1302 The Alpha (The 13th Floor)

by Christine Rains

  None of the pack interfered in the fight. This was between Alphas. If any of them jumped in, she wouldn’t hesitate to tear them to shreds and neither would Wyatt.

  She and Wyatt circled each other, testing one another’s strengths. He might’ve made a handsome wolf. Dark gray spots on his fluffy white fur. But there was nothing pretty about his face. Muzzle too big, brow too heavy, and teeth crooked.

  Her leg was still bothering her, but she hid any sign of it. June would’ve told Wyatt everything that happened, but how badly did she think she’d hurt Stefanie? Wyatt hadn’t gone for her leg yet. Or he could just be arrogant enough to believe he could beat her without going for a wounded limb.

  Off to the side, there was a yelp. Stefanie glanced over to see Scott had transformed and was attempting to take James. It must’ve infuriated the pack they couldn’t get his scent, and without it they’d have no idea he was a Beta. She didn’t know how badly Wyatt had hurt James, but he was able to throw Scott down with little effort. June, now in wolf form, leapt in snarling and rolled with James. It was more of a struggle, but he gained the dominant position.

  If it was just June and Scott, Stefanie was confident James could take them, but Matt?

  Matt was still standing to the side in human form. He hadn’t moved, but watched James intently.

  Distracted by the others, Stefanie was bulled over by Wyatt. He smashed her head against the ground twice. Just like so many times before. Panic grappled with her control. She kicked up at him with her hind legs, scratching his belly. He didn’t budge, and with a third slam, the world spun.

  Wyatt gave her a growled order. One she knew meant to stay down. Like she’d listen, but when she tried to get up, the ground tilted and she fell.

  James had knocked June and Scott back again. They were having as much trouble standing as Stefanie was.

  Turning swiftly, James’ upper lip pulled back as Wyatt approached. The bigger wolf didn’t hurry. He strode forward slow and with malicious purpose. James held his ground, readying himself, but his tail had sagged down and started to curl between his legs.

  Stefanie barked. Not as a warning. It was pointless, but to try to draw Wyatt’s attention back to her. She forced herself up and stumbled. Dirt stuck to her nose. She sneezed, feeling as pathetic as she likely looked.

  Wyatt glanced at her and gave a wee sniff. He turned his attention back to James.

  Shit. He knew. Or at least made as educated of a guess as the bastard could make.

  Growling, Wyatt’s fur bristled, but he didn’t attack. He came almost until he was standing nose to nose with James. Neither gave ground.

  Finally regaining her balance, Stefanie barked again. Wyatt had turned his back to her. He no longer considered her a threat. The bastard’s ego knew no bounds.

  Of course, his instincts were driving him to do something else now. Another male had bonded with a female Wyatt had claimed for his own. Not that Stefanie accepted Wyatt’s pairing, but in Wyatt’s mind, it didn’t matter. James was a bigger threat to his manhood, or rather, wolfhood than she was.

  And James stood no chance of beating Wyatt in a fight.

  Shaking herself, Stefanie couldn’t rid the ache in her head. It didn’t matter. She could still fight. As Wyatt struck at James, she bit into his haunches. June yipped a warning, but they were already moving by the time she did.

  James dodged and twisted as he did so, countering with a donkey kick. His claws raked over Wyatt’s left eye as Stefanie bit deep into the meat of the big wolf’s hindquarters. Wyatt yelped and went into a frenzy. He bowled James over with his head and turned to bite Stefanie.

  Ready for him, she let go and hopped back. Her mouth dripped with his blood.

  Wyatt barked, motioning at Matt and then nodding his head once to James. Commands were easily understood when you were a wolf, but even in human form, they were simple enough to interpret.

  Stefanie’s pounding heart was nearly deafening. She couldn’t defend James and fight at the same time. To top it off, it was her fault he was here. She’d brought him in on it. All she’d wanted to do was learn how to hide her scent. A case of asking a superhero to do something small and not expecting him to go all the way with it.

  Matt didn’t move, though. He stared at James, but he didn’t transform and attack. Defying his Alpha yet again.

