Alpha for Valentines (Alpha Meets Omega Book 1)

by Sky Winters

  “Sure. I just got home from class. Where did you want to go?”

  ‘I thought we could just grab tacos at La Casa Verde.”

  “Sounds perfect. Should I meet you there?”

  “Nah. I’ll drop by and pick you up.”

  “See you in a bit then.”

  Ryan ended the call and headed out to the Cherokee. He thought about what she had said about her father on the way. It explained a lot about her resistance to Alphas he had encountered on their first date. He was glad she had given him a chance and gotten past all that though. Even though things had gotten weird around them a couple of times, they had stuck together and that said a lot. They were finishing their lunch when Lucy brought up the subject of the Valentine’s dance.

  “This dance next month. What is the dress code?” she asked.

  “Like cocktail dresses and suits, nothing as elaborate as tuxes and formals.”

  “I’ll have to buy something. I have a few nice dresses for gallery openings and such, but I don’t think I have a cocktail dress of any sort.”

  “Let’s go find you one now.”

  “What? No. I wasn’t hinting that you buy me one.”

  “I know you weren’t, but I want to. Come on. It’s my dance and it’ll be fun.”

  “Fun? You’re one of those guys that likes to shop?”

  “Not necessarily, but you can be like my Barbie doll and I can play dress up with you.”

  “Okay. That was so sexist that I don’t even know what to say about it.”

  “You know I don’t mean anything by it. Let’s go find you a dress.”

  “Alright, but only because I need a dress for your dance and I’m on a tight budget. Don’t plan on making it a habit.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “I’ll pay you back one day.”

  “I’ll send you a bill,” he laughed.

  She smiled and took another bite of her sandwich before pushing her plate away. Ryan stood up and tossed some cash down on the table.

  “Come on. Let’s go see what we can find down at Catherine’s.”

  “You know Catherine’s?”

  “I know everything in this town.”

  “Of course.”

  Ryan watched as she flipped through the racks, pulling out several dresses.

  “I’ll try these on,” she said.

  ‘You can sit out here, Ryan,” Catherine said from nearby, pointing toward a small bay of chairs. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, Cat. Thank you,” he replied. Cat had been robbed last year, held at gunpoint. She was a bit jittery since and he was surprised that she hadn’t closed the store altogether.

  “Your girlfriend is just darling.”

  “Yes, she is,” he replied, not bothering to correct her. There had been no labels applied in his relationship with Lucy, but wasn’t she his girlfriend for all intents and purposes?

  “Oh, that’s lovely,” Catherine said, turning her attention back toward the door of the dressing room as it opened.

  Lucy smiled at her uncertainly and looked in the mirror before turning back to Ryan and holding out her arms in a gesture of silent “What do you think?’

  “It’s gorgeous.”

  “It is, but I’m not sure it’s quite me. Let me try on the others.”

  She disappeared into the dressing room and returned in a dress that he hoped she didn’t buy. It was square and ill fitting. She went straight to the mirror and looked it over.

  “I can get you that in a different size,” Catherine told her.

  “No. Thanks, but I think I liked it better on the rack.”

  The third time she came out, Ryan had to catch his breath. She was wearing the peach dress she had picked up. He didn’t know what the material was, but it seemed very delicate, clinging to her every curve with utter perfection. She was stunning.

  “That is . . .wow,” was all he managed to say.

  “I take it you like this one?”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “It’s so soft. It’s chiffon. Come feel it.”

  Ryan stood up and walked to her, running his hand down her hip across the material of the dress.

  “I love it,” the told her before turning to Catherine. “We’ll take this one, Cat.”

  “Great. Do you need shoes?”

  “No. I’m sure I can find some.”

  “Don’t be silly. Let her show you some shoes.”

  “I just don’t want to take advantage.”

  “You never could.”

  “Come on,” Catherine told her, taking her off, still in the dress to find matching shoes. Ryan returned to his seat and waited. They returned shortly with a pair of nude colored heels in Cat’s hand. Lucy smiled at him and ducked back into the changing room to take the dress off. Cat rang the purchases up and put them in their boxes to take home.

  Overall, it had been a good day. They stopped off at his place so he could change out of his uniform and he urged her to spend the night.

  “I’m okay. I have a test in the morning, so I really need to get home and study.

  “That’s too bad.”

  “Can’t afford to flunk out in my final year.”

  “Alright, let’s get you home, school girl.”

  Ryan’s phone beeped and he looked down at it. It was Kate with the results of his facial recognition. She’d found several faces that resembled it, one of which looked like the man Lucy had sketched. He put the phone back in his pocket and they headed out to her place.

  “You want to come in for a few minutes?” she asked.

  “I thought you had to study.”

  “I do, but I can spare a few minutes.”

  “Sure. I’ll bring in your packages and I want to show you something anyway.”

  “What’s that?”

  They sat on the sofa and he pulled out his phone, showing her the photos Kate had sent him.

