Alpha’s Challenge: An MC Werewolf Romance (Bad Boy Alphas Book 4)

Foxfire

Before dusk, we check into a hotel. Two rooms. One with a king, one with two double beds. I take my stuff and follow Sunny.

“I saw a lovely marketplace on the way in,” Sunny prattles as we enter the room with the double beds. “I think I used to have a stall there, in the eighties. We should go down and see it. Do you think Tank will let us?”

“I think Tank needs his space.” I set my bag down. “I was actually hoping to talk to you. Why didn’t you tell me about Dad?”

“You never wanted to know.”

“But… I’m like him. In a lot of ways.”

“I know, dear. But, Johnny was a free spirit. He’d want you to make your own way.”

“I know. I have. I just want to know I’m not the only one like me. I want to be a part of something. A family.”

“You are, Foxfire. You have me, and that tall drink of water who’s probably wishing you were in his hotel room right now.”

“Tank thinks I’m crazy.”

Sunny just smiles.

“He’s so different from me, Mom. It’s weird. And yet…” It works. At least, I think it does. He’s done all this to help me.

“I like him.”

“I’m so glad.” I hide my eye roll as she hugs me.

“I’m so glad we had this chat.” She heads off to the bathroom.

Maybe Mom’s right. We make our own family, community. Maybe my dad will know some other foxes, or Tank can hook me up. In any case, I have my mother. Maybe I should spend more time with her.

The bathroom door opens. Sunny walks out, blonde and pink hair wafting around her shoulders. She’s stark naked. “Time for yoga,” she trills.

“Um, you forgot your clothes.”

“I always do sun salutation naked.” She opens the curtains for the light to flood in and lays out a yoga mat. “After all, when we greet the sun, the rays burn away all artifice—”

“I’ll just uh… check on what Tank’s friend found out about Johnny.”

I scuttle for the door. My goal is to be out of there before she does downward facing dog.

Tank’s room is a few doors down. Praying that a crowd doesn’t gather to watch my mother do her asanas in the bare, I knock on the door.

“It’s open.” Tank says.

“How’d you know it was me?”

I step inside. Much darker. Tank probably isn’t a sun salutation type dude. As my eyes adjust to the shadows, I realize he’s sitting in a chair, huge body spilling out of it. He’s got his shirt off, his hair damp like he toweled off. Water beads on his taut chest.

“I can smell you.” He’s got a paper bag in his hand, and he raises it to his lips. He must have gone out and gotten a bottle of something.

“Can you spare a sip of that?”

He offers it.

“Mom’s doing her own version of hot yoga. Naked hot yoga. She has the blinds open.”

Tank grimaces.

“Yeah,” I agree, and raise the bottle to take a swig. I cough a little as it sears my throat. I go to raise it again, but he takes it from me, pulls me into his lap.

I snuggle up to him. He rests his chin atop my head.

“Any luck on my dad’s whereabouts?”

He shakes his head, and mine moves with it.

“Thanks again for all this. I owe you.”

He rubs my back, slipping his hand under my shirt to toy with my bra strap. His cock grows against my leg.

“You’ve been taking care of me. It’s time for me to take care of you.” I slip to my knees between his legs.

He lets me pull down his jeans and put my mouth on him. I breathe in his scent, swallowing him down, making little begging noises, especially after he slips his fingers into my top and squeezes my breast. I dive down on his length, choking a little, and pop off, gasping.

He tugs me up before I can go again.

I wind my arms around his neck. He plunges his hand down my jeans.

“Fuck,” he mutters like a prayer as his fingers encounter my slick folds. “No panties again? Bad girl.” He finds my sweet spot and rubs it.

I rise to my tiptoes. In no time, I’m panting, sagging against his broad chest. I lick his neck, taste salt. My hand finds his dick and jacks slowly, but it’s no use. I’m gonna blow.

Someone knocks on the door.

“Darling! What are our plans for dinner?”

I barely register her words until Tank whips his hand out of my pants.

“Uh, give us a few, Sunny,” I call out. “We’re naked.”

Tank makes a disbelieving noise.

“All right, honey, I’ll go down alone. Make sure you use protection!”

Tank heaves a sigh.

I giggle. “Come on.” I tug him up. “Let’s shower together.”

~.~

Tank

I wrap a towel around Foxfire and maneuver her out of the shower. She’s flushed and dazed from the hard fucking I gave her up against the wall of the shower. I’m not sure her legs are steady, so I guide her to the bed and plunk her down.

