Alpha’s Challenge

  * * *

  Cade looked up at the clock and saw it was nearly three in the morning. “Go to bed, Lex. Your pregnant wife is all alone. There’s not much else we can do at this point anyway. We’ll take it up again when we meet tomorrow. Or rather, later today.”

  He stood and stretched.

  “You going to be all right? Give her a break, Cade. She’s afraid for you. This isn’t about big Pack politics for her, this is about her mate.” Lex squeezed his shoulder on the way out. “You go to bed too.”

  “I’m on my way there now. Thanks, Lex.”

  “Yeah well, thank you too, huh? For believing I have it in me to fill your shoes.” Lex ducked his head a bit.

  “I admire you, Lex. You’re a damned good leader. No stretch to believe you’ll do just fine.”

  “Jeez, any minute and we’re gonna start weeping. I’m going to bed to show my woman some sexual prowess or something,” Lex grumbled and headed toward his and Nina’s room.

  Cade snorted and headed to his room. He’d been thinking of how he’d make some renovations to build some more private rooms on their side of the house to give Grace some space that was hers but if he planned to take over for Templeton, he supposed the point was moot.

  Even more moot when he entered their room and she wasn’t there.

  He picked up the phone but her cell was on voice mail so he called Dave. “What the hell?”

  “She’s working, Cade. Just leave it alone right now,” Dave said without preamble.

  “It’s three in the damned morning. She needs to be here. Bring her ass home or I’ll come and get her.”

  “You’re awfully good at making all her choices these days, aren’t you? If you come down here, you’d better watch your balls because she’s in a sour mood.” Dave hung up.

  “Did he just hang up on me?” Cade sighed and began to pace. He opened their link but aside from a general level of agitation, didn’t get a whole lot more than that. She had either cut him off, which was very difficult, or she was deeply involved in whatever she was doing. Knowing Grace, he’d lay odds on the latter.

  He tossed his clothes in the hamper and climbed in bed but instead of sleeping, he tossed and turned for an hour before getting back up and grabbing the phone again.

  “What?” Dave answered.

  “You’re awfully lippy to your Alpha,” Cade drawled.

  “I’m trying to sleep on a very small break room couch, I’m not in a great mood. This is all your fault anyway. What do you want? She’s fine. I made her take a break and eat something and she’s working. I can see her from where I’m lying. Hiroshi is on watch and the place is locked up tight.”

  “You being there at four a.m. is my fault, how?”

  Dave exhaled sharply. “I’ve known you my whole life. You’re my cousin and my Alpha.” He paused. “But you’ve always been the boss. Even when you were a kid. Grace gets that. She understands duty to her people. She betrayed her damned family for it. And all you had to do was take her out of the room and ask her opinion. But you decided to risk your life, give up your position here and move to Boston to take on Supreme Alpha status and you didn’t bother to pretend to value her opinion. Ah, I see by your stupefied silence you finally got that.”

  “Well, she could have stayed here to talk to me instead of running off down there to hide.” God, he sounded like a punk.

  “Says the guy who only just noticed his wife wasn’t home. You’re an ass. She’s doing her duty just like you’re doing yours. She wants that vaccine because she wants you protected for the Challenge. Now, I’m going to try and sleep some more. Hiroshi and I trade in another hour and I was up before dawn for the joining. Remember that?” Dave hung up again.

  “Crap.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Grace, why don’t you go home for a while?” Dave said as he approached.

  She looked up and noticed the lab had filled with people. It was nearly two in the afternoon and she hadn’t slept in well over twenty-four hours. Nothing new, she’d gone days without sleeping before, part of the doctor gig.

  “Send Hiroshi home for a change of clothes please? I’m going to shower here and then I’ll catch a few hours’ sleep.” They had dormitory-style rooms just for that sort of thing in the lab.

  “I don’t know, Grace. Cade called twice this morning. He’s going to want to see you.”

  “Dave, I’m in the middle of something. He’s busy, so am I. I’m not interrupting my work to make him feel better. Plus? I’m not so enamored of him just now.” Grace told her staff she was taking a few hours to sleep and headed to one of the quiet rooms to do just that.

  Her dreams were fitful, filled with images of Cade getting killed during the Challenge, damn him. But when she woke up, she knew what she’d been missing with the vaccine. Foregoing the shower, she put her lab coat back on and rushed out, shouting orders as she went.

  Her staff went scurrying and began to apply the solution she’d hit on when she’d just woken up.

  They worked on it for the next several hours until she knew she’d had enough. She needed a shower, a hot meal and some sleep and she supposed it was time to confront her stubborn mate as well.

  “Okay.” She rubbed her eyes. “Let’s go home. You guys need some time off and this all has to sit for a while.”

  “Grace, you’re a machine.” Dave kissed her cheek.

  “Thank you. Goodness, it’s already nine thirty? Yikes.” She grabbed her bag and they headed for the door.

  Outside, the air was cool but not cold and she took in the fresh, non-lab scents. But on her last deep breath as they cleared the trees and started into the lot, something not right filtered into her system. She froze just as Dave put his hand out. Hiroshi yanked her to the ground as a bullet whizzed into the place she’d just been standing.

