Alarik (A Rogue Enforcers Novella)

by Tracie Douglas

  She nods and looks at him like he asked the dumbest question on the planet, which irked him. His bear, on the other hand, was much closer to the surface now and enthralled with bit of sass peeking through. “I’m not a moron.”

  “Noted.” Alarik reaches down to fiddle with something, trying to busy himself. She takes a step closer and he can feel her lean over to watch what he was doing. Her scent is stronger with the simple movement, nearly driving his bear wild. He stands, pushing her back a step, but she’s careful to keep the umbrella over both their heads. “When was the last time you had your engine service?”

  “Um, er—I don’t know. My dad usually takes care of all of that.”

  Fuck, no. She’s a Daddy’s girl, he points out to his grizzly, but his bear simply rolls his eyes.

  “I’m not able to tell for sure—”

  Liar, his bear chuckles, because Alarik already knows what’s wrong with her car. It needs to be turned into scrap metal.

  “But it looks like you might have cracked your radiator.”

  “Shit, is that going to be expensive?” she asks. Alarik turns away as her tongue darts out to capture her lower lip in between her teeth.

  We like her, his bear grunts with excitement.

  No, we don’t, Alarik argues with him.

  She’s ours. His bear stands firm on this.

  No, she’s not. She can’t be. She’s not like us. It’s not unheard to have a human as a shifters’ mate, there is no law about it. Sometimes after the animals marks it’s mate, that mate will shift.

  No matter. She’s ours.

  “I’m going to have to order the parts for it and that could take a couple of days,” he grits with annoyance, slamming down the hood of the car. He steps out from under the umbrella and walks around the passenger side of her car. “Do you need to get anything out of your car?”

  “Just my purse and my phone.” She follows close behind him. He turns toward her, takes the umbrella and opens the car door as she steps around him. His jaw tightens as she ducks down and he catches the scent of jasmine again.

  Oh yes, she’s ours, his bear roars, rippling just under the surface of Alarik’s skin.

  She pops up with her purse in hand and looks at him. He meets her gaze, catching her violet-colored eyes and freezes in place. He never seen eyes that color before.

  Holy shit.

  She blinks, and he watches as her pupils elongate and her eyes turn iridescent green. Alarik’s breath catches in his chest as the world shifts under his feet and his bear roars deep inside his chest.

  Son of a bitch, he mutters in disbelief.

  She’s a shifter, both he and his bear say at the same time.

  Reaghan blinks again and her eyes return to normal.

  “What are you?” he blurts—but he doesn’t need an answer, not really. His time as an Enforcer taught him the signs of this specific type of shifter, and though he’d never met one in person, he knows his gut instinct is right.

  She has no scent. His bear points his nose up and sniffs again to be sure.

  “Excuse me?” Her face drops to her covered hands. He tilts his head to study her. Her kind is rare. Her kind is hunted. So, it’s natural for her to hide what she is from him. But she doesn’t act like her kind.

  Maybe she doesn’t know, his bear offers and Alarik chews the thought for a moment. Her animal could be suppressed.

  That’s not something unheard of in his world but he’s never met a shifter who didn’t know what they were. Even if her animal was suppressed, she’d have to take the tonic knowingly. Unless it’s been forced upon her without her knowledge. Regardless, something doesn’t quite add up here, but there’s something about her and the way she holds herself that makes him believe she has no idea what is inside of her.

  Or she could be hiding what she is because of her rarity, his bear adds, trying to reason with Alarik’s logic.

  “I mean, your name. What is your name?” He recovers and takes a step back to give her some space. If she is hiding what she is, it’s best not to push her for information.

  “Reaghan,” she whispers before looking up at him with guarded eyes.

  Beautiful, his bear almost purrs.

  “Reaghan,” he murmurs, testing the sound of it on his lips and liking the it a little too much. “I’m Alarik. Let’s get you in the truck while I get your car hitched up.”

