Red Claw Alpha (Red Claw Rising Book 1)

by Zoey Harper

  Love always finds a way; his mother had told him that night.

  Colton grinned like a maniac. Once more, his mother was coming to his aid. He leaned over Tegan and hugged her.

  "Tegan, I love you. Come back to me."

  Colton repeated the words for a good five minutes, never getting tired. His only option was to appeal to Tegan's subconscious. The conscious part of her brain was dead to the world, and it seemed the same was true for her wolf.

  He needed to call out to the young woman in her, so he did.

  Colton told her of all the things he wanted to do and see with her. Of all the fun that he wanted to have with her. Then he told her how much he loved her. Over and over again.

  A moan snapped him out of his trance. Tegan lay naked, in her human form.

  Colton yelped and gently gathered her up in his arms. The wound on her thigh continued to bleed, but the gash on her belly seemed to be closing of its own accord. Her magic was working faster in human form.

  "There's my girl," Colton said as he climbed up the hill and walked off the property.

  He didn't care that they were both naked. Any nosy neighbors would have to suck it. Colton had far bigger problems on his mind. Like getting Tegan to a hospital, and finding a way to deal with Patrick.

  Patrick would be upset that he'd killed Flynn. He'd be even more upset that Colton hadn't found his stash. Colton shoved the thoughts aside.

  He'd just witnessed a miracle: Tegan had come back to him.

  "I have to make good on my words. Starting now."

  Colton rolled Tegan onto his chest with one arm and reached for the backseat door with the other. He gently placed her in the back seat, careful not to drop her.

  For all Colton knew, she might have hurt something else. He wouldn't be responsible for paralyzing her or some shit.

  Colton then reached down to the floor and grabbed his emergency bag. He put on the spare clothes he kept in it and pulled out a blanket. He covered Tegan with it, then hovered above her and placed a kiss on her sweaty forehead.

  "I'll get you to the hospital in time. I promise."

  Colton got into the driver's seat and turned out onto the road. He pulled his phone out with shaky hands. He needed to find the nearest hospital. Once he got the location, he floored it.

  There was no point in driving carefully on a straight road, only on the bends. While Colton wanted to get Tegan there safely, he needed to get there on time.

  Twenty minutes later, Colton pulled up in front of the emergency room of the Beacon Hospital Center. He hopped out of the truck, reached into the back seat, and gently lifted Tegan out.

  The automatic sliding doors parted as he carried her into the busy emergency room. Several patients sat in beat-up chairs.

  There looked to be a mix of ailments. Some had cuts and scrapes. A few held ice packs over their limbs. Other's coughed and sniffed, making Colton's nose wrinkle.

  Quit spreading your fucking germs around.

  Colton pulled Tegan closer to him as if his body could shield her from the illness-riddled room. He walked to one of the stretchers lying against the far wall and lay Tegan on it.

  "I need help," Colton yelled. "My wife's been shot."

  A middle-aged woman shot up from behind a counter, and her eyes bulged as she saw the blood that had dripped on the floor as Colton carried Teagan in. "Oh, lord!"

  It seemed that the nursing staff had become complacent because of the lack of severe cases. Things quickly moved along once they caught wind of Tegan's situation.

  As expected, Colton got shoved aside with promises of further contact once they knew more. He got directed to a waiting room on the floor above the emergency room and got a stack of forms shoved into his hands.

  Colton's hands shook as he picked up the pen. Tegan was on a table somewhere, and they were probably going to cut into her. At least into her thigh, her belly was healing. But still, she would be in a shit ton of pain if they were going to dig that bullet out!

  Easy. You've done all you can.

  Colton took a shaky breath. Now that the adrenaline had left him, anxiety and guilt threatened to take over. He needed something to do to distract himself. He'd tear into himself once he knew Tegan was okay.

  For now, he'd fill in the forms so that the snotty little doctor that shoved him aside wouldn't have a reason not to give Tegan the best care.

  "The little shit looks too young to be a doctor," Colton mumbled.

  A chuckle broke out behind him. Colton turned to find an older gentleman dressed in an overcoat smiling at him. Colton sneered at him; then his face gentled when he scented him. Human.

