Alpha (11 page)

Garret rose to his feet. "I'll be… around if you need me."

He left. Miranda's built-up emotions and pain flooded her. There was nothing else she could do but sob when he was gone. Her heart physically hurt after sending him away.

"Come back."

T
he first thing
Garret did was look for Jax. He needed a fight, and he was damn well going to get one.

He found the man not far from Dane's room. From the scent lingering around him, he'd just come back from a visit. Anna was with him, and standing at his side was Katie, an omega, when Garret walked up to the dragon shifter and grabbed him by the scruff.

Anna shrieked. Katie froze and stepped back.

Garret got up close and personal in Jax's space. "Outside.
Now
."

"Garret!"

Garret rounded on his sister. "Not one word out of you. You're supposed to be in your room."

Anna's face flooded with color as her back stiffened. Garret had no pity for the wide, watery eyes, or the way she slowly turned and walked back to her room.

He watched her leave and would have followed her to lock her in it if he could, but he needed to get Jax outside. He didn't let his friend go as he marched toward the back doors.

"I can walk," Jax said, shoving Garret's hand off the back of his neck.

Garret rumbled a growl at the man, but he didn't grab him again, only because Jax was walking with him and keeping up fairly nicely.

"Maybe you should be a little easier on your sister."

Garret kept right on growling. "She nearly got my mate killed, never mind letting that woman leave the house when she wasn't supposed to. She's lucky a grounding is all she got."

"Isn't she a little too old for that?"

Garret's hand struck out, fast as a viper, and he grabbed the back of Jax's neck again, putting them face-to-face, nose to nose.

"You got something to say to me?"

Of course Jax had to look unimpressed and unafraid. Sometimes that was an asset in a shifter who needed to be in a brawl, but not now.

Jax was silent just long enough for Garret to understand fully how unafraid he was. Then he spoke. "No. I have nothing to say. You need to fight?"

He nodded, releasing Jax's neck. "Yeah, I need to fight."

Garret was only the alpha because his father died, not because he'd fought the old man and earned the right to lead the pack, but he was still the alpha. He had fought and lived through enough with Anna to realize she only obeyed him because she felt guilty. He knew she was too old to be sent to her room.

It was either that or he would be forced to bite her neck in front of the pack, just like he'd bitten the neck of his mate.

"I need the fight. You up for it or what?"

Jax nodded, then sighed. "Yeah, fine. I'm up for it."

They walked outside, stepping out of their shoes, shirts, and pants as they made their way out onto the vast green lawn. Several pack members spotted them. Some were playing their tackle or chase games, but Garret ignored them as he walked to the far back edge of the yard.

"When we fight," Garret said, letting the coarse, needle-like hairs of his fur come in through his pores, "I want you in your true form."

Jax halted. He was naked, and the brown and gold scales were already starting to come in, forming in spots over his skin before thickening and coming together. Even that halted when he heard Garret's words. "Are you insane?"

Garret pulled his claws out. "Just do it."

Jax's eyes widened, but then he shrugged. "All right, your funeral."

Whatever. Garret knew the man wouldn't actually
try
to kill him. So long as he fought like he
was
trying, then that was all Garret cared about.

M
iranda stayed
in her room for the next two days. Well, it was Garret's room, but he didn't come back, not even for a change of clothes, and she didn't leave.

At first, she wasn't allowed to. A small woman with a short bob cut and plain brown eyes came in with a few others. Miranda could didn't understand why the smelled so pleasant, until the woman explained that she and the other young women and men with her were omegas.

"The smell is our natural scent. We're calming for other shifters."

"Oh," Miranda said. "I didn't smell it before when I was eating with the others."

"You were probably smelling the food over us. Then your mate walked in."

Miranda's face flamed. That was true. "So, what am I?"

She hadn't bothered to ask Garret, and she wasn't in the mood to see him. Not yet.

Of course, then it became weird as the omegas came forward to sniff at her. Miranda didn't know what to think of their actions, especially the boys sniffing at her.

Everyone was really open about themselves around here.

"You're omega," said the girl with authority. "Pretty sure of it. You're just new, and your animal is wild. When you tame it, it'll calm down and little accidents like this will be a thing of the past for you."

Miranda sucked back a deep breath. She hoped that was true. She didn't want to be a danger to her friends.

"I always thought omegas weren't that strong."

That's what every romance novel she'd ever read had told her.

"You're not ever going to be as strong as an alpha, but yes, you do have more strength than a human does, but only in that form. You didn't exactly grow muscle in this shape."

As if to prove it, the woman took hold of Miranda's arms and started squeezing.

