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Published by Wilde City Press ISBN

: 978-1-925031-48-5

Taylor, courtesy www.ragingstallion.com

ACCIDENTAL ALPHA

Poppy Dennison Chapter One

Lex stared at the parking lot across the street. Well, technically, he looked down the hill in front

of his house at his neighbor's yard, but with the half dozen cars parked in the grass and the three he
could see in the driveway, it might as well be an asphalt slab. Damn neighbors. He'd bought this
place because he wanted to be alone. One neighbor, the real estate agent had assured him. He's very
quiet, she'd promised. Bullshit. Spencer Robinson must have a horde of family.

Lex had only met the man once, when they'd both been stopped at the end of their driveways

picking up mail. He'd noticed Spencer looking him up and down and then the blush that had appeared
on his cheeks. Spencer had even stumbled over his own name when he'd tried to introduce himself.
Lex had pretended not to notice. Spencer was a good-looking guy but not Lex's type at all. He
preferred his men to be big, beefy bears like himself. Nothing about Spencer was bear-like at all. The
guy was lean to the point of being too skinny, and his baggy clothes didn't appear to be hiding any
muscles at all. Besides, shy and blushing didn't exactly get Lex's engine running.

After opening the back of his Suburban, Lex gathered his bags of groceries with a scowl. Spencer

was probably having another one of his stupid parties, and Lex wouldn't have any peace and quiet.
Again. His side spasmed when he lifted more bags than he should have.

"Fuck," he muttered and released some of the weight. The scar tissue on his side had been giving

him hell lately. Nothing like being stabbed between the ribs and having a collapsed lung to make a
man learn to value his own life.

He waited for the twinges of pain to pass, and then lifted a couple of the bags. A year ago, he'd

have been able to wrangle all the groceries in one trip. With one hand. Those days were far behind
him. The doctors promised him he'd regain his strength but warned him that it could take years.

Years meant retirement and disability. Cops couldn't perform their duties with half a body not

working correctly. He could have ridden a desk job for a few years, but apparently, the shrinks didn't
think he was even up for that much of a challenge. They'd put him out to pasture, and he'd taken them
literally. Seven acres of land out in the country made a mighty nice pasture for a guy who was sick
and tired of people.
Except for the damn loud neighbor.

Lex made two trips into the house with his groceries and got them all put away. Weekly task

complete, Lex thought over the self-imposed list of chores he'd made to keep himself busy.
"Fuck it. I'm taking the day off."

He pulled the steak out that he'd tossed into the freezer moments before and set it on the counter.

Steak, baked potato, and a nice cold beer. Sounded like the perfect afternoon. He'd find a game on
television and ignore everything. Satisfied with his plan, Lex went out onto his deck to start the grill
and came knee to face with a kid.
"You've got to be kidding me."

The little guy looked up at him with a grin. Lex grimaced in return.

The tyke wasn't much more than a baby, maybe a couple of years old. He had dark hair, brown eyes,
and a suspicious grape jelly looking smear across his cheek. Lex cocked his ear to see if he heard any
shouting coming from across the street that might indicate they already knew the little guy was
missing. Apparently not.
"You're going to make me go over there, aren't you?"
The kid babbled something that Lex couldn't understand. He held his hands up to Lex, and with
another grumble of discontent, Lex lifted the kid into his arms.

"Perfect."
With a sweet pat to Lex's cheek, the little boy lowered his head to Lex's shoulder. "Don't be cute,
'cause I don't like kids and I'm not going to like you."
Another babble and the kid snuggled his face into Lex's neck.
"Seriously. This is my life." He carried the kid around the side of the house and headed the couple
hundred yards to Spencer's. The good thing about having one neighbor was that there was only one
likely place where the kid could have come from.
They reached the bottom of the hill, and the kid raised his face and showed off a toothy grin. Lex
rolled his eyes and kept walking. The next thing he knew, the kid had buried his face back against
Lex's neck. Then the brat bit the ever-living hell out of him.
* * * *

Banging drums woke Lex. He groaned and covered his ears before his memory came rushing

back. He opened his eyes, wondering just how badly the brat had injured him to make him lose
consciousness. With a shaky hand, Lex reached for his neck. The bite mark wasn’t there anymore. But
those damn drums. Whoever thought it was a good idea to annoy the shit out of him right now was
about to get a lesson from a pissed off former cop.

He groaned and started to push himself up but realized there was an unusual weight on his chest.

He glanced down his body to find demon child perched on his stomach. Lex snarled. The brat
laughed. Then Lex noticed the rest of the room he was in. He was not in his house, that was for sure.
None of his rooms were this shade of orange. In fact, no room should ever be this shade of orange.
And if the color didn't clue him in, the dozen or so adults standing around the bed, all staring at him
with a strange mixture of hopeful and terrified expressions, cleared up any chance he was at his own
house.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Lex growled.

One of the ladies meeped and scooped up the demon child. She was young, maybe early twenties,

with the same dark hair and eyes as the spawn. Probably his mother. She gave him a quick glare,
which quickly transferred into remorse.

"Excuse my language. But someone needs to tell me what is going on here, and will someone

please tell whoever is playing the fucking drums to cut it out? My head is fu— uh, killing me!"

The drums picked up pace, the beats pounding on and on. The brat reached out for Lex, whining

and thrashing around. The drums pounded even louder.
"Aiden, no. You can't bother the alpha."

The lady whispered the words, but to Lex, they echoed like she'd screamed. He shook his head

and glared around the room. Finally, his gaze landed on Spencer.
"You," he snarled.

Spencer scooted his way forward until he stood next to the bed. "It's not drums."

His lips had barely moved. Lex rubbed his ears, trying to get the annoying sound to stop. "What is it
then, and who do I have to shoot to make it stop?"
"Well, all of us."
Lex blinked. Blinked again. "What?"
"You're hearing our heartbeats. We're all a little…on edge at the moment."
"Don't be ridiculous. I can't hear your heartbeats."
Spencer's gaze darted around the room. His shoulders hunched in, his dark hair falling over his
forehead. He took several deep breaths before looking up again. "We're werewolves. You're one now
too. Aiden," Spencer gestured toward the demon child, "chose you to be our new leader."

Lex coughed out a laugh and pushed himself farther up. He automatically flinched as he put weight on
his bad side, but nothing happened. Not a single twinge or spasm. He ran his hand over his ribs
before looking down at his body with a puzzled frown.
"What the hell?"
His faded T-shirt covered all evidence of his wounds. Lex jerked the material up and stared at the
patch of pink skin where the mass of puckered scars had been. He traced his fingers over the healed
wounds. After a moment, he began to notice the prickle of sensation that came with stares.
Lex jerked his head up and glared. A rumbling growl emerged from his chest, cut off the moment after
it started by his sharp intake of breath. The others in the room reacted to the sound, however short it
had been. Most dropped to their knees. Others tilted their heads to the side and looked at the ground.
Spencer remained standing by the bed Lex sat on. Lex grabbed Spencer's arm, only to feel the bones
grind together. He released the hold, and Spencer dropped to his knees, cradling the arm against his
chest.
Had he broken Spencer's arm with a touch? Lex swung his legs over the side of the bed and knelt
beside him. He gently eased Spencer's arm into his line of sight. There was a red, hand-shaped mark
where he'd grabbed.
"Goddammit. Are you okay?"
"Yes, Alpha. I'm sorry."
Seriously. Someone needed to tell him what was going on. Right now.

Chapter Two

It must be a dream. Nothing else made sense to Lex. He stood and looked around the room.

Everyone had their eyes on him, staring right back like he was their salvation or something. He was
no one's savior. He hadn't even been able to save himself. Turning away from their needy gazes, Lex
took a deep breath. His lungs filled, and filled some more. Nothing caught or stopped him from taking
his first full breath in months.

Of course, that was when he noticed the smell. Right after he'd taken a deep gulping breath of it.

"What is that?" He choked out.

The demon spawn began to giggle. His mother hurried him out of the room, stopping only to scoop

up the diaper bag by the door. With one last parting scowl at the kid, Lex returned his attention to the
rest of the room. They began to shuffle back and forth nervously. Dammit. What do you say to nearly a
dozen people you don't even know when you're now one of them or something? Lex leaned to the side
and held out his hand to Spencer.
"Come on. Stand up."

Spencer placed his hand in Lex's and pulled himself up. Lex didn't squeeze, afraid he'd break

something for real this
time. When Spencer was standing beside him, Lex gestured to the others in the room.

"You guys need to stand up.” He turned to Spencer with a puzzled frown as they all scrambled to

their feet. “Your family?"
"Yes." Spencer answered. "Yours too now."

The idea sat uncomfortably within Lex's chest. He didn't want family, had had enough

responsibility for others to last a lifetime.

"Pa!" The kid was back. He pulled away from his mother and ran over to Lex. He held up his

hands. "Pa!" "Uh, I'm not your Pa, kid."

"His name is Aiden," Spencer said. "And he's calling
you Alpha."

The kid's mother made a choked cry and walked back out of the room.

"What am I missing?" Lex couldn't resist the pitiful pulling at his jeans so he picked the kid up. He
gave him a very stern look that he hoped said "no biting."
Spencer ran his hand down Aiden's back. "His father was the alpha. He was killed in a car accident
about a month ago."
"So, he…what, thinks I'm his dad?"
"No, Lex. When Aiden bit you, he gave you the alpha powers. You're in charge now."
What the hell was this newest side of crazy? Lex shook his head and handed the kid off to Spencer.
"Look, I'm pretty sure I'm in some sort of other dimension. Maybe I’m in dreamland or something." He
rubbed his hands over his eyes, which seemed to be taking in each movement any of the others made.
"It's not a dream, Lex. I don't…I don't know how to explain this all to you. It's…unexpected."
"No, really? Unexpected? Some kid I don't even know bites the hell out of me, and now suddenly I'm
some weird leader of a bunch of people I don't even know? Yeah. Right. I must have hit my head
pretty fucking hard. I'm going to go home, and hopefully, this will be some freaky nightmare that I'll
wake up from and laugh about."
Lex pushed his way through the crowded room and left the house. By the time he made it back to his
place a few minutes later, he'd convinced himself that the shrinks from the precinct were right about
him all along. They'd worried he'd have a breakdown after the stabbing. Who would have guessed it
would take the form of a psychotic break?
Nothing in his house had changed. His steak still sat on the counter where he'd left it out. A quick look
at the time and Lex realized he'd been gone for several hours. The steak wasn't bad. Well, it didn't
smell bad anyway. In fact, it smelled really good. He went out onto the deck and started the grill.
Business as usual. That was the ticket. He washed a potato, poked a couple of holes in it with a fork,
and then tossed it in the microwave. Salt and pepper on his steak, and an ice-cold beer from the
fridge. Just keep things normal, and maybe the hallucinations would pass.
Maybe he wouldn't even have to tell the shrink about it. He had an appointment this week, mandated
by the chief. They must have seen something in him to make them realize he was losing his mind. That
was the only explanation Lex could come up with. He gave the grill a couple more minutes to heat up,
then tossed the meat on the rack. It sizzled. Lex hadn't ever realized how many little noises went on
around him that he hadn't noticed before. Something had changed, but it couldn’t be what they’d said.
It didn’t make sense.
When the steak smelled ready, Lex pulled it off the heat and let it sit. The microwave dinged, and
damn was that an obnoxious sound. He carried the steak back inside and loaded his potato with butter
and sour cream. He'd managed one bite before the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He
tensed and reached to his side for the gun that was no longer there.
"Lex?" Spencer's voice came from outside.
Lex grumbled and walked away from his dinner and out onto the deck. "What?"
Spencer flinched at his tone, and it bothered Lex more than he cared to admit. He went to the edge of
the deck and stared down the two steps to where Spencer had stopped.
"I wanted to check on you."
With a frustrated sigh, Lex turned around and went back to the door. "Well, come on. If you're so
worried, you might as well come and watch me eat. Who knows, maybe I can't do that now that I'm all
wolfy." Lex snorted to himself. God, he'd really lost it this time. There was no doubt about it.

"You shouldn't treat this like a joke. It's a gift."
"Oh really? Feels like a curse from where I'm standing. And I'm still not even convinced this is real.
I'm probably losing my fucking mind."
Lex stabbed his steak with his fork and sawed the knife through it. He lifted the slice to his mouth, but
it didn't smell right anymore. He dropped it back to the plate and turned to glare at Spencer.
Spencer stepped closer, still hesitant but not cowering like he'd been before.
"I'm not going to fucking hurt you."
Spencer glanced down at his still-bruised arm and back up at Lex.
"Fuck. Okay, I'll try not to hurt you. I didn't know, alright?" Even acknowledging that much had Lex's
heart in his throat. He'd hurt Spencer so easily. And the sounds and smells…fuck. It couldn't be real.
"I know," Spencer replied softly. "There's a lot you don't know. You're going to need to trust us, trust
your pack, for this to work."
"And what if I don't want it to work?"
"I'm not sure you have a choice."
Lex grunted and forced the rejected bite of steak into his mouth. His stomach rumbled appreciatively.
As he focused on chewing and swallowing, another scent caught his attention. Lex raised his head,
sniffed the air.
"God, I'm even acting like a dog now."
"What?" Spencer's heart began to race. Lex zeroed in on the sound. The scent came from Spencer's
direction. Lex sniffed again and walked the few steps that separated them.
Spencer took a quick step back, and it triggered some sort of primal reaction in Lex. He growled, low
and deep, and reached forward. He grabbed Spencer by the arm and dragged him close. That smell.
He couldn't get enough of it. He sniffed the air again. It was Spencer. With another low growl, he
leaned down and put his nose against Spencer's neck.
"Smell good," he mumbled against Spencer's smooth skin.
Banging drums started again. No, not drums. Spencer's heart was racing. Lex licked a long stripe up
Spencer's neck and tightened his hold. "Taste good too."
Spencer began to tremble in his hold. Lex growled again, and Spencer froze, his heart beating even
faster.
"Lex."
"Shh," Lex whispered. He wanted another taste. Tracing his nose up, he pushed into Spencer's neck
and forced it to the side. With better access, he could run his nose from ear to jaw. "Mmm."
He wondered if Spencer smelled good in other places. Lex gripped Spencer's baggy T-shirt in his
hands and gave it a tug. The material ripped in his hands, baring Spencer's chest. He was as lean as
Lex had first thought, but the loose clothes hid a nicely muscled chest. Not bulky, like Lex normally
preferred, but well-defined.
"Lex, listen to me."
Lex lifted his head and snarled at the interruption. He ran his hands over Spencer's shoulders and
pushed the material down his arms. It fell to the floor. Spencer tried to take another step back, but Lex
countered the move with his own step forward.
"Stop moving," he commanded.
Spencer trembled and froze. "Lex, please. You don't understand."
He was right. Lex didn't understand. How had he not realized what was right under his nose for
months? Spencer smelled so good, and every frantic beat of his heart spurred Lex on for more. He'd
make his heart beat even faster before he was done. He imagined how good Spencer's sweat would