  “Do any of these look familiar to you?’

  Kate studied them, squinting at their faces on his phone screen. When he flipped to the last photo, she looked at it for a bit longer and then back up at him.

  “Is it . . .?” her voice trailed off.

  “Is it who?” he asked.

  “The man from the car. The sketch I gave you.”

  “I don’t know. I’m asking if you think it’s him.”

  “I think so. How did you find him?”

  “I had one of the techs at work run him through the facial recognition software.”

  “Why? Why would you do that? Couldn’t you lose your job?”

  “I’ve got all that covered.”

  “I thought he was no one, just some guy waiting on a caretaker or something.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I checked out all your neighbors and they are all clean except that one guy, but he’s too disabled due to bad habits to be a threat. I don’t know who this guy in front of his house is, but I intend to find out. If it’s nothing, then that’s good, but I want to know if there is more to it.”

  “You checked out all my neighbors? What is wrong with you, Ryan? You can’t just nose into people’s lives when they’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Ryan was taken aback by her anger, but it was clear that she was unhappy about his prying around in other people’s business.

  “I just want you to be safe. You and I are good together, Lucy. I want you to feel comfortable in your own home.”

  “You know what? I did feel comfortable in my own home until I met you, Ryan. I mean, yeah, we’ve had some fun and some laughs, but this is too much. We aren’t even a couple and you’re investigating my neighbors? Who does that? You think because you are an Alpha, you can just do what you want to people and they have no say in it?

  “Whoa, Lucy. Where is this coming from? Why are you so upset about me trying to ensure your safety?”

  “I’m not upset about you trying to keep me safe. I’m trying to figure out why you think it’s okay to violate other people�
�s rights to do it and why you are just now telling me about any of this. You’re acting like exactly the sort of Alpha that I’ve avoided all my life.”

  “Lucy, can we just sit and talk about this?”

  She was silent for a moment. Finally looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

  “I need you to leave.”

  “No. Lucy, this is ridiculous.”

  “The fact that you think how I feel is ridiculous is exactly why you need to go.”

  Ryan felt bewildered and a little bit angry. How could she be so upset about him trying to take care of her? He wanted to stay, to talk to her, to not leave things like this, but he knew that it might only make things worse. He threw up his hands in defeat and turned to leave.

  ‘I just need some space,” she said, her voice barely audible.

  “Okay, Lucy. Call me when you are ready to talk,” he said, pausing in the doorway. “For the record, this is not what I want.”

  He didn’t wait for a reply, just walked out the door.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Lucy

  The night had been long. Lucy spent half of it trying to convince herself she hadn’t overreacted and the other half trying figure out how to fix this. She had feelings for Ryan, feelings she’d been fighting the whole time and now she’d fucked it all up. Was it really such a big deal that he’d tried to protect her? He was an Alpha and a cop. Of course he’d not just take a chance on her getting hurt.

  Still, that wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t need someone to take care of her. She needed someone who wanted a partner, an equal - not some protector. She managed to stop obsessing about it long enough to go to class and take her test. She felt like she was in a trance and wasn’t sure if she’d even come close to passing. It was a good thing her grades could handle one bad grade, even though it would take her GPA down a bit.

  “Girl, what’s wrong with you?” Sasha asked afterward. “You look like the walking dead.”

  “I didn’t get much sleep. Ryan and I had an argument and I kicked him out.”

  “Hottie Ryan? The cop? I didn’t realize the two of you had gotten serious enough to have a fight, especially one that would cost you any sleep.”

  “Long story, but I’m exhausted. I’m just going to go home and lie down for a while. I feel like toxic waste.’

  “Alright, you do that. Should we expect you at girls night out tonight or no?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be there. I could use the downtime and the company.”

  “Good. I’ll see you tonight. We’ll cheer you up, girl.”

  Lucy smiled and waved at her before getting into her car to go home. It took all her willpower not to turn in the other direction and go to Ryan’s house to talk to him. The longer she had thought through things last night and today, the more she realized how wrong she had been. She was scared of being so attached to someone and the way the day had unfolded had only made it worse.

  Rather than going home, she took the freeway up into the mountains, pulling over at one of the overlooks and watching the city move beneath her. She wasn’t far from the view she and Ryan would have shared if they had gone all the way up the mountain the night their clothes were taken, but you could only reach that one by foot. She considered doing it for a moment, but decided she didn’t really have time if she was going to get back and get ready for a night out.

  Her phone rang and she looked at it. It was Ryan. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet, so she let it go to voice-mail. Instead, she just sat out on the hood of her car, looking at the view and trying to clear her head. She wanted him, wanted to be with him, but she didn’t want to feel like she was owned. She needed to keep her own identity and that is what she should have told him instead of losing her cool and kicking him out.

