NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  Eli shifted as well, but he didn’t stand a chance against Jacks’ bear. The giant grizzly had the smaller bear by the neck, and within seconds, it was over, Eli was dead. Ryleigh watched as his body shifted back to human form. After a few minutes, Jacks changed back.

  “No asshole, you are at the bottom of the food chain. Alphas always rule.”

  He seemed to be in a trance for a second but then quickly came back to himself when he saw Ryleigh.

  “Oh, God, Baby, let me get you down from there,” he cried, while releasing her from her constraints. “Shit, are you okay? I couldn’t hold my bear back any longer when you screamed. Fuck, are you all right? Let me look at you.”

  Jacks’ eyes were still too bright and he seemed bigger than he normally was, but he was being so gentle, trying not to hurt Ryleigh further.

  “Jacks, it’s okay. I’m okay, really, I’m okay,” she said weakly.

  “Oh, Baby, I’m so sorry. What did they do to you?”

  He was looking at her back, and Ryleigh knew what he was seeing. The fresh marks that Eli left weren’t the only thing on her back. As a child, if she didn’t perform for the incubators, they allowed her instructors to discipline her to make her compliant. She decided she would tell him, but not now, and not in this place.

  “Jacks, can we please leave, I’m okay, I promise. I knew you would come for me, I felt you. But, please, can we get out of here?” she begged.

  Before Jacks could answer, Cash and two of The Holly Group members ran through the door. Cash looked a little worse for wear, but he also looked pissed. When his eyes finally landed on Jacks and Ryleigh, he looked relieved, and she couldn’t help but run to him.

  “Cash, oh Cash. He said he killed you. Are you okay?” Ryleigh said, somewhat relieved. “What about the others? Please tell me we didn’t lose anybody.”

  Cash was choked up but managed to reply.

  “We are all going to be okay, little sister. Wyatt has a nasty bump on his head, but he’s going to be fine. Your family is safe and worried about you.”

  Jacks pulled Ryleigh back into his arms where he needed her. He couldn’t help but shiver, he could have lost her. Had he been even a second slower, Jacks could not imagine his life without this wonderful, caring woman in it, and he would make sure that he never came that close to losing her again. But right now, he needed to get his woman out of this place. He would fight her demons for her, past, present, and future.

  “Come on, Baby, let’s get you out of here,” he said, picking her up in his arms.

  “Cash, can you guys contain the scene? I’m sure the authorities will have questions, but I don’t want Ryleigh to be in here any longer than necessary,” Jacks asked.

  “You got it, Alpha,” Cash replied. “Police, and EMTs ETA is two minutes. We got it handled. Get Ryleigh out of here. Dude, you could have at least left me a little of that fucker. He tried to kill us and then tried to hurt my family. A little payback would have been nice.”

  “No time,” Jacks added, “the bear took over, and that was it. I’m going to get Ryleigh checked out and call Senior. We should be able to wrap this up pretty quick. Make sure you download and scrub the video from their surveillance equipment. I don’t think the rest of the world is ready to learn about Shifters or what we can do. Once we finish up here, Ryleigh and I are heading home. Let's have everyone meet back at home base in seventy-two hours.”

  “Roger, Alpha. Seventy-two hours,” Cash replied.

  Jacks made sure that the EMTs checked Ryleigh out, and they gave their statements to the authorities. He knew it all went far too smoothly and figured that Senior had pulled some strings. The paramedics had cleared Ryleigh, the wounds on her back were superficial and only one required a couple of butterflies to close it up. She would be sore, but she would survive, and that was the most important thing.

  He and Ryleigh had a lot to talk about, but he knew everything would work out. While the paramedics were finishing up, Jacks spoke with Senior. He was chomping at the bit to talk to his daughter, but Jacks put him off by asking for her hand. He could have sworn the man was choked up, but he quickly masked it.

  “You know what’s going to happen if you don’t treat her right?”

  “Yes, Sir. I would expect nothing less.”

  After all, the burn of the dragon fire wouldn’t even compare to the pain his bear would inflict if he ever let Ryleigh down, she was his life.

