Page 28 of Cruel Alpha

“You’re gonna have to give me a little more than that,” I said. “I thought we were training today?”

“Oh, we’re training,” Caleb said, a wicked glint in his eye. “I’ve asked Jace to rig you up a harness that will allow you to carry the twins while you’re in your wolf form. Kind of like a…” he hesitated, gesturing to his front as if he were holding a baby there.

“A carrier?” I suggested, unable to hide my own smile.

“Yeah. Hands-free.” He waved his own hands as if to demonstrate, and I wished it wasn’t cute as all hell. Caleb seemed excited,boyishin a way I’d never seen him before, and it was too endearing to be safe. I tried not to think about how sweet it was that he even thought to ask Jace for something like this, and it made my heart turn in happy somersaults to think that he wanted to do something for Jack and Emmy.

“Okay,” I said, trying to stay on topic, “and what does that have to do with training?”

“Well,” he explained, “I’m going to have to take your measurements to make sure it fits.”

I blushed, imagining how close he’d have to be, wrapping his strong arms around my hips, my waist, my chest. Would he feel the pull of the bond as our skin brushed together?

“You’ll have to hold form for a while to let me get everything Jace needs,” Caleb continued, and I immediately felt like an idiot. Obviously, he would need my wolf’s measurements. That made way more sense.

“Sounds like I’m in for a challenge,” I said, hoping that my face wasn’t too flushed.

“You sure are. Get yourself ready.”

I stripped as quickly and efficiently as possible, desperately trying not to look at Caleb, who was desperately trying not to look at me. This would be my fourth training session, and while my ability to hold my wolf had improved in leaps and bounds, Caleb and I still hadn’t figured out how to be in the same room together while I was naked. Humans didn’t have these kinds of problems, I thought to myself as I unhooked my bra; they didn’t have mates or Packs or reasons to be constantly naked in front of other people. It seemed like a nice life.

“Okay,” I said as I kicked my panties onto my little pile of clothes, “let’s go.”

The shift was almost easy now. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as it once did—now the pain was like a really deep stretch or a hard massage; it was the good kind of pain. As always, I spent the first few moments in the wolf’s body trying to tamp down on the instinct that told me to rub myself all over Caleb, to mark him with my scent. That was absolutely not on the table, no matter how deep the primal urge ran.

He beckoned me over, and I went, staying as still as possible while he explained which measurements needed to be taken. There were more than I’d thought, and he was right: staying in my wolf form for that longwouldbe a challenge. What I hadn’t reckoned on was how difficult it would be to stay so close to Caleb for the duration. Having him kneel down to measure the circumference of each of my forelegs was bearable, as was the one from the top of my spine to midway down my back. Keeping my breathing slow and even, concentrating on remaining in this body, I told myself that everything would be fine.

Everything was not fine. I couldn’t stop my wolf from letting out a pitiful whine as he wound his strong arms around my neck to measure its circumference. His scent was everywhere, and breathing was no longer my friend. I wanted to bury my muzzle beneath his shirt and lick the skin there, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

“You’re doing really well,” Caleb assured me, mistaking my whine for one of discomfort. “Just a few more minutes, you can do it.” He scratched the top of my head between my ears, and I leaned into his touch.

I suffered through it as he reached around to measure my wolf’s waist and a few more points on my back. I could feel my hold on my wolf slipping; I’d never held her for this long before, and it took every ounce of my concentration to keep my fur. If I had to move even an inch, I would lose it, but I was determined to hold the form as long as possible. I wanted to have the twins on my back as I ran; I wanted to show them that I was strong and that one day, they would be strong, too.

“Just one more,” Caleb assured me. “I just have to, uh—sorry.”

That was all the warning I got before Caleb dropped onto his ass, scooting underneath my wolf to measure the distance from my sternum to my belly. It took him a while—it must be difficult to place the measuring tape and take the reading from that position—and I felt my legs begin to shake with the effort of holding my wolf. I was also acutely aware of his presence, his touch on my wolf’s soft and sensitive underbelly. It felt good, but too vulnerable, like I was offering myself up to him entirely.

When Caleb spoke, his voice sudden and surprising, I lost my grip.

“Okay, I think we’re—oof.”

I landed in a heap on top of him, my arms braced either side of his head and my knees bracketing his hips. I was acutely, hideously aware of the way my belly and breasts were hanging over him, my soft arms trembling. Caleb only smirked up at me.

“Just in time,” he said.

“You, uh—you got everything you need?” I asked. I should have gotten up, should have risen, ungainly, to my feet and put an appropriate amount of distance between us, but my body wasn’t listening. The stupid animal within me only wanted to be close to him.

“I got the measurements, yeah,” said Caleb, his voice low and husky.

“Good,” I breathed. My mind had gone entirely blank, only aware of how warm he was beneath me, how good he smelled, the sensation of denim on the insides of my thighs.

“Good,” he echoed. There was a note of teasing in his voice like he was enjoying it.

“I need to get up,” I said, stupidly. I didn’t move.

“Only if you want to,” he said, his fingers beginning to trace the outsides of my thighs oh so carefully, like I was a skittish beast that might flee at any moment. Even that feather-light touch made me shiver, my nipples hardening and the space between my thighs growing damp. I wanted to lower myself down until every inch of me was touching him, until I could grind myself against him and soothe the ache that was growing in the core of me.

Caleb looked as though he wanted the same. His perfect lips were slightly open, and the normal icy blue of his eyes had almost vanished, swallowed by the black of his blown pupils. His breath was coming heavy, and for a few long moments, we breathed in tandem, frozen in time and paralyzed with wanting.

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