  Wyatt snarled at him, and Stefanie zipped in low to bite at one of his front legs. He yanked himself back in time with her teeth scraping over his flesh. He chomped her shoulder and attempted to use his weight to force her down.

  She pushed up, and he stumbled before righting himself.

  Stefanie threw him off. She had forced that tank of a wolf off her. Something had changed.

  Scott had retreated to nurse his wounds under a bush. June kept back, obviously not stupid enough to try James again. And Matt was still in the same spot with his arms folded watching the scene unfold.

  James barked at her, urging her to move faster.

  Wyatt no longer had the support of his pack. But she had James cheering her on.

  Wolves were pack animals. Sure, there were lone wolves and they live full lives on their own, but it was lonely. It had been incredibly difficult for her when she left Wisconsin. Pack life was all she’d ever known. She’d no doubt it was one of the reasons why James had been so curious about her and what was going on. He’d been taught to stay away from other wolves, but he couldn’t help himself.

  As for Wyatt, he was a bastard who believed he stood above everyone else. Yet he’d never been without a pack.

  Stefanie had a pack. It consisted only of her and James, but that was better than what Wyatt had at the moment.

  She leapt at the bastard and bit at his side before she jumped back. He snapped at her but missed. His aim was way off. His left eye didn’t look too bad, but Wyatt was favoring his right one. He growled and slammed into her, bulldozing her into a tree.

  She sunk her teeth into the shoulder and moved her head from side to side. Tufts of fur went flying and blood ran down to soak her front.

  Wyatt bashed her against the tree again, but she held on. She shook her head again, tearing a bigger hole in him. One tooth hit bone. Flesh broke loose, and he slipped out of her grasp. She readied herself for another slam or a head-on charge.

  Neither came. He went for her injured rear leg, caught it, and chomped on it like a turkey leg at Thanksgiving.

  Stefanie cried out and fell when she tried to bite him. Bones crunched, and she kicked, front paws digging in as she yowled.

  With the pain came more flashbacks. The coldness of the cellar floor when he pressed her against it. The way he’d twist her arms, popping them out of the sockets, and laughing when she had to put them right. His fist hitting her in the guts, her sides, her face. Repeatedly.

  She’d never cried so much in her life. Never in front of anyone either. It was even more humiliating that person had been Wyatt.

  This was a new torture. If the leg shattered, it might never heal properly. But what was one leg? The bastard was going to kill her. Then he’d kill James. Maybe Scott and Matt too. Starr. Starr and her baby.

  Stefanie screamed again. She wasn’t strong enough to save them. Her pack lost again. Lost to a sadistic asshole who would go out and find another pack and do the same thing.

  The only warning either of them had was a flash of black out of the corner of their eyes. James pounced on Wyatt, half on his head, and bit him several times. He snagged the skin by Wyatt’s left eye and tore the left ear.

  Wyatt had to let Stefanie go to fight off James. His movements were inelegant, but nonetheless powerful. He flung James five feet away. The black wolf twisted, trying to land on his feet and failed, falling on his side instead. Wyatt darted in, ripping into his belly. James’ cry twisted her heart, hurting ten times more than her leg.

  Wyatt was not going to do this. She refused to let him kill James. Things had slowly gone downhill after her father’s death, and then Wyatt had come a
long. He had taken everything from her. Starr, her pack, her home, her freedom. Her self-worth.

  James was the one bright spot in her life. He’d saved her in the woods without even knowing who she was or why she was being chased. He’d done it because he was a good guy. A superhero.

  Stefanie was no superhero. She was a failed pack leader and a runaway. At times, she felt nothing more than a selfish coward.

  Now she didn’t matter. James did. He was her pack, her Beta, and oh, she wanted him to be so much more. She might not ever get a chance to make him more, but she could save him. She would take Wyatt with her kicking and howling into Hell.

  Save James. And save the rest of the Nicolet pack too. For Starr and her baby.

  There was no way she could put any weight on that leg. Stefanie forced herself up, holding the broken limb awkwardly with her toes dragging on the ground. Crimson pooled underneath her. It was the only thing she could smell.

