Alpha's Howling Desire (BBW Paranormal Romance) Read online

  Max took her hand in his and turned it so that he could press a kiss to the inside of her wrist.

  "No," he whispered and rushed out of the room.

  ****

  Ariel left the next morning before the convention even began, knowing she couldn't bear to see Max again. Her mind was still reeling from the brief time she had spent with him, but even more intense than the confusion was the searing pain in her heart each time she thought of him. She so badly wanted to give herself to him, all of herself, but she struggled to make sense of what he told her, to bring herself to believe it.

  Enough men had hurt her with words like those before. They told her that they loved her, that they were meant to be together, but it would all dissipate just as quickly as it had formed. It was a ploy meant to tell her what she wanted to hear.

  Several days after leaving the convention, Ariel was going through her last conversation with Max again. She felt emptier than she ever had in her life, as if a piece of her had been removed and she was having to learn to live without it. Max's words washed over her, just the sound of them in her ears comforting in the darkness that had seemed to form around her.

  Suddenly a realization struck her, something different about the conversation that she hadn't recognized before. Max had not told her that he loved her—he had told her that they were made for each other and that he couldn't bring himself to be with her if she didn't understand their connection, but he had not told her that he loved her.

  In that moment, Ariel realized that not saying those words expressed their true meaning more than speaking them ever could. In not saying he loved her, Max held their bond as precious and sacred, refusing to simplify it into that phrase until she was able to fully express it on her own.

  Her need for him surged within her, and Ariel knew that no matter how frightening his world could be, it was not nearly as frightening as the prospect of being without him. She was meant to be by his side, to truly live in the world that she had fantasized about through his books, knowing now that in his heart she already always was.

  Ariel grabbed her phone and started to write an email to Max to the address listed for fan mail, laughing at the thought that she had always thought she was his biggest fan, but had never sent him a message, now she was trying hard to craft a love letter to send to his fan mail in the hopes that he would actually read it.

  She struggled to come up with the right words to express her longing for him. After several false-starts and frantic, almost violent hitting of the "delete" key, she let out a long breath, typed a message, and pressed send. It contained the name of the hotel where they met and a date three days in the future above a simple message.

  I need you. I understand. Please come back.

  ****

  The door crashed open and Ariel saw Max enter. He circled her slowly and her fingers touched his thick black fur. The pressure of his body against her legs made her lower herself to her knees and she ran her hands down his body, memorizing the curves of his muscles beneath his coat. He nudged her with his face until she settled onto her hip and laid down on the floor. Max's tongue slid along the underside of her chin, her throat, and down along the center of her chest.

  Finally he took the front of her dress in his teeth and tore it open. Max ducked his head to touch his tongue to her stomach and Ariel felt his fur disappearing as he took on his human form.

  Fully human again, Max licked back from her stomach to her mouth and kissed her. His tongue delved into her mouth and he shoved the shredded dress away from her body. Not removing his mouth from hers, he carefully lifted her back off of the floor so he could reach behind her and release the hooks on her bra. He ended the kiss and she heard him let out a moan of appreciation when he saw her full breasts. He lowered his mouth to suck each taut, pink peak, opening his mouth to draw more of her breast into it and give a primal bite. Ariel gasped beneath the sensation, luxuriating in the feeling of him taking possession of her. She smiled as she felt a gentle lick follow the bite.

  Ariel reached for his shirt and pulled it away from his body. His skin felt luscious against hers as he stretched himself over her. Suddenly his hand was at the front of his belt, but he paused. She knew this was her moment to show him how much she understood the connection between them and leave no questions in his mind.

  Lifting her hips a few inches, she slid her panties off and tossed them away. She was totally bare beneath him and she presented her body to him, completely submissive to his touch. Max growled and swept her up into his arms so he could carry her to the bed. He knelt over her hips and stroked his fingertips from the center of her chest down her stomach and onto her pubic bone.

