Devon scoffed. “Tell you what, pretty boy, why don’t you go fuck yourself?” he said. “Do you think I give two shits about what you think?”
Alexander laughed.
“What is so goddamn funny?” Devon said.
“Bro, I’m gonna lay it all out for you.” Alexander said. “Either you leave in peace or in pieces. It’s your choice.”
“Man, fuck you!” Devon shouted. “Just who the hell do you think you are talking to?” In a flash, he released Emma and shoved her to the side. When he did, she tripped and hit the ground.
“Emma!” Trina exclaimed.
Stunned but okay, Emma scrambled to her feet and returned to Trina’s side.
As she did Alexander said, “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” she said.
He turned his attention back towards Devon. “Hey man, I’m not gonna tell you again.” He said. “This is your last warning.”
Devon rushed toward Alexander.
“What the fuck are you gonna do?” Devon said as he stood less than six inches from Alexander.
Alexander turned towards Emma and said, “Emma, get back. Now!”
This was insane. In her entire life, Emma couldn’t recall two men so much as wait to hold the door open for her. Now, in the blink of any eye, two brawny shifters were on the verge of an all out battle. She wanted to speak, to protest and put an end to the madness that unfolded but the resolution to this conflict was outside of her control.
Before she even realized what had happened, both men had shifted. And now, two wolves of near equal size stood before her and Trina. Devon’s coat was tan with patches of black underneath and down his legs. Alexander’s fur was a cascade of gray, white and black. Taut, hard musculature rippled beneath their fur as the two combatants moved around one another in a small circle. As they did, low growls and snarls emitted from both of them.
The women pressed themselves against the vehicle and braced for the worst. Emma had seen her share of fights over the years but none quite like this. Two enormous wolves, both in their prime, sized one another up. She knew from experience that it would be a matter of seconds before it was an all out war. Hackles up, both of them measured each step with sinewy precision.
The tension of the moment was evident in their haunches and now, the only question was who would be the first to strike.
Devon bared his fangs and Alexander countered.
As Emma looked on, she felt Trina go limp. She turned to see what the problem was only to discover that she had passed out and was about to hit the pavement.
“Trina!” Emma shrieked.
Distracted by the commotion, Alexander turned his attention toward his sister. It was the moment Devon had waited for and he seized it. He launched himself at Alexander and with a horrendous thud, the pair hit the pavement. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of Alexander and weakened him just long enough for Devon to bite first.
Alexander yelped as Devon sunk his teeth into his upper back. He writhed about and flipped Devon over behind him. As he did, he landed on top of Devon, whose bite still held firm. Alexander struggled to regain the advantage and kicked at Devon with his hind legs. The force jarred Devon loose from him but a high price. The wound on Alexander’s neck drenched his upper back with blood.
For several minutes, they traded positions of strength as the battle continued. Emma wanted to shift and help Alexander but that would have left Trina vulnerable. If Devon was to somehow defeat Alexander, she knew that she would need to save her strength to protect her, if it came to that. She turned for a moment to make sure that Trina hadn’t fallen when from behind she heard a bloodcurdling cry.
She turned to see Devon down flat on his back. Alexander had him pinned. Devon appeared to be unconscious from the impact but for the most part, not injured. Alexander bared his teeth and looked as if he were about to finish the fight that Devon had started.
But, just as he leaned into his haunches, Emma cried, “Alexander! No!”
The wolf turned and looked at her. His eyes glowed crimson with streaks of amber. It seemed that he was no longer the Alexander she thought she knew but a stone cold killer that was prepared to do whatever it took to win. Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes as she looked at him. He stared at her for several more seconds and then looked down at Devon who lay motionless.
“Don’t…” she whispered. “Please don’t.”
The wolf dropped his head and within moments shifted back into his human form. He seemed out of it. Emma had never seen anything like it during a shift before but, there was no time to talk about it. They needed to just get out of there.
“Emma…” Alexander said. “Take Trina’s keys and get her home. I’ll deal with him and you have my word that all I will do is make sure he goes back to Troubled Fork. No harm will come to him. I swear. I am sorry if I frightened you earlier.”
“I…” she said. “Okay. Should I wait for you at Trina’s house?”
“No. Just drive her car back to my house.” He replied. “Now go.”
“But…” she said.
“No buts. Just go, Emma. Now!” He demanded.
Still in shock, Emma helped Trina into her car and within minutes they were back on the road. After she got Trina in her house and in bed, she got in the car to hurry back to Alexander’s home. Curiosity got the better of her and she cruised by the Wobblin’ Wolf on the way there. There was no sign of either one of them.
She hoped that meant good news.
At last she pulled into Alexander’s driveway but the car wasn’t there. She headed inside and tried to text him a number of times but there was no response. About an hour later, she saw the headlights from his car as he pulled into the driveway.
She got up and opened the front door and watched as he walked towards her.
“What happened?” she said. “Where is Devon? Is everything alright? Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”
She craned her neck around. “Where is he?”
