Dark Alpha

by Alisa Woods

  Thank God. At least Mace couldn’t shoot anyone else. Arianna prayed none of his betas were armed. But everyone seemed to be tensely holding their positions, waiting to see what the witches would do next.

  “Why are you here, Hecca?” Circe’s voice was tight.

  Hecca stepped over the puddle of metal that used to be the gun, sauntering to the center of the room, near her sister. “Your pet has been naughty, Circe. He took something that didn’t belong to him.” She gave Mace a nod. “Our associate from the Red pack said your pet had been injured in the process and had a healer living nearby. I urged him to visit the healer first. I was hoping, dear sister, that you would be, shall we say, finished with your little pet before we found him. I was protecting your back and trying to clean up the mess you’ve made with your little obsession.”

  Circe threw a disgusted look at Mace, whose chest was heaving, red in the face, clearly ready to go again with Jak standing in front of him. “Your associate is an asshole. And I’m not in this for the reasons you think. I’m involved because I’m trying to right a wrong, Hecca. Once upon a time, you cared about such things.”

  “I care about our business… something you might take a moment to attend to at some point.” Hecca sniffed. “Your little crusade is costing us, sister. What the wolves do with their mates is none of our concern. No matter how many of them you decide to circulate through your bed.”

  Circe’s eyes narrowed. “If it’s none of our concern, then why are you involved?”

  Hecca threw a disdainful look at Mace. “When a son of the Red pack accuses my sister of helping a rogue wolf steal his mate, well, you forced me to get involved, didn’t you? I thought maybe you were just having your fun and the two things were unrelated.” She gave Arianna a bitter look. “But I see I was wrong.”

  “Steal is not the correct word here. Rescue is more accurate. Besides,” Circe said with an arched eyebrow, “she is no longer his mate.”

  Mace’s glare jumped from the witches to Arianna, and she felt a shiver run through her… but nothing more. She was truly free of him. He frowned, confusion flitting across his face.

  “That’s right, asshole,” Jak said, the growl in his voice full of satisfaction. “You have no claim on her now.”

  The rage on Mace’s face reached epic proportions—Arianna thought he might actually have a heart attack, but he merely swung his fury to Hecca. “This is dark magic. Witch magic. Nothing else could break a mating bond like this. You are responsible for this. Undo it. Now.”

  Hecca’s voice went ice cold. “Take care, wolf. You presume too much.”

  Marco edged in front of Sarra so he was protecting her from Mace’s line of sight more so than his betas. Arianna knew him well enough to know the red in his cheeks was him being embarrassed. He was naked next to Sarra, and he studiously kept his back turned to her bare form. But he stood ready to protect her with his life. Or at least shield her with his body. Mace would have to go through him to get to her. But that small motion… Arianna prayed Mace wouldn’t notice, but of course he did. He flicked his gaze to Sarra and narrowed his eyes, examining her. Then he flitted his gaze between Sarra and Arianna.

  Finally, he raised a hand and pointed a furious finger at Sarra. “The bond has been… transferred. I don’t know what dark art your witch has done, but this one… she carries the bond now. I can feel it.” He turned back to Hecca. “Jak can keep his trash. I claim this one instead.”

  A jolt went through Arianna. Oh no. If somehow Mace got hold of Sarra and truly claimed her, he would find out she had little magic of her own… not enough for shifter pups in any event. And then Arianna could only imagine his rage. He would have no use for her, and he would kill her, for sure.

  Arianna couldn’t move—she was still trying to keep Kalis from bleeding out, and her hands were still steeped in his blood—so she threw her words at Mace instead. “You have no right to claim anyone! You’re a sad excuse for an alpha, Mace, and if there were any justice in the world, you would be going to jail for the things you’ve done.”

  It felt amazing to say those words to his face, to feel the liberation of knowing he had no hold on her, not anymore… but her words just enraged him even further. He lurched toward Arianna, apparently forgetting that Jak was right in front of him. Jak shoved him back, his claws coming out.

  “You’ll have to go through me before you get to either of them,” Jak growled.

