The Alpha (The Pack Book 3)

by Kristin Coley

  “Anybody go after her?” I asked automatically, already suspecting the answer. Trent shook his head.

  “Mr. Carter came and got me right after it happened. Apparently, they’d gone to visit Wren and Dylan when he slipped out,” Trent replied.

  “Dylan,” I paused, not sure how to describe the special wolf shifter. He was a true rarity in our world. A Down syndrome child born with the shifter gene who had been allowed to live. Not only that, but he was a massive wolf, rivaling my own considerable form. He was in his late teens and had been abused and neglected by the Hanley pack, protected only by his sister, Wren, and my own sister, Sam. When Wren had begged asylum for him, Caleb had reluctantly agreed under pressure from us, but Dylan had proven uncommunicative in wolf form and able to resist the command of his Alpha, facts that made him dangerous.

  “He’s not dangerous,” Monster said stoutly, never glancing up as he denied my words. I grimaced, not having realized I’d said the last part out loud.

  I exchanged a glance with Trent, who lifted his hands in a what can you do gesture. “Not dangerous,” Trent echoed as he twirled a white sucker stick between his fingers. The fact that the candy was gone from the stick would have told me his current mood if our shared pack bond hadn’t already. I rubbed my jaw, feeling the sharp prickle of a beard forming, as I contemplated what the next move should be.

  “Wren,” I said, allowing a hint of question into my voice. I didn’t like the fact that she was wandering the woods with Dylan loose.

  Trent rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. “I stayed with the kid.” I nodded, he’d made the right choice, but it still meant she was out there, unprotected.

  “I’m not a kid,” Monster muttered, the words almost inaudible except he was standing between two shifters with exceptional hearing.

  “You’re five,” Trent enunciated and I pressed my lips together to stop a smile. I nudged his arm, motioning for him to step away from Monster so we could speak. He sent one last glace toward the boy before he followed me, the sucker stick now clamped firmly between his teeth.

  “There’s more,” I murmured, pitching my voice low enough I knew there was zero chance of Monster hearing me. “Jess’s mom showed up a few minutes ago.” Trent sent me a questioning glance and I lowered my voice further. “She’s a breeder.”

  Trent’s eyebrows shot up and he sucked in a sharp breath as he realized the implications. “Well, fuck,” he breathed out and I nodded. “Why is she here?”

  “Excellent question. One we need to find out the answer to,” I paused, not needing to glance up at the position of the sun to know we didn’t have a lot of daylight left. “First though, we need to find Dylan.”

  “You don’t think he’d go back, do you?” Trent asked in disbelief. He was referring to the Hanley pack, and while I didn’t think Dylan would go back, I couldn’t predict what he would do in wolf form.

  “No,” a sharp voice answered from below and we glanced down. Monster had managed to sneak up without either of us noticing.

  This kid freaks me out. Trent’s thought drifted through my mind and I had to fight an instinctual agreement.

  “Dylan hates them. He would never go back. He just wants to run,” Monster said, his words so confident I crouched down in front of him.

  “Did Dylan tell you that?” I asked curiously, wondering if somehow Monster had bonded to Dylan. If he had, then it would infinitely complicate an already complicated situation. Monster shook his head and I let out a relieved sigh.

  “He didn’t have to tell me,” Monster told us. “I could feel it.” He turned away then, striding back toward his trail of cookies as I rocked back on my heels.

  “I need a sucker,” Trent mumbled under his breath. “Hell, I need a whole boatload for this town.”

  “Jess wants me to bond him,” I blurted out, feeling Trent still next to me.

  “You couldn’t have waited to tell me that until after I found a sucker?” Trent growled, knocking his hand against my shoulder hard enough to knock a lesser man to the ground. “First, Liam, and now this?”

  I slowly straightened to my full height, rotating my shoulders to try and release some of the tension in them, but it was fruitless. Ever since she had asked, it felt like an anvil had been set on my back. I understood why she wanted it. Hell, I could feel her need to protect him through our bond and I would do anything to make her happy.

