Day Sunny Silver Moon Wolves 1 Finding Alpha

Silver Moon Wolves 1

Finding Alpha

Don's new pack alpha is insane, and they are all in danger as long

as he holds the power, which is why his pack brings in another
alpha to fight Zane. Don wouldn't have a problem with that,

except that Rhys is his mate.

Rhys had been poisoned to lose the fight for the alpha position in

his birth pack and is unwilling to trust anyone, especially not the
pack who wants him to kill their alpha. Even if he is attracted to
Don, it doesn't mean the other man is someone he should trust.

He still hasn't come to a decision whether to risk another alpha
challenge or not when Zane does one thing he won't forgive. He

kidnaps Don. Now Rhys is left with no choice.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 26,731 words

FINDING ALPHA

Silver Moon Wolves 1

Sunny Day

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

FINDING ALPHA
Copyright © 2012 by Sunny Day
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-458-7

First E-book Publication: March 2012

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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FINDING ALPHA

Silver Moon Wolves 1

SUNNY DAY

Chapter 1

Rhys came awake with a start, a flash of blinding pain in his side,

reminding him what had happened. He rolled onto his belly, realizing
he had shifted back to human form during the time he was
unconscious. That was a surprise. The werewolves tended to stay in
their animal form while healing. He frowned, wondering what’d
caused the shift. A wave of nausea had him panting. His gut cramped.
He waited until his body calmed somewhat, and tried to make sense
out of the darkness surrounding him.

A big room. A big empty room that smelled of…nothing?
He scrunched his face in confusion.
The main pack house. The room for injured wolves, which was

regularly cleaned to make sure signs of previous occupants’ distress
didn’t agitate whoever was inside. He relaxed a little.

He was still alive, then. He tried to stand up, his bruised body

protesting every movement he made. He collapsed back on the
ground, biting his lip against a punishing splash of pain when his
already-injured body met the hard floor. Blindly, he reached with one
hand into the darkness and breathed in relief when his fingers
encountered the blessedly cold surface of the wall. With an effort, he
raised onto all fours and crawled toward it. The distance wasn’t big,

Sunny Day

but his world grayed and oblivion threatened to swallow him more
than once before he finally managed to reach it. He sat heavily on the
floor, leaning his back against the wall. He rested his pounding head
on it, shallow bursts of breath leaving his lips. His mouth was dry, and
insistent pain had him wondering if he had enough in his stomach to
actually throw up.

Danger.
His wolf was agitated. He was hurt and unable to defend himself.

Wrapping both arms around his torso, Rhys tried to calm down.

You are still alive.
His palm met overly warm, damp skin. He swallowed heavily,

recognizing the slick feeling, even if he couldn’t smell it. Blood. His
blood. He remembered bleeding profusely during the fight. It was his
first sign that something was wrong.

In a flash, he was back in a pack circle, a huge brown wolf facing

him, teeth bared and bloody. From the corner of his eye, he was able
to see other members of the pack, standing silent and tense while the
alpha challenge took place.

Some of them were awfully tense, he remembered. Considering

the fact that both challengers were from the pack, not outsiders, and
that in these times challenges rarely ended in death, no one should’ve
been that worried.

Unless they had something to hide. He curled his lip as he

remembered what had happened next.

“Damn it, Rhys! Back off!”
He knew that voice. He knew it very well, and he could hear an

anxious overtone in it. So he is worried, is he? Slowly, scrambling to
get his injured leg tucked under his body and protected, the black wolf
turned to face his opponent again.

Spoiled your plans, have I? he thought cynically. He wasn’t going

down without a fight. He…

A loud click pushed his memories away, bringing him back to the

present. Light hurried into the room, showing an outline of the door.

Finding Alpha

Rhys’s head snapped up. The pain caused by the sudden movement
made him almost double over. Despite that, he growled warningly
into the dark. He had remembered enough to know he was in danger.
That hadn’t changed. The two approaching wolves paused.

“Close the door,” one of them ordered the other. “He is awake.”
Rhys snorted.
“Easy, Rhys, it’s just us,” Ben said in a coaxing voice. The room

sank into darkness again. He heard the click of the lock, and his
muscles tensed involuntarily as his escape route was cut off again.

Calm down, Rhys. You aren’t in any shape to make a break for it.
He focused again at the two intruders.
“Ben? Is that you?”
He was proud of the fact that his voice was strong and even.
“Riley is with me.”
Pack doctor.
Rhys paused to digest that. Obviously he wasn’t in a pack circle

anymore, where he had fought for the position of Little Ridge alpha
and lost. However, that didn’t mean he was out of danger.

Normally Ben wasn’t a match for him. Rhys always considered

him a good choice for pack beta, but he was not even close to a shifter
of Rhys’s strength. Normally. He was taught not to underestimate his
enemies.

He hadn’t considered his pack as enemies, but things changed.

Rhys was never slow on the uptake.

He was still bleeding.
He shouldn’t have been, even if the various scratches and bruises

he’d earned during the fight were made by another wolf and as such
healed slower.

He hadn’t worked as security for Silver Moon pack without

learning what his body could take and what not. He was fairly sure
that he shouldn’t be feeling this bad.

He narrowed his eyes at two of his ex-friends.

Sunny Day

He had known it even in the pack circle, as his unexpected

weakness had started to make itself known.

He had been losing blood faster than he should have. He had been

slower, and weaker than he usually was.

And his pack members had been nervous.
He’d been poisoned. They wanted him to lose. Perhaps they even

wanted him dead. His mind clinically connected the dots. He had been
trained to investigate while in Silver Moon.

The realization hurt almost more than all the blows he’d received

while in the circle.

He blinked to clear his vision. With eyes now accustomed to

darkness, he could see Ben approaching slowly. Riley was following
him, careful to keep Ben between himself and Rhys.

Smart choice, Rhys acknowledged wryly. He clearly remembered

Riley handing him a glass of water immediately before the fight. He’d
done the same with Dean, but Rhys was the one who was poisoned.

He shifted so he could glare at Riley.
“You come any closer, and I’ll rip your throat out,” he warned.
Ben stopped immediately. He raised his hands in a placating

gesture.

“It’s all right, Rhys. We won’t hurt you. Riley wants to help you,”

he said in a soothing voice.

Rhys gave a bark of laughter, which caused the muscles in his

abdomen to cramp painfully. “I think he helped me more than
enough.”

He rubbed his aching side, not surprised when he felt blood

seeping from the wound. The moving must have aggravated it.

Remember not to laugh, Rhys, if you want to stay alive.
“What did you give me?” he asked in a pleasant tone.
He was still alive, when Dean could have killed him. That meant

he wasn’t in any immediate danger, which, he reminded himself,
didn’t mean he wasn’t in any danger at all.

Finding Alpha

He wished he’d listened to Ned, a friend from Silver Moon pack,

and refused to come home.

Really, Rhys. Oughta know better.
He saw both men freeze, Riley twitching guiltily. He cast a fearful

glance at Rhys. Ben’s nerves seemed steadier.

“What do you mean, what did we give you? You were in a fight.

You are hurt.”

“I may be an idiot for trusting you enough to allow this to happen,

but I’m not that big of an idiot. You gave me something. I’ll give you
credit for managing to make it so I didn’t notice anything amiss
beforehand. And it was good enough to slow me down. So what was
it?”

Riley seemed to shrink into himself. He was one of the weaker

wolves in the pack and was immensely proud of his medical degree
and ability to heal wolves.

“It’s called bloodrun. It’s not really toxic, and it should have no

lasting effects,” he hurried to explain.

Rhys stared at him in disbelief. He knew of bloodrun. It was an

old herbal concoction, as most modern medicines had no, or had
funny, effects on werewolves. Bloodrun actually worked, which was
why Silver Moon kept hold on the formula, guarding it jealously.

Alarm spread through his body. “Bloodrun? You gave me

bloodrun? You want to kill me?”

Riley shrank back from his sharp tone. Ben shook his head

impatiently. “No. It was never our intention.” His eyes bored into
Rhys’s. He tried to reassure him. “It was only to stop you from
winning.”

“I researched it,” Riley explained earnestly. “It should have no

lasting effects.”

The blasted fool actually sounded like he believed it. Rhys figured

he should count himself lucky that in the past he was treated by Silver
Moon’s doctors.

Sunny Day

“It doesn’t,” he agreed. “Especially once the victim bleeds out to

death.” He closed his eyes, fatigue overwhelming him. Tears prickled
his eyes. It was one thing to suspect it. It was quite another to have
those suspicions confirmed. It hurt.

“You weren’t supposed to die, Rhys. You wouldn’t feel this bad if

you had actually—” Ben cut himself off.

Rhys opened his eyes slowly. “If I’d bowed out of the fight,” he

said in a slow voice. “I heard you.”

Ben pressed his lips together.
“It wasn’t meant to kill you.”
“Just made me loose the fight, hmm? Now why would you do

something like that? Our laws forbid interfering in an alpha
challenge.”

He was puzzled by their reaction. What could their motive be? He

was born and raised in Little Ridge pack, and only lately his job had
him spending more time on errands for Silver Moon. Still, that wasn’t
a reason to kill him.

Ben ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture. He and

Rhys used to play together as boys.

“I tried to tell you. You didn’t want to listen.” He sounded

annoyed with Rhys. Riley was looking first at him, then at Rhys.

Rhys forced himself to think. Tried to tell me? What—
He blinked at Ben. “No way. No way. This is because I sleep with

men?”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Their pack was a small

one, and he knew that some of the pack members disapproved of his
choice in partners, but he had honestly never believed they would risk
breaking one of the oldest shifters laws just because of that.

“You are my friend, Rhys. I don’t really care who you are sleeping

with, just—I don’t want you as my alpha. That’s it.” He shrugged
awkwardly. “You are still a pack member, and I swear to you, you
aren’t in any danger. We will make sure that you recover, and no one
will try to hurt you. We just—we couldn’t have you lead the pack.”

Finding Alpha

“I see,” Rhys said. He cocked his head. “Tell me,” he drawled,

ignoring the pain from his shoulder, “what happens after I tell Silver
Moon what you did and why?”

Riley looked scared. Ben tensed but gave him a challenging stare.

“You won’t. You know that you won’t.” He sounded less than sure,
though.

“Scared?” Rhys asked in a gleeful tone. “It’s not like I owe you

anything, not after this.”

But he knew already he wasn’t going to tell. It wasn’t any of his

business anymore. The pack wasn’t his anymore. As soon as he
recovered, he was going to hightail it from here. He didn’t want to see
anyone from the Ridge pack again.

“There are ways.” The hard tone in Ben’s voice drew his attention.

A lump formed in his throat. His wolf twitched, sensing danger. Rhys
narrowed his eyes at Ben.

“Are you threatening me, Ben?”
Silence was the only answer. “Don’t be a fool. The only way to

shut me up would be to kill me, and I wouldn’t recommend that.
Silver Moon frowns at killing, at least on killing without good
reasons. Dead bodies tend to attract attention from humans’
authorities, and no one wants that. Silver Moon won’t like that. They
will like it even less when they find out what happened.” Silver Moon
pack had, in the last two centuries, emerged as the governing body of
shifters. Their members were Upholders, trained to liaise between
packs and enforce their laws. They didn’t exercise their power often.
However, it was undoubted. No sane pack would risk incurring their
wrath. Having worked for them, Rhys knew they were even more
dangerous than most shifters thought.

“I already told you I don’t want to kill you.”
“I’m thrilled to hear that,” Rhys answered in a sarcastic tone of

voice. Ben saying he didn’t want to didn’t mean he wouldn’t. “And
hiding my body won’t help the matters any. I work for Silver Moon. If

Sunny Day

I disappear from the face of the earth, they are bound to come
looking. And if they don’t like what they find—”

He left the sentence unfinished. He knew Ben wasn’t stupid. Their

fear was his ticket outside. There was still a chance he was going to
get out of this alive.

Ben crouched in front of him. This time Rhys didn’t suppress a

growl that came from his throat.

“What did I say about coming close?”
“Rhys,” Ben said in a patient voice. Pack beta, talking with

unreasonable pack member, Rhys thought cynically. He thought he
could detect some real worry in Ben’s eyes, but he couldn’t afford to
believe it.

“We do not want to harm you. Riley is here to help you. The

bloodrun has no lasting effect, but it will slow down your healing.
Riley is here to help with that.”

Rhys raised one shoulder. He wasn’t letting Riley anywhere near

him. “I lived through the fight,” he said. “Let’s hope it will stay that
way.”

“You can’t be sure of that. You were too stubborn, Rhys. If you

had pulled out of the fight earlier, you wouldn’t be in such bad
shape.”

Rhys gave him a sardonic glance. “Guess we will have to hope for

the best.”

Riley cleared his throat.
Rhys licked his lips and focused on Ben, letting the other man see

his desperate resolve. “I mean it, Ben. You come any closer, I’ll do
my best to kill you. Mind you, I’m probably going to end up dead
after that, but then the pack will be faced with the same situation they
are now. I’ll be dead, and Silver Moon will be breathing down your
neck. Leave. Me. Alone.”

“Rhys, that’s not—”

Finding Alpha

“You can’t stay here.” He was getting frustrated. He was tired, he

needed peace, and he didn’t want to deal with his pack members right
now.

“Look, Ben. I need rest. You don’t need to be a doctor to know

that. Sleep will help me heal. I won’t be able to rest if either of you is
here.” He paused then clarified. “If any of you is here.”

“For the last time, Rhys, we weren’t going to kill you!” Ben

sounded like he was losing patience.

“That’s beside the point,” Rhys flatly informed him. “You almost

killed me, and that’s what counts. You are not staying.”

He was breathing hard and fast. With a sigh, Ben stood up. “All

right, have it your way.” He tugged at Riley. “You’ll call if you need
something?”

I won’t need anything. He didn’t say that aloud. He knew how to

pick his fights, and this wasn’t one he could win.

He curled next to the wall, the fatigue in his body inexorably

pulling him under. He wasn’t going to be able to resist it for very
long. He kept an eye on the two men in the room.

“Come on, Riley, we are going.”
“But he can’t—” Riley objected.
“Riley, we are going,” Ben snapped. He threw one last glance at

Rhys before he left the room. He waited until once again hearing the
sound of the key being turned in the lock.

With a sigh, he tried to settle himself as comfortably as possible.
It was going to be a long night.

* * * *

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Enraged, Don threw the door open and

stomped into his living room. He was beyond incensed. “Shit, fuck,
damn!”

