The Reluctant Alpha

by K. S. Martin

  “Cami, it’s time to work.” Frankie commanded loudly interrupting them. Her eyes were still closed when Dylan pulled away. The other wolves scattered around the bar hooted and wolf whistled at them. Dylan gave them his thousand watt smiled and the cheers got louder.

  “You don’t have to work. I can take care of you, protect you, and make you feel real good.” He murmured against her mouth in that smooth caramel tone he knew she loved. She gasped and scurried out of his lap. Her tongue darted out to taste him on her lips before she gave him a nasty look. He smiled at her, undaunted. Cami rushed away to the lady’s room and Dylan chuckled to himself. Nope, no woman could resist the pink shirt or his extra smooth panty dropper voice.

  “Leave her alone Dylan. I’m begging you man.” Frankie looked like he’d just bitten into a lemon.

  “I know that you’re in love with her Frankie but I told you, she’s my mate. You know what that means. Go find yourself a nice human. Cami is wolf and she’s not for you. Nature made her for me and brought her to me. She’s mine and she’s starting to realize it.” Frankie shook his head sharply.

  “Get out of my bar Dylan. You are no longer welcome here, your privileges are cut off, and you will not be served anymore.” Frankie played the only card he had left because Dylan had been right about one thing. Frankie was in love with Cami. Frankie knew that Dylan would take her away from him the same way he’d lured Sheila away in high school. All of the women fell for him and Frankie did not want to lose a second female to the big arrogant wolf. If Dylan had left Sheila alone, she and Frankie would be married. They would be raising children and Sheila wouldn’t have swallowed that bottle of damned pills. It drove her over the edge when Dylan dumped her for Linda in the middle of lunch senior year.

  “Frankie, if I go, I take the pack with me. Without us, there is no bar. I suggest that you reconsider my privileges.” Dylan said as calmly as if he was discussing the weather. Frankie shook his head.

  “Get out.” Frankie’s fists clenched at his sides. Dylan nodded. The bar was full of wolves, thirty of them easily. Dylan stood and looked around.

  “Gentlemen, we are no longer welcome here. Our rights and privileges have been revoked. Pay your tabs.” Dylan waited. Money was left on tables and pack members filed out with their heads high, each nodded to their beta.

  “Just his rights and privileges are revoked. Everyone else can stay.” Frankie said desperately to the men leaving, his voice high and frightened. Most shook their heads. They were pack and pack stuck together.

  “I told you Frankie, if I go, they go and without us you have no business. When you are ready to discuss it, you know where to find me.”

  “Where did everyone go?” Cami said when she came out of the ladies room into the quiet empty bar, only Frankie and Dylan remained.

  “Frankie kicked me out. Everyone else left out of protest. You aren’t going to make any money tonight sweetheart.” Dylan tucked a twenty into her front pocket. “See you around.” Dylan eased passed her and out of the front door. “When you’re ready to close it down for good Frankie, I’d love to have this door. Like I said before, you know where to find me.” Dylan let the door close and went to his truck. The parking lot was empty now. If Frankie didn’t man up in a few days, he would open a pack bar. The single men needed somewhere to blow off steam. They could take turns working it and that may work out for the better.

  “Wait.” Cami came outside. “What happened? I was in the bathroom. Frankie won’t tell me.”

  “Let me take you out and I promise to explain it.” She stood there with her forehead wrinkling and her perfect white teeth working her lip. “Tell Frankie that you are taking the night off.”

  “He told me to take the night off already.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. Dylan ran a hand through his hair.

  “Are you coming? You’ve got the night off anyway, let me take you out.” She still stood there. He started the truck and she hurried around to climb into the passenger side. Dylan pulled out his phone and texted someone then reached across her and pulled her seatbelt into place. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He smiled at her. Cami rolled the window down and breathed the air from outside before his scent overwhelmed her again and she embarrassed herself.

  “Now what happened? What happened in the bar? Where did everyone go?” She was nibbling her lip again. God he wanted to taste her again. His midsection was stiff and uncomfortable.

