Page 11 of Unexpected Alpha's Claim

“Our?” I asked. “So, there are more… like you?”

He frowned again and his eyes flashed with something predatorial. He moved past my question as if he didn’t hear it.

“We can do business with them, we can have human friends, but that’s about it. The people of Dawson have been guarding this secret for centuries, Monica. Can you imagine what would happen if the government knew about it?”

It was clear that there was a whole lot here I didn’t understand. More questions rushed in than I could even begin to comprehend, but only one of them made it to the forefront and from there onto my tongue.

“So… what happens if you decide to date a human?” I asked, my voice faster and higher than usual.

“It’s a death penalty.” His answer sent more shockwaves down my spine. “For both of us.”

The pronouncement hung heavy in the air between us like a stone thrown into a still pond, ripples of all the implications echoing out from its point of impact. Death. For both? Why? How would that make any sense? What was going on here? And, maybe most importantly, why was I leaning into this so much?

“That’s harsh,” I said, throat tight as my heart raced.

“Look, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the rules. I’ve been a rule breaker most of my life,” he said, his eyes burning. The way they reflected the light, that must have been what it was, because eyes can’t burn, but there was a fire in his. A fire that ignited something in me. Hormones flooded my brain, making me stupid. Logically I knew that’s what was happening, but desire leaves no room for logic. He continued, his voice deep, rough, and husky. And God above did I want to him to say my name in that voice. “But I don’t want you to die because I can’t keep my hands off of you. And let me be clear, don’t imagine a quick death. We don’t use guns.”

“I understand,” I said in a lowered tone as tingles of fear coursed through my body.

I didn’t. I didn’t understand any of this and I sure as hell didn’t understand why I was still there against all advice and logic. But I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t walk away.

“Do yourself a favor and get out of here,” he advised, straightening his coat. “We’ve got extremely sensitive noses, and there’s going to be more shapeshifters in that hall other than my brothers. You don’t want them to smell me on you.”

“Okay,” I accepted, feeling a little numb and a little crazy.

An idea sprung into my head. If I was to leave, I would take something back home with me, other than this incredible story. I didn’t speak. I wouldn’t speak of my desire, it was better for me to show it. A short step closed the distance between us. I curved my arms around his hips, stepping up on my toes. I caught a glimpse of his eyes, as our lips stroked together. A second brushing knocked down his defenses.

In a matter of seconds, I was back in that sweet prison. Hisforbiddenprison. Perhaps that’s what made this kiss even more fervent than our first. He was off limits. He represented the unreachable, the man I couldnothave. Easing me into his embrace, he held on tightly, his long fingers caressing my lower back. Getting tangled in the fabric of my dress, he offered me a generous dose of an unprecedented feeling.

Desire. Pure and unadulterated, in its wildest shape.

I had been kissed in the outdoors. In complete privacy, and with hundreds of people around me. None of those experiences had given me this mountain of desire, this almost overwhelming urge to pull up my dress and let him have his way with me. Vapors of our breaths rose from our mouths, I tasted him again and again as if trying to get a dose of medicine that without which I would die. His hands traveled up to my cheeks where he cupped them and rested his forehead on mine.

“You’re not making this any easier,” He protested with a whisper. “I must go. So should you.”

“I’m sorry. I, uhm, I guess I got carried away there,” I said, just shy of breathless. “Goodnight, Raul. Take care of yourself.”

“You, too, doc.”

A sense of disappointment flooded my insides. I turned away from him, unable to shake the feeling that this was the last time I would be intimate with him. It was amazing… For a few minutes, this creature, this shapeshifter had managed to destroy everything I had been telling my friends about my personal life.

I need time to pick up my pieces.I don’t want to get involved with anyone for a while.Nonsense. Raul could have taken me away right then and done as he pleased with me. If hislovemaking was half as good as his kissing, I knew I’d wake up happy in the morning. Nevertheless, this noble man wouldn’t do that. To him, my safety was more important than giving in to his desire. Our desire.

What a man.

8

RAUL

Yearning… that’s the only way to describe how Monica left me that night.

Desperate to touch her again, more. Desperate to feel her body heat. Desperate to kiss her in places she had never been kissed and desperate to take her to a heaven of delight.

Those were hopeless dreams because none of them could come true. No matter how much I craved her, no matter the amount of pheromones that oozed from her, she would not, could not, be mine. That could only end in getting her killed. The only way to avoid that fate was for her to stay away from me and me from her.

My brothers might have been waiting for me in Northern Thicket, but I didn’t dare to return because there was no hiding her scent on me, they would know and they would tease me mercilessly all night long. But they and their teasing weren’t the issue that kept me away. Any shapeshifter could and would smell the same thing and my pack wasn’t my biggest fan at the best of times. Such a blatant violation of the rules would undeniably bring about my Alpha’s wrath.

Rather than run the risk I chose to stroll through the woods. Under any other circumstances, I would have left this to the wolf. He would get me home faster, not to mention he wouldn’t be in danger of getting stuck in the mud. Yet, the wolf wouldn’t be able to feel what I had been feeling that night. Monica. Her flesh, her heat, her taste in my mouth.

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