Red's Alphas

by M H Soars

  Speaking of which, summer term starts in a few weeks. At this rate, I might have to withdrawal from college. Unless I win the fight against Rochelle today, and prove to the alpha I can be trusted outside the confines of the pack’s compound.

  With a brusque movement, I throw my legs to the side of the bed and sit up, leaning my elbows on my knees and holding my head between my hands. This is hopeless. I’m really good at fighting with words, but I have no game when it comes to brawling. The wound I inflicted on Dante was a fluke. I’m sure if he hadn’t stopped the training, he would have won the fight.

  I look at my phone; it’s only four in the morning. I still have a couple of hours until my next humiliation. Not knowing what else to do, I open my laptop and Google videos of wolves fighting. Maybe I can learn something from the internet. I’m immediately enraptured by what I see. It’s different to watch those animals knowing I can change into one now. I bring out the nerd inside me, starting to take notes as if I’m preparing for an exam. After an hour of watching wolves hunting, playing, and even mating, I have piles of papers surrounding me.

  “I’m so fucking ridiculous it’s not even funny. This is useless.” I stare at the sheets of paper in dismay.

  A knock sounds and I absentmindedly tell whoever it is to come in. My gaze is still on my notes when a throat clearing brings my attention to my visitor. My face heats up, and I’m unable to contain my surprise. Tristan is in my room, looking too attractive this early in the morning in his button-down shirt and slacks. His expression, though, is cold and neutral.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “I came on my father’s request. Your fight with Rochelle will be happening at dawn, or have you forgotten about that already?”

  I glance at the time on my computer, noting it’s only five-thirty. I still have some time left, but I know Tristan will drag me out by my hair if I don’t get moving. Hastily closing my laptop, I then start to put my notes away, all too aware of Tristan watching my every movement. I slept in nothing more than panties and a long T-shirt that barely covers my ass, but shit, he’s probably not fazed by my lack of clothes, so I why should I care? I pick up my pile of notes and laptop in one big swoop, but I lose a few sheets in the process. Tristan bends to pick them up, frowning as he reads my handwriting.

  “What’s this?”

  I pull the notes from his hand, then put them away with the rest. “Nothing.”

  “Were you studying wolf behavior?”

  “Maybe.”

  He doesn’t speak for a couple of beats, making me curious. I find him staring at me too intensely for my taste.

  “Are you going to leave so I can get changed?”

  In silence, he breaks the distance between us, stopping so close he’s now invading my personal space. He picks up a strand of my hair, then brings it to his nose. “What is it about you that has my brothers so entangled?”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask them?” I force the words out, trying to keep them as steady as possible. Something hard to do when my heart is fluttering like mad inside my rib cage. I should push Tristan away. He’s nothing but a mean bully, so why can’t I force my body to move?

  He pinches my chin between this thumb and forefinger, bringing my face up so he can stare into my eyes. “I couldn’t sleep last night, thinking about what happened in Dante’s studio. By all rights, I should have ripped you to shreds right when you threatened to kill me; yet, I didn’t. Why is that?”

  Fear drips down my spine because I can tell he’s not kidding. He so easily could have killed me before his brothers could stop him from doing so.

  “I-I don’t know.”

  He leans closer, brushing his lips against mine. Electricity crackles between us, and my entire body begins to shake. Like a fool, I do nothing but wait for him to finish the job and kiss me. Why am I not pushing him away? I despise him, right?

  He doesn’t kiss me, only brings his nose to the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. Goose bumps break out all over my body, and I have to close my eyes because the room has started to spin out of control. This is insane. Why am I reacting like this?

  He pulls away suddenly, and my eyes fly open. Tristan is breathing hard, desire and anger flashing in his eyes. Whatever just happened has given me a whiplash, and I have to hold on to the desk behind me to keep myself on the vertical.

  “Take a shower. You have Dante’s scent all over you. I’ll wait outside. You have ten minutes.”

