Huntress and The Alpha King

Loved No Matter What

Quinn

“Have you seen Irina?” said Avery from the doorway to my office.

I looked up from my laptop, my neck was stiff. “Not since this morning. Why?”

I threw myself into work after my childish tantrum this morning. I don’t know what had come over me. Well, I knew. I was irrationally jealous of Duncan, and I’d taken it out on Irina.

“Well.” Avery twisted her hands together.

“Well?” I prompted.

“She was upset earlier, and I wanted to check on her, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Why was she upset? Where did you see her?” I jumped up.

“She was at the hospital.”

“Why? Is she hurt?” I strode over to Avery, a sudden panic gripped me. I stopped short of grabbing her. Avery didn’t take well to physical contact from males.

“No, she’s not hurt. Alpha, I can’t tell you why she was there. By rights I shouldn’t have even told you she was with me, but she has no pack link and I’ve looked everywhere. And now they are calling me back to the clinic.” She rubbed at a bruise on her wrist.

A million questions shot through my head. I knew I wouldn’t get anything more from Avery, she took her Hippocratic oath seriously. We’d once bumped heads about confidentiality, and she was unshakable. What had Irina been at the clinic for? Was she injured but Avery was playing it down? Could it be something else? I felt a slither of hope. No, don’t think of that! It couldn’t be that. Could it?

“Pups?” My wolf sat up in my mind.

“We don’t know yet, don’t jinx it,” I replied.

Hope blossomed in my chest and a smile curled my lips before I could supress it.

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Quinn. You need to find her. Check she’s ok.” Avery gave me a look I couldn’t interpret and left.

“Find mate.” My wolf pushed forward forcefully as if to shift.

“Whoa there, buddy, not the suit! Let me get undressed.”

“Find mate.” He paced about and huffed.

I shifted because that was the quickest way to track her scent. I emerged out of the packhouse and sniffed the air. It was hot outside and the sun shone down onto my fur. Being a black wolf in California meant I tried to limit shifting in the day. I ignored the immediate overheated sensation. I caught her scent and followed it to the edge of the forest.

What was she doing in there? I followed a meandering trail till I saw her sitting on a low tree stump. Her back was to me as I padded over. She seemed lost in thought as she didn’t look up until I circled her. She jumped at the sight of me.

“Quinn!” She clutched her abdomen. “You scared me.”

I studied her, her eyes were dull, and her shoulders hunched. I nuzzled her and she laid a hand on my muzzle. I growled lightly at the touch.

“I should head back.” She rose to her feet and began to walk back heavy footed.

I wasn’t sure if I should shift or follow her, so I opted to trot ahead and lead her back to the pack house. I wanted to talk to her alone. And I didn’t need to parade through the pack house with my junk out. Our walk was silent, we’d not seen anyone. As soon as we crossed into the alpha suite I shifted.

“Are you ok baby?” I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

She looked confused for a moment then shoved me lightly and walked out on to the deck. “I’ve not been drinking if that’s what you mean.”

The lost girl in the forest had disappeared and my argumentative mate was back. I guess I deserved that.

“Listen, that came out wrong earlier. I’m sorry.” I walked behind her and bracketed her against the balcony. I nuzzled her neck.

“I think it came out how you intended it.” She sighed. “I’ve always drank to calm me if I couldn’t fight. I guess if I was human, I’d have pickled my liver by now.” She picked at the paint on the railing. “It doesn’t matter, I know you were upset by Duncan and Sarah.”

“See the thing is, I shouldn’t be upset my gamma has found his mate. Sarah’s a great girl and it explains their behaviour from before, but I guess I just...” I trailed off. How to put it without putting my foot in it again.

“You want that,” she said, her voice was quiet. “You deserve that.” She added.

“I have that, it’s just not been easy seeing what you’ve been going through. I want to be close to you again but at the same time give you space. My wolf and I are going a bit crazy. I’m only a man and I don’t seem to be able to pick the right response.” I placed my forehead onto her shoulder.

