AlphavsAlpha (6 page)

No, this way was best. He’d forget her easily enough, even
though she’d never forget him. She eased open the office door and stepped into
his secretary’s office, crossed that room and cracked open the door into the
hall. She could hear voices, but only a few. It was after 6 p.m. so only the
most dedicated or most trod-upon employees were still here. She only hoped that
she’d be able to get into her
own
offices because Lea usually left at
5:30. And as pissed as she’d been, Serena could imagine her taking great
pleasure and in locking Serena out.

She slipped silently down the hall, carrying Damien’s
clothes. It would take him awhile to find replacements unless he shifted.
Serena held back a sigh. Whether she got into her offices or not, she’d
probably have to shift to get home. She looked into the reception area and into
the hall by the elevator. It was deserted. She ducked out and pressed the
elevator button. Serena bit her lip and prayed that when the doors opened the
elevator would be empty, because explaining her lack of clothing could present
a problem. The elevator binged and the doors opened. Empty! Finally things were
going her way. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now she just had to worry about
someone getting on before she got to her floor. She pushed the button and
huddled into the corner, praying desperately for a quick descent.

Luck was with her and she made it to her floor with no
stops. The hallway outside of the office was silent. She ducked over to the
door to find it locked. She swore. Lea would have set the alarm, so if she
broke in, she’d soon have visitors. She looked around the room and saw a light
under a door. She almost screamed with relief when she saw Lea coming out of
her office, obviously ready to head out for the night. Serena knocked on the
glass and Lea nearly jumped on the table. Flighty cat.

Lea crossed the room and let her in. “Where the hell have
you been? I’ve been waiting!”

“Where do you think?”

“You were having sex this whole time?”

“No, after some really great sex, we both fell asleep. Of
course, I wasn’t going anywhere anyway at that point.” Serena shrugged as she
went into her office and turned on the light. She breathed a sigh of relief.
From here, she could manage.

“Why not?” Lea asked as she followed her.

“We got locked together then the bastard fell asleep on top
of me.”

Serena shook her head, trying to feel disgust. She had to
admit she hadn’t slept that well in a long time. It felt right to have him
locked inside her while he cradled her in his arms. She threw his clothes onto
a chair with a strangled groan. She was getting all sentimental! He was a damn
Alpha male who was just getting his own back after the mess with Quillen.

“Did that idiot get his stuff packed up? I don’t want him
coming back here.”

“Quillen? Yeah.” Lea laughed. “He is feeling all aggrieved
because you promptly ran off to go fuck the male he loathed.”

“Ran off? Was he struck blind or something? Damien picked me
up and carried me out of here!” Serena huffed as she rounded up her purse, keys
and various other necessities.

She put her wallet, iPhone and keys in a small backpack then
pulled open her desk drawer and drew out a necklace with a tag on it and
fastened it around her neck.

“Are you going to shift to get home?”

“How else am I going to get there? I don’t have a second set
of clothes here and nothing you have would fit me. Once I shift, would you help
me get my pack on? I hate wearing the damn thing, but it convinces humans that
I am a lost dog and not really a wolf.”

“Is that why you’re wearing tags too?”

Serena grinned at her. “You bet. The last time I had to run
around in the city, I got picked up and put in the pound. I can assure you, it
was
not
a happy experience.”

Lea chuckled. “I don’t have that trouble, but I do have to
worry about animal control shooting me with a tranq gun. Pumas make people
nervous.”

Serena pulled Damien’s shirt and jacket off and threw them
in the chair. It gave her a perverse pleasure to mistreat his expensive Italian
suit that way. She just
knew
it would make him cringe. He had to be one
of those guys who carefully folded the jacket in half and laid it over a chair
if he didn’t immediately hang it up. Of course, he had tossed the jacket when
they were having sex, but she knew he’d be upset with himself later. She wasn’t
sure how she knew it, but she did.

“Why are you running away? He’s the hottest male I’ve seen
in here in ages.” Lea’s question made Serena pause. She looked at her friend.

“Ever been dumped?”

Lea paused in thought. “I don’t think so. I usually do the
dumping.”

