Touch of the Alpha

By Sky Corgan

Karen was a disgrace to her pack. Every steadfast rule that her pack held dear, she insisted on breaking in an attempt to free herself from the bonds of a lineage that had been slowly dying out for centuries.

When she's sent off to Sky High Ranch for werewolf reform, Karen thinks that she'll spend the month in boring therapy sessions. Nothing is as it seems at Sky High Ranch though, including Carter, the sexy regional Alpha. He has a different kind of reform in mind for Karen, the kind that involves making her his forever.

Heat level: Smokin' Hot

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sky Corgan
• Release date: Feb 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781386356127

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

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Karen was a disgrace to her pack. Every steadfast rule that her pack held dear, she insisted on breaking in an attempt to free herself from the bonds of a lineage that had been slowly dying out for centuries. Why her pack was trying to preserve the wolf in their bloodline now was beyond her. They were more human than wolf. Some of them couldn't even turn anymore. As it was, Karen's shift was completely involuntary, and it only happened during the full moon—sometimes. It was really a crap shoot. Half the time when her pack gathered for the change, she was left standing there, naked in her human form, while most of her immediate family went bounding off into the forest without her.

For a while, her brother insisted that the human shifters left behind should try to run with the wolves. Maybe it would help force the change in them. It was pointless though.

Karen had submitted a long time ago to the fact that by the time she was an old woman, her grandchildren would probably be fully human. That was, if her brother didn't now insist that members of their family could only mate with solid shifters, those who change every full moon. That was the first rule Karen broke. She'd be damned if she would allow her lug-headed Alpha brother to decide who she could have sex with and who she couldn't.

When Howard came of age and took over the pack, that's when Karen really began hating her wolf. There were rules before her brother became alpha, but they were very loosely enforced. The worst thing that could happen if you broke a rule was that you'd be shunned by the family for a few days. With Howard in charge, things took a more serious turn. There were mediation and interventions, lectures and house arrest, and a whole lot of other bullshit that Karen wasn't willing to put up with.

She might have run away from her pack if they hadn't decided that her behavior was so bad that she needed to be sent away. The very thought made her huff. Werewolf reformation, Howard called it. Sending her to go spend some time with the regional Alpha, the man who enforces all lycan laws with the larger packs in the entire state of Michigan. If he gave a shit about whether Karen was following those laws or not, he would have come after her already. It was proof that the Needham pack was insignificant, a fact that her brother refused to see.

With the support of the family behind Howard, Karen was whisked away to Sky High Ranch, home of the regional Alpha and safe haven to all wolves who hadn't yet found their place in the world. Karen thought it would be a prison, but the ranch reminded her far more of a college campus. When she arrived, she was greeted by the omega of the pack and immediately shown to her room.

Howard was woefully disappointed that he wasn't introduced to the regional Alpha. Perhaps he wanted a chance to prove to him that the Needhams were still a legitimate pack. Whatever the case, Karen was admittedly pleased that the regional Alpha didn't find them important enough for even a casual greeting. Maybe when Howard went home, he would marinate on that for a while and realize that his attempt at preserving the wolf in their bloodline was futile. If Karen was lucky, the regional Alpha would take one look at her and send her packing back to Lansing.

Shortly after arriving, it became quite clear to Karen that she'd never get a personal meeting with the regional Alpha. Essentially, her family had just dumped her off for a month-long vacation from their bullshit. For a place that housed the man who made and enforced all the laws of the Michigan packs, there didn't appear to be many rules at Sky High Ranch. Lycans of various bloodlines wandered the premises, socializing as if they didn't have a care in the world. Despite the cornucopia of people with different percentages of lycan blood, Karen could still sense that hers was the weakest. Each lycan carried their own scent, and through that, it was fairly easy to distinguish who had more wolf in them and who had less. This surprised Karen, because she was so familiar with the lacking scent of her own family. To have her nostrils so full of the wolf smell was almost overwhelming, and it took her a while to get used to it.