taste, wondered if his come would be just as potent.
Lex dropped to his knees, running his tongue down Spencer's chest and stomach as he went. Spencer
moved around above him, and Lex growled out another warning. He nosed his way under the waist of
Spencer's jeans, loving that they were baggy enough that he could dip his tongue down and taste some
of the hidden flesh.
It wasn't enough. He needed more. Lex reached up and grabbed Spencer's waist, puzzled to see
Spencer clutching his phone tightly in his hand. He shook off his confusion and focused on getting
Spencer on the floor where he could cover him completely. Then the scent changed. It had been so
sweet, but suddenly it took on a bitterness that had Lex frowning. He looked up at Spencer, and
instead of passion, he saw fear. His mind began to uncloud as a roar sounded from the deck.
"Get off of him!" One of the other pack members, a young guy Lex had barely paid attention to earlier,
burst into the room and tackled Lex. They slid across the room, away from where Spencer still lay
trembling on the floor.
"Justin," Spencer whispered.
Lex's attention jerked back to Spencer's face. The young guy looked over at Spencer as well before
turning back to Lex with a snarl. His features shifted, his jaw elongating as fangs appeared. Lex gave
him a shove as rage began to replace the lust he'd felt moments before. Justin stepped back from Lex
and crouched in a defensive position in front of Spencer.
Oh no. No one was getting between them. Lex leapt forward with an angry roar. His own jaw began
to change, stretching and lengthening, even as fangs grew where his human teeth once were. All the
better to rip Justin to shreds.
He grabbed Justin around the waist, intending to throw him aside, but Justin twisted in his grip, and
they stumbled together through the open back door and onto the wooden slats of the deck. With a
howl, Lex used his training to flip them around and quickly had Justin pinned by the throat. He had
claws now on the end of his hand, and he wanted nothing more than to rip Justin's throat out.
"Alpha."
Another voice, this one softer. Feminine. Lex glanced to the side, wary of another threat.
The woman stood there. Lex recognized her. Demon child's mother. She held up her arm. It dripped
with blood from a long slice across her wrist. "I need you, Alpha."
Lex looked back to Justin with a snarl.
"Alpha, please. I need you. Let him go. Justin will go off the deck, to the other side of the yard."
She said the words so matter-of-factly, but Lex doubted. He'd have to do something to keep this one
away from Spencer. He tightened his hold, and Justin choked out a cry.
"Alpha!"
He looked back to her. She took a step closer, her arm bleeding heavily. "I need you."
His instincts screamed in confusion. She was hurt, but Justin was a threat. His fangs retracted, his
pulse calmed. She needed his help. He released his hold on Justin's neck and glared at him. He stood,
braced for another attack.
"Mia," Justin struggled to his feet. "What happ—"
"Justin, go to the other side of the yard."
"But—"
"Now!"
Justin sent her a hurt look but leapt over the railing and ran to the other side of the yard. He stopped at
the edge of the grass.
"Alpha, I need Spencer to go get the first aid kit from his house, okay?"

"Yes."
She needed bandages.
Spencer scurried out the door behind him and stopped beside Mia.
"Go!"
He ran around the side of the house.
Mia stepped closer to Lex and held out her arm. Lex glanced at Justin, made sure he hadn't made a
move to follow Spencer, and then turned to her. He reached for her hand and held it gently in his.
"Okay, you're going to need stitches. Come inside, and we'll get something to stop the bleeding."
"There you are," she whispered.
Lex jerked his head up and met her gaze. She was smiling at him. "What?"
"That was close."
"What?"
With a smile, she held onto his arm and guided him inside the house. She hopped up on the kitchen
counter and held her arm over the sink. Lex watched in confusion as the wound began to heal. "I'm
okay," she said.
The last of the fog that had hovered over his mind drifted away. He shook his head.
"What the hell just happened?"

Chapter Three

When her arm fully healed, she held it out to him. It took Lex a moment to realize she wanted to

shake hands. With a puzzled frown, he clasped her hand in his. "I'm Mia," she said softly.

"Lex," he replied.

"I bet you're really confused right now, huh?" "I think that's putting it mildly. I was going to kill him."

Lex shook his head and stepped back from her. He stopped when he bumped into the cabinets at

the opposite side of the kitchen. It still didn't feel like enough space between them.
"You aren't going to hurt me."

Lex snorted and scratched his scalp. Everything itched, like something under his skin was trying to

crawl its way out. Who knows, maybe it was?

"You sure about that?"

"Yep."
Mia hopped off the counter and crossed the room to

him. She playfully poked him in the stomach when she was close enough. "You have control of

yourself at the moment. I mean, I know I'm pretty irresistible, but I somehow think you can manage."

Lex opened his mouth to explain that although she was lovely, she wasn't his type, but then caught

her wry expression. She'd already figured it out. "It might be tough, but I'll give it my best shot."

Mia laughed and turned toward the fridge. "Do you mind if I grab something to drink? Healing

always leaves me a bit on the thirsty side."

"Of course." He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with ice. "Soda? Water? Uh, I think

I have some orange juice."
"O.J. would be great."
While he poured the drink, Lex tried to replay what had

happened with Spencer in his mind. He'd never forced himself on anyone. Had never had to. He

had no doubt that he would have forced Spencer, though. The thought sent a shiver down his back. His
actions over the past half hour weren't his own. They were animalistic, primal in a way he'd never

felt before. He'd had claws and fangs. With a shaking hand, he handed over the glass, and Mia ran her
hand down his arm. For someone who normally backed away from casual touching, Lex found her
small gesture soothing. Yet another anomaly in the weirdest day of his life.
"It's real, isn't it?"

"It is, Lex. You're a werewolf. As hard as it is for you to believe, it's true."

"It can't be. This is—God, how can I even accept this as a reality?"
"Because you just experienced what it means to be a werewolf firsthand, didn't you?" Mia took a long
drink of the juice and set the glass on the counter. "Now, you want to tell me why you almost ripped
Justin's throat out?"
Even though he'd known the question was coming, Lex hadn't quite figured out how to reply.
"Honestly, I don't know."
"Yes, you do. Think about it. What happened?"
"He pulled me off Spencer."
"And why were you on Spencer?"
"God, I don't know. He just smelled so fucking good. I had no idea. I had to get closer, smell more.
What the hell is that about?"
Mia smiled sadly and grabbed his hand. "It's part of your instincts now. The job of the alpha is to take
care of the pack. Part of that means taking a mate to help carry the burden. Taylor chose me after his
father died and the alpha duties passed to him."
"Mate? You mean like—"
"Yep, like a spouse, partner, husband, lover, whatever your preferred word of choice is."
"And Spencer is—"
"Well, I don't know if Spencer is your mate or not, but he's something to you, that's obvious. Only time
will tell what that is."
"Yeah, but if I can't control myself around him—"
"You can, and you will."
"How—"
"I just do."
"You interrupt a lot."
She poked him again. "Yes, well, I know what you're thinking. I wish I could tell you that everything
was going to be just fine, but I won't lie. I've never heard of a human becoming the alpha before.
It's…unusual. But we are your pack now, and our instincts will help."
"Why'd your kid have to bite me? I mean, he could have bitten Spencer, or Justin, or one of those
other guys."
"He could have. But he didn't. See, the alpha instincts are the most powerful weapon a pack has.
They're so strong that when an alpha can no longer carry out his duties, he will automatically seek out
his successor. Aiden's instincts were telling him that he couldn't carry out the duties as leader of our
pack. Of course, he couldn't. He's only a baby. So he was led by instinct to choose the best candidate.
He chose you."
"Why me, Mia? I don't get it. I don't know anything about being a werewolf. Hell, most of me still
thinks this is all some sort of hallucination and that I've finally had the psychotic break the shrink
predicted. I mean, this isn't exactly believable, you know?"
She sipped her juice again, then set it down and looked him straight in the eyes. After a long moment,
she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. "It's going to be okay. We'll be here to help
you. All of us. Even Spencer."

He trembled as she held him but drew comfort from the hug all the same. "God, the apology I owe
him. I don't even know how I'm going to be able to look him in the eye."
"You will because it's your duty. You don't shirk your duties, do you? I get that sense from you.
Maybe it's a pack instinct. Or maybe I'm just a good judge of character." She winked up at him before
giving him a final squeeze and letting go.
"I have a feeling I'm going to wake up in the morning and laugh at the absurdity of my dream."
She shook her head. "I have a feeling you're going to wake up in the morning to someone knocking on
your door. It's an alpha thing. Get used to it. See you later, Lex."
She crossed to the back door and walked across the deck into the night. Lex watched her until she
rounded the house and left his line of sight. After closing and locking the door, he went into his
bathroom and took the longest shower he'd ever taken. When he'd used up all the hot water, he
crawled into bed, still naked and damp. No one had better wake him up in the morning.

Chapter Four

The banging on his door woke him. Lex grumbled and looked at the clock. Nine forty-five. Damn.

He never slept that late, but as he dragged his body out of the bed, he realized he could have used
another few hours. He stumbled into the kitchen, following the pounding, and found Justin at the back
door.

Fuck. Justin. That meant it was real. Fuck. Shit. Him and his stupid floppy, brown hair. If he

hadn't stopped Lex from hurting Spencer yesterday, Lex would turn around and go back to bed. He
had to give the guy a little credit for that. Not much, but a little.
Lex flung open the door. "What?"
"Um…" Justin turned away and glanced back at Lex with his nose scrunched up and one eye closed.
"What the fuck do you want?"

"Um, well, see…if you could put some clothes on that'd be great."

Lex glanced down at his naked body, then back up at Justin. "I could. Or I could just rip your throat
out. Which one do you think I'm going to choose?"
"Aww, man. Alpha, please. I really need your help." Puppy eyes. He was actually giving Lex puppy
eyes like he was ten instead of the twenty-something he appeared to be.
"Oh for fuck's sake. Come on in."
Lex spun on his heel and went back to his bedroom. He rarely slept in clothes, but he had a pair of
track pants he used for working out. He tugged those from his dresser drawer and slipped them on
before returning to the kitchen. Justin hovered by the back door and let out a relieved sigh when he
saw Lex covered.
"Okay, I'm dressed. Speak." Lex opened the freezer and took out a small bag of strawberries. He
emptied them into the blender and added a scoop of protein powder and some water. He glanced over
his shoulder to find Justin chewing nervously on his lip. He slapped the lid onto the blender and hit
puree. Justin yelped at the sudden noise. Lex didn't find it very pleasant either, but he wasn't going to
let the twerp see his weakness. He gritted his teeth and ignored the way the blender seemed to be
pureeing his brain cells.
After thirty seconds, he turned the blender off and fought back a relieved sigh. He poured the
smoothie into a glass and turned to lean against the counter. "I'm still waiting. You've got until this
glass is empty, and then I'm going to work out."
"I need your help."

"Uh-huh. You said that already." Lex took a long drink of the smoothie and stared at Justin.
"It's about Mia."
That caught Lex's attention. "What about her? She okay?"
"Oh yeah. She's great. She's so beautiful and smart and funny and just, she's amazing."
"Uh, okay." Lex wasn’t sure he wanted to know where Justin was going with this.
"I think she's my mate."
"Uh, okay."
"I don't know what to do. You've got to help me, Alpha."
"With what exactly?"
"I've got to convince her I'm the one for her! I mean, I think about her all the time, and she smells so
good. She's so sweet and just…I really care about her a lot."
Lex took another long gulp of his drink. It didn't taste all that great. Kinda gritty. A bit tart. He wanted
something…rarer. Like a steak.
Justin cleared his throat and looked expectantly at Lex.
"So, you're saying you want me to help you win over the really nice lady who I just met last night."
"Right."
"The same lady who I met last night because I'm the new alpha."
"Um, yeah."
"And I'm the new alpha because her husband—the former alpha and the father of her son—was killed.
You know, a month ago."
"Oh, man."
"You're a jerk. I really want to rip your throat out again. In fact, I just might."
"But—"
"Shut up. You will not do anything to make Mia uncomfortable. Now is not the time for your bullshit,
Justin. She's just lost her husband. Now, I don't know enough about them to know what that means for
her, but I can tell you that you're being an insensitive little prick who's only thinking of himself right
now. What about Mia? What about the brat? Huh? What about what they need?"
"But, I could—"
"You better finish that sentence very carefully, or I will kick your ass."
Justin stopped and took a deep breath. "I could…be her friend, maybe? Make sure she doesn't need
anything? Or, um, like, mow her yard or something. Maybe she needs her car fixed?"
Lex shook his head. "Yeah. How about you just chill the fuck out and try being her friend. That might
work out for you."
"You think?" The damn guy's eyes lit up at the idea. "Chill, Justin."
"Right. Chill. I'm cool. I got it."
"Good. Damn, I need something else to eat. This tastes horrible."
"Um, well, yeah. It would. We don't tend to do well with a lot of chemicals and stuff. Natural food is
best. Organic and free range. Wild game, but that's harder to find. We do have some resources. I'll
have Spenc…uh…"
"You can say his name."
"Okay, well, Spencer normally handles that stuff for us. And, um, I'm sorry about yesterday?"
"You are?"
"Well, no, not actually?"
"Is that a question?"
"Um, no?"

"Fucking hell, kid. Just say what's on your mind. You're going to make me hurt you."
"Well, I mean, I'm sorry you were mad."
"You shouldn't be sorry for that."
"Um, okay."
Lex let out a deep breath. "Hey, you think Spencer has some of that meat over there he could share?"
"Um, probably?"
"Justin—"
"I mean, yes. He does. I bet he'd share. You want me to call him?"
"Yeah, would ya? I'm starving."
* * * *

Justin walked into Spencer's house like he owned it. Lex fought back a growl and followed Justin

into the kitchen where he found Spencer standing at the stove. The mere sight of him had Lex’s cock
jumping in response. God, he wanted him.

Spencer glanced over at him. Lex met his gaze. The moment stretched between them before

Spencer blinked nervously and licked his lips.

