NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  “No, Peyton doesn't have any idea shifters exists. Dad never told her, and mom and I didn’t want to freak her out although I doubt she would have, she isn’t the type to overreact. As for her dogs, she has trained them to know my scent,” Bas laughed “When she got her first litter and I came out for a visit, the dogs freaked out. She couldn’t figure out what was going on and decided it was better to train the dogs to know me. She said something about Alpha vibes but she never pursued it.”

  “It seems as though none of the guys know your sister except Wyatt. Why would you have kept her so hidden? You have all known each other since you were children? Why wouldn’t you introduce your team to your sister?” Ryleigh asked perplexed.

  Ryleigh’s questions made Bas realized how separate he’d kept Peyton from the group. He didn’t have a good explanation to give her. Shit, Peyton didn’t even know his blood brothers. They had been staying with their mom when his dad was with Peyton’s mom. He was proud of her and he loved her like she was his blooded sisters, but when faced with Ryleigh’s questions, he realized he did keep her all to himself. She was always there to help, but he had never once thought of introducing her to the guys. She’d always been reclusive, but he wondered about his own actions. He was far from ashamed of her. Why didn’t he ever introduce her to the guys? Why hadn’t he taken at least one of them to meet her in all these years? Who was he protecting, Peyton or himself? Bas honestly didn’t know the answer to that question.

  Wyatt knew her from her work, but not once during all these years had he tried to introduce them. When his Dad married Peyton’s mom, they hadn’t been living in the same area, so none of the guys had met her then, and after that, he didn’t even mention her to them. It was pretty fucked-up now that he thought about it. His sister wasn’t a dirty little secret, she was an amazing young woman, and he was proud of her. During his time in the service, he would visit when possible and still did at least twice a year, but he’d never once asked anyone from Alpha to come with him. Thinking about it now, it bothered him.

  “She has me send her my unwashed clothing every time she gets a new litter of pups,” he said, answering Ryleigh’s question. “She trains her dogs to recognize my scent, so that when I visit they’re already familiar. If she agrees to come, I could do the same with you guys.” Bas had remained seated at the table, but he was far from calm. He wanted to yell at Ryleigh because she was forcing his hand, making him do something he really didn’t want to do, expose his sister. Maybe that was the answer to his earlier musing; Peyton hated attention. Keeping her separate gave her the solitude he thought she wanted or maybe, he’d been an ass. Fisting his hands, he was ready for this conversation to be over. He would ask Peyton to come here, but he was fairly sure she would decline the offer. Shaking his head, he continued on with answering the questions.

  “The last time I was there, they acted like normal dogs. My bear didn’t bother them. They sense my bear and act accordingly, but exhibit minimal fear. As for her prospective clients, she held her training class last month, and she only does them every two years, so I don’t think we’ll have a problem with Big Brother. Like I said, she’s reclusive.” What Bas didn’t say is that if she wanted to stay that way, he would move heaven and earth to make it happen. Peyton had already dealt with way too much in her short life. Her mother was a menace. He would go to Peyton himself and draw the blood, then he would explain everything to her. If what he suspected was true, then his sister would be in even more danger.

  “Listen, guys, we’ve been in here for about an hour, and I need to go check up on Emma and the baby,” Dalton interrupted, hoping Jacks would finally let him leave. he’d reached the end of his patience. He didn’t care about his buddy's sister, he wanted to get back to Emma and the baby. Dalton needed to make sure both of them were okay, and even with sight and sound in the conference room, he felt panicked by the distance.

  “Yeah, everyone has their orders. Go take care of your girls, Dalton, but remember, you and I are going to have a sit down soon.”

  Dalton knew that conversation wasn’t going to be a comfortable one. Jacks had a look on his face that would freak a lesser man out. Dalton wasn’t a lesser man and the sooner Jacks realized that, the better. Dalton’s priorities had changed. Jacks and the Team weren’t number one anymore, and the sooner they realized it, the better for all of them. He still wanted his team safe and happy, but now he wanted a little piece of that for himself. Deciding that antagonizing his Alpha any further was a sure way to prolong this conversation.

