Curse of the Alpha: The Complete Bundle by Tasha Black Page A

as tall as she was, and black as night. Heat radiated off its form in waves, along with an ineffable, spicy scent.
    Behind him a second wolf, nearly as large, had startled at her entrance. It crouched, chest near the floor, silvery paws splayed on the linoleum. The muscles in its legs coiled like steel springs, ready to launch the beast in her direction.
    Fuck.
    Ainsley’s breath caught in her lungs, her anger giving way to fear. Maybe this was a mistake. She had expected normal, dog-sized wolves. These must be something different. They made the dire wolves on Game of Thrones look like lap dogs.
    She wouldn’t get this big if she changed, would she?
    She locked eyes with the magnificent black wolf. Their amber depths enveloped her; they seemed almost familiar.
    Who was he?
    He blinked and stepped toward her. The gorgeous mantle of his ebony fur was almost hypnotic as it shone and winked in the moonlight filtering in the kitchen window.
    Before she could take a step backward, he began to change. In one fluid motion his hindquarters dropped, his neck lifted, paws and tail disappeared, and before her stood a man.
    A naked man.
    The dim light played off his chiseled body, accentuating the contours of each muscle. Though he was smaller than his wolf, he was enormous. Again, Ainsley’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes moved back to his.
    Fuck again.
    It was Erik.
    Erik Fucking Jensen.
    Erik Fucking Jensen in her house .
    “What the hell , Erik?”
    “Ainsley, thank god,” he took another step toward her. His expression was awash with relief.
    Ainsley’s whole body shook. Anger at the intrusion was layered with sudden arousal from the sight of his glorious naked form. Her wolf was very close to the surface. Just under her skin, ten thousand cells hummed and prickled dangerously.
    Erik’s eyes went from relieved to hungry in an instant. His lips parted. The golden haze began to form around him.
    She shook her head and tore her gaze from his to prevent calling his alpha. As she lowered her eyes they dragged over his stiffening cock, which was pointed at her like an arrow. She didn’t know they even made them that big.
    He lifted his nose in appreciation.
    Then he recoiled.
    “Are you fucking kidding me?”
    Had he smelled Julian on her? She froze.
    “Ainsley, Jesus. How could you?” He sounded utterly betrayed.
    She couldn’t respond. Her head was pounding. Her senses were still filled with his scent and his warmth.
    “You have one responsibility - to mate with a male from the pack. That’s IT. The whole town is full of good men, men who care about you. And you choose to fuck around with a goddamned human ?”
    His words hit her hard. He wrung each one from his mouth bitterly.
    She bristled. She could understand why he would be upset if she was out chasing a husband. Maybe. But she was just a young woman, enjoying herself – it was none of his business. Why was he so upset?
    Oh god. Was he jealous?
    She sought his eyes again without thinking and found them burning in accusation and something else.
    Erik’s closeness and nakedness hit her again. His smell was intoxicating, and he was warm as the sun. His dark, too-long hair dripped with sweat. Again, she felt a primal pull and his skin began to glisten.
    Not again.
    Before Ainsley could tear herself away, the silver wolf was between them and the contact was broken.
    Erik snarled, but the silver wolf only butted its massive head against his shoulder and continued to pace.
    Ainsley shook the cobwebs out of her head.
    “Other than breaking into my house and nosing around in my personal life, what do you want?”
    Erik drew in his breath with a hiss.
    “We were going for a night run – just like you. We saw your door open. But there were no fresh tracks or strange scents. We thought something might have happened to you.”
    Oh.
    “Do all wolves run at night?”
    “That’s the first thing you’re worried about?”
    “I, I was never sure why I wanted to run at