Page 18 of Forged Alliances

Chapter Nine

Sierra’s legs creaked as she swung them over the side of the couch. Passing out at Dax’s place hadn’t been part of the plan, but after the long day she’d had, the comfort of whiskey and warmth in his cabin had lulled her to sleep. She stretched her arms over her head, glancing to the side where Dax slept, his well-defined chest rising and falling with his luscious tanned skin on clear display. He’d curled on the opposite side of the couch rather than in his bed, though she had no idea when he’d hit the hay.

She wrinkled her nose as she hopped off the couch. Time to duck out before he woke up. Whatever audacity had possessed her to show up at his house yesterday sure as hell hadn’t lingered.

The normal early light trickled through the window, a regular sight from her sunrise wake-up times. An alpha’s work never ended, and she liked to get a head start on the off chance she could field problems before they started. Not like they’d ever dealt with the magnitude of what had happened to the Silver Springs pack last night. After the grief etching Dax’s face at witnessing his people hurt and finding his friend murdered, she couldn’t leave him to face those troubles on his own. Even if this closeness caused the tug toward him to grow all the stronger.

She grabbed her canvas bag off the floor and stood, smoothing out the wrinkles on her pants. Sierra needed to head to her own pack. She’d called her contact in the Tribe yesterday, which meant depending on where the members were along the coast and how many cases they had in their workload, someone could arrive today or tomorrow.

“That would make this the second time you’re rushing away from my place,” Dax’s voice came from behind her. “Am I your dirty secret, Kanoska?” She turned to face him, annoyance thrumming through her chest at his teasing tone. He sat up from the couch, one arm resting on the back while his blue eyes glittered with amusement. Even though his ash-brown hair had the mussed quality of having just woken up, his gaze sharpened to alert, as if he’d been awake the past half hour.

“Obviously,” she retorted. “I can’t be going back smelling like cat. My wolves will get all riled up.”

“Not like I marked you, sweetheart. Though if you want to give them something to talk about, I’d be happy to oblige.” At the mention of marking, his tongue darted over his lips and his tone heated. Sierra couldn’t help the flush racing through her. Her core sparked to life at the thought of his teeth scraping against her skin and the way those strong hands had caressed her body yesterday.

“Ass. Unlike you cat shifters who lounge around all day, I’ve got work to do.” She crossed her arms, hoping he couldn’t scent how her body responded to him. The way his grin widened at her statement hinted he had.

“Let me make you a cup of coffee at least,” he said, rolling to his feet with fluid grace before he strode to his kitchen. “Least I can do for the visit last night.” He stopped at the doorframe, his hand resting there as his lips pressed together and his gaze turned solemn for once. “Thank you.”

The gravity of the words hit her like a sucker punch, a gasp of seriousness from the man who mastered distraction and avoidance. Sierra squeezed the strap of her pack. At that, he ducked into his kitchen, and within seconds the coffeemaker’s hiss resounded through the air. The fragrant scent of freshly brewing coffee wafted over from the kitchen, stilling her feet. As much as she wanted to leave, the lure of coffee was a siren’s song she could never conquer.

She wandered in and was rewarded by the sight of Dax’s tanned muscles in action as he reached to the top shelf of his cabinet to pull two mugs down.

“The Tribe’s been alerted,” she offered, hoping to break the awkwardness in the room at the subject they both avoided. The mating bond seemed trivial in comparison to the loss and destruction that had occurred last night.

“Good,” he said, grabbing the carafe and pouring the molten liquid into the cups. “Called in the enforcers to report the ruckus so the local cops weren’t roped onto the scene. Not like humans want to be roaming around well-known shifter territory. I’m guessing your rise to alpha wasn’t this dramatic?” He passed her a mug and nudged the creamer and sugar forward along the countertop. Sierra fixed up her coffee and then wrapped her palms around the hot ceramic.

