Designated Alpha

by Crissy Smith

  * * * *

  “Marcus!” Jace called out as he opened the front door to Anderson’s Loft.

  “Back here,” came the muffled reply.

  He exchanged amused looks with Piper before heading toward the kitchen. Like he expected his friend to be anywhere else. The bar wouldn’t open for another hour, yet Marcus would be busy behind the grill and getting things ready.

  Jace pushed the swinging door open, and yes, Marcus was in his element—chopping and dicing carrots.

  “You’re back!” Marcus said, smiling up at them.

  “Hey, thanks for covering for us,” he said, joining Marcus at his prep table.

  “Ain’t no biggie,” Marcus responded easily. “It was good for you and Piper to get away for a few days.”

  Jace would have liked to have agreed but since they’d been kidnapped, tortured and more, he just nodded. “Still, I appreciate it. So no problems?”

  “Nah, we did steady business. I had Brittany put the money in the safe. She started the order we’d need for next week and said she’d leave it on your desk.”

  “Good. Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” Jace told him, giving him a light slap on his shoulder.

  The kitchen was gleaming and clean so he made his way back into the bar area.

  Piper was behind the counter, getting the register ready. She looked like she belonged there. In all the time since he’d hired her, he hadn’t realized it as much as he did gazing at her then.

  She placed the bills inside before closing the drawer. When she twisted to sort through the bottles to her side, the short blue top she wore road up just a tad.

  Jace knew how the skin on her back felt under his palms.

  He hardened instantly thinking about how she would moan and say his name as he took her against the bar top.

  Other than their very first time, they hadn’t made love in the main bar. Even though he knew they couldn’t at the moment with Marcus in the kitchen, that didn’t keep him from wanting her.

  Determined, he strolled across the old, scarred floor to her.

  “Hey, Marcus doing okay?” she asked.

  Instead of answering, Jace walked right up to her and kissed her strongly. She melted against him.

  “Come on,” he urged as he grabbed her hand.

  “Where are we going?” she laughed. “Jace!”

  “To my office,” he told her, pulling harder.

  The lights hadn’t been turned on yet in the back but Jace knew the way well. He’d dreamed of having his own place for years before he’d been able to finally work it out.

  “We have work to do,” she stated, although she pushed the door open herself.

  He flipped on the light. “We’re the bosses. I don’t think we’ll get fired.”

  She was shaking her head at the same time as walking across the room to sit at his desk. “So you want me?” she teased.

  “Yes.”

  Drawing her shirt over her head, she dropped it onto the black surface of the desk. “Well, come and get me.”

  He already had his hand on his zipper as he rushed to her.

  Piper was working on her tennis shoes.

  It was crazy. It was great.

  She stood, grabbing at his shirt to help him tug it over his head. Jace slipped his arms around her back to unhook her bra.

  “We have to hurry,” Piper said breathlessly.

  “Yeah,” he agreed.

  “So get naked,” she ordered.

  That was a demand he could follow.

  It was a good thing none of the wait staff were scheduled to arrive yet. They shed their clothes fast before lunging toward one another. Piper nipped his bottom lip at the same time he grabbed her ass.

  “I want you to ride me,” he shared.

  He dragged over his desk chair. Piper must have liked that idea. Her eyes shined when she pushed him into the leather. Jace held tightly while she straddled him.

  “Come on,” he encouraged.

  Instead, Piper took her time grasping the base of his cock before lowering herself down. He had to bite his lip as her tight pussy clamped around his cock.

  “Yes,” he whispered, lifting his hips. “Yes.”

  She started to ride him. The sounds of flesh smacking flesh filled the room.

  Jace kissed Piper as he started to come.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The house was quiet and even though she knew Mitch and Brian would be back soon, Piper couldn’t help but worry. It had only been four days but she didn’t like having either man so far away where she wasn’t able to reach them quickly if they found trouble. Hearing the soft steps of her mate behind her, Piper didn’t turn at the sound. Instead she snuggled back into his embrace when his arms bracketed her against the wooden porch rail.

  “They’ll be here soon,” Jace told her. “Mitch called and said they were only about ten minutes away from town.”

  She nodded, Piper knew she was being stupid because they were both grown men, but she just couldn’t get rid of the gut feeling that something was wrong. She’d woken with a dull ache of dread, and no matter how she tried to block the feeling, she just hadn’t been able to.

  “Cody should be here just as they’re pulling up. I think Bobby will like that,” Jace continued.

  Piper agreed. Cody had stopped by the day that Bobby and Mitch had left for their trip and he and Jace had gotten to talking about how to add privacy to the back yard.

  As Piper gazed out, she appreciated the additions that the two men had already made. There were more plants and trees to be added, causing Piper to be excited every time she thought about the end project.

  Cody had shared the fact that Brian had asked him to transfer over to his unit. Since Cody knew about their wolf forms and proved loyal to the group, Brian was pushing to get him to sign on.

  She was pretty sure that Cody would.

  A car door slammed out the front. Taking a deep breath in, she recognized the scent. Cody had arrived and beaten Bobby and Mitch.

  “Around back,” she called out to him.

