Love Thy Alpha
Chapter 2
CLAY
“Oh God, yes! Clay! Please, more! More! Yes! Yes! Oh, yes!” Lauren’s voice echoed through the room as I took her from behind. Her blonde head was thrown back, her face a mask of pleasure.
I was grateful she couldn’t see my face. If she could, she’d see the annoyance etched there. I wasn’t sure why she felt the need to be so loud.
I knew I was good in bed, but this wasn’t our first time together, and she’d never been this vocal before. Was she trying to convince the rest of the pack we were back together?
Did she think I enjoyed her theatrics? Did she believe her volume would make me want to rekindle our relationship? I was betting on the first option, which made me regret jumping back into bed with her.
I was far from reaching my climax, which was disappointing, but I never left a woman unsatisfied.
I reached around and pinched her clit, making her body jerk forward. I then pressed down with three fingers, circling and teasing her until she lost control.
“Clay!” Lauren’s scream filled the room as she experienced real ecstasy. Her arms gave out, and she collapsed onto her stomach.
I pulled out of her and quickly got up. “Where are you going?” she asked, propping herself up on my pillows, her naked body sprawled across my blankets.
I knew what she wanted, but I couldn’t give it to her. She wanted me to lie next to her, to hold her close, to cuddle. But if I did that, she’d think we were getting back together, and I couldn’t let her believe that.
I already felt like a jerk for sleeping with her when I knew she wanted more than just sex. I knew I couldn’t give her what she wanted right now.
I wasn’t usually this cold towards women, but tonight I felt like I needed a distraction, a release for the tension building inside me due to the upcoming event.
“I need a shower before I get ready for tonight,” I told her, heading towards the bathroom. I heard her sigh in disappointment as I closed the door behind me, but I couldn’t dwell on it.
I did need to get ready for tonight. The party was starting in a few hours.
I quickly took care of my own needs before cleaning up and stepping out of the shower. To my relief, Lauren had taken the hint and left while I was in the shower.
I knew I’d have to deal with her later.
But for now, I had to focus on the immediate task at hand—hosting a party for about two hundred wolves at my headquarters.
To say I wasn’t nervous would be a lie. I felt jittery and anxious, but I knew I had to maintain a calm exterior.
So, I kept my face neutral for the rest of the evening, managing a few smiles here and there. Tonight was a big night for me and my pack.
I’d been the alpha of my pack for over three years, and I’d hosted events at the headquarters before. Each event brought its own stress, but tonight felt overwhelming.
Tonight, I was searching for her—my mate. My ten chosen packmates knew about my search, and we all knew there were no guarantees that she would be here or that I would find her.
But we also knew time was running out for me to find her. We figured my chances were better if I hosted a party where everyone was invited.
However, the biggest challenge tonight wasn’t finding my mate. When I said everyone was invited, I meant everyone. Including a widow and her daughter who could potentially ruin the party.
The Richardses.
Lilly and Jennessa.
I wasn’t sure what to say to them if I got the chance. For the past three years, I’d done my best to avoid them without making them feel ostracized.
I knew they held a grudge against me because of my father’s actions years ago.
Even though I had nothing to do with my father’s decisions, I understood it was easier to be angry at me than at a dead man. So, I took their resentment in stride, hoping they could eventually move on.
I hated playing the martyr, but I knew they deserved some form of retribution for what my father had done to them.
Whenever I hosted a celebration, I sent every family a letter, including the Richardses. Their invitation didn’t require a response or their attendance, unlike the others.
Most of the time, they didn’t show up, except for a few occasions when Lilly attended a friend’s wedding or a similar event.
But even then, only Lilly came. Never her daughter, Jennessa.
The last time I saw Jennessa, she was still a child. I wondered what she thought of me and what she would say if she saw me tonight.
What do you say to someone whose family member your father killed?
I pondered this as I dressed in my black suit, adjusting my tie.
After a few minutes, I still had no answer. I wasn’t sure if inviting them tonight was the right decision.