Sierra snorted. “Hell no. My alpha had trained me and a couple of others for a while, so when the time came and he passed, the strongest of the pack got together and duked it out. Everyone had been placing their bets on Finn—he’s tough, capable, and has a bucketload of charisma. They forgot not only am I smarter, but I’m way more stubborn.”

A smirk tugged his lips. “Color me surprised.” He leaned against the counter, his snug jeans drawing her eyes to the way they slung low on his hips, a sprinkle of hair following the well-defined trail of his abs. “Mine’s turned into the shitshow I’d give my left nut to avoid. Never expected Drew to stoop as low as he did last night though.”

“It was some sort of fucked up,” she agreed, tension percolating through her with the intensity of the coffee she drank. Sierra raised her lips to the mug and took the first couple of sips.

Dax ran a hand through his hair. “You know I’ve reached a whole new hellscape when the conversation we left behind last night is a lighthearted distraction. You were about to say something about this mating bond business before Ally burst in with the news?”

The subject switch gave her whiplash, and she ducked her head to blow the steam off her coffee, finding the surface fascinating all of a sudden. Accepting responsibility, leading her people—those actions came readily for her, but the complex burst of emotions surfacing around Dax Williams had turned into a different beast. She could pretend she didn’t feel the fire burning inside every time her mind wandered to him or the easy way she enjoyed his company, a comfort she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Except Sierra didn’t waste time with self-deception. Whatever existed between them was as tangible and real as the bond she’d breached. And the more time they spent together, the deeper she might fall.

She set her cup of coffee on the counter. No point in avoiding the subject. “Why don’t we put aside the fact we’ve got a mating bond. It’s a big noose neither of us wants to deal with, so we should proceed like we would if it wasn’t there. At the end of the day, if you drive me so nuts I want to run you over with your own stupid truck, the mating bond doesn’t make a bit of difference, so let’s not give the thing more power than it deserves.”

Dax’s grin widened, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Sierra’s stomach flip-flopped. She had the feeling whatever came out of his mouth next would have her wanting to deck him.

“You know, if the bond hadn’t interrupted us, I would’ve had you pinned against the wall or maybe bent over my couch.” His words came out in a purr that stoked her coals into a blaze. Sex oozed from his pores, making it hard to forget the sparks that flew between them the last time they’d crashed together. She lifted her mug again to drink the smooth liquid, the piping-hot coffee not the only reason heat coiled in her belly.

“Glad to see your one-track mind is functioning as normal again,” she muttered, trying to ignore the way her body responded to the sound of his voice and the fire in his eyes. The room charged between them, tension descending as if it had never left. After the events of last night, the two of them could use a chance to unwind. Sierra let out a sigh and placed the mug of coffee down. Bad, bad idea. Hopping in the sack with him, however tempting the tango, wouldn’t solve any of the problems on the table.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she jumped for the distraction, tugging it out. Finn’s name blinked onto the screen, so she answered the phone, aware of the way Dax stared at her. Those predatory eyes were the intense sort of gorgeous she couldn’t ignore.

“What’s happening, Finn?” she asked. Dax’s brow rose, and he walked over to grab the cup she’d left on the countertop. Except then he didn’t budge, standing inches away with a slight smile on his lips. Sierra glowered at him, knowing what predatory power games he played. She’d been possessed by the same streak of jealousy yesterday, part of the frenzy the mating bond inspired.

“We’ve got some visitors at the bar, and they’re looking for the alpha who summoned them,” he said, his tone sharper than normal. Couldn’t be anyone but the Tribe to inspire cautiousness from her beta. Multiple people surprised her though, same as their next-day arrival. They must’ve been dealing with bigger problems in the area than this alpha feud.

“I’m heading out now,” she responded, wishing she’d been there to prepare.

“Let Williams know? They’re here asking about the Silver Springs pack, figure he’d want to be in on this,” Finn replied. Sierra glanced at the looming presence beside her, a faint smile lingering on his lips since the bastard heard every word Finn said.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll let him know,” Sierra said before hanging up. The second she slipped her phone in her pocket, she glanced up to speak to Dax—only to find him vanished from the spot.

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