Xander Read online

  “You do realize I’m an alpha.” He raised a brow as she’d done. “Don’t you, Gwen?”

  She dropped her gaze to the floor and caught her lower lip between her teeth. The coy look set him on edge. With a seductive gait that tightened his groin, she approached him. It was impossible not to react to her.

  His true mate was beautiful, but like this, with her hair caressing her shoulders and a slight flush to her cheeks from the warmth of the fire, she could’ve been a siren.

  The rolled waistband of her sweats slipped, exposing her stomach. The glimpse of her creamy skin tempted him. One yank and her pants would fall.

  She stopped in front of him. “Yes, I know.”

  “Then you should answer my questions immediately, not pose ones of your own.”

  A small smile tugged at her lips. He fought to keep a matching one from spreading. “Sorry. Did you ask a question?”

  “Why don’t you want to go home?”

  She took a single step closer to him, forcing him to spread his knees to make room for her. The position didn’t help his control, but he couldn’t deny Gwen or move away from her.

  “That’s a personal question, Xander. I am under no obligation to answer it.”

  The grin he’d been fighting spread. “I disagree. I did risk my reputation by coming after you. That gives me the right to ask personal questions.”

  She chuckled. “Is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  She took another small step, invading his personal space yet not touching him, and lifted one knee to the bed. The move left him eager and cautious. She was up to something. He knew it, but couldn’t guess what it could be.

  “Then I should be able to do the same.” She focused on his lips. “It’s my reputation on the line too. My virginity has been offered up as a prize. I’ll be judged whether I lose it to you or not.”

  No sympathetic person would judge her for what happened after she was left alone with the male who won the right to her body. If they did, they didn’t deserve to live. He didn’t bother arguing the point. There was a reason behind her words. He wanted to know what. “Then ask me something.”

  “Anything?”

  “Yes. I want you to feel comfortable with me. Know that you’re safe.”

  “Have you participated in other hunts?”

  He held her gaze, despite the urge to look away. It wasn’t a reaction fitting of an alpha, but his participation in those hunts shamed him, even though he’d led the other hunters away from the female being hunted or picked fights with those who’d cornered her, giving the woman a chance to escape. “Yes.”

  She flinched, ever so slightly. It was enough to sicken him, however.

  “Virgin ones?” she asked.

  “You are the only female I’ve caught.”

  “You’ve never been with a woman, then?” A teasing smile flitted across her plump lips.

  He grinned, unable to hide his response. She affected him in ways no woman ever had, even Elizabeth and Tabitha. If Gwen set her mind to it, she’d have him confessing his sins to her, along with those thoughts and desires he’d never voiced. “I meant I’ve never won a female in these hunts. Even if I had, I wouldn’t have touched her.”

  She inched her body closer. Her knee brushed against his groin, stirring his body and his suspicions. He settled his hands on her thighs, stopping her from getting any closer. She’d destroy his plans if she kept this up. He wasn’t a saint. “Gwen, what are you—”

  “If you want the answer to your question, answer mine. Have you ever taken a woman’s virginity?”

  “No.” Vlad had enjoyed that privilege, taking both Elizabeth’s and Tabitha’s virginity, and no other female had tempted Xander enough to share that moment.

  “A shame.” She pressed her palms to his chest and leaned close, her lips inches from his. “I was hoping you could tell me what to expect.”

  “Pleasure.”

  “Really?” Her voice lowered, caressed him as if it had a physical touch. “I’d heard it’s painful.”

  Xander fisted his hands, dropping them to the bed in an effort not to touch her. “If your lover is worthy of your virginity, you won’t feel pain, only the sensation of being stretched and filled. You’ll enjoy it. Very much.”

  She turned her head, her lips brushing his roughened cheek, and pressed her mouth to his ear. “But I’ll bleed, won’t I? How will that be pleasurable?”

  His breathing deepened. The ache in his shaft grew. Gwen had no idea how much she tempted him. Or maybe she did and was trying to make him snap. He couldn’t imagine why. Unless she wanted him to take her.

