Leaving the Alpha

by Marcy Jacks

  Davin knew if he ever saw any of those men again who had taken him, he would piss himself.

  "So we've got a deal then, right? You don't need to come around here anymore. It's done."

  Sigmund asked this as though he really didn't know what the outcome to this was going to be.

  And as Davin's hands were yanked behind his back and he was taped up, he got fucking furious.

  This dickhead seriously had made a deal with the hunters, and he wasn't even sure if they were going to honor their bargain?

  The betas looked as though they were pretty nervous about all of this, too.

  Stan was probably out here somewhere. Kelly, the damned bitch, probably helped to encourage this. Not just her either, all of the mates who were against having wolf souls here probably had a hand in this.

  Damn. Davin could never get a break around these people, could he?

  Dex's shoulders trembled. Davin looked at him. He didn't have his glasses on. He looked like he was trying not to cry.

  That wasn't good. Crying might make his nose clog up. With his mouth taped up like that, that could end up being massively dangerous.

  Davin worked to get his attention. He wanted to tell the other man that everything was going to be all right.

  He wasn't sure how well he was doing when just looking at Dex in his current state was enough to make Davin want to do a little crying of his own.

  No. He had to be strong. Mark said he would always come for him. Davin had to believe that now more than any time, now that he knew there were traitors in their pack.

  If he got out of this…when he got out of this, he was going to make sure every single one of these motherfuckers paid for this.

  Sigmund was absolutely not supposed to be pulling this kind of stunt. He was supposed to be loyal to Bodolf.

  He was going to be in so much fucking trouble for this, and what the hell sort of excuse was he going to give to explain how Davin and Dex had been taken in the first place?

  Sigmund seemed to be trying to negotiate something with the hunters. The other betas looked worried.

  And they were definitely distracted.

  Davin had no idea what he could do in the limited time he had, but he knew that if he didn't try absolutely everything he could to get out of this, he was going to regret it for the rest of his life.

  So he got Dex's attention again.

  It was difficult to get the other man to understand him when he could hardly seem to see a thing, but then he seemed to get it, and they tried to worm their way across the grass, to get as far away from the commotion as possible.

  All they had to do was find a garden tool or a toy with a sharp edge lying around. Something that would make it easier for them to break the tape.

  Then they could make a run for it.

  "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

  The voice practically singsonged at them. It was a hunter. He looked amused, as though it were funny Davin and Dex could even try to get away right now when they were taped up like they were.

  Davin glared at the man. He would have punched him if he could, and he didn't even care that he might break his own hand in the process.

  He was sick of these hunter assholes acting as though it were some kind of funny joke to run around and kidnap omegas and wolf souls. As though it were a game.

  "All right. Come on back, now. You don't have to be over here."

  He bent down. Davin struggled when the man grabbed him by his shoulders, as though getting ready to drag him back to Sigmund.

  But then a strange metallic thudding noise happened. He couldn't understand what it was or why the hunter suddenly dropped next to Davin.

  Weirded out, he rolled away from the other man.

  Was he trying to take a nap or something?

  Then Davin looked up and saw, to his absolute shock, Kelly. She was right there, a huge frying pan in her hand with a little smudge of blood on it.

  She stared down at him with wide, terrified eyes.

  And in that moment, Davin could see she was right back in the thick of it with him. She was in the warehouse where they were being held captive with him, just as scared as he was as they held on to each other, waiting for the hunters to come after them and end it.

  "Hey! What are you doing?"

  Kelly looked up then back down at Davin before she turned and made a run for it, still holding on to the frying pan.

  She needed to drop it, shift, and then run. She had a better chance of getting away. He tried to scream that at her, but of course, he couldn't through the tape.

  "Go after her! Stop her!"

  "That's one of our omegas! She has nothing to do with this," Sigmund said, as if he suddenly cared about what happened to the people under his care.

  The hunter ignored him, and it seemed a good number of betas did, as well. Unsure of who to obey, they chose the hunter, chasing after Kelly in their wolf forms.

  All Davin could think about was that he hoped to God she got away before he heard the howl of a familiar-sounding wolf.

  And it was close. So close it brought a shiver to Davin's flesh.

  Chapter Eleven

  Davin watched as Kelly ran around the side of one of the trailer houses on the property. A few of the betas chased after her, but they were gone no more than five seconds before Davin watched, shocked, horrified, and then thrilled to see them running back around as though the devil himself were on their asses with a pitchfork.

  And then a giant gray and black wolf appeared around the corner.

  It ran as though it were ethereal. As though it had all the grace of a ballerina coupled with the strength of an old Greek god.

  It was beautiful and dangerous, and it was Davin's mate.

  Davin smiled through the tape as Mark chased down one of the betas. He leapt high and landed on the man's back.

  The beta quickly shifted into his wolf shape, as though he knew this was his only chance to defend himself.

  Even then, it was clearly an unfair fight watching as Mark, who was clearly the larger of the two males, snapped his longer, thicker teeth down onto the beta's face and throat.