Sunny Day

“You need to calm down,” Murray said, coming in behind him and

catching the door just before it slammed closed. Don was in no mood
to be placated. He narrowed his eyes, whirling to face his cousin.

“What did you just say?”
“I said you need to calm down,” Murray repeated. “It’s not going

to help anyone.” He leaned on the wall, crossing his arms over his
chest. He was still wearing his uniform, and it tightened over his
biceps.

“You want me to calm down?” Don repeated. His voice rose with

every word. “Calm down. Were you there at all?”

He glared at Murray. It didn’t matter that Murray was a stronger

wolf than him or that he was police chief in the small town of
Serenity Lake, where their pack resided. Don was angry. He was
incensed. How dare Murray tell him to calm down?

Murray’s eyes flashed. They were dark blue, same as his own, just

one of the similarities that marked them as cousins. “Yes, I was. You
don’t need to remind me.”

“I don’t believe this. How can you be so freaking calm? You act

like nothing happened. Zane could have killed Morgan, for no other
reason than he objected to the way Zane’s betas acted. They almost
destroyed his shop.”

“I know.” Murray’s eyes flashed with anger.
“Good for you! If Morgan wasn’t a wolf, if I’m not as good at

what I do, he would be dead right now!” Don was almost yelling by
now. He still couldn’t believe what happened.

“I’m aware of that. I don’t take it lightly,” Murray said in a patient

tone, like he was talking to a child. It only served to annoy Don even
more. He strode over, slapping his palm against the wall next to
Murray’s shoulder. He was well aware that the other more dominant
wolf would consider this an act of blatant disrespect. He leaned in
until they were almost nose to nose. He and his cousin were about the
same height.

Finding Alpha

“Here is the one other thing you should know,” he said in a

warning tone, “and that is that our esteemed alpha is absolutely,
totally crazy.” He pulled back, raking a hand through his hair. “Can
you believe he beat Morgan and then made me heal him first while
Morgan bled on the floor? He had barely a scratch on him!”

He was appalled at the order and would’ve refused it if Murray

hadn’t interfered.

“That was to prove a point,” Murray said through his teeth. “And

if you hadn’t obeyed him, he would’ve hurt you. How do you think
Morgan would fare then? He understood what needed to be done.”

Don’s anger drained as he remembered the look the older wolf had

given him, urging him to obey the alpha’s order. He couldn’t deny
Murray’s words. He glanced up at his cousin. For the first time, he
noticed the tension in his shoulders, unnaturally tight lips. Guilt rose
inside him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Don dropped down to the couch, rubbing his face with his hand.
“Yeah, you did,” Murray said without inflection. “I can

understand that. It’s tough to swallow, what happened.” But his
posture relaxed somewhat.

“God, how could we have missed that something is wrong with

Zane? And I mean seriously wrong.”

With a sigh, Murray came to sit next to him. “He wasn’t like this

before he became alpha. Of the two of them, Paul was always more
quiet and withdrawn. Zane was always…friendlier, more easygoing.”

Don gave a sharp bark of laughter. Murray winced. “Yes, I know.

Not so much now.”

“Paul didn’t want Zane to become an alpha,” Don said,

remembering a vague impression he’d gotten the night Zane had
ascended to the position. He bitterly regretted not following his
instinct and questioning Paul about a cryptic remark he made that
night. “We should’ve picked up on that. Paul is his twin and knows
Zane better than anyone.”

“Paul has always been a little weird.”

Sunny Day

“Paul isn’t dangerous,” Don said absently. “At least I don’t think

so.”

Murray snorted as he got up and headed for the kitchen. While he

had his own place, he spent a lot of time in Don’s house and knew it
as good as Don. Don heard him opening the refrigerator door.

“One sociopath in the pack is more than enough.”
Don had to agree. To make matters worse, this sociopath was their

alpha.

“We are so screwed,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. He

opened them to see a beer can hovering in front of his face.

“I thought you had to go to work,” he said, taking it.
Murray just flopped down next to him. He had already opened his

beer and now took a healthy swallow. His actions unnerved Don. His
cousin usually didn’t drink, especially not so early in the day. Hell, he
didn’t either.

“I’ll call in sick,” he muttered. “Not like they’ll care.” His tone

was dark, and Don paused mid-swallow to give him a sharp look.

He’d known for some time that something was wrong with

Murray. He was reasonably sure where Murray’s frustration stemmed
from. He’d been forced to destroy the evidence that would’ve put one
of Zane’s betas, Sam, in prison. While it was true that shifters did
their best to stay under the radar and not risk humans finding out
about them, they tended to handle such cases with more delicacy.
Zane had practically forced Murray to compromise himself, which
was bad for several reasons. The pack needed someone on the police
force, someone who could gather, and yes, hide, information they
needed. Drawing the attention of human authorities was something
they preferred to avoid. But instead of allowing Murray to handle it as
he saw fit, Zane’d ordered him to blatantly expose himself. What’s
worse, he hadn’t bothered punishing Sam after the incident, which
soured Murray even more. It was one of the more serious signs that
something was wrong with Zane and that they were in serious trouble.

Finding Alpha

“This is not good,” Don muttered, taking another sip of beer.

“Someone will have to kill Zane.”

As he said those words, the door opened. Marc, one of the former

pack betas, scowled at them. “Don! Watch what you are saying!”

“Why?” Murray asked. “It’s the truth. Zane won’t step down. He

needs to be dead. And after today, you won’t convince me he doesn’t
deserve it. He enjoyed beating Morgan. It gave him some sick kind of
pleasure. And he enjoyed it even more knowing we were helpless to
stop him.”

“Interfering would only have gotten either you or Don hurt or

even killed.”

Gray, the old pack alpha, followed behind his friend. He gave

them both reproaching looks under his bushy eyebrows. He looked
like he was tempted to comment on the beer. Instead, he sighed.

“We couldn’t risk visiting Morgan. Zane would see it as defying

his authority. How is he?”

He sounded genuinely worried. Then again, he was pack alpha for

more than twenty years. He cared about each and every pack member.

“He’ll recover.” Don put the beer on the coffee table. Both Gray

and Marc looked relieved.

“But we still need to kill Zane.”
“Don!” Marc hissed. “What if someone hears you? The last thing

we need is to have Zane angry at you. He can kill you.”

Don’s mouth twisted. “He wouldn’t dare. I’m a pack healer. The

pack won’t stand for it. The Silver Moon pack won’t stand for it.”

Gray sighed, seating himself in an armchair opposite them.
“Normally I would say that’s enough to shield you, but I’m afraid

it isn’t. There is no telling how Zane will react. He could see you as a
threat, and not one of us wants that,” he warned them in a somber
voice.

“Don is not a threat,” Murray said. “He is not strong enough for

Zane to bother with him.” There was no sting in his words. He was
telling the complete truth.

Sunny Day

Don had to acknowledge the point. Despite his size, he counted as

one of weaker wolves in the pack. Don was over six feet tall, with
broad shoulders and muscular arms and legs. He kept himself in shape
and routinely worked out. He was proud to say he wasn’t a slouch in a
fight. He might not be a match for Murray, who ranked with the
pack’s top wolves, but he wasn’t helpless, either. When he had come
into his power, in his teens, healers being rare and precious among
werewolves, there were a couple attempts to kidnap him. The old
alpha, Gray, had promptly assigned him a bodyguard, but he had also
made sure Don knew how to fight. It helped that, being a healer, he
knew where to hit to make it hurt most. However, he disliked fighting
and tended to avoid it. He usually didn’t have to. While Gray was in
charge, the Blue Lake pack was a nice place to live. Don sighed. Ever
since Zane had taken control of the pack, things were going to hell in
a handbasket.

“We have to do something, Gray,” he implored the old pack alpha.

Frustration was evident in his tone. “I don’t know what’s wrong with
Zane, but something obviously is. We have to stop him before he
ruins the pack.” He frowned, casting his mind back. “Sometimes I’m
not sure that isn’t what he wants.”

“We don’t know that,” Gray reminded him. “And Zane won the

position fair and square. You said it yourself. He won’t step down just
because we ask him to.” He made a pause before adding unwillingly,
“And there is no one in the pack who can beat him.”

“Paul can,” Murray said unexpectedly. Don blinked at his cousin

in surprise. He knew that Paul could fight Zane, but to actually
suggest it? Gray frowned at Murray.

“Paul is Zane’s twin brother,” he said in a sharp tone. “I can’t ask

that of him.”

Murray shrugged, obviously unperturbed. “I was just saying.”
Marc threw Don a sharp glance. He shrugged to say he didn’t

know what this was about. Truth be told, he was as surprised by
Murray’s words as Marc was. Murray was obviously more resentful

Finding Alpha

of Zane than they’d guessed. He shivered. He had a bad feeling about
this.

Silence reigned in the room. “There is no one else,” Marc finally

spoke up. He raised his hands in a helpless gesture. “This is a big
pack, and some of our members would have been able to lead their
own packs. But Zane is stronger than all of them.”

That was the truth, but—
“I thought you were looking for someone out of the pack,” Don

said, looking at the two older men. He saw them exchange glances
nervously. It was a last resort, bringing someone outside of the pack
to lead it. It showed how desperate they were.

Marc shifted uncomfortably. He glanced at Murray, figuring that it

was he who told Don about the search.

“What?” Murray asked in a flat tone. Don winced. He hadn’t

heard his cousin talk this way to older werewolves before. The
situation must be wearing down on him. Strong wolves instinctively
protected the pack. When they weren’t crazy like Zane, that is, he
amended.

“We are,” Gray agreed, ignoring the silent challenge from Murray.

He grimaced. “This is not an easy decision. And like with Zane,
whoever we choose will be our alpha, and we will be bound to obey
him. And we can’t afford to bring in someone who’ll lose. Zane will
make us pay, and pay dearly. We don’t get a second shot at this. We
have to be absolutely sure.”

“About that,” Murray said suddenly.
“What is it?” Gray asked.
“The list of possible candidates you had me make,” Murray

explained. Don looked at him curiously. His cousin had said he was
making a list at Gray’s request. He was the one in the best position to
gather information since he had numerous contacts outside the pack.
He didn’t show it to Don, though. He just saw that some of the files
were pretty thick. Murray must be doing a thorough job of
investigating candidates. Not that Don blamed him. They got in this

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mess because obviously none of them knew Zane well enough. He
was a pack member, and no one knew there was something wrong
with him. Once again, Don had to ask what it was that made Zane as
crazy as he was. There had to be a reason.

“Rhys Reynosa,” Murray said. “Do you remember the name? It

was on the list.”

“Rhys?” Gray frowned, obviously searching his memory.
“I remember him,” Marc said helpfully. He looked at Murray. “He

is the one who works for Silver Moon, isn’t he?”

“That’s right.”
“I thought you said he was supposed to participate in an alpha

challenge in his birth pack.”

“He lost,” Murray said, his mouth twisting in an unpleasant smile.

“The rumor is he was poisoned in advance to lose the fight.”

Don frowned. Poisoned? So he would lose the fight? That didn’t

sound fair.

Gray’s expression grew speculative. “Poisoned? You sure about

that?”

Murray snorted. “As sure as I can get.”
“In other words, he will probably be willing to consider our offer.”

Gray was obviously considering it. “Hmm.”

“He is our best bet,” Murray told them. “He is strong and a very

dangerous fighter.”

That didn’t sit well with Don. “Try to remember that strength

alone isn’t enough to make a good alpha,” he warned. “You do
remember Zane, don’t you?”

Murray gave him an unfriendly look. “He works for Silver Moon,

Don. I’m sure if there were problems, they would have noticed it.”

He had a point, but Don still wasn’t sure. “Why’d his pack plotted

to stop him from winning the fight? It’s strictly forbidden to interfere
in an alpha challenge. They risk disbanding the pack.”

Gray stirred. “There could be many reasons for that.”
“I know why,” Murray said. “It doesn’t matter.”

Finding Alpha

“Well, what is it?” Don wanted to know.
“None of your business,” Murray answered flatly. The reaction

was unusual enough to have Don frowning at him. What was Murray
thinking?

“I wouldn’t have suggested him if I didn’t think he was a good

choice.” He switched his gaze to Marc, who nodded. “Indeed. He is a
good choice.”

They obviously weren’t going to tell him anything more.
Don sighed in exasperation. “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s

go get the man.”

Sunny Day

Chapter 2

Rhys took another swallow of his drink, letting the alcohol burn

its way down his throat. With a deep sigh, he pushed the now-empty
glass toward the bartender.

“Another one,” he requested.
When a glass didn’t immediately materialize in front of him, Rhys

raised his head to squint at the bartender in the semidarkness of the
club. The guy was frowning at him.

“What?” he asked.
“You plan on driving yourself home?”
Rhys smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you call me a cab.” Not that

he was worried about being too drunk to drive.

The bartender was obviously appeased by that.
“Bad day?” he asked, preparing Rhys’s drink.
“You’ve no idea,” Rhys muttered. He shifted a little on his seat,

wincing when pain shot up his side. He barked a laugh, realizing that
it wasn’t hurting that much. It was just that he wasn’t used to being
this weak and defenseless. The werewolves usually healed rapidly.
Slower when they were attacked by another shifter, but still fast
enough.

The bloodrun, he thought darkly, was even more dangerous than

he thought. Once he went back to Silver Moon, he could—

He stopped, realizing what he was thinking.
Once he went back to Silver Moon.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Silver Moon. He liked the job, and the

guys were friendly enough, even if most of the Upholders were more

Finding Alpha

than a little weird, and the ones who weren’t were downright scary. It
was just that it wasn’t what he’d envisioned for his life.

Things change, he reminded himself, taking another swallow. He

and Ben had almost gotten in a fight when he said he wanted to leave.
Ben had argued that he wasn’t healed yet. Rhys was more than aware
of the fact. Being weak and in the midst of a pack he didn’t trust was
making him edgy. He had coolly informed Ben that he was free to try
and stop him from leaving. He closed his eyes as he remembered what
happened.

Rhys was horrified when he realized that a part of him meant it.

Never mind that he had barely survived the fight with Dean. He was
still not completely out of the water, and another fight was likely to
exhaust whatever meager reserves of strength he had left. If he tried
to fight now, while in this state, he was going to die. Ben must have
realized this, because his face went blank. He just said that he was
giving Rhys a ride and left. Rhys was shaken. He used the time to
collect himself. Snap out of this, Rhys, he ordered himself. He wasn’t
going to let anyone dictate how he was going to live his life. If his
pack had a problem with it, well, it wasn’t like he planned on staying
around. He leaned back in the passenger seat of Ben’s car and stared
dejectedly out of the window. The sooner he left, the better for him.