"So, you're hungry, huh? For meat? Yeah. I get that. We should have warned you about that

yesterday, but you know, there was kind of a lot going on and well, food wasn't exactly the top of my
list, if you know what I mean. It's not like they make a handbook or something for situations like this. I
wish they would. I mean, I suppose I could, but what are the chances I'd ever actually need it? Well,
other than for you, obviously, because you're here and you're a wolf now and yeah. But other than you,
I don't think it's likely that something like this will happen again, and it's not exactly like it's
encouraged to write this stuff down or anything. You know I wanted to try to do some internet info?
Yeah, not allowed. I don't blame them really, because who wants actual real information out there for
the world to read about? Then again, if I just put it on Wiki, some idiot would probably just go ahead
and change it and want sources or something stupid and there aren't any sources so it would have one
of those annoying—"

"Stop."

"I can do that."
"Good. Quiet would be really good."
"Oh sure. Quiet. I can do that."
Justin snorted. "You can?"
"Shut up." Spencer glared at Justin before glancing at
Lex again. His heartbeat raced.
Lex could see the pulse in his neck, each throb shooting the little vein out as blood pumped through
him. He smelled incredible again. Delicious, really.

Justin stomped on Lex's foot. "Cut it out."

"Did you really just do that?"
"Um, yeah? You were being weird."
Lex chanced a look at Spencer, who stared at him wideeyed. "It's fine. Food?"

"Right. Food. I'm on it." Spencer dug around in a cabinet and produced a clear plastic bag. He

tossed it to Lex, who caught it one-handed.

"What's this?"

"It's deer jerky. It'll tide you over while I cook." Lex generally didn't care for venison, but his
stomach

had begun having a conversation with him on the walk over so he gratefully opened the bag and

pulled out a piece of the jerky. The moment the meat hit his tongue, Lex groaned. He'd never tasted
anything so good. Well, he had, and recently. But Lex put the taste of Spencer's skin out of his mind.
This was a totally different taste, and he'd need a lot more of this jerky in his future.

The room had gone quiet. Lex looked up to find Spencer staring at him with his mouth open. More

meat sizzled in a pan on the stove, but Spencer wasn't paying attention to it. "What?" Lex asked.

Spencer spun around and faced the stove again. Lex turned to Justin. "What'd I do?"

"Well…" Justin wrinkled up his nose and shrugged. "You kind of sounded like you were having a bit
too much fun with the jerky if you know what I mean." He snorted. "Ohhhh, Jerky!"
Spencer cackled. "Jerkin' the jerky!"
Lex huffed out a laugh. They both looked at him again.
"Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you two?"
They both blinked before bursting into laughter. Lex rolled his eyes and chewed another piece of
jerky. The laughter seemed to have calmed Spencer down a bit, and his heart wasn't racing like it had
been when Lex first walked into the room. Lex subtly sniffed the air, but the acrid smell from the night
before wasn't there. He breathed in nothing but the amazing smell that came from Spencer. Other than
whatever he was cooking. Which also smelled amazing. Lex's stomach growled impatiently.
"Almost ready," Spencer said with a grin. He flipped the sizzling meat around the pan once more
before sliding it onto a waiting platter. "Breakfast is served!" He placed the dish in front of Lex and
dug a fork and knife out of a drawer.
Spencer and Justin watched as Lex hesitantly took a bite. The meat was so tender it practically melted
in his mouth. He didn’t even need the knife. It didn't take long before he'd devoured half the meat. "Oh
man, I don't think I can eat all of this. I'm stuffed. It was amazing, though. Thank you."
"That's okay." Spencer slid the plate across the counter and pulled two more forks from the drawer.
He handed one to Justin, and they both began eating the remainder.
He'd missed something. Lex watched them eat, puzzling through their actions. Part of him wished Mia
were here so he could ask her. Had they waited for him to finish before they ate? It was what it
seemed like, but maybe they were just finishing up the leftovers? Not wasting the food? Lex had a
sneaking suspicion that it was the first thought and not the second.
Did alpha wolves eat first? Something in his memory tickled, some piece of knowledge that he didn't
quite know but may have heard somewhere before. The strongest of the pack—the alpha—got first
dibs. The rest of the pack ate in their pecking order, leaving the remnants for the lowest of the low.
Could it work the same in human packs? Lex didn't want to look like an idiot for asking, but he'd be
sure to find out before he ate with anyone from the pack again. He wouldn't have eaten so much if he'd
known they were going to share the rest.

Chapter Five

Lex had a relatively peaceful few days. The pack had given him a little space, but that night was

the full moon, and everyone was gathering at Spencer's for the occasion. Lex wasn't looking forward
to it; he'd seen way too many horror movies where the werewolf lost his mind on the full moon and
ate everyone in sight. There were usually silver bullets involved.

He headed for Spencer's house earlier than he needed to. That itchy feeling beneath his skin was

back, and Lex wanted nothing more than to be near Spencer. They'd only seen each other briefly the
past few days—Spencer had delivered the special-organic-wild-fed-whatever-the-hellelse meat he
kept ordered for the pack the day before, but he hadn't stopped to talk because he said he had a big

project due for work.

Even that short encounter had stirred something inside Lex. He craved Spencer's presence. The

slightest whiff of his scent had Lex's cock stirring in response. When the wind blew just right, Lex
could even scent him in the air. No one else was there when he arrived. He knocked, and Spencer
called out a "come in" so Lex opened the front door.

The scent of Spencer was overwhelming, and the itch beneath Lex's skin faded. Although part of

him understood that Spencer's place was the most convenient for the pack to shift due to its isolated
location, the rest of Lex thought that the comfort of Spencer's home was part of the reason the pack
chose to gather here. Big comfortable sofas flanked the room with a big screen TV hung on the wall
above a stone fireplace. There were only a couple of side tables, and the center of the room was
empty save for a huge fluffy area rug. The entire place just said "come in and stay a while". Well,
other than that orange bedroom. Lex wasn’t sure what that color was about, but having seen Spencer
and Justin in action, he wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was a bet gone wrong.

Lex followed the sound of Spencer's heartbeat toward the back of the house. He found him in front

of a couple of computer monitors, typing almost faster than Lex's eyes could track on his keyboard.
Spencer paused when he sensed Lex's presence and looked over his shoulder.

"Almost done."

"No hurries. I know I'm early."
Spencer gave him a small smile before he turned back to

the computers. Lex didn't want to interrupt, and he knew he would if he stood in the doorway and

stared like he wanted to. Instead, he went back into the living room and sunk down on one of the
overstuffed couches. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, taking the time to breathe in
Spencer's scent without interruption. It soothed Lex more than he understood. He'd just gotten relaxed
when he heard a car pull into the driveway. Lex had hoped for a few minutes alone with Spencer, but
it wasn't meant to be.

Spencer's house seemed to be home to everyone in the pack. At least, that's the way they treated it.

No one knocked before they entered. This time, when the door flung open, a young blonde walked in.
Her hair was long and curly with hot pink streaks. Dressed in all black, including a tight leather mini-
skirt and lace-up boots, she had the type of air about her that screamed trouble. It wasn't the black
eyeliner, or even the hand on her hip or low cut shirt. No, it was the smirk on her lips and the
knowing glance she gave Lex. He stood up to greet her, and she bit her lip as she looked him up and
down.

She sauntered over to him and ran one hot pink nail down his chest. "Damn. If I'd realized you

were the new alpha, I'd have come by a lot sooner."
Lex grabbed her hand and pulled it away from him. "I bet."

She laughed and stepped closer. "Ready for your first shift, big guy? I bet you have lots of energy.

I'm happy to help you burn it off."
"I'm good."

But he wasn't. Not really. He did have a lot of excess energy. The urge to run, to hunt, was

growing.
Lex heard steps behind him. Spencer. His heartbeat was as familiar to Lex now as his own mother's
voice. He'd know it anywhere. He turned and saw a slight look of distaste cross Spencer's features
before he pasted on a familiar smile.
"Hey, Ruby. Long time, no see."
"Been busy. Too busy, from the looks of things. You should have told me more about our new alpha,

Spence."
"Yeah." Spencer looked uncomfortable with Ruby's insinuations.
"Is it Spencer's job to keep you informed about the pack?" Lex asked.
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it seems to me that if this is your pack and I am your alpha, it was your responsibility to get to
know me. Spencer shouldn’t have to tell you."
"But—"
"No buts about it." Lex turned to Spencer. "Will the others be here soon?"
"Should be."
"Hey! You just asked him for information. Isn't it your job as alpha to know? Seems like you're doing
what you accused me of."
Lex arched a brow at her. "Are you challenging me? Is that what this is?"
She blinked and took a step back. "No."
"Then I suggest you watch your tone."
"I don't think I like you."
Lex laughed. "Feeling's mutual. You need to cut your shit out. Now how about we start over. I'm Lex."
He held out his hand to her, and she shook it.
"Ruby."
"Nice to meet you, Ruby. You looking forward to the shift tonight?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess. I mean, it's usually pretty good."
"Good. Gotta tell you, I'm a little excited. And nervous. Not going to lie. But mostly excited. You feel
that itch under your skin like I do?"
"Yeah. It's the wolf getting ready to come out and play. I can always tell when it's getting close."
"I wondered. We'll have to talk about that some time."
She still looked confused, but she nodded in agreement. "Sure. If that's what you want."
"That's what I want. I have a lot to learn about the pack and about being a wolf. I'm going to need all
of you guys to help me."
She still seemed puzzled by him. "Okay. I'll do what I can. Some of the others would probably know
more, though."
Lex shrugged. "I'd still like to talk to you. You never know who'll explain it best, you know?"
"If you say so."
More pack members arrived. Lex recognized some of the faces from the first day. They'd been the
ones standing around his bed, although he'd taken no real notice of them at the time. There was a mix
of ages: a few older men, a lady, and a few others that appeared to be in their twenties. Aiden was the
only child of the pack.
Mia hugged him when she came in and handed Aiden off to him. The moment the toddler had seen Lex
in the room, he'd yelled "Pa" and reached out to him. It made the reality of his position more clear
than ever. Even the youngest of them instinctively recognized him as their leader. It was both awe-
inspiring and terrifying. He lifted Aiden into his arms, and the boy patted his cheek before looking
over the rest of the pack.
The itch grew stronger. Lex watched the others begin to move around nervously. Spencer hovered in
the corner and rubbed his arms. Lex turned back to Mia. "Does Aiden shift too?"
"Yep," she answered. "He's usually first. The rest of us hold off as long as we can."
Interesting. There seemed to be something unspoken in her words, but Lex didn't want to ask the
questions in front of the pack. His instincts were guiding him. A very light knock sounded from the

front door.
"Come on in, Nathan," Spencer said.
A young man, maybe in his early twenties, opened the door and stepped inside. He had short-cropped
blond hair and was dressed in baggy jeans and a loose T-shirt. He didn't look around the room at
them but stared at the carpet. Ruby snorted and turned away from the new arrival. No one else paid
him any attention.
"Time to head outside," one of the older men said. Lex ran the list of names through his mind. Dan.
Along with Wesley and Killian, Dan was one of the older men of the pack. He had a hard-eyed look
that spoke of both experience and anger. Lex recognized the expression from some of the older cops.
Dan had cold gray eyes and dark hair, with a bit of gray at the temples; he looked like he'd seen way
too much in his lifetime. He had his emotions on lockdown. None of the others talked to Dan very
much, except Mia. Lex glanced back and forth between them and picked up on some resemblance.
Family, perhaps? He'd have to learn more about the members of the pack as quickly as possible. He
didn't like the way Dan occasionally glared at him, and it worried him the way Nathan, the new
arrival, had been ignored.
As a group, they began the walk out to Spencer's backyard. Aiden bounced happily in Lex's arms. Mia
walked over to them with a smile.
"Come here, baby. Let's get you ready."
"Pa!" Aiden yelled.
"Yes, you can go right back to Alpha."
Lex handed him over, and Mia quickly stripped him of his clothes. Aiden wiggled excitedly for a
moment before pulling at Lex's jeans and demanding to be lifted up again. Lex complied, feeling a bit
weird holding a naked baby in his arms. With a sudden shiver, he went from holding a baby to a small
wolf cub. He'd felt the slight change in the air as well. Time was getting closer. Nathan began
stripping off his clothes next, and moments later, a pale gray wolf stood where the young man had
been moments before.
Another group began to remove their clothes. Justin and Spencer, along with Killian, the older lady
and two others whose names Lex couldn't recall. Part of Lex wanted to look away in embarrassment,
like he shouldn’t be seeing their naked forms. The rest of him knew this was an important moment,
that his role in the pack meant he had to watch them through their transition. Four of them shifted
almost simultaneously while Justin and Spencer followed a minute later. Lex didn't feel any different,
other than the fact that the itch inside him had begun to grow stronger. Aiden yipped, and Lex lowered
him to the ground. He ran among the other wolves, who all made their way to Lex. He touched them
all as they brushed up against him. He grew stronger with each touch. More connected to them
somehow.
Ruby huffed out a growl and began stripping. She seemed angry as she changed but followed the
course of the others and came over to Lex not long after her transformation. Next Mia and Charles
began removing their clothes. Lex wished he understood more about the dynamics, but there seemed
to be an order to things. Dan, Wesley and Lex remained in their human form. Lex still didn't feel
anything happening that would indicate an impending shift.
Wesley and Dan both began to tremble. They each had their arms crossed over their chest, seeming
determined to hold off as long as possible. They glared at each other, then at Lex. Wesley succumbed
first and only Dan remained.
Trickles of sweat dripped from his hairline and over his cheeks. Lex stared at him, and Dan growled
low and deep. Lex crossed his arms, recognizing a challenge when he heard one. Dan held out another

minute, then kicked off his shoes before he jerked his shirt and pants off. He barely had the clothes
removed before his wolf stood where the man had been.
Both of the newest changes walked over to him. Lex petted them both as he had the others. Then the
itch became unbearable. His stomach rolled, his knees shook, and his hands changed to claws. With
shaking hands, Lex stripped off his shirt and pants. The wolves all surrounded him, and he felt their
strength as his body began to change. He stood in the midst of them, fully transformed.
Everything looked different. His senses were wild. He could smell and hear everything from the
surrounding area. His wolves yipped. He needed to touch them again, smell them, and get to know
them in this form. Dan and Wesley came first, both baring their necks to him. Mia and Charles next,
then Ruby and Justin. Spencer was the first to sniff him back, and when he did, the wolf made a
huffing growl. Not threatening. Lex already knew the difference. This was some sort of
acknowledgment. They rubbed their cheeks together before Lex moved on to the next group.
Aiden pounced on Lex's back and barked excitedly before letting out a tiny, coughing howl. Lex
howled in response, the power of the sound surprising him. The entire pack trembled. Someone was
missing, though. Lex looked around the group and found Nathan, the smallest of them after Aiden. He
shook when Lex approached and dropped to the ground. He rolled onto his back, baring his neck and
belly. Lex sniffed him too and huffed his approval.
Nathan rolled to his feet again and leaned into Lex's side. He continued to shake, and the acrid smell
of fear nearly overpowered Lex. The others pushed their way to Lex's side, and Nathan moved to the
outskirts of the group once more.

