Book #1 of "Hidden Secret Series"

Completed and on patreon

His Touch

As a female wolf, you crave the touch of your male. It sends a type of pleasure unlike anything you've ever felt before. No one's touch will ever match it.

Lexi knew that breathtaking experience once. Her only regret in life is the outcome from that single touch. She didn't get her happily ever after. Instead, it destroyed her.

With her life on the mend, new people bury themselves in her life, one which shocks her to her very core. A sensation she thought was lost to her for good brings forth a sense of hope and longing. Of course, there might be a little sexual tension building up in the background.

Now it's her decision to trust these feelings or hide away from the future because of her past, which might not be as in the past as she believed it to be...

Now it's her decision to either trust these feelings or push them aside because of a past she thinks she's overcome, but still lurks within the deepest, darkest parts of her soul.

Or does it?

  Chapter 1 - Alexis

Stalking, that is what my eyes are doing as they linger over his tight-fitting jeans that hug his firm and powerfully built legs as he strolls down the street laughing with his brothers. Oh, how I wish I can wrap my wobbly legs around his waist and let him hold us both up for hours as our sweaty bodies rub against each other. Gripping the metal pole next to me, I hold onto it with a death grip in case my legs do give out at the idea.

His black muscle shirt barely contains his drool-worthy abs. Each night when I close my eyes, I dream of running my hands up and down his toned chest as my nails leave ownership marks. Just thinking about his body makes mine ache with need. A need that I wish he can satisfy this instant. Screw being outside in the open for all to see, the bushes surrounding me will cover us...somewhat.

My hand fans my face as he bends down to pick up an empty soda can before tossing it into the trash. Please lean over again; your perfect ass is my drug. When it's finally in reaching distance, and he knows the truth, there will never be a day where I do not slap or grab it.

These thoughts are driving me insane with sexual tension. No doubt they will soon get a whiff of it soon with how aroused I am.

This stranger and his friends moved into the small town of Wolf Hollow about a month ago and ever since the first day I spotted him; I've dreamed of doing very naughty things to him. Or how his body will feel against mine as his tongue dives in and tastes my sweet skin.

Squeezing my legs, I take in deep breaths. It's been excruciating these past few weeks. Nothing will dull the ache in my heart and between my legs. More than once I've had to change my underwear because of hearing just his voice or smelling a trace of his freshly churning water scent. It is to the point I carry at least three pairs in my purse if I go into town. Otherwise, I go commando, and it feels uncomfortable after an hour of stalking him, which I have every right to do as he is my soul-mate.

My eyes take in his appearance as he sits down outside with his younger brothers and orders food at the local diner. The female serving the tables gives my male and the others a peep show as she flaunts the soft curves of her chest in their faces. Rolling my eyes, I watch as they once again ignore her like every time and order without a single glance in her direction. These males do not screw around it seems, which not only pleases me but my best friends as well.

Being as Roarke is my mate, we all feared he would be like him. It's the reason why I'm spying on him and not sitting on his lap and laughing with him and his brothers. Nothing petrifies me more than Roarke turning out similar to that bastard.

Sometimes I think he sees me gawking at him, but he doesn't approach to talk or demand a reason why I'm stalking him. There is no way he knows we are mates. Otherwise, he would have claimed me as his the second he saw me, which he has on multiple occasions. Not in the eyes mind you, but he has seen me fleeing.

It has crossed my mind on how he might be teasing me to get a reaction out of me. Possibly driving me insane to the point I'll crawl to him on bended knees and beg to be taken. Only in his dreams will that happen.

Or the more logical thing is, he is too busy with moving his whole pack here and becoming the new town Sheriff that his mind isn't thinking straight and he hasn't caught a trace of my scent yet. I can only pray it's that.

And don't get me started on him in his navy blue sheriff uniform. The first time I saw him wearing it, my excitement went sky high, and I knew without a doubt my scent was carried on the wind to him and all the unmated males in the vicinity.

Of course, my best friend and Alpha saved me by shoving me into his truck and taking me back home. Anthony has been my life saver for years, and I know he will continue to be there for me through this whole mate thing. Neither, he or our group of friends are mated, but for some reason, none of them get turned on by my arousal. We are all lucky to have that as I spend most of my time with them.

At the age of twenty-five, Anthony is in his prime to find his soul-mate. It's funny how everyone thought him, and I would end up tying the knot because of how close we always were. That all changed years ago, the dreadful day we learned he wasn't mine.