“Where do you want to go?” Ben asked once they were out of

pack territory. Rhys hadn’t thought of that. In a way, his request to get
out was more to test the water, to see how big a threat his pack
represented. He couldn’t deny the surge of relief he had felt once they
were out of pack territory.

He glanced at his friend. They had done this before, back when

they were young and out for a night in town.

“Pleasure’s Mix,” he said and noticed Ben’s fingers tightening on

the wheel. He realized that his friend hoped they could talk and
salvage their friendship. Rhys couldn’t dredge up the energy to care.

Sunny Day

As they stopped in the parking lot, Rhys hopped out of the car.

Cold air crawled over his skin, and the darkness surrounding them
suddenly looked ominous.

“Call me when you want to get back,” Ben said.
“I’ll remember that,” Rhys answered absently, wondering if this

was a bad idea.

“Hey.” Ben’s hand touched his shoulder. Rhys stiffened, turning

his head to glare at Ben. Ben sighed, pulling his hand back.

“Do you have to be this way?”
Rhys stared at him. “You thought I wouldn’t find out,” he said

slowly. He shook his head in disbelief. “You honestly thought you
could do it without me finding out.”

“You weren’t supposed to find out.” Ben sounded tired. “I mean it,

Rhys. Don’t you trust me that much?”

“Maybe I do,” Rhys answered, “but it doesn’t matter.” It was

hurting him, too, but there was no going back. “I’m sorry. We don’t
always get what we want to.”

Without looking back, he headed for the club. It didn’t matter

anymore.

He opened his eyes and stared gloomily into his glass. So now he

was sitting in a bar, alone and miserable, and doing his best to drown
his sorrows in drink, which, he acknowledged wryly, was a near-
impossible task.

He was a werewolf, and werewolves didn’t get drunk. Most they

could get was faintly buzzed, which was totally inadequate for what
he needed. He was also aware of the fact that even if he managed to
forget tonight, his problems were going to wait for him in the
morning, so it wasn’t like getting drunk would really help.

Rhys downed another drink. What the hell. He was entitled to a

little self-pity.

He glanced at the dance floor, where couples were swaying to the

lively beat coming from speakers. He curved his lips into a smile. The

Finding Alpha

couples mostly consisted of men. He had been known to frequent this
particular club before. At least here no one minded his tastes.

He wondered briefly if a night of hot, sweaty sex would

accomplish what alcohol wouldn’t, then discarded that idea. He was
in no mood for sex, especially not with some unsuspecting human. He
hunched over his glass. He remembered Ben didn’t want to come
inside. It was one of the reasons he’d chosen this place. Pleasure’s
Mix was a gay club.

A hand landed on his shoulder, jarring him out of his reverie. Rhys

started then turned to eye the stranger who was taking a seat next to
him.

“I’ll have what he has,” he informed the bartender. Rhys’s eyes

narrowed. Immediately, he was aware of two things.

One, this was a wolf. A fairly strong wolf, which was enough to

raise alarm bells in his head. And second, judging by the tense line of
his body, he wasn’t here to find a date.

The bartender glanced at him as if for permission. Rhys nodded,

then cocked his head, giving the man a curious glance. The stranger
pushed a bill across the counter and waited until a glass had been
deposited in front of him. He turned his head to look at Rhys but
didn’t flinch at Rhys’s interested gaze.

“You are not local,” Rhys said finally, “or at least I don’t know

you.”

The man snorted. “No. I’m here expressly to talk with you.” He

took a sip from his drink, as if to fortify himself. He appeared to be
uncomfortable, though Rhys was unsure why. He narrowed his eyes.

Rhys watched as the man studiously avoided looking at the

bartender, instead letting his gaze wander to the dance floor. He
cocked his head as the man licked his lips unconsciously and reverted
to staring into his drink.

“You had to be here tonight. I waited the whole week for you to

get out of pack territory,” he said in a mocking tone. As he shifted on
his stool, Rhys caught a glimpse of the gun under his jacket.

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Rhys blinked. There was something in the man’s tone that didn’t

ring quite true. Not a homophobe. A closeted case. Then something
else the man had said caught his attention.

“You waited for me?”
The man studied him over the rim of his glass. “I waited for you,”

he confirmed. He set his glass on the counter without taking a sip.
“Mind if we go somewhere else to finish this conversation?”

“You want to talk to me?” Rhys repeated.
“Haven’t I just said so?”
Rhys cocked his head to look at him. The man was strong, armed,

and completely sober. Rhys was neither of those. In any
circumstances, going somewhere with an unknown werewolf,
especially as strong as this one, was downright stupid. Rhys debated
quickly with himself. He slid off the stool, pulling his wallet out and
throwing a bill on the counter. He didn’t bother finishing his drink.

“Sure,” he said. “It’s not like I have a lot to lose.”
Without turning around, he stepped into the crowd.
He heard the other man snort, but he obediently followed Rhys.

Figuring that was what his companion would prefer, Rhys wound his
way to the back exit, next to the DJ booth. All the while he was aware
of the other man’s eyes on his back. Adrenaline flooded his veins. He
was being reckless and enjoying it. The loud music seared his senses,
added to the thrill. Sharp silence surrounded them once they left the
club, in the small alley shrouded with darkness.

“A bit of a risk, letting me go behind you.”
“You were going to shoot me in the club full of people?” Rhys

asked sarcastically, leaning back on the cold brick wall. The other
man’s eyes flashed. It felt like he was testing him, Rhys realized. For
what purpose, he wasn’t sure. He shivered as the adrenaline burst
started to fade, cold air clearing his head swiftly. He glanced around
to check their surroundings. Rhys tensed as he caught a sniff of
another wolf scent.

“Your friend is not going to come out?” he asked in a dry voice.

Finding Alpha

The man rolled his eyes. “I told you to wait in the car.”
“I was bored,” was the answer, and another man joined them, the

muted light of the streetlamp revealing dark hair and light eyes. He
was dressed simply in jeans and a jacket.

He was pack, too, Rhys realized, but not nearly as strong as the

first one. Not a threat, his wolf concluded, so he relaxed marginally.

But his scent was different, a spicy aroma that any werewolf

would recognize.

An omega. Rhys frowned. Not a typical omega, but an omega.

Omegas were the thread that connected the pack, no matter how big
or powerful. They were treasured and protected. He stared at the man.

“That’s just Jason. He is not a danger.”
“If you say so.” Rhys kept his eyes trained on the newcomer. The

man was eyeing him with obvious curiosity. “Wow,” he said. “I
thought you would be bigger.”

Rhys blinked then grinned in answer. “I hoped I would be bigger.”

He was barely five foot nine, not a usual height for an alpha. It was
the bane of his existence. He hated men who towered over him.

“Jay,” the first man said through gritted teeth. “For god’s sake,

don’t piss him off.” He turned to Rhys. “Sorry about that. Jay is an
omega and used to—well, pretty much to doing whatever he wants.”

Jason didn’t seem worried. “Never mind, Murray. He’s still rattled

because he had to go in your club.” He smirked at the other man. “I
told you I could have done that.”

He grinned at Rhys. “Murray is, well, how would I say that?

Slightly homophobic?”

Murray, that was what his friend had called him, groaned. “I’m

not.”

Laughing gray eyes found his again. Rhys smirked. So he had

read Murray correctly. “You mean, still in denial?”

The grin widened. “Something like that.”
“My sex life isn’t important here,” Murray cut in.

Sunny Day

“What is important here?” Rhys turned to the other man. “You

said you wanted to talk with me?”

He had brought an omega with him, presumably to lend credence

to his proposal. Rhys was rapidly sobering. This was an important
meeting.

“We want you to kill our alpha.”
Rhys’s lips parted in surprise. He hadn’t expected this. He paused,

then said, “Why?” Murray looked serious. Deadly serious, because
this was a serious matter.

“Because he is nuts,” Jason said. Murray threw him a warning

glance.

“What? He is nuts.”
Murray rubbed his forehead. “That would be the gist of the thing.”
Rhys leaned back on the wall. “Why me? Why not someone from

your pack?”

If he was reading Murray correctly, he was pretty strong. Murray

shook his head. “It’s not that simple. No one is strong enough. Zane
didn’t get his position because he was incompetent.”

Rhys didn’t answer right away. “You could petition Silver Moon

for his removal if he is as dangerous as you say.”

Murray smiled without humor. “What’s Silver Moon going to say?

They won’t meddle into pack internal things, not until they have proof
he is over the edge. By then it’ll be too late.”

Rhys had to agree. Silver Moon couldn’t be seen undermining

alphas’ authority. The alphas wouldn’t stand for that, so Silver Moon
was delegated to political games.

“Besides,” Murray continued, “even if we did ask for help, they

would do something similar to what we are doing now, find someone
strong enough to defeat him.”

Point to Murray. It was the cleanest way to deal with the matter.

Rhys pursed his lips.

“That still doesn’t explain why me. You are, of course, aware that

I lost my last challenge?” he drawled.

Finding Alpha

Jason snorted. “You are going to be clean of bloodrun this time.”
Rhys’s whole body went rigid. “I’m sorry?”
Jason frowned at him. “Come on. We were honest with you. You

could be honest with us.”

“How do you know it was bloodrun?” Rhys demanded. Coldness

spread through him. The pack was going to be in trouble if that fact
became widely known.

“It wasn’t that hard to find out,” Murray said. “Remember, there

were members of other packs present during the alpha fight.”

“So? That’s tradition.”
Anyone could witness an alpha fight. It was one time when all old

grudges and difficulties were put aside. It also served to help ensure
the fights were clean and fair.

“They were there. They saw the fight. Most, if not all of them, had

to have noticed that something was wrong,” Murray explained. “You
were bleeding too much. If your opponent tried to kill you on the spot,
it might have gone unnoticed. Instead, he gave you many small
wounds, probably hoping you’d cede defeat. You didn’t. The rumors
are already flying. There isn’t a lot of potions that can make a wolf
bleed. Bloodrun is one of them.” He watched Rhys carefully. “I would
say it’s a matter of time before Silver Moon finds out and comes
sniffing.” He smiled tightly at Rhys. “Does it matter?”

Rhys blinked, surprised at the question. But Murray was right. It

was Little Ridge’s problem, and he didn’t belong to Little Ridge
anymore.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Not particularly. However,

let’s address one thing. If I kill your alpha, I get his position.”

They exchanged looks. “We are aware of that.”
“And you do know that I’m gay?” This time his tone was

mocking.

Jason rolled his eyes. “We picked you up from that club, didn’t

we?”

Sunny Day

They did at that. He gave them another measuring glance. “And

that’s not a problem?”

Murray shrugged. “I’m not thrilled. I’m also the one who

suggested you. You do your job well, I don’t care who you fuck. No
one else will.”

There was one other way to resolve the matter. “What stops you

from trying to kill me once you have what you want?”

“A smart question.” Murray appeared strangely satisfied. “Answer

is, nothing. But I’d like to point out that our previous alpha held the
position for more than twenty years, and he retired.”

Rhys had to think about it. It didn’t speak well of Murray, or his

pack, that they were actively looking for someone to get rid of their
alpha. Then again, everything they said might be true, and the fact
that Murray brought an omega with him to talk with Rhys was telling.
They were serious about this and had a backing of, if not all, then
most of the pack.

“Which pack is this?” he asked point-blank.
Murray gave him a long look. “I can’t tell you that. If my alpha

finds out, I’m dead. You are free to refuse us, of course, but in any
case, you can’t tell anyone about this.”

Rhys pursed his lips. He had enough information to at least start

digging. If he wanted to, that is. He hesitated before answering.

“I can’t make a decision right now.”
Not two hours earlier, he was ready to give up his dream of

leading his own pack. Now he wasn’t so sure.

“Of course.” This time it was Jason who answered. “We can give

you some time.”

“Fair enough. Where can I find you?” Rhys turned toward Murray.
“I’ll be here for one week. That enough for you?” Receiving a nod

from Rhys, he continued. “Then I’ll look for you later.”

Rhys couldn’t resist saying, “We meet at the same place?”

Finding Alpha

He had half hoped to ruffle Murray’s feathers. The other man

didn’t take the bait. “It’s better if your pack doesn’t notice there is a
change in your routine.”

Rhys considered it then nodded. “You really want that guy dead?”
Murray took a deep breath. “You have no idea,” he muttered, the

bitterness in his voice surprising Rhys. Whoever Murray’s alpha was,
Murray hated the guy.

“You have got a deal,” he said. Murray nodded sharply. His gaze

fell behind Rhys’s shoulder. His eyes widened. “Jason, don’t!” He
stepped toward him, raising his hand. Rhys started to turn. It was too
late.

Murray’s reaction was all the warning Rhys got before pain

exploded in his skull and his world went black. He collapsed onto the
pavement.

* * * *

There were voices coming from his house, and his front door was

unlocked. Don paused a little, holding the useless keys in his hand.
Carefully, he closed the door. He lived alone. Him being the pack
healer, anyone could’ve come into his house, but the voices, Don
determined, sounded like they were arguing. With the situation in the
pack being what it was, he couldn’t be sure this wasn’t some new,
dangerous Zane trick. Don tensed. He truly hoped Zane wouldn’t be
so stupid as to harm him. Aside from everything else, healers being
extremely rare, Silver Moon would never stand for him being hurt,
and he was capable of healing himself. Taking a deep breath, he
continued toward the living room.

“I can’t believe you did that!” an exasperated voice said. Don’s

shoulders sagged in relief. He didn’t realize how worried he was
before. Well, no need to call the police, since the police were already
there. But what was his cousin doing in his house when he should be

Sunny Day

out of town, looking for an alpha strong enough to depose Zane? They
weren’t supposed to be back yet.

“Well, someone had to,” Jason answered in a reasonable tone.

Don snorted. Jason was an omega, but his power had an unusual
quirk. He was able to find wolves’ mates. Being an omega, he was
reasonably spoiled. Being an omega with that kind of power, he was
even more spoiled. Wolves mated for life, and it was very important
for them to find their mates.

Murray let out a long-suffering sigh. “And what am I supposed to

tell him when he wakes up?”

