Alpha's Vow (Shifter Ops 2)

“No!” I shriek, scrambling to my feet. The last thing I need to do is lie on the ground and offer my neck like a sacrificial goat. Or lamb. Whatever.

Amazingly, the wolf skids to a stop, leaving twenty feet between us. He lowers his head, almost like an apology, then turns and trots away, glancing over his shoulder a couple times. What the F? Seriously—what is up with that crazy wolf? When he disappears behind the sagebrush, I let out a long, shaky breath and bend my trembling legs to start picking up the mail scattered across the dirt.

Now, belatedly, I remember I have pepper spray clipped to my bag. Lot of good it did me there. Well, if it happens again, I’ll be prepared.

Lance

I pull up in front of Charlie’s house at 9:00 p.m. I’m itchy and edgy. I feel like I need to shift and run off the excess energy, but I just did that. Literally. I ran all evening, then showered and changed to come here.

I’m still wincing over seeing Charlie fall on her face today. I’m the biggest asshole. I didn’t mean to scare her, but of course I did. My wolf is huge, and she felt threatened. The reminder that she’s human—fragile and breakable and completely in the dark about my kind—hit me hard.

It had me questioning whether I was wrong about her being my mate. I mean, why would Fate choose a human for me? I’m not alpha of my pack, but I could be. I’d certainly be at the head of any pack. Pairing an alpha male with a human doesn’t make sense. Not when our species is already dwindling.

Standing in front of her door, though, all my doubt vanishes. Her scent lingers everywhere, prickling at my skin, sending my blood south. Her effect on me is undeniable.

I’m ready to beat down her door to get to her, then throw her over my shoulder and carry her home, caveman style.

Too bad that won’t fly. I raise my fist to knock. She’s going to think this is a booty-call visit. Showing up at nine at night? This isn’t going to look good.

If she’d given me her number, I could’ve texted her before I came over. Of course, I have access to her number. I looked it up and put it in my phone the minute I got home the morning after her birthday. But I figured texting without her permission wasn’t going to fly any better than showing up, so here I am.

I rap on the door with my knuckles, shifting on my feet.

Fates, I’ve never been so nervous with a female before. I was the kid who had girlfriends by age ten. I literally was born with game. Rafe got the serious gene. I got the player one.

Nah, that’s not true. We weren’t born to these roles. Rafe wasn’t born with a stick up his ass. He was a normal shifter kid before our parents’ murder. But the PTSD of that trauma forced him into the role of alpha far too early, and he took the whole world on his shoulders. He refused to let me take any responsibility at all, other than to do what he said. So I guess I purposely took on the role of playboy. It was that, or resent the hell out of Rafe for treating me like a fucking baby.

I hear Charlie moving inside. She looks through the peephole at me.

I hold up my palms. “It’s not a booty call. I have a surprise for you.” My breath catches and holds as she remains still for a moment inside. When she opens the door, my heart starts beating again.

“May I come in? I promise you’re going to like it.”

Charlie’s in a tit-hugging threadbare graphic tee with no bra, and a pair of loose pajama bottoms that fall below her hips, giving me a view of a swath of bare skin at her midriff that makes my mouth water. She folds her arms across her apple-sized breasts and cocks a hip. “What is it?”

“Please don’t make me spoil the surprise. I swear on everything holy you will be glad you let me in.” Yeah, I’m literally reduced to begging here. My female has zero interest in me. How can this be?

Except, that’s not true. Because I see her nipples—hard and stiff—poking out through that shirt behind her crossed arms. That confidence boost is all I need to turn on the charm. I lean one hand against her house, giving her my best pirate smile.

She leans in toward me. I don’t even think she means to, but it’s like my body calls to hers. Her face gets closer to mine and I breathe in her pine and peaches scent. My semi grows. My wolf is both appeased and incensed at being so close to her. My heartbeat picks up. I risk a casual touch, brushing a lock of pale hair from her eyes.