Alpha Unhinged (The Dixon Brothers 4)

I kind of remember something moving in my peripheral vision but I was so focused on getting the hose out and connected that it didn’t really register.

He tells me they’re bad wolf shifters who want his family dead. They’re going to be attacking them in three days.

Just great. I’m mated with a man who has a pack of rabid wolf shifters after him. Just my luck.

But as I stare at his strong jaw and soft lips, I can’t imagine being mated to anyone else. I want him. I choose him.

He stood with me back there when that monster Grey wanted my head and I’ll stand with him. Because that’s what mates do for each other. And that’s what we are.

I swallow hard as I stare up at him. I’ve never wanted anyone so badly. Kissing him is all I can think about.

I clear my throat as I stare into his hungry eyes. “One more question.”

“Anything.”

“You said something about a hotel?”

Chapter Five

Jacob

My Kodiak grumbles as we stand in the elevator and Alyssa’s intoxicating scent fills the small space. He’s already obsessed with her and so am I.

My fingers ache with the need to touch her, my body tingles, my cock throbs. I’m still in shock every time I look over and see her gorgeous face. She’s a total stunner and I’m already in love.

I can’t wait to know every part of her intimately. Not just her body, but her mind too. I want to know what she thinks and how she processes things. I want to know her wants and desires and then spend the rest of my life trying to fulfill them for her. I’ll be her everything. I’ll be the man she deserves.

It should be awkward, standing here while the numbers slowly rise, but it isn’t. Nothing could be more comfortable. Nothing could feel more right.

I reach out and take her in hand in mine, swallowing it with my big palm and long fingers. She looks up at me with pink cheeks and a shy smile. Fuck, she was worth the wait.

Every agonizing second I spent without her was worth what fate had in store for us. She’s twenty-one and wouldn’t have been ready before now. It’s all becoming so clear in my mind. I always cursed the universe and wondered why fate was so cruel as to make me suffer. Now I know that if I had found a mate sooner, it wouldn’t have been her. I’m glad I waited. I’m glad it’s her.

“You said you have brothers?” she says in her soft voice that sends floods of warmth radiating through me.

“Three,” I tell her. “Well, two. Technically. Cameron is the youngest and Easton is the middle brother. Then there’s Roman. He’s our cousin, but our fathers were twins and he’s as much a brother as the other two are.”

“Are they shifters as well?”

I nod my head as I gauge her reaction. Not every girl would be enthused to be attached to a bear shifter. Especially one who’s being hunted by a pack of rabid wolf shifters.

“Yeah, we’re all Kodiak bear shifters.”

“Cool,” she says as she stares at me in awe. “I’ve never met a bear shifter before. At least, I don’t think I have.”

“Are you kidding?” I say with a smile. “All four of your firefighter friends are shifters.”

“I knew it!” she says with a grin. “What kind of animals are they?”

“All grizzlies,” I say with a bad taste in my mouth. “Quinton only hires grizzlies. He doesn’t trust anyone else. Except, maybe for you.”

“I guess I didn’t help change his mind considering I blasted him in the face with a fire hose after only ten days of work.”

We both laugh. “Fuck that guy,” I say with a grin. “I would have hit him with a lot worse than that if I could have.”

She smiles shyly at me. “Still. I wish I hadn’t done that. I don’t want to lose my job. All I’ve ever wanted to be was a firefighter. Do you know how that feels? To want something so badly?”

“I do. All I ever wanted was to find you.”

Her eyes dart up to mine and the look she gives me makes my chest ache. “Were you waiting long?”

“Twenty years,” I say with a sigh. “Give or take a few months.”

She looks down at her dirty jumpsuit and nibbles her bottom lip. “I hope I was worth it.”

“Very much so.”

I step in front of her and take her chin in my hand. I tilt her head up until she’s looking into my eyes. Her sweet lips part, giving me a glimpse of her pink tongue and white teeth. I groan. My bear does too.

I’m just about to lean down and kiss her when the elevator dings and the doors open.

“It’s our floor,” she says when I don’t move.