The Alpha (The Pack Book 3)

by Kristin Coley

  “You need to bring Jess by for dinner,” she said instead, ignoring my words. “Dad was here,” she added bluntly.

  “Yeah, he told me Payne invited him,” I said, a teasing note entering my voice. “How’s that going?”

  “It’s been three days,” she snapped, batting at my chest. “Damn Navarre men trying to marry me off the second I step back on Navarre land.”

  My mouth dropped open as I stared at her wordlessly, at least until she started to laugh. “You should see your face, Dom.”

  “I was joking, Sam!”

  “I know,” she replied contritely, sitting on the swing and patting the seat next to her. “It came out a little harsher than I meant it to.”

  “I’ll say,” I exhaled, glancing at her sideways. “It also sounded honest.”

  “Maybe a little,” she admitted, tucking her feet up so I could push the swing. “But I didn’t mean it that way, not really.”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m pushing you off on Payne,” I told her, my foot rocking us back and forth as she stared up at the porch ceiling. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “And I know that,” she said, pausing before she added, “Now.”

  “I’m sorry –” I started before she cut me off with a low growl.

  “Nope. You don’t owe me an apology, Dom. The shit I did was on me. I made bad choices. Thought I knew it all.” She snorted. “Never make life decisions when you’re a teenager.”

  “Are you talking about Jess?” I asked, my own worries coming to the surface. She gave me a started look before a peal of laughter erupted from her.

  “Jess? Hell, no. That girl has no problem saying what she thinks,” she managed to get out as she laughed at me. “Or knowing what she wants. You’re a lucky guy.”

  “So I’ve heard,” I muttered, relaxing back in the seat as one of my concerns was laid to rest. “I don’t want to push her into something she doesn’t want, but at the same time, I can’t imagine losing her.” My hand went to my chest again where the mark she’d left over my heart burned. “It would destroy me.”

  Sam took my hand in her own, “Trust me, she feels the same about you.” She patted my hand. “My advice, give her time.” She paused. “But not too much time. Tell her how you feel. Don’t let stupid pride or someone else’s agenda change your mind.”

  I glanced at her and she flushed.

  “Speaking from experience I take it.”

  “I made some choices that’ll I’ll regret for the rest of my life,” she admitted. “Don’t do that. Fight for the things you cherish and don’t let them go easily.”

  “I regret not going after you.”

  She squeezed my hand, swallowing hard as she admitted softly, “I’m glad you didn’t. It would have been a death sentence.”

  “Caleb spoke at the meeting tonight,” I told her and she made a noncommittal sound. “It was….heartfelt.”

  “I worry about him. Talk about too much responsibility as a teenager.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Not to speak ill of the dead, but his dad was an ass.”

  “I think that’s exactly what speaking ill of the dead means, Sam.”

  “Yeah, well, the truth hurts.”

  “You have a right to hate him.”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t hate him. He was just wrong and it hurt Payne. Things could have been different.”

  “You wouldn’t have Nicky,” I reminded her and she smiled.

  “I wouldn’t trade him for anything.” She wiggled on the seat making us sway and I used my foot to hold us steady. “He gave me the strength to leave. I couldn’t let him grow up that way.”

  “You helped a lot of women and children,” I stated, thinking about their arrival at the motel right after the Hanleys killed Caleb’s dad. Seeing my sister and nephew, knowing they were safe had unlocked a part of me I’d thought was gone.

  “I want to keep helping them,” she confessed, her gaze focused firmly on the ground. “We can’t keep living like this, Dom. Women need to have more power. To protect themselves instead of relying on the men.”

  “Caleb mentioned that we need to change.”

  “He was right.”

  “You gonna stick around and make sure it happens?”

  “Yeah, I think I am.”

  “You gonna do it with Payne?”

  “Eww, what kind of question is that?” She screeched.

  “Not that kind,” I exclaimed, elbowing her in the side. “Get your mind out the gutter, sister. I meant are you and Payne going to stay together and work things out?”

  “You should have said that,” she muttered, her cheeks flushing.

