Alpha 3: Home

by Treva Harte

  “Sex bothers you?” Rome looked horrified.

  Guys never understood anything.

  “No, idiot. Being used for just one thing.”

  “You can use us for that one thing, too, babe. It works both ways.” For once Rome’s sexy smile didn’t make her insides curl.

  Grey was smart enough to be quiet. Or maybe he didn’t care enough to talk. It didn’t make any difference to them how she felt. Grey and Rome had each other. They didn’t need her. Except for babies, of course.

  Oh, God. Now she wanted to cry.

  “I need some time away from testosterone,” Mia said. “Far away.”

  She stalked out of the room to dead silence.

  “Women.” She wasn’t sure which one of them said it, but it made slamming her bedroom door shut all the more necessary.

  Mia glared at the bed, with only the prospect of punching her pillow to cheer her up. Maybe she was pregnant, not just saying something off the top of her head. Her emotions certainly seemed out of control right now. If she was, then what?

  Grey had never wanted her in the first place. She had no idea why Rome wanted her, other than her being female and available. Probably that was enough to make him want to have her. For a little while, anyway.

  She sat down on the bed and hid her face. Once she’d had a baby, Grey and Rome would be gone. And she’d be ‑‑

  Nothing. She was tired of being nothing.

  She took a deep breath and her eyes widened. She cocked her head, suddenly alert to something outside her own misery.

  Something was wrong. She could smell it.

  Smoke. The scent of it was faint at first, but her nose was keen enough. She straightened and sniffed. It was definitely getting stronger.

  “Grey! Rome!” And closer. The smoke was getting closer. “Help! Where are you?”

  They might be gone from her life someday but right now they were around and she wanted them to be even nearer. Now.

  Silence. Mia ran to the door, ready to rip it open. They wouldn’t ignore her when she called for help. Not unless they couldn’t answer.

  Shit. Oh, shit. She’d left them on ugly terms and now ‑‑

  “Damn it all to hell and back.” Grey’s faintly accented voice called to her, the accent and voice thicker than usual. “Girl, stay where you are. We’re coming for you.”

  Years of obedience fought with common sense. If there was a fire, she had to get out, not sit and wait until it reached her. Mia looked at the window. She could hear the hissing of flames now in the hall. It would be dangerous to come to her room through the house. They might not make it. They probably shouldn’t even try.

  “Get out. I can manage here!” she called.

  No answer.

  She put her fist to her mouth and bit hard to keep from screaming. A lifetime of obedience warred against a terrified need to survive. She waited, shaking. Everything in her screamed to run but she stood, fighting her gut instinct.

  They were coming. She knew they’d be there for her. She wasn’t going to screw things up for the men.

  The bedroom door crashed open. Without a word, Rome scooped her up close. Grey stood apart, scanning the bedroom window, and scowled.

  “No good. It’s too exposed here and too many people know where she sleeps. We have to go back.” Grey jerked his thumb to where she could hear crackling flames.

  “Go back? We have to get out!” Mia did scream this time. Enough was enough.

  Grey shook his head. “We’re being burned out for a reason. I expect they’re waiting for us to run outside.”

  “Fine. So we won’t do that.” Rome slung Mia over his shoulder.

  “What do you mean we won’t and who is they?” Mia said her face up against his ass. Maybe she’d be able to think clearer if she wasn’t choking to death.

  “Busy. We’ll explain later.” Rome patted her butt.

  She’d waited for these idiots?

  “If we live through this, I may kill you both,” Mia warned before she began to cough.

  They all ran down the hall, Mia hauled ignominiously over Rome’s shoulder, her rear in the air and her legs dangling across his chest. She was torn between fury and fear. When Rome stumbled and began to cough, too, fear won.

  “What the hell are we doing?” She gasped the words, holding a sleeve across her nose. “You can put me down.”

  “Crawl. There’s fresher air closer to the ground,” Grey snapped the order out. “I can take her if it’s getting too hard.”

  “Fuck. Off. I’m keeping her.” Rome sounded choked but sure. He stayed on his feet.

