The Reluctant Alpha

by K. S. Martin

  ***

  “Hey Frankie. I left a set of keys with your waitress last night. Are they here?” Frankie reached under the bar and pulled out a bowl full of keys, funny there were no vehicles in the parking lot. Dylan grabbed his set. “Where is she anyway? Is she here?” He looked around Frankie’s wide frame and slick black hair into the kitchen where Hector stood reading a magazine and waiting to work.

  “Stay away from her Dylan.” Frankie was a man of few words so that was unexpected. “She’s a good girl.”

  “I like good girls.” Dylan grinned like a predator.

  “I mean it, stay away.” Frankie leaned forward on his hands making his impressive human biceps bulge. Frankie had been working out. Dylan wondered if Cami was the cause of that, Frankie had never worked out before. It was another reminder for Dylan that he needed to get back into shape. He’d been riding around in the truck for too long.

  “You’re not her father Frankie. I just want to talk to her about something.” Frankie rolled his eyes, really. Frankie was turning into a teenage girl.

  “She could be at the library, or Betty’s, or Turner’s garage. I don’t keep up with her work schedule. She’ll be back here tonight, you should wait till then. Her shift starts at seven.” Dylan nodded and turned to leave. “I mean it Dylan. Don’t corrupt her with your bullshit. She is a good girl, not one of your whores, leave her be.”

  “What can you do to stop me Frankie?” Dylan growled threateningly

  “Not a thing but appeal to your intelligence and hopefully some deeply buried sense of morality.” Frankie picked up a rag and started wiping the bar.

  “She’s my mate Frankie.” Frankie dragged in a long deep breath. “Yeah, and I mean to have her sooner rather than later.”

  “She doesn’t know.” Dylan cocked an eyebrow at Frankie’s admission. “She has no clue that she’s wolf or she’s one hell of an actress.”

  “How could she not know? The first time she shifted when she went into puberty it should’ve been damned obvious.” Frankie shook his head.

  “I’m telling you she doesn’t know. She’s oblivious, no idea about werewolves, or shifters and no idea that she’s one of you.”

  “Not possible.”

  “Henry has been studying her. He thinks that she’s some kind of purebred or royal or some shit he called it. Go see him before you see her. Please?” Dylan nodded. He wasn’t always a hard ass, just most of the time.

  “Henry!” Dylan called mounting the steps to the alpha’s house. He found him inside propped up watching TV. “Hey old man.” Dylan said gently. “How do you feel?” Henry shrugged in his stained white tee shirt and red flannel robe.

  “Worn out, old and useless. You didn’t find him. You’re going to have to take over Dylan, I can’t defend this pack anymore, and I can’t think straight either, the cancer is eating my brain. Give up the search and take the position. I won’t be here in a few days and you won’t have a choice. Avoid the challenges and accept before Peter and Michael return from their searches.”

  “Damn it Henry. I don’t want this, it’s Junior’s job not mine. Give me a couple more weeks, I’ll find him. Besides maybe Pete or Mike are better choices anyway.” Henry was shaking his head. Dylan sighed. “Shit. You really can’t hold on?” Henry’s eyes misted and Dylan was finding it hard to look at his sunken eyes and sharp cheekbones. “Okay friend, I’ll take care of it. If I find him once I’m alpha can I hand it over and go back to being beta?”

  “No, I can’t hold on and you’re it, they won’t do it as well as you will. Besides you won’t take orders from either of them anyway.” Henry chuckled. “And once you’re the alpha that’s it. The only way to get out of it is to lose a challenge and you know the consequences of that.” He knew. Death. Shit. Fucking Junior. That damn kid had always been a major pain in his ass. Dylan nodded.

  “Tell me about the waitress Cami. Frankie says you think she’s purebred or something?”

  “Something is up with her. She doesn’t respond to anything I do, not a whimper, a snarl, or a growl but she’s wolf. All that I can come up with is that she’s either a freak of nature or some damned thing. Maybe her wolf has recessed since she’s only lived with humans, I thought that at first, but it never surfaced. If that was the case it would’ve by now.” Henry gasped and started coughing. His face went bright red and his eyes filled with tears. There was blood in the tissue waded up in his fist. Dylan hurried to bring him water and he sipped. The coughing fit subsided finally and Henry almost drifted off.

  “So, what does it mean? That she’s royal or purebred?” Dylan shifted on the end of the ratty brown couch.

  “I’m not sure but I can smell wolf on her. I’ve been researching it and there are stories in the legend books about a race of purebreds, they can do all sorts of things, magical things. Some can levitate, some can influence pack decisions with a glance and some don’t shift but can force others to shift against their will. They don’t shift unless they want to because they don’t feel any compulsion. If that’s so then it’s possible that she is one of them and just never changed. I thought all that was legend or at the very least that maybe it was true once and they were all gone by now. It’s a damned puzzle is what it is and another time I would’ve studied her relentlessly, now I’m just hanging out till I die.” Dylan closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Henry had given up, he was done fighting.

  “But wouldn’t her pack or her parents at the least, tell her?” He was rubbing his temples.