“Then you probably won’t understand, but it is better to
dump before you get dumped. At least that’s my experience.”

“He didn’t sound as if he had any intention of dumping you.
He sounded like a male declaring ownership of a Mate.” Serena raised her brow
questioningly, and Lea frowned. “Male cats are just as dominant as you wolves.
My cousin found his Mate and he sounded all macho like that.”

“Maybe. If so, then that has its own perils. My mother is
the Mate of an Alpha. I’ve never heard her make a decision in all my life. Dad
makes pronouncements and Mom nods. I can’t imagine turning into a female who
says ‘Yes dear’ all the time.”

“Don’t think much of your mom, do you?”

Serena paused at the accusation. “I love her. And I respect
her…most of the time. Mom seems happy with her life, but I just don’t want to
be
her, you know? The idea of doing whatever Damien says for the rest of my life
is against my nature. I’ve never heard my parents have an argument. I’ve heard
other couples have arguments, but not them. They have staring contests, and
then she always looks away first.” Serena shuddered as memories from her
childhood slid through her mind.

“You’re scared.”

Serena shrugged. “Maybe. I just don’t want to lose
me
to make
him
happy. I couldn’t live like that. I’d be miserable.” She
sighed.

She closed her eyes and remembered the look on his face when
she said he could plant his pup in her belly. He’d been so happy that she
started to feel guilty. Damn it. He hadn’t meant it and there was no guarantee
she was already pregnant. Still, she was glad shifting didn’t cause problems so
early in pregnancy, just in case she was.

“I’m going to shift now. Can you help me with the pack once
I’m in wolf form?”

“Sure.” Lea leaned on the desk and waited.

Serena formed the image of herself as a wolf in her mind
then superimposed that vision over her human image. She could feel the change
move through her body—lengthening in some spots and compacting in others. She
knew that anyone watching only saw a sort of shimmer around her as she shifted,
but she could almost feel the fur growing. She paid close attention to her womb,
just in case. There didn’t seem to be any changes there though. Maybe she’d
lucked out after all. Although, it might be too soon to tell.

But…if he
did
get her pregnant, she wouldn’t be able
to shift in the last three months of her pregnancy. She’d have to assume one
form and stick to it. She knew one female who had chosen to remain wolf because
she thought the birthing would be easier. It was, but the female was subtly
altered after that. It just didn’t work well to remain in animal form for too
long a stretch of time.

Serena surveyed her form to make sure all was well then
cocked her canine head at Lea and barked. Lea shrugged, grabbed the pack and
helped her into it, fastening it so it wouldn’t fall off.

“Well, good luck making it home. Will you be going up to see
your folks?”

Serena thought a moment and nodded her head.

“Okay. I’ll see you Monday. Have a good weekend. Maybe your
mom can explain how to handle being Mated to an Alpha.”

Serena shook her head, licked Lea’s hand affectionately and
left. It would take her awhile to run home because she’d have to avoid people
as much as possible. She went home this way from time to time, but it wasn’t
her preferred method for getting around in Denver. She sighed as she ran. Maybe
her mother
could
explain how to deal with an Alpha male, just in case
she ever needed the information.

Chapter Seven

The first thing he thought as he slowly surfaced from sleep
was that something was missing. Something vital. Damien sighed and his eyes
gradually opened. His office was dark and he was alone. That was wrong. He
shouldn’t be alone. Despite the darkness, his night vision easily compensated.
He rolled onto his back and sat up. The clock on the wall showed 8 p.m.

He looked down, noting that he was quite nude. He took a deep
breath, trying to get oriented and realized what was wrong when the scent of
his Mate hit him. He looked around the room. There was no light on in the
bathroom that connected to his office. He felt the floor beside him. Her body
heat was absent. She’d been gone for quite some time and the bitch hadn’t
bothered to wake him up. In fact, she’d probably gone out of her way
not
to wake him. He started to swear.

