Alpha’s Pride
A Nowhere Prequel Novella
by AJ Mullican
Copyright © 2024 AJ Mullican
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover by GetCovers.
Welcome to Nowhere!
Have you ever wanted to escape to a world where the ley lines are plentiful,
and the happenings are weird? Well, welcome to Nowhere!
In Nowhere, you’ll find wolf shifters, excommunicated fae, witches, demons, and half-human monsters. This novella is a brief introduction to the world of Nowhere, North Carolina, and each book takes you on a more fantastic ride. Want to travel to Ireland and meet the fae? Go to Hell for a little revenge? Fight against the legions of Hell to save your town—and the world? Nowhere is the place to be!
Consider this book “Nowhere Lite” – You’ll get a brief introduction to the wolf shifters who have come to inhabit Nowhere, and if you like this, there’s more where it came from! The world of Nowhere is always in flux, and you never know what can come next.
Current Nowhere books:
Get started here, with Alpha’s Pride, and binge away!
Chapter 1
Road Tripping
It started as a joke. A lark. After all, what road trip would be complete without a pit stop in a Podunk town? If you named that town “Nowhere” and dropped it in the North Carolina mountains, all that was missing was the banjo music.
Except it didn’t end as a joke. It ended, strangely enough, with me finding the last town I’d ever visit.
I wasn’t sure quite what it was, exactly, that drew me to Nowhere. My twin brother Tom and I had been cruising around the South, stopping here and there at interesting sites, just two guys having fun in the mid-nineties, when I found the tiny town on a map. We thought it would be funny to stop by and see what kind of hicks lived in the Podunk little place.
We didn’t know that other wolf shifters might be there. What were the odds?
Packs were rare in those days. Ever since the creation of the Internet, we had to be more careful. Couldn’t just shift whenever we wanted because everyone and his brother had a fancy digital camera with all the trimmings. It made my search for a mate rather difficult, as my hometown only had my own cousins to choose from. No, thanks. Not that kinda guy.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I scented other wolves—female shifters, no less—in Nowhere. The scent was faint, almost obscured by another, headier scent, the smell of magic that was old and ancient and buried deep, but nonetheless it was there. Suddenly, my side quest became the main focus of my existence.
I was an Alpha without a mate, and the smell of females wolves nearby drove me wild.
Driving with the windows down, Tom and I began a hunt that had nothing to do with finding food.
Well … if things went well, at least one of us would be eating something soon …
We cruised all over Nowhere until we finally zeroed in on the scent that was calling to me: a female wolf. Close to her heat by the smell of it, and if my nose was right, she was an Omega. Her scent was all sweetness and sunshine, like clothes that had been washed in a fancy detergent and hung out to dry in the sun.
Her delicious aroma led us to a small diner, and the overlapping smell of old-fashioned burgers and fries reminded me that I hadn’t eaten yet that day. I looked over at Tom, who sniffed the air hungrily.
“Let’s stop for dinner,” I said.
Tom rolled his eyes and grinned. “I doubt what you’re really wanting is on the menu, man. Something tells me ‘strange shifter pussy’ isn’t a thing they serve here.”
I growl at my brother and playfully shove him against the car door. “Shut up, Tom. Even as a Beta, you’ve gotta smell the potential mates here in this town. Wouldn’t you want a nice mate of your own? There are at least two potentials I’ve scented since we got here. One for each of us, maybe?”
He snorts and unbuckles. “Whatever. There’s no guarantee that either one of them would be interested in either of us, Will. Don’t get a big head, Mr. Alpha Wolf.”
As I got out of the car, I swept my hands through my hair to smooth it. The rolled-down windows helped us find who I was searching for, but the breeze blowing through the car wreaked havoc on my style. Thankfully, I had enough product in there to keep it looking decent. One last check in the side mirror confirmed that I wouldn’t stroll into the diner looking like one of those grimy grunge band dudes that were so popular.
I straightened my flannel shirt, unbuttoning it to the waist, and picked a couple flecks of lint off my Nirvana t-shirt. Tom snickered, but he shut up when I shot him a nasty glare.
“What?” I snarled.
“Oh, nothing,” he said. “You’re not looking like an aged high schooler, no siree.”
I swatted at the back of his head, but he ducked in time. “Shut up, Tom. Girls dig this look. It’s all the style right now.”
“I thought you didn’t like Nirvana? You always make fun of them.”
Growling again, I shoved past him into the diner. “I told you. Chicks dig it.”
“We do, huh?”
My irritation had me ready to rip into whoever said that, but when I turned and saw a fucking angel grinning at me, my anger melted away. Nothing was left except a burning desire to know the stunning blonde’s name, to whisper it when I was between her long legs, to stare into those ocean-blue eyes and memorize every detail of her oval face while I filled her to overflowing.
Her waitress’s outfit was typical diner attire, with a crisp polo shirt tucked into shorts that left little to my imagination. A long, smooth blonde ponytail trailed over her shoulder, shimmering in the diner’s fluorescent lights. Her rosy lips turned up in a slight grin, the subtle movement catching my attention. I practically vibrated with the urge to lean forward and kiss those lips, to slide my tongue between them and press my body into hers.
Tom’s hand on my jaw—closing it for me, as I’d gotten so lost in her beauty I had forgotten it was open—brought me back to the present, and I cleared my throat.
“H-hi. Booth for two, i-if you have it.” Did I just stammer? I never stammer …
The angel, whose name tag read “Melody,” smiled and grabbed a couple of menus from a small table by the diner’s door. “Come on, then. Booth for two.”
I followed her curvy ass through the diner, ignoring the patrons who stared at us. An Alpha wolf tends to draw attention even when he’s not shifted, so I was used to the wide-eyed looks from the crowd. She bent a little to place the menus on the table for us before moving out of our way so we could slide in, and I had to bite my tongue to keep my dick in line. All it wanted to do was grab those hips of hers and rip her shorts off, to hoist her onto the table and rut her like there was no tomorrow, but this was neither the time nor the place.
There was no doubt about it: She was the Omega I’d scented from clear across Nowhere.
“So, what’re you having?”
It took me embarrassingly long to realize she meant food. My first instinct was to respond with something dumb, like “I’ll have your number.” Tom answered for me, ordering us both a Number Two from the menu, whatever the hell a Number Two was.
Melody the Angel sauntered away to give the kitchen our order, and I watched her go with a hunger that rivaled anything I’d ever felt.
When she was out of sight, I whipped back around to Tom, barely able to contain my excitement.
“Did you smell her, bro?” I asked in a hushed whisper.
Tom rolled his eyes again and waved his hand in the direction of the kitchen door. “Yeah, yeah. She’s your mystery Omega. Dude, could you be anymore obvious? Getting tongue-tied and staring open-mouthed at her chest … You’re gonna scare her off before you even get started.”
I crossed my arms over my chest with a grunt. “I didn’t get tongue-tied.”
“H-h-hi. B-b-b-ooth for t-t-t-two, p-p-please, M-m-miss S-sexy W-w-w-waitress.”
The saltshaker hit him square in the forehead when I tossed it at him. The lid popped off, dousing him in salt. “I didn’t say all that. Quit exaggerating.”
My brother sputtered and reached up to ruffle his blonde hair, shaking the salt out of it. “Very mature, Will.”
“Will, huh? Cute name.”
Melody’s smooth voice startled me. I hadn’t heard her come back to our table, and with her scent so pervasive in the diner, I couldn’t pinpoint her location by smell. I froze, hoping she didn’t notice that I had the mustard bottle aimed to follow the saltshaker.
She thinks my name is cute …
Once again, Tom picked up the conversation when my brain short circuited. “Yeah, Will Hunter. I’m his twin brother, Tom.” His eyes darted back and forth as if checking to see who was listening in. “He’s a few minutes older than I am. You might call him the Alpha version. I’m the Beta version.” He winked at Melody, and she giggled.
While I debated fratricide for his antics, Melody set our plates in front of us. Tom had ordered us double cheeseburgers, medium rare, with fries and coleslaw. “That was fast,” I said as I picked up my burger to dig in.
“Only the best service for the, ahem, Alpha version,” Melody said, her voice tinged with humor.
Tom burst out in laughter, and I bit back a snarl. I didn’t want Melody to think I was a jerk, but Tom was pushing things. It was like he knew I wouldn’t retaliate with Melody standing right there, so it was open season on teasing his older brother.
“So, are y’all gonna be in Nowhere long, or are you two just passing through?”
“We’re here to stay,” I spat out, right as Tom blurted, “Just passing through.”
Melody raised one golden brow and chuckled. “Well, I’ll leave y’all to work that out, I guess.” She handed me a folded slip of paper. “Don’t worry about the check, Mr. Alpha. It’s on the house tonight.”
“What are you doing?” Tom hissed as she walked to the next table. “We haven’t even hit a proper beach yet!”
I unfolded the paper and grinned. “Road trip’s over, Tom. I just found home.”
“Here? You wanna settle here, in the literal middle of Nowhere?”
I shook my head as I read the phone number she’d given me. “Wherever Melody is. That’s home, Tom.”
Chapter 2
Work Ethics
Tom sulked the rest of the evening, even snapping at the hostess when we checked into a hotel for the night. I tolerated it to a point, but once we got to our room, I let him have it.
“What’s with the attitude, Tom? You were all for this trip until dinner, so what gives?”
He shook his head with a growl. “I can’t believe you, Will. We had planned on finding a nice place to raise our pack, not some backwoods hick town.”
It was my turn to growl. What was his deal? “There’s nothing wrong with Nowhere.”
“Did you not see the sign when we drove in? ‘Where weird is a way of life.’ This isn’t a place to settle down, it’s a place where people disappear after driving down the wrong dirt road.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
Seconds before I was ready to pull the Alpha card and order him to stay, Tom finally shut up about it. His attitude still conveyed his irritation, but at least he wasn’t whining anymore. He slammed his suitcase down on one of the beds and tossed clothing left and right as he dug for something to wear to bed. I gritted my teeth to keep from snapping his head off when a pair of boxers flew through the air and landed on my head.
Tom froze mid-toss, his blue eyes swiveling to meet mine. The room briefly filled with the scent of fear before Tom’s face morphed into a grin as he started snickering. Humor’s a funny smell—kind of tickles my nose—and I suddenly found it hard to stay mad at him.
“Seriously, Tom, it’s not that bad.”
“Sure,” he said, reaching out and removing the underwear from my noggin, “you think so, but you’ve found an insta-mate. What about me? I thought we were going to try to find a place with multiple wolves to form a pack with. Even if you were the type to share—which you’re not—Melody only had eyes for you. I was just comic relief.”
I sighed and pulled out a pair of sweatpants to sleep in. “You’re being melodramatic. There’s at least one other female in this town; I know you smelled her, too. Maybe we can find her tomorrow and introduce ourselves. Who knows? We could have lucked out with this side trip.”
Tom stepped into his own PJs and plopped down on the bed. “Yeah, there’s another female, all right: an Alpha. She doesn’t have a pack smell to her, so I doubt she runs this place, but what Alpha woman is going to pick a Beta like me?”
“You haven’t even met her yet,” I scoff. “Besides, what’s to say she isn’t into domineering?”
This time, a flying shoe connects with my skull.
“Ow!”
***
In the morning, I dragged Tom around town looking for work. If we were going to stay in Nowhere, we’d need a solid income. Not that our parents’ pack didn’t provide for us, but it was always good to practice self-sufficiency. Tom and I were taught a variety of useful skills, and we could take on just about any manual labor job with no troubles. Seeing as how us wolves had more strength and endurance than humans, we took to manual labor well. I started our job search in the warehouse district, where I was certain we’d find someone looking for reliable help.
