Code of the Alpha: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “Are you okay?” he asked again and she frowned.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked weakly.

  “I came to check if you were okay, and I saw Hunter speeding off in his car,” Sutton answered. “Are you hurt?”

  “My head hurts,” she muttered, and he helped her up from the floor and sat her down on the couch.

  “It looks like you got hit pretty hard,” Sutton said as he walked to the freezer, opened it and took out a bag of frozen peas. “Here,” he said as he handed it to her.

  “Thanks,” she groaned and closed her eyes for a second.

  Sutton sat down beside her and asked, “Did Hunter take Illa?”

  Liya opened her eyes and they immediately filled with tears. “He did. I couldn't stop him. He took my baby and I couldn't even stop him,” she said in between sobs.

  “It’s okay. We’ll get her back.”

  “I don't even know where they went,” she said.

  “I do,” a voice came from the door and Liya glanced over her shoulder. Her jaw clenched as she stood from the couch, even though Sutton insisted that she sit down. She pressed her bag of peas against her temple and glared at Wren. She was still so angry at him, but she couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks.

  “What are you doing here?” Liya asked through her tears.

  “I came here to help you get Illa back,”

  “I don't need your help,” she said as she turned away.

  The world spun around her violently and her legs gave way under her. Wren caught her and placed her back on the couch.

  “You’re just as stubborn as me,” Wren muttered.

  “That’s true,” Sutton said behind them, which made the corners of Wren’s mouth curl up slightly.

  Liya glanced at him and winced. “I don't know if I’m more angry or relieved to see you.”

  “She hit her head pretty hard,” Sutton said again.

  “I can hear you, you know,” Liya muttered. “Why?”

  “Why what? Why am I here?” he asked and brushed a lock of hair from her face. “I told you. I want to get Illa back as much as you want to.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s my family, and so are you. I love you both more than I can ever describe,” he answered.

  “You have a strange way of showing it,” she said and looked at him with haughty derision.

  “I’m trying, okay? This is really hard for me. I’ve never been someone to just admit when they’re wrong, or that someone else means more to me than I do,” Wren answered.

  “It’s true, you know,” Sutton said from the other side of the room.

  Liya placed her palm against Wren’s cheek.

  “And I’m sorry that I doubted you. I know how that feels, and while there is no excuse for what I did, I hope you can forgive me, because I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you and Illa.”

  “He hasn’t,” Sutton said again.

  Wren narrowed his eyes in agitation while looking in Sutton’s direction. “Could you maybe call Luca, outside, please? Like, now?”

  “Sure,” Sutton said and left the house.

  “You didn't have to be mean to him,” Liya muttered and Wren scoffed. “Why is he calling Luca?”

  “Well, Luca is a Delta, a healer, and he can take care of that wound for you,” Wren explained.

  “Wren, I don't want to sound disrespectful or ungrateful, but there’s no time for all that. We have to find Illa.”

  “I know exactly where they are. I have his scent memorized in my mind.”

  “After all this time?” she asked.

  “What do you mean all this time?” Wren asked with a deep and troubling grimaced expression.

  “Wren?” Luca said behind them and Wren glanced over his shoulder at Luca and Sutton standing in the doorway.

  “Hey, Luca. Thanks for coming,” Wren said. “Come on in.”

  “I came as soon as I could,” Luca said. “I heard what happened. Are you okay, Liya?”

  “I’m bleeding, I might be concussed, and my abusive ex-boyfriend kidnapped my daughter. How do you think I’m doing?”

  “Well, I can take care of the first two for you,” Luca said and crouched down beside her. “Let me take a look at that.”

  Liya lowered the bag of peas and Luca briefly examined her head and placed his hand against her temple. She winced painfully.

  “It’s okay. This is just going to sting a little, but it will only be for a second or two, okay?” Luca said and Liya nodded.

  Liya felt a current radiate into her and the heat traveled to her temple. As it started to sting, she closed her eyes, and a shiver ran down her spine. For a moment it felt as though she was submerged under hot water, floating along without direction or reason. The pain started to subside, and the heat completely disappeared. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Luca.

  He raised his eyebrows expectantly and asked, “How do you feel?”

  Liya frowned slightly, and it felt strange not to feel any pain after the waves of torment that had ripped through her skull for the last hour. “I feel great, actually. How did you do that?”

  “It’s just something that I do,” Luca said warmly.

  “Thank you,” she said and hugged him.

  “You’re welcome,” he said awkwardly.

  Liya stood up from the couch and approached Wren. “So, Alpha, what do we do now?”

  “Hold on. You said something about remembering Hunter’s scent after all this time,” Wren said.

  Liya shifted her weight uncomfortably and placed her hands on her hips.

  “What is it?” he asked and gave Luca and Sutton a dismissive wave.

  Liya glanced at Luca and Sutton leaving and took a deep breath. “Hunter told me that it was him and a few Crescents who were the ones who...” Her voice trailed off and she took another breath as Wren looked at her expectantly. “They were the ones who were after your family. They started the fire that burnt your family’s house down in Minnesota, and they’re the ones responsible for the death of your parents.”

