MasukShare
260
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-31 00:59:02
Bab terkait
The Tyrant alpha 261
“But the story I’m going to tell you happened long before Killian became alpha.” Abertha’s gaze drifts toward the ceiling like she’s calling up an old memory. “It was the winter we ran out of heating oil right before that bad blizzard. Darragh would have been nine. His sister, Iona, would have been fifteen. That full moon, their father, Cormac Ryan, had lost his challenge, and his entrails were still settling in Declan Kelly’s stomach. Declan, of course, didn’t waste any time sending the new unprotected female to his basement. A warning to any male who considered doing what Cormac had done.”My stomach hurts. A sour taste floods my mouth.Abertha lowers her gaze to meet mine. “And of course, Iona’s brave little brother fought his way down with nothing but his pocket knife to bring her back up again.”My torn nails dig into the bedsheet.“He was outnumbered, but he was as fierce then as he is now. He put out Declan’s second’s eye. As the story goes, he came a hair’s breadth from the al
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 262
Abertha sinks back in her chair, speculation in her eyes. “What did he do?”“Gave me a human’s head.”She bursts out in a cackle. “Well, that’s an auspicious beginning.” She sobers. “I wish I knew how to fix a broken wolf, but I don’t. I do know it’s foolish to think love will do it. Or wishful thinking.” She leans forward and seizes my gaze, her brief amusement gone, replaced by a hardness that sends shivers down my spine. “Don’t go near his wolf in your human skin. If his wolf kills you, he won’t survive it. Do you understand?”I jerk a nod. I wish she would leave. I get it. She knows him. She knows his past. I don’t. He might have claimed me, but he can never be a real mate to me.We went through hell together, and it won’t change anything. Our mating was made impossible years before I was even born.When I don’t say anything, Abertha collects herself, rising from her chair, smoothing her skirt.“I’ll tell him you’re feeling better. You didn’t want the healing,” she says.I stare p
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 263
“Seriously?” Madog Collins is as close to a king as North American shifterdom has. He’s an institution, and a canny, vicious motherfucker to boot. I can’t imagine anyone taking him out. I wonder if Abertha’s heard anything. She was born to Moon Lake pack, and she keeps a place there. There seems to be no love lost between her and Madog, though. She spits every time she has to mention him by name.“I guess the whole plan for a united shifter nation under Moon Lake is a bust.” Killian smirks. “What with Madog M.I.A., and his own pup founding a new pack. It’s anarchy now.”“You like to see it,” I say.Killian nods. “You do.”We stand for a few moments in silence, listening to the murmurs of the females and the nighttime animals taking up in the woods surrounding this cluster of cabins. I neither scent nor hear anything that doesn’t belong, but my nerves don’t unwind. They can’t. I can’t see Mari, and there is a raw pain flowing through the bond. Abertha’s supposed to be healing her.I sh
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 264
I stare at the infirmary door as the females filter back inside to watch over my mate. I’ve never felt so lost, and my wolf has never been so restless, tetchy, and inscrutable.The question is kind of moot—I’d never hurt Mari to avoid pain myself, and it’d hurt her if I walked away.But how can I keep her safe if I stay when I have this beast inside me?There are no answers, and I can’t be here anymore, standing around, ruminating about shit I cannot and never have been able to change, and wishing shit was different than it is.I clap Killian on the back. “You’ll stay here?”He eyes me. I keep my face carefully blank.He nods. “When I need to go, I’ll have Lucan and Fallon guard her.”My wolf growls. Killian raises an eyebrow. I swallow the sound, jerk a nod, and set off into the woods where late evening shadows are gathering.14MARIAfter I sleep for a few hours and wake up stiff as a board, Una and Cheryl agree that I’m recovered enough to leave the infirmary. Kennedy and Annie he
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 265