  “He seems to be fitting in pretty well,” Jace told her.

  Chuckling, she turned in his arms. “I’d say. You two seem to almost be best buddies,” she joked.

  “Cody’s a pretty cool guy once you get to know him. He still feels bad about getting us involved with Vince. I keep telling him there was no way he could have known what would happen. That’s why he’s so intent on helping with the yard. He wants to make it up to us.”

  Glancing to the side then once again enjoying the view Piper had to smile. “I’d say he’s already made up for anything. Not that he has to.”

  Jace cupped her check, drawing her gaze back on him. “You have such a good heart. I wouldn’t blame you if you did still feel uncomfortable around him.”

  “I don’t,” she assured Jace. “I would tell you if I did.”

  He skimmed his lips across hers but Piper wasn’t going to settle for such a light touch. Grabbing a hold of his shoulders, she leaned up and pressed her mouth down harder.

  He moaned, allowing her to slip her tongue inside.

  Body responding, she shimmed even closer rubbing against the hard cock that was pushing into her stomach.

  “Hey, guys! Oh!”

  Piper ended the kiss with Jace slowly before peeking over his shoulder at Cody.

  Cody had turned to the side and looked away.

  “Hi, Cody,” she greeted.

  “Hey.” He raised his hand. “I take it Bobby and Mitch aren’t back yet?”

  “Any minute,” Jace supplied, releasing Piper.

  “Good, I’m glad I beat them,” Cody said. “I wanted to be waiting when Bobby arrived.”

  “Nope right on time. I was just admiring all the hard work that you’ve been doing. I can’t thank you enough,” Piper stated as she waved her hand around.

  Cody shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I enjoy the work, and you have such a beautiful yard that I get to play a little more
.”

  As they spoke another car pulled up at the front of the house. She glanced over at Jace. “I think they’re here.”

  “Let’s go greet them.”

  Piper jumped down the three steps from the back porch to walk through the yard. Jace and Cody were behind her. She didn’t wait for them. She swung the gate open and left it so they could get through.

  She was just rounding the corner when Bobby opened the passenger door. Seeing his pale face and scenting the fear radiating from him, she growled fiercely before closing the distance at a run.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, pulling him into her arms.

  “We need to get inside,” Mitch said from the other side of the vehicle.

  Not having to be told twice, Piper wrapped her arm around Bobby’s waist and propelled him forward. Once inside, she led Bobby to the couch in the living room. He was shaking against her.

  Cody hovered in the doorway but when she waved him closer he quickly came.

  “What is it?” she asked gently.

  “I saw them,” Bobby told her then buried his face in her neck.

  She rubbed her hand down his back. He stopped shaking, and she knew that her calming effect was helping.

  When Cody took a seat beside Bobby, he relaxed even further.

  “Tell us,” Jace demanded of Mitch.

  “Just as we reached the city limits here, we saw a van pulled to the side of the road. I slowed down to see if I could offer them assistance when Bobby started to freak out. Said it was the guys that attacked his family and turned him.”

  Piper couldn’t keep the gasp of surprise from slipping free. “Oh, honey.” She hugged Bobby tighter.

  “I know it was them. I could smell them.”

  “We believe you,” Cody joined in reassuring Bobby.

  “I had no doubt by the way he was acting that he was right. I slammed my foot down and tore out of there. I took several detours and drove in circles then headed here. I didn’t want them to follow if they recognized Bobby.”

  “Good idea,” Jace complimented.

  “I knew I needed to bring Bobby here but I have to admit I really wanted to stop and confront them,” Mitch confided.

  “You can’t!” Bobby practically yelled. “They’ll kill you too!”

  Piper tried to hush him but ended up letting Cody take Bobby as he sobbed. She stood and strolled over to Jace and Mitch. “Let’s make Bobby some tea and discuss how to handle this,” she suggested.

  Cody nodded, pulling Bobby closer against him.

  Now she knew why she’d felt so sick during the day. Had she had some sort of premonition about Bobby’s attackers?

  Jace was filling the tea kettle with water as Mitch hunched over the island when she entered the kitchen. Spotting Mitch’s fists curled tightly, she went to him first and hugged him.

  Mitch’s shoulders fell. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” she replied sincerely. She liked being able to help.

  “I just wanted to go back there so damn bad. Bobby is terrified and he shouldn’t have to live like that.”

  “Do you think they followed him here?” Piper asked quietly. She didn’t want Bobby to overhear them although he probably still could.

  “Why else would they be in Blue Cove?” Jace questioned. “Joe followed you and I’d bet anything that those two are tracking Bobby.”

  “What are we going to do?” she wondered out loud. There was no way they would get close to Bobby. Between her, Jace, Cody and Mitch they would protect him. But Bobby shouldn’t be trapped in the house either.

  Jace had printed out information on San Diego University in the hope that Bobby would go back to school. They wanted him to be able to enjoy his life. This new threat would derail that plan.

  “We take care of them,” Mitch stated forcefully.

  “I have to agree with Mitch. We need to find them before they figure out where Bobby is. If they can track him hundreds of miles, as small as this town it won’t be too long before they show up here.”

