Loved By The Alpha Leader

by Anastasia Chase

  London wasn’t in a receptive mood. She’d only unlocked the doors and raised the shades to let some natural light in as she finished tidying up. Her hair was in a messy bun, and her body was dripping in sweat from the constant moving around of furniture around the space. She was sure she picked up a few layers of the store’s dust as well. She simply glared at the bubbly blonde wearing a bright yellow dress and white sweater, whose bright eyes beamed as she approached her toward the back of the store. Her frame was short and a little pudgy, with a pair of thin framed glasses sitting across the bridge of her nose.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with her joy diminishing the closer she got to London. “I’m Tina, Tina Canterbury. Clark lets me borrow his books every now and again. I heard what happened, but when I saw the shades up I thought he’d returned and figured I should bring this one back.”

  “No, he’s still in the hospital, but he’s recovering just fine. I’m London, his granddaughter. I’m just cleaning up the place to open up but I’m not quite ready for business yet. You can leave the book if you like or if you want to wait until he gets back to town you can hold onto it until then. I’m sure he’ll understand,” London told her curtly.

  The woman looked around the shop for a moment before returning London’s gaze. She let out a heavy sigh, “Thank you. I never realized how much I come in here until he wasn’t here, you know? I work at the library a few blocks down, and if you’d like we can hang out while you’re here. Clark would tell me about you often. It’s nice to finally have a face to put with the name. Nice meeting you, London.”

  “You too, Tina,” she forced a smile watching the woman leave the store, with the subtle bell chiming as the door closed behind her. There was a hint of jealousy that sat with London as she never heard her Grandpa mention anyone by the name of Tina. Perhaps she was just being nice, she thought to herself. Putting her petty demeanor out of her head, she went back to work cleaning up the shop.

  *****

  The sweet musk of London’s scent wafted through the air striking Paxton’s nose like a freight train. She’d been working hard over the last few days. He’d listened to his brother, doing his best to stay away from her and out of the town. However, the sensation traveling throughout his body made her the most desirable creature he’d ever seen. He barely knew her, and still, the passion vibrating from his loins up to his heart were telling him that she was the one he was to mate with. The longer she stayed in Myre Falls, the harder it was becoming to ignore. He promised himself he’d only interact with her if absolutely necessary … to protect her … but nothing else.

  So he stayed to the shadows within the town. He kept the brim of his hat low, pulled his hair back into a low ponytail, and paced around the town trying to draw the least amount of attention to himself as possible. But the subtle grunts of London pushing and shoving furniture around caught his ear.

  “Down, boy,” he whispered to his inner wolf. The soft grunts did nothing to calm the fantasies playing out in his mind. The fleeting images of them in the throes of passion. Pushing and pulling against each other. The tender touch of her hands trailing over his torso. Her lips entangled with his own. The sweetness of her walls … ENOUGH!

  Paxton took pride in his ability to control his urges. There had been plenty of opportunities for him to sow his wild seeds, but he swore after his last disastrous relationship, he’d trust his instincts more. Now, they were leading him to London Sawyer.

  “Where’s Paxton when you need him? All those muscles would sure come in handy … moving me and maybe even this furniture…”

  London’s words found his ears even though he was blocks away from the shop. Despite his better judgment, he couldn’t refuse her. Even if she wasn’t serious, he couldn’t resist the supple way his name spilled from her lips. His heightened sense of hearing and smell were betraying him as he made his way toward her. All he could do was smile as he listened to her mumblings about him. It was a welcoming feeling to know she was thinking about him the same way he was about her.

  But the sudden shift in her tone, a loud crash, and London swearing every curse word known to man sent Paxton running. His speed quadrupled when he thought she was in danger, but when he arrived at the shop she was fine. Walking inside, a huge armoire was tipped onto the countertop. It creamed the register and London was standing there with the same look of frustration from when she eyed her Jeep against the guard railing.

  “Jeeze!” he shouted running to her. He lifted the piece of furniture with all of his might.

  “Paxton?!” she eyed him as he pushed the armoire out of the way.

  “Wait,” she yelled, “The door is opening.”

  Paxton didn’t want her to touch anything but as she reached over him to close the flapping door, she tripped. With one arm, he held London from falling and maneuvered the armoire back against the wall. Awe and shock rained over her face as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He hoped she wouldn’t question what she saw.

  “Wow, it’s amazing what you can do when the adrenaline is pumping,” he fumbled off the words hoping to get her mind off of what just happened.

  “That’s so crazy, I was just thinking about you, and here you are,” she smiled.

  “Told you I’d be around,” he grinned, “I was passing by when I thought I heard something crash.”

  “I’m glad you were around, now I know you said no to dinner, but-”

  Before London could even finish, the bell chimed above the door and Tina walked back inside. The look in her eyes said it all to him. Paxton adjusted his hat, low over his eyes, turned to London and with a short smile he told her, “We can talk later. I really need to go.”

  He left the shop in a hurry, brushing past Tina without so much as a word to her.

  London stared at Tina like she wanted to strangle her.

  “Was that Paxton Christian?” she asked London walking closer toward the huge mess the armoire left.