Who’s he? Don wondered.
“Why would you have to tell him anything?”
“Don’t you think he will want to know what happened?”
Don’s curiosity was piqued. He idly wondered what mess Jason

managed to land himself this time. He cautiously poked his head into
the room.

Jason folded his arms over his chest and stared at Murray. “I

rather think he will have other things on his mind,” he said.

Don decided it was as good a time as any to come in. “I see you’re

back and at it already,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

They swiveled their heads to face him. “Don.” Murray sounded

sick. Wonder why’s that? Don thought absently, shrugging out of his
jacket. He threw his keys onto the small coffee table. Neither of them
looked hurt, though Murray was a little green. More than a little. “So,
what happ—”

His vision suddenly became black and white. His canines

elongated so fast he bit into his lip. What the heck? “Aw,” he said,
raising his hand to touch it. He frowned when it came away smeared
with blood.

“Jason,” Murray warned, “move away from him.”
Don frowned at his cousin. “I’m not going to hurt him,” he said.

He’d no idea why his wolf decided to put in an appearance. Don,
partially thanks to his unique power, usually had much better control

Finding Alpha

over himself. He idly wondered what happened now. He could feel his
wolf quivering inside him, adrenaline spilling in his blood.

Muttering something under his breath, Jason crossed the room to

where Murray was standing. Since he’d been standing between Don
and the couch, it was the first time Don noticed an unconscious body
sprawled on the couch. Curious, Don stepped closer and leaned over
him. The man was wearing a shirt and jeans, both molded to his body,
revealing a muscular, albeit slim, form. He slid an appreciative gaze
over denim-covered legs. He would have sworn he was taller than the
man, but those legs seemed to go forever. Dark hair spilled over his
shoulder and chest, high cheekbones testifying of his Native
American ancestry. Long lashes fanned his cheeks, and his lips were
sinfully full. The man was too beautiful for words.

Careful, Don, alpha wolf. Not going to appreciate being called

pretty, he reminded himself, putting one hand on warm skin. Even
with the man out cold, it was easy to notice his strength. An alpha. A
really strong alpha. He let his power flow over the man. He sense
informed him of various cuts and bruises, nothing too serious. He
must have been in a fight recently. He frowned when he sensed slight
instability in blood. He probed deeper, leaning even closer. He
sniffed.

Don felt like someone just punched him in the gut. The smell was

intoxicating. It went through his nostrils to wrap his brain in a dim
haze, then cut the breath in his lungs, landed in his belly, and pulled
on his cock, tugging unmercifully until it became too big for his
pants. He took one step back, lost his balance, and landed on the floor.

“Shit!”
Not bothering to get up, he stared at the man on his couch. His

gaze traveled to Murray and Jason, who were watching him.

“That’s my mate,” he said stupidly.
Murray sighed, stepping closer to him to haul him up on his feet.

“Yes.”

Sunny Day

Don cut an annoyed glance at Jason. He immediately raised his

arms. “Hey, I’d nothing to do with this. Murray was the one who
found him.”

“He is right this time.”
Murray, knowing his house well, disappeared into the kitchen then

returned with a glass full of whiskey.

“Drink. I’ve a feeling you will need it.”
He couldn’t argue with that. Don accepted it, took a long swallow.

“Where did you find him?” he asked. The dots in his mind connected.
Cold spread through his chest. “He is the alpha wolf you went looking
for.”

Murray nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was yours.”
Don took another sip of his drink. “That’s what you didn’t want to

tell,” he said. “Back when you first told Gray about him. He prefers
men. Is that it?”

Murray shrugged. “Yes.”
Not for the first time, Don wished his cousin would pull his head

out of his ass. “I see.”

Don switched his gaze to Rhys—that’s what Murray had said his

name was, if he remembered correctly. Now that his eyes were back
to normal, he noticed more about his mate. For instance, the hair was
dark, jet-black. Figures. He always had a penchant for black-haired
men. And those improbable lips were red. Damn, he would bet it felt
wonderful to have those lips suck on his nipple, or on his cock, which
took the opportunity to wholeheartedly agree with the image his brain
conjured.

He had to shift to ease the sudden pressure on his cock. Jason

grinned. “I take it I don’t have to ask if you like him.”

“Shut up, Jay.” Don pushed his glass into Murray’s hands and

went to sit beside his mate. He carefully lifted him, depositing him
into his lap. He brushed dark strands off his face, gently cupping his
head. Rhys whimpered when Don’s fingers slid over the bump on his
head.

Finding Alpha

“Shh, it’s all right,” Don whispered, sending his power through his

palm. Rhys shifted uneasily, turning until his nose was buried in
Don’s palm. He was gorgeous. Don frowned, glancing at his friends.

“Why is he unconscious?”

Sunny Day

Chapter 3

“I can’t believe you did that!”
His head hurt like hell. And some idiots argued right above said

head, which didn’t help the way he felt at all.

“You were supposed to talk to him, not to kidnap him,” the male

voice continued, obviously annoyed.

“He isn’t hurt, Don. You saw it for yourself,” a familiar voice

answered. Murray? He tried to think. No, it was the other one, Jason.
“I wouldn’t damage him.”

“That’s not the point. You shouldn’t have hurt him at all. How did

Murray let you do this?”

There was a long-suffering sigh.
“He didn’t. And he cursed at me, too. But Rhys wasn’t willing to

go with us right away. There was no guarantee that his pack would’ve
let him live. What should we have done? You know he would have
come here sooner or later.”

I would? Rhys asked silently. He tried to open his eyes and failed.

He smelled an unfamiliar room, and wolves, which should have upset
him, especially considering the last events. His body refused to budge,
strangely relaxed. Rhys decided to wait.

“Come on, Don, you aren’t mad at me because he is here.” The

voice was now openly placating.

“I suppose I am not,” grudgingly admitted a male voice. “Still,

you didn’t have to hit him!” The voice started to rise. It was a nice
voice, and he liked it, but now it was unpleasantly loud. Rhys
shuddered. The pain in his head was getting worse.

Finding Alpha

“Never mind it! Just shut up!” Rhys demanded. Startled silence

followed his outburst. Rhys forced himself to sit upright then decided
it wasn’t one of the brightest ideas of his life, since his head was
about to split up. Someone’s hands gripped his shoulders, gently
supporting him. That helped. He pressed his temples in a vain attempt
to stop the pain.

“Christ, my head hurts,” he complained to no one in particular.

“Here, let me,” a voice said next to him, and warm hands slid up his
neck. Rhys shivered, leaning unconsciously into the touch. The pain
subdued, leaving instead only a faint ache. Dark eyes, filled with
concern, stared into his. “Better?” the man asked, his fingertips still
pressing the base of Rhys’s skull. He nodded, pulling back a little. He
frowned at the other man. He blurted out the first thing that came to
his mind. “You are big.” He had to have at least couple inches on
Rhys. He didn’t feel like a threat, but the body pressed to his was hard
and muscular. “Who are you?”

He could see confusion in the man’s gaze. Finally he said, “I’m

Don. Pack healer.”

Healer? That would explain why he felt better. “That’s

convenient.” He tried to move, only to have Don’s arms grip his
shoulders, pushing him back on the couch. “I would rather you stayed
where you are.”

“I’m fine,” Rhys objected. “But that really hurt.”
He glanced at the two other occupants of the room. He was

surprised to catch Don giving Jason a poisonous glance. “It’s no
wonder. Jason hit you pretty hard.”

Murray elbowed him not so subtly. “Ow!” Jason rubbed his side

and glared at him. “I suppose I should apologize.”

Rhys chuckled. “Not really.”
He grinned at their confused looks. “Come on. I went somewhere

with two unfamiliar werewolves, at least one of whom was strong
enough to present a problem. I was asking for it. Truth be told, I was
even expecting something like that,” he admitted. He shrugged self-

Sunny Day

deprecatingly. “I just didn’t think Jason would do it. I thought it
would be Murray.”

“Why would Murray hit you? He had no reason,” Don objected, a

quarrelsome quality in his voice.

“He means,” Murray said in a long-suffering voice, “that I’m

stronger than Jason.”

“Yeah, that will teach me to make assumptions,” Rhys commented

dryly. Very carefully, he tried to stand up. He saw Don frown, but the
other man helped steady him without comment.

“Thanks,” Rhys said, pulling back until Don’s hands fell from his

waist. Rhys missed his touch immediately. Don must have been using
his power on him. Being a healer, it was no wonder his touch felt so
good. He wobbled to the long window at the one side of the room and
carefully pulled the curtains aside. He saw nothing, as it was too dark
for him to recognize his surroundings. Still, coupled with the
unfamiliar room, and Don’s presence, he could guess he wasn’t on
Little Ridge–pack territory anymore.

“Where am I?”
He saw Murray and Don exchange looks. “Blue Lake pack,”

Murray said finally. Rhys furrowed his brows. He tried to remember
what he knew of Blue Lake. Big pack, bigger than usual—and they
did have a healer. They were very rare. He hadn’t as yet met one.

He leaned back on the windowsill. “How much time do I have

before your alpha barges inside and demands to know what I’m doing
here?” he asked in a bland voice.

There was a short pregnant pause.
“He doesn’t know you are here,” Murray said. He hadn’t moved

from his position, and Jason was staying next to him. He appeared
cautious, but otherwise there were no warning signs.

“No?”
Rhys was strong, very strong. If he showed up on other pack

territory, their alpha would have naturally felt challenged. Especially
if he showed up without an invite.

Finding Alpha

“No,” Murray said, “we wouldn’t do that.” He glanced at Jason.
Jason shrugged and said, “Everything aside, we want you to beat

Zane. You are not healed enough for that. He is very strong and very
smart. It won’t be easy.”

“I’m recovering very well,” Rhys said snappishly, even as the

rational part of his brain acknowledged the truth of their words.

“There is still bloodrun in your blood,” Don said suddenly. “And

you were almost killed in that fight.”

For some reason he acted like that was a personal insult. Deciding

to leave this subject for later, Rhys crossed his arms over his chest.
“So what happens now?” he asked in a challenging tone.

As if on cue, Murray’s cell beeped. He reached for it. “I have to

go. Jason is going with me. As for you, I’m guessing you are tired.
How about we talk in the morning? You will feel better, if nothing
else.”

Rhys shrugged. “Fine with me.” It was a reasonable plan. He was

tired, and despite what Don did, he was feeling the effects of many
drinks he’d had before Murray showed up. Added to that, he still
wasn’t completely healed.

“Good, then. Don will show you where to sleep.”

* * * *

Since his mate was sleeping in his bed, Don got the couch. Come

morning, he was pissed off and horny. It wasn’t that the couch wasn’t
comfortable. It was very comfortable, but just the thought of his mate
sleeping upstairs in his bed, alone, was enough to plague Don with
erotic dreams the whole night. He woke up in sweat, and achingly
hard. He cursed before tossing the blankets aside and getting up.
Grumbling, he went to shower, hoping to ease some tension. The cold
water cooled his body off somewhat. Sighing in relief, Don leaned
back on the tiled wall and eyed his still-erect cock. Reaching down to
cup it, he gave it one experimental stroke. He hissed through his teeth.

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His mind, uninvited, conjured the image of Rhys, black hair falling
down his shoulders, and muscles taut under his shirt. He swallowed
and sped up his strokes. He imagined those lips traveling down his
neck and collarbone, his breath mixing with the water spilling from
the showerhead, his hand resting on Don’s cock. Don groaned and
spread his legs more. He would have loved to have Rhys there, his
lithe body pressed against Don’s. He would bet his mate tasted
intoxicating. His fingers curled around his shaft, and he spilled over
the wet tiles, calling out Rhys’s name. His heartbeat thundering in his
ears, he had to lean on the wall to keep himself upright.

After cleaning himself off he stepped out of the shower and

snatched a towel. Once he’d dressed he went down to find Murray
already in his kitchen, helping himself to coffee.

He growled at him. Murray raised an eyebrow. “I see there is no

need to ask how you spent the night.”

Don growled again. He snatched a cup and started to prepare his

coffee.

“I’m sorry,” Rhys’s voice said from the doorway, startling Don

into almost dropping his cup. He swung his head to see Rhys coming
into the kitchen. He smiled apologetically at Don. “I didn’t think of it
before, but I kicked you out of bed, didn’t I?”

Mesmerized, Don just stared at him. The top of Rhys’s head

barely reached Don’s shoulder. He was still wearing the shirt and
jeans from last night, and those looked like they were painted on him.
His muscles shifted as he came to stand next to Don and reached for
coffee. His hip bumped Don’s, desire slithering up Don’s body.
Despite having jacked off in the bathroom, Don felt his cock twitch
and caught Murray’s sardonic stare. He glared at his cousin.

“No need to worry,” Murray said to Rhys. “He is just not a

morning person. I’ve known him for years and can tell you he hates
getting up early. Must be some special occasion since he is up and
about,” he finished with a smirk.

Finding Alpha

Don glared daggers at his cousin, promising painful retribution.

“What are you doing here, then?” he asked.

“I came for the coffee,” Murray answered innocently. Don

snorted, grimacing as he took a sip of his coffee. He yelped and
jumped, spitting into the sink. “Jesus! What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Murray said dryly. “You put pepper into it.”
“I did not!”
Rhys plucked the cup from his hands, his fingers brushing Don’s

and causing him to swallow heavily. He brought it to his lips, and Don
had to look away. His mouth went dry.

Rhys took an experimental sip. He tossed the remains into the

sink. “Yeah, you did.” Rhys was obviously amused.

“See, what did I tell you? He isn’t a morning person,” Murray

concluded. Shaking his head, Rhys went about preparing another cup.

“Black?” he asked.
“No. Sugar.”
Shrugging, Rhys slid it over the counter. “I need to make a phone

call,” he said. “That all right?”

Murray frowned at him. “You can’t tell anyone where you are.”
Rhys smiled, showing his teeth. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Giving his cousin a warning glare, Don found his cell phone and

tossed it at Rhys. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Rhys disappeared into his living room. Don’s gaze was

glued to his ass. He turned to his cousin.

“Remind me, why is he in my home?” he hissed at Murray.
“Because this is the best place to hide him,” Murray answered

reasonably. “And you are the one person he won’t hurt even if he
decides to escape.” He frowned. “What’s your problem, anyway? You
want him to stay with someone else?”

“No!” Don balked at the thought. He scowled. “I just find it hard

to keep my hands off him.”

“Why would you keep your hands off him? He is your mate.”
“He doesn’t know that.”