  “Well, now that you mention it, there is only one bedroom,” I craned my neck to peek in the window and she smacked my shoulder. “Where exactly has Payne been sleeping?”

  “On the couch,” she mumbled unconvincingly.

  “Uh huh and Nicky?” I could see a toddler bed set up in the corner of the room where I was guessing Nicky spent his nights.

  “Okay, enough about my life. Where have you been sleeping?” She asked pointedly, turning the tables.

  “In Jess’ bed,” I replied without hesitation.

  “Her dad allows that?” Sam said incredulously.

  “He doesn’t exactly know,” I answered sheepishly. “And I sleep there in wolf form.”

  “I was about to say,” Sam grumbled, flopping back against the swing. “Her dad doesn’t seem the type to let something like that go.”

  “No, he isn’t,” I agreed, “He’s a good man.”

  “He is. I know Wren likes him.”

  A smiled tugged at my lips at Sam’s words. “Jess is still uncomfortable about that.”

  “Eh, I can’t blame her.” Sam shuddered. “Can you imagine if Dad….?”

  “No,” I said abruptly. “No. Just no.”

  “I missed you too, Dom,” Sam whispered, the sound so low if he didn’t have excellent hearing he would have missed it. I slung my arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently as I kissed the top of her head.

  “I need to go,” I told her, standing up. “I want to check on Jess.”

  She stood with me, hugging me around my waist, her voice muffled as she said, “Baby brother is whipped.”

  I laughed, not offended since she spoke the truth. “You mind if I leave my clothes here?” I asked her, planning to shift for my run back to the motel.

  “It’s your house,” she stated, rolling her eyes. “If you’re asking me to wash them that’s totally different.”

  Her words reminded me of how I’d felt coming over. “It’s your house, Sam.” She glanced at me in surprise and I nodded. “I mean it. It belongs to you and Nicky. You decide if Payne has a place or not, but you will always have a home.” Her eyes sparkled in the dim light but I knew better than to react to her tears. She wouldn’t thank me for it. “I’ll sign the deed over to you tomorrow,” I continued.

  “I didn’t say I wanted it,” she countered, lifting her chin mutinously.

  “I wasn’t asking if you wanted it. I’m giving it to you,” I declared as I rested my hand on her shoulder. “I need to know you’ll be here. That I want you here.”

  “So you give me your house,” she huffed in exasperation. “And what’s Jess going to think of that?”

  “She’ll probably be glad to know you’re not coming back to the motel,” I said honestly and Sam stared at me in shock before smiling broadly.

  “There’s hope for you yet, little brother.” I grunted in reply, stripping off my shirt and handing it to her. “And then you do something like that,” she sighed. I unbuttoned my pants and yanked them off as she averted her eyes. “I don’t need to see your junk, brother of mine.”

  “Then don’t look,” I retorted, tossing the pants to her as I leapt off the porch, shifting mid jump. I landed with four paws on the ground, shaking myself. I inhaled deeply, the scents of the forest flowing through me. A rabbit huddled a few yards away, sensing a s
udden predator. I gave a sharp bark, startling it into hopping away, easy prey.

  “Bye, Dom,” Sam said, folding my pants as I took off into the forest. I loped through the woods, most of the dense underbrush gone from the familiar path, making it easy for me. Birds took off as they heard my approach, sounding a warning to anything roaming the night floor.

  Some of my tension eased as I headed toward Jess and I stretched my legs, eating up the distance between us, eager to see her.

  A blast of panic surged through me and I stumbled trying to determine who the feeling came from.

  Trent? I questioned, since my link to Jess was quiet. It wasn’t the Navarre Pack so it could only be Trent or Liam. Or Dylan, I added with a sigh, knowing it was more than possible after what happened earlier.

  She’s missing, was the panicked response that I got. I can’t find her.

  Who? I asked, my mind jumping to Wren since she’d went into the forest after Dylan.

  Jess, Trent answered and my heart stopped. Jess is missing.

