Sweet Submission Read online

  Kita was out of breath, standing on shaky legs as she faced off with the Alpha. He looked like he wanted to rip her throat out. She had to get away from him, get inside where she could at least put a door between them. She stumbled backwards, shifting blindly out of her pelt. Scrambling, she rose on two legs again, jerking her clothes off the steps. She whirled around defensively. Sasha had shifted, too. She gasped, frozen as she involuntarily looked him up and down. He was naked, and he was glorious. Her eyes shot downward, and she couldn't look away. He hadn't been exaggerating, he probably was more than she could handle.

  She blinked away her shock, blushing deep crimson when she looked back up at him. His own surprise was written on his face as he looked at her. She sucked in a deep breath when she remembered that she was just as naked as he was. She clutched her clothes urgently to her exposed body, covering her most vulnerable places.

  He tilted his jaw, resuming his annoyed expression, “what were you doing out there, sweetheart?"

  She turned away to avoid him, “I'm not your responsibility, Sasha, so don't get all Alpha on me.” She started to put her jeans on, straightening with a gasp when she felt him come up close behind her.

  Sasha wrapped a hand possessively around her small waist, leaning down to whisper hotly into her ear, “as long as you're staying here with my pack you are my responsibility."

  Kita swallowed, she could feel his manhood against her bare buttocks and she tried to move forward away from his grip, “I'm leaving tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about protecting me, Sasha.” She felt his growing arousal against her, and it sent an unexpected rush of warmth and desire between her legs.

  Sasha relaxed his hold on her waist. He had to. The feel of her supple round bottom brushing against his flesh was making him hard with need, “you're not going anywhere tomorrow, sweetheart.” He demanded huskily, trying to keep his arousal from reaching his voice.

  She finished pulling the pants up around her hips and without facing him she replied, “is that a threat? I'm not a member of your pack, Sasha. You have no control over me. If you want to boss someone around go do it to your pack mates."

  His jaw jerked in irritation. He reached under the step and quickly threw his own jeans on when he saw her finish pulling her shirt over her head and rush up the steps. He raced after her, still struggling with his clothes as she entered the house. He grabbed her right arm and she spun to face him.

  "Goddamn it, woman, will you be rational here?” He insisted as he held her, “stop being such a hothead and think about what's out there! Do you honestly think that hunter is gone? Do you want to get killed?"

  "Let me go, Sasha,” She warned, “you can't keep me here—"

  Suddenly he pulled her in tightly to him, cupping her small jaw in his hands. Her lips quivered with fury, and her blue eyes sparkled with defiance. He didn't want to hurt her, but she was being too reckless for her own good. He couldn't understand it, she was right, she wasn't a member of his pack, and he shouldn't care what she did. But the thought of her being shot and killed by a werewolf hunter was enough to make him feel sick inside. He would do what he had to do to protect her, at any cost.

  He looked deep into her eyes, and when he spoke his breath caressed her cheek, warm and tender on her skin, “please forgive me, pretty baby..."

  She frowned in confusion. Lost in his stare she saw visions come to life, like frames in a movie. She was standing alone in the dark woods in the shape of a wolf. Out of nowhere she was struck from the side, knocked down by the force of the strike. The wind was knocked out of her. She could feel it as much as see it. A black wolf was hovering over her, keeping her pinned beneath him to prove his dominance. She saw lips drawn back to reveal impossibly sharp teeth. She felt only fear in this moment. It was so real, so intense that she felt like she would cry.

  Another vision flashed before her, she was seeing herself again, still in the shape of a werewolf. She saw herself standing alone in cold darkness. A shot blasted through the air, and her body was jerked backwards. Blood spilled from her side, staining her white fur as she collapsed on the ground. It was so violent, so sudden...

  Sasha leaned forward, his lips inches from hers when he spoke, “stay with me, and none of that will happen. I can protect you if you let me ... I can make you forget the pain, the fear of what you just saw..."