  “Call 911.” Mia tried again.

  “No. This is were business. We don’t need others to know. My guess is they’re trying to get to you, Mia.” Grey was the only one who sounded unaffected by the smoke. “They want to burn us out and then grab you.”

  She’d grown up on stories of what packs did to get female mates. She’d seen what her own family tried on Lin years ago.

  Lord help them all.

  No. They had to be wrong. This had to be some sort of accident. No one broke into the pack’s house that easily. They were the security experts, for heaven’s sake.

  But then why weren’t the smoke detectors beeping? All she could hear was the fire hungrily crashing through the house, looking for more to devour, and Rome’s rasping breath.

  “Maybe it’s safe. I don’t see or hear anything.” Rome squinted out the window, peering through the blinds.

  “You want to risk a life on it?” Grey snarled.

  Mia spoke up fast. “Sure. Mine.”

  “No.” The men chorused the word together.

  “Listen, if this is were business, they won’t try to kill me if I go out because they want me alive for breeding. I can keep them busy enough so that you can escape. And if no one tries for me, then we’re all safe.”

  “I’m fast. Once I’m outside, I could take out the fuckers.” Rome rode over Mia’s words as if they were meaningless.

  Grey touched Mia’s shoulder, then Rome’s. Mia could barely see his face through the smoke, but she could tell from Grey’s iron grip that he wasn’t holding them for reassurance. He was planning on physically keeping them from leaving. “If need be, I’ll go. I know more about getting out of bad situations than you two kids ever will. But it’s not that bad yet.”

  Not that bad?

  Mia wasn’t sure if she wanted to bite the two macho idiots or kiss them. Someone was going to have to give in and be saved. Otherwise they’d all sit together until they burned alive.

  And those two males were stubborn enough to do it.

  “Listen, I’m not worth dying over.” She began to cough. “That is, if you’re right.”

  “I’m thinking I’m right. But no one here is going to die. And you’re not trading yourself for me.” Grey rasped the words in a low and menacing growl.

  His battle voice. She was sure of it.

  “Besides, we have reinforcements, Mia. We’re not gambling with you.” Rome’s voice was just as hard.

  Reinforcements? They could have mentioned it.

  “All clear!” Dek. Of course. She’d forgotten they had another Alpha around. Mia could have wept at hearing the familiar voice outside. “Get the hell out now!”

  Grey surged to his feet and knocked his shoulder against the closest window. Blessed fresh air rushed in. Mia found herself pulled off Rome’s shoulder and tossed through the air.

  She landed on the ground outside, barely in time to roll away as Rome hurtled through the window. Grey followed more sedately, climbing out and swatting at his head with his Stetson.

  “Did you ‑‑ have to throw us?” Mia gulped.

  “Well, things were a tad close.” Grey cleared his throat. “Damn ashes were falling off my hat and getting on my hair and shoulders.”

  Rome just hunched over, gasping.

  “Are you all right?” Dek kept his eyes scanning, squinting into the horizon, his rifle still raised. “I’
m calling the fire department now. Don’t think they’ll see anything they shouldn’t at this point. I sure as hell can’t.”

  He flipped open his cell phone.

  “Did you see ‑‑ catch ‑‑ anyone?” Mia asked.

  “No, damn it. I missed whoever was hiding out here.”

  Had there been a “they” out there, the way the men insisted? She wanted to believe this was some accident even though her gut screamed at her. Damn smoke. She couldn’t think after it fogged up her brain. Instead Mia turned and threw up, almost on Rome’s boots.

  Appalled, she opened her mouth to apologize.

  “We have to get her to Leila. Mia might be pregnant. All that shit she breathed in can’t be good.” Rome picked her up again, cradling her this time instead of hauling her.

  “Leila is right here. You think she was going to let me come alone?” Dek almost laughed. “Well, you’re still young yet, son.”

  “We’ll deal with this later. Mia might need attention right now.” Grey spoke up. “I had to toss her out kind of rough from the house. She might have gotten hurt when she landed.”

