Taming the Alpha

by Savannah Stuart

  Right now, Grant wasn’t interested in talking. It was time for his beast to take over. He’d be faster in wolf form and the flesh wound he had would heal that much quicker.

  He let out a howl that tore through the night air as he underwent the change from man to animal. Fur quickly replaced skin as his bones and ligaments broke and realigned into his wolf form. His shredded clothes and shoes silently fell to the soft earth.

  The grass beneath his paws was cool but he barely noticed it. Was barely aware of anything as the desire to kill took over. No one ambushed him and no one dared to encroach on his territory without paying the price.

  With a snarl, he lunged at the vampire. As he flew through the air, his jaw opened and he prepared to tear the vamp’s head off. When his teeth closed around the vampire’s neck, coppery bitterness filled his mouth.

  At the same time, a sharp pain filled his belly as he felt something pierce him. Letting go, he watched as the vampire’s limp body crumpled to the dirt, separate from its head. He stumbled back and tried to gain his footing but couldn’t stay on all fours.

  Sluggishness started to roll over him, threading through his veins until he could barely keep his eyes open. Before he could see how bad the damage was or what the hell had sliced into him, blackness engulfed him.

  Chapter Five

  Talia slammed her car door with more force than necessary. Two days. Two. Damn. Days. And she hadn’t heard a peep from Grant. She didn’t care how busy the man was, she was done playing second—or twentieth—fiddle in his life. Lord, she had to keep some pride. She’d worked a double shift yesterday and hadn’t heard a word from him. He hadn’t even come into the bar. Neither had Max for that matter, which was pretty weird. One of the bouncers had been on temporary management duty.

  Then Grant hadn’t shown up or called her today, either. No one was so busy they couldn’t pick up a phone and call. Or hell, text. Even if it was pretty impersonal it would be preferable to nothing.

  It had probably been a stupid idea but on the way home from work she’d called a guy who’d given her his phone number when she’d been out with Sarah. And he wanted to take her out tonight. Working as a bartender she got a lot of numbers and usually trashed them all but when she’d found this one crumpled at the bottom of her purse, she’d taken it as a sign.

  It was time to get on with her life and stop pretending Grant was ever going to give her what she wanted. He wasn’t a bad guy, far from it in fact, but she couldn’t be with someone who couldn’t emotionally commit. Hot sex would only get them so far and she didn’t want to waste her time anymore. Even if she did love him.

  The moment she thought the words, something in her heart twisted painfully. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to even herself, but it was true. Grant was so incredibly loyal to all his workers to an extent she’d never before seen in a boss. And he was so giving and attentive to her in bed. But she couldn’t live with coming in last every time. It chipped away at her heart too much and eventually she’d resent him. At least she was clear headed enough that she realized that.

  After showering and cleaning the bar smell off her, she started getting ready for her date. Her heart might not be in it but she forced herself to put on some makeup and find something decent to wear. She had to take this step or she’d keep falling back into Grant’s arms anytime he called. Well, if he called.

  * * * * *

  Grant tried calling Talia again but it went straight to voicemail. Again. It had rung the first few times he’d called but now it didn’t even do that. If he had to guess, she’d turned her phone off because she was avoiding him. Not that he blamed her.

  To her, he’d fallen off the face of the earth with no explanation. Well, no explanation he could give her over the phone. Not without freaking her out or sounding crazy. There wasn’t a subtle or sane way to tell her he’d been stabbed with a silver knife that had also been tipped with liquid silver and that it had gotten into his veins and nearly killed him.

  If he hadn’t been so strong, he would have died. Luckily he’d been able to push the remnants of silver out of his system. He was still weak after almost two days of being unconscious, but at least he was on his own two feet again. He’d had to stay in animal form to heal and now that he could form coherent sentences, all he wanted to do was see and talk to Talia.