At Sky High Ranch, there were no counseling sessions, no meetings. Karen was allowed to do whatever she pleased during the daytime, as long as she stayed on the premises. At night, however, she was required to attend a group bonfire. It seemed like the oddest form of therapy to reform her, but who was she to complain. It wasn't like she planned for her time here to alter her behavior. She would go along with their kumbaya session and come out none the better for it.

When the sun dipped over the horizon and the moon arose in the sky, the wolves of Sky High Ranch headed out into the forest for their nightly bonfire. Karen went along, completely expecting a marshmallow roast and singalong. Instead of a guy with a guitar case slung over his shoulder though, there were several lycans carrying ice chests full of beer. Now this was something that Karen could get into.

As soon as the fire was started, the gathering turned into more of a party, with lycans walking around with beers in their hands sharing conversation. It would have been a dream come true to Karen, being around so many of her own kind, except for the fact that no one seemed to want to talk to her. Social anxiety the likes of which Karen had never felt before came rolling over her full force, crushing her with what ifs and feelings of being insufficient. Was she being shunned because there wasn't enough wolf in her? Or was it because of her hefty size?

One great thing about being part wolf is that it works wonders for the metabolism. Not so much when there are only a few drops of wolf left in your blood. Karen was by far the biggest girl at the party, and there wasn't a single male looking her way. If she ever felt more self-conscious, she couldn't remember a time. Surrounded by her own kind, but completely alone.

Trying not to be too much of a bummer, Karen grabbed a beer from the ice chest and found a secluded spot to sit and watch the festivities from afar. The night was chilly, so she hugged herself to keep warm. For as excited as she had been when she realized this was going to be a party instead of a stuffy social gathering focused on bonding, she was completely miserable now. All she wanted was to go home.

The party continued on into the night, and no one gave Karen a second glance. There was a stick a few inches away from her foot, and she figured that drawing pictures in the dirt with it would be far more fun than watching everyone else have a good time. The scent of wolf was so strong in the air, a melting pot of the collective group, that she didn't even notice when someone approached her.

You look lonely. A deep male voice said, causing Karen to jump. Was her wolf so weak that she couldn't smell the guy walking up on her? It was a reminder of how pathetic she was.

I'm fine, she sighed. That reaction alone made it obvious that she wasn't fine. Her expression spoke of depression, the way her lips hadn't curled into a smile since realizing she was being shunned by the rest of the lycans.

You're new here, aren't you? He quirked a perfect eyebrow, holding a beer in his hand and standing casually before her. When their eyes met, it took everything in Karen to keep a blush from her cheeks.

He was handsome, as most of the men at the party were. Once you had even a drop of wolf blood in you, it heightened your attraction for your own kind. Sometimes, it even made the lines blur between primal nature and real attraction. This man would be attractive to any woman though. He was tall and broad with dark features. Chocolate eyes that were almost black, and mussy hair to match. His scent though. My God, was his scent strong. Even with all the other lycans around, Karen could smell it. He had a lot of wolf in him. Maybe he was even pureblood.

Just off the ship. Karen tossed her stick to the side and picked up her empty beer can just to give herself something to hold onto.

Mind if I sit down? He gestured to the empty space beside her.

Be my guest. She glanced over at the spot before he filled it. He smelled strong before, but now his scent was almost overwhelming. A good kind of overwhelming though. There was something about him that woke the small trickle of wolf blood inside of her—made her feel things that seemed better snuffed down. Surely, he was just being polite. There was no reason for her body to be reacting to him like this.

So, what are you in for? He raised his beer to his lips and gulped it heartily, staring at the other party-goers. Karen felt slightly ignored, since he wasn't looking at her, but at least they

Reviews for Touch of the Alpha

[Adina Alexandra C. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love it. The description of events, action, facial expression, touches, smells all combined made me feel part of story.