5. Ember

Chapter 5

The adrenaline from confronting Evander is still flowing through me, but once I listen to Leander's conversation, a whole new type of emotion replaces the rage that I'd barely contained just moments ago. After he establishes that he's fine, just injured, he point blank says, "Am I seeing anyone?"

There's a moment of silence. My heart pounds. I feel like maybe I shouldn't be listening to this, so I go to leave, but Leander just waves at me to stay. "I'll catch you up later, Mom. But I need to know."

I can tell she asks why. He sighs. "Because… There's someone I might be interested in."

His mom's accompanying excited screech, the ensuing torrent of words that I honestly can't make out because her Southern accent is so thick, and the flush on Leander's cheeks tell me all that I need to know.

He's not taken. And his mom is thrilled that he's asking.

He wraps up the conversation, and when he tells his mom that he loves her, I know that it's not something forced or unnatural. He genuinely loves his mom. And she genuinely loves him.

Shit, Leander might be from one of those rare, well-balanced, happy families. Go figure.

He hands the phone back to me, and he rubs a hand across the back of his neck. "Uh. No. I'm not dating anyone. And I'm not mated."

"Well, I would hope if you were mated, you'd remember that," I chuckle.

My relief at the fact that he's not mated is palpable, but I don't want to seem desperate.

He looks away bashfully. "I guess you heard that part."

"Not really. Where exactly in Florida is your mom from?"

"She's from Georgia, originally."

"Ah." I smile at him. "That explains the fact that I didn't hear a single vowel enunciated the entire time."

Leander laughs, breaking the tension. "Yeah. Well. My dad's from Florida, Fort Meyers, so I didn't pick up an accent."

"How did they meet?"

He turns, gesturing up the road. "How about I tell you on the way?"

"The way?"

Leander's eyes darken. "Ember. I've wanted you since the moment I saw you. The only reason I haven't kissed you yet is I'm pretty sure your beta is watching. So I'd like to get back to the cabin and show you exactly how much I've been thinking of you," he growls.

I blink. Well. Shit.

"Um. Okay," I say, momentarily at a loss for words. Meekly, I step up next to him.

"My parents were in the Army," he says as we start to walk back to the house. "Got assigned to one of the shifter-only sections after they enlisted."

I nod. The armed forces are partially staffed by the Supernatural Bureau, which runs divisions entirely separate from the human army. "I see. That's pretty cool."

"Sure is. It's where I learned to fight, too."

"You were in the military as well?"

He nods. "Army also. Got out pretty recently."

"Congratulations?"

He laughs. "Yes and no. I like the freedom of being in the pack again, but kind of miss the structure sometimes."

I sigh. "Yeah. I could see that."

"What about you?"

"There's really nothing more that I want to say about myself." I kick at a stray rock. "You know all of it now."

"No way. There's definitely more."

I snort. "Nope. Not really."

"How about telling me why the beta backed down to you just now."

I walk for a long while before I respond.

"I don't know," I say honestly. Then, I add the piece that I've never said out loud. "But I know I wanted him to."

Leander freezes. I do, too.

It's unheard of for someone who ranks lower than a beta to stare them down. To even think of going against their will, or an alpha's will. It's just not done.

The only wolves who can challenge a beta, or an alpha, are ones that outrank them. A stronger beta. Or a stronger alpha. The strength part matters. Betas are decided by the alpha, of course, but in order to be alpha, you have to be physically strong. You have to be able to win against anyone who challenges you, and you have to be the first in line to protect the pack.

If you know you're not strong enough, you back down.

I never back down. Just like an alpha wouldn't.

That, however, is impossible. If there is such a thing as a female alpha, I've never heard of it. Alphas are always males.

I don't know what that means for me. Well, it's more like I don't want to know.

Now that I've put it out in the world, though, Leander is going to put together the same dots that I've been afraid to. He looks me over and then gives a sharp nod.

"Okay then."

I turn to look at him. "Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

"Leander…"

He turns and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Ember. I know. But that… it doesn't change anything."

"Um. I'm a problem, Leander. I can't be in a pack if my instinct is constantly to challenge the… beta."

I'm not talking about challenging betas. Leander, however, nods. "Or maybe you could. Maybe you could be a beta, or an alpha."

The words make my heart flutter. "An alpha?" It sounds so appealing, I'm almost afraid of how good that idea feels.

Leander must have some idea about how I'm feeling, because he gives me a nod. "That would be cool as hell. But it wouldn't change anything important."

"It would change my whole life, Leander," I say softly. Being a female alpha, or beta even, is unheard of. It would just be another reason for me to stick out like a sore thumb. Ember Greene. Always different. Always alone.

His smile is broad. "It doesn't change how I feel about you. No matter what, Ember, I think you're pretty fucking amazing. If you're the only female alpha that I've ever heard of? It fits. It's perfect. Because it's you," he murmurs.

The emotion that's ricocheting through me feels like it's going to burst out of my skin. I can't handle it. I love it. Both are true at the same time, and I don't know how to handle it.

So instead, I give Leander a look. "You want me?"

He nods. "Hell yes."

"Fine. Catch me," I say.

