The Alpha's Fight: Huntsville Pack Book 3 (8 page)

Keira was working behind the bar, washing glasses, and smiled when she saw Ryder. Wiping her hands on her apron, she came out and gave him a hug. “Ryder, good to see you.”

“How are you?”  She looked tired to him, with gray circles under her eyes. Before she'd been kicked out of their home pack, her blue eyes had sparkled like sun dancing on water. Since becoming a stray, the blue had faded and shadows replaced the brightness. It made him angry every time he saw her. She'd done nothing to deserve what Mason did to her. It wasn't Keira's fault her mate had been no good. If she hadn't killed him, he would have killed her.

She stepped back and shrugged. “Same stray, different day. You know how it goes.”

“Gideon is kicking ass on the football field,” he said as they walked together toward a booth. "Now that I'm back home, I've been going to the games. He's on a hot streak."

“I heard.” She gave a small laugh. “At least there’s one good thing that came from his father’s side.”

“He’s Pack League material,” Ryder said as they sat down.

Keira waved to one of the men also working behind the bar. “Hey! Two beers over here, please.” Looking at Ryder she asked, “You want something to eat?”

“Cheeseburger and fries would be great,” he said.

She passed his order on and then said, “Pack League, huh? You think my son is good enough?”

He nodded. “I do. You want me to talk to him about it?”

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t want to draw too much attention to us, though. The last thing I need is Mason getting involved.”

“I’ll wait until all this is over.”

She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “How is the new pack coming?”

Ryder smiled at the eagerness in her voice. She'd been one of the first he'd told about his plans, partly because he wanted to offer her a home. “We have the land, and the paperwork is in process. In a few weeks, we should have a new pack.”

Their beers arrived and she picked up a bottle, holding it up until he clinked his against it. “Well, that is some damn good news, Ryder Chase.”

“We’ll see,” Ryder said. “Mason’s doing everything he can to stop us.”

“I can’t believe no one has helped him trip off a cliff.” She shook her head and took a slug of beer. “His whole family is a bunch of nasty shifters. I keep waiting for one of them to make a go at Mason and take the fucker out. And yet here we are, still trying to find a way around our asshole alpha.”

Ryder just shrugged. He’d often wondered the same thing. Mason’s temper and more brutal tendencies seemed to be a genetic trait passed down to the men of their pack. They lusted for power and weren’t adverse to starting fights to make sure they got it. Sure, Mason was probably the strongest of the lot, but his relatives were no Omega wolves either. The lack of in-fighting had never made any sense to Ryder, but then, he also knew people were weird. Even Keira had put up with her asshole mate for way longer than he would've expected.

“Anyway, it’s going to be fine,” she said. “Mason wouldn’t know how to stop paperwork unless it challenged him to a fight. You’ll be alpha of your own pack and my kids will finally have a good home.”

“So will you, Keira,” Ryder added.

She gave a half smile. “If the Pack Council agrees.”

“They will. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks, Ryder. You’re a good man.”

The way she looked at him, with her emotions bright in her eyes, made Ryder’s heart ache. Keira had been through hell. Even now, years later, people still whispered about what had happened to her and shook their heads. That and the way Mason had treated his own family had been what catapulted him into action. He didn’t want to bring a mate into his pack, not with the way his alpha behaved, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to mate with any of the women he grew up with. They were accustomed to violent men and used manipulation to protect themselves from their bad tempers. While he understood the behavior was a survival mechanism, Ryder didn’t want someone who would constantly work him over like he was a wind-up doll.

“So what are you doing here? I know you didn’t come down just to see me.”

“Not today, anyway.” He took a swig of beer and then said, “I need to talk to Talon. Is he around?”

“Yeah. He’s in his office. I’ll go get him.”

She made to leave but Ryder caught her hand. “He’ll keep. Let me eat first.”

She nodded and settled back into her seat. “Sure thing. So tell me about the new pack land. Where is it? What is it like? How soon can my kids move in?”

He chuckled at her eagerness as one of the staff set his burger in front of him. “How about I eat and you fill me in on the latest news in Hudson? Then I’ll tell you about our new home?”

He didn’t wait for her to agree, his stomach lacked the patience for that. Picking up his burger, he sank his teeth into the toasted bun, groaning when the flavor of beef and melted cheese hit his taste buds.