  Chapter Five

  Jess

  I ignored the looks Wren kept sending my way during dinner, pretending I didn’t notice the surreptitious glances. Trent glanced between us, but didn’t say anything as he shoveled bites of steak in his mouth. Dad didn’t seem to notice as he chatted with the boys and I really wanted to ask Dom, but I could sense his distraction through the bond.

  I eyed Trent, suspecting he knew why Wren kept sending me sidelong glances. I intended to ask him, but he must have read my mind because he stood as he shoved the last bite in his mouth. “I’ve got to patrol since Liam isn’t here,” he muttered around the food in his mouth. “Thanks for dinner.” He waved, ignoring my narrowed gaze that promised retribution.

  I picked up his plate, not bothering to finish my own steak, having lost my appetite. Dylan’s gaze followed my plate as I stood and I offered him the remaining half of the steak on it. He took it eagerly and I heard Wren whisper, “Thank you.” I nodded, not wanting to make a big deal of it, as I took the plates to the sink.

  “You cooked, we clean,” Dad quickly called after me and I didn’t protest, taking the chance to escape Wren’s gaze. I hustled back to my room, throwing myself on the bed, glad to finally be alone. I rubbed my face against my pillow, smelling the faintly musky scent that I knew was Dom. The sight of a silky black hair made me smile, as I burrowed into the blanket, wanting to pull the covers over my head and block out the entire day. Dylan sat at our kitchen table, on two legs instead of four, but every time I closed my eyes, I could see him lunging at me. My mind knew it wasn’t his fault, could even convince itself that he wouldn’t have hurt me, but my sense of self-preservation wasn’t as easily convinced. It had been difficult to sit there with him, to avoid Wren’s questioning gaze, even if I didn’t know what she was questioning, and eat as if nothing was wrong. I wasn’t even sure if Dylan realized what he’d done.

  I squeezed the pillow harder, wishing it was Dom, knowing he would keep me safe. I shook my head at my own thought. I was pretty sure feminism had just taken a giant step back with that one thought. A knock on the door interrupted my internal castigation and I called, “Come in,” already suspecting who was at the door.

  “Hey,” Wren said softly, the only volume I think she had as she eased inside. I pushed myself up from the bed, not saying anything as I waited for her to explain why she’d come to my room. She fidgeted for a minute, no doubt waiting for me to ask, but I stayed silent, and eventually she moved closer to the bed. “I wanted to check on you, make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m fine,” I replied automatically, knowing I wasn’t actually fine, but also that she couldn’t fix this newfound fear I’d developed. Part of me knew it wasn’t really Dylan I was scared of, but what he represented. Coming face to face with a full grown wolf charging me had forced me to confront how defenseless I was when it came to the wolves around me. It sounded pitiful in my own head that I wanted Dom here to comfort me and make me feel safe from the big bad wolves at the door, especially since he was one of the biggest. I used to think I could handle anything, until I’d come here and discovered there was more to the world than I realized.

  Wren eyed me, but didn’t refute my statement. She wandered around the room, taking a similar path as Trent, and I started to wonder what was so damn fascinating about my stuff. She eventually made her way to the bed where I sat and took a deep breath, making me think she was going to finally say what was on her mind. “I wanted to know if you could explain again about Dylan’s….” Her voice trailed off as she glanced down at my nightstand and I arched an eyebrow, as she paled. Her fingers touched the creased picture resting on the nightstand, and I wondered what was so special about it.

  “Are you alright?” It was my turn to ask as the silence lingered. “You mentioned Dylan?” I prompted and she nodded faintly, still staring at the photo like she’d seen a ghost. “Wren?” I said, starting to get worried, and when I touched her shoulder, she jumped.

  “Oh,” she muttered, staring at me like she’d forgotten I was there.

  “Are you okay?” I repeated, not sure what to make of her expression.

  “Yes,” she answered, stumbling away from the bed and back toward the door. “I’m fine.” It was her turn to throw the words back at me and I had the impression they were just as false for her as they had been for me.

  “You wanted to ask me about Dylan?” I questioned as she opened the door. She shook her head, forcing a smile.

  “It was nothing.”

