Alpha's Strength

  “I don’t.” Kyra shrugged, smiling at Betsy. “But if he does, it’s not the end of the world.”

  “Not the end of the world? My brother has never seen a good time he didn’t want to break up.”

  Okay, Lake was drunk. Betsy had seen it many times with her father. She hadn’t liked the look of it then, and she didn’t now. Only now, the toxic alcohol fumes coming off the pack Healer made Betsy want to sneeze too.

  “That’s not true. He wants you all to have great lives. His only concern is keeping you safe.” Her defense of him was swift. If Lake believed that, then she really didn’t know her brother at all. What had he done to make them all so completely misunderstand him? She drummed her fingers on the table. He needed to hire a PR person for his own pack mates.

  “Don’t get us wrong,” the Raquel/Rachel person said. “We love the Alpha. Things were so bad before he took over. My parents call him the savior. They say the pack was all but decimated and he put it back together. We could never get on without him, but, no offense, he has a real stick up his ass sometimes.”

  “No offense? How am I not to take offense? He’s my mate and your Alpha.” She growled. “I can promise you he’d never speak about you so disrespectfully.”

  This had been a mistake. She couldn’t have friends, not if it meant listening to them complain about their Alpha, who happened to be her true mate. She didn’t need this kind of stress.

  Liana put her hand on Betsy’s. “Ruth is drunk. Don’t mind her. I would never speak about Cyrus Fennell any way but with reverence. He is my Alpha, and I am so glad you are here to bring happiness to him.”

  “Thank you.” Some of her urge to get up and stomp out left.

  “Neither would I.” Kyra smiled. “And I think in a few minutes it’ll be time to get his quite intoxicated sister home to bed.” Kyra stroked Lake’s hair. “She’s not usually this type of drinker.” Lake stared off into space as though she’d missed the whole conversation. “Something has plagued her lately.”

  “Jensen knows you’re here, and he lets you come anyway?” Betsy took another sip of her drink and winced. It was really too sweet for her. Maybe she wasn’t meant to drink anything but water, milk, and coffee.

  “He’s outside in the car.”

  “What?” Ruth—whose name was obviously not Raquel—slammed down her drink. “He’s outside? That spoils the whole point of not having a guard dog roaming around in here killing all the good times.”

  “Oh really?” Kyra’s tone said she’d had enough of Ruth’s crap. “Did his sitting out there every other time we’ve gone out spoil your fun? You went home with how many random humans? Did Jensen say a word? And if you call him a guard dog again, I’ll rip out your eyes.”

  Maybe female company was going to be really out of the question. Leaving the two of them to fight it out, she stared back at Liana. “How does it work if you’re not true mates?”

  “What do you mean?” Liana smiled.

  “Well, you commit to each other, like a marriage, right? You have kids, form a family?”

  Liana nodded happily. “Exactly. We’re hoping to start one the next time I go into heat.”

  “That’s really wonderful. But I guess I’m confused because what will happen if you are in a committed relationship and then one of you finds your true mate? How will you handle that? Is there a system?”

  The other woman’s face fell. “Most of us will never find a true mate. If such a person exists for us, they are somewhere we’ll never find them. With the exception of the Alphas, most of us will never leave our territory. Ever. It’s not safe. And, as for me, if it happened, I would never leave my family under any circumstances. Besides, this is all so hypothetical. I can’t believe the moon would ever be so cruel.”

  “In other words…” Lake slurred her words, apparently tuning back into the world around her. “They all hope really hard that it’s not going to take place.”

  Something was going to have to be done about Lake. Betsy didn’t know her mate’s sister at all, except that she’d been really kind to her when Betsy had almost vomited in the basement. Afterward, Betsy had felt heaps better and had thanked her. Lake had seemed sweet, now just despondent. Of course, the woman had also turned Betsy from latent to full shifter without asking permission. Maybe she had a volatile personality.