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That surprised Murray. He deposited his cup on the counter and

leaned toward Don. “Why not? He should have noticed by now.”

Don ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He’d wondered

about that himself. Usually it didn’t take long for pack members to
recognize their mates, and he and Rhys were alone for at least half an
hour after Murray and Jason had left. Added to that, Rhys had woken
up practically in his lap, and Don had barely resisted refusing to let
him stand up.

“Well, he didn’t.”
“That’s almost impossible. He slept in your room. He’d have to

have noticed.”

Murray sounded suspicious.
Don gulped coffee, grateful for its invigorating effect. “I know.

The best I can guess is he still too full of bloodrun. It must be messing
with his senses.”

Murray took a moment to absorb it. “Ouch,” he said, looking

sympathetically at his cousin.

Don grumbled something under his breath. He had just settled on

the chair, taking another sip of thankfully strong coffee, when Murray
suddenly grinned. “This is going to be interesting.”

“What?”
Murray was clearly enjoying himself. He gave Don an intent stare.

“You top, right?”

Don frowned. For the life of him he couldn’t understand why

Murray now chose to talk about his sex life. Being the way he was,
usually he avoided even mention of the fact that Don preferred men.
“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Um, alpha wolf, if you didn’t notice? I don’t think they are really

fond of bottoming.”

What? Stupefied, Don stared at him. He’d totally forgotten that.

He’d never bottomed, not that he had any objection to doing it for his
mate, but he’d assumed he would have a chance to top Rhys. A shiver

Finding Alpha

went through him as he remembered the way Rhys filled his jeans,
leaving nothing to imagination. He shifted.

“You know what, Murray? You’re spending too much time with

Jason,” Don said to his cousin.

* * * *

Rhys flipped the phone open and dialed the number from memory.

Ned picked up on the first ring.

“Silver Moon,” he said into the phone.
“It’s me,” Rhys said, glancing at the door. He was reasonably sure

neither Don nor Murray could hear him. He went to the window,
pulled the curtains while leaning to the side to make sure no one saw
him. That was the last thing he wanted, to have someone find out
about him before he knew how to react.

“Hello, Rhys.” Ned didn’t sound surprised to hear from him.
“I need information.”
“What kind of information?”
Rhys had worked for Silver Moon, but Ned was their member, an

Upholder. They policed packs and generally were very dangerous.
Ned was no exception. He wasn’t really good in a fight, but he had a
mind like a steel trap. He had been the one to warn Rhys about
returning to Ridge. He didn’t get it then. Now he realized Ned had
judged his pack members better than he. It was partially why he was
now calling him. Ned was his best bet for having pertinent
information about the situation he’d found himself in.

“The Blue Lake pack,” he said in answer.
There was a pause. He heard creaking of the chair as Ned must

have leaned back. “Interesting you should ask,” he mused aloud.

Chills went through his body.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The subject came up lately in Silver Moon,” Ned answered.

“There were hints of trouble there lately.”

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“What kind of trouble?”
“We’ve nothing specific, not at this time.” That was Ned’s official

tone.

“But you know something is wrong.”
“We like to keep an eye on big packs. The Blue Lake pack

numbers about 130 people. Most packs have only 40 to 60.”

Rhys whistled, impressed. “That’s a lot of people.”
“Added to that, there is also a healer among their number.”
Ned meant Don. Rhys leaned on the wall and put a hand on his

still-aching hip. He couldn’t deny that he had felt better last night
while the other man’s hands were on him. Added to that, he didn’t
regard him as a danger. On the contrary, Don’s presence seemed to
soothe him, calm him down. He shook his head to concentrate on
what Ned was telling him.

“I know they are rare.”
“They are,” Ned confessed. “They are usually very carefully

guarded. The previous alpha of the Blue Lake, Gray, allowed anyone
to come and ask for treatment.”

“Without Silver Moon pushing it?” It was an interesting bit of

information.

“Without Silver Moon pushing for it,” Ned confirmed. “He isn’t

stupid, Gray. Do you have any idea of the connections he forged that
way?”

Rhys hummed in approval. “I would guess it also helped with

Don’s safety.” The words slipped from his tongue without thinking.
For some reason, he was loath to think of the possibility of the other
man getting hurt.

“It has. There were a couple of kidnapping attempts when he was

a teenager and had just come into his power. With him accessible to
everyone, there was no need to try and get him out of the Blue Lake
territory.” Ned paused. “Have you met him?”

Finding Alpha

Rhys winced, realizing he had mentioned Don’s name. Ned had

obviously picked up on that. “What else do you know about Blue
Lake?” he said, trying to change the subject.

“There is a long-standing treaty with a neighboring pack,” Ned

said.

“What’s unusual about that? Most packs try to have a good

relationship with neighboring packs.”

Ned laughed, clearly amused.
“Uh, Rhys, they don’t. They always try to assimilate the other or

to make them an ally to defeat some other pack. Silver Moon has to
lean heavily on them to make everyone behave.”

“Your point?”
“The Black Paw aren’t wolves. They are coyotes.”
Rhys blinked in surprise. “You gotta be kidding me.”
Wolves disliked any other shifters. They especially disliked

coyotes.

“I don’t. You realize now why Blue Lake is very important to us.

We are trying to reach to other shifters. Blue Lake and Black Paw are
proof that we can play nicely with each other. We simply can’t allow
trouble in Blue Lake.”

“You didn’t say what kind of trouble there is?”
“I didn’t,” Ned acknowledged. “And we don’t know. There are

some murmurs since their new alpha, Zane, took position.”

“It’s hard to please everyone.” He knew that firsthand.
“Blue Lake’s previous alpha, Gray, held the position for more than

twenty years.”

“So why hasn’t Silver Moon done something?”
“We have no proof of anything,” Ned told him openly. “Which, of

course, doesn’t mean that something isn’t wrong. At this point, we
would rather they sort it out themselves before we are forced to step
in.”

Rhys made a noncommittal noise. It was the same thing Murray

told him. Looked like the Blue Lake wolves didn’t lie to him.

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“Besides,” Ned continued, oblivious to Rhys’s reaction, “it’s not

like we don’t have enough work without meddling into packs’ inner
things. There are rumors of poisoning in an alpha challenge.”

Rhys almost dropped the phone then cursed himself for being

taken by surprise. He’d forgotten who he was talking to.

“That’s one of our oldest laws,” he said carefully. He may not

belong to Little Ridge pack anymore, but he didn’t want them in
trouble. Besides, he was sure that Dean hadn’t known about the
poison.

“It’s not the first time it has been broken.” There was an

underlying steel in Ned’s voice.

Rhys sighed, started pacing in front of the window. “All right,” he

said, “it’s true. And how did you find out?”

“Are you okay?”
Again, Rhys glanced at the door. “Mostly,” he confessed.
“Good.” Ned appeared satisfied with that.
“Alpha didn’t know, Ned. I swear it.”
“If you are sure—”
“I am.”
“And?” Ned insisted.
Since he owed him, Rhys huffed indignantly and said, “And it was

bloodrun. You should start from the pack doctor.”

“Very well,” Ned agreed. “I probably shouldn’t ask, and I won’t

be mad if you don’t answer. Where are you?”

Ned must have noticed the unfamiliar number. It wasn’t

impossible that he knew Rhys wasn’t on the Little Ridge–pack
territory anymore. Coupled with questions about Blue Lake, he must
have drawn some conclusions.

“I’m not telling. Thanks for the information.”
“Take care, Rhys.”
Rhys grinned despite everything. “Me? You are the one who

usually lands in trouble.” Being very good in a fight, Rhys had been
assigned by Silver Moon to protect their members when they ventured

Finding Alpha

out of pack lands, which, despite Silver Moon influence, sometimes
meant danger. Most of the Upholders knew how to hold their own in a
fight. Ned was totally clueless.

“I’m an Upholder. It’s my job,” Ned answered, sounding miffed.
“With you, it’s more than a job. It’s a talent.”

* * * *

Once Rhys disconnected, Ned snapped his phone closed. He

drummed his fingers against the polished surface of his desk. “Well
now,” he said aloud, “that was an interesting conversation.”

Ever since the word had gotten to Silver Moon that Rhys had lost

the fight, they were fully expecting him to come back. Then the
rumors of the poisoning reached their ears. Donovan had called Little
Ridge pack immediately, mostly to warn them that Silver Moon won’t
allow something to happen to Rhys. They didn’t have good enough
reason to do more. Of course, the situation had now changed, with
Rhys telling them about bloodrun. That certainly warranted their
attention.

And where was Rhys, anyway?
Ned frowned then picked up his cell. If he wasn’t mistaken, that

number was somewhat familiar. He found the number among received
calls on the phone then typed it into his open laptop. It only took a
minute for his computer to return the information.

“Huh,” Ned said, studying the screen. He really shouldn’t have

been surprised. The number was listed in their pack archive as
belonging to Blue Lake pack member and healer, Don Thomas.

“Just as I expected,” he murmured. He stood up. He needed to

inform his boss about this.

Silver Moon pack had been established some two centuries ago,

when it had become clear that if they wanted to hide successfully
from humans, shifters needed to be more organized. It wasn’t always
as influential as now. Donovan had joined it ten years ago,

Sunny Day

reorganized it, and made it a force to be reckoned with in a
remarkably short time. Ned had a healthy dose of respect for his
leader. A healthy dose of respect that was more often than not mixed
with fear.

He stood up, heading toward Donovan’s office. From the outside,

the building looked like any other housing a middle-size corporation.
There was one marked difference. The whole staff consisted of
shifters, and the security rivaled a much bigger business.

Bran, another Upholder, paused as they met in the hallway.
“Ned.”
“Bran. You are back.”
“Just now. Something wrong? You looked uneasy just now.”
“I was thinking about our boss.”
Bran looked startled, then laughed. “That would’ve done it. You

going to see him, then?”

Ned shrugged. “I just picked up some interesting information. I

think he’ll appreciate being kept in the loop.”

“Interesting?” Bran’s tone made it a question. The Upholders were

largely independent, answering only to Donovan.

“You know the type. Neither good nor bad.”
“What you mean is, could be either one. Those end up being the

most trouble,” Bran agreed. “Wish you luck with it.”

“Thanks.”
Ned reached Donovan’s door. The office was the same as any of

the other pack members’. He knocked but entered without waiting for
an answer.

Donovan wasn’t alone. Max and Chad, two other Upholders, were

with him.

“I still don’t think we should—” Chad stopped in mid-sentence

and swung his head to look at Ned. Deliberately, Ned closed the door
behind him. Donovan raised one arrogant brow at him.

“Just a minute, Chad.” Donovan raised his hand. “What is it,

Ned?”

Finding Alpha

Ned leaned on the door and gave them all a measuring look.
“You want good news or the bad news?”
Max rolled his eyes. He was one of Donovan’s most-trusted

deputies. “It’s always that way. Start with bad ones.”

“You know the rumors about the poisoning in an alpha

challenge?”

Max straightened. Donovan’s voice sharpened. “Yes?”
“I just got confirmation.”
“Damn,” Chad said in a soft tone. “That’s the last thing we need.”
Max heaved a sigh. “I hoped that one would prove to be untrue.”

He glanced at Donovan. “After all, it is one of our oldest laws. I don’t
think it has been broken many times in the past.”

“Only because it’s very hard to poison a werewolf,” Donovan

reminded them. He switched his gaze to Ned. “Do you know what
they used?”

“Bloodrun.”
That caused all three to look sharply at him. “Bloodrun?” Max

grimaced.

“It would get the job done.”
“It would. Is the challenger dead, then?” Donovan didn’t blink.

Ned wasn’t fooled in the least. Donovan knew this was about Rhys.
He’d personally called Little Ridge to remind them it was in their best
interest to leave Rhys alive. While he would insist someone do it even
if it was about someone else, he wouldn’t have gotten involved
personally. After all, he wasn’t alpha of Silver Moon pack for nothing.

“No. Still alive.”
“It isn’t easy to find bloodrun. How did they get a hold of it?”

Chad wondered aloud.

“Rhys said the pack doctor was involved.”
“Pack do—” Max cut himself off. “Crap,” he said ruefully.
Ned nodded.

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“I wondered, when we heard Rhys lost the fight,” Donovan

admitted. “He is one of the most dominant wolves I’ve ever met. The
poison would certainly explain it.”

“Either way, I can’t say I’m disappointed he didn’t get the job.

Little Ridge is a very small pack. He would be totally wasted as its
alpha. He is much better than that,” Max said thoughtfully. At the
quelling glance from Donovan he said, “What? It’s the truth.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Donovan reminded them. “We can’t

allow this to pass unpunished. If it happened once, and we let it go, it
will more than likely happen again.”

“True,” Chad acknowledged. “Not to mention that we need to get

rid of that supply of bloodrun.”

“Bran has just come back,” Ned informed them.
“Bran? You don’t want to go? You are the one who got the

information.”

Ned shrugged, refusing to flinch under Donovan’s sharp stare. “I

visited the pack once with Rhys. It’s better if I’m not the one to go.”

“Bran is good choice.”
“But not Bran alone,” Chad cautioned. “They already harmed one

of our members.”

“Bran can choose his escort.” Donovan waved his hand. He

looked at the papers in front of him. “Can you get him for me?”

Ned nodded and reached for the doorknob.
“Ned? What was the good news?”
He wondered whether his boss would remember. He curved his

lips into a smile. “Good news? Rhys is on the Blue Lake territory.”

Finding Alpha

Chapter 4

It was pure, unadulterated hell. Don groaned and buried his head

into his arms, laid down on his desk. What had he ever done to
deserve this? His mate was under his roof, his intoxicating scent
everywhere, making Don long to bend him over the closest piece of
furniture and plunge his cock into that delectable ass. Except he
couldn’t, not yet anyway, since Rhys was still totally oblivious of
their mating. Don growled. His mood was getting blacker and his
balls bluer. He remembered what happened earlier that day.

“Geez,” Jason had said after Don had raged at him for no

apparent reason when they met that morning at a small coffee shop in
town center. “Nervous much, are you?” He seemed amused more than
anything else.

Don stopped in mid-sentence, realizing he was bitching at Jason.

Jason of all people. He was horrified. “God, I’m sorry,” he said,
slumping back in his chair. “I didn’t mean to—” His voice trailed off.
Jason patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. He pushed one of his
muffins toward Don’s still-full mug. “It’s all right. I understand.”

Don gritted his teeth. “It’s not all right, and I have no excuse.”

