Red Claw Alpha (Red Claw Rising Book 1)

by Zoey Harper

  "Unbelievable," Tegan whispered.

  She pulled out her cloth and continued with her work. It would take some time, but the men would learn to leave her alone. That's how it always was with the Bluewolf. They'd chase the new thing until something shinier and newer came along. Tegan just had to stick it out until then.

  Her throat constricted as tears filled her eyes.

  No crying. No matter what you do, you can't let them see you cry.

  For the next few hours, Tegan worked in silence, the men leaving her alone. Despite the tiger's warnings, it seemed his men did respect him. No one so much as looked her way.

  Most of the men even got out of the way for her when she wanted to clean near where they were training!

  By the time lunchtime rolled around, Tegan was feeling a lot more optimistic. While her body felt sore, her shoulders, in particular, the work hadn't been too difficult. And with the next day’s cleaning set to go a lot easier than today's, she could foresee a comfortable working situation with the Stone Claw MMA Gym.

  "You go, girl," Tegan whispered as she made her way to the parking lot.

  Pretty soon, the sound of heavy footsteps and distinctive male whispering floated to her ears. Tegan turned to find the gray-eyed wolf and a few of his friends trailing behind her.

  She quickened her pace, but before she got to her car, the gray-eyed wolf ran in front of her and blocked her path.

  "We meet again," he said, leaning his hip against her car.

  Tegan eyes blinked rapidly, and her breaths came quickly.

  No, no, no. This isn't supposed to happen.

  Tegan felt her knees begin to grow weak. She stumbled backward, needing to get away from this wolf and his friend. But when she did, she bumped straight into another wolf. He wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed her before shoving her back toward the gray-eyed wolf.

  "Here you go, Alex."

  Tegan stumbled but corrected her stance lest she landed in Alex's arms. She held her hands up in front of her as she fought to control her erratic breathing. Her mind was starting to flash with memories from almost ten years ago, and her body was shaking from head to toe.

  Tegan wrapped her arms around her belly and whimpered as the memories of that day began to flash through her mind. She was on her way home from school, excited about the new book she'd borrowed from the library when she’d heard a few catcalls from behind her.

  "Why are you playing hard to get?" Alex asked, taking a step toward Tegan.

  The young woman gasped for air, clutching at her chest. She was starting to lose it. It had been years since she'd thought of that day, and now it was like she was reliving it.

  Tegan took jerky sidesteps, trying to get away from Alex when yet another wolf stood in her path. She quickly spun around and found that she was surrounded. A searing pain tore through Tegan's chest, and her lungs burned as she doubled over, trying to force breath into her body.

  Things had escalated worse than she'd ever imagined. Now she understood the tiger's worry. It wasn't what happened in the gym that was a danger to her; he could control that environment. But outside the gym's four walls, Tegan was fair game.

  "Get away from her," a low, gruff voice said.

  Tegan turned around to see a man locking eyes with each of the wolves that surrounded her before his icy blue eyes landed on hers.

  The man was well over six feet tall and built like a tank. His brown hair was cut short on the sides, fading into the neat beard that covered the bottom half of his face.

  The man's square jaw was clenched, and his massive shoulders looked ready to rip out of the plaid shirt he wore. He clenched his fists, bunching up his arms where his sleeves were rolled up.

  "You fuckers don't want a piece of me," he said, taking a step forward.

  He was intimidating and would have been beautiful to look at if Tegan hadn't been recovering from a panic attack.

  "Whatever," the wolf in front of her said, walking away.

  Tegan finally had the sense of mind to scent the man. When she did, her eyes widened in shock. A bear. And a grizzly, if she had to guess by his size. He could probably kill each of them with a single punch if he concentrated all his strength on the action.

  No wonder the wolves were leaving like pups with their tails between their legs. They were fighters, but none of them could take on a bear. Not in human form and definitely not in animal form.

