Heart of the Alpha

by Mia Rose

  “You said you bumped into them twice?”

  “Yeah! There is an outcrop of large rocks that have some steps cut into the earth at the side. It’s a great place for a fight,” he replied. “Anyway, the girl slipped on her way down and hurt her wrist. I was in the undergrowth watching and I waited until she'd stood before I appeared again.”

  “Keep going, there is more to this,” Dustin pressed.

  Kelvin leaned with his back against the counter. He made a weird angle with his wrist to show how the girl had hurt hers. “She screamed like I-don’t-know-what, as you would. I heard the guy say she’d be fine in a couple of hours,” Kelvin added. “And then I appeared and said he should take her to the hospital. The dude said he was gonna take her. But it was bullshit, she didn’t really have to go to the hospital.”

  “And that's it, that’s all that happened?” Maria asked. “Did they tell you their names?”

  “Oh yeah! I forgot. Her name was…” Kelvin started to say as he closed his eyes and scratched his head to help him remember. “Nah, I've forgotten her name, I must not have been listening properly.”

  “What about the guy, the other wolf?” Maria asked.

  “He wasn’t a wolf. Did I say he was a wolf? I don’t think I did.” Kelvin laughed. “His name was, hang on —I think I have it, it’s on the tip of my…” he started to reply. “Nope. I didn’t catch his, either. I was looking at the girl, but it sounds like an angel’s name. That much I know.”

  “Michael?”

  Kelvin shook his head and frowned.

  “Raphael?”

  Kelvin shook his head again and curled his lips.

  “Joshua?”

  Kelvin frowned. “Nowhere near. You were closer with Raphael.”

  “Samuel?”

  Kelvin pointed his finger and then shook his head.

  “Names ending in EL?” Dustin asked.

  Maria slammed her hand on the counter as if to signal they'd all been a bunch of idiots for not realizing it sooner. “Gabriel?” she asked. “Was his name Gabriel?”

  “That’s it, you got it!” Kelvin replied. “Finally.”

  Declan grabbed hold of Noelle's legs and pushed them close to her chest. She sighed and panted as he pushed the head of his hard shaft past the soft folds of her pussy. Declan put Noelle's legs on his shoulders as he pushed his hips forward. Noelle screamed with delight as his manhood filled the depths of her core.

  Noelle pulled her fingers hard into the bedsheets. The fabric wrapped and twisted through her fingers as she melted and warmed to the primal thrusting of his hips. Declan let his hips crash against her as she raised her ass, breathing heavily and wanting more.

  Declan looked into Noelle's eyes. Her tongue frantically licked her lips as her perfect breasts bounced vivaciously with each thrust of Declan's powerful hips. She could see a glint of the animal inside him. A tinge of silver flickered for a moment as his inner beast drove his want for her.

  “Declan,” she murmured.

  Declan needed no more introduction. He pushed Noelle's left leg to the side and wrapped his arm around her right. He sat upright and gripped her thigh tightly. He reached forward and cupped Noelle’s breast. Her budded nipple rubbed hard against the palm of his hand as he moved his fingers on her body. Declan watched as Noelle flicked and teased herself. He went harder as Noelle raised her hips to meet each powerful thrust. Her body warmed as her belly ebbed and flowed. Gasps of breath fled from her lungs. She moaned and groaned as her body neared her final moment.

  “Declan. Faster-harder, I’m close.”

  Noelle sucked in deep and panting breaths as her body neared her climactic moment. Wild waves of pleasure flooded throughout her body in delight. Declan gripped harder on her breast.

  As he watched her come, shuddering contractions gripped at Declan's own masculinity. She’d made an uninhibited cry of satisfaction as her body released sensations, so intense that tears of pleasure welled up in her eyes.

  Declan groaned in blissful agony as Noelle squirmed under his heaving body. Fires of satisfaction filled his loins and flooded up his spine. Declan closed his eyes as glorious waves of masculine splendor spilled from his loins. This was making love in the purest of forms. She was his mate.

  Declan pulled his spent body from Noelle and easily rolled to her side. His fingers stroked the smallness of her belly as he adored her. He leaned in closer and kissed her on the cheek as she smiled.