I discussed it with my beta, Brice, before sending out the invitations. He said one night of facing the Richardses was worth finding my mate.
He joked that it would be funny if Lilly’s daughter was my mate. I almost didn’t invite them because of that. The thought made me sick then, and it still did.
The universe wouldn’t be that cruel, would it?
I gulped, my mouth suddenly parched with the fear that my mate might already despise me before she even knew who I was. For a fleeting moment, the rage I felt for my father was a raging fire in my chest.
God help me, I silently prayed, if my father has made my mate hate me because of the irrational choices he made a decade ago, the next time I see him, I’m dragging him to hell with me.
I gave myself a once-over in the mirror, ensuring I’d buttoned all the right buttons, zipped my zipper, and tied all my laces.
Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I took a deep breath, trying to push aside my worries about the Richardses being invited, and headed downstairs to where the party was just kicking off and guests were already gathering.
Everyone was dressed to the nines. Women were in pricey floor-length gowns, while the men were in their finest suits and ties.
Everyone I passed smiled, thanked me for the invite, or shook my hand. The mood was upbeat tonight. I could feel the excitement in the air.
“Well,” my beta and best friend, Brice, said as he walked up and slapped me on the back. “The party has been going for two hours now, and yet…”
My mood instantly soured for a moment. I was being very careful, trying to engage with every woman in the room, making sure to make eye contact with each one.
Still, I had yet to find my mate. I shot Brice a glare for reminding me of my failure so far.
I was the alpha of an exceptional pack. The people I had were loyal, industrious, and intelligent. Everyone there pulled their weight.
With my pack being the largest in North America and still growing every day, it was quite possible my mate had been living in my territory, and I’d never met her before.
That was one of the main reasons why I held a few functions a year, so I could meet my pack.
“I know, but guests are still arriving, so things can still change,” I told him, sounding more hopeful than I actually felt.
“Exactly, and do you know who hasn’t made an appearance yet?” Brice asked, his brown eyes gleaming with humor and mischief.
“Don’t say it.” I growled, squaring my shoulders and stuffing my fists into my pant pockets. No need to alarm my guests by showing my anger.
I glared at Brice when I saw he was chuckling. He quickly sobered his expression. “Hey, man, just trying to make you sweat a little.”
“Tonight, of all nights. Really?” I asked, shaking my head.
A woman passed by Brice and me. Her ruby red silk dress shimmered in the low lights of the room.
She smiled and winked an emerald green eye at me. All I could do was nod back and force a smile. Brice had succeeded in riling me up, and suddenly the last thing I wanted was to be there.
Brice whistled beside me, his hands in his pockets, rocking from heel to toe. His eyes were glued to something behind me, his expression was one of awe.
I looked over my shoulder and found Kimberly, Brice’s mate, descending the grand staircase, a black dress hugging her petite waist and sweeping against the floor.
Her blonde hair was pulled up into a complex-looking bun on the top of her head. She looked stunning, no one could deny that, and when I looked back at Brice, no one could mistake the look on his face.
He was captivated by Kimberly instantly. His heart might as well have been in his eyes, because that’s all I saw in them, love.
That was what I wanted. The look on his face as he watched Kimberly make her way to us from across the floor, as if he was seeing her for the first time in his life, as if he was falling in love with her all over again.
I wanted that for me. I wanted to be head over heels, madly in love, adoration seeping from every pore in my body, when I found my mate. I wanted a damn happy life with a beautiful woman who loved me back just as fiercely.
“Hello there, beautiful,” Brice said, sweeping Kimberly into his arms before dipping her low. Kimberly’s neck and face seemed to blush at the blatant affection Brice was showing in front of all these people.
“Hey, handsome,” she whispered back to him. Her blue eyes twinkled up at him, and she smiled.
“Mmm, you look absolutely delectable,” he told her, running his nose up the length of her collarbone and neck, making Kimberly gasp, and the faintest moan slip past her burgundy-coated lips.
