Candice

Candice scoffed at the figure that emerged from the shadows, the sound sharp and ugly in the quiet woods. "YOU? Richard, why are you here?" She nudged the slumped form of Trishelle with her foot, a sneer twisting her lips. "Are you interested in this kitchen omega too? I saw the way all you males were staring her down like a piece of meat."

Richard stepped into the sliver of moonlight, a lazy, confident smile on his face. "Babe, come on. As you know, my palate for pleasure runs far and wide. Unfortunately," he crouched down, placing the back of his hand against Trishelle’s damp forehead, "this particular dish has already been reserved by someone else."

"Good," he muttered to himself, just loud enough for Candice to hear. According to his contact, the drug would force a heat. Soon, her scent would be a beacon, an irresistible call. It was time for him to make himself scarce. He stood and stretched out a hand to Candice, who was scowling, her pride clearly wounded. "Let’s continue where we were before our big, bad Alpha interrupted us, okay? And don’t worry, her ’saviour’ will be along any minute."

Candice allowed Richard to lead her away, his arm a familiar weight around her shoulders. She glanced back one last time at the girl she’d led to her doom, a flicker of satisfaction warming her. She was sure whoever found her couldn’t be any better than what she had now. As they disappeared back down the path, neither of them saw the two glowing eyes that followed their retreat from the deep shadows of the trees.

James

James couldn’t believe it. He was finally going to have her.

He watched Richard and Candice leave, his body coiled tight with anticipation. The moment they were gone, he stepped out from behind the ancient oak. He moved swiftly, silently, a predator closing in on his prey. Bending down, he gently gathered Trishelle’s limp form into his arms. She was so light, so fragile. He cradled her against his chest and strode toward one of the old mating cabins, his long legs eating up the distance.

He breathed in her scent, and it hit him like a physical blow. He stumbled, his grip tightening. It was getting stronger, more potent, more alluring. James felt his throat go dry as his mouth began to water. It was the same primal feeling he got in his wolf form when perfect, helpless prey was within his paws. The drug was working. Trishelle was going into heat, and the timing could not have been more perfect.

He opened his mind link to his patrol. Avoid the northern cabins. All of you. That’s an order. He was possessive, territorial. He didn’t want anyone else catching a single whiff of the delicious aroma wafting from his omega. Next, he linked to his Gamma. Get Sammy out of the main party area. Distract him. Do it now. He couldn’t have her friend causing a scene when he realized Trishelle was missing.

James reached the cabin and took the stairs two at a time. He was glad he’d decided to keep some of these old buildings intact. He placed Trishelle gently on the bed, and already he could feel the room beginning to fill with her pheromones, a sweet, intoxicating haze.

Trishelle began to writhe, her hands tugging at the fabric of her dress. "Hot," she whimpered, her voice a thin, desperate sound. "It’s so hot. Sammy? Candice? Somebody, help me. It’s hot."

Trishelle

Trishelle didn’t understand why it had gotten so hot. The once-cool chiffon of her dress now felt like it was woven from burning coals against her skin. All she wanted was to rip it off and dive headfirst into the icy lake. But there was something else, too. A strange, deep ache had started between her legs, a dull, throbbing itch that seemed to grow stronger with every passing second, demanding an attention she didn’t know how to give.

Her eyes fluttered open, but the room was a blur. It wasn’t her room. This place was strange, the air thick and heavy. A large figure moved into her line of sight, a dark shadow against the dim light. She wasn’t sure who it was, but they seemed to be helping her, their hands finding the zipper of her dress.

She tried to help, but her arms felt like lead weights. She leaned against their shoulder as they pulled the zipper down, and a wave of nausea hit her. The stench of other females clinging to this person’s skin was foul, making her stomach turn.

"Shh... shh... It’s okay," a low voice murmured directly in her ear, the vibrations sending a shiver through her. "How about we both wash off this unpleasant odour, hmm?"

She could only nod, her body too weak to argue. She let him pull the dress over her head, raising her arms limply.

James

James stripped out of his clothes, the scent of Candice’s cheap perfume and the other she-wolves from the party clinging to him like a film of dirt. He needed it gone. He picked up Trishelle, and she snuggled instinctively into his bare chest, her face burrowing against his neck as if she were trying to absorb his scent. The feeling of her naked, feverish skin against his was almost enough to undo him right there.

