In Need Of An Alpha (Interracial Paranormal Shifter Romance) (5 page)

She took my hand. She tugged me toward my closet.

“Hurry up and get ready. We can’t miss it!”

I found myself sitting in the back of a limo. My nerves were fried. For some reason, I thought we were in over our heads. Aimee disagreed with me. She rationalized; saying we were part of Evan’s entourage wasn’t far from the truth.

We sat and waited by my office building. There was no sign of Evan. The limo driver even wheeled down the window and asked us if we needed anything.

"Is this wine ours?" Aimee asked.

"Yes, please, take some. I’ll help you.”

"No, please, stay there." We were already putting him in a jeopardizing situation. We didn't need to take his assistance opening wine.

"I've got it," Aimee said. She grabbed a nearby corkscrew and worked on opening what was probably thousands of dollars of wine.

This was probably the fastest I ever got changed, and still managed to look good. We were both wearing short skirts, high heels, and tops that showed ample cleavage. It was Aimee's suggestion. I agreed with her on that one. A lot of cleavage might help keep us out of trouble, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wouldn’t work on Evan. He would
not
want me there. He would be adamant about us leaving.

The driver's door popped open. He jumped out to meet Evan. I peered out the tinted window. He was dressed in a tight black muscle shirt and jogging pants. Seeing him out of formal attire, my nerves overloaded, my arousal kicked in. It didn't matter what he wore. He always looked good, but now I could see his muscular form, even trace the outlines of his muscles in the darkness. How could he lose the fight?

I ducked once his eyes flared. His wolf was on full alert.

"What is it?" Aimee asked, pouring herself a glass of wine. She peered out the window and noticed the glowing, angry wolf at our door. "Oh."

He thrust open the door.

"What are you doing in here?"

I hoped my answer would serve to remove those angry creases on his otherwise perfect face. "I need to go with you.”

He stretched out and reclined against the limo's roof. Muscles tight, nostrils flaring, he distanced himself by staring off down the street.

"Fuck no, you're not coming. It's dangerous. I won't have you there."

The driver threw up his hands in shock. He finally realized what he'd done. "I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't know they didn't belong here. They knew of our plans."

He stepped past Evan to remove us.

I slid farther into the limo. I slowly shook my head.

"No, I'm not going."

"Miss, you have to leave. Remove yourself or I'll call the police."

Aimee took a sip of wine and leaned closer to the driver. "You don't have time for all that. Just take us with you."

Evan seethed. He barred his teeth.

"I'll drag you two out of there. We don't need the police," he said.

This was quickly getting out of hand.

I slid closer to Evan. "Evan, I need to know. Let me be there. You trust me, right?"

"It's not a question of trust. It's a question of keeping you out of this. It'll be violent. I…" He stopped. Even the driver turned and stared at him, waiting. "I don't want you to see me like that."

I reached out for his hand. Defeated, he let it drop. "I don't care. I know what I'm getting into. We should be open with each other, even about the things we might not particularly like about ourselves."

Evan put a hand on the driver's chest and gave him a pat to step back. "We're fine," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we don't have much time, anyway."

He dropped down into the limo and shut the door. I reclined back, wanting to tell him I was sorry, but I couldn't. I needed to know what would happen to him, and I needed to know the truth about him as well.

I needed to see him shift. I needed to see that other side of him.

We rushed to the meeting point, a wooded area an hour out of the city, down a dirt road that wound up a hill. I was a little creeped out by all of it, but Evan held my hand, and that kept me occupied.

At the top of the hill, we reached a checkpoint that looked military. There was a barbed wire fence and spotlights with three guards, decked out in riot gear and holding huge rifles.

"Go on inside," the guard said, and he waved us into the compound.

There wasn't much to protect, except maybe their secrets. There was a rocky parking lot, and in the distance, bonfires were lit on the peak of the hill. I could see shadows standing around it, and in the center, an area that was completely lit but where no one stood.

"Are you sure you want to watch?" Evan asked me. His finger trailed over my jaw line. I thought about never having that touch again. What a wasted opportunity that would be...

"Yes," I blurted out, without thinking about it much. Wherever Evan was going I needed to go with him.

"I'm sorry for what you're about to see. It's necessary. I wouldn't resort to this unless it was necessary." He helped me out of the limo, and then Aimee next, who decided to bring the bottle of wine with her. That was probably a good idea. I was too tense to be bothered with it right now, however.

The circle of shifters broke to let us in. The flickering of the bonfires and the full moon cast them in an eerie light. I wondered how many could sniff the human on me. As I took my spot next to someone, I looked up, seeing an elderly gentleman, his nostril up high and his eyebrows raised, practically meeting.

"He's here. I thought he had doubts," I heard from the opposite end of the circle. It closed in again, Aimee at my side, and I really wanted to hold her hand, but she was nursing her drink.

Lyndon, still hunched over, wearing a suit and tie, approached the center. All eyes pointed his way, the full moon like a spotlight on him, his eyes blazing a fiery red in our direction. As I looked across the crowd, I could see all different colors flashing in their eyes, and when I looked back at Evan, his were bright yellow, almost too bright to look at when contrasted with the night.

"Let's get this over with," Evan grunted. He stepped into the circle. It drew in. I could see the wolves around us change their positions, putting one foot forward, ready to knock anyone back who got too close.

"Wait," Lyndon said, and a sick smile curled on his lips. He sniffed the air. "What do I smell? Did you bring that whore here as a gift for after I kill you? Thanks for doing me a favor, boy."

Aimee saw my reaction, and she dropped the bottle, shoving me back so I wouldn't rush him. Evan could stand back and watch as I tore Lyndon apart myself!