  A sense of relief flooded through Tegan as her belly unclenched and her lungs expanded to take in much-needed air. Things were going to be okay. A gentleman had stepped in and done the right thing.

  Then Alex walked around Tegan and pulled her to him, grabbing her ass and pressing himself against her. He whispered. "I'm not through with you."

  A loud growl filled the air and the next thing Tegan knew, the bear shifter had pulled Alex off her. He threw the wolf shifter to the ground, then proceeded to pummel him within an inch of his life.

  The sound of teeth breaking and bones crunching filled the air, but it all quickly faded as Tegan dropped to her knees, her legs too weak to hold her.

  Her skin crawled where the wolf had touched her, and bile rose up in her throat as she relived the feel of his hard cock pressed up against her belly.

  Tegan squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the oncoming panic attack away. Nothing she did ever worked out. She had no education, and she had no skills to defend herself. What life could she possibly hope to build?

  There would always be someone bigger and stronger ready to take advantage of her. It didn't matter where she went, Tegan was unequipped to deal with it and was all alone with no one to watch her back.

  Her mother had scraped all the money she had to help Tegan escape, in the hopes that she'd turn around and help them do the same once she got out. And for what? So that Tegan could end up broke and homeless at best, and raped and out of her mind at worst?

  "I'm so sorry, Momma," she whispered, and then her tears overtook her.

  3

  Tegan sat on the ground and hugged her knees, feeling sorry for herself. There were no other words to describe what she was going through.

  The day had started with such promise, and hours later she found herself on the ground in a position she'd hoped she'd never find herself in again.

  Everyone knew the Bluewolf Pack were crazy, more animal than human. Tegan knew full well how right that description was. She'd never felt safe around her clan members, or even in her own home.

  While she’d never feared rape by her father or brother, she did fear their angry outbursts. There was just something in Bluewolf males that set them off at the slightest thing.

  So, Tegan had grown up living in constant fear. She never knew when something she did or didn't do would set her father or some other male off.

  It was a miserable life. One she was glad she'd escaped, but now she found herself facing the same fears in Stonewick.

  Tegan had left her mother and sister to suffer and bear the brunt of the wrath that her running away would incur. It had all been so that she could find a better life and hopefully prepare for them to join her. Now she was messing it all up, just by being herself.

  It wasn't fair. Tegan had never learned to fight or stand up to men like her father. Now she was thrust into a world where men like him roamed free. Not even chained by fear of hurting another man's property.

  God. I never thought I'd miss being someone's property. What is wrong with me?

  Tegan sniffled and wiped her face like she had thousands of times before. Whenever she allowed herself to get down, she found it almost impossible to get back up. She had to snap out of it right now.

  Using her sleeve to wipe at the snot-covered mess that was her lower face, Tegan drew a shaky breath and willed her heart to slow down. She wondered how her mother had lived with the Bluewolfs for so long. How she managed to stay strong for her girls.

  She deserves better. And I've got to play my part in giving it to her.

  Tegan plac
ed her hands on the ground and tried to lift herself up, but she underestimated her strength. She fell back down with a thud. "Dammit."

  More tears filled her eyes, and she tried furiously to blink them away. She was done crying. In fact, she shouldn't have cried at all. She'd faced much worse.

  Like the day her father beat her for staying out late playing with the other kids. That was only the first beating, and it was worse than what Alex and his friends had done to her. Tegan was getting soft in Stonewick, in more ways than just the physical, and it was going to cost her.

  "Here," a low voice said.

  Tegan looked up to see the grizzly's piercing blue gaze trained on her as his hand stretched out to her. There was a hint of empathy behind his expression, but no pity. That was a good start.

  Tegan had learned a long time ago that pity, whether from yourself or someone else, achieved nothing. It just made your heart heavy and killed your motivation to do anything. She was determined to get up and move on from this.

  "Thanks." Tegan took his offered hand and stood, dusting her jeans off. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked back at the gym. She'd left her hoodie in there, but there was no way she'd go back for it. Not when there was a chance Alex or any of his friends were in there.