  She’d no sooner had that thought than her attention shifted. There was a change in the room. Something smelled wrong. Her nose twitched, and she tried to make sense of it. A group of men and women had entered. It smelled as though they’d bathed in perfume or cologne. Betsy gagged and, seconds later, so did several of the women at the table. Lake and Ruth didn’t seem to notice. Maybe alcohol dulled their ability to scent things.

  Betsy turned around to stare at the stinky people. Who walked around draped in so much fake scent that it was practically a noxious gas? The group of eight stared back at her table, which seemed kind of odd. To an outsider, her group was a pack of women talking loudly. She didn’t know that much about bars, but surely their like could be found in about any drinking establishment any day or night of the week.

  TV was filled with shows of women talking about inappropriate things while they sipped way-too-expensive cocktails. It was fashionable, and this was Manhattan, where fashion was king.

  A feeling of dread filled her stomach. Something was wrong. “We need to get out of here.” As a human, she’d ignored her instincts, but if she’d learned nothing in the last forty-eight hours it was that her instincts were far more accurate than she could have imagined. Her hands shook, and her heart raced. She wasn’t a fighter, not really. It seemed pivotal to flee.

  “I agree.” Kyra jumped to her feet, tugging at Ruth, who was sluggish.

  “What are you two fussing about?”

  A woman with long white hair got up from the table, making Betsy nervous, and moved to the door. She closed it and stood in front with her hands on her hips. Now that really couldn’t have been misinterpreted as anything but weird—if not downright threatening.

  Kyra walked to the side of the table and took her hand. “Listen to me. I think we’re in trouble here.”

  Lake stumbled to her feet. “What’s going on?”

  Kyra pushed on Lake’s shoulder, pushing her back down in her chair. “Quiet.”

  Betsy spoke to Kyra, a bead of sweat travelling down from her neck to her back. “I agree. These people—”

  “Are here to do us harm. Yes.” Kyra nodded. Betsy was glad Kyra was so calm because it kept her cooler than she’d otherwise be.

  “What should we do?” Her hands shook, and she shoved them in her pockets.

  “Well, we don’t know how dangerous they are. They might be here to spit evil nonsense at us, or they might mean to attack us. In the meantime, I’ve sent Jensen a text. He’ll get in here. I know he will. And I’m sure he’s let the Alpha know we feel threatened.”

  “Great. Cyrus can ban bars.” Lake rolled her eyes.

  “Would you shut up? We’re here, we’re in some kind of trouble, and we are responsible for the Alpha’s mate. She’s new to this. Nothing can happen to her. It will kill your brother. Despite whatever is up your ass tonight, you would never want to harm him in any way.”

  “All right,” the woman by the door called out loudly. “If you are a human, get out the front door. Now. This is your last chance to leave.”

  “If we’re human?” a man screamed out from the back of the bar. “Funny joke, lady. Have another one.”

  She opened her jacket and pulled out a large silver knife. Any doubt Betsy had about their intentions disappeared. Yep, these people were here to cause violent trouble.

  The other seven people at the table rose, pulling out their own versions of the knife from their articles of clothing.

  “Do we look like we’re kidding? We’re actually here to protect you from the scum that is here to destroy our lives. So, if you’re human, get out now.” She gestured her knife in their direction. “And d
on’t try to fool me. We know who all of you are. You’re not sneaking out, creatures.”

  “Where is Jensen?” She turned to Kyra. “Shouldn’t he busting through the door?”

  The hordes of humans in the bar rushed forward, and the knife-wielding woman let them out, the whole time glaring at the group of werewolves.

  “I don’t know. But we’re not got going to sit here and let these knife-wielding psychos hurt us. Stay behind me.”

  As Kyra spoke, a strange sensation took over Betsy’s brain. Her vision tunneled. All she could see was the woman with the knife. How dare she threaten them? How dare she put any members of her pack in danger?

  No, she wasn’t going to tolerate this anymore. She pulled out her shaking hands and stared at them. What she really needed was a weapon, and she had one. Or two, to be exact.

  Betsy knew exactly what she had to do, and it was so damn simple. Even though she had never done it before, she had no doubt about how she could accomplish her task. All she had to do was will it.

