Alpha's Match

LYSSA

I’m fuming. My father is calling after me, but I stomp out.

I head to the pack training grounds and throw some punches to clear my head.

My father knows better than to interfere when I’m angry, and I’m sure he felt a smidge of embarrassment at my behavior.

But hearing Alpha Damien’s response, I’m sure he felt comfortable knowing that the asshole can dish it right back to me.

I punch hard into the bag, reopening old wounds from my jiu jitsu training and that’s when I smell him.

He doesn’t smell bad… It’s unique, like smoked wood with a hint of honey.

Why is my wolf so in tune with his scent? I wonder.

I turn around and he’s shirtless. I can’t help but stare.

His body is fit. Tall, brunette, built, with bright green eyes and a sleeve tattoo of a wolf on his right arm.

Fuck, he’s hot. I look back into his eyes, already feeling angry as he notices me checking him out.

“Damien,” I hiss, intentionally leaving his alpha title off. “What are you doing here?”

“Learning about my new pack, of course. I heard the Russians have elaborate lifestyles; I wanted to see if your training grounds had the same amount of gold as your dining room.”

I’m fuming. This asshole thinks he can take my father’s pack, take claim to his wealth, and what…have me for dessert?

Not a chance.

“Well Damien, unlike how you lead your pack, my father led with his brains over his fists. Our wealth was earned, our numbers were gained through a kind hand, not a bloody war,” I spit out, staring at him.

He tilts his head sideways, with that smirk again as he walks right up to me and grabs my hand, looking at my bloody knuckles, and hisses.

“Well, it seems that your father may have respect for taking on packs, but since walking these grounds, I’ve only seen men in training.

“Is that how much respect this pack has? That it ignores half its people when it comes to battle and self defense?”

I’m shocked. Why would he care about why there are only men here?

I look up, and get lost in his green eyes before I breathe and take a step back. I’m tired after dealing with my father’s health.

I don’t want to get into this now. “Damien, I’m going to take a shower. It’s been a long day with my father. I’ll see you later.” I pull my hand from his and start walking toward my cabin.

DAMIEN

I was expecting her to give me a retort after that observation, but instead she looks up at me and I see…pain?

It’s a flicker, then replaced by fatigue as she tells me she’s leaving and removes her warm hand from mine.

I stare back at my empty hand, remembering how bloody her knuckles were. I sigh, tell my men to find their cabins, and head back.

I walk up to my cabin and I notice I’m in the biggest one. I open the door and head to the kitchen to grab a quick bite.

At this point, it’s late. But I wasn’t in the mood to grab dinner with Alpha Vladimir earlier.

I turn to the fridge, grab a plate of leftovers from dinner, and turn to set the plate down when I bump into a soft body pressed against me.

Lyssa. She’s in her towel, and as I turn she falls. My hands move quickly to grab her before she hits the ground.

Her towel is on the floor as I slowly run my eyes up her naked, wet body. My cock hardens as my eyes reach her face.

She’s in shock. My fingers tighten around her waist where I grabbed her and I look at her, briefly forgetting where I am.

Her hazel eyes turn to green again for a minute before they shift back.

She’s speechless for a moment, before her gaze lowers and she realizes that she’s naked in front of me.

Her cheeks turn a light pink color. I groan as I let her go, grab the towel from the floor, and wrap her in it.

She regains her composure a bit before she spits out, “What the fuck are you doing in my cabin?”

I smirk. “Is that anyway to treat a guest? I think your father wanted us to meet, or else why would he also put me in this cabin, too? I guess our bedrooms are in the same home, sweetheart.”

She pauses, biting her lip. My wolf whimpers, but I still don’t know if she can tell I’m her mate or not.

I don’t even know if she can even shift after living with humans that long.

I adjust my pants, noticing her eyes lingering on the bulge, before I decide to speak up.

“Lyssa, we’re not teenagers, so let me lay this out straight for you. Your father came to me in order to avoid bloodshed from a hostile takeover—which you know is going to happen given his current condition.”

I look at her. “I’m not here to forcibly take this pack from him or you, but I was promised that his pack will be mine as long as I respect his people as my own, and I plan on doing just that.

“Now, I don’t know anything about you, but it’s been made clear that you’ve been out of wolf territory for over a decade.”

I frown.

“Whether or not you are even in the shape to lead a pack is not my decision to make. It was your father’s, and this agreement was a result of that.

“I will take this pack over, and while I would like your blessing, we’re not teenagers that need to be causing unnecessary drama.”

I lean into her, putting my hands on either side of her head, pressing my entire body to her.

I lower my mouth to her ears as I whisper, “I’m not going to make you come to me,” I say, emphasizing my innuendo.

“But I will make you respect me. And if you want the same, I suggest you start acting like a leader, rather than a child.”

I step back, watching her mouth drop as I take my plate of food, walk back into my bedroom, and shut the door.