The Alpha Wants Everything Book 1 The King's Queen
Chapter 3: You’ll never be free

The rest of the day was uneventful, and Dax really appreciated that. The courier service even showed up two hours early to pick up her packages and after she placed the last call informing her customer that their art piece would be delivered today she decided to tackle the dreaded smell in the office. She rolled her large extraction fans close to the office after turning them on, she held her breath and opened the door, releasing the overpowering smell. She would still need to open the front door to bring fresh air in, but one battle at a time. Her mind was still going over her encounter with a mountain named Kane.

What the hell was his problem? He didn’t know her. To call her unprofessional…..You were unprofessional! Ok, ok she might have been a bit unprofessional and short tempered, but he was staring at her like she was a piece of meat and he did look hungry. You still should have bit your tongue, he really did nothing wrong and you jumped on him! But still he growled at her. You growled first! No he growled, growled at her. He growled? And what was with his eyes changing colours. Like yours are normal, you wear coloured contacts to make them look normal! What about the electric shocks she felt when she poked him. What about them? What the hell was that about? Maybe it was all in her head, she was tired, she could have imagined all of it. That’s most likely what she did. None of it happened. Forcing herself to think she just needed more sleep. People don’t growl, their eyes don’t change colour, and electric shocks don’t happen when you touch someone! If she had more sleep she might not have been so hostile and imagined things. Who are you kidding? You should have made your middle name hostile! Her subconscious could really be a bitch sometimes. Thank you!

After they had eaten, and did a few other errands Johnny and Kane headed back to the pack house. Kane didn’t really eat, he pushed his food around his plate. Glancing over at him a few times, Johnny couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Dude, what’s up? It’s not like it’s the end of the world. You guys had one fight, one very heated fight but no big deal, there is still time to fi-“ Kane held up his hand cutting Johnny and his rambling off.

“She made a mistake” was all Kane said.

“Who Dax? Sure she’s hot headed and quick tempered, but I did warn you she was a fire-“

″No, not Dax, well her too, but the Moon Goddess, she made a mistake, that little mouse is not my mate” Kane cut him off again. Johnny just looked at his Alpha totally bewildered; he opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. No Johnny would not sit there and believe that the goddess of all creation would make a mistake, she created those two together for a reason. His Alpha was just being too hard headed and stubborn to see it.

“NO FUCK THAT!” Johnny yelled, catching Kane off guard. “She did not make a mistake, she created Dax just for you, and just because things got off to a rocky start, you’re going to tuck your tail between your legs and run like a bitch. I cant fucking believe this, the Alpha of all Alphas is being scared off by a little fucking girl” Kane just stared at his Beta absolutely shocked, if it was anyone else he would have had his head by now. Johnny has seen Kane through the toughest battles, he was like his brother, only Johnny could get away with talking to him like this. Johnny was angry, his face was red, he didn’t believe in much. He believed in his pack, he believed in his Alpha and he believed that if the Moon Goddess created someone just for you then you didn’t question it and you stopped at nothing to make them yours, he had no respect for wolves that rejected their mates.

“Are you finished?” Kane asked with an eyebrow raised

“Sorry, but you’re being an idiot” Johnny told him,

“You mean an arrogant asshole” Kane countered

“Yeah one of those too. She is your mate, you only get one true mate, second chances don’t happen that often. So if that’s the one the Moon Goddess created for you then its time to man the fuck up and put your big boy pants on, stop being an asshole and go get the girl” Johnny laughed,

“You know, if I didn’t view you like a brother I would have taken your head already” Kane said, looking at him.

“True, but I am the one driving, if you did that we’d both be dead” Johnny countered laughing harder.

“No, you’d be dead, I would have a headache but I would survive” Johnny just laughed louder.

A stupid grin on his face, Kane couldn’t help but wonder if his Beta was right, did Dax scare him. She might have been easy on the eyes, but there was nothing easy about her, he didn’t just open his arms and she fell into them. No he pushed her and she pushed back with a ferocity he was not expecting. He did get the feeling that that was just the tip of the iceberg for her. She stood straight and challenged him, and not once backed down, even when he was literally toe to toe with her, yes he could smell her fear, and she may have moved back to look him in the eye, but by no means could that be viewed as a retreat. Hell she even made him back off when she poked him. He touched his chest where she poked him and remembered the electricity he felt. If just a finger sent shock waves through his body, what would the rest of her body do to him?