  Stefanie didn’t know if it was the blood roaring in her veins or if she screamed as she lurched forward. With her mouth already gaping open, she snapped onto Wyatt’s right rear leg. She could play the same game too. Sawing her jaw, savoring the resulting crack and Wyatt’s yowl.

  He spun and whacked her, but she dug her front legs into the soil to keep in place. They clashed in a fury of teeth and snarls. Two raging storms with a thunderous explosion. No thought in her head except to kill Wyatt. Not even that. For it wasn’t thought. It was action. Instinct.

  An Alpha’s instinct. Leader of her pack. One that needed her.

  His neck was too thick for her to wrap her jaws around. But her teeth were sharp. And his pulse beat mightily. It called to her.

  Wyatt reared up, smashing his great weight onto her and forcing her down to the ground. Stefanie’s bad leg hit a rock, and she yelped, losing her grip on him.

  Gazing up, there was nothing sane left in his eyes. He was all animal, crimson froth and unending growls. Not that the man had ever been reasonable, but the wolf was hungry anger.

  Stefanie kicked at his wounded leg as he tried to hammer himself against her again. Wyatt fell to one side, and she dove in. Shredding with her teeth, she homed in on his jugular and tore it open.

  It was nothing like killing a rabbit. Nothing like a raccoon or deer. Wolf killing wolf, it wasn’t supposed to happen. When wolves fought for a position within the pack, it was never to the death. The loser was respected as much as the victor. For it was always about what was best for the pack, not the individual.

  There would be no respect lost for Wyatt. There had been none to begin with.

  He gurgled, legs spasming like a marionette directed by a child. Stefanie pushed herself away from him and pressed herself against James. His body was warm against hers and there was still breath in it. He was alive. She choked on a grateful whimper.

  Wyatt’s body jerked a few more times and was still. The man reemerged, painted red with blood.

  There were no cheers. No surge of ecstasy. Stefanie closed her eyes for a moment and raised her head. Her mournful howl filled the woods.

  One, two, and then three joined hers. Their lamenting symphony eerie yet lovely.

  CHAPTER 9

  Turning her head, Stefanie licked James. Their noses briefly touched. Her Beta. Her soon to be mate once they were both well enough she could do something more in bed than sleeping.

  His belly wound wasn’t fatal. It looked bad, but it was wider than it was deep, and no internal organs were falling out. James whimpered, sniffing at her leg. She nudged him away from it. Even a warm tongue wouldn’t help it at the moment. She needed someone to set it so it would heal properly.

  First thing first, though. Stefanie turned her attention to Matt. He was the only one who hadn’t transformed. He didn’t join in the pack’s howling.

  Matt’s gaze was fixed on Wyatt’s body. No grief or anger visible. Stefanie wished she knew what he was thinking. Would he want to fight her to avenge his brother’s death? Or claim leadership of the pack himself?

  Finally he looked up and his gaze met hers. Her heart sped up. She didn’t think she could fight any more.

  “Look at me.”

  Everyone’s head whipped around to stare at June. She was human again, dressed, and held a gun in both her hands pointed at Stefanie. Her face was bruised and her short hair looked like a tumbleweed.

  “You killed Colin.” June’s voice wavered, becoming higher pitched. “You killed Colin! It’s my right to avenge his death.”

  Stefanie remained absolutely still. Fast as she was, even with an injured leg, she couldn’t outrun a bullet. She tried not to blink. The tension in the air was so sharp that one tiny movement might make June pull the trigger.

  “June.” Matt’s voice was cautious, but chastising.

  “No, you don’t get to tell me what to do, Matt.” June jabbed the pistol forward. “Colin was my mate. My fucking mate! I’m not stupid. I know I can’t beat the bitch in a fair fight. This is the only way.” She coughed and licked her lips. Tears crept out of her eyes. “This is the only way.”

  Stefanie crawled over James, placing her body in front of his. She didn’t know if June meant to kill both of them, but two shots would be all it’d take. She dragged herself a few more feet and then transformed. Screaming as she returned to her human form, she stayed on the ground, gripping her leg just above the knee.

