1302 The Alpha (The 13th Floor) (8 page)

Stefanie didn’t know if it was the blood roaring in her veins or if she screamed as she lurched forward. With her mouth already gaping open, she snapped onto Wyatt’s right rear leg. She could play the same game too. Sawing her jaw, savoring the resulting crack and Wyatt’s yowl.

He spun and whacked her, but she dug her front legs into the soil to keep in place. They clashed in a fury of teeth and snarls. Two raging storms with a thunderous explosion. No thought in her head except to kill Wyatt. Not even that. For it wasn’t thought. It was action. Instinct.

An Alpha’s instinct. Leader of her pack. One that needed her.

His neck was too thick for her to wrap her jaws around. But her teeth were sharp. And his pulse beat mightily. It called to her.

Wyatt reared up, smashing his great weight onto her and forcing her down to the ground. Stefanie’s bad leg hit a rock, and she yelped, losing her grip on him.

Gazing up, there was nothing sane left in his eyes. He was all animal, crimson froth and unending growls. Not that the man had ever been reasonable, but the wolf was hungry anger.

Stefanie kicked at his wounded leg as he tried to hammer himself against her again. Wyatt fell to one side, and she dove in. Shredding with her teeth, she homed in on his jugular and tore it open.

It was nothing like killing a rabbit. Nothing like a raccoon or deer. Wolf killing wolf, it wasn’t supposed to happen. When wolves fought for a position within the pack, it was never to the death. The loser was respected as much as the victor. For it was always about what was best for the pack, not the individual.

There would be no respect lost for Wyatt. There had been none to begin with.

He gurgled, legs spasming like a marionette directed by a child. Stefanie pushed herself away from him and pressed herself against James. His body was warm against hers and there was still breath in it. He was alive. She choked on a grateful whimper.

Wyatt’s body jerked a few more times and was still. The man reemerged, painted red with blood.

There were no cheers. No surge of ecstasy. Stefanie closed her eyes for a moment and raised her head. Her mournful howl filled the woods.

One, two, and then three joined hers. Their lamenting symphony eerie yet lovely.

CHAPTER 9

Turning her head, Stefanie licked James. Their noses briefly touched. Her Beta. Her soon to be mate once they were both well enough she could do something more in bed than sleeping.

His belly wound wasn’t fatal. It looked bad, but it was wider than it was deep, and no internal organs were falling out. James whimpered, sniffing at her leg. She nudged him away from it. Even a warm tongue wouldn’t help it at the moment. She needed someone to set it so it would heal properly.

First thing first, though. Stefanie turned her attention to Matt. He was the only one who hadn’t transformed. He didn’t join in the pack’s howling.

Matt’s gaze was fixed on Wyatt’s body. No grief or anger visible. Stefanie wished she knew what he was thinking. Would he want to fight her to avenge his brother’s death? Or claim leadership of the pack himself?

Finally he looked up and his gaze met hers. Her heart sped up. She didn’t think she could fight any more.

“Look at me.”

Everyone’s head whipped around to stare at June. She was human again, dressed, and held a gun in both her hands pointed at Stefanie. Her face was bruised and her short hair looked like a tumbleweed.

“You killed Colin.” June’s voice wavered, becoming higher pitched. “You killed Colin! It’s my right to avenge his death.”

Stefanie remained absolutely still. Fast as she was, even with an injured leg, she couldn’t outrun a bullet. She tried not to blink. The tension in the air was so sharp that one tiny movement might make June pull the trigger.

“June.” Matt’s voice was cautious, but chastising.

“No, you don’t get to tell me what to do, Matt.” June jabbed the pistol forward. “Colin was my mate. My fucking mate! I’m not stupid. I know I can’t beat the bitch in a fair fight. This is the only way.” She coughed and licked her lips. Tears crept out of her eyes. “This is the only way.”

Stefanie crawled over James, placing her body in front of his. She didn’t know if June meant to kill both of them, but two shots would be all it’d take. She dragged herself a few more feet and then transformed. Screaming as she returned to her human form, she stayed on the ground, gripping her leg just above the knee.