  She nods, and this time he notices her small body shiver as a breeze picks up. Late fall in this area can be cold, and her lack of clothing proves she isn’t from around these parts, but her gloved hands confuses him.

  Maybe she has a thing about germs?

  She tucks her hair behind her ears, avoiding his gaze again as he turns away and heads toward the truck. Alarik opens the passenger door, offering a hand to help her climb up into the rig. She glances around as she takes it and pulls herself up.

  “Storm’s almost over.” He shakes his head because the rain has finally begun to let up. “I’m going to pull the truck around, but it won’t take but a few moments to secure your vehicle and get back to the shop.”

  He closes the door and drags in a deep breath, searching for air that doesn’t contain the scent of jasmine in it. As much as Alarik wants to ignore the woman in his truck, there’s no way his bear is going to let him.

  Whatever is going on with her doesn’t matter, because Alarik’s going to make sure she leaves their little town safely.

  Reaghan jerks awake as Alarik pulls into the parking lot of the garage. The dark windows of the shop remind her of the late hour, and she drags in a breath. She must’ve have fallen asleep sometime after climbing into the cab.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid, she chastises herself for being so careless with her safety. But there was something about it, about him, that put her at ease. It was a feeling she’d only experienced with two other people and that was sixteen years ago.

  “Where are we?” she asks while rubbing a hand down her face.

  “My shop,” he answers before killing the engine.

  “I mean, what town? I need to call a cab and find a motel.” She reaches inside her purse and pulls out her phone.

  “We’re in Eileen, but there’s no need,” he says before pointing to the little cottage across the street. Reaghan spots a soft glow in the front window. “Our local bed and breakfast. I’ve already called, and Isla is waiting for you to check-in.”

  “Oh,” she whispers in the dark cab, wondering how long she’d been out.

  “You were sleeping pretty hard over there,” he explains, answering her unspoken question. He opens the door of the cab, light flooding the area, and it takes everything in her to keep from gasping at the sight of him.

  Sweet baby Jesus, the man sitting next to her was nothing like she remembered. Then again, she’d barely seen him as he stood over the engine of her car with his flashlight in hand. Her imagination had created the rest, but it had him all wrong.

  She knew he was a big man the moment she saw him standing outside her car window—what she hadn’t figured what how gorgeous the man was.

  And he was gorgeous, like sex on a stick, fuck me until I can’t breathe gorgeous.

  If she’s honest, he’s much bigger than she remembered too. Don’t fuck with me big.

  The first thing she notices is the color of his eyes; dark brown with flecks of gold woven into the dark irises. She’d never seen such detail before, it was mesmerizing. His muddy brown hair needed a trim, but it framed his face with finesse, like he had simply rolled out of bed and ran his hand through it.

  “Thank you,” she whispers, feeling a tingle throughout her body.

  Mine, a voice inside of her shouts. But she takes a deep breath and pushes the thought aside.

  No fucking way, this man is a stranger! She corrects her thoughts.

  “I’ll walk you over to Isla’s,” he tells her, breaking into her thoughts and exiting the truck. She watches him in a haze of thoughts as he walks around the front of the vehicle and o
pens her door. The effect he has on her causes every cell in her body to become alert to his every move.

  Her haze continues as they cross the street and enter the small cottage. The smell of cinnamon and apples fills her senses as a petite woman with long brown hair greets them with a smile. The cottage was cozy and inviting, with antique furniture throughout, fresh flowers on every surface, and quaint little doilies, reminding her of the home she grew up in and the parents she’s suddenly missing.

  “I was beginning to wonder if you two had gotten swept away with the water,” she chuckles and crosses the room toward him. Stopping in front of them, she lifts on her to tiptoes and places a kiss on Alarik’s cheek.

  “I know it breaks your heart, but you’re not gonna get that lucky, Ma.” Alarik smiles down at her with kind eyes.

  “You knock that off,” she scolds and swats him on the arm in a playful manner. “By the way, Thalia stopped by earlier looking for you.”