I know which one I want. I know how quickly and irreversibly my foolish heart has pinned its hopes on him. And I also know how many times in my life fate has broken my way.I open the glass door, my heart speeding like everything is riding on this next moment, like I’ve got no hard shell left, like I’ve shed whatever resilience I once had, and now I’m raw and pink and exposed.There are twice as many males in the lodge as were gathered outside. Some are on laptops and phones, some sitting or hovering as if they’re waiting for orders. Up on the dais, someone has pushed together two tables, and a dozen males surround it, gesturing at a huge map.Darragh is up there next to Killian, talking to two males in black suits. A harsh chemical scent assails my nose, and my stomach churns. Humans.My wolf growls as my claws extend, snicking through my fingertips. Darragh’s gaze flies to mine. My pulse skids to a halt.Without a second’s hesitation, he stops mid-sentence, steps down from the dais,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 266
I’ll be Mari, the lone wolf’s rejected mate.My stomach sours.“Want to go somewhere?” Darragh asks when the door of the lodge shuts behind us.“Yeah.”He takes my hand to lead me across camp and blood roars in my ears. Is he taking me back to the guest cabin from the night we mated?But we turn off past the commissary and up the path to the garage, and I calm down, but not entirely. My wolf is on edge, too, pacing our boundary, whining.It’s late in the afternoon, and the sun is lower in the pale blue sky. It’s a perfect fall day, yellow and red leaves rustling, air so clear that the caws of crows ring out like bells.When we get to the garage, Liam’s there as usual. He gives me a wave, but instead of wandering over like he usually does when I come by to borrow a vehicle, he hangs back by the truck he’s working on.Lucan and Fallon followed us from the lodge, and unlike when they escorted me earlier, now that I’m with Darragh, they hang back, too.I can actually scent their unease. I
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 267
“You knew then?”His jaw clenches. “I stayed away.”I crane my neck to check out the top of the treehouse. It’s mostly hidden by leaves, but the very tip top clears the canopy, and above a white cupola, there’s a copper weathervane, tarnished green, and where there should be a rooster, there’s a mermaid, her tail pointing east.It’s everything I would have loved back then. Before.I don’t know what to say if I don’t want to cry.I approach the hanging rope ladder. Darragh holds it taut so it’s easier to climb, but I’m still short of breath by the time I reach the first platform. I sit on the edge, dangling my legs over, to catch my breath. Darragh lowers himself beside me.We’re silent for a while. Up this high, I can pick out the lodge’s roof and some of the more exposed cabins in camp from the fall foliage. In the far distance, the steeples of the churches in Chapel Bell rise into the washed out blue sky.Lucan and Fallon’s vehicles are parked down by the shack, but they’ve made the
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Tyrant alpha 268
On the far side of the bed, there is a stack of boxes. The instant I see them, my eyes prickle, my heart lifting like a balloon. They’re mine.I sink down on the floor, cross-legged, and take the lid off the top box, already knowing what I’ll see.It’s like a time capsule, everything as neat as I packed it. The embroidered wall hangings I traded a human woman for at the farmers’ market, one with every species of North American butterfly, the other with every variety of wild mushroom. The dried flower crown that Annie made me for my sixteenth birthday. My teacup and glass perfume bottle collections.A hot tear overflows my lashes as my hands hover over my old treasures. It doesn’t feel like stuff I had a few years ago. They feel like artifacts from a lost civilization, the me before I got older and wiser, the me that knew things I can’t remember now, but wish with all my heart I could.With cautious steps, Darragh crosses the room and squats so we’re on a level, the box between us.“Yo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31
Bab terbaru
The Tyrant alpha 484