Chapter Six

Lex woke up warm and comfortable. Overly warm, now that he thought about it. With a weight on

his chest that he recognized without opening his eyes. Aiden had found his favorite perch again. Wait.
Aiden? Lex opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He recognized the room as Spencer's living
room. As he'd suspected, Aiden lay curled on his chest. What he hadn't realized was that the rest of
the pack lay around him as well, everyone dressed in T-shirts and baggy shorts.

Spencer was to his left, using Lex's arm as a pillow. His back was tucked against Lex's side

without an inch between them. Mia lay to his right with one hand on Aiden's back. The rest of the
pack were curled around them, all touching Lex in some way. It should have felt claustrophobic, but
instead, Lex let out a shuddering sigh. All was well.

The previous night began to come back to him in pieces. His memories were fuzzy, like a dream

you couldn't quite remember in the morning. Spencer huffed out a breath and nuzzled into Lex's arm. If
Aiden hadn't been laying on his chest, Lex would have curled up behind Spencer and pulled him
closer. Instead, he leaned in and breathed in the scent of Spencer's hair. It relaxed him further.
"Pa."

Aiden's sleepy voice drew his attention away from the man snuggled at his side and to the baby on

his chest. "Good morning, little man."

Aiden gave him a toothy grin and pushed himself up so he was sitting on Lex's chest. The

movement dislodged Mia's hand, and she blinked awake. "Mama, eat."

"Okay, baby. We'll eat." Mia wiggled around so she could escape from the tangle of limbs and

reached out her arms to Aiden. She picked him up and stepped out of the circle.

Spencer let out a muffled grumble and rolled over. He buried his nose in Lex's armpit and let out

a sigh. It tickled. Lex chuckled, and it moved Spencer enough that he opened his eyes and glared up at

him. As the sleep cleared from Spencer's eyes, he realized where he was and stared.

"Shh," Lex rolled onto his side so they were facing each other.

"Sorry about that," Spencer whispered.
"Nothing to be sorry for. Seems like I was everyone's favorite snuggle toy last night."
"Yeah. Better get used to it."
"Figured as much."
Lex's stomach rumbled. He tried to ignore it by leaning his forehead into Spencer's. Just another
minute of closeness before Spencer fully woke up and rushed off. Lex could feel it coming. Spencer
still didn't trust him, but he would. Soon. Lex was going to make sure of it. He just hadn't figured out
how yet.
"You need to eat," Spencer yawned and began to sit up.
"No, you stay. I can start making breakfast. Does everyone stay and eat?"
"Yeah. I can help."
"No, you rest." Lex ran his finger down Spencer's cheek for a quick second before he forced himself
to move away from Spencer's warmth.
Spencer rolled back over and curled into Justin, who was lying behind him. They'd all managed to get
partially dressed after their run the night before.
Mia stood in the kitchen with Aiden sitting on the counter. She looked half-asleep as well.
"Need help?" Lex asked.
"Coffee?"
"That I can do."
Lex found an over-sized coffee pot sitting out on the counter. He opened it to find fresh grounds and
water already inside. He plugged the pot in, and it began perking almost immediately. "Well, that was
easy."
"Oh," Mia mumbled. "I forgot that Spencer got it ready last night."
"I don't remember that."
"It'll be fuzzy for you the first few shifts until you get used to it. You did great last night."
"He did more than great." Ruby stumbled in from the living room and leaned into Lex's side. "You
were fucking awesome. Dude, you growled and they fucking backed off."
"What?"
"You don't remember?" Mia asked.
"No. Wait. Maybe." Memories began to stumble back, vague impressions of the previous night.
They'd encountered other wolves while they were out. Lex remembered feeling immediately
threatened. He'd stepped to the head of the pack, Ruby at one side and Dan at the other. The others
had surrounded Aiden. When the wolf at the head of the other group had stepped too close, his
hackles raised and a deep growl in his throat, Lex had snarled.
The other wolf had paused, then turned and run off.
"Huh. I do remember."
"Yeah. You fucking made them run off. You're a badass."
"Ruby—" Mia began.
"No, don't Ruby me. He fucking rocked. You can't deny that."
"I don't. But we know nothing about the other wolves. Why were they in our territory? Why did they
leave so easily? I'm sorry, Lex. It's not that I doubt your prowess, but it's unlikely that they just ran
off."
"So we'll be seeing them again?"

"I would say so."
"Hey, maybe they want to join our pack." Ruby seemed excited by the idea. She went to the cabinet
and pulled out a collection of coffee mugs. Even though the large pot was still perking away, she used
the dispenser lever and filled one of the cups. She handed it over to Lex, who tried to offer it to Mia.
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head subtly.
Ah. That again. Lex was catching on. He took a slow drink and sighed. "Thanks, Ruby."
She nodded and began filling more cups. She passed the next to Mia and then filled a third for herself.
Aiden still sat on the counter, chewing on some mushy meat-like substance that Lex was trying not to
think about.
Mia noticed his grimace and chuckled. "It's stewed meat. Tastes good, looks gross."
The thought of meat had Lex's stomach growling again. "Speaking of, breakfast?"
"Yeah. I brought some stuff over last night. We usually take turns. Spencer's place is the best for us to
gather, but we try not to have him foot the bill for the rest of us. We'll need to talk about that."
"Okay."
"Will you stand with Aiden for a minute while I get the stew out?"
"Sure." Lex crossed to the counter, and Aiden held out grubby fingers to Lex.
"Pa? Eat?"
"That's okay, buddy. You eat your breakfast."
Aiden frowned. "Pa. Eat."
Lex glanced over at Mia who was biting her lip. "You'd better taste it. It's a thing, Lex."
With a grumble, Lex lifted a piece of the meat from Aiden's bowl and plopped it into his mouth.
"Mmm. Now your turn."
Aiden grinned and stuffed another bite into his mouth. "Mmm," he mimicked.
Mia had placed a large pot on the gas stove and lit the flame.
"I'm so hungry I could eat it cold," Ruby said with a laugh.
"Is it always like this? Always hungry?"
"It comes and goes," Ruby answered.
"Around the full moon, it's always worse. And with those other wolves in last night, I have a feeling
we'll all be feeling the need to eat more and be stronger for a while." Mia added.
Dan appeared in the doorway and leaned against it. "As we should. We'll need to run them off."
"Why?" Lex asked.
Dan snorted out a laugh. "You have no concept of this, do you? There were other wolves on our land.
In our territory. Yeah, you growled them away last night, but they were just testing your mettle. Now
the real fun begins."
"How do you know?" Ruby stepped up beside Lex and glared. "They might be looking for a pack. It
happens."
"Oh right. Like Nathan, huh? The strong ones don't need to find another pack, Ruby. They make their
own."
Lex caught Mia's frown out of the corner of his eye, but as she didn't speak up, he didn't either. "I'm
not going to go looking for a fight, Dan."
"You don't have to. They brought it to your door last night. I've got to go. I'm going to be late to work
as it is." He stormed out of the kitchen, and the front door slammed moments later.
"He's such a prick," Ruby grumbled.
"Was he right, though?"
"There's no way to tell," Mia replied. "They might just be passing through, or they might have heard

we were without an alpha. Who knows, really? We'll just have to be on our guard for a while."
The idea of a threat in his territory made the itch reappear under Lex's skin. It settled as the rest of the
pack began to stir, but Lex couldn't get the thought out of his head. He understood that caution would
be his best bet. He had limited knowledge and had learned the hard way to look before he leapt. With
a self-conscious rub to his side, Lex remembered the last time he'd gone into a situation without
knowing as much as he needed. The results that time had almost cost him his life. This time, it felt like
he had even more to lose.

Chapter Seven

Two weeks passed without any excitement. The pack members all had day jobs, and although they

would stop by a couple of times a week just to check in with him, most of them didn't need to be near
him all that much. Lex, on the other hand, still found himself craving Spencer's presence nonstop.

It didn't help that the man in question lived right across the street. Lex had his ear tuned into

Spencer's side of the road. He could hear every car approach and found himself looking out the
window to make sure it was a friendly face. If Spencer left, Lex had to fight the instinct to follow him.
He'd turned into a stalker or something.

It helped when Mia called asking for his help. Spencer had just climbed into his car when the

phone rang, so Lex agreed without hesitation.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Whatever you need."
"Thanks, Lex. You're a lifesaver. I'll see you soon." The phone went dead in his ear. What had he just
agreed

to? He'd only been half paying attention as he'd watched Spencer load up a messenger bag and a

stack of folders into the back of his car. Spencer waved as he climbed in, and Lex realized he'd
moved unconsciously to the front porch.

He waved back, then went back inside. What the hell was wrong with him? Mia needed to get

here so she could explain some stuff to him. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her privately, but other
than Spencer, she was the person he trusted most in the pack. When she pulled up a few minutes later
and pulled a wailing Aiden from his car seat, his plans to question her faded. "What's wrong?"
She sent him a puzzled frown. "I told you. He's not feeling well?"

"Oh. Right." That was what he hadn't listened to. Shit. Last thing he wanted was to be around a

sick kid. Aiden had grown on him a little but not while he was making that obnoxious noise.

"Pa," he screeched and began to thrash in Mia's arms. "Aiden, stop!"

He froze and started crying louder. Lex huffed and

started down the steps. He lifted Aiden into his arms and gave him a firm stare. "You can't throw

yourself around like that. You could fall and get hurt."
"K."

Aiden whimpered and sneezed all over the front of Lex's T-shirt. The wet spot was large. And

hot. And Lex really didn't want to think any further than that about it.

"I didn't think we could get sick."

Mia sighed. "We can."
She had dark circles under her eyes, and her dark hair

was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She looked like she was about to drop.

"How long has he been sick?"

"Since yesterday, but when we get sick, it tends to hit us hard and fast. We heal it faster, but until then,
it's misery. Especially for the young ones."
"And let me guess, when they're sick, they want their alpha."
She chuckled. "You got it in one."
"Does anyone ever not want the alpha?"
"Not really."
"Hmm." They walked into the house, and Aiden began to settle against Lex's chest. He sneezed again,
this time the wet splat landing on Lex's neck. "Oh now, that's just too much."
Mia burst out laughing and pulled a small cloth out of the bag she'd carried in with her. She wiped
down Lex's neck and then gently cleaned Aiden's face. "Sorry."
"Yeah, you sound real sorry. I better not catch this."
She chuckled again. "I doubt you will. It's just a cold. We don't get them much as adults. Stuff like the
flu or something more virulent can knock us down for a day or so, but babies collect germs
somehow." She yawned her way through the last of her answer.
"Have you slept at all?"
"Not really. He's been rotten, to tell the truth. I'm sorry to bring him by like this but before I had…"
"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry, Mia." Lex really hadn't spent any time thinking about what Mia had lost to
get him to his current position. She'd lost her husband and Aiden his father. She'd been nothing but
strong for the pack and her son, but Lex wondered if she'd reached her breaking point with Aiden's
illness and her own lack of sleep.
"Me too. He was a good father, you know? A good alpha too. He still had a lot to learn."
"What was his name?"
"Taylor."
"I know you don't know me all that well, but if I can help, you let me know."
"You're going to be good for us, Lex."
He shook his head as Aiden began to whimper against his neck. Lex rubbed his back, and he settled.
"I think that remains to be seen. I think everyone's been avoiding me."
"Everyone? Or just a certain someone?"
Lex's gaze drifted to the front window.
"That's what I figured," she mumbled. "You're going to have to give him time, Lex."
"I know. I acted like an asshole. I want to say that it was new, to use that as an excuse for the way I
acted, but I know it's lame. I should have controlled myself. I wish I'd never scared him."
She frowned and yawned again. "Okay, I need caffeine, and then we need to talk."
"Caffeine I can do. Coffee okay? I think I have some tea around too."
It seemed to be Mia's special talent to deflect the conversation away from herself and onto others. He
debated calling her on it, but the dark circles under her eyes made him rethink that option. She
couldn't be more than twentyfive years old, but she seemed older and wiser. Lex supposed that's what
happened when you were the mate of the alpha. Not that he would know anything about it, but maybe
she could clue him in to that as well.
"Tea would be fantastic if you have it."
"Kettle's to the right of the stove. I'll go see if I can find where I stuck the tea from last time my mom
visited."
Aiden began a gurgling snore as they walked into the pantry. He'd stuck the tea in one of those glass
canisters and found it on the top shelf. He managed carrying it and Aiden back into the kitchen without
dropping either.

Mia had the water going and had already found a mug to put it in. "Thanks, Lex."
"You're welcome."
"He's out, isn't he?"
"Uh, yeah. From the sound of that snore, he's out cold."
She chuckled. "Want me to put him down?"
"Yea—no, I'll hold onto him for a few more minutes. He seems comfortable."
"Okay, so, Spencer," she said as the kettle began to whistle.
"Yeah?"
"It's more than just the fact that he smells good to you, isn't it?"
"I don't know."
"Lex."
With a sigh, Lex adjusted Aiden in his arms and leaned back against the counter. "I can't stop thinking
of him. Whenever anyone else gets close to him, I want to rip their head off. And the smell—God,
Mia. He smells so fucking good. When I licked him—I just wanted to keep going. To taste him, touch
him, everything."
She filled her mug and dropped a tea bag inside. When she turned around, she had tears in her eyes.
"Mia?"
"That's the way Taylor felt about me."
"What—I don't know what that means."
"It means he's your mate, Lex."
"Mate? Like…"
"Like wolves mate for life. We get a little help finding the one. They smell amazing, and we want to
be with them all the time. When they aren't with us, we think about them all the time. When they are
with us, a piece of our soul settles into contentment like we've never felt before."
He arched a brow at her.
"Don't give me that look. It's true."
"I'm not exactly life-mate material, Mia."
"Yes you are."
"No—"
"Lex, give me a break. You're so caught up in the past and your mistakes that you can't see what's right
in front of you. I don't know why you don't think you can be someone's partner, but I know you can. I
see you holding my son in your arms, and I know that you have that comfort to give to someone else.
Maybe a grown-up who might need a little TLC himself. Can you think of anyone like that?" "Spencer
doesn't—"
"Oh yes, he does. See? You haven't even tried to get to know him. You've stuck your head in the sand.
Did you even say you were sorry? Or were you all stoic man about it?"
Lex grimaced.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, I'm not going to tell Spencer's story to you, but he needs someone
like you, okay? Will you at least trust me on that?"
"I do trust you, Mia."
"And I know you've got a million things on your mind right now, but wouldn't settling things with
Spencer help immensely?"
"Probably."
"Because you really do have bigger fish to fry."
"Yeah? Like, oh, Dan for example."

