The Devil's Pride (Wild Beasts Series)

by T. Birmingham

  Alexia knew Devon was just being protective even as she watched him and her bio-Dad work it out on the forest floor, but she had a strong urge to bite him. Hard. And not in a fun, lovey-dovey, make-me-completely-yours way. In a fuck-this-shit-you-dumb-asshole kind of way. James had been trying to coax her wolf from her, and that meant some rough training, but Devon had transformed way too often in the past month, but especially in the past couple weeks since they’d bonded, and it was really starting to grate on her nerves. Then again, the only time she even felt a stirring from her little wolf was when Devon shifted. His protective instincts and his animal apparently called to the lazy bitch, but not enough for her to come out.

  “Goddamnit, Devon Lee Waters!” she shouted. “He’s not going to hurt me! He’s just train—”

  But then, James did the strangest thing. As Devon stopped to listen to Alexia, the wolf charged. Right at her.

  In a blur of movement, she was hit full on.

  And fuck, but her Skröm side roared to life. She could feel the Skröm’s strength like fire in her veins, and a strange urgency came over her. Alexia’s ribs still hurt from earlier, and her right side ached from being hit by a wolf. Her Man Bear joined the fray, but he spent too long looking over her to check for wounds and he lost the element of surprise.

  James took full advantage of Devon’s weakness, latching onto her mate’s throat, and all Alexia could think was, No fucking way is that wolf going to hurt my Man Bear. The pain in her side disappeared as she felt the first stirrings of her wolf become reality. The wolf paced anxiously, and a growl built up from Alexia’s middle as that previously lazy beast unfurled from her stomach in a bright flash of pain.

  Her paws touched down, and an eerie silence filled the mountains a tenth of a second before she pounced. She landed on the strong, male wolf, and she took him down in a heartbeat. Her teeth clamped over his neck. He tried to struggle, but she placed one of her paws on his lower gut as well.

  Her whole posture said, “Don’t fuck with me. I’ve got you dead if you even flinch.” Of course, she had no actual intention of killing the wolf. He was James, her biological father. But he needed to be taught a lesson, so she held on for a second longer than even she felt was necessary before letting go.

  She didn’t move back.

  She let him move away from her.

  She wasn’t losing ground. She was stronger. She had won. He would need to back up.

  For a minute, she thought he would attack again, but he didn’t. He rolled over onto his paws, never taking his eyes off of her even though his head was down low, and then he backed up.

  Only a step. Just a small show of his concession to the fight. But that was enough.

  Alexia lifted her head and let off a long howl. James’ howl joined her, and she heard two other howls from a distance, and she knew deep down that those howls belonged to Nicky and her Uncle Graham. She looked at James, and his wolf had his head cocked to the side. Maybe he recognized his brother’s howl even after all these years?

  Alexia prowled over to her mate, her beautiful bear mate, and she rubbed her muzzle against his neck. She knew he wasn’t in danger. She knew he was safe. At least intellectually. But the animal in her needed to make sure, needed to rub herself against her mate to ensure no one again tried to hurt what belonged to her.

  She felt the vibrations from Devon’s chest as he nuzzled her back, and Alexia turned her back on the other predators in the woods. They were of no consequence. She had won.

  She laid down on the lawn and realized suddenly why her little she-wolf had been so reluctant. The wolf had known she was stronger. She’d known she could bide her time. For a strong she-bitch, there was no rush. Alexia blew out a breath and lazed on the dirt of the forest floor.

  Devon and Alexia stayed like that for a bit while Hercules and Tinkerbell sat in the shade of a large pine, and James, in wolf form, just watched them all. She could feel his eyes on her back. In fact, they were all looking at her wolf strangely. But she knew she was safe, felt it.

  She shrank back into her human skin not long after.