His appetite long gone, he pushed away from the table. “I’ll see you
later,” he mumbled, refusing to look at Jason.

He had returned to his house after that, but he was much too

coward to meet Rhys, so he had escaped into his office and promptly
started to sulk.

His head snapped up when he heard the knob turning. He’d locked

the door, so no one could come in.

There was a pause, then, “Don? Are you in there?”

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Rhys! Don swallowed. “Yes?” he ventured.
“Do you have time? I want to talk to you.”
What was he supposed to say to that? He closed his eyes even as

his belly tightened in anticipation. He stared at the door like it was a
gate to his own personal hell. “Just a minute,” he heard his own voice
say, and to his relief it sounded normal. How he managed to do that
was unclear. He got up and unlocked the door. He’d meant to step
back but instead froze as he saw his mate. “Hi,” Rhys said, leaning on
the doorframe. His shoulder brushed Don’s arm. He was wearing a
tee, which left his neck bare. Staring at the enticing hollow at the base
of his throat, Don licked his lips unconsciously. He resisted the urge
to wrap his arm around Rhys’s shoulder and pull him close enough so
he could taste his skin. He must have zoned out, because Rhys
frowned at him. “Don? Are you all right?”

“What? Yes. Why do you ask?”
Rhys frowned but shrugged. “You looked distracted.”
If Rhys only knew. He was distracted, all right. Don snorted. “I

was thinking. Never mind me.” He took one last deep breath of
Rhys’s scent before stepping away from his mate. “What did you
want to talk about?” he asked.

Rhys looked unsure. If Don wasn’t watching him, he would have

missed it, a brief flash of something in Rhys’s face. But he detached
himself from the doorframe and went immediately to Don’s desk. He
hopped up on it, reaching nervously for the baseball ball Don kept on
his desk.

He is nervous, Don realized. Whatever Rhys wanted, he didn’t

make this decision easily. He started to close the door, then changed
his mind and left it open, choosing instead to lean on the wall. He
crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Rhys. He noted that
Rhys relaxed imperceptibly. And if you can notice that, you are
spending too much time staring at him. He was surprised Rhys hadn’t
noticed.

Finding Alpha

“I want you to check on me,” Rhys answered, raising one shoulder

defensively.

“Huh.” Don stared at him speculatively. Barring the fast scanning

with his senses he had done when Rhys first came to his house, while
he was still unconscious, Rhys’d avoided touching him. He knew that
Murray, being, as always, brutally honest, had said to the young alpha
that with Don helping, he would heal faster. Rhys’s answer had been
“That’s good to know.” It had annoyed Murray. Don hadn’t pressured
the point, noticing Rhys was skittish and unwilling to allow anyone
into his personal space.

“You sure about that?”
Rhys let out a nervous laugh. “No. I’m sorry. It’s not you. But the

pack doctor from my previous pack was the one to poison me.”

“No offense taken. Actually, most werewolves are uneasy around

healers. More serious their condition, their reaction is worse.”

Rhys absorbed that. “I thought they went to you willingly.”
“They do. There is a difference in them knowing it here”—he

pointed at his head—“and here.” He laid his palm over his chest. He
noticed Rhys’s gaze pausing there, but he quickly looked away.

“They don’t like being vulnerable in front of another shifter,” Don

explained. “It helps that I’m not dominant.”

“I’m—I’ll let you restrain me,” Rhys offered. Don blinked. He

had occasionally to restrain his patients. Actually there was a set of
silver handcuffs in his desk for just that purpose. His body tightened
at the thought of Rhys in handcuffs, completely at his mercy. He
imagined tasting that lithe body all over while Rhys begged and
writhed, unable to do anything more because of the handcuffs pinning
him to the bed. Desire coiled around his spine, and it was hard to
breathe. He shook his head to clear it.

“That won’t be necessary.”
Rhys frowned at him. “You are very trusting. I don’t want to hurt

you, which is not to say I won’t.”

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“I’ll be careful,” Don promised, moving toward Rhys. There was

a reason he wasn’t worried. No matter how out of control Rhys ended
up being, he wasn’t going to hurt his mate. He may not have
recognized him on a conscious level, but judging from the way he’d
leaned into Don that first evening, his body knew Don.

Rhys swallowed nervously, giving Don a wary look. “What do

you need me to do?”

Don leaned on the edge of his desk. “Take off your shirt,” he

suggested.

Rhys shrugged out of his clothes, letting them drop on the floor.

He shifted uneasily on the desk when Don made to approach.

“Relax,” he said soothingly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” Rhys’s breath warmed his bicep. Don stood patiently,

letting Rhys calm down. He put his hand on Rhys’s arm, felt the
muscles clench and unclench. Rhys expelled a long breath. Don
curled his fingers around Rhys’s arm, letting his senses flow over
Rhys’s skin.

“That’s hot,” Rhys murmured.
“Is it unpleasant?” Don inquired.
Rhys shook his head. “No, just—unexpected.”
Once he was sure Rhys’d relaxed a little, Don touched his

shoulder and bare chest. “Very nice,” he said, fingers brushing over
Rhys’s flat belly. Startled, Rhys looked up at him. Don grinned.
“Don’t mind me. You work out, don’t you?” He had moved closer
until his other arm was resting on Rhys’s shoulder and he was
standing between Rhys’s legs. His knees were brushing Don’s hip. He
had to swallow at the jolt of excitement his suggestive pose caused.

“I’m an alpha wolf.”
“True,” Don acknowledged. Inside him, anger started replacing

arousal. Rhys’s skin was covered with scars and bruises. Considering
the time that’d passed since the fight, he should have healed already.
Don poured his own power into Rhys, speeding the process. He

Finding Alpha

growled when poison, still present in Rhys’s blood, resisted his
attempts. Rhys’s head shot up. “What do you—”

“Sorry,” Don said. He forced himself to calm down. He felt his

lips curve into a smile. If he was going to do this, he might as well
enjoy it.

“I need to do something a little different.”
Rhys’s brows creased. “How different?”
“I promise it won’t hurt. Just don’t panic.”
“Why? What are you going to do?”
Without answering, Don pulled back, gripping both Rhys’s wrists.

He bent his head and licked the long line along Rhys’s chest, narrowly
avoiding a nipple.

Rhys sucked in breath and tried to pull back. Don chuckled.

“Relax. I’m just going to check how much bloodrun is left in your
blood.”

He repeated the movement, closing his eyes as Rhys’s taste

exploded on his tongue. Normally he would have used his fangs to
pierce the skin on a finger to taste his patient’s blood. He wasn’t doing
so with Rhys. There was a deep cut that went from Rhys’s chest
almost to his hip. It started bellow his nipple and was still only half-
healed. The wound had to be pretty deep to leave such a mark. Don
was taking full advantage of it. He licked it again, his tongue grazing
the tight bud. Rhys shifted uneasily, and Don tasted his arousal. His
nipple peaked and hardened, drawing Don toward it again. He grinned
against Rhys’s skin. So he likes this, does he? He stored the
information for future use. He swirled his tongue lazily. His own dick
twitched and hardened. He heard Rhys take a deep breath and resisted
raising his head to lay a demanding kiss on Rhys’s full lips. That was
enough.

He pulled back, shaken. He was surprised by the voracity of his

own desire. He caught Rhys staring at him. He licked his lips
deliberately. His vision had gone monochromatic, and his fangs were

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pressing against his lips. Since that wasn’t unusual for a shifter tasting
another shifter’s blood, he knew Rhys wasn’t going to be alarmed.

Rhys blinked at him then laughed, bending to retrieve his shirt

from the floor. Don was sorry to see all that glorious skin covered.
Shaking his head, Rhys said, “Man, that was weird. I can’t believe
you did that. If someone walked in that door, there would be hell to
explain.”

Don barely suppressed a snort. More than likely it would be either

Jason or Murray, and both of them would conclude he was finally
getting down and dirty with his mate. Don’t I wish.

He dragged his mind to the matter on hand. “You seem to be

healing nicely.”

Rhys frowned. “Why so slow? I have been in a fight before, and it

never took me so long to heal.”

“That’s right, you worked for Silver Moon. The answer is,

because of bloodrun. Without it, you would be back to your old self
already.” Don shook his head. “That stuff is dangerous. It astounds me
that anyone would give it to someone preparing for a fight. You are
lucky you aren’t dead.”

His blood ran cold at the mere thought.
“I know,” Rhys said shortly. Dark eyes were glittering when he

looked up at Don.

“Can you do something to fix it?”
“I could, but I don’t want to mess with bloodrun,” Don confessed.

“However, I do have something that will help you heal faster.”

He reached for a small chest with drawers that sat in one corner of

the office. He usually relied on his power when healing, but there
were other things he could, and did, use. He crouched as he looked
the shelves over. Now where did I put it? Aha. Triumphantly, he
reached inside to grab a jar filled with a faintly green substance. He
stood and turned to face Rhys again.

Finding Alpha

“This is an herbal concoction, and applying it should—” He cut

himself off. Shit. It was a gel. He was going to have to put his hands
all over Rhys to apply it. Talk about torture.

* * * *

When Don’s words trailed off, Rhys glanced up at him

questioningly. “What is it?” he asked. Don shook his head. “Nothing.
Never mind me,” he said with a sheepish smile. Rhys tensed when
Don crossed back to the desk, his hip brushing Rhys’s knee. Rhys
tensed despite his resolve not to. He trusted Don. “What now?” he
asked, wincing at the harsh tone of his words. Don didn’t seem
offended, though. He opened the jar and reached inside, taking out a
glob of something green.

Rhys leaned in to sniff his hand. He heard Don inhale loudly and

hurried to apologize.

“Sorry. I was just—”
He shrugged when he realized he didn’t have a good excuse. “It

smells nice,” he offered. And, he added to himself, it doesn’t smell
like anything dangerous. God, Rhys, get a grip. Not everyone is out to
get you out of the way.

He didn’t make the decision to come to Don’s lightly. It was a

calculated risk, trusting the members of Blue Lake. But in the end, he
knew he didn’t have a choice. Murray had assured him their alpha
didn’t know he was on pack territory, and what’s more, that he didn’t
know of their plan. That was all well and good, but Rhys’s back was
prickling. He was, for all intents and purposes, stranded on an
unfamiliar pack’s territory. Added to that, he was hurt and unable to
defend himself. It wasn’t a position he relished finding himself in.
With everything he had gleaned of Zane from both Blue Lake
members and Ned, Rhys was sure the other man would attack first
and ask questions later. It was what Rhys’d do in his position. He was

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a sitting duck right now, and he had to do everything possible to tip
the odds in his favor.

Rhys frowned, recalling that Murray hadn’t planned on bringing

him with them initially. Why did Jason decide to risk kidnapping him?
Murray seemed to have been as surprised as he was. What happened
during their conversation that made them take action? He had agreed
to consider their proposal, so taking him somewhere against his will
didn’t work in their favor. Added to that, they couldn’t have known
how he was going to react. Rhys never had much of a temper,
preferring to take a good look at a situation before acting. That was
unusual in alphas, and was, at least partially, what made him a
dangerous enemy. Of course, that might have been a test, since Blue
Lake already had one uncontrollable alpha. Still, why risk the omega?
Rhys shook his head. It didn’t matter now, as he was here. He was
going to do the best he could in the present circumstances.

“Okay?” Don asked softly. He was still standing next to him,

waiting patiently. He had been patient with him, Rhys admitted to
himself, and the whole experience went easier than he expected.
Maybe it was something about Don. He felt safe in the other man’s
presence. He gave Don an easy smile. “All right.” He reached for his
shirt again. “Looks like I put it back too early,” he joked. He heard
Don mutter something. He didn’t sound satisfied. “What was that?”
he asked as he bundled the shirt into his lap.

“Nothing,” Don answered. “Here, let me—”
He’d expected it to be cold and sticky. It wasn’t. Don’s touch was

easy and reassuring, and Rhys felt himself relaxing even more. Faint
tingles raced over his skin, numbing the pain from yet-unhealed cuts.

Rhys felt his eyelids drop. “You are good at this,” he said. Don

hummed something in answer. His palm grazed Rhys’s shoulder then
moved down to his front and sides. He was now using both hands,
shifting so he could stand in front of Rhys. The gel smelled fresh and
herbal, and it complemented Don’s scent nicely. He leaned forward
unconsciously, letting his head rest on Don’s chest. He heard Don’s

Finding Alpha

heartbeat sped up and jerked, pulling back. “Sorry,” he said, and his
voice came out husky.

Don obediently stepped back. Rhys realized Don had used his

distraction to smear his back with gel, too. Shit. How long was I out of
it?

“Lose the sweats,” Don said, reaching for the jar again.
“What?”
Blue eyes looked down at him. He would swear the other man

looked amused. “Shy? We are shifters. We don’t have a problem with
nudity.”

Rhys just stared at him. He had half expected Don to have a

problem with it. After all, Murray and Jason both knew about him.
Then again, the man was pack and a healer. “Sure.” He slid off the
desk and reached for the drawstring on his sweats. He had to grip the
desk moments later to ensure he stayed upright. Don grabbed him.

“Easy. The gel acts fast, and you’ll be ready for a nap.”
He pushed Rhys back toward the desk. Before he could protest, he

was lifted and deposited on it again.

“Hey!” he objected.
“What now?”
“Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Pick me up,” Rhys grumbled. His size was a sore point with him.

He didn’t like being reminded of it.

“You are not heavy.”
Rhys closed his eyes in exasperation. “Regardless,” he grumbled.
Don laughed. “It’s because I’m taller than you? Poor baby.”
Rhys gritted his teeth. He wasn’t going to react to the ridiculous

nickname. He wasn’t.

“Aw, don’t be upset. I know you are stronger than me.”
Rhys opened his eyes to glare at him. And immediately regretted

it, as Don chose that moment to kneel down. His gut clenched at the

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sight of Don’s dark head so close to his groin. Desire stirred low in his
belly, and his cock started to harden.

What the fuck? His cheeks heated in mortification. He couldn’t

believe he was getting aroused. He checked himself again. Only half-
hard. With luck, Don wouldn’t notice it. Don’s palms slid over his
calves, and Rhys shivered. He was sure the simple touch shouldn’t
feel so erotic. He couldn’t help himself. A low heat simmered in his
groin. He tried to will his body under control, but the pull from the
medicine was too strong, and he could feel his mind blanking out
even as his need intensified. This is not happening.