  Once she managed to get control of herself, Stefanie tilted her head up to look at the other woman. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t want to kill anyone. It should’ve never gone this far. It should’ve never happened at all.”

  “No. It shouldn’t have happened.” June walked forward, her movements jerky. She choked back a sob. “You should’ve died. Wyatt should’ve fucking killed you the first time he beat you. I’ll make things right.”

  The gun shook, but June was close enough she wasn’t going to miss. After everything, after all Stefanie had gone through, she was going to die. Tears were hot on her cheeks. She was strangely calm and light-headed.

  This was it. At least she had taken down Wyatt first.

  Silent as ever, James leapt over her and tackled June head on. Stefanie screamed as the gun went off. The two crumbled to the ground and lay unmoving.

  “James!” Stefanie’s calm vanished. Full-fledged panic set in. “James!”

  No, it couldn’t end like this. Not for him. Her heart felt shattered, jagged little pieces stabbing her from the inside.

  Stefanie crawled over. The pain in her leg threatening to drag her into blissful unconsciousness. She reached out a trembling hand and touched his black fur. Soft and warm.

  James raised his head and whimpered. He shuddered and transformed back into his human form.

  “No. Please, no.” Stefanie dragged him off June and to her. She held his head to her chest. “James, don’t you dare die.”

  His eyes fluttered opened, and he gave her a little smile. “Not going to die. She didn’t shoot me.”

  Stefanie hadn’t even thought to look at June. Glancing over, the other woman was splayed out. Blood oozed from a hole in her stomach and pooled underneath her. She wasn’t breathing.

  Letting out a sobbing laugh, Stefanie squeezed James, burying her face against the side of his neck. He groaned, murmuring something about not too hard, but didn’t tell her to stop.

  Nearby, Matt cleared his throat. They both tensed and looked up at him.

  “If you would let me, Stefanie, I’ll carry you back to the hotel room. Starr would love to see you, and she can help with your leg.” Matt didn’t move toward them as he offered this. He kept a respectable distance with hands clasped together in front of him. “I realize your friend would do it if he could, but you’re both injured, and it’s best we get you somewhere safe to see to your wounds. There’s been strange goings-on in the city here.”

  That was putting it mildly. It was stranger yet to have Matt standing there saying these things.

  “You’re going to help us? Forgiv
e me if I don’t trust you.” Stefanie didn’t expand on that. They all knew full well why she didn’t. “Aren’t you going to avenge your brother’s death?”

  “No.” Matt replied with a heavy sigh. “You saved me the trouble of having to do it myself. Starr and I wanted to leave the pack when she got pregnant. Neither of us wanted our child growing up in such an environment. Wyatt, he knew something was up. Kept a watch on her and made sure she never left knowing I wouldn’t leave Starr. It’s close to her due date. I would’ve had to do something and soon, but thankfully he found you instead.”

  “Thankfully?” Stefanie snapped. “He was trying to kill me! What good would that have done you?”

  “I thought there was a chance you might beat him.” Matt shifted foot to foot.

  Stefanie snorted. “Why would you think that? I didn’t even know I could beat him.”

  “I think we all underestimated you,” Matt said evenly. “When your friend arrived, I sensed the difference. He’s different from us, and you’re different with him. Stronger.”

  She peeked at James, and they shared a private smile. Yes, she was different with him. She was better. Happier than she’d ever been.

  “Let him carry you. It’ll be okay.” James whispered, nuzzling her with his nose.

  “You can walk? I won’t leave you here.”

  “I can help him.” Scott approached slowly, head down and eyes to the ground. He was dressed and bleeding from a few wounds, but nothing serious.

  Stefanie didn’t like it. Matt wanting his brother dead didn’t make her like him any more, but her leg was no longer screaming. Shock was settling in. Not good.

  She turned her gaze back to James once more. He nodded, and she kissed him. His lips were soft and wet. She could smell him. City wolf. Her wolf.

  “All right, do it.”

  EPILOGUE

  “You know, superheroes really don’t curse like that.” James hopped up onto the roof from the fire escape behind Stefanie. He pushed back the hood of his sweatshirt and brushed his hair out from in front of his eyes.