Our first stop was a packing yard with “Help Wanted” signs plastered on the front gate. We ambled in and introduced ourselves to the foreman, offering to help him out in exchange for a decent wage. We didn’t need much, but we had to ask for something realistic; if we asked for a pittance, it might raise suspicions.
Hank, our potential employer, seemed unsure of us. I couldn’t blame him. Two strangers in a small town … this might take a while. I flashed my most charming smile and started in.
“Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Hank. My brother, Tom, and I just moved from up north, and we were looking for a place to get some work. We saw your ‘Help Wanted’ signs and thought maybe we could help each other out. Both of us are certified in most heavy equipment, and we don’t mind physical labor.”
Hank squinted at me and spit chewing tobacco into a nearby tin can that was shaped like some dear departed soul’s urn. He looked at our doctored resumes, flipping the pages slowly while he chewed. I wondered briefly if I had put too much into the documents. I wanted them to be impressive enough to guarantee hiring, but did I over-fluff them?
Finally, after an agonizing wait, he spat again and handed our papers back. “Sorry, bud. Not lookin’ for nobody right now.”
A few of his nearby workers turned at that and scowled. They seemed to be struggling with their workload, but I couldn’t force Hank to hire us. If he only wanted locals, no amount of needling on my part would get us jobs. On to the next place.
I tipped an imaginary hat and gave Hank a nod. “Thanks for your time, then.”
We went to three different yards before one kind soul, a man named Flem, hired us on. He seemed on the fence about us until one of his workers knocked over a pile of pallets with the forklift. Flem winced at the resulting crash and took a second look at our resumes. “So, y’all know how to work one of them things?” he drawled.
I winced, too, when the worker shifted the gears. “Without grinding the tranny, yeah.”
Flem gave us a slow nod and waved for us to follow him. “C’mon then. Gotta get your papers in order.”
Flem’s office was little more than a rickety wooden shack in the back corner of the yard, but I wasn’t going to criticize it. Wherever he was comfortable doing his business was fine with me, just as long as he gave us jobs.
I expected the office to be piled to the gills with stray papers, but what I didn’t expect was a young Hispanic wolf sitting behind the desk sifting through what looked like contracts. She looked up through her lashes at us, gave us a disapproving glare, then continued with her work. I had no doubt that she was the female Alpha Tom and I had scented in town, though it surprised me to find her working in a job like this. Alphas don’t generally take secretarial positions.
Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot with her, I extended my hand and smiled. “Hello, miss. I’m Will Hunter, and this is my brother, Tom. We’re here about the forklift operator positions.”
She looked at my hand like it was covered in something vile. “Mm-hm.”
Her two-syllable answer spoke volumes, especially when I took into account the scent of irritation rolling off of her. I was in her territory, and she didn’t like it. I hoped she didn’t consider me a rival. If this was her turf, I wasn’t about to try to take over. I just wanted to settle in so I could woo Melody properly. Hell, I’d even join her pack as a subordinate if it meant I could date my Omega angel.
Unfortunately, Flem was still standing there, so I couldn’t discuss pact politics with her just yet.
“These here boys want jobs. Do their paperwork.” He snorted and hacked a loogie into the trash can. “Big ‘un can take the west yard and clean up that mess that Gil just made. Little ‘un can go wherever you think he’d be the most useful.” With that, Flem exited the cramped shack and left the three of us alone.
Before I could say a word, the woman stood, placed her palms on the desk, and let out a low growl.
“Don’t go getting any bright ideas, pendejo. You’re here because Flem thinks you’ll fit in, but that doesn’t mean you’ll fit into Nowhere as easily. Flem needs strong workers. What he doesn’t need is an Alpha trying to take over his business.”
I put up my hands in mock surrender. “I’m not looking to take over, miss. I just want a job.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Nowhere doesn’t need any new Alphas, either. We’ve been packless for generations, and it’s worked out just fine.”
Ah. A lone wolf. No wonder her hackles were raised. She probably didn’t want to be forced into a pack life. Lone wolves were rare, but not unheard of. Might explain why I didn’t smell more wolves around besides her and Melody. Since Melody was an Omega, this woman wouldn’t consider her a threat to her way of life.
I, on the other hand, was threat personified.
While I scrambled to think of a way to smooth things over, Tom shoved past me with a small bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. Where the fuck did he get those from?
“My brother’s a bit of an idiot,” he said, handing her the flowers. “No manners. Hi. I’m Tom. What’s your name?”
“Maria,” she clipped, though I noted that she took the flowers without complaint.
Tom didn’t seem deterred by her brusque attitude. He smiled even wider. “And since my brother’s got the west yard and the pile of pallets, where would you have me go?”
“East yard,” she said, handing us each a pack of papers. “After you fill these out, of course. Usual hire paperwork. Names, socials, addresses … you know the drill.”
I balked at the mention of an address. I had hoped to get solid work first before hunting for an apartment.
Tom, it seemed, had a ready answer.
“We’re pretty new here. Right now, our address is ‘that old motel off the highway.’ I don’t suppose you could recommend an apartment complex? Someplace close to the yard, so we can be sure to be on time every day.”
Did I just see Maria crack a hint of a smile?
“Sure.” She opened a drawer on the desk and pulled out a business card. “Here. My complex is leasing right now. Their office is open late, so you can go there after you finish your shift today.”
Tom beamed and took a pen with the stockyard’s logo from a plastic logo cup on the desk. He damn near skipped to a stack of pallets outside to sit and fill out his paperwork.
I reached for the same cup, but Maria swatted my hand away and shoved a chewed-up pen in my hand. “Those are for customers. You can use this pen.”
It looked like a rabid dog had gotten hold of the thing, but I took it without complaint, sitting next to Tom on the pallet stack. We both finished at the same time, and we went back to the office shed to turn our forms in to Maria. She took Tom’s packet with a sultry grin, but the smile vanished when Tom left to start work. I handed her my stuff, which she yanked out of my hands.
“You’re not the first Alpha to try to take over here, Will.”
I sighed. It was going to be difficult working with her. “I’m not looking for domination, Maria. I’m looking for domestication.”
Chapter 3
Bad Alpha
I’d been stalking the juicy Omega beauty for a solid month when another Alpha entered Nowhere. My pack scattered to the far corners of the warehouse I’d hidden us in when I snarled and bared my fangs at the news of this development.
“D-dante, boss, I mean … It was bound to happen eventually …”
My eyes swiveled to glare at Hector. The barely-Beta was dangerously close to a demotion in the pack—and demotions in my pack meant death.
No sappy second chances here.
“We move tonight. We’ll hit that diner she works at.” I clenched my hands into fists, my half-shifted claws biting into my palms. “I will have her. I will mate her and breed her, and our pups will rule this Godforsaken town.”
“What’s so special about this town? There’s nothing here.”
I whirled around and advanced on Bruno, one of my submissive wolves. “This town has power. Can’t you smell it? It runs through the ground beneath our feet like raging rivers. It flows through every rock and blade of grass. If we can harness that power, we’ll be unstoppable. No one could stand against us.”
Bruno scoffed. “And just how are we supposed to harness it? We’re wolves, not witches. None of us can even access the energy in this town’s ley lines, let alone harness it.”
All it took was one swift swipe of my claws to end his insubordination. I glared at the rest of my pack as Bruno choked on his own blood, which pumped out of his slashed throat in pulsating waves. “Anyone else care to argue?”
No one did.
“Good. Now, as I was saying, tonight we’ll hit the diner. I happen to know that she closes, with no one but the fat cook to protect her.” I licked Bruno’s blood from my claws. “And if the cook interferes, we’ll let him join Bruno. Dig in, pack.”
They hesitated, but one growl from me was enough to convince them. I wanted my pack well-fed before we took the Omega, and Bruno conveniently provided them that meal.
Once my wolves and I had eaten our fill, we moved out, piling into the two Jeeps our pack owned and leaving Bruno’s remains in the warehouse parking lot for the native fauna of Nowhere to finish off.
There were only two cars in the diner’s parking lot when we arrived: the fat chef’s Caravan, and an unfamiliar Mustang, a newer model with out-of-state plates. One sniff confirmed my suspicions about the owner, and I snarled as I realized the new bastard Alpha had beat us to the diner. What was he doing here? Was he trying to muscle in on my territory before I could get a foothold?
“What should we do, boss?” Hector paced back and forth in the parking lot, his hackles raised. “Should we wait for him to come out? Jump him when he’s alone?”
I snapped my jaws at Hector, and he flinched. “Idiot! If he’s in there with her, there’s no way he’s leaving this diner alone. He’ll worm his way into her good graces and convince her to leave with him. She’s just an Omega; she has no will of her own.”
Greg, another Beta of mine, grinned and flashed his claws. “Maybe that’s for the best. We’ll slash his tires and let him come out to us. We’ll show her your superiority as an Alpha by annihilating him in front of her.”
Now that’s the kind of thinking that gets things done!
I let my lips stretch into a wide grin as I shifted my fingers into claws. “See, Hector? Greg’s got the right idea.”
Greg and I set to work slashing the rival Alpha’s tires. For good measure, I also ran my claws down the hood, ruining the paint job and causing a horrific screech that the other Alpha no doubt could hear even inside the diner.
Come out and play, Alpha. Let me taste your flesh. Let me demonstrate to our pretty Omega how much stronger I am than you.
Through the diner’s front window, I see the lone patron inside turn in his seat. He’s young and tall, muscular, not an ounce of fat on his physique. We seem similarly matched in that regard, but I easily have the advantage. This wolf didn’t bring his Beta with him to the diner. He’s alone, with no backup to come to his aid. I watch as a scowl forms on his angular face, as his ocean blue eyes turn a bright crystal hue.
He heard me. He knows I’m here, knows there’s danger nearby, though I doubt he can see me in the darkness of the lot.
My rival stands up. Starts towards the door.
Before he could exit and confront us, sirens wailed in the distance. The Omega came out from the kitchen with a portable phone at her ear, and she stopped the Alpha with a hand on his shoulder. I watched her tasty red lips, reading them as she talked.
“Don’t go out there, Will. I smell at least half a dozen of them. Let the cops deal with them.”
I growled and backed away from the Mustang. “Fuck. She called the police.”
Greg readied his claws, but Hector hesitated. “Boss, we can’t let them know what we are. If word gets out, every redneck hick with a shotgun will be pelting us with silver buckshot.”
The silver bullet thing was a myth, but enough bullets of any kind and we’d be just as dead as if it was true. Even the police with their plain ammunition could take us out with well-aimed shots. “Fine. You five head back to the warehouse. I have something to finish up here.”
My pack nodded and rushed to obey. I stayed back, lurking by the Dumpster, until the cops had come and gone. I was irritated to see that the other Alpha wasn’t leaving. His lips were harder to read from my hiding place, but I managed to decipher a few words. The fool thought my Omega would be safer with him around, so he offered to stay with her until her shift was over.
Things were not turning out how I had envisioned.
Frustrated, I paced behind the Dumpster until an idea came to me. It wouldn’t be wise to openly attack the other Alpha yet, but I could still introduce myself to my Omega. Perhaps once she knew who I was, she’d realize that he had nothing to offer her. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the diner’s number, waiting for my Omega to answer.
“Nowhere Eats, this is Melody. How can I help you?”
Melody. Beautiful name. “Hello, Melody. My name is Dante, and I’m very cross with you.”
Inside the diner, she froze. I watched her swivel in place, her blue eyes flashing crystal. She squinted out the window, but I knew I was well-hidden.