Arriving back at the house Kane helped Johnny unload the art piece and get it inside. He then went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Making himself a sandwich he headed to his office he had work to do. Unfortunately he had a hard time concentrating on his work, he would look over what was on his desk but his mind wasn’t there. His thoughts kept wandering to Dax. Her small body, how he wished she hadn’t worn such loose fitting clothes, but it did give his imagination a chance to run wild at whatever secrets she could possibly be hiding under them. And oh how he loved to use his imagination, a sinful smile spread across his face. He leaned back in his chair and rested his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes and the vision of Dax danced behind his eyelids. Her natural deep pink lips that made up her heart shaped mouth that was just asking to be kissed. The few strands of hair he saw, the colour of snow, was it natural or salon done? Her eyes, he had a hard time envisioning her eyes, they were not hers, the colour of them did not belong to her. But her laughter seemed to be playing on a never ending loop in his head. It was music to his ears, if that was the only sound he could hear for the rest of his life he would die happy. But she’s not our mate right? You’re spending an awful lot of time thinking about someone that is not our mate, now aren’t we? Would you just shut up and stop interrupting my thoughts! Don’t you mean fantasy? You fucking hair ball, I really hate you sometimes! Meh! I want to run! What if I said no and kept you confined in there? You wouldn’t do that! Don’t tempt me you flea bag! It had been awhile since he went for a run, maybe it would do him some good to let his beast out. I know the perfect place to go! Ky smirked and encouraged him.

With his work forgotten on his desk, Kane stood and strode out of the room. As he passed members of his pack they all bowed their heads in his direction. Respect was something he valued, it was something his pack valued as well, respect the Alpha and don’t lose your head. When he reached just beyond the tree line of his property, he started to strip his clothes, though he could afford it, replaceing clothes in his size was difficult and if he didn’t have to do it, then he didn’t want to do it. He felt Ky pushing for dominance and he let him take control, his bones snapped and popped, his nose elongated, his canines lengthened and he went from two legs to four. Thick deep midnight blue almost black fur spread across his whole body, his eyes changing from a smokey grey to an azure blue. Ky truly was magnificent, still standing well over six feet tall he was huge. He shook out his fur and stretched his legs. Ok let’s take this easy buddy! You just take the back seat for this ride, I know exactly where I’m going! With that he took off in a dead run zipping through the trees and jumping over fallen logs Ky was on a mission.

By the time three o’clock rolled around, Dax had gotten the front entrance opened and allowed the breeze to blow through the office. She was just completing the last of the filing she had for the day so far, when Georgie finally showed up back at work.

“Nice of you to finally show up” Dax snapped when she saw her. Georgie just shrugged not a care in the world. This infuriated Dax, how could she be so nonchalant about her job. For the second time today she wondered what her father would do if he actually knew his daughter’s work ethic.

“I’m gonna head home, there’s not much to do here” her voice snapped Dax out of her musings

“Well if you bothered to stay for the day, and you know did your fucking job then you would of had something to do.” Dax gritted at her. Again her uninterest bothered Dax

“What ever, get out, lock the fucking door behind you” Dax stormed out of the office, just to get away from the airhead before she fired her for the fourth time this week. Seems to be a running joke, Georgie infuriates her so badly that she fires her, Georgie laughs goes home, but shows back up sometimes the next day, sometimes a day or two later, when ever for work, sometimes its at opening sometimes not till later in the day only once or twice Georgie didn’t show up till almost closing. It’s a good thing she has a handle on this and does not have much use for Georgie, she would hate to work someplace busy with an employee like her.

Needing to get out of the warehouse for a while, she closed down and locked the back up early, grabbing her camera, her sketch pad and pencils. She set out into the forest behind the warehouse. Who knows what she will replace out there, but it was one of her favourite spots to go to get away. She took pictures as she followed the well travelled path she carved out in the forest to her spot. She found it a few years back, when she first moved here, secluded and private. A beautiful spot with a rocky entrance that led to a small sandy beach bordering a pristine lake, with a waterfall pouring from a rock face. It was hard not to be inspired when she was there. But inspiration was not what she was looking for, she was looking for quiet and alone time. Hopefully her thoughts would take the hint and stop haunting her.

