Trapped Between Two Alphas (5 page)

“You
all right, Sir?” he asked.

Kris
took the book off him and flicked through the pages. “Are you part of the
church?”

The
man looked like he was going to piss himself. Matt stared past his head to see
if he saw any other men out of place. None of them stood out, and he couldn’t
scent any danger.

“I’m
going to take this,” Kris said. The man pissed himself on the spot. Matt knew
something else was going on. On all of his other visits to the town no one had
ever approached him. He wanted to know why it had changed and why now.

Matt
pushed Cynthia’s hips to keep her walking.

“What’s
the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

This
called for a meeting.

Chapter
Five

After
he dropped Cynthia off at her house with her shopping Kris phoned for his pack
to meet him at Matt’s. Matt gave the signal for his men to allow Kris’s pack
onto his land and into his house. Before they arrived he needed to speak with
Kris privately. He climbed out of the truck then made his way to his private
quarters. Kris followed behind him until he slammed the door shut.

The
silver lined Bible was thrown onto the table. Matt stared down at the offending
book.

“What
the fuck, Matt?” Kris ran his hands through his hair.

The
rumour about werewolves being affected by silver had clearly done the rounds.

“They’re
closing in,” Matt said, picking up the Bible. “And I don’t think that town is
out of the loop like they want us to believe.”

“They’re
closing in? They’re being fucking cheeky. This is a clear indication of war.
They know who we are, and I bet they’ve been playing with us for years.”

“I
don’t understand why they’ve decided to choose now,” Matt said.

“Does
it matter?”

Matt
looked down at his arm where the Bible had touched. He’d not felt a thing, but
that was because they weren’t affected by silver. If the guy had pierced his
skin and then put the Bible against his arm that would have been a different
matter.

“A
few days ago I spoke to Daniel, who is the Alpha north of us. His pack has been
missing a wolf for some time,” Matt said.

There
were plenty of packs around, but most of them kept a good distance. Daniel was
the closest, living about a hundred miles north of both of their ranches. Matt
kept in touch with most of the alphas, so they could decide on certain courses
of action with regards to their rules and packs. They all agreed that humans
were not supposed to know about their kind, and yet, there were hunters who
did.

“What
does Daniel have to do with this?” Kris asked.

Matt
pointed at the book. “That’s a weapon, and Daniel has a member missing.” His
gaze returned to the book.

Silver
did not kill them. The weapon needed to draw blood and then be inserted into
the wound. Only then would it hinder a werewolf, but still it wouldn’t kill a
werewolf.

“We
need to know who is responsible for leading these men to us,” Matt said. His
anger increased at what this could mean for Cynthia. She was a small woman and
would never be able to fight off an attack.

“You
think this is an inside source?” Kris asked, shocked.

“I
think someone is talking to the hunters, and I don’t like it.”

Kris
picked the book up flicking through.

“I
don’t like being hunted,” Kris said.

“Do
you think any of our kind like it?” Matt ran his hand down his face. When he’d
been training when he was younger his father had arranged for pack members to
hunt him. His training in order for him to take over as alpha had been for him
to defend himself against an attack. No pack wanted a weak alpha. The strength
of a pack relied on their alpha. Matt had excelled in everything, including the
torture he’d been put through.

He
recalled being chained to the wall with silver spikes through his wrists. Matt
looked down at his wrists expecting to see the evidence of what he’d done in
order to be the best leader he could be.

Matt
never found his father abusive. He knew in his heart his father trained him to
be the best person to take over. Being a pack leader came before loving a
son,
and he would do the same so that no one would ever think
to rise up against him.

No
other male in his pack had undergone such treatment. He knew Kris had undergone
the same or similar treatment. It was why no one older than they had fought for
the right as alpha. No one else had a chance at the title.

“I
remember what it was like fighting for my life against the whole pack. My
father pushed me through the trials. I’m not going to allow myself or my pack
to be hunted once again, Matt. If I see humans in our forest they’re fucking
dead.” Kris snarled the words.

“We
kill humans, and we risk the law coming here. If you want to deal with that
then be my guest. I have no wish for it to happen, but that’s up to you,” Matt
said. He stood up and gazed out of the window.

Kris’s
men were arriving.

“What
do you think we should do? Wait until they take us off one by one?”

Closing
his eyes Matt tried to think of the best way to handle the situation. “I don’t
know how to handle this, Kris. What I do know is that now is not the time to be
separate. We work together as a team.”

He
saw Kris fist his hands at his side. “I thought we were working together. Our
differences are in the past,” Kris said. “I don’t care about the pussy before.
I only care about Cynthia and my pack.”

Matt
smiled then grabbed the Bible from the table. “I think it’s time we addressed our
packs as one unit.”

Neither
touched the other as they made their way down the stairs. Their packs were
crowded in the main hall. The book in his hand felt like a lead weight in his
heart. If they were being hunted then he wanted it over.

Kris
took his space beside him at the front of the hall. Standing beside Kris
reminded Matt of watching his father and Kris’s father when they were alive.
They were one of the few packs who worked together.

Smiling,
Matt addressed the packs. They were together and united the way it should be.

****

Kris
scented the air. The downwind sent the smell of Cynthia to Matt’s ranch. He
stared up at the sky. The sun was high in the sky, and the slight breeze filled
every part of his soul with her.