She frowned. "He wouldn't have been my first guess."
"Well, he's mine. What's his story?"
"I don't know, really. He was Taylor's beta. He's strong. Honestly, I thought he'd be the next alpha. I
made sure Aiden spent plenty of time with him after…the accident. But Aiden didn't seem all that
interested in him. Now I know why."
"Hmm. So he's pissed that he's not the alpha. That explains quite a bit actually. I'll have to think on
that. What exactly is a beta?"
She sipped her coffee slowly. "Well, it's really like your second, but that's not exactly it either. I
mean, it's not like betas always take over if something happens. But they're usually the second
strongest members of the pack. Like, the night of the shift, how Dan was the last?"
"And he tried to outlast me."
"He did. But he can't. The alpha always changes last."
"So I was right that the hierarchy is explained by the shifting order."
"Yeah, to some extent. The middle is a bit muddy."
"Which brings us to Nathan."
She sighed. "Nathan. Poor guy. He's scared of his own damn shadow, Lex. He's only been in the pack
for a couple months, but he hasn't bonded with the rest of us. You can't have an unbonded packmate,
Lex. It doesn't work."
"I noticed he shifted right after Aiden the other night. That means something, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. It sort of goes in waves. Like I said, most of us are somewhere in the middle, and it doesn't
matter all that much. But the weakest and the strongest? Those positions matter. For Nathan to shift
first and so much faster than the rest of us, well, it's not a good sign. He shouldn't be shifting so fast."
"Hmm. So I need to talk to him?"
"I don't know. Taylor tried, but we were both hoping it would happen naturally as time went on. It
normally only takes a couple months, but with Nathan, he seems to be pulling farther away instead of
growing closer to us."
"Where did he come from?"
"I don't know. He told Taylor, but Taylor never told me."
She let out another huge yawn.
"Okay, that's enough. Go lay down. I've got him. You've got to get some rest, or I'm going to be stuck
with this monster until he gets better."
"Thanks, Alpha. I knew I could count on you."
The words laid heavily between them as she walked down the hall to the bedroom.

Chapter Eight

Nothing good ever came from a phone call at three in the morning. Lex sat up and grabbed his

cell. "Yeah?"
"Um, Al…Lex?"
"Ruby?"
"Yeah."
"What's wrong?"
"Um, could you come bail me and Nathan out?"
"Excuse me?"
"We're in jail."

"You're what?"
She sighed. "Drunk and disorderly."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No."
"Fucking hell. I'm on my way."
"Thanks, Alpha."
Lex grunted and climbed out of bed. He pulled on a pair of jeans and one of his old academy shirts.
Not that anyone down there would likely forget him, but the subtle reminder couldn't hurt. He went out
to the car just as Spencer's front porch light came on. Spencer stumbled out onto the porch, clearly
still half-asleep, with his cell phone pressed to his ear.
"No, no. It's okay. I'm on my way."
Even though they were probably a hundred yards apart, Lex could clearly hear his words.
"Spencer?" Lex started jogging the short distance between them as he called out.
Spencer yelped and fumbled the phone around for a second before he caught it against his chest. "You
scared the crap out of me."
"What are you doing?"
"Um, well…."
"Let me guess. Nathan called you."
"Yeah. You heard that?"
"No," Lex chuckled. "Ruby called me."
He'd walked close enough that he could see the flash of pain on Spencer's face. "She called you?"
"Well, yeah. Alpha. Former cop. Seemed like a good choice."
"Sure."
"You can ride with me. We'll go get this sorted."
"Um, well…"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'll ride with you. It's fine."
A new smell filled the air between them. Lex wondered when he'd finally begin to understand the
difference. He didn't like this scent any more than he liked the acrid fear one he'd caused a couple of
weeks before. Spencer was still so skittish with him, though. Other than waking up next to him the
night of the full moon, Lex hadn't been able to get close.
They climbed into his Suburban, and Spencer stared out the window.
"Spencer?" Lex said after a few moments of silence.
"Yeah?"
"Will you ever forgive me for that first day? I know what I did was wrong. Hell, I've never even
apologized for it. I'm such an asshole. I'm really sorry I attacked you like that. There's really no
excuse."
"You didn't really attack me."
"Yeah, I did. You didn't want me touching you, and I did."
Spencer sighed and thumped his forehead against the window. "It's not that I didn't want you to touch
me, Lex. It's that you were—are—my alpha. You're new, and you don't know what all this means. I
get that the scents can be overwhelming. Hell, all the senses can sometimes. For me, it's hearing. I
swear, the closer I get to the full moon, the more I hear. It's been like that my whole life."
"So you've been a wolf your entire life? I didn't know that."
"There's a lot you don't know about me, Lex."

Lex clenched the steering wheel in his fist. "I know. I'm not very good at this stuff. I just…you smell
so good to me. That means something. You know it, and now I know it. I wish I—"
"Don't, Lex."
"Don't what?"
"Don't make wishes. You know, before you were turned, you never even noticed me. You lived here
for months. Did you even know I'd waved to you a few times? Tried to catch your eye. You didn't
even acknowledge my presence. And then all of a sudden, after you were turned against your will,
you're all over me. I don't know how to deal with that."
"Tell me about it. I don't know how to do all this, Spencer. And I've got to tell you, I didn't notice you
trying to catch my attention. I tried my best to ignore the world. Aiden took care of that for me though,
didn't he?" Lex huffed out a laugh and reached over to place a hand on Spencer's leg. "I'm going to get
the hang of this alpha thing sooner or later, you know that, right?"
"Yeah. I know. Tonight's a big step for you."
"How so?"
"One of the pack is in trouble, and she called you first. Ruby especially. That's big."
"You don't like her very much, do you?"
Spencer shrugged. "It's not that I don't like her. She's just never really been close to us. She's a turned
wolf, and she stumbled across our pack, and Taylor let her in. It's not like we got a vote. Just like we
won't get a vote when you decide to kick someone out or let someone in. It's part of your job and all
that."
They'd gotten closer to town, and the streetlights reflected off Spencer's face. His forehead was
creased into a puzzled frown, and he'd pinched his nose between his fingers.
"I know there's something that you aren't telling me. I hope one day you'll trust me. I know I probably
don't deserve it after what I did, but I'd like that."
Spencer shook his head. "It's not that I don't trust you, Lex. It's that I don't know you. And the only
thing you know about me is that I smell good. It's not enough."
"Wait—so I don't smell good to you too? I thought this was a two-way street with the mat—uh,
smelling good thing."
The police station was right ahead. Lex was tempted to go around the block a couple times so he
could get the answers he wanted.
"Let's talk about this another time, Alpha. You've got pack members who need you."
With a frustrated sigh, Lex parked in front of the station. Spencer followed him inside and Lex spoke
to the desk sergeant.
"Lex, man. Long time, no see. What brings you by?"
"I've got a friend in here. She used her phone call to call me."
"Let me guess. The hot blond, right?"
Lex chuckled. "Yeah. That'd be her."
"We've got her in one of the interrogation rooms. What a cluster fuck."
"Think you can do me a favor and let me have a word with her?"
"Yeah. She's not been any trouble. 'Course, she caused a hell of a scene earlier."
"That doesn't surprise me."
"Your friend here needs to stay in the lobby."
"That's not a problem." Lex turned to Spencer. "Hang out for a few. Let me see if I can get this
straightened out."
"Sure." Spencer sat on one of the plastic chairs and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked

pissed.
Lex followed the sergeant into the back and into one of the interrogation rooms. Ruby jumped to her
feet when he came in and rattled the handcuff that was attached to both her wrist and the table. Lex
eyed it, and her, before turning back to the other officer.
"Thanks, Joe. Just give me a few."
"No problem, Lex."
He left and pulled the door shut behind him. Lex crossed his arms over his chest and stared Ruby
down. She met his eyes for a moment, challenge in her glare, before she looked away.
"Shit," she muttered.
"What happened?"
"You're going to be pissed."
"I'm already pissed, Ruby. I don't like phone calls at three in the morning."
"Okay, so, the other pack, they came into my work the other day and asked me if I'd hang out with
them. They seemed nice and all. More fun."
He arched a brow and leaned back against the concrete wall. "Go on."
"I know Nathan isn't happy either, so I asked him if he wanted to come along."
"Uh-huh."
"Yeah, well, everything was fine at first. We had a few drinks, played some pool. Nothing crazy.
Then they started asking about you. I just blew 'em off, Lex. I didn't tell them anything about you, I
swear."
"I appreciate that."
"Well, they said they smelled a new alpha. They wanted a new territory and figured this one was as
good as any. That's not what I wanted. I just thought if they were roamers, maybe I could hitch a ride
with them or something. Maybe find somewhere I fit in a little better. Nathan too."
"But?"
"Well, I don't think that's what I want after all. And when Nathan wouldn't answer their questions
either, they got pissed. The one guy got physical. Man, Nathan freaked. I don't know, Lex. There's
some bad shit in that guy's head or something. He just sort of lost it. I tried to back him up as best I
could, but there were five of them versus just me and Nathan. And to say Nathan can't fight is…well,
yeah. He can't. I'll leave it at that."
"So, you're telling me that you got into a fist fight in a bar. In public. With another pack."
"Fuck. Oh shit, Lex. What if they put Nathan in with the other guys? Shit."
Lex growled. "I'll take care of it. Sit down."
She immediately sat. "Yes, Alpha."
He stormed from the room and found another officer sitting at one of the desks. This one led him back
to the holding cells where he found Nathan surrounded by the other pack. His eye was black and his
nose bloody. They managed to get Nathan out without causing a further scene. Lex had a feeling the
other pack had a lot more control than his. They knew better than to arouse too much suspicion in
public.
Lex guided Nathan into one of the other interrogation rooms. The officer cuffed his hand to the desk
and allowed Lex a few minutes with him.
Nathan wouldn't meet his eyes.
Lex leaned against the wall and waited.
After several long minutes, Nathan looked up at him through his lashes. "You mad?"
"Yep."

Nathan looked down again. "You kicking me out?"
"Nope."
Nathan flinched and glanced at him again. "You're not?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"Hell, Nathan. I've fucked up as much as you in the past month. Seems to me like we've both got a lot
to learn."
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to see if I can pull some strings and get you and Ruby out of here. Then you and I are going
to have a long talk, you understand me?"
Nathan nodded.
"And Nathan?"
"Yeah?"
"Good job."
"What?"
"Ruby told me you didn't tell them anything, even when fists started swinging. I'm going to guess you
still didn't talk from the looks of the cell. Am I right?"
"No. I didn't tell them anything."
"So, good job."
Lex saw the brief change of expression. An almost smile followed by a sigh of relief.
"Is Ruby okay?"
"Yeah. Madder than hell, but she's fine."
"She kicked their asses."
"No doubt. I wouldn't want to mess with her."
"If I'd have—"
"No. Stop right there. We'll ‘what if’ this to death later. Right now, let me see how much trouble
you're both in and what it's going to take to get you out of it."

Chapter Nine

It took less effort than Lex anticipated to get Ruby and Nathan out. There wasn't any property

damage, and no one was pressing assault charges, so they were let out with a warning. Lex promised
to take them home and let them sleep it off at his place. The officers promised to give Lex a while
before they let the others go.

It was tempting to ask to go back to the cell. Very tempting. Lex refrained. At least he had a little

more knowledge about the other pack now. What they wanted. He'd have to talk to Spencer about it.
Lex paused as he entered the lobby and found Spencer leaning back against the chair with his eyes
closed. God, he was beautiful. How had he not seen that before? Had his head really been that far up
his own ass?

Yeah. It had. He answered his own question with a shake of his head. Part of Lex wanted his

solitude back. He craved the safety of knowing he only had himself to answer to, himself to take care
of. Another part, still small but growing stronger as each day passed, enjoyed having someone depend
on him again. He'd always been strong. Capable. In charge. All that had been taken away with one
thrust of a knife.

Now though, he'd gotten a phone call from family— granted, not blood family, but pack. That's

how the group thought of each other. Well, most of them anyway. He really needed to break through
some of those walls they'd put up. He heard shuffling steps from behind him, and Ruby and Nathan
appeared.

Spencer sat up quickly. He hadn't been sleeping. Lex had known that but had enjoyed looking his

fill while Spencer pretended he wasn't in the room. Hell, if Spencer were half as aware of him as he
was of Spencer, he'd known every step he'd taken in the back room. Lex could make out Spencer's
heartbeat, even through the thick interrogation room walls. He hadn't focused on it, but he'd known it
was there, just the same.

As Lex turned to his now-freed pack members, Spencer caught a glimpse of Nathan's battered

face. "Oh shit." He jumped up and hurried to Nathan, placing his hands on Nathan's cheeks and turning
his head this way and that to inspect the damage. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a few bruises."

Lex hid his smile as he watched Spencer hover over the young man. Interesting. Nathan didn't

pull away from Spencer. Lex hadn't seen anyone else touch the young man.

Even when they'd been in their pack pile after the full moon, Nathan had arranged himself so that

he'd only been touching Lex. He allowed Spencer's touch, though. Didn't seem uncomfortable in the
slightest. Lex tried to take a subtle whiff of the air but didn't pick up any strange scents.

"Let's get out of here." They walked out to Lex's vehicle, and he began the drive back to his place.

