth but I kept my cool, not wanting to give him any more satisfaction.

  Because my wolf was excited having him near, even when my human body was dampening her arousal with anger, I found myself snarling at him. He chuckled again, before retreating and going out of the door. As it shut behind him, frustration consumed me and I snarled louder at the closed door. I stomped to the bathroom and splashed water on my face.

  What the hell is wrong me?

  I was about done with being in this house, and itching to start the journey already. However, it happened that the boys weren't too keen on leaving me alone just yet.

  Earth. Rainfall. I sighed as Hunter let himself in. Though, when I remembered that he wasn't the reason for my predicament, I swallowed my sourness and forced a smile on my face. The moment I saw his fidgeting hands, the smile became real.

  "What's up?" I asked politely but bluntly.

  "I'm good. Just wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready. I reckoned we would be better off making the journey on filled bellies, so I put something together."

  "Thanks, Hunter. If it's anything like what we had yesterday, then I can't wait to eat. You do know how to work magic with your hands."

  "Yeah. Well, cooking isn't the only magic my hands work. I'm pretty good with fixing stuff, too. I'm quite handy." He gave a nervous laugh, then held my gaze. I could see the undeniable interest in his. "Handy man." He raised his hands for a wave then realizing how awkward he sounded, he scratched his head instead before dropping them.