“I’m not sure there is a correct response, Quinn. I’m broken and I don’t know how to fix myself.”

I pulled her back into my body with my arms around her. It felt so good to hold her.

“You’re going to let me in. I’m not going anywhere but you’ve got to let me help you. I hate fighting with you.”

“I hate it too.” A single tear tracked down her cheek.

I licked its salty path and she laughed. The sound filled me with joy.

“You do realise that licking something to dry it off is counterproductive?” She twisted in my hold to stare at me. Her expression as open as I’d seen it in weeks.

I grinned back at her. “Doc Jones told me you’d been to see her today.”

Her face fell and she moved sideways out of my embrace but not before I saw her hand come up to her lower abdomen. “Is that why you came to find me?”

“Yes, Avery was worried about you, she said you were upset when you left.”

“Did she tell you why I was there? Did she post it on the notice board in the common room?” She strode off.

Shit.

“No, no nothing like that, she wouldn’t betray your confidentiality. Believe me we’ve gone head-to-head about that in the past. Avery is stubborn.” I followed her as she paced. She still held her hand against her stomach. Was my pup in there?

“Why did she mention it at all?”

“She was worried about you.”

She snorted, then paused as she followed my eyeline to her stomach.

I grinned again involuntarily. “Anything you spoke to her about; we can deal with together.”

She stared at me a beat and balled her fists. “So, if I was pregnant?” she asked though clenched teeth.

“That would be amazing.” I grinned bigger despite the internal alarm bells. “If you were and you weren’t sure, we could talk about it. I know you said you might not want pups, but I know you’ll make an amazing mother.”

She clutched the nearest chair back and opened her mouth no sound came out.

Fear grasped me then, something was wrong.

“Demetri had me sterilised as a child.” Her voice choked and her eyelids slid down like the blades of twin guillotines.

My knee buckled underneath me, and I hit the floor. Pain shot through my kneecaps and numbness suffused me. The pressure I’d felt in my chest since the bond had broken exploded with fresh pain. I don’t know how long we both stayed frozen. Me on my knees, her standing with her eyes closed as silent ears coursed down her cheeks.

My wolf howled low and loud, it cut across my mental fog and I staggered to my feet. I drew an unsteady breath and pulled Irina to me, we collapsed onto the couch, and I buried my face in her neck. Long pulls of her scent helped clear the despair that had gripped me. She didn’t try and fight me. She was limp in my hold.

My beautiful mate.

So much had been taken from her. How did the council get away with such barbaric treatment of their hunters? They had them from children. And shaped them with cruelty. Anger surged through me. How dare they? Renewed rage at Demetri filled every cell of my being. Angry growls spilled from my throat. Irina didn’t move, she made no attempt to pull back as the rage spilled off me in waves. Was she truly not afraid of me or did she no longer care?

I reined myself in and peered up at her through my red hazed vision. She just looked empty. Resigned. She was pulling away. I couldn’t let her do that, not over this. I was devasted but it didn’t change my love for her.

“It doesn’t matter.” I pushed through my tight jaw.

Disbelief filled her eyes. “You don’t mean that. Of course, it matters, you need an heir for the pack and the throne.” She sat up and away from me as she straightened her clothes. “You need another mate.” She looked away but not before I saw the pain that crossed her vision. I glimpsed the untapped well of despair that she tried to deal with alone. I felt propelled into the well.

“No.” I pulled her face back roughly to mine. “I’m not saying that without thinking. We will deal with this. Whatever form that takes. It’s you I want. I want us bonded again and we’ll face this together.”

I needed her to believe the earnestness of that statement. I was an alpha and a businessman. I always found a way to solve things.

“If we can’t have pups we can adopt, or we could choose the next alpha based on strength and abilities. I have brothers and sisters with alpha genes, they might have kids. Maybe Avery has another medical solution? Humans have all sorts of fertility treatments these days. I’ve heard of wolves using them from time to time.” I rambled on as I spouted every idea that popped into my overwhelmed mind.

She just stared at me.