Once she managed to get control of herself, Stefanie tilted her head up to look at the other woman. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t want to kill anyone. It should’ve never gone this far. It should’ve never happened at all.”

“No. It shouldn’t have happened.” June walked forward, her movements jerky. She choked back a sob. “You should’ve died. Wyatt should’ve fucking killed you the first time he beat you. I’ll make things right.”

The gun shook, but June was close enough she wasn’t going to miss. After everything, after all Stefanie had gone through, she was going to die. Tears were hot on her cheeks. She was strangely calm and light-headed.

This was it. At least she had taken down Wyatt first.

Silent as ever, James leapt over her and tackled June head on. Stefanie screamed as the gun went off. The two crumbled to the ground and lay unmoving.

“James!” Stefanie’s calm vanished. Full-fledged panic set in. “James!”

No, it couldn’t end like this. Not for him. Her heart felt shattered, jagged little pieces stabbing her from the inside.

Stefanie crawled over. The pain in her leg threatening to drag her into blissful unconsciousness. She reached out a trembling hand and touched his black fur. Soft and warm.

James raised his head and whimpered. He shuddered and transformed back into his human form.

“No. Please, no.” Stefanie dragged him off June and to her. She held his head to her chest. “James, don’t you dare die.”

His eyes fluttered opened, and he gave her a little smile. “Not going to die. She didn’t shoot me.”

Stefanie hadn’t even thought to look at June. Glancing over, the other woman was splayed out. Blood oozed from a hole in her stomach and pooled underneath her. She wasn’t breathing.

Letting out a sobbing laugh, Stefanie squeezed James, burying her face against the side of his neck. He groaned, murmuring something about not too hard, but didn’t tell her to stop.

Nearby, Matt cleared his throat. They both tensed and looked up at him.

“If you would let me, Stefanie, I’ll carry you back to the hotel room. Starr would love to see you, and she can help with your leg.” Matt didn’t move toward them as he offered this. He kept a respectable distance with hands clasped together in front of him. “I realize your friend would do it if he could, but you’re both injured, and it’s best we get you somewhere safe to see to your wounds. There’s been strange goings-on in the city here.”

That was putting it mildly. It was stranger yet to have Matt standing there saying these things.

“You’re going to help us? Forgive me if I don’t trust you.” Stefanie didn’t expand on that. They all knew full well why she didn’t. “Aren’t you going to avenge your brother’s death?”

“No.” Matt replied with a heavy sigh. “You saved me the trouble of having to do it myself. Starr and I wanted to leave the pack when she got pregnant. Neither of us wanted our child growing up in such an environment. Wyatt, he knew something was up. Kept a watch on her and made sure she never left knowing I wouldn’t leave Starr. It’s close to her due date. I would’ve had to do something and soon, but thankfully he found you instead.”

“Thankfully?” Stefanie snapped. “He was trying to kill me! What good would that have done you?”

“I thought there was a chance you might beat him.” Matt shifted foot to foot.

Stefanie snorted. “Why would you think that?
I
didn’t even know I could beat him.”

“I think we all underestimated you,” Matt said evenly. “When your friend arrived, I sensed the difference. He’s different from us, and you’re different with him. Stronger.”

She peeked at James, and they shared a private smile. Yes, she was different with him. She was better. Happier than she’d ever been.

“Let him carry you. It’ll be okay.” James whispered, nuzzling her with his nose.

“You can walk? I won’t leave you here.”

“I can help him.” Scott approached slowly, head down and eyes to the ground. He was dressed and bleeding from a few wounds, but nothing serious.

Stefanie didn’t like it. Matt wanting his brother dead didn’t make her like him any more, but her leg was no longer screaming. Shock was settling in. Not good.

She turned her gaze back to James once more. He nodded, and she kissed him. His lips were soft and wet. She could smell him. City wolf. Her wolf.

“All right, do it.”

EPILOGUE

“You know, superheroes really don’t curse like that.” James hopped up onto the roof from the fire escape behind Stefanie. He pushed back the hood of his sweatshirt and brushed his hair out from in front of his eyes.