I know Anthony was thinking of throwing finding his soul-mate to the wind and asking me to be his right before Roarke showed up. Knowing Anthony's mate was still out there, I told him I'd never touch him other than a kiss here and there, and I'm glad I stuck to that for all this time. My heart breaks when I see him near me with longing in his eyes. He may care about me, but we both know deep down he craves to have his rightful woman in his arms.

As a female wolf, we have an advantage of finding out who are mates are before our males. All it takes for us is a single look, and our souls clench and grasp for his. Males, on the other hand, have to touch us or lock gazes with us to realize we belong to them.

One benefit to locating them first is we discover if our man is trustworthy, brutal or destructive. There will always be women beaters in every species, and the goddess knew that when she created us.

Anthony already knows I've accepted Roarke as my mate for the time being. With him being new to town, it's hard to dig up dirt on him. His brothers and pack members give nothing away of their Alpha.

Sometimes the males wolves will know before then that we belong to them, but it's unlikely. The lucky ones will bump into their woman, and the sparks will inform them of what treasure they stumbled upon and to snatch them up and stake their claim for all to see.

My male has done neither of those this past month, and it's getting harder each day to stay away from him with how tasty he looks without clothes on.

Without knowing it, he has been making me covet his touch or a simple smile from his lips. All I want to do is run up to him and jump into his arms, informing him that I'm his mate and what I long for him to do to my body in the privacy of our bedroom.

The moment I saw him, he held my heart, and I just hope that when he finally knows the truth, he will not crush it into tiny pieces of dust.

Plopping down on the dry grass, I close my eyes and let my mind wonder for the millionth time in this past month of the adventures with the man across the street laughing.

(All the naughty chapters are on radish. Had to keep this book pg so took them out.)

"Alexia, what the hell are you doing!" A voice shocks me out of my pleasurable wet dream. Making me jump to my feet in fright.

"Damn it, Kai! Why did you interrupt me? I was right there!" He knows what I'm speaking of as it happens roughly a dozen times a day.

"Listen!" He hisses at me.

Doing as he demands, I listen to howls in the distance. One's which are calling out to a family member, a loved one at that I believe. I might be wrong, though.

"What's going on?" Spinning around, I see Roarke, and his brother's with their heads tilted back and howling into the warm summer air. Other's howl off in the distance, asking if their Alpha needs their assistance. I believe he responds back saying he thinks it was his mate's scent he smelt moments ago.

That makes me stumble back a few steps. Is my mind playing tricks or does Roarke consider me to be his mate? Shit, this isn't good.

"Right before you were apparently going to climax in your dream, you howled into the air, informing your mate you are close by. Roarke and his brothers are returning your howl of wanting to meet," Kai sighs next to me.

"Fuck. Seriously?" I look him dead in the eyes. There's no way I could have howled while dreaming. Is there?

Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he gives me a firm shake. "You may not have been ready to speak to him, but I see no way out of it right now unless we run for it. The truck is fifteen minutes away, and the guys are at the house. We will protect you, Lexi. Do not fear." He knows my trepidation on the subject of mates.

I watch from my hiding spot as Roarke and his brother's pay for their lunch and stand up. Before I'm able to stop it, my mind drives me into another wet dream as he lifts his shirt up and over his toned chest.

(Naughty part on radish)

Cold water jerks me right out of my smoldering dream. "Seriously?" Kai snaps at me with anger. "You're having one while he is walking over here?

"What?" I gasp for air; the water sticking to me is cold as ice. Where the hell did he get ice from anyways?

"Your so called mate is making his way here with his brothers. It probably has to do with you howling to him twice in the past few minutes." Pulling me back a few paces, I realize I only have a few moments before my life is tipped upside down and spun around.

"Again?" How am I not noticing howling? Groaning, I smack my forehead with how idiotic I'm being.

"Yes. You need to get those damn wicked scenes under control if you want to stay away from Roarke," Kai chuckles, shaking his head.

"It's not like I try to have them, they pop into my head and drive me insane," I cry. They started up the day Roarke, and his brothers arrived in our town. Since then, they've been getting worse. One or two a day was fine in the beginning, now I'm up to twenty-five or more depending on how many times the guys interrupt me. Not that I've ever finished one before, it always ends right before I get to the best part.

"It's the mating pull, Lexi. We all know that. But instead of staring at him twenty-four seven, you need to be as far away from him as you can. Let us be the ones to retrieve the information you seek."

"It's hard, Kai. All my body hungers for is to be near him. If I'm not, I feel as if I'll suffocate."

