Later, how much later she wasn’t sure, Alex woke to the sound of her cell ringing. She groped toward the bedside table, an action made more difficult because Brett held her tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“Phone,” she said, pushing at his arms.
The ringing stopped. So much for that. Alex relaxed in his arms. She had barely begun to drift off when her phone bleeped. Whoever it was had left a message.
Not many people called her. Brett did, but it couldn’t be him. She still had this pathetic hope that one day her parents might call her. They’d all but disowned her when she told them she was leaving with Brett, but she still hoped they might come around.
They hadn’t liked Brett at all. He was too much older, too worldly. Her two fathers had sat her down to explain that Brett was too sneaky, that they had a bad feeling about him. They said they were just looking out for her, but she knew what it was. They wanted her to stay home, didn’t want her to grow up. They couldn’t see how much Brett loved her. If they did, they’d understand.
And now this phone message. Could her parents have called at last? Alex shoved away from Brett’s sleepy embrace enough to grab her phone off the table. As he pulled her back in, she unlocked the screen and checked her messages.
Keith.
Damn it. She should just accept her parents weren’t ever going to call. They were through with her.
She listened to the message—Keith had talked with the Roanoke Alpha and he’d agreed to see her tonight. Keith wanted to know how soon she could get over there.
Maybe she could pretend she hadn’t gotten the message. She didn’t want to join the pack. Brett wanted all of them to join, and had said that they should join separately so they didn’t scare the Alpha with a bunch of new wolves all at once. And she was up next. But she didn’t want to leave Brett, and he was going to be the last one to join. Because he was strongest, and he’d be the most intimidating to the Alpha.
She didn’t think they should join at all. They were happy enough as a wayward group of Loners. Alex joked that they were almost a pack. Except a pack had to have territory and they had nothing. Still, they did fine together. She didn’t want that to change. But Brett always got his way.
“Who was it?” Brett said groggily.
Damn it. Now she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t gotten it. And if she lied, Brett would be mad. “Keith. Go back to sleep.”
Of course that didn’t work. “What’d he want?” Brett sounded a little more awake.
She so wanted to lie. “To talk about meeting the Alpha.”
Brett pushed her hip forward, away from him. “Go call him back.”
Alex groaned as she climbed out of bed. She put on some clothes then went out to the kitchen with her cell. They had rented a house in neutral territory where they could all live. She didn’t see why they couldn’t just stay there.
She called Keith. “Hey, it’s Alex.”
“Right. How soon can you get your ass down here?”
Chapter 2
Keith was such an asshole. He always did his best to make Alex feel like a piece of dirt. “Does it have to be tonight?”
“Yeah. I made the arrangements for tonight. You’re not more than ten minutes away. Although if you’ve got Brett’s stank all over you, take a shower first. We want Chris to see you as a sexy little piece, not as someone else’s ho.”
An asshole. He thought he was so tough talking like that when she knew for a fact he’d grown up in rural Connecticut. A real street kid.
“I can be there in an hour,” she said.
“Make it faster. He said he wouldn’t be here too much longer.”
“I’ll try, but like you said, I need to shower first.” She felt like throwing it in his face but every time she tried to get back at him, she failed.
“Fine. Get over here as soon as you can.” He hung up.
If it weren’t for Brett, she’d quit this whole group. They were all males, and all jackasses. Except Brett. Brett, she loved.
Besides, since her family had disowned her, she had nowhere else to go. Good thing Brett loved her back.
She went back into the bedroom to get ready.
* * *
Ben figured he’d done enough recon for the night. After an hour of sitting with pack members and listening—talking some, too, but mostly listening—Ben approached Chris at the bar. God, that guy was big. “Thanks for introducing me,” Ben said.
“Not a problem,” Chris said. “What do you think?”
He needed more time. “Seems like a nice town. I want to see Liam before making any decisions about the packs. I’ll see him tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. I’m here most nights. If you want to talk more about Roanoke, just come and find me.”
“Thanks.” They shook hands.
Ben headed out. He had walked here, so he didn’t have to worry about driving. He passed the bar’s parking lot as he headed for the hotel. A young woman stepped out of her car and headed in his direction.
She was gorgeous. Maybe not conventionally beautiful, but to him, she was nearly perfect. She had her black hair cut short in a bob that framed her high cheekbones and porcelain skin. Her eyes flashed at him as she caught him staring. He couldn’t tell what color they were, but they were certainly full of life.
And her body. She was a good eight inches shorter than he was, maybe 5'6", every inch of it a luscious curve. Every man’s wet dream.
He couldn’t help but turn and watch her walk into the bar, enjoying the sway of her hips. God, to have those legs wrapped around him. How amazing would that be?
And she was a wolf. He’d caught a whiff as she walked by. All he needed to know was which pack she was in—that was the pack he’d join.
Imagining his beautiful she-wolf between the sheets, he headed to the hotel. He’d ask Liam about her tomorrow. If he still remembered her by then.
* * *
Chris noticed the woman as soon as she walked into the bar. She was young, younger than he’d expected. And a hell of a lot more beautiful. Actually, she looked exactly the way he’d want a woman to look, if he ever constructed his perfect girlfriend. And if he’d been ten years younger. All of it—the short dark hair, the pale skin, the large breasts and curvy hips.
