The Alpha

Chapter 8

Daedalus strolled into the living room, the tip of his right ear a little less pointy since his head caught on fire two days ago. Eric tried to hide his amusement behind Spice’s wild, short curls. The vampire turned out to be sensitive about the small loss.

The memories of their crazy car ride home were still vivid. When Clair and her cronies jumped him in the warehouse, he freed his beast and kicked their mangy asses. The fact they thought he could be taken down so easily ate at him. He still needed to prove himself to his pack.

Behavior like Clair’s needed to be stomped out of the pack. Dishonorable, untrustworthy, and disgraceful could be used to describe many of them, but over the last year he’d chased away the worst and nurtured the best. Now he needed to figure out how to unite the old pack with the new.

His first step sat in his arms. Beautiful lush curves pressed to his body. Spice may not be wolf and could never be the pack’s heart but she owned his, and with her support he could accomplish anything.

Spice, forever her little sister’s champion, came to her rescue when she heard the screams only to find they’d been keeping secrets from her.

Forced to reveal the truth, he couldn’t believe his luck when she accepted everything without much question. Unlike her twin, who had run, needing time to come to terms with the paranormal, Spice knew what she wanted. Him.

He kissed the back of her neck as she rolled the dice. They played Monopoly tonight with everyone in the house, and she dominated.

“No distracting the master, honey.” She waved him off.

Daedalus stopped by the table with a letter in his hand. “This was pinned to the front door. It has your name on it.” He offered it to Eric.

“Somebody made a hole in my brand new wooden door with a pin?” Sugar rose from the floor by the gaming table and went to inspect the damage.

“It’s just a door.” Daedalus followed her.

Their chatter faded into the background as Eric looked at the envelope. His name was scrawled on the front in pen. He slid his finger under the edge and tore it open, then pulled out a folded piece of paper.

His breath caught in his chest as he read it.

Spice leaned closer and read it as well. “Can she do this?”

“No.” He smacked the note with his hand, wishing it was Clair’s head instead, and re-read it out loud.

Eric,

Did you think I wouldn’t find out she’s human? Accord law states a mate has to be of the same species. Courting time denied and challenges have continued until this evening.

I’ve won.

Keep the girl as a pet, I don’t care, but I will rule at your side.

Clair

The paper crinkled as he crushed it in his hand. “Can’t I get a break?” he shouted at no one in particular.

Sugar and Daedalus returned to the room, he quirked an eyebrow at Eric, never approving of outbursts from him. Leaders must maintain a calm exterior at all times, to reassure his people, no matter how angry or frightened they might be inside.

Offering the note to the vampire, Eric started to pace the room with slow, steady strides. How was he going to take care of that bitch?

“They didn’t know Spice is human?” Sam asked as he rose from his seat next to Katrina. His eyes darted between Daedalus and him.

“Of course not, I wouldn’t be able to stall them if they did.” He glared at Sam and smelled his fear from across the room.

Sweat beaded on the smaller muscular werewolf’s forehead as he edged around the table.

“What did you do, Sam? Why are you suddenly afraid?”

He stopped, his breathing a little heavier, and stood behind Tyler. “I-I didn’t know, man. If someone would have told me I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“To who?” The question came out as snarl. For a moment, a red haze blinded him. He hadn’t been this angry since his confrontation with Michael.

Sam fell to all fours and crawled to his Alpha’s feet. “Last night, I met a girl at a pack party. You-you asked me to go to them to feel the pulse of the pack. She took me home, and we had a good time. Her questions sounded so innocent, like curiosity about her aloof Alpha.”

Eric took a few deep breaths and blew some steam off. He didn’t want to hurt Sam. His anger was at Clair. “She asked about my prospective mate?”

“She seemed excited about it. I couldn’t help but brag and say what a great match you guys made. It never occurred to me you couldn’t mate a human.”

“Didn’t you ever read the copy of the Accords that I gave to everyone in the pack?”

Sam stared at the floor and shook his head.

Each of the original Omegas pack was in the room. Eric turned and looked at them. Katrina pressed herself against Tyler, who didn’t have anything funny to say for once. Robert sat on the floor with his arms crossed over his chest and glared at their groveling friend.

“Did any of you read it?” Eric tried not to sound disappointed.

“I have trouble with English, but Tyler read them to me. I admit to not understanding much of it though.” Katrina rested her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

He smoothed her long black hair with his hand. “Same here, dude. I grew up with English. It’s like Shakespeare wrote it or something.”

Eric sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Maybe I should get a modern translation of the Accords made,” Daedalus offered.

“We’ll figure this out, Eric. You’re not alone.” Robert’s declaration didn’t ease his worry.

Every week something new came up, and every week he had to find a solution for the problem. The burden of the pack would eventually break him. He needed help. He needed a mate.

Spice stayed quiet, sitting on the couch, the dice still clutched in her hand. He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. It made him nervous. She’d want to do something, but Clair would tear her apart, literally.

“Game night is over. Get off the ground, Sam. We’ve got work to do.” He extended his hand to the smaller werewolf at his feet. Sam might not be able to keep his dick in his pants and could be careless, but he was loyal and true. Eric couldn’t buy those last two qualities in a person.

Sam took Eric’s hand and pulled himself to his feet. “Sorry,” he mumbled, then looked around Eric to Spice. “I’m a bonehead, if you haven’t figured it out yet.”

“I have,” she responded.

He cleared his throat and stared at his shuffling feet.

Eric glanced at her over his shoulder and winked. He didn’t want his girl to carry a grudge against Sam. If memory served him right, Spice could carry one with a vengeance. “I want the four of you to split up in two groups. Find the pack and see where they stand on Clair. I’m going to see if I can find and confront her myself.” He turned to Daedalus. “I’d like you to stay here and protect them.” He nodded to the twins.

The Ayumu had attacked his home after he won the challenge against Michael. It wouldn’t surprise him if Clair tried to kill Spice. Daedalus, a Nosferatu Prime, could easily take on whatever she planned.

“You also know the Accords better than any of us. Can you see if there’s a loophole out of this?”

The vampire shook his head. “We’ve been down that road. The Accords clearly state—”

Eric touched his shoulder. “Look again.”

“Too bad Spice’s not pack.”

Eric squeezed Daedalus’s shoulder when he spoke those words. He didn’t like the hint contained in them. Sometimes the vampire couldn’t stop from meddling.

“I’ll go over them now. Send someone to relieve me before dawn.” He left with Sugar in tow.

The Omegas got their jackets and left the house. Eric stood by the door as Spice wrapped a scarf around his neck.

She came to her tiptoes to give him a tender, short kiss. “You do what you have to do and deal with her, Eric.”

He took her face between his hands, not too surprised to hear such a comment from his fierce love. “I’m not killer, Spice.”

“She sounds conniving, selfish and untrustworthy. It will poison those around her. Only the strong survive, your pack deserves someone with the strength and conviction to kill for it. If you need to take a mate besides me, I can understand, but choose one with the right qualities. I’ve been a mistress before, I can be one again.”

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Over his dead body.