Damien stood and looked for his clothes. They weren’t here.
Damn Serena to hell. He went into his bathroom where he kept a spare suit and
found that missing too. In its place her bra, garter belt and stockings were
hung, with her heels sitting on the floor beneath. He slammed his fist into the
door. When he got his hands on her…yada, yada, yada. Suddenly, he smiled. Then
he started to laugh. She really was something. God! How completely she’d turned
the tables on him, and damn, but he was a lucky wolf. He grinned.

Chase or Kenyon might still be here, so he tried a joint
call to their offices. “Hey, are either of you guys still in the building?”

“Yeah, we’re here. What’s up?” Chase responded via the
intercom.

“Do you guys have any spare clothes?”

“Spare clothes?”

Damien sighed as he heard the barely suppressed laughter in
Chase’s voice. They were
never
going to let him live this one down.
“Yes. Clothes. You know those fabric things that humans require we wear in
public?”

“Yeah, I do.” Damien heard Kenyon respond in the background.
At least he and Kenyon were about the same size. Chase was a head taller than
both of them, and he and Kenyon both stood six-two. Chase also outweighed them
by fifty pounds too. He looked as if he’d be more at home in a pro-wrestling
ring than a court of law.

Damien was leaning against his desk, with the light on, when
his partners opened the door, bearing clothing. “Gah…” Kenyon paused on the
threshold and shook his head. “Jeez. There’s enough musk in here to perfume
half of France!”

“Birds! Too fastidious for my taste. Smells like hot sex in
here.
Very
hot sex. I like it.” Chase took a deep breath to fill his
rather expansive chest with the smell of Damien’s mating with Serena. Damien
scowled at him. “That’s one hot bitch you found for yourself, my friend. Was
the sex as tasty as it smells?” He eyed Damien from head to foot with an
insolent grin.

“It was better. Will you please quite ogling me like an
adolescent and hand me some clothes? She ran off and I need to track her.”

“As strongly as she’s scented, that should present few
problems.” Kenyon wrinkled his nose and handed over a pair of jeans and a
t-shirt. Damien looked at the faded clothes with a long-suffering sigh. Kenyon
wouldn’t know fashion if it hit him in the face. If he could get away with
jeans and flannel shirts in court, that’s what he’d wear.

“I need shoes and socks too.” Damien told him while he
pulled on the clothes he’d been given. It would have been nice if Kenyon had
thought of underwear, but that didn’t appear to be a fashion accessory for the
Hawk. Damien carefully eased the steel trap around his cock as he zipped the
fly and adjusted himself until he was comfortable. Or at least, as comfortable
as he was going to be in Kenyon’s clothes.

“You could have just shifted. It would have been faster,”
Kenyon drawled. Damien glared at the hawk.

“Right, and have some idiot call the cops because they saw a
feral dog? Now
that
would be smart. It’s easier for a hawk to shift and
get out of here with none the wiser, but Chase and I would create hysteria in
the streets.” Damien shook his head.

“Oh…right. You poor, pathetic landlubbers.” Kenyon shrugged
with little concern, hiding his smile.

“Better a landlubber than an airhead.” Chase elbowed Kenyon,
nearly knocking him over. The bear rarely pulled a punch with another male,
regardless of species.

“Gentlemen, while I enjoy the Stooges as much as the next
man, your entertainment value is rapidly deteriorating.”

Kenyon rolled his ice-blue eyes at the bear and they turned
their gazes back to Damien. “So how are you going to find her?” Chase asked
him.

Damien opened his mouth to respond and found he had nothing
to say. He could probably scent her for a while, but he was willing to bet that
she’d made a run for it. He might be able to track her back to her office.
Possibly even to her home, but he was sure she wouldn’t stay there.

“Damn. I’m not sure.”

Chase sighed as he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “She
obviously marked you.” He nodded at the scabbed-over wound on Damien’s chest.
“By the way, put on a shirt, will ya? Females pant for you, but your hairy
chest really doesn’t do anything for me. I’ve seen it before.”

Damien grabbed the t-shirt and pulled it on. He looked at
the front. It was a picture of Pikes Peak and the caption read,
Rocky
Mountain High
. He sighed. He had to go home and get changed before the bad
taste rubbed off.

“So what’s your point, Chase?”

“Knowing you, and I do, you marked her too. Right?”