Dana smacked him on the arm. “Stop staring at her.”
“Sorry.” He said it automatically. It was never a good idea to piss Dana off. Just one more reason he hoped she was wrong about their being mates. He didn’t think he could live with her temper for the rest of his life.
Keith walked up to the beauty by the door. He had his back to Chris, but by the look on the woman’s face, he must have said something rude. Or mean. Chris fought the urge to smack Keith.
But his presence explained a few things. The beauty must be the young female Keith had mentioned, the one who wanted to join his pack. As much as Dana welcomed Ben’s joining, Chris knew she wouldn’t want this female anywhere near them. Or near him, to be precise.
Keith and the woman walked toward him.
Chris leaned toward Dana. “I’ve got some business with them. Once it’s done, we can leave. But for now, we need some privacy.”
Dana frowned at him then leaned over and kissed him. Not a peck, either. Chris let her. He knew what she was doing—letting the other woman know who Chris belonged to. As though Chris would ever date the little beauty. She was hot, but far too young for a thirty-something like him.
Dana sauntered off, swinging her hips suggestively, just as Keith and the woman stopped in front of him.
“Hey, Chris,” Keith said.
“Keith.”
“This is Alex, the wolf I told you about. She wants to join.”
Chris stuck his hand out to her. “I’m Chris.”
As she shook his hand, her mouth moved in a semblance of a smile that vanished so quickly he wasn’t sure he’d seen it. “Hi.”
“Why don’t you sit down and we’ll talk,” Chris said.
Alex sat in the chai
r next to him, and Keith grabbed the stool next to her, dragging it toward them to make a small circle.
Chris stopped him. “Just the two of us. If Alex wants to join, I need to hear it from her.”
Keith shot a glance at Alex. Chris couldn’t quite make out what the expression on his face meant. Was he angry? Frustrated? Annoyed at not being able to stay?
“Sure, no problem,” Keith said. He returned the stool to its spot and walked off.
“So, Alex,” Chris said. “Why do you want to join Roanoke pack?”
In the background, a voice raised over the ambient noise, then fell down again.
She pressed her lips together. Up close, she looked a little older than he’d thought. Not necessarily just out of diapers. But he’d be surprised if she was much past high school.
“I heard it’s a good pack,” she said. “Keith said it’d be good.”
That was the lamest reason he’d heard yet. “Are you and Keith a couple?”
Her face screwed up. “I wouldn’t date him if he were the last man on earth.”
Chris barked out a laugh. He couldn’t agree more. “All right, then. You’re awfully young.” He wanted to say—why aren’t you still in your parents’ pack? But maybe something terrible had happened to her. Maybe her parents were dead, or maybe she was one of those rare cases where a wolf is brought up by a Loner.
Before he could think of how to ask, she answered him. “I’m nineteen. Not that young.”
Again, a voice shouted over the crowd, loud but indecipherable, then faded away.
“And the pack you grew up in?” Chris said.
“I left.” She tucked her hair behind one ear and wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Did they hurt you?” He kept his voice low.
“No.” Her voice sounded sharp. “My parents are good people. They’d never hurt me.”
“Then why did you leave?”
She opened her mouth then closed it. “Long story.”
He waited. If he were going to be her Pack Alpha, he needed to know all of that long story. And he needed her to trust him enough to tell him.
Now two voices rose over the din, shouting at each other. He tuned it out.
“There was a guy,” she said. “And my parents didn’t like him. He wanted me to leave with him and they forbade it. So I went anyway.”
Great. She goes off with this guy then he dumps her. “Where is he now?”
Her eyes shifted to the side. “Not here.”
The crack of wood breaking snapped through the crowd. Two wolves rounded each other, one of them holding a partially broken chair.
The one with the chair was Mad Dog, one of the new wolves in Roanoke. The other was a guy from Stonewall, Kevin somebody. Mad Dog smashed the chair over Kevin’s head, further splintering it. He dropped the remains and charged Kevin instead, picking him up by the thighs and dropping him forcefully to the ground.
“Hey!” Chris yelled. From the other direction, Chris’ second and third, Nick and Matt, pushed their way through the crowd.
Mad Dog smashed his fist into Kevin’s face, again, and then again.
Some of the other new wolves, including Keith, were making it hard for Nate and Matt to get to Mad Dog. Chris was a lot closer. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.” Chris pushed past the couple of people in the way and hauled Mad Dog off of Kevin.
The room fell silent.
“What the hell are you doing?” Chris said. Mad Dog struggled, but Chris held him easily.
“He insulted me,” Mad Dog said.
Matt and Nick helped Kevin to his feet.
“No bar fights,” Chris said. “I made that clear.”
“He’s a runt. He’s not even in our pack. What do you care?”
Chris pushed Mad Dog so hard he fell onto the floor on his back. Chris stood over him. “First, I’m the Alpha. My word is law. I tell you no bar fights, there are no bar fights.” He leaned forward as he said the last few words. “Second, if you want to fight, you can challenge someone in Roanoke for rank. But Kevin’s not in Roanoke. No fighting with Stonewall.” This time he gazed around the room, meeting the eyes of all the new wolves. “Am I clear? Because the next time one of you breaks the rules, you’re out.”