  “It doesn’t really matter who it was Tina,” London laughed. She hadn’t any idea why she wanted to hide the fact it was indeed Paxton, but that was the first time she heard his full name.

  Tina rubbed the top of her shoulder, over her sweater, as her eyes darted between London and the closing door behind Paxton’s swift exit. She was flustered, fearful even, “Sorry to barge in, I just remembered I didn’t leave you my number for us to meet up. Just so you know, the Christian boys and their clan; they’re not allowed in Myre Falls.”

  “Why not? What happened? He’s been nothing but helpful to me,” London let it slip.

  “Just trust me,” Tina sighed, “You need to stay away from him.”

  Chapter 4

  Paxton let the warm rays of the sun wash over his face as soon as he hit the pavement. Cursing himself for succumbing to his urges, he took off into a light jog heading out of the town. By the time he made it to his truck, Cameron was leaning against the driver side door.

  “Figured you’d be down here,” Cameron growled.

  “It’s not what you think,” Paxton put his hands up, “Someone needed my help. And check that tone, brother or not, I don’t answer to you. Your alpha will do as he pleases!”

  “Her stench is all over you!” Cameron yelled, “While you’re in a town that doesn’t want us here, we have a wolf in our territory begging for war!”

  “What do you mean? What happened?!” Paxton began taking off his clothes ready to change when Cameron stopped him. Enforcing his position as alpha would have to wait until he knew his pack and territory were safe.

  “He’s gone. Ran around the falls. Derek and Lorna lost him right off the lake. I don’t know what his motives are but he’s definitely not an Omega. As the Beta of this pack, he should have been submissive but he was aggressive. Far too aggressive, but I know if he catches one of us alone he won’t hesitate to attack. Get your head in this Pax,” Cameron warned him.

  Paxton let out a breath before snatching the hat off his head, tossing it into the bed of his truck. C
ameron was right. He was infatuated with London. Hellbent on marking her, mating with her, she was his obsession but if he didn’t protect his pack he wouldn’t be the alpha he’s known to be. He wouldn’t be an alpha to anyone. One thing was certain … if he didn’t shift his focus the council would strip him of his pack and then he’d be worse off than the rogue wolf roaming their territory.

  “You’re right Cameron,” Paxton ran his fingers through his hair, “We’re going to beef up patrols. No one goes out alone. Have Cairo and Fang stick to the outer perimeters. Have Derek, Lorna, and Cara work the middle from the lake to the lair. Be mindful of the road. You and I will take from the lake to the town.”

  “Why?!” Cameron was exasperated. With his fangs protruding from his gums, “Those people have shown us already they don’t deserve our protection!”

  Paxton grabbed his brother by the shoulders, “Our duty is to protect them, as they are in our territory.”

  “So the angry mob, chasing us down with shotguns wasn’t enough to destroy your faith in them?”

  “One of their own was injured, we would attack if one of ours suffered at their hands,” Paxton told him.

  “That was eons ago. That wasn’t even our pack! They don’t care. They diminish our existence to fairy tales, pretend like we don’t exist, but expect us to save them at any beck and call in the woods!” Cameron’s anger radiated from his body as fur began to fill the fleshiest spaces of his face.

  Paxton gripped Cameron by the shoulder hoping to bend his will and calm him down, but his brother was too far gone in his rage. Cameron was already mid-shift as his ash gray fur consumed his body, his fangs fully pronounced, and his breaking and reforming into his wolf. He snapped at Paxton’s hand nearly tearing into his flesh. Paxton was done coddling him. If he couldn’t be reasoned with, then he’d be forced into submission.

  Paxton let Cameron go, ripping through his clothes as his own black coat burst through his flesh into the daylight. Cameron leaped at Paxton, but the leader was too swift for him, moving as he got closer and kicking Cameron to the ground with his hind legs. The grey wolf slid across the dirt, still with his jowls quivering and teeth gnashing. He attacked Paxton again. And again, Paxton dodged his brother’s blows.

  Once Paxton saw his chance, he took it, pinning his brother down on his back. With Cameron’s belly exposed, Paxton took his throat between his jaws and pushed his clawed paw down onto Cameron’s under-flesh. Paxton shook him violently until Cameron changed back.

  Cameron had blood dripping from his neck as he held the area firmly with his hand.

  “You’ll heal,” Paxton told him solemnly as he rubbed his own shoulder. Shifting through his clothes was always a bad idea, especially if he didn’t have any backups in the car. Keeping his attention on Cameron, he told him, “Now go cool off, and remember that there were other options for you Cameron. You didn’t have to end up here, but so long as you are you’d do better to take care and remember who your alpha is. That position belongs to me now.”

  “Whatever,” Cameron hissed shaking his head. The defeat was written all over his face as he took off into the woods. Fang wasn’t too far away as Paxton saw them walk off further into the forest.

  Paxton couldn’t help but wonder what was happening as his world was seeming to implode. His brother’s furious rage toward humans would definitely make him think twice about confirming his feelings about London. It even made him hesitant about patrolling around the town with him, but there wasn’t anyone else he’d want by his side. The two of them were, by far, the most stable out of the pack. They could put their anger to the side and deal with humans as necessary regardless of how they’ve been treated in the past.

