Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Accidental Theft Book 1) by Charlene Hartnady Page B

have.”
    Her
eyes turned stormy as they darkened up a whole lot. “You would have forced her?”
    “I
thought we had this conversation already and that I made myself clear. I would
never have forced her,” he folded his arms across his chest. “There would’ve
been no need for force. In the end, the human female would’ve begged for me to
take her.”
    The
vampire burst out laughing. It took her several long seconds to get herself
back under control. He couldn’t help but to smile even though he knew she was
laughing at him.
    “Full
of it much?” She shook her head. “You males are all the same. Alpha wolf,
vampire kings…all the same…”
    “I
am nothing like them.”
    Her
eyebrows lifted. “You are exactly like them.”
    He
felt his brow crease. “How would you know? Who are you?”
    “I
told you…nobody. My coven is a close knit unit though. We all know our king and
know of King Zane. My initial statement was that you males are all the same. I should’ve
left it at that.”
    The
tension in him eased.
    “I
still don’t understand why you would take the human. I thought that you and…that
wolf female…are supposed to mate.”
    It
was probably his imagination but she seemed to watch him closely now. Leaning slightly
forward in her seat, her hands clasped over her lap. Her eyes tracked his every
move. If he didn’t know better, he would think that she cared. “Luna is my best
option for a mate. I have not made any commitment to take her though. If I had,
I would never have gone after the human.”
    “It
sounds like Luna has made her decision.” Stephany pulled her knees up, hugging
her legs to her body.
    Part
of him wanted to groan his frustration of not being able to see her glorious
breasts beneath the thin shirt. Another part of him was relieved, his eyeballs
actually hurt from trying to keep them averted.
    “I’m
sure I will end up mating Luna. I must do what is best for my pack. What we
need is a strong male heir and some females to secure our future. Luna will
give them to me.”
    A
flash of pain crossed her face. How could he be so insensitive? Chances were
good, like many of her kind, that Stephany was infertile. “What if you only
have females?” she asked once her expression turned neutral.
    He
shook his head. “We’ll keep trying”—he paused—“until there is an heir. Females
are just as important if not more so.”
    She
smiled, almost sadly. “Again back to my original comment. You males are all the
same. I can choose any female and she will eventually beg me to take her… ”
She imitated a male voice, “My seed is so strong, it will sire an army of
heirs and my enemies will shiver in fear.”
    An
icy fist clenched around his heart. “Is that what those bastard vampires are
saying?”
    She
cocked her head. Her expression cool. “It’s what you are saying.” Stephany
laughed. “It is what you have been saying ever since I got here.”
    He
felt his brow furrow. “It doesn’t sound like me at all.” His lips pulled into a
self-satisfied grin. “Besides, the female you talk of would immediately beg me
to take her. It wouldn’t take much convincing.”

Chapter 5
     
     
    He
winked at her.
    What
a cheek! “Cocky much?” She shook her head. Okay,
maybe she had thrown herself at him and begged him to take her, but that was
because she was in hunt mode and well…because his blood had tasted so damned
good.
    Ward
threw her a lopsided grin. “Cocky? Actually yeah, I am, literally.” He adjusted
himself in his pants and she felt her eyes widen. “That whole blood drinking
thing…” He looked pained for a few beats. “How long does it take to wear off?”
    How
could she tell him that it should’ve worn off ages ago, like immediately? Yet,
there was still a definite bulge in his pants. Her eyes snapped up to meet his.
That feral gleam was back.
    She
swallowed hard, then shrugged. “No idea.”
    “At
this rate, I might need to take a cold shower. It’s not like I