He waited to see what they would do. He almost hoped someone would question him, because his wolf wanted to fight. And while the ‘no bar fights’ rule applied to him, too, there was nothing stopping him from taking one of these pups out to the alley for a lesson.
His human side hoped it wouldn’t be necessary.
When no one moved for several seconds, Chris straightened up and walked back through the crowd. When he sat down next to Alex, it was like a flip had been switched. The wolves around him broke out in conversation while Mad Dog struggled to his feet.
“Where were we?” Chris said.
Alex took a breath deep enough that her chest moved. “Does that happen often?”
“Almost never.” He didn’t remember what they’d been discussing, so he started a new line of questioning. “How do you know Keith?”
Alex’s eyes darted across the room to where Keith sat, glowering at her. “He’s a friend of the guy I told you about.”
“The guy who took you away from your family and left you high and dry. Sounds like a complete jerk. Why are you still hanging around with his friend?” Adrenaline still pulsed through his veins. He was aware he wasn’t being very gentle with her, but he found it hard to pull back.
She shrugged with one shoulder. “He said he could help me. And I don’t know anyone else around here.”
She seemed on the up and up. Immature, but many nineteen year olds were. She’d grow out of that. But there was still the wider problem. All the new pack members—and her one friend was one of them. Chris was probably paranoid to think there was some conspiracy going on, but he couldn’t help it. So he had just one line of questioning left.
“Why Roanoke and not Stonewall?”
“What?” she said.
“Why not join Stonewall pack? My pack is full to the gills, and Stonewall could use a few new wolves. I can talk to the Stonewall Alpha about you. Plus, it’ll mean you don’t have to be pack members with Keith.”
She smiled, the first time she’d really smiled since he’d met her. Her face lit up like it was glowing from within.
For a second he forgot how young she was and wondered what it’d be like to see her smile at him like that while she lay under him in bed. Then he remembered himself. None of that.
“It sure would be great to get away from Keith,” she said.
Thank God. She was going to go for it. Not that he couldn’t use another female in his pack, but this confirmed she wasn’t part of his alleged conspiracy, and for that he was glad.
“But I really want to join Roanoke pack.”
And then she ruined it. Was she in on this whole thing, too? Or was it all just his imagination running crazy?
“I’ve kind of decided not to take on any new wolves for now. We’ve had a few too many join over the past few months.” That wasn’t entirely true. He was seriously considering letting Ben in. But he wanted to see what Alex would say.
“I hope you’ll reconsider. Or maybe take me in on a conditional basis. I’ve heard such good things about Roanoke pack.”
“From Keith.” Who’d been a pain in Chris’ ass ever since he joined. Almost as much of a pain in the ass as Mad Dog.
She faltered for a split second. “Yes, from Keith.”
Shit, she was in on it. He felt sure. Yet, how could he turn her away? A young female wolf out on her own would be prey more than predator. She needed a pack. Maybe he could still convince her to join Stonewall.
“I’d like to meet again before making a decision,” he said. “Can you come back tomorrow night?”
“Sure.”
They agreed to meet at nine. “I’ll see you then,” Chris said.
As he went to collect Dana, Chris called Jake. Maybe the Stonewall pack Alpha coul
d join them and convince her to change her mind. Jake agreed to meet them at the bar at nine the next night. After that, Chris didn’t protest when Dana nearly dragged him home.
* * *
After her talk with Chris, Alex headed out to the parking lot. She just wanted to go home and be with Brett. She’d felt like an idiot, trying to piece together truths and half-truths for Chris. And she wasn’t so sure she’d convinced him, either.
Keith caught up to her before she got into her car. “How’d it go?”
“Fine.”
He grabbed her arm. “Are you sure? He didn’t look convinced to me.” His gaze traveled over her body. “Maybe you shouldn’t have worn so many clothes.”
Alex pulled away from him. “I suppose you think I should have raised my ass so he could mount me.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, if it’d work.”
“You’re disgusting. I’m with Brett.”
Keith got in her face. “Just ‘cause Brett’s fucking you doesn’t mean anything. It sure as hell doesn’t make you anything. You’re just a little slut.”
Chapter 3
Alex slapped Keith. “You shut up. If Brett heard you talking like that, he’d—”
”He’d what?”
She scoffed. Keith knew damn well what Brett would do. He’d kick Keith’s ass. Brett had done it before when guys were mean to her or came onto her or in any way showed disrespect. “He’d beat you.”
Keith chuckled, but took a step back. “Whatever. You just better not screw this up. Or Brett will beat you, not me.”
“I’m not screwing anything up.” And she didn’t believe for a second that Brett would beat her.
“See that you don’t.” He loped back into the building.
Alex got into her car and left. It wasn’t bad enough she’d looked like a naive little fool in front of Chris. The Roanoke Alpha was right about one thing. She’d love to be in a different pack from Keith, and never have to deal with him again. Unfortunately, Brett liked him. She couldn’t figure out why.
Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads) Page 98
