Alpha Betrayed: A Dark Shifter

Ford

Juliet immediately scoots back,pulling her knees to her chest again, while I cross my legs and throw a casual arm over my lap.

But Natalie is a shifter, and she isn’t stupid.

Even if she couldn’t smell the s*x scents on the porch, she can read a room.

“So sorry to interrupt,” she says, her light tone slightly strained. “I just wanted to let you both know that there are condoms on the kitchen counter, and that I’m going to bed with my earplugs in. I’m not here to be bossy or get in the middle of your private business, but an unplanned pregnancy would add another level of difficulty to our plans that no one needs right now. Especially Juliet, who needs to be in top physical condition for the trials in two weeks, not dealing with morning sickness.”

“I’m going to bed, too,” Juliet says, springing to her feet. “Alone. Good night, Ford. And let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again. Especially not in front of anyone at Lost Moon. Our cover story is we’re friends, nothing more.”

“But don’t be too hard on yourselves,” Natalie adds. “Shifters are s****l beings and you’ve both been isolated from potential partners for so long. It’s natural that you might feel—”

“I’m going inside,” Juliet says, darting past her. “Let’s never talk about this again.”

Natalie sighs and falls silent. A few seconds later, a door slams inside the house and the sound of softly running water drifts through the quiet air.

“I know she’s twenty-three, but she still seems so young, Ford,” Natalie says. “Be careful with her. Don’t break her heart or put her in danger.”

“I’d never put her in danger,” I say, keeping the fact that she’s probably way more likely to break my heart than I am hers to myself.

I like Natalie and I trust her…mostly. But there are certain things a man doesn’t like to admit to other people and falling for a girl who isn’t interested in feeling anything but reluctant friendship for you is pretty high on that list.

“I know you wouldn’t on purpose,” Natalie continues. “But you two already have a history, a complicated one. It might be wise to take steps to keep it from becoming any more complicated. Like finding a lover in your new clan. There are so many lovely, smart, funny wolves in your dorm and I’m sure they’ll be keen to get to know that big, sexy wolf with the silver eyes.”

I sigh as I come to my feet, my c**k thankfully completely flaccid after that condescending bit of advice. “Juliet may seem young, but she’s not, Natalie. And neither am I. I’m twenty-eight years old. By the time my dad was my age, he’d married, fathered me, built a successful business, and died in a pack war. And I’ve been through my share of shit, good and bad, too. I don’t need this kind of guidance. Save it for the undergrads who are actually teenagers, okay?”

She looks up at me as I stop beside her. “All right. I will. I apologize if I overstepped, I just want what’s best. For both of you.”

“I believe that,” I say. “But there’s going to come a day when Hammer is gone, and Juliet will need to fill the void he leaves behind. I, for one, think that will be a hell of a lot easier if she has me by her side.”

She blinks faster. “You want to marry her? Your stepsister? I mean, sleeping together is one thing, but a marriage like that would cause a scandal, Ford.”

“I don’t care. Let people talk. We never had a sibling relationship. We barely even lived together as kids.”

She studies me for a moment, appearing to consider her words, before she says, “But Juliet doesn’t feel the same.”

“Not yet,” I say, tension creeping into my shoulders. “But we have time. A lot can change in a year, let alone two.”

Natalie arches a brow and makes a non-committal noise. “You’re right. But I’d still suggest you find someone to…blow off a little steam with. You’ll be better able to focus on assisting Juliet in the trials if you aren’t distracted by unrequited l**t.”

I roll my eyes and head inside, muttering to myself beneath my breath.

Unrequited l**t, my a*s.

Juliet wants me as much as I want her. Or, at least, half as much, which is still enough to keep my d**k in my pants with other women. I don’t want to give her any excuse to pull back or shut me down. I want her to see that I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.

I’ve gone without getting laid for over two years, what’s another month or two? Juliet won’t last any longer than that. She needs relief too badly, I could feel it in the way her pulse raced in her thigh, hot and needy beneath my fingers.

And in the meantime…

I lock the door to my tiny bedroom, and lay down, closing my eyes and thinking of how good Juliet’s breast felt soft against my arm. Just that small, relatively innocent memory is enough to make me hard. Quietly, I take my c**k in hand and pump myself up and down to images of Juliet on top of me, riding me with her lips parted and her small breasts bouncing on her chest as she tells me no man has ever made her feel this good.

Then Imaginary Juliet begs me to come inside her, and I do, filling her p***y with my seed, a primal part of me hoping I’ve put my baby inside her.

It’s not my usual fantasy at all, but it’s hot, making the aftershocks of my o****m ripple across my skin for several long minutes after.

Once I’ve caught my breath and cleaned myself up with my dirty t-shirt from earlier today, I make a mental note to sneak out and grab a couple of those condoms once the girls are asleep. If I’m having baby making fantasies about Juliet, then I definitely need to have those close at hand.

Because Natalie is right. Juliet needs her strength right now.

There will be time to play with fire—and the chance of making a baby—later, once we’re both assured of our place at Lost Moon.

And then…

Well, a baby would be a great reason to get married. And the perfect way to prove to the pack that we’re a solid ruling force, already hard at work creating another generation of Zion pack rulers.

You’re crazy. She would cut your d**k off if she knew you were even thinking something like that.

The inner voice is right. Which is why I’m going to keep that shit to myself.

“Have a little faith, Voice,” I mutter.

I’m nearly asleep, my groggy brain promising more filthy dreams about Juliet, when I hear her scream. I’m out of bed in a second and across the hall a second later. By the time Natalie appears in the door to her room, I have a limp, wide-eyed Juliet in my lap, rocking her back and forth, promising her I’m here and I always will be.

She comes out of the catatonic state a little faster this time, but she clings to me even tighter than she did before. Her arms go around my neck and her face presses to my chest as she whispers, “I just want the nightmares to stop. Please, make them stop, Ford. They’re so bad.”

“I wish I could, baby,” I say, kissing the top of her head, while Natalie watches with a strained expression. “They’ll get better with time. You just need to feel safe and all this ugly shit will fade into the past.”

“I hope you’re right,” she whispers, her arms still locked tight, like she’s never going to let me go. “I don’t want to be his prisoner anymore, not even in my dreams.”

I rock her for a little longer, then tuck her back in, promising I’ll be right across the hall if she needs me. After I close the door, Natalie rests a gentle hand on my shoulder, “Well, then. I see.”

She disappears before I can ask what she saw, but I can guess.

She can see I’m falling for Juliet. And if she can see it, there’s a chance our new clans will see it, too. If I intend to keep our secrets, I’ll have to be careful. Which means I should probably stop jerking off to fantasies of Juliet riding my c**k.

And I will. Tomorrow.

But tonight, I can’t resist taking myself in hand again and imagining what would have happened if I could have stayed with Juliet and given her pleasure to make up for the pain.