  It took her a moment to grasp that he had said the words to her just now, not in the visions that he had given her. She felt weak, like the floor was giving out beneath her. The horror of what she had seen—it was like seeing her death, and it was too much.

  Her irises shifted, focusing now as she saw Sasha moving away. He looked regretful, even pained. She watched him walk away, still replaying the images in her head. He had made one thing clear. If she were to leave she would pay for it dearly. She sighed and looked away. She couldn't stay here, no matter what the consequences were. Sasha just didn't understand. If he only knew ... she winced involuntarily, thinking of his reaction if he were to find out the truth.

  "He likes you, you know."

  Kita whipped her head sideways to the source of the feminine voice. She scowled. It was the same pretty brunette who had so blatantly challenged her the other night. The woman eyed her coolly, seemingly evaluating her. For a moment Kita felt her muscles jump into action, going rigid when she saw the other woman. If she was looking for a fight now that the Alpha had retreated she'd give her one.

  The woman raised her jaw, “I didn't think he liked anybody ... until you came along."

  Kita watched her silently, even as the other woman pushed off of the wall to approach her.

  "You're very lucky, you know.” The woman stated as she passed her to walk into the next room, “he's not a man to be taken lightly."

  Kita followed when the woman glanced back at her. She didn't take Sasha lightly, she was very aware of his ability to be dangerous. She remembered when she was young, hearing stories about an eye-commander who was so fierce that he had killed his own brother. She knew deep down that Sasha was just as dangerous as that man had been, and it sent a chill up her spine.

  "You should be on the floor, down on your hands and knees right now.” “Excuse me?” Kita asked in shock.

  "You,” The woman said affirmatively, “you should be on the floor crying your eyes out from the horrible things that Sasha would have shown you."

  Kita raised her jaw, sitting on a couch across from the woman when she herself sat down, “maybe those horrible things don't scare me, did you think of that?"

  The woman let a sarcastic chuckle escape her lips, “honey, even the devil would be afraid of some of the things Sasha can conjure up.” She sighed and eased into the sofa, “no, I'll bet he just gave you a slap on the wrist. I'll bet it wasn't even enough to make you too scared to follow his orders. I can see it in your eyes. You'll be trying to leave again soon."

  Kita eyed the woman suspiciously, but still didn't say anything. She watched as the woman reached down into a sliding cabinet within a wooden coffee table, removing a bottle of bourbon and a glass tumbler. She poured herself a glass, and then nodded to Kita.

  "Would you like some?” Kita shook her head, and the woman sipped from her glass, “so tell me something, honey. Why is a pretty little girl like you running from a hunter?"

  Again there was silence on Kita's end. She wasn't about to say anything that might incriminate her later, especially to a woman that she held no trust towards.

  "The name's Gina, by the way.” The woman paused, and when Kita failed to give her name in return she asked, “what's the matter, you don't want to talk to me? I know you have a voice. I've heard you use it on Sasha, hell the whole house heard you yelling at our Alpha.” She took another sip of her drink, “you're in way over your head little girl. You should go home, where you're safe."

  "What makes you think that home would be safe for me?” Kita questioned, leaning forward slightly.

  "Oh come on, honey, I know your type.” The woman
poured herself some more to drink, “your daddy was the pack Alpha, right? So you don't have any fear, no respect, because daddy was always there to protect you. And now, when you finally run into a real pack Alpha, you're all bite, thinking you're untouchable.” She snorted, “I've got news for you, honey, Sasha's gonna bite back sooner or later. I'd suggest you go home before that happens."

  Kita leaned back again, shaking her head softly, “well, you've got it all figured out then, haven't you?"

  The woman raised her glass triumphantly in the air, “hey, I call them as I see them."

  Kita nodded, rising from her seat. She didn't have to sit here and listen to this. She left the room, listening as the woman chuckled alone behind her.