“You screwed up Will’s car.”
I chuckled. “An expensive piece of metal, but rather flimsy.”
“I don’t know what you’re after, but you won’t find it here. You should really get out of Nowhere and move on.” Her voice trembled despite her brave words.
“I’m after a mate, dear Melody, and I do believe I’ve found one. Come outside so I can show you.”
“Sorry, but I already have a mate.”
I grinned, and my canines lengthened at the thought of the fun I was going to have with this one. “Not when I’m through with him.”
Chapter 4
Date Night
I didn’t like the idea of leaving Melody alone with a rogue Alpha on the loose, but I had just started at the stockyard. It wouldn’t look good for me to call out this soon after being hired, no matter how much I wanted to watch over her.
“You promise you’ll be careful?”
“It’s just half a shift, and we’ll be fully staffed. I’ll be fine until you get off work. Besides, I’ve got a surprise for you and Tom tonight. A girlfriend of mine agreed to a double date.”
While I loved the idea, I didn’t know what Tom would think. He was already smitten with the Alpha wolf at the shipyard office, and I doubted she’d take well to him going on a date with someone else.
“Um, Mel, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to set Tom up with your friend … He’s kind of already found someone he’s sweet on here in Nowhere.”
Melody laughed. “Don’t worry. I can about guarantee they’ll hit it off. Besides, it’s just a bowling alley date. If he doesn’t like her, he can pretend to get sick off their terrible café food.”
That made me chuckle. We wolves have pretty strong constitutions, but it did give Tom an easy out from the date if Melody’s friend wasn’t worth pissing off his Alpha lady. “Well, when you put it that way …”
“Pick us up at seven? That’ll give you boys plenty of time to clean up after a hard day’s work.”
“What, you don’t want to smell my sexy Alpha musk?” I teased. “I’m hurt.”
“There’s musk, and then there’s sweat and grease from working outside all day.”
“Touch.”
“Well, I gotta go. My ride will be here in a few to take me to the diner. See you tonight!”
“Later, babe.” I caught myself just before I said what I wanted to say. We might get along great so far, but two days after meeting her was a bit soon to say “I love you.” Especially not over the phone. Something like that required me to be with her, to have a romantic setting. I had to plan and set up the perfect date—with just the two of us—before I could drop that bomb.
She deserved something special.
Just as I hung up the phone, Tom strolled into our bare apartment twirling a set of keys on his index finger. “Snagged us a rental!” he chirped as he tossed me the keys. I looked at the logo on the fob and groaned.
“What is this? A Honda? They didn’t have anything better at the lot?”
Tom snorted. “Beggars can’t be choosers, Will. It was hard enough convincing the insurance agent that the claw marks on the hood were caused by a ‘wild animal.’ You should be grateful we even have a rental to get us around.”
Tom had a point. It had taken his silver tongue—and a bit of Alpha magic—to convince the insurance adjuster that our policy should cover the damage done by the other Alpha.
The memory of the cowardly asshole brought a growl to my throat. Tom backed up a few paces instinctively, though I was sure he knew I’d never hurt him. I ran my hand through my hair with a sigh. “Sorry, Tom. I didn’t mean that for you.”
He flashed me a wry grin, but the nervous chuckle he gave me revealed his unease. “Hey, no worries, bro. It happens.”
“Yeah, but it shouldn’t happen. What if Mel and I have kids, and I scare them with that shit? I’d never forgive myself.” I stood up and pocketed the keys. “Come on. Time to get to work and leave the wolf shit behind for a few hours.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have your mate working right there with you.” He sighed. “Maria is so fucking hot, and I love when she bosses me around. The things I’d let that woman do to me …”
“Calm those hormones, dude. She’s gonna be super pissed when she finds out you’ve got a double date tonight with me and Mel.”
Tom did a spit take on the coffee he’d just swigged. “Excuse me?”
“Er, yeah. Mel has a friend for you to meet.”
“Will …” His tone was dangerous but not enough to deter me.
“Come on, man. Do me this one solid, would ya? She only agreed to the date if you came and met her friend. Please?”
Tom grumbled an affirmation. “Fine. But if Maria kills me, it’s on your head.”
To my surprise, Maria didn’t complain when Tom broke the news. Instead, she gave him one of those women’s mystery grins and just chuckled.
“It’s ok, Tom. I might just go find something to do tonight to keep myself occupied.”
I cringed, but Tom took it in stride. If an Alpha tells him she’s going to go out without him, he has no place to argue.
Work dragged that day. If my coworkers could mess something up, they did, and it was always up to me to fix it. I put out so many fires—some of them literal—that by the time we got back to the apartment, I was exhausted. Only the thought of meeting Melody and her friend for our double date kept me going, though the quick shower I took after work revived me a bit.
We pulled up to the diner at seven o’clock on the dot, and when I saw Tom’s date for the evening, I snorted with laughter.
Mel had invited Maria.
If Tom had been in wolf form, his tail would’ve been going a mile a minute. He hopped out of the Honda and rushed to open Maria’s door for her, tripping over his own feet in the process. I got out to take care of Mel’s door, but I kept my cool about it. Mel and I shared a small smile as Tom flushed when Maria gave him a peck on the cheek for his efforts.
“You knew, didn’t you?” I asked before kissing Mel’s cheek.
“Who, me?” Her blue eyes glittered with mischief. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Dibs on the back seat!” Tom shouted as he dove into the car. The door slammed behind him, and I cringed.
“They’re going to be going at it before we even get there.”
Mel giggled. “Probably. But who cares? They’re so happy.” The car shook, and giggles erupted from inside. Mel shrieked in mock horror and took a step closer to me. I wrapped her in my arms and inhaled her sweet cinnamon fragrance.
“You smell like cookies …” I murmured into her neck as I nuzzled it.
“After working in the diner all day? I’m surprised I don’t smell like fries and greasy burgers.”
“Nope. Cinnamon.” I licked her neck and nipped her earlobe. A different scent wafted through the air, one I associated with sex and pheromones. “Cinnamon and desire.”
“Mm … You keep that up, and we’ll never make it to the bowling alley.”
“Would that be a bad thing?”
Mel giggled again and pulled out of my embrace, much to my dismay. She gave my shoulder a playful punch before sliding into the shotgun seat. “Patience, Will. All in due time.”
As we drove to the bowling alley, I found myself grateful for the automatic transmission on the rental. Mel held my hand as I drove, and I would have hated to have to let go for shifting gears in the Mustang.
The bowling alley was packed, as was to be expected for a Friday night in a small town. We lined up to get our shoes, and I groaned when I saw the brightly colored patchwork monstrosities they handed me.
“Seriously? These are like clown shoes!”
Mel nudged my shoulder with hers. “I kinda like ‘em. I bet you’ll look cute in those.”
I rolled my eyes and took the shoes, carrying them by the strings. We each grabbed a bowling ball from the racks behind the lanes, and I noted that Tom grabbed a sixteen pounder. As a wolf he could probably handle it, but I suspected it was more to show off for Maria than because he actually needed that heavy a ball. I took the same size, and Maria surprised me by picking the heaviest ball as well. Mel took a ten-pound ball for herself.
Since we were in Maria’s territory, I let her go first. Her form was spot on, and she immediately landed two strikes. Melody followed with a strike and a spare, and Tom’s ball rolled into the gutter each time.
I’m pretty sure he did that on purpose. Tom was head of our bowling league back home.
When my turn finally came around, I picked up my ball and strode to the approach. I lined up, stepped forward, and threw the ball, knocking down eight pins on the first throw.
Leaving myself with a seven-ten split. Fuck.
Tom may have been head of our bowling league, but I wasn’t even on the team. I didn’t really care for bowling, and the only reason I even came here tonight was Mel seemed excited for it. Now I’d set myself up for certain humiliation in front of Maria and Mel.
That’s what I got for thinking with my dick.
I missed the spare, and pretty much every other spare the rest of the night. Mel didn’t harass me about it, but when Maria finished with a perfect game, the Alpha female strutted and preened like Goddamned cat with a fresh kill.
We returned our balls to the rack and turned in our hideous shoes. My feet hurt a bit from wearing the stiff bowling shoes, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
By the time we left the alley, most of the parking lot had cleared out. There were only a few cars left, and judging by how far they were parked from the entrance, they were likely the alley employees’ cars. As we walked to the Honda, I dug the fob out of my pocket to unlock it. I froze and grabbed Mel’s arm when a familiar scent hit my nostrils.
The asshole Alpha was nearby.
Chapter 5
Dogfight
“What’s wrong, Will?” Mel asked. She must not have caught the scent yet.
I met Tom’s eye, and he nodded, his expression grim. “Maria, take Mel and get out of here,” I said. “Get a cab, hotwire a car, fucking shift and run if you have to, just get her somewhere safe.”
Maria’s brown eyes turned crystal blue as her wolf neared the surface. She sniffed the air and growled. “There’s more than one of them. You might need me here.”
I shook my head. “I need Mel safe. You get her clear, and Tom and I will take care of this jerk.”
Without looking to see if Maria did as I asked, I stripped out of my shirt and unbuttoned my jeans. Since the parking lot was empty aside from the four of us—I still hadn’t laid eyes on the rival Alpha and his pack—I didn’t worry about someone seeing me shift.
Shifting was painful at the best of times. The adrenaline of being in danger helped some, but it still wasn’t exactly comfortable. Sometimes the movies and TV shows made it seem effortless, which was a crock of shit. Having your bones stretch and morph, your joints warp, and your entire body change shape? Yeah. Ouch.
Once I was full wolf, I shook my body to get the last of the shifting kinks out. Tom wasn’t far behind me, and by the time the other Alpha made his appearance with his pack, Tom stood on all fours next to me, his hackles raised.
I snarled at the other wolves and positioned myself between them and the girls, keeping my eyes on the enemy. I had to trust that Maria would do the right thing and get Melody out of there.
Dante strode up in human form, buck naked, as did the rest of his pack—a good half dozen of them, all males, and all large, muscly brutes. They weren’t shifted yet, but they were ready to. The rival Alpha was like the antithesis to Melody. Where she was light, he was darkness. His hair, his eyes, even his skin tone was a deep tan compared to her pale beauty. He smiled, flashing teeth that were almost as dark as the rest of him. This guy must be a smoker.
“Hello, there. Will, is it? I’ve been studying you since you arrived.”
I growled and braced for a fight.
He clucked his tongue and shook his head. “So rude. I mean, I was here before you. This is technically my territory. I had first rights to claim it.”
Asshole. Maria held that claim. Yeah, she was a woman, but that didn’t negate her Alpha status. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t speak as a wolf. Instead, I snapped my jaws at him, spittle flying.
As if he understood me, Dante continued. “Oh, her? Whatever. She’s a female. Made for breeding, not ruling.”
I froze as I heard the distinct sound of heeled shoes falling on the pavement.
“I’m made for kicking your ass, you hijo de puta.”
Fuck. Maria’s bones cracked and her muscles tore as she shifted behind me. If she was still here, where was Mel?
My question was answered when Mel’s purse hit the ground and more cracking started.
Crap. Now I had to fight off seven rival wolves and protect my mate. This was exactly why I’d told Maria to get Mel to safety. Now my attention would be divided, which only made this more dangerous.
Dante took his time shifting. Each pop and snap of his bones and joints was crisp and pronounced. I could have jumped him during the shift, but that would have been an asshole move. Better to let him finish and face him wolf to wolf. I wasn’t about to stoop to his level of dickhood if I could avoid it.