  Wren stared at her with wide eyes, not saying a single word or moving even an inch. He blinked a few times and shook his head. “Why?”

  “He said something about united you guys were strong, with your combined abilities. They thought you were wasting your abilities by not joining their pack,” she said.

  Liya watched his eyes fill up with tears and she reached out her hand to him.

  “I was right, all along. It was them,” Wren whispered.

  “What are you going to do, Wren?” Sutton suddenly asked and Wren and Liya glanced at him.

  “We have to get Illa back first,” Liya answered.

  “Wren?” Sutton asked and raised his eyebrows.

  “We have to get Illa back,” Wren said as he looked at her. “Everything else will have to wait. I don't want to do anything risky.”

  “So, what do you want to do?” Liya asked. “Because I don't mind anything risky. You know I’d do anything to get Illa back.”

  “I know,” Wren said with a tight smile and took Liya’s hand. “We’ll get her back. Sutton, assemble the retrieval team. Luca, get Shea and her truck to my house as soon as she can.”

  “You’re calling Shea again?” Luca asked and Wren gave him a look that was not to be contended with. Luca held his hands up in defense and nodded while he reached for his phone.

  “What do I do?” Liya asked.

  “You’re coming with me,” Wren said.

  Liya followed Wren to his BMW, and they climbed inside. “Where are we going?”

  “To my house,” he answered.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “We need to pick up a few things. We’re entering dangerous territory, so we’ll need a few supplies,” he answered vaguely and they spent the rest of the drive in silence.

  Liya tried to figure out what Wren meant by supplies, but didn't ask him. She was too worried about Illa, and whether she was okay. She glance
d over at Wren and noticed the blind hatred in his eyes and she knew that if he wasn't careful, he’d try to wipe out the entire Crescent pack.

  Wren parked his car in the driveway, and they rushed into the house. Wren closed the door behind them, hurried down the hallway and opened a door on the right.

  Liya had never noticed that door before and had always thought it was either the bathroom, or another bedroom. Wren stepped inside and switched on the light. Liya’s jaw dropped as she gazed inside.

  “What the hell...” she mouthed, gaping at the walls packed with multiple weapons, most of which she had never seen before in her life. Most of them looked old, and she asked, “Where did all these come from?”

  “I retrieved them from my father’s basement after the fire,” he answered as he grabbed two crossbows from the wall.

  “You went back there?” she asked and turned to him.

  “Wouldn’t you?” he asked, as if her question was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life.

  She shrugged and wondered whether Wren was purely fueled by revenge at that very moment. Maybe she shouldn't have told him about what Hunter said to her because then he would solely focus on getting Illa back safely, but she didn't want to keep things from him anymore. He deserved to know.

  “Wren?” she asked, and he looked at her as he took out a small box from a drawer in front of him.

  “Yeah?” he asked expectantly.

  “Look, I know you’re upset about Hunter, and you might have a little more aggression inside you trying to claw its way out, and you might even be fueled by the thought of getting even with Hunter, but I...” She hesitated for a second. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to go into full-rampage wolf mode.”

  “I’m not fueled by the need to get revenge on him, Liya,” he said, but even though Liya nodded, she wasn't really convinced.

  Ever since Wren had opened up to her about himself and his family, she discovered that he was very emotional, and in her experience, emotional often meant unpredictable in their actions, and feeling the need to right all the wrongs that had been done to them in their lives.

  Liya remembered she referred to it as vigilante syndrome, where they sought out the guilty parties and made them pay for what they did.

  “We’re just getting Illa back, right?” she asked.

  “Right,” Wren said, loading the crossbow, “and if I happen to kill a bunch of Crescents in the process, then so be it.”

  “Wren...” Liya said with concern in her voice.

  “Here,” he said and held out a small box to her. “Put this on.”

  Liya took the box from him and looked inside. “You’re giving me jewelry?” she asked, bewildered.

  He grinned briefly and took the bracelet out of the box. “It’s made of nickel and will mask any trace of your scent, which will make you virtually undetectable.”

  “Wow,” she said and watched as he tied it around her wrist.

  “Don’t lose it. It was my mother’s,” he said, lingering for a second too long before turning away.

  Liya gently fingered the links of the bracelet and smiled sadly. A part of her felt truly saddened by the way she and Wren were connected through Hunter, or perhaps sickened was the right word. The other part of her felt honored that Wren trusted her enough, and loved her enough for him to give his mother’s bracelet to her. She desperately wanted him to pull her close to him and hold her, making all the pain and fear melt away. She wanted to feel the heat of his skin against hers and listen to his heart beating in his chest. She wanted him to tell her once again that he loved her and that he couldn't imagine a world without her and Illa in it. She wanted to feel wanted by him, and to say goodbye to the fear she had felt her entire life.

  “Wren, could we just talk about—”

  “No, Liya. Not right now,” he said dismissively and shook his head. “Whatever we need to talk about can wait. Once we have Illa back home, then we can talk all you want. Okay?”

  “Sure. That would be great,” she said with a nod.

