Annie Nicholas - The Alpha

“Of course not, I wouldn’t be able to stall them if they did.” He glared at Sam and smelled his fear from across the room.

Sweat beaded on the smaller muscular werewolf’s forehead as he edged around the table.

“What did you do, Sam? Why are you suddenly afraid?”

He stopped, his breathing a little heavier, and stood behind Tyler. “I-I didn’t know, man. If someone would have told me I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“To who?” The question came out as snarl. For a moment, a red haze blinded him. He hadn’t been this angry since his confrontation with Michael.

Sam fell to all fours and crawled to his Alpha’s feet. “Last night, I met a girl at a pack party. You-you asked me to go to them to feel the pulse of the pack. She took me home, and we had a good time. Her questions sounded so innocent, like curiosity about her aloof Alpha.”

Eric took a few deep breaths and blew some steam off. He didn’t want to hurt Sam. His anger was at Clair. “She asked about my prospective mate?”

“She seemed excited about it. I couldn’t help but brag and say what a great match you guys made. It never occurred to me you couldn’t mate a human.”

“Didn’t you ever read the copy of the Accords that I gave to everyone in the pack?”

Sam stared at the floor and shook his head.

Each of the original Omegas pack was in the room. Eric turned and looked at them. Katrina pressed herself against Tyler, who didn’t have anything funny to say for once. Robert sat on the floor with his arms crossed over his chest and glared at their groveling friend.

“Did any of you read it?” Eric tried not to sound disappointed.

“I have trouble with English, but Tyler read them to me. I admit to not understanding much of it though.” Katrina rested her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

He smoothed her long black hair with his hand. “Same here, dude. I grew up with English. It’s like Shakespeare wrote it or something.”

Eric sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Maybe I should get a modern translation of the Accords made,” Daedalus offered.

“We’ll figure this out, Eric. You’re not alone.” Robert’s declaration didn’t ease his worry.

Every week something new came up, and every week he had to find a solution for the problem. The burden of the pack would eventually break him. He needed help. He needed a mate.

Spice stayed quiet, sitting on the couch, the dice still clutched in her hand. He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. It made him nervous. She’d want to do something, but Clair would tear her apart, literally.

“Game night is over. Get off the ground, Sam. We’ve got work to do.” He extended his hand to the smaller werewolf at his feet. Sam might not be able to keep his dick in his pants and could be careless, but he was loyal and true. Eric couldn’t buy those last two qualities in a person.

Sam took Eric’s hand and pulled himself to his feet. “Sorry,” he mumbled, then looked around Eric to Spice. “I’m a bonehead, if you haven’t figured it out yet.”

“I have,” she responded.

He cleared his throat and stared at his shuffling feet.

Eric glanced at her over his shoulder and winked. He didn’t want his girl to carry a grudge against Sam. If memory served him right, Spice could carry one with a vengeance. “I want the four of you to split up in two groups. Find the pack and see where they stand on Clair. I’m going to see if I can find and confront her myself.” He turned to Daedalus. “I’d like you to stay here and protect them.” He nodded to the twins.

The Ayumu had attacked his home after he won the challenge against Michael. It wouldn’t surprise him if Clair tried to kill Spice. Daedalus, a Nosferatu Prime, could easily take on whatever she planned.

“You also know the Accords better than any of us. Can you see if there’s a loophole out of this?”

The vampire shook his head. “We’ve been down that road. The Accords clearly state—”

Eric touched his shoulder. “Look again.”

“Too bad Spice’s not pack.”

Eric squeezed Daedalus’s shoulder when he spoke those words. He didn’t like the hint contained in them. Sometimes the vampire couldn’t stop from meddling.

“I’ll go over them now. Send someone to relieve me before dawn.” He left with Sugar in tow.

The Omegas got their jackets and left the house. Eric stood by the door as Spice wrapped a scarf around his neck.

She came to her tiptoes to give him a tender, short kiss. “You do what you have to do and deal with her, Eric.”

He took her face between his hands, not too surprised to hear such a comment from his fierce love. “I’m not killer, Spice.”

“She sounds conniving, selfish and untrustworthy. It will poison those around her. Only the strong survive, your pack deserves someone with the strength and conviction to kill for it. If you need to take a mate besides me, I can understand, but choose one with the right qualities. I’ve been a mistress before, I can be one again.”

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Over his dead body.

“Tyler’s right, this stuff is difficult to read. Legalese is hard enough in modern English let alone in ancient English.” Sugar passed Spice a copy of the Accords. If her smart sister couldn’t read this, then she wouldn’t be able to. She sighed and set it back on the table. Piece of crap paper .

Dawn arrived as they spent the night searching for a solution. Daedalus slept in his coffin, and Katrina crashed on the couch in the living room. The others were still out searching the city for Clair.

It drove Spice nuts to be so helpless. “I need to know more about werewolves. Do you have access to the internet?”

“Sure, there are computers in Robert and Eric’s office upstairs.” Spice had been there once or twice in the last two weeks but only at the doorway. “They’re password protected but I have them.” Sugar grabbed her sister’s hand and led her.

They huddled around one of the computers, side by side. “What do you want to know?”

“How to fight a werewolf.”

Sugar twisted in her seat. “Really? Have you ever seen a werewolf in its beast form? Watched them fight?”

“No, but I’m starting to think I don’t have a choice. Everything you and Daedalus told me last night points to one solution. I have to challenge Clair and beat her before she claims Eric. Let’s see if they have any weaknesses.”

“There is another solution.” Katrina’s accented voice startled both sisters. She stood in the doorway, her thin, narrow face solemn and her hands clasped in front of her.

“What?” They spoke in unison. Spice screwed her lips in annoyance. Twenty-five years and they still managed to sound like the Doublemint twins.

Katrina came into the room and sank onto Robert’s thinking couch. “I will challenge Clair on your behalf. If I win, I will be Eric’s mate in name only and represent you in the pack.”

Spice opened her mouth but nothing came out. She turned to Sugar, who looked just as speechless. What could she possibly say? Honesty always worked best when lost for words. “Uh… do think you can win?”

“Spice.” Sugar smacked her upper arm.

“Hey, she offered. I don’t mean any offense, Katrina, but you’re tiny. Is Clair small too?” Maybe they could make this work.

Katrina smiled. “My human size is irrelevant. What matters is how strong my beast form has become. I lived a long time as a werewolf in China before escaping to America. Over there one needs to learn to fight to live.”

Sugar leaned forward. “Really? How long have you been a werewolf?”

“Longer than your age.” Her smile turned secretive.