“But she already had a mate—”
“They killed your father for this reason. The man who wanted your mother couldn’t claim her his mate as she was already another’s,” he pauses, letting the words sink in. “I’m almost positive they didn’t know of your existence.”
“Am I safe?”
“Here with me you are,” he tells her, and he means it. He will do whatever it takes to make sure of it. “You are my mate, Rea. Nothing will harm you as long as I draw breath in my lungs, and when the time is right, I will claim you.”
“Do I get to claim you too?”
“Yes.” He presses a kiss to her hair, and she sighs, relaxing into him.
“Alarik, will you take me back to the inn now?” she asks with a yawn, before burrowing deeper against his chest and promptly falling asleep.
He looks down at his mate wrapped in his arms and takes a moment to truly appreciate her stunning beauty and strength. The way she’s handled everything today has been impressive, but he isn’t surprised it’s exhausted her.
He sits a few moments longer before gathering her up and carrying her to his truck. She sleeps the entire way back to the inn, and though he contemplates taking her back to his place, but he wants to take things slow. At least for now.
Like the night before, his mother is waiting for them, but this time things are vastly different. She walks down the hallway with him, as he carries Reaghan to her room, and waits patiently as he tucks his mate into bed. He tucks a stray hair away from her face and drags her scent into his lungs for the last time tonight before leaving her to rest.
As the last twenty-fours play back in his mind, there are two things Alarik is absolutely sure of tonight: he can’t protect her alone and he can’t abandon the clan. For the first time in his life, his path is clear, and he makes the decision he’s been avoiding for the better part of his life.
His conversation with his mother this morning made him realize he never truly intended to walk away from his responsibility as the alpha. But it wasn’t until Reaghan walked into his life that he understood that the empty hole in his chest, the one that held him back, was because he needed his mate by his side. The idea of leading his people and protecting them from the dangers the world presented suddenly felt bearable.
“Call the elders,” he tells his mother, and he watches her thoughts flit across her face. He’s surprised her. “Tell them I’m ready. I want it done as soon as possible.”
“They’ll interfere if they believe you’re doing this for an outsider.” She doesn’t hold back, expressing her first thought.
“She isn’t an outsider,” he replies quietly. “She’s my mate.”
“Alarik,” she whispers letting her emotions play into her eyes. Joy. Worry. Fear. He sees it all and expected nothing less from the woman gave him life. Alarik always walked to the beat of his own drum, and he knows taking Reaghan as his mate goes against clan traditions, but he also knows finding his mate is a rare thing for an alpha—for any shifter, really. “But Thalia—"
She starts but Alarik is quick to explain and defend if he must. “Thalia knows. She was never right for me. I have faith she’ll find a mate worthy of her.”
She nods because she has witnessed how much he struggled to connect with Thalia in the beginning. When he came back from his time as an Enforcer, he stopped trying because he was tired of trying to force a square peg into a round hole.
“You need to get on board with that, Ma.” He runs a hand through his hair before settling his eyes on her again. “I know you love Thalia, and you want her for me—”
“She isn’t your mate.” It’s a simple statement, but coming from her, he knows she gets it. She has the same thing with his father. “But I don’t think you understand what you’re going against. Kane may reject your dominance still. He’s been working with that slug Stanley to dig up something against you to bring to the elders.”
“I know about Kane,” he admits with a sigh. She’s right though. If Kane doesn’t accept Alarik’s birthright, it could divide the clan. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a talk with him. They will accept me as their alpha and they will accept Reaghan as my mate. I have no doubt this is my future.”
“You sound like your father,” she smiles. Alarik takes his mother’s hand and places a kiss on it. “I wish he was here to see you finally become the man he knew you would be.”
“He is here. He’s always here. Can’t you feel him?”
She nods as tear falls from her blue eyes, and Alarik pulls her in for a hug, letting the memory of his father guide him through the next part of his life.
He will lead his people. He will make his father proud. He will protect his mate.
He is the alpha.
Chapter Seven
Stanley’s phone rings and it takes everything in him not to dance with glee. He’s been waiting all day for this call.
“Hello?” He answers it a little too excitedly, so he checks himself and swallows his emotions down.
Keep it together, he tells himself and his bear rolls his eyes.
“You’re going to get us killed,” Stanley’s bear warns him for the thousandth time since coming up with his plan to get rid of Alarik and his dragon.
“Stanley St. Clare?”
“Yes,” he whispers hoarsely.
“Name is Roman Delgado. A buddy of mine said you might have some information about a female dragon?”
“Yes,” he replies, this time sounding more confident and less giddy. “Her name is Reaghan McAlister, and she’s staying at the Big Bear Inn in Eileen.”
“Interesting,” Delgado murmurs. “And how do you know what she is?”
Shit, Stanley curses because the man has asked him a question he doesn’t have an answer for. Think stupid, think!
“Dead,” his bear mutters.
“I don’t understand,” he chokes out, because his brain is suddenly filled with fear.
