Destined For The Alpha: Six Heart-Racing Shifter Romances (Werewolf's Harem Book 7) (15 page)

“You need help?” Walker asked, his gaze darting from Lucas to Ella, and back again.

“Nope. Keep your sorry mated ass here and watch over your female,” Lucas said with a shake of his head.

“All right,” Walker said, turning and herding Ella out of the room.

“Nice to meet you!” Ella called over Walker’s shoulder.

“Walker, one more thing,” Lucas called. The other wolf turned, curious. “Don’t fuck on my desk, okay? Faulkner once owned this desk, and it deserves better than supporting your bare ass.”

Walker frowned, shrugging, and headed down the hall with his mate.

“This is gonna be great,” Garrett chuckled. “I love you when you’re grouchy and disapproving. To others, that is.”

“Shut up and sit down. We need to lay some ground rules if we’re going to work together,” Lucas said, returning to the wingback chair.

Garrett sat down and stretched, kicking back.

“Whatever you say, brother,” he grinned.

“First rule is that if you put your feet on my desk again, I’m going to gut you top to bottom.”

“You’d have to catch me first,” Garrett laughed.

“I’ll unleash my dominance on you, Garrett. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.”

“We both know that I’m immune to your dominance. Me, Ben, your redhead… the people you truly cherish, we’re all immune. Your little trick doesn’t work unless you are willing to carry out the threat,” Garrett said.

Lucas watched him for a moment before nodding.

“I was wondering when you would figure that part out,” he admitted.

“Twenty years ago, the night we had that fist fight over Alaina. I think you would have done it then, if you could have. You were so angry.”

Lucas sighed, ready to move on from the past and into their upcoming mission.

“Start from the beginning, and tell me everything. Let’s run down the plan from top to bottom before we make our first move. And Garrett, don’t leave anything out, for any reason,” he commanded. His brother was wily, and only followed the most direct of orders. The lie of omission was Garrett’s lifeblood.

Garrett nodded, and they began to hatch a plan.

S
carlett Ward tilted
her chin up in silent defiance, refusing to wilt under her brother’s malevolent glare. She shifted in place, flipping her long, dark hair back over one shoulder, and sighed as she looked around. She stood in the large, bombed-out basement of the abandoned apartment building where their pack was now living. It was a far cry from the safe, quiet neighborhood where she and her brother Redd had grown up.

Redd stood before Scarlett, a sneer on his face. He was a Shifter male in his prime; tall, a thickly muscled body from head to toe. Dark hair and deep blue eyes that drew a certain kind of Shifter female. The kind that appreciated strength and good looks over sense or compassion, it seemed.

“Now Scarlett, just because we’re kin don’t mean I won’t hurt ya,” Redd said. He directed his words at Scarlett, but they weren’t meant for her. Redd was preaching to his ragtag little band of Shifters. They were all the same type: big, muscular, dumb as rocks. Junkies, bullies, redneck assholes with barbed-wire tattoos and tiny intellects. Redd had twenty two followers now, two-thirds of them thick-headed, short-tempered males. The pack lounged now, laying on mattresses or sleeping bags, watching Redd scold his ‘wayward sister’.

“I know,” Scarlett said, crossing her arms over her breasts, hating the way that some of the males looked at her. Fearing Redd, none of them had made a move yet, but it was only a matter of time before her brother lost her temper and gave her over to his pack.

“I need that money that Mama left us, Scarlett,” Redd said, unashamed. All the men in Scarlett’s romance novels were proud, too proud to tell the women they loved their feelings. Redd had plenty of pride, but none of that applied when it came to asking for things from Scarlett. Redd said that they were blood, and what was hers was his, too.

Their relation was undeniable. Though Scarlett’s frame was willowy where Redd’s was thick, they shared the same dark hair and deep blue eyes. They were both tall, and they were both stubborn.

“Mama left that money to me, Redd. She wanted me to use it to go to school,” Scarlett said for the hundredth time.

Redd’s pack members watched, some getting to their feet and edging closer. The pack liked Redd’s dramatic flair, attracted to his chaos.

“And I told you, you ain’t doing that. You’re gonna settle down with the male I choose for ya, and you’re gonna breed and build up my pack. End of story. Meanwhile, that money’s just sitting there. We could be living the high life instead of living in this fucking dump,” Redd scowled.

“Really? When I said it was a dump, you told me it was good enough for us,” Scarlett said, letting her distaste show.

“You need to shut that smart mouth unless I ask you a question. You hear me?” Redd snarled. Reaching out and grabbing Scarlett by the arm, he gave her a hard shake. She blinked, but didn’t respond. If she cried or lashed out, he’d beat her for real, and she’d be that much weaker when she enacted her plan to run away.

Just make it two more days, girl, she told herself.

Two more days, and she’d be on a bus to Atlanta. Once she got on that bus, she was never looking back. She just had to hold out until then, and keep Redd away from her bank account.

