Alphas of Summer: A collection of shifter romances

by Lia Davis

  “But he’s the problem.” She pointed at the slobbering wolf lying on the ground. “Look at him. He’s a werewolf. He has to be the guy who killed Yvette.” She looked up at Luca. “We have to go to the sheriff. He’s got to look into her disappearance now.”

  The three men exchanged glances and a creeping suspicion came over Natalie. “Wait a minute.” She backed away from Luca, missing his arms around her as soon as she pulled away. “You knew, didn’t you?”

  “Knew what?” His words said he didn’t know what she was talking about but his hang-dog expression gave him away.

  “That he was the one. That he’s a werewolf and he killed Yvette.”

  “What’s all this about a killing?” The other man left came over to the two of them. “Luca?”

  “Can you give us a minute, Rico?”

  Rico nodded. “Okay, but we have to call it in soon. Gabe and I will load Bertolf into the truck.”

  Luca reached for Natalie’s hand. “Come on, we can talk over here.”

  She pulled away from him, even though what she really wanted to do was have him take her back into that safe, reassuring embrace and tell her everything was going to be all right. “What the hell is going on, Luca? I’m attacked by a werewolf and you’re all acting like it’s my fault.”

  His hand dropped down by his side. “I know we just met and all of this is crazy. But can you try to trust me?”

  She took a good look at him. He’d rescued her—twice. He’d taken care of her when she’d been injured. And he’d obviously put her needs above the needs of whatever was going on here. Her radar said he was solid. And she’d always been able to depend on her instincts, they’d gotten her out of trouble more times than she could count. “Okay, you’ve got five minutes.”

  “I’m going to show you something.” He stripped off his holster and gun, dropping them onto the ground, and pulled his t-shirt off over his head.

  She glanced over at the men struggling to pick up the growling wolf and load him into the back of the SUV. “Hey, I think I’ve already seen that.”

  Luca snorted. For a second his sexy, come-and-get-me grin flashed over his face. “Just hang on. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  He took the rest of his clothing off, dropping it all into a pile. She hadn’t seen all of him before, just his lean muscular torso, but now she could see the whole package, and it was definitely something she wanted to check out later when they were alone and weren’t surrounded by strange men and a werewolf.

  “Okay, just remember. It’s still me.” The skin on his face rippled.

  Her palms started to sweat. “Luca, you’re scaring me.”

  But he didn’t answer. The bones under his skin moved, changing positions with a crunching sound that sent a thousand centipedes tickling over her spine. His muscles bunched and shifted.

  Every nerve in her body screamed, no! Not him too. Not Luca. He was her cowboy, her back-up. He’d come for her and saved her from the wolf. She backed away, her hand over her mouth holding in her fear.

  Watching the change was just as wrenching as seeing Bertolf’s transformation, except this time, it was Luca. His entire body contorted into positions no human should ever be forced to take and the sounds of muscles moving, and skin stretching, had her stomach twisting. She backed away, looking at her feet for where she’d dropped the pepper spray. But it was with her pack on the other side of the horrible metamorphosis.

  The only thing she found was a large rock. She picked it up, bracing for the attack. But it didn’t come. Instead the beautifully dangerous silver gray wolf stood in front of her, staring at her with anxious brown eyes.

  Natalie held her rock up. “Get away from me.” Her mouth had gone dry and she could barely get the words out, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.

  She waited for the wolf to do something. To rise to his feet and show his teeth. To growl. To come after her. But he didn’t. Instead, he dropped to his belly, crawling to her over the dirt. She backed up and he stopped only a few feet away. He whined, a pathetic sound that had her pausing.

  “Luca?”

  He bowed his head. She reached out and skimmed one finger over the silky tip of an ear and he laid his head down on his paws and wagged his tail. Unlike Brandon’s ferocious attack, he looked silly, like a giant dog goofing it up just for her.

  “He’s taking a huge risk, showing you this,” Gabe said. “It’s totally forbidden.” Rico and Gabe had finished loading the wolf into the SUV and now stood watching them.