  Davin couldn't watch it. He didn't know if Mark was killing the beta or incapacitating him, but it didn't matter. It was too bloody. He didn't want to look at it. He didn't want to see his own mate like that.

  Dex, however, did watch. His eyes were popped wide open. Maybe it didn't look so bad to him because he was nearsighted, but even the sound was a little too much for Davin to deal with.

  That didn't mean Davin kept his eyes tightly shut or anything. He still had to look at something, and he saw the horrified look on Sigmund's face. The hunters pulled out their weapons, but then, maybe seeing that they were in major shit, the betas with them turned on the hunters, attacking them, grabbing their guns and fighting for supremacy with them.

  A few of the guns went off. Davin cringed at the popping noises. His heart slammed, and everything seemed to slow down. He could hardly think. He suddenly couldn't breathe. His nose was clear, but with the tape over his mouth, he couldn't breathe. He was going to suffocate!

  He struggled and kicked on the ground, smearing his face over the grass, trying to pull the tape off his mouth, but it wasn't working, and he thought he would pass out until someone turned him onto his side, ripping the tape off his mouth.

  Davin sucked in a heavy breath. He breathed as though he'd just come up to the surface from beneath the water.

  And then he looked at the man who’d done it for him. He looked at Mark, his mate.

  "Baby, I'm so fucking sorry."

  Davin shook his head. Mark didn't have anything to apologize for, but he couldn't get the words out.

  Glancing to the side, he noted that Seamus had picked up Dex and was carrying him back to the house. Presumably because that was where he would be the safest after everything that had happened.

  Mark picked him up, too. It felt good, being off the grass and into his arms.

&nbs
p; "I'm taking you inside."

  "Don't go."

  Davin wanted his mate to stay right where he was. He didn't want Mark out there fighting.

  It was selfish and maybe a little stupid, but Davin wanted Mark to keep holding him throughout this entire thing and then to never let him go.

  At least not until it was over.

  "Don't go," Davin said again when Mark placed him on the couch. He used his claws to cut the rest of the tape.

  His eyes were bright red. The color of fury.

  "I have to, baby. I can't stay here." He looked right into Davin's eyes. "I can barely control it as it is."

  Davin blinked. "Your wolf?"

  Mark nodded. Then he took Davin's face into his hands and leaned forward, crushing their mouths together despite the grass stains that were most likely on Davin's face.

  He felt something transferring to his mate with that kiss, and Davin knew what it was Mark had taken.

  He'd taken some of his control back and some strength.

  But he'd also given a little of his own strength back to Davin through the link they both shared in their heads, and Davin suddenly felt revitalized.

  As though he could take on the world.

  Mark just looked at him, but his lips didn't move with the next words.

  I love you, baby.

  Davin blinked. Did he…just hear that inside of his head?

  Mark got up and ran back to the door before Davin could ask.

  The last time Davin had been able to hear Mark's thoughts had been before his third kidnapping, when everything seemed to snap on him.

  And right then, he’d heard it.

  Davin heard the sound of his mate inside of his mind, and even though he could make out the screams of Mark's enemies outside, he couldn't help but smile.

  * * * *

  Mark wanted to rip Sigmund's goddamned head right off his shoulders and watch blood spout from the open wound like a fountain turned onto its highest setting. He would have done just that if it hadn't been against the fucking rules.

  Bodolf wanted Sigmund for questioning, and Mark had been allowed to get no more than two punches to the son of a bitch's face before he had to pull back.

  Then Bodolf got Sigmund hard in the nose, practically turning it inside out.

  Even Kelly's beta mate had been allowed to take a shot because his mate had nearly been hurt because of this bullshit.

  In the end, Bodolf ran his claws down Sigmund's face. A mark like that, from another alpha, would be sure to scar, regardless of how well alphas tended to heal.

  Mark wanted to put scars of his own on the prick, but this also meant they were probably going to let him go.

  "Why aren't we killing this sack of shit?" That was the one thing Mark wanted to know as he and the others stood around Sigmund and the betraying beta sacks of shit who thought they could do this shit and not get caught.

  The traitors were all on their knees, looking up at the wolves who held their lives in their hands.

  By shifter law, they could be executed, though because Mark was normally the one to advocate bringing human law into things, he got a few raised brows for the comment from Bodolf, Seamus, Cowley, and anyone else who happened to know him well enough to know he wasn't into that kind of thing.

  It was a good thing Bodolf's sister wasn’t here. They usually didn't agree on much, but if he had her here demanding revenge, as well, Mark didn't know what would stop him.

  Bodolf inhaled a long breath, held it, then released it.

  "You want to go back on your principles because this happened to your mate. I understand that. I also won't let you do it."

  Mark rolled his eyes. "You motherfucker. Always giving me shit about this kind of thing, but when I finally agree with you, you change your mind?"

  Bodolf looked at him. "In a couple of days, you'll thank me for this." He turned his attention back to Sigmund and the other betas. "You little weasel pieces of shit, I won't kill any of you because you all came to your senses at the last, convenient minute. Sigmund, you're the worst fucking offender here. You were supposed to protect the pack while we were away."

