Alpha Werewolf Complete Set Page 3

  "No snacks today, Nala," Alex says and he sounds fond. "Nala, this is Mr. Black. Remember Mr. Black?"

  "Black?" she murmurs, blinking over at him.

  "Theodore Black," Theodore says.

  She tilts her head and blinks. She mewls at him and waits like she's expecting him to respond in kind.

  "Hello, Nala," he says, crouching down and making himself as small and nonthreatening as possible. "Can you let us in, Nala?" he asks.

  "We've been trying to for ages. She's not going to-"

  She swipe her paws across something on the other side of the door and it swings open just like that. He had not expected it to be that easy.

  And then she lunges at him with her claws aiming at his face.

  Chapter Three: Pets, Master

  If he weren't what he is, if his wolf wasn't so interested in the young girl who smells like cat and wants to come out and play, then there is no doubt that he would have been severely injured. As things are, it is easy for him to swipe a hand out and grasp her by her wrist and pin her down on the floor.

  He is excessively careful not to harm her. She's very soft and very small. Her tail is about the size of her entire body, big as fluffy as it is. Mostly fur, his mind supplies helpfully and it doesn't help that the thought sends a tendril of pleasure down his spine. Gods, there must be something wrong with him. If Danny had known in advance how much he coveted half shifters, he would not have left her in his possession. Or perhaps he knew. Perhaps Danny is counting on his obsession with half shifters to keep her safe because his friend knows that while Theodore may not be a good man, he is a possessive one. He would never let anything harm what he thinks of as his.

  She smells even sweeter up close and it is too easy for him to lean down and press his nose to her neck, taking a deep inhale. She smells anxious and upset, but not as scared as he thought she would be.

  "Sir, are you okay?" Alex asks and even though he is addressing Theodore, his eyes are on Nala, wide and worried. It is only too clear that Alex is more worried about the cat shifter than he is of him.

  Nala hisses at him and tries to reach her arms around behind her to slash him. Even her wrists are adorable, fur covering the back of her hand, the fingers shorter than normal human fingers with claws that hides inside her paws when she's not using them.

  "It is not polite to attack guests, kitten," Theodore says, the pet name dropping from his lips easily. It fits.

  "Master- Master Danny?" she calls out for her old master beseechingly, as though if she is sweet enough, he would materialize in front of them and save her.

  "You must know," he feels a pang of pain in his heart at the fervent wobbly in her voice. She must say the word a lot. It sounds normal on her tongue.

  "Your Master Danny is dead, Nala," Alex says, sounding as though he had been trying to tell her the same thing for ages and wants simply for her to understand. "He had been sick for a long time and he wants Mr. Black to take care of you now. Mr. Black is a strong Alpha, Nala. He'll take care of you."

  "Master Danny?" she whimpers, sniffing a little.

  He sighs and releases her, making sure to keep his wits about in case she decides to attack him again. "Do you understand what Alex is trying to tell you, my dear?" he asks.

  She scrambles to sit up the second she's free, legs folding up until she is able to wrap her arms around them. She looks like a kit then, and she looks even more like a young kitten when she tugs the tip of her tail in her hand and mouths at it.

  Theodore has never been much for patience but he finds himself wanting to give her time to adjust, wanting to give her the world, if only she would talk to him.

  She curls her arms around her knees, tucking into herself miserably and he watches as she nibbles at the tip of her tail, finding comfort as she grooms herself. She's beautiful. Mostly human with a few catlike features that could've been clothes put on her. Her cat ears are soft to touch, fluffy and well-groomed, as is her tail. There's fur on her wrists and up to her fingers, which look more like paws than they do human hands. Her legs are bend and cat-like, making it easier for her to be on her hands and knees instead of in a standing position.

  There is something in her pupils that is not quite human too, her iris too narrow and sharp, her pupil a long slit instead of the normal spherical dark shade. It is easy to pretend she's human and easier to be reminded that she's not. He cups her neck and holds her, the heady smell of her anxiety filling her nose, but not fear. She's not afraid of him. Her skin is warm on hers and she seems to press into his touch, eager for the contact. The poor thing. She must have missed human contact for a long time. His hands cup her face, gently coaxing her to look up at him.