  Instead it hit the tree just behind them, and a freaking branch snapped off, hitting Dave in the head and knocking him out. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  “Stay down, Grace. I’m going to have to find him and take him out,” Hiroshi whispered in her ear.

  She nodded slightly, keeping herself plastered to the ground.

  Hiroshi moved off like a shadow but some moments that felt like hours later, she heard the crack of the gun again and then a growl in the distance. Cade was there!

  When the gun went off again she’d had it with the whole situation. She was tired and pissed off.

  Cade was in the treeline, looking for a way to get to the shooter. Lex was off to his right and he reached out through the link and knew Grace was alive and unharmed. Suddenly, the bubbling heat of her rage flooded the link and he saw her moving toward the shooter so fast he couldn’t believe his eyes.

  He couldn’t yell at her to stop or he’d put her in more danger but as he and Lex moved to get the shooter’s attention, he planned to spank that pretty little ass of hers when this was all over.

  Ducking and running, charging at the shooter, he watched in total amazement as his tiny wife hauled her laptop bag up and knocked the shit out of the shooter when she hit him in the head with it.

  He crumpled to the ground and as Cade reached her, he heard her say, “Softball from middle school all through college.”

  She kicked the weapon away and turned to see him coming. Without missing a beat, she raced to him and jumped into his arms.

  “Honey, what were you doing?” he asked between patting her all over to be sure she was unharmed.

  “My job. Where’s Hiroshi? I need my medical bag to check Dave out.”

  “You charged a man with a rifle, Grace. Are you out of your mind?”

  She scrambled down and narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. “Do you really want to remind me how pissed off I am at you? I still have my laptop bag. And where’s Hiroshi?”


  “Here! I’ve been hit in the shoulder.”

  She spun as she yelled back to them to get her bag pronto.

  Lex actually had the balls to chuckle as he jogged to get her bag from inside the Hummer once their prisoner had been restrained.

  She didn’t say another word to him until they got back home. She ordered Dave into bed. He didn’t have a concussion, just a big goose egg and once he’d transformed back at the lab even that started to go down. Hiroshi had a bandage on his shoulder but he too managed to transform to work the silver through him. Efficiently, Grace gave people tasks and put Hiroshi to bed as well.

  Lex disappeared with the prisoner and Cade didn’t ask a thing. Lex had a job to do. Three other guards went with him.

  “I’m starved and then I need a shower and some sleep,” she announced as she walked past him and into the kitchen.

  “Sit down. I’ll get you something.” Cade plopped her into a chair and turned to work.

  “Did you just pick me up like I was furniture?”

  “Are you trying to pick a fight? I’m making you a meal. That’s a nice thing. I’d think most women would like that.”

  She cocked her head and a trickle of fear ran through him.

  “I’m aware that because of my general nature, most people think I’m easy. And I usually am. I let most stuff roll off because in the big scheme of things, they’re not important. There are a number of things I believe, Cade Warden. First, duty is important. I have a duty to serve my wolves and so, while your method of making decisions is totally selfish, sucks and treats me as if I don’t matter at all, I accept your choice to do this Challenge.” She slammed a hand on the table when he opened his mouth to interrupt and he closed his lips.

  “However, that does not mean I’m not hurt by your seeming inability to at least ask me if I want to rip up my roots, once again, and become the Supreme Alpha of the United States and move to Boston. That does not mean you can just make decisions that affect us as a couple assuming I’ll be fine because hey, she’s easy and never complains anyway!”

  Her voice rose and he moved back until the counter dug into his back. She remained seated, watching him through narrowed eyes.

  “Just because I’m short doesn’t mean you can pick me up like I’m a chair or something. Just because I don’t flip out and start fights all the time doesn’t mean you can make choices that endanger your life and uproot mine without even asking me! I think most women expect their spouses to, you know, consult them on the big stuff. I don’t care how you want to wear your hair, I don’t care what kind of car you drive. But when it comes to, oh, say challenges to the death with homicidal maniacs and essentially drafting me to become the First Lady of the werewolves, I’d like the damned courtesy of at least you pretending my voice matters!” Her eyes flashed so much hurt and fury it nearly made him lose his knees.

  Instead, he went to her and knelt, putting his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair with a sigh. “I love you, Cade. I’m proud of your sense of justice and duty. I really don’t want you to fight Warren to the death and I’m pretty steamed at Templeton for not asking you in private. There’s a lot I’m steamed about, including being shot at, yet again. But this is a relationship and I can’t be happy if you make my choices for me, or make choices for us without even consulting me.”

  “When you ran off, I didn’t get much of a chance to. But okay, before you maim me like you did that wolf at the lab, I should have spoken to you. Your opinion does matter. I’m just used to making my own choices and not having to ask. And I did not treat you like furniture. I’d have picked up Nina that way too.” She growled and he quickly added, “Or Megan or anyone else. I just wanted you to sit so I could take care of you.”