I look into his eyes, seeking information, not even he knows about mates. Since none of my best friends have a mate, they do not understand the pull to be constantly near your other half. It's resilient enough to force your body to black out, to drain all the life from your limbs and drag you into a deep coma of lust filled fantasies. It's the bonds way of forcing your hand to either be with your mate or reject them. It's not unheard of, but it's frowned upon to do such a destructive act. If you throw away your soul, what type of person are you? No one wants to be near you in fear of what you will become, a lifeless feral monster.

Without thought and before Roarke and his brother's make it to us, I grab Kai's hand and sprint off into the forest. Within minutes, we stop running and continue at a leisurely pace as no one is tracking us.

"What will you do if next time, I'm not there to wake you up from fantasizing?" He asks softly with worry in his voice.

"I honestly do not know, Kai and that worries me."

Ever since I was rescued years ago, Kai has been my go to guy. Cain may have brought my mind back to me, but Kai has kept my demons at bay. It's alright to have sex before finding your mate. We are not able to contract diseases or become pregnant with anyone other than our soul-mate, which is why rejection is a stupid idea.

I'm sure the other guys know of Kai and I being intimate these past three years. It is hard to not smell him all over me after an afternoon of rough sex. At first, it was to get my mind away from the gutter, and Kai knew that. After a while our relationship grew to affection, we aren't in love, but we do care for each other deeply. Enough that I know Roarke will attempt to kill Kai if he ever finds out what exactly happened behind closed doors.

"He will uncover our past; you do realize that, right? Either you will tell him, or one of his pack members will hear it from the grapevine and inform him of it." Wrapping his arm around my waist, he presses my head onto his shoulder.

Our touches are no longer a lover's caress, more like a big brother's warm embrace. The day I found Roarke is the day, Kai and I stopped fooling around.

"I know, and I fear for that day to happen. Surely he has had past relationships. It's not like any of the wolves in our pack are virgins if they are older than eighteen. I'm twenty-two, there is no reason for me to have waited this long without experimenting a little bit." Roarke will not realize the actual reason to why I'm not a virgin. And it's not because I explored the male body while growing up. The moment my heat hits, he will comprehend what it means.

"If I were you, I wouldn't utter it like that. Roarke is not only a male, but he is an Alpha male with the ability to murder me without a damn look, Lexi. From what we've learned about him, he will not hesitate to challenge me for having tasted his mate."

Stopping and looking at Kai, I try not to smirk. "You're afraid of him, aren't you?

All he does is look at me as if I'm brain dead. "Seriously? You're going to ask me that? Heck yes I'm frightened of your mate. You do know what they say about him, right? What they say about the whole Maccoy family?"

"No refresh my memory oh great Kai," I snicker. He is so terrified of my mate. Though if I'm smart, I need to be guarded at all times until I make my decision of what my mate is truly like in person and not through the gossip vine. Rumors are just that, rumors. Until proof is brought to light, I can't give much thought of them, though I know I should as sometimes tales come from facts.

"One, they are ruthless not only on the battlefield but within their own pack. Members do not step out of line in fear of being beaten to a bloody pulp. Even the children are taught to fight and kill in case of war. Though, one rumor says that not even the King will send his army's to fight against Maccoy men."

"Do you know why that is? Or possibly one of the rumors do?" I roll my eyes as we continue to walk towards the pack house.

"During the last great war, the late King double crossed Roarke's grandfather, Leord. The King soon learned not to screw with the Maccoys. The large family snuck into the castle and murdered all the men and women who betrayed the family for a chance at riches and fame. It's said that Leord and his brother held a knife to the Queen's throat as they dragged her out of the castle within the dead of the night. The only thing the King woke up to the next morning was drops of her blood on her pillow."

"What? How is it possible they snuck in and stole the Queen? How do I not know this story?" This is alarming news to me. Do Roarke and his brother's follow the path of their ancestors?

"It's strictly only told between Alphas's, to keep them in line and put the fear in their hearts to never go against the Maccoys. Anthony informed me one night after going over the Black Knights pack info after they arrived here."

"What happened to the Queen? Clearly, she was returned. Otherwise, the current King wouldn't be alive today." What a horrible way to wake up in the morning. A knife to the throat isn't something I ever want to experience again.

"They kept her captive for two months, nowhere near their homes or dwellings. The King couldn't find his mate, and with no evidence that it was the Maccoys, he couldn't kill them all off. Then one day, the Queen woke up in her bed, inside the castle. It's said that the King just stared at her in shock for over an hour." Kai shrugs with uncertainty.