I might have felt more out of place if this wasn’t something that happened every time they were together. He always showed his love in some kind of grand demonstration.
It was nauseating, but I also couldn’t deny I was just a little jealous of them.
They found each other four years ago, and like true mates, they were inseparable and sometimes—like right now—seemed insatiable. Who wouldn’t be just a little jealous of that?
Suddenly, my mind drifted to Lauren, and my stomach dropped. Even if tonight didn’t go the way I wanted it to, I couldn’t keep seeing Lauren.
It wasn’t fair to her that I slept with her knowing she wanted more from me. Watching Brice and Kimberly, I knew what they had is what I wanted. Not some knock-off relationship.
And that’s exactly what it was. I wanted my mate. I wouldn’t settle for anything less, and Lauren shouldn’t either.
“No luck so far?” Kimberly asked, pulling her lips away from Brice’s just long enough to ask. Brice looked over his shoulder at me and smirked.
“Nope, he’s still waiting for his girl to show,” Brice chuckled, turning back to Kimberly to grope her.
“You’ll find her,” Kimberly told me, before she started giggling over Brice’s wandering hands. “Stop it. We’re here for Clay.”
“He’s a big boy, he’ll figure it out,” I heard Brice say, tugging Kimberly’s hand and guiding her back toward the grand staircase.
“I can’t wait another minute to rip this dress off of you.” Kimberly giggled and followed along, but turned around to look back at me.
“Good luck!” she chirped, before dashing upstairs with Brice. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at their teenage-like antics, a chuckle escaping my lips. Lucky guy.
I made my way to the open bar, ordering a Jack and Coke. I took a sip, turning to scan the crowd.
The room had filled up since my last round. I decided to savor my drink before diving back into the crowd.
“Hey, Daniel,” a woman in a soft pink dress cooed, draping her arms around the neck of one of my warriors. I sighed. Everyone seemed to have someone tonight, except me.
“Hey, Sasha,” Daniel replied, flashing her a confident smile. He was a good-looking guy, as tall as me but not as built.
If my memory served me right, he was one of our top warriors on Training Hill. He had a lot of potential to climb up in the pack.
“Having fun yet?” he asked her.
“I am now,” she replied in a sultry voice. The bartender set two drinks in front of Daniel. “How sweet,” Sasha purred, reaching for one of them.
“I’m sorry, these are actually for my date,” Daniel told her, sounding somewhat apologetic.
“Date?” Sasha asked, hands on her hips. “Who?”
“Her name is Jennessa Richards. She’s right over there,” Daniel pointed into the crowd. Out of pure curiosity, I followed his gaze.
My wolf stirred within me as I watched her.
Her long, dark, glossy hair cascaded down her back, revealing her bare shoulders and back. Her olive skin glowed against her hunter green dress, which hugged her body perfectly, highlighting every curve.
Suddenly, I found it hard to breathe, struggling to keep my wolf in check.
“Wow, I’m surprised she even came.” Sasha’s words snapped me out of my thoughts. “You know, bad blood with the alpha and all.” Clearly, she didn’t realize I was standing nearby.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad she let me be her date. She’s absolutely stunning, don’t you think?” Daniel asked Sasha, his blue eyes never leaving Jennessa.
Sasha scoffed, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Not hardly,” she muttered under her breath, but Daniel didn’t notice.
He was too engrossed in watching Jennessa chat with another rowdy she-wolf.
“Another drink, Alpha?” Marcus, the bartender, asked, drawing Sasha and Daniel’s attention to me. I simply nodded, my gaze locked on Daniel’s.
“Is Jennessa your mate?” I found myself asking, her name sending a shiver down my spine.
Daniel’s blue eyes widened. “No, but whoever gets her is a lucky guy.”
Marcus handed me my second drink, which I downed in three large gulps. I wasn’t sure what it was—perhaps morbid curiosity—but I soon found myself heading towards her.
Continue to the next chapter of Love Thy Alpha