Controlled 3 - Loving An Alpha Male: The Finale Read online

  Jessica Watkins Presents

  Controlled 3

  Loving an Alpha Male

  by SK LESSLY

  Copyright © 2017 by SK Lessly

  Published by Jessica Watkins Presents

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgements:

  Chantelle, my little mini-me. Thank you, sweetheart, for being my muse and confidant in all things wolves. And as always, I want to humble thank my beta readers. You ladies are so awesome. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to read for me. I truly appreciate it and you.

  Part III

  Luna

  Chapter One

  Andrew sat in the corner of the room as he watched the rise and fall of her chest. Her heartbeat was a slow and steady constant throughout him, a rhythmic sound that only teased his reality. He raked his fingers through his hair, allowing the anger and frustration to build. She hadn’t moved in hours. The feeling of helplessness began to cover him like a wet blanket. He was scared shitless. It felt as if a lifetime had passed since he’d heard her voice, seen her smile or tasted her on his lips. Damn it, it wasn’t supposed to happen this way.

  Fuck, he ran his hands through his hair. He needed her.

  He needed her in more ways than anyone understood; than even he understood. His heart ached. His soul felt empty and lost without her. Never in his life had he experienced fear, but right now, it had a death grip on his heart.

  Andrew took a deep breath, his chest aching from the natural movement, and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to deal with this shit. He could feel his inner being weakening as the hours, minutes, and seconds struggled by. He tried to channel his thoughts to her, hoping like hell he would feel her inner being. But, so far nothing. He opened his eyes, leaned forward, and rested his arms on his thighs.

  He loved her, which was something he hadn’t felt for anyone in a long time, not since Mikaliah. But the love for Nyla was different, deeper, and more consuming. Nyla was a part of him, a piece of his soul. He loved her more than he’d ever loved another being. He couldn’t breathe without her.

  He’d been holding back from telling her how he felt for months, waiting for just the right moment and last night it came. Fuck, it came, and he took full advantage of it. He finally allowed himself to let go and told Nyla exactly what he wanted from her. His declarations flowed through him like a river, slow and easy. He wanted her heart. And when she finally broke and gave herself to him, when she told him she loved him, every ounce of the self-control he had left evaporated. He didn’t realize how good he’d feel hearing those words from her until last night. He needed to hear those words fall from her lips again. God, he wanted to hear it more than he wanted to breathe.

  Andrew sensed Rinic enter the room, but he didn’t acknowledge his presence. He sat still in his chair, unable to stop the self-deprecating thoughts filling his mind. This had been his fault. His arrogance was the reason why she was lying here, unconscious. He should have listened to the advice given to him by Rinic and waited before he claimed Nyla. Instead, he allowed his arrogance to run the show and it could cost him the love of his life.

  Earlier that morning, Andrew had fed Se’Nya, giving Nyla the chance to get some extra rest. She had looked exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open as she fumbled around trying to get Se’Nya ready for daycare. He knew he had worked her over, waking her a second time last night to take her again. Seeing how out of it she was, he sent her back to bed, promising to get Se’Nya ready and take her to daycare when he went to work. Though before he left, he felt something was wrong. Clearing his mind and opening himself to Nyla, he felt her. She was in trouble.

  Andrew was already in motion before he heard her whisper his name. He had quickly placed the princess in a playpen—one he’d gotten from his daughter’s bedroom—and went to Nyla’s side. Sheen of sweat coated Nyla’s skin, her damp hair clinging to her forehead. Andrew sat next to her and pushed her hair away from her face, wanting to soothe her with just his touch. Her skin was on fire, despite the chills raking her body, and he could smell the acrid scent of an infection coursing through her veins. The side of her neck where he marked her also looked infected, her skin was raging red, and hot to the touch.

  Panic settling in his core, Andrew immediately jumped into action, taking out his phone and getting Rinic on the line. Pacing back and forth with worry, he briefly explained the situation, and without hesitation Rinic instructed Andrew to bring Nyla to him right away. He had some ideas on what was happening, based off of past experiences and had a few things he could do to take care of the infection and help her healing process. Andrew agreed to bring her to Rinic, giving him instructions to meet him at his cabin in twenty-five minutes. Painful memories began to fill him with dread as he thought about going back to his cabin, but he quickly pushed those feelings aside. His primary focus had to be Nyla. He’d deal with the demons of his past after he got her the help she needed. Andrew ended the call with Rinic and started to connect to his brother using his mind, but his brother was two steps ahead.

  Edgar had been camped outside of Andrew’s apartment building all night. A few minutes ago, he had sensed something wasn’t right with his alpha and had immediately made his way to his apartment just as Andrew opened his front door.

  “We need to get to Pine Rock now. Something’s going on with Nyla,” Andrew explained quickly. He knew his brothers were all aware that he claimed Nyla last night, their howls of apprehension didn’t go unnoticed. However, they all knew their alpha. There was no stopping Andrew Pierce when he wanted something or someone. And everyone knew just how badly he wanted Nyla Montgomery.

  “What happened?” Edgar walked inside of Andrew’s apartment and closed his front door.