The humans know about shifters, of course, but there’s no need to draw more attention to us than we already do, as strangers in such a small town. Folks already gawk as Annie leads us to the village commons even though the streets are busy. It’s market day.As soon as we reach the grassy expanse filled with tables and tents, Alroy and Diantha peel off, heading in opposite directions. Griff seems torn, but when he sees that Diantha is making a beeline for a booth with racks of female clothing, he hurries to follow Alroy.Annie leads us down the makeshift walkways, smiling when she’s greeted by name. My mate is still shy, but there’s no trace of fear in her scent. I breathe her happiness and excitement in, letting it flush my lungs clean of the oily town air.She sees her friends before I do and lets go of my hand to run toward them.My mate. My Annie. Running with a smile lighting her face.This is a good, good day.Two females rush around their table, the third making her way more slo
The Tyrant alpha 483
JUSTUSMy perfect, beautiful mate does not like surprises, so she knows exactly where we’re going as we trot through the woods that run along the human highway. At first, I was sad that I couldn’t spring this visit on her, but I love watching her wolf get more and more excited the closer we get to Chapel Bell. Her short little legs are moving so fast, I almost don’t have to slow my pace.Alroy, Griff, and Diantha don’t have my patience, so they’re several yards ahead of us. Poor Griff has to be the buffer between them, and he keeps getting caught in the crossfire when their wolves decide to break the monotony by sniping at each other.I was worried that Annie would be too nervous to venture this far from camp, but she gets more confident every day. I’m pretty sure that’s because when we were out for a walk two months ago, she saw me take out two ferals that were encroaching on our territory to the north, so even though Killian and I pretty much fought to a draw, she knows I can handle
The Tyrant alpha 482
He bares his fangs, yanks the needle from his neck, and blinks at it, bemused.“Did you stab me with a fucking knitting needle?” He holds it up. Blood oozes from the wound, dripping down his bare chest. I didn’t even hit an artery.Justus snarls, squaring his shoulders and bending his knees, readying himself to attack. Every inch of his body is covered in mud and blood, gashes and purpling bruises. White bone shows through a jagged slash on his forearm.A male coughs, clearing his throat. “Can we just take a beat?” Killian raises his hands, raw flesh where his nails should be.I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he’s as battered as Justus, and he seems to be favoring his left leg, like his right can’t hold weight. Our males spar constantly. I’ve seen all of them beat up at some point, but I’ve never seen any of them mangled this bad. I can’t believe either he or Justus are still upright.“That bitch stabbed me.” Leith points at me with the knitting needle.Justus howls and steps
The Tyrant alpha 481
My wolf skids to a halt several feet away and then slinks forward, keeping the fire between her and the Salt Mountain wolf, letting the smoke block her scent. When she’s too close to dare creep closer, she huddles close to the ground, staring up and up at his tremendous mud-caked haunches. She’s a miniature in comparison. All the females are, and we all stare, powerless, as the wolf’s bones crack and a strapping man rises from the hulk of his beast.His blond hair shines through the dirt. I’ve seen him. Leith Munroe. The new Salt Mountain alpha.He rests his hands on his hips as if there isn’t chaos all around him as his wolves play a game of distraction, breaking after our slower, smaller, or older males and mauling them until our strong males are forced to turn back, away from us, to rescue them.Leith takes no notice of our wolves, even when they get close, or me, skulking behind the fire. Why would he? I’m no threat—skinny and small and stinking of fear.Instead, he’s intent on so
The Tyrant alpha 480
ANNIERun! Run! Run!I squat as low as I can in the wildflowers and tear off my clothes.A few yards away, Killian and Justus are murdering each other. Tye, Ivo, and the rest are just watching, and no matter how much I scream, no matter what I say, their wolves don’t listen.And the Salt Mountain wolves are up to something. They’re edging away from the fight toward the trail to camp. Quarry Pack is so intent on the fight, they either don’t notice or don’t care.I have to get to Khalil, and my wolf is faster.Run into the woods! The woods!I huddle in the tall grass and summon my wolf. For the first time in my life, she’s ahead of me, bursting through our skin before I’m ready, assuming form like she’s surfacing from water rather than tearing herself free from bone and muscle.She runs away from the woods, toward the trail. The Salt Mountain wolves have gotten ahead of her, so she hangs back, keeping low and downwind.Turn around! Now!What are they doing? They can’t think to attack La