“He’s on his way back to Troubled Fork.” Alexander said. “He won’t be a problem any longer.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “What did you say to him?”
“There was no way he could win, Emma.” Alexander said. “He knew it and I knew it and as upset as he might have been, it’s not worth the consequences. We resolved it. It’s done.”
He looked exhausted as he spoke.
When he finished, he walked past her and headed to the couch where he collapsed in a heap. She closed the door and walked over to the living room. As she neared, she said, “Look, why don’t you sleep in the bed? It will be so much more comfortable for you.”
He was unresponsive. His eyes were closed. Blood from his wound seeped onto the couch.
“Alexander?” she said as she sat down next to him. “Alexander?”
He lay motionless, utterly still. Emma reached down and grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him back and forth.
“Alexander.” she said.
When he failed to respond again, she began to rock back and forth with more force each time.
“Alexander!” she shouted.
At last his eyes popped open. “What?” he said. “Emma, what’s wrong?”
She exhaled and looked up towards the ceiling. “Nothing.” she replied. “Thank goodness. For a second there I thought you were…”
She turned her attention back towards him. His eyes were closed once again. He’d fallen back to sleep.
Emma sighed and covered him with a blanket. She sat there for several minutes and stroked his hair. Her fingers traced along his cheekbone and then down to his chin. He looked so peaceful as he lay there. It was a stark contrast to his wolf form she’d seen an hour ago. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, then the cheek and at last, on the lips.
He’d protected her… risked his life for her… and how was she going to repay that debt?
There was but one choice.
***
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Emma headed to Theodore’s office first thing the next morning.
The pressure had gotten to her and it was enough. She didn’t care about a stupid debt between the clans any more. Emma no longer wished to be a pawn in an alpha male pissing contest and she was going to make it clear once and for all.
She rounded the corner to Theodore’s office.
“Ah, Emma! Perfect timing.” Theodore said. “I was just about to call you to come down to my office.”
Emma stopped dead in her tracks.
“Look who’s popped in for a visit?” Theodore said.
“Uncle?” she replied.
Albondiel stood up from the chair and turned to face his niece. He smiled and opened his arms. She walked over to him and they embraced.
He kissed the top of her head and said, “It’s so good to see you my dear. How are you?”
She lied and said, “I’m good. What are you doing here?”
A curious look came over Albondiel’s face. “You don’t know?” he said. “Theodore, you didn’t tell her?”
Theodore shook his head. “No, I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Emma had no idea what was going on right now. “A surprise? What surprise?”
The two alphas looked at one another and smiled.
“Have a seat, Emma.” Theodore said. He got up from his chair, walked across the room and closed the door to his office.
As Emma and Albondiel sat, Theodore made his way back to his desk. After he returned to his chair, he cleared his throat.
“Emma today is the day.” he said. “At long last, I have him where I want him. As promised, Albondiel is here to escort you back to Troubled Fork. Soon, my nephew will be in custody and you will be free to return home. That’s wonderful news, isn’t it?”
What? It couldn’t be possible. There was no way.
She didn’t want to go. Emma didn’t want leave him.
She was in love with Alexander and he at least seemed to feel something for her. It had to be worth a shot. Besides, there was no way this could be true. Emma was all but certain of that now.
“Custody?” she said. “But, I…”
“Yes, I should be receiving a phone call any second.” Theodore said. “With you two as eyewitnesses to the conversation, it will ensure that his fate is sealed.”
“Wait, Theodore…” Emma said. “I think that this might all be a huge mistake.”
Theodore waived his hand and said, “Emma, I appreciate your sense of fairness. But this issue has gone on for too long and as alpha, I can no longer tolerate it.”
“But…” she replied.
“Emma, no.” Albondiel said. “This is not your place, not our place, to interfere. You have done what has been asked of you and of our pack. You should be proud of that. He will get what is coming to him.”
But Emma wasn’t proud, not of anything she’d done.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Theodore began to respond but as he did, his phone rang.
“Ah, right on time. Excuse me for a moment.” he said. “Hello…?”
As Theodore spoke, Albondiel leaned in to Emma. “Emma, what has gotten into you?” he whispered. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
“I don’t know.” She said. “I mean, I can’t be sure.”
“Sure? Sure of what? What in the world are you talking about?”
“I…”
As she was about to answer, the volume of Theodore’s voice increased. “Oh, yes. Yes I understand.” Theodore said. “Is that true? I need to be one hundred percent certain that is true.”
Albondiel and Emma looked at one another as he continued to talk.
“You are positive that was his name…? The man who called you about purchasing our stolen property, his name was Alex? The man said his name was Alex? You are certain…? Okay then. Yes, I will be back in touch with you soon. Good bye.”
As he hung up, a horrible realization struck Emma.
Theodore leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head. “Very good. Very, very good.” he said. “We’ve got that shady bastard right where we want him but we need to leave right away.”
Panicked, Emma said, “Theodore. I need to speak with my uncle in private for a moment. Would that be alright?”
“Yes, well, I suppose.” Theodore replied. “But only for a moment, we haven’t much time.”
