Holt: A Wolf's Hunger Alpha Shifter Romance Read online

  My shyness had kept me from ever mating before. I never could get the courage to talk to a girl long enough to get past much more than hello and goodbye. I never felt up a girl or even kissed a girl before. How was I supposed to satisfy her?

  I’d kept all of this a secret; and I didn’t want to let Daci down when she finds out I’m a twenty-six year-old virgin. I always thought I was doing the right thing. I was saving myself for my soul mate.

  “You’re quiet. What are you thinking about?” Daci asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “Nothing really,” I lied.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “What for?”

  “For getting there in time to save me. Twice.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. I love you. You’re my soul mate. I’d do anything for you.”

  Daci stopped walking, and tugged my arm to get me to stop. I turned to her and saw her beautiful dark-chocolate-brown eyes staring at me.

  “I love you, too, Alpha.” Her eyes were hooded. She was so beautiful. I couldn’t tell what she wanted until she reached out and placed her hands on my face, pulling me down to her until my mouth was on hers.

  She closed her eyes and mine closed, too. Our tongues danced. Fireworks were exploding behind my eyelids as I continued to taste her sweetness. My arms instinctively snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to me while her arms wrapped tight around my neck. I never wanted this kiss to end. I never wanted our lips to disconnect.

  My first amazing kiss was with my soul mate.

  Chapter 20

  Holt

  We made it back to our home in New Jersey after several stops along the way. We could barely keep our hands off each other. My Wolf was very impatient. He wanted me to claim Daci as ours on several occasions, but she deserved to be treated like the princess she was to me. I wanted our first time to be special, not some animalistic romp in the woods.

  We made it back to our land and saw the Pack had all made it back home, minus the unfortunate casualties. Several of them welcomed us back home.

  It was difficult to stay focused. My Wolf was begging me to take Daci home and make her mine, but I felt like by just claiming her something would be missing. Wasn’t I supposed to at least take her out on a date or something? I didn’t know what was considered proper. All I knew was the attraction and connection I felt couldn’t have possibly been stronger.

  I walked Daci to her house instead of taking her to my place. I couldn’t trust my Wolf not to let his primal needs take over.

  “Um, do you, um, want to go out later?” I asked.

  “I’d love that.” Her voice was such a sweet sound. My heart thundered in my chest.

  “I’ll come by in about an hour. Is that okay?”

  “That’s perfect. I’ll be ready for you,” she said.

  Without any thought to the Pack mates milling about, I moved her back flush against the siding and pressed my body into hers as my mouth descended. Her warm lips opened for me and our tongues collided, while my fingers made their way through her hair and back to her nape. I inhaled deeply, taking her scent in and memorizing every single molecule that was uniquely her.

  She was mine.

  Daci

  Holt’s kisses were making my body feel things I’d never felt before. It felt like my skin was scorching hot. And my panties were soaked from my desire to become his. I wanted him to claim me. I needed him. I could feel his manhood growing as it pressed against me. My breaths continued to become shallower as each moment passed. My Coy-wolf kept trying to raise her ass to eagerly accept him, but I somehow managed to fight the urge to let him take me now. We both needed to get cleaned up. And we needed to talk.

  When our lips parted, I felt sad. I hated him being even an inch away from me.

  “Don’t take too long. I’ll miss you every second we’re apart,” I whispered.

  Without any reply, his lips were on mine again, with one arm wrapped tight around my back and the other hand threaded through my hair, holding me tight.

  We both gasped as he pulled away. “I’ll be back as quickly as possible,” he said.

  “I can’t wait for you to come back to me. Now go.”

  With one last quick peck on the lips he adjusted himself, then turned on his heels and walked away. I stood in the doorway, staring at him as he walked to his house.

  “Well, look who finally made it back. Who was that?” I knew her voice. That was my best friend, Veronica.

  “That person right there is my soul mate. That’s Holt.”

  “No way! There’s no way that dork grew to look like that.”

