Designated Alpha

by Crissy Smith

  Stepping forward, Jace closed the distance between the two of them. Vince stiffened but didn’t back away.

  “One of these times you’ll let your guard down. Gun or not, I will take you out,” Jace promised.

  A hard shove to his shoulder had him spinning but he remained on his feet. The dart gun was pressed against his back. “Just start walking.”

  The hall that Jace marched through was narrow. More doors along the hall were closed and he wondered just how close his mate and best friend were. Following two turns, Jace had to admire the fact that Vince had put a good distance between them.

  He hadn’t felt Piper’s presence and now he knew why. There was just too much distance.

  Vince’s hand dug into his shoulder as he reached a door that matched the one he’d exited earlier. “Go on. Open it.”

  His hand shook as he turned the knob before pushing the steel barrier hard. His breath caught as he took in the scene in front of him. Piper and Mitch both laid on a small mattress naked and bloody but wrapped around one another.

  “Fuck!” he cried and rushed to them.

  Piper lifted her head, blinking slowly. “Jace,” her voice was hoarse.

  “What happened?” He reached for her, but she jerked back.

  Vince’s laughter had a cruel edge to it. “How about I let the three of you get reacquainted.”

  The door slammed closed but Jace didn’t take his gaze from Piper.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I had to do it. It was the only way.”

  “Do what?” Jace asked, desperately trying to put everything together.

  Mitch groaned, and Jace really looked at his buddy for the first time. There were small bites over his arms and chest. Dark blood had dried around the wounds and his lips.

  Mitch was pale plus his body was covered with sweat. “Piper…”

  His friend’s pained words echoed in the room.

  “Shh.” Piper ran her hands over Mitch’s shoulders. “It’s okay.”

  Jace didn’t understand what he was seeing. He wanted to help, truly, although he didn’t know how.

  A shudder racked through Mitch, just as he started to yell.

  “Don’t fight it,” Piper told him, pressing against his chest. “Just relax.”

  When his buddy’s body arched off the bed and Mitch screamed, Jace reached for him. Piper grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

  “Come on.” She urged Jace off the bed and into a corner. Placing her body in front of his was weird but Jace couldn’t take his gaze off his best friend.

  “Is he?” Jace whispered to Piper. “Turning?”

  Her hand came back and gripped his. “Yes. Just remain still. I don’t think he’ll hurt you but he is in enormous pain and confused.”

  “How did this happen?” Jace asked but he already knew. Piper had saved his best friend.

  “I’m sorry,” Piper replied softly.

  Jace wanted to reassure Piper. He knew it wasn’t her fault. He’d heard what Vince had done to Mitch. Of course Piper would blame herself, and he wanted to comfort her but the fact that his best friend was in the middle of turning into a werewolf had him speechless.

  Mitch’s cry bounced off the walls around them. Jace’s stomach knotted and he felt sick. He clenched his hands, willing himself to hang onto his sanity. He wanted to rip Vince apart.

  Jace watched as Mitch’s body bowed back and the transformation started to change him. The process was slower with his friend than it normally was with Piper. It looked as though Mitch was in agony, but after what seemed like forever, there was a large black wolf on the mattress.

  The animal was huge! Jace was shocked and just a little impressed at what a massive form his once human buddy was. As a wolf, Mitch slowly climbed off the bed and onto the floor in front of them.

  Since Piper was obviously shielding him, Jace did his best to even out his breathing and appear as non-threatening as possible. When Mitch’s gaze met his, he could see the human intelligence shining brightly back at him. He relaxed even further.

  A few clumsy steps brought Mitch closer to the two of them, and Jace felt Piper tense against him. A shudder racked her body, and Jace knew that she was calling her own wolf forward.

  Piper’s shift was quicker than he had ever seen before.

  She crouched low to the ground before letting out a low growl in warning. Mitch froze before he dropped down on his belly. Obviously satisfied with his submission, Piper approached him with careful steps until she was in a position to nuzzle against him.

  What an amazing sight the two made—the large black wolf remaining still as the smaller, lighter one lavished him with attention.

  Mitch panted his long tongue that was rolling out of his mouth, and Jace had to stifle a laugh. He would never have believed he would see this scene play out, but it seemed to him that Mitch wasn’t traumatized by this change in his life.

  Pushing himself away from the wall, Jace joined the two most important people in his life. Piper lifted her face to watch him, but Mitch’s attention was solely on her.

  Dropping to his knees, he laid a hand on his best friend’s neck before burying his fingers deep into his thick fur and rubbing hard like Piper enjoyed.

  Making a pleased sound, Mitch’s entire body went lax.

  “It’ll be okay,” he told both of them softly.

  A nudge to his shoulder had him bringing his free hand up to Piper’s head where he gave her the same treatment as Mitch.

  He didn’t know how long he sat there petting his two creatures but as he did, a plan started to form in his mind. Vince had made a mistake this time. Putting the three of them together only strengthened their bond. Knowing that Piper and Mitch couldn’t be used against him only encouraged him to take action.