  “Where to, Jacks?” Ryleigh asked once the police released them

  “Let’s go home, Ryleigh,” Jacks suggested. “I thought I needed to talk to my Dad and Grandfather, but I don’t. You are my mate, Ryleigh. I know it with every fiber of my being. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, you are going to marry me, but we are going home now.”

  “And where would that be, Jacks, your home or mine?”

  “Our home, Ryleigh, Alpha Team’s home base in the Upper Peninsula. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Nope, I heard it's really pretty all the way up there, and I just so happen to love the snow. But Jacks, aren’t you supposed to ask me to marry you? You told me I was marrying you. I might not know much about how relationships work, but I do know the guy is supposed to ask the girl to marry him, not demand it.

  “Nope, only semantics. Let’s go home, Baby.”

  Chapter 44

  Ryleigh felt like crap. She and the guys had been trying to get through all the data on Dr. Franklin’s hard drive, but they weren’t finding anything that would help them find Cassie Larson. She knew the information was there, she had to find it, but time was running out. She had to be coming down with something because her body ached, and she felt like she was going to puke all the time. Maybe she and Jacks should have stayed out of Lake Michigan, but it was too beautiful to resist; she would have followed him anywhere. Ryleigh was home now, and that felt good.

  Just thinking of the Lake brought back the last couple of weeks. She and Jacks had flown into Traverse City and rented a car. He said he wanted to show her one of his favorite spots. Jacks wanted to give her time to heal, so they holed up in a cabin by a beautiful lake so they both could recover from what had happened. Ryleigh was surprised she wasn’t more affected by the kidnapping or the words both Eli and Julius had said to her. But she knew that Jacks would find her, and he did. The first night they fell asleep in each other’s arms, and it was incredible. Ryleigh wanted to wake up that way for the rest of her life. If what Jacks had said was true, they would, and that made her an extremely happy woman.

  That night Jacks showed Ryleigh what she had missed out on. He worshiped her body with his hands, tongue, and teeth. He also showed her the difference between fucking and making love. Ryleigh would never make that mistake again. Smiling, she relived that lesson.

  Ryleigh had been sleeping when something feathered its way across her stomach. When she tried to brush it away, she found that should couldn’t move her arms. Panicked at first, she opened her eyes to find Jacks hovering over her naked body.

  “Baby, you owe me, and I plan on collecting,” he said. “I decided that I didn’t want to take the chance that you would wake before I was ready again, so I took the liberty of making sure you stayed right where I wanted you.”

  Looking up, Ryleigh noticed her hands had been bound to the headboard of the bed with what looked like strips from the t-shirt Jacks had been wearing. Looking back into Jacks' eyes, she also realized that she wasn’t in the least bit scared. Jacks would never do anything to hurt her, and she knew he needed to be in control this time. She was more than willing to give him that control.

  Damn, Jacks could see when Ryleigh made up her mind to let him take control, and he loved it. He loved her. She would learn that he needed this from time to time, but he didn’t want to risk scaring her.

  “Baby, I know you’ve read some books, but this isn’t like that. If I do something to scare you or hurt you in any way, all you have to do is tell me and I’ll stop. But I have to say,
you lying naked spread open for me and only me, is a huge turn on. I love you, baby.”

  “I love you too, and I’m not scared, Jacks. I know you’ll never hurt me. Please touch me. I want to feel your hands on me. I want to feel everything. I know I can tell you if I get scared, but Jacks, I am so far from scared. Please, Jacks.” Ryleigh tried to squirm closer but realized pretty quickly that her hands weren’t the only things that were bound. Jacks had also tied her legs to the bed.

  Jacks wanted so badly to slide into Ryleigh. He wanted to feel her hot cunt wrapped around his thick length again so badly. But more importantly, he wanted to give Ryleigh what she had cheated them both out of the first time. He was going to make love to her, and the thought was enough to unman him. He would make this good for both of them even if it killed him. And with the state his balls were currently in that was a possibility.

  “Just lay back and relax Baby. I am going to make you feel so good,” he assured her.