  "What's so funny?"

  The old man waved a hand. "I thought the same of Doctor Gupta. He doesn't exactly have the best bedside manner, and he's always quick to kick the family out of the way."

  Colton turned his body around, eager to hear more about the man that had his mate's life in his hands. "He any good?"

  "Very. Rumor is that he studied at John Hopkins, then decided he wanted to give patients in smaller towns better care. He moved here, and the rest is history."

  Colton nodded. "So, he's a little hot shot."

  "Exactly." The old man chuckled. "But he's never made a mistake. This is the second time my Eileen's been here. She fell in the shower again." The old man sighed. "I'm dreading making another call to her sister. Somehow, I feel I'm going to get just as much blame for this one as the last time."

  Colton's eyes flew open. Tegan's mother and sister didn't know she was sick. He needed to notify them.

  Colton turned around and reached into his pocket before he remembered a few hard truths.

  Firstly, he and Tegan hadn't shared emergency contact numbers. Things were so new that it hadn't crossed either of their minds.

  That's the first thing you've got to do when she wakes up.

  That's the one thing Colton was sure of. Tegan would wake up. It seemed her healing powers had kicked in, as evidenced by the fact that the gash across her belly was closing already. Between that and Dr. Hot Shot's ego, she would be fine. But that still left a problem.

  Even if Colton somehow managed to find Tegan's mother's number and got her on the phone, she couldn't possibly leave.

  According to the Bluewolf, Tegan had run away without telling anyone. Her mother couldn't come to visit. Heck, her sister didn't even know that her mother had helped Tegan leave.

  Colton hung his head. He was all Tegan had, and he'd let her down. How could he ever hope to face his mother-in-law with his head held high when, within a couple of weeks of knowing Tegan, he'd put her life in danger?

  "You okay, son?" the older man asked.

  Colton got up and left the forms on the seat beside him. He'd deal with them later. If anyone tried to deny Tegan anything because he hadn't filled them out, he'd have to rearrange their face.

  Colton walked out of the emergency room and stuffed his hands into his pockets. It just hit him how horrible Tegan's life indeed was. Her escape had cut her off from her family. Now, it was up to Colton to be there for her.

  Except Colton had just left four bodies out in a forest, where someone was sure to find them. That part of town was relatively remote, but any of the neighbors could have seen him and Tegan coming and going.

  Then there was the fact that Patrick would be calling Colton any minute now, to threaten him.

  Colton squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. There was so much he needed to get done, but he couldn't do it because Tegan was his priority. He wouldn't leave her unprotected again.

  Colton paced as he tried to come up with a solution. He couldn't be in two places at once, but he needed to clear up the mess he'd left behind.

  Colton thought of calling Damon to come to Baxwell and bury the bodies for him. He shook his head. Damon wouldn't get there in time, and besides, it would be hard to describe the bodies’ location. The only reason Colton had found the hidden clearing was that he'd heard Flynn's laughter.
r />   Then it dawned on him. "Elvis."

  Colton quickly fished his phone out of his pocket. Elvis wasn't his favorite person, but he did love Tegan. Colton didn't understand why, but right then and there he didn't care.

  "Iron Gun Range," Elvis’ low voice answered.

  Colton's nostrils flared, and he had half a mind to cut the call. When he and Tegan had visited Elvis the day before, the bear shifter had told Colton to stay away from Tegan because all he could do was bring her trouble.

  Colton had let those words float in one ear and out the other. He knew how much he loved Tegan. He wouldn't let an old man's scare tactics push him away.

  I proved him right, didn't I?

  Colton's stomach sunk. Elvis would probably rub it in, but what mattered right now was Tegan.

  Colton cleared his throat. "It's me. Colton."

  "What happened?" Elvis asked, alarm present in his voice. Both bear shifters knew that Colton wouldn't call to make social niceties. That was Tegan's role.

  "The mission went bad. Tegan's at the Beacon Hospital Center. I need you to sit with her while I tie up some loose ends."

  Elvis hissed. "I'm on my way." He hung up and left Colton to ruminate over his current situation.