  Shifting back was just as easy as it had been to become the wolf. A blinding flash of pain, that was so short-lived, she barely felt the electricity of the transformation. Whereas before the wolf had been this separate, prowling beast, now she was a not-so-silent part of Alexia, like an emotion that she would be able to bring out when needed. And the wolf was a goddamned powerful emotion. Alexia smiled to herself before squeaking at the realization that she was now very naked. In front of her mate, which was fine. But also in front of her biological father, who should really never have seen his grown daughter naked. And even though bio-Dad was nice enough to look the other way, Devon reached for the sundress she’d packed.

  “You’ve got orange eyes in your wolf form,” Devon whispered when she transformed back. handing her the loose sundress he got from her duffel bag. She quickly got into it. Her workout clothes lay shredded on the ground in complete tatters of fabric, as if her outfit had been blown apart.

  “What?” What did that mean?

  Ben was quiet, the Herculean Taryn, but Carrie, in all of her fluttery, Tinkerbell-like fervor jumped up and down in excitement yelling, “Yes! That’s so awesome,” over and over again. Alexia smiled at her antics. Yeah, she was never losing the nickname Tinkerbell.

  “Orange eyes like the Skröm used to have, Red.” And Devon’s smile was so real, so authentic, so in awe of her.

  “You’re also a badass Vuković Alpha wolf!” Devon bellowed. Still grinning, he gave her a huge hug as he yelled out for everyone to hear, “She’s got orange eyes in her wolf form! And she’s a fuckin’ Alpha who totally kicked your ass in like ten seconds flat, James!”

  “That she did,” James said from behind her as he moved in closer. He didn’t sound angry. He sounded proud, and she turned around to see his face, grateful he was clothed.

  Nudity was not normal for her. And yet, there was a very naked bear now cozying up to her backside, and she tried to ignore the warmth that puddled in her middle at the feel of him right behind her. Alexia might be an Alpha as Devon called her, but the man behind her could make her weak in the knees with just a look, a touch. Of course, she did the same for him. She could tell, and that thought right there made her stronger. He wasn’t a weakness. He was her strength.

  “Alpha, schmalpha,” Alexia said impatiently, absently running her fingers along Devon’s strong forearms. “So, I went through the Vuković change. And I’ve got orange wolf eyes.” She exhaled loudly.

  And then she felt it. The elation.

  She’d been exhausted from training all day, but changing into a wolf…there was absolutely nothing in world like it. She’d think about the orange eyes later.

  She broke into a smile, raised up her hand for a high five, and yelled “Finally!” to which James and Devon chuckled and smacked her hand in the obligatory movement.

  “Yeah, ya’ did, Red,” Devon said, pulling her into his side. Her stomach chose that moment to growl out its disapproval at the lack of food. She was suddenly ravenous.

  “We done for the day?” She needed some serious replenishing after the last few hours. Devon laughed from beside her, and moved to her back before resting his head on top of her while his arms still circled her protectively. “Smoothies, fries, and burgers!” Alexia yelled before anyone else could yell something lame like pizza. Her body needed meat and fried potatoes and vitamins.

  “Trappe’s Bar it is,” Devon said, and he grabbed Alexia’s hand.

  She pulled on his arm, a huge grin splitting across her face. “Put some damn clothes on first! You can’t go to Trappe’s like that, you asshole,” she said, laughing.

  “So, clothes on. Then, burgers!” Devon yelled to everyone, even though everyone else at least had pants on. Alexia wasn’t complaining really, though. Her man… Her mate… he was so beautiful, and he was all hers.

  He lifted their joined hands and kissed hers as they walke
d to her Man Bear’s motorcycle at the edge of the clearing where they’d been training and he changed. It was a good thing he always had at least a couple extra sets of clothes on the back of his bike. With all the sudden transformations he’d been putting himself through – defending her against her big, bad trainers – it was a wonder he had any clothes left.

  Her Vuković and her Skröm sides brushed up against her in companionable silence, and she felt peace envelope her as she climbed on behind Devon. She’d woken up today torn in two by the lack of her wolf, and now she felt whole. Complete. Like she could take on the world.