  CHAPTER 5

  Sasha angrily made his way down the hallway. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying unsuccessfully to calm his nerves. It was still late at night, but he knew that Kita had not yet returned to the guest bedroom for the night. He was halfway down the hallway when he met Kiser, and he impatiently flashed a hand signal commanding the healer to follow him. He led him right back into the bedroom, pointedly directing him at the rocking chair where he had been sleeping before he noticed that Kita was gone. “Tell me how she got past you, Kiser. Tell me why I found her in the woods alone at this time of the night.” Sasha commanded.

  Kiser shrugged, “I fell asleep, Sash, and she's very quiet."

  "You're supposed to keep an eye on her. That's the second time now that you have failed.” Sasha criticized.

  Kaiser frowned, “she's almost fully healed, Sasha. She doesn't need me to watch over her every move anymore.” He informed the leader austerely.

  "You should have known when she left this room tonight, Kiser!” He snapped, “she should never have been out running around when there is a hunter out there! Three of our pack members are dead, and she was nearly killed. The only reason the poison in the dart didn't kill her was because the hunter missed. He shot right through her leg with the first try. If both of the shots had gotten into her blood stream she would be dead!"

  Kiser tilted his head, “why are you being so protective of her? She's not even in our pack, and yet you're being very defensive.” He smiled shrewdly, “by all rights, you should have killed her when you found her...."

  Sasha eyed him crossly for a moment, trying to decide what Kiser was hinting at.

  He finally calmed, sitting heavily down on the bed, “I should have ... but I didn't. And now I'm being protective ... and I don't know why.” He buried his face in his palms, “I don't understand it, it's like I'm losing control. A part of me wants to dominate her, and another part wants to protect her."

  Kiser nodded, “women will do that to a man."

  "Not to me.” Sasha said firmly, “I can have any woman I want at any time. I don't have to be chasing a stranger around. So why am I, Kiser?"

  "Maybe you like this one, Sasha ... more than the others."

  "I shouldn't, I hardly know her. I don't even think she's telling the truth half the time.” Sasha groaned, rising to his feet as he began to pace the floor.

  Kiser stretched out in the chair, “what would she be lying about?"

  "She told me she's a loner. Look at her. Do you honestly think that any male in his right mind would let her be a loner?” He shook his head, “and the part about the hunter ... she's hiding something, I can feel it. Why would he shoot her with a poison dart when he had silver bullets? It just doesn't make sense—why kill her with an overdose of toxin that will take hours or more to kill her, when he could have shot her with a silver bullet and she'd have been dead in minutes?"

  "He cut the throats of our three pack mates. He had to get close to do it. How well did we check the bodies before we buried them? Maybe he shot them with the tranquilizers first. Maybe he's a real nut job that likes his victims to be alive when he's killing them."

  Sasha continued pacing, “but the silver bullets ... that part doesn't make sense. Why would he keep silver bullets on him when he's not going to use them?"

  Kiser thought about it for a moment, “maybe the silver bullets are a backup, just in case the darts fail. Everyone has a plan B, even killers, like a panic button if anything goes wrong...” The healer leaned forward, “or, there's the darker scenario ... maybe he was using her for bait, Sasha."

  Sasha rubbed his temples, it was all too confusing. Only one man had the answers to his questions, and that was the hunter. It bothered him. If the hunter was truly intent on using Kita as bait that would explain why he hadn't left yet, Sasha hadn't played into his hand like he had been hoping. The hunter had missed his opportunity, and now he had to either create a new one or give up and leave. The hunter wasn't leaving. He was still there tonight.

  Soft footsteps padded down the hallway, nearing until they were just outside the door. Sasha turned away from Kiser, looking expectantly at the door.

  Kita walked in, freezing in place when she saw both men in the room. She looked back and forth between them, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

  "What do you want?” She finally questioned when the room fell silent.

  Sasha looked over at Kiser, ignoring her question, “you can go. I'll stay with her tonight."

  Kita set her jaw, irked that she had been disregarded, “excuse me, but I don't need a babysitter.” She announced.