“Stanley, I don’t like repeating myself. Makes me think you’re not being honest with me.” Delgado’s voice turns cold, freezing the blood in Stanley’s veins. “If you’re fucking with me, Stanley St. Clare, perhaps I should send one of my guys to teach you a lesson.”
“No, don’t do that,” he whines, shivering at the thought of a hunter coming after him. “The town—”
“Shut up, dumb fuck,” his bear roars, cutting himself off because he was about to turn in the entire town to a group of hunters. Which isn’t what Stanley initially planned to do, but then again, he didn’t plan to have his own life threatened either.
“He will come after us if I don’t tell him everything,” he argues.
“You tell him about the clan, and we will never be safe. Alarik and Kane—”
“Will be dead. Along with the rest of them,” he cuts in making his decision final and ignoring his bear’s further pleas.
“The town is a shifter haven,” he tells the man, closing his eyes as he spills every secret he’s known about the people he’s grown to hate over the years. “The alpha is a man named Alarik Murray.”
Fuck them all, he thinks to himself. They never accepted Stanley anyway. He was the bastard, and though his mother struggled to give him a decent life, the clan made it clear he would always be considered an outsider. As far as Stanley was concerned, this was sweet justice, and he’d gladly watch the entire town burn.
From a safe distance, of course.
Chapter Eight
Reaghan spent the morning with Isla, filling in the holes of her memories and asking the last few questions she had about her new world. The woman greeted her with hot coffee and a dazzling smile as she exited her room, something she wasn’t expecting. Not that Isla’s been cold toward her, exactly. Quite the opposite, and more so this morning.
Reaghan learned a lot about Alarik through his mother as well. About his time as an Enforcer and the event that led to his return. It broke her heart to know his dream was shattered during a freak explosion but entwined with that emotion was
a gratefulness she couldn’t help feeling. Fate had a bigger plan for him because it brought him home—and eventually it brought them together.
If he hadn’t come home, they might not have ever met.
Talking about him was proving to be difficult for her because it made the pull to him stronger and harder to fight. But eventually, she had to excuse herself from Isla and make her way across the street. She needed to see him and hear his voice.
Now as she enters through one open bay door, she scans the area for Alarik. She gets the sense he is near, but he’s nowhere in sight.
“He’s out back still.” Reaghan hears the deep voice before noticing a man lying on his back under a green truck. He rolls out with a smile on his face. It’s the same guy from yesterday. He pulls himself off the ground and offers her a greasy hand that he wiped with a towel tied at his waist. “I’m Everik.”
“I’m Reaghan.” She takes his hand without hesitation. Before yesterday she wouldn’t have dreamed of touching him without her gloves.
“Damn, my brother always gets the pretty ones,” Everik chuckles, trying to tease her.
“Oh, um—thanks?” she replies, unsure what he meant, but mostly because she’s not used to anyone calling her pretty. Her need to keep her hands covered kept people at a distance.
“If you’re looking for Alarik,” he tells her and points toward a door in the back corner. “Go out that way and swing a right.”
“Thank you.” She nods and heads out the door without looking back. Her thoughts are on the man who’s turned her life upside down, and her need to be near him. She turns right like Everik instructed her to do and spots Alarik instantly. Her dragon sings deep inside her chest but stops momentarily at the sight of another.
He matches Alarik’s size, but not his looks, though he’s handsome in his own right, Reaghan found him a bit intimidating. They seem to be in a heated discussion, one where the man seems to yield to her mate.
“You mate is an alpha,” her dragon tells her with great pride. “That man is his second, the omega.”
“I was wrong,” the man says in a deep gruff voice. “I didn’t think you wanted your birthright and I wanted what’s right for the clan.”
“How was organizing a rebellion against the clan right? How was it really what they needed?” Alarik asks through gritted teeth. He’s angry at the man but Reaghan can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s also understanding of his actions.
“It wasn’t.”
“You’ve put us all in danger by giving that rat the fire to burn the entire town to the ground.” He steps forward, pushing the man back a step. “Kane, why would you do something so thoughtless?”
“I believed I would be a better leader—”
“Some leader,” Alarik cuts in, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “I don’t understand why our parents didn’t deal with this fool before, but I’m sure as hell going to do it now.”
“I can stop him—he listens to me,” Kane insists as he attempts to redeem himself.
“No, it’s best I handle this,” he clips, reining in his frustration. “Look, I known you’ve been unhappy with me for a while, but it goes much deeper than all this. We were raised to lead this clan together, Kane. I cannot lead without you by my side and right now, I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“We were raised to hate each other—”
“No, I never hated you. I loved you like a brother—”
“You left us,” Kane shouts at his alpha, unleashing his frustration on Alarik in one fell swoop. Alarik takes a step back as Kane drives his point home. “You walked away from us and when it was time—when we needed you most—you spit in our faces and turned your back. You talk about trust, but how can we trust that you will do right by us?”
“You’re right.” Alarik sighs hoarsely and rakes his hand through his hair. Reaghan watches as the words knock the wind out of Kane. The last thing Kane expected was his alpha to admit fault. “I did all of that but no more.”