  Maces fangs came out. “With pleasure.” He lunged for Jak. Arianna’s heart seized up: fear for Jak, fear for Sarra, terror that her baby brother was bleeding out under her hands while her ex-mate tried to rip the throat of the man she loved…

  “I said enough.” Hecca’s voice jerked Jak and Mace to a stop.

  They shoved each other away and stood glaring at one another.

  Jak wiped blood from his face. Arianna’s body twitched. She couldn’t tell if it was his or Mace’s. Mace glared his hatred for Arianna over Jak’s shoulder. Jak moved to block Mace’s line of sight.

  “Walk away from this, Mace,” Jak said with surprising calmness. “It’s over. Arianna’s free of you. And no one here is going to let you claim Sarra. Walk away while you still can.”

  Mace looked like he wanted to take a bite out of Jak, but he held back and turned again to Hecca. “I will have a mate out of this.” He was practically spitting the words out. “You promised to make this right!”

  “I promised nothing of the sort.” Her voice was cold again.

  He shoved past Jak to stalk closer to Hecca, eyes blazing. “What would it take to ruin Morgan Media? A well-placed rumor? The fact that you’ve helped bury more bodies than I’m sure you would like dug up? I can make life as difficult for you as I like, Hecca.”

  “You are walking a very thin line, wolf.” Hecca’s voice glittered like ice. “I would take care, if I were you, not to step over it.”

  Mace’s face was turning red again. “I want the female.” Each word was underscored with anger.

  Hecca glanced at Sarra. Marco had moved again, tucking her behind his back, shielding her from the witch, Mace, and even Mace’s two betas, who were watching everything with sharp-eyed readiness. Jak edged between Mace and Sarra as well. The two of them were a wall of naked, brawny shifter muscle. They looked imposing, even if Arianna knew Jak must still be weak from the spell. Arianna felt completely helpless at her brother’s side, but she prayed for this standoff to end quickly. She needed Sarra to stitch up her baby brother before he lost too much blood.

  “It would appear the female does not want you,” Hecca said with a voice filled with boredom. “And I’m tired of your wolfy games, Mace Crittenden. Be gone.”

  Mace’s jaw worked. He stood, impotent before the witch for a long moment, and for a flash instant, Arianna thought he might actually attack her. Which was pure suicide. But instead, he growled and turned on his heel, stalking to where his clothes lay in a heap on the floor.

  Arianna sighed in relief. She dropped her gaze to Kalis. His face was pale and sweaty. Her heart clenched. She wanted Mace to clear out quickly so Sarra could tend to her brother.

  “If I can’t have her…” Mace’s voice was soft and dangerous. “Then no one can.”

  Arianna gasped and looked up. Mace had another gun in his hand, but it wasn’t pointed at her. It was pointed at Sarra, straight through Jak and Marco as well.

  An explosion rent the air, so loud and forceful that it knocked Arianna backward, flattening her to the floor next to Kalis. Her eardrums ached, and her body shook in response. That wasn’t a gunshot… more like a bomb going off in the apartment.

  A fine gray cloud hung in the air, like smoke curling in wisps up to the ceiling.

  What in the world?

  Arianna squinted in the haze. The only ones still standing were Hecca and Circe. They both had their hands raised toward Mace… only Mace wasn’t there. The gun, Mace, the clothes he had been holding in his hand, that he must have retrieved the gun from—they were all go
ne. Only the smoke remained. And a small pile of ash on the floor.

  Hecca and Circe exchanged an arched-eyebrowed look of surprise, then glanced back to the place where Mace used to be.

  “Well,” Circe said with amusement, “that was rather dramatic.”

  “We do have a certain flair when we work together, sister.” Hecca had a smirk on her face. She shrugged. “I was tired of working with wolves anyway.”

  Everyone else started to stir, recovering from the explosive spell. Marco helped Sarra up from the floor, still keeping his eyes averted from her nakedness. Jak stood slowly, wide-eyed and staring at the spot where Mace had been moments before. Mace’s betas stayed hunkered on the floor, but they had edged closer together, staring at the pile of ash, maybe fearing they were next.