  “Are you all werewolves?”

  “Shifters. Wolf shifters.”

  “So, any one of you could have killed Yvette.”

  Luca whined, and the shift started again, this time in reverse. Silver gray hair disappeared. Skin rippled over the muscles and bone roiling beneath. When he stood up, he was back to being Luca. Naked and beautiful and very male, but now a total stranger with eyes full of apprehension.

  “Natalie?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” She’d trusted him. Believed in him, and it turned out he had this huge secret.

  “Would you have believed me?”

  She shook her head. “God no.” Suddenly she felt very tired. All she wanted to do was be back in her apartment in Denver, in bed, with the covers pulled tight over her head. She didn’t want to have her brain spinning in overload.

  “Look, Natalie.” Luca reached out a hand and she ignored it.

  He stayed where he was, but she could almost feel his need to touch her. Maybe because she felt the same need. She just didn’t trust it now.

  His hand stayed out, reaching for her. “I don’t know who killed Yvette but I doubt it was Brandon. Despite his actions today, he’s the kind of guy with a stick up his ass about regulations. If he’d found her on site, he would have called it in. And he’s totally married to his wife.” He glanced at the other guys. “I can’t tell you everything, but trust me—once a shifter mates, we mate for life. Brandon wouldn’t have been seducing younger women and bringing them here.”

  “Honestly, I can’t see Yvette going for him anyway. But someone did seduce her. She came here with a guy.” She looked at the two hot men with the guns on their hips standing next to the SUV. “And you have other men here. Other wolfy men.”

  “Hey, we’re the good guys.” Rico elbowed Gabe. “Right?”

  “What are you guys? Private security?”

  Rico’s joking expression fell away. “Luca, man, I’m sorry. We have to bring her in. She has too many questions. It’s beyond our jurisdiction.”

  Luca’s hand stayed stretched out. She wanted so badly to take it, but all of this was not just confusing, but scary. She didn’t know what to do.

  “Natalie? I swear, I’ll fight for you with my life, but we need to take you to the council and straighten this shit out.”

  He’d been a total white knight up until now. Could she trust him the rest of the way? Did she have a choice? “I’m trusting you, Luca.” She held out her hand.

  He took it and wrapped it in his large one. “I know. You won’t regret it. I’ll make sure you’re safe.” He turned her hand over and pressed a kiss onto her palm. “I’m trusting you too, you know. This is my life.”

  Her entire body humming with anxiety, she watched Luca put his clothes back on. They piled into the back of the SUV and drove back to the main ranch, holding hands the entire way.

  Natalie stared out the window as the landscape went from trees, to pasture, to one of the biggest log houses she’d ever seen, surrounded by an entire compound of smaller buildings. Her scratchy throat closed up.

  She’d always been a risk taker but, was trusting Luca going to be her very last risk?

  Chapter 9

  Luca held tight to Natalie’s hand as one of the council assistants, Dara, took them through the large entryway of the ranch house and led them to the council members’ private wing. He wanted to hold on to Natalie forever. And never let her go. It was confusing and wonderful, and sca
ry as hell. She wasn’t pack, but she was the single bright spot in this whole mess, and the idea of losing the opportunity to get to know her better, was killing him.

  He had no idea of what the council would do. Especially now, with the entire country on the lookout for victims of Lycanthroism. Bringing her here was a gamble, but it was one he had to take. He knew they had to do this, but his fear for her, and for their future, was immense.

  “This place is huge.” Natalie’s head swung from side to side, checking out the large logs running up the walls and supporting the soaring vaulted ceiling. “By the number of buildings you have here and the size of this place, let alone all the cars and trucks, there have to be more people here than we’ve seen.”

  “Rico called ahead and had the main area cleared for us. Things are kind of tense, today.” Luca led her.

  As he reached for the door, she pulled them to a stop. “Am I the reason things are so tense?” She had a tiny furrow between her eyebrows that he wanted to kiss away but before he could they were interrupted.