Miranda allowed it, grateful she was finally getting answers.

"But, Garret and Dane—"

"Trust me," said the girl, giving Miranda a hard look, "that only happened because they let it. If you weren't Garret's mate, it would have been over a lot sooner."

The woman looked at her bandage, and Miranda couldn't help touching it. She didn't want to be a danger to Garret either. She'd seen the bandages on him when he'd come to her. She hadn't so much as commented on them before sending him away, though.

He'd really let her do that because he didn't want to hurt her? Biting her must really have been a last resort for him.

And she'd sent him away, as if he'd done something wrong when he'd let his face get sliced up by her claws.

Miranda quietly let the omegas change her bandages. It was fascinating seeing how much the wound had closed, almost all the way, in such a short amount of time. They gently brushed away old bits of scab that had flaked off before applying the new wraps. The woman with the bob cut assured her that by the following day she'd only need a smaller bandage taped over her wounds on her neck and shoulders, and no more wraps.

That was good. If healing was a new ability Miranda gained from being a shifter, she'd count herself lucky for it. It also meant Dane and Garret had to be healing nicely as well.

She hoped.

The male omegas weren't shy about changing her sheets and switching them out for clean ones either. One young man brought her a turkey breast sandwich on fresh bread with salad, juice, and even a damned multivitamin.

They wouldn't even think of letting her leave the room she was in. Apparently, Garret was angry, so angry he'd started a fight with Jax, and no one was willing to let Miranda out of here to visit Lois, just in case she hurt her neck and shoulders on something.

Luckily, they brought Lois to her. That was something. When Miranda saw her best friend alive and well, not so much as a Band-Aid on her forehead, Miranda jumped out of bed and rushed to her.

Then regretted it when the pain flared up in her neck and shoulders as she and Lois held each other.

Lois stayed with her for several hours, both of them holding hands and trying to snack with one hand each over the cheese and fruit plates that were constantly coming in. It seemed the omegas were terrified Miranda would starve if they left her without food for more than an hour at a time.

"I think I'm going to stick around for a while," Lois said.

Miranda frowned. "What? You… Did Garret talk to you?"

Lois scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. He did. He still doesn't trust me, and after what happened when I tried to leave, he's not happy."

Miranda would have shaken her head furiously if her throat wasn't still so tender. "That wasn't your fault."

"It pretty much was, but… I'm okay with being here. Garret let me give some people a few calls. He listened to them, which wasn't so great, but at least I got to tell my clients I'd be going on an unforeseen hiatus."

"Can you do that?" Lois had only recently been able to quit her job to do what she loved, but it wasn't like the pay she'd been getting from the people she'd been painting for had been much better, not with the cost of her supplies.

Lois shrugged, showing the first signs of discomfort. "I blamed it on a family emergency. I think that excuse made Garret nervous, like he thought I was using code or something, but I think he now knows I wasn't. Either way, there's no way I'm leaving here now. Not with you here, and after what Dane did… He saved my life."

"Dane?"

Lois's green eyes flashed with excitement. "You should have seen it, Miranda. They burst through the trees right in the nick of time. That asshole was making you lose your cool, and in the next second, Dane's furry body was over me. I thought it was you at first and freaked out, but when I realized he was protecting me, I couldn't believe it."

Miranda flinched. "I'm sorry."

Lois actually waved off her apology, as if it was nothing. "Don't worry about it. I wish you had a better memory of what happened. Garret grabbed you, and even though you were slicing at his face and chest, he wouldn't let you go. I don't know if he was worried you would come after us again, or what he thought would happen to you, but he didn't let you go for a second. It shocked me when he bit you, but when I found out why, I got it."

Lois leaned to the side a little. "Does your neck hurt?"

Miranda touched the bandages. "Yeah."

A lot of the pain had to do with the fact that her throat was closing, never a pleasant sensation to fight against.

But Lois kept right on talking. She was lost in the memory of what happened—her rescue, how Garret stopped Miranda's attack, all of it.

Apparently shifters, especially the wolf shifters, bit each other on the throats to get each other's attention, usually to stop one from fighting the authority of the stronger alpha. It was a last resort, however, since the throat was an obviously dangerous spot to bite down on.

How Lois had come across this information was something Miranda was starting to heavily suspect had to do with Dane.

Miranda wouldn't say Lois had a crush. She was sure she'd be able to tell when her friend had feelings for a man, especially one who'd saved her life. When Lois said she'd soon have to go back to Dane's room because she'd volunteered to be one of his nurses, it definitely got Miranda thinking. She tried not to smile, too.

