Page 4 of Unexpected Alpha's Claim

“You bet your ass I did,” I admitted, intensifying my stare. “I took them both out back, I did a real number on Brad. I busted one of his front legs and was ready to take him out when Kenny joined in. Then, Michael and Sean tried to defend their Alpha’s honor. I couldn’t take them all on, so, I hopped in my truck, and got the hell out of there.”

“You fought our Alphaandhis lieutenant, and you came back in one piece?” Sam wondered, shuffling closer to me.

“Not quite,” I answered, easing down my sweater to reveal the wound on my neck. Then, I pulled it up to show him and Sam the other injuries on my stomach. “After my crash, I woke up in this woman’s house. She must be a doctor. She patched me up. I had stitches in me before I shifted.”

“You’re still bleeding,” Sam remarked, his eyes on the left side of my stomach. “Pull your sweater back up.”

“I can’t believe those pricks,” Ray grumbled, looking away from me. “They won’t shut up about you and how you keep on breaking the rules, but all they do is provoke you all the time.”

“Maybe it’s time you went to Miami, too,” Sam suggested, using a wet cloth to wipe away the blood. “Stay down there for a while. Let things cool off around here.”

“You think that will make a difference?” Ray cocked an eyebrow, pitching his voice higher.

“Junior’s right,” I commented, feeling the cuts in my skin. “They won’t stop, Sammy. They’ll harass you guys even more, knowing I’m not around to defend you.”

“Look, I don’t care,” Sam responded, maintaining the calmness in his tone. “They can insult me all they like. I’ll ignore them as I’ve always done. The alternative though? No. This family’s seen enough death, Raul. I don’t want to have to bury you, too.”

“Nobody’s going to die, Sammy,” I assured him, patting him on the shoulder. “This shit has been going on for almost a year. Brad and Kenny show up, sputter some bullshit about us, we wrestle around, repeat. Those two get a major kick out of doing this. They don’t dare kill me. Theywon’tdare kill me.”

“What happens if they decide this stupid little game of theirs isn’t fun anymore…?” Sam assumed a firmer tone, his gaze darting from me to Ray and back to me. “You just said you were ready to rip Brad’s throat out. He’s the Alpha, Raul. You don’t get to kill an Alpha without a pack’s consent unless he’s turned against your own family. That’s the rule.”

“Well,fuckthe rule!” I regretted shouting the moment my voice echoed in my head. “Sorry, man.” I lowered my tone, tearing my gaze away from him.

“Fuck the rule,” Ray repeated my words with more emphasis, stepping between me and our brother. “From now on, I’m notleaving you guys alone. Either of you. Brad and Kenny mess with one of us? They mess withallof us.”

“That’s the spirit,” I praised with a smile. “Boys, if there’s one thing I regret doing tonight, it’s not engaging those two sons of bitches.”

“What are you talking about?” It was Sam’s turn to get curious.

I drew in a sharp breath. “The woman who saved my ass. She told me to lie back down, and I just looked back at her in anger.”

“Then, you should make it up to her,” Sam advised. “I don’t mean any grand gestures. Just show up at her place and thank her.”

“That’s easier said than done,” I commented, recalling her curvaceous figure. “She’s not some middle-aged spinster. She can’t be more than thirty years old, and she’s unbelievably beautiful.”

“My big brother thinks he can’t restrain himself,” Ray teased with a grin. “She must be hot.”

“Well, hehasto,” Sam pointed out. “If he doesn’t want her to think he’s an asshole, he has to fight back his instincts and pay her a visit.”

“I just might do that.”

Might? No, that was a lie. I had every intention of taking Sam’s advice. I liked that about my brother. Unlike the hotheaded Ray, he was good at keeping a cool head and giving advice. And I agreed with him that that human had earned my gratitude. I would remember her as a kind soul who didn’t let me draw my last breath in her home. The least I could do was show up at her doorstep and express my gratitude to her…

3

MONICA

“We should find him.”

I used that phrase to welcome Stacy to the table. My first-ever breakfast in my new home was nothing like what I had expected or hoped. Erica had fled, once again proving that dating someone was more important to her than her safety. That’s Erica, though, always impulsive; always eager to chase a thrill, even if that meant breaking her heart in the process.

“Sure, no problem.” Stacy shrugged her shoulders. “Just one thing, though. We don’t know anything about him. What are we going to do? Go over to Shandaken and start knocking on doors? Besides, the locals start their day early. It’s doubtful he’d be home even if we found it.”

“Good points,” I praised with a nod. “But, I mean, it’s a small town, Stacy. Isn’t the whole point everyone knows everyone? Someone’sboundto have heard what happened to their countryman.”

“Darn it. I forgot the valley,” she added, taking a sip of her coffee. “What if he lives down in Dawson?”

“That’s a possibility,” I agreed. “I tell you what. We’ll start there. If we don’t find him in Dawson, we’ll drive back to Shandaken and look for him there.”

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