Choices: Alpha City, Book 3

by Bryce Evans

  London and Zoey ran up. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nolan, stay here with them. I don’t want them in this, not until we find out what’s going on. Protect them,” Ryder demanded.

  “With my life.” Nolan pulled London and Zoey out of the way as Judd, Ryder, Kayden, and Brody got into one truck and Pennson and Jamie got in the other. The other two Betas stayed behind to protect the mines and the others.

  Judd pushed the gas pedal to the floor as the garage door rolled up. “This is all my fault. I keep pushing her away. It could have been her.”

  “You don’t know that, Judd. None of us are safe,” Brody answered. “It wasn’t her this time, though. I hope we can catch the one who’s inside.” Brody looked over at Kayden, who was still reeling from his Beta’s death. “Remember, we need them alive.”

  “I can’t promise that.” Judd’s blood boiled as he slammed his hand against the steering wheel.

  “Stop here. We need to go on foot. If we pull up, they’ll hear us. Maggie said that they’re still in the house, looking for something,” Ryder informed them as Judd pulled the truck into the empty lot across from the local high school.

  They shifted and ran behind the houses until they came to Judith’s home. Judd could see Judith lying on her side next to a pool of blood. He could tell she was still breathing, but if they didn’t get to her soon, she was going to die.

  He surveyed the area to find Maggie, but only found her scent. Ryder shifted and bent down to speak to the others. “Jamie and Pennson, go around to the front of the house. We’ll take the back. Remember, there could be someone acting as a look-out. Stay low to the ground, and use the cover of the chairs and table in the back.” Ryder shifted back into his wolf and each started toward the house.

  Judd was worried that Maggie had been caught and was being held captive inside. Once they got close to the back door, they could hear drawers being dumped onto the floor. “Keep looking and fucking hurry.” Judd stopped in his tracks. He knew that voice. It was Morris Newman, the Keeper member who had gone missing. He was Judd’s representative, and a member of his pride.

  He looked back at the others, who all nodded. Morris was a dead man—he just didn’t know it yet. Creeping closer, Judd glanced through the back door, which was standing wide open, and didn’t see anyone. He could hear them in the back bedroom, tearing it apart. As they got closer to the bedrooms, Judd could smell rage and wild blackberries. He knew Maggie had gone into the house. A fear like he had never felt before consumed his body, making him run for the door.

  When he looked inside, Maggie had already knocked one man out and was holding Morris up by his neck, strangling him in the air. A look of pure rage had taken over her face. His jaguar rushed forward, knocking her to the ground, and then he shifted, still lying on top of her.

  “I’m so glad you’re here. Now I can do what I’ve always wanted to do.” Morris was fast as he pulled a gun out and pointed it at Judd. Before he could pull the trigger, Brody’s big hand snatched the gun away. He crushed it in his hand and let the parts fall to the ground.

  “You dare come back to Alpha City.” Judd grabbed ahold of Morris’s hair and slung him up against the wall. He reveled in the sound of bones crunching as they broke. Wrapping his fingers around Morris’s neck, Judd held him up with his feet dangling off the ground.

  “Judd, we need him alive. Don’t do it, man.” Morris’s face was turning blue. “We need to know what he knows.” Ryder tried to get him to listen as his fingers squeezed a little bit more. The man didn’t deserve to live, not even for a few precious seconds.

  “Judd.” Maggie put her hand on his shoulder. Her touch vibrated down his arm. He turned, finally realizing that she was safe. Growling, Judd released Morris. He dropped to the floor, gasping for air. Pennson ran up and jerked him off the carpet in a flurry of curse words.

  “Fucking traitor.” Pennson slammed him head-first into the wall, knocking him out. He wrapped his hands behind his back and placed silver cuffs on them.

  Judd stood there, just staring at Maggie. It was her touch and her sweet voice that had made him drop Morris. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. If he had his way, he would have released his claws and ripped the man’s head off, because that’s what he deserved. Thorn was dead because of him, and now Judith.