  Alexia, Mindy, and the others trained hard in the week following, and they went to Trappe’s every night. Today, they’d gotten an even longer training session in, and even Mindy had joined. It was good for her. She’d been spending too much time hiding away in their apartment or working at the bar or the morgue. She still refused to go to Trappe’s when everyone else went. So, maybe she was still afraid she’d run into Cam, but Alexia was proud of her for the baby steps.

  Trappe’s Bar sat on the outskirts of Montville, and during the warmer months, it became a mix of lake crowds and bikers. Tonight, it was packed with the post-finals college crowd, and professors and students lined the bar and sat laughing and relaxed at the repurposed wood tables that were often Alexia’s home away from home on long nights in the bar. She’d found out recently that half of the tables had been made by Devon, and even just seeing them gave her this little feeling of pride deep in her chest. She squeezed Devon’s hand as they walked into the bar, and he smiled down at her. Alexia’s heart skipped a beat, and a warmth spread out from her middle as her wolf peeked out and rubbed against her psyche. She smiled to herself at the strange, yet comforting feeling of the bitch inside of her letting Alexia know she wasn’t invisible.

  After training, the others had decided to grab some food more local to their motel so they could catch up with Reece, who was back from Hogwart’s Lodge. Tessa had remained behind to watch over things. Alexia hadn’t been able to hide her anger well when they’d said Reece’s name. James had even given her a strange look. She hated holding on to the secret Nicky had talked to her about, but she really didn’t know what else to do. Her mate pulled her out of her thoughts and back to the bar.

  “Where do you want to sit, Red?” Devon’s whisper against her ear had her shivering. Her worry and her food hunger became secondary to the delicious feelings of seduction cascading up and down her spine and pooling at her core. Devon felt Alexia’s shiver and with a small laugh, his teeth grazed her earlobe. She latched onto him and turned him around roughly, using her newfound wolfy-Skröm strength to give a good tug. She was amazed that, in addition to the strength she’d been building already, the turn into a wolf just a week earlier had already started adjusting her level of strength.

  Devon’s body complied with her strong tug, and before she could make another move, his mouth was on hers, hot and so commanding, she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. It was possible Alexia even forgot her own name for a minute. His hands found her lower back, right above her favorite pair of jeans, and her toes curled at his hand touching her bare skin. She breathed a sigh as he pulled away, and her eyes stayed closed as she rode out the blissful feeling of Devon kissing her. But that was the way their kisses went. Bang! Sexy and beautiful and full of so much promise, she was almost tempted to just do him right there in the bar—

  Fuck! In the bar. In front of people she knew. People she worked with. Alexia opened her eyes one at a time, and Devon had a huge ass smile on his face, full of cheek and smarts. Asshole. He laughed out loud and tugged Alexia toward an open booth. God, she loved his laugh. That booming sound that grabbed her heart with its strong, low note. Even his laugh made her want to throw him against a wall and have her way with him.

  “What can I get you guys?” the waitress asked, a bright smile on her face. She was medium height, maybe 5’5”. Dark hair tipped with white dye at the ends, honey brown eyes, and the longest legs she’d ever seen on someone that short. Alexia held in a growl at the way the waitress was looking at Devon. Her wolf side got a little possessive.

  “Lina? Melina Vargas?” Devon asked, and there was surprise in his voice.

  Alexia watched the woman warily, but after the tough stare from Alexia, the woman had just winked at her. Alexia couldn’t hate someone with that much spunk and positivity. She was new. That was for sure. Alexia hadn’t worked in a few days, and she’d only been doing a couple shifts a week, but she would have noticed this woman hanging around.

  “Hi, Devon,” Melina answered, her gaze averted. Interesting. “I didn’t know if you’d recognize me.”

  “Recognize you? ‘Course I do. Lina, you’re all grown up, but you haven’t changed a bit. You look great. Cam know you’re in town?” Devon asked, casually.

  Melina pursed her lips. “Uh…no. Cam and I lost touch years ago. He had a rough time after you left. You probably already know that we broke up right after he moved in with Danny and Ms. Rios, but no… we haven’t really talked since.”

