Page 37 of An Alpha's Commitment

His hands reached for his waistband and the button was undone almost before the word was out. Eager. The slide of the zipper was harsh in the stillness of the clearing. Without taking his eyes off me, Isca pushed his jeans down over his ass and kicked them off, ignoring where they landed.

Then he stilled.

I flicked my eyes down. And waited. A moment passed. Then his lips tweaked into a half-smile. His features softened, his eyes crinkled at the corners. With his eyes still on me, Isca sank gracefully to his knees. His slim torso held erect, shoulders back but relaxed as he assumed an upright posture. His body was almost entirely hairless, ethereal in the dim light with just the wash of candlelight casting faint shadows across his skin.

He folded his arms behind his back, his knees positioned in a perfect V. Holding himself in position, his eyes held mine. Trusting. And more confident than I had ever seen him. Heglowed with belonging.

His smile widened into something glorious… before he dropped his head in submission.

A tremor ran through me. His trust was humbling. I drew in a fortifying breath.

“Beautiful omega,” I breathed.

The silence of the night wrapped around us, creating our own private world. Beyond, as if at a distance, the monotonous chanting of the spell mingled with the night song of the forest’s insects. But here, where Isca knelt before me, the world was composed of my ragged breaths and Isca’s soft huffs. The sight of my gorgeous omega kneeling naked before me was breathtaking… and arousing.

I couldn't afford to get distracted. I couldn't mess this up.

I tried to focus. I drew myself up to my full height.

“Undress me,” I commanded, not allowing a shred of uncertainty to leach into my voice.

Isca reached across. With unsteady hands he undid the button of my jeans, unzipped, and gently tugged the waistband down until the pants pooled around my ankles. My cock, already half-hard, was right in front of his face, caressed by his warm breath. I suppressed a moan, even as I hardened further.

I stepped out of my jeans, ignoring how close his lips were to my dick. Isca waited, motionless. Perfectly composed except for his short, rapid breaths, and the rapid beating of the pulse in his throat.

“Ready, Omega?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“I’m going to shift now.”

Isca knelt motionless until my wolf sat before him, resting on its haunches. I was an imposing wolf, or so I’d been told. My coat was coarse, a mix of colors, mostly dark greys and some lighter shades. I had a long muzzle tinged with dark hair and black whiskers. And I was large. Sitting like this, on my haunches, my eyes were at the same level as Isca’s.

Isca flicked a glance up at me, then lowered himself prone on the forest floor, tilting his head and exposing his neck to me.

I leaned down, running my warm, wet muzzle up his neck and around the back of his ear, nostrils flaring as I drew in his scent. The short strands of hair fluttered and fell as I huffed into them. My muzzle trailed a wet stripe from his ear to the hollow of his collarbone where the mating gland was located. I lapped over the site, the silky smoothness of his skin catching on my raspy tongue, tasting his unique flavor, marking it in my brain. My canines lightly grazed the skin but it was not time yet.

Scenting done, I drew back and watched him, unblinking. When he didn’t move, I let out a low rumble.

Isca shifted, the beautiful young man replaced by a splendid silver wolf. His soft, silky coat shimmered with every inhale and exhale. He crouched on the ground, paws out in front, head resting on them, tilted, exposing his vulnerable throat. Just the slight flicking of his tail betrayed any emotion.

A rumble started low in my throat and Isca sprang to his feet, racing for the trees. He was smaller than me, but lithe and nimble. He made a good start, but I was a powerful alpha, all muscle. I chased after him and leapt in front of him, spinning to face him before he could escape the circle and disappear into the forest.

He spun away and tried a different course.

And so the game went on; we raced and leaped and every time Isca almost escaped the circle, I was there in front of him. He would bound away again, trying another direction, then duck and weave as I came after him, feinting to one side then going the other. He was quick and he was clever, but I was more experienced, and I was always one step, one leap, ahead of him.

I was hunting my mate.

Wherever the dance took us, part of me remained aware of where my other mate stood. I did not want to knock him over in my attempts to subdue our new mate.

The chase went on for what seemed a long time. I would have my omega, but he was going to make me work for it, he wasn't going to give up easily. I respected him all the more for that.

My ears were loud with my heavy breathing, sides heaving as they dragged in great lungfuls of air, when Isca, struggling to catch his breath, sought refuge at Irian’s feet.

It was a clever move. He knew I wouldn’t tackle him there. I stood in front of him, puffy white clouds escaping my nostrils as my warm breath hit the cool night air. I felt powerful, virile, towering over my future mate.

One minute he was quietly whimpering at Irian’s feet, and the next he was streaking across the clearing. He made it to the first circle before I pounced on him, paws on his shoulders, driving him into the ground. With a surge of strength, he rolled us over, and we continued to struggle, teeth grasping mouthfuls of fur but never breaking skin, powerful legs kicking and struggling but claws retracted. I was much larger, and if I had been trying to hurt him, this would have been over quickly, but that wasn’t our purpose here. He was smaller, but strong and determined. He twisted and turned and did his best to escape.

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