Alpha (2 page)

“Not
big, but definitely bad. Trust me when I tell you that you might be more than
just a little afraid with me behind the wheel.”

“Really?”
He crossed his arms.

It
was obscene how amazing his biceps were and
Lordie
that perfectly
chiseled chest. His build made it hard for her to concentrate on what he was
saying.

“So
you have control issues then?” he continued.

“I
do not.”
What a load of bull.

“Well
if you’re not afraid and you don’t mind taking a back seat, then what is it?”
He uncrossed his arms, and took a step towards her.

 She
had to stop herself from stepping back but only because it scared her how much
closer she wanted to get. Human men were not this…

Alpha
.

So
irresistibly male, it made her mouth water. “It’s just that…well…I like to
drive.”

“Control
issues. Let me guess you’re not good at delegating, are terrible at taking
instructions and have to always be on top.” The end of his sentence came out
sounding so deep, his words rolling over her like warm, melted chocolate.

“Baby
if you’re asking if I’d bend over and just take it from behind, then the answer
is no.” Instead of a smart ass reply like she expected, his nostrils flared and
his jaw tensed up. Maybe she’d gone too far.

“I’m
not asking you to bend over. I’m asking you to let me drive.”

“No!”
She ground out the word before another could take its place. One like
pity
.
Truth was, she’d never allowed a sexual attraction to interfere with a case
before, had never moved in on someone else’s territory, and had never allowed a
man to fully dominate her in the bedroom. Potential danger could be anywhere or
with anyone.
Best you have your back to the wall and your eyes wide open.
Her brother Cole had learned that the hard way by falling for a demon hellion
disguised as a human and he had almost died learning it.

If
staying alive meant that she was a control freak, then so be it.

****

Why
in hounds had he brought up sex?

Her
cheeks had flushed during their battering, reminding him once again of peaches and
cream. Gray wondered if she’d taste as sweet. He almost groaned, would she be
this feisty in bed?

Most
female wolves tended to be timid and submissive. There was the odd exception.
Alisha. His soon to be mate was on the opposite end of that spectrum. So far
right he cringed at the thought of trying to win her. Did he even want to?

Did
he have a choice?

The
pack needed him even if they didn’t know it. Fact was that they were in serious
financial trouble. If Bain wasn’t already dead, he would have killed him all
over again. The drugs, the women, and the gambling had all but crippled the
pack’s resources. They could lose Wilderness. Which was more than just a large
tract of land for them to live on. It was their heritage and the reserve had
belonged to them for as long as the oldest wolf could remember. Wilderness was
their home, their future, their territory. There would be no pack without it.

It
all hung in the balance. What he needed was to buy himself some time so that he
could turn things around and convince the pack he was the right wolf for the
Alpha position. Which meant taking Alisha as his mate.

Tick
tock
.

“We’ll
take the corvette, but I’m driving,” he ground out.

“Nobody
drives my car but me.”

She
took to pouting and he decided he liked the look on her. Adorable came to mind.
“You choose. The bike or the corvette, but I’m driving.”

“Who’s
the control freak now? Listen buddy, you might be the boss around here but
you’re not the boss of me.”

“I
have no problem with you being the boss at least where this investigation is
concerned, as long as I can drive.”

“Deal,”
she said with a slight smile and a glint in her eye.

She
put out her hand and when he shook it, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d made
a pact with the devil herself.

Red
splatters still marked the ground where Brice had been left to die. Bite marks
and scratches had marred her body and her neck had been a bleeding torn up
mess. Gray allowed his senses free rein.
Peaches, soap…
damn he needed to
focus.

“I
did mention that the police have no leads except for the hair, that is, so
let’s hope your wolfie talents can lend us a hand.”

At
least he’d moved up in her books, he’d gone from doggie to wolfie – happy freakin’
days. Gray closed his eyes. He found, by closing off other senses he could hone
in more effectively using others. The crime scene investigators together with
the cops would have done a good job of combing the place for evidence, so he
felt that his best bet would probably be his nose. But that damned scent of
peaches lingered everywhere. It didn’t help that the little Chaser was pacing
up and down the alleyway, trench coat flapping, blond hair flying.