  He spins around and leaves, closing the door behind him with a loud bang.

  It’s safe to say I didn’t do anything to piss him off this time, which means Tristan is a fucking crazy bastard.

  Tristan

  Being out of her room is not enough; I have to walk down the hallway, put as much distance as I can between us, or I’ll be back there to finish what I started in no time. Fuck. I almost kissed her. Every fiber of my being demanded that I kiss her, but if I succumbed, I’d have to admit that Dante’s painting is not a fluke and Red does have a hold on us. She thinks I have grudge against her. Maybe in the beginning I had, but only because she made me feel things I hadn’t expected or wanted. I have no desire to yield to anyone. That’s the truth. It’s the reason I’ve never wanted to take a mate, and probably why I never fell for Lyria’s seduction traps.

  But my body and worse, my heart, yearns for Red, a stranger who probably wouldn’t have even registered on my radar if I had met her before. Fuck. What the hell do I do now? If she survives the fight against Rochelle—which she probably will—I’ll have to hold her accountable for the challenge she issued. I’ll have to fight her. It’s what the law demands, but I know I won’t be able to kill her, even though I said I wouldn’t show any mercy.

  The door bursts open in the opposite direction, making me spin around. Red is ready, her hair damp and her clothing sensible: yoga pants, flip-flops, and a tank top. Not that it matters; she’s getting out of those anyway.

  Her face is all pinched eyebrows and lips that are nothing but a thin, flat line. The physical distance has not diminished the pull, though. It’s still there, relentless, unyielding. I’m tethered to her whether I want it or not. Clenching my jaw and shoving all those pesky feelings to the side, I cross the distance between us with large steps.

  “Ready?” I ask, stopping a safe distance away from her.

  She regards me through slitted eyes, before nodding and motioning to the stairs. “After you.”

  I take the lead; it’s better if I don’t have to follow her from behind. I don’t need to be reminded of what I’m denying myself. Not that I would ever take what I wanted without the woman being on board with it, but I’ve read the signs. She’s also affected by whatever crazy link that binds us.

  Outside, the air is still cool and crisp. I take a deep breath, enjoying the fresh scent of moist earth and green leaves that comes with it. But my peaceful moment only lasts a split second. When Red stops next to me, it’s like my entire essence zeroes in on her. It’s a struggle not to shift my body in her direction. I rub my face, then roll my shoulders back to release the tension there.

  “Where to?” she asks.

  “The woods.” I start in that direction, fighting the urge to glance back at Red. I know she’s following me.

  I was never one to need to fill uncomfortable silences, but I find myself speaking nonetheless. “Rochelle is a tough enforcer, but she has weaknesses.”

  “Oh? And they are…”

  “She always forgets to protect her left side, and she’s not fast enough to react when an opponent changes course abruptly.”

  “Aim for the left side, make false plays. Got it.”

  Unable to stop myself, I cut my eyes in her direction. She’s staring at the ground with her hands linked behind her back, biting her lower lip.

  “Don’t be nervous.”

  She lifts her face, frowning. “I’m not nervous. I’m thinking about my strategy.”

  “Good.” I force myself to look a
way.

  “Why are you giving me tips, anyway?”

  “I know you think I’d love for you to lose, but this is not a fair fight. Unfortunately, you’re not used to the way we do things here. You keep confronting wolves, threatening them without thinking about the consequences.”

  “I know.” She sighs. “I have a big mouth and an even bigger temper. And do you want to know the worst of it?”

  “There’s something worse?” I watch her from the corners of my eyes.

  “Surprisingly, yes. I was never like this before. I avoided confrontations as much as I could. I always preferred the most peaceful approach. But since I changed into a shifter, it seems I can’t open my mouth without issuing death threats and whatnot.”

  “I can’t say I understand. I was born a shifter, so I don’t know what it’s like for humans.”

  “So, if I don’t die today, are you still going to make me fight you?”