  Max changed his position so that he was on his knees between her legs and eased her thighs apart. Ariel was not expecting the intensity when he drew his finger up through her folds. She was wet and ready for him, the warmth spreading across her inner thighs as he traced the pad of his finger in slow, deep circles on her sensitive, swollen pearl. He stopped and Ariel moaned her protest, but fell silent when she realized he was unfastening his belt and pushing his pants to the floor.

  Max removed his trunks, revealing an erection that made her bite down on her bottom lip and whimper. She wanted to open her thighs and ask him to touch her again, for him to make her come and to watch him lick the slickness from her body. More than that, however, she wanted to show her submission and let him be her Alpha.

  Holding his gaze, she reached down between her thighs and let her fingers delve into her own body, mimicking the slow torment he had performed on her moments before. She gathered the hot liquid onto her fingertips and sat up to touch him, wrapping her wet fingers around his shaft so she could glide her hand across it. Ariel leaned forward and opened her mouth to let the head of Max's cock slide onto her tongue as she stroked.

  Max cried out and even in his human form, Ariel could see the wolf inside him. He was what she had always wanted, what she had craved with her mind and body, and she was ready to give into the intense draw she had felt from the moment she saw his picture.

  "Max," she said and he opened his eyes to look at her.

  "Yes?" he said and she could hear his trembling growl just beneath the words.

  "Please mate me."

  Max plunged forward, filling her suddenly and deliciously. He was thick and hard, and Ariel cried out at the blissful intensity of their bodies melding into one. He fit within her with such perfection it was as if she was crafted specifically for him and she truly knew now that she was.

  Max groaned as he sank deeply into her in a fast, steady rhythm. His hand came to her neck, cupping around it with gentle but insistent pressure that showed his dominance and intensified the pleasure he was sending through her. After a few moments, Ariel gripped his hips to stop him and pushed up so that he withdrew from her body. She wrapped her hand around his glistening cock again, subtly twisting her palm over the head as she stroked him.

  "You are my wolf?"

  Max panted with her masterful strokes, but nodded.

  "Yes."

  "My Alpha?" she whispered and he groaned, digging his fingers into her thigh as her words pushed him close to the edge of his control.

  "Yes."

  Ariel smiled rolled onto her stomach, arching her back to lift her hips and present herself to him.

  "Show me."

  A primal growl poured from Max's mouth and he entered her with one hard thrust. She felt him wrap an arm under her hips and pull them up so she was on all fours. Her body shivered as his tongue touched the small of her back and licked up along her spine until his body stretched across hers, his chest and stomach creating luscious pressure on her back.

  "Good girl," he whispered into her ear and Ariel whimpered, feeling her body respond even more intensely to him.

  He nipped at her neck and bit into her shoulder before sitting back on his knees; he used one hand to press down on her shoulders so that her elbows bent, her nipples brushing the sheet. In this position
he pounded into her with animal intensity, each hard thrust eliciting a sharp cry of pleasure. She felt his hand slip around her hip to slip between her thighs and within seconds her walls contracted deliciously, leading him into his own orgasm as she gripped him tightly within her.

  The beautiful feeling only intensified as Max throbbed within her, spilling hot streams into her body that made her feel even more bonded to him. She struggled to catch her breath, sounds like small sobs gasping from her throat at the intensity of their passion. Max rolled his hips slowly, riding out the last waves of his orgasm with her final tremors.

  He stopped and carefully withdrew from her, and Ariel felt his hands on her arms, gently turning her around so that she looked into his eyes. She adjusted her position so that she knelt in front of him, her body pressing against his as she kissed him slowly, trying to drag out this deliciously sweet, sweaty moment a little longer.

  Max's hands stroked along her hips and around the ample swell of her behind, pulling her against him so he could return her kiss.

  "I love you," he said when their lips parted.

