The Alpha's Fight

by Michelle Fox

  "Let her go or I won't stop until you're a bloody fucking smear on the forest floor." Ryder had to force his hand to relax before he crushed his phone. He so badly wanted to reach through the phone and rip out Mason's throat.

  "Oh, your grandma's fine. Don't get your fur in knots." Mason chuckled. "We've been playing cards with her all morning. Poor thing is terrible at poker. Did you know that? And she has no money, so we've had to find different ways for her to pay her debts."

  "If you've touched one hair on her head..."

  "Oh we only started with the hair. We're down to her toes now. Tell me. How many do you think you can lose before it affects your balance as a wolf?"

  Ryder clenched his hand into a fist and fought not to shift right there in the mall. His wolf was increasingly desperate to hunt Mason down and rip out the alpha's throat. "Fine. Where do you want to meet?"

  "Tell you what. Why don't we pick you up?" The phone went dead after that and Ryder suppressed a howl of frustration.

  Pick him up? What had that meant? He froze. Had Mason found him? Sniffing the air, he tested for the peppery scent of Mason's testosterone but caught nothing other than coffee. Turning in a slow circle, he scanned the mall. Had his pack snuck up on him? But he saw only humans.

  Striding off, he went to look for Lia. Ryder had a bad feeling itching between his shoulder blades. Maybe he couldn't see or smell any sign of Mason, but he also knew his alpha wasn't prone to empty threats. Promises, he broke all the time, but threats? Mason lived for those and he liked to follow through on them.

  If Mason said he would pick him up, that meant his alpha knew where he was.

  ***

  He found Lia in a dressing room at the department store at the far end of the mall. Tracking her scent—a mix of soap on freshly scrubbed skin and the smell of the open road from riding on his bike—he dodged a line of women waiting for a fitting room.

  "Hey, you can't go back there," squawked a middle-aged woman, so short she could barely see over the armful of clothing she held.

  "Sorry. Emergency." He attempted a pleasant smile, but was too worried to do it properly and from the way the woman's eyes widened, he realized he'd probably done something a lot closer to a snarl. There wasn't time to do anything about it, though. Navigating the narrow hallway in the dressing room, he called out, "Lia. We have to go. Now."

  A door opened and Lia poked her head out. "Ryder? Um, I don't think you're supposed to be back here."

  "Sorry," he said for a second time. "It's important. I got a call from Mason. Something's happened."

  "Okay," she said. "Give me a second. I'll be right out."

  He leaned against the wall, arms crossed and tapping his foot, pointedly ignoring the glares of the women just outside the dressing room entrance.

  "Lia? Hurry it up. We don't have time for this."

  "Sorry. I...ah...seem to be stuck." There was a thud as if she'd bumped into the wall.

  "I'm coming in," Ryder said, pitching his voice low in the hopes the humans wouldn't hear him and freak out even more. He tried to turn the handle only to find it locked. "Lia," he growled in warning.

  "Ryder," she growled right back.

  Cursing under his breath, he flexed his forearm and snapped the handle off, using his body to shield the movement from view. Deftly slipping the handle in his pocket, he nudged the door open with his shoulder and stepped into the small dressing room.

  Lia turned as he entered, her face completely covered by the dress she was in the process of removing. "I really don't think you should be in here," she said, her tone sharp.

  He couldn't help but notice her toned stomach and the way it moved as she spoke. The thong he'd bought her had disappeared, replaced by a pair of lace panties that, under different circumstances, he would rip off. She wore a matching bra that mounded up her breasts until they threatened to spill over.

  Clearing his throat and dragging his gaze to a random fixed point well above her head, he said, "If we don't get out of here, we're going to be in trouble. Remember your sister?"

  "I know." She dragged out her vowels in aggravation. "My hair is stuck in the zipper on this stupid dress. I can't get it off."

