3 - Swingin'

~Dex’s Point of View~

“My name is Dex, not even short for Dexter,” I state, as the female I now know as Dakota scoffs.

The bold tattoo on the male next to her, tells me exactly who he is, and that I have to get him the fuck away from her. I’d carefully studied the top five would-be Alphas that would be here, and I know damn well he’s the worst. The fact that they know each other makes me sick. I’ll have to get to the bottom of that. Thankfully my pack is isolated, we don’t really have any enemies. But I know that isn’t the case for most.

How the hell did I miss a female Alpha though… Well, I’ll blame that on everyone who was supposed to have researched these people. I had a whole team who wasn’t supposed to have missed shit like this!!

*Must be from some small, nothing pack,* Kent chides, snickering to himself. Not that Shadow Cove is all that well known, but we like it that way.

My wolf has already determined our mate needs us, she’ll fall in line like a good she-wolf. So naive. Even if she was born into an Alpha line, that doesn’t mean a thing. I have three sisters ahead of me and making one of them our leader was never even a consideration. 

What the hell is her pack thinking?

There’s never been a female Alpha that I know of, it’s absolutely ridiculous. What male could stand next to her, knowing she’d be constantly attacked, the entire pack always in danger of invasion?

The sounds of splashing pull me out of my stupor, then my eyes absolutely can’t look away from Dakota’s body. Her curves, her soft skin. Her long wet dark hair, stuck to her creamy skin and dripping…

“Take a picture, it'll last longer. But seriously, if you’re just going to have your tongue hanging out like a dog every time you look at me, you’re gonna lose it,” she snaps, making her way to the edge of the creek and sticking her finger out to prove her point. 

Even though I saw her face pretty up close and personal earlier, I only just now notice the big dark mark on her face that trails down her neck. The same one her wolf had. Is it something that runs in her family?

“Ohh yeah, there’s feisty Koko,” I hear, and look past her to see Harley grinning for all he’s worth. He turns and leans into the water, then tries to act like he’s swimming. But it can’t be more than two feet deep so he just looks stupid.

“You! You do NOT get to call me that! And just fuck off,” she snaps, turning to scold the male. I raise my eyebrow at that, definitely not liking how comfortable Harley is with her. But I like that she clearly doesn’t return the sentiment.

Without much thought I hold my hand out to help her, and she looks at it like it’s dirt. 

“I guess they don’t have manners in… Wherever,” I say, showing my disdain.

It’s impossible not to stare as she gets out and takes her time ringing out her hair. Her boobs moving with her, they’re fucking hypnotic.

*Close your mouth. Or… don’t I guess…* Kent says, practically panting with need. 

How the hell am I going to look at her knowing she’s my mate? How will I watch other males put their hands on her and fight? Let others… Hurt her.

Impossible.

*No, what’s impossible is…* Kent says, and I look down at my erection.

Shit!

I’ve never had a type when it came to females, but one with some meat on her bones is certainly my preference. One that I can be rough with and not break. One with long hair, and soft skin…

“Really? Not even trying to hide it,” I hear, as I blink and see Dakota staring. 

I clear my throat and start walking, not a clue where I’m going. I just have to get away from her, somehow. 

I barely make it a quarter mile before I hear her soft footfalls, and Kent says she’s right behind us.

“We should find a place to sleep, it’s gotta be well after midnight,” she says, and I swear I hear her shiver.

Kent stops us dead in our tracks, as I turn to look at her. Sure enough, there’s a tiny bit of her breath visible in the night air. Fuck.

“We don’t have time to make a proper shelter, we need a cave or overhang. I’ll make sure you’re warm,” I say, my eyes darting around the woods. She scoffs loudly.

“Awee gee really?? I’m so glad I have a big strong Alpha to cuddle up to! It’s literally like everything I’ve ever dreamed of! A male to open my jars, pick up heavy objects and chase my rabbits. I simply don’t know how I made it this far in life without you,” she snaps, turning in the other direction.

At the mention of the rabbit, my ego is bruised all over again. And my stomach rumbles to add insult to injury. I truly thought I was prepared for everything. Apparently not.

“Look I’m not thrilled about us being partners either. But here we are, so let’s make the best of it,” I snap, watching her ass slightly jiggle as she stalks off. I can only lick my lips. What a fucking visual.

I also have zero clue what I even mean by “making the best of it.”

*Heeeeey, knock it off with the attitude who could be mad with that view,* Kent snarls, then sloppily lets his tongue hang off the side of his mouth.

A mate. A true fated mate. It’s a guarantee and it's definitely a sign that our pack will only be made stronger. The bond of a true Alpha and Luna pair is supposed to be magical. I see it with my grandparents all the time, though my parents were chosen mates. 