  While he bore the blame for Tegan's current situation, there was a more significant force at work: Patrick Hargrove.

  If Colton wanted to bring Tegan to Elvis’ home to recover when the doctor said she could leave, then he needed to get Patrick off his back.

  Colton had taken a soft approach for so long. He'd been worried about what Patrick might do to his clan or Tegan. Well, Tegan lay in a hospital, and Elvis was on his way to sit with her. The older bear shifter wouldn't let anything happen to her.

  Colton now had to focus on keeping Patrick away from his clan. He didn't want any of his men to deal with what he was dealing with. Almost losing his mate had put things into perspective.

  Colton was going to take the bull by the horns and take a leaf out of Kylo's book.

  "It's time to play mind games, motherfucker. And I know just the man to help me come up with a great plan."

  Colton pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He selected Keith's name and pressed the phone to his ear. After a few rings, his mentor answered.

  "What do you need, son?"

  Colton's heart warmed at the words. Last time he'd been around Keith, he'd earned the older bear shifter a beating at Ramsey's hands. Colton was glad that Keith wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

  "I need your advice on how to stall Patrick Hargrove, without getting my men killed."

  "Hmm. Why don't you fill me in on what's going on? I've been dying to help you get that shitbag and his fucktrumpet off your back."

  Colton chuckled. Keith was all in. That meant that Patrick didn't stand a chance.

  Between his and Keith's brainstorming, and the information Kylo would bring, Colton Lennox had just spent his last day under Patrick Hargrove's thumb.

  15

  Colton sat on an uncomfortable chair by Tegan's bed. He was starting to think that hospitals really didn't want family hanging around. Everything from the visiting hours to the furniture screamed; "go away."

  Well, Colton wouldn't leave. He'd intimidated and yelled, and both he and Elvis had been allowed to stay with Tegan twenty-four/seven. Doctor Gupta wasn't pleased, but he didn't want Tegan transferred to another hospital.

  I was right about him having an ego the size of Texas.

  Tegan mumbled, and Colton reached for her hand. A few tense moments passed as he waited for her to wake up. His adrenaline spiked, and he held his breath.

  Tegan stilled, and Colton exhaled as his stomach dropped. The night before, she'd briefly woken up, but she'd been too sedated to say anything coherent. He'd been hoping he'd get to speak to her before his day started, but it wasn't meant to be.

  Colton squeezed Tegan's hand then leaned back in his seat, watching her sleep. There were quite a few balls he'd thrown in the air, and he needed to juggle them for both their safety. One wrong move and everything could turn to shit.

  After Tegan got taken into surgery, Colton had made three phone calls. One to Elvis, who was currently in a nearby motel taking a shower. Another to Keith, who'd helped Colton brainstorm the perfect plan to stall Patrick. The final to Kylo, who'd expressed sympathy for Tegan's situation and promised to call the second he had an answer.

  Colton sighed. Their happiness and safety depended on so many moving parts, but at least the core of the plan was secure.

  Dr. Gupta had assured Colton that Tegan would be just fine. She had a concussion, but the bullet had passed straight through her thigh.

  When the doctor asked about how Tegan got hurt, Colton made up a story to get him off his back. Elvis had corroborated it. Now, they just needed for Tegan to wake up and learn their cover, so that they could avoid trouble with the police that were waiting to talk to her.

  Colton's phone vibrated, and he took a deep breath when he saw Patrick's name flash across the screen.

  Colton was a decent liar, but this was taking things to an entirely different level. He'd never known Keith could be so damn devious, but he was glad his mentor was on his side.

  "Hello," Colton said, stepping out of Tegan's room. He didn't want her to hear any of the lies he was about to spew. The doctor said she needed rest and calm.

  Colton mentally snorted. Dr. Gupta took one look at both Colton and Elvis and probably assumed they were the ones that had shot Tegan.

  "What the fuck is this picture you just sent me?"

  "It's your stash. At least what's left of it."

  Keith had come up with the brilliant idea to stage a photo for Patrick. Flynn was dead, and Colton wasn't a fan of taking a picture of a dead body. Besides, he wouldn't leave Tegan while she was still in surgery to do something he knew she'd disapprove of.