"Stay," she said, blocking my view, but I heard what transpired over my blinding rage.

"This isn't about being head alpha now. It's not about the company. It's about killing you, you sick fuck," Evan yelled, the aggression in his tone causing me to stop fighting Aimee. She backed away, giving me a view of the battle again.

Evan launched himself at Lyndon. He tackled him, spearing him to the ground, but as he tried to throw punches, Lyndon threw up his arms, blocking them. He twisted Evan off and sent him to the dirt.

Lyndon stood right back up, much faster than I expected. He certainly never moved that fast when I needed something from him at work. Evan kicked back up into a standing position.

They circled. Evan threw a right hook. Lyndon dodged. Evan threw a left, then two rights. They were a blur, so quick I barely saw them, but each time Lyndon reeled back and they missed.

"That's the best you can do?" Lyndon taunted.

Evan's fist rocketed toward his face, but Lyndon sidestepped, yanking him by the back of the neck. Shoving his knee into his ribs, he flipped him onto his back. Evan hit the dirt with a sickening thump.

My adrenaline pounded in me so hard I was trembling. Thankfully, Aimee would be there to stop me if I thought about running in again.

Lyndon waited for Evan to stand. The head alpha grinned at the circle. There were some chuckles in response.

Evan was back up. They circled again.

Once again, Evan was the aggressor. He threw a punch, but when Lyndon attempted to catch it, Evan recoiled and slammed his foot into his ankle. Lyndon howled, but returned a stiff uppercut to Evan. He was ready for it.

Evan snatched his fist in his jaws, now guarded by rows of vicious, wolfish teeth. It didn't draw blood, but he managed to keep him clamped there, catching his fist long enough where Evan could catch his arm, drop him to the ground, and apply pressure to Lyndon, catching him in an arm bar.

It seemed over. Lyndon would have the life squeezed out of him. He struggled in Evan's grasp.

But then in an instant, he changed. A dark shape rushed out of Evan's arms. With Lyndon no longer there, Evan dropped to the dirt. A giant wolf, Lyndon transformed, growled and snapped.

Instead of fearing the wolf, Evan smirked, and my heart lifted as he shifted as well. He turned into a giant, grey wolf. Evan let out a howl, almost causing me to tumble to the rocking Earth.

The two wolves clashed in the center. Snarling, snapping, their jaws flashing in the moonlight, they twisted around one another, trying to discover an advantage. My heart was no longer soaring, but shoved deep down in my chest. Sickened, I could only watch as blood spewed from wounds and splashed against the battle grounds.

Evan tackled Lyndon. It seemed like it might be over since he had him pinned, but Lyndon bit into Evan's neck. There was a wheeze from the wolf as his jaws closed in on his throat.

"Evan," I screamed. No one else said a word. Aimee wrapped an arm around me and tried to keep me close. She was prepared to shield my eyes if it continued.

Evan's back legs leaped up, smashing into the hind end of Lyndon. Lyndon's grasp weakened, but he still held on. Evan thrashed backward. The bite took off a chunk of his neck, but not as much as it could have been. Hold broken, Evan tore into Lyndon, ripping apart his face with huge, nasty bites.

Lyndon growled, but the beast didn't last much longer.

Shifting back to human, Evan rolled away. Completely naked, his neck bleeding, he panted and stared at the moon.

The circle closed in. I rushed to the middle and dropped to my knees at Evan.

"Don't leave me," I screamed.

Sitting up, he took me in his arms and sat me on his lap. "I'm not going anywhere," he said. He attempted to kiss me, but I reeled back.

"You're bleeding, fool."

He ran his fingertips over the wound. Applying pressure, the bleeding seemed to stop. "Full moon," he grunted. "It's not a deep bite. It should be fine by tomorrow. Shifters heal faster, especially on the full moon."

I nudged my head to Lyndon, completely torn to pieces.

"Don't worry, there's no coming back from that."

He brushed a strand of stray hair aside to get a better look at me. "You're not afraid of me?"

I gave him a kiss. My lips sealed around him, not wanting to let him go.

"I guess that answers it," he said.

He broke away. Grinning wide at me, but with a hint of pain still there, he told me, "The limo will take you back. You've got work tomorrow, don't forget."

"What about you?"

"I've got things I need to tend to. I'm the new head alpha, after all."

I was so happy that my vision blurred with tears. But I wouldn't cry, not in front of all these shifters. By the time I thought about arguing with Evan, Aimee was there to help me up.

Evan was right. We needed to leave. I needed some sleep. I was sure to have a big day tomorrow.

There was a new boss to impress.

Late. How could I be late? I never slept late.

It figured that it would happen now on Evan’s first day as boss. I checked my phone, saw it was nine thirty instead of eight thirty, and hurried to get dressed. As I was showering, I decided to take my time instead. If Evan was my new boss, I would be able to take as much time as possible, and I would need to look and feel fresh to entice him. After the night I had, I didn’t think he would mind, either.

I dressed in that short skirt I wore days before, but now I wore it with confidence. That short skirt now said, “Fuck you, Lyndon, I found my man, and it’s not you.” I tried to concentrate on my makeup, but it wasn’t going so well. I wanted to rush out of my apartment and sprint to the office, and I wasn’t a runner, not at all.

Throwing down my hair dryer, I wasn’t completely dry, but I was dry enough. I put on my heels and strode out of my apartment to work. It was the fastest I ever walked in heels.

The elevator ride was especially painful. It reminded me of Evan trying to help me while I was breaking down.

I really needed to see him again.

The doors opened and it was like I was walking on air. The corner that hid the cubicles seemed to greet me too soon. Time sped up. As I neared it, I heard a strange commotion. Lots of laughter. Lots of talking. It sounded like a party.