  Devon was silent for a moment as he digested more news about what his brother had been through when he had left. Alexia touched his forearm in comfort.

  Melina cleared her throat and lifted her chin a little higher before pasting on another bright smile.

  “Melina, this your first day?” Alexia asked, smiling herself and offering encouragement. If she didn’t want to rehash old flames, Alexia totally got that. Cam and Devon had a pretty fucked up history.

  “Lina,” she corrected but smiled big again. The girl sure liked to smile. Her voice faltered as she found Alexia’s eyes, “First week, yes.”

  Alexia had almost forgotten how people reacted to her eyes. With her nice, new wolf senses, she could even smell the fear rolling off Lina. Lovely. Good thing the pretty little waitress moved on quickly. “How’d you guess?”

  “I work here a few shifts a week. Haven’t seen you around,” Alexia said with a shrug. She wasn’t going to break it to the poor woman that she looked like a newbie.

  “Really?” Her face lit up, so hopeful, and Alexia felt like a jerk for being jealous of her not even a minute earlier. “When are you on next? This is my first waitressing gig ever and this place is so overwhelming. I’d really like to talk with someone here, but I don’t know any of the other servers. It’d be great to pick your brain.” She cleared her throat. “You know if you are free and wouldn’t mind giving me some pointers,” she added. She breathed out a sigh, closed her eyes, and Alexia gave her a sideways look. The only thing Alexia could smell was pain from the woman, and what a contrast that was. All pain, but the woman was 100% smiles.

  “Of course. But I’m not on again until Tuesday or Thursday. I can run it by Damon if you want…see if we have a shift together.” Alexia saw a blush touch Lina’s cheeks and she suddenly wanted to give this woman a hug. What about the woman made her seem so confident one moment and so fragile the next? Whatever it was, Alexia was already starting to like her. Lina was charming and sweet, and Alexia could totally help her deal with the Trappe’s crowd.

  “That’d be great, and I’ll talk with Damon, too. Thanks so much!” Lina exclaimed. “So, I’m guessing you know what you want?” She pulled out her pen and the ordering pad. Yep. Newbie.

  “I’ll have a strawberry, banana and spinach smoothie, an order of fries – half sweet potato, half spicy curly fries – and a burger with everything and pepper jack cheese.” Alexia was practically drooling just thinking about the awesomeness she was about to ingest.

  “You gonna eat all that, hon?” Lina asked, eyes rounding.

  “Hell, yes, I am,” Alexia said, entertained by Lina’s reaction. “This guy gave me quite a workout today.” She smiled across the table, and she saw Lina blush. Weird. And then Alexia realized how that had sounded after her and Devon’s entrance kiss, and she blushed as well. Devon laughed and grabbed her hand across the table in solidarity. It was good to see him come
out of the pensive mood the past couple weeks dealing with Cam had put him in. Devon was the glue that seemed to hold everything around him together, but he needed some TLC every once in a while. Alexia gave his hand a squeeze despite her embarrassment.

  “Same for me, but no smoothie,” Devon said. “I’ll have a chocolate and strawberry milkshake and an extra burger.”

  They handed Lina the menus, and she ran off as fast as she could. Alexia might have imagined that. Maybe Lina always had extra energy.

  “Cam’s high school sweetheart?” Alexia asked.

  “Yeah. Something like that,” Devon said. “Didn’t know he broke up with her after I left, though. I sure fucked up a lot of people’s lives.” He looked so angry and bleak at that thought, and Alexia thought back to when Cam had thrown the fact that Devon had left back in his face during the fight in the trailer. Cam sure had a lot of issues to work through, and Alexia would be damned if Devon would pay for any of them any longer.

  “No you didn’t, Devon,” she said, grabbing his hand more securely. “You did what you had to do. You were being abused. You thought Cam would be safe. You did the right thing. Now, you and Cam are healthy, grown adults.” Alexia paused. “Okay, you’re a healthy, grown adult. Cam is a selfish, delusional, asshole, man-child.”