  “Understood?” Dalton replied, gave a curt nod towards his Alpha, and walked out of the room.

  Chapter 27

  Emma woke up with a start, but couldn’t get her mind and body to work. She had no idea where she was or what she was doing there. It took a full five minutes before the fuzziness began to abate enough for her to remember where she was and what had happened. For a few seconds, she’d actually thought she was back in that awful lab and almost panicked. Her heart rate was out of control, and she was sure that if someone walked into the room at that moment, she would’ve looked like she’d seen a ghost. Dang, her ghosts or rather nightmare was in her past, possibly her present and future as well, and wasn’t that an awful thought. Dalton wanted her trust, but could she truly give it freely after everything she’d been through?

  She was still in the exam room where she’d given birth a while ago. The room had first put her off. What type of people had an actual exam room in their home? It was kind of creepy. Sure, they had explained it, but it all seemed so out in left field. A small part of her was grateful these people seemed to have such great resources. She’d needed them and then some, but another part was still leery, she’d been fooled before, maybe she was being fooled again.

  Taking several deep breaths, Emma tried to get her erratic heartbeat under control. Looking around the room, she noticed the isolette just out of reach, and the little bundle within it, swaddled tightly and seemingly sleeping peacefully. Her baby. The little baby girl with the tuft of dark hair and the little pixie nose, a mirror image of her own, albeit on a smaller side. The thought made her smile, she’d doubted the baby’s parentage until the moment she saw that nose. She’d never let herself think beyond the next minute while in captivity, didn’t allow herself to want or need the baby to be her own. That changed the moment she laid eyes on her for the first time. Her daughter was perfect in every way.

  She was a mom. She only wished she could be as perfect as her infant. She had no idea what to do or how to act or even how to react to everything that had happened in the last six months of her life, let alone all that she’d learned in the last couple of hours. The only thing she knew for sure was that little bundle created a warmth inside her chest, and she wanted to the feel of her baby’s weight in her arms and to bury her nose into her sweet smell.

  The isolette was close, but not close enough for Emma to touch it, and she craved the contact. She was a mom, she could hardly wrap her mind around it, she didn’t know if she wanted to cry or laugh. She was also scared. That little bundle was so precious to her she wanted to feel her child within her arms again, but like everything else, she was just out of reach. Her entire life, everything was just out of reach; the closeness she craved as a child, having a family, the ability to make a good life for herself, and now, her child. She hated everything that had happened to her, but that little girl, so close, but still so far away, was special. It didn’t matter how she was conceived, it didn’t matter if she was deluding herself into thinking she was of her blood, the little girl was hers.

  Then the other stuff came back. Her heart pounded and she broke out in a cold sweat. Shit, she was in a house with a bunch of people she did know who turned into animals. No, they were called Shifters, and her daughter could be one of them, too. Her little girl could be the first and only female Shifter in an undoubtedly long time. The ramifications were huge; her child would never be safe, shoot, she didn’t even know if she was safe now
. The one thing she did know for certain was that she would fight tooth and nail to make sure her baby was protected.

  Emma hadn’t realized she was crying until she noticed her pillow was getting wet. Wiping the evidence from her face, she continued to stare at her daughter’s shape in the tiny bed, thinking about all the possibilities. She needed to accept that her baby could turn into an animal. How was she going to deal with that? She also needed to examine the feelings she had for Dalton Hayes. She felt safe with him, trusted him in a way she’d never trusted another human being. She didn’t understand the feelings she was having towards the virtual stranger, but her gut was telling her to go with it, no matter how scary it was. Maybe she was more messed up than she thought.

  After another brief moment of panic, she realized that if her little girl was going to shift, then wouldn’t it be better to be around people who actually understood and could help her? Wouldn’t it? Because she had no clue how to help her daughter with that part of her life, shoot, any part of her life. It might be nice to have some people to help. Her thoughts and feelings were all over the place.