  “No, young lady, you are not the reason things around here are tense.” Anna Truewater came up behind them. “It’s been a surprising day all the way around. And while you are one of the last things I thought I’d be dealing with this morning, you are not the worst.” She led them into the small sitting room and pointed to a table with delicate cups, a teapot, and a plate of cookies. “I thought we’d have tea.”

  Luca’s stomach growled and he suddenly remembered he hadn’t eaten all day. “Thank you, Ms. Truewater.”

  “Call me Anna.” She smiled, but Luca saw the gleam in her eye.

  This woman was the power behind the council, behind the entire pack. While there were nominally thirteen members of the Pack Council, when it came down to it, Anna Truewater was the alpha bitch.

  He nodded back cautiously. “Thank you…Anna.”

  She gave him a crisp nod and they sat down. Anna poured tea, offering the plate of cookies to each of them. He only took two, but he could have devoured the whole plate, despite the apprehension crawling along his skin.

  “Now that the niceties have been taken care of, let’s get down to business. I’ve interviewed both Rico and Gabe, and Sergeant Bertolf. You certainly did a number on that one, my dear.” Anna gave Natalie a sharp nod. “One would think you were a wolf with that kind of fighting spirit.”

  “Thank you.” Natalie flashed a nervous smile. “I think.”

  He wanted to take her hand again and reassure himself and his wolf that she was okay. Now that they were facing the councilwoman his need to touch Natalie had increased. His wolf was restless and uneasy at the strain. Luca stretched his neck out, trying to rid himself of his anxiety.

  “Oh, it’s a compliment. We pack women have to be strong.” Anna sipped her tea. “I don’t know how much Luca has told you—”

  “Very little, ma’am.”

  “Good. Nice to know you are still loyal to the pack.” She stared him down, her expression razor sharp.

  His neck and face burned.

  She waited several beats, before leaning back in her chair. “Alright then. I think I’m ready to hear your side. From the beginning, please.”

  In stops and starts, finishing each other’s sentences and adding things each other had forgotten, Natalie and he told her about the last two days.

  “So, Luca. You know where you went wrong.”

  It wasn’t a question and he knew the answer. He’d known the answer from the moment he’d seen Natalie.

  “Yes, ma’am. I should have reported her right away to Chief Howler.”

  “Absolutely right. And I’m not sure exactly why you didn’t.” She eyed him over the rim of her teacup.

  How was he supposed to explain the inexplicable need to protect Natalie. The urge to keep her safe that he’d had from the first moment he’d seen her wounded at the bottom of the ravine? How to explain that, even now, his first instinct was to take her and run. Leave his home and the pack, anything to save her. Anything to be with her.

  His wolf howled inside, why was he so far away from the woman?

  “I—” He shut his mouth and gave in, reaching for Natalie’s hand. A rush of peace filled him at her touch, and his wolf settled back down. “She needed me. I’d do it again.” He stared Anna Truewater, alpha to the pack, right in the eyes.

  “Well that explains it.” Anna turned to Natalie leaving Luca extremely confused. “Now, young lady—”

  “Wait.” He cut her off. “I don’t understand. I should have called it in. I hid her from the pack. I put us all in danger. Why aren’t you angry with me?”

  “When you get to be my age, young man, you’ll realize that anger is a useless emotion. Am I frustrated that you put her first. Yes. Am I surprised?” She shook her head, looking suddenly tired and much older than he’d realized. “No. Not surprised. Your wolf’s main drive is to reproduce and we have a ratio of males to females that makes looking outside of the pack very tempting. You aren’t the first alpha to go off of the reservation, and you won’t be the last. We can’t keep you all single when you don’t find the right mate.” She put her teacup down on its saucer and leaned forward. “I’ve seen too many men and women pushed to do things by their wolves. Things you would be extremely shocked at. One wolf shifter falling for a human woman at first sniff? A problem? Maybe. But shocking? No. Definitely not.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

  She laughed. “Oh, don’t think you’re off the hook. I’ll let your Chief deal with you later. That’s her responsibility, not mine.” She turned back to Natalie. “Now, where was I. Oh yes, I’m going to share with you some secrets that young Luca here doesn’t even know. And then you and I are going to come to an understanding.”