  The way the story was told to him:

  Marcus, a feared and treacherous alpha, sought out power and power alone. There wasn’t a territory he didn’t wish to lay claim to. He’d dominate any pack smaller than his own, forcing the strongest to submit to him or be slaughtered. He’d continued to grow his pack until his pleasure shifted from gaining power to making those around him submit. When he arrived at Myre Falls, his focus changed to humans. He began stalking members of the town, using them to sharpen his hunting skills. It wasn’t until he attacked a helpless woman that the Council decided to act. Paxton’s father, one of the high ranking members, sent the order down himself to dispose of the reckless alpha. It took the work of two wolves, one to seduce him and the other to extinguish him, but it was done. The territory was broken up and the mega pack disbanded. New alphas were sent in with new pack members to resume their duties as normal. It had been over fifteen years since then but the memory was still very much alive for Paxton and the people of Myre Falls.

  Turning back over his shoulder, all Paxton could do was wonder about London. Just as soon as her beautiful face flashed in his mind, the sound of his brother’s voice shouting through the trees echoed toward him. The rogue wolf was encroaching on their territory again. With a deep breath, Paxton readied himself for another fight, shifting even quicker than before, and taking off into the woods.

  *****

  London stared at Tina with her eyes full of confusion. She hadn’t any idea who this woman was, but the fact that she didn’t make her heart flutter like Paxton made her less likely to listen. Nevertheless, she stared into the round faced woman’s eyes waiting for an explanation, “What do you mean the Christian brothers aren’t allowed in Myre Falls?”

  “Well I wouldn’t say that they’re not allowed, but they aren’t welcome. Every time there’s a sighting or an attack they’re not too far behind,” Tina told her.

  “You’re going to have to tell me a little bit more than that,” London laughed as she moved around the counter to finish cleaning up the register.

  Tina’s hesitant eyes looked to the street outside before she leaned in closer to tell her, “I can’t say much or prove it, but there are different types of people in this world who are capable of things that we could never imagine.”

  “You sound like Gramps,” she laughed even harder, “That’s what he would tell me whenever I told him I wanted to come and visit. That and there dangers around the Falls that would devastate him if something ever happened to me.”

  “Don’t laugh it off. It’s long been believed that there are those who ride the plains of existence, straddling the line between creature and human. It’s what I’ve been reading about in these old books. Your Grandfather has tons of these old tales, which I think are loosely or even strictly based on actual events. It’s fascinating and horrifying all at the same time,” her voice was beginning to shake.

  “Straddling the line between creature and human?” London repeated with disbelief, “I’m sure you understand what you sound like right now. How is that possible? Why isn’t this national news? Why aren’t there articles, studies… this is just too much to take in. What’s even worse is that you’re insinuating that Paxton, that amazing guy who’s done nothing but help me since I came to this place, is one of those humans straddling the line. I don’t even know you!”

  “You don’t know him either,” Tina mumbled. “But there is a way you can find out for sure, at least about me. Ask your Grandpa.”

  “Fine,” London said defiantly, “And just to show you that you’re being absolutely crazy, you’re coming with me!”

  Chapter 5

  London was upstairs in her Grandpa’s apartment trying to find the address to the hospital he was in. She’d written it down somewhere, with the directions from Myre Falls. Reading maps was not her strongest talent, and now that she had company, she didn’t want to be lost with Tina and her outrageous ideas about Paxton and, Did she say, brother?

  The idea of two of him walking around sent chills down her spine. A double date was certainly out of the question for her and Tina, especially if she was going to call them “Creatures”. Chuckling to herself, London couldn’t help but shake her head. She’d called guys a bunch of different things in her life, from jerks to the one vocabulary
special appearance of twatnugget. Her ex had brought her to so many points of frustration in her life, he deserved the most creative synonyms of asshole that she could muster.

  The sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and her search, to the screeching device on the table. It was a small one bedroom apartment. There was a hideous dark green carpeting that needed to be ripped out, but it was clean enough after she vacuumed and shampooed it. A love seat sat against the wall right next to his favorite recliner. And next to the recliner, perched against the window looking out toward the back alley was an assault rifle. It looked like a gun out of a movie. London refused to touch it. She refused to move it. She assumed it was for bears, moose, or any other wildlife wreaking havoc behind the shop. Although, she made a mental note to add that to the myriad of questions she had for the elder Sawyer.

  Her phone kept screeching even though she let it ring to voicemail. Perhaps it was her folks calling. Her father had been ill, couldn’t shake a bout of pneumonia, but it was pretty unanimous that he was going to be okay. However, the phone rang again. Its incessant ringing would drive her crazy if whoever it was continued calling her like this. So she answered it, putting it on speaker to finish searching for the hospital’s address and directions.

  “What do you want Terry?” she asked severely annoyed. She wished she’d let it ring out.

  “You sound far away,” he said. “Take me off speaker.”

  “You don’t need to speak to me. We don’t have anything to talk about. If I take you off speaker I’m hanging up. So say what you have to say, I’m about to visit Grandpa.”