It seemed like hours had passed since Kane set off on his run, Ky enjoyed the wind blowing through his fur, the sound of his paws pounding the ground beneath him. Have you had enough yet? No, just a little farther! Are you sure? We have gone pretty far out! Kane started to push for control, but Ky just pushed him back. No! A little farther! He growled, what the hell was his problem? He never went this far out, and then a smell hit him, lilacs and cherry blossoms, it started off faint but grew stronger the further he continued. He knew he was getting close when his body started to feel tingles, they ran up and down his spine, now he knew why Ky wanted to come this far out. Her warehouse was out here, she was out here. He searched with purpose and determination, his sole focus was to replace her. Her smell was coming from everywhere, Ky started to panic when he thought he would never be able to pinpoint her scent trail. Everything smelled like her. Calm down and focus! Kane demanded. He shook his head and closed his eyes and breathed in deep, inhaling her scent over and over drinking it in until he was intoxicated. Locking in on the strongest trail of it, he followed slowly, eyes wide not wanting to miss her. When he looked over into the clearing by the lake, there she was crouched over with a camera to her eye, she was taking photos of something.

She really was beautiful, the hat she wore earlier was gone exposing a full head of natural white hair, she had changed from her baggy shirt to a tight fitting black cami. Low enough to give the eye a peek at the top of her full breasts and the valley between them while the rest of the treasure stays hidden beneath the fabric waiting to be discovered. She wasn’t pushing what she had in anyone’s face, but the tightness of the shirt wasn’t hiding it either. He followed down her body seeing how the fabric clung to her sides and the hem rested on the top curves of her hips. A twang of jealousy shot through him, oh how he wanted it to be him touching her and not that fabric. That can be fixed! Ky raspily breathed out, licking his chops. Her skin looked soft, creamy smooth and delicate. He wanted to trail his fingers down her, kiss and explore, taste every inch of her.

It took everything in his power to stay rooted in his spot and not run over there and claim her as his. His eyes blackened and his breath was coming out in hard ragged gasps. As he stood heaving, watching her, watching how her body moved, her hips had a natural sway to them, nothing was forced, when she looked up to the sky and the sun shone down on her face he thought it would be his undoing. Ky, about to lunge forward and claim her. STAY! He boomed fighting for control, fighting for dominance. When Kane regained his composure, his control over his beast, he slowed his breathing and brought his attention back to her. If just looking at her ignited a fire in his soul, again he wondered what her touch would do to him. Would she set his body a blaze along with it? This was something he was tempted to replace out.

She glanced in his direction, and he froze. Has she seen him? No she couldn’t have, his colouring makes it easy for him to hide in the shadows. She stared into the forest for what seemed an eternity, before turning her attention to the bag she brought, he watched as she pulled out a tripod and set to search for something in a bush close by. Kane’s ears perked curious as to what his little mouse was doing. As he stared at her back, he watched as she located her hidden gem, she set up her tripod and mounted her camera to it focusing on whatever was in the bush. He wanted to see as well, something had caught his little mouse’s attention and he wanted to know what it was. Sinking back into the deep shadows of the forest he quietly made his way around the clearing to the other side where she stood. Her scent was stronger on this side and Ky purred, content to just be near her presence.

Dax thought she heard something in the forest to the left of her. When she turned to look she saw nothing but an empty forest and shadows. But she couldn’t help it. Not only did she think she heard something, but she had this feeling pulse through her. It wasn’t strong at first, but it was getting stronger, the longer she stared into the shadows the stronger the feeling became, tingles danced across her skin and a small pleasurable shiver ran down her back. What the hell was that? I don’t know, but it felt good! Brushing it off she set about her task of locating the chrysalis she had been watching for a few days now. Fourteen to be exact, she had been waiting to meet this little guy the second she laid eyes on him building his temporary home. She did not know what type of caterpillar he was or what his butterfly was going to look like but she couldn’t wait to see him. She located his resting spot and quickly set up her tripod and camera after changing the battery and focused it on him.