"Is he okay?" Miranda asked.

Lois nodded, though when she glanced down at the mug of tea she held in her hands, there was something there that suggested a level of concern was in order.

"He's better. A lot of his problem was the way he walked back. He wouldn't let Jax help him. I couldn't because he was still so big. Everyone says he tired himself out, so it's taking a little longer for the gashes on his back to heal."

Miranda flinched again.

Lois leaned in, putting her warm hand on Miranda's. "He doesn't blame you."

"Did he tell you that?" Miranda couldn't see that happening. She didn't think Lois and Dane were that close after such a short amount of time.

Lois pulled back, brushing some of her red hair behind her ear. "No, not in so many words, but he was swearing and cursing like you wouldn't believe. I don't think I ever heard angry drunks talk like that even when I was still tending bar." Lois shook her head. "None of what he said was bad about you. I don't think he blames you. It wasn't your fault. It was mine."

That last part was added quietly. Miranda tried to assure her it wasn't her fault, but her friend wouldn't hear of it. She was convinced of her blame, and arguing with her about it was just going to make her angry.

Lois felt the need to make it up to Dane for saving her life, so there wasn't much Miranda could do when her friend left her that first night and most of the next day.

When she did see her again, it was just to hear that Garret was getting into bloody fights with Jax.

"What?"

Lois stood in the doorway, her hand on the knob, eyes wide. "Yeah! You should see them! I was told to come and get you."

Miranda was already pushing herself out of bed. Her neck was still tender, and the way her wound healed was stupidly fast, but she still felt like she had to be careful how she moved. She walked quickly to Lois and took her hand.

"What are you talking about?"

Lois shook her head. "This is too messed up. There's blood everywhere, and Katie said you might be able to calm him down."

Miranda didn't know who Katie was, but she was already rushing down the hall and running in Garret's direction.

T
he young woman
with the bob cut turned away from the circle of people who'd crowded around the two alphas when she realized Lois and Miranda were coming.

Her expression was an impatient one. "There you are! Will you get him to cut it out before he kills himself?"

Miranda stopped. "What did I do?"

"Sorry, Katie, got her as fast as I could," Lois said.

Oh, so Katie was the woman's name. She looked so stern in that moment that Miranda wouldn't have thought she was a Katie, but then Miranda was looking over the heads of the men and women surrounding the dragon and the wolf.

"
That's
Garret and Jax?"

They weren't in their in-between forms. Garret was not on two legs looking like a furry cross between a man and a wolf. He was an actual wolf. He looked big for a wolf, but she didn't know much about wolves to begin with.

It didn't matter, because Jax looked like a real dragon, something that might be seen in a movie. He roared and flapped his wings at the wolf that growled at him. One of his wings had several long slashes down it, like torn paper. Miranda couldn't tell if it was fresh or not, but the dragon looked much better off than the wolf.

The wolf swayed on four legs, and the dragon was still standing strong. It didn't look like Jax was trying. The fight was clearly over, but Miranda didn't understand why the rest of the pack was still cheering.

"He's not fighting in his proper shape," Katie explained. "He stands no chance against a dragon as an actual wolf. Would you get in there and tell him to stop being an idiot already?"

Miranda ran forward, pushing through the crowd without thinking. Some people were pressed so tightly together, shoulder to shoulder, that she had to shove through them.

The second they looked down at her, realizing who it was that was shoving forward to get through, the people started to part for her.

Miranda didn't think about the potential danger of what she was doing until she was through the crowd and in the clearing. She burst through just as Jax spread his wings, lowered his head, and roared.

Miranda tensed at the sight.

Christ, what if he was getting ready to spit fire?

He didn't. He still seemed more focused on getting Garret to back off. He swung his tail at the wolf, narrowly missing as Garret ducked out of the way.

Neither shifter noticed her.

Miranda rushed forward. "Jax! Jax, stop! Stop!"

Jax stopped hissing at Garret and lifted his head when he seemed to notice Miranda.

She prayed he wasn't lost in his animal form and wild like she had been.

He wasn't. Jax immediately started to shrink, his scales and wings melting away, his body producing a thin steam as he turned back into a naked man.

The wolf growled and barked at him. Miranda stepped closer. Garret's hackles were raised high, but she could see some patches on his fur that were dark with blood.

"Garret?"

The wolf rounded on her, growling, glaring. Miranda jumped back from the sight of those teeth, but the wolf's ears immediately picked up, the snarl falling away from the snout of the beast.

She was pretty sure he wouldn't be an alpha without having control over his wilder side, but she couldn't help the shiver of doubt that wormed its way into her. "Garret?"