Then, I shift. And as I sprint away, I don't look back. But pure joy powers my legs. I might not be looking back, but I know Leander's there. And yeah, I want this.

Now, it's time to make him mine.

By the time I'm back at the cabin, I'm breathless. I ran as fast as I could through the woods to get here, and I stopped focusing on anything except the pounding of my feet. I think that I must have beat Leander here.

I peer around, looking for him. I take a step off of the porch. "Leander?" I call.

I don't even turn back before I feel him behind me. And when his lips meet mine, he takes me completely by surprise.

I growl, half turned on, half startled. When he grips my hair in his hand, though, the half that's startled immediately switches sides.

The kiss is…

It's nuclear.

It's everything that I imagined in the water. Leander kisses me like he's getting paid by the minute. His hands roam over my body, tracing reverent lines like he's trying to memorize my shape. I love it.

I don't know how we get inside, but we do. Leander growls as he tosses me down onto the bed, and I fight against him as he looms over me.

"Leander," I pant as his lips trace a path down my throat. "I need…"

I need him to win.

It sounds absurd when I think it to myself, but it's true. Part of why I haven't had a lot of lovers in the past is that no one could really give me what I needed. No one could win.

He bites on my neck. It isn't soft or easy, and I gasp at the sensation. He growls, pinning my arms under my hips as he forces me down. He lets up the pressure on my neck, and his grey eyes glimmer in the dim light.

"I know," he says softly.

Then, he's moving. He tosses me over so I'm on my knees. I feel something wind around my hands, and it tightens down. Hard.

There's no pain, since whatever he grabbed is silky. I feel his heat as he leans over my back. "Have I ever said that I love your silk underwear?" he purrs in my ear.

Fuck. That explains what he used to tie me up with.

I whimper, pressing my naked ass back against him. He's holding my bound wrists, so I'm balanced on my knees, and it definitely creates a kind of powerlessness that I'm loving. However, I sense that I can still get out. I try to squirm away, but he kicks my legs out wide, forcing me to balance by leaning back against him slightly.

He leans forward. "Good girl," he whispers in my ear. Then, when he thrusts inside me, he bites my neck again.

I cry out. I'm trapped, well and truly, and the domination that Leander has over my body right now?

He won.

I moan and relax, my inner voice satisfied as I realize that I'm not conceding anything to him. He truly pinned me, snuck up on me, and caught me off guard.

Leander won.

I'm so fucking happy that I could cry. But I'm not going to. Because on top of all that happiness is another feeling.

Lust. It roars through me. I can feel every inch of him as he slowly slides in and out of me, his control over my body so thorough that I can almost just let him take over completely.

Almost.

I arch back, trying to meet his thrusts as he starts to pick up the pace. One of his hands is holding my bound wrists, and the other one snakes around to my front.

"Leander," I moan.

His hand pinches one of my nipples, then the other, as he slides his thick cock in and out of me.

"What do you need, Ember?" he growls. His voice is so dark, and I shiver. I can picture his flashing gray eyes. He's so fucking hot.

"I… I…" I manage to moan.

Leander huffs, tugging me upright. His hand disappears from my bound wrists and instead bands across my chest, right under my breasts. My back is to his front, and his other hand? It slides down to my clit.

"You're so fucking hot, Ember," he murmurs in my ear. My eyes roll back in my head as his fingers gently tug at my clit, accentuating the slide of his length in and out of my body. "So fucking beautiful. You need me to give you this, don't you?"

I would beg him for it if he didn't. "Yes," I pant. His fingers press down, hard, circling my clit with the slowest, most painfully slow circles.

"You take my cock so well, Ember," he groans. "Fuck, you're so wet for me."

I've never been this wet, ever. The sounds he makes, sliding in and out of me, are utterly obscene. I love it.

Leander nibbles at my neck, and my skin erupts in goosebumps. His strong fingers continue to press, moving over the center of my pleasure with so much skill, I feel like he's playing me like a freaking guitar.

"Are you ready to come for me, pretty girl?" he murmurs.

Fuck. Yes.

"I want you to come with me," I manage to pant.

Leander kisses my neck. "Okay. When I say, you'll come."

"Leander, I…"

I'm about to tell him that I don't think I can just come on command, but then several things happen simultaneously.

Leander bites the tendon where my neck meets my shoulder. His fingers press down on my clit, hard. And he slams into me, making sure that I feel every inch of him as he pounds in and out of my channel.

The overall effect is just… sensation. And that sensation sends me right over the edge.

I scream.

Leander's pumping the last of himself into me, but I'm shattering around him. I yell. I writhe as I feel him pumping inside of me, and I feel like I might cry. This is the most incredible orgasm that I've ever had.

My eyes go dark. My skin feels hot and tingly. It's all that I can do to stay conscious.

Leander's arms are the only things keeping me upright. He gently presses a kiss to the side of my neck. "Shit, Ember," he whispers. "That…"

I turn in his arms. He slides out of me, and I miss our connection almost immediately. Hopefully Leander has a quick recovery time.

Gently, I press my lips against Leander's. "I know," I murmur.

He smiles, tucking me closer. The kiss sends another cascade of arousal shuddering through me.

"Want to do it again?" he says with a low hum.

"Hell yes."