Avoiding Alpha

by Aileen Erin

  “I get it, and for the record—we’re divided on that. The majority of us want you to stay where you are.”

  I was too relieved to be insulted that they didn’t want me around. “Good. I’d rather not have this problem become bigger than it should be. Is there anything I can do to help sway the rest?”

  “No, but I’ll let you know if I think of something.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Not to be rude, but why are you here?”

  I was more than happy to focus in on my real goal. “You know my friend, Meredith?”

  “Of course. A few of the coven members liked to hang out with the wolves a while back. Even though we’re not exactly friendly now, we still keep tabs on the pack members.”

  I don’t know why it surprised me, but it did. And whatever ‘tabs’ La Aquelarre had on us, they must’ve been pretty damned accurate. The day I’d met my cousins, they’d shown up with backpacks filled with weapons made specifically for Meredith and me. “She started throwing up blood this morning.”

  Claudia paled, giving away that she knew exactly what that meant.

  “She doesn’t have long. Maybe a day or two.” I leaned toward her. “If there’s anything you can do, I’d be grateful.”

  Raphael came through the back door. His khaki shorts were fraying along the bottom hems.

  Claudia nodded at him before answering me. “The only way to help would be to get Luciana to break her spell, but there’s no way she’d do that.”

  “Why not? I can be pretty convincing.”

  Claudia made a face. “She’s happy to have one less wolf to worry about.”

  What the hell? She would let an innocent teenager die because she didn’t like werewolves? What was her problem with our kind?

  “And messing with someone else’s spell is trouble,” Raphael continued where Claudia left off. “The chances of you actually breaking it…let’s just say they’re not great.”

  Chris sat straighter. “What do you mean? I thought it was only a matter of finding the right spell to counter it.”

  Raphael chuckled.

  “Not with this spell,” Claudia said. “Imagine it’s like a twisted web of sticky bubble gum. If you put your hands in to untangle the mess, you’ll get it more tangled at best. Most likely, some of the spell will stick to you.”

  Fantastic. “So, how do you break one?”

  Raphael crossed his arms, and stared down at me. It wasn’t an unfriendly stare—there wasn’t any anger in it—but an assessing one. “The best way is to get the person who cast it to break it. It’s their will that binds it. They let that go, and the spell is gone.”

  This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. At all. “There has to be another way. From what I’ve heard, Luciana isn’t going to break this spell. I can’t go back without a plan.”

  Claudia and her twin brother shared a long look.

  He shook his head. “Don’t do it,” he said, finally.

  “They were supposed to be hers anyhow. Does it really matter now that the situation’s changed a bit?” she said.

  “Luciana’ll be pissed if she finds out.”

  I wasn’t sure what they were arguing about, but I wasn’t about to question them. I needed all the help I could get.

  She shrugged. “She’s always pissed. At least now she’ll have a reason.” Claudia left the room.

  Chris was silent beside me. I wondered what he thought of all of this, but knowing him, I’d probably get an earful when we got back in the car.

  Claudia came back with a small stack of books. “Take them. They might help you think outside the box.”

  Two of the three books were old, their pages yellowed and the corners of their covers bent and worn. They smelled of leather and dust and vanilla. The third booked looked brand new.

  These weren’t an answer to my problem exactly, but maybe they could lead to one. I put them in my messenger bag. “Thank you.”

  Claudia gave me a small shrug. “You should’ve gotten them years ago.” She paused. “But it’d be best if you didn’t show them to anyone. They’re meant to be seen by coven members only.”

  That part was going to be difficult. I might be a bruja, but besides my visions, I didn’t know the first thing about magic. I’d definitely need some help deciphering everything. “I can promise that only people I absolutely trust will know about these.”

  Claudia was taking another risk for me, and I appreciated it. She’d helped bring me the info and tools to find the vampire caves and fight them, saved my ass from getting creamed by Imogene, and now, she and Raphael were helping me again. “If you ever need anything from me, if there is anything I can ever help you with, let me know.”