  “Judith.” Judd could see the fear in her eyes when she realized that they had forgotten about Judith. Before anyone could stop her, Maggie ran outside and pushed Judith onto her back. She’d been shot at least three times from what Judd could see. He ripped her shirt open and watched as his mate took the knife out of her boot and cut into her wrist. She dripped the blood over Judith’s wounds, then spread her hands over the holes that still leaked with red blood.

  He watched tears fall from Maggie’s eyes as she strained in concentration on healing her cousin. The glow of her hands told the true story; they had made it in time. Judith’s eyes flickered open as she gasped for air.

  “It’s okay. Be still, Judith, so Maggie can finish healing you,” Judd whispered, pushing the hair away from her face.

  “Thank God,” Ryder exclaimed as he looked down at Judith, who was awake and watching as her cousin held her hands against her stomach.

  Terror flashed in Judith’s eyes as she asked, “Did you get them?”

  “Yes.” Ryder bent down beside her and picked up her hand. “Did they say anything to you?”

  “Yes. It was Morris, he wanted to know where the Cloak of Edengraf was. When I told Morris that he was a traitor to his own kind, he pulled the gun out and just started firing. I tried to run, but he shot me. Damn bastard. Did he tear up my house?”

  “You’ve been shot three times and the only thing you’re worried about is whether they tore up your house,” Judd said disbelievingly. He couldn’t help but smile as Judith winked at him.

  “Hell yeah. I just spent a lot of money getting this place decorated the way I wanted. I could hear them tearing things up, too, it made me sick.”

  “I’ll pay to have it put back just how you want it. Now relax, so Maggie can finish.” Ryder shook his head at the woman.

  “I think you healed me, Maggie.” Maggie’s eyes were clenched together in pain as Judith spoke. Her hands were shaking, and the glow had vanished as she pushed herself to continue healing her. “Maggie.”

  Judd grabbed ahold of her and shook her. Maggie’s eyes opened briefly, and then her body swayed liked it was blowing in the wind. Judd caught her as she fell forward toward Judith. Picking her up, Judd carried her into the house.

  Ryder had scooped up Judith, who was arguing with her Alpha because blood was dripping off of her and getting onto his clothes. “Lord, woman, I’ve got more clothes.”

  Walking toward the back, Judd could smell which bedroom was Maggie’s, and he turned into a room with gray walls. He pushed away the clothes that had been dumped onto her bed, clearing a spot to put her down. The bedroom was now a mess, but he could tell she was a very neat person, like him. Everything had a place. He knew he was a little obsessive about things, but it seemed that the fates had teamed him up with a like-minded person. That was either bad or good; only time would tell.

  Sitting down beside her, Judd glanced around the room and found that all her clothes were still on hangers in the closet; she’d even put all the same color clothes together. Her shoes were neatly stacked beside each other. He couldn’t help but smile. She was so similar to him, needing her belongings organized. He reviewed the items in her room, and what he found odd were all the books on the bookshelf. Looking closer, he found she loved fantasy and romance books. He needed to remember that. He never knew that about her.

  As he gazed down at her, he could see how much energy she’d put into healing her cousin. Her face was pale as his hand smoothed over her cheek.

  “Is she okay?” Brody asked, concerned. He stood at the foot of her bed, watching them.

  “Yes, but she’s used up a lot of energy healing her cousin.
” Glancing up, he asked, “How’s Judith?”

  “She’s fine. That little girl right there closed up all her wounds, and she doesn’t even have a scar from the bullet holes. I’ve seen a lot of Healers in my time, but I’ve never seen anyone do that. Ryder has called in some guards to come and take Judith to his house and to take Morris to the Rock.”

  Judd couldn’t help but smile knowing that Morris was going to the Rock. The bastard deserved to die for what he did, but they needed him alive. Me-Len and the others would retrieve any information he had in that pea-sized brain of his before he finally died.

  “Judith wants to come in and see Maggie. And as soon as Maggie wakes up, Ryder wants to take them both to his house,” Brody added.

  “No. Maggie goes with me,” Judd demanded.

  “Are you finally going to claim her, then?” Judith snapped. Judd didn’t have to look behind him to know that she was awake and very pissed at him right now. “If you’re not, then leave before she wakes up. What you’re doing isn’t right, and your mother would be ashamed of you.”

