Page 3 of Forged Alliances
Chapter Two
Dax wasn’t sure what game the Red Rock alpha played, but she’d piqued his curiosity. He and his packmates had taken a massive risk strolling into the bar since they intruded on another pack’s territory, but he’d always been one for a challenge. Besides, desperate times called for desperate measures. Sierra Kanoska didn’t need to know his reasons for arriving in her region and stirring up shit. At least, not yet.
He sauntered after her, stepping out into the humid night. “Hope you’re not taking me to some remote location to bury my body in a ditch.”
“Like I’d waste the time,” Sierra scoffed, tossing her thick braid back. One look at her confirmed who led this pack. Her hips swung back and forth as she walked forward, wearing jeans that highlighted her muscular thighs and the shapely ass Dax couldn’t help but admire. Even though he’d received nothing but glares and scowls from the woman, between her clever brown eyes, high cheekbones, and pert mouth, she had the sort of looks to turn heads.
“You up for a run?” she asked, her gaze focusing on the fringe of trees past the parking lot situated in front of darkened woods. At the mention of a run, the cat paced inside him, begging to come out and play. Despite Sierra’s poor luck in being born a wolf, the charge between them had his curiosity piqued, and she promised to be an interesting playmate.
Dax arched a brow. “I just met you and you’re already trying to get me naked?” Goading her while he was a guest in her territory didn’t top the Best Idea chart, but he couldn’t help the adrenaline surge every time he provoked a response. Already the predatory side of him pounded a primal beat of claim, dominate, and destroy, but he kept himself collared—most of the time.
Sierra scowled, her claws pricking out. “You wish. Where we’re heading there are plenty of spare clothes for the pack to slip into. Try to catch up,” she said, her dark eyes flashing with a ferocity that heated his blood. She stripped down with liquid quickness, tossing her crumpled clothes in the grass. Faster than his eyes could follow, she shot forward, jogging to the woods. Fur prickled on her arms, her claws came out, and her eyes glowed amber as her body shifted with the fluidity of familiarity. Dax ditched his pants and shirt before bolting to keep up. The cat was barely collared as he got closer and closer to the looming oaks.
The shift overtook him as it always did. Bones stretched to form the muzzle, fur pricked through his skin to coat his body, and his field of vision sharpened as he lowered to the ground. The change happened as suddenly as tipping water and as effortlessly as a coursing stream, a transition he exulted in every time. His senses sparked to life, enhanced in this form as the thick leaves on the trees turned a vibrant green, and the ground beneath his padded feet grew soft and loamy. The trills of the cicadas in the forest became sweeter and clearer, as all of night’s summertime symphony did. Breezes ruffled his fur as he surged through this tangled maze of oaks, pines, and underbrush with reckless abandon, indulging in the soaring joy of the run.
Sierra led the way in the form of a sleek, silver-furred wolf, streaks of black as rich as her hair woven throughout. She raced through the woods with a silence and skill testament not only to her status as alpha, but also the innate familiarity she had of these wilds. He had the same familiarity with his home, the forests he’d learned inside and out during his youth, but for him, returning wasn’t an option.
His muscles burned with exertion as he sprinted along, his padded feet pounding the soft earth beneath them. Humidity painted the summer air, threaded with the delicate fragrance of wisteria dangling from a few of the trees.
Every time he reached a casual stride, Sierra would swerve past a massive tree or leap over a wiry shrub, snapping him to attention. If she followed her whip-smart reputation, she’d be testing him the entire way. He’d brought his pack wandering into Red Rock territory for that precise quality, the ruthless intelligence Sierra was known for. After the hellish couple of months Dax had, he could use more than a little help in that department.
Sierra leaped over a couple of large rocks, bounding with ease. Her amber eyes glinted with the fierceness of her kind, and she ran with a balanced, lupine elegance. Too bad hers paled in comparison to a cat’s. He pushed himself to surge ahead, his breaths burning and his muscles working at machine precision until he ran neck and neck with her. Given his precarious position here, he had to establish his strength first.
She veered a sudden right and skidded to a halt so fast his paws churned into the earth, sending stray clippings flying. Only his quicker-than-average reflexes kept him from smashing into a shoddy fence made from a pile of loose stones. The Red Rock alpha hopped over the rocks and padded down the slope to a small cabin constructed of a gorgeous heartwood set in strong lines. The scent of lumber, of pine, and of spent charcoal filtered through the air, tickling his nose.