“Ok little guy, todays the day” she spoke softly. The feeling washed over her again and tingles shot through her body stronger than before, she snapped her head up and once again peered into the forest, scanning for something, anything that could be the cause of them. Again nothing stared back at her, what the hell was going on?

One last glance into the woods she went back to her butterfly. She pulled her sketchbook and started drawing butterflies, of all different kinds. She would glance up every once in a while to see if the chrysalis had done anything, she didn’t want to miss it. After about an hour and a half of waiting, she put her sketchbook back in the bag along with her pencils and just stared at the chrysalis.

“Come on little guy, it’s time to show yourself to the world. Today’s your day” she soothed. Kane even found himself trying to encourage the butterfly out, Ky whimpered trying to get him to come out. They had only been there for today, Kane had a feeling she was invested in this now. As if listening to her gently coaxing him to come out, the chrysalis started to move. Her face lit up with excitement at the tiny movements and she switched her camera to record, she didn’t want to miss a second and wanted to watch it over and over again. Her excitement building as she watched on, Kane held his breath as he watched her watch the butterfly start to break free. He was so close to her, he could see the smile pulling at her lips, the excitement building a fire in his core. Come on little guy don’t disappoint! They both thought in unison.

A small gasp escaped her lips when the butterfly had fully emerged from its temporary home and spread its wings for the first time. Its blue and green colouring was absolutely breathtaking, she watched him pump his wings a few times drawing fluid into the veins. They doubled in size before her eyes as the butterfly fluttered and pumped them. It was now in the process of trying to dry them off, before it attempted its first flight. She was mesmerized, her eyes filled with wonder and amazement. Tears started to well, but she fought to keep them contained. Kane watched her, commiting to memory her gasp, her smile, her eyes. He saw the tears welling up, he saw her fight to control them from slipping down her face. She looked truly happy, a happy Dax was even more beautiful to him. He wanted to spend his days making her happy and keeping that smile on her face. A softer image of her began to form in his mind, he was sure this is not a side she showed the world. This was a side she kept to herself and only let show in private away from others. A vulnerable side, he wondered why she didn’t show it more? When he met her earlier, she was wrapped in her own chrysalis of edginess, defensiveness, and anger. He liked watching her shed that and become her own mesmerizing butterfly.

Her eyes danced with him, every attempt he made to take flight. She would hold her breath every time he lifted off only to land back on the branch where he started.

“So close little guy, you almost got it” she encouraged him. Seeming to grow stronger by the words she spoke, the butterfly took one more attempt at flight and when it didn’t land back on the branch, in a celebration it danced among the gentle breeze that had picked up. Dax smiled brighter and brighter watching him float around the air. She watched as he fluttered away and only then did she let the tears that had been building fall.

“Fly far and free little guy.” She whispered. What would it be like to be free? Free from the pain, the chains that hold me back! She thought. You will never be free, never be free from me. I will replace you! The voice startled her. It came out of somewhere in the back corners of her mind. Visions flooded her, a man, seething with rage, blaming her for his wife leaving him, blaming her for everything that went wrong in his life. When he pulled the knife she shut her eyes tight, she didn’t want to see anymore. I will hunt you down and make you pay for what you did! Was the last parting words from her mind before she covered her ears and fell to her knees.

Her words as she spoke to the butterfly, filled Kane with a sense of peace and calm, Ky purring at the sound of her voice, watched on silently from the shadows. He watched as the butterfly took flight dancing around her, he watched her smile grow wider and wider. He watched the tears slide down her cheeks as she cried at the floating butterfly. This was definitely a side of her he wanted to see more of. A soft sensitive side, this vulnerable side she truly was a breathtaking creature. As he continued to watch her, what he witnessed next caused his heart to stop and his blood to run cold, the happiness that was once in her eyes was now replaced with fear and anguish.

Her skin paled and she stared ahead in horror, did she see him? She couldn’t have, she wasn’t even looking in his direction, she was looking off in the distance. Ky on high alert, scanning the area for the potential threat, he sniffed, hunting for the danger but he smelled nothing but her, her scent, her fear. He whimpered and lunged forward wanting to rush to her aid. Protect her from whatever it was. But all he did was stand firm in place and watch on. He watched her stumble back from an unseen attacker, she closed her eyes tight, spun away from him covering her ears and fell to her knees on the sharp rocks above the sandy bank of the beach. Her little body shook violently as her quiet sobs rang out in the silence of the afternoon.