  “Okay,” I replied, puzzled, but not willing to push the issue as she slipped out the door. “That was weird,” I muttered to myself as I dropped back onto the bed. I glanced at the picture once again, but the four faces smiling up at me soured my stomach further. I folded the picture so my mother didn’t show and went to the mirror above my dresser, putting the photo back where it belonged.

  I knew I’d have to deal with her eventually, but it wasn’t going to be today, I decided, as I gathered a pair of pajamas. I’d started wearing a pajama set instead of a night shirt since Dom had taken up residence. I checked to make sure I had water by my bed and went to take a shower.

  The hot water helped to relax me and as I tugged a brush through my hair I wondered what it was about the picture that had startled Wren. I figured it had to have been the photo because there hadn’t been anything else. Maybe it was the image of our family, back when we’d still been a family, which bothered her. I hadn’t missed the lingering glances between her and my Dad, and I didn’t mind. I wanted him to be happy. They both deserved happiness, which made my mother’s sudden reappearance even less welcome. If there was a way for her to screw my dad over, she’d find it.

  I went to the bed, my mind reaching for the bond link by habit as I pulled the quilt back on the bed. The quick brush reassured me and I reached for my water, grimacing at the flat, warm taste of it. I settled under the quilt, wishing Dom was here. Considering everything that had happened that day, I was positive I wouldn’t be able to sleep until he laid down next to me. My breathing slowed as my eyes grew heavy, but something nagged at me as I stared across the room. My last thought as sleep pulled me under was that the picture was gone.

  Chapter Six

  Dom

  I burst from the forest at a dead run, the motel a beacon in the night as every light blazed. Trent stood motionless, waiting for me, and I wanted to snarl at him. Why wasn’t he hunting for her?

  I sniffed the air as I came to an abrupt stop in front of him. I didn’t have the control to shift back at the moment so I let out a wordless growl.

  “She’s not here,” he answered, working hard to keep any emotion off his face as I paced in front of him, too restless to remain still. If I stopped I was afraid I’d tear his throat out for losing her. “The strongest scent is from her window to the parking lot. After that it disappears. There was no sign of a struggle or any indication where she went or why.”

  I headed for her wind
ow, needing to verify what he was telling me with my own senses. Each sniff sent a pang through me as her scent saturated the air. She’d taken a shower, I noted, and as I glanced in the room I knew she’d chosen to wear her flamingo pajamas. They were her favorite and a go to when she was stressed. I cursed myself for being gone so long. She’d been alone, and after the events of today, no doubt uneasy. I should have been here to comfort her.

  “Don’t blame yourself,” Trent spoke behind me, his voice full of blame. “I lost her. I was patrolling. It’s my fault.” Guilt coated his words and as I swung my head around, I could see him holding a sucker in his hand, the wrapper still on, and I knew he was struggling.

  I couldn’t ease his mind because I blamed him too. I trotted around the motel, following the scent path. There was another scent mingled with Jess’ scent, but it didn’t make any sense. It was not human and it burned my nose. In fact, it made me want to back away, but I pushed through unwilling to lose the only link I had to her.

  The scents ended at a parking spot in the back corner of the lot. I circled the space, but didn’t pick up any other clues to where they went. The only conclusion I could come to was that she was put in a car. Whether it was by force or she’d gotten in willingly, I didn’t know.

  Trent trailed after me as I verified what he had said. “Can you reach her through the bond?” He questioned and this time I did snarl at him, forcing him to jump back as my teeth flashed. “I’m sorry,” he shouted, the sucker falling from his hand and rolling away. “I’m so fucking sorry I lost your mate. But I’m trying, God, I’m trying.” He fell to his knees, breathing heavily, and a flicker of shame went through me. I knew what this was doing to him and it didn’t matter how badly I wanted to tear into someone…anyone….at the loss of Jess, I was his Alpha and he deserved better from me.

  I can’t reach her, I admitted. The bond is intact, the link is there, but it’s silent. I thought she was sleeping, I confessed, hating the fact that I couldn’t talk to her, reassure myself that she was okay. The bond let me know she was alive and that was the only thing keeping me sane.