His claws sank deep into the ground at the distinctive stench of wet wolf marking this place, deep in the heart of Red Rock territory. Sierra loped to the front of the cabin, and, in the blink of an eye, she shifted, standing on two feet in front of the door, utterly nude.
The sight of her punched him in the gut. Nudity was such a common occurrence among shifters that he rarely batted an eye despite the fair share of athletic, stunning women in his pack. However, despite his intimate familiarity with the female form, he couldn’t tug his gaze away from Sierra Kanoska. The woman’s Native American blood had given her the sort of raven hair that glowed with mahogany notes in the light. Her bronzed skin deepened several shades at the hollow of her throat, the curve of her ample breasts, and the slope of her sinful hips.
She fiddled with the doorknob. Desire pounded a pulse in him as he began shifting into his human form. His fur disappeared, the bristles transformed into his sun-kissed skin, and he rose from his crouch to follow her inside the rancher. It wasn’t simply her athletic form or the pert ass he could follow for days—Sierra radiated a lethality and wildness he found intriguing, as well as a strength he couldn’t help but respect. Not like he’d clue her in on that one.
Dax sauntered into the house past her, his bare feet pressing against the oak floors as the lazy snick-snick of an overhead fan sent a faint breeze through the room. He didn’t miss the way her gaze heated when he strolled by, how her stare trailed up and down the length of his body. Her hand rested on her hip, and if she didn’t stop eyeing him like a haunch of meat, he wouldn’t be able to restrain the blood from flowing southward.
“See something you like?” He glanced back, baring his teeth with a wide grin.
“Nothing worth writing home about,” she responded with a dulcet tone and a smile shades too sweet. She crossed the rancher’s open floor, heading for a massive mahogany trunk in the living room. The whole way, she swayed her hips while she walked. Goddamn tease.
Sierra dipped to reach the trunk, her ass lifted high in the air, so firm he could take a bite out of it. His claws pricked out from his nails, his chest thumping with a punch-two-three beat he couldn’t explain for the life of him. He’d need to go hard and fast with one of the pack girls tonight to burn this adrenaline—either that or knock some teeth out with whoever would spar with him. A rolled-up ball of clothes sailed toward him faster than he could blink. He grabbed the bundle before unrolling a flannel tee and black sweats, big enough to fit him.
Dax lifted a brow as he scanned the spare clothes that reeked of wolf. Sierra made quick work of tugging a pair of yoga pants on followed by a racerback tank top, to his dismay.
She glanced over, her full lips pursed with her frown. “They’re clothing, genius. Us civilized folk like to wear them while we converse with one another.”
He leaned to his right side, his heavy cock brushing against his leg. Her eyes darted his way with a flash of amber, causing his smile to widen. “Pity for you I’m not civilized,” he responded, his voice heating up.
Sierra placed both hands on her hips with her chin thrust forward and her arched nose tilted up in defiance. “Put the damn clothes on,” she commanded.
“Don’t know, I’m feeling a bit overheated,” he said, fanning himself. “Delicate constitution and all.” Her hands balled into fists, the annoyance fueling his enjoyment. She brimmed with unspent tension begging to be released, and he’d be the first to admit he wouldn’t mind tangling with the exquisite woman. Distractions were his specialty, and with the troubles brewing in his sector, he needed one more than ever.
Sierra unleashed a sigh, even though those dark, glittering eyes darted his way more than a couple of times. “Fine. If you’re going to be a stubborn ass, then we can have this conversation now.”
Damn. He’d meant to tease her, but she was obstinate enough to play his power games right back. Looked like he’d be doing this meeting naked. Dax forced a grin and dropped his clothes into a messy pile on the floor. Sierra’s nose scrunched in irritation, but she wandered over to one of the three cherrywood chairs with starched mauve fabric over the cushions and sat.
“Care to join me?” she asked, gesturing to one of the other chairs. The scratchy fabric would be a joy for his bare ass. Her eyes twinkled with amusement, and he debated the merits of holding on to his previous statement. Pride won out in the end.
“I like to lean,” he responded, walking to the nearby wall and finding a perch against the plaster. “So what matter was so private we couldn’t discuss it back in the bar?” he asked, curious of her angle. He hadn’t ruled out premeditated murder—out here was a perfect place to dispose of his body after she sliced his throat open.
She lifted a brow. “Why don’t you tell me? I’ve been hearing rumblings about the Silver Springs pack. In the Red Rocks’ past dealings with the old alpha you lot were proud as hell of your space. You wouldn’t go slinking to try to claim ours unless you had a problem.”