It’s getting both easier and harder being with her. I just used up every last ounce of self-control being with her naked, fucking her without marking her. The entire time we were in that shower stall together, my fangs were out, ready to punch through her skin, leave my scent there so every other male can smell she’s mine. Instead, I took it out on her pussy. I pounded that sweetness until she screamed herself hoarse. And, already, I want round two of having those long legs wrapped around my waist, those fingernails digging into my back.

“What are we going to do for dinner?”

“I already ate.”

She smacks me, giggling.

“Order whatever you want.” I hand her a hotel room service menu.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, baby.” I lie back and prop my arms behind my head, enjoying the sight of her with the towel falling open, her nipples chafed from my five o’clock shadow. She looks so happy, I don’t care when she orders fifty dollars’ worth of food and eats all of it. She prattles on and on about everything and nothing, and I don’t care. I could stare at her for the rest of my life.

My phone vibrates, and I answer without checking it.

“Son?”

“Yes, sir.” I straighten as if my father could see me, even though he’s a few hundred miles away, in Phoenix. When we were lone wolves together, he ran our two person unit like a pack so I was used to following an alpha. Technically, I’m now more dominant than he is, but old habits die hard.

“Just wanted to check on you, make sure everything’s all right. My alpha heard from a human named Amber. She said Garrett’s in trouble.”

Fuck. “I’m not sure. Last I knew, Garrett was on his way to Mexico.” I hesitate, not sure how much Garrett wants other packs to know. Garrett’s father is my father’s alpha.

“To search for Sedona. That’s what this Amber said.”

“That’s right.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Look, call Trey or Jared, but if they don’t answer, you’d better get down there. I haven’t been able to reach them.”

“My alpha’s already on his way. I just wanted to see where you were in all this mess.”

“I’m on another job.”

“Tank, did you see my bra anywhere?” Foxfire shouts from the bathroom. “I can’t find it.”

Fuck. I hold the phone against my shirt until I’m outside the hotel room. “Garrett ordered me to go after a stray. Otherwise, I’d be down there already.”

“That’s… fine, son,” my dad says.

I wince under the weight of his disapproval. “It’s just a job. I should have things wrapped up soon. I was waiting to hear from Garrett, but if things have gone wrong—”

“No, no, you have to follow orders.”

“I want to be there.”

“You’re second in the pack. Your alpha relies on you. Don’t do anything to jeopardize that.” Especially not for a female. He may as well come out and say it.

“Yes, sir.”

He hangs up, and for a second, I wonder if I should just pack everything up and hit the road for Mexico.

“Everything all right?” Foxfire chirps. She stands in the open door to the room, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a tight T-shirt, head cocked to the side.

“Yeah, baby.”

“You look like you got bad news.”

Should I tell her what’s going down with the pack? She’ll want to know, especially since it sounds like Amber’s involved.

“I can cheer you up, big man.” She comes to hug me.

“No.” I fend her off. Foxfire stops in her tracks. She may play dense, but she’s actually extremely sensitized to my moods, which makes me feel like an even bigger bastard. “This is pack business. I need to make a few calls. Why don’t you go find your mother?”

Foxfire’s smile is forced, her scent a confusing jumble. Women. So complicated. And, now, my feelings are just as fucking complicated. My dad is right.

“Look,” I try again, “a few people in the pack are in trouble. I don’t mean—”

“No, it’s all right.” She picks up a hotel key and pockets it. “I’ll go. Sunny wanted to visit the market. I’ll go see what time it opens tomorrow—it’ll be a good distraction for her while we search for Johnny.”

“Okay. Thanks, baby.”

A few more calls, and I’ll mobilize the strongest in Garrett’s pack to follow his dad down to Mexico. If I can’t be there personally, at least I can help.

~.~

Foxfire

He’s shutting me out. Again. Not that I had a right to be in in the first place. He’s made it very clear: I’m not pack. Not that I care.

I wander around the empty market area, sniffing around the booths in a half-hearted attempt to find Sunny. I catch a whiff of something familiar, but I can’t place it. The moon rises, and I head back, slowing my steps in case Tank is still talking to his pack. He doesn’t want me to be a part of his world.

Maybe I’m meant to be alone, just me and my fox. I pause in a deserted alley and try to shift. But I can’t. Not even staring at the moonlight.

Great. Now, even my fox has abandoned me.

Back at the hotel room, I knock, but no one’s there. Tank must be out on an errand. I keep my jacket on and go out to lean on the balcony railing in the light of the moon.

So what if I’m alone? I’m used to it. But my fox wants to be around shifters. I can handle a group not wanting me, but this is the first time I’ve wanted to be a part of a one. I hate it.