  “From what I’ve gathered, she grew up in foster care, shuffled from human house to human house, so no parents, and no direction.” Dylan nodded. This could get difficult.

  “She’s my mate Henry, my destiny. I knew it the minute I scented her and she hates my guts.” Henry started laughing, a deep and joyous sound that filled the house with spirit. Dylan grinned at his friend and mentor, glad that he could still make him laugh.

  “Now that’s irony. You, ‘mister I’ll tap anything that twitches its tail’ and she hates you, the one that you’re finally meant to be with? Funny.” Henry sobered. “Congratulations Dylan. Here’s the advice that I would give you when the time came. Make her a priority. Her needs, her wants, her desires and her safety, make them all your highest priority. An alpha is always stronger when he’s grounded and settled. Make her your queen because I have a feeling that she may be one. I haven’t known of one in my life time but that doesn’t make it impossible.” Dylan nodded at his alpha accepting the advice. “Go find her and convince her that you aren’t an ass son, settle down, make pups, lots of them so you never have the problem that I have right now.” Dylan grimaced.

  “Thanks Henry.” Dylan left him as he drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  “Turner, I finished the bike, what else do you have?” Cami asked her boss. He sucked his teeth. He liked to keep her in suspense since she hated it. Turner liked to play with her, she was fun to annoy and he had to tease someone, his wife wouldn’t put up with it. “Come on, just tell me.”

  “Nope, got nothing. We may both starve this month. Hey, maybe we can sneak out at night and break people’s cars, pull their spark plugs then we would have stuff to do. What do you think?” She was shaking her head.

  “Your wife would be plenty pissed if you were running around with me all night and Frankie would kick my ass for ditching my shifts.

  “Yeah you’re right.” He leaned his skinny frame back in the beat up office chair and propped his booted feet on the counter then pulled the Redman ball hat low on his brow preparing for his nap. He scratched his fiery red beard and Cami went to clean her tools while he slept. She heard the bell tinkle over the door in the store as she picked up the first wrench.

  “Turner.” Turner pushed the bill of his hat up with his middle finger and looked up at Dylan but didn’t move otherwise. Turner nodded.

  “I need my truck fixed. What do you say? Oil change, lube, rotate the tires, alignment, air conditioner, and whatever els
e is wrong under the hood.” Dylan leaned a hip on the counter. “Your garage is empty. I know that you need the work.” Turner wasn’t pack but his wife was and he’d had to get Henry’s permission to marry her. Why any wolf would want to marry a human male was beyond him. There was no way that this skinny little man could dominate her the way she needed, maybe she dominated him, and that was her turn on. Dylan shook the thought from his head, the idea of Turner and Beatrix having sex would probably give him nightmares.

  “I don’t need…anything. The garage may be empty but I’m still selling plenty of gas, lottery tickets, and cigarettes.” Dylan’s hackles rose. “My assistant though does need the work so yeah give me the keys and we’ll work on it.” Dylan let out a sigh of relief. The truck deserved a mechanic that knew how to treat it.

  “Thanks Turner.” He handed him the keys. “Who is your assistant?”

  “Don’t matter who she is, she’s a fine mechanic.” Turner tossed the keys up and caught them with a grin guessing that the idea of a girl mechanic would screw with Dylan’s head.

  “Cami?” Turner nodded and got up from his chair coming around the counter.

  “Yep.” Turner pushed through the glass door and hopped into Dylan’s truck then pulled it around to the back of the station and into the bay.

  “Cami, I need you to change the oil, rotate the tires, give her a lube job and alignment. Fix the air conditioner and if you find anything else wrong with it, fix it, and put it on the ticket. Okay?” Turner hopped out and went back outside through the open bay door.

  “Sure thing Turner.” Cami threw the wrench down that she was cleaning and grabbed a smaller one. She popped the hood and climbed up on the tire to look inside.

  Dylan nearly fainted when he walked out into the hot shop. She was under the hood with her perfect ass perched just right for him to bury his face between her thighs and get lost in her. She was turning the wrench then hopping off of the bumper not noticing him at all. She put the mechanics creeper down on the floor and slid underneath of his truck. Sliding an oil catch pan across the floor, she dropped the oil filter in it and slid out. Her hair was knotted at the base of her neck and her face was smudged with black grease. She was beautiful. He loved watching her work because she was efficient and quick at what she was doing. She lubed the engine now then checked the oil pan and slid back underneath of the truck. He hung back in the doorway watching. Cami climbed back up onto the passenger fender again and he couldn’t resist. Her denim covered heart shaped rear end called to him and he went. His fingers brushed over her hip about to caress the rounded buttock when her small booted footed jack knifed back and hit him hard and square in the chest. The breath whooshed out of him and he stumbled backward. He bent at the waist planting his hands on his knees until he caught his breath. She kicked like a mule, definitely wolf, and a damned strong one. How could a little thing like that knock the air out of him? He was a large and strong male. There may be a boot shaped bruise in the middle of his chest later and for some reason it made him grin. A love tap.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?” She was in front of him now with a very large crescent wrench in her hand. The damned thing was as long as her forearm and it was going to hurt when she hit him with it. “And just who in the hell are you?”