  Judd jumped up. “You have no right to say that, Judith. That damn vampire killed her, just bled her dry and ripped her throat out. So don’t you dare tell me what my mother would have thought! I think she would understand why I can’t claim a vampire as my mate.”

  They all turned around to see that the rustling of sheets had come from Maggie. Her eyes held a haunted look as she glared at him.

  “Maggie…I… ” Judd stammered, instantly regretting his words.

  “You what, Judd? Don’t bother, I understand now. You’re released from any commitment. In fact, leave.” Maggie swung her legs over the bed and stood up. Judd caught her as her legs buckled under her.

  Pushing away from him, Maggie stood up, leaned against the bed until she was sure she could stand, then walked into her bathroom and slammed the door.

  “Leave, Judd. Leave the woman in peace. She knows the truth now, and since you can’t move forward, at least allow her to do so.” Judith sat down on the bed, rubbing her forearms.

  “I… ” Judd didn’t know what to say. He had just screwed up royally. She would never forgive him now, and he didn’t blame her. Did he believe it? She was a vampire, so what? But that nagging thought continued to plague him: Maggie was a vampire, the same type of creature who had killed his mother for no reason.

  Closing his eyes, Judd prayed for some peace, or some type of sign. Then Carina’s words popped into his head: “Love and hate are the same. One is more powerful than the other.” Her words were clear as day to him now. He could still hate Locke, but he knew he had fallen in love with Maggie. It didn’t matter that they hardly knew each other. None of it mattered. Maggie was his mate, and he needed to let her know that. He needed to claim her.

  “Judith, I want to make this work.” Judd’s voice was low, but he knew she heard him. “I just need time. This is a lot to take in.”

  “I think you need to work it out inside you before you even attempt to say anything to her. Don’t you see how hurt she is? All her life she hasn’t felt part of anything, and now you say something like that to her? How much more do you think she can take?”

  “I know. I should just leave her alone, but I… ” Judd turned around as the door to the bathroom flew open.

  “You what, oh poor, pitiful Judd? You make me sick, shifter. I’m so damn sorry for what that vampire did to your mother, I really am, but I’m not him. I’m paying for his crimes—and it was a crime, Judd—but I’m not going to walk around on eggshells just because I’m a vampire. I’m not like him, nor would I want to be. Do you go around and try every shifter for the mistakes that your kind has made? Do you know how many times a shifter has killed a vampire, for no other reason than because they could? Oh, don’t answer that, you…you… ” Maggie couldn’t finish her sentence, but she was right. And she was so damn beautiful right now. The fire in her eyes made her green eyes sparkle as she got angry.

  “I need a moment with Maggie.” Judd tilted his head. He was calm as he watched Maggie turn her back on him and go into her closet.

  “I’m not leaving her.” Judith stood stubbornly at the edge of the bed.

  “Brody, please.” Judd watched as Brody swept Judith off her feet and carried her out of the room, yelling. Judd walked over, closed the door, and then locked it.

  “Damn piece of shit messed up my closet.” Maggie grabbed her suitcase and put it on the bed. She unzipped it and flung it open.

  “What are you doing?” Judd asked, watching as Maggie turned her back on him again and went back into her closet. “Maggie, answer me.” Maggie stayed silent, bringing out clothes and dropping them on the bed.

  “Well, I don’t know if you have ever seen it before, but this is packing, Alpha.”

  “You’re not leaving,” Judd announced.

  Maggie laughed. “Like you have a say in my life.” She folded the clothes and neatly placed them in her suitcase.

  Grabbing her arm, Judd stopped her folding, but found himself flipped flat on his back. Before she could go back to packing, Judd kicked her legs out from under her, making her land on top of him.

  “You ass.” Maggie tried to get up, but Judd held her tightly against him, forcing her to stay put.

  “Let me explain, and if you still want to leave after that I’ll help you pack.” Judd held on, expecting her to continue to struggle, and was surprised when she went limp in his arms.