  Her hands shifted into hairy claws, which might have disturbed her if they hadn’t been so completely what she needed at that moment.

  Kyra gasped, staring down at her. “How did you do that?”

  “Can’t you?” She shook her head. “We’ll work it out later. I’m getting rid of her.”

  “No.” Kyra held onto her. “Please don’t do that. I can’t let you get hurt.’

  But she wanted to take care of this situation. She craved retribution for the threat.

  Growls sounded around her. She didn’t know which werewolves had made the noise, but she joined in on the sound. These humans should be cowering. They should be on their knees hoping they didn’t get torn to bits.

  Whether she wanted to fight or not, the option had been taken the moment the woman had issued her challenge. The knife-wielding humans rushed at them, and all Betsy saw was red.

  ****

  “Betsy.” Liana shook her, and she stared down at the other woman. There were screams deafening her, and blood dripped from her hands. What had happened? She sucked in her breath. She’d seen red, and then she had no idea what happened.

  “Liana.” She said the other woman’s name as though it were a lifeline because, in that moment, it was.

  “That’s right. You’ve been in battle haze. It’s normal.” Liana shook her again gently. “Happens to all the new werewolves. But, listen to me, we have to get out of here.”

  “What happened? What did I do? Where is Kyra?”

  Liana’s face fell. “Let’s not worry about that now. You were remarkable. I can’t keep you safe here any longer.”

  Just then the door flew open, and a large group of werewolves pushed through the door howling. She briefly saw Jensen, Mitchell, and some of the others she had met briefly, but she had eyes only for the man who led the charge.

  Her Alpha.

  Cyrus.

  He rushed through the door, slamming into one of the humans holding a weapon. The man went down to the floor and was immediately picked by up by Mitchell, who twisted his neck into an unnatural position.

  Cyrus was here. He was coming to her. She stared down at her claws. There was blood on them. Whose blood is that? What has happened?

  Her gaze flew to the door where the gray-haired woman lay with her throat slit. Had she done that? Where was Kyra? Something was in the back of her mind, something she should know.

  Cyrus’ arms came around her, pulling her against him. “Are you okay? Betsy, are you okay? Look at me.”

  She forced her eyes upward. “My hands.”

  Betsy held up her hands to show him the claws. Cyrus took them in for a second. “Okay. It’s rare. Not all of us can do that. I can’t. I don’t partially shift. I’m really glad, in this case, that you can. Are you okay? Shit, I’ve never been so afraid. When I heard—”

  Behind her came a sound she’d never heard before and hoped she never would again. A howl of pure and total pain filled the air, and everyone in the room went silent.

  Betsy twisted in Cyrus’ arms. She had to see, had to know what could have caused such pain. It was a werewolf crying out. It had to be. But why?

  Cyrus let go of her and moved toward the sound of the pain. She stared toward where he walked. Jensen was on his knees on the floor, his face a contorted version of his strong, tense features. Tears streamed down his face.

  Only one thing could have done that to him. Kyra. No. The woman had been with her when it had all gone red. Was this her fault? She had no memory, no idea of what happened. No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.

  She rushed to Cyrus’ side. Kyra lay in Jensen’s lap, her eyes open and staring lifeless at the ceiling. Jensen rocked her back and forth, howling at the ceiling, and next to him, Lake wept openly.

  “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t help.” Lake covered her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry. It’s not working.”

  It was the alcohol. Lake hadn’t been able to smell the perfume. She’d been out of it. None of them should have been drinking like they had, and Betsy couldn’t consider herself blameless. She’d known something was wrong. How could this be happening? Kyra had been talking about true mating, and now she was dead. Betsy couldn’t even remember how it had happened.

  They were supposed to be going to the movies. She was supposed to be making friends.

  “I’m so sorry, baby.” Jensen put his head down on his dead mate’s body. “I couldn’t get through the door. There were too many of them outside. I’m so sorry. Take me with you. Don’t leave me here to do this alone. Don’t go, Kyra. Please, Lake, I’ll do anything you ask for. Bring her back. Anything you want.”