  Natalie’s hand was cold in Luca’s and he held it tight.

  “First of all, we knew about your friend’s murder and disappearance a few days well before you showed up. Almost as soon as it happened. The sheriff is an old friend and he keeps us up to date, so when you first reported her missing and called up here to Wolf’s Peak—we knew. Chief Howler and I sent a special team to investigate.”

  “That asshole. He knew she was murdered and he treated me like I was a hysterical woman.” Natalie’s entire body tensed. “I’ve been hunting for clues, trying to find anything that proved that she was really gone and he knew all the time.”

  “His loyalty to the pack is unquestionable.” Anna gave Luca another hard stare. “But, he’s also loyal to the law. We’re doing our best to find out what’s happened. But you have to see our side. If the media found out they’d be all over the ranch. In this day and age we are struggling to protect our privacy. If there was a shit-storm of TV coverage, we’d be outed.”

  Natalie tore her hand from his and stood up. “Well, maybe you should be outed if this is the kind of thing that happens here.”

  Luca wasn’t surprised about the sheriff. He was a dormant—he carried the DNA of the pack, but hadn’t manifested a talent like shifting, when he’d been exposed to the virus. There were many dormants out in the world, holding positions that kept the pack safe.

  But the news that the council and the chief had kept a crime from the other enforcers had him out of his seat and right next to Natalie. “A girl is murdered on the ranch and you don’t tell anyone? Why the hell didn’t you tell the rest of the pack?”

  “Settle down. Both of you.”

  Natalie crossed her arms over her chest. Anna gave her a look, but let the disrespect pass, turning to him and staring until he’d eased back into his own chair.

  “We’ve had to keep it a secret.” Anna looked first in Luca’s eyes, and then in Natalie’s. “Because she’s not the first.”

  Luca’s wolf rose to the surface. “There were others?”

  “Luca!” Anna glared at him and he fought for control. “We are trying to catch a very smart killer who is bent on trashing our way of life.” She gave him a hard look, checking he was in con
trol, then turned back to Natalie. “I can’t tell you the details of the investigation, either of you. But I can tell you we are working with the sheriff and others on this—on the quiet.”

  Natalie’s whole body radiated tension and his wolf responded, wanting to shift and take out the threat.

  “You act as if you’re the only ones that count, but what about Yvette? What about my friend? She deserves more than to be swept under the rug. She deserves justice.”

  “Yes she does. And I promise you, we are going to find who did this. And we are going to make sure they pay. But I’m not sure you understand.” Anna reached out to Natalie. “If the media finds out about us, the government will want to study us. Look at what’s happening now with this Lycanthroism scare.”

  “What are you talking about?” Natalie’s brows shot up. “That stupid werewolf disease that’s all over the internet. That’s real? That’s about you guys?”

  “It’s complicated. You have so much to learn about us, but the threat to our people is real. The government is trying to hunt us down. We’re not just adults, Natalie. We’re a full community of babies and toddlers and old people. We have children at school, and pregnant mothers and disabled.” Anna’s hands on her teacup shook as she rested it in its saucer. “Natalie, I’m begging you. Please let us handle Yvette’s disappearance. We will find out who is doing this and who is exposing the pack to discovery. But we need time. If they find out about us, they’ll lock us up. And they won’t care about Yvette. They’ll only care about the science.”

  Luca wanted to touch Natalie, to calm his disquiet yes, but also to show her how much he cared about her. But she needed to make this decision on her own and instead, he wrapped his hands around the seat of his chair.

  She stared at Anna. “Alright. I’ll give you some time to figure things out. But I want to be kept up to date on the case.”

  “You have my word.” Anna nodded, the tension on her face relaxing. “Thank you, Natalie. And in return, I’d like to give you something.”