The Alpha's Virgin Prize (Mated for Life 1)

Caleb worried about his own relationship with Bethany. When the heat passed, how would she take this? Would she accept that her boyfriend was a werewolf? He felt a headache coming on just thinking about it.

He crawled onto the bed after closing the door tight.

She was passed out cold, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her. Caleb tugged off his t-shirt and lay by her side, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He studied her face, the spattering of freckles, the soft curves of her lips. She was perfect.

He took a deep breath, letting the scent of her heat fill him. It was exquisite. But she was just for him, not the entire forest. Once he claimed her, fucked her, gave her his love bite—this spectacle would be over. They’d be bonded and every male would know she belonged to him. He couldn’t wait to sink his fangs into her neck. He salivated just thinking about it.

“I’ve been looking for you for decades,” he whispered, brushing stray hairs from her face. “I never realized how much I needed you until we met. Now you’re all I can think about. All that matters.”

Her eyes fluttered open, surprising him.

“I had another dream,” she said.

“Tell me.”

“There were wolves. So many wolves. It was dark and I was scared. But then you were there, and everything was okay.”

“What did I look like?”

This time, she made direct eye contact with him. “You were a wolf, too.”

He swallowed hard, unable to decipher how she felt about that. Was it just a dream for her, or was she beginning to believe?

“Am I going to turn into a wolf, Caleb?”

He couldn’t help but smile. She was so fucking adorable. And surprisingly calm.

“No, baby. You’ll always be human.”

Unlike movies made by humankind, a wolf bite didn’t turn humans into animals. If you weren’t born a shifter, you never would be.

“And you?”

“I’m the same as you, but I can also change my body. Like when I need to keep you safe. Remember I promised I’d protect you from anything? I meant that.”

She nodded. “And the scratch. Why is it making me feel like this?”

“It started the bonding process. It’s supposed to happen when I bite you during … mating.”

“Mating? Like you taking my virginity?”

He licked his lips. His cock was a fucking rock just talking about mating with his woman. “And being together forever. I’m not just after your body, Bethany. I want it all.”

“I think I understand.”

Caleb hadn’t been raised by a proper pack. He wasn’t sure how the mating call worked with wolves, never mind an interspecies mating. But he’d been increasingly suspicious, wondering if she could feel the same connection growing within him. If she was in heat, anything else was possible.

“So you feel it? Tell me what you feel, Bethany.”

She wriggled on the bed, touching his arm. “I don’t know. I just … believe you. I know you’re not lying to me. There’s something about you, a pull, a connection.”

Caleb exhaled with relief. She did feel it. The scratch gave her more than desire, it had started a genuine mating bond. “I wanted to do things right. To show you how important you are to me. If I’d known—”

“Don’t apologize, Caleb.” Her hand slid lower until her hand wrapped around his leather belt. “Just fix me. We both know there’s only one way to do that now.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want you to hate me tomorrow. I’m not a bastard.”

She smiled. “I’m asking you, Caleb.”

“Do you understand what you’re asking? I’m not sure if it’s you or the heat talking.”

Was she lust drunk or did she crave him the same way he craved her?

“Don’t make me beg. I’m twenty-five. I’ve waited a long time to give my body to the right man,” she said. “That man is you.”

He was going to fuck her so deep and hard she’d forget he was a wolf. All she’d think about was the next time she’d get cock. He’d been prepared to take the long road and court Bethany on her terms. This quick mating was thrust on him, but he’d make the best of it. He wasn’t skilled in human etiquette, but he’d show her exactly how a man should claim a woman. No human male had the skill, size, or sexual prowess of a shifter. He’d enjoy claiming his prize, every minute of it.

****

Caleb thought she was losing her mind because she was begging for sex after only two dates. No, she wasn’t drunk. Or high. Bethany knew exactly what she wanted. In fact, her mind had never been clearer. Her path was unfolding before her eyes, a beautiful future she’d never expected for herself. Whatever Caleb had done to her last night had turned her world upside down. It was like they were in sync—she could sense his mood, his intentions.