"Hey," Ruby said after a few minutes. "Aren't we going to get our cars?"
"No."
She sputtered. "What? Why?"
"Because you're in my custody for the rest of the night. That means you're going to my place. With me.
And we're going to have a nice long chat."
"Fuck me."
"No, I won't be fucking you."
Spencer snorted.
"I didn't mean that!" she squeaked.
Lex reached over and placed his hand on Spencer's thigh again. This time, Spencer covered his hand
with his own. They made the rest of the drive in silence, and when they arrived at Lex's house, he
pointed both Ruby and Nathan toward the door. "Go on. I'll be inside in a minute."
He tossed his keys to Nathan and walked around to Spencer's side of the car. "You want to stay?"
"Not sure I should. Looks like you've got this handled."
"Yeah. Sure I do. I'd like you to stay."
"Why, Lex?"
"There are about a million reasons. But the biggest one is because I'd like to have you near me right
now. It's selfish, I know. And it probably makes you uncomfortable as hell, but I'm feeling bad enough
that I'm willing to risk it. I want you around tonight, Spencer. I need you to be here while I try to get
through to those two knuckleheads. I'd like to maybe talk you into cooking some breakfast for us while
I yell at Ruby. And maybe you can get Nathan to not be so fucking scared of me."
Spencer blinked up at him. "I really don't like cooking all that much, you know."
"Yeah? I thought you did."
"Not really. I'm good at it, though. And I’m not really uncomfortable anymore. Just so you know."
Lex let out a small sigh of relief. "Yeah, you are good at it. But okay, I'll cook while I yell. It works.
As long as you're around."
Spencer chuckled. "Nah. You concentrate on Ruby and Nathan, and I'll get you guys fed. Nathan will

need to eat to help the healing anyway. He never eats enough."
Lex reached out and ran his hand over Spencer's short hair. "Thank you."
Spencer pushed into the touch and pressed his nose into Lex's wrist. "No problem."
"Let's go ground the kids. What do you think? Take away their phones? No television? No internet?"
Spencer gasped. "No internet? We can't be that cruel."
Lex threw his arm around Spencer's shoulder and hauled him close as they started the walk to the
house. "If you say so, dear."
"I see where you're going with this, you know. You're wanting to good cop-bad cop them. I have to be
the good cop."
"Well, if the shoe fits—"
"Ha! I'm too nice for my own good."
Some of the remaining tension left Lex's body as Spencer leaned into him. His arm crept around Lex's
waist after the first few steps. Spencer looked up at him as they reached the door. "Don't be too hard
on them."
Lex winked as he opened the door and went inside.
Nathan and Ruby were both waiting in the living room. Lex pointed to Nathan. "You, go shower. Get
the blood off of you. I've got some sweats in the bottom drawer of my dresser."
Nathan jumped up and went down the hall. Spencer gave Lex's arm a squeeze as he went into the
kitchen.
Ruby stared up at him. She'd begun breathing heavily.
"I'm so fucking mad at you right now."
She leapt to her feet. "What the fuck, Lex?"
"You know Nathan isn't strong. You fucking know it. Yet you took him to a place with strange wolves
and no backup. No one had a fucking clue where you were. I hold you completely responsible for
what happened to him tonight."
"Are you fucking kidding me? He's a grown man!"
Lex stepped closer and stared her down. "And you're stronger. Don't think I didn't notice how long
you held off the shift. He barely lasted longer than Aiden. You were one of the last. Tell me, Ruby,
what did you think was going to happen to him?"
"I…I didn't—"
"Exactly. You didn't think. You're bored? So the fuck what. You're the one that needs to grow up. You
have a responsibility to protect those who are weaker than you in this pack. You failed in that duty
tonight. You know it, and I know it. Don't you ever let anything like this happen again, do you
understand me? I expect better of you."
She blinked up at them, her lips pursed and forehead creased. "I don't—fuck."
"You failed. Admit it. Admit it right the fuck now, Ruby, or I swear to God I will make you."
She growled and looked down. "Fuck. You're right. I fucked up. Shit."
"Thank you. You're stronger than that. You say you're bored? Is your wolf bored, or are you? Because
I think your wolf knows its place in this pack. I think your wolf knows exactly where it belongs. Do
you?"
She sank back down on the couch. "No. I don't think I do."
Lex dragged the ottoman over and sat down in front of her. He took both of her hands in his. "Find a
better outlet. I'll help. Hell, so will Spencer. You've got friends in this pack, Ruby, but not if you act
like a bitch all the time. We all know how strong you are, but that doesn't mean we need the human
attitude to go along with it. It's not necessary, get me?"

"Yeah, I get you. I need to think about this."
"You really do. Because I trust you. I don't know a lot about everyone in our pack yet, but I know I
want you at my side. So get yourself straightened out. We'll help you figure it out. But don't put anyone
in our pack in danger again because you're bored."
She straightened up from where she’d leaned back into the couch and tipped her chin up proudly. Her
gaze locked on Lex’s.
"I won't."
"Good. Now go help Spencer, would you? The shower's off, and I have a feeling Nathan is hiding in
the bathroom."
She nodded and stood up. "Hey, Lex?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." She stepped into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
"You're welcome. Now let's get that kid in there some food made. I swear I can hear his stomach
rumbling from here."

Chapter Ten

Nathan opened the bedroom door as Lex started down the hall. He'd put on a pair of Lex's sweats

as requested, and he'd found an old T-shirt as well. Lex leaned against the wall and looked him up
and down.

"What happened tonight won't happen again." "Okay," Nathan mumbled.

“Excuse me? I couldn’t hear that.”

Nathan lifted his head and searched Lex’s face. Lex stared him down but took care to hide any

expression of anger.

“Okay,” Nathan repeated, this time with more confidence.

"You will not expose yourself to other wolves until you are strong enough to defend yourself."
"Okay."
Lex took the final few steps and put his hand on Nathan's neck. Nathan arched back automatically and
exposed his throat. Something in Lex, some instinct that he’d never had before, one that unfurled
inside him as he felt that telltale itch of his wolf rising to the surface told him that Nathan was starved
for touch, that he hungered for everything. Pack, love, food. He had nothing and needed it all. There
was a slightly stale smell to him, even after the shower. Lex ran his finger over the pulse point in
Nathan's throat and received a whimper from Nathan in response.
"Tomorrow, we're going to go to your place and pack your stuff up. You'll be staying in my spare
room until I know you can take better care of yourself. I won't allow one of mine to be in this
condition any longer. Understood?"
He nodded. "Yes, Alpha."
"Good. Now, we're going to go eat, and then you're going to sleep."
Nathan smiled and rolled his head around so he could look up at Lex. "Yes, Alpha."
Lex nodded and released him. "Let's eat."
Nathan followed him into the kitchen where Spencer and Ruby had made a plate of sandwiches. Lex
picked up half and took a bite. He looked over at Nathan. "Eat."
Nathan grabbed a sandwich and shoved it in his mouth. Ruby glanced at Lex, and he nodded at her.
She took one as well. Spencer leaned against the counter and yawned. Lex moved to his side and held
his sandwich out. Spencer took a bite off the end and looked up at Lex.

"It's good."
"I know."
Spencer yawned again. "I'm sleepy. The adrenaline has worn off."
"Hmm." Lex held the sandwich to Spencer's mouth again, and he took another bite.
He chewed and blinked up at Lex. "I'm not really hungry."
"Okay." Lex glanced over at Nathan, who'd finished his half sandwich and was staring at Lex. "Eat,
Nathan. Don't make me tell you again."
Nathan grinned and grabbed another sandwich. Lex nodded at him as Spencer and Ruby looked at him
with puzzled frowns. He glanced at them both, and they looked away. Spencer pulled Lex's hand over,
and he took the final bite of sandwich from between his fingers.
Lex pulled glasses from the cabinet and poured them all glasses of water. Nathan gulped his down
like an eager-toplease child. Ruby took a long drink and sighed. "Alpha, do you mind if I take a
shower?"
"Nope, go ahead. Hmm, I don't have anything that will fit you, though."
"I do," Spencer said.
"Okay, you go ahead and get cleaned up. We'll be back in a few minutes. And Nathan, I want that last
sandwich gone when I get back."
Nathan grinned and took the last half off the plate.
Lex walked with Spencer over to his house. When they got inside, Spencer turned to him and
frowned. "What's with ordering Nathan around like that?"
"He needs it."
"He needs to be told to eat?"
Lex sighed. "Not like that. It's…did you ever ask your folks for something and they got all exasperated
with you and said 'I don't care'. I think that's all Nathan's ever had. He's never had someone care
enough about him to make sure he had enough to eat, to make sure he was taken care of."
"Huh. So he's not like a kid, exactly."
"Not at all. But for now, he needs more rules, I think. I'm running on instinct here, but I think the
specific instructions make him feel safe. He's so afraid of making a misstep that he's not thriving. If I
tell him to eat, he eats. If I tell him to sleep, he'll sleep. Soon enough, he'll know it's okay to do those
things on his own. Sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud, but it's what I think he needs."
"Well, I've never seen the guy smile until tonight, so I guess you're on the right track."
They walked toward Spencer's room, and he dug around in a drawer for some clothes. "These should
work. You'll take them over to her?"
"Um, we can."
"Oh, I was going to turn in."
Lex frowned. "I was hoping you'd stay."
Spencer stared at him for a long minute then he turned and grabbed another set of pajamas from the
drawer. "Okay."
They walked back to the front door, and Lex took the opportunity to drape his arm around Spencer's
shoulder again.
"So what are your instincts telling you about me?" Spencer asked.
"That you're as tired as I am. And I hope to hell you want to curl up in bed with me and sleep until at
least noon."
"Huh. Noon. You really think that's going to happen?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to bite anyone who wakes me up before then."

Spencer laughed as they went back into the house. Nathan had washed up the few dishes and stood
hovering in the kitchen doorway. He still held the damp towel in his hands.
"Go put that on the counter, Nathan. Thank you for cleaning up. You didn't have to, but I appreciate
it."
"You're welcome. I eat, I clean up."
Lex grinned at him. "Good. Now you sleep. Come on, I'll show you where you're crashing."
His house was laid out in an L shape with the kitchen at the center. He'd let Ruby and Nathan shower
in his bathroom because he'd not really gotten the other one stocked with towels and such for
company. He'd need to take care of that, now that it seemed he'd invited Nathan to live with him.
There were two rooms at the end of the hall with a bathroom between them. He pointed to the first
one, and Nathan opened the door. "It's not much, but there's a bed, and the sheets are clean. If you
need anything, you know where I'll be. And Nathan, if you need anything, I expect you to come get me.
Understood?"
"Yes, Alpha."
Ruby started down the hall wrapped in one of his big towels. She looked so much younger without the
heavy makeup she normally wore. Spencer passed her a set of clothes, and she rubbed her cheek
against his. "Thanks, Spence."
"Welcome."
"You're in the far room. Listen for Nathan. You're closer. Got me?"
"Got ya. Night."
"Night, Ruby."
Lex led Spencer back down the hall and to his bedroom. He let out a jaw-cracking yawn as they
entered his room. "I'm beat."
"Me too," Spencer said over a yawn. "I'm going to change real quick."
"'Kay." Lex pulled a pair of gym shorts from his dresser and stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt
while Spencer slipped into his bathroom to change. He tossed his dirty clothes into the corner and
pulled on his shorts before climbing into the bed. Spencer came out and stared for a minute before
climbing into the opposite side.
"C'mere." Lex mumbled and rolled onto his side. He held up one arm, and Spencer scooted closer.
"Mmm. Better. Night, Spencer."
Spencer let out a long breath that warmed Lex's chest. He scooted even closer, which was the last
thing Lex remembered.

Chapter Eleven

"Lex."

With a groan, Lex opened one eye. The room was still dark, but a grayish glow came from

outside. It meant it was
nowhere near noon, and someone was about to get a bite taken out of their hide.
"What?"

Lex moved his head enough to see the entrance to his bedroom. Ruby stood there, dressed in

Spencer's pajamas, with a nervous-looking Nathan shuffling behind her.
"Nathan needs you."

Lex opened both eyes and stared for a moment. He'd put Nathan alone in a room last night, which

hadn't been the

smartest move. Spencer lay half-sprawled across his chest so Lex tightened his hold and scooted

them both over into the side of the bed. He untangled one arm and lifted the blanket that covered them.
"Come on."

Nathan's eyes widened in surprise, but he stepped forward quickly and stood beside the bed.

"Get in already. Ruby, go set the AC on Antarctica and get in here too."
She smirked and wandered back out into the hall. Moments later, the vent kicked on and cold air
began to blow into the room. Spencer grumbled and buried his face in Lex's neck as Nathan climbed
in on the other side of Lex. Lex dropped the covers and wrapped his free arm around Nathan.
With a long sigh, Nathan tucked himself close.
"Fucking puppy piles," Lex grumbled.
"Yeah, you look miserable." Ruby winked at him from the doorway before sliding into the bed behind
Nathan. She tucked herself into the curve of his back, spooning behind him. Nathan relaxed further.
"Shut up and go to sleep already."
The bed jiggled as she smothered a laugh into a pillow.
"Sleepy time," Spencer mumbled. "Not wakey time."
"Shh," Lex whispered and rubbed Spencer's back.
He huffed out a sigh and drifted back to sleep.
"Lex!"
"Oh for fuck's sake." Lex opened his eyes again. The light was a bit brighter outside now, but he
couldn't have been asleep long.
Justin came running down the hall. "I can't find Spenc— oh." He stared at the pile on the bed.
"You found him. Go away."
Justin frowned, then shivered. "It's cold in here."
Lex whimpered. "Justin."
"I could just…" He stared longingly at the bed.
"Fucking hell. Get in."
Justin beamed and kicked his shoes off before sliding into the bed on the other side of Spencer.
The next time Lex opened his eyes, it wasn't due to his name being called. His nose was cold, but the
rest of him was burning up. Spencer had one arm wrapped around Lex's neck and one leg tucked
between Lex's. Nathan had burrowed into his other side, and his hot breath was leaving a damp spot
against Lex's ribs. He really needed to piss but didn't see a way to climb out of bed without waking
up the entire pack.
He heard a car door shut outside and a familiar little voice. "Oh hell."
Unwrapping Spencer took a second, and Lex finally ended up just flipping him over and letting him
sprawl across Justin. They both grumbled their displeasure before settling. Nathan opened one eye as
Lex started to move.
"I've got to get up. Go back to sleep."
Nathan yawned and closed his eyes. Lex crawled carefully over Spencer and Justin before escaping
to the bathroom. By the time he made it into the kitchen, Mia had the coffee going and Aiden toddled
over to him with a happy grin.
"What's going on?" She asked as Lex lifted Aiden into his arms.
"Had a bit of excitement last night."
"I heard."
Lex pulled Aiden's hands from his hair and frowned at them both. "Gentle, Aiden. And how did you
hear?"