The Tyrant alpha 479
“Lavender is light green this time of year. It doesn’t bloom until June or July.”“What are you going to do with it now then?”“Make a sachet. The scent mostly comes from the oils in its leaves.”“Make a sachet for who?”I wade through the tall grass to stand close to her and inhale her sweet rainy scent.“For the den,” she says, glancing bashfully up at me from under her thick brown lashes. She’s wearing my old sweater and another pair of my drawstring pants. Her pulse flutters at the base of her throat. She’s excited, too.Maybe we should cut this trip short and head back to the den.Or take a detour into the woods.She probably wouldn’t do that, but I think she’d agree to return to camp. I draw in another deep breath. Her arousal teases my nose.My wolf snarls.Annie startles.It takes my brain three seconds too long to catch up.Underlying the rain and slick, there is another scent. Earthy, yes, but not the right earth. It doesn’t belong. I’ve smelled it before. A long time ago.I
The Tyrant alpha 478
My grip on the pot handle tightens. Water sloshes over the sides. My jaw clenches, my guts knot, and my dry eyes burn.I can’t do this.I have to.“Justus?” Annie appears in the den entrance. She’s wrapped herself in a light pink sheet, and she’s holding a cup. “You brought water.” She smiles, padding toward me on bare feet.And then she stops. Her smile falls aways.She blinks in the sunshine, the bleariness of sleep disappearing as she takes in my grim face and desperate hold on the pot. If I had dignity, I’d find a way to smile back. Say good morning. Act like everything is fine.Her chest falls as she lets out a long, silent breath. She looks me straight in the eye. Her fear and doubt are clear as day.She’s going to ask me to take her home now.She takes a step closer to me, and then another, until we’re toe to toe. She gazes up at me, and for a second, all I can see is her beauty—her graceful neck, her delicate pointy chin, her soft, curving lips—and then I notice the expression
The Tyrant alpha 477
“Trust me,” he shushes, the hot head of his cock already notching at my entrance. He flexes his hips and sinks into me, a groan of pure relief torn from his throat. He fills me so completely that I ache where I take him, but I love it.I pant through the strain, and he gathers me close as he thrusts, cradling me to his chest, kissing my lips, my brow, my cheeks, the tip of my nose. I start to rock my hips in time.“You’re so beautiful, Annie,” he rumbles in my ear. “So perfect for me. My Annie. Mine.”I sigh and ride his bucking hips, his cock stretching me until I feel like a glove made for him.“Come for me, now,” he growls. “Now, Annie.”Hot cum floods my womb, and his knot catches and swells, tearing a raw shout from my throat. His fingers find my clit while his fangs sink into my shoulder.I scream, bucking against him, but I’m caught, so he moves with me, hushing me.I hover another second on the edge, somehow above myself, watching his strong arms tremble as they wrap around me
The Tyrant alpha 476
I let my hand fall and turn my head away.He snarls. He doesn’t like that.I drop back so I’m sitting on the pallet, lift my chin, and fold my arms. His wolf rumbles unhappily. He shouldn’t have let his man mess with my nest.He dips his head and looks up at me from his lowered eyes, a wolf playing at a lamb. “I’m sorry, Annie. Here it is.”He holds the pillow out.It’s a trap.Of course it’s a trap. I reach for it anyway. As soon as I grab the pillow, he yanks and falls to his back, dragging me with him. I tumble on top of him. He quickly nips the pillow from my grasp, tucks it behind his head, and grins up at me.I push up on his chest, struggling upright until I’m straddling his waist. He crosses his arms behind his head.I lean forward and try to pull the pillow free, but his head is too heavy.“Just ask nicely, Annie.” There’s a new note in his voice, a gravelly depth that has nothing to do with his wolf.I prop myself on his folded biceps. They’re hard and velvet and flexing und