  There’s no challenge in her voice. It’s actually a little subdued. I want to answer no, that I’d never make her fight me, but I can’t do that. She challenged me, and I accepted it.

  “Yes.”

  She doesn’t speak for a few seconds, and I let her digest my reply.

  “I’d better discover my special powers then, because I sure as hell don’t want to be shredded to pieces by you.”

  We reach the edge of the forest, and I stop. Red does, too. At the same time, we angle toward each other. “Listen, I don’t want you to worry about fighting me. Focus on besting Rochelle. She has experience and she was born a shifter, but she’s not the best fighter in the world.”

  “Is she going to kill me if I lose?” There’s real fear in Red’s eyes. For the first time, I catch a glimpse of the woman behind all the bravado. A great sense of guilt settles on my chest, making me wish I hadn’t been so stubborn, so horrible to her, since she arrived at the compound.

  “No. I won’t let that happen.”

  “Okay.” She bites her lip, fidgeting slightly, before she continues. “During the run, something strange happened. When the wolves turned against me, I panicked. My body wouldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything but cower. I couldn’t pull out of it, even though I knew I was stronger than they were, that I could fight them.”

  “It’s not so strange. It was your first run with the wolves.”

  “Maybe.”

  I realize she’s stalling, and I’m letting her. Or maybe I’m the one who doesn’t want to take her to the challenge. Either way, we have to get moving or my father will have my ass. Side by side, we take the path that leads deeper into the forest, trudging in silence until we reach a clearing. The entire pack is already assembled there, waiting for the newest member to make an appearance. Half have already shifted, including Lyria, who is standing next to Rochelle. The enforcer is still in her human form, but already naked and ready to shift.

  “I was beginning to think you had run away,” she says snidely.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Red stops on the other side of the circle that has formed. Without hesitation or a trace of embarrassment, she pulls off her tank top and pants.

  Sucking in a breath, I avert my gaze right away. I shouldn’t be affected by the woman’s nakedness. Shifters don’t usually get aroused like that, but I’d better not risk it. She’s not a regular wolf, that’s for sure.

  Dad moves to the center of the clearing, commanding everyone’s attention without the need for words. All conversations cease. Only then does the alpha speak.

  “Amelia Redford, the newest member of our pack, has openly challenged Rochelle Stinson. I, Anthony Wolfe, Alpha of the Crimson Hollow pack, have accepted the challenge as valid.” He glances at Rochelle, and then at Red.

  “Since you’re new and don’t know our ways, I’ll call the challenge as over whenever one of you gets seriously injured. Not abiding to my command is punishable by death, and it will be enforced. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Red replies loud and clear.

  Dad walks back to his original spot. On the other side of the clearing, Rochelle is already mid-shift. I glance at Red, worrying she going to choke and not be able to shift with everyone’s eyes on her, but she seems to have found her ground as a wolf and changes without effort. She glances at me when the shift is complete, then at her opponent, who is a brown wolf a little bigger and muscular than she is. Rochelle throws her head back and howls, a call that’s answered by all the pack members who have shifted.

  Red doesn’t join the call. Instead she begins to circle Rochelle, eyeing her opponent with care. Rochelle growls right before she leaps, teeth bared and all, but Red moves out of the enforcer’s range, just to turn and sink her sharp teeth into the brown wolf’s shoulder. Rochelle lets out a whine, but recovers quickly, getting Red good on her ear. The scent of Red’s blood fills my nostrils, and I have to fight the urge to shift so I can protect her. The compulsion is something only mated wolves feel, so why the fuck am I having to battle that now?

  The sounds of wolves snarling keeps getting louder and louder. I hadn’t had a clue it would be this hard to watch the challenge, but at least Red is holding her own. I sense someone staring at me. Breaking my concentration on the fight for a brief second, I discover Dante watching me through hooded eyes. Opening my channel, I ask, “What?”

  “We could have stopped this.”

  “She’s fine.”

  “But you aren’t.”