  I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows, then inhaled deeply.

  “You’re serious? Hairy Barry?” Veronica asked.

  “Veronica, shush. His name’s Holt. He’s our Alpha and my mate. Enough of your snide comments,” I said sternly.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it, I’m just shocked.” She squinted her eyes, and a wicked smirk appeared on her face. “I knew it, too. I knew you had a special connection with him. Who knew he was the one the Goddess selected for your mate. So I’ll ask you again, all these years later. Do you love him?”

  “I do. I love him so much. I guess you were right. I always have, I just didn’t realize it when we were younger.”

  “I’m so happy for you.” Veronica stepped up onto the porch near me. “Oh, wait. You’re the Alpha’s mate. Am I supposed to ask if I can approach or something? Like, aren’t you some type of royalty now?”

  “I doubt I’m any kind of royalty. And I don’t think you have to ask to come near me. We’ve known each other forever. I don’t know, though. I’m new to this, too.”

  “I have some news to share with you, too. I found my mate.” She flipped her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. “Want to guess who?”

  “I can’t guess. Just tell me, I’m dying to know who the lucky guy is.”

  “Dolph.”

  “No way.”

  “Yep. He and Trey were gathering all of us back together. One thing led to another and, well, let’s just say we were definitely made for each other, if you know what I mean.” She waggled her eyebrows, and we laughed.

  “I need to get ready; Holt and I are going out tonight. You can come in and chat if you want.”

  “I’d love to.”

  We went inside and continued catching up. I talked loudly over the shower and told Veronica about Maximus and what he’d done to me. I told her about Holt finding me and about our trip back home. I shaved my legs, my pits, and down there while we talked.

  The shower felt so good I almost hated getting out. When I stepped into my bedroom with the towel wrapped around me, I saw my red dress on my bed. I’d never worn it before because I thought it was too short.

  “I can’t wear that,” I said.

  “Then you probably don’t want to wear these either.” Veronica held up my red satin and lace thong. We’d gone shopping years ago, and each bought sexy underwear for our special occasion. The tags were still on mine. The thought of Holt seeing me in them sent a flash of heat to my core while butterflies soared in my belly. She waved them in the air.

  “Give me those.” I snatched them from her then we both laughed. I quickly snapped off the tag and slid them on under my towel.

  “The dress is too short,” I said.

  “The dress is perfect and it’s going to look great on you. Put it on.”

  I dropped the towel, slid the red ruched dress over my head and wiggled, working it down my body. I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

  “Damn, you look smoking hot. And your ass looks amazing. Barry’s gonna,” Veronica stopped talking abruptly.

  “He’s gonna what?” I asked.

  I felt his presence before I heard the low growl. When I turned, I saw him standing in the doorway and the heat in his glare. His eyes were fixed on me.

  “I’m going to go. I’ve helped enough. We’ll talk later.” When Veronica walked in front of Holt,
she bowed and acknowledged him as Alpha before leaving.

  Before I made it to the door, Holt closed the distance between us and held my face in his hands. He whispered, “Mine forever,” before his lips met mine.

  Chapter 21

  Daci

  Holt looked amazing in his gray suit. I also knew first-hand he looked stunning in filthy, tattered clothes, too.

  Our fingers were interlaced as he held my hand tight in his while driving to the restaurant. Every look, every touch, everything about him was sending mini-quakes of desire through me.

  We entered the restaurant and were seated immediately. Instead of sitting across from each other, we sat side by side. The heat radiating off of him was making me and my Coy-wolf crazy. And his scent! She was jumping around and ready to give herself to Holt. I felt the same way, despite all the horror stories of the first time. I wish I’d had a little more time to talk to Veronica about that to ease some of my fears, I thought.

  “Do you know what you’d like, Daci, my dear?”

  I knew what my primal instincts wanted. I couldn’t have cared less about food.

  “Please, order for me. I’ve never been here. I’m fine with whatever you choose.”