Huddled close to the ground still covering her ears, she started to rock back and forth shaking her head. No, no, no he can’t replace me, he doesn’t know where I am! She screamed in her mind. Pain sliced down her back, she arched and touched the scar on her left shoulder, it burned with pain from the memory of the past. She heard him laughing in her mind

“Shut up, shut up, you’re not here, you can’t replace me” she whispered, squeezing her eyes tighter.

“You can’t hurt me, you’re not here, you can’t hurt me anymore” she whispered this over and over, trying desperately to convince herself of this truth. Hahaha! I’ll see you soon! The voice whispered back.

Dax stayed in this position, covering her ears, eyes closed tightly with her breath coming out in ragged puffs for what seemed like an eternity. After a while she slowly opened her eyes and looked around her, the forest was calm, she removed her hands from her ears, the forest was quiet. On shaky legs she started to get up, taking deep gulps of air trying to regulate her breathing. She went to take a step forward and winced, she lifted her pant leg and saw a long bloody gash across her knee. “Shit!”

A jolt of pain shot across his back and fear spiked through him, he replaced it with anger as he heard her whispered cries. Whose hurting her? Where is he? I can’t replace him? Ky panicked trying to search out the attacker, his mate was suffering and he needed to protect her. He was thrashing around fighting to take back control. Kane had to retreat further into the woods to stop from losing control. STOP! You’re not thinking clearly there’s no threat, no one else is there, I don’t know what happened, but no ones there! But the pain! That was real enough! She needs us! What are you gonna do, jump out into the clearing? She needs us! He hissed again. And what do you think she will do when she takes one look at us? Run to your furry feet, NO! She will freak the fuck out and run! But she needs us! Ky whined, still pushing. Not like this, not yet, so CALM the fuck DOWN! He boomed. When he had control he cautiously approached the clearing once again. SNAP! He froze, looking down he wasn’t careful enough, he snapped a huge stick in half when he stepped on it, trying to be quieter he slipped on a batch of mud and went crashing into the bush. Sure let you take the lead and look at what happens, Ky howled. A low growl rumbled through his chest. Both him and Ky froze. Good job, dumb dumb! If she didn’t know we were here before she fucking does now! Shut up mutt! Goddess he was glad Johnny wasn’t here to see him.

She limped over to her camera and tripod, fuck her knee hurt, the ghost of the memory still fresh on her mind and on her face. She was placing her camera in its bag SNAP! Her head whipped in the direction of the sound. She heard movement in the forest, but she couldn’t see anything. A deer maybe! She thought, yeah it was just a deer, but she started grabbing her gear a little faster. It might have been something smaller, it might have been something bigger, either way she was in no position to deal with whatever it was. CRASH her face paled as she stared into the forest. That sounded closer! That sounded really close!

“I don’t think that’s a deer.” Maybe it’s a clumsy deer! Her subconscious offered. ….grrrrrr…. her eyes widened OH SHIT! OH SHIT! Nope, not a deer! No shit that’s not a fucking deer! She gathered the rest of her things and slowly, and very painfully started to back out of the clearing. She would glance over her shoulder to make sure she was staying on the trail, but she didn’t want to turn her back on whatever it was growling. She knew both wolves and bears were inhabitants of these woods and today was not a day she wanted to introduce herself to either of them. Getting eaten by a bear would be the perfect end to your otherwise shitty day! Shut up! Once she had exited the woods, she turned and limped as fast as she could to the side door of the warehouse. Quickly letting herself in and closing and locking the door did she finally let out the breath she was holding. She laughed, she didn’t know why or what was funny but she laughed, the alternative was crying for the second time today and she didn’t want that.