“I know.” She said. “Thank you. I promise it won’t be long.”
Emma and Albondiel stepped out into the hallway. She closed the door behind her and looked around the hallway.
“We need somewhere more private.” she said.
“Emma? What is the meaning of this?” Albondiel asked. “Theodore he…”
“Uncle!” she exclaimed. “Please, I will explain. I just need to talk to you in private.”
Albondiel shook his head. “Okay, well, what about my car?”
“Perfect. Let’s go.” She said.
A minute or so later, they climbed into the front seat of Albondiel’s car and closed the doors.
“Uncle, please hear me out.” She said. “This is going to sound crazy but, I think Theodore is framing Alexander to make it look like he is stealing. He’s doing it so that he can take control of the company and the pack, once and for all.”
Albondiel remained silent. The expression on his face didn’t betray much besides doubt mixed with disappointment.
Emma sighed.
“Listen for a second.” She said. “Back there, in his office… Theodore said that a man, who called himself Alex, contacted the buyers.”
Albondiel nodded but didn’t speak.
“Uh!” she exclaimed. “Don’t you get it? Alexander would never, ever refer to himself as Alex! Theodore is the only one who does that! It was Theodore who called the buyers and then had them call him back for our benefit. That way, we would think that Alexander was the crook when all along, it was him.”
Out of breath, she looked at her uncle.
His face showed little to no interest in her detective work.
“Well?” she said with an exasperated tone. “Aren’t you going to do something? You believe me, don’t you?”
“It’s time to go back inside Emma.” He said. “Theodore is waiting.”
Emma recoiled in horror. This couldn’t be real. He had to believe her! She was right and she knew it.
“What!?!” she exclaimed. “Uncle, please, please.”
Albondiel turned towards her. “Emma, things are going on that do not involve you. This discussion is over. Now, Theodore is waiting for us. It is time to go.”
She couldn’t believe he acted this way. It was so unlike him to not listen to her. She’d never seen him behave this way before in her life.
“Uncle, please.” she said.
“No.” He replied. “Now, for the last time, Emma. Let’s go.”
Dejected, she got out of the car and dragged herself back inside the building. When they entered, Theodore stood in the hallway with his car keys in his hand.
“Ready to go?” he said. “We need to leave at once.”
“Yes.” Albondiel said.
As they drove away in Theodore’s car, Albondiel asked, “Where are we headed?”
“To our warehouse, just south of town. The buy is supposed to happen there.” He said. “The police have been notified and are on their way. By the time we get there, I would imagine Alex will be in the midst of his illicit transaction and this entire matter will be finished - once and for all.”
From the backseat of Theodore’s vehicle, Emma looked out the window and knew that somehow she needed to warn him. But how? She couldn’t call him and a text would take too long to explain anything and by the time they got there it would be too late.
Think. Think. Think!!!
But at that point, it was too late.
Theodore’s vehicle turned the corner and pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse. It was over. There were police c
ars everywhere. Theodore parked his vehicle.
“At last…” he said as he exited.
Albondiel and Emma got out of the vehicle and followed behind Theodore. As they walked up towards the large crowd of people, Emma could see that Alexander was there. But to Emma’s surprise so was Millie… and Trina. As they approached, one of the police officers turned in their direction.
“Theodore Malthorn?” he asked.
Theodore looked at the policeman and replied, “Yes, I am Theodore Malthorn.”
“Sir…” he said. “I am going to have to ask you to place your hands on the trunk of this vehicle and spread your legs.”
“What!?” Theodore roared. “What is the meaning of this?”
The officer stepped towards him with his right hand on his service revolver. “Sir, you are under arrest.” He said. “Now, please, do as you are told.”
“Arrest! Arrest for what? He is the criminal here!” he exclaimed as he pointed in Alexander’s direction.
Emma felt lightheaded. What the hell just happened? None of this was making any sense. One of the officers frisked Theodore, cuffed him and turned him back around to face the assembled group.
“He’s clean.” the policeman said.
Theodore was in a fit of rage. “What is the meaning of this?! I demand to know what is happening!”
Albondiel stepped towards him and as he did, Alexander and the rest of his family followed behind.
“Calm down my old friend.” Albondiel said. “It’s quite simple.”
Theodore’s face was bright red. How he hadn’t shifted yet was beyond Emma. “What is!?” he exclaimed. “This is an outrage!”
Albondiel nodded. “That’s true. You’re right, Theodore.” He said. “It is an outrage and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“What?!” he shouted. “What do I have to be ashamed of? It’s him.” he said as he motioned his head in his nephew’s direction. “It’s his fault. It’s always been Alex’s fault!”
“Oh shut up, Theodore!” Millie exclaimed. “You always were a whiner.”
Albondiel chuckled at the old lady’s admonition of her son. He then closed the gap between himself and Theodore. “By the way his name is Alexander. That is the reason your almost perfect plan failed you…”
Alpha's Arrangement (Troubled Fork Shifters (Book 2)) Page 7