  The problem was Caleb, and the fact that I was essentially the beta of the Navarre Pack and the Alpha of my own pack, an unintentional byproduct of saving Liam’s life by giving him my blood.

  “Liam could change his mind,” I replied carefully and Trent scoffed.

  “Liam is not going to change his mind,” Trent denied, turning so he faced me, our shoulders almost brushing as he spoke. The close position implied friendship, but he kept his head lowered slightly, acknowledging he was speaking to his Alpha and not his friend and my chest squeezed painfully at the change. I wanted to tell him he could look me in the eye, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.

  “I can feel your turmoil, Dom,” Trent said in response to my emotions. “This is how it’s always been. You just refused to acknowledge it.” I glanced at him sharply and for the barest moment our eyes met and I could see that Trent had always considered me his Alpha. “You saved my life that day and I’ve never forgotten it. I owe you and will gladly follow you anywhere. It’s how I know that Liam won’t change his mind. I can feel his emotions through the bond and I recognize that devotion.” I swallowed at Trent’s admission and a little of the tension that had been strangling me eased. “Don’t push us away. That’s all I’m asking,” Trent continued. “The kid….shit. I don’t even know, but if you and Jess are the real deal, then you know what you have to do.”

  My hand slammed into Trent’s throat as I reacted without thinking, and growled, “Don’t question my relationship with Jess.” He froze as I cut off his airway, his head tilted back at the force of my grip, and it took me a second to realize he couldn’t respond. I released him as I stumbled back and Trent started to apologize. I cut him off with a shake of my head.

  “No, don’t apologize. I owe you the apology,” I mumbled with a grimace as I squeezed the back of my neck. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

  “She’s your mate. I would expect nothing less,” Trent replied, his voice raspy and I winced.

  “Doesn’t mean I like it,” I muttered, still shocked at how violently I’d reacted to my old friend.

  “Which is why I remain loyal to you,” Trent reminded, his voice returning to normal as he cleared his throat. “Granted you might need to be more careful with the kid,” he added, jerking his thumb toward Monster, who was staring at the woods like he could will Dylan to come back. I wasn’t entirely sure he couldn’t, a thought I shoved away before it took root. “Jess might string you up by the balls if you hurt him.”

  “Another reason not to initiate him into our Pack,” I murmured, not thinking about my words, until I saw Trent blinking at me in surprise. “Our Pack,” I repeated, sounding the words out, more than a little surprised to find I liked the way it sounded. “You’ve been waiting a long time for me to say that, haven’t you?”

  “Yeah,” Trent said dumbfounded. “A few years.”

  “You don’t want to leave when this is over?”

  A rustle caught the corner of my eye and we both turned in time to see a lithe figure cross the clearing in a few determined strides, making a beeline for Jess’s window.

  “No,” Trent answered instantly. “I don’t want to leave,” he continued, carefully disguising any emotion in his voice as he stared after the woman who had disappeared through the window. It didn’t take an idiot to see what or who had cured his wanderlust and I eyed him worriedly.

  “She may never leave the Navarre Pack,” I warned him as I let Jess know through the bond that Anna was in her room.

  “I would never ask her to,” Trent defended, jerking his gaze from the w
indow and staring at me defiantly. “She’s….magnificent,” he concluded. “Also, hardheaded, foolish, and stubborn.”

  “I agree.” A wry grin formed at his response. “Sounds like a certain shifter I know,” I teased, clasping his shoulder and giving him a shake. “You know an Alpha needs a Beta.”

  “They do,” he agreed, lifting his gaze to mine. “You asking?”

  “You accepting?”

  “Only if you’re offering.”

  “I’m offering.”

  “Then I accept,” he said, his hand coming to his chest as he added, “It would be my honor to stand as your Beta. Even more so now that you have more than just me to choose from.” A laugh choked out of me at his blithe statement and it took a moment before I could speak seriously.

  “I’d like Liam to be there when we make it official,” I told him and he nodded. “I’d also like to get his opinion on Monster joining us.”

  “I think you should expect Liam to be surprised when you ask his opinion, but I know it’ll cement his loyalty to you and this Pack.”