  She sobs out then, realizing she's trapped and he's a bigger predator than him.

  He is careful to keep his animal from surfacing, aware that he looks intimidating enough as a human already. He does not want to scare her even more.

  "I'm going to take care of you now, kitten," he says. "You've been lonely, having you, darling? Caged here all on your own." Danny is a good man, but he has a family of his own. A wife whom he loved and children that he cared deeply for. If they have not come up for her yet, it is likely they didn't know about her either. She's Danny's little secret, his hidden shame. Perhaps he had been obsessed with her too. He monopolized her and wanted her just for himself. "I'm not going to keep you in a cage," he says.

  She blinks at him, confused.

  "I don't need to hide you, kitten. I'm a wolf. No one would touch what's mine. Well, no one who values their life," he grins and it is a feral grin with a hint of fang.

  She quivers and tries to look away. He keeps his hands on her cheeks, preventing her from turning her gaze from him. In the corner, he sees Alex hesitating. The boy probably wants to provide input, but the memory of being thrown into the glass in the office is still fresh in his mind and he keeps wisely quiet.

  "It's alright if you don't," he says. "But you'd have to go back there," he continues, gaze flitting into her cage.

  Her breath hitches and she looks so afraid. Her hands- her paws grasp the hem of his shirt, as though afraid he would leave her right now and is trying to keep him there with her.

  "Danny left you with me, though," he says. "And I'm going to take care of you. I'll keep your safe with me, show you the world, perhaps." It sounds cliche, but he can tell he's "Would you like to come with me?" he asks again.

  "Wrii- ith you?" she echoes feebly, tongue curling around the words wrong.

  He rumbles in reply, tone still soothing, but hands gripping her tightly because she feels ready to run. "Yes. With me," he says.

  "All- all the time?" she asks, and she sounds so hopeful, the idea of spending time with another living being is so seductive that she is leaning in as she asks this, eyes shining brightly.

  He answers, "If you want."

  She blushes and nods, her eyes wide as saucers, so lovely and trusting. The scent of fear and anxiety have all but gone now, leaving behind only the sweet smell of peaches that had drawn him in earlier. "New- new Master?" she whispers.

  "If you want," he rumbles, liking the sound of the word on her tongue and the way she tilts her head, offering her neck already in submission.

  She frowns, as though the concept of choice is foreign to her. She mewls sweetly, and then leans up to rub the top of her head on his arm. "Master Teddy?" she whispers.

  "Yes, pet. If you want," he says, pausing only a moment when he hears his name on her tongue. Danny must have told her about him. Nobody else calls him Teddy. It's a silly pet-name, one that was given to him when he shredded the teddy bear that Danny had given him on his sixth birthday. He didn't like that the stuffed animal had part of his name.

  "I want-" she murmurs. "I want pets, Master Teddy," she whispers.

  His heart melts a little bit and he rubs her hair, scratching the soft fur between her ears. She's really very lovely, quiet and sweet like this. He doesn't fell any ill-intent from her, but he hadn't f
elt any of that when she came at him earlier either. But she had been anxious then. "Would you like to come home with me now, pet? Is there anything you'd like to bring with you?" he asks, secretly hoping there's nothing she would want to bring with her. He would very much like to buy her all the things she needs. New things. Only the best for her. Already, he is thinking of finding someone to buy her a new wardrobe, one that would fit her better.

  The dress that Danny had gotten her is nice, but it's clearly not built with a half shifter in mind. Every sway of her tail pushes the skirt up a little, revealing the soft, smooth skin of her thigh.

  "Kitten?" he prompts when she doesn't answer.

  She 'mreows' at him, purring sweetly instead of answering. He has a feeling she's not listening to him at all. Most half shifters are like this, a little too much of their animals in charge for them to be fully human.