  The pack might have some vampire issues to deal with but it was time to come clean to her. And he had to do it in person. If he could explain to her why he was so busy most of the time and bring her into pack life, things like communication wouldn’t be a problem. He wouldn’t have to worry about lying to her about where he was going or what he was doing anymore. He could ask her to move in with him and not worry about her seeing humans turn to furry creatures at all hours of the day around his place. Of course, that was assuming she could handle the truth of what he had to tell her.

  With at least one missing rogue vampire still on the loose, he couldn’t sleep without knowing Talia was okay anyway. After killing the two vamps the other night, Max had found him and brought Grant back home. Instead of Grant interrogating the vamp they had already subdued, Max had done the honors. With Grant unconscious, he hadn’t had any say in the matter.

  Max had managed to find out that a group of young, inexperienced and hedonistic vamps thought they could make Gulf Shores their home. They were a small coven and if Grant had to guess, they’d banded together because no self-respecting vampires would take them in. They were a disgrace to their own kind. Completely draining humans was pointless and a sign of uncontrollable bloodlust.

  From what the vamp they’d captured had admitted—if they could even believe him—they still had to hunt down one more vamp. Grant’s pack had killed three more the same night he’d killed the two, and right now most of his pack warriors were out patrolling everywhere so it wouldn’t be long until the rogue was found and killed. Unless he’d already left town. If he was half-smart, he’d be long gone by now.

  While Grant wanted to be out there hunting and fighting he’d decided to delegate the job to his pack instead. Seeing Talia was more important at the moment.

  Even though he knew she’d be pissed to see him if her non-answering was any indicator, he borrowed Max’s truck and headed for her place anyway. She lived closer to downtown and closer to Crescent Moon Bar than he did but it wasn’t too far away.

  Ten minutes later he parked by the curb in front of her house with a sinking sensation. Telling her the truth about himself was going to be hard and now he had no doubt she was ignoring him considering her car was there. It was only ten so he doubted she was asleep yet, even if she had worked all day.

  He got out of his truck and headed toward her front door. After knocking once, he frowned then inhaled deeply. Her subtle essence twined around him but she wasn’t at home. Using his extrasensory hearing, he paused and listened by the door but didn’t hear the beat of her heart. Or any signs of life inside.

  She’d probably gone out with friends. Common sense told him to leave and come back in the morning to see her, but he couldn’t wait that long. Especially if she’d gone on a date. That thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he shoved it aside. After being unconscious for two days, the moment he’d woken up he’d tried to call her. He wasn’t going to leave and come back.

  Since he was already in deep shit with her, he decided doing one more stupid thing couldn’t hurt his cause. After finding the key she kept hidden in a potted plant—the one he’d told her was stupid to keep outside—he headed inside.

  Her scent was so much stronger and he found he missed it more than he wanted to admit to even himself. She might be pissed he’d broken in but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about convincing her to let him over her threshold. Once their fight was over—because he knew there would be one—they’d be that much closer to the bedroom once the dust settled. More than anything he just wanted her to listen to what he had to say so they could start things fresh in their relationship.

&n
bsp; Sighing, he stretched out on her couch and closed his eyes. His body still ached from the poisoning but something intangible in his chest hurt worse than anything. Like that silver knife had embedded deep in his heart instead of his stomach and was twisting with each breath he took. He was terrified of the thought of living without Talia. Or worse, having to see her all the time and not being able to claim her as his own.

  Chapter Six

  Talia shifted in the passenger seat and tried to quell the nerves humming through her. She risked a quick glance at her date, Rex Serrano. An interesting name for the tall man with light blond hair, perfectly manicured hands—even though nothing about his hands screamed girly—and extremely muscular arms. He didn’t have that animalistic quality that Grant had—gah! She had to stop comparing him to Grant. Well, Rex didn’t have that quality but there was something else about him that put her on edge.

  Power.