  “Ma, this is Reaghan, the woman I told you about.” Alarik frowns, ignoring his mother as he turns toward Reaghan. “This is my mother, Isla, she’s gonna set you up with a room for the night. I’ll come by sometime tomorrow morning with information about your car. Get some rest.”

  Reaghan nods, but before she can open her mouth to thank him, he’s already out the door. She watches him as the warmth that had filled her chest moments ago fades away.

  “That boy is nothing but a pain in my ass.” Isla chuckles and shakes her head, but Reaghan’s still watching the door. Reaghan wondered if most women looked at Alarik the way she is, not that she has any business lusting after the man. He’s out of her league.

  “Huh?” Reaghan snaps out of her trance and quickly apologizes. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day and I’ve been on the road for hours.”

  “Don’t worry, I know my boy is quite a looker.” She chuckles, seeing right through her, before turning more serious. “Let’s get you checked in and settled.” She crosses the room, stopping in front of an old mahogany table. She opens a large book and hands a pen to Reaghan. “What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

  “I’m passing through actually,” Reaghan explains as she takes the pen and begins fill out a guest registry form. She feels the air grow thick around her. She looks up at Isla, and for a moment, she watches as the woman’s gray eyes turn completely dark.

  What the fuck?

  Reaghan blinks and shakes her head, trying to clear it. She’s been driving for two days, surely the exhaustion is playing with her mind and has her hallucinating things.

  “Really?” Isla asks and shrugs her shoulders. “There’s not a whole lot past this little town.”

  She knows Isla’s right, but it was the closest place on the map to her intended destiny. “I’m actually looking for some information about a place not too far from here.”

  Isla frowns and tilts her head, “Well, darlin’, I don’t expect you’ll find a lot of folks with any information to give you here round these parts.”

  “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind while I’m here,” she states, ignoring the woman’s warning. She doesn’t care what people are and aren’t willing to tell her. She’d get the information she was looking for one way or another, whether they help her or not.

  She’s too close to stop now.

  Chapter Two

  “I told you,” Alarik grits between his teeth, trying to keep his patience with his mother. She’s been nagging him since his father died, three years ago, to take his role in their bear clan seriously. “I’m not the alpha they are looking for.”

  “You’re the alpha born for them,” she insists, reminding him for the millionth time of his birthright.

  It’s not that Alarik, firstborn son of Ian Murray, the former Alpha, didn’t care about the group of bears he was supposed to lead. Because he did care. So much so, he believed he would never be able to fill the shoes of the greatest alpha they ever had.

  His father.

  But there was more to it than that.

  Alarik has always wanted more than he was destined for. He had dreams outside the clan. Dreams of becoming an Enforcer with the Blood and Bone Motorcycle Club. It was an exclusive group who policed the shifter world and only took the best of the best into its ranks.

  For as long as Alarik could remember, he talked wildly about this dream, and while many in the clan chastised him for the foolish thoughts, his father did not. In fact, when it became time to apply, it was Ian who helped him train for tryouts. It was Ian who taught him to hone his special talent as an Enforcer. It was his father who praised him and celebrated when Alarik was invited to join the Blood and Bone.

  With his father’s blessing, Alarik left the clan to live his dream.

  “The clan is suffering,” Isla softens her voice before taking a deep breath.

  “The clan is fine,” he clips before turning his attention back to the custom motorcycle he’s been building for the last six months. Not that he’s needed six months to build it. Every shifter has some kind of special talent, and his happens to be mechanics. He can build and diagnose any vehicle or weapon with his eyes closed, and shifters come from far and wide to have his expertise under the hood of their vehicles.

  As an Enforcer with Red Dice, he worked behind the scenes and built many of the weapons and vehicles the group used to hunt down their targets. He wasn’t put on the frontlines often and that bothered him, because as a grizzly bear, he had the power and strength in his animal form to take down almost any threat.