While Dante shifted, his pack started their transformations. They took longer, and the parking lot filled with the sounds of groans, yelps, and whines. His pack was hurting more than usual from the shift, which was a bad sign for them. A good Alpha should be able to absorb the pain through their pack bond, but if he wasn’t doing that, they would all be sore and achy when the fight started. Not a smart move, but then I wagered Dante found his pack members more disposable than most Alphas would.
Despite their pain, they wasted no time in circling around us, though I noted that several of them limped into position. They hurt from the change, which would help us a little in this fight, but they still outnumbered us by three.
Dante might not have been smart enough to take his pack’s pain from them, but he was wise in squaring off against me. Even though Maria was also an Alpha—with territorial seniority—I outweighed her by a good hundred pounds of meat and muscle. I posed the greater threat to him regardless of her status in the larger hierarchy.
He launched at me with a vicious snarl, and the fur started flying.
I managed to dodge his first attack, sidestepping and biting his haunch as he flew past. I clamped down and twisted my head, pulling him off his feet and tossing him on his side. To his credit, he didn’t yelp when he landed, but I got the feeling pain was just a part of life for this wolf and his unfortunate pack.
Dante rolled and righted himself when I let him go. His rear haunch seeped blood, matting his fur, but he acted like there was nothing off, nothing wrong.
He acted like he was on motherfucking drugs, and that spelled trouble.
A drugged wolf spelled worse trouble than a simple wolf gone rogue. If he’d taken something to mask or ignore the pain of his shift and his injury, this fight could drag on for an hour or more. I didn’t have that kind of advantage, so I had to play it smart. I had a pretty decent tolerance to pain and increased stamina as a shifter, but nothing compared to what a wolf could withstand with a little cocaine or steroid cocktail in his system.
My lips curled back as I growled at Dante. He acted aloof, his tongue lolling out like a puppy at play. He yipped cheerily and wagged his tail, further adding to the dangerously innocent image.
This wolf was insane. He had to be.
More yelps and whines filled the air. I noted the voice of Tom’s wolf, but none of the cries of pain sounded like females … yet. I worried about my brother but felt grateful that it seemed like Mel and Maria were both unharmed.
I didn’t use the Alpha pack bond to communicate often, mostly because I rarely shifted in a time and place where talking was necessary. That ended when Tom yelped again.
You okay, Tom? How bad is it? I aimed my thoughts at my twin while dancing around Dante’s fanged lunges.
More yips and yelps. Pain raced through the bond. Bad. We’ve gotten two of them down, but you gotta end this.
My concern slowed me enough that Dante got a bite in. He clamped down on my shoulder and shook, knocking me off my feet. I kicked with my hind legs, dislodging him, and twisted and jumped away. Damn it!
Dante’s wolf panted with a bloody canid grin. I’d swear he was laughing at me.
I could heal Tom if this fight was over, but Dante seemed unfazed by my attacks so far. Tom was right. I had to end this, and the only way to get the rival pack to back off would be to chase away their Alpha.
I had to get serious about fighting back and fighting dirty if necessary.
My next attack didn’t go for his throat like Dante might have expected. I dove under his legs and rolled on my back as I slid, biting at his belly. I ripped through skin and muscle and darted away before he could react. Not a fatal wound, but one that should slow even him down for a bit.
Or so I thought. Dante growled and circled back around on me, but he didn’t seem the least bit concerned about his hemorrhaging gut.
I guess I couldn’t win this by attrition. He’d wear me out before I could even harm him enough to push through the haze of whatever he was on. Coked up wolf shifters were mean bitches, that much was for sure.
In one last-ditch effort to bring this fight to an end, I lunged not for his neck but his face. The preeny bastard should back off if I make him less pretty.
I nailed him right in the snout. My jaws shut his for him, and I jerked my head to tear the delicate skin on his nose and mouth.
That had the desired effect. Dante snarled and finally gave a yelp of his own. His pack froze, stopping their attacks to see what their Alpha would do. He could keep coming at me, but if he didn’t use his healing magic on himself, he’d scar for sure with that wound.
The pause was deafening in its silence. Dante panted quietly, his snout dripping blood, before snorting and bounding off into the darkness. His pack followed, and my wounded shoulder sagged as I let the adrenaline surge wash away. I doubted we’d seen the last of them, but at least I could focus on taking care of Tom and making sure the girls were okay.
Maria got to Tom first, but to my surprise after a few seconds where they spoke in grunts, whines, and growls, she trotted over to me and shifted back to her human form.
“Maria, what—?”
“Hush. He says to heal you, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“Thank you, Maria.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m only doing this because you’re Tom’s brother, and like a good Beta he’s insisting I take care of you first. Now shut up so we can get you healed and work on saving my mate.”
Chapter 6
Omega Heat
When the battle was over and done and I’d dropped Tom off at Maria’s for more healing—he’d been badly hurt, but nothing our combined efforts couldn’t stabilize, and from the way she was looking at him, I knew she’d want some privacy after that scare—I was more than ready for some alone time with Melody.
I knew the look of a frightened, horny Alpha when I saw it. It was the same look I was sure I sported that night.
Melody led me into her apartment, which was cozy and clean. Her cinnamon scent filled the abode, and I inhaled deeply to revel in it. I noted hints of fear and arousal mixed in with the usual Mel-scent, which indicated she felt the same way I did after the fighting. Another new smell rose as I watched Mel lock the door and turn back to face me.
Heat.
I raised a brow and cupped her cheeks with my hands. “Now? The timing is—”
“Appropriate. I’m pretty sure your injury and the excitement of the night triggered it.” She smiled and nuzzled my hand. “My wolf was terrified you’d been hurt worse than what Maria could take care of. I think the wolf inside me is making sure we seal the mate bond before something else happens to you.”
A low growl of desire rumbled in my throat as I leaned in to kiss her. Mel let me cage her in with my arms, putting her hands on my hips and rubbing the sensitive spot with her thumbs.
“Are you ready for this, Alpha of mine?” she asked.
Dear God, I was more than ready!
I pressed her against the door with my body, letting my hard cock rub her stomach. She was shorter than me, but not enough to deter me from taking her where she stood. I’d lift her up to my level and rut her right there with no regrets. I snaked a hand down between us and slid it under her dress. Her slick pussy greeted me, wet and ready.
“Mm, Will … Don’t waste any time. Just fucking do it.” Her plea came in a breathy moan as I toyed with her sex.
“I want this to be special,” I teased, slipping two fingers inside her as I thumbed her clit. “You deserve all the wining and dining, all the foreplay you can handle.”
She grabbed my hair and fisted it, forcing me to look her in the eye. “I can’t handle it right now, baby. Fuck me.”
The desperate growl hit me right in the cock, and I groaned when she started humping my hand.
“Please, Will. Please, just fuck me.”
Her satin panties tore with ease as I pulled them off, exposing her and releasing a fresh burst of heat-scent in the room. I broke the button and the zipper on my jeans in my efforts to get free, to remove any barrier to mating with her.
I hefted her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I positioned myself. We both panted with desire, and Mel whined.
“Please?”
I licked her neck. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll ease it for you.” I knew heat could get uncomfortable for an unmated wolf, and she might lose it if I didn’t actually obey her begging.
When I slid inside her, she sighed and started rolling her hips. The sensation of being surrounded by her wet heat while she rocked against me sent me into a frenzy. I wasn’t going to last long if I didn’t take control soon.
Holding her hips to steady her, I started to thrust. Her back slammed against the door with each push, and her accompanying moans spurred me on. She dug her nails into my shoulders, holding on for dear life as I rammed into her. In the recesses of my mind, I felt a bit bad for taking advantage of her heat, but she insisted, so … Was it really that bad?
As if she could tell I was distracted, Mel found enough breath to chide me.
“Eyes on me, Alpha. Wherever you’re going, you’d better turn around and come right back to me.”
Properly chastised, I refocused on the gorgeous blonde wrapped around me. Her eyes glowed with the presence of her wolf as my dick began to swell and knot inside her. Our bodies locked together, and Mel brushed a hand against my chest. She gasped and groaned.
“Oh, I didn’t see the nipple rings before! That’s so fucking hot, Will.”
I’d gotten the damn things on a dare from Tom, but I was glad she enjoyed them. Her delicate fingers toyed with the jewelry as I fucked her into the door.
“Yes, Will … Yes! Fucking rut me, bruise me, mark me up.”
Oh, God, I was gonna lose my shit. Mel was a talker, it seemed, but that only turned me on more. My wolf growled and pushed me to do as she asked and mark her as ours.
It started with a little nibble, just a taste of her slender neck, but soon I was almost gnawing on her. My lips and teeth and tongue worked to give her the biggest fucking hickey the world had ever seen, and I didn’t care who might see it at the diner the next day. Let the whole fucking planet see it. Let the Goddamn astronauts see it from space.
Her moans and shrieks rose in both pitch and volume, and I came inside her with a roar. Mel screamed, and she followed suit until my damn legs dripped with her release. I spurted into her again and again, my wolf unsatisfied with only one orgasm. My knot didn’t release until I’d come at least three times, with Mel meeting me every step of the way.
When I finally unlocked from her and pulled out, my cum dripped down her luscious thighs. The sight of it was almost enough to get me going again, but from the way Mel panted and heaved, I thought she might be done for the night.
“Bedroom,” I said as I fought to regain my breath. “Where?”
Mel pointed down the hallway with a shaking hand, and I carried her through the apartment back to her room. I set her in the shower and held her upright while I turned on the faucet and started lathering her up with the body wash in the shower caddy. Mel leaned against me and sighed with each stroke of the loofah.
“You don’t have to do this, Will.”
I grunted and rinsed her off with the shower head. “Yes, I do. I got you all messy, so it’s my duty to clean you up. Besides, you can barely stand right now. Someone’s gotta do it.” I gave her my best smarmy wink and kissed her softly. After toweling us both off, I carried her to the bed and tucked her in beside me.
Mel snuggled close with a contented sigh. “This is perfect. Thank you, Will.”
“Don’t thank me. I’ll always treasure and protect you.” I brushed my fingertips across the bright purple hickey on her neck. “You’re mine, Mel. My life, my mate, my Omega.”
Chapter 7
Dante’s Rage
Fuck. Two more pack members dead, four injured, and myself with a fucking bright red scar across my Goddamned nose.
Will Hunter was gonna pay for that.
Fast as I tried to heal myself, I couldn’t undo what he had done in time, not even with me pulling as much healing energy from my weak pack’s bonds as I could. It would fade in time, but for now the scar glared at me in the mirror, a reminder of my failure.
“Hey, boss, at least he didn’t bite off your nuts when he got your belly, huh?”
I turned and glared at my pack’s new Beta, Carl. Fresh off a promotion after Hector and the other Beta were slaughtered, and he was willing to risk his own death by taunting me?
I fucking spoil these brats. That’s what it is. I spoil them, and they think this shit is okay.
Carl shrunk back from my deadly gaze, but I wasn’t about to let a little act of submission make up for his arrogance. I shifted my fingertips into claws and cut a deep slice across his own nose, mimicking my own injury. He hissed in pain and ducked even farther back.
“Maybe that will teach you to mind your fucking tongue.” I whirled around and looked at the remaining four pack members. “Anyone else think it’s funny that he cut me?”
No one had the nerve to admit it.
“Good.” I left them with that and strode off to my room, which used to be the warehouse office. It had its own bathroom and a small cot, but it was far better accommodation than my pack dealt with out on the warehouse floor. They didn’t complain outwardly to me about the pallets I forced them to sleep on, but their irritating groans and whining about the sore backs I overheard every morning were almost enough to make me wish I could just start a fresh pack with that juicy Omega.