  Jacks wasn’t kidding. He kissed, sucked, and nipped every bit of Ryleigh’s flesh. She was so aroused, she was on the verge of pain. When he finally took mercy on her, going to her core and giving her the friction she needed with his tongue, Ryleigh exploded. But that wasn’t enough for her Jacks. He continued his attack, alternating between using his fingers and his mouth. By her fourth orgasm, Ryleigh was crying out for him to stop.

  “No Baby, we are not even close to being done, yet,” he said.

  Jacks then climbed up the bed after untying her legs. She hadn’t even noticed, but when he maneuvered her legs up around his waist, she realized she was no longer held down. Positioning himself, he slowly entered Ryleigh, inch by slow inch. He was going so slow, and Ryleigh would have screamed, but what she saw stopped her protests. Jacks was watching their flesh join together, and the look of awe and love was enough to keep any protests she might have had at bay.

  “Baby, do you feel it? Do you feel how different this time is from the last?” he asked.

  Ryleigh could feel it, and Jacks had been right. She might have needed him back at the Franklins’, but this was so much more, this was life changing. She could feel the love Jacks was giving her. She could also feel their bond strengthening. It was an amazing thing, and he was an amazing man. Jacks picked up speed and started to thrust deeper and deeper. When he hit that mythical place within her body, Ryleigh screamed out his name and the world exploded into a rainbow of colors behind her eyes. Soon after, Jacks movements became less schooled and more erratic. When he shouted her name in completion, Ryleigh’s world was rocked with another smaller, but no less intense, orgasm. The one thing she couldn’t figure out was why he decided to pinch her. It was kind of odd, but hey, what did she know? He was her first and only and that was all that mattered.

  “Did you see the difference, Baby?”

  “Yes, Jacks, and I am so sorry that I took something so special away from both of us.”

  When they finally left the cabin, Jacks took her to see that special place he had been talking about. It was an old Coast Guard Station on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The park was aptly named Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. She laughed, sleeping bear sounded about right.

  Before they could walk down to the coast, Jacks handed Ryleigh a garment bag and asked her to go and change. She was a bit puzzled but more than willing to play along. Looking around for a bathroom, Jacks stopped her.

  “Baby, go inside the station. You can change in there. I’ll make sure that no one comes in,” he assured her.

  Ryleigh wanted to protest, but he looked so excited. She decided that she would do anything he wanted, even if that meant possibly getting arrested for public indecency. Walking in, Ryleigh was in a state of shock because standing before her were 5 of her closest friend. All but one of The Holly Group’s original members were there.

  “What are you doing here, has something happened? Is Zoey okay?” Ryleigh asked. Ryleigh’s brain hadn’t even processed the fact that they were all wearing dresses, even Caty.

  “Ryleigh,” Mia was the first to speak, “I think if you open your bag you might be able to figure out what is going on. And Zoey is the same as she always is, maybe a little more closed off, but that could be from all her recent human interaction.

  Fumbling with the garment bag, Ryleigh finally got it open, and she must have still been in a state of shock because the beautiful white dress that lay inside did nothing to jog her frazzled mind. When her Dad walked into the room, she started crying and went right into his arms.

  Ryleigh loved Declan Quinn with all of her heart. She remembered the times he tried to make her into a normal little girl by holding tea parties or trying to encourage her to play with dolls. None of it worked, but those attempts proved what a loving and good man he was. He may have saved her life all those years ago, but Ryleigh liked to think that she also helped his life in some small way as well. He had been the only person Ryleigh had ever relied on and felt safe with, until a week ago, that was.

  “Honey, you’d better hurry up and put that gown on,” Declan said, “Cash had to put Jacks in a head lock to keep him out. So, unless you want to get married in your shorts, I suggest you get a move-on. You don’t want to be late for you own wedding, do you?”

  Yeah, she knew it was cliché. She was the master puzzle solver, and she hadn’t figure out until that exact moment that she was getting married. All she could think was, Oh My God, I’m getting married. Jacks said they were getting married, but she didn’t think that meant now.