I can’t be hard and half-asleep, can I?
“Don’t resist it,” Don warned.
Mhm-hm. He felt Don pick up his hand and put it on his shoulder.

Rhys sucked his breath when Don returned his hands to his legs.

Heat spread through his body, warming him inside. Good to know

everything is in working order. He hadn’t had even an inkling of
sexual need after the fight. It was damn inconvenient to have his
interest return now, with this man.

“We’re done,” Don announced. His voice sounded strangled. Rhys

tried to force himself to think. Did that mean he noticed?

Don stood up, grabbing his discarded clothing. “Here, let me help

you.”

He quickly pulled Rhys’s sweats up. Rhys slid bonelessly from the

desk when Don tugged at him, leaning heavily onto the other man. He
hissed as Don brushed his hard cock. He pried his eyes open to look at
him. “Sorry about that,” he offered.

“Trust me, I know you are out of it,” Don ground out through his

teeth.

“I’m—not going to make a move on you.” Rhys tried to reassure

him. He wouldn’t blame Don if he was completely freaked out.

“Why not?”
His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He was dizzy, and

that must be why Don sounded—annoyed.

Finding Alpha

“You are pack,” Rhys explained, unable to shut himself up. “I

don’t sleep—I only sleep with humans.”

He heard Don sigh as he steered him out in the hallway, toward

the bedroom. “I really don’t want to hear about your previous
relationships.”

He was dumped unceremoniously onto the bed and snuggled into

the comforter. “Wasn’t—going to.”

The blanket was tossed over him. Rhys pulled it closer with a

satisfied sigh.

“Why do you sleep only with humans, Rhys?”
“They don’t know I’m alpha.”
“Why does that matter?”
Fingers threaded gently through his hair, rubbing his scalp. He

must be dreaming, since he was sure Don wouldn’t do that.

“I don’t top,” Rhys answered and sank into blissful oblivion.

* * * *

“Well, well. Look who we have here,” Jason drawled. Don

huddled over his drink. He wasn’t in the mood for company.

“Go away.”
He heard Jason snort, then the scraping of the chair. Don sighed,

realizing he wasn’t going to shake him off that easily. He looked over
at his friend, then behind him. The club was more than half-full, a
low, upbeat music filling the air, mixing with the happy chatter of
people inside. They were here to have a good time. He was here to get
himself back under control. He gritted his teeth as he realized he still
had a ragging hard-on, and it was more than three hours since he had
left Rhys tucked in his bed.

He was sure the other man didn’t mean to say what he did. But he

had said it, and now Don was left to deal with the consequences. The
consequences being a slew of erotic images filling his mind, his
whole body tensing with need.

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Jason sniffed delicately at the air. A wide grin broke on his face.

“Have some problems?”

“Jason, what part of ‘go away’ didn’t you understand?”
“I can’t do that. I’m an omega. I want to help you,” Jason said

with a straight face.

“You are just nosy.”
Don signaled for another drink.
“That, too,” Jason agreed. “Why aren’t you at home where your

mate could take care of your little problem?”

The waitress put another glass in front of him. Don grabbed it like

it was a lifeline.

“Bring me a beer, sweetheart,” Jason said, winking at her. Don

rolled his eyes as his friend leaned back into his chair and started
flirting with her.

“You have to rub my nose into it, do you? That you can get laid,

while I can’t?” he demanded as soon as she left.

“No,” Jason answered mildly. “But I’ll admit it is entertaining.

You are a grouch this evening.”

Don cradled the glass between his hands.
“I had to put numb jelly on Rhys.”
Jason blinked. “That woulda done it.”
“Let’s just say it wasn’t amusing and leave it at that.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” The waitress put a beer can in front of

Jason. He patted her hip. “Thanks, darling.” As she left, he continued,
“I mean, I can see that you—” He stopped abruptly, and his tone was
different when he said, “What’s he doing here?”

Glancing up, Don followed his gaze. The crowd wavered, parted

to let a big, black-haired man pass through.

The pack alpha, Zane.
He was a handsome man, with broad shoulders and black hair. He

and his twin, Paul, looked much alike. Outwardly, at least. While Paul
was quiet and withdrawn, avoiding mingling with the pack, Zane was
loud, boisterous, and usually surrounded with hangers-on. There was

Finding Alpha

no denying his strength or the commanding presence he exuded, but
there was a cruel twist to his lips.

“Alpha,” Don said, acknowledging his presence. Without waiting

to be invited, Zane sat at their table. Don noticed Jason stiffening.

“Jason, Don.” Zane helped himself to Jason’s beer. Don gave his

friend a warning glare. Zane was fond of such gestures, belittling and
insulting others without seemingly meaning to.

“I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I come here sometimes.” Don refused to be rattled. His senses

were on alert.

“Your cousin isn’t with you?” Zane questioned.
Murray? What does he want with Murray?
“No.”
“Haven’t seen him for a while,” Zane continued amiably. “I was

looking for him.”

Don shrugged. “I assume he is busy.”
Zane smiled unpleasantly. “He shouldn’t be too busy to answer his

alpha’s call.”

“I’m sure that wasn’t his intention,” Jason said. If Murray was

actually defying Zane, then he was in trouble. He wasn’t a match for
the other man, and Zane would no doubt enjoy hurting him, just to
show the rest of the pack how he dealt with disobedience.

Zane glanced at him, took a swig of his—Jason’s beer. “Oh, I

know he is avoiding me. He is still pissed over Sam.”

Sam, one of Zane’s betas and sycophants. Don curled his lip. He

didn’t have a high opinion of Sam. He would be surprised if anyone in
the pack did.

“You shouldn’t have forced Murray to clear Sam of the charges.

You knew he wasn’t going to like it,” Jason said.

“I didn’t have a choice, did I?” Zane answered, like he was

amused with Jason’s reaction. “Sam is my beta.”

“We know.”

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“Now, if there was someone else to take his place…” Zane let his

words trail off. “I might not have been so insistent.”

Nonplussed, Don stared at him.
“Well, tell Murray I’m looking for him. When you see him.” Zane

stood. “Have a nice evening.” He disappeared into the throng of
people. Don stared after him, a sick feeling starting to develop in his
gut.

“Did he mean he wanted Murray as his beta?” Jason asked in a

hushed tone.

“I think so.” That seemed to be what Zane was hinting at, if Don

was reading him correctly. That was bad.

“Murray will never agree. Zane would destroy him, completely

compromise him on his job,” Jason objected.

“I know.” Don had a sick feeling Zane knew, too. He either didn’t

care, or it was exactly what he wanted. If Murray resisted too openly,
Zane could force him. Neither of those options was good.

Jason stared at Zane with undisguised revulsion. “Rhys has to kill

him.”

Don sighed, picking up his glass and pressing it across his

forehead. “I know that, too.”

God, why did it have to happen that way? He didn’t want to risk

his mate.

Jason put his hand on Don’s arm. “Don’t worry. Elders wouldn’t

have chosen Rhys if he wasn’t able to win the fight.”

Truth be told, Don didn’t care so much about Rhys winning the

fight. He just wanted Rhys to survive it. And he was going to do his
best to make it happen.

Finding Alpha

Chapter 5

He heard the door opening and closing. Rhys twisted on the sofa

to see who it was. He couldn’t explain the strange sense of relief that
washed over him as he realized Don was back. Earlier than expected.
Rhys had spent most of the afternoon sleeping, but he was feeling
decidedly better when he got up. His mood plummeted once he had
gone down to meet Don on his way out. The other man was
distracted, obviously in a hurry, and barely spared a glance at him. It
left Rhys feeling oddly dissatisfied. Why, he couldn’t say. But he
knew that as the minutes ticked by he had become more and more
agitated. He couldn’t sleep, so he ended up in front of the TV, one ear
pricked while he tried resolutely not to think about where Don was.

He was a grown man, Rhys argued with himself. And he was

certainly not in any obligation to stay home and keep Rhys company.
Christ, when had he become such a baby?

Growling, Rhys settled back and tried to focus on the screen. He

realized he had knocked one of the cushions down and reached to
pick it up.

“Let me.” Rhys froze as Don’s breath teased his shoulder as Don,

approaching him from the hallway, bent down to retrieve the wayward
cushion. He swallowed, suddenly unnerved. His muscles tensed. He
pulled back carefully. Don smiled at him, dark-blue eyes looking at
him with his customary calm.

“You are awake,” he said, cocking his head to look at Rhys.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Rhys muttered, pretending not to look at him.

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“You watch soaps?” Don asked, sounding genuinely curious, and

Rhys winced as he realized that was what was on the screen. He
snorted in disgust and reached for the remote.

Don didn’t call him on it, though. When Rhys dared to look at

him, he caught the other man watching him intently. He felt himself
flush. He didn’t remember everything that happened during the exam
Don gave him, but he remembered enough to figure why Don may be
uncomfortable around him.

“Move over,” Don said abruptly and, before Rhys had time to

react, plopped down next to him. Surprised, Rhys tried to scoot away.
Don’s thigh brushed his, and his scent, mixed with the scent of beer
and something else, reached Rhys. The wolf inside him stirred.
Unconsciously he leaned forward to sniff at Don’s neck. He growled.

“Hey.” Don put a hand on his back. Startled, Rhys realized he was

halfway in the other man’s lap. “Take it easy.”

“You smell of someone else,” Rhys said. He let his head lean on

the other man’s shoulder.

“Pack alpha. He dropped by to talk.” Don rubbed his back

soothingly. “He doesn’t know about you, not yet, so you can relax.”

That wasn’t why he was upset, was it? Frowning, Rhys tried to get

a hang on his feelings. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was
acting—proprietary? Was that why he was annoyed upon coming
down the stairs and seeing Don dressed in what were so obviously
Get Laid clothes? He went to some club, Rhys was sure of it.

What was his problem?
“Spoiled your night?” he blurted before he could stop himself.
Don frowned. “My night?”
Rhys shrugged, jerked his head to indicate Don’s clothes. “You

look hot. Figured you were going out to hook up with someone, didn’t
expect you to come back until morning.”

Don appeared puzzled. “Hook up with? God, no. That was not my

intention.”

Finding Alpha

“Hey, it’s not a problem. I can play scarce. I mean I have no

intention of cramping your style.”

“I went out for a drink. That’s all.”
Rhys resisted pointing out that he could have drunk in the house.
“Whatever,” he muttered and, realizing he was still leaning on

Don, started to pull away. Don caught his shoulder.

“What?” Rhys asked defensively.
Don grinned at him. “I’m hot?” he repeated, his eyes on Rhys.
Rhys closed his eyes in mortification. He couldn’t believe he had

actually said that. Way to go, Rhys.

“Well, you are,” he said, figuring there was no point in denying it.

“That wasn’t a come-on,” he added, raising his head to look at Don.
He needed to make that clear. Don was still grinning at him.

“It wasn’t?”
“No. I was just—”
Don leaned in to press his mouth against his. Heat splashed over

Rhys, his body moving automatically to fit the other man’s bigger
frame. Don was still holding him. Now his arms closed around Rhys’s
waist, bringing him flush with his body, his mouth hot and demanding
on Rhys. He heard himself moan—a needy, drawn-out sound he had
trouble recognizing as his own. His belly tightened while Don’s
tongue roamed in his mouth. He whimpered as Don’s palm slid up his
side, cupping his neck to hold him in place while the kiss went on and
on.

“Yeah, that’s much better,” Don whispered against his lips. He

tugged at Rhys until he was straddling Don and pushed a hand under
the oversize sweatshirt Rhys was wearing. Rhys shuddered at the
touch, mouth locked on Don’s. He pressed against him, his fingers
curling into Don’s shoulder. Pleasure shot through him, making him
arch his back and moan helplessly. The movement exposed his neck,
and Don gleefully latched onto it, sucking to leave a mark on Rhys’s
exposed collarbone.

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Rhys shivered, tingles racing up his skin. His engorged dick

pressed against Don’s belly. Dazed, he leaned closer, enjoying the
touch.

Teeth scraped against his skin, a heady dose of fear mixing with

lust. Adrenaline streaked through him. Realizing what he was doing,
Rhys scrambled to get away. He rolled over to the other end of the
sofa and expelled a long breath. His body, high on want and need,
protested his movement. From the corner of his eye, he saw Don
reach for him. He shook his head, his long hair curtaining his face. He
swallowed as he struggled to bring himself under control. He was
already missing Don’s hand on himself.

“I need a moment,” he said, swallowing hard. His mouth was dry.
“Okay,” Don said in an even voice.
“I–I’m sorry about that,” he offered hesitantly, raising his head to

look at Don. Don frowned at him.

“How do you mean, you are sorr—” He abruptly stopped

speaking, and his eyes narrowed. “You don’t mean the kiss,” he said
in a flat voice. “You certainly enjoyed that.”

Rhys paused, wondering how to handle this. “That’s beside the

point.”

Rhys pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. “I can’t sleep with

you.”

“Why not?”
“Because you are pack!” Rhys snapped. He’d always avoided that

in the past. A fat lot of good it did him in the end.

He heard Don sigh, and some of the anger leaked out of him.

“Rhys,” he said, “everyone who knows you are here assumes you are
sleeping with me.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, Jason knows better, but
that’s about it.”

“Why would they think that?” Rhys asked sharply. He could feel

anger curling in his gut, chasing the last remnants of arousal. “I never
sleep with other shifters.”

Finding Alpha

Instead of answering, Don turned toward him, putting one leg in

front of him and bending it at the knee. He patted his thigh. “Come
here for a moment.”

Rhys gave him an incredulous look.
“Come here,” Don repeated, a hint of impatience in his voice.
Still staring at him suspiciously, Rhys carefully inched closer. Don

grabbed his arm and pulled. Rhys yelped as he landed on his back on
the couch. Pinning his arms next to his head, Don crawled over him,
nestling himself comfortably between Rhys’s legs. Rhys sucked in a
sharp breath. He wriggled, only to freeze as Don’s cock rubbed
suggestively against his thigh. He gulped, his eyes searching Don’s.
They were darkened with lust. His lips, swollen from the kiss, curled
in a teasing smile.

“Tell me, alpha—and we both know you are more dominant than

me—why didn’t you resist?”

Rhys opened his mouth to answer. Huh. He hadn’t actually

objected to Don manhandling him. With anyone else he would have
been at their throat before consciously thinking about that. But his
body seemed to have no objections to lying under Don. In fact, he was
pretty sure he enjoyed it. Don leaned in, his lips brushing Rhys’s ear.
“I love your hair,” he whispered. Then his tongue darted out to lick
Rhys’s neck. Rhys felt his pulse speeding up. Don growled in answer,
the vibration sending small jolts of pleasure through his body. He
bucked under Don, but instead of throwing him off, he rubbed against
him like a cat in heat. He gasped, unable to resist the quickly building
desire. Just like that, pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. “You are
my mate.”