She would be mine. It might take another fight and losing the rest of my men, but I was not going to settle until I had her in my bed, until I was wedged between those milky white thighs.
Thoughts of the Omega bitch had warmed my bed plenty in past nights, but I still had a painful stomach wound that prevented me from focusing enough to finish the deed. I couldn’t very well jack off properly with a huge raw spot on my belly. My hip wasn’t much better, and I cursed Will Hunter again as I focused more healing pack energy on the areas. A quick snort of fresh white powder up my nose helped amp up my energy enough to take the edge off.
I shivered and shook as I drew power from the pack out in the warehouse. Their yelps reached my ears through the closed office door, and I growled in annoyance. Weak pups. They should be able to handle a few battle wounds.
Once I’d eased my injuries enough to allow me to concentrate, I laid back on the cot and stroked myself while thinking of the Omega. Her pouty red lips, her full breasts, that perky Omega ass of hers … I let the images of her run through my mind as I jerked faster and faster. I shuddered when I came and wiped the mess with an old cloth.
It wasn’t enough. I couldn’t sustain myself on fantasies anymore. I needed her in my bed, her skin against mine. I needed her heady cinnamon scent in my coked-up nostrils while I rutted her into oblivion.
Bah. It was useless to fantasize now. I had to plan, to think up my next attack. I couldn’t leave Will alive next time. Next time, one of us would die.
The thought of that annoying bastard bleeding out at my feet brought a smile to my lips. I chuckled to myself as I envisioned him prone beneath me, his entrails strewn about. That was his fate. I felt it in my bones.
I knew what I had to do: I had to go to the Omega’s work, to the diner, and take her for my own. If Will got in my way, I’d obliterate him.
Since I knew enough about Will’s schedule to know he’d be at work during the day, that’s when I made my move. I headed for the diner alone. My pack stayed behind, claiming pain and fatigue. Fine. Let them rot in the warehouse. I didn’t need them.
I’d do it all myself.
When I arrived just after eight in the morning, there was already a small crowd inside. I pulled my Jeep to the back and parked next to the cook’s old Buick. I debated slashing his tires just for fun but decided against it. He wasn’t my end goal, and it didn’t matter if he got away or not. I was here for the Omega.
She greeted me at the door with a forced grin. I entered as a patron, and with the manager standing in the back corner, she couldn’t very well outwardly confront me. I smiled and followed her to my table. She shoved the menu at me, and I took it graciously. I ordered steak and eggs, and she stalked off to give my order to the cook. Leaning back in my seat, I toyed with the steak knife that came wrapped in my silverware. Shiny and serrated but dull, it was a useless weapon, but I loved the way the Omega squirmed when the fluorescent lights glinted off the blade.
It took me a few minutes to notice the change in her scent, what with the diner full of the aroma of fresh food. When I did smell her, I growled and jabbed the knife into the table, piercing the old vinyl-covered wood.
She had a new scent to her, a new smell that incited my rage.
She was pregnant.
How? Just the day before she’d been near her heat. I could smell the hormonal change in the bowling alley lot. This meant …
It meant that Will had fucked her.
My eyes followed her as she waited tables, zeroing in on the giant fresh hickey on her neck that I’d missed before. Her gaze darted to the knife in front of me, and the acrid aroma of fear mixed with her pregnancy scent. She knew I was angry.
The plate of food clanked on the table when she served it, and I grabbed her wrist. “What the fuck is going on, bitch? Why do you smell different?”
She tried to pull her arm free, but I held tight. “Let go, Dante. I’m trying to work.”
“Oh, you’re a working girl, all right. Let that bastard, Will, have his fucking way with you, huh? How much did you sell my Omega pussy for, hm? Or did you give it away like a little slut?”
The Omega’s hand shook in my grip. “I’m not your Omega.”
“Not yet, but you will be soon enough.”
I watched as her eyes glowed crystal blue. The air hummed with pack energy, but since it wasn’t my pack energy, I couldn’t trace it.
She was calling him.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” I hissed. “If he comes here, I’ll annihilate him.”
“Will’s gonna wipe the floor with you,” she said, her expression defiant despite her fear.
With a snarl, I bared my fangs and stood, knocking over my chair and startling the other patrons. A few of the weaker women screamed and backed away from us, but I didn’t care. Let them fuss. My rage was at its peak, and nothing shy of murder was going to sate it.
I yanked the arm I held, pulling the Omega off her feet. She hit the table with a thud, and I grinned as she held her taut stomach as if to protect it from me. As if that could protect it from me. I grabbed her ponytail with my free hand and shoved her head until it collided with the table. She grunted and struggled, but still I held fast.
“You. Dare. Mock. Me?” I punctuated my words with slams of her head on the table. I was dimly aware of weak human hands trying to pry me off of her, but my rage was focused on the bitch in my grip. The Omega cried out, and my cock jumped in my jeans at the sound.
I leaned close, ignoring the manager as he struggled to free her.
“I’m gonna beat the brats out of you. When I’m done, I’m gonna make sure you know who you belong to.”
The salty scent of her tears excited me. This was fun.
My fun was almost ruined when the manager pulled the knife out of the table and tried stabbing me with it. The dull thing glanced off my bicep, and I turned on him with homicidal thoughts racing through my brain.
The Omega scampered out the door when I released her, and I snarled. I turned my focus on the manager and grabbed his throat, my claws digging into the weak human flesh. Spurts of blood shot out and hit my face as the man wriggled to get loose. His efforts only made my claws dig deeper, and within seconds he’d struggled his last.
With the manager dead, I turned towards the door. My Omega thought she could run, but she didn’t know the depths of my determination.
I would have her, no matter the cost.
I stalked after her into the parking lot, following her scent. She had run behind the building, but not off the property. She was still nearby, hiding, waiting for her wolf in shining armor to rescue her.
Silly bitch. He wasn’t going to make it in time.
After a quick sniff of the air, I found her huddled behind the Dumpster, cradling her bleeding head. I advanced, but a whirlwind of fur and fangs slammed into me before I could reach her.
The fucking Alpha Hunter was here.
I tossed him off me and started to strip out of my clothes. I was going to face him as a wolf and show him how a real Alpha fought.
I grinned and bared my growing fangs as he shook himself off and planted himself between me and the wounded Omega. “You may have mated her,” I said, “but that won’t stop me from getting rid of the whelps and seeding her with my own pups.”
Chapter 8
Rumble in the Lot
My heart raced as Dante started his shift. I’d run flat out from the warehouse in wolf form to get here as soon as I felt Mel call me through the new pack-mate bond. The sight of her cowering behind the Dumpster, frightened and bleeding, was horrifying. What kind of Alpha does that to a pregnant Omega—to any Omega? I couldn’t fathom the kind of psychopathy I was dealing with.
Worse than that was the knowledge that I couldn’t heal her until I dealt with Dante. Every second I spent fighting him was wasted time, time that would be better spent healing my mate, the future mother of my pups.
Most wolf shifters had something akin to litters. A solid ninety percent of us, give or take, were twins or triplets. Mel had told me about her family’s gruesome deaths, how they were hunted by religious bigots who thought they were demons. After escaping as the last surviving member of her pack, Mel ran from town to town, finally settling in Nowhere, a town where the magic ran so thick I could smell it in the air.
Tom and I were twins. Mel had been a triplet. Even by human standards, the odds were good that she carried multiple pups.
I glanced over at Mel in her hiding spot. If I’d arrived too late to save them …
“Eyes on me, Hunter.” Dante’s voice, mutated by the shift, grated in my ears. The arrogant asshole shifted his snout last, probably so he could get one last word in before the fight. His words, which echoed Mel’s from the night before, haunted me.
Dante lunged the second the last inch of fur had sprouted from his skin. I dodged, but only just barely. He moved like lightning, and his nose bled from some unknown source. He’d already healed the wound I gave him as much as it could have been in such a short time, so it probably came from something else.
He’d snorted before he came here. If he hadn’t been coked up at the bowling alley, he definitely was now.
Rather than back off with this knowledge, I squared off and bared my fangs, growling low in my throat. Cocaine or no, I wasn’t about to let him hurt Mel any worse than he already had. He’d be lucky if I even let him leave this parking lot alive.
“Careful, Will! He killed my manager.”
Mel’s voice, weak and muddled, reached my ears and cemented my resolve. I had to stop Dante.
What? The blood I smelled when I got here—I didn’t notice how much of it there was. Did he really murder someone in the diner, and in broad daylight?
Before I could act, Dante struck. He bounded forward and caught my ear as I tried to evade him. I bit back a yelp and twisted my head, ripping the lobe from his teeth. Ignoring the pain, I angled for his throat and snapped. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. Dante howled and shook, but I held fast. My body flailed and flopped around, and my jaws and teeth ripped through more muscle and soft tissue. He was only making things worse for himself.
After a few seconds, Dante knocked me loose. I rolled to my feet, and he circled back around on me. His lunge brought him close enough to clamp down on my rear haunch. I snarled and kicked, landing a few hits on him but not breaking free. He shouldn’t have been able to grip that hard with the damage I did to his neck. If I didn’t strike a killing blow and fast, I’d lose.
Twin snarls sounded from nearby. I recognized one of them as Tom’s wolf, and since he had arrived, I could only assume that Maria had joined him.
I had backup, but I wasn’t stupid enough to assume I’d win.
Tom, you and Maria get him off me. As soon as he is, take Mel and run.
I didn’t expect Maria to answer. The pack we’d started to form was too new, and some Alphas can never integrate into other Alphas’ pack bonds. There was no denying it, though; her voice came through the bond crisp and clear.
That order didn’t fly last night, and it’s not going to fly now.
Crap. I would have argued, but it wasn’t the time for that.
Fine. Don’t run, but at least keep her safe while Tom and I deal with Dante. I heard a soft snort and the patter of wolf feet in the background over Dante’s snarls, followed by a vicious growl as Tom attacked my attacker.
Flesh and muscle tore as Tom ripped Dante off me. I yelped in spite of myself.
Dante’s wolf rolled out of Tom’s grip and danced a few paces away, tail wagging as a piece of my hide hung out of his mouth. He pranced around, tossing the hide in the air and catching it over and over again. He was playing with a part of me.
It was a sickening sight, but not as sickening as the pain when I tried to put weight on my right rear leg. I couldn’t use the limb, and I had to limp away to put some distance between Dante and myself.
Will, we need to heal you. That’s no scratch you’ve got there.
Maria was right, but I couldn’t stop yet. Not until I dealt with Dante. Not yet. After.
After you’ll be dead.
I growled at her but kept my eyes on Dante, who now shook his prize like a rag doll in his jaws. Got a better idea?
Yes. Leave, so you can fight another day.
What? Was she crazy? If we leave now, Dante will think he’s won.
By that time, several of the diner’s patrons had come out to the parking lot to watch the huge wolves fight. A few held cell phones, clicking away with their cameras. It was a disaster.
Melody’s shifted, Maria said through the pack bond. She can run now. Let’s go.
I growled, frustrated because Maria was right. We couldn’t win this in the long run without leaving and regrouping.
As we darted away with me limping along, Dante laid down and started gnawing on the chunk he’d torn from me. His teeth gnashed, and he growled the whole time.
We ran straight for the closest place we could: Maria’s apartment. It felt strange being wounded in another Alpha’s territory, a position that no wolf in his right mind wants to be in, but Maria was courteous and accommodating. She shifted back to human form and helped me heal Melody, then myself. Thankfully, Mel hadn’t sustained any injury to her abdomen, and her head wound looked worse than it really was.
