What an Alpha Wants

I could feel it coming…

That unmistakable desire building in the pit of my stomach, the relentless clawing at the edges of my mind, urging me to let my animalistic instincts go wild, the overwhelming need to just…

~Fuck.~

The Haze was about to begin. And I was more than ready for it.

Every year the season hit us like a freight train, sending the pack into a sexual frenzy. It was all about sating our most base instincts, unleashing the beast, so to speak.

My fingernails started to elongate into claws, digging into my oak desk as I began to let the sensations take over my body.

The Haze was a time of freedom, liberation, and release.

~A time to let the wolf out to play.~

My breathing turned to low growls; all my thoughts became primally motivated.

I knew exactly what I wanted, and I wanted it right fucking now.

~The alpha wants to stake his claim.~

I needed to mark my partner for the season immediately, to make it known that she was mine, and mine alone.

No other wolf would dare come near her. I’d tear them apart, limb from limb.

Just then the door to my office burst open, and my Beta Josh stumbled in.

“Aiden, are you feeling it too?” he asked, panting. “The Haze is here.”

I nodded, standing up from my desk. “Always comes at the most inopportune times.”

Josh smirked. “Should I cancel all your meetings? I have a feeling the alpha is going to be ~extremely busy~ today.”

“Where’s Jocelyn?” I asked, ignoring his question. “I need to find her ~now~.”

“Sticking to only one woman this season?” Josh replied, his smirk getting even wider. “She is pretty hot, so I can’t really blame you.”

“Josh. Don’t make me hurt you,” I said, my patience waning by the second. “I need to find her before some other poor soul tries to make their mark. I’m not trying to send anyone to the hospital today, but I will.”

“That’s probably where she is, actually,” Josh replied. “Considering she’s our resident pack healer.”

I grabbed my suit jacket from the back of my chair and slipped it on.

“Take the rest of the day off,” I said, slapping his back on my way to the door. “No chance in hell anyone is getting any work done now.”

The Haze’s call refused to be ignored.

So, I was going to answer it.

***

The way I charged through the hospital corridors, you’d have thought there was an emergency of epic proportions.

And in a way, there was…

The Haze was like an infection, and it was spreading fast.

I wondered how many of these hospital rooms were currently filled with men and women overcome by their sexual desire, losing all their inhibitions.

I stopped abruptly in my tracks as a supply closet door swung open and a breathtaking dark-haired woman in a white coat stepped out into the hallway.

~Jocelyn.~

She turned her graceful swan-like neck when she saw me standing there. Her luscious red lips parted in surprise.

“Aiden,” she said, almost in a whisper. “I was just getting some supplies to bring back to the pack hou—”

Before she could even finish her sentence, I was pushing her back into the supply closet, kicking the door shut behind us.

We didn’t need to use words; we both knew that when the Haze hit, there was no stopping what came next.

Jocelyn’s fingers slid through my hair as my tongue slid into her mouth.

My kisses were those of a man who couldn’t get enough. My desire for Jocelyn was even stronger than my desire to breathe.

I was so distracted by my Haze that I didn’t even realize I was gripping her neck until she let out a soft moan.

“Aiden…”

My hand was caressing the tender spot between her neck and shoulder as if preparing it for…

“Do you want to mark me?” she asked.

My heart was thumping wildly in my chest, and for some reason, I couldn’t still it.

~Why am I hesitating?~

“Yes,” I replied, gripping her neck tighter. “You’ll be mine for the season if that’s what you want.”

“I’m asking if that’s what ~you~ want,” she said, her doe-like eyes filled with uncertainty.

~Is she seriously questioning what the alpha wants?~

“Of course, it is,” I growled. “I’ll prove it to you.”

I picked Jocelyn up by her hips, causing her short skirt to ride up her thighs.

Her legs wrapped around my waist, and I shoved her back up against the medicine cabinet.

Our tongues intertwined as we hungrily kissed, our bodies grinding together. But our clothes were just getting in the way.

Jocelyn had my jacket off and my shirt unbuttoned within seconds, but my fingers fumbled with her clothes.

For whatever reason, I was off my game. Maybe it was just the Haze overtaking my senses, but I wouldn’t let that slow me down.

I ripped open her blouse, and she inhaled sharply, digging her fingernails into my back.

