Lost Alpha (2 page)

The street around the store was quiet; nobody was out and about this late. Travis started to enter the street but stopped himself, looking both ways for cars or big trucks. He had learned his lesson when being hit by a car before; he was not going to let it happen again. Satisfied nobody was coming he bounded across the street, climbing a small hill and disappearing from view into the thick woods in front of the store. It was as if this town and its roads were carved into the middle of the forest, leaving the area around it untouched.

The wilderness smells jumped out at him, assaulting his senses with everything they had. He picked up the scent of coyotes in the distance, the scent of humans that had taken a detour while walking, and even the tell-tale scent of deer.

His mouth began to water and he felt the incredible urge to hunt overtake his body. He had been able to fulfill his primal desire to mate over the last few days, but he had filled himself up on human food in the process.

The last time he found himself face to face with a succulent doe, his pack had been killed. Tonight would be different; tonight he was going to finally sink his razor sharp teeth into the flesh nature intended him to feast on.

His snout went low to the ground, picking up the doe’s scent. It was fresh, she was nearby. Travis tried to remain as silent as possible as he stalked through the underbrush; unfortunately fall had hit this area and the once green leaves now blanketed the forest floor creating a crunchy symphony of warning.

After several minutes of sniffing he saw the doe in the distance, she was bent over drinking from a ravine. She was alone, in perfect position. He would not be denied this time, if she ran he would give chase.

Travis got low, almost his entire body touching the ground, as she continued to drink, oblivious to the doom that was about to befall her. A mental alarm went off in his head telling him it was time and he exploded out of the underbrush, bounding for his prey.

The doe went completely rigid before bounding through the forest, trying to escape the oncoming assault. Travis was huge in wolf form, but he retained all the quickness of a smaller animal. Tree limbs whipped him in the face, but they did not deter his pursuit, several smaller ones broke off and fell to the ground as he tore through the forest.

Unfortunately the doe was a lot quicker than he anticipated and he was falling behind. She was just as determined to live as he was to feast on her delicious body. He could feel the foam forming at his mouth as his body slowed, not able to keep up the intense pace she had set.

He snapped and growled at the air, becoming angry at the weakness he was displaying. A true alpha shouldn’t have any trouble felling one deer by himself, it should be easy work. He was becoming domesticated and soft. His dominance would be challenged by his new pack if he didn’t get it in gear. Dario would surely challenge for the alpha position, the old wolf had already done it once before. Travis didn’t trust him at all; he was more snake than wolf. Unfortunately he needed the old man’s help to retrieve the staff and kill the wererats.

The image of the wererats, laughing at his pack’s demise while their vampire master lorded over them was too much to take. With one last final burst Travis leapt forward, bringing his powerful front paws down on the doe’s hindquarters, pulling her to the ground. He had learned this move reading about big cats when he was younger; he didn’t have the claws they did, but he was big enough and powerful enough to make the leap when he got close to prey.

The doe began to fight and thrash but he was on top of her, crushing her throat with his powerful jaws. In an instant the fight was over and the doe hung limp his bloody jaws. Without hesitation he began to feast on her warm flesh, enjoying each bite. This was so much better, so much more natural than the processed crap Paige had been shoving down his throat.

She was a human, she could eat all of that she wanted, but she would have to respect his need to feed on raw flesh.

As he ate, a familiar scent caught his nose; he was not alone. His orange eyes looked up, catching the sight of a smaller brown wolf looking back at him from the shadows. Travis growled at the intruder, not wanting to allow him access to his fresh kill.

Dario walked out of the woods, his head held low and his eyes averted from Travis. He stopped a few feet from the kill and dropped to the ground, rolling onto his back. He was completely submissive to the bigger alpha wolf, giving himself up completely.

Travis walked over to the older wolf, sniffing him up and down. Dario continued to lie there, exposing his throat and soft underbelly. It would only take one quick bite to end the usurper’s life and put this business behind Travis forever.