  So, Keith and Colton had done some research. They found that eagles could carry up to four pounds. That meant that Flynn usually took a couple of trips over borders to move the stash.

  With four pounds of high-quality cocaine costing about $300,000, they'd agreed to use just a couple of packages for the staging. The plan was for Keith to lean on one of Patrick's distributors, get the stash, take a photo, then return the guy to his life once the whole thing was over.

  Earlier that morning, Keith had texted Colton the photo. Colton's jaw had hung. There, tied up to a chair, was one of Keith's men, roleplaying, of course. On his lap sat a couple of bags of white powder. That was the cocaine.

  The photo looked legit, and Patrick would probably be convinced by whatever it was that made his seller's wrapping unique. Now, Keith just had to keep the distributor hostage until Colton's plans came through.

  Look at me, ma. I'm a kidnapper.

  Colton shook his head. He needed to sell this, or Patrick might not buy it.

  "That's one of Flynn's bodyguards holding what remained of the stash."

  "And where is Flynn himself?" Patrick asked, his voice testy.

  "Dead."

  A sharp breath answered him. "What? I said alive, you asshole!"

  "I know, but the fucker tried to shift on me again. I couldn't lose him. I kept one of his bodyguards alive. Luckily, he knew the stash location." Colton exhaled. "I don't know how much product you originally had, but that's what's left. I'll be back with it in a couple of days."

  Colton yawned. "I'm beat, and I have bodies to bury."

  Silence filled the line for about ten seconds. Patrick was upset. There was no doubt about that. But, Colton had completed the mission, and nothing that he'd done could be undone.

  "Fine. But make sure you don't get stopped by cops on your way back."

  Patrick hung up, and Colton took a deep breath. He'd done it. No. He and Keith had done it.

  For so long, Colton had done everything by himself. Now, he promised himself he'd get help whenever he could.

  Colton could never have come up with that plan on his own. Ke
ith had also risked a lot in executing it. He'd probably have to pay one of his men to shut up.

  "I'll pay him back," Colton said, nodding to himself. Good friends didn't just take.

  "Hey," Elvis called, walking toward him. The bright hallway lighting revealed how fresh and energized his little break had made him.

  "Hey yourself."

  "Everything good?" Elvis asked, cocking his head toward Tegan's door.

  Colton nodded. "I have to take off, though. I know I asked you this before, but I need to hear your answer again. Can I trust you with her? If anything goes wrong, and the doctors give some bullshit excuse about not being able to do more, will you fight for her?"

  Colton knew his fears were irrational. Tegan was out of the woods, and what little magic she had would keep her there. But crazy things happened all the time.

  People died in their sleep, for fuck’s sake. Colton needed to know that Elvis would go beyond for Tegan. No. He needed to hear it spelled out clearly.

  "I care about her," Elvis said, staring at the door like he could see through it. "Her mother means the world to me, and over the last few months, Tegan's started to mean the world to me, too."

  Elvis stuffed his hand into his back pocket. "So, to answer your question, I'll tear this hospital down before I allow anyone to give up on your girl."

  Colton's eyebrow's shot up. "My girl?"

  Elvis scoffed. "I'd hoped she'd pick better, but she's sweet on you. Nothing I can do."

  "Asshole." Colton chuckled, and Elvis joined him. That was as close to an "I support your relationship" as he'd ever get.

  Elvis really did love Tegan. His behavior over the last twenty-four hours had proven that. Colton just needed to hear it one more time.

  "If she wakes up when I'm not here, tell her I've gone to the hotel to nap and freshen up. Then call me."

  Elvis nodded. "Where are you going?"

  "To bury a few bodies."

  Half an hour later, Colton drove straight into the property Flynn had rented. He got out of his car and made the hike to the clearing where the men's bodies lay in a somber scene.

  Colton hated that he had to do this. He hated that the sound of Tegan's scream before her phone went dead seemed to echo in these woods. Everywhere he looked, he imagined the look on Tegan's face as she ran away from Flynn and his men.