  “For the longest time, I’ve hated your kind. Was it fair? No, but I was a young cub who watched as a vampire ripped my mom’s throat out, and then smiled as he flung her body to the ground, like she was nothing.” Judd could feel Maggie’s body tense up. She was listening, at least, and that was all he could ask of her. “We never caught him. I never got to see him pay for what he’d done. There was no justice for my dad or me. Do you know what it does to a child when the person you love the most has been ripped from your life? She…my mom was the best person I knew. She had a heart of gold and was always there to help, even people she didn’t particularly care for. She was there, helping them out if they had a problem. That was part of her job, but my mom would have done it anyway. She had a lot of love in her heart, and it showed. My heart died that day, and it’s stayed dead for a long time. When you came along, my heart started beating again. But… ”

  “You found out I was a vampire?”

  “Yes, you’re a vampire. And for most of my life I have hated your kind. But I care about you, Maggie. I’m so attracted to you that it’s hard to look at you sometimes, but there’s this nagging voice that pops up in my head, reminding me that you’re a vampire, and I say stupid stuff and do stupid things. But I want to try to make this work. You’re my mate, Maggie Lamont, and I want this to work, and to do that I’ll need your help. Will you help me?” Judd’s breath blew against her neck as he waited for her to answer. Her butt was lying right on his cock, and his body demanded release. Then, he did something that shocked even himself; he hugged her body closer, thrusting his pelvis up against her.

  “Let me go,” Maggie said, her voice small and gravelly. “Why are you doing that?”

  Pushing up into her back, Judd asked, “What?” He could hear her heart speed up as he rubbed against her again.

  “Damn it Judd, please stop doing that. What do you want from me?” Maggie whispered.

  Pushing her hair off his neck, Judd whispered, “I want it all, Maggie.” Judd wrapped his legs around her, holding her down more. “I want this.” He wrapped his hands over her breasts. “And I want this most of all.” Judd placed his hand over her heart. “I just need some time. Do you think you can help me with that?”

  Holding his hand over her heart, Judd waited for her to answer. He could feel her heart as it beat faster. As he waited, he licked her neck, then nipped her earlobe and sucked it into his mouth. “I would say what you’re doing is cheating.”

  “Whatever it takes, baby. I never said that I played fair.” Judd rolled her so that
her back was now on the floor and he was lying on top of her. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work.” Leaning his head against her forehead, Judd inhaled her wild scent.

  “And what will you do to make it work? Run again?” Maggie asked. “You already said you can’t take it. What if I did this?” Maggie released her fangs. He wanted to flinch, but he knew if he did, she’d never trust him again. Instead he lowered his head and took her mouth. Her taste was sweet and wild, just like her scent. She tasted heavenly. He wanted more, so much more from her. Lowering his body on top of her, he rubbed against her, feeling her heat as she wrapped her legs around him.

  Pulling away, he whispered, “I won’t run except to chase you, Maggie. Just give me a chance?”

  “I can’t take being hurt again.” Tears shone in her eyes as Maggie answered.

  “Take a chance. Take a chance on me.” Judd stood up and held his hand out to her. His heart dropped when she squeezed her eyes shut. He wouldn’t give up, even if she denied him. He’d keep on trying.

  Finally, Maggie opened up her eyes. She sighed, then held her hand out to him.

  He pulled her up, and they stood and stared at each other. “Okay.”

  It was only a single word, but it was the grandest one he had ever heard. A smile tugged at his lips as they stood staring at each other. “You can’t take it back, either, or have your fingers crossed,” Judd said with a smile.

  “You are so weird.” Maggie smiled back at him.

  Chapter Four

  Maggie sat in the back seat with Judd as they drove to a place called the rock. Nobody seemed to feel like talking, so they all rode in silence. She rubbed her temples as the emotions from all the passengers filled the vehicle. Usually she could block everyone out, but today was different. She needed blood, and she didn’t have any left from the blood bank. She doubted that anyone wanted to be her donor, and anyway she didn’t want to infect anyone.

  Needing to break the emotional tension inside the vehicle, Maggie leaned over and whispered in Judd’s ear, “What’s the rock?”