“Ash,
do me a favor and go and stand at the end of the alley please.”

“Why?”

“You’re
distracting me.”

“Distracting
you how?” She moved to stand in front of him, opening her trench coat and
hooking her thumbs into her front jean’s pockets.

Gray
was reminded of a badass gun slinger ready for battle. Except this gun slinger
was as sexy as she was dangerous. Hades help him, but the combination had his
cock twitching. The timing was so off and his reaction so inappropriate that he
said the first thing that came to mind.

“The
only scent I can pick up is of you. Peaches…” The word came out like a
strangled groan and he paused when her mouth hitched into a self-satisfied
smile. Great, now she knew he was attracted to her. “…must be your shampoo or
something but it’s all I smell.” He tried to cover his mistake. “Go and stand
over there.” The last came out gruffer than what he’d intended.

Her
eyes narrowed as she tilted her head. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

This
woman was infuriating. “I’m only going to ask you one more time, if you don’t
move I’ll be forced to physically remove you from this alley.”

“Sounds
kinky.” But she moved back throwing him a naughty grin before turning “You’re
lucky my first priority is to find this killer or I might’ve taken you up on
your offer.”

He
shook his head turning towards the bottle neck end of the alley trying to hide
a smile. Possible death he could handle; the pack’s crippling financial issues,
difficult but not impossible; the little Chaser was a different story all
together, she frightened him more than Alisha ever could and that was saying
something.

****

Ashlyn
ground her boot into the rough asphalt trying not to watch Gray as he moved
around in the alley. The Alpha kept stopping, putting his face up with his eyes
closed. Her adopted brother was an Omega so she’d seen this type of behavior
before. Gray was trying to pick up on a scent. Paint a picture using his nose
was the way Cole would describe it. She still didn’t fully understand wolf
senses, particularly where Omegas or half breeds were concerned, since Cole had
always worn a silver ring which kept his inner demon caged.

With
Gray preoccupied, it gave her a chance to assess things. What was possessing
her to act this way? Maybe she had control issues. So what if she didn’t like
people telling her what to do? But this went beyond that. Flirting, especially
on the job, was not something she did. Yet, she couldn’t seem to help herself
when it came to Gray. Ash could sense in the Alpha, for the first time in all
her twenty nine years, a potential equal and couldn’t help but to test her
theory. Too bad that in just three days he’d belong to someone else.

What
was all that about peaches anyway? She didn’t wear perfume on the job and none
of her shampoo or lotion products smelled remotely of fruit. Had it just been
her imagination or did he actually seem to like the way she smelled? Probably
just really dumb wishful thinking.

Gray
went down on his haunches onto thighs that were made for straddling. Standing
back up in one effortless motion, he waved her over. Every part of her tensed
wanting to do the exact opposite just to see what his reaction would be, but
instead she moved forward.

“A
female wolf didn’t leave Brice’s body. Whatever did is not a human. Although I
do pick up human elements. The only unmistakable scent I get coming through is
of Vibes.”

“Vibes
as in...?”

“It’s
a club here in town. I hope you packed your dancing shoes because we’ll go and
investigate tonight when it opens. Whoever did the dumping was at the club. Maybe
someone will remember something.”

Ashlyn
could see that his mood had lifted. “I know what you’re thinking and you’re
wrong. Something else may have left her here, but a wolf did the deed. We have
the marks on her body – bite marks confirmed to be made by a large wolf, we
have the hair, and don’t forget what Brice said when she briefly gained consciousness.
Two words Gray…”

“I
don’t need reminding”−he raked a hand over his scalp, his shoulders
slumping forward−“she said wolf and woman. AKA female wolf.”

God
she wished she could change the facts. Make the whole wolf link disappear. He
clearly had enough on his plate at the moment. The only thing she could do to
help him was to find the killer and to stop giving him so much shit while she
was doing it. What a pity, she hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.

Dinner
was served in a big outdoor restaurant area complete with salad buffet and lamb
spit. Two large bon fires crackled and fairy lights twinkled in the surrounding
trees.  