  Tegan sighed and bit her lip. She was officially jobless, and she had no idea what other jobs she could apply for. People weren't exactly knocking on the door for twenty-three-year-old middle school dropouts.

  "You okay?" the man asked. He rubbed his neck and looked down at her. Tegan noticed his long eyelashes as they blinked at her.

  This grizzly was all hard angles and male hotness, but his eyelashes gave him a touch of femininity that softened him. Tegan found that she liked that.

  All the men in her life, except one, had no softness to them. Not physically or emotionally. This grizzly had both. He had saved her, then helped her get up, and now he was asking if she was okay.

  "No. I'm not okay," Tegan admitted. She'd spent her entire life lying. To her school, then to innocent shopkeepers, and finally to herself. Tegan was done with that life. She wanted to live her life openly.

  "Oh." The man shuffled his feet and looked away, distinctly uncomfortable. Tegan smiled. He clearly didn't know what to do with a woman's emotions.

  The tattoos peeking from below his sleeves indicated that he was a bit of a rebel. Oh, Tegan knew it was a stereotype. But after she'd seen him pummel Alex to a pulp, pick the wolf up, then shove him out of the parking lot, she knew he wasn't a trained fighter.

  This grizzly had learned to brawl from a life lived on the edge. For some reason, that wasn't a turn off to Tegan, which shocked her, considering her past. Whoever he was, he was dangerous, but not to her. She knew that instinctively.

  "I'm Tegan."

  "Colton," he grunted.

  Tegan smiled. "Thank you for helping me, Colton. I—"

  "Look, if everything’s okay here, then I've got to head off."

  Colton stuffed his hands in his pockets, then turned. Tegan took a step forward and grabbed his arm. The scowl on Colton's face and the fire in his eyes made her drop her hand.

  Bad move, I guess.

  Colton had been really sweet a minute ago, and now he was looking at her like she was a piece of gum stuck under his shoe. Maybe Tegan had read him wrong, but at that moment, she didn't care. She needed someone with her, for at least the next hour.

  Alex and his friends were on a lunch break. As a shifter, she knew they'd heal from their injuries. The last thing she needed was a surprise visit from any of them within the next couple of hours.

  Tegan didn't want to head home right there and then. The evil eyes Alex had given her before he stumbled out of the parking lot told her that he was going to look for her for a long time. She needed for him and his friends to go back to the gym; then she could head home.

  "What do you want?" Colton's voice was cold, his face void of any compassion.

  Tegan took a step back, and her eyes widened. He'd sounded just like her father right there. She couldn't help her instinct to get away.

  Tegan glanced at the gym and saw a couple of guys standing outside, watching her. She swallowed thickly and looked up at Colton. There was that softness in his eyes again.

  Did he regret barking at her?

  Either way, she had no choice. She needed to get away from this parking lot, then head home once she knew the guys would be busy. Then, she'd lay low for a few more days, and make sure to never come to this part of Stonewick again.

  "Look, Colton, I've had a rough day. You just witnessed the worst part of it. Alex and those guys, they won't appreciate what you did for me.

  "I'd like to go to lunch, then head home. I have a feeling they've got more on their minds."

  Tegan cocked her head to the side, and Colton followed her gaze. He drew a sharp breath when he saw them, then growled.

  "What is it with these shitbags? Don't they know when to stay down?"

  "Apparently not," Tegan ventured. "Please have lunch with me for just twenty minutes. Their lunch break should be over by then."

  Colton's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth gaped. "Me? You want me to go to lunch with you?"

  Tegan shrugged. "I don't have any friends, and you saved me, so, yeah. You're kind of it."

  "I'm not a hero." Colton folded his arms. "And I don't babysit little wolves that don't know how to protect themselves."

  Tegan's nostrils flared. Why was Colton being an asshole again?

  "I don't need babysitting. You saw what those guys did. I can't fight all of them at once. They're bigger and stronger than I am."