Stupid fox. Why couldn’t I be a wolf?

“Foxfire?”

“I’m here,” I call.

He comes and silently hugs me. He won’t tell me what’s wrong, but he holds me like he needs me.

“Everything all right?”

He grunts a non-answer.

“You know you can talk to me?”

He leans down and puts his mouth on mine. The kiss is long, and deep, and feels like an apology for something. I wish I knew what.

“Full moon tonight,” I murmur.

“No, baby, it was last night.”

I turn in his arms as he holds me.

“Do you think I’ll ever be able to shift on my own?”

“Of course. It just takes practice.”

“I don’t.” My voice wobbles. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Try it.” He leads me back into the room.

“Okay.” I strip off my clothes and take a deep breath, willing my body to morph.

“Relax, baby. This is natural. Just let her out.”

This time, when I take a deep breath, the world changes immediately. I drop to four paws and yip at Tank.

“That’s good, baby.” He growls approval. His scent is a haven, strong and sure. But there’s another one tickling my nose. I trot to the balcony and bark for him to follow.

“No, Foxfire.” He starts toward me. “You should stay inside.”

Before he can reach me, I rush out the door and leap from the balcony.

~.~

Tank

Foxfire disappears over the edge of the balcony. Her white tail streaks as she runs up the rise and disappears into the woods.

“Goddammit.” I shuck my clothes and call my wolf. The world tilts as I turn. As soon as I right myself, I run after her. Her trail is red hot and easy to follow.

I keep to the shadows as she leads me into the heart of town. People might not notice a little fox, but they will definitely pay attention to a big wolf. Luckily, there aren’t any cars.
I duck my head and lope across the concrete and hope no one wants a wolf pelt in front of their fireplace. Regular bullets can’t kill a werewolf, but they still hurt.

Damn you, little fox. My heart is rammed up in my throat, thinking of all the things that might go wrong out here, showing our animals in public. Someone’s out there looking for Foxfire, and we’re in a town where there might be shifters. She isn’t safe running around in fox form.

She leads me to the marketplace, abandoned for the night. When I catch up, she’s sniffing around one of the booths.

I bark at her. She automatically crouches, ducking her head. Her fox knows submission, even if my beautiful girl sometimes fights it.

I trot toward her, and the scent hits me, surrounding me. Fox. And not Foxfire—but another shifter. A fox shifter has been here, in this booth.
Foxfire faces me, her ears standing up and her tail wagging.

See? she seems to say.

I jerk my head toward the hotel. Head back. She doesn’t protest. We lope back together, my larger body casting a shadow over her smaller one. Two animals might attract attention but not as much as two naked humans. Luckily, there’s a little hill under our second-story room, and no one else is on the balcony. With a running jump I reach the railing and clear it. I turn and wait for the little fox to come. Her leap isn’t as high and I catch her by the scruff of the neck. I carry her in like this and set her down, fixing her with another glare.

She’s not afraid of me at all. Of course not, my wolf points out. She’s our mate.
I shift first, grunting with the force and speed of the change. I stride to the balcony door and close it.

“Change, Foxfire. Now.”

She does and curls up for a moment, shivering. Shifting is still hard for her. “Did you smell it?” she says as soon as she can catch her breath. “There’s someone like me. Another fox.”

“That’s good, baby. You did good.” I kneel to tip some water into her mouth, holding the bottle until she can sit up. It doesn’t take as long as the last time. She’s getting stronger. My wolf approves.

“Do we have any more steak?” she asks.

I pull out the last one left over from room service from the mini-fridge, sit on the bed and pat my lap. She curls up and I feed her. It’s a simple act, but it deeply satisfies my wolf. When she’s finished eating, I make her drink the rest of the water. I hold her the whole time. Fits right in my arms like she was made for me.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow we can track the shifter, right?”

“Yes. But we do it my way. Less chance of getting buckshot in our ass.” Stern tone.

She squirms like it excites her to be in trouble. “Yes.”

I cage her throat in my hand without applying any pressure. “You know what naughty foxes get?”

“Punishment?” Her pulse hammers against my palm. No fear in her scent. Just anticipation. And arousal.

I slip my hand between her legs and brush the pad of my middle finger over her clit. She throws her head back over my shoulder, arching her breasts toward my mouth. She’s so fucking responsive.

I’ve never met another female—human or shifter—whose body is so clearly mine to command. Foxfire—the crazy hippie child—turns into a certifiable porn star every time we touch. Ready and willing to take anything I give her, no matter how rough. Willing to serve, too. I’ve never had a female so generous with her mouth on my cock before.