  He settled his hands on her hips. Her soft skin tempted him closer. He gave in to the urge, slipping his fingers under her shirt. “Your lover will make sure you’re ready for him. If you’re aroused enough and eager for him, you won’t bleed, and if you do, you won’t notice it.”

  She tipped her head to the side, meeting his gaze. The hunger displayed in her eyes demanded he meet her needs. “If you’ve never been with a virgin, how do you know this?”

  He should stop this. If he didn’t, Gwen would succeed in breaking through his control. He didn’t push her away, though. He inched his fingers lower, pushing her pants down with the move. Testing her. Or maybe himself.

  “Pack life is much different from anything you’ve experienced. Sex isn’t a taboo act meant to be done behind closed doors, and taking a female’s virginity is as much a test of a male’s skills as it is a rite of passage for her.”

  “And you’ve never wanted to”—she slid her gaze to his lips—“prove your worth?”

  “I’m alpha. Any female who loses her virginity with me will automatically think she’s important to me. That I want to mate her. It’d be a lie. I won’t lead any woman on like that.”

  Gwen pushed away from him and walked toward the window. Arms crossed under her breasts, she scanned the woods. “So what you said back in those woods about me being important to you. About how you’d come inside me if we had sex. It was an act.” Her chest rose and fell with quicker breaths, and her words rushed together. “Like the exchange with Vlad. You were just saying what you had to in order to rescue me.”

  Her pain radiated from her, yanking his wolves’ attention from their surroundings to Gwen. They wanted to go to her and comfort her. He shared their desire. Hurting her hadn’t been his intention.

  He settled his hands on her shoulders and turned her. She faced him, but didn’t look at him. He raised her chin and waited for her to meet his gaze. “You are important to me. More than you could ever imagine. I didn’t lie to you.”

  “Then prove it to me.” Not a demand this time. A question, maybe a plea.

  “How?”

  “Will you force me to return home with you?”

  “I won’t force you to stay with me.” Even though he wanted to lock her to his side. Falling in love came in steps, according to what he’d witnessed of other shifters in love. If she wanted to date, they would.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I mean, leave with you tomorrow. Return to your pack with you. I don’t want to be rescued. I want to go with Reno and—”

  He nipped her lip, stopping her words before he had to tell her no. He wanted to give her what she needed, but this wasn’t something he could allow. Never again would she be exposed to danger. “Enough games. They won’t work.”

  “This isn’t a game.”

  “No, it’s your attempt to coerce a promise out of me.” He paused, waiting for her denial. She didn’t offer one. Lips pressed into a thin line, she stared at him. He sighed. “Tell me why you want to return to the males who’ve offered your body up as a prize.”

  She dropped her head to his chest. “I left a man behind. I need to rescue…”

  A warning from his wolves alerted him to Vlad’s presence a second before the hard punch to his psyche drowned out her words. The anger behind Vlad’s demand radiated through him.

  “What’s wrong?”
Gwen whispered.

  He pressed a finger to her lips and glanced over her shoulder to look out the window at her back. A quick scan of the woods didn’t reveal Vlad, but he was out there. Watching them. Xander opened himself to his pack mate.

  “We’ve been set up.” Vlad’s growled words reverberated in Xander’s head.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The moment the helicopter was out of sight, they opened fire on me. Left me lying there in a pool of my own blood.”

  While Xander would be angry about that too, it didn’t necessarily mean they’d been set up. “What else?”

  “They went through my pockets and took my cell so I couldn’t call for help.”

  “And?” Because there had to be more. Xander would’ve done the same if he’d wanted to ensure Shifter Affairs didn’t find out about his actions. Vlad should’ve expected that.

  “All the while, they were talking about how they duped a Royal feline shifter they’d seen nearby. Even described him. Probably for my benefit so I’d know we were screwed.”

  “Dante?”

