Alpha Wolf

Chapter Seven

Michael snuck out the back door of Cole’s former residence, hoping Scarlett was too distracted to notice. She was cooking when she should be resting, but since he’d gotten the impression that cooking for her was a Zen thing, he was doing his best not to pull out his inner caveman and order her to bed.

She’d made the rest of the pack, who had killed Joe—he was sure of it even without them telling him they did—a giant pot of gumbo, which they had devoured. For him, she whipped up something else. He wasn’t sure what but it smelled like meat.

When he’d asked where to go, Todd had pointed him in the right direction and had even offered to run the errand for him. That would have defeated the purpose. He was buying some wine to share with Scarlett and call him old fashioned, but he wanted to do it himself.

He couldn’t believe how hot it still was outside. Did the humidity or heat never let up in New Orleans? Wiping the sweat off his brow, he waited a moment for traffic to pass before crossing the street. Todd had said if he walked three more blocks and took a right he’d find a grocery store that sold wine.

You have a lot of energy considering you haven’t eaten today.

Michael laughed. Remembering his wolf’s earlier remark he couldn’t help but quip back. Now who sounds like my mother? But seriously, we’re going to eat, shortly.

You think Cole didn’t have any wine in the house?

I wanted to buy this for her.

His wolf rolled his eyes. It must be one of those human things.

Michael caught the scent in the air two seconds before his wolf growled. Shifters.

And not ones he knew.

That meant that they were from Zack’s camp. Michael’s eyes turned wolf and he crouched down to the ground letting his shifter senses take over without giving up his human form. It was the first lesson his father taught him. Know your enemy. If you didn’t it was the last mistake you made.

Considering his own sons had been trying to eliminate him for almost thirty-five years, it was a good bet that his father knew something about staying alive.

There were at least ten of them but he couldn’t see them. Moving fast, he saw the grocery store in the distance. It would have to serve as a safe haven until he could get some help. Three wolves were a piece of cake, even five he could handle, but ten was more than he was capable of defeating.

Without another thought, he took off running in the direction of the store. As a shifter, he was fastest in his wolf form, which he couldn’t shift into for fear of being spotted by people who shouldn’t know wolf-shifters existed, but he was still faster than a regular human on two feet as well.

Shift.

His wolf didn’t like the inactivity. He wanted in on the battle. As a human, Michael could manage most of the time to keep his fight impulses in check. Three more scents hit him as he got closer to the store.

Damn.

He swung around and did a quick head count. That was thirteen and they had him surrounded. He wasn’t getting into that store.

Raising an eyebrow, he inwardly shrugged. It looked as if despite his best efforts he was going to engage in a fight he could not win. Just a few days ago, he would have seen it as an honorable way out of a life spent caring for his friends and family.

Now all he could think about was his tiny mate alone in her kitchen waiting for him to come back. He’d promised to take care of her and more than anything else he wanted to love her too. Blinking, he reminded himself he’d had one morning and one night. The universe had blessed him that way. He’d gotten to hold her, to smell her warm aroma when he’d gone to sleep and opened his eyes. That was more than he’d expected to get.

They hadn’t mated, not sexually, and she might not have the compulsion to follow him to the next life right away. That was best. She deserved to live a long, full life. Gods knew he had gotten to have one.

“Which one of you is Zack?”

Unless Zack hadn’t bothered to show up himself. That wouldn’t surprise him. Men who used and abused women were cowards themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn’t pick on people smaller than themselves.

“I’m Zach.”

Well, Michael had to give him credit for coming. At least he was one step up from total slime. He was just the insect swimming around in the slime. Short for a man in his human form, he was only for five foot five inches tall, with brown hair and glasses.

Michael raised an eyebrow. It was unusual for a shifter to wear glasses. Maybe Zack had spent too much time partaking of the products given to him by Joe.

It didn’t matter. It was likely that Michael wouldn’t survive this encounter, but before he left this world he was taking Zack with him.

The thought dawned on him that maybe that wasn’t enough.

“Tell me something, Zach, which members of your crew was my mate forced to service in order to stay alive?”

Zack laughed, it was a cold hard sound devoid of any emotion. “Oh yes, I heard you were mated to one of our latent females. Fate must hate you. For the record, both Justin,”

Zack nodded to a shifter standing to the left of Michael. “And I have sampled your mate’s treats.”

So Justin was dead too. That was fine. Justin was going down first. With a growl, Michael shifted into his wolf form and leapt on Justin. The other shifter never had time to shift as Michael gave into every instinct he’d ever had and tore the man who dared to defile his mate to pieces.

The other wolves around him growled but nobody moved in time. In two bites Michael had Justin’s neck ripped from his body. He could taste his blood in his mouth and he had to admit it felt fantastic. Or at least it did to his wolf side. If the man side of Michael were in control, he wouldn’t be so happy with the sensation.

Growling, he dropped the now dead man and turned his attention to Zack. Three of the others shifted, however, before they could get in his way, he leapt onto Zack going straight for his jugular.