  “This is for you,” Wren said and handed her a fully loaded crossbow.

  “For me?” she stuttered.

  “Have you ever fired one before?” he asked and raised his eyebrows.

  “No, but I can watch a quick tutorial online,” she said mockingly.

  Wren narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. “Maybe you’d like something else. Maybe a machete?”

  Liya reached out her hand and grabbed a machete that hung from the wall, and a strange feeling bubbled up inside her. She remembered her father taking her out into the fields when she was just a little girl, swinging machetes around in the farm fields. It had been such a long time ago, but Liya smiled confidently as she slid it off the wall, feeling the handle against her skin.

  “I’ll take both. I like the option of having both ranges on my targets, as well as being close enough to have their blood splatter on my face.”

  Wren froze and stared at her with wide eyes. His expression was a combination of surprise, awe, and absolute terror.

  “What?” Liya asked as she swung the machete around with precise movements. “My dad showed me how not to kill myself with one of these when I was a little girl.”

  Wren smiled slightly and nodded. “You dad sounds great.”

  “He is great, and he raised an even greater daughter,” she said and winked at him. “Can we go now?”

  “Not dressed like that, babe,” he said and motioned to her bottom half. “You wouldn't want to cover those cuddly sheep in wolf blood, would you?”

  “Of course not. These are my favorite pants,” she pouted, and he chuckled.

  “Check the guestroom closet,” he said and gestured to the door.

  Liya didn't have to be asked twice, and quickly headed to the guest room closet. She opened the doors and a satisfied smile ran across her lips as she noticed the leather outfit inside. “This is definitely more like it.”

  She undressed quickly and slipped into the black leather pants, the dark green sweater, and the black boots. She loosened her hair, grabbed her crossbow and machete and met up with Wren, who was waiting for her in the kitchen.

  He turned around and exhaled deeply. The corners of his mouth curled up and he nodded in approval.

  “Wow,” he whispered.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s go get our daughter back,” she said to him and smacked her lips.

  10

  Wren inhaled calmly through his nose as he tried to figure out in which direction they needed to go. His BMW drove at a high speed along the motorway and the music blared from the radio. Even though he tried his hardest to keep himself focused, he occasionally glanced over at Liya, who looked unbelievably hot in her leather pants. Her blonde hair was loose and tousled and there was a certain kind of edge to her that he had never seen before.

  When he first met her, she looked like a sweet young mother who was running away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. She still was, but now she was fueled by the same raw emotions as he was. The corners of his mouth curled up again as he noticed her foot tapping along to the song on the radio and he turned his attention back to the road as he adjusted the volume a little louder. Liya uncrossed her legs and licked her lips as she looked in his direction.

  The heat rose in his body and he instinctively stepped on the gas pedal. They drove for a few miles before Wren caught a whiff of Hunter’s scent and he eased his foot off the pedal.

  Liya noticed it and turned the music down as she looked at him. “What is it?”

  “He’s changed direction.”

  “Where is he going?” she asked.

  “East. Way east,” Wren said, not sure if that was even right. “North Dakota, maybe?”

  “Their Alpha doesn't live in North Dakota,” Liya responded, and Wren stopped the car on the side of the road.

  “Where does he live?” Wren asked.

  “I have no idea. I haven’t seen them since Illa was born. They j
ust...” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged. “They just disappeared. I never heard Hunter say where.”

  “Do you think he’s taking her to them?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Wait, he’s not stopping,” Wren said.

  “What do you mean? How can you tell?” Liya asked.

  “Well, his scent would become stronger and clearer if he was stopping. We’d be closer to him, but he’s still going.”

  “He still has her with him, right?” she asked, her eyes filling up with tears.

  Wren bit his bottom lip and nodded.

  “Then where the hell is he going?” she whispered.

  Wren and Liya glanced at one another and Wren’s eyes widened.

  “What?” she asked, almost afraid to do so.

  “I know where he’s going,” Wren said and shifted his car into first gear. “The bastard is taunting me.”

  “Wren, what are you talking about?” she asked.

  “He’s going back to Silver Bay, back to our old house.”

  “The house he helped burn down?” she asked, and he nodded. “Why?”

  “Because he knows if I’m there, I won’t be as strong. The memories are painful and that makes me weak.”

  “You’re going to listen to me right now, okay?” Liya said as she took his hand and he looked at her. “You’re not weak. You’re are strong and powerful, and don't you forget that. Ever. If you feel overwhelmed, I’m right here. I conceal those feelings of pain and regret for you,” Liya said, and her blue eyes glowed in the twilight.

  “No, I can’t let you do that,” Wren said and shook his head. Wren knew the intensity of his own memories and feelings, and if he allowed Liya to conceal them, she’d experience them as well. That was the last thing he wanted to do, because he knew how empty and fearful it left him, and he didn't want that for Liya.

  “Your pain is my pain, right?” she whispered and squeezed his hand.

  He nodded, knowing Liya was not going to take no for an answer. “Your pain is my pain,” he repeated, and she nodded encouragingly at him.

  Wren stepped on the gas pedal again and the BMW jetted off into the night.