“They were three assholes trying to drag a poor girl into an alley. What did you expect me to call them?” Stefanie tugged off her hood and shook out her hair. Her heart was pounding, but in a good way. Bouncing on her feet, she unzipped her shirt and let the chilly air wash over her.

“Well, I usually don’t say anything. The less the people remember about you the better.”

“Those bastards better remember my fists in their faces and never try hurting anyone again.” She had laughed when James first suggested they go out together and do the superhero thing. She laughed the second and third time too. Finally, after a few weeks of his begging, she gave in. Carmine was still recovering from the nightmare that ended with an explosion in the city’s downtown center. Crime was still high, and after a gang tried to mug a woman the previous evening, she decided helping clean up the city might be a good idea.

“I think I like this superhero gig.” She remembered the bastards’ faces when she came at them. “A lot.”

“How’s your leg?” James asked.

“Fine. Stop fussing. It’s been over six weeks.” A month and a half since she’d seen her sister, and Starr had tended to her wounds. Their reunion had been tempered by Stefanie’s injuries and Starr’s pregnancy, but things were getting better. Her niece was born and holding that beautiful little baby brought new life into a fractured family. She smiled just thinking about it. “Let’s go back down and find some more troublemakers.”

“That’s not how it works. We watch and wait.” James perched on the edge of the building. “Ever vigilant.”

“Are these the rules of superheroes?” Stefanie rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go for a run.”

James peered over his shoulder at her. “I thought you wanted to be a vigilante?”

“I want to do something. Helping people or running. Not sitting here on the roof in the cold.” She’d spent far too long lying around while she recovered. At least she’d been able to help Scott, enrolling him in a rehab program. He was halfway through and doing excellently. Now that he was well and she didn’t have to worry about Wyatt finding her, she wanted to thoroughly enjoy her freedom.

“You need to contain your energy and focus.” James put on his best Zen master face. Or was it a Yoda thing? He still hadn’t managed to convince her to watch the
Star Wars
movies. Any which way, he was immensely cute.

Grabbing his shirt, she yanked him off the ledge and pulled him to her. Her nose nudged up against his. “I need to get out all this energy somehow. One way or another, you’re going to accommodate me.”

“I’ve been accommodating you two or three times a day.” He smirked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Neither am I.” Stefanie grinned and kissed him. The heat between them had grown over the past month and a half. She couldn’t get enough of him. She was aroused just thinking about having her way with him again.

His arm locked around her, and he caressed her cheek. The scent of him filled her. Mask it as he might, she could still pick it up. It was as familiar now as her own. He was turned on, but there was more in his eyes than simple lust.

“I love you.”

Those whispered words swept the world from under her feet. The wind no longer touched her. The sounds of the city vanished. It was all James.

His muscles tensed, and she recognized panic growing in his expression. How long had she stood there and stared at him in awe?

“I love you too.” She pressed her mouth tenderly to his and ran a hand through his hair. Then she kissed him harder, tongue twining around his. When she broke the kiss, she smiled. “You’re stuck with me now.”

“Poor me.” James chuckled and slipped his hands up under her shirt. Cold as it was, his hands were warm against her skin. “Want to go back to your apartment?”

“I don’t think I can wait that long.” She trailed kisses down to his neck, nipping him as she dipped a hand down to the front of his pants to stroke him. He made a groaning sound that was wanton and protesting at the same time.

“But … we’re on a roof … and it’s cold.” James gasped as she teased his bulge.

“I’m sure we could keep each other warm.” She kissed up to his ear and toyed with his lobe. He melted against her. She wrapped one leg around his upper thigh. “There’s a sturdy brick wall right there.”

James hooked his hands under her rear and lifted her, carrying her over to the neighboring building and pushing her up against the wall. Both of them went for her pants, laughing as they fumbled with them.

If this was one of the perks of being a superhero, Stefanie was going to make sure they did this more often. James wasn’t only her Beta, but her mate. There was only the two of them, but they were the most powerful pack she had ever encountered. And the most complete.

THE END

Welcome to the tenants of the 13th Floor!

THE 13TH FLOOR SERIES by Christine Rains