  That’s what it was. The broad-shouldered man with the perfect skin screamed power. He put off an aura that seemed to captivate everyone around them, including their waitress tonight. To give him credit, he hadn’t looked at another woman the entire time he’d been with Talia but the females had sure been looking at him. Hungrily.

  “I’d like to take you out again,” Rex said quietly as he pulled into her driveway.

  Nervously, she fingered the seatbelt. “Um, I…” She knew she should say no. The man might be good looking—and that was an understatement—but he wasn’t what she wanted. Unfortunately what she wanted wasn’t available. She started to tell him no when she noticed a familiar looking truck parked in front of her house. Alarm jumped inside her. It looked like Max’s truck but she couldn’t imagine why he’d be at her home.

  “What is it?” Rex asked, concern in his deep, almost melodic voice.

  Looking back at him, she shook her head and forced a smile. “Nothing. I had a great time tonight but I don’t think there’s going to be a second date. It’s not you, believe me. I just don’t think I’m ready to start dating again.” She snapped her mouth shut when she realized she was about to start rambling.

  His eyebrows rose slightly, almost in amusement before he let out a quiet sigh. “Let me walk you to your door then.”

  “Oh, uh, you don’t have to.”

  “Simply because you have rejected me does not mean I won’t treat you like a lady.” He was out of his seat and opening her door before she had time to unhook her seatbelt.

  All night he’d had a strange way of phrasing things but she found she liked his formality. She let him take her hand as she slid out and was once again floored by the chilliness of his grasp. It wasn’t exactly ice cold but it was cold enough to make her take notice.

  The moment they made it to her front door, she turned to him to tell him thanks again, but a blur of wind and movement had her falling back as Grant flew through the front door and slammed into her date.

  As the two men started rolling around on her lawn, she could only stare in astonishment. “Grant! What the hell are you doing?”

  Completely ignoring her, he drew his hand back as if to punch Rex but froze mid-strike. Rex’s face was drawn in a snarl, but he paused when Grant did.

  “Grant?” Her date shoved Grant off him with surprising force before he jumped to his feet with an almost supernatural grace.

  Grant looked at Rex, glared at her, then back at Rex again. “What the fuck are you doing in town?”

  Rex cleared his throat and shrugged. “Hunting some rogue youth.”

  Grant’s gaze narrowed. “You’re a little late. Two of your kind tried to kill me the other night and my pack took care of the rest. Except one. We’re still looking for him.”

  Talia stared in shock at Grant, feeling as if he spoke a different language. Someone had tried to kill Grant? And what did Rex mean he was hunting? “Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on? Why were you in my freaking house, Grant? Actually, how did you even get in? And why did you attack my date? How do you two know each other? What does pack mean?”

  Grant finally looked back at her and his expression softened. But only slightly. She guessed he was pissed she’d been out on a date. “What the hell are you doing out with this guy?”

  “None of your damn business! You fall off the face of the earth and expect me to wait around for you? I wasn’t kidding when I said I was tired of the way things are between us. I’m not waiting around for you anymore. And you still haven’t answered my questions.”

  He gritted his teeth. “I was in your house waiting for you to apologize and explain why I’ve been out of touch. I got in by using that key you keep hidden. I attacked Rex because I thought he was someone else. It doesn’t matter how we know each other because Rex is leaving. And pack…there are some things I need to explain to you tonight. If you’ll listen.”

  Before she could respond, Rex chuckled. “You haven’t told her what you are? My God, man, you’re a fool. If I had a female like this I would have locked her down ages ago and never let her leave the bedroom.”

  Talia’s temper flared. “Excuse me? I’m right here!”

  Grant ignored her as he continued to glare at her date. “It’s complicated.”

  “Yes, so complicated she was out on a date with me. If you cannot keep your woman satisfied, someone else will.” There was no doubt who he thought that someone would be. His deep voice held a deadly edge to it that reminded her of Grant when he got territorial.