Maria’s place was the pinnacle of domestic bliss, with a place for everything and everything in its place. The only thing that seemed off in her pristine home was a small pile of pillows on the couch. It reminded me of when our Omega cousins would nest in preparation for a new litter. I wondered if it meant what I thought it did, so I cornered Maria later, when Mel and Tom were asleep.
“So, you and Tom … Is it going well?”
“What business is it of yours?”
I pointed to the pile of pillows. “You’re nesting. Usually only Omegas nest.”
Maria sighed. “Look, mi madre used to nest when she was in heat, and she was more Alpha than the both of us put together. There’s nothing wrong with a few pillows.”
“You don’t smell like you’re in heat,” I said with a frown. “In fact, you smell more like—”
Maria clamped a hand over my mouth. “Shh! If Tom wakes up and hears you, he’ll never let me help you take down Dante.”
I pulled her hand off my face. “And you think I’m gonna let you?”
“You’ll let me if you know what’s good for you.”
“If I let you fight, Mel’s going to wanna fight too!” I ran my hands through my hair. “I can’t let you two go with us. Not when you’re both—”
“What? Weak? Women?”
I rolled my eyes. “Pregnant.”
That stopped her, like saying the word out loud made it true. “I want to protect my pack. Mi familia. I can’t do that on the sidelines. I can handle myself in a fight. I can handle Dante. What I can’t handle is standing around while my new pack is torn apart.”
“Maria—”
“Please, Will. At least think about it.”
I growled and stalked back to the spare bedroom where Melody slept. I laid down next to her, wrapping my arms around her. The thought of Mel facing Dante and his pack in her condition terrified me, but Maria had a point. She and Mel might be pregnant, but they were both wolves in their own right. Who was I to say they couldn’t help with the Dante problem? Besides, it was almost a new millennium. Hadn’t women earned equal rights yet?
I stroked Mel’s hair in the dark while I tried to plan our next moves. The scar on my hip, which would eventually fade with time and more Alpha magic, ached every time I moved, a painful reminder of my failure.
Chapter 9
Sweet Release
When Mel woke me with a warm hand around my cock, I froze. She’d just had a traumatic day—Did she really want this?
“Mel?” I said with a groan as she stroked me slowly.
“Hm?” She responded but didn’t stop what she was doing.
“You, uh, sure about this?”
She giggled and gripped me tighter as she slid a leg over my hip. “Uh huh.” Her voice had taken on a low, husky quality that made me jump in her hand when I heard it.
“I don’t want to hurt you …”
“I’m fully healed now, Will. You don’t have to baby me.” She rubbed her cheek against mine. “Your Alpha healing worked a little too well, anyway. My neck looks like you never touched it.”
The thought of marking her again stirred something deep within me, and I caught her mouth with mine. Mel moaned into my lips and ground her hips against me. The sweet aroma of her desire wafted to my nose, mixing with her slight morning breath in an oddly satisfying way. I realized then how truly lost in her I was, how completely smitten. Not even the knowledge that we’d escaped without any time to grab an extra toothbrush was enough to deter me.
I rolled onto my back, bringing Mel on top of me in the process. I wanted her so much that it ached, but after what she’d just been through, I didn’t want to go too hard. She deserved something soft and easy, something sweet. She might be physically healed, but the Alpha healing can’t heal her mind. I still worried about her mental state after the attack.
“You pick the speed, baby. Take it as slow as you need,” I said, pushing her hair back behind her ear.
Melody grinned and rolled her hips over my cock. I gritted my teeth to fight the urges swelling within me. “Are you giving me the lead, Alpha?”
“Yes. I’ll give you whatever you need.”
“What if I need it fast? What if what I need is for you to not treat me like an injured pup?”
I raised a brow. “Do you need it fast?” If that’s what she wanted, I was all for it, but I’d rather savor the moment … Learn the hills and valleys of her body, explore every inch of her while we made love.
“I need you, Will. Fast or slow, however you want it. You’re what matters.”
She hovered there, just barely out of reach. She seemed to be teasing me, goading me into action.
I lifted my hips slowly, bringing myself home. Mel arched her back with a soft sigh. Before she could change her mind, I took her hips in my hands to guide them. Down, then up, down, then up, slowly and carefully. Every ounce of my attention focused on the feel of her skin in my hands, the way she clenched me from the inside, the glow of her wolf in her eyes. I wanted to lock these sights and sensations in my memory, so I could have an infinite loop of pleasure in my mind.
“Oh, Will … You fit me so perfectly …”
Her hands glided over my bare chest, pausing at my nipples. I groaned as she bent to lick each piercing, to take the time to suck and nibble on the sensitive nubs. It was enough to drive me to fuck her faster, but I kept my resolve. She deserved to be treated properly after what the other Alpha said and did to her.
When she spoke through the mate bond while I was buried inside her, I shuddered.
Yes, Will … You fuck me so sweet.
Mate bonds were amazing things. More than a mere mental connection, they also projected emotions. Feelings.
Sensations.
When Melody used the mate bond during sex, I felt her joy. I felt her desire, her satisfaction. I felt myself inside her, felt my cock fill her to the brim. I felt the push and pull, the growing knot. I felt all of it with each focused thought.
Will … Baby, I never knew it could be like this with another wolf. Never knew I could link with you like this. Your passion, your tenderness, it’s all laid bare to me now …
Since she seemed to be enjoying the bond, I clamped my jaws shut and used it instead of my words.
Your happiness is all that matters. If this brings you joy, then that’s what I’ll use.
Her eyes drifted closed, and she smiled the sweetest smile.
Yes …
That was it. The only word that made it through the barrage of emotions in her response. I struggled to understand each feeling, to know the depths of Mel’s mind, her soul.
Desire. Passion. Faith. Hope. And, stronger than all the others, love.
I let out a contented sigh as Mel’s body began responding to mine and answering in kind. Up, down, up, down, side to side, even in circles … her hips were constantly in motion, those perfect round hips that fit my hands so well.
Despite how slow we took it, my orgasm thundered to the surface. I fought to regain control, but it was no use. My breath came in short, shallow gasps as I pumped into her. Mel’s smile widened, and she opened her eyes.
Good thing I’m already pregnant.
The giggle that followed brought a smile to my lips. I slid out and rolled her onto her side. Mel snuggled up to me, her long legs trapping me between them. “Mine,” she murmured with a sleepy voice. “All mine.”
“Don’t tell me I’ve worn you out already.”
“It’s been a long day,” she said, yawning. “Fighting and healing … takes it out of me.”
I frowned, suddenly concerned. “Was this too much?”
“No!” She lifted her head to look me in the eye. “No, never too much with you. It was sweet and sexy. It was absolutely perfect. Just right.”
I loved hearing how happy she was, but the brief reminder of the morning’s events sobered me. Something had to be done about Dante, and I knew I’d be the one to do it. By the end of all this, I’d be the one ending him.
But how to do that without getting Mel involved? I didn’t want to confront him with her around because that would be a deadly distraction. With Mel nearby, I can’t focus on taking out Dante. My first priority with her around would always be her safety over all else. That could spell disaster if Dante chose to attack her again. And the pups! My stomach churned when I realized how close we had come to losing all of them.
By the time my wandering mind figured out my next step, Mel had dozed off in my arms. I untangled myself from her and slid out of the bed. I needed to take matters into my own hands. No more waiting for Dante to get the drop on us again.
Will Hunter was going hunting.
I slipped out of the apartment, closing the door gently. I didn’t want to wake Tom and Maria, either. Maria was just as much of a distraction as Mel, and the girls would need Tom if something went wrong with my mission.
Once outside, I checked the area around her apartment for any late-night wanderers. I didn’t need someone catching my shift on camera.
Shifting so much in so few days took a toll on my body. The aches and pains associated with the violent physical change grew exponentially each time, to the point where even the pads of my paws ached to stand on.
I shoved the pain to the back of my mind and started sniffing the air. I knew I’d likely have to circle back to the diner to catch Dante’s trail, but it didn’t hurt to start now.
I caught his scent about three miles from the diner, near the warehouse district. It unnerved me that he was so close to where Maria and Tom worked. Was that intentional on his part, or was it just a coincidence? Either way, the knowledge that he lurked so close to my loved ones cemented my resolve to take him out. I didn’t even care that I also scented his pack with him. Let them try to take me out.
I was a man on a mission, and a few rabid wolves weren’t going to stop me.
Creeping around dusty, cobwebbed pallets and boxes, I inched closer to Dante’s scent. As I neared, his voice drifted to my ears. He was on a rant about something, and I strained to hear.
“That other fucking Alpha doesn’t know how lucky he is that those rubbernecking idiots showed up. If they hadn’t, I’d have eaten more than his haunch for breakfast.”
I fought the urge to growl at his words. If I made a sound, I’d be dead.
“Hey, boss, how come you didn’t follow them?”
By then I was close enough to peek around a stack of decaying cardboard boxes and see the small pack gathered. I spotted a body on the ground at Dante’s feet, and bile rose in my throat as I recognized one of his pack members. Did he murder that poor man? Why? What kind of Alpha does that to his own people?
“I didn’t follow them because there was no need. That loser won’t survive for long with the chunk I took out of him.” Dante picked up something flat and shiny on the pile of pallets next to him. Thin white parallel lines streaked across it, and when he pulled out a rolled-up bill, I knew what was happening. He snorted a line and rubbed his scarred nose. “He’s weak. I bet he doesn’t even utilize his pack’s energy to heal himself. The bastard’s probably bled out by now.”
Wait—Dante stole energy from his pack to heal himself? That was almost more atrocious than killing pack members.
Every Alpha learned as a pup that the pack is for protecting, not to be used as a means of amping up the Alpha’s own power. Did Dante’s pack raise him like this, or did his actions stem from his own psychosis? I couldn’t fathom even considering stealing my pack’s energy for my own betterment, not even as injured as I was. Alpha healing, when used properly, didn’t need that kind of augmentation. I wondered briefly if Dante’s drug use had damaged his ability to heal himself, taking note that the scar I’d given him on his nose hadn’t faded in the slightest since the other day’s events. My hip, healed by my own energy for the most part, was almost back to normal.
“Eat up, boys. You’ll need your strength for tonight. As soon as you’re all fed, we move on the mangy Alpha and his pack.” Dante strode off into the shadows, and the three remaining wolves in his dwindling pack pounced on the dead body.
Good lord, he was feeding them with their own murdered packmates!
I turned away, hoping to block the horrendous scene from my mind, but the feral snarls and growls that came from the starving pack couldn’t be blocked. They devoured the dead wolf, leaving a bloody mess on the warehouse floor.
“What’s the matter, Will? Are your delicate sensibilities offended?”
I hadn’t heard Dante approach, so his voice startled me. I whipped around and took a defensive stance, ready for an attack. The rival Alpha stood a few feet away, naked as the day he was born, leaning against a crumbling brick wall with his arms crossed loosely over his bare chest. The casual pose belied the dangerous threat that simmered beneath the surface. His rage wafted off him, almost palpable.
“I hope you said your goodbyes to Melody, Will, because the next time she sees you will be to identify what’s left of you at the morgue.”
I watched in horror as Dante shifted to his wolf. The transition was smooth, seemingly effortless, and I knew it was likely from the drugs he took. No wolf can shift that often without pain.
The corner I’d hid in had been good for remaining unseen, but it sucked from a defensive standpoint. I was trapped with no ready escape plan. I hadn’t expected Dante to sniff me out here, which might have been a fatal error.
No. I couldn’t think like that. I might have been cornered, but I wasn’t dead yet.
The human growls turned to yelps and whines, and I recognized the sounds of joints snapping and tendons ripping. Dante’s pack had started to shift, which meant they were moments from joining him.
