Page 30 of Cruel Alpha

“What’s the trouble this time?”

Part of me didn’t want to say anything about it. My wolf screamed at me that admitting weakness in front of other Alphas was a death sentence, but I knew I could trust my friends. They might even have something helpful to say about it—well, Leo and Ethan might. Maybe Noah.

“Every time I think we’re getting somewhere, she pulls back,” I told them. “I don’t know if it’s something I’m doing wrong now or if there’s just nothing I can do.”

Even with them, it was embarrassing to admit. Mates were supposed to be easy: fate picked out your person, and then they were yours forever. What did it say about me that my mate didn’t want anything to do with me?

“She’s your mate; she’ll come around,” Jace tried to reassure me. “It’s in our biology.”

“Yeah, it’s not like she’s vindictive or anything,” Noah added. “You don’t think she’s trying to get back at you, right?”

I must have hesitated slightly too long at that because Leo frowned.

“There’s something you’re not telling us,” he said. He was right, and even Ethan left off doing his pull-ups, leaning against the bar’s frame to watch me. I didn’t want to say it, but letting it sit and fester in my brain wasn’t doing me any favors either. A problem shared is a problem halved, or whatever the elders say.

“She wants me to claim her and the kids,” I admitted. The was a sharp intake of breath from the group before Xander exclaimed,

“No way, man. You can’t claim some other guy’s kids.”

Something that was tight inside me loosened just a little. I should have known my friends would understand; more than anyone else, they knew exactly what was at stake for me.

“I tried to tell her that, but she doesn’t want to listen,” I said. I’d even tried going over to Julia’s the previous night, but Alyssa had refused to see me. Another misstep and another door closed in my face.

“Sounds like you’ve got some steam to let off,” said Leo. His usual easy smile was absent, and there was a coldness in his voice that I’d rarely heard before. “Come on. I could do with a one-on-one.”

The strangeness of his demeanor should have put me off, but I wasn’t going to turn down a round in the ring. Leo was right, I did need to let off steam.

The rest of the guys sidled over to the ring, always keen to watch a bout. I clicked my neck, raising my fists in readiness. I knew Leo’s style: he was wily. He’d dodge and weave, taunting me until I tired myself out, and then he’d go in for the kill. When I met his eyes across the space, though, there was an unfamiliar aggression flashing in them.

I didn’t have time to parse that out before Xander rang the bell, and Leo rushed forward. I only just got my guard up in time to deflect his first blow, but his second made contact with my cheekbone, sending a burst of white pain through my head. I dodged the third, dancing out of his range to get my bearings. Now it was my turn to be on the offense, darting forward with a blow to Leo’s unguarded side, but rather than twisting out of its path as he usually would, Leo took the blow, sending one to my jaw in return.

Again, I disengaged, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“What the hell, Man?” I said. We didn’t usually go for faces in friendly bouts, let alone draw blood. Leo only shrugged.

“You want to keep going, or are you just as much of a coward as I think you are?”

A growl ripped itself from my throat. Leo knew my flaws better than most people, and cowardice wasn’t one of them. What had gotten into him?

The atmosphere in the gym had turned tense, the others no longer simply watching from the sidelines but coiled and ready to step in if necessary. My wolf, too, was coiled and ready. He wanted to get out, wanted a real fight, and by the looks of it, Leo felt the same. His answering growl was accompanied by another burst of energy as he darted forward, going for my stomach and sides. In my moment of hesitation—did I take the blow and use the opening, or dodge and attack from a new angle—my wolf took the reins.

The cracking of bone and the creak of overexerted muscle were audible for only a second before the wolf was standing in my place, and Leo didn’t even stop his attack to shift himself. When his body landed against mine, it was in the form of a huge russet wolf, teeth bared. I ducked under his jump, skidding around to bring us face to face once more. Teeth snapping, I lashed out with my claws, only to be met with the snapping of jaws, nearly catching my outstretched limb.

After that, it was a blur of teeth and claws—we may not have been fighting to kill, but the sting of his accusations made my blood run hot, and Leo was clearly no less set on ripping me a new one. It might have been a few seconds or several long minutes of flashing teeth and ripping claws before an authority-laden voice rang out:

“Stop.”

We didn’t bend the neck to it, but Alphas at least respected each others’ authority. Leo and I both respected Ethan enough to pause, just for a moment, each of us panting heavily.

“Shift back. We can handle this like men.”

I met Leo’s eyes across the ring—like mine, they were human eyes, bright and green. They were the eyes of my friend. With my wolf tired of the fight, though far from exhausted, it was easy to wrestle back control and return to my human skin. After a few moments, Leo followed my lead. In his human form, it was easy to see the scratch I’d left on his chest. The cut wasn’t deep, but the red lines were raised and angry. In return, I could feel a throbbing above my eyebrow and a warm dampness that I recognized as blood. Neither were significant wounds—our shifter healing would have them gone in a few days—but it was far more than any members of the A-Team had inflicted on each other before.

“What the hell is wrong with the two of you?” Ethan rumbled, and I tried to step forward, but Xander’s hand was on my bicep, holding me in place.

“You heard him call me a coward,” I said. Any Alpha—any shifter, for that matter—should understand what a grave insult had been offered. Ethan didn’t have the chance to reply, though, because Leo was already biting back,

“Because you are.” Noah and Jace hovered behind him, ready to hold him back, but he didn’t move. “You know those kids are yours; you just won’t admit it.”

---