  My lips parted to deny that I was doing it for his loyalty, but the truth was, part of me was doing it for exactly that reason. We were treading dangerous ground, and I knew eventually I’d have to tell Caleb. I couldn’t afford to question my Pack’s loyalty when that happened. I had to know they’d protect my back, and Jess, if I was challenged.

  “I wouldn’t worry about Liam’s opinion,” Trent continued and I eyed him questioningly. “Her dad on the other hand,” I winced at the thought and he chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t envy you that conversation. You’re taking his little girl and his son.”

  I held in a sigh, knowing Trent was right, but also knowing I wasn’t giving Jess up, no matter how uncomfortable it made her father. “She’s mine,” I answered and Trent shifted back slightly at my tone. “Monster, on the other hand, just needs my protection until he’s old enough.” I didn’t bother to finish, both of us already instinctively knowing he’d grow up to be Alpha of his own pack one day.

  I tugged my shirt over my head, scratching my stomach absently as I glanced at the forest. “I’m going to see if I can flush Dylan out. Stay with him,” I commanded, nodding to Monster. “Who knows, the cookies might do the trick.”

  “And what exactly do you want me to do if Dylan does come barreling out of the woods?” Trent asked dryly, clearly not forgetting what a behemoth Dylan was in wolf form.

  “Run.”

  Chapter Three

  Jess

  Dom’s warning came seconds before I heard footsteps padding toward the couch. Dad jumped in surprise as Anna came around and she wiggled her fingers in apology as she said, “Hello, Mr. Carter.”

  “Anna,” he replied, mustering a smile as he stood up. “Good to see you and you know you can call me Thomas,” he reminded her and she bobbed her head. Dad smiled and shook his head, “Not that you will.”

  “No, sir,” she responded immediately and then bit her lip. Dad glanced between us and headed for the door.

  “I can tell when I’m not wanted. I’ll go see if they need any help out there,” he told us, waving as he escaped from the apartment.

  “You weren’t surprised to see me,” Anna accused the second he was gone, as she flopped onto the couch next to me, the move so ungraceful I blinked. Her normal fluidity was missing as she slumped back, circles under her eyes, as she stared at the wall, her accusation even lacking any oomph.

  “Dom alerted me,” I answered, eyeing her carefully. “He saw you going to my room.”

  “What a snoop. We should call him Snoopy,” she replied, the words jumbling slightly as she spoke, and I stared at her in shock.

  “Are you….drunk?” I finally blurted out, unable to reconcile the Anna I knew with the girl sprawled next to me. The one who was actually contemplating calling Dom, Snoopy, of all things.

  “I’m not drunk,” she retorted, emphasizing drunk like it was a dirty word. “Some of us can’t get drunk because of our super-duper metabolisms,” she informed me, the words dragging. “And really, do you have room to talk?” She accused, rolling her head toward me and wrinkling her nose. “Miss, I’m going to need you to walk a straight line and recite the alphabet backwards.”

  I snorted back a laugh as I said, “Can anyone recite the alphabet backwards?” She opened her mouth and I hurriedly tacked on, “Correctly.”

  She stared at me for a second. “Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A,” she answered without hesitation.

  “I stand corrected,” I replied somehow unsurprised, and also not willing to admit I had no idea if she was right. I couldn’t even recite the alphabet without singing it.

  “What’s going on?” I asked bluntly. We hadn’t spoken since the night of the rescue and I hadn’t wanted to tell her, that I’d overheard her conversation with Trent that night. She’d responded back to my texts with brief replies, only enough to let me know she was still alive and talking to me.

  “A mutt kissed me and I liked it,” she wailed, startling me as she fell into my shoulder, and leaned her head against me, sniffling.

  “Is that a new Katy Perry song?” I asked before I could stop myself. She responded by pinching the inside of my thigh until I yelped.

  “Jesus!” I slapped her hand away. “Do you forget you’re ridiculously strong?”

  “No,” she replied casually, “But you deserved it. I’m in turmoil over here and you’re joking like Katy Perry is gonna make a comeback.”

  I rubbed my thigh, already feeling a bruise forming as I reassured Dom mentally that no I wasn’t being attacked. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have joked about something like that.”