  Ariel sighed at the words. They had come, exactly as they were meant to, after she first allowed herself to realize the impossible and believe the fantastical; when she gave herself over with unwavering trust that his was the story she wanted to be a part of for the rest of her life, and had for her entire life.

  "I love you, too.”

  "You are mine," he whispered, leaning down to nuzzle her neck.

  "Always," she whispered back, running the tip of her tongue along the soft dip between his collarbones to lick away the sweat.

  "You will lead the pack with me," he said, kissing her neck, "and we will create the most incredible stories together."

  Ariel pressed against his kiss and sighed, her body responding to him, the ache building within her again as their primal connection took over.

  "I just have one question," she asked, bringing one hand up to tangle in his hair and the other between them to run her fingertips along his shaft so it started to spring to life again.

  He gasped and grabbed her arms as if to steady himself.

  "What's that?" he asked.

  "When do we get the sequel?"

  His eyes met hers and she saw them sparkle. Max gave a playful growl and flipped her onto her back, coming down on top of her again. Ariel squealed with delight, wrapping her arms and legs around him and opening her mouth to him as he captured it in a deep kiss.

  ********

  If you enjoyed reading this story, I’d be so appreciative if you could please leave a review. Even just a sentence or two would be a great help!

  Thanks so much for your support!

  xo – Meg

  ~BONUS STORY~

  Lion’s Love and Honor

  PART ONE

  “Flight One eighteen now boarding first class passengers at gate three B; would first class passengers on flight One eighteen to Puerto Vallarta please begin boarding at gate three B now?”

  Charlie was standing next to the terminal’s enormous conveyor belt, staring blankly at one spot and waiting for his vermillion duffle bag to float before his unfocused eyes. He was distantly aware that he hadn’t moved in a full minute—maybe more—but he was too absorbed in the task of trying to monitor every change in his environment to care about how strange he looked. Evan wasn’t around yet to remind him to be “normal,” so he was happy to keep twitching his ears toward the sound of rapidly moving feet even though the tiny human bones in his ear canal weren’t nearly as sensitive as the ones in beast form. He wanted to be alert, but his eyes were fatigued from the flight, and it was starting to make him jumpy.

  Captain Roberts, please call gate seven; your co-pilot is holding. Captain Roberts, please head to the nearest courtesy phone to speak with your co-pilot who is holding at gate seven.

  The announcements were clashing with his train of thought more solidly than usual, and he knew why; automatically, his right hand moved to the pocket of his jeans, where Natalie’s letter was folded into a compact rectangle already worn from being handled so much. He’d memorized its contents, but he kept pressing it to the tip of his nose to try to drag a few more particles of her scent into his lungs. Even months into her pregnancy, she still retained the same base scent: warm honey and sharp, sweet smoke, a heady aroma that warned of an intensity he knew could be fatal. She was the strongest person he knew, and the brightest; she often taught him something in her missives or phone calls without even meaning to, and never backed down when she knew she was right.

  I got into a fight with Ariel while she was helping me pack up the basement because she wouldn’t believe that bears don’t really hibernate. My mother called and complimented me on my all-fruit dressing; she usually hates avocados, I was so surprised. Did you see that news story about all those diners that got sick—can you believe that waiter thought salt in coffee was a harmless prank? Grade school mistake.

  This time, however, her letters had been cheery but sparse; they lacked the bubbly detail that usually padded out the thick envelopes she sent weekly, and sometimes even twice a week. Natalie no longer spoke of her chance meetings with old high school friends, or whose wife was having a hard time dealing with loneliness; now it was just pregnancy symptoms and a series of oddly detached retellings of incidents around their neighborhood. Their last phone call—right before the plane took off—had been the worst.

  “Nat, I know something isn’t right.” His hand was sweaty so the slim black cell phone kept threatening to squirt from his grip. Evan was buckling into the seat next to him and fixating on the threads at the hem of his shirt, but Charlie knew he could hear every word. “I can hear it in your voice. I see it in your letters. Evan says Ariel isn’t acting right, either.”