  That was a lie. Tegan probably couldn't fight even a human male. She didn't have the skills or the anger that seemed to spur most fighters on. Tegan was just a girl that wanted to be left alone, but with her luck, that seemed impossible.

  "Please," she pleaded, gently placing a hand on his arm. She'd play the damsel in distress card if she had to. Tegan had promised herself that she would no longer be a victim once she left the Bluewolf, and here she was sliding perfectly into that role.

  Tegan mentally shook her head and pushed the thought aside. "They won't come near me if you're there. All I need is twenty minutes."

  Colton scrubbed a hand down his face and frowned at her. He stared her down for a good minute. "Twenty minutes is all I'm giving."

  Tegan grinned. She knew there was a big softie underneath all this masculine bravado. Then again, it could be that she was projecting her feelings onto him.

  For all she knew, Colton could be like her father and brother. But her father and brother never would have stepped in and helped her as Colton had.

  "Twenty minutes from when we start eating. Their lunch break ends at two." Tegan walked to the driver's side of her car. "Hop in."

  Colton sneered as he studied her car. "That's a little too small for me. I've got my truck here with me. Drive. I'll follow you."

  He turned around without another word, and Tegan mumbled under her breath. "Stupid male ego. Can't be seen in a tiny beat-up Nissan."

  Tegan watched Colton get into an obscenely large green truck, then clucked her tongue and turned out onto the road. Once she saw him pull up behind her, her irritation faded. Colton was doing her a favor, after all.

  Growing up Bluewolf had taught her that some people didn't have a kind bone in their body. So what if Colton's was mixed in with some rude, gruff behavior? She was grateful he'd agreed to help a stranger. Now she needed to make it worth his while.

  Tegan didn't have much money left. Just enough rent for another two weeks. But she needed to thank Colton properly.

  If he hadn't shown up, she wouldn't have been in a position to worry about money. She would have been lost in a sea of darkness, and would probably have ended up in a mental hospital.

  Tegan turned the indicator on and turned onto a small street where an affordable but decent restaurant served some of the best steaks she'd ever had. Colton would probably have had bette
r, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. She smiled, then pulled into the parking lot.

  "I guess this place is getting more popular," Tegan said to herself.

  Finding a space big enough for her to comfortably park, she got out of her car and waited for Colton by the door. As she did, a man walked by her, and she instinctively scented him.

  Human. Good.

  Scenting every male that crossed her path was a habit Tegan had developed from a very young age. She needed to be aware of any Bluewolf males around and take the necessary steps to stay off their radar.

  Although she was now in Stonewick, she couldn't break the habit, and her morning encounter had just proven to her that even here, monster wolves roamed amongst decent shifters.

  Tegan was biased against male wolves, but she couldn't help it. As a female wolf shifter, they took a keen interest in her, so she needed to avoid them with just as much vigor.

  "Good choice," Colton said, walking past her and into the restaurant.

  Tegan rolled her eyes, then followed him in. Well, he definitely wasn't a gentleman outside of rescuing a woman.

  But she didn't need a gentleman. She needed a bodyguard and an escort back home. The big grizzly was it. Thankfully.

  Tegan walked in and found Colton settled into a booth by the window. She bristled at the fact that he'd chosen a seat without asking where she would prefer to sit, but then she reminded herself that he was already doing her a big favor, so she bit her tongue and settled in the seat opposite him.

  Colton's broad shoulders filled up the booth, and she found that she couldn't see the door over his shoulders.

  Relax. There's no need to see the door. No one's going to try anything when he's here.

  Tegan comforted herself with images of Alex's friends slinking away in fear when Colton showed up and leaned back into her seat. She picked up her menu and looked through it, eliminating options based on price.

  Tegan had a feeling Colton would want to have a big steak, and she wanted to be able to afford it. Settling on chicken wings and a soda, she shut her menu.

  "You ready to order?"