  She turned around and his gaze slipped back down into forbidden territory, giving him a great view of her ample rear and the way it flowed into thick, yet taut thighs. Ryder bit back a groan. Really? The moon was a bitch to throw such a beautiful woman in front of him when he had no time for the lust suddenly burning in his veins. Grandma Tillie came first. Getting Lia completely naked and fucking her until she screamed his name was nothing but a picture in his head until his grandma was safe.

  His wolf whined in his head, in total agreement but unhappy about it. His beast wanted to bend Lia over and pound her until she screamed she was his. It was a powerful instinct, one he wouldn't be able to deny forever.

  Averting his eyes in the hope that it would stop his cock from turning into stone and cool his animal lust, he fumbled with the zipper that had trapped Lia in the dress. "It's not the zipper. It's this little pearl button at the top of the dress." He tugged on it.

  "Ryder! What are you doing?" Her voice went up an octave as he inadvertently pulled her hair.

  "Just stay still, will you?" Losing all patience, he pinched his fingers and ripped the button off the dress, tossing it to the ground.

  Lia gasped with horror. "Ryder!"

  "Shh. Relax. It's fine, see?"

  "Did you just do what I think you did?"

  Ryder leaned in close, his lips almost touching her ear. "Mason has my grandmother. And I think he knows I'm here. As much as I like the view—and believe me, it's a helluva view, one I won't forget anytime soon—if we don't get out of here, you're going to wish you'd just yanked your own hair out to begin with."

  That galvanized her into action. She whipped off the dress and flung it at him. "Put that on the hanger, will you?" Then she pulled on her clothes, grabbed her purse and a couple of shopping bags. "I'm ready."

  "Great. Stay close and be ready to run. I'm not sure where they are or when they'll make a move." Ryder jammed the dress onto the hanger and hung it on the hook. Cracking the door to the dressing room, he peered out and saw nothing but the wide chest of a very large human male wearing a blue shirt with the word security emblazoned across the front.

  The big man cleared his throat. "Sir. We're going to have to ask you to leave."

  "Yeah, get a room," said a woman toward the back of the line.

  "The zipper was stuck," Lia said, indignant. "Get your minds out of the gutter."

  A second security guard snickered and when Ryder turned his head to follow the sound, the man gave him a knowing look.

  "You read my mind," Ryder said, pitching his voice into an agreeable tenor. "We were just leaving." Turning back, he whispered, "Come on, Lia." Snagging her hand, he pulled her after him, not wanting them to get separated.

  They slunk out of the dressing room and past two security guards, cutting through the line of women who stared at them with open disapproval. Lia kept her head down, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

  "Can you hurry it up?" She pressed closed against him.

  Spotting an exit, Ryder tugged her hand. "We're almost clear. Just hang tight."

  "I'm pretty sure I've never been so humiliated in my life," she said. "You know what they were thinking, right?"

  "That we were having buck wild sex in there? Yeah. I saw it." He held open a door for her. They would have to walk around to the other side of the mall to get his bike, but the freedom of open air and blue sky was just a few feet away. "People will believe anything. If their noses were half as good as ours, they would know better."

  "Yeah, but they can't smell the truth so their imaginations run wild." She covered her face with her hand, a red flush deepening across her cheeks.

  "Well, let's freak out about it later. Right now, we've got to get out of here and find my grandmother." His senses all on full alert, he scanned both in front and
behind him, looking for any signs of danger. The parking lot was empty, with only a few parked cars. Nothing appeared to be a threat, so he relaxed a fraction.

  "Why would he take Tillie?" Lia asked.

  "Because he's the kind of alpha who likes to hurt people, that's why. When he couldn't find me, he went for someone close enough to me to force me to cooperate with him." He tugged Lia's hand, bringing her with him onto the sidewalk that ran around the mall. His bike was on the other side of the building. The faster they were on it and speeding away, the better.

  "What does he want you to do?"

  "Mostly he wants me to die," he said.

  She gave him a startled look. "Die? Why?"

  "Because I'm a challenge to his authority." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "He doesn't see me starting a new pack as anything other than a threat."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Whatever Mason wants. For now. And also this." He pulled her against him and kissed her. It was a last minute decision, but he couldn't resist. The image of her in the dressing room danced in his head, riling his wolf until desire clouded his mind.