  “I’m not sure. My mark doesn’t look right and I can smell the presence of infection running in her bloodstream.”

  “Fuck, okay. I take it Rinic is awaiting our arrival?”

  “Yup, I told him we’re on our way. You know he lives for this shit, getting a chance to look through those ancient scribes of his is what he lives for.”

  Edgar ran his hand through his hair and rested a hand on the back of his neck. “Yeah, but do you want him experimenting on your woman?”

  “Fuck no, but I don’t have a choice, now do I?” He paused and waited for Edger to protest. When he didn’t, he continued, “I need you to keep an eye on the princess while I get Nyla ready to go. The sooner we can get there the sooner he can figure out what ‘in all that is holy’ is happening.” Edgar nodded his affirmation and headed for the playpen.

  He moved quickly back to his bedroom. He carefully picked Nyla up, taking the blanket she was wrapped in with her, and carried her into the living room. Edgar stood by the door waiting for Andrew, Se’Nya in his arms and her diaper bag over his shoulder.

  “Let’s go,” Andrew nodded to Edgar before heading straight for the door.

  The moment he drove onto his pack’s reservation, he was met by the rest of his brothers and Rinic. He parked the car
, got out and quickly walked around to the passenger side door. During the drive to his cabin, Nyla hadn’t moved or uttered a word. She remained unconscious, which only added to Andrew’s worry and trepidation. He floored it getting her there, all the while hoping that his world wasn’t about to come crashing down around him. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. Andrew hefted Nyla in his arms and silently made his way to his cabin. Cedric had Se’Nya in his arms and as they made their way to Andrew’s cabin, his brothers took a protective position around them.

  Andrew carried Nyla over the threshold of his quiet cabin and entered one of the two spare bedrooms in his three-bedroom cabin. Rinic came up behind him calling out instructions as Andrew gently laid a motionless Nyla down on the king-size bed. Someone placed a chair behind him and he scooted it as close to the bed and Nyla as he could. Rinic worked around the big man, knowing that there was no way Andrew would leave the room. He leaned over Nyla and examined the bite.

  ******

  “What’s going on?” Andrew had asked using his mind to speak to Rinic as he examined Nyla.

  Rinic took a few minutes to reply, keeping his thoughts on the task at hand. Finally, once he had an idea on how to treat Nyla, he straightened and regarded a very pensive looking Andrew.

  “She’s in the middle of transitioning.” He responded in kind, deciding this form of communication was better, considering the situation and topic of discussion. He wasn’t sure if Nyla could hear them and didn’t want to take the chance of being overheard.

  “When did you imprint? Before or –”

  “Before,” Andrew answered quickly.

  “How do you know it was before?”

  “Because I do. The things you warned me about didn’t happen.” Andrew informed him. “She didn’t have some overwhelming need to want to be with me. I didn’t sense anything different coming from her.”

  Rinic studied the young leader for a few minutes before he asked, “What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Did something happen to you? Did you feel anything different when you were with her?”

  Andrew started to respond in the negative when he paused, letting the memories of last night flood his mind. He thought about the way she had looked at him, the emotion in her brown eyes that made his chest constrict with longing and love. He remembered the warm feeling that had accosted his entire being. He felt drunk on her scent, drunk on her taste. He had never experienced anything like that in his life and he wanted more.

  Finally, he remembered what it felt like when she touched him. A spark had ignited a fierce blaze inside him that consumed him immediately. That was the moment when he let go, when his inner beast took over inside him and he claimed his mate.

  “Fuck,” he mumbled under his breath, his eyes falling to the floor beneath his feet.

  “What?” Rinic stiffened, his voice laced with alarm.

  Andrew had expected the signs of Nyla’s shift to be extreme, especially from the way Rinic had described it. He didn’t expect it to feel as normal as any other day with her. The night he claimed her started off just like any other night. They had hung out on his couch, talking, laughing and getting to know one another on a deeper level. And as the night went on, the need to have her close grew, but it wasn’t at an alarming rate.

  Admittedly, things changed between them when he had finally expressed his true feelings for her, stripped her naked and got lost in her soul. Nyla felt so fucking good to him that night. Her body was soft, the feel of her legs wrapped around him had sent him soaring into the heavens of carnal bliss. He had stroked her slow and long, and the sensation he had with every-single-movement of his hips had filled his body with irrepressible ecstasy.

  He had been blinded by the deep desire for his woman that he had missed the change in her eyes. He had missed the shift inside his own body. Every rational thought had disintegrated from his mind. All he had wanted at the time was his woman.

  “Andrew, I can’t help if I don’t know what's going on. What happened?” Rinic asked again, reverting back to telepathy to communicate. He moved closer to his alpha, clocking the various emotions in Andrew's eyes.

  “I’m not sure,” Andrew replied noncommittally.

  “What do you mean you're not sure?”

  He met Rinic’s eyes with some heat of his own. “Exactly what the fuck I said,” he shot back.

  Rinic noticeably took a deep breath in an effort to calm down before he moved to sit next to Andrew. After a few beats Rinic asked, in a more patient and calming tone, “Okay, tell me what happened?”

