Free Hunter's Claim: The Alliance Book 1 by S. E. Smith

thought
in frustration. I cannot even seek relief from my own
hand.
    A shudder went through him as he released
his throbbing length with a low hiss. He stepped out of the unit
and reached for a drying cloth. Once he was done, he looked with
regret at the training pants that she had laid out on the counter
for him. He knew that was her way of saying she wanted him to wear
a cover to bed. He glared at the offending material. His hands
clenched as he resisted the urge to shred them.
    He muttered a dark curse before he grabbed
the pants and slid them on. He stared back at his reflection. Dark,
repressed passion had changed his eyes to an almost gold color. He
reached up and ran his fingers through his damp hair. His eyes
froze on the two bands of tattoos circling his wrists. He slowly
lowered his arms and stared at them, reading their meaning.
    I am Hunter. I belong to Jesse as she
belongs to me. Forever will I tie my life to hers. I will care for,
protect and give my seed only to her. She is my Amate. She is my
life.
    Doubt filled him as he touched the dark
markings. It was true, she was his life, his future. When he said
he would give his seed only to her, he was saying that she was the
one who would decide if his lineage would continue. A shudder went
through him as he thought of what life would be like if she were to
deny him his claim. It would be a bleak, cold and very frustrating
existence.
    He glanced back in the mirror. Determination
glittered from his eyes and his mouth tightened. He wanted her
desperately. He knew she wasn’t immune to him. He felt her heart
increase when he was close to her and he didn’t scent it being
caused by fear. His eyes warmed as he remembered her eyes darkening
as she stared at him.
    No, he thought with satisfaction. She is not immune to me. I just need to drive her to the point
of madness that she will beg me to take her. I will court her until
she melts in my arms. I will show her that I am the only male that
she wants touching her. And I hope I survive it long enough to
enjoy the rewards. Feeling more confident, he gave the command
for the lights to dim.
    All of his plans flew from his mind the
moment he stepped out of the door to the cleanser and caught the
sweet scent of Jesse. If that wasn’t bad enough, the sight of her
lying in his bed, one shoulder bare as the tunic she wore slipped
down and the covers curled around her waist, were enough torture.
He stepped up to the bed and pulled the covers back just far enough
so he could slide in beside her. He wrapped his arm around her
waist and pulled her closer. She stiffened at first before finally
relaxing back against him.
    “Hunter.”
    “Yes, Jesse,” Hunter responded.
    “What’s going to happen now?” Jesse asked,
staring at the wall.
    Hunter could hear the confusion and
uncertainty in her voice. Her body trembled ever so slightly but he
could still feel it. He let his warmth surround her. He understood
her confusion. He had always dreamed of having an Amate and
eventually a family but he had always expected it to be with a
female of his own species. He was on unfamiliar ground and he
didn’t like it any more than she did.
    “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Perhaps we
should just take it one day at a time. This is new to me as
well.”
    Jesse relaxed even more and shyly wrapped
her hand over the one he had draped over her stomach. Her fingers
threaded through his and she squeezed them. A small smile curved
her lips at the slight sound of confusion in his voice.
    “I’d… like that,” she whispered. “Thank
you.”
    “You don’t have to thank me, Jesse,” Hunter
murmured burying his face in her hair. “But I hope you do not take
too long to learn about me. I really want you, little human. Your
scent is driving me crazy.”
    He moaned silently when he felt her body
shake as she giggled. It was worth the extra pain when he felt her
relax even more and her breathing even out as she fell asleep. He
lay awake for