  “What about calling Brian?” Mitch suggested. “He has more experience with werewolves, so he might have some ideas.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Piper jumped at the thought. Instead of going into a fight unprepared, they could call on her new Pack member.

  The tea kettle started to whistle.

  “Let’s take this to Bobby, and while Piper is calling Brian, why don’t Mitch and I go back to where they spotted the van?” Jace said.

  Piper jerked back. “By yourselves?”

  “We won’t confront them. I just want to see if they’re still there. If not, maybe we can get the location of where they’re staying.”

  “But you won’t do anything yet?” she pressed.

  Smiling, Jace set the mug he’d been filling down on the counter. “No, I promise. We’ll wait to hear what Brian has to say. After that, we’ll all sit together with Bobby and make a plan.”

  Piper crossed the room quickly, and grabbed Jace’s chin. “Be careful—both of you.”

  “We will,” he reassured her.

  “Go out the back. I’ll take Bobby his drink before calling Brian.”

  “We’ll be back before you know it.”

  Piper sure the hell hoped so. She squatted down behind the island, burying her face in her hands. She wanted to scream and punch someone but knew she had to remain calm. The others needed her to soothe them.

  Breathe in, breathe out. Maybe she needed to take up yoga or something. Closing her eyes, she tried again. Breathe in, breathe out. Over and over she repeated the act until she felt centered.

  Piper pushed herself off the ground and stood. She squealed, spotting Cody and Bobby in the doorway.

  “Shit! You scared me!”

  Bobby offered her a shy smile. His eyes were still red but he looked like he was holding it together better. “I wanted to see if I could help with the beverages.”

  “Sit.” She waved him over. “I got it.”

  When they both settled at the island, she set the cups in front of them. Next she pushed the sugar where they could reach it before turning to the fridge for lemons and milk.

  Once she had everything, she poured herself a mug. Although she’d never drunk tea until she’d moved in with Jace, she was beginning to really enjoy having a cup every once in a while.

  Jace had picked up the habit when he’d been overseas and still appreciated the drink. He even ordered his tea from a fabulous company in the UK that had some of the best.

  “You’re going to call Brian?” Bobby asked while he blew on his drink.

  “I think he’ll be able to advise us on the best way to handle this.”

  “That’s smart,” Cody spoke up.

  Bobby glanced from her to Cody. “I just hate getting more people involved in my mess.”

  “Hey.” She reached over and placed her hand over his. “This is not your fault. Those guys attacked you. We just want to make sure they can’t hurt you again.”

  “I know. I wish I could do it myself, though.”

  Piper understood. Would she have had the closure she possessed if Jace had killed Joe instead of her? She didn’t think so.

  Protecting her mate against her own demon that had tormented her still haunted her but she also knew she could protect them both.

  “We won’t do anything without you,” Piper told him. “You’ll be involved in every way, so if there is something you want to do, just let me know.”

  Nodding, he smiled a little before taking a sip of his tea.

  * * * *

  Jace opened the door to Brian and Katy. “Come on in. Thanks for coming so fast.”

  “Of course. If one member in the Pack has a problem, we all do,” Brian told him.

  Letting them pass him in the hall, Jace made sure to lock the door back up tightly. “We’re in the kitchen.”

  “This is a nice house,” Katy commented, as she traveled through the living room. “I love the flowers in the front.”
/>   “Wait till you see the back,” Jace told her.

  When they reached the kitchen, Piper was already pulling down new mugs. They had switched from tea to coffee over the last half hour as they waited for Brian to arrive.

  “Hey, Bobby.” Brian patted Bobby’s back as he passed. “How’re you holding up?”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  Brian nodded before turning to Jace. “Piper said you were trying to find the van?”

  “Yeah, they’d already left the spot that Mitch saw them at. We drove around for a while but couldn’t pick up their trail.”

  “What’s the van look like?” Katy questioned.

  “It’s an older model black Chevy van. The windows were really dark.”

  Jace didn’t miss the look that was exchanged between Brian and Katy. “What?”

  “We saw a van like that up the street.”

  Bobby stiffened as Piper dropped the bag of sugar she’d been refilling the canister with.

  “That was fast. How did they already track him down?” Cody asked.

  “They’re on the block?” Bobby enquired at the same time.

  “It’s okay,” Mitch told them. “I say we go take them down.”

  “We can’t!” Bobby exclaimed.

  “It’s okay, Bobby. You can stay here,” Jace told them.

  “But…” Bobby started.

  Jace nodded for Mitch to move ahead.

  “Wait!” Piper called out, stopping Jace. “Bobby, what would you like to do?”

  “We can’t just attack them. We don’t really know what they came for,” Bobby said.

  “But they turned you,” Katy argued.

  “I know. But I think we should let them come to us. If we go and just kill them, that makes us just as bad as they are.”

  Jace had to give Bobby credit. The kid had a point. As much as he wanted to go straight out there and rip them apart, they weren’t animals, even if they could shift into wolves. “What do you suggest?”

  “What if I went out back? If they think I’m alone, maybe they’ll come after me?”