  Andrew blew out a breath. “As I said, I’m not sure. One minute everything was fine. We were talking on the couch.”

  “All right, what were you two talking about?”

  Andrew shrugged off his question. “Nothing to write home about. But after that, we went to bed. I’m not sure how long I slept, but I woke to some assholes voicing their uh... displeasures towards me in my head. Then I heard…” Andrew trailed off, his mind deep in thought as a memory popped into his head.

  Rinic pushed further, after the silence from Andrew lasted longer than normal, “Andrew, if you can remember even the smallest detail, tell me. Whatever it is, it could help me help her.”

  Andrew glanced at Nyla quietly lying on the bed before him. He blew out resolved breath before he continued.

  “She spoke to me in her sleep.”

  Frowning Rinic asked, trying to not get frustrated, “What do you mean she spoke to you in her sleep?”

  Andrew glared at him. “Look, I know how it sounds. But she asked about the source of a sound she’d heard, and she didn’t use her mouth to ask me.”

  Intrigued, Rinic asked, “She used her mind?” Andrew merely nodded and Rinic’s concerned eyes went to the motionless woman and began to wonder if speaking to each other using their minds had actually been a good idea.

  “What did she hear?” he finally asked.

  A sigh broke through Andrew's troubled lips as he replied, “My brother’s howling. And, before you ask, no it wasn’t something you could hear with the naked ear.”

  Rinic didn’t say another word, but the look on his face told Andrew everything he needed to know. He had indeed fucked this up. He should have waited.

  ***

  “Do you need anything?” Rinic asked Andrew as he walked around to the other side of the bed to examine Nyla before he called it a night.

  “No, I’m fine,” Andrew replied without looking at him.

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Andrew looked up and finally met the eyes of the newcomer. He sighed and shook his head. He didn’t acknowledge his question, instead he asked one of his own.

  “I thought you said she was going to be fine and that smelly pasty shit you put on her neck would help her mark heal?”

  It was Rinic's turn to sigh. “She will be fine. She’s healing quite nicely, and I expect her to wake soon.”

  “Yeah? How soon? When do you foresee this happening? It’s been fucking hours. How do you know that this is even normal?”

  Rinic leaned over Nyla and tilted her head in his direction, and the simple nonthreatening touch sent Andrew off the rails. Rinic started to assure the very disgruntled alpha of his intentions, but realized it wouldn’t matter. He couldn’t help his protective nature. It was actually quiet amusing to witness. Anytime Rinic came close to Nyla, despite Andrew knowing he was only here to help her, the man had been ready to rip him into pieces. It didn’t matter who it was really, Andrew’s need to protect his mate was palpable. Only when Rinic stepped away from the bed did Andrew noticeably relax.

  “I don’t have the answers you seek,” Rinic admitted finally, bringing his eyes to his alpha. “You’ll just have to be patient.”

  Frustrated with this whole situation, Andrew ran his hand through his hair. He was tired of being patient. Fuck patience. He needed answers and he needed them now.

  “Rinic, I am so fucking tired of this shit. I do
n’t need you to tell me to be patient. I need for someone to tell me what in the fuck is wrong with Nyla? Who do you need to consult about this? Do we need to send for more elders? There has to be someone you can talk to, another hybrid perhaps?”

  Rinic’s facial expression turned solemn. “I’m doing just that. I have Stevie looking into finding more hybrids, asking the very questions you have asked as well as some of my own. We don’t just need to get her to wake up, we need to be prepared for the new woman who doesn’t know who she is. We will have to be the ones to tell her. I know you understand the challenges we will face, Andrew. Just know that we have taken care of the infection in her bloodstream. The cream I created from an ancient recipe was followed to the letter and she’s healing nicely. Now, we just have to wait until her transformation is complete.”

  “And you don’t have a clue when that will be?” Andrew asked, his palm brushing over his tired eyes, full beard, and tense jaw.

  “She's not ready, Andrew. Once she is, she will grace us with her presence. Until then, it’s a waiting game. In the meantime, why don’t you get a shower, something to eat, and get some rest. You haven’t left her side since you arrived. You have to be running on fumes.”

  Andrew started shaking his head before Rinic finished his sentence.

  “I’m not leaving her. I’ll be fine. I’ll sleep when I know she’s okay.”

  Before Rinic could stress the importance of him having all his strength, Andrew’s cell started going off in his pocket. He didn’t make a move to answer it at first. Everyone who mattered to him was here on the mountain with him. His phone quieted for a few seconds before it started vibrating again.

  Irritated, Andrew pulled it out and studied the screen. Again, he thought about not answering, but he swiped his finger across the screen anyway.

  “What do you want?” he growled out.

  There was a slight pause before his assistant asked, with a forced upbeat tone in her voice, “Hey, how’s your day going?” She then answered her own question, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, mine you ask? It was fine, despite the fact that you are MIA, again! The hell, Pierce? What in the hell is going on with you? Your clients are getting tired of dealing with the paralegals and junior attorneys you keep sending their way. They are starting to complain.”