All Chapters of The Alpha I shouldn't crave: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Cool wind whipped my hair as I strode toward The Howling Moon, needing noise, bodies, anything to drown her voice.Inside, bass thumped against my ribs, cigarette smoke curling with the sharp bite of whiskey. I shoved to the bar, ordered three tequilas in a row, and slammed them back, the burn spreading heat straight between my thighs.That's when I felt him watching. Across the dim room, green eyes pinned me like prey, his broad frame leaning against the wall, dark stubble sharpening a jaw that promised trouble.My wolf stirred, inhaling his scent even from here. He pushed off the wall and stalked toward me, every step tightening something low in my belly."Rough night?" His voice rolled over me, low and rough, as he slid onto the stool beside mine. Heat radiated from his body; his thigh brushed mine and stayed there."You could say that." I turned to face him fully, letting my gaze drag down his chest, the way his black shirt stretched over muscle. My fingers itched to touch.He sig

I lay on the mattress, staring at the ceiling, and heard footsteps above, Marcus moving through the house, Vanessa's car pulling into the driveway, their voices raised in argument I couldn't quite make out.Then silence, heavy and waiting, until the basement door opened again hours later, well past midnight, and Marcus descended carrying a blanket."You'll freeze down here, the heating doesn't reach this level well." He spread it over me without asking permission, his movements efficient but not unkind.My hand shot out before I could think better of it, catching his wrist as he started to pull away, my fingers wrapping around the corded muscle and tendon I remembered too well.He froze, looking down at where we connected, then slowly raised his eyes to mine. "Sandra—""Don't go yet." The words tumbled out desperate and pathetic. "I hate the dark, I can't sleep in complete darkness, it's too quiet down here and I keep thinking about—"I let the sentence die because I didn't know how t

"Are you expecting someone?" I scrambled for my clothes, pulling them on with frantic speed.Marcus's face had gone pale, and he grabbed his shirt. "Fuck, I forgot, my other student was supposed to arrive today for intensive combat healing training."My stomach dropped. "Other student?""He's from your pack, actually, your mother recommended him." Marcus was already heading for the front door, buttoning his jeans. "Stay here, clean yourself up, I'll handle the introduction."I heard the front door open, Marcus's greeting, then another voice that made my blood turn to ice."Thanks for taking me on such short notice, Marcus, after everything that happened with Sandra, I really need to focus on something productive."Damon's voice carried through the house clear as a bell, and I pressed my hand over my mouth to stop the hysterical laugh threatening to escape.Marcus's reply was too quiet to hear, but footsteps approached the training room, and I barely had time to run my fingers through

Marcus shoved me toward the training dummy, his movements rough but calculated, and I stumbled forward just as the training room door swung open. "Sandra, your positioning is completely wrong, you're going to rupture the subclavian artery if you don't adjust your angle," Marcus barked, his hand landing on my shoulder blade with professional firmness, and I bent over the dummy table, my face burning with more than exertion. Damon stood in the doorway, his eyes moving between us with laser focus, taking in my flushed cheeks, the way Marcus's breathing was still too fast, the faint sheen of sweat on both our necks. "I forgot my phone." "It's on the counter where you left it," Marcus said, not moving his hand from my back, playing the role of devoted instructor so perfectly I almost believed it myself. "Everything okay at the supply store?" Damon's jaw clenched as he crossed to the counter, his gaze never leaving us, and I felt him cataloging every detail, every microexpression

I spun around, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "What the hell are you talking about?" Marcus stood there backlit by moonlight, his expression unreadable but his voice steady and certain. "Damon, you still love him." "That's bullshit," I shot back, the words coming out sharp and defensive. "He rejected me in front of the entire pack, he marked my best friend while I watched, how the fuck could I still love someone who destroyed me like that?" "I didn't say he deserved it," Marcus said calmly, which only made my rage burn hotter. "I said you still feel it." "You don't know what I feel," I spat, my wolf snarling beneath my skin because he was hitting too close to something I'd buried deep. "Damon chose Jenna, chose politics and pack advancement over our mate bond, he made it perfectly clear I wasn't worth fighting for." Marcus just watched me with those too-knowing eyes, letting me wind myself up, letting my anger fill the clearing like smoke. "He humiliated me, m