  His arm snaked through mine and he pulled me toward him. His fingers pressed under my chin and tilted my face up toward his, then he lowered his mouth onto mine again. It was a soft, gentle kiss. It was perfect.

  His hand glided across my jawbone to back behind my ear, and held a handful of my hair as his mouth took ownership of me. His touch sent tingles rippling through me from the tip of my head all the way to my toes.

  Holt

  “You look beautiful tonight. I love the dress. And your perfume is driving me wild.”

  “I’m not wearing perfume.”

  “Mmm,” I moaned. Her scent was making me feel like I’d burst at the seams, literally.

  When the waiter returned, I ordered for us both. We devoured the food on our plates after it arrived, I paid the check, and we quickly left.

  “Where to now, Alpha?” Daci asked.

  “I’ll let you choose. Your place or mine.”

  “Yours,” she whispered.

  My heart began to race, nervousness had my stomach in knots, and my mouth felt extremely dry. The rest of the drive was in silence. My mind was racing with thoughts on how the night would be. Would I satisfy her? Would I be a disappointment? Would she be able to tell how inexperienced I was? I was reluctant to tell her I was a virgin. I was counting on my Wolf to get me through our first time.

  I kept glancing in her direction, and saw her fiddling with her necklace one minute and holding onto her purse for dear life the next.

  After we arrived, I parked then rushed to her door to help her out.

  “You’re so quiet. Is everything okay?” Daci asked. She bit her lower lip and tugged her dress down farther. Her beautiful face had a slight smile on it, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

  “Everything’s fine.”

  I opened the door and held it for her to enter my home. That’s when it hit me. I needed to tell her about me being the acting-Alpha. I needed her to know it was a temporary position, until I proved I was worthy of being named Alpha of the Pack. I couldn’t start our life together by lying to her. And she needed to know now, before we mated.

  “Can I get you anything? Would you like some water, or some wine?” Please say wine, I thought.

  “Wine sounds really good. Thanks.”

  “Red or white?” I asked.

  “Surprise me.”

  “Make yourself at home, Daci. I’ll be right back.”

  I kicked off my shoes, then walked to the kitchen. Before retrieving a bottle from the cooler, I peeked back into the living room and watched Daci move about, looking at the family photos above the fireplace.

  She was pure perfection. She was a natural beauty. And she was mine.

  That dress, oh my God, that dress. My cock stiffened while I was thinking about lifting it off over her beautiful, curvy body, revealing her perfect breasts. And her long, shapely legs leading up to her perfectly round ass, geez! I couldn’t wait to touch her, to feel her, to make her mine.

  I adjusted myself. I didn’t want to walk back in like a horny teenager, but that’s exactly how I felt.

  I made my way to the wine cooler and found a bottle of German Spatburgunder. My parents had been wine connoisseurs, as my mother called it, and this brand was one of their favorites. I retrieved two wine glasses and poured them a little more full than my mother would have approved, but I think Daci and I both could use a little extra to calm our nervousness.

  When I walked back into the living room, I saw my beautiful mate had the television on and was practically hugging the arm of the couch.

  “Here you are, my beauty,” I said as I held out the glass for her to take.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’d like to propose a toast to us. May tonight be as wonderful and fulfilling as we both could possibly hope.”

  “Hear, hear.”

  We raised our glasses and clinked them together, then took a sip. I couldn’t help but stare as I watched her lips purse around the rim and take a second swallow.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “The wine is delicious. It’s fruity and sweet, not bitter or dry like some reds I’ve had. You have very good taste.”

  “It was one of my parents’ favorites. I can’t take credit for picking it.” My eyes dropped to the carpet. I knew I needed to tell her the whole truth. She needed to be able to decide if I was worthy of her as an acting-Alpha or not. It wouldn’t be fair to claim her, then drop that bomb on her.

  She stood from the couch and ran a hand over my scruffy stubble. “Are you okay? You seem pre-occupied.”