  "Mmph," Lia muttered into his lips.

  Ryder ignored her and deepened their kiss, one hand going to cradle the back of her head and pushing her even closer to him. He explored her mouth, tasting her sweetness. Her curves were so soft, he wanted to sink into them. She had a body a man could lose himself in and his cock ached to do just that.

  Lia melted into him, mewling with satisfaction as he bit her bottom lip and sucked it into his mouth. What he wouldn't give to take her someplace quiet and rip off her clothes...for all the right reasons this time.

  Finally, he broke the kiss, not daring to take it any further. There wasn't time. Things were about to get rough, though, and he wanted a kiss to remember Lia by.

  His wolf huffed at him and gave a pointed stare that suggested, if he'd been in charge, they would already be rutting like wild animals.

  We're more civilized than that, right?

  The wolf raised his eyebrows at Ryder.

  Okay. Well, I'm more civilized at least. Good luck with your approach, buddy. Ryder gave a silent prayer of thanks that his human side was the one in control. Not by much, but enough to keep him from dragging Lia naked across the pavement to satisfy his baser urges. The moon only knew what kind of trouble he'd be in if his wolf ran the show.

  "What, wh-what was that about?" Lia touched her lips.

  "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not." He didn't tell her how bad he thought things were about to get and how he wanted the taste of her on his lips when he dealt with whatever Mason was going to throw at him. That would just scare her and he needed her to be brave.

  "Me either." She panted as if she couldn't catch her breath. "What is it about us? I feel like you've just set me on fire."

  "Whatever it is, we'll have to figure it out later."

  "I might already have a mate, Ryder. Did you ever think of that?" She frowned. "I might be cheating on someone."

  "You? Cheat? I don't think so, but if you do have a mate, don't worry, I'll step aside."

  "And if I don't? Have a mate that is?"

  "Then you have me." He locked his gaze with hers. "Okay?"

  She nodded and gave him a nervous smile that made him want to bring her into his arms so he could show her she had nothing to worry about. No matter what, he would take care of her. He wouldn't like it if she had a mate, but he'd see her home safely if that was the case.

  With a sigh, Ryder pulled out his phone. He hated to do it, but they needed to shift gears. "I've got to call Talon and tell him what's going on."

  Before the call could go through, tires squealed as a black SUV rounded the corner of the mall and barreled down on them.

  "Shit." Ryder grabbed her elbow and pulled her back behind one of the sculpted pine bushes that lined the walk way. Something was about to go down and Lia was going to be caught in the middle. "Stay here," he said.

  "Why?"

  "Because I don't think they know about you. Let's keep it that way. Just stay here and don't come out no matter what. Okay?"

  Her eyes wide, she nodded and hunkered down.

  Ryder considered running and leading what had to be Mason's men away so at least Lia would be safe, but they cut him off before he could pick a direction. The SUV screeched to a stop in front of Ryder and a group of men poured out, big and smelling like sweaty fur. They were so focused on Ryder, they didn't seem to notice Lia, which was good news. Now all he had to do was keep it that way.

  Preferably by smashing their faces into the asphalt.

  "Heya, Trent," he said with a growl.

  Trent ignored him. "Get him, boys."

  ***

  Lia dropped her bags and covered her mouth with her hands. The men that came out of the SUV were big and wide and their eyes glittered with menace. Ryder didn't stand a chance. Not against that many guys.

  That didn't stop him, though. He went in swinging and snarling. He dropped several guys with just one punch and seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. For a second, Lia thought maybe Ryder could pull it off, but then two more men came from the back of the car and threw a silver net over him.

  She knew silver was bad for shifters. Her stomach dropped, hurtling as if it had been cast off the top of a skyscraper. Her understanding of exactly how bad was foggy, but a primal dread of it filled her.

  Lia swallowed back a scream as Ryder dropped to the ground. The men circled round and took turns kicking him, howling with laughter as they did so.