  “I like it when you take care of me, Cade. I don’t like it when you treat me like I don’t matter. Ask me to sit. Ask my opinion about things. Do I want you to risk your life? No. My first reaction was to tell Templeton to suck an egg. But I’d have worked past it, I have worked past it. Now, I’m sorry to have scared you but that guy in the parking lot was the last damned straw, I tell you.”

  He sat up, amused, and kissed her. “They always say it’s the quiet ones and who do I know who’s quiet? But I can honestly agree with the statement now. When you work up a good mad, you really go to town. You clocked the hell out of that Pellini wolf.”

  “He’d better be telling us something good or I may have to find a baseball bat to show him what I meant about softball.”

  “My goodness, so vicious. It’s very sexy when it’s not directed at me.” He kissed her again and once more just because he could. “You taste tired, but good. I don’t like it when you’re not here.”

  “Make me some food and I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to in the lab.”

  Grace watched him, took in that spectacular behind as he made her dinner. Being waited on by a man as delicious as hers was quite a treat.

  “So, not that I mind the backup or anything but why did you show up at the lab anyway? And by the way, your bottom is very nice.”

  He looked over his shoulder and grinned before getting back to cooking.

  “You’d been at the lab for an entire day. I called and called and Dave kept telling me to leave you alone but I got sick of it and Tracy and Nina, backed up by Megan, all told me I was dumb and needed to go and see you. So I did. We got there and something wasn’t right so Lex and I scouted and that’s when we heard the first shot. You nearly gave me a heart attack when you broke cover and charged the gunman. Don’t do that again, Grace.”

  “He made me mad. I’m sick of being shot at. Anyway, I’m close to a breakthrough on the vaccine. It’s easier for wolves to test this sort of thing than humans because we have heartier immune systems. I’ll start this week on the first pieces. Then eventually, we’ll have to deal with it directly against the virus strain we took from Warren.”

  “How will you do that? Volunteers?”

  “Yes. Two of my staff have offered. I don’t want to risk it until I’ve done some more work. So are you going to tell me when you’re scampering off to fight my brother in some sort of cage match?”

  “I don’t scamper, Grace, my love. I stalk like the scary wolf I am. You could at least pretend to find me fearsome.” He turned and brought her a plate.

  “The most fearsome omelet maker ever. And of course you’re fearsome. I’m not scared of you, but I can see how others would be.” She took a huge bite and felt better immediately.

  “That piece was the size of your head. Take your time. I’ll make you more if you’re still hungry.” He snickered.

  “You should get started then.” She indicated the stove and he laughed, leaning over to kiss her.

  “After this, we’re going to have sex. Lots of it.”

  “Okay. Let me get some orange juice then.” She got up to pour them both a glass.

  After she’d demolished two omelets, six slices of bacon, toast and two peaches she finally pushed her plate away with a satisfied sigh.

  “Better?”

  “Much. I didn’t realize how hungry I was, I guess. I did eat while at the lab, by the way, so don’t lecture me. I’m not in the mood.”

  He hid a smile. Why he liked this prickly side of her he wasn’t sure but he did. “You feeling up to sex?”

  “If you do all the work, I’m up to looking at you while you’re naked and making me feel good. After I shower that is.”

  “Go on. I need to check in with Lex. I promise it will be less than half an hour or I’ll let you know.”

  When she got up, he couldn’t help it, he grabbed her to him and kissed her for all he was worth. She softened and opened her mouth, letting him in, winding her arms around his neck as she scrambled up his body and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Never mind. Lex can wait,
” he said into her mouth.

  “Here. Hard. Now.”

  Her hands yanked at her pants as she made frustrated noises. “Here?”

  “The table is right behind me.”

  It sure was. He laid her down on it and she made quick work of her jeans and panties, leaving them on one leg. She glistened there, wet and ready.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Hang on.”

  She slapped his fumbling hands out of the way and yanked them open, freeing his cock and pulled him down by the front of his shirt.

  As he found her mouth for a kiss, his cock nudged the hot, wet gate of her cunt and surged into her body.

  Her hum of satisfaction wrapped around his balls as he thrust. She tightened her calves around his waist and pounded his ass with her heels. In all the times they’d been together, she’d never been so wild for it. It made him wild in turn.

  The scent of her skin rose as she heated for him, the scent of her honey teased the air as it invited him deeper into her pussy.

  “More.” Her nails dug into his shoulders. He grabbed her hips and angled her, now mindless in his need to fuck her hard, to take her, mark her, claim her again after their recent argument.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he stuttered as she flexed her hips to meet his strokes.

  “I’m a werewolf. Fuck me, please.”

  He laughed and picked up the pace. She arched in response, her body growing even more slick.

  Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The table hit the wall as he fucked into her body. He never took his gaze from her face so he caught the look of surprised pleasure when her orgasm hit, felt her cunt tighten around him.

  “I love you, Cade.”

  Christ. That was all it took after feeling her come around him and after four more thrusts he came so hard he saw points of light in his vision.

  He kissed her forehead. Then each one of her hands as he helped her up and back into her clothes.

  “Now you can go talk to Lex and I’m going to shower. Meet you in our room shortly. If you’re not back within half an hour, I’m hunting you down.” With one last kiss, she was gone and he was left with her scent all over him and a smile on his face.