  “There’s been talk of making Kane the alpha, and many of the elders are ready to support it.” She takes the wrench from his hand, pulling his attention back to her. “Look, I get it, this isn’t your dream come true, but your time as an Enforcer is over. It’s time to stop acting like a child and become the man you were meant to be.”

  She’s right and he knows it. His mother has spent the last three years trying her hardest to hold the clan together while giving her son the time he’s needed to come to terms his destiny. But Alarik was felt like there was something more out in the world for him.

  Something bigger than being the pack’s alpha. Which is why he always fought his mother on the subject.

  “Kane will make a great alpha,” he admits, but the words leave a foul taste in his mouth. It’s not that Alarik doesn’t like Kane, but rather it's his bear who doesn’t like the idea of following another.

  Kane’s father, Deacon, was Alarik’s father’s omega. It’s always been a Murray who leads and a Grady who serves as his right hand. So according to clan tradition, Kane is meant to be Alarik’s omega.

  I will not follow him, his bear growls just under the surface of his skin. He isn’t happy with Alarik and hasn’t been since he returned to Eileen. He believes Alarik is acting like a petulant child and sides with Isla on the matter. We are meant to lead. Not follow.

  “He is not a Murray.” She glares at him like she used to do when he pushed past her limit of bullshit as a kid. “It’s always been a Murray at the head.”

  “Guess it’s a good thing I’m not the only Murray that can lead,” I drawl, referring to my younger brother Everik and my cousins Zavian and Zachary.”

  “Why are you being so stubborn about this?” she asks, but he ignores the question and takes back the wrench. “Is this about the Enforcer thing again?”

  Yes. His bear rolls his eyes because he’s over it already, including Alarik’s pouting.

  Shut it, Alarik snaps back, making his grizzly growl in response, not happy in the least with him.

  “I don’t understand.” His mother throws her hands up in the air. “You got to live that dream, son—”

  “Enough,” Alarik interrupts harshly, his emotions getting the better of him, and he watches Isla flinch as he uses the alpha ability to silence her. He knows he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t go through this again right now. They’ve been there more times than he cared to count. “This is not the time—”

  “Don’t you dare,”
she rounds before stepping up to him and poking him hard in the chest. “I’m your mother and you will not abuse your alpha abilities on me.” She drags in a deep breath and releasing it with the shake her head. Alarik looks away, unable to take the disappointment in her eyes. “This cannot keep up. You cannot continue to shirk your responsibilities, while the clan lives without a leader. I’m glad your father isn’t here to witness this.”

  “Dad was the only one who got it, who understood what if felt like to want something you can never have.” He throws his hands out, needing her to try and understand him. She got a choice in her destiny. He didn’t and neither did his father.

  “But you did have it, Alarik. Even if it was only for a short time. Your father made sure you had it and he supported you because he knew one day, you’d do the right thing.”

  He wants to argue with her, to prove his point, but she’s right. His father was a great man, who expected a lot of Alarik, but he always stepped in to make sure his son’s life was filled with more than what he was destined for. Now he’s gone and so is the buffer Alarik spent his life counting on.

  This isn’t how Alarik planned on spending his morning, arguing with his mother. But the moment he spotted her crossing the street as he was wrapping up Reaghan’s car, he knew he was in for it.

  “You’re not giving up who you are to follow this path,” his mother explains with sadness in her eyes. He knew didn’t fully understand his hesitation until this moment, but he also understands she knows the responsibility well, as her life was built around her husband’s role. “I know you don’t believe me. You think I chose this life as an alpha’s mate, but I didn’t. I loved your father with every fiber of my being, but I didn’t always love the responsibility we had to the clan. And there were moments when your father didn’t either, but watching our numbers grow and seeing our child safe, made those moment of doubt and struggle worth it.”

  His shoulders slump forward as his leans against the brick wall behind him. He studies ground at his feet, trying not to let the power of her words affect him. But it’s no use. They do affect him.