The wolf lowered its head, pushing itself onto its hind legs, which became longer and thicker. His snout melted down into something a little closer to a human face, his paws turning into long fingers and strong hands.

Miranda covered her mouth at the sight of him.

His right eye was red and swollen shut. The other had a cut over the eyebrow. He looked like he'd just been in a boxing match. Garret's chest was sweaty as it rose and fell, panting for breath, but now that he was in his human shape, there was no sign of swaying, as he had in his wolf shape. Maybe she'd imagined it, because his stance appeared strong and sure.

"You shouldn't be here. You should be resting."

"I'm fine!" Miranda pulled at the bandages taped to her neck, showing him how they were practically closed up and pink by now. "See?"

"You still shouldn't be here."

"Why not? Why are you doing this? What the hell is going on?" Miranda looked to Jax, who scratched the back of his neck, an embarrassed expression on his face. "What were
you
doing?"

Jax shrugged. "Ah, sorry, Miranda, but when the alpha wants a good fight, you give it to him, you know?"

"No, I don't know. You should see your face, Garret!"

She was freaking out. She was totally freaking out because he was covered in blood and he didn't seem to care.

Garret's muscles looked tight. At first, Miranda thought it was pain he was trying to hide, him being too manly and macho to show off how much the cuts and blood were bothering him. It was the way he stared at her that let her know he was in charge, and not the animal.

"Garret?"

His hand struck out, grabbing her before she had the chance to move. A tiny shriek sounded before the wind left her gut as she was plopped right onto Garret's shoulder.

"G-Garret? Garret!"

There were some wolf whistles as Garret carried her off. Miranda tried to wiggle down from her spot on his shoulder, but he reminded her of his strength in the way he held on to her so easily.

She might as well have been a three-year-old going up against a might like his.

Lois's eyes were wide, but Katie didn't look surprised. The rest of the pack kept right on cheering for their alpha. Miranda wasn't an idiot. She knew what they were cheering for, and she didn't know if she should feel embarrassment or pride. It was confusing how part of her felt an extremely proud to be held like this, carried off by her man like he was a caveman making a claim on his woman.

It felt strange to like that so much, but yeah, she liked it, and she stopped fighting it when they got into the house.

Miranda did, however, get a little nervous when she realized Garret was taking her to their room. She had a good idea of what it was he wanted.

"Wait, Garret, your face. You're hurt. You need to see someone."

His voice was a harsh growl. "I'm not going to wait for my woman anymore."

Miranda's breath caught in her throat. He’d called her his woman. She'd just been thinking about that, and now he said it out loud and all her senses were sending party noises and balloons up into the air.

It made her happy to hear something that, a week ago, she would have thought was insulting as hell.

As Garret climbed the stairs two at a time, Miranda's heart launched in her chest, but of course, he didn't struggle with her weight. She might as well have been a sack of feathers to him.

"Garret, for real, you're hurt. And bloody and swollen."

"That will change."

"What?"

He reached out and pushed open his door. He had to duck under the doorframe to keep her from being hit by it. When she finally stopped bouncing after he dumped her onto the bed, her mouth dropped at the sight of his face and body.

It was bloody and the bruises were still there, but the swelling had gone way down. Even as Miranda stared up at him, she watched the way the color of the bruises changed, how some of the deep reds and purples changed to dark blue, then paled to a yellow-green before fading away entirely.

The rest of the cuts did the same, closing a lot faster than Miranda's wounds were healing, their bruises fading.

It took her a moment to realize Garret wasn't all over her, stripping her of her clothes and ravishing her like she'd kind of hoped he'd start doing.

When he leaned forward, touching her neck softly with his fingers, she realized why.

"Oh, that trip on the stairs didn't hurt it. I don't think."

She lifted her neck and touched her bandages. She didn't think anything was wrong. Not feeling anything warm or wet, she was confident she was fine.

Garret shook his head. "I should have been more gentle with you."

Miranda grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. "I'm okay. Hey, look at me."

He did.

She stared into his blue eyes, seeing the genuine concern for her, and smiled.

"Does being worried about me always get the top of your priority list like this?"

"Of course it does."

She smirked at him. "Even when you're trying to get laid?"

"Even then."

He didn't hesitate. She was impressed. Not just impressed, but utterly wowed by him.

"You terrify me sometimes, you know that?"

A flicker of confusion crossed his brow.

"Not because of the whole changing into a monster wolf thing," she said quickly, waving her hands as if to ward off the very idea. "That's not it."

"Then what do you mean?"

Miranda took in a deep breath. "You're just too perfect."