  Mia broke into her fuddled mind.

  “Hey, if you changed your mind and you don’t want to go through with this, I can have you out of here in less than five minutes. The Shifters won’t even see us.”

  “What, no,” Ryleigh stammered. “Oh, my God. I am getting married and you’re all here. Are the guys here too?”

  “Yes, baby girl,” Declan answered. “Your entire family is here, waiting to watch you take the next step in your life. Well, at least the Alpha part. Are you ready to take that step, honey, do you love him?”

  “Oh, Dad, I love him so much,” Ryleigh professed.

  “Jacks did all this, for me?” Ryleigh asked, finally coming out of her haze.

  “Yep, and the men are not going to wait long,” Declan added.

  “Well, I guess I’d better get ready.”

  “Love you, baby girl. Hate to say it, but I still kind of want to keep you all to myself. I’m a selfish man, and I don’t want to share you with that grumpy assed bear,” Declan joked.

  “You were the only man that I’ve ever loved until I met Jacks,” Ryleigh laughed. “You might have to share me, but you might get grandchildren someday, and I will expect lots of weekends spent with Grampies.”

  “Grampies, huh? I kind of like the sound of that. I guess I can share a little.”

  The dress that Jacks had picked out was BoHo chic, it was the perfect dress for her. The flowers were pale pinks and off-white, and beyond beautiful. She couldn’t have picked out a more perfect dress or flowers herself. Their time together might have been short, but Jacks knew her so well.

  The girls helped Ryleigh get into the dress and Ava and Tory did her hair. She felt beautiful, and all she wanted to do was see Jacks again. Walking down the boat launch to the sandy shore, Ryleigh finally got a good look at the man of her dreams.

  The sun was shining and the wind was blowing his hair, and that sexy smirk was right where it was meant to be. Cash stood next to him, and all the guys were dressed in khakis and white short sleeved button ups shirts. She would have loved to have seen them in all their military finery, but this image was just as good.

  When Jacks noticed Ryleigh for the first time, his smirk turned into the biggest grin she had ever had the pleasure of seeing on his face, and she wanted to brand that image into her memory.

  "Ready honey?" Declan asked.

  “Yes.” Ryleigh whispered, all could manage to get past the lump in her throat.

  Her Dad took control
, like he always did, and delivered Ryleigh to the love of her life and the future she knew thought she would have.

  Their vows were simple, and everyone said the decorations were gorgeous. But Ryleigh only had eyes for one thing, Jacks. After the minister, had pronounced them husband and wife, Jacks asked if she was ready to make it official. Confused for a second, Ryleigh was a little startled when Jacks took her hand and headed straight for the water. After he had plunged them into the cold water, he warmed her with the best kiss yet and said the lake needed to christen their union too. Ryleigh knew it was a bunch of bunk, he was probably hot or something. But it was still beautiful, especially when the entire wedding party including her dad, jumped right in after them. As everyone played in the water, in their wedding finery, she knew everything would be all right. They had come so far in such a short period of time. We will be happy, healthy, and stronger together, Ryleigh thought.

  Ryleigh wished that Kayden, Zoey, and the other team leaders could have made it. Then the day would have been truly perfect, but this was a strong second. That night and the next were beyond her expectations. They had only been together for such a short period, damn a month, barely. They still had some things that they needed to work out, but she knew their love would stand the test of time. Jacks held her heart and soul in his hands, and she held his.

  Suddenly, the man who was in them rather rudely interrupted Ryleigh from her daydream.

  “Baby, you need to take a break. You look like shit,” Jacks declared. “When is the last time you ate something?”

  “Thanks, Jacks. That is the best compliment I’ve gotten all day,” Ryleigh countered.

  The truth was that she did feel crappy, and it was getting worse. Cash said she looked like hell, and Wyatt said she should at least try to brush her hair, or at the very least, change her clothes.

  “We need to find something, Jacks,” Ryleigh said. “We are getting some good Intel from this drive, but not the Intel we need. We are running out of time. Kayden and Zoey didn’t come up with anything at that facility, except more questions.”