  “Yeah. He won’t be coming to help us anytime soon. He’s rescuing another human from a hunt.” Vader cursed. “They made it so Dante wouldn’t miss hearing the woman scream.”

  “Shit.”

  “Agree. I hate to say it, but this whole thing feels off. Gwen is important to us, but to the Ulgran clan, she’s just another female to exploit. Yet they had a half-dozen shifters hidden in those woods. Why? Usually it’s just a handler.”

  Xander glanced into Gwen’s guilt-ridden eyes. “I think Gwen knows.”

  “You going to share that knowledge with me?”

  Xander rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes. “She left a man behind. She wants to rescue him. My gut says he’s the reason for the extra shifters, so he doesn’t lose Gwen. Reno did say this was her punishment.”

  “No. She’s not going back to another male. She’s—”

  “Enough. We don’t have time to discuss this. Dante will come as soon as he can.” Xander didn’t doubt that. “In the meantime, let’s move. I’ll kill Reno. You go after the shifters outside. I want off this mountain before the storm hits.”

  Chapter 8

  Vader rolled his shoulders, ignoring the angry sounds his wolves made over seeing Gwen in Xander’s arms, and made his way across the woods. He couldn’t blame his wolves for the reaction. Gwen was theirs to protect and comfort. They wanted to fight for the right to do so. They refused to sit on the sidelines again while Xander was the one with their true mate.

  At the moment, Xander’s embrace was the safest place for Gwen. The Winchester alpha wouldn’t allow harm to come to her, and Gwen’s safety mattered more than Vlad’s feelings.

  With a sharp tug on the mystical cord connecting him to the three wolves—gray, Arctic, and black—and a low metaphysical growl, he put the animals in their place. No doubt they’d make their discontent known again, but they understood the danger. Not only were there still armed shifters in the woods, but the approaching storm left them uneasy.

  Even with the winter gear Gwen had worn, she’d be at risk for frostbite or worse, death, if they had to hike out of here. Either Xander or Vader would have to carry her, allowing their higher metabolism to warm her, and leaving the other to act as guard.

  The one thing they had going for them was the knowledge that Dante would come for them. Not being able to call him didn’t change that fact. Dante would simply follow the signal of the tracking device embedded in Vader’s foot. He’d had the chip installed several years ago while working with Shifter Affairs.

  Because of the danger associated with the role he’d held, the chip had been the latest requirement in the humans’ attempt to safeguard their agents. After leaving the agency, he’d considered digging it out because he hadn’t wanted the group to know where he was, what he was doing. Dante had convinced him to leave it in. Good thing too.

  Vader glanced at the house. Gwen likely had a similar device implanted somewhere in her body. Chipping had become common practice among the trafficking groups. Vader only hoped she knew where they’d placed it. Otherwise they’d have to wait until a scan could be done on her. That would leave them at risk for being tracked. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much they could do about it.

  Vader circled the property, keeping several hundred feet between him and the structure where Gwen was being held. Only one other shifter hid in the woods, a male who likely belonged to the Ulgran clan. He shared Reno’s features but not his size.

  The lanky bear shifter crouched in the woods was likely a beta or a youth. The distance between them prevented Vader from determining which label applied to him, but seeing the male on guard concerned Vader. It wouldn’t take much for him to eliminate the lanky shifter. Reno would know that. Yet, this weak male was the only one on guard.

  The uneasiness gripping Vader grew. This turn of events convinced him the Ulgran clan was up to something. Why? Maybe Xander was right and it had to do with this guy Gwen wanted to rescue. If he were so important to her, however, why was she still a virgin?

  Unless they’d been purposely kept apart?

  Whatever the reason, his instincts warned him to tread carefully. When it came to fighting, he didn’t question his gut feelings. Women, though? He’d screwed up more times than he could count to ever trust his instincts.

  He turned his attention to the enemy, a battle he could win. Vader purposely stepped on a twig, snapping it and yanking the other shifter’s gaze to him.

  The male grinned and tapped a button on the phone lying at his feet, no doubt telling Reno of Vader’s presence.