“No more now that you need us to protect your bitch—” Kane doesn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before Alarik moves suddenly on him. It happened so quickly she wasn’t sure she could believe her eyes, but suddenly there was huge grizzly pinning Kane to the ground. He roars loudly in the man’s face, making him press himself flat against the ground beneath him. The bear’s teeth rest inches away from ripping out the man’s throat, and Reaghan can take no more.
“Stop it,” she shouts while taking a step forward, causing the bear and Kane to turn their heads in her direction. The bear recognizes her instantly and releases his hold on Kane. She moves cautiously around the large animal to offer a hand to Kane, who blinks up at her in confusion with a snarl on his lips. He doesn’t want her help.
The bear, who Reaghan is pretty sure is Alarik, growls at him, warning Kane to be on his best behavior, but he still refuses her hand. Reaghan realizes she must diffuse the situation and straightens her back. She gives him space, respecting his choice, and moves closer to Alarik. She is a stranger to this man and cannot fault his lack of trust in her.
Kane sits up, watching the way she threads her fingers through Alarik’s golden brown fur. It’s clear her lack of fear amazes him, almost as much as her ability to calm the rage Alarik was inches away from taking out on him.
“How did you do that?” he asks seconds before a dawning realization hits him and Alarik shifts back into his human form. Kane watches as his alpha wraps Reaghan in his arms and places a kiss on the top of her head. Reaghan realizes he’s naked but she shuts down her body, promising to react to the beauty of his naked form after the seriousness of this moment has passed. He needs her to show strength in this moment and not his lust.
“She’s your mate.” His voice is filled with disbelief. Alarik releases her and offers a hand to Kane. He takes it, feeling even more of a fool than he did before. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
“I’ve spent my life hating my birthright and a week ago, I would have happily passed it onto you. But then she came into my life and everything made sense,” Alarik says, pulling the man up to his feet. “I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m meant to do. I will spend the rest of my life leading this clan and I will do it with her at one side and you at the other.”
Kane studies him carefully, trying to decide if Alarik is sincere in his conviction. It’s clear to her that he’s not used to seeing this side of Alarik, and he wants to believe him. She could tell that deep down, Kane wants what is right for the clan, and though he once believed he was what was right, he understands he was wrong. It was always supposed to Alarik.
“What do you say, brother?” Alarik offers him an olive branch, putting aside the betrayal Kane exposed to him moments ago. It was clear he came to Alarik seeking forgiveness. “Will you be my rightful omega?”
Another moment passes before Kane offers his hand to Alarik, who takes it and nods. “It would be an honor.”
“Will you accept Reaghan as my mate?”
Kane turns to her and hangs his head. Reaghan understand his hesitation and maybe even his hatred toward her, but she does hope one day he will see her differently. During her search for the truth about herself she had hoped to find a place where she belonged. This place, this town, standing beside her mate, is it.
When Kane finally looks up at her, he stretches out a hand, shocking Reaghan. She didn’t expect this from him yet. She expected it would take time, but buried deep in his eyes, she sees a glimmer of respect and a dash of hop. She takes his hand. “Yes, I will accept her as your mate.”
Alarik claps his omega on the back and smiles. “Excellent. Now leave us brother, because I’m cold and would like to put on some clothes.”
Reaghan blushes, realizing for the first time since his shift that Alarik is stark naked.
And holy shit, he’s all man.
And the things that knowledge does to her don’t bear repeating.
Chapter Nine
Alarik pulls his
mate into the small fifth wheel he’s called home for the last three years, needing to be alone with her in the small space. It’s in no way suitable for more than one person, but he never thought he’d need something bigger.
“So, this is where you live?” she asks, while studying various objects throughout the room, like she’s trying to get a sense of him. When in fact, it’s clear she’s trying to avoid looking at his nakedness. Her shyness has his cock’s attention and it takes everything in him to control the urge to show her just what she’s doing to him.
“For the time being,” he murmurs and reaches for a pair of jeans to pull on, adjusting his hardness before zipping up. He feels her eyes on him as he buttons his jeans. They’re wandering along the bare skin of his chest, studying the lean muscle of his arms and he watches as her lips part and her breathing hitches in response to his form. He liked having her eyes on him. “When I came back from my time as an Enforcer, I spent a lot of time in the garage, tinkering away at whatever I could get my hands on. I parked this back here because most nights I’d work until I could hardly see straight, and my desk chair grew uncomfortable pretty fast.”
“Isla told me about the Enforcers, and your time with them. I’m sorry your dream was cut short.” She crosses the room, closing the distance between them. It’s not surprising his mother talked to her about him and his life before. It’s what she did and to be honest, it hasn’t always been the easiest moment in his life to talk about.
His mom paving the path to that made it a lot easier on him.
“I’m not.” He pulls her to him, and she lifts her hands to place them on his chest. Her touch is electric, making him uncomfortably hard. “Fate had another plan for me. A better one.”
He leans down, touching his forehead to hers as he drags in a breath, enveloping himself in the scent of jasmine. Seconds turns into minutes, and minutes into hours until he can take the anticipation no more.
Alarik (A Rogue Enforcers Novella) Page 6