"Charles works for the sheriff's department. He called me."
"Hmm. Why didn't he call me?"
"Because he heard that you got them out and wanted to see if I knew what was going on."
"So you came over to see what was going on."
"Pretty much."
Lex shrugged.
"All I get is a shrug?" She glared and went around him to the fridge. "You're going to have to tell me,
you know. I'm a great nag."
"Make yourself at home," Lex huffed as he stared at the still dripping coffee while she grumbled over
his lack of milk.
"Like you care. I hear four heartbeats coming from your bedroom. Sounds like you've already got a
houseful."
"Yep. Might as well get the rest of them over here too." Lex stared at the clock on the microwave. It
was just past noon. "Maybe around four or so. We'll have a cookout or something."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Can you handle the invites?"
"Sure."
The coffee finally finished, and Lex poured himself a mug while balancing Aiden in one arm. He
carried both the mug and the kid back to his bedroom. "Time to get up." He grinned at Aiden before
sitting him on top of the pile. As expected, Aiden bounced around and jostled everyone until they'd
woken up and acknowledged his presence. Mission accomplished, he climbed back over them all to
Lex.
"Good job, munchkin."
Ruby was the first to speak. "What's up?"
"We're having a cookout. We need to go get your cars and get some stuff done."
She scowled but climbed out of bed. "I need to get some clothes from my place."
"That's fine. We can drop you off at your car, and you can get cleaned up and come back over here."
Justin sat up suddenly. "Mia's here?"
"Yes, Justin. Get up."
"Yeah, okay." He scrambled from the bed and gave Aiden a good morning pat on the back before he
hurried into the kitchen. Lex shook his head and sighed.
"Why are we having everyone over?" Spencer asked.
"Because. Get on up. Nathan, you too. Let's get moving."
Nathan got out of bed and blinked sleepily. "I'm up."
"I see. How much stuff do you have?"
"I dunno. Not much."
"Will it fit in my truck and your car?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
Lex sent Spencer home to shower and get dressed while Lex did the same. When he went back to the
kitchen, Mia had put Justin to work making sandwiches. "You're out of everything," she said with a
laugh.
"Make a list," he groaned.
By the time Spencer made it back, Mia had a grocery list ready. "Justin, you're with me and Nathan.
Spencer, will you handle the grocery trip? I'll owe you."

Spencer snorted. "Yeah."
Lex drove to the bar and waited for Ruby and Nathan to get into their cars. He followed Nathan to a
rundown payby-the-week motel on the outskirts of town. It took less than an hour to load up Nathan's
clothes and few belongings. They ended up tossing most of it into the trunk of Nathan's car, as Lex
hadn't thought about needing boxes or anything. Nathan didn't seem to mind. Everything the guy owned
would need to be cleaned, though. It all smelled of that stale odor Lex had picked up on the night
before.
He sent Justin back to his place with Nathan and decided to meet Spencer at the store. The itch
beneath his skin had come back, and although Lex didn't know the reason, he wanted to be close to
Spencer. He followed his instincts and parked next to Spencer's car in the parking lot.
Finding Spencer was relatively easy. Lex paused at the entrance and listened. It took only a second to
pick up Spencer's heartbeat from the back of the store. Lex found him at the meat counter. Spencer
looked up in surprise when Lex stepped beside him.
"What are you doing here?"
Lex shrugged. "Thought you might need some help."
Spencer eyed the overflowing cart as the butcher passed over a couple of packs of meat wrapped in
white paper. "Almost done. I waited to get the meat last."
"Okay."
"Lex, what's wrong?"
"I don't know."
Spencer pushed the cart to the checkout line. Lex kept looking around them, waiting for some
unknown threat to appear. Nothing did. The itch continued, and Lex rubbed his arms.
"You need to head back to the house?"
"No. I'm not leaving without you."
"Lex, I'm fine."
Lex ignored him and walked to the end of the aisle. Loading the groceries into the cart as they were
bagged, he looked around the store, waiting. Watching.

Chapter Twelve

The feeling of unease settled somewhat by the time Spencer and Lex made it back to Lex's house.

Several cars were already parked in the driveway. "We need help," Lex said once he stepped out of
his truck. Moments later, Nathan appeared at the doorway with Charles not far behind him. The older
man smiled and nodded to Lex as they lifted bags from the back of both vehicles and hauled them
inside the house. Between the four of them, they managed to get everything in one trip.

Lex walked inside and immediately did a pack check. Everyone was accounted for—except Ruby.

The moment he thought her name, the itch returned, this time worse than ever. Spencer looked over at
him, as did several of the others.

"Something's wrong," Lex finally said.

"What?" Dan asked.
"Ruby."
Dan rolled his eyes and started to walk away. "What is it?" Spencer asked.
"I don't know. I just know something's wrong." "Well," Dan snarled, "she probably ran off with the
other pack. Sounds like that's what she was after all along from what Nathan here said."

Nathan paled and took in a gasping breath. "That's not…I didn't…."

Lex snarled and stalked the few feet to Dan. "You want to know why you aren't alpha? This. Right
here. You're a fucking prick who doesn't look out for the well-being of this entire pack. Nathan's been
living in a hovel. Ruby feels like an outcast. And you, you with your sanctimonious bullshit, think you
can blame them for not wanting to be around you. Fuck you, Dan. You're the one who needs to go."
Dan growled, and his features began to shift. Lex grabbed him by the throat and in one quick move
had him pinned to the floor of the kitchen. "You think you're stronger than me, better than me, because
you've been a wolf longer. You aren't. I can put you down any day of the week. Try me and see."
He struggled beneath Lex's hold until Lex squeezed harder, and Dan's face began to turn purple. He
slapped his hand on the floor at the same time he pulled his chin up, baring what little of his neck he
was able to move. Lex released his hold, and Dan coughed and sputtered.
"Now, I'm going to go get Ruby and find out what's happened."
"I'm going with you," Spencer said.
"Me too." The voices all merged together as everyone moved toward the door.
Lex spared Dan another glance. "You coming?"
Dan climbed slowly to his feet and stared long and hard at Lex. "Yeah. I'm coming."
Mia stayed behind with Aiden, but the rest of them loaded into vehicles and made the quick trip to
Ruby's apartment. Spencer drove Lex's truck since he didn't know exactly where she lived. Lex
needed his senses clear anyway. He used them to focus on Ruby, her energy, in an effort to make sure
she was okay.
Part of him could feel her, something deep inside that he hadn't recognized before. There was an
underlying buzz beneath his skin for all the members of his pack. They pulled into the parking lot of
Ruby's building, but Lex immediately knew she wasn't there.
"Fuck." He slipped out of the truck and scented the air. He could smell the others, the other pack. He
recognized their scent from the night before at the jail.
Dan stepped up beside him. "Anything?"
"She's not here."
"Okay, concentrate."
Lex looked at him. "On what?"
"On her. You're her alpha. Where is she? Focus."
Lex nodded and reached for that connection he noticed earlier. It didn't feel far off. "I don't know how
to find her."
"You don't have to know here." Dan tapped him on the forehead. "Know here." He patted Lex on the
chest.
"Are you kidding me with this?"
Dan chuckled and shook his head. "You're the alpha, Lex, whether I like it or not. You're the one best
equipped to find her."
Spencer stepped up beside him. "Lex?"
Lex reached out and cupped his hand around Spencer's neck. He breathed in his scent, then focused on
Ruby.
The others stood near him, their scents and heartbeats slotting into place in his mind. As he
recognized each one, his mind began to settle, enabling him to focus on his task. He stretched further
and finally found the trace of Ruby he'd sensed before. His head came up, and he scented the air.
"That way," he said as he pointed out of town.
"Let's go," Dan said.
Spencer continued driving Lex's Suburban as he focused on Ruby. Each mile brought her closer. He

could feel the moment she felt his presence. A spark of something—hope or happiness, maybe
eagerness—reached him, and he smiled. Oh, she'd be giving them hell, Lex had no doubt. And if
they'd hurt her…
Finally, Lex was able to direct Spencer to her location. The neighborhood was old and run-down,
with For Rent signs in front of several houses. A battered van sat in front of one, and Lex stared at the
house. She was in there. And he was going to get her back.
They climbed out of the vehicles, and everyone surrounded Lex. He looked at Dan and gestured
around the back with Charles. They nodded in understanding. Spencer, Justin, and Nathan were with
Lex. Lex tapped Spencer's shoulder and touched his ear. He remembered Spencer telling him how
sensitive his hearing was and wanted to know if Spencer could hear anything he couldn't. Justin
seemed to understand the signal as well so he focused on the house too.
Spencer held up three fingers, then four and mouthed Ruby. Justin nodded his agreement. Nathan
hovered around them, shuffling nervously from side to side. After motioning to Nathan to stay behind
him and receiving an understanding nod, Lex gestured them forward. They walked just behind him as
they crossed the yard. When they got to the front door, Lex drew a deep breath, then kicked it open.
The others were waiting.
It didn't really surprise Lex. He could hear heartbeats, so could they. If they'd caught them unaware,
he'd have been shocked. As it was, the leader pounced on him the moment the door flew open with
claws and fangs ready to strike. Lex roared when the other wolf's claws embedded themselves in his
side. He blocked another blow that would have sliced through his neck, then spun, forcing the wolf's
claws to pull free. He dropped to a crouch and spun around, kicking the legs out from under his
attacker.
The move stunned him, and he hit the floor. Before he could bounce up again, Lex had slammed his
own claws into his chest. His mouth fell open in shock, and the fangs retracted as the life faded from
his eyes.
Lex ripped his claws free as Ruby came bounding into the room. Her makeup was a mess, and she
had blood trailing down her bruised mouth. She also had bruises around her wrists, which he noticed
when she slammed her fist into one of the remaining attackers' face. The blow forced him back, but
Justin shoved him forward again. Ruby grinned and spun, grabbing his shoulders and slamming him
into the floor.
She glanced up and met Lex's gaze. He could see the question in her eyes. He shook his head. No, he
didn't want her to kill him, even though he'd just taken the life of the leader himself. But then her
captive managed to buck free, and she slammed her claws into his throat even as Justin grabbed him
by the head and twisted his neck. The crack of breaking bones shot through the room, and Ruby and
Justin both let him drop to the floor.
Dan and Charles came in through the back with the third wolf struggling between them. Spencer
appeared with them, a smirk on his face. Lex got a whiff of urine and realized their captive had pissed
himself. He bit back his grin but winked his approval at Spencer.
Dan gave the wolf a shake and pushed him over toward Lex. "You want to add this one to the pile?"
"Oh, God," the wolf whimpered and sank to his knees.
Lex dropped to one knee in front of him, so close he could feel the terrified puffs of air leaving his
mouth. "No, I'm not going to kill him. But he's going to make sure everyone he meets knows not to fuck
with us again. I've got his scent now—" Lex paused and took a deep breath through his nose "—and
I'm not going to forget it."
Dan and Charles pulled the wolf up by his arms and led him to the door. Lex turned to Ruby, who was

staring at her bloody claws. "Hey," he said when he got close enough. "You did what you had to do.
You or him. I'd rather you."
"Yeah," she said, then leaned into him. "I was scared for a minute."
"Just a minute?"
"Yeah. I knew you'd find me."
"You did, huh?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Lex."
"I'd say anytime but…"
She chuckled and leaned her forehead against his chest. She took a deep breath, getting his scent he
now understood, before leaning back. "Let's get out of here."
"Works for me." Lex turned and found Spencer staring at him. For a second, Lex was worried that he
was jealous of Ruby, but then he read the expression. It wasn't jealousy. It was pride and happiness,
with maybe a touch of horniness. Spencer looked ready to pounce.
Spencer sauntered over to Lex and leaned in close. He ran his nose up Lex's chest to his neck. Then
he licked. Lex had to grab hold of Spencer's hips before his knees went out. Spencer looked up at him
and bit his bottom lip. A flush crept up Spencer’s neck, and his cheeks began to turn pink.
"Later?" he whispered.
"Yeah," Lex breathed, his entire body responding to the promise.
With a nod, Spencer turned and started for the door. He grabbed Justin and pulled him along as well.
"Meet you outside."
Charles looked down at the bodies and shook his head before walking over to Lex. "What a mess."
"Yeah. Didn't quite think about that as it was happening."
"Nothing to do about it. They took one of ours. This goes beyond human law. They knew better."
Dan nodded his agreement. "The rules are different. You'll need to learn them."
"Understood," Lex said. "I hope I can count on you both to help me."
They both nodded. "You go on," Dan said. "They're going to need you there. Charles and I will get the
mess cleaned up."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Ruby's going to need some reassurance."
It was quite the turnaround from earlier. Lex appreciated the effort. Maybe Dan would figure out his
place yet.
"Call if you need anything."
"We will."
Nathan stood right outside the front door waiting on Lex. He looked pale. "You okay?"
"Yeah. You were awesome." Nathan shook his head, then tilted it to the side as he stared at Lex.
"What?"
"I…I couldn't do that."
Lex stepped closer and traced his thumb over the pounding pulse in Nathan’s neck. He settled his
hand there, squeezing gently. "You shouldn't ever have to take someone's life, Nathan."
"No, not that. I couldn't take care of myself. I wouldn't have been able to stop them."
Lex leaned in and whispered into Nathan's ear. "You will."
"Yeah?"
"Promise."
Lex went back to the cars with a more relaxed Nathan following behind. Spencer was sitting in the
passenger side of the Suburban. He climbed into the driver's seat and started the truck.

"Back to my place everyone?"
"Yeah. I'm starving," Ruby complained.
"Well, that's what you get for being kidnapped," Spencer said as he turned and grinned at her.
"Yeah, but I should have gotten bread and water or something!"
"Pfft. I'm sure you weren't a model prisoner. Only the good captives get food."
"You might have a point," she said with a laugh. "I was a pain in their asses."
"As I'd expect," Lex added.

Chapter Thirteen

On the ride back to his place, Lex had a buzz of sensation. Power. Ability. Strength. Connection.

Everything flowed through him from the pack. He'd had the connection with them all along, but for the
first time, he really understood it on more than an instinctual level. He'd done what he needed to do.
He'd protected the pack.

Ruby was practically vibrating with energy in the backseat, while Nathan sat beside her, quiet yet

satisfied with his place. He trusted Lex to help make him stronger. The connections with both of them
had deepened so much in the past two days that Lex wondered what would happen on the next full
moon. He had a feeling they'd see some interesting changes and wondered how the hierarchy would
adjust itself as these two pack members grew stronger.

And then there was Spencer. Spencer kept sending him heated glances and had reached over to

place his hand on Lex's thigh. It wasn't exactly a sexual touch, although Lex's body was definitely
responding in very happy ways. No, Spencer seemed to be laying claim to him. Lex wondered what
exactly had caused the doubt and fear to ease completely. He couldn't deny that he was looking
forward to finding out.