“I’m not giving you that money, Redd. It’s not even money enough to house the pack somewhere decent for more than a month. All that talk about living the high life, that’s not real,” Scarlett said, regretting the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. So much for not provoking her brother.

Redd’s hand tightened on her arm, squeezing so hard that she knew she’d have a bruise. No matter, it would just blend in with the others, to be covered up with makeup each day. Scarlett knew how to put on a good face.

“If Daddy were here, he’d beat you himself,” Redd spat.

“If Daddy were here, Mama would still be alive, and you’d have better manners!” Scarlett said, her voice rising with anger.

Redd raised his hand, palm open, and slapped her hard. Scarlett sucked in a breath, fighting off tears.

“Give me the money, Scarlett,” Redd warned.

“No!” she said, trying to jerk out of his hold.

“Give me the money, or I’m gonna sell you to that biker,” Redd said, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

Scarlett stilled, heart pounding. Several of the males closed in on her, less than an arm’s length now. They waited, hoping that this would be the time that Scarlett pushed Redd too far, the time that Redd lifted his protection and left her to be defiled by the pack.

“You wouldn’t,” she whispered.

“I sure as hell would,” Redd said, raising his voice so that the whole pack turned to watch them with renewed interest. “You ain’t worth nothing to me. Just another mouth to feed, and you talk too damned much. Always causing problems in the pack. Now you let that piece of shit bite you, so you’re half a step away from being a danger to the pack.”

Her hand flew up to the bandage at her neck, the angry red bite mark that wouldn’t heal. Ray had grabbed her in the dark parking lot of the bar where she worked. Two men had held her down, forcing her to submit to his bite. Though they’d tried, she’d refused to reciprocate. Redd and his crew had showed up then, and the bikers had left, not wanting to attract the police. Redd had been on edge ever since, hating that someone wanted to take what was his.

“You’re scared of him,” Scarlett accused, knowing where to hit Redd the hardest. If he was going to threaten her, she’d tell the whole pack what a worthless chicken shit Redd was. If they didn’t already know, they would soon.

Redd grabbed her and gave her another shake, this time hard enough to whip her head back and forth.

“What the hell did you just say to me?” he asked.

“I said, you’re scared of Ray Wilson. That biker gang’s alpha’s got you about to piss your pants like a little boy,” she said.

“Shut the fuck up, Scarlett. What the hell do you know about anything?”

Redd released her with a disgusted glare, backing off. He looked like he wanted to fight more, but Scarlett knew that he didn’t want her running her mouth, telling his pack all his weaknesses.

In the next moment, their argument was forgotten as the basement’s double doors burst open. Scarlett squinted against the bright sunlight, and then her heart dropped into her stomach. Ray Wilson strode in, his eyes finding her in the gloom of the basement. When he turned his gaze to Redd, Scarlett almost sighed aloud in relief.

Ray Wilson was bad news. He was bigger than Redd, his body taller and thicker. He had light red hair, cruel dark eyes, and a vicious streak a mile long. Flanked by five of his goons, all dressed in leather from head to foot, Ray scared the shit out of Scarlett. He’d already tried to take her by force once, and she had no illusions about the way she’d be treated as his mate.

“Alright, Ward,” Ray said, coming closer. He tossed a briefcase down in the space between himself and Redd, cocking a brow. “There’s your money. Ten thousand, take it or leave it. It’s your choice, but I’d be careful. One of those roads means you leave here alive, the other means that this shit hole is the last place you’ll ever see.”

Ray threw his arms wide, indicating the dark, dingy basement.

“No need to add insult,” Redd said. Turning his head, he motioned to one of his pack members to grab the suitcase.

Scarlett stopped gaping, finding her voice at last.

“What the fuck is going on here?” she demanded.

“Your brother made me an offer that I liked, sweetheart. He gets some cash, I get you. Only time will tell who got the better end of the deal. I hope you last longer than my last girl,” Ray said, grinning.

Icy fingers slid down Scarlett’s spine. Her gaze snapped to Redd.

“Redd, you can’t do this,” she said, trying to talk some sense into him.

“I just did. Maybe you shoulda been nicer to me,” her brother said, shrugging.

“I won’t do it,” she said, licking her lips. She was growing desperate now.

“Yes, you will. Ray’s gonna hurt you until you do,” Redd said, his tone bland. “It that all? Cause I have some money to spend, so I’m gonna get out of here. You boys feel free to use our space. Got mattresses and all here.”

Scarlett’s jaw dropped. Her brother was a lot of things, but he’d never done something this low.

“Redd, don’t do this,” she said, her throat tight. “You’re signing my death warrant.”

“Like I care about some dumb bitch who thinks she’s better than me?” Redd laughed.

Scarlett looked at him, looked at his eyes. His pupils were huge, his eyes reddened. He was high, the heroin probably a little down payment from Ray. Scarlett knew her brother, and she knew the junkie inside him. There was no use talking to him now.