“Please Irina.” I shook her, my voice cracked, and I swallowed a lump in my throat. “The only thing I can’t deal with is losing you. I need you. There is no one else for me. I’ll do whatever it takes.” My voice choked again as emotion overwhelmed me.

Something flickered in her eyes, and she pulled me into her. It was the first embrace she’d instigated since we left the hunter headquarters. I gripped her back and held her to me. I willed her to believe me, to not pull away.

“You promised me,” I whispered into her hair.

“I know,” she said, sorrow laced her tone.

I pulled back and studied her face, my gaze tracked to her lips, and she licked them. A shiver of desire washed over me. I brushed a stray hair strand back off her face. A need I’d been ignoring for weeks grew inside me as I locked eyes with her.

She shifted in my hold, and I slowly leaned forward and brushed my lips with hers. A shudder passed through her. She lunged forward and pressed our lips and bodies together as we tumbled back on the couch. Our lips moved urgently against each other, and she licked into my mouth.

Lust and heat blasted into me as I groaned. Her hands were everywhere, setting off muted sparks. I tore at her clothing and they ripped apart in my hands. I realised I was still naked from my shift. I was rock hard and desperate to be inside her. We’d lost so much time I needed her more than my next breath.

Her breathing was raged as she clawed at my back. We wrestled and turned until we fell from the couch. Her moans and pants intensified as we broke apart. I twisted us until I was on top of her. Her pupils were blown wide, and she had a feral look on her face as she grabbed my head and plunged back into my mouth. I groaned as her wet centre rubbed against me.

“Quinn, I need you,” she breathed. It was like the sweetest music to my ears.

“I’ve got you, baby.”

I gripped myself and centred at her entrance. As I pushed inside, my eyes rolled back. Her sheath quivered around me, and I let out a roar of pleasure. Every part of my skin was sensitised as I began to rock into her. Her tight heat gripped me, and she pierced my shoulder with her nails. The bite of pain zipped straight down my spine.

“Harder,” she cried.

I gritted my teeth and picked up the pace. I was in heaven; it had been too long. I licked a stripe up her neck and nipped her faded marking spot. She tipped her chin down and took my mouth in a punishing kiss. I broke away as I continued to trust into her pleasure built and built. I could tell from her pants she was getting close.

“Let me remark you, baby.”

She tensed briefly. “Come with me,” she choked out.

Her core tightened around me, and I lost it as I hammered into her and made the rug travel across the floor. My pleasure exploded and I poured into her. I came so hard my vision blanked. She screamed my name as she came. I slumped on top of her as my release waned. Her arms and legs enveloped me as I gasped to regain my breath.

My fuzzy contentment was pierced by unease. Irina hadn’t let me remark her. I rolled and pulled her with me onto her side. She was relaxed and boneless. I tangled our legs and refused to pull out of her. I was going to live inside her. Maybe I could f**k her into agreeing to being marked again? I smiled at the thought.

“I don’t deserve you,” she said, as she drew patterns on the skin of my back.

Oh no, we weren’t going there again.

“Let me show you just how much you deserve. My queen.” My mouth came down on hers again and I proceed to spend all evening trying to convince her with my body.

Later, after I’d shown her just how much I’d missed us being together she lay intertwined in my arms. She hadn’t let me remark her although she was covered in love bites and little nibbles. Something I couldn’t find it in me to regret. I liked seeing her marked up from our pleasure.

I watched her till she fell sleep, her breathing evened. I was so happy to be close her again. Like a starving man in a desert, I wasn’t going to walk away from the oasis. For hours I stayed awake and studied her. I traced the slope of her shoulder and the curve of her puffy lower lip. I refused to close my eyes and miss her warmth. The feel of her against my skin.

But I felt a tiny twist of wariness. So, I planned and thought over every angle. Just like the time when I was building my company, unable to turn my brain off before the next thought occurred. Eventually the skyline began to brighten. Ideas ran through my mind in ever decreasing circles.

I would show her, she would be loved no matter what.