Civilized,
yet unmistakably wild.

Her
escort, Phoenix, was everything a woman could hope for in a man. He was tall,
dark, and fell somewhere far beyond attractive and into the realm of Godly. He
was also Gray’s best friend. Besides his amazing good looks, the man was a
lawyer. Brains and brawn, her favorite combination, yet it was all she could do
to keep her eyes from straying to the path that led to Gray’s place.

Where
was he?

Alisha
wasn’t here either. Maybe she had decided that he was the wolf for her after
all, and the two of them were making up somewhere. The thought made her food
stick in her throat and she reached for her glass of water.

They
ate in silence until Phoenix’s plate was clean. Ash pushed hers aside mostly
untouched. “Have you always lived at Wilderness?” she asked.

“Yeah.
We all have our own homes. The kids go to school just like regular children.
Many of us, me included, work in the city. It is very rare for a wolf born on
the reserve to move away, but it does happen. We also have outsiders that join
the pack. Again, it’s a rare occurrence.”

“Have
any strangers joined the pack in recent months?”

“Only
happens if a wolf mates with another pack member. No humans in a long time and
aside from the medical team, you’re probably one of very few humans ever
permitted to enter.”

“Wow.”

The
team was testing the DNA of all the females on the reserve. It was happening
strictly on a voluntary basis and so far just over half of all the female wolves
had come forward. Despite Gray’s urging it didn’t look like they would get many
more volunteers. At least it did narrow the suspect list. Still a lot of maybes
and they couldn’t rule out the possibility, although remote, that the wolf
doing this was from another pack killing in Wilderness territory.

“It’s
a sign of the changing times.” He smiled the kind of smile that would have had
most women clutching at their panties.

The
lawyer was seriously good looking but in a tailored kind of a way. She could
picture him looking dazzling in a suit and tie, but she couldn’t help think
that he lacked that Alpha element. That aura of power and presence that Gray
carried so well. Although the Alpha was not as good looking at least not in the
classic sense, she found Gray infinitely more attractive. But damn it, he was
taken and so she worked harder to concentrate on what Phoenix was saying, tried
harder to stop herself from looking around the clearing.

“How
has the pack taken the change? I mean, they must be happy that a wolf like Gray
has taken over from Bain.” She said the previous Alpha’s name with disgust.
Kidnapping, rape, Bain had been bad news indeed.

It
shocked her when Phoenix barked out a laugh. “Hounds no, he’s an Omega. Even
worse, he was exiled by Bain a year ago when their Mother died, so he’s not
really seen as part of the pack anymore. I’m surprised no one has tried to
challenge him yet. Probably because of the investigation but someone will
soon.”

“Challenge
him…as in fight with him?” A feeling of apprehension rose up at the thought of
Gray in a confrontation with another wolf.

Ash
had been with the Demon Control Agency her whole life, her family were all
Chasers, so she knew quite a bit about the different demon species and their
cultures. Some of them were deadly, it was up to the Demon Control Agents known
as Chasers to keep the peace and to protect the existence of demons from
humans.

The
wolves had long ago proved that they could self-govern themselves, so the
agency had created an agreement with them, which they sometimes did with amicable
species, to save time and resources. The Alphas were in charge and generally
ran the packs with iron fists. Although wolves were extremely strong and could
be quite aggressive, they usually kept to themselves, indiscretions or rogues
were dealt with quickly and discretely. As a result, she found herself knowing
very little about wolf cultures and Lores. Her brother was a half wolf but he
had been raised by her family from a tiny baby.

“Yeah
as in fight with him.” Phoenix’s words snapped her out of her thoughts. He
continued, “I’m afraid that some of our Lores are a bit vulgar but we are wolves
after all. No weapons allowed, just good old fashioned canines and claws. The
survivor either remains or becomes the Alpha.” He was so irritatingly casual as
he dealt out Gray’s potential fate.

“Survivor
as in fight to the death?” Her words came out sounding panicked and she fought
to control the fear that suddenly crept up out of nowhere.