  Under his hand, Mitch had fallen asleep and Piper was calm and resting easily. The link that had been growing seemed to tug at his heart. He understood that what was happening had to do with the unique situation of a lycanthrope. However, Jace wouldn’t have been able to describe the strings that connected him to Piper as any other way than magical.

  Since he was a career military man, he would have laughed if anyone had ever told him about the wonders he was now a part of. Werewolves and being turned into animals. It was unbelievable but since he’d seen the fantastic evidence with his own eyes, he just had to believe.

  Now he was forever integrated into the shifter world. First with Piper then Bobby and now Mitch. They all belonged to him. They were his to protect and care for.

  He wasn’t sure where the feeling originated from but he knew that he was meant to be a part of his life, almost as it had been his destiny.

  Jace extracted himself from the two resting wolves as he shook the unusual thoughts off.

  He paced the small room, and Jace took in the space they’d been locked inside. He called back on his experience of being in tight places before he searched for a way out for all of them. The only door was the one he’d been brought in by—no handle or lever on the inside. So they would have to wait until Vince or one of the others arrived to open it.

  Then they would make their move.

  A soft whimpering noise drew his attention back across the room and he turned in time to see Mitch cuddle closer to Piper. There was no jealousy as he observed Piper and Mitch.

  Instead he was fiercely proud of them. They’d survived together.

  Mitch’s life might have been changed forever but with his and Piper’s support, Mitch would be okay.

  Vince was correct in one regard. Piper did indeed have her very own Pack and Jace was her partner. Bobby and Mitch were now under their protection and had their affection.

  Vince wouldn’t control them or their destiny. By the time Jace was through with Vince and the rest of the people there, they would regret ever hearing his and Piper’s names.

  Jace moved back across the room and settled down with the two wolves. He wasn’t sure how long Mitch would need to recover but as soon as t
hey were able, they would get free.

  Piper was strong and if she had to fight, she would.

  He had absolutely no doubt about that. Piper always doubted herself and what she had become. Jace had been working on that for the past several months and it seemed that he’d finally started to get through to her.

  This setback wouldn’t hold her down for long.

  He loved the fact that Piper was one of the toughest women he’d ever met but still needed him. Maybe it wasn’t even need. She wanted him. It was her choice to be bonded to Jace.

  They’d chosen one another. A perfect match.

  There would be no way that anything or anybody would ever be able to defeat the two of them.

  Joe had tried and Piper had defended Jace with everything she’d had.

  She’d been injured—scared and terrified.

  In the end she had protected her mate.

  Jace let a small smile show on his face. He assumed that Vince was watching them.

  Let Vince be the one afraid now.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Piper ran her hand over Mitch’s forehead, relieved that his fever had finally gone down. He was in the very last stages of his transformation.

  She needed to get him away from Vince and secure a good amount of food for him soon. The days after her own change were a vivid memory that she tried to bury but she knew the cravings that would consume Mitch when he fully woke.

  All the time that she’d spent fighting her wolf part seemed so stupid now. If Vince had done any good for her, it was making her accept what she was. No longer could she wish things were different. Acceptance came at a steep price, but she was finally one hundred percent there.

  For so long she’d been scared that by giving in to the wolf, she would no longer be able to control herself, would lose her humanity or some shit like that.

  Waking up sandwiched between Jace and Mitch had her revaluating, though.

  Maybe she was an Alpha or maybe not.

  Did it even matter anymore?

  All that was important was freeing the three of them and defeating Vince.

  Sure that Mitch was resting comfortably, she moved over to Jace. There was dried blood on him that she could smell. It was weird that she was able to pick up on the scent.

  She’d been shifting more and more, trying to save Mitch. Maybe that was why she was sensing so much more. Carefully she lifted Jace’s T-shirt, grimacing as she caught sight of the small cuts up and down his torso.

  “It’s fine,” Jace whispered.

  She glanced at his face and found him smiling up at her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m not going to let you blame yourself for this,” Jace told her, sitting up so their faces were only inches apart. “If anyone is at fault, it’s me. I pushed you to find out more about your wolf. It was my people that led us here.”

  “We’ll have to agree to disagree. This wasn’t your fault either.” She sighed before cupping his cheeks. “We’ll get through this.”

  “We will,” he agreed.

  As he pressed his lips to hers Piper felt the tenderness and love course through her blood. This was the bond. The perfect connection she had with her mate.

  Their mouths parted but Piper couldn’t stop touching Jace. She ran her palms down his neck to his shoulders. Just being able to feel him and know he wasn’t being hurt cleared her mind.

  The next step would be getting them out of there. “How are we going to do this?”

  “As soon as Mitch is ready, we go on the offensive. Three against three. The doctor hasn’t left the lab, so I doubt she’d come with them all of a sudden. We have a chance.”

  That didn’t sound good. “What if one of us gets hurt?” she questioned. She wasn’t sure how helpful Mitch would be. “Hell, we are already hurt.”

  “We don’t have a choice. What will Vince think of next? What will he want to test? We do this now before we can’t fight back.”

  Piper wished she could come up with an argument because Jace’s plan was so risky, but she didn’t have one. She peered over at Mitch and saw he’d woken and was silently watching them.