My hand found its way up her skirt ~much~ more easily. I lowered her legs so I could slide her underwear off in one swift motion.

I got down level with her sex and hiked up her skirt, licking my lips right before I’d lick hers.

“That’s not something you see every day,” Jocelyn teased. “An alpha on his knees.”

I smirked. “A true alpha knows exactly how to please his woman. If he doesn’t, then he sure as hell isn’t an alpha.”

I plunged two fingers into Jocelyn’s tight sex while using my tongue to stimulate her clit.

She gasped, grabbing a fistful of my hair. “Oh God, Aiden!”

I moved my fingers in and out slowly, letting her pleasured moans guide my pace.

She tasted so fucking sweet as I continued lapping up her perfect pussy.

Her moans only got louder as I played with her sensitive sex. She was getting wetter by the second.

~Is this proof enough for you?~ I thought to myself. ~I know what I want.~

But why was I trying to prove anything in the first place? Why did I feel like something wasn’t quite right?

My Haze was dimming almost as fast as it had come on.

Jocelyn suddenly pulled me up to my feet and gave me a playful smile. “All right, now it’s my turn, Alpha.”

She dropped to her knees and unzipped my pants, sliding her hand under the waistband of my boxers.

Normally, Jocelyn on her knees like that would have had me hard as a rock. There was just one problem. My Haze was gone, and so was my…

“Aiden, what’s going on?” Jocelyn said, removing her hand from my boxers and standing up again.

“Jocelyn, you know me. This ~never~ happens,” I said, frustrated. “I just need a minute.”

~Seriously, what the hell IS going on?~

Jocelyn sighed as she picked up her underwear, slipping it back on over her heels. She buttoned up her coat to cover the ripped blouse.

“I sensed this might happen,” she said, not able to hide the disappointment in her voice. “You’re not ready.”

“What are you talking about?” I said defensively. “Let’s go again. I’ll show you how fucking ready I am.”

“Aiden, will you just listen!” Jocelyn said, her sharp tone taking me by surprise. “It’s not you! It’s me.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked away.

“How is this your fault?” I asked, putting my arm gently around her shoulder. She bristled at my touch, pulling away.

“Because I’m not your mate,” Jocelyn replied. “I’m just your partner for the season.”

“You’re more than that,” I said, trying to convince her.

Or was it myself I was trying to convince?

“Aiden, I’m a healer,” Jocelyn said, finally looking at me again. “I can read your emotions, sense changes in your touch, in the way you feel about me. You’ve never really opened up to me, or any of your partners for that matter. Whenever I try to get closer, you pull away.”

“Jocelyn, I—”

“When I asked you if you wanted to mark me, you lied. I could feel it, even though I’d hoped it wasn’t true.”

I wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that she was just acting crazy because of the Haze, but…

I knew she was right. That magnetic connection brought on by the Haze was gone. And I realized I had thought I’d felt our connection fading for weeks.

“I… I don’t know what to say. I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“I do, Aiden,” Jocelyn said, taking my hand. “It’s really quite simple.”

“Then please explain it to me because I fucking hate this,” I said, squeezing her hand softly.

“You’re an alpha; it was just a matter of time before this happened,” Jocelyn said, forcing a smile. “You need to find your ~true~ partner. The woman who makes the world stop when you look at her. We both know that isn’t me.”

“But surely we can find a way to make this work,” I said, feeling less in control than I ever had before. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“This isn’t enough for you anymore,” Jocelyn said, shaking her head. “Maybe it used to be, but now you want what you were destined for. And that’s okay. You deserve it, Aiden.”

“Jocelyn, why does this sound like a breakup?”

“Because it is,” she said firmly. “You have to find your mate. And I’m not going to distract you from that any longer.”

Jocelyn kissed me on the cheek, then opened the door and walked out without another word, leaving me alone in the supply closet.

I felt a sense of emptiness that I’d never felt before, or maybe I’d just ignored it all this time, but it felt like I was missing half of myself.

Was that what Jocelyn meant? I was just trying to fill a void that could only be filled by one person…

When the Haze hit, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted as an alpha. To claim yet another lover, for yet another season.

But this time was different.

The Haze wasn’t just about mindless fucking—though it definitely had that reputation—it was also about finding your forever person.

And now, thanks to Jocelyn, I understood what it was that I truly wanted…

~My mate.~