  But, Dalton, my lord the man was amazing. He was so kind and caring, it floored her. If eyes were windows to a person’s soul, then Emma knew this man was good to his core. He looked at her and her daughter with those Caribbean blue orbs, and Emma wanted to melt into the safety they promised. Those thoughts knocked her on her ass; she was attracted to him in the most primal way. She wanted him when she shouldn’t have been able to even have those thoughts. When had she ever trusted another person like that before, with her heart mind and soul? The answer was never. She had so many doubts and fears. Was this all a big hoax? Had they given her something? She didn’t think so, but why was she being so unlike herself?

  The dream she’d been having when she woke was the initial cause of the sweaty sheets wrapped around her; it was disturbing, but not in a gross way. If it weren't for the fact that she’d just given birth, her panties would’ve been wet and her lady bits would’ve been throbbing. He inspired thoughts and dreams in her that had no place in her life as it was now. The man made her think of sweaty nights, tangled hair and limbs, and pure pleasure. Sighing, she had to turn away from her baby; she couldn’t think about these things and look at her daughter at the same time.

  In the dream, she’d been doing and allowing things she’d never done before. Primal kisses and being controlled. She could see him holding her hands above her head while he ravished her body. Being so desperate for a kiss that he gripped her hair hard and pulled her to him. Angling her body to deepen and increase the pleasure. God, should a woman who had just given birth, not to mention escaped captivity, be having sex dreams? Even the thought of those erotic dreams was having an effect on her. She longed to feel his muscled back under her nails. She wanted to feel all that silky-smooth skin that hid the hard muscles beneath. What was wrong with her?

  Shouldn't she be freaking out about a man touching her after what she’d been through not wishing she could pursue the man, making that dream a reality? Christ, she didn’t even know if she’d been raped. There had been discomfort, like she’d told Ryleigh, but for some reason she didn’t feel as though a man had penetrated her. Well, actually, if she thought about it, regardless if a man forced his penis or something else inside her, she’d still been raped. They hadn’t had her consent. Shit, she hadn’t even been conscious. But for some reason, she really wanted the violation to have been a medical procedure. She would rather think she’d been artificially inseminated, not sexually assaulted by a man while she was drugged and unconscious, even if that thought was messed up. She needed something to calm her thoughts, they were all over the place. Maybe she needed medication or massive amounts of therapy. Nothing was making sense at the moment. Perhaps some psychotropic drugs were the answer. Dang it, she’d never taken drugs in her life, and here she hoped something as simple as Prozac was the answer to her problems.

  She could talk with Ryleigh or Mia about it. Mia was a doctor, but Ryleigh seemed like she could become a good friend. She needed a woman’s perspective. Dalton had been great to her, but would he honestly understand how she felt? He was a big strong man, and she doubted he could ever be in a position where he could be harmed sexually. She’d been violated, no matter what she found out. Maybe she could tell these people where she’d been held, and they could go check out the facility. They could get some answers that way. It was a catch twenty-two; the answers might help them, but would they truly help her?

  Emma wanted to curl up in a ball and let the world pass her by; she was spent. Her body was broken and so was her mind. Turning her head back to her daughter, Emma noticed that her baby’s eyes were open, and she could swear the baby was staring right at her. Didn’t she read somewhere that it took a while for babies to be able to focus? Her daughter’s eyes were the same bluish color that all newborns had, but they seemed brighter. Somehow, they even seemed to glow. Perhaps it was the light in the room or Emma’s tired eyes because that glow disappeared as soon as she made eye contact with her little one. Examining her baby’s eyes, a little closer, Emma was fairly certain she would keep the blue. She kind of wished they would lighten and become the color of the Caribbean Sea, like Dalton’s. She loved the color of his eyes, and for some crazy reason, she wanted her daughter to have a piece of him.