He opened his mouth, clamping down on Dario’s throat and holding it. He didn’t bite hard, just enough to put pressure on the older wolf’s throat and let him know who was in charge. Dario didn’t react, resigned to let his new alpha make the choice to spare him or end his life.

Travis released him, letting his head fall to the ground. He stepped away and walked to the other side of his kill, sitting beside it and not moving.

Dario slowly rose and walked to the deer, sniffing at it silently. He looked back up at Travis who was still staring at him intently, but making no move to stop him. Finally Dario dove in, tearing at the dead meat in front of him and filling his belly.

Travis watched on, content that he had made his point with this one. Dario would never challenge him for leadership of the pack now; Travis had utterly and completely proven his dominance. The older wolf submitted to him and was right in line to have his life ended by the alpha. Instead Travis magnanimously provided nourishment to the beaten up old thing. He knew who was in charge and he would not question it; this was the way of the werewolf.

Now Travis had an ally he could trust, one that would help him regain the staff and restart the pack anew.

Chapter 3

Paige woke up with the morning sun shining in her face, annoying her instantly. Travis always insisted on having the window open so moonlight could flood in, but come morning it was obnoxious.

She sat up and stretched, trying to ignore the fact that she was up way too early on a day off. Billy was probably angry about her weekend without work so he scheduled her off Friday and Saturday, she usually worked at least one of those days.

Bastard,
she thought, thinking about her bank account.
He knows I need the money.

She looked around the room, not seeing Travis anywhere. She listened, hoping to hear him in the kitchen scrounging for food, but there was still nothing. As the fog of night lifted she realized he wasn’t here.

“Travis?” she called out, knowing she would receive no answer. When her suspicion was confirmed she got out of bed and looked out the window, hoping to see him out there enjoying the morning air. He was nowhere to be found. “Where the hell is he?”

She wasn’t worried the werewolf had left her, there were no doubts that he would be sticking around. This was the first time Paige had ever been claimed, but she liked it knowing the guy wouldn’t cheat on her. However, she was worried he’d decided to go hunting the Lockharts himself.

It was hard to push the thought of Travis being injured or worse as she showered and tried to get on with her day. She knew the werewolf wouldn’t be a domesticated boyfriend that sat around the house all day, but it still bothered her that he was gone when she woke up.

As she got out of the tub she nearly fell over thanks to the stiffness in her legs and the aching in her hips. Perhaps it was a good thing Travis was missing; she didn’t think she could take another raucous love-making session right now. The werewolf was insatiable. His cock was huge and his thrusts were powerful, leaving Paige very satisfied but very sore. She’d always wanted a boyfriend that wanted to have sex every day, but now she was regretting that desire. It had been close to a week since Travis had entered her life and every night had been filled with intense, passionate sex.

Perhaps she would go down to the store and see if Duncan wanted to take the middle part of the day off, maybe then she’d get some extra work. Of course if Billy found out he’d flip his shit, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea. He’d seemed so sad on Sunday, telling her they needed to be better brother and sister, but then he goes and cuts her hours. The man was a jackass mystery wrapped in an asshole enigma.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, to go where she didn’t know, the phone rang. She looked down to see her mother’s cheery face staring back up at her, the picture pulled from her contacts list.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Hi honey!” her mother said from the other end.

“Nice to hear from you mom,” she said sarcastically. It had been at least a month since she’d heard from either parent.

“Is something the matter?” her mother asked.

“No it’s fine,” she said. “I just wish you would call more than once a month.”

“We’re very busy down here honey. Besides the phone works both ways.”

“I know. I know.”

“What’s this I hear about your boyfriend cheating on you and then attacking you in the parking lot of the store?”

Paige’s eyes grew wide and her face flushed with embarrassment. She hadn’t wanted her parents to know this story, but Billy must have opened his mouth. He was a mama’s boy, on the phone with her every night.

“It’s nothing mom,” she said, trying to sound disinterested.

“It doesn’t sound like nothing!” she said, her voice rising. “He put his hands on you.”

