Page 1 of Alpha's Second Chance

Eve

Ahush fell over the courtroom as I began the closing argument. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, dozens of innocent citizens are dead because of this man,” I paused to hold my hand in the direction of the defendant. I’d presented the evidence -- now it was up to the jurors to put this bastard away for good.

The bastard in question curled his lip at me, but I met his gaze head on. His sneer didn’t faze me. I made my voice louder, detailing the heinous crimes Bull Payne had committed against our residents.

As I spoke, one of the jurors began waving her arm. She made short, frantic motions with one hand. With the other hand, she held up a small scrap of paper. The paper trembled, wobbling in the air. My eyesight was better than most, and I could just make out her words. “I can tell what you are and so can Bull. Bull is a bear too. He’s going to come after you. Go to the fire station. They can help.”

My blood froze. The inside of my mouth went dry. In a daze, I asked for permission to approach the bench. I fumbled out a lie about a very sudden, very extreme case of food poisoning, and the judge excused me. I left one of the junior prosecutors to do my job.

On autopilot, I got into my car. The suit jacket that seemed so professional during the trial had turned into a noose. I tossed my jacket in the backseat and unbuttoned the top of my blouse.

That juror had dropped two bombs on me.

First, apparently Bull Payne, Denver’s biggest thug, was a shifter.

The second part was what really messed with my head. The juror, and most likely Bull, could tell that I was also a shifter.

It was a secret that I guarded, because not only was I a shifter, I was an omega.

In the shifter world, omegas were highly prized. They were always fertile, always conceived children quickly, and were generally sweet and amenable.

I didn’t know about the fertile part, but I’d never been sweet or amenable -- not for one second. That didn’t stop the bear clan I was born into from treating me like a possession.

If I’d stayed with them, I’d have been forced into marriage, forced to bear a child, and then I’d have zero say in any aspect of my life or the life of my child. My mate would have called all the shots.

I’d rather die than live like that. When I turned eighteen, I ran. I’d left the tiny town of Avon, Colorado behind, and moved to Denver.

A horn honked behind me. I jumped, startled, but kept both hands on the wheel. Just minutes later, I made it to the fire station in one piece. I managed to stay upright on the walk inside, despite the temptation to take my heels off and chuck them at the cinder block walls.

“May I see the chief, please,” I said to a passing firefighter. With a hand that shook as much as the juror’s, I held up my deputy prosecutor’s ID card.

Within seconds, the chief strolled out. I knew immediately he was a bear. Unlike me, he hadn’t tried to cover who he was. I didn’t wait for introductions. “A juror from the courthouse sent me. She said it was obvious —” I lowered my voice. I hadn’t said the words in so long. “She said it was obvious what I am.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Oh yeah. It’s coming off of you in waves.”

How was it possible? I’d been so careful. I had an alarm on every device. I had a reminder on every calendar. I had never missed a pill.

“She also said Bull was after me.”

“Damn,” he said. He took me by the arm. “Let’s go to my office. You need to sit down. We’ll get this figured out.”

I didn’t let anyone lead me around. I pulled my arm away. “I’m fine.” I sure didn’t trust a shifter to help me. There was always the risk that he’d alert my clan, and they’d come after me. Clans didn’t let omegas go without a fight.

He didn’t comment on my pulling away from him. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“I appreciate that,” I said as I tried to get a grip on my emotions. I might not trust shifters, and I never minced words, but if I was going to survive this, I’d like to still have a job in this town. I didn’t need to burn bridges with a potential ally.

I sat in a chair across from his desk. I had to clasp my hands together to keep from pulling at my tailored suit pants. There were several places where they dug into my skin.

The store had claimed they were custom made for ‘women with curves,’ but they still looked liked they’d be better suited for someone with a ruler-straight figure. Maybe if I’d only done more yoga like my best friend had suggested, I’d have flattened out those pesky curves.Yeah right. And you could have given up those steaks you like so much while you were at it.

I had bigger problems than my awkward clothing. I had to figure out a plan. I needed to get back to my house and find out why my scent blockers, and possibly my suppressants, had failed, then I needed to get back to work. The biggest trial of my career was happening, and I was screwing around in a fire station.

I took a long, steadying breath. If the chief was going to help me, he needed information, and at this point, he was my best option. I’d have to be frank with him. “I’m Eve Johnson. I’m a deputy prosecutor, and I was in the middle of a criminal trial, for Bull Payne.”

He nodded. “We’ve been following the news. We’re all hoping he gets life.”

“A life in prison is more than Bull deserves,” I said. Then I hesitated.

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