  The trap he’d sensed earlier had found them. Vader cursed and rushed forward. The bear shifter didn’t move. He sat there, watching Vader run toward him.

  A low growl from Vader’s white wolf, the calmest of the trio, stilled his steps. He opened himself to the animal, allowing it to the edge of his consciousness. Details he hadn’t noticed registered in his mind. The sharp scent of gasoline invaded his nose. His vision grew clearer, allowing him to pick out minute details of his surroundings.

  Next to the shifter’s phone on the ground, a gun and a syringe sat on top of a men’s health magazine. The sight of the weapon didn’t surprise or concern Vader. Bullets couldn’t harm him for long. The syringe did, however. While no drug could kill him—he needed to lose his head or heart for that—he could be knocked out. Depending on the dose of whatever was in there, he could be unconscious for seconds or hours. No amount of time was acceptable.

  He reached out to Xander. His ex-friend needed to know of the danger awaiting them.

  “What?” Xander’s voice drifted into Vader’s mind.

  A pop sounded. Crackling came next, followed by a loud whoosh.

  Vader whipped his head in the direction of the sound. A flash of white brightened the helicopter that had been left feet from the house. Flames raced in a straight line toward the house.

  A snapping twig behind him yanked his gaze back to the bear shifter. The male pointed the rifle. Fired. Vader ducked.

  “A trap. Run.”

  Xander didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. Vader shared his soul in that instance, a disturbing yet useful connection. Xander’s determination was clear. He’d save Gwen. Vader didn’t need more than that. His ex-friend would do anything for her.

  The bear shifter fired off another round. Vader leapt, avoiding the bullet and closing the distance between them. His claws slid into place. Fangs filled his mouth.

  With a swipe of his hand, he knocked the weapon out of the shifter’s grip. The male head-butted Vader, momentarily blinding him. Vader blinked hard. His wolves guided his motions. He grasped the bear shifter’s wrist before he could shove the syringe into Vader’s chest and squeezed, shattering the other shifter’s bones. A shriek tore from the male’s throat.

  Vader’s gray wolf lowered his head and lifted his lip on a silent snarl. The warning directed Vader’s actions
a second time. He dropped to the ground, pulling the bear shifter’s body over him.

  Another pop sounded, softer than the last one. The male’s body Vader used as a shield jerked. The bear shifter’s mouth opened on a garbled scream. His eyes rolled back in his head, and his muscles went lax.

  Vader tossed the unconscious body to the side and scanned the trees, looking for the shooter. Shadows engulfed the woods, offering too many places for danger to hide. He opened himself completely to his wolves, allowing them to partially merge with him and embracing his werewolf form, an unnatural and painful state where he was half man, half beast.

  Thick, short hairs poked through his skin. The pressure in his chest increased as each dominant animal stretched his skin. They didn’t fight. They made room for each other, working together. In this instance, they had a common goal—Gwen’s safety.

  A rustling of leaves he never would’ve noticed without the enhanced hearing of all three wolves combined caught his attention. He moved toward the sound, running faster than any mere human or single shifter could. With the power of three predators fueling him, he was the ultimate warrior.

  He wrapped one clawed hand around the shooter’s throat and used the other to grab the male’s arm, snapping his bones as he’d done to the bear shifter. The shooter’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped, revealing a mouth full of dental fillings and crooked teeth.

  A human. This wasn’t the first time Vader had encountered one who exploited their own kind, but the disgust never lessened no matter how many times he crossed paths with one.

  Vader snapped the worthless human’s neck and dropped his limp body, then ran for the house. The sound of an ATV starting ripped a snarl from his gray wolf. Two ATVs had sat behind the home. Reno likely escaped on one.

  Losing one ATV meant either he or Xander would have to shift and run. Somehow, he didn’t think the Winchester alpha would volunteer for the job. It also left them with at least one enemy unaccounted for.

  “Is it safe?” Xander’s question slipped through Vader’s mind.