Again, the confusion.

"I know I'm not making any sense, but I can't help it. This is hard to describe. I'm… I'm sorry for being mad at you. About my dad," she added, as if he didn't already know what she was talking about. "I think I was just being emotional or something. The way you described it, it sounded like he stole your money and took off, not that he was trying to hide me and my mom from the big bad wolf he met. I was angry, and—"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Garret said, then laughed. "You don't have long before I lose control of myself, however. I doubt you will find me perfect then."

Part of her wasn't buying that. He probably would be perfect then. Even when he was wild and desperately in lust with her to the point that their sex was hard, rough, and a little messy, Miranda thought it would be perfect.

"You're getting warm," he said.

She swallowed. Right. She was trying to explain why she felt like such a spaz around him. "Garret, even when I'm a wild animal, you're still trying to be gentle around me. You're still trying to keep me safe. My mother's bills are all paid up, and I have a roof over my head. A very big, very nice roof. You've honestly got some prince power going on with you, and I don't think you even know it."

Garret rubbed his chin. "I don't think a proper prince would be thinking the improper thoughts I'm having about you right now."

As if to prove that, he put his hands on Miranda's thighs. He was still dirty, but his wounds were almost completely gone.

How in the hell was he doing that?

Of course, the touch of his big strong hands on her legs was enough to make her shiver, even when that touch was above her clothes.

"To be honest, I think that works in your favor, too."

He leaned in close. "Does it?"

Miranda nodded, her voice becoming small and breathless as she was engulfed by his body heat. "Yeah."

His lips were warm when he leaned in and kissed her. Miranda was immediately assaulted by the sensations of previous times they'd almost had sex but didn't. His lips were soft, his tongue wet as he licked at the crease between her lips. She let him in, her body throbbing, her sex pulsing.

He could breathe on her the right way and she might have an orgasm from it.

The thing that helped to keep her in check was the fact that she could taste the warm copper of the blood that had just been on his lips.

He'd healed, but he still had blood and dirt on him.

Miranda pulled back, causing Garret to groan. It was a desperate noise she'd never heard out of him before, and didn't think anyone ever had.

"No, no, sweetheart. I need you now."

"I know. Believe me, I know, and I promise I'm not being a tease, but—" Miranda bit her lower lip, hardly able to believe she was about to ask this. "—can we do it in the shower?"

Garret's head jerked back a little, then he was smiling, a long, lazy, eager smile. "You want me to make love to you in the shower?"

Miranda swallowed, then nodded. "Yeah, make love. That's a much better word than I used."

"Are you nervous?"

She scratched just behind her ear, hardly able to meet his eyes. "Is it obvious? Christ, I feel like a virgin here. It seems kind of naughty that I asked to have sex in the shower."

"I'll introduce you to naughtier things in time," Garret promised, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. "If you want, I will ruin your ladylike reputation."

"I have a ladylike reputation?"

Garret shrugged. "No, but it would make the game more fun, wouldn't it?"

He was right, it would. She was already letting her imagination soar as she thought of all the places Garret could make love to her.

The woods were her first bet, seeing as he was an alpha werewolf and she was his mate and a shifter as well. Miranda had to admit, she was excited by the idea. She couldn't wait.

Garret laughed when they walked into the bathroom and he saw himself in the mirror. "I see why you wanted the shower. I'm shocked you let me kiss you." He kept right on smiling at her, though. His blue eyes half-lidded and dark with lust. "I'm ruining you already."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Miranda said. She almost hesitated before taking her shirt off, but then figured, what the hell? Garret had seen her naked a number of times already, so there was no point in letting this be a thing, right?

She pulled off her shirt, then quickly reached behind her for her bra.

Miranda checked the bandages on her arms, saw the wounds had mostly closed, and decided it would be all right to take them off completely. She did the same for her neck.

Garret slid his fingertip down across the unscarred side of her skin. "I am sorry."

Miranda shrugged, only feeling a slight pull from the scabs. "Don't be. You had to do it."

"For all of it."

His eyes met hers. There was no trace of the playfulness he'd had before. Miranda knew what he meant.

Thinking about her father and how Garret had been involved when he'd left, intentionally or not, brought that tug of pain back to her chest.

She looked away from Garret's face. He sucked back a breath, but her reaction wasn't because she was still angry with him.

It hurt knowing her father had met Garret, had made a deal with him, then left the family, but it didn't hurt as much it had at the time, when she'd first found out about it. It didn't hurt physically the way the bite on her neck or the deep cuts on her shoulders did either. It also didn't hurt the way it had to see Garret going up against Jax.