Since
the talk in the great hall he’d spent a great deal of time with Matt. Their
packs were once again united even if only for a short time. Matt stood beside
him inhaling the spicy scent of Cynthia.

“I
need to go and see her,” Matt said.

Downing
his tools Kris followed Matt down the path to her house. They had both forced
themselves to stay away from her. Kris spent most of his nights thinking about
her warmth wrapped around him. He loved her smile and the sweet charm of her
voice. There was not a part of her he didn’t like. She made him laugh and
filled him with so much joy. The pack bowed down as they passed. Kris nodded
his head continuing on. He liked the fact his men checked in on Cynthia
whenever it was necessary.

When
her house came into view he felt his whole body tense for a chance to see her.
She stood outside in the small garden. He heard the music she was listening to
and couldn’t help and smile. Cynthia danced, oblivious to the men watching her.

Matt
and he had agreed to keep men from both of their packs watching her. Kris
turned in the direction of the trees to see one of his men perched in one of
the trees.

“They’re
taking care of her. My men already accept her as my mate,” Matt said.

Kris
nodded, shocked by how fast everything was moving inside him. He’d never known
mating could be so impulsive. His father had always appeared in control. Kris
did recall his father’s gaze always followed his mother, though.

She
danced in total abandon. The way she moved reminded him of her innocence and
age. Cynthia was only twenty-three, but her life would be short. Kris was once
again struck by the unfairness of life.

The
strap of her sundress had fallen down her arm to reveal more of her body. With
each jump move she made the dress rode up her thighs. Licking his lips he
stared at the beauty of her.

His
cock tightened unbearably in the jeans he wore. Where was his well-earned
control?

Her
eyes opened, and her dancing stopped when she saw them. Kris knew the instant
she became aroused. He turned to the forest and pointed for her guard to
disappear. None of his men were going to watch his woman while he stood with
her ready to protect her.

“Hello,”
she said. The smile on her face widened.

“I
didn’t think I was going to see you again.” She took deep breaths while
wrapping the ear-phones around her music player.

“We’ve
had business to attend to. Otherwise we’d have come to see how you’re getting
on.” Matt opened the gate, and they entered her small garden around the back of
the house.

“I
hope everything is okay.”

Kris
nodded.

“I’m
sorry, but I’m unable to get you a car at this time,” Matt said. Neither of
them wanted her to have a car for her own personal safety.

“No
problem about the car. I’m happy being here anyway.”

Her
hands went to her hips as she looked between them. “Would you like to come in
for some tea? I made lunch as well.”

She
wiped her hand over her brow wiping the sweat from her body.

Kris
stared at her. His imagination was nothing compared to the real thing.

“I’d
love to have some lunch,” he said, brushing past Matt to get closer to her.

Cynthia
chuckled, turned, and made her way up the garden to her house. He followed her
inside. The moment he stepped over the threshold he paused to inhale the air.
The house smelt of nothing but her. He saw a sauce bubbling on the stove.

“Please,
take a seat.”

She
put the music player down. He saw she’d hung up several pictures on the wall.
Kris quickly glanced over them. He spotted the one of Cynthia when she was
younger. Her young face was filled with the joys of life. Gazing down at all
the pictures he saw one with her head covered. He knew enough about human
sickness to know she’d suffered through a cancer of some sort.

From
the scent of her he knew it was a progressive one, and he hated the human
frailty again.

“Are
these your parents?” he asked.

“Yes.
They had me late in life, but they gave me everything they had. I miss them
dearly.” She moved to stand beside him. “I hope you don’t mind me putting
pictures up.”

Kris
took her hand kissing her knuckles. “They are part of who you are. I don’t
mind, baby.”

She
blushed then turned away from him. Matt caught her hand pulling her in close.
Cynthia went without argument.

Matt
ran his fingers through her hair then pulled her close to kiss her.

“Do
you kiss all the girls you meet?” she asked.

“You’re
the only one,” Matt said.

She
pulled away from him then moved around to finish dinner.

“What
have you cooked?” Kris took the seat beside Matt watching her serve up some
food.

“I
made fresh pasta and meatballs. My mother had a kick ass recipe, and I’ve not
been able to eat it in …
erm
… a long time.”

She
scooped some pasta onto a plate then spooned plenty of sauce onto his plate.
Kris waited for his plate as she served both him and Matt before she served
herself. He took note of her small plate and portion.

“You
need to eat more than that,” he said.

He
watched as she twirled a finger in her hair gazing down at her food. “This is a
big portion for me. Can you not ask questions or anything?” she asked.

Matt
thumped his thigh. Kris didn’t give anything away. He smiled at her and forked
some of his food.

The
pasta was cooked just right, and the meatballs melted in his mouth. They had so
much flavour and punch. He didn’t talk while he ate, and when he finished he
asked for some more. Cynthia served him.

He
watched as she left most of her food. Her fork moved the meal around her plate.

“I’ve
got a cheesecake in the fridge if you’d like some, and whatever is left over
you can take home. I’m not going to eat it all.”

Kris
saw the tears that filled her eyes and then disappear when she smiled at him.
She was hurting, and it was killing him. Getting up from his seat Kris cupped
her cheek in his palm staring down into her eyes.

There
had to be something he could do to help her.

“Kris,
not yet,” Matt said.