“Did you guys get a new cook?” he asked after he’d swallowed. “This tastes better than anything I’ve ever had here.”

Keira smirked. “Funny you should ask as that’s the biggest news around here.” She leaned in again. “The sheriff has a mate.”

Ryder almost choked on his burger. “What?” He didn't know the sheriff well and had only met him because of his trips to check on Keira, but he knew the guy was a real workaholic. When had he found time to meet his mate?

“Yeah, and she’s a cook. Went to culinary school and everything.” She waved toward the kitchen. “Once they hooked up, she needed a job and Talon has her working here.”

He finished the burger in one big bite and went for the fries. “The sheriff is a lucky man.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”  Her shoulders slumped for a moment, but then she forced them back. Sitting up straight, she said, “So being a stray still sucks, but the food doesn’t. Not anymore.”

Ryder just shook his head. He’d pictured Talon as a confirmed bachelor, married to his job more than anything else. The man lived and breathed stray law enforcement. Hell, he hardly even slept, how did he have time to...? Ryder focused on his fries, pushing away thoughts of the sheriff’s life as a mated shifter. “Oh wow, these fries are amazing.” He picked one up and stared at it trying to figure out why it was so spectacular.

“It’s the spice rub,” came a feminine voice to his side.

He looked over and up to see an attractive strawberry blonde smiling at him. She held out her hand. “I’m Gretchen, Talon’s mate. Originally from the Huntsville pack.”

He quickly wiped his hands on his napkin and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ryder Chase.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What? No pack affiliation? You’re not a stray, are you?”

He shook his head. “Naw. Just don’t like my pack.”

“We’re from the same home pack,” Keira added.

Understanding dawned in Gretchen’s eyes and she gave a slow nod. “Ah, gotcha. My condolences.”

“So a spice rub, you say?” he asked, not wanting to get into his issues with Mason.

“Yeah. My own blend. It's really for meat, but I've been using it on the fries, too. I can give you some to take home if you like.”

“Sure. That would be great.” Ryder didn’t have a home to go to just yet, but a smart shifter didn’t say no to food this good. He'd save the spices for when his cabin was built on the new land and then do his best to make his own French fries without setting anything on fire.

She smiled. “No problem. I’ve been packaging it up anyway to sell to the folks at the bar. Hang on a sec, I’ll get you a packet.” She hurried off and disappeared into the kitchen.

“I’ll go tell Talon you want to see him.” Keira slid out of the booth, snagging her empty beer bottle as she went.

“Thanks.” Ryder finished up the last of his fries and downed the rest of his beer. With a satisfied burp, he slouched against the back of the booth, fully relaxed for the first time that day. Damn. With Gretchen cooking, he might have to come out to Hudson on the regular.

Unbidden, the image of Jane superimposed over a kitchen filled his mind. Could she cook? The way his wolf yipped in his head told him he should find out.
Dude, stop looking for trouble. She is the last thing we need.

His wolf raised his eyebrows and gave him a confused stare.
Don’t act like you don’t understand. Yes, she’s hot. Yes, she smells good, but she’s also got amnesia. That's a lot of baggage to bring into a new pack.

His inner animal managed to look somewhat chagrinned by the scolding.

Let me deal with Mason and get the new pack going first. After that we can see if Jane is still around. Okay?

The wolf inside him slumped to the ground with a whine. Unhappy but obedient.
If she’s really our mate, she’ll still be there.
At least he’d heard that’s the way it was supposed to work.

A shadow came over his table and Ryder looked to see Talon. The tall sheriff wore dark jeans with a gun holster around his waist. A blue polo shirt stretched to wrap around his broad chest. Ryder was bigger, but not by much. “Hey, Sherriff. How are you?” He waved to the seat across from him. “Have a seat. I’ll buy you a beer.”

“I can’t. I’m on duty, but thanks. Keira said you wanted to talk.”

“Yeah, if you have a second. I ran into a woman up at Crescent Pines.”

“Oh, yeah. Her.” Talon rubbed his forehead and then covered a yawn. “I haven’t had time to check on her. She doing okay?”