  Cyrus squatted down next to Jensen. Her mate had yet to utter a word. Jensen was covered in blood and not all of it was Kyra’s. How long had the werewolf fought on the street? Oh no. They’d been on the street.

  “Cyrus.” She could barely think, barely speak. “We have to go. The humans. I hear sirens.”

  “They’re being kept back.” He didn’t look at her, his eyes on Jensen. “We have procedures, but they won’t work forever.”

  Jensen’s voice hitched. “Cyrus, we can’t do this. We can’t let Kyra die here, my Alpha. Not like this. Not by the hands of the true believers. Not when it’s my fault for not getting in.”

  “It’s not your fault.” The voice behind her startled her, and she whirled around. When had Alexei gotten here? Had he been with them the whole time? Like the other males in the room, he was covered in blood that wasn’t his. “The question is, what are you going to do about it, Cyrus?”

  “War.” Finally, Cyrus raised his head finally and stared straight at Alexei. “I’m going to war, and God help anyone who gets in my way.”

  Her mate threw his arms around Jensen. The strong warrior sobbed, large heaving gasps into his Alpha’s arms. A howl started somewhere, and it wasn’t from Jensen. She had no idea who had begun it, but before she could question it, they were all howling, even her. They’d lost someone tonight, a woman she hadn’t known long but had connected to, had belonged with even for the short time they’d been together.

  This was goodbye. It was only fitting.

  Someone had to tell her what she’d done.

  Chapter Thirteen

  There were five true believers still alive. They’d all been part of the group that attacked Jensen, and then the rest, on the street. None of them inside the bar had taken a breath again.

  Cyrus stared at them in the darkness. He wasn’t certain all of them would make it to morning. Some of them would bleed out before the new day. There wasn’t a thing Cyrus was willing to do for them. They had done what no one should have been able to do, what had never happened since he’d taken over as Alpha. The humans he held captive had hurt his pack in such a way that it might never recover.

  Jensen would never be the same. Cyrus couldn’t imagine how the other man would even get through the night. Cyrus had known Betsy for only two days, but if anything happened to her
, he’d stop breathing. Life would be over. Jensen had lived ten years with Kyra. How could he face even a day without her?

  Cyrus shook his head. Jensen had children. He’d find a way. The warrior werewolf would never leave them to suffer without both parents. Cyrus would see the kids at the goodbye ceremony. He would forever be in their memory as the werewolf who sent their mother back to the moon. Shepherd would forever live in his own memory that way.

  “Two of them are goners for sure.” Alexei leaned against the wall next to him. “I know Lake is out of commission for the night. Do you want me to get my Healer here? I could put her on the plane and have her here in no time.”

  “No. Thank you.” Cyrus didn’t care if they all dropped dead.

  Nathan, who rocked back and forth in his cage, mumbling to himself, was all the collateral he needed at this point. “You’re going to have to keep feeding Nathan for me a few more days. Restrain yourself from killing him for a bit longer.”

  The trip to Montana would have to be delayed until after they laid Kyra to rest. Then they would go.

  “I will, of course.” Alexei nodded. “Because he is involved in whatever is going on with Betsy’s parents that you won’t be more detailed about.”

  “Exactly.”

  His negotiations with Alexei had gone well and had ended with a blood oath of non-aggression minutes before the call had come in about the problem with the women. He hadn’t asked the other man to come help them, but the other Alpha had fought beside him as if it were the most natural thing to do so.

  “Are you okay?” He turned to Alexei. “Hurt?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good. Then I’m going to go home.”

  “These moments… when there’s nothing more to do for anyone, but it feels like there should be something… they’re the most frustrating because of how ineffectual it makes us.” Alexei yawned. “If anyone really knew what it was to be an Alpha before they took on the challenge, no one would do it.”

  Cyrus didn’t want to talk to about his feelings, not with Alexei. He wouldn’t attack the other man’s territory, and his people would be safe from Alexei’s pack. That was enough. Nathan had been given as part of the deal. That was enough.