The Alpha's Protection (Alpha Doms)

“Love you,” I say simply.

“I love you, too. Text me a pic of Mark. I promise I’ll delete it as soon as it comes through.”

I laugh softly because it’s the best thing I’ve ever had to text my sister about. “I will. Bye.”

3

Mark

The four of us stand in line for the Dragon Wing, one of the rides at Elitch Gardens, Denver’s amusement park. The pups are on a high from waffle cones filled with ice cream and the five rides we’ve already been on.

Colleen’s face goes soft and beautiful every time she looks at them.

“You look younger, Momma,” Angie tells her, looking up. She’s as cute as they come, with a blonde ponytail high on her head and the same big blue-green eyes as her mom and brother. I’m already as fiercely protective of the pups as I am of my unclaimed mate.

I rest a hand lightly on her hip. She does look younger. Every hour seems to roll back the effects of time on her appearance. “How old are you, babygirl?”

“Twenty-eight.”

I glance at the boy. “How old are you, Jayden?”

“Nine and a half.”

The rattle of the ride keeps the humans around us from hearing the growl in my throat. The wolves hear it though, and all three of them stare at me.

“I was eighteen when my father arranged my mating,” Colleen says, correctly guessing at the cause of my rage. “Just legal.”

“Was that… normal in your pack?” I ask through clenched teeth. I want to kill both her father and the alpha who claimed her.

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. It was horrible for me. I had to forget about college and leave everyone I knew to live with a tyrant.”

The kids listen with big eyes, like they’ve never heard this before.

“You mean Dad?” Jayden asks softly.

She nods. “He had just become alpha of his pack after his father was killed. He was worried about his position being challenged because he was young to lead a pack. He went to grandpa, and they made some kind of deal.”

“We’re not going back there, right, Momma?” Angie asks.

“Never,” she promises, and one small part of me relaxes. At least we agree on that.

“You’re going to stay with me now,” I say firmly, even though Colleen hasn’t accepted it yet.

Jayden stays silent, but he watches me with that wary gaze.

“Are we, Momma?” Angie asks.

Colleen looks away, her lips pressing together. “We’ll see,” she murmurs.

“Can we keep the bikes?” Angie wants to know.

I bought both the kids bikes this morning at Target. I put everything any one of them looked at or picked up in the cart. Colleen took about half the things back out, but when I picked up the two bikes, she didn’t dare override me. Not when her kids looked so excited.

She just stood there with tear-bright eyes and nibbled on her lips.

“The bikes are yours,” I say. “No matter what. But I want you to stay.” It’s our turn at the front of the line. I escort the pups forward then hold Colleen back. “We’ll wait for you where it gets out,” I tell Jayden. “Take care of your sister.”

He nods, like the responsibility was his honor. He’s an amazing kid.

I put my arm around Colleen and usher her to the place where the ride lets out. “For every lie, you owe me a truth,” I tell her.

“I didn’t li—”

I stop her with a finger on her lips. “Don’t do it again. Remember my tally.”

Her lips move up at the corners, but her smile is sad. I would bust this world apart to figure out how to make it shine.

She turns into me and puts her hands on my chest. “A truth,” she murmurs. “Okay. Here’s a truth. I never orgasmed with a male before last night. You were my first.”

Aw, fuck. I shouldn’t be so goddamn proud—it’s been over twenty years since I first learned how to get a female off—but I am.

I wrap my arms around her and hold her against my body. Her cinnamon scent nearly turns me feral. “That’s a good one, babygirl.” But because I’m a greedy fucker, I push for more. “Give me another one. Tell me something, angel. Are you not sure of me or not sure what you want?”

Pain flits across her face, and the need to avenge her for every wrong ever inflicted nearly makes my wolf canines pop out. “Not sure of what I want,” she croaks in a rusty voice, but it smells like a lie.

I narrow my eyes, thinking hard. She doesn’t seem scared of me, so it must be something else. I have to prove myself in some other way.

If only I could get her to open up, to tell me what’s going on in that gorgeous head of hers.

“One more,” I say.

Vulnerability flashes in her eyes, like I’m asking far too much of her. “What is it?”