“Nothing to say now, smart girl?” Redd asked, giving her a look. He whistled to his pack and they all rose, heading out of the basement. Leaving her alone with the bikers, who kept looking back and forth between her and the dirty mattresses.

Ray stepped forward, grabbing her arm in just the spot where Redd had gripped her earlier. With that one touch, she knew she was lost. There was no way to win, and she wasn’t leaving this basement with her soul intact.

Scarlett sank to her knees. Her head dipped, a sob tearing from her chest. She was already mourning her freedom, her identity. Maybe even her own life.

Ray stepped forward, his expression somber.

“The bite first,” he commanded. “Stand up, let’s do this the easy way.”

Her heart was so heavy, it took all her will to shake her head, to deny him.

Let him kill me, she thought.

Ray’s hand came down, fingers digging into her hair. He pulled her head to the side, baring her neck. She saw the syringe in his hand, but she couldn’t move in time. Ray brought it down, plunging the needle into her neck, depressing the contents into her blood stream. She whimpered, both in pain and fear.

Scarlett looked up and saw movement behind Ray and his men. Before he could drag her to her feet, his attention was drawn to the doorway. Redd and two of his lieutenants stumbled back inside the room, anxiety and hatred splashed across their faces. Ray and his men stared them down. Redd’s eyes connected with Scarlett’s, and she saw the wild fear there.

Ray opened his mouth to tell Redd to leave, but two more males stepped into the room behind Redd and his crew. Everyone in the room went still, staring at the newcomers.

They were big, bulky males, totally unknown to Scarlett. One look at their clothes, their demeanor, and their take-no-shit body language, and Scarlett knew they weren’t some redneck idiots from the next town over. Each of the two men held a heavy black submachine gun, one aiming at Redd’s group and the other at Ray, Scarlett, and Ray’s goons. Their expressions said that they meant business, and didn’t understand the concept of fear.

The two males were twins, or nearly so. Tall, tan, and leanly muscled. Light blond hair, dark eyes. Dressed in head to toe black, their long-sleeved shirts and cargo pants hinted at military origins. They both wore the same murderous expression, both moved with the commanding swagger that belonged to no one but a true alpha wolf.

“Keep moving or die,” one of the blond men said to Redd and his lieutenants. Redd came over, stumbling into Ray. Ray gave Redd a look of disgust, pushing the other male away. Redd wobbled a little bit, and Scarlett knew that the heroin he’d shot was taking over, making him clumsy and tired. She’d seen this a hundred times or more in the years since Mama had passed.

“Who the hell are you?” Ray asked, yanking his hand from Scarlett’s hair.

“You’re going to want to stay where you are. No quick movements,” one of the blond men said. He seemed comfortable, as if he busted in on werewolf gatherings every day, toting weapons and kicking ass.

“I’m not afraid of a bullet,” Ray said with a shrug.

“These are APRs, big guy. Not even a werewolf is coming back from a few of these,” the man replied. “Now step away from the female. Put your hands up, and move your ass over to the wall.”

Scarlett watched the second man, who seemed less interested in brandishing his weapon. He watched, and waited. She wasn’t sure what he was waiting for until Ray reared up, reaching for his gun. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her, and she had to fight to stay upright. Her wolf cried out, whimpering. The second male’s arms were outspread, and he was exerting his dominance over the whole room. A thundering crest of compulsion descended on everyone but the two blond men, a crushing, agonizing need to obey.

After a long moment Ray, Redd, and both their crews fell to their knees. Scarlett felt it just as much as the men did. The compulsion to kneel, to submit, was so strong that she felt the world start to spin.

“That’s your girl over there, brother, the one about to keel over,” said one of the blond men.

The other blond man lowered his weapon and approached Scarlett, kneeling beside her. He was massive, yet still graceful. His steel-grey eyes watched her, his expression a mixture of wariness and concern.

“Are you Scarlett?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“Yes,” she whispered. As he’d come closer, the compulsion to submit had grown stronger until Scarlett thought that she might faint. She’d thought that both the blond males were somehow combining their powers, some kind of weird twin magic, but now she realized that she’d been wrong. The waves of alpha dominance rolling off this male left no doubt as to who controlled the room. This male, and no other.

“My name is Lucas,” the male said, giving her an assessing look. “I’m going to touch you, okay? Skin contact breaks the spell.”

Scarlett nodded. Anything to make this feeling end. Still, she couldn’t help but flinch when he reached out to put his hand on her arm. She wasn’t used to a lot of kind touches from men, or anyone else. Lucas frowned at her reaction, but pushed on.

When his warm fingers brushed her skin, circling her forearm, Scarlett sighed aloud. The compulsion lifted, but she almost didn’t notice. The second that Lucas touched her, a pleasant warmth flowed into her skin, washing outward from his palm to soothe her discomfort.

Scarlett looked up from where his hand touched her arm, and found herself looking into his eyes. Sapphire and pewter caught and held; she shivered, even as heat pulsed low in her body.