  I reached up and took her hand in mine. “We need to talk, Daci. Before we go any further, there’s something I have to tell you.”

  “Okay, but you’re scaring me. Is this something that’s going to upset me?”

  “I hope not, princess. Please sit with me and I’ll tell you everything.”

  We sat on the couch. We each took another couple sips of our wine, then I set mine on the end table and held her hand in mine. I told her what happened to my father after he was captured. And what happened to my mother. We both shed tears at the loss of my parents and hugged each other tight.

  “Daci, I’m not the official Pack Alpha yet. I’m the acting-Alpha.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I have sixty days to prove to the Council that I’m worthy of being named Alpha.”

  “Holt, you saved me from Maximus. Twice. I’m your soul mate. You have two Betas and you can talk to us all through the link thing. How could you not be the Alpha?”

  “I don’t know. I guess if someone says anything negative against me, it could influence Council. That’s how I ended up in this position.”

  “What?”

  “Trey. When he was my father’s Beta, he said some really messed-up stuff about me and they found out.”

  “And they listened to what he said? He was just a Beta.”

  “And I was just an Omega. A nothing. Of course they listened to him. He was closest to my father.”

  “Surely you’ve proven you’re more than capable of being Alpha.”

  “We’ll see what they say when I return.” I rubbed the back of my neck and inhaled deeply, then let out my breath.

  “What’s wrong? Something’s been bothering you all night. Talk to me, Holt, please. Have I done something wrong?”

  “You? Not at all. You’ve done everything right. You always have. I guess I, um…” I stopped.

  “You what?”

  “I guess I’m just, I don’t know.” I rubbed a hand across my face. “I’m a little concerned I won’t please you.”

  “Why would you say that? I love you. You’re my mate. Of course you’ll please me.”

  “But,” the words were on the tip of my tongue, but I was havin
g a hard time getting them out. “Daci, I’m not… See, the thing is... Well.” Fuck!

  “I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to say.”

  “I’ve never, you know.” Her look told me she still didn’t know what I was trying to tell her. “I’m very inexperienced. With women.”

  “How inexperienced?”

  I turned my eyes to the floor. I couldn’t look her in the eyes when I admitted this. “Zero experience. I’ve never done this before.”

  Chapter 22

  Daci

  My ears must have been deceiving me. Holt was a virgin? I could hardly believe it. Him? He was gorgeous, yet hadn’t been with any woman.

  The smile on my face broadened. I was elated. My Coy-wolf was doing flips and I wanted to join her. He’d saved himself. For me? Maybe. But whatever his reason, I was so happy that I’d be his first and he’d be mine. I quietly giggled.

  “Are you laughing?”

  My eyes met his. “No, silly. I’m just giddy now. Do you have any idea how special I feel? How wonderful our first time will be? We’re each other’s first and the last.”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

  “It’s going to be fine. We’ll figure this out together -- our likes, dislikes, turn-ons, turn-offs, everything. I love you so much, Holt.” I flung my arms around his neck and held him tight.

  “I love you, Daci. I’m not even sure how this is all made official. I should have listened to my parents more closely,” Holt said.

  “I think you’re supposed to say something to acknowledge me as your mate before you claim me.”

  “I thought I already did.”

  I giggled. “Something a little more formal. Like wedding vows, only not.”

  “Okay, I’ll give it a try. Don’t laugh at me.”

  “Never.”

  Holding my hand, Holt knelt before me and pledged his undying love. “I, Holt, as acting-Alpha of the Loco Nuna Pack, love you, Daci, more than life. I thank the Goddess that you’re the one sent for me. You’re my best friend, and I think I’ve always known you were my soul mate, even though as kids, I didn’t realize what a soul mate was and thought it was something I was supposed to eat.” I couldn’t help giggling. “Now that I know for sure what a soul mate is, and that you are my one true love, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life. You’re all I have in this world and I’ll cherish you forever.”