  “Frankie asked me to leave.” He pulled out onto Main Street and headed south. She had no idea where they were going and didn’t care right now. Right now, her curiosity was piqued.

  “But you didn’t, everyone else did.” She was watching him.

  “Everyone in there was a friend of mine, when he asked that I leave, they all felt… obligated to leave as well. They won’t feel welcome to return until Frankie apologizes to me.”

  “You’re a bully. You’re bullying Frankie into letting you come back. Why did he ask you to leave?” She was a lot calmer than he expected. Her voice was soft and controlled so he kept his the same, soft and controlled. He had the feeling that this discussion would end with him telling the pack to go back to Frankie’s and he would, for her.

  “Because he wants you for himself and you’re mine.” Dylan glanced at her to gauge her reaction to that. Uh-Oh.

  “I’m not anyone’s. You say that like I’m property.” Cami was getting pissed.

  “I don’t mean it that way. Please don’t take it that way.” He reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. They were leaving town she noticed. They’d just passed the library which was the last building on Main Street.

  “Where are we going?” She was already unfamiliar with the area.

  “To Lupo’s Restaurant, they have the best Italian around. I could’ve made you spaghetti with a little warning but we’ll have to settle for theirs tonight.” He smiled at her. “It’s not far.”

  “I’m not dressed for that.” She pouted.

  “Its fine, I promise.”

  ***

  “Mister Ellis, it is so nice to have you again sir. Who is this lovely young lady?”

  “This is Cami, my date.” Mario, Dylan suspected that wasn’t his real name but had never heard any different, walked around her, sniffing.

  “Cami what?” Mario inspected her head to toe. Cami watched him watching her.

  “Montgomery.” She said and Mario nodded.

  “Not your real name though is it? A mother doesn’t name her child Cami.” Mario walked around her again. Dylan was getting curious now because he’d never seen the old wolf act this way. His graying hair was as bushy as ever and so were his eyebrows. His tuxedo was old and slightly wrinkled. Where else could you get a waiter that was wearing a tuxedo in Fern Valley though?

  “My name is Cambridge, Cambridge Montgomery. Isn’t that awful?” She tittered nervously. Mario smiled. Cambridge? Cambridge was a variation he did not try with child services earlier. Who named a kid after a city? It was nice. He rolled it around in his head and smiled softly.

  “I think that it’s lovely Principessa, how long will you grace us with your presence?” She giggled and obviously knew that he’d called her Princess. Mario offered her his elbow and led her to the small private table that Dylan reserved by text a few moments earlier. It was a private dining room surrounded by heavy velvet drapes to ensure their privacy from other diners. There weren’t many people in Lupo’s tonight but he didn’t want curious eyes on his mate. Mario knew something that Dylan didn’t and Dylan never liked that. He and Mario were going to have a conversation very soon. Mario came here from Italy, maybe he could scent her or something, and he was from a long line of old wolves so it was possible. He followed them and slipped through the drapes behind them. Dylan refused the menu.

  “Cantaloupe and prosciutto, calamari,” Cami made a face and shook her head, he grinned. “Salad?” She nodded. “Steak Pizzaiola with a side of spaghetti.”

  “And bread?” Ca
mi asked.

  “Very good, Principessa, Mister Ellis. Right away.” Mario studied her a few more seconds then left their dining room.

  “So, Cambridge Montgomery, what brings you to Fern Valley?” Now he was going to get as much information out of her as he could.

  “I met a man when I was waiting tables near Atlanta. Business was slow and we spent the evening talking. He told me all about this place, about how lovely the people were, how safe it was, and how beautiful it was. He said it wasn’t anything like Atlanta. I headed out the next day and here I am.”

  “You’re from Atlanta?” Dylan watched her, she shook her head.

  “I’m from Cedar Side, Virginia. As soon as I could, I left.”

  “Why?” He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the pulse point in her wrist. “Why leave the only home that you ever knew?”