  "So much for being an MMA fighter," snarled one as he took the time to spit on Ryder.

  Ryder said nothing and lay so still on the ground that Lia feared he might be hurt or worse...dead. Narrowing her eyes, she watched him closely, the relief palpable when she saw his chest rise and fall. He'd just been knocked out, which still wasn't ideal but he would be okay.

  One of the shifters leaned down and scooped Ryder up into his arms as if the unconscious man weighed nothing. The rest of the men headed back for the car.

  Lia's stomach dropped. They were leaving and she couldn't do anything to stop them. "Shit, shit, shit," she muttered to herself.

  Just then, Ryder's head lifted and he looked straight at her. Once their gazes locked, he moved his hand in a little wave followed by something falling to the ground. His phone. Ryder was giving her his phone. He wasn't unconscious at all, just playing along.

  "Oh thank the moon," she breathed.

  He gave a curt nod as he was carried off. No words had been exchanged, but she knew what he wanted her to do. Get his phone and call for help.

  She nodded back, but he'd already disappeared into the back of the SUV, stuffed inside like sausage.

  Lia waited until the SUV had driven off to retrieve the phone. Hitting the green button, she completed his call to the sheriff. Just her luck, though as no one picked up. She left a voicemail explaining everything that had happened.

  Then, tucking Ryder's phone into her back pocket, she returned to the mall. She had no idea what to do, but in all the hullabaloo she'd forgotten to pick up her new phone. Leaving it behind was just not going to happen. It was the only link she had to her past.

  ***

  Lia's hands shook as she left the Cellxis store and pulled out her new phone. She thumbed through her contacts. None of the numbers or names looked familiar. The pictures were just faces she would swear she'd never seen before in her life. It wasn't until she started scrolling through the texts that she found a clue.

  Someone named Petra, had sent a message a few days ago.

  Hey. I haven't heard from you in a while. I'm going through BFF withdrawals. Give me a call, a smiley face...something! Let me know you're okay out there.

  Their text history showed a lot of banter displaying a strong friendship with Petra, but it held no meaning for her because she couldn't remember any of it. So what should she do? She tried calling the sheriff from Ryder's phone again, hanging
up when it rolled right to voicemail. Scrolling through Ryder's contacts, she looked for anyone else she could call, but none of the names were familiar.

  Lia tucked his phone into her jean pocket and paced the mall as she reviewed her options. She had no place to go. She knew no one, least of all herself. She was going to have to take a risk and hope for the best. Taking a deep breath, she hit the call button on Petra's number.

  I feel like I'm calling a stranger.

  A woman's smooth voice answered the first ring."Hello? Lia? Is that you?"

  "Is this Petra?"

  "Yes. Are you okay? You sound weird."

  "I-I-I..." Lia couldn't come up with the words to explain things. She drifted over to a bench in the middle of the mall's hallway and sat down.

  "Lia? Are you there? Lia?" Petra's voice carried a note of worry. "I haven't heard from you in days."

  "Yeah. Sorry. Something happened out here."

  "Did you find Adele?"

  "No, but it's worse than that." Lia took a deep breath, and forced herself to say it. "I was injured in some kind of bar fight."

  "You? In a bar fight?"

  "Yeah, but there's more. I-I can't remember who I am." Tears rushed her eyes as she told Petra what had happened. "I read my texts and you sounded like a friend, so I thought I would call and ask you. Who am I? Why is my sister out here?"

  Petra fell silent for a moment. "Oh, wow. You know your name right?"

  "Yes. It was on my driver's license."

  "Okay. Well, we are friends. We go back to pre-school and we went to college together."

  "I have a college degree?"

  "Yep. You're a kindergarten teacher."

  Lia blinked, trying to picture herself in a classroom with a bunch of kids. Given the violence and suspense of the last few days, she couldn't have been more surprised.

  "You love it, by the way. And the kids hang on your every word. You're like the Pied Piper of kindergarten. Does that ring any bells?"