  "A babysitter, no, someone to make sure that you stay put, yes.” Sasha said with raised eyebrows as he looked back at her.

  "I don't need anyone to make sure that I ‘stay put’ either.” She growled.

  Kiser climbed to his feet, slipping past them as he disappeared through the doorway, leaving them alone to their argument. Kita and Sasha seemed oblivious to him, as they were both too busy staring heatedly at one another.

  "Like it or not, I'm not leaving you alone, sweetheart.” Sasha replied calmly.

  "Get out, Sasha!” Kita demanded as she pointed at the door.

  He sat down on the bed, unmoved by her insistence, “I wish I could, but I just can't."

  She scowled, chagrin written all over her face, “why the hell not?"

  "You can't be trusted, pretty baby. Who's to say that you won't go play in the woods again after dark?"

  "Whatever, I am not going anywhere right now. I'm tired and I just want to sleep, Sasha.” She sighed and pointed to the door again, “now, will you please just get out?"

  "Why do you want me to get out so badly? You know that makes me trust you even less. It makes me think you're hiding something.” He informed her.

  "Oh, honestly, Sasha,” She snapped defensively, “I'm not hiding anything. I just want you gone so that I can change! For your information I sleep nude and I really don't want you in here when I'm naked! Besides,” she grumbled, “you've already seen me naked once tonight, and that's more than enough.” She blushed with the memory and her cheeks burned red hot.

  He smiled broadly and his golden eyes glittered with excitement, “you sleep in the nude, really?” He nodded as if he'd just made a life-altering decision, “well, now I'm definitely not leaving. In fact, since you're so precious to me, I'll even sleep under the blankets with you, you know, just in case you get cold."

  She rolled her eyes and a small smile actually slipped over her lips, “the only thing cold in here is going to be you, as in your cold dead body if you don't get out."

  He cocked his head in disbelief, “is that a smile, sweetheart?” He looked at her warmly, drinking her in with his eyes. She was more beautiful than ever when she smiled.

  "Enjoy it because it's the only one you're going to get. Now get out before I physically remove you.” Kita advised him, hoping that he didn't notice when she flashed her eyes sideways to escape his thirsty stare.

  She shivered inside. He was watching her with such intensity. It made her warm all over, and it felt as if her body were about to burst into flames. He was so male, so unbelievably in control, and she was so turned on by him at this moment. She shifted in an effort to soothe the burnin
g between her legs, but all she succeeded in doing was make it worse.

  Sasha leaned back, “well, sweetheart, I'm waiting."

  She frowned, returning her gaze to him, “waiting for what?"

  "You said that you were going to get physical with me. I hope that wasn't just a tease..."

  Her eyes rounded, “get out already, Sasha!"

  He smirked, a playful, mischievous little grin that brought out his casual charm. He held his hand out to her.

  "Fine, help me up though?” He asked.

  She stepped towards him, extending her hand, “get up and get out before I hurt you!"

  He grabbed her palm in his, and recognition twinkled in his eyes. It made her heart skip for a moment, but she didn't have time to get away. In an instant he had pulled her to him and swung his free arm around her waist. She gasped when he stood to his feet, taking her with him as he turned around. She was lifted from the floor and in the bat of an eye he was over her, holding her down on the bed beneath him.

  "Is that a promise?” He asked huskily against her cheek.

  Kita squirmed beneath him, raising her hips as she tried to regain control of the situation. The front of her jeans grazed his, and her breath escaped her lips in a surprised cry. He was hard, pressed tight against his pants with his desire for her. His warm breath burned her cheek and her throat, tempting her to surrender to him.

  She rocked her head back. God help her but she wanted him now. She wanted everything that he was, everything that he had to give her, every part of him against her, inside of her. She was reeling, spinning out of control as he dominated all other thoughts.

  Her mind was screaming at her to get away, but her body was begging for more. She felt dampness between her legs, and the feel of Sasha's firm and unyielding body against hers wasn't helping. Again she grazed the front of his jeans, only this time it wasn't an accident.