  "I was," Sigmund said, though his voice was more of a slur.

  Some of his teeth may have been knocked out.

  Mark wasn't going to confirm or deny any involvement in that one.

  Bodolf narrowed his eyes. "Explain to me how turning my mate over to the fucking hunters is protecting the pack. Dex spoke to me after we got you idiots settled. One of the fuckers that got away was Nathan, the asshole in charge of the entire camp where I found him. You nearly fucking sent him back to that!"

  Sigmund swallowed, hesitated, and then looked at Mark. "One of the omegas taken when the hunters were looking for wolf souls…she was…mine. I wanted her to be mine. They fucked her and killed her when they realized she was no wolf soul. Never would have happened if it weren't for your little bitch in the house."

  Mark couldn't help it. He flew forward, his fist striking hard and fast. He got Sigmund in the cheek, and he was pretty sure he broke another tooth loose, but he didn't feel the pain in his fist.

  He just wanted more.

  Bodolf looked disapprovingly at him. Sigmund barely reacted. As if he were the persecuted victim here.

  Prick.

  "Mark, don't do that again," Bodolf warned.

  "Whatever. My hand slipped." He looked around. The dead hunters on the ground, the one dead beta who had been shot in the fight for the weapons. It was a fucking mess.

  No wonder his mate didn't want to be anywhere near him.

  Now…Christ, why would he when this continued to happen?

  "I'm going to see Davin. You all do whatever you want to do. I'm out."

  No one called after him about his responsibility to help clean up after the place, which was good, because he might have broken their teeth, as well.

  He just wanted to take care of his mate.

  He wanted Davin in his arms one more time before his mate left him for good.

  He went back to Bodolf’s house. A lot of the mates were lingering around. Some of them had been mated to the betas outside currently on trial. They bit their fingernails and paced as though their worlds were coming to an end.

  They probably were.

  They also looked at Mark as though he would have some answers for them. He didn’t, and he had no sympathy for them either. For all he knew, they’d had something to do with what happened outside, and had they not been literally half his size, he would have strangled some answers out of them.

  Mark found Davin in the kitchen because of course he was there. Davin loved the kitchen, loved to cook and loved to serve. His place was in any kitchen, and he was currently serving up some of Bodolf’s coffee and tea to the people around him. His face was washed of the dirt and most of the grass stains. He looked better, even if a little pale. He even seemed to have something going in the microwave.

  Smelled good. Maybe mug muffins. Bodolf didn’t seem like the type who had a whole lot of baking supplies on hand. But Davin could make a fantastic dessert out of very little, and some people looked to be eating a cake of some sort out of their coffee mugs.

  It looked like he was warming some cookies in the toaster oven. The children were all swarming around Davin for that one.

  He would make such a good father.

  Mark wanted Davin to be the father of their children. He wanted so much for them, but after what happened…

  How could he ask his mate to stay?

  Davin suddenly looked up at him, finally realizing Mark was in the kitchen with him. He smiled softly.

  Mark forced a smile back. Inside, his guts clenched, and his chest ached. The worst fucking feeling he’d ever had in the whole of the world.

  Nothing came close to this.

  Maybe Davin got that because his smile slipped from his mouth.

  He quickly turned, opened the toaster oven, pulled the cookies out, and set them on the counter while getting another adul
t to take over.

  He was always so safety conscious in the kitchen.

  Davin went to him. He moved much faster than Mark expected him to, but then again, he didn’t expect Davin to want to come near him at all after what happened.

  Davin held his arms out, slipping his hands beneath Mark’s arms, and pushing himself into Mark’s chest.

  The touch, the intimacy after what happened, and in front of so many others…

  Mark didn’t know what to make of it, but he was happy to be held by his mate at all, so he held him back and was grateful for that much.

  “Are you all right?”

  Mark almost laughed. “Are you seriously asking me that right now?”

  Davin squeezed him tighter. “I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Mark grabbed Davin’s shoulders, pushing him back. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “What are you talking about? All of this is because of me.”

  “It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with that dickhead out there who can’t control himself. Don’t you dare even think about blaming yourself for this. You’re not going to fall on some sword for anyone in this pack, you understand me?”

  Davin didn’t look so sure even as he nodded, which meant they weren’t done with this. This was going to be something they had to work on for a long time to come.

  It might even be something Davin carried with him for the rest of his life.

  And Mark hated that. He hated that someone he’d trusted would go so far…

  “Davin, we can find somewhere else to live. Another pack. You and me. A fresh start.”

  Davin winced, as though in pain. “This is your home. You can’t just leave.”

  “It’s just land. I can get a job at another station. We can get another house. We can make other friends. I just want you.”

  He didn’t want his mate to leave him because he couldn’t be there every minute of the day, and he didn’t want his mate put in danger either.

  So Mark took Davin’s face in both of his hands, looking the man he loved in the eyes and feeling nothing but certainty for what he said next. “Come with me. We’ll leave. Bodolf won’t hold me to this place, and I want to be happy with you. We’ll get help for you, for the both of us. If you’ll still have me.”