  “Charlie, everything is fine,” Natalie said soothingly for the fifth time in as many minutes. “A few busted windows, some kids jumping other kids…you know it happens.” The gentle rasp of her voice was carefully avoiding taking on heavy undertones, but Charlie could almost see her anxiously winding her dark brown hair around one finger as she paced around the living room. “We’ll start the move again when you get here. It’ll be fine.”

  “Why did you have to stop the move in the first place?” Charlie asked. “I don’t understand that. The boxes were all finished five months ago. You said someone damaged the truck?” He remembered when he was younger having his property stolen or smashed when people found out he was a shifter. It was illegal, but it never stopped them, and the cops were often in on the games, since the shifter population intersected with the inner cities so often.

  “The axle is bent,” Natalie answered, interrupting his reverie. “I want you to take a look at it before I get it messed with first. You know I’m useless with that sort of thing.”

  Charlie closed his eyes, trying to keep the panic from spilling into his voice. His broad chest was tight with anxiety. “No, I don’t know that, Nat. Are you kidding me? I was with you when you made our old mechanic cry.”

  “And I never got to know the new one!” Natalie retorted, her voice shrill. “I’m afraid of pissing this one off, too. Charlie, I don’t get what the big deal is. You’ll be home soon, and you’ll have all your answers then.” Her forced nonchalance snapped something inside him, and suddenly he was shouting.

  “The big deal is that something crazy is happening and my wife is acting like it isn’t!”

  A red-faced man twisted around in his seat to look at Charlie after he finished, and Evan laid a hand on his broad shoulder. The marine swallowed his anger with extreme difficulty and lowered his voice.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured into the phone. “But I’m scared. Evan is scared, because Ariel won’t talk to him about their garage burning down— he had to hear it from Riley. You’re not telling me what’s stopping us from moving, and I know it’s more than the truck, because we have more than two friends with trucks and SUVs. And I’m hearing about people—grown men and women, not just
kids—getting beaten and left in the streets. What’s going on, Natalie? And why won’t you tell me about it?”

  The silence stretched on for so long that Evan turned to look at Charlie, his brown face forming a question when he didn’t hear Natalie speak. Charlie was about to ask if she’d hung up on him when she drew a deep, shaky breath and slowly let it out.

  “Charlie. I…just trust me, okay? You’re right. You’re absolutely right, but I need to you trust me. Okay?”

  It was the raw quality of her voice that finally broke the shell of tension around his heart and allowed him to relax. “Okay,” he answered. “Okay. I trust you.” Even though this is killing me.

  “Thank you,” Natalie said, and there were tears in her voice. He realized then that the weight of holding this back from him was killing her, too. Whatever this is had better be worth it.

  His bag came crawling by him on the carousel just as he snapped out of his memory, and he almost didn’t catch it in time. Charlie thrust one long arm out and closed his fingers around the bag’s thick strap just before it disappeared behind the curtain to be spun around the carousel again.

  “Nice catch, Flax,” Evan said behind him. He’d already located his suitcase and was pulling it behind his body as he strolled up to Charlie, his wiry frame far too relaxed given their situation. “Got everything?”

  “Yeah.” Charlie slung the bag across his shoulders and playfully popped his friend on one of his narrow shoulders. “How the hell are you so calm, Reynolds? You’re like a wind-up toy whenever we’re on deployment, and you’re the one who told me about all the attacks. Are you high?”

  Evan grinned and fell in step beside his taller friend as they headed for the exit. “Just on life, Flax. Besides, we’re finally home. That means we can get to the bottom of this.”

  Charlie looked sharply at Evan, whose dark chocolate face was mostly hidden behind a pair of huge sunglasses, but he could still see the grim determination on his face. “You sounded…very certain about that,” he said slowly, dragging his green eyes up and down his best friend’s stoic expression. “Did you find out something more when you called Ariel in the bathroom?”