  She really ought to take down that chauvinistic attitude. Neither of them were alpha and both of them had been through the same thing she had. But Mia decided she would do that later. Right now it sort of felt good to be fussed over, even if it was to protect the baby as much as her.

  “You all are going to get checked over. Now. Before the firemen start asking questions.” In the distance they heard the distinctive whine of the sirens. “Leila! You can come out.”

  “You damn well better believe it.” Leila looked grumpy as she joined them, still holding her revolver. “Don’t think you can make me stay in the truck next time. And no, I didn’t see anyone peel out by way of the road. Damn it. They were too slick for that.”

  She looked over at Mia and crooked her finger. “I might as well do something useful tonight. I need to check all of you out.”

  “I’m really fine.” Mia held back.

  “I’m sure you are, sweetie. But let’s make sure. I didn’t take all those veterinarian classes just to twiddle my thumbs when they might be needed.” Leila ran her hands down Mia’s shoulders and began to pat her stomach. “Anything hurt? Do you feel sore?”

  She’d forgotten that Leila had an interest in trying to figure out what medicine would help weres. They didn’t exactly have problems you could take to the local neighborhood doctor.

  What would giving birth be like? She didn’t even know how to start planning. Could she go to a hospital? What if the pain and excitement triggered The Change? Maybe Leila would be her midwife.

  Except ‑‑ oh. She was a little slow as well as a little sore, but she knew the signs by now. They’d happened often enough.

  “Um, Leila? Ma’am?” Mia lowered her voice. She didn’t need a public announcement for this one. “I think I’ve figured out my problem and it’s not pregnancy.”

  Leila paused in her exploration and looked at Mia’s face.

  “It’s the exact opposite.” Mia gestured, hopelessly. “Don’t tell the guys right now, but I think it’s that time of month.”

  Chapter Six

  “Rome, why are you doing this? We’re safe. Our packs can handle this. All we have to do is wait for them to finish up a plan. Trying to take this pack on alone ‑‑ that is not safe.”

  Rome tried to relax his jaw. There wasn’t any need to yell now. This was Mia. She didn’t yell much. Well, unless she was trapped in a burning building. His jaw tightened at that thought and he tried again to get control of his emotions.

  But he was exhausted as well as tense, a lousy combination. He and Grey had gone toe-to-toe and shout-for-shout for almost an hour. That damned Grey could be one stubborn jerk. It didn’t matter. Grey had met someone who could out stubborn him. Rome was still going to find the freakin curs who had tried to burn Mia’s pack house down, with them inside it. Then he was going to make them wish they’d never been born. Why was that so hard to understand?

  Mia was as determined in her way as Grey was, but she was less likely to slug him. So he shrugged and tried talking again. “I’m not one of the pack, Mia. Not yours. Not Grey’s. The only one who can handle the insult to me is me. And I want to do it. I want to real bad.”

  It was more than an insult. It was an actual nagging ache to pay back the people who tried to hurt Mia and Grey. To make sure they’d be kept safe. He’d had to hunker down and watch his companions choking. Wait and wonder if they would all die while he did nothing. He wasn’t going to stay feeling that helpless. He couldn’t live with that.

  And he was tired of talking about it. He was going to do something. Preferably, something very violent and very final.

  “You really think you’re alone?”

  Rome almost laughed at the naiveté in the question. Sometimes Mia was so ‑‑ so innocent. Those earnest eyes of hers actually looked surprised and worried. “I really do.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “They love me. But I can’t be what they want me to be for the pack. And if I can’t do that, they’ll have to find someone else to do it. They have others to tend to.”

  He’d disappointed his parents first.

  “All right, then. Are you telling me you still feel alone after everything the three of us have done together?”

  Rome didn’t answer. Why keep going on about the obvious? He’d already done enough of that with Grey.

  He’d disappoint Grey and Mia next.

  “If you don’t want to answer that, Rome, you’ll really hate my next question.”

  “Oh, goodie.”