  “Dylan. I’m Dylan.” His chest was beginning function normally again now. He stood up and looked down at her. She inhaled sharply. He gave her his best predatory smile. “Remember me from last night? At the bar?”

  “You shaved.” She worried her bottom lip with straight white teeth.

  “Yeah, I bathed and cut my hair too as requested ma’am.” He saluted her. “Now will you let me take you out?” He advanced on her trying for the domination thing again that she reacted to last night, but she wasn’t having it today.

  “Get out of my garage, you aren’t supposed to be in here and don’t touch me again. Next time I’ll leave a mark.” She shook the wrench at him and turned on her heal to begin the process of aligning the truck’s wheels.

  “Hey Dylan, you shouldn’t be in here man, you’ll screw up my insurance. Get out. I’ll call you when it’s done.” Dylan followed him back into the store.

  “I’ll be at Betty’s.” Dylan pushed through the glass door of the shop and headed across the hot asphalt to Betty’s diner.

  “Well Dylan, how was the trip? Did you find him?” Betty asked as he pushed through the door. She filled a cup with coffee and brought it to him. Her wrinkled vein covered hands were as steady as ever and her brown eyes still sharp and clear. “What are you hungry for today?” Betty talked fast for an older lady and popped her gum like a champion. He supposed that she had to talk so fast because she only had a few seconds before she would move onto the next customer. The diner was usually busy.

  “The trip was unsuccessful so how about a ‘Big and Sloppy.’ It’s been a long time since I had a decent meal.” She winked at him and started on her special super thick chocolate milkshake. Betty bent and picked at something on her pink nylon waitress’s dress. She’d been wearing the horrid things with black loafers and beige support hose since he could remember. Once he’d seen her on her day off wearing jeans and hadn’t recognized her.

  “One ‘Big and Sloppy,’ Earl.” Betty called through the window. “Medium rare.” Earl popped his head through the window. Earl looked like the cartoon Mr. Clean on TV, had a deep clear voice and white bushy eyebrows. You could see the white stubble of a full head of hair but he’d always shaved it clean. Dylan wasn’t sure if that was because of hygiene in the kitchen or because it was hot in there.

  “Did you find him?” Earl waved his greasy spatula at Dylan who shook his head. Earl grimaced then disappeared back into the kitchen and started Dylan’s cheeseburger. Betty moved onto other customers after pouring the milkshake and setting it down in front of him. Nobody made a chocolate shake like Betty. He’d been all over the country so he had expert knowledge of the milkshake making population and Betty was the best hands down. He stared out the window at Turner’s garage hoping but not expecting to see her since she was busy with his truck. Betty placed the cheeseburger in front of him. “Enjoy.” The Big and Sloppy was his creation. It had cheese of course, three kinds that oozed out of the bun, jalapenos, A.1. Steak sauce, fried onions, peppers and mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, ketchup, dill pickle and was on a toasted onion roll. It must be medium rare as far as he was concerned because medium rare was the only way to eat beef. It was served with Earl’s famous fries with vinegar never ketchup and a large chocolate shake. It was a big sloppy mess Betty told him the first time he ordered it and it became the most popular burger on the menu within a few months. The door opened and shut behind hind him, he scented her.

  “Is my truck done?” He asked taking a huge bite of his burger and not looking up.

  “Nope, it’s lunch time. Turner said that I needed to eat and you needed to wait. He said to tell you that if you didn’t like it you could take it anywhere else that you wanted.” She snickered. “And I agree with him.”

  “Hey there Cami, the usual?” Betty came over right away

  “Please.” Cami looked over at him from her stool two spots away. “What did you do to piss Turner off anyway? He doesn’t ever get mad but you’ve got him pretty ticked if he’s making you wait. Betty was making another milkshake and a giggle escaped her, Dylan’s eyebrow quirked. Was this tiny she-wolf going to eat a big and sloppy? My heart be still, he thought and what was Betty laughing about. The old fool may have finally lost it and that fresh permanent that she had tinted nearly purple did not help her sanity case any.

  “A ‘Big and Sloppy,’ Earl. Betty called through the window again. “Medium.” The milkshake machine stopped whirring and Betty poured it then put it in on the counter in front of Cami.

  “Medium? How can you eat it medium? Medium is ruined. You have to eat it medium rare. Have you ever tried it that way?” Cami looked confused. “Your big and sloppy, tell her you want
it medium rare.”

  “No. I want it medium.” She turned away from him giving him her profile.

  “Just try it.” He coaxed softly.

  “No.” She sipped her milkshake and closed her eyes then moaned. Instant hard on. Dylan shifted uncomfortably which made Betty laugh loudly. Old fool.

  “Come on, for me?” He moved to a stool closer using his ineffective alpha voice on her. Maybe it would work better if he was the actual alpha and not just a beta.

  “Especially not for you.” She opened her mossy green eyes and studied him. He is gorgeous but way too arrogant she thought. Too bad, he did shave for me though.