I realized then that I’d walked right into a trap.
Chapter 10
Wolves at War
Dante’s wolf panted and wagged his tail. The bastard was enjoying this.
I scrambled to find a way out. With boxes stacked higher than even I could jump on every side, it wasn’t likely that I could just dive past him. I might be able to goad him into lunging, which would give me a chance to slide underneath him.
With my hackles raised, I growled and poised to pounce. Hopefully, Dante would assume I planned on jumping right for him. All I needed was one small opening.
Dante shifted his weight, his legs crouching in preparation for his typical lunge. I waited for him to jump, ready to dart beneath him and run to a more open area. The seconds ticked by, and I realized he was toying with me. My wolf bristled with rage, but I tamped down on the emotion as I focused on getting out of the corner.
When Dante struck, I jumped and slid, letting my fur glide on the smooth concrete flooring. I spun around to face my opponent, gathered my legs beneath me, and made a lunge of my own at his exposed back.
My jaws clamped down on either side of his spine, and Dante howled.
Energy surged around Dante, and his pack howled. He stole their power in the middle of the fight, with no cares about their ability to battle. I growled and bit down harder, but I couldn’t quite break the spine. Wrong angle, too much muscle in my mouth.
So much for ending this quickly.
Dante snarled and twisted and shook, trying to dislodge me, but I held firm. From where I was, he couldn’t reach to bite me, and I wasn’t about to give him the chance to.
A sudden sharp pain in my rear ankle reminded me that we weren’t alone, and I kicked out. The wolf that bit me yelped as my foot collided with his face. He released my ankle, and I finally let go of Dante so I could get away from his pack.
They could easily have boxed me in from the outside, but to my surprise there was a wide opening between them when I released their Alpha. I dove between them, and suddenly I felt much less at a disadvantage.
Dante’s pack darted back and forth, taking little nips at me but nothing serious. It was like they didn’t know how to fight.
My rival took his time recovering. He shook his body, sending blood flying. The wound on his back gaped and seeped. It was a sickening sight. He licked blood off his snout in one long, languid swipe.
The more Dante’s pack stumbled over each other, the more I realized something: They didn’t coordinate. A well-established pack should have been able to move almost seamlessly together, to use the pack bond to read each other’s minds and respond in kind. This pack acted like they had no bond, like they were nothing more than wild dogs running amok.
My confidence rose at this revelation. Dante might be formidable as an enemy, but his pack amounted to little more than comedic relief. If I ignored them, I could focus on the real threat.
That threat almost got the jump on me. He bounded forward, and I barely made it out of the way in time. His jaws clapped together as he missed his bite. Dante snarled and gnashed with his teeth, but again I dodged and scampered free.
By this point, Dante and his pack were now in the corner, while I stood clear. A few stacks of boxes and pallets dotted the warehouse floor around us, but I had enough room to maneuver if I needed to. I almost allowed myself to relax, but I stopped just in time. I couldn’t relax, not with four wild wolves facing me, and one of them—Dante—literally foaming at the mouth.
For the first ten minutes, the pack took me on one at a time. A wolf would pounce and bite, I’d sidestep, I’d snap at the wolf’s shoulder or haunch or stomach, drawing blood, and the wolf would yelp and roll out of the fight. Dante’s pack seemed unwilling to take more than the barest of injuries before tapping out, which would have been a blessing if I didn’t suspect they were decoys, meant to wear me down before Dante swooped in for the kill.
Even as decoys, Dante’s pack lacked the skills and finesse to truly challenge me. By the time they’d each had a shot at me, two of the three limped from deep wounds I’d left in their legs.
The third wolf huffed and panted off to the side, blood dripping from the gaping hole in his stomach. A horrendous stench made its way to my nose, and after a moment I realized it was the odor of perforated bowel. Perhaps I’d done more damage than I first thought …
No time to think about that now. Dante braced himself for a new attack, giving me all of three seconds’ warning.
Three seconds was enough, but only just. As it was, Dante left the exchange with a mouthful of fur while I took off half his right ear. I gnawed on the tough cartilage for a few moments before spitting the mangled tissue at his feet.
In true Dante form, he picked up the ear with his teeth and gulped it down in one swift bite, swallowing it whole.
He was a mad wolf, no question about it.
In a distant part of my mind, I regretted not having at least Tom with me as backup. Dante’s pack was a bunch of weaklings, but they may have been successful in their attempts to wear me down, much as I hated to admit it. I panted and huffed, winded from my efforts, but Dante seemed fresh as a fucking daisy.
If this went on much longer, I’d be dead.
My muscles coiled as I prepared for Dante’s next attack. Seconds ticked by, but the other Alpha didn’t move. He stood with his own blood dripping from his mouth, tongue lolled to the side like a puppy at play. That tail of his wagged with lightning speed, arched high over his back. Everything about his poise and position spoke of a wolf who was enjoying himself.
Even with his back hemorrhaging from deep open wounds.
Even with his ear torn off.
He just wouldn’t stop.
As that realization set in, my stomach took a nauseating plunge. I could face an Alpha who was bigger than me, even one who was evil and sadistic. But add in the drugs, and it all seemed hopeless. How could I stand alone against him when he’d doped himself beyond feeling pain?
Started the party without me, bro?
Tom’s voice through the bond startled me, but I managed not to outwardly show it. I kept my cool, kept my defensive stance, kept my eyes on Dante.
The girls—
Tom snorted from somewhere close behind me. Maria’s watching Mel. I convinced them to stay at the apartment.
I did a quick mental inventory of the wolves we’d faced so far. With the two we killed in the bowling alley parking lot and the one Dante murdered tonight, there shouldn’t be any more of his pack to worry about. Only the three wounded mongrels remained.
I’ve hurt his lackeys enough that they shouldn’t be a problem. We need to focus fire on Dante. If we take him down, we end this.
No shit, Will. Tell me something I don’t know.
I could’ve decked Tom for that comment, but it would have to wait for later. Dante chose that moment to advance, taking slow, precise steps towards me.
Before Dante reached me, Tom’s wolf darted out from behind a stack of boxes. He collided with Dante’s midsection and clamped down on his side. The two of them rolled several feet, and Tom snarled, shaking his head to rip and tear the muscle he held.
That should’ve been enough to deter the rival Alpha, but he just shook Tom off and circled back to me. I braced again, but a new scent caught my attention and made me freeze.
Cinnamon.
Panic surged within me. Tom, I thought Maria was watching Mel back at the apartment!
She is—was, at least. I left them both there.
Fuck. Maria must’ve felt the need to pull her Alpha weight and come to my rescue, and she must’ve talked Mel into coming along so she wouldn’t be left alone. Why couldn’t that woman leave well enough alone? We almost had this!
We’ve got to find her and get her out of here. We need to—
My thought cut off abruptly when Dante took advantage of my distraction and lunged. His jaws clamped down on my throat, cutting off my air. I wheezed and twisted and shook, but I couldn’t break free.
This was it. I was going to die. All it would take was a little more pressure. He just had to finish the bite, and he’d finish me.
A loud pop sounded in the warehouse, echoing off the rafters.
Dante froze. Stopped biting. Fell.
I gazed in confusion at the dark red hole in his forehead. Did someone call the police? Why would they call the cops for a dogfight in an abandoned warehouse? It made no sense.
The sharp staccato of heels on concrete clipped as someone approached. Every wolf there, myself included, turned to watch as Mel stepped out from behind a stack of pallets, smoking gun in hand. I blinked in confusion. Where did Mel get a gun?
She didn’t bother explaining. As the enemy pack started to back away, Mel stepped between me and them, leveling the barrel of the gun on the wounded wolves.
“Leave Nowhere now, or your mangy pack will lose more than a deadbeat Alpha.”
Epilogue
Labor of Love
“And that, boys, is how your fierce, brave mother scared off the bad wolves.”
Mel stroked my hair while I rested with my head on her bulging belly. Every night since we’d—she’d—beaten Dante and his pack, I told my sons the story of how it happened. Mel said there was no way they could hear or understand me, but nevertheless she indulged me and let me continue the practice.
Ultrasounds showed five healthy babies growing in Mel’s womb, all boys. More than we expected, but certainly welcome news.
To Maria’s dismay, she only carried one pup. We weren’t sure why—most wolves like us had multiples, after all—but I knew that pup couldn’t be loved or cherished more. Tom and Maria were gonna be great parents.
In the months leading up to the boys’ birth, I doubled down on my work at the stockyard. With five more mouths on the way, I couldn’t afford to slack off. Within Mel’s first trimester, I got promoted to shift supervisor. By month five, I moved up to assistant manager. The pay raises went a long way towards building a nest egg, though I bolstered that money with some shrewd investing. With Tom’s advice, I managed to not only set aside a considerable amount for the boys’ future, but I also set up life insurance policies for Melody and myself in case something happened to us.
Dante may have been gone, but his memory remained. I didn’t want our boys to struggle if another wannabe Alpha decided to try throwing his weight around. I wanted them taken care of no matter what happened to Mel and me. Besides, it was an Alpha’s job to ensure the security of his pack, and that applied to financial security as well.
Before the boys were born, I had a nice place built just outside of town, where our kids could play in the woods without worrying about anyone seeing them shift. A custom build, with plenty of bedrooms for our large family.
Once we moved in, Mel set to work preparing a comfortable nesting area. She had piled pillows on a couch in her apartment, but that was nothing compared to this. The centerpiece of her new nest was a giant beanbag chair that she placed in the corner of our living room, piled high with fuzzy blankets, stuffed animals, and even more pillows. When she complained that her mile-high stack of books was too unstable and kept falling onto the nest, I built her a bookshelf to keep her reading material within reach.
Seven months to the day after we met, while on a walk together in the woods, Mel’s water broke. Not entirely unexpected given the fact that she was carrying quints, but concerning, nonetheless. Would the pups be okay this soon?
“Mel? Mel!” When she slipped on the saturated ground beneath her feet, I hurried her to a fallen log to sit. “Shit … Do we need to get you to a hospital?” Any Alpha confidence I might have had was completely negated by the sudden fear for her safety and that of our babies.
“N-no …” she managed between measured huffs of breath. “I … just need you. Don’t leave me, Will.”
She reached out and latched onto my wrist with an iron grip, squeezing even harder as a contraction brought a scream to her lips. My heart seized in my chest at the sound. “Mel?”
Melody panted and rubbed her belly. “I’m okay. Women have been doing this for thousands of years, right? Piece of cake.” Fine droplets of sweat beaded on her forehead, and her hands shook. As confident as her words were, her body told a different story.
“What do you need me to do?”
Mel’s wolf flashed in her eyes. “Just stay with me. Be ready to heal the boys if they’re too sick or weak. I don’t care what happens to me, so long as all five boys are okay.”
“You’re all going to be okay, Mel. I won’t let anything happen to any of you.”
I wished Tom and Maria were with us. Pack healing worked better with the whole pack present, but Maria had her own pregnancy challenges, and she and Tom had opted to stay home instead of joining us on our walk.
While Mel panted and wheezed, I sat next to her and held her hands, letting her squeeze me as hard as she needed to when the contractions hit. I marveled at the fact that the bones in my hand remained intact. Mel had quite the grip, and it didn’t seem like she was holding anything back.
By the time the contractions reached five-minute intervals, Mel’s skin and hair were drenched with sweat, and her breathing grew ragged. The labor was taking a toll on her, but she still refused to let me take her to a hospital, and she couldn’t walk or even stand long enough to get her back to the house. We were stuck having these babies in the woods outside of Nowhere whether we wanted to or not.