  "I um- With all due respect, sir. You should leave before the others come and check on her?" Alex is glancing worriedly at his watch.

  He grins and Alex stumbles back so quickly he falls on his ass. Theodore asks, "They're coming here?" Perhaps he could skip the firing part and get rid of them now. It would save him the trouble of having to hunt them down individually later. Than again, the hunt is part of the experience.

  A series of expression flits across the boy's face, from horror, to understanding, and then back to horror and finally, acceptance. "Perhaps- perhaps you should um- you should wait until you've gotten her settled in?"

  She's not even paying them any attention now, nuzzling into his touch like a touch-starved pet. She's really very sweet, warming up to him so quickly. She's too trusting. The only reason she has to trust him is that her former Master said she should and that appears to be enough for her. It really shouldn't be.

  He is going to have such fun ruining her.

  Chapter Four: Master Teddy

  Master Danny died on a sunny Monday morning. She knows because the men who came here with the electric prods and the keys to the front door tells her Master Danny is dead and is never coming for her again.

  She knows they're telling the truth before they would never have gotten the keys otherwise. Master Danny is human, but he is like her sometimes, possessive with the things Master Danny gives her. She doesn't even want to share any of her toys with him and she has a lot of toys but not enough. She loves her scratching posts the most. He takes a long time setting them up so she can hone her nails and shed her old claws.

  She loves the fish he brings her too. The fresh ones are always the best. She has a lot of food in the fridge, enough to last weeks and weeks since Master Danny doesn't always remember to visit her. She thought Master Danny was just slow when the doors opened that day, but strangers walked in, strangers in dark suits and smelling of greed and hunger that has nothing to do with food.

  They tell her that she belongs to them now, that she is a beautiful kitten and she will sell for a lot of money. It's a pity they told her all the terrible things they want to do to her before they got the final door open because it is the last door that matters.

  It is the door that opens from the inside, one that Master Danny had installed the last time he visited, when he smelled to heavily of sickness that she thought he was going to drop dead in the middle of his visit. He told her to stay hidden when the men came to install the electric gate that can only be locked from the inside and she did, hiding in her bathroom while the stranger construction workers whispered about eccentric old men and their hobbies.

  Master Danny was there the entire time, keeping close to make sure no one would 'accidentally' wander into her room. She brought most of her toys in the room to keep her company then, and Master Danny would pet her and tell her she's a good girl when they're gone, so she had that to look forward to too.

  These men won't pet her, though. They don't even look at her without dollar signs in their eyes. They tried a number of things over the next few days. She was so scared when they had something bang against the roof of her home, but the metal is sturdy. Master Danny had been terrified of someone stealing her when he was alive. She was his pride and joy, he said.

  One that he kept hidden.

  Nobody plays with her. She calls and calls and her door remains locked.

  Master Danny says it's to keep her safe, but she knows it's to keep anyone from stealing her away. He likes her, but only as a pet. He brags about her to friends sometimes and rewards them by letting them see her, but he doesn't let them play with her.

  She's lonely all the time except for when Master Danny comes to visit. He would praise her for her beautiful fur and stroke her with his hands. He is careful, though. Always careful and he keeps a taser close by in case she can't help herself and uses her teeth or claws. Because he's human and fragile, so she has to be careful with him too.

  Master Danny had been sick for a long time before he finally died and he said- he said he has a friend who would keep her safe when that happens. Teddy, he had said. Teddy is a good wolf. He would make sure no harm comes to her.

  She had been upset when he didn't show up immediately, when he didn't come for her after Master Danny died. She wonders if he would be like Master Danny, who only visited her once a few weeks when he remembers.

  Alex is a good wolf too, she thinks. He would sneak her snacks when his masters aren't looking, little dried fish that's salty and savory. She likes them a lot. She hopes he has some today too, but he doesn't smell like snacks today. Instead, he smells like a new person.