  “Well, then, Circe dear,” Hecca said, brushing the dust from her finely tailored suit. “I trust you can handle things from here. I have actual work that needs doing back at the office. Our office, if you recall. Perhaps you’d like to show your face there sometime soon, once you’re done playing with your pets.”

  Circe gave her a small smile and hooked her arm in a very friendly fashion around her sister’s. “You know what, sister dear? I think I’ve had my fill of wolf for a little while.”

  Arianna stared, mouth-open, as the two witches sauntered out of Sarra’s apartment together. They didn’t even look back.

  “How about you clear out, too?” Jak’s words were directed at Alric and Beck. They hastily scooped up their clothes, avoided the small pile of ash that used to be their alpha, and scurried out the door. Once they were past the threshold, they checked their pace. Arianna guessed they didn’t want to catch up to the witches on the way out.

  She could hardly believe it. Mace was… dead. Vaporized really. With not a DNA snippet left to prove anything. And with him dead… Arianna scanned the room for Sarra. She was running off to her art studio. Which seemed strange—maybe she was getting some clothes? Jak and Marco were hastily retrieving their pants and pulling them on in her momentary absence. But Sarra returned just a few seconds later, bringing the black bag she had used to stitch up Jak. She was still naked as the day she was born, but she didn’t seem to care. She knelt by Kalis’s side and rolled him over to get a good look at his wound. His eyes went wide, and he struggled, unsuccessfully, to not stare at Sarra’s breasts dangling above him.

  “You can stare all you like, kid,” Sarra said with a smirk. “But you’re about to feel a bit of a pinch.”

  He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as she probed his bullet wound.

  Marco came up behind Sarra and handed her a t-shirt. She took a moment to slip it over her head, but ignored the rest of the clothes he brought over as she went quickly to work, stitching up Kalis. Arianna stood, giving her room to work.

  Jak was at her side in an instant. “Are you all right?” he asked, taking her hands and wiping them clean of Kalis’s blood with a shirt he found lying on the floor. It was probably his.

  Arianna managed a small smile. “I am now.” She looked to the ash pile again. It made her shiver, and Jak pulled her into his arms.

  He murmured into her hair. “He’s never going to hurt you, or anyone, ever again.”

  Arianna nodded and huddled close to him, needing the comfort of his arms to tell her that all of this was real. When Sarra was finished stitching her brother, Arianna finally forced herself to pull away.

  “Is he going to be all right?” Arianna asked.

  Sarra stood, still naked from the waist down, but covered in so much of Kalis’s blood that you could hardly tell. “He’s going to be fine. Let’s get him to the bed, though. I’d like to see him rest for a few hours before you try to transport him.” She left unspoken where they might go or what they might do from here.

  And, honestly, Arianna had no idea. All she knew was that she, and everyone she loved, was finally, truly safe.

  The longer they drove, the more nervous Jak got.

  They’d left North Bend behind over an hour ago, taking Sarra’s Jeep through the mountains on I-90. Now they were on the Eastern side of the slopes, with the sun starting to sink over the mountaintops and bringing an early dusk. Sarra was driving, and Marco was in the passenger seat, stealing looks at her, while Jak and Arianna snuggled in the back seat. Kalis was still recovering—he had slept for most of the ride, leaned against the window, snoring.

  Marco was pointing out the sights… which consisted mostly of mountain peaks and the occasional deer. They were definitely in the country now, heading toward Arianna’s family ranch, and Jak’s one chance to make a good impression on her mother. Arianna nestled against him, her hands still touching him at every opportunity. He was doing the same. Her brothers didn’t seem to mind, and Jak was still recharging from the spell that had nearly killed him just this morning… although it seemed like a lifetime ago. But every moment with Arianna by his side, he could feel the magic inside him growing stronger. Sarra had said it was his own magic, regenerating, coming back basically from the dead. Arianna’s magic was bolstering him as he healed—that was why every touch from her felt like a new surge of energy—but soon his magic would be back to full strength again. Then he would have the magic of both of them inside him, and that made his heart soar. But every moment his wolf healed inside him, it insisted more strongly that he needed to claim Arianna for his own. Now that it was possible, Jak could hardly stand the moments between now and making that happen.