“I guess so? It’s hard to say.” Ryder struggled with how to define okay when you couldn’t remember who you were, didn’t have any clothes and had been stuffed in a nursing home.

“Come into my office. I don’t talk official business in the bar.” Talon spun around and headed off, leaving Ryder to rush after him.

Talon's office sat behind the kitchen, but had its own entrance from a small hallway off the side of the bar. Ryder settled into one of the wooden chairs across from Talon’s desk and waited for the sheriff to sit. The sparse office held just a desk and chairs and nothing but paint on the walls. A rust colored smear on one wall smelled and looked like dried blood and Ryder spotted another one on the edge of the desk.

Catching the direction of Ryder's gaze, Talon said, “One of the latest problem strays didn’t like being restrained.” He pointed to a length of silver chain on the floor next to his desk. “First time I ever saw anyone keep their strength.”

“You mean he had that chain on him and he could still fight?” Ryder sat back in his chair. “Whoa.” Silver was shifter kryptonite. It weakened your animal until it was a shadow you couldn't grab. Early in his career, he'd let the Pack League put him in silver chainmail for a match they'd billed as a 'test of true strength.'  He'd won, but barely.

“Yeah, I know. Now I need a new coat of paint in here.” Talon sighed. “So, Jane Doe. She’s awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Does she know anything?”

“Not as far as I could tell. She can’t remember who she is and asked me to contact you. Do you know who she is?”

Talon shook his head. “Nope. Not a clue. I found her in the aftermath of a bar fight. She was under a broken table, bleeding out from a wound in her leg and I’m pretty sure I saw bits of brain underneath her cracked skull.”

“Damn.” Ryder whistled.

“It was an ugly scene and when she kept screaming about how shifters were monsters, I figured I should stick her somewhere safe until she either healed or we figured out who she was.”

“What do you mean she was saying shifters were monsters?”

Talon spun a finger around his ear. “She lost her memory and got her wires crossed about shifters. She didn’t seem to know she was one herself that night. I didn’t want her running around in the human world thinking she was human, too. I don’t need that kind of trouble.”

“Well, she’s awake now and still pretty confused. She was hoping you might be able to help her figure out what happened to her.”

Talon grimaced and shook his head. “Sorry. All I can tell her is we found her at the Rowdy Howl. That’s it.”

“The Rowdy Howl?” Ryder frowned. “That’s a rough spot, isn’t it?”

“You should know, it’s where your alpha likes to hang out.”

“Mason.” Ryder smacked his forehead with his palm. “I should have known. She thinks she knows Mason.”

“She has my sympathies, then. He’s a brute.” Talon’s expression soured.

“I’m just not sure how she knows Mason, you know? And she's my grandmother's new project.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, my friend. I don’t know her any better than you do and so far, no one else recognizes her. I’ve sent her picture out to the alphas in the area and haven’t heard a peep.”

“So Mason has seen her picture?”

Talon shrugged. “Possibly. If he checked his email, which, in my experience is not his strong suit.”

The sound of shouting reached their ears and they both cocked their heads. Keira’s voice, shrill and high, rose above the rough, growl-filled rumble of a man.

“I don’t think that growl belongs to anyone on my team.” Talon eased out of his chair and put a hand to the gun holstered at his hip. “Stay put. I’m going to go see what’s going on.”

Ryder started to protest that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but Talon was gone before he could even speak. Not wanting to disobey the sheriff, who was alpha enough that no one in their right mind would cross him, but refusing to sit there like an Omega wolf who couldn’t handle himself, Ryder sidled up to the door of Talon’s office, his ears straining to catch the words being hurled into the air. With a sinking stomach, he realized he knew the strange growl that had interrupted his meeting with Talon. It was Mason, and by the sounds of it, he was headed straight for Talon’s office.

Ryder darted back into the room, looking for a place to hide or a way to escape. If he ran into Mason it would lead to a fight. However, Talon’s office was a blank box. Only one entrance and the one window was a tiny thing that wouldn’t let him through.

“Mason,” Talon barked out, his voice brimming with authority. “Come have a beer and let’s talk this over.”

The pounding footsteps belonging to Mason fell silent as the alpha, ostensibly, considered the sheriff’s offer. “All right. Sounds like a right fine idea to me.”