  Wolf, she thinks when her gaze lands on the new stranger. He's a scary-looking wolf too, big and imposing with muscles everywhere. He smells crisp, like the suit is new, and something warm and dangerous. Her fur bristles and she pulls her upper lip back to scent the air discreetly. She wonders if he's like the other wolves who've come here. Would he talk about selling her too?

  But Alex brought him, so he must be kind. Alex is a good wolf. She frowns, not knowing what to think.

  Then, he tells her his name and her heart clenches. He's Teddy.

  Seeing her new Master makes her cry a little because seeing him means it must be true. Master Danny really is dead and she belongs to someone else now. She is upset enough to attack him, forgetting to be careful until she is too close and he catches her. He's not human. He's not human so she doesn't have to be careful.

  She nuzzles up to him. Maybe he would play with her more, pet her and nuzzle her. She hopes wolves like cats. He smells nice, like pine and forest, not at all like Alex, who smells like tobacco even though he doesn't smoke. Not like Master Danny, who smells like medicine because he's sick.

  He's strong enough that she doesn't worry at all about hurting him. He's strong and young and she doesn't have to worry about him dying and leaving her all alone.

  She takes a chance, nuzzling up to his hand to get him to pet her. He's not very good at it, but she thinks he can be trained. She hopes he wouldn't keep her locked up in here like Master Danny. She hopes he would pet her all the time and keep her close to him. She revels in the sensation of his fingers combing through the strands of her hair between her ears, the soft scratches of his nails on the thicker fur at the base of her ears. She shifts under the touch, pressing against his hand and bowing her head to expose the back of her neck, chasing after the touch.

  His rumbling purr is pleasing. She wants to hear more of it.

  She's never met someone who's like her before. Sure, he doesn't have the ears or tail of tufts of fur all over her body like she does, but he's an animal nevertheless. She can smell wolf on him even though he's not shifted and he moves like a wolf too. He's strong. Powerful. She doesn't have to be afraid of hurting him. If anything it's the opposite.

  She knows he's being careful when he's touching her, putting just enough pressure on the back of her neck so that he's holding her still without digging his fingers in. It's grounding. She kind of loves it.

  She's aware of Alex looking at her oddly and she sways her tail, deliberately tugging her s
kirt up. The scent of arousal from the boy makes her giggle but the man patting her head growls with displeasure.

  She cowers a little, scared by the noise from the apex predator in the room. She's used to being the only dangerous thing in the room. Master Danny doesn't bring werewolves with him to visit her and he certainly doesn't let his friends close enough to touch. The stranger touching her is still pleasant though, even when he's growling dangerously.

  She purrs at him, lazily thrusting her head to his hand so he can continue petting her. She likes being touched and he's a quick learner, scratching the bit behind her ears where it feels best and she moans happily, loving how it feels.

  "You shouldn't tease unless you're willing to follow through, kitten," he warns dangerously, fingers curling around the base of her neck.

  She blinks up at him, confused. He looks upset. No, not upset. He looks hungry and there aren't dollar signs in his eyes. "Master Teddy?" she whispers, frowning. Oh. There's a heady scent of arousal coming from him as well, she realizes after a second. Oh! Does he want to mate? She'd like that very much. Her purr intensifies, rumbling through her vocal chords as she leans closer towards him, tail perked up to show off her naked bum as she crawls closer towards him. Behind her, Alex makes a choking sort of noise.

  She doesn't really like clothes. The only reason why she wears them is because she didn't like the way the other men looked at her. This is her new Master, though. And he smells very nice. She wants to rub herself all over him and put his scent on her skin. "Mate, Master Teddy?" she asks.

  He presses forward so abruptly that she didn't have time to react until he has her pinned down on the floor, hands on her wrists to keep them from clawing at him. He needn't have bothered. She doesn't want to hurt him anymore since he pets her very well. He leans in and she blinks at how close their faces are. He's a very good-looking human. To her surprise, he keeps tilting his head down, bringing his mouth close to her ear so she can feel his exhales on her skin. "You want me to mate you, kitten?"