Kane watched her go, she was terrified, he felt deflated and hung his head low. Cheer up dumb dumb, we still have lots of time! Ky tried to cheer him up. Unless you make an ass out of yourself some more! He epically failed in the process. Kane huffed and started to head towards the lake, he knew he had mud on him and he wasn’t too interested in explaining it to Johnny when he got back to the house. He washed himself off in the cold water and started the journey back to the pack house. He was tired and hungry and felt humiliated. What the hell was wrong with him? You’re an idiot? Ky offered, Shut up! You like the girl, but refuse to acknowledge her as our mate! What if the Moon Goddess was wrong? She’s not! How do you know? I just do! You would also lick the toilet! Hey, that’s not nice, but you forget what I lick, YOU lick also! Fucking gross! But I’m right! Shut up! She’s not wrong, that is our mate! How can you be sure? Dax….. the mere mention of her name, brings tingles to his body. But she’s not our mate….right? Stop it! Dax…. A flood of warmth rushed through him. Still not our mate? Knock it off! Dax…. Her body, her smile, the sway of her hips, the perfect curves of her waist, these images flooded through his mind. He stopped running and shook his head. Are you sure? Fuck off you mongrel! D….! Don’t! A….! Say it! X….! DAMN YOU! Her breasts, her lips, her eyes, the sound of her laughter playing on an eternal loop in his mind. ALRIGHT!!! She’s my mate! Kane growled at Ky Our mate! I hate you! No you don’t! Oh yes I do! Keep saying that and I’ll never talk to you again! Promise! You’re an asshole! AH, but I’m an asshole who found his mate! Yeah buddy! Now you just have to convince her! Yeah, that shouldn’t be too hard….right? Ky just shrugged. Thanks for your help!

Dax was tired, her body hurt, her mind hurt and she just wanted to go to bed. She crossed the warehouse to the stairs that led up to her loft. When she paused in front of a grey steel door, placing her hand upon it, she could feel the memories wanting to come out, it radiated a painful past.

“Please stay in tonight, please I really need to sleep.” She moved towards the stairs and slowly made her way up. Closing the door to her loft she proceeded to remove her pants. She needed to clean and inspect the damage she did to herself when she dropped to the rocks and take a long hot shower. She sat on her kitchen counter and inspected her knee, grabbing a clean cloth, she ran it under some water and cleaned the area around the wound. It wasn’t deep and wouldn’t need stitches, just a thorough cleaning and a bandaid. Maybe a big bandaid!

Sliding off the counter, she moved to the bathroom to locate her first aid kit and run the shower. She finished undressing and stepped under the hot water. It felt good against her sore muscles, she washed the day away and watched it swirl down the drain. After she was done she wrapped a huge towel around herself. Grabbing the first aid kit she moved to the living room. Sitting on her couch and inspecting her freshly cleaned wound, maybe it’s a little worse than she thought. She found a gauze pad and some medical tape and dressed her wound. Satisfied with the result she made herself a quick bite to eat, brushed her teeth and headed for bed.

Kane made it back to the tree line where he dumped his clothes at nightfall, he shifted back to his human form and pulled his jeans over his hips. He was in the process of placing his shirt back on when Johnny found him,

“Enjoy your run?”

“Wasn’t too bad,” he replied.

“Go anywhere….interesting?” Johnny pushed

“Just around the territory” Kane replied with a shrug

“The territory’s pretty big”

“Yes it is, I was checking the borders” Kane said pulling his shirt on

“The borders huh? Dax’s business sits close to the borders” Johnny raised his eyebrows, trying his hardest to get the truth. Kane sighed he knew what his friend was after.

“Fine all right, I went to see her, happy now” Kane huffed

“Yes I knew it, Lacey said no you didn’t, you were just blowing off steam” Johnny was excited “Anyways, you saw her and….wait you didn’t eat her did you?” Trying to contain a smirk.

“No you idiot, I didn’t eat her, I just….observed her.” Kane scowled at him.

“Observed? You watched her like a creepy peeper?” He accused him with a grin.

“When you put it that way, sounds kinda bad” Kane was thankful for the cover of night Johnny couldn’t see the redness in his face. Johnny just laughed,

“Ok so you “observed” her and what?”

“And...that’s none of your fucking business, I’m tired, hungry, sore and I want to go to bed” Kane left Johnny standing with his mouth open as he headed for the house.

“Not cool bro, not fucking cool” Kane just grinned.