  He called again, but she still didn’t answer. As much as she wanted to make things right with him, she wasn’t ready yet. She didn’t know what to say and didn’t trust herself not to get the words all tangled up. She’d asked for time and he’d given it to her. There was no reason to rush this. She’d take the weekend to sort out her head and then talk to him. She knew that was what was best, but already her heart ached.

  As the sun began to slip downward, she decided to head back home, feeling a little calmer. She called Sasha as she sat down in the car.

  “I forgot to ask where we are going? The Monkey Cage?”

  That was their usual place, but every once in a while they changed it up. She just didn’t want to turn up at the wrong club and look like an idiot.

  “Yep. That’s where we’ll be, girl. See you at seven then?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “See you in a while.”

  “See you.”

  Lucy started the car and pulled away from the overlook, nearly clipping a car passing by. They sat down on their horn and she slammed on the brakes.

  “Get your head out of your ass, Lucy,” she said aloud, taking another look down the road before pulling any further out this time.

  Her heart thudded against her chest, her inattention to the road undoing every bit of tranquility she had managed to achieve while sitting out in the open air with her thoughts. She was going to need a drink or few just to calm back down. Her phone rang several times on her way home, but she didn’t attempt to answer. She’d already had one near miss for the evening and wasn’t going to risk even looking to see who was calling. She’d call whoever it was back when she got home - unless it was Ryan. She still wasn’t quite up to that yet.

  Her car flashed on empty just as she pulled off the freeway, so she stopped at the convenience store to fill it up before going home. She grabbed a sandwich combo from their deli while she was there. It was exactly haute cuisine, but she needed something in her stomach if she was going to drink and couldn’t remember if she had anything quick at home other than the leftover lasagna from last night, which didn’t sound like something she wanted to eat before a night out clubbing.

  She ate it on the way home, picking up the containers from her meal and throwing them in the plastic bag they had come in. With the bag and her phone in one hand, she made her way to the front door and raised her keys to unlock the door. She was about to insert it when she heard footsteps behind her, they were quick and heavy, but she didn’t even get fully turned around before a large hand covered her mouth and something sharp stabbed into her neck.

  She only felt a moment of panic before everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Ryan

  Ryan was miserable. He went over and over the conversation with Lucy in his mind and couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong. He finally tried to put herself in her place, a woman who wanted to be her own person and not be owned by some Alpha. He realized he had done the one thing she hated most. He had tried to take care of her instead of trusting her to take care of herself.

  That’s when he had started calling her, hoping she would eventually give in and answer. After a half dozen calls, he finally realized he was probably only making things worse. He decided to give her the day and let her cool down. Perhaps by tomorrow she would feel more like talking to him. He tried to focus on something else instead, making the drive home to see his parents.

  “It’s been a while, son,” his mom told him.

  “I know. I’ve been busy.”

  “Things going okay with work?”

  “Yes. I got a promotion.”

  “That’s great. Your father will be so proud.”

  “Will he?”

  “Why would you ask that? Of course he will. I know he didn’t take to it so much at first, but he is very proud of you.”

  “Where is he anyway?”

  “He had to go out of town for a few days to check out a new supplier. We’ve been getting a lot of questionable quality material from our old one.”

  “You guys ever going to retire?’

  “I don’t know. We like what we do. We’ll probably do it until we can’t anymore. You know us.”

  “Ye
ah. I do.”

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  “I was, but we had an argument.”

  “Is that why you are here? You had to come home to talk to Mama about it?”

  “Nah. I just wanted to see you.”

  She looked him over, trying to decide if she believed that. No doubt she sensed his vulnerability. She had always been able to tell when he was feeling out of sorts about something.”

  “What was the argument about?”

  “I pushed too hard, Mom. I just wanted to take care of her. She didn’t want my help.”

  “An independent woman. Alpha, I take it.”

  “Actually, no. She’s an Omega, but her father was the Alpha of their pack. I think he left a bad impression of all Alphas with his daughter.”

  “How? What did he do?”

  “I’m not sure really. I think he was just overbearing. You know, like Dad.”

  She smiled at this and shook her head.

  “Your father is an acquired taste, I suppose. When we first started dating, I thought he was the most obnoxious man I’d ever met in my life. I wanted to run away.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Honestly? I got pregnant and getting married was just what you did in that situation back then. I learned to love him though. He can be a handful at times, but he has always taken good care of me. He’s never hurt me and never been disloyal.”

  “Shouldn’t marriage be more than that, Mom?’

  “Probably, but I’m content. I could have done far worse. Anyway, your father and I are not you and this girl. You need to decide if you can be what she wants and if you can, sit down with her and talk it out. If you are giving up a part of yourself to be with her, then you have to think real hard about what that will cost you in the long run.”

  Ryan considered this and knew she was right, but it was equally good advice for Lucy and when he put himself in her shoes, he could understand where she had been coming from a lot better.

  “Will you stay for dinner? Your father should be back by then so you can see him.”

  “Sure. It’s been too long since we shared a meal.”

  “And whose fault is that?”

  “Mine.”