  “I keep her satisfied and if you so much as look her way again, I’ll kill you.” An animalistic rumble rattled around in Grant’s chest but she was too angry to worry about it.

  Maybe she should be scared because Grant had just threatened to kill Rex—and sounded serious about it—but she was too wound up to worry about that. Especially since she knew Grant would never hurt her. “I’m getting sick of you two morons talking about me like I’m some piece of meat. I can hear everything you’re saying and I want some answers!”

  This time they both looked at her. Rex raked her over with a purely sexual gaze. Grant’s expression confused her. He looked incredibly turned on but he also looked scared of something. Not Rex, that was for sure.

  Rex covered the distance between them before she could blink and gently took one of her hands in his cold grip. “If you ever get tired of this inconsiderate asshole, call me. I promise I know how to satisfy a woman.” Something dark and sensual lurked in the depths of his eyes that told her he certainly did. Even though she wasn’t attracted to him, a shudder snaked through her regardless. Yes, this man would know a thousand ways to keep a woman sexually happy.

  Grant growled and moved between them, shoving Rex away. “Get the hell out of here, Rex.”

  Smiling, Rex nodded once at her and strode back to his Mercedes. Before he’d pulled out of the drive, Grant turned back to her and glared.

  She bristled. “Don’t you even think about giving me any sort of dirty look. I’ll date whoever I please and go out with whoever I want. You have no claim on me.”

  Without responding, he turned and stalked toward her house. With no recourse but to follow, she headed inside and shut the door behind her. She found him pacing the length of her living room so she sat on her leather loveseat and stared at him. “I’m waiting.”

  He abruptly stopped and faced her. For the first time since she’d met him, she had no doubt that she wasn’t losing her mind. His eyes had changed color. No longer were they dark brown. Nope. The eyes staring back at her were a fiery amber and definitely not human. The odd coloring and change made her shudder. Instinctively she slid back on the couch, trying to put some distance between them.

  The moment she did, his eyes switched back. “What you just saw is my inner wolf.”

  “What?”

  Sighing, Grant sat on the longer couch, thankfully keeping some distance between them. Her heart pounded mercilessly as she tried to comprehend what the heck he’d just said and what she’d just seen. “I don’t know an easy way to tell you
this so I’m going to lay it all out. I’m a shifter, or what humans like to think of as werewolves. But I don’t look like those ridiculous monsters from the movies, more like a bigger version of a regular timber wolf. The man from earlier tonight, Rex, he’s not human either. He’s a vampire. A bounty hunter, actually, but I’ll explain more about that later.”

  She gasped at his words, wondering if Grant had lost his mind, but he continued.

  “I’ve wanted to tell you what I am for a long time but couldn’t figure out the best way to. I finally realized there is no good way to tell you so I’m taking a huge risk here. I’m alpha of the pack in Gulf Shores and basically most of southern Alabama. It’s why I’m so busy all the time. Almost everyone who works for me is a shifter and the very select few who aren’t know what we are…except you.”

  Except her? She blinked, still not sure if Grant was crazy or high or maybe both. His words were insane but it would explain some things she’d seen over the past year. Still, it sounded too crazy. “You expect me to believe you turn into a wolf? Like what, a full moon comes out and you change and howl and stuff?”

  His lips quirked up in amusement. But instead of answering, he started stripping.

  She sputtered as he finally shucked his jeans but before she found her voice, he changed before her eyes. Literally. Her throat seized in panic as she watched the man she loved—her freaking lover for the past month—change shape. The sound of his bones breaking and him grunting in pain made her cringe as she watched him change from a human into a wolf.

  A very large gray wolf that now stood in the middle of her living room.

  Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open but she couldn’t make a sound. Not one little peep would escape even though she desperately tried to find her voice. The animal—Grant—took a couple steps toward her then got on his belly. When he turned over and revealed his underside to her, she wasn’t sure how she knew, but she guessed he was making himself vulnerable to her. Showing her he wasn’t a threat.