  “You think that’s alpha mate material?” she asked.

  “Hell yeah! You could run a pack on your own if that’s anything to go by,” he replied. He gave her a wink and kissed the tip of her nose.

  Noelle slapped her hand against Declan’s broad chest and tightened her plump lips into a fine line of pink. “I don’t want to run a pack, I want to be by your side as you do it,” she said.

  “I know that. I wanted to let you know how strong you are when you want to be. Times like this though, you’re all woman,” he replied.

  “I’m glad you think that way, and I have to say you fu…” she started to say as she heard a bang at the apartment door.

  “I what?” Declan asked as he stood up from the bed and pulled on his pants.

  Noelle giggled and started to sing…

  “I'm makin’ artificial lovers for free,

  I start to howl, I'm in heat,

  I moan and growl, and the hunt drives me crazy,

  I make out like a beast.”

  “You drive me wild, Noelle!”

  “I know…”

  “If you like it you lick it, everyone knows that.”

  Chapter 16

  Don’t Shoot the Messenger

  “No trait is more justified than revenge in the right time and place.”

  Neither Gabriel or Tanya had noticed it was Maria who’d stared at them as they drove past Vista View. Gabriel walked up the stone steps of the place he'd loved almost as much as Declan. Through him being a total control freak, he'd lost that part of his life and had started to regret it deeply.

  Gabriel paused by the large, glass, swing doors and rolled his neck. He thought back to all the fun times he'd had in the Towers. Being Declan’s beta had given him all the power he'd needed at the time. There had been many members of the pack, as well as human women, who were more than willing to share his bed. His mind took a little longer to run through the bad things that had happened. The fight with Declan in the basement and the shock of finding out he was human. His mind ran that one in slow motion.

  Gabriel looked through the polished glass door, and in a second, he pushed his hand against it. That’s how long it took for his mind to replay the scene of him eating the meat. It played so slowly now, that it was as if a child had drawn the images on the corners of a notepad and flicked through the pages. Gabriel even remembered the bittersweet taste as he sunk his fangs into the juicy slabs of meat. Shit.

  He stepped inside and walked with his eyes fixed on the marble of the floor. His eyes ran through the pattern carefully; and so he wouldn’t stand on any of the unlucky cracks between the design. He reached the reception desk and fingered the old, oak counter. He drummed his fingers on the surface as he waited for the girl to finish on the phone.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  Gabriel noticed she was a new girl. It was evident Declan had continued what he'd started. Anyone who found themselves as a wolf was more than welcome at Clifton Towers. She must have replaced one of the pack members who’d left with him on that night. The night he'd brawled with all his might and had still fallen short.

  “I’m here to speak to Declan,” Gabriel replied.

  “Who will I say is calling?” she asked as her hand clasped back around the phone. She lifted it and placed the old plastic receiver against her ear as her finger hovered over the first digit of Declan's room number.

  “Gabriel, he’ll fill in the rest.”

  The girl smiled and pushed the three buttons. Gabriel saw the lights as they flashed. The
orange one at the top of the switchboard flashed once every second. Gabriel had seen this, maybe a hundred or more times, and so he knew the phone was definitely ringing. The girl turned her head toward Gabriel and smiled.

  Declan’s hand grabbed at the door handle as he heard the phone ringing behind him. His head turned. Phone or door? He had hold of the door, so the phone would have to wait. He pulled it open until the security chain tightened. His eyes pushed against the gap in the door as Kelvin stood with his hands stuffed in his sweatshirt pockets.

  “What is it?” Declan asked as he popped off the security chain.

  Kelvin nodded in the direction of the lobby as he started to speak. “That dude from the forest is down at reception,” Kelvin said. “I can’t see the girl, so I think he is by himself.”

  “What the fuck does he want?” Declan mumbled as he walked to the phone. “Hello?”

  “There is a guy called Gabriel in the lobby, and he wants to speak to you,” the girl at reception said in a muffled tone.

  She'd heard the name a couple of times, and she'd also heard he was a complete asshole. Not that she thought that as she looked at him, he seemed like a regular, polite guy, actually. A hot, muscular, regular, polite guy. Her knees buckled, and a warm feeling welled up below her waist.