It's not like we know if the King lied in the report or not. For all, we know he could have been a cheating bastard and wanted the Maccoys to pay the price for him being caught red-handed with a maid's legs around his waist. If a Maccoy was the one to find the King doing the deed, it is plausible that the kidnapping was planned by the king to tarnish the Maccoy name. Or my mind is going a million miles an hour and coming up with stupid shit, and it is all wrong.

"He might have been afraid if he tried to touch her, she'd disappear as if she was only a mirage." I go back to the original discussion and leave my wild imagination in the closet.

"Yes, a dream would have sucked at that point," he chuckles darkly. "In the end, the King promised to never go after a Maccoy ever again if they'd leave his family alone."

"Maybe he shouldn't have backstabbed Leord in the first place." I shrug my shoulders at the thought of the King using his powers for his own profits. It's normal for people with power to use it for greed.

"That is true."

"Did the King backstab Roarke and his brothers as well?" Why should I fear them if they haven't done anything to warrant it?

"I do not know if this is the truth or not, which is why no one knows you're Roarke's mate as of yet, but the King's father issued death threats to all future Maccoy mates."

"Holy shit! I'll have a bounty on my head!" I glare at him, why the fuck did he not tell me this earlier? Who keeps this type of shit to themselves?

Chapter 2 - Alexis

Hissing at me, he tells me to shut up as his eyes look all around to see if anyone is paying attention to us. "We trust the pack, Lexi, but that doesn't mean there isn't one or two who will scoop in and take the chance to steal Roarke away from you at a moment's notice, even if they can't produce his pups."

"This is fucked up; you know that right?" My shoulders slump forward with worry at being on a hit list. Not something I want to think about on a daily basis.

Entering the backyard, we come to see little tikes running around chasing each other. A few with muddy hands, a ball or two and even a baseball bat. I hope the petite girl with the baseball bat isn't trying to beat the boy who put the muddy hand prints on her dress to a bloody pulp.

"Should we take the bat away?" I ask Kai, in fear for the boy's life.

"Nope. Ryake needs to learn not to pick on Sara. He's been bullying her these past few weeks; shoving her face first into the mud, cutting off locks of her hair and putting cat poop in her cereal. He is an evil little shit and deserves to be taught a lesson by the female he is attacking daily."

Knowing how fate loves to pair up its couples, Ryake will be Sara's mate. He will have loads of groveling to do if they are.

"Wow, so he should belong in Roarke's pack is what you're saying?" Snatching the bat out of Sara's hands, I carry it inside the house with me. Her little pout and cries for vengeance reach my ears before the door closes. "I don't feel like building a pyre today for Ryake." Tossing the bat onto the couch, I hop onto a kitchen stool.

"Yes, I know this whole situation is fucked up, but there is nothing we can do right now. Until Roarke issues a notice of you being his soul-mate, the King has no way of finding out. Unless of course, he has spies in our packs. Then we are literally fucked." Kai pats me on the back. I know he is trying to comfort me, it isn't working.

Banging my head on the counter, I groan out in frustration. This isn't how I thought today's events were going to go when I woke up this morning. A few wet dreams of Roarke and getting yelled at by the guys, but that's about it, nothing to the extent of being murdered and buried out back.

"I see you've told her the secret," Ant says from somewhere in front of me. The stupid male needs to be punched in the throat for keep said secret from me. I bet his hazel eyes are rolling in his head right now. They won't be for long if I rip them out of their sockets.

"You're a dick; you know that right?" I mumble into the marble countertop.

"Yes, I do have a dick, and my mate will love it to her heart's content. Now get up and stop moping around. You damn well know, the King will not be able to touch you, not with Roarke, his pack and this pack watching your back. We are family, and even if he is the King, he should know better than to go up against us." Lifting my head up, he stares into my eyes. "Nothing will happen to you this time. We won't allow it to." Putting his hand on my forehead, he uses a little strength to shove me back into a sitting up position.

"Now that that is over with, what are we doing for the rest of the day? Sulking and being a whimpering baby isn't fun," Kai says from beside me, his face split in two with a grin.

"Asshole, I'm not a whimpering mess," mumbling to myself, they still hear me with the way their eyebrows arch up.

Andrew clears his throat, gaining all our attention and throwing my insult to the dust. "I vote for the club. We haven't been in a while, and it will be the perfect opportunity to see how Roarke and his brothers will react to seeing Lexi in a revealing dress. I believe the red one that Kai got you last Christmas will do the trick nicely." Popping a grape in his mouth, Andrew shrugs his shoulders as if what he just said isn't an excellent idea.