He stepped into the large, walk-in shower and adjusted the water to a warm, soothing temperature. Placing Trishelle on her feet, he held her steady with one arm while he took a washcloth and began to gently clean her. When his hand moved to wash between her legs, tracing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, Trishelle let out a soft, breathy moan.

James did it again, his fingers brushing deliberately against her core. His cock swelled, hardening instantly at the sweet, helpless sound. He was rewarded with another moan, louder this time, and soon her hips began to move in small, restless circles, instinctively trying to find relief from the burning ache.

Trishelle

Trishelle wasn’t sure what was happening, but the feel of this man’s hands between her legs seemed to calm the frantic thrumming in her blood while simultaneously stoking the fire into an inferno. She needed to see who he was. Blinking against the steam, she focused. First on the broad, muscular chest in front of her, then slowly, she raised her gaze.

A gasp of pure shock left her lips as her muddled, drug-addled brain finally registered who it was. It was her Alpha.

A wave of panic and something else, something dark and thrilling, shot through her. She tried to push herself away, to create some distance, but his fingers brushed against a sensitive bundle of nerves she didn’t even know existed. A jolt of pure, electric pleasure shot through her, making her knees go weak. She collapsed against him, her body betraying her mind.

"Alpha... please..." she begged, though she had no idea what she was begging for. For him to stop? For him to never stop?

James chuckled, a low, dark sound of triumph. He could feel her unraveling in his arms. Her scent spiked, becoming even stronger, and he knew he could no longer hold himself back. He turned off the shower, grabbed a fluffy towel, and quickly dried them both, his movements efficient and purposeful. He wrapped the towel around his hips before scooping her up once again.

He carried her to the bed and laid her down gently. Even in the semi-darkness, he could see the feverish flush to her skin as the heat took hold. But he wanted to see everything. James flicked on the small bedside lamp, its soft golden light illuminating her body. He began to slowly trace his fingers over her face, down the long column of her neck, and began to circle one taut, rosy nipple.

Trishelle arched her back off the bed, a soft cry escaping her lips. Everywhere he touched, it felt like a brand, a burn that was somehow intensely pleasurable, yet it only served to heighten the throbbing need between her thighs. She began rubbing her legs together, trying to ease the pain, but his strong hands forced them open.

James chuckled again as he wedged his body firmly between them, his hips pressing against her core. "No, my little one," he murmured, his voice a deep, commanding rumble. "Tonight, your pleasure will be at my hands, my mouth, and my cock."

He grabbed her face, his fingers tangling in her damp hair, and crushed his lips against hers. A thrill shot through him, potent and absolute. Her lips were incredibly soft, yielding under his. He placed his thumb on her chin, urging her mouth open, and his tongue darted in to tangle with hers.

Trishelle moaned into his mouth, the sensations overwhelming. Never had a kiss felt like this, so consuming, so good. Without a thought, she began to twirl her tongue shyly around his, mimicking his movements. James had kissed countless women, but none had ever tasted as sweet, as innocent and eager, as the panting omega beneath him. He felt like he could come just from the taste of her.

He broke the kiss, trailing his lips down her jaw to suck and nibble at the sensitive skin of her neck. His wolf

was screaming at him to do it, to claim her, to sink his canines into that delicate flesh and mark her as his forever. But he resisted. He wouldn’t take her that way, not when she was lost to a heat she hadn’t chosen. He would claim her body tonight, but the mark would wait until she could give him a real answer.

Trishelle moaned and thrashed on the bed, her hands fisting in the sheets as the inner flames burned higher the lower James traveled down her body. She almost jolted off the bed when he closed his mouth over one taut nipple, sucking hard. Her back arched violently off the mattress as she tried to push more of her breast into that hot, moist cavern.

Chuckling at her desperate eagerness, James released the peaked bud and blew on the wet tip, causing a wave of goosebumps to erupt over her heated skin. Raising up slightly, he flicked both of her hardened nipples with his fingers, watching her face as she gasped at the sharp, tingling sensation. He was just getting started.