  She turned back to Gabriel after she'd placed the phone back into its cradle. “He will be down in a few minutes.”

  Gabriel nodded and smiled at the girl. He sensed her knees had buckled a little, and the light rosy hue on her cheeks was a sign she had thoughts —other than passing on a message. Gabriel watched as she fidgeted with her hair. She brushed her long blonde strands over her shoulder and bared her neck. Gabriel noticed this, and he knew it was another sign of her wanting him. Gabriel's mind flashed away from any thought of Declan. He had a daydream of having the girl on the counter with his head placed firmly between the creamy white skin of her thighs. Her panties would be torn from her hips, and he’d relish the taste of her body.

  “Well—well—well, look what the cat dragged in,” Declan said as he neared the point on the staircase that Gabriel had used as his speaking platform.

  Declan looked down at Gabriel and squinted as he scanned him to see if he could tell what his intentions were. Declan had rarely held a grudge against anyone. Gabriel hadn’t just been anyone. It had been a little over ten years they’d known each other for. Ten years of friendship that had been wiped out in the space of twenty-four hours. Well, it had been a little longer than twenty-four hours, in truth. In fact, it had been six months, and three and a half weeks before the turn of events occurred in those last, crucial, twenty-four hours, to be exact. Declan knew it, and Gabriel knew it. Was it worth it, and was there any way that their friendship could ever be repaired?

  “This is nothing personal. But can I speak to you in your office?” Gabriel asked.

  Declan ran his fingers through his hair as he took that time to think. “Sure,” he said as he moved from the last step of the staircase. Declan signaled to the girl behind the counter. “Suzy, can you get us a couple of coffees?”

  Suzy acknowledged Declan and vanished behind a partition that sat on the left side of the reception. Declan used the partition as a billboard for residents. Gabriel had scanned his eyes over it as he waited, yet it contained nothing of much interest to him.

  Both men moved toward the office. There was a slight tenseness in the air. Declan pushed open the door and stepped inside. The metallic smell filled the office, and he looked around to see where it had come from as he walked to the other side of his desk. He sat in his chair. He leaned back a little and noticed it hadn’t squeaked. Declan looked down and saw a can of release spray placed under his desk. He rocked back and forth, and the chair moved in silence.

  Declan sat calmly with his forearms resting on his desk. His mind raced, yet his pulse was gentle. He was calm, and he was also ready to spring into action if needed. Declan had beaten Gabriel before, and he could have done much worse than only denting his pride. He’d had a vision of ripping Gabriel's jaw apart, yet common sense had entered before that happened. Gabriel had skulked off with his tail between his legs on both the occasions it had occurred.

  “What do you want?” Declan asked as the office door opened. His eyes flicked up for a second as Kelvin walked in with four mugs on the tray. Declan looked puzzled as did Gabriel, and he was handed a cup. Kelvin picked up the third as the door opened, and then, in walked Dustin, much to everyone’s surprise.

  Gabriel pondered, and wondered if they’d jump him and kick the shit out of him. He felt in himself that he deserved it, and he felt bad. He'd been shown by Tanya that he'd been a jerk —of monolithic proportions. In truth, he didn’t deserve more anger from anyone, and really, he’d earned a pat on the back for swallowing his pride and setting foot back into the Towers.

  “This is the kid from the forest,” Gabriel said. “How come Tanya never realized?”

  “That’s my secret,” Kelvin replied. “What I do know is, she is more alpha than you are. You smelled like Declan did when I met him. You’re human, I can tell. Declan told me about that prick Edmund, and his ridiculous elixir. It’s the elixir I could (and can now) still smell.” With that Kelvin held his nose close to Gabriel and sniffed. “Still human!”

  Declan swallowed the first mouthful of his hot, strong, and very sweet coffee. He placed his mug back on the stained heat ring that was ingrained into the varnished oak. “You still haven’t said what you want.”

  “Not that you’ll be interested, but I've changed. I was an ass and a dick,” Gabriel explained.

  Kelvin chuckled as the couch squeaked as he sat. “What do you mean was?” Declan glared at Kelvin's childish remark. “Sorry!”