  She sniffed. “Katy Perry is no joke,” she answered, snuggling her head into my shoulder as I awkwardly pattered her arm. “What am I going to do?”

  “Uh, kiss him back?”

  I moved my leg out of the way just in time as her hand came down.

  “It’s Trent,” she shrieked, like I didn’t know that.

  “Yeah, I kind of figured. What’s the big deal?” She lifted her head and stared at me like I had two heads. In fact, she stared so long I actually patted my head to make sure there was only one.

  “I love Caleb,” she replied, the words so dramatic and unlike Anna, I had to fight the urge to laugh.

  “So?”

  “Caleb, not Trent. I shouldn’t enjoy that mutt dragging me into his arms and devouring my lips like I’m the only woman on the planet,” she hissed, her cheeks flushed as she described The Kiss. I pressed my lips together to hide my smile.

  “Sounds like a good kiss,” I said noncommittally.

  “Exactly! It was. And that’s what’s wrong!”

  “So Trent kissed you and you liked it. You’re not with Caleb. I don’t see the problem.”

  “But I want to be with Caleb. I love Caleb. I’ve loved him forever,” she cried, her words strong but her eyes confused as she tried to reconcile what she felt.

  “Do you love Caleb or have you had a crush on him so long that you think you do?” I asked gently. She opened her mouth and closed it without saying anything. “You care for him, you’re loyal to him, and you’ve known him for years, but he’s never really paid attention to you.”

  “He kissed me in the field house,” she said, a little desperately.

  I shrugged lightly, not wanting to say what I thought about that little hookup. “And? How was it?”

  “Good,” she declared, her tone defiant. “It was good.”

  “I’m guessing there was no devouring going on?”

  She reddened when I threw her words back in her face. “Trent has more experience, I’m sure,” she responded tartly.

  “And maybe, there’s a little chemistry there too?” I offered.

  She shook her head, glancing away. “He thinks I’m special,” she said as her head dropped back onto the couch. “And not in a good way. More like he wants to put me on a pedestal like I’m….” s
he trailed off, sighing. “Like I’m something to be revered and not a flesh and blood woman.”

  “Did he kiss you like you were something to be revered?”

  She pursed her lips but finally shook her head.

  “You know, Anna,” I said, reaching for her hand. “You can change your mind. Just because you’ve loved Caleb forever doesn’t mean you’ll always love him. At least, not in the same way.”

  “Everything’s changing,” she whispered, her voice thick. “Ever since you showed up, it’s like everything I’ve always known has gotten dumped on its head.”

  “I’m sorry?” I offered, not really sure if an apology was expected.

  “No,” she said sharply, reaching out to squeeze my arm. “No, it’s a good thing. It’s different. I’m different. It’s just…..I don’t know what to do about it.”

  “I can’t answer that, but if it makes you feel better everything changed for me too when I came here. Who I am, who I thought I was, what I wanted, who I wanted,” I chuckled, the sound a little damp. “Hell, even what my parents are and my brother changed. Sometimes we need to be shaken up so we don’t get stuck.”

  “I’m glad you came to Banks.”

  “Me too,” I replied softly. “Me too.”

  We sat quietly for a few minutes, as I considered the twists my life had taken to get me here. As much as I despised my mother for her coldhearted bitchiness, I also owed her. If she wasn’t the way she was, I wouldn’t have been so determined to escape her and, consequently, the life I’d planned. Dad’s drunken aim had brought him here, and forever changed what we thought we knew about the world.

  Shifters existed and according to Dom, I was one of the few breeding females that could possibly bear a shifter child. A quirk of DNA inherited from my Dad that made us different. Except, it wasn’t just my Dad.

  “My mom showed up,” I announced, the words spilling from me. I felt Anna shift next to me, but couldn’t look at her as I explained the rest. “She’s a breeding female.”

  “What the hell? You’re just now telling me this?” Anna growled, outrage clear in her voice. “What is she doing here? When did she show up? How do you know she’s a breeder?” The questions came lightning fast and I waited until she paused for breath to answer.