  “I didn’t have any family, I was a foster kid. The last couple that I lived with was old. The lady, Miss Grace, she died and Luther was nearly blind and had cancer. He gave me the keys to his truck and told me to go find myself, I was sixteen. I took the keys and bolted. I hated it there, I never fit in. I couldn’t stay in Cedar Side, they would’ve just put me with another family, and I wanted out of the foster care system.” Mario brought them a bottle of red wine and filled their glasses then slipped back through the curtains discreetly. Dylan saw his nose twitch before he left.

  “How long have you been on your own now?” He wanted so much to take her home and keep her safe from the world.

  “Since I was sixteen.” Cami nibbled her lip.

  “How old are you now?” Dylan squeezed her hand. Her pulse was off the charts and he decided it would be best if he gave some space.

  “Oh,” she chuckled. “I’m going to be twenty four next week. How old are you? You don’t look much older than me but you seem old.” He smirked.

  “I’m twenty seven and I feel old sometimes.” The corners of his mouth drew up seductively and she trembled. She would be his with just the slightest amount of convincing.

  “What Turner said earlier, you never explained. What is a beta? I looked it up at the library and it’s not slang for anything like he said. The only thing about beta that I could find was in wolf hierarchy, the Greek alphabet and fish species.” Dylan watched her knowing his eyes flashed amber. She gasped, it finally dawned on her.

  “They aren’t real.” She whispered. “Are they?” He flashed his eyes at her again and nodded. “You’re eyes, they…”

  “Are like a wolf’s?” Her brows knitted and her chin quivered. He took her hand again. “Are you okay Princess?”

  “Why did he call me that?” Cami was getting scared.

  “I suspect because you are werewolf royalty.” The laughter bubbled out of her. “Henry has been studying it but we aren’t coming up with much. We realize that you are not aware of your abilities and that you have probably never turned in your life because either you don’t know how, or you don’t want to, but I think that you can. I saw your eyes flash, it probably wasn’t intentional like when I did it, but they flashed just the same. We don’t know what else you are capable of and we aren’t sure how you ended up here without protection or guidance. I can protect you and I can take care of you. You won’t be safe on your own for long especially if it gets out that you are a Princess or something.”

  “You keep saying that you’ll protect me but what does it mean? Why would you want to protect me or anything else? We just met, you don’t know me.” Her face was a pale mask of confusion.

  “Because you are my mate, I knew the second you walked into the bar the other night. I scented you and every cell in my body jolted awake. When you kissed me earlier I knew that I was home.” Her eyes widened. Mario was suddenly there with the fruit. “Mario.” Dylan said without looking at him. “You called her Principessa, why?” Dylan’s gaze never left her face.

  “Oh Mister Ellis, because she is a Principessa, she is the picture of her mother.” He tsked. “The Queen Francesca Ilaria Giordano, it is a shame how they were hunted down like common animals, the Queen and King Alajandro. A bigger shame that it was all covered up. I am not so sure of the details but I think the way the story goes is that some of the King and Queen’s loyal subjects stole their newborn daughter away and hid her from the world. I never knew what happened to her but you do look exactly like Queen Francesca except your hair. Her highness had golden blonde hair.” Cami’s eyes were filling with tears. “I apologize, I thought that you knew. It would be best if we kept this quiet, just us need to know. She may not be safe. If you need help protecting her Mister Ellis, you let Mario know. Eh?” He gave her a deep bow and slipped out of the small private room. Cami wiped her cheek.

  “Come here sweetheart.” He pulled her into his lap. “Oh baby that was not the way to get that news was it?” He stroked her hair smoothing the stress away. Dylan kissed her temple and held her close letting her get it out.

  “It’s stupid.” She sniffled. “People I’ve never heard of and I am crying like a kid. I didn’t know them. I don’t know if he’s right either. I may not be the Principessa. But if it is true, I won’t ever meet my parents and I hoped all of these years that I got separated from them by accident and that they would come back for me. I may not even be a werewolf. Jeez, that sounds so stupid. An hour ago, they didn’t exist.” Dylan squeezed her.