  She placed her hand over his, she gave his a squeeze. “Okay?”

  Nodding, Mitch didn’t break eye contact. “I’ll be able to pull my weight. We get the chance, we take it.”

  “I seem to be out-voted. It’s a plan,” Piper said and glanced back at Jace. “How?”

  “I think you both should shift again. See if we can make them think Mitch isn’t over his transformation. Then we wait for them to open the door.”

  It was so simple. Piper wasn’t sure whether to be thankful or just really worried. She snorted. “That’s it?”

  “Sometimes the easiest way is the chance you have to take. If your enemy expects a big elaborate plan then by doing just what they don’t expect can save your life,” Jace explained.

  “Trust him,” Mitch whispered. “He got my ass out of some sticky situations before.”

  Of course. Jace was calling on his military background to get them out. But he’d only gone up against humans. How would Vince being a werewolf be different?

  “You defeated Joe,” Jace reminded her. “If it comes down between you and Vince, I have no doubt you’ll come out ahead.”

  Piper wished she believed as much as Jace did.

  “My Alpha,” Jace murmured leaning into her.

  Piper shook her head but smiled. “Alpha, my ass.”

  Mitch and Jace both chuckled along with her. When Jace wrapped his arm around her waist and started to push her to lie back down, she went with it. She settled between the two men.

  “Let’s get some rest,” Jace said. “We’ll need it.”

  Mitch’s eyes were already closed.

  “I love you,” she whispered to her mate.

  His arms tightened while he kissed her neck softly. “I love you too.”

  * * * *

  Jace was as ready as he would ever be. Even as he watched Mitch’s change come slowly, he felt the tide was turning in their favor. Piper was once again shielding him as Mitch turned. Since he wasn’t sure how long it would take Vince to come check on them, they’d decided to try to get him there sooner.

  He was sure that there were cameras recording them. Their plan actually depended a great deal in Vince believing that they weren’t fully recovered yet.

  The big black wolf pushed himself up and eyed him and Piper. While Jace was certain that Mitch wouldn’t attack them, they had to act like Mitch wasn’t taking the shift well.

  “Easy.” He held his hand out, palm facing Mitch while Piper moved closer to his friend.

  He made sure that his hand was shaking as Piper started her own shift. Once again Piper’s change was quick and easy. They would have to figure out what had changed for her.

  When she was finished, she crouched over Jace and growled at Mitch. Unlike before when he’d dropped in submission, this time Mitch advanced. It was part of what they’d discussed but Jace had to admit that it was extremely intimating to have a huge wolf stalk toward him.

  Ears pinned back, Piper snapped at Mitch.

  Mitch paused but he didn’t back down. Piper rose to her full height and although Mitch was bigger than she was, the power that radiated from her was awe-inspiring. Jace felt it wrap around him in some sort of protective cocoon.

  While Mitch moved to the corner of the room away from her, Jace crawled in the opposite direction.

  The positions put Mitch and Jace in the corners across from each other and closest to the door.

  Piper paced to the center of the room and was situated right in front of the entrance and between them.

  It was perfect.

  Pressing his back against the wall, Jace crouched and relaxed back. Now all they had to do was remain in place until the door opened.

  Piper settled down but every few moments would look between him and Mitch, as if she was keeping them apart.

  Jace’s legs were just starting to cramp when he
heard the latch on the door. He rolled onto the balls of his feet and glanced at Piper and Mitch in the room. Both wolves were alert and ready.

  He nodded for them to go ahead with the plan.

  The door swung open, and Piper launched herself.

  She moved so fast she was just a blur to Jace, so he knew that she had taken whoever was trying to enter by surprise.

  There was a shout and cry of pain. Mitch attacked next, darting toward the door that was now clear.

  Jace jumped to his feet and ran forward.

  Piper was on top of Vince, who was trying to knock her back. Mitch had one of the other men pinned against the hall wall. Jace rushed to intercept the linebacker goon but didn’t get there in time to stop him from kicking Piper away from Vince.

  Piper went rolling just as Jace took out the man’s knees and Jace and his opponent fell. The dart gun that had been dropped skidded farther up the floor as he and his opponent grappled.

  He tried to reach for the gun but the man caught his hand and bashed it against the concrete ground.

  Jace grunted in pain but the sound was drowned out by a furious roar.

  He glanced up and saw that Vince had changed and was headed right for Piper where she was trying to get to her feet from where she’d crashed into the wall.

  Jace punched his rival in the gut and tried to scramble to help her but before he could get free, his leg he was caught. He turned and threw an elbow at his opponent’s chin.

  The sound of bone crunching echoed around the small area.

  Jace kicked and was finally able to put distance between them. He turned and watched in horror as Vince jumped Piper.

  “No!” he shouted, but it was too late.

  Piper had barely managed to brace for Vince’s body to impact hers before she was knocked down again.

  “What are you?” Vince roared at Piper.

  He had to get to her. To help.

  Piper’s howl was low, long and dangerous.

  “Alpha?” Vince screamed the word in terror.