“Yeah.
It’s not easy being top dog I’m afraid. There were those…”

But
Gray was an Omega. Only half demon. Which meant… “Please tell me these little
testosterone battles take place during a full moon only.” She may not know much
about demon wolves but she did know that Omegas, unlike full demon wolves,
couldn’t just change whenever they felt like it.

“Any
time. Anywhere. No weapons. No assistance. Winner takes all.”

No.
No. No.

“…but
Gray can only change during a full moon. He’s a sitting duck between cycles.”
She must have looked a complete mess because Phoenix reached over and touched
her hand.

“No
one has tried yet because of this whole investigation, maybe he’ll get lucky. Out
of all the Omegas out there I’d put money on Gray having the most chance at
survival. I think that the right term is street smart which Gray has in droves.”

“Still,”
she looked away, her mind in turmoil. Gray was a sitting duck. No wonder he’d
asked Phoenix to take care of her
no matter what
. She’d wrongly thought
he was referring to her attitude meanwhile…

The
moment Gray walked in a hush fell over the crowd. It was soon followed by an elevated
noise as the pack whispered behind their hands. Ash noticed a large rugged
looking man step forward, another wolf put out a hand to stop him. The two
exchanged words, the big wolf finally nodded, relaxing back against the wall, his
face still stern
. A possible challenger?
Again, the crowd fell silent as
Alisha swept in. She might be a wolf but her oval green eyes were all cat. As
beautiful as what they were cold. A shiver crawled up Ash’s spine.

The
female wolf was wearing an elegant wrap around dress. The fiery red garment
worked well with her olive skin and the neckline dipped low barely containing
lush breasts. Every male eye in the room followed her as she walked.

“I
don’t know what it is they all see,” Phoenix chuckled, “besides the obvious of
course and if you ask me big boobs are overrated.”

She
could have kissed him right there and then, but he continued.

“I
feel sorry for Gray. He should be more afraid of her than of any challenge that
comes his way. I swear she’ll kill him in his sleep.”

“Do
you think it might be her responsible for these murders?”
A lady could hope.

“What
and break a claw?” Phoenix laughed.

Although
she found him funny, she could barely muster a smile, which very nearly turned
into a sob when she saw Gray walking over to Alisha’s table.
Lordie
,
he’d dished a plate of food for the female wolf. So sweet. No man had ever done
anything so romantic for her. There was something about the gesture she found
touching more so than flowers or chocolates. This was him publically…

Alisha
knocked the food from his hand. With lightning quick reflexes, Cole caught the plate
before it could crash to the ground but the damage was already done.

Alisha
stood, eyes blazing. “If you knew anything about me, you’d know I don’t eat
carbs and I don’t care for mongrels. Even if they do imagine themselves to be
the Alpha,” she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. There were a few
snickers but mostly just silence.

Gray
pulled back his broad shoulders, narrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
“Alisha, I’m warning you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“You’re
warning me?” She poked him in the chest with one of her talons.

Gray
looked down at her finger and growled. Shivers rushed up Ash’s spine at the menacing
sound.

Alisha
took a small step back. “Why is no one doing anything about this?”

Was
it Ash’s imagination or had the female wolf glanced over at the big man that
had attempted to walk towards Gray minutes earlier?

“This”−
she snorted−“joke of a wolf doesn’t deserve to be Alpha.”

“Three
days Alisha it’s happening so deal with it,” Gray retorted on a snarl.

“I
would expect no less from a mangy dog.”

She
turned and walked away, hips swaying, all her composure had returned. It wasn’t
Ash’s imagination when the big man followed her seconds later.

It
took guts for Gray to square his big shoulders and walk back and dish a plate
of his own. The Alpha’s eyes darted around the clearing, lingering on many of
the males in their prime. He was standing his ground, almost welcoming a
challenge he could sorely afford. Awesome, now she could add guilt to the top
of her list of emotions. Gray would have had to endure ridicule and derogatory
name calling his whole life. For no other reason than his father was a human.
She’d been calling him names like doggie and puppy all day. From now on she’d
be nothing but nice and agreeable. Gray deserved no less.