  “We’ve existed for as long as time. We stay hidden and we stay safe. We stick together and we stay safe. I don’t know if you are who he says, you may not be. I’ll have Henry look into it, but Princess or not, you are wolf, and you are my mate. That much I am positive about.” He offered her a slice of cantaloupe and she nibbled. “Is it good?” She nodded and Dylan kissed the top of her head. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and feed her, protect her. She eased off of his lap leaving him bereft. Perching on her seat, she sipped her wine and had another piece of fruit. He tried a piece and realized just how hungry he was. They ate in comfortable silence. Cami had never had steak this way and found it to be very good, but you couldn’t beat Frankie’s steak off the grill. “You’re very beautiful.” Dylan said, sipping his wine. Cami made a face and he laughed. “You aren’t used to compliments?” She shook her head and took another bite. She was stuffed but she was not letting steak go to waste, she could rarely afford to have it and only had it when Frankie took pity on her. “Do you want a box for that? You can take it home.” She looked over at his plate, he’d finished his. Cami leaned back and held her belly.

  “I think maybe I should. I am going to bust. I can’t believe that I ate as much as I did and a ‘Big and Sloppy’ earlier. I’ll need new pants if I don’t stop eating this way.”

  “But you’ll be hungry again in a couple of hours, won’t you?” She blushed and he smiled at her. “Wolf.” He murmured. “Will you do something for me?” Her big green eyes were leery. “Will you try to shift?”

  “I wouldn’t know how.” She kept her eyes down.

  “I’ll help you. I want you safe and part of being a werewolf is being able to call your inner wolf out to protect yourself.” She nibbled her lip. “No one will see, I don’t mean for you to do it here, I have a safe place for you to try.” Cami took a deep breath and looked up at him, her face serious.

  “Only if you tell your friends to come back to Frankie’s bar, please don’t put him out of business. He’s looked out for me and took care of me when nobody else cared.” He paid the bill and had her food boxed.

  “It’s a deal. Come on.” He took her hand and led her out to his truck. With her seat belt secure, he pulled out onto the road and followed it home.

  “What is this place?” Cami looked out over the front yard at the impressive house sitting behind a circular drive. The circle and yard surrounding the large grey stone one level house was full of huge trees that would shade it during the day. “It’s beautiful.” Her face was leaned out of the window, her breath fogging a small cloud on the passenger side.

  “This is my
home, I live here.” She looked over at him, doubt filling her eyes. “Really.” He parked at the front door and got out. “Come on.” He said when he came around and opened her door.

  “I don’t think I should.” He sensed her anxiety.

  “Have I ever made you feel unsafe?” Cami smirked. “Ok, have I ever lied to you?” He reached for her hand. “Come on. If you want to leave, I will take you home. I promise. Come inside, let’s see what you are.” She had to admit, even she was curious about that. Cami took his hand and followed him to the door. He pushed numbers into keypad and the door swung open. He turned the lights on. The polished wood foyer was softly lit by recessed lighting high above her head.

  “It’s beautiful. Whose house is this? Really?” He laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “Come.” They followed the hall to an intersection. The kitchen was to the right. He put her food in his refrigerator.

  “That’s mine.” She said, suddenly defensive.

  “Yes ma’am.” He smiled wolfishly for her. “Come.” He held out his hand to her and she took it letting him lead her. “This is the living room,” he pulled her further, “dining room,” She gasped at how nice it all was, so not the mountain man who came into her bar. This was…elegant. Much too elegant for Dylan. “Recreation room.” She ran her fingers over the Italian leather back of the sofa and looked up at the huge TV on his wall. She couldn’t afford one, not that she had time to watch anyway with working four jobs. There was a pool table beyond the sofa group and a bar.

  “Wow.” Her brows were up high with surprise.

  “Want to see the rest?” He murmured in her ear making her tremble again.

  “I don’t want to get caught in here. We could get into trouble.”

  “I promise you it’s mine.” He walked over to the book case and took a framed certificate from one of the shelves. “Here, see. It’s the deed to the house, see here is my name.” He pointed to it. “I own the house and the surrounding fifty acres. The house was old and beat up when I bought it but the pack and I fixed it up.” She held the frame and read the document. “The pack are the other werewolves in the area by the way.”