Mid-bite, Zack shifted into a tall grey and brown wolf. Growling, Zack foamed at the mouth. Michael lunged forward with only one thought in his mind: kill.

Zack was no pushover. For the first time since he’d arrived in New Orleans, Michael had a challenge. Zack didn’t let him advance without tearing back. Behind him, Michael was distantly aware that Todd, Barge and Seamus’ scents wafted over the group. He heard growls and wolves howling in the background.

It didn’t matter. Michael only had eyes for Zack. He’d had tough opponents before having grown up fighting Cullen and his father. It was good thing; it meant that he was never afraid of working hard to win.

His father always went for the kill, stopping only just before he ended Michael’s life.

In his mind’s eye, he could see it now. It was Kendrick’s favorite move and unless you had personally endured it, you never saw it coming.

Leaping forward, Michael went up on two feet, keeping his front two paws in the air.

With his claws extended, he swiped at Zack’s face as he pushed his whole body weight onto Zack’s face. The problem with the move was that you got bit on your stomach, which Michael had anticipated. It hurt and he refused to whimper as he focused on the next part of the fight. Kicking up with his back feet. he kept his front paw around Zack’s neck.

Using his mouth, he tore at Zack, now having complete access to the other shifter’s body. Zack might have gotten a bite in, but now Michael was in control of the fight. Piece by piece, he tore Zack apart. The taste of the other man was in his mouth, his life seeping out bit by bit.

Finally, he pulled back panting. He fell to the floor, expecting the blows to come from Zack’s group. He had no energy left to handle it. He’d done what he needed to do.

Todd’s scent filled his nostrils and he looked up at the other shifter who was in his human form albeit naked, which meant he’d shifted to wolf and then shifted back.

The other shifter’s voice was gruff when he spoke. “Wow.”

He wished he could speak to Todd telepathically only they weren’t pack. That was saved for post-mating ritual spouses and pack communication. With no choice, he shifted into his human form.

Groaning, he put his hand on his stomach and saw the blood that covered it when he pulled it away. Zack had really gotten him good. Two large teeth marks marred his skin.

They bled and burned.

He looked at his wolf for one last second. Good work.

Michael’s wolf still panted. I live to please.

Finally, he spoke to Todd. “Where are the rest of Zack’s cronies?”

“We took out a few of them. The rest are in awe of you, they’re not going to risk a fight.”

Michael tried to stand up and fell back. Damn, he was really hurt. It had been a long time since he’d been this bad off. He needed food and then sleep or he was going to be in for a world of hurt.

Staring at Todd, he asked a question that had been brewing on his mind for some time. “Did you do it, Todd? When you were with Zack, did you and Barge and Seamus abuse female shifters sexually?”

Michael already knew they had participated in some of the beatings.

Todd’s eyes got wide. “Never. Zack is powerful. We wanted to be aligned with the most powerful shifter. If he said hit, we hit, but most of us didn’t participate in the ‘have sex with me to live’ mentality.” Todd looked down at the ground. “Personally, I’ve been waiting for my mate.”

“Alright.” Michael grabbed his head to stop the world from spinning. “Here is the deal, take everyone who wants to come back to the house back to the house, assuming they’ve never raped anyone. Anyone who did that may not come.”

“Where should they go?”

Michael shrugged even though it pulled on his stomach and hurt like hell. “I couldn’t care less.”

Extending his hand, he glanced up at Todd. “Help me up?”

Todd nodded and helped Michael get unsteadily to his feet.

“Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

Todd raised an eyebrow before grinning. “You’re welcome.”

Michael limped forward. “How did you know where I was?”

“When you didn’t come back in a reasonable amount of time, we came searching for you. The whole group wanted to come, but we convinced the others to stay with the women.”

Stopping his slow progress forward, he regarded Todd. When he’d first gotten here, he’d thought they were stupid. Truth was, they’d been acting that way. Now, however, they reminded him more of the young wolves he used to train when Westervelt actually had teenagers. More like what his nephews would become when they aged a little bit more.

Sometimes the young pups struck out at him, bit down, didn’t listen to their wolf-halves. They had to be trained out of this behavior. His job had been to teach them, to work with them alongside their parents until they matured. If need be, it was his job to turn them over to Cullen Murphy for a different kind of lesson.

Then when they’d done their years with him it had been his joy to watch them walk away the wolf-shifters they were supposed to be. This whole pack—who had somehow managed even through their dysfunction to shield his sister from Kendrick Kane for thirty-five years—were stuck in time emotionally in their teenage years.

“Can I help you walk back?”

Michael laughed. “You can, but I need to do something first.”

“What?”

“I want to get some wine and maybe some flowers.”

Todd rolled his eyes. “We’re all naked. We can’t go traipsing into the grocery store.”

“I suppose you’re right.” He closed his eyes as he swayed on his feet. “But that really fucking sucks.”

* * * *

Michael opened his eyes and blinked twice trying to figure out where he was. The room was dark, not a problem since his other senses were on alert. Scarlett’s scent filled his nostrils and he breathed deeply. Wherever it was, it was fine if she was there.

“Scarlett?”