The first baby crowned after a surprisingly short push, and I cradled his tiny head as I moved him to where I’d placed Mel’s skirt on the ground to act as a receiving blanket. He wiggled and cried, and Mel gasped with relief.
“Oh, thank God! Holden’s okay.”
I turned from my task of wiping the baby clean with my shirt. “Holden?”
Mel blushed. “I always liked Catcher in the Rye.”
“Holden it is, then.”
The intensive labor dragged on, with Mel naming each baby as soon as he was out. Geiger. Then Matthew. When she named the fourth baby Rick, a small part of my ego bristled at the fact that none of the boys thus far was named “William.” I cleared my throat as Mel fought to catch her breath between pushes.
“You know, Mel, it wouldn’t hurt to name one of these boys after their father,” I said, bracing for a conflict. If Mel didn’t want to name the last baby after me, she might lash out at my suggestion.
Instead of arguing, Mel beamed. “Best for last, babe. Although, I don’t really want a Junior in the family. Maybe we could call him Billy instead?”
Billy … I could handle that.
Billy decided to give us some trouble, getting stuck halfway through. I helped ease him the rest of the way out and laid him next to his brothers. Billy and Rick were the smallest by far, though they were all tiny. Panic rose in me as I realized I had no clue how to tell if the boys were healthy. Yes, they all moved and cried, but what if there was something wrong that I couldn’t see?
Mel frowned and reached out to brush her fingers across their foreheads. “They’re so small … and these two—” she pointed at Rick and Billy “—sound like they’re wheezing a bit, don’t they?”
I had no clue how she could even tell with all five boys screaming.
“What should we do?” I asked, terrified that we’d made a grave mistake in taking that walk through the woods.
She gave a weak chuckle and stroked my cheek. “Will, baby, did you forget you’re an Alpha?”
For a brief moment, I didn’t understand what she meant by that. Then as soon as it hit me, I smacked myself upside the head for my stupidity. “Of course!”
After some brief healing, the boys’ cries sounded better, even to my inexperienced ears.
Mel gazed lovingly at our new family. She smiled, and even as sweaty and bedraggled as she was, I had never seen a more beautiful sight.
“They’re our future, Will. These boys will be special. I can sense it.”
“We’re going to have our hands full, you know. I suspect any trouble one kid can get into will be multiplied by five with these little guys.”
“Five times the mischief, yes, but more than that. Five times the love. Five times the joy.” Mel winked. “Five times the girlfriends.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me. That’s a problem for another day.”
The End
Want to find out what happens after the Hunter boys grow up? Read their story in Pact with the Pack! Check out the first chapter here:
Pact with the Pack: Bargains Struck Book 1
Chapter 1
If I can’t have you, Cherry, no one can.
Pretty standard ex-boyfriend threat, and if not for the switchblade that narrowly missed my jugular a week ago, I might not be worried. Eric did have the switchblade, however, and, though the cops confiscated it when they arrested him, now that he’s out on bail it would be no problem for him to find another one.
The venom and possessiveness in his voice replay in my head as I see the words repeated on my phone screen. I changed my number the day after Eric tried to kill me, but despite reassurances from everyone I know that they wouldn’t give him the new one, he got hold of it from somewhere. Now, not even an hour after the district attorney called to warn me that Eric slipped his ankle monitor and disappeared, he’s texting me threats.
I’ve gotta get out of town.
Fear grips me tight as I shove my arms in my red leather bike jacket and jam the cherry-red helmet on my head. I rev up my motorcycle, and the tires squeal as I peel out of the parking lot outside my apartment.
I can’t stay here anymore; Eric will be coming for me.
With no family except my grandma, Ethel, I speed through the heavy downtown North Carolina traffic on my way to her cabin in the woods, just outside of Nowhere. My auburn braid bounces in the wind, threatening to work its way free of the hair tie holding my curls in place.
Traffic thins the farther I get from town, and by the time I arc the bike onto Old Country Road at the edge of the woods, the streets lie empty behind me. I allow my shoulders to relax, and I give in to the purr of the engine and the gentle bumping of the less-maintained concrete as the bike speeds through the path between the dense trees. Hazy moonlight slips through the foliage, creating a strobe-like effect on my visor.
Granny Ethel lives on a dirt road that veers from the pavement at a sharp angle, and I skid on some loose rocks when I take the turn. The motorcycle wobbles, but I regain control and slow the bike down to avoid a wreck in the middle of nowhere.
If I didn’t have a psycho ex-boyfriend out to kill me, I’d be better able to appreciate the beauty of the forest around me. Light streams down through the breaks in the trees to pool in patches on the ground that remind me of a Pollack panting, illuminating the greens and browns and greys of nature.
One particular set of greys lying on a fallen oak at the side of the road strikes me so much that I stop the bike and idle in awe.
Not twenty yards away lies the biggest, most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen. The engine of the bike does nothing to scare it away; if anything, the cock of its head and perked-up ears indicate a level of curiosity.
I know better than to dismount and approach the majestic beast, but something draws me to it all the same, trapping me in its gaze. Its crystal-blue eyes bore into me through the helmet, as though it can see straight through the tinted visor into my soul. Its snout bobs, sniffing the air, and its tail thumps the tree in a wag that, were it a neighborhood dog, might entice me to go try to pet it.
Then I remember the scar on my neck, stitches freshly out this morning and still bright red just a week after Eric’s attack, and I decide I quite like my neck in one piece. I start the bike back down the road to Granny Ethel’s with a wave in the direction of the wolf.
Twenty minutes later I pull into the gravel drive outside Granny’s cottage, and my blood runs cold at the sight of Eric’s car parked there.
Worse yet, the door to the cabin sits ajar, and I don’t see Eric anywhere outside.
The bushes to either side of the drive rustle in the night wind, but otherwise I detect no movement outside the cabin. Granny Ethel’s car sits in its usual spot by the house, and in the bike’s headlights I see slashed tires on the old Caddy.
Shit.
The last thing I want to do is go into that cabin. Eric’s most likely inside, waiting to finish what he started a week ago, but if Granny Ethel’s car is here, then she is, too. I can’t leave her alone in there with him. I cut the bike’s engine, put down the kickstand, and swing my leg over the back to dismount.
Unlike Eric, I don’t own any knives. I don’t have a gun. I have nothing to defend myself with.
Neither does Granny, though, and that’s what matters now.
Despite the decreased visibility, I keep the helmet on. Something about that extra layer combined with the thickness of the leather motorcycle jacket provides a small comfort, like I’m wearing armor.
I creep to the door, my heeled boots crunching in the gravel. Even with the helmet muffling everything, it echoes like gunshots in the night. In a distant, rational part of my mind, I wonder why I try to be stealthy. The motorcycle announced my arrival.
Eric already knows I’m here.
The stairs up to the porch creak with even my sleight weight, and each step makes me cringe. So loud. Why does Granny’s porch have to be so loud?
Her front door hinges aren’t much better. They squeal as I nudge the door further open. Light streams through the open door, but the front room lies vacant. Well, vacant save for a broken glass, some upturned furniture, and a smeared blood trail that leads into the back bedroom.
Granny…
My instincts scream at me to run, to get the fuck out of there before Eric comes out of the bedroom to kill me, but I don’t know if Granny Ethel is still alive. If there’s even the slightest chance, I can’t leave her.
I sidestep the blood and pick up the biggest shard of glass from the floor. It might not be much, but it’s better than the nothing I had before. At least my gloves keep me from slicing my own damn hand on the thing. I clench it tight to stop the trembling and creep down the short hallway, cursing the heavy moto boots I have on. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Terrible for sneaking on hardwood floors.
The blood trail goes under the door, which Eric left cracked, and through the slit between the door and the jamb I see more blood pooled next to the bed. I still can’t see Granny Ethel, though.
I take a deep breath, stand off to the side of the doorway, and kick the door open with the toe of my boot.
A nightmare greets me on the other side. Eric stands over Granny Ethel’s body, which has a jagged gash in her throat so deep it makes me gag at the sight. The knife in Eric’s hand drips my grandma’s blood, and its serrated blade measures almost the length of my forearm.
Suddenly, the shard of glass in my hand doesn’t seem any better than nothing.
I scream and try to back up, to run, but Eric moves too fast. Before I know it, he’s got my arm in a vicelike grip, causing me to drop the glass shard, and for the second time in a week he holds a blade to my throat.
“Hey, Cherry.” Even through the helmet, Eric reeks of liquor, which doesn’t surprise me; he was drunk for most of our relationship. He leans into me until his body presses me against the wall. “I missed you, baby. Why don’t you take that stupid helmet off so I can look into your beautiful green eyes?”
Take off my armor? No way. I’d shake my head, but fear paralyzes me.
He holds the knife tighter against my neck. The leather jacket’s protecting me so far, but the teeth on the blade can saw through it in no time, I’m sure, and I have no avenue of escape right now.
“Take. It. Off.” Eric’s voice comes out in a growl, and I know it’s not a matter of if he kills me tonight, but how long he’ll take to do it.
Shit.
I move slow so as not to further provoke him, and his hand moves from my arm to my shoulder so I can get the helmet off. Wisps of curly hair tickle my face as they fall free of the helmet. I meet Eric’s bloodshot eyes, and the malice in them as he smiles at me sends a chill down my spine.
“There you are.” He moves to cup my cheek with his free hand, but the touch has no affection to it. “You know you’re mine, right, Cherry? I was your first, Cherry. No one else can have what I have with you. That creates a bond, Cherry. You might think you can cheat with however many men you want, but you’ll always be mine.”
I should know better than to get snarky, but the way he keeps repeating my name pisses me off. “It wasn’t cheating, Eric. We broke up.”
The hand on my cheek slides down to grip my throat, and the blade moves to hover over my heart. “We. Have. A. Bond.” He pokes my jacket with the tip of the knife. “Right here. You can’t break up with the kind of bond we have, Cherry.”
My heart pounds underneath the tip of Eric’s blade, and he holds my neck so tight I feel my pulse in my throat. It’s getting harder to breathe, and stars twinkle in the edges of my vision.
“I’m going to remind you of our bond tonight, Cherry. I’m going to make sure you never forget who you belong to. Who you belong with. I was your first, Cherry, and I’ll be your last. I am your forever.”
I want to be brave. I want to fight back, but it takes all I have not to piss myself. He’s got me pinned and choked, and I can’t move except to tremble from head to toe. Hot tears stream down my cheeks.
“Please, Eric.” I struggle to get the words out past the hand tightening on my throat. “Please don’t do this. Let’s just call the cops right now. You can turn yourself in, and maybe if you let me go, they’ll go easy on you in court. Two murder charges are worse than one. Maybe, if you don’t hurt me again—”
He squeezes, and I gag. “Shut the fuck up, Cherry. You lost the right to plead for mercy when you slept around on me. You fucked other men, Cherry. I can’t just forgive that.”
He’s insane. Eric’s lost his fucking mind, and I’m going to die because he can’t separate fantasy from reality.
Eric’s lips spread in a wide grin as he slides the tip of the knife down the front of my jacket to my stomach. “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you, Cherry, but it’s necessary. I can’t let you go on being tainted by other men. I’ll fix you tonight, Cherry. I’ll purify you, so you’re all mine again, and once we’re reunited you’ll see. You’ll see that I’m the one you’re supposed to be with.” The blade slides under the leather and under my tank top to press against the soft flesh of my belly. The sting on my skin brings back memories of a week ago, when his switchblade opened a thick line on my throat.
I can’t help it; I cry out despite his chokehold.
My eyes widen at the feral growls that follow.
They don’t come from Eric.