“Get up on your hands and knees, baby,” I direct.

She scrambles to obey, wagging her beautiful ass in my face. I stand up beside the bed and arrange her hips in my direction, letting a slap fall on one cheek.

“Is this what you wanted?” I squeeze her bare cheek, and deliver another smack.

“Yes.” Her breath leaves in a gust.

“You sure?”

“Yes, please,” she whispers, not quite a plea.

I hardly recognize the growl coming from my mouth. I slip my digits between her legs, again, stroke her slick folds. “You’re wet.”

“Well, yeah. You’re naked.”

“Naughty little fox.” My hand claps her bottom and strokes her slit again.

“Yes.” She wriggles as I tease her sweet spot, her fingers clawing at the covers.

I keep her on the edge, alternating light smacks with frigging her clit until she’s moaning with need. I want to plow into her, fuck her until tomorrow, but my wolf is right below the surface. The full moon was last night, so the urge to mark her shouldn’t be getting stronger, but it is.

I pick up her hips and flip her around to face me. “Suck me,” I order roughly, because I need relief or I’m going to do something I regret.

She parts those sexy lips and engulfs my cock with her hot mouth. “That’s it, baby.”

She goes to town on me, trying to swallow me down deep, driving me crazy.

I let out a curse.

She pops off and nips my thigh, teeth sharp as a fox’s. Her animal is right at the edge, too.

I roar, my wolf mad to mark her, to dominate my little fox and show her which one of us does the biting.

She kneels up, licking her glossy lips. “Oops. Sorry.” Her mock innocence is too much for my self-control. To keep myself from taking her, I push her down on her belly with a hand at her nape and smack her wriggling ass.

She writhes, not really trying to escape. “Spank me, Tank. Harder.”

Oh, fuck no. Did she really say that?

I warm her ass, slapping harder, loving the way she bucks on the bed, the little grunts and whimpers she makes.

The next time I check between her legs, I groan. “Fuck, baby, you’re sopping wet.”

“Tank,” she screams as her orgasm hits her. She squeezes her thighs around my fingers. I wedge three into her pussy and plunge as her muscles contract and spasm.

I lie down beside her and pull her into my arms, trying to slow my breath, push the wolf back down.

She rolls into me, pressing against my bare chest. She nuzzles my skin, and I breathe in her intoxicating scent.

She licks my neck, but I don’t think she’s aware of it; her Fox is still close to the surface. After a moment, she raises her head.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay, baby. Do what you want.”

She explores, tracing the curves of muscles, finding every little scar where a wolf’s teeth or claws caught me when I was a teen and didn’t have enough to eat so my body didn’t fully heal.

She runs her tongue over one flat nipple, and I shiver. She kisses down my chest and slowly arranges herself on her knees, between my thighs.

My dick bobs with approval but I say, “You think you deserve my cock?”

She nods.

I catch her hair and tug it so she looks up at him. “You gonna be a good girl?”

“Maybe. Probably.”

“Fuck,” I whisper. This girl drives me fucking insane.

I burrow my fingers in her hair, watching the rainbow of colors and waves cascade as she hollows her cheeks and sucks.

My vision starts to tunnel, hips strain to push my cock farther into her mouth. I don’t want to choke her, at least that’s what I tell myself when I tug her up on all fours, positioning myself behind her.

I even remember a condom, which is a goddamn miracle.

She waits for me, pussy slick and ready, thighs trembling with my desire. I slide right in.

I’m not a big talker. But there are words exploding in my head. The ones I’m showing her with each hard thrust: I own you. You are mine.

I pound into her. She presses her front into the bed and pushes back against me, meeting me, welcoming me. I hold her down and hammer her reddened ass.

“Yes, Tank, yes!” Her tight muscles grip my dick.

I flip her over, prop her leg over my shoulder and pound myself home.

“Oh, I’m going to—”

“Take it, baby.” I palm and squeeze her ass.

A cry breaks from her as her orgasm blows up.

I lose my mind the second she starts keening. Every inch, every limb, every cell vibrates with white hot pleasure.

“Fuck.” I fall on top of her, my arms holding my weight but my body covering hers.

I tuck my face into her neck and shoulder. My teeth scrape her skin, and she shudders, still in the grip of her ecstasy.

I hammer into her, blind with need. My balls tighten, thighs grip. My thrusts become erratic.

“Fuck, yes, Foxfire!” I shout as I come. As I let loose, I bite down. Hard.

Hard enough to break the skin. A mating bite.

I fucking marked her.