  “I have some information that might be useful…” he started to say as he raised his mug to his lips. “The hunters are becoming active.”

  “I know,” Declan replied, straight to the point.

  “How do you know?” Gabriel replied as his brow furrowed and the coffee cup made a clunk on the top of the desk.

  “Noelle's parents are now back to normal. And, at a guess, I reckon the rest of her family are well on their way.”

  Gabriel shook his head as if to say, No, that’s not what I mean.

  “No, that’s not what I mean,” he said, placing his feelings aloud. “They sprang a surprise attack on the bikers from the club, just outside of town.”

  “When?” Declan asked.

  “Monday afternoon. The bikers usually venture up to Vista View and go on an afternoon hunt to miss the chance of hunters, but they were there.”

  Declan tilted his head, so he could see past Gabriel. He looked into Dustin's eyes, and Dustin nodded. “This changes things,” Declan added. “This is in no way forgiveness, but I think we need you, and I think we need the help of those bikers.”

  “That isn’t a problem. I had to operate on four of them. One guy frizzled on the table. He had a shoulder shot from silver. Oh, and the bar owner, she was fucking lucky, Dec. She got hit with a bullet that was a mix of sub-par silver and lead,” Gabriel explained. “So, what do you need?”

  Declan leaned forward as Dustin and Kelvin approached the table. He outlined the plan to get the hunters into the woods. Gabriel had no idea where Declan's house was, so it was all new to him.

  “Nah, Declan, it’s too close to get these bikers familiar with that area. I think it’s way better if we follow up behind,” he said. “The hunters don’t have much choice but to park at Vista View. We can go from the west side where I parked, earlier. We can rally round, and block them off at the rocks. Drake knows where it is.”

  Kelvin lifted his head when he heard his alias mentioned. “My name’s Kelvin, not Drake. I had to be careful,” he said with a grin. Gabriel frowned at him, knowing he had been conned. “He’s right though. Those rocks are an ideal spot. You’ll have the higher ground running up to your house, and the bikers can secure the base of the rocks. The hunters won’t go up, and
they can’t come down.”

  “You sure?” Declan asked.

  “Fuck yeah! It’s a god-damned kill zone!”

  Garrett’s jet black Range Rover pulled into the parking lot of Smokey’s Bar & Grill as he turned off the engine and walked to the front door. The aroma of grilling burgers filled the air as he opened the glass door that had a pig swinging on a piece of string. The word OPEN was displayed on the pig's chest. Garrett wasn’t overly keen on pork; he was a beef man. Always had been and always would be. He had thousands of cattle to prove it, and if he'd been a pork guy, the fields would’ve been full of mud and full of pigs who were happy to play in it.

  “Hey Pete, long time no see,” he said as he slapped his second in command on his shoulder.

  “Well, look at you Garrett. I see you’ve piled on a few pounds while you’ve been out of action,” he replied, now patting Garrett on his larger-than-normal belly. “So, what happened to you?”

  “Pete, I’m not so fucking sure. I think the whole family was poisoned. And from what I can tell, it was to make us forget about Noelle.”

  “No shit! Who would do that, and why?”

  “I know she is hooked up with that Declan guy, the alpha at Clifton Towers, but I don’t think it’s a wolf thing. I have a feeling that it was another guy who she hung around with for a while,” Garrett explained. “I know Noelle has a thing for this alpha, so maybe this Edmund got pissed and wanted to take it out on her by making us not know who she was.”

  “Jesus Garrett, if I didn’t know werewolves existed, I’d say you just couldn’t even write this shit,” Pete replied. “So, forget all this, what are we gonna do?”

  Garrett ordered a regular cheeseburger. He had piled on a few pounds, and he wanted to trim himself back a little. Maybe Smokey’s Bar & Grill hadn’t been the best place to meet. Their burgers, as with all their other grills, apart from pork that is; were to die for. Garrett knew it, Pete knew it, and everyone else in the region knew it. That was why the smoke billowed from the chimney for twelve to fourteen hours per day. The air was filled with the smell of hickory and charred beef, and pork —and with the odd chicken thrown in for good measure (and probably for those who were really, truly watching their calories).