Hell yeah's come from all the guys, confirming everyone's agreement on what is going to happen tonight. "Until then, as we have about six hours til the club even opens up, what shall we do?" Please don't say something stupid; I'm not in the mood for silly guy shit.

"How about board games? It's been a while since we've had a game day," Cain speaks up for the first time. His wavy golden hair bounces with the shift of his head, framing his sea green eyes. The man is good-looking, and he doesn't take it to heart. Whoever his mate is, she is a lucky woman, that's for sure.

"I swear you guys are going to kill me before the King does," I grumble while sliding off the stool.

"Probably true," Rob chuckles as I'm lifted off the ground and tossed into the air only to land on the couch.

"Kai, I'm going to kill you," I snarl before bolting after him. We circle the couch a few times as the guys all sit down with an assortment of board games. Not wanting to lose, I jump over the back of the couch and tackle Kai to the floor. "I won," I gloat as I straddle his hips.

"You think so?"

"What do you think Roarke would do if I sent him a picture of those two?" Andrew says out of nowhere.

Quickly rolling off Kai, I scan Andrew for his cell phone, luckily for all of us, it isn't in his hand.

"He'd kill us all." Kai actually looks freaked out by Andrews's threat. Is that beads of sweat rolling down his forehead?

"You're a big fat wolf liar, Kai Thompson. You are scared of Roarke," I punch him in the shoulder before sitting down to play a long list of games; all which I suck at mind you. Why are we playing board games again?

"Be prepared to be defeated," Cain snarls, excitedly. The man is generally quiet and held together, that all goes out the window when board games come into play. He is a vicious and sneaky bastard.

"You're on." Kai pounds his chest in preparation of beating the unbeatable Cain Vance at monopoly.

Four cases of soda, ten bags of chips, twelve pizza's, five tubs of ice cream and six hours later, the only two playing are Cain and Kai as they battle it out on the jumbo Jenga.

Biting his lip, Kai waits his turn with determination in his eyes. Cain slowly pulls out a piece as we watch in amusement. These two have been battling at this game for years. We've kept score in a book, and right now they are both tied at two hundred and ninety-nine. Whoever wins this one will be the first to reach three hundred, not that it will end there. Of course not, it's impossible to stop competing with these two.

The second the block is out we all breathe a sigh, but right before our eyes the six-foot tower crumbles to the ground out of nowhere.

"You did that!" Cain accuses Kai with a glare. "I demand a rematch on the base of Kai cheating. He did something to knock it over. You all saw it was steady when I pulled the piece out."

Oh shit, not this again. Looking down at my phone, I grin as I realize what time it is. "You two babies can pummel it out later. We've got to get dressed for the club." Jumping up and off the couch, I race to my bedroom for a night of alcohol, dancing, and possessive mates. Tonight is singles night, and I'm going to enjoy it to my heart's content.

It takes no time at all to dress and curl my hair. With my black heels, little red dress and brown curls flowing around my shoulders, I feel beautiful, nothing like I did four years ago. "I'm ready," I shout to the guys as I jog gently down the stairs. "Damn, don't you all look mouthwatering," I growl with a hint of teasing.

Each male is wearing different shades of blue jeans to cup their nicely round asses and dark shirts that hug the sweet muscles they work hours daily for. Though they may look hump worthy, not one of them can hold a flame to Roarke. I honestly do not know when he has the time to build his body up, but clearly, he does it daily with how toned he is.

"Don't let..."

"...Roarke hear me say that I know Rob. He will surely kill me along with the King. I get it. Everyone wants me dead except you five." Grabbing the keys to Kai truck, I leave them all in the dust.

"I'm laying down rules for tonight, Lexi." Ant demands as I drive through the forest to get to the main strip of the town's road.

"Let me guess, no dancing with any unmated males, which means I'm not allowed to touch anyone in the club. Do not accept a drink from anyone other than you five. Stay in the center of you while dancing so as not to draw attention from unwanted males. Keep my eyes open for my mate in case he decides to crash the party." I'm not an idiot. Rolling my eyes, I pull into the clubs parking lot.

With only a few thousand town's folk, it's surprising we have a club. A few years ago, one of the female members decided enough was enough and asked Ant if she could open up a club for all the teens and young adults. There is of course events that go on throughout the weeknights for different age groups. Tonight is ours, which means there will be no one under the age of twenty. Thank goddess for that. Teens can be idiots with their sexual tension. Dancing up on or flirting with a mated male or female is a no go, which is why one of the top rules came into play; if you aren't mated, you are not allowed to go to mated club night.

"And no dancing with Kai." Rob pulls my hair gently to get my attention. He isn't playing a game here; it's all business.