Free The Lone Alpha Unleashed: A Big Girl Meets Bad Wolf Romance by Molly Prince

I
lazily stroked his stomach and thighs, making sure I didn’t touch his manhood.
    A hiss of pleasure escaped from
between his lips, “Carrie…”
    Before he could reach for me, I
turned and walked back across the room. I pulled out a chair and sat, “you were
saying?”
    He was already at half-mast, his
rapidly stiffening penis jutting lewdly outward. Bobbing and twitching as if
searching for more contact. Definitely empowering! I was enjoying watching him
squirm.
    He rolled his eyes, “fine, I’ll
go and find some clothes.”
    As much as I wanted to drop to
my knees in front of him and worship that magnificent beast between his legs,
we did need to talk.
    He returned clad in a pair of
neat linen trousers and nothing else. The wounds on his torso were already
beginning to heal, all except for the terrible burn over his shoulder. His
delicious bare chest was still a distraction, but it would have to do.
    “I told you I’d come for you.”
    “Yeah. Yeah, you did. But I was
kind of thinking along the lines of showing up at work one day with an apology
and a bunch of flowers. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Kidnapping.
Bears. Visions.”
    “Visions?”
    I waved the question away. It
could wait.
    I chewed my lip, unsure how to
proceed. I wanted him. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in the
world. But I wanted all of him. I couldn’t live in the shadow of his pack, past
or present. As much as my body yearned for his touch whenever I was in his
presence, I needed something in return. Something beyond the physical.
    The silence grew uncomfortable
and I began to feel the familiar sensation of tears forming at the corner of my
eyes. I didn’t want to cry. Crying made me weak. I wanted to be strong. My
stomach lurched when James turned towards the window and stared out into the
dusk. He couldn’t face me.
    “When the fire came I lost
everything. I lost everything and I was alone. I did things, terrible things. I
did terrible things for terrible people. I did these things because we’re not
supposed to be alone. It’s hard to explain, but I need you to understand. An
alpha without a pack, with no responsibilities and nothing to anchor him, is
pure ego, terrible and dangerous.
    “I need that. I need a pack.
Without one I’ll end up like…”
    Edward.
    I took a deep breath and felt it
catch in my chest. I understood. I understood why he had to chose the pack over
me. It hurt. It would always hurt, but I understood.
    “Oh James. I… I get it. You
can’t help what you are. You need them as much as they need you. I won’t… I
won’t stand in the way of that.”
    When he turned to face me he had
tears in his eyes. I don’t think I’d appreciated quite how hard this was for
him. This wasn’t an easy call for him to make. I wasn’t the only one who was
hurting.
    And then he grinned.
    “What?”
    “You don’t get it.”
    “I… what?”
    “You… I… I need a pack.
Something to protect. Something to fight for. Something to devote myself to
unconditionally. It’s you, Carrie. You’re my pack. I’d been lost for so long
and then I found you and suddenly I had a reason to live. I don’t want to be
alone anymore Carrie.”
    The room was spinning and I was
glad I was sitting down.
    “But you… but they…”
    “They’re not my pack Carrie,
they never were. They’d just lost their way and needed a hand. I don’t run with
them in my dreams. I never have. Since I met you I’ve dreamed of no one else.
You’re my pack.”
    You’re my pack.
    It wasn’t just the words, but
the way he said it. For a man who seemed to be so strong, there was an
uncharacteristic hint of desperation. He didn’t just want me, he needed me.
Despite his strength there was a fragility there. He was scared. Scared I’d say
no. Scared he’d be alone again.
    There were still unanswered
questions about the future. About how we would make this work. But the
knowledge that he needed me as much as I needed him,