Page 14 of Forged Alliances

Chapter Seven

Sierra shot from her seat the second the door flew open. Adrenaline coursed through her even before Dax’s packmate stepped in. Dax rushed to Ally, galvanized by her words as his muscles moved with the smooth glide of liquid.

“What’s Drew doing?” he asked, his voice sharpening.

“Overheard him at the usual bar,” she said. “I slipped out before they noticed me, but he’s bringing his group around our way and giving us the choice of accepting him as alpha or he’ll beat us into submission.”

A feral growl ripped from Dax’s throat, surprising Sierra. Thus far, the man had iron control over his beast, but this tapped a direct vein into protection territory, and as an alpha, protecting his pack was priority number one.

“I’ll back you up.” The words slipped from her lips before she registered them. Sure, she shouldn’t be diving into his problems headfirst, and the mating bond had already started messing with her mind, but she wouldn’t stand back and watch while his brother bullied his way into the position. As far as neighbors went, she much preferred Dax. Not just because the man made her hormones rev, but because despite his snarky comments, the man upheld the same sort of moral code she did. That, she could respect.

Finn sidled over to her with a smile. “You better not be leaving me out of a fight, Sierra.” She didn’t miss the way Dax’s gaze slipped to her, those eyes blazing with unbidden possessiveness. She bit back her groan. Wolves were legendarily jealous when mated, and she could guess the feeling transferred to any type of shifter. Already, her skin prickled with how close Ally stood to him. As much as she’d plotted out her avoidance strategy with the mating bond, her body reacted to him, betraying her plans.

“Anyone who feels like blowing off some steam can join in,” Sierra announced bar-wide. Aggression rushed through her, the unspent sexual tension from before brimming under the surface and burning fast into irritation. “We’re going to pummel some traitors into the ground.”

Dax nodded, his face grim. “Avoid killing if possible,” he added. “Those who choose to come, thank you. We won’t turn down help.” His eyes flicked to her, the slight nod conveying his unspoken thanks. Dax turned, leading the way out the door with Ally following close behind.

Finn clapped a hand on her shoulder, and Raven sidled over from where she’d been playing pool. The petite woman’s gaze sparked silver. Apparently she wasn’t the only one jonesing for an outlet. “Let’s go,” Sierra said, following them out of Beaver’s Tavern.

Dax hopped into his truck, and Ally swung into the passenger’s seat. The blonde leaned in to place a hand on his arm, the contact making Sierra blink back red. Finn tapped her on the shoulder.

“Uh, boss,” he said, distracting her for a moment. “You’re growling.”

Sierra swallowed hard, the realization like a slap to the face. “Just looking forward to pummeling some mountain lion ass into the ground,” she said, stalking along the gravel to her beat-up sedan. She slammed the door as she settled into the driver’s seat, the control of being behind the wheel doing wonders for her temper. Control was the key cornerstone to her life and the very reason she had raced out of Dax’s house this morning.

Being mated to a stranger never figured into her plans. She’d dived in for a casual fling with Dax, a way to burn off aggression, not in a thousand years expecting the mating bond to emerge. The whole thing had spiraled so far out of her control she’d been unable to stave the urge to run, to escape. Yet when Dax arrived in the bar, she’d swallowed the fears percolating under the surface and grabbed the issue by the throat. He’d see reason, for sure. She peeled across the parking lot, letting the fury riding through her out onto the gravel.

Except reason didn’t ride the wheel of the possessiveness that flooded her when another female put her hands on him. The mere idea of him made her thighs clench together. And her wolf had approved the moment the bond emerged, the animal instinct overtaking rational thought.

“Care to share what’s going on with our feline friend?” Finn asked. Even though his tone came across casual, she caught the edge of demand there. Her pack wasn’t used to being kept in the dark about much, and besides, her policy of honesty and transparency worked for her and the crew. Problem was, she hadn’t even discussed any of this with Dax yet. As much as she spilled most of her dirt to Finn, this existed between her and the Silver Springs alpha, no one else.

“He’s got family troubles out the ass. Turns out, his father played favorites and even though Dax tried to fight for the position of alpha, major members of the pack broke up the match and drove him off, leaving his brother to lead.” Even though Finn had been angling for the reason behind her sudden territorial attitude, he’d have to wait on the explanation. Until at least she figured out her next move.

Finn lifted a brow but didn’t push. “So this is a big family feud,” he said, allowing her the distraction.

Raven leaned forward from the backseat, her hand resting on the back of the driver’s seat. “Heard rumors from Jer that the Tribe might be coming to town?” she asked, hesitation in her tone.

“You heard right,” Sierra said, gripping her wheel more tightly as she pumped the gas to soar across the highway. “I called my contact earlier. We’ve got nothing to hide, so their visit won’t concern us in the slightest.” Dax’s truck zoomed along at top speed, but in her beast of a car, she barely had to try to keep up.

The way Raven lapsed into silence nagged her, but Sierra allowed her friend her quiet. Not like she planned on parading her own problems on Front Street yet.

Finn shrugged, saving the awkward silence that descended. “As long as I get to bash in some skulls, I’m happy. Things have been so quiet on the home front I’m about ready to snore my way through Sunday. What’s the point in being pack beta if your alpha is a control freak and navigates us out of most fights?”

“All these cats stomping over our territory has me itching for a fight too,” Sierra agreed. “What’s say we establish some dominance to sate the restless wolf inside?” Dax’s truck swerved to the right, so she followed suit, heading down another winding road farther into backwater towns her kind reigned over in this part of Pennsylvania.

“Sounds like a plan,” Raven agreed from the back seat, leaning closer to the front. Sierra glanced back. She didn’t miss the way the striking woman stared at Finn, longing clear as day in those soft eyes. Not like her second in command had ever given the bartender a similar look or the same sort of devotion. She was in good company for the conflicted.

Up ahead, the truck’s brake lights blazed, and Dax made a sharp right down an even narrower road. Gravel crunched under the tires as Sierra kept pace along the small, winding road. At the end, it branched into a circle, surrounded by the lights glowing through the windows of several Cape Cod houses. These places nestled in the middle of the woods like this spelled “hearth and home” in a way that spoke to her. At least, until she screeched to a stop behind Dax’s truck and stepped out of her car.

Screams and growls rent the air, the sort that crawled into her veins, jarring her protective instinct. Drew and his band of assholes must’ve beaten them here.

Dax took off at a flat run with Ally close behind. Sierra couldn’t help the competitive streak working through her veins. Even though her pack wasn’t in danger, the wolf inside her snapped at the leash. She transitioned in the blink of an eye, one moment standing on two feet, the next on four as her claws clicked against the gravel. Her clothes drifted in shreds to the ground.

Sierra lunged forward, slicing across the distance in her faster form. She loped across the loamy earth, the blades of grass squishing beneath the pads of her paws. Dax shifted liquid fast into the tawny mountain cat with coiled muscles and a peppering of ash streaks through his pelt. They vaulted for the door, which hung by the hinges, splinters littering the tiled floor inside and sour light from the entryway spilling onto the front porch. The tang of blood already burst in a violent bloom, threading through the heavy air.

A loud hiss came from inside the house.

Dax’s gaze flashed as he plunged through the entryway. Sierra skidded to a halt right before diving in after him. Racing headfirst into danger was never a wise move, but his impulse to protect his pack would drown out any precautions. Between her and Dax, one of them had to think clearly. Ally blazed past her, rushing in to back up her alpha. As much as Sierra’s heart pumped with adrenaline, pushing her to follow suit, she refused to ignore the tug in her gut telling her otherwise.

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