  She wanted to keep the connection she’d felt while he helped her bring her daughter into the world. Emma wanted to be able to look into those eyes for the rest of her life when everything turned to crap, and Dalton Hayes was nothing but a memory. Those thoughts made her eyes sting. Why was she so utterly obsessed with a man and not paying more attention to what was more important, her baby?

  Emma didn’t know much about babies, but didn’t newborns usually cry when they woke up? Her daughter looked perfectly content watching her. Was that even possible?

  Dalton opened the door to find Emma struggling to get out of the bed. Rushing to her side, he tried to help her up.

  “Hey honey, hold up. What do you need?” Dalton asked.

  Emma couldn’t help the shiver that ran up her spine when he placed his warm muscular arms around her, bringing back the visions in her dream. She was again struck with thoughts of how Dalton was the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on. He was a god, plain and simple. What put him on god status was how he helped her before and after her baby’s birth, not only his looks although she was positive he could give any Greek god a run for their money. He was too good to be true and definitely way out of Emma’s league, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t keep images of him. She was confident she would be happy with only that; her dream man. Why would a guy who looked like him want a woman he watched push a bowling ball through her va-jay-jay? Emma was a simple woman, plain in her opinion, and she had nothing to offer anyone, let alone Dalton. She had a high school education, no savings, and right now, no future. Damn, what was up with her mind?

  “Hey, how are you doing, Emma?” Dalton asked, helping her to sit up then running his finger down her cheek. The move was subtle, but Emma cherished it. “Oh, I see the little angel has woken up. Do you want me to get her for you?”

  Caught in her own thoughts, it took Emma a second to answer him. She hadn’t noticed him walking over to the baby to pick her up. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn from the thoughts which had been running through her brain. She decided it was time to get her crap together and at least act like the woman she wanted to be.

  “Yeah please, I was trying to get up to get to her.”

  “No need for that, I’ve got her for you. Isn’t that right, sweet baby girl? Dalton has you.” The look of contentment on his face, and the sweet words melted Emma’s heart even further. For a split second, she was also jealous; she wanted to be the one in Dalton’s arm hearing sweet words. Dang, she was messed up.

  “Have you thought about a name yet?” Dalton asked. “Sweet little girl definitely fits or maybe angel. What do you think?” he said chuckling.
“She looks like a sweet little angel, cherub cheeks and all. I think I fell in love with her a little at first sight. She’s perfect, Emma. She has cherub cheeks, pixie nose, and beautiful eyes like her momma.”

  Emma couldn’t help but tear up. She’d never let herself think beyond the next minute and here she was a mom with a little baby who didn’t have a name. She agreed with Dalton, her daughter was perfect and precious, but she’d never let herself go there before the last few minutes. She felt like a horrible person. Her life was such a mess. Here she was thinking about sex with Dalton, and her baby was lying there without a name. God, Dalton probably thought she was cruel or uncaring. She had no idea what she should name her daughter.

  Chapter 28

  Dalton noticed her tears and wanted to kick himself. Emma had been through so much and he didn’t want to put any more pressure on her.

  “It's okay, honey, no pressure. This little angel deserves the perfect name and that could take some time to come up with. Give yourself time to get to know your daughter, and I bet it will come to you.”

  Emma couldn’t look at him. Geez, could the man be any more perfect?

  “It's just,” Emma tried to explain, “I never let myself think beyond the moment. Shoot, before being abducted, I never even thought about having kids. My life wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I didn’t have any great motherly influences, so I thought if I one day got married and was in a good place, I might consider children. That time never came and here I am with a little girl, not remembering how she came to be. I really don’t know what to do,” Emma started to cry harder.

  Dalton walked over to the bed with the baby, sitting down next to her. He rubbed his free hand on her shoulder while cradling her baby against his chest with the other; he was a natural. The scene was straight out of a storybook. He was offering Emma and her baby comfort. Emma wished it was something more than it was, knowing she couldn’t ask for that, or even want it. The man was so warm and smelled so delicious; clean and crisp with a bit of musk. She wanted to get lost in the moment.