  “Thanks. I’ll take you up on it.”

  I nudged Chris. “Let’s go.”

  When Chris and I stepped outside, a crowd of at least twenty was waiting. “You don’t think they’re here to tar and feather us, do you?” I asked Chris softly.

  “I’d love for them to try. I haven’t gotten my workout in today.” He slipped the sunglasses back on, covering his glowing eyes.

  Perfect. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

  The people parted and the lady from my vision stepped up to the house. She was wearing the same outfit as I’d seen her in earlier. Long flowing skirt. Frizzy hair braided and pinned in a halo on the crown of her head.

  She smiled softly at us, but her eyes were too harsh to ever be mistaken as kind. “Hello, Teresa.”

  “Hi, Luciana.” What was with the brujos and my given name?

  Chris stood behind me with a hand on my shoulder. He was ready to step in if needed.

  “I hoped you’d come before now,” she said.

  “I came because your spell has made Meredith Molloney extremely sick.”

  “And you think I should break it?”

  Even if it was a long shot, I had to at least try. “Yes. If there were some way to convince you…”

  She grinned, but it made me shiver. “I think we could come to an arrangement.”

  I was pretty sure I didn’t like where this was going, but there was no guarantee the books would help Meredith. I walked down a step. “What kind of arrangement are we talking about?”

  “Nothing too big.” Her smile widened, and it made me more nervous. Like a monster was getting ready to swallow me whole. “I’d like for you to live here, where you belong. To study with us and learn our ways.”

  The people watching were completely still and silent, waiting for my response.

  It’d come in handy to know more bruja stuff. I actively wanted to know more about it and learn more about my abilities, but there was no way I was leaving St. Ailbe’s. The place had grown on me, and I liked being close to Dastien and far away from Luciana. “What about the pack?”

  She spread her hands wide. “You’d be training to take over the coven when I’m ready to step down, like we’d always planned. You’d have to leave the pack.”

  That’s what I thought she meant, and it so wasn’t happening. “Even if I wanted to leave the pack, which I don’t…at all…what makes you think I have any aspirations to lead the coven?”

  “Everyone wants power.” A few members of the coven nodded their heads.

  I snorted. “Not me. And you’re forgetting one tiny, little thing. I’m a werewolf.”

  Shit. The look she gave me told me I’d stepped into her trap. Chris must’ve known it too because his hand tightened on my shoulder.

  “I could take care of that if I cast the same spell on you that I cast on Meredith.”

  I swallowed down a growl, barely. The people closest to me took a step back. Except Luciana. She took a step forward.

  “Your wolf would go into hibernation,” Luciana kept talking, ignoring my reaction. “You wouldn’t feel any pain. Your emotions would be under control again, and you wouldn’t have to fear shifting ever again.”

  I had to hand it to her. She knew exactly what buttons to push. Yes, my emotions being all wonk
y bugged the crap out of me. I didn’t enjoy feeling out of control. And yeah, I was still a little freaked out about the whole shifting thing, but that didn’t mean I wanted to end it all. I was adjusting. Slower than Dastien—and pretty much everyone else—would like, but I was adjusting all the same.

  “This lady is a freaking nut job. We should go. Now,” Chris whispered in his barely-audible way.

  I grunted quietly. Luciana wouldn’t get to me. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. I fisted my hands by my sides. “News flash, lady. Your spell doesn’t work. Meredith’s dying. She’s literally wasting away as we speak. Even if I hated being a Were, why would I risk it?”

  “There wouldn’t be a risk. Meredith was born with her wolf, you weren’t. It’ll be easy to cut it off. And if it did wake, I’d be there to put her down.”

  Put her down. My nails lengthened, drawing blood as I kept my hands tightly fisted.

  The crowd took another step back, but two people stepped forward. Daniel and a girl. Back-up. But for who? Me or Luciana?

  This was going to turn into a situation if I didn’t get a grip on my wolf, but she wanted to rip Luciana’s throat out.