“Michael.” Her voice came from the other side of the room and he heard fast, soft footsteps approach him. “You’re awake.”

“Kind of.” Sitting up hurt like hell, but he’d never been one to stay flat on his back.

Groaning, he ran his hand over his stomach, relieved to see the wounds had closed.

“Where are we?”

“Cole’s room.” She sat down on the bed next to him, placing her hand on his forehead. Her skin felt cool and smooth. He closed his eyes against the sensation.

“I forgot for a second. I know Zack knocked around my insides, I didn’t realize he’d rattled my brains.”

She sighed and the sound made his heartbeat pick up. “You lost a lot of blood.”

He opened his eyes. “Forget about me, I’m hard to kill. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” She leaned over and turned on the light. For a second, he couldn’t see at all, blinded by the sudden onslaught to his vision. Seconds later, it cleared and he was treated to his mate’s lovely form.

“Are you telling me the truth or has the withdrawal been really hard?”

She shrugged and when she spoke concern laced her voice. “I have a little headache, I’m a little itchy, and kind of tired but other than that, I’m fine. I’m not the one who almost died.”

He waved his hand to dismiss the accusation. Truth was, he was kind of uncomfortable that she fretted about him. “Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m not. When Todd brought you in, I thought you were dead.”

“Nah … I told you, I’m hard to kill.” If growing up with his father taught him anything, it taught him that.

“Michael, please don’t make light of this.”

“What do you want me to say? It’s not as if I set out to get jumped by Zack and his cronies.”

“No.” She shook her head, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. “You went out to get me wine. No one ever buys me anything.”

“I did. I wanted to.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held on to him. He could hear her heartbeat and the blood rushing through her veins. Being this close to her was bliss. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, I never got the wine.”

She pulled her head back to look at him. “Thank you for trying.”

“You’re welcome.” He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Someday I will surprise you with it.”

She blushed even as she changed the subject. “You must be starving.”

“I think I passed starving a little while ago. Now I’m at the point where I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Wait here.”

Letting go of him, she jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. He leaned back and tried to make sense of all the small things that had just happened. She’d been worried about him, which made him feel weird and then she’d hugged him, which had made his night. Even better was the fact that she hadn’t looked away once when they’d spoken.

Their relationship moved forward, which was a really good thing.

Scarlett entered the room, closing the door quietly behind her while she simultaneously balanced a tray in her hands. It was an impressive feat and showed she’d been working in restaurants for some time.

He raised an eyebrow as it dawned on him how silent her movements were. “What time is it?”

“The middle of the night, almost two I think.”

Placing the tray down in front of him on the bed, she lifted a napkin off the top of it.

“I kept it warm so it might be a little dry. I had to make do with Cole’s stuff here.”

On the plate was what looked like a meal for a king: steak with a side of some Spanish looking rice and mixed vegetables. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten this well. These days he was always eating on the go, picking up takeout, or grabbing whatever he could on his way out the door.

Using the fork and knife she’d left on the tray, he cut off a piece of the steak and placed in it his mouth. There was nothing dry about it. It was cooked to perfection and the juices of the meat filled his mouth and stimulated his taste buds. “Gods, this is good.”

Faster than he would normally consume a meal, he stuffed himself full. Every compliment he gave it made his mate blush or grin. It was a great feeling, considering that he wasn’t exaggerating. It really was that good.

When he was done, he leaned back on the headboard. “Who taught you to cook?”

“This is New Orleans. Everyone can.”

He laughed. “Seriously, who taught you?”

“There was a shifter, she died a few years ago, she could really cook and she used to let me watch. I guess I just picked things up.”

“It’s a gift then because I could watch someone cook every day for the next two years and still burn water.”

With a grin on her face, she swatted at his arm. “That’s not true.”

“Trust me, it is.”

He smiled at her, feeling real contentment for the first time in a long time. It was nice to sit and look at her for a while. It was splendid to…

Without another word, Scarlett leapt on him pressing her soft lips against his and the dishes of food and tray went flying. Startled, it took him a second to respond but then he kissed her hard. She made a small sound in her throat before kissing him back.

The world became Scarlett. There was nothing but her mouth against his, nothing but the sounds she made, nothing but the smell of her scent in his nose. Running his hands through her long hair, he could feel each strand as it touched the pads of his fingertips.

Scarlett placed her hand on his chest and caressed the hair at the top of his chest. He shuddered under her caress, a sensation he still hadn’t gotten used to. It was amazing.

This woman, this tiny little woman, had power over him like no other being in the universe.

And he loved it.

“Michael.” She pulled her head back to speak to him. Her eyes burned with fire and he wondered if she knew it. “I want to do this. Please, can we do this?”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t know that I’m ever going to like it only I’d like to try with you. Maybe I’ll finally understand what all the fuss is about.” She looked down. “Gods know just looking at you does strange things to my insides.”

He knew that feeling too well. He’d been hard as a rock since he’d met her. Stroking the side of her face with his hand, he smiled.

“No time like the present to discover each other.”

She grinned and he kissed her again.