  “Do you love me, Rome? Grey, yes. I know how much you’re a part of Grey. But I don’t understand why you pulled me into your couple.”

  He gave a half-laugh but said nothing. Couldn’t say anything. There it was. The big question all women asked eventually. For some reason he hadn’t seen it coming this time.

  He could brush it off. Kiss it away. She’d let him. He could tell she was terrified about asking.

  Or he could be honest.

  That would hurt.

  But this was Mia. She was valiant, even when she was afraid. Especially when she was afraid. And she had offered to give herself up for him and Grey back when she was sure they were going to die. He didn’t know how Grey felt about that, but her offer had damn near made him cry.

  He had to be honest with Mia. He’d danced around the problem just now and she didn’t take the hint. Time to stop hinting.

  “Couldn’t you tell what was wrong when we all mated? Why I don’t belong?”

  “Wrong? What was wrong with that?” Mia stared at him. “I couldn’t tell anything except that I was having enough climaxes to black out. You and Grey had me so keyed up all I could do was feel. That’s usually what I do as a were anyhow. Sense. Feel. I don’t analyze.”

  He could leave it at that. Not press into the old hurt and shame threatening to engulf him right now. She really wasn’t getting it. Maybe he’d been a better con artist than he thought.

  But this was Mia. He owed her. She was one of the two most important people in his world. All right then. He’d get on with it.

  “You had to be able to tell after we changed. I’m not one of you. You and Grey ‑‑ you’re weres. I’m nothing.”

  “Rome ‑‑ ”

  “My change doesn’t make me ‑‑ I’m not were. I’m not human. I don’t fit.” He jumped up and began to pace, avoiding looking at her face. “I’m not asking for pity. That’s just what it is. I’m not meant to be a pack were. And I’m not meant for you or for Grey or anyone, no matter how good the sex is. Not for keeps. You two ‑‑ I gave you two to each other because you’re right together. You two. Not me.”

  She just stared, clearly not understanding. Rome prayed for patience and tried again.

  “I remember when the packs used to leave us alone, back when we were kids. No. Not kids. Twelve, thirteen.”

  “We were the youn
gest and the Omegas. Of course we were left alone while the adults were busy.”

  “That wasn’t the only reason why.” Rome patted her butt. “They were testing us out. Seeing if there was any potential.”

  “Potential ‑‑ oh. Oh!”

  “I was interested.”

  “You didn’t act interested.”

  “I was too interested to be able to admit how much. Damn, between you and Grey, I was getting really worked up. Seemed like both of you were around all the time but just out of reach. I spent a lot of time fantasizing about one or the other of you. Or both. A lot of time. I bet telling you some of those fantasies would still make you blush.”

  “That long ago?” Mia was blushing without him having to say they’d lived out a few of them already.

  Sweet. She was sweet enough to eat.

  “And then the alone time during visits stopped.”

  “I sort of remember that. I was flattered to become part of the adult circle.” She smiled. “I was annoyed you were younger and you were included too.”

  “I was fourteen. When I first Changed and they saw I was like my sister. Not quite were enough but not human either.” Rome looked forward. “Dad didn’t give me hints any more about how to lead a pack. My mother dropped those grandchildren hints. I wasn’t the heir to the pack any more. I wasn’t going to have any chance at being Alpha.”

  He couldn’t explain any more. It was beyond humiliating to think of how it made him feel once he was old enough to realize what he lacked. How lost he was.

  “Hollowness. A gnawing need that will never be filled. Couldn’t be.” Mia said the words in his head, not with pity, but as if she was feeling the same thing. As if she knew right then what he was feeling.

  “Oh, Jesus.” Rome stared into her face. She looked as shocked as he felt.

  Was she sensing his thoughts and emotions? She wasn’t bonded to him. She couldn’t be. That would mean ‑‑ he didn’t want to think what that would mean. He’d accepted he was meant to be alone, never to have…

  A bondmate. One that knew what you thought, felt what you did.

  “There was nothing wrong with you during The Change. You smelled right. You felt right. Very right.” Mia moved closer, held him. “What else does a were need?”