The rest of the pack had arrived while they were gone, and they were waiting on Lex's front porch

as they pulled in. No one seemed overly concerned. Lex figured they would have known if something
bad had happened. It also had him wondering what had happened to them when their alpha died. He
shivered at the thought, and Spencer sent him a concerned glance as they climbed out of the vehicle.

Lex smiled over at him as they walked the rest of the way. Aiden ran to him. Lex scooped him up

and received his usual cheek pat greeting.
"Everyone's okay," Mia said with a smile.
"Of course," Lex said with a wink.
"And starving!" Ruby bounded up the steps and into the

house with a laugh.

Mia watched after her for a moment, then turned back to
Lex with a puzzled frown. "Well, that was unexpected." Spencer and Nathan followed Ruby into the
house, and
the rest of the pack trickled in behind them. They all
gathered in the kitchen, where the others had made good use
of the time they'd been gone. The food they'd bought earlier
for the cookout had already been prepared, and Ruby was
standing with a plateful by the time Lex made it over to the
sink to make sure there wasn't any blood on his hands. Aiden sat on the counter by the sink and
watched them
all move around getting their food ready. Mia came over

and retrieved him just as Ruby looked over at Lex guiltily.
She carried over her plate and handed it to him.
"Sorry," she mumbled and looked at the floor. "I was
really hungry."
Lex picked up one of the ribs on her plate and took a
bite before dropping it back on the plate. "It's good. Eat." She let out a relieved sigh before diving in
again. Spencer came over to him with a plate piled high. He
handed it to Lex with a smile.
Ribs, barbecue chicken, potato salad and fruit.
"Thanks," he said and took a quick bite.
Spencer wiggled his eyebrows before stealing one of the
ribs from Lex's plate and leaning back on the counter beside
him. They shared the plate of food as everyone ate around
them. Ruby recounted her ordeal, and Nathan added his
version of the fight. Everyone listened attentively and threw
out questions when they had them. By the time Charles and
Dan returned from their task, the pack had settled. Everyone
stood crowded in the kitchen.
Dan stared across at Lex for a moment. When their eyes
met, Dan nodded his approval.
When everyone had finished eating, they all began to
trickle into the living room. Spencer grabbed Lex's arm
before he could join them.
"You know, everyone is going to want to pile in
tonight."
"I figured they might," Lex replied.
“You want them to stay at mine. Or would you be up for
having everyone at your place?”
Lex paused, took in a long breath. Spencer’s was the
gathering place, but if he let them all stay with him…. “Yeah. They can stay at my place.”
Spencer smiled wide, his pleasure in Lex’s choice
apparent.
"Well, I have some stuff over at my place. You know,
those foam cushions and pillows and stuff. We could go get
them. Bring them over here for later."
As he spoke, Spencer's thumb began running back and
forth over Lex's arm.
"That might not be a bad idea."
"You've got to look out for the pack. Keep them
comfortable and all."
"Uh-huh. I'm the alpha and everything. I guess it's in the
job description."
"Yeah. So?"
"Let's go."
Lex hollered into the living room that he and Spencer

were going over to Spencer's house. They went out the back
door before anyone could protest. Spencer walked backward
a few steps, watching Lex follow him, then he turned and
ran down the driveway with a laugh. Lex started the chase,
eager to see exactly what else Spencer had in mind. They were both breathless by the time they
reached
Spencer's porch. He flung the door open, pulled Lex inside,
and slammed the door shut. His hands immediately went to
the bottom of Lex's T-shirt, tugging it up and exposing his
stomach and chest.
Lex sucked in a breath as Spencer leaned in and licked a
trail over his ribs. He spent extra time on the remnants of
Lex’s scar before kissing his way up to a nipple. He blew a
breath on it, flicked out his tongue, and Lex thumped his
head back against the door. Holy hell. Lex reached for
Spencer, hesitated a moment, then placed his hands gently
on Spencer's shoulders. Spencer began to suck at his nipple,
giving teasing bites before laving the sting and starting the
process over again.
"Spencer."
"Hmm," Spencer groaned against his chest.
"What…I don't…oh God."
All the blood had flowed south, but Lex pushed Spencer
gently away from his body. He cupped his hands on
Spencer's flushed cheeks and forced him to look up. "What's
going on? What changed?"
"Doesn't matter," Spencer protested and tried to push
forward again.
Lex held him steady. It seemed ridiculous to stop, to
wait, but Lex needed to hear the words. "Yeah, it does. To
me."
Spencer blinked up at him, and the haze of lust faded a
bit. "You want to talk? Now? You know if we're not back
relatively soon, they're going to come looking for us? You
realize that, right?"
Lex stroked his thumbs over Spencer's cheekbones. "Let
'em come. Maybe we'll give Justin a show and scar him for
life."
Spencer chuckled and leaned his cheek into Lex's hand. He looked up, his soft brown eyes looking
over the contours of Lex's face. "I didn't think you were going to really do it,
you know?"
"Do what?"
"Be the alpha. I figured with as bad as you freaked, I
couldn't risk it, even though I knew from the first time I saw
you, the first time I caught your scent, that you were

supposed to be mine. I didn't get it, though. I mean, sure, I
guess a human and a werewolf can mate, but it wasn't right.
And then you were turned. I didn't think it would happen; I
would never have wanted it to happen to you. But then it
did and then…oh God, then you smelled even better. And
the way you looked at me that day? I knew with one look.
And then you said how good I smelled, and I knew even
more."
Lex pulled him closer and ran one hand down Spencer's
back. "I didn't know what it meant."
"I know. And that's why I had to stop you. God, I didn't
want to. I wanted to just throw my clothes off, you know? I
wanted to let you claim me, but I couldn't. You weren't
thinking clearly, and you didn't know what it meant. What
any of it meant."
"I really didn't. I still don't know much."
"Maybe not. But last night with Nathan? And today with
Ruby? You're our alpha. Without a doubt. You aren't going
anywhere, are you?"
Lex leaned his head back against the door again. "No.
No, I'm not going anywhere."
Spencer pushed up on his toes and kissed the corner of
Lex's mouth. "Neither am I."
A weight lifted from Lex's chest. He spun Spencer
around and pressed him against the door. "You know I still
don't know what this means, right?"
"Yeah, I know. So no biting. Yet."
"No biting?"
Spencer laughed and thumped his forehead against Lex's
chest. "Just trust me. No biting. But please, please, fuck me.
Right now. God, seeing you in action tonight? Seeing you
put that wolf down without blinking, protecting this pack
without a moment of hesitation? Damn, I wanted to jump on
you right then in front of all of them and make sure they all
knew you're mine."
"Yeah."
"Oh God, yes." Spencer grabbed Lex's shoulders and
hiked his legs up around Lex's waist.
"You're mine, huh?" Lex moved his hips, pushing his
hardness against Spencer's ass.
Spencer whimpered and rolled his hips in response. "Want me to put you through the mattress now,
huh?"
Lex lifted up, pulling Spencer into his arms as he spun
around and headed for the bedroom.
"Yeah." Spencer pushed his face into Lex's neck, licking

a trail up to his ear. He nibbled and licked there as well,
tasting every inch that he could reach as Lex carried him
through the house.

Chapter Fourteen

When they reached the bedroom, they both moved in a flurry of motion. Lex dropped Spencer onto

the mattress and flung his T-shirt off. Spencer wiggled farther up on to the bed, kicking off his shoes
and tearing at the button and zipper of his jeans. Lex stopped and watched the show. Part of him
wanted to chuckle at Spencer's frantic race to strip. The other simply moaned as each bit of skin
appeared.

Spencer finally looked up at him, naked from the waist down, and realized Lex had stopped his

own movement. He frowned, then let out a little growl. "Get naked," he demanded before pulling up
his shirt and throwing it across the room. He scrambled around and squirmed over to the nightstand.
After pulling a bottle of lube from the drawer, he tossed it over his shoulder and lowered his head to
the mattress.

Lex sucked in a breath. "Oh damn." Suddenly, his pants were way too tight, and he moved as

quickly as Spencer had to get them off. He forgot his boots, and the jeans tangled around his ankles.
With a growl of frustration, he sat down on the bed and tore at the laces until he could kick both boots
and jeans free. When he turned back around, Spencer was smirking at him over his shoulder.
"See something you like?"

Lex didn't bother answering. He climbed onto the bed and crawled up behind Spencer. He ran his

hands down Spencer's side and over the pale skin of his ass. Bending down, he placed a kiss to the
center of Spencer's back then trailed down farther to give a quick bite of Spencer's ass. That would
teach him to tease.

Spencer yelped, then moaned when Lex licked over the spot he'd just bit. He nipped his way over,

grabbing handfuls of Spencer's ass and spreading him wide. When he blew a quick burst of air over
Spencer's hole, Spencer groaned and dropped his head onto the mattress again.
"Lex," he groaned. "Please."

"Mmm." Lex buried his face in Spencer's ass, tongue diving immediately to lick and tease at

Spencer's entrance. Spencer moaned and spread his legs wider.

Lex tongued him again, dipping into his hole and pushing inside. He retreated only for a moment

before licking again, tasting Spencer, inhaling his heavy scent with each breath. Spencer pushed back
against him, trying to get him in deeper. Lex went farther, tasting the entrance as it clenched beneath
him.
"Hey, Spencer, you guys need—Oh my God! My eyes!"

Lex chuckled against Spencer's ass as Justin's voice came from behind him. Spencer growled and

threw a pillow over his shoulder.
"Go away!"

Lex heard pounding footsteps and the slamming of the front door as he reached for the lube and

opened the cap with a snick. He coated his fingers, then brushed them over Spencer's hole.

"Can't wait much longer," Lex confessed. His own body was on fire, his cock leaking and aching

with want.
"Don't wait. Do it."
Lex slicked his cock and settled between Spencer's legs. He settled against Spencer's body, pushing

the head of his cock against Spencer's hole. Spencer hissed and groaned before reaching back and
pulling his ass cheeks farther apart.
It was the only invitation Lex needed. He gave another push, this time breaching the barrier and
sliding inside Spencer's hot entrance.
"Oh fuck," Spencer cried.
Lex leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Spencer's back. He breathed—God, the smell of
him—and waited until Spencer relaxed. It didn't take long; Spencer pushed back, and Lex slowly slid
out before easing in again.
"Okay?" Lex asked.
"Yeah. More."
Lex grabbed Spencer's hips and began a slow thrust that quickly turned into more. He couldn't seem to
control himself at all. Spencer pushed himself up on his hands and arched his back. Lex growled and
held on tighter, pushing harder and faster until his fangs dropped and claws burst from his hands. He
immediately pulled back, not wanting to hurt Spencer, but Spencer reached back and grabbed his arm,
putting it back on his hip.
"Don't stop, Lex."
"But—"
"Don't stop!"
Lex grabbed hold again, careful to keep his claws from piercing Spencer's skin, but he'd gotten so
close. The tension built as he thrust again, Spencer pushing back against him, hard and fast.
"I can't help you. I'm close, but I can't…"
"I got it," Spencer groaned as he reached beneath himself. "Faster, Lex. So close too."
Lex let his worry fade away, let his instincts take over. He thrust into Spencer's willing body, used
his enhanced senses to pick up the subtle changes. Yes, Spencer was getting close. His heartbeat sped
up, his breath quickened, and suddenly, his entire body tensed up.
"Lex!"
Spencer's body tightened in his hold as he came, his heart pounding. It was all Lex needed to find his
own release. He pulled Spencer close for one last powerful thrust and cried out as his orgasm hit. His
entire body tightened as he came deep into Spencer. When the aftermath eased, he glanced down to
see his claws buried in Spencer's hips. He pulled back with a gasp, but Spencer only groaned and
reached back a flailing hand to stop him.
"Don't move yet. One more minute."
Lex held still, then traced over the wounds with his back-to-normal fingers. The wounds weren't deep
and began to heal as Lex watched. He slipped from Spencer's body and lay down beside him.
Spencer dropped onto his belly and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Sleepy time," he mumbled.
Lex chuckled and dropped a kiss onto his shoulder. "Shower time, then back to my house time, then
sleepy time."
Spencer groaned but lifted his head to look at Lex. "Do we have to?"
"Yep. Come on, or we'll have a repeat of Justin's interruption."
Spencer dropped his head back onto the mattress. "I am never going to hear the end of that."
"Sure you will. I'll never let him forget that he didn't knock first. I'll make it a new alpha rule or
something."
With a lopsided grin, Spencer pushed himself up and climbed from the bed. "If I don't move now, I'll
stay there all night."

"Wish we could," Lex said as he followed Spencer into the bathroom.
"We will. Just not tonight. The rest of them need you too."
"Just not that way."
"They better not."
Lex couldn't stop touching Spencer as they showered.
As they dressed, they stood so closely together that their hips bumped against each other.
Their arms brushed when they carried the stack of foam cushions across to his house.
The moment he'd dropped his pile to the living room floor, Lex put his arm over Spencer's shoulders
and pulled him close. The pack all sent them knowing glances while Justin looked everywhere but at
them.
As the evening progressed, they spread out the cushions, and everyone began to settle on the floor. It
was the strangest thing Lex had ever seen and certainly one of the strangest he'd ever done. But he laid
down first as Aiden began to get drowsy and propped the little guy on his chest. Within minutes,
Aiden was asleep. Spencer stretched out beside him, and Nathan crawled behind Spencer. Mia
settled on his other side, her eyes soft as she watched her son sleeping. Justin cautiously settled
beside her, acknowledging the sharp warning glance Lex gave him. The others got comfortable as
well, some random movie playing on the television that none of them were watching.
Quiet settled over the room, and Lex relaxed into the peace everyone felt. He reached out for
Spencer's hand, threaded their fingers together, and looked over at his soonto-be mate. He didn't
know what the future held for them, but he sure as hell had found something worth fighting for.

THE END Trademarks Acknowledgment

The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks

mentioned in this work of fiction:
Chevrolet Suburban: General Motors Company

POPPY DENNISON

Poppy Dennison, a sassy southern lady, developed an obsession with things that go bump in the

night in her early years after a barn door flew off its hinges and nearly squashed her. Convinced it
was a ghost trying to get her attention, she started looking for other strange and mysterious happenings
around her. Not satisfied with what she found, Poppy has traveled to Greece, Malaysia, and England
to find inspiration for the burly bears and silver foxes that melt her butter. Her love of paranormal
continues to flourish nearly thirty years later, and she writes steamy love stories about the very things
that used to keep her up all night. If her childhood ghost is lucky, maybe one day she’ll give him his
own happily ever after.

Also by Poppy Dennison

Mind Magic

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Poppy Dennison Chapter One

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