  Chris pushed some power toward me, trying to keep me calm. It wasn’t as potent as Dastien’s, but it was enough. That said, Chris was right. We needed to leave before anything bad happened. “Thanks for the offer, but no.” My words were sharp. “I don’t want anyone else messing with who I am.”

  “I wouldn’t be messing with who you are. I’d just be putting you back the way you were before you were attacked by rabid dogs. We can overlook your mutt connection, but only if you—”

  “Excuse me? Did you just call me a mutt?” My voice was gravelly and lower than usual.

  Luciana muttered something, and it felt like something slapped my face.

  Red filled my vision. I tried to lunge, but Chris held me back. I spun, snarling at him. Before I could order him to let me go, he clapped his hand over my mouth. He looped his other arm around my waist, holding me firmly against him as my bones popped. “We’re leaving,” he said.

  Fur spread along my arms, and I growled. The need to take Luciana down was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. It was like fire in my veins.

  Chris dragged me to the car and shoved me in the driver’s side. He kept pushing me until I was on the passenger’s side. I went for the door.

  I couldn’t leave without putting Luciana in her place. I wanted blood.

  Chris hit the locks before I could open the door and put the car in gear.

  I raged and yelled, growling nonsense as I tried to get the car door open.

  “Stop,” Chris commanded as he pulled a u-turn on someone’s lawn, speeding toward the open gate.

  When we hit the cattle guard, I felt that slick feeling again, like we were passing through a barrier. But this time it didn’t just feel slimy. Now, it burned my skin like sandpaper against a bad sunburn. It was painful enough to shock my wolf. My bones cracked back in place and fur slid away.

  “Holy fuck,” I said, gasping. “Do you feel that?”

  His gaze stayed on the road. “I felt something alright.”

  I rubbed my arms, trying to ease the sensation, but the pain lingered. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “No problem.” He floored it down the bumpy dirt road.

  Something was wrong. Did I forget something back there?

  The further we got from the coven’s land, the more my fear grew. My heart was pumping so fast, so loud, it was echoing in my ears.

  This wasn’t right. I was safe. My wolf had nearly gotten me into big trouble, but Chris had gotten us away in time. My fear shouldn’t be getting worse.

  “Are you okay?” Chris said.

  “I don’t know.” I swallowed. “I’m so afraid, but I have no idea why. We got away from there. I’m fine. You’re fine. Why am I freaking out?”

  And then it hit me. “Go faster. Drive.” I spotted him in the distance. A wolf running down the side of the road. “Stop. Stop the car. Now. Please.” I slapped Chris on the arm. “Now!”

  “Okay. Okay.” He slammed on the brakes, and my seatbelt strained to keep me in my seat. “Is that who I think that is?”

  “Yes.” For once, it wasn’t my own fear I was feeling. It was Dastien’s. I couldn’t imagine what would make him so afraid, but whatever it was, I wanted it gone.

  I un-clicked my seatbelt, jumped down from the car, and started running to meet him.

  Chapter Five

  Dastien bounded toward me in wolf-form. I stopped in the middle of the dirt road and he tackled me to the ground. Thank God we’d done so much training lately. I knew how to take a fall without hurting anything. Or, more accurately, without hurting anything too badly. I hit the road, careful to curl into my stomach so my head wouldn’t slam into the compacted dirt. Wolf-Dastien ran his nose over every inch of me. He growled when he got to my hand and then licked it. And then sneezed on it.

  “Gross.” I wiped my hand off.

  He did the wolf-version of a grunt, which came out more like a whine.

  When he was done with his inspection, he plopped down on top of me and rubbed his nose against my neck.

  “Jeeze. You weigh a million pounds. Get off.” I tried to move him but he wouldn’t budge. “Babe. I can’t breathe.”

  He got up and pushed his forehead to mine. His relief was staggering, but the terror that something had happened to me still bubbled under the surface. He growled, and his alpha-ness ran through me. My skin stretched and itched.