Legend also has it that fated mates have bigger families, tons of pups. That’s definitely not been on my radar. I can’t even imagine I’d know what to do with a baby. I think I’d do better holding a live grenade.

*While you’ve got some brain power to expend, think about how we could also get her covered up. How the hell can we allow all these males to see our mate naked all the time,* Kent huffs.

I scratch my chin at that, knowing he’s absolutely right. It’s a massive blow to my ego to even think about males seeing her like this. And what if she has to fight someone? Being her partner will give me some cover in that, of course I’m supposed to defend her as my partner. But I can’t fight all her battles, I seriously doubt she’d even let me.

*Speaking of letting us, I guess mating is completely off the table? A month with her day in and day out and no mating?! I’m over your human bullshit camp. Let’s take her and get the hell out of here,* Kent fumes, and immediately heats our blood to every cell of our body.

Suddenly I’m fighting him for control, a war inside my brain.

“STOP! You know we have to do this,” I snap, then realize I said that out loud. 

I don’t even register that I’m standing still. But Kent pushes to me to shift, pissed off and absolutely ready to get his mate.

*Don’t you dare fight me! There’s a full moon in two weeks, what the hell will we do then? We’re not doing this to ourselves and we’re not doing this to her wolf! She’ll hate us if the moon puts her in heat with all these males around! It would be a bloodbath defending her,* he spits.

“You can’t… you won’t… This is too important,” I whisper, though it’s pointless. 

Claws pop through my fingertips, his anger is far too great. But thinking about her in heat out here, suddenly the circuits in my brain are nearly on fire. There’s only one cure for that and it would literally mean us both losing and getting thrown out of camp. If the others don’t tear us apart before we even get the chance to leave.

A growl rips through me into the still night air, I feel my body half shifted, half contorted though I’m still on two legs.

“Hey…” I hear, though Kent is looking out through our eyes. I force a rapid blink and try to focus. So much is riding on this camp and if I’m under this much pressure there’s no doubt Dakota is as well.

Warm hands caress our cheeks and when I can finally see clearly, our angel is only inches from our face.

“Hey… Hi wolf. Can we talk a minute? I’d really like that,” she says, just above a whisper. 

Kent licks our lips, practically salivating. Her touch is calming like we’ve never felt. Just her being this close is better than anything. Then, her hands are running down our shoulders, our arms. 

“Hey big boy… I know this is super crazy right? My wolf is going insane too. But you have to reign it in okay? This is extremely important to your human, and to me. And you want to make me happy don’t you,” she says. Her cheeks are rosy from the chill in the air, her hair is a mess. But she’s so damn beautiful. 

Kent violently nods “yes” but before I can try anything, our arms move and grab her, then I feel her warmth against us. A weird noise escapes our mouth, something between a sigh and relief. Then we’re stroking her soft skin, my fingertips now back to normal and exploring her. 

“Why do you have to smell so good,” she whispers, just under my chin as her head rests on my chest. Kent retreats slightly, still wanting his senses to be in control. His senses are stronger and can get more of her. Her scent, her feel, her tiny little moans that are barely audible. The light rumble of her wolf.

“Mine,” we say, somewhere between a guttural growl and a command. Either way, it leaves no room for debate.

She pulls back and when her eyes open, they’re black. 

“Mine,” she says, though I’m certain it’s more her wolf than Dakota. I take her cheeks in my hands and she lightly whimpers with my touch. We stare at each other for a long minute, maybe ten for all I know.

“Let’s find somewhere to sleep before you freeze,” I finally manage to say.

She blinks rapidly and there are those green eyes I really want to see. It’s not lost on me that a blush creeps across her face, just as she looks away.

“I am rather tired,” she says, as she disentangles from me. 

But as she pulls away my heart sinks and I can’t have it. Without even thinking I grab her hand, and thread our fingers together. I’m suddenly desperate to have her touch, but maybe I also just need a reminder that she is in fact real. I mean this entire day seems like a dream.

“Over there, let’s see what that is,” she says, pointing with her free hand. 

Sure enough, it’s an overhang, thick with moss and some rocks jutting out. It’s home for now. I let her lead me, though it goes against every single alpha and male molecule not to be the leader. The one solving the problem. But I need her either beside me or in front of me, behind me isn’t acceptable.

Even though I don’t sense anyone else around, I’m not taking any chances that there might be a sneak attack. Someone is gonna want to assert their dominance the first night and come out swinging. 

I expect it.

I watch as Dakota clears the area, and I break off numerous branches and stack them a few feet around the front, hopefully to wake us if anything gets close. 

It isn’t at all lost on me that there are males who will cheat. Probably figured out a way to get food or weapons brought in. It’s supposed to be an even playing field, but where’s the fun in that?