  I shut him off, then break our staring war to pay attention to the fight once more. I’m just in time to watch Rochelle slam into Red, who loses her balance, granting the enforcer the upper hand. Rochelle is now on top of Red, trying to immobilize her by locking her jaw around Red’s neck. But the smaller wolf is having none of that. She rolls on the ground, then pushes Rochelle off with her hind legs. Bouncing to her paws, she jumps on the enforcer’s back, biting the soft spot between her shoulder blades. Rochelle lets out a mix between a snarl and a whine while shaking from side to side, trying to dislodge Red. Both are now covered in blood.

  I glance at my father, willing him to call off the fight. But he doesn’t seem remotely inclined to do so yet. Damn it. What is he waiting for? For one of them to get seriously maimed?

  A loud howl catches my attention. I whip my face back to the fight, but before I even have time to process the scene, my powers are already manifesting. My entire frame begins to shake. I’m on the verge of a spontaneous shift, something that hasn’t happened to me since I was a young pup.

  Red is on the ground, unmoving, but her eyes are wide open and focused on a point in the distance—not on Rochelle, who is about to attack.

  “Get up, you fool!” I send the message telepathically, finding nothing but a void. I don’t possess Dante’s ability to communicate mind to mind while in human form.

  Right before Rochelle is about to end the fight, Red lifts her muzzle and howls, a deep and sorrowful sound that has me grinding my teeth hard. The enforcer stops in her tracks, dazed eyes staring at Red for a couple of beats before she drops to the ground with a whine of pain. Red stands with a leap, glances at Rochelle, then takes off.

  Chapter 21

  Red

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Why does weird stuff keep happening to me? I was so winning that fight until my skull felt like it was splitting in two, and then I was lying on the ground, unable to move. Even Rochelle was surprised; she didn’t take advantage of the situation and attack right way.

  Then the images came, messy and confusing at first. It took me a moment to make sense of them, and then I recognized the place where I was attacked. A lonely black wolf was hurt badly, running away from someone. Then I saw their guns and dark clothes. The hunters. Three men were blazing through the forest, holding state-of-the-art hunting rifles. Their faces were blurry, but one detail I was able to see clearly was the tattoo of a raven on each of their necks.

  Rochelle connected telepathically with me. She warned she would attack and end the fight if I didn’t get up. I wasn’t sure
how I did it, but I was somehow able to show her what I was seeing. What I didn’t expect was her to double over in pain.

  I couldn’t stay behind to find out what was happening to her. A great sense of urgency took hold of me, then I was leaping in the air, propelled by an invisible force that told me I had to get to that wolf. I had to try to save him.

  The forest goes by in a blur as my paws hit the ground hard. It’s like there are wings attached to them. I’ve never ran so fast in my short wolf life. The cuts and scratches from the fight with Rochelle are long forgotten; I barely even feel their sting anymore.

  There’s no sound of pursuit, nor any communication from Dante telling me to get the hell back. I know my reckless act will cost me. Hell, maybe the alpha will decide to off me, but those are all problems I’ll have to worry about later. I have a wolf to save now.

  I reach the clearing where not even a week ago, I was attacked by that rogue, my life changed forever. I smell the hurt wolf right away, along with his pursuers. After I veer in his scent’s direction, I find his form near the creek a second later. He’s barely moving. As I approach, it’s evident he’s hurt in several spots. He also left a trail of thick and dark blood in his wake. I howl, trying to get his attention. He lifts his head and peers over his shoulder, right before he speaks to me.

  “You shouldn’t be here; they’ll catch you as well.”

  “I’m not going to leave you behind.”

  “I’m not worthy of your help. I broke away from my pack.”

  I want to ask him the name of his former pack, but shouts in the distance catch my attention. Swinging around, I position my body protectively in front of him. When the first two hunters appear up the rise, my entire body tenses, the hairs on my back standing on end. I peel my lips back, showing off my sharp teeth as I snarl at them.