“I know, but it was taken care of. He’s gone now mom.”

“Your brother told me some boy saved you. Travis was his name?”

“Yes mom, he’s a friend of mine.”

“Just a friend?”

“I think he’s becoming more than a friend,” she volunteered. It was good to hear her mom’s voice so the information was just spilling out. “I’m pretty attached to him.”

“Just be careful honey,” she said. “I don’t want you to get hurt again. Do you know this boy well?”

“Kind of,” she said. “He’s a pretty good guy, very protective. He cares about me a lot.”

“As long as he treats you right. That Randy was a fat asshole.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“It’s true! Watch out for yourself dear, take things slow.”

“I will mom.”

“I have to go,” Paige said, feeling a pang of sadness thinking about how far away her parents were. She hated the fact that they’d left her alone with Billy in the middle of nowhere.

“Ok dear,” her mom said. “Be careful. I mean it.”

“I will mom,” she said, hanging up the phone. She could feel a tear rolling down her cheek as she looked at her mom’s face disappearing from the screen. She swore she would never abandon her children like her parents had; she would always be there to support them, even if they were little wolves gnawing on the furniture.

She laughed at the thought of her children turning into teenage werewolves, the plot of Teenwolf playing through her head.

“Maybe they’ll be little basketball stars,” she said, laughing.

She jumped as a loud banging on the front door nearly rattled the entire trailer. Only one person knocked that forcefully: her missing boyfriend.

“Well hello sunshine,” she said, throwing the door open. She wasn’t prepared for what was waiting for her. Travis stood on the front porch wearing nothing but his underwear. Behind him Dario stood buck naked. Both men had stained blood around their mouths, like they had both feasted on a dead animal. “What in god’s name?”

Travis studied her face for a second, the hard lines of his jaw softening as he saw the shock and fear on her face. He turned back to Dario who was grinning like a fool. “That will be all for now Dario. Meet me back here at sundown.”

“Yes alpha,” Dario said. He turned to leave, quickly
shifting
into werewolf before taking off through the woods for his own house.

Paige knew she’d never get used to the sound of cracking bone as the wolves
shifted
, or the sight of a man becoming a wolf.

Travis walked in, smiling warmly at her now. He wrapped his arms around her, putting one hand on her face. “You look beautiful.”

He leaned in for a kiss, but she quickly slid under his arms and out of his grip. “Eww no. Ok you have to clean yourself up.”

“What is the matter?” Travis asked, his eyebrows rising in confusion. 

“You’re covered in blood!” she shouted. “I don’t want that when you kiss me.”

“I did not realize,” he said, wiping at the stains on his chin.

“Did you kill one of the Lockharts?” she asked, fear gathering in the pit of her stomach.

“The wererats?” Travis asked, walking down the hallway towards the bathroom. “No.”

“Oh thank god,” she muttered.

“This was from a deer I caught and killed,” he said proudly. “It was good to have some real food for once.”

The fear in her stomach was suddenly replaced with a queasy feeling. She was going to spend the rest of her life with a predator that liked to eat furry animals. At least he wasn’t getting stinking drunk every night though.

“So what are you going to do now?” she asked, following him into the bathroom.

“I do not know,” Travis said, looking at the ground. “We need to spy on these creatures and get as much information as we can. We don’t know how many of them there are or what kind of defense they have. Can they replicate the lunar form trick they pulled before?”

“There were enough of them to destroy your pack,” she said absent mindedly. The look on Travis’ face let her know she had said the wrong words. “I mean to say it appears that way.”

“It does,” he said, dropping to his knees in front of the tub and turning the water on scalding hot. He leaned over and began scrubbing at his face with his hands, trying to get the blood off.

“Let me,” she said, sitting on the edge of the tub and grabbing a wash cloth. Travis sat perfectly still, looking up at her as she began to wash away the blood.

“I wonder if most of my pack was killed by the vampire,” he said. “That would make more sense than rats.”