  But first, he would have to win over her mother.

  Marco edged closer to Sarra in the front seat, ostensibly to point out the exit from the freeway that she needed to take next, but Jak was no fool: he could see the way Marco was looking at her, watching her every movement, letting his eyes roam over her face when he thought she wasn’t looking. There was definitely something going on there, and it wasn’t a brotherly kind of interest. Jak was sure seeing Sarra naked hadn’t exactly tamped down Marco’s interest, but it had been there before the fight. From the moment Jak awoke, he could tell: there was something between them. Maybe because Marco swore to protect her from Mace? Jak knew full well how protecting a beautiful woman from an asshole alpha could excite all kinds of primal, lust-filled interest. Maybe it was simply that Sarra was one of the bravest, most selfless people Jak had ever met, short of his own Arianna? Sarra and Arianna were alike in the most basic of ways, even if they seemed nothing alike on the surface—and Jak wasn’t at all surprised that Arianna’s brother was falling hard for Sarra.

  It didn’t hurt that she was incredibly hot in her post-shift nakedness.

  That had surprised everyone: Sarra shifting. She had tried to shift again before they left, but she couldn’t. Whatever fleeting ability she had disappeared when Mace died—presumably he took his magic with him. And Sarra was back to her non-shifting, normal self.

  Marco had to know what that meant, even if no one talked about it out loud.

  Which brought Jak back to figuring out where all the pieces fit… he loved Arianna and wanted to mate with her as soon as possible. Assuming she was willing, but her every teasing, loving, impossibly sexy touch told him that she wanted this—and she had already said as much to his face. But now she was returning to her family’s ranch in the countryside of Eastern Washington. That was Marco’s domain—he was alpha of their small family pack. What were his intentions with all of this? Could Jak fit in somewhere in that scheme? And what would Arianna’s mother think? Not to mention the issue of Sarra, who Marco was already trying to convince to stay more than just the night?

  The nerves came creeping back into Jak’s stomach, and he was glad when Arianna stirred against him, sitting up as they turned off a paved road onto a bumpy dirt road that took them even farther away from the lights of the highway.

  Arianna stretched her beautiful body, and it was all Jak could do to keep his hands off her. “We’re almost there,” she said with a shy smile. “I can’t wait to see my mom. She should be back from Robertson’s ranch by
now.”

  “Great.” Jak winced internally at how awkward that sounded.

  Arianna squeezed his arm and grinned. “She’s going to love you, Jak.”

  “Right. I hope so.” He swallowed.

  “How could she not?” Arianna asked with a comical look of exasperation on her face. “You rescued me from Mace. You freed me from the mating bond—”

  “And I’m bringing home her youngest son barely stitched together.” Not to mention throwing a wild card into their whole family situation. But Jak didn’t want to bring that up. Not yet.

  Arianna slapped his arm playfully. “Marco will get the blame for that.” Nothing could daunt the smile on her face, nor did Jak really want to.

  “Hey!” Marco protested from the front seat. But then he quickly returned his attention to pointing out the long driveway Sarra needed to turn down. Kalis stirred with the commotion and rubbed his eyes.

  Arianna scooped up Jak’s hand, lacing her fingers with his, and holding the back of it to her lips for a kiss that went straight to low in his belly. He gave her a warning look, and she just smirked: she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Which only made him want to get her alone even more. He pulled her in for a kiss, but she put her fingers playfully against his lips.

  “Time for that later,” she said with a wicked grin.

  He sincerely hoped so.

  The driveway was at least a half mile long, but they finally arrived. The house was simple but spacious—two stories, with a big wraparound porch, wide planks for siding, and a peaked roof. Wood-rail fencing ran out from both sides and far behind the house was a barn as large as the house itself. Arianna had told them they were ranchers, but it appeared they were a dude ranch in the making with the amount of horses they must have in there. There was a series of cottages in back as well, on the far side of the barn, maybe for guests? He had no idea. He’d grown up in a small country pack, too, but not this far out. Just in a small town like North Bend, which looked like the city compared to this.