  He was bringing out my wolf. My heart raced. “Stop.” My insides mushed around as I tried to fight the change. “Cut it out.” I met his gaze. “Stop it right now!” I threw as much power as I could into the command and he instantly calmed down and stepped back.

  I sat up, breathing like I’d run miles. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  He howled.

  Great. I didn’t speak wolf. “Chris? What’s his problem?” The fear and anxiety that Dastien was still giving off made me on edge, ready to attack some unknown enemy.

  “Honestly, I have no idea,” he said from the driver’s seat.

  I stood up and brushed the dirt off my jeans. My bum was a little sore from the fall. “Maybe next time don’t tackle me so hard, okay?”

  “I could give him a few lessons on tackling—”

  Dastien growled, cutting off Chris. When I’d first gotten to St. Ailbe’s and tried to make a run for it, Chris had chased me through campus and tackled me mid-shift. Then, he’d hit on me while I was trapped beneath him and he was still naked from shifting, which my mate now took exception to.

  Dastien brushed against my hip—not giving me even an inch of room as I went to the trunk. When it wouldn’t open, I banged on the hatch. “Unlock it, please,” I said to Chris.

  The lock clicked and I grabbed a pair of sweats and flip-flops for Dastien. Meredith had stashed some stuff in the trunk after the whole vampire thing. Apparently, all Weres should have at least a few pairs of sweats and flip-flops in their cars for emergencies. I dropped pants, a T-shirt, and the sandals on the ground by Dastien, and zipped up the bag.

  By the time I closed the hatch, Dastien was back in his two-legged form. He was wearing the pants, but didn’t bother with the shirt before pulling me into his arms. I took a breath with my face pressed against his chest. A shudder ran through him.

  “What’s wrong?” My voice was muffled by his body.

  He squeezed me tighter, then let go enough to look down at me. His eyes were still bright gold. “You disappeared.”

  I was missing something. “No. I went to my cousins’ house…”

  He brushed the hair from my face.

  “I know I wasn’t supposed to, but I had to go.” I paused. His fear was slowly fading. “Why were you freaking out?”

  “I…” He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “I thought you died.”

  “What! Why would you think that?” />
  “All of a sudden, you were gone. I couldn’t feel you through the bond. You weren’t there anymore.” He pulled me against his chest. “I thought you were dead,” he said the words softly.

  It wasn’t just me that felt the bond disappear when I went through the gate. He’d felt it, too. Only he didn’t know the reason.

  I was a complete dumbass. I should’ve called him. This so wasn’t winning me the Mate of the Year award.

  “I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  His hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me back into his chest. “Just give me a second and I’ll pull it back together.” His heart was still racing. “I’ve had close calls, seen my life flash before my eyes, but nothing like what happened when our bond went dead. I saw our whole future disappear. All the things we’d never get to do. Getting married, having kids, going to see Paul van Dyk play…”

  Married? Kids? I was going to pretend he didn’t say that stuff. Instead, I reacted to the only thing on his list that I could mentally handle. “Paul van Dyk?”

  “Merde.” He laughed. “That was supposed to be a surprise. For your birthday.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. He’s coming to Austin next weekend.”

  I grinned. “Best gift ever. I can’t wait.”

  “It was kind of a selfish gift. I wanted to go dancing with you.”

  “Feel free to be that kind of selfish whenever you want.” I pulled him down, and pressed my lips to his. He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The feel of him against me was all-consuming. Heat raced through my body as my tongue brushed his. I squeezed my legs tighter around him and he nipped my lip.

  I couldn’t get close enough to him. It’d been like this since I first met him, and my obsession with him seemed to be getting worse instead of better.

  Chris cleared his throat. “I’m still here. In case anyone was wondering.”

  I pulled back from Dastien, resting my forehead on his. “Way to kill the moment, jerk,” I said to Chris, but I couldn’t look away from Dastien. Not when his need to be with me filled our bond.