“Very good,” Don purred in answer, his lips still busy on Rhys’s

neck.

“Why didn’t you—” He was cut off as Don’s mouth once again

captured his.

“For an alpha, you certainly talk too much,” Don murmured, then

pulled back, grinning when Rhys let out a moan of protest. He pulled

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his shirt over his head then went on to unsnap his jeans. Rhys rose on
his elbows, his gaze latching on Don’s wiry, muscular body. Standing
up so he could get rid of his jeans, Don glanced at him. “Roll over,”
he requested.

Rhys obeyed, twisting his head immediately to stare at Don over

his shoulder. He was too late, though, because Don immediately
settled behind and above him, tugging at his hip to bring him up on
his hands and knees.

Don pushed his sweatshirt up, and Rhys obediently shifted to

allow Don to take it off him. He shivered as cold air nipped at his
skin.

“Easy,” Don murmured. He put a hand on Rhys’s belly and nipped

at his shoulder. Just his touch was enough to put Rhys on fire. His
cock jumped. He resisted trying to push back.

Don reached between his legs to squeeze his swollen organ. Rhys

growled in frustration, the touch not nearly enough for what he
wanted.

Don laughed, his lips trailing over his shoulders and back, making

Rhys arch wantonly in his arms. Don used his hand to press him into
the couch. Rhys turned his head to look. His eyes narrowed as he
noticed Don ripping a small package of lube.

“I thought you said you didn’t go out to get laid,” he accused.
Don’s lips quirked. “I wasn’t.” He pulled Rhys’s sweats down.
“Why do you have lube in your jeans, then?” Rhys objected, even

as he spread his legs to allow Don to rub his fingers against his anus.
“And what makes you think I’m going to let you fuck me?” he added.

He got what was definitely an evil smile in return. “You assumed

position before remembering to bitch about that?”

He hissed as Don slid his fingers inside, twisting them sharply.

“You made me crazy,” Don whispered, leaning over him once again.
“You don’t know how much I wanted you to wrap those legs around
my waist, while I fucked your ass.”

Finding Alpha

Rhys’s fingers curled into the couch. He let out a low moan. “I

think—that’s enough,” he said, panting.

Don didn’t answer. He pulled his fingers out, though, and deftly

positioned himself.

Rhys gasped as he pushed in. He screwed his eyes shut, enjoying

the feel of Don’s cock stretching him inside. “That feels—great,” he
finally managed, pushing back to encourage his lover.

“Glad you agree,” Don answered darkly. He gripped Rhys’s hip

while his other hand pushed Rhys’s hair out of the way, pressing at
Rhys’s neck. He snapped his hips, breaking his rhythm and causing
Rhys to buckle under him. His cock, pressed between the couch and
his belly, was leaking and ready to shoot. His balls tightened. He
shivered, a heady rush of anticipation signaling orgasm.

Don slowed his pace, his hands gripping Rhys’s hips, holding him

in place. Rhys whimpered. He’d been about to come. “Bastard,” he
complained, trying to push back. Don, infuriatingly, pulled back.

“Oh, no,” he said in a warning tone, “you made me wait for

almost two weeks. We are not finishing that fast.”

Rhys panted, the throbbing in his groin increasing with every

second that passed. “That doesn’t count. I didn’t know.”

Don hummed, apparently satisfied with himself. “You want to

argue with a man who has his cock in your ass?” Rhys growled in
frustration, reaching down with his hand to tug on his cock. Don was
still inside him, wonderfully warm and full, his thick cock stretching
Rhys’s hole. He growled in frustration as he realized it wasn’t going
to be enough.

“I wouldn’t have if you would just fuck me!” He growled, arching

his back in a futile attempt to get Don moving.

Don leaned down to lick at his sweat-covered skin. His lips teased

Rhys’s earlobe. “Was that an order?”

Rhys twisted under him, turning his head until his lips brushed

Don’s. “Yes, yes, whatever will get you to just—” He gasped as Don
ground his hips against Rhys tantalizingly. He was already on the

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edge, and that small movement combined with the scent of his mate
was enough to bring him off. His muscles tensed, yet-unhealed
bruises protesting as his body clenched in orgasm. The pain was soon
drowned in pleasure. He panted, barely able to keep his eyes open.
Dimly, Rhys was aware of Don stiffening above him, and then his
forehead rested on Rhys’s shoulder. He was breathing harshly, warm
puffs of air causing his skin to tingle.

“Damn,” he said in a strained voice, “that was even better than I

imagined.”

It was nothing like he imagined, but he was not going to

complain. Squashed under his lover, Rhys smiled slowly. Maybe his
luck was starting to turn.

* * * *

Rhys woke up with a warm, muscular body spooned against his.

He paused for a moment, unused to waking up with anyone. None of
his previous lovers ever spent a night in his bed. Don had an arm
wrapped around his waist and was softly snoring in Rhys’s neck.
Rhys carefully tried to extricate himself. Without waking up, Don
tightened his arm around him, pushing him deeper into the bed,
settling himself on top of Rhys.

None too gently, Rhys elbowed him in the ribs.
“Ow,” Don said but refused to let go of him. “Go back to sleep.”
“I want to get up. Let go, and I’ll leave you to sleep.”
“Good idea,” Don agreed, snuggling into the pillows. He appeared

to have heard only the second part, since he was still holding Rhys.

Rhys sighed. He shifted, pushing Don away. He sat on the bed

then pushed the hair falling over his face.

“It’s early,” Don grumbled behind him. He cursed, startling Rhys.
“What is it?” He craned his neck to look at Don. The other man

was sitting in the middle of the bed, naked to the waist. He raised his
arm to point accusingly at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Rhys

Finding Alpha

remembered that hand holding his hip last night while Don was
fucking him. He shivered, tingles shooting up his body. He did his
best to ignore it.

“It’s too damn early to get up,” Don groused.
“It’s when I usually get up,” Rhys answered in a mild tone. “Go

back to sleep.”

Don humphed, standing up and letting the covers slip from his

hand. He bent to pick up his jeans, giving Rhys a good look at his ass.
He licked his lips unconsciously.

Don turned to catch him staring. He grinned, stopped with his

hand on his waistband, and braced himself on the nightstand. “See
something you like?” he asked, hooking his thumb into the belt loop
on his jeans. Rhys swallowed, his gaze sliding down muscular chest
and flat abs, then down strong thighs.

He hesitated then climbed over the bed to pull Don down for a

hungry kiss. Don yelped, a muffled sound of protest morphing into a
drawn moan of pleasure when he landed on the bed. When Rhys
released him, he was breathing fast, and his pupils were dilated.

“I like it,” he said, caressing Don’s forearm, “but not now, right?”
Don nodded, his eyes still glazed. Rhys snorted and left the bed.

“Come on,” he said, “you skated out of the dinner last night. The least
you could do is offer me breakfast.”

Rhys paused on the stairs to wait for Don. Still tucking his shirt in,

Don followed after him. A sound came from downstairs, causing Rhys
to tense. He put his hand in front of Don, stopping his progress. His
mate gave him an annoyed glance. “What?”

Rhys put a finger on his lips. “Someone is downstairs.”
He saw Don’s eyes imperceptibly widen. “Now?”
Rhys nodded, carefully going down the stairs. He paused once he

reached the last step.

A loud curse came from the kitchen. Rhys’s shoulders slumped in

relief. He glanced up to see Don rolling his eyes. He shouldered his

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way past Rhys. “You know,” he called to his cousin, “you might have
called to—Fuck!”

Rhys, whose gaze had slid to Don’s ass, started at the tone in his

voice. He looked up.

“No, let me do it,” Don insisted, tugging at Murray. The big

werewolf just sighed and allowed himself to be pushed down in the
chair. Rhys stopped to stare at him.

There were obvious bruises on Murray’s face, and his clothes

were torn. He was pale and swaying slightly, like he had problems
staying upright. Giving a sound of disgust, Don pressed his palms
against blood-dampened skin. “What did you do to yourself?” he
growled.

Glancing carefully at Murray to see if he was going to panic, Rhys

moved to lean on the counter behind Don.

Murray opened his eyes to look at Rhys. “Not me,” he said.
“Rhys? Can you help me?” Don asked, tugging irritably at

Murray’s shirt. Catching Murray’s imperceptible nod, Rhys moved
past him. The shirt was totally ruined, soaked with blood. Murray
hissed when Rhys pulled it. Rhys paused, looking at claw marks on
Murray’s skin. “That’s not wolf,” he said.

“You are good,” Murray answered through clenched teeth. “It’s

coyote.”

Don paused what he was doing to stare at him. “What? You must

be mistaken.”

Murray laughed harshly. “Trust me, I’m not.” He shivered. “You

can’t miss something like that jumping at you in the dark and doing
its best to rip you to pieces.”

“You sure about that?” Rhys asked, dumping the shirt into the

trash can and reaching into a drawer for clean dish towels. He wet
them in the sink and returned to Murray to start mopping up the
blood.

“It seems to me like it could have done much more damage if it

truly wanted you dead.”

Finding Alpha

“This is quite enough damage,” Don objected, still trying to stop

the bleeding.

“No, he is right,” Murray said thoughtfully. “It attacked me.” He

pursed his lips. “But maybe all it really wanted is for me to survive to
tell the story.”

“That it was a coyote,” Rhys offered, his mind racing. “Hmm.”
“It couldn’t have been a coyote.” Don finally pulled back and

went to wash his hands. “We have a treaty with Black Paw. It’s more
than ninety years old.”

“I know,” Murray hissed at him. “I know. I also know that it’s one

thing Zane wants broken.”

“He will never be able to force pack to do it,” Don said with

conviction.

“He will if one of their members attacked your packmate,” Rhys

reminded him.

Don rubbed his cheek. “Damn,” he said. “If you are sure it’s

coyote—”

“The claw marks match coyote,” Rhys said mildly. “Even if he

doesn’t say it, anyone who sees those marks could guess.”

“Can I borrow a shirt?” Murray asked his cousin. He looked

calmer now. Don blinked at him.

“Sure,” he said before disappearing upstairs.
“Your alpha wants war with the coyote pack?” Rhys questioned

him.

Murray sighed, a tired expression on his face. “Pretty much, yes.”
“He is nuts,” Rhys said. “That could destroy the pack.”
“Don’t you think I’m aware of that?” Murray snapped at him.
“Here,” Don said, returning with a shirt. Murray grimaced, pulling

it on. “Damn. Thanks.”

“He was looking for you,” Don said.
Both Don and Rhys looked at him.
“Zane,” Don explained. “Last night. Jason and I were at Blue

Point. He was there. Mentioned he was looking for you.”

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Murray pressed his lips together. “I know.”
“You know he was looking for you? You want to piss him off?”

Don’s voice rose with each word.

They glared at each other.
“Does he know someone from Black Paw?” Rhys asked to diffuse

the situation.

Don blinked at him in confusion. “We all know Black Paw, Rhys.

We share hunting grounds.”

Rhys raised his eyebrows at that. “Someone who wants war with

Blue Lake?”

“Someone as crazy as he, you mean,” Murray muttered. “The

answer to your question is, I don’t know. But he grew up in Black
Paw. He still has family there.” He screwed his face into an
expression of distaste. “He and his brother grew up there, which is
why we didn’t know he was missing a screw before he took the alpha
position.”

“He is half coyote?”
“His grandmother was wolf. The rest of his family are coyotes. I

can talk with Nash, check if some of them—” He stopped, seeing the
expression on Rhys’s face.

“What is it?”
“He could be able to shift into coyote.”
“He shifts into a wolf.”
“One doesn’t exclude the other.”
Don whistled. “Get out. Is that even possible?”
Rhys shrugged. During the time he worked with Silver Moon, he

met different shifters. “It’s rare. It’s not unheard of.”

“Well, fuck it,” Murray said with feeling. He reached to touch a

darkening bruise on his cheek and winced. “That’s all we needed.”

“Leave it,” Don ordered sharply. “Go upstairs and crash. I’ll call

your job to let them know you won’t be in.”

Murray just nodded. “Should call Marc and Gray, too.”
He disappeared up the stairs.

Finding Alpha

Rhys glanced at the mess left in the kitchen. “I’ll clean up. You

make the call,” he offered. Don bit his lip like he wanted to say
something else but just shook his head and left. Rhys did a quick job
of cleaning. He was just wiping down the counter when Don came
back. He went over to Rhys and wrapped both arms around his waist,
nuzzling his collarbone. Rhys leaned back into him, dropping his head
to Don’s shoulder. “What is it?” he asked, looking up at Don. “I can
feel you’re tense. If you are worried about Murray—”

“He will be all right,” Don interrupted, dark lashes hiding his

eyes.

“Then what is it?” Rhys turned in his arms until they were facing

each other.

“Murray went looking for you because the pack wanted you to

fight Zane.”

“That’s right.” Rhys frowned, thinking back to that night. He

chuckled. If he knew then what he knew now—“Jason knew I was
your mate, didn’t he? That’s why he knocked me out.” He laughed,
jabbing Don’s shoulder playfully. “God, you have dangerous friends.”

“You don’t have to do it.”
It took a moment for Don’s words to register. “Don’t have to do

what?” Rhys paused. He sobered abruptly. “You mean fight with
Zane.”

Don sighed, leaning close until his forehead rested against Rhys.

“I know that you are strong. But—we could leave, go live with Silver
Moon.”

“Is that truly what you want?”
“This is my pack, my family and friends.” Don bit his lip. “But I

don’t want to risk you.”

Rhys didn’t answer right away. He sighed, squeezing both Don’s

hands with his own. “Don’t worry about that,” he said. He had to raise
on his toes to leave a kiss on Don’s mouth.

“I can’t believe I have a mate who’s taller than me,” he grumbled.

He saw Don’s lips quirk. The next moment he was picked up and

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deposited on the counter. Don leaned in between his legs. “Better?” he
asked, his palm resting on Rhys’s thigh.

Rhys smothered a laugh. “Guess I can learn to live with that.”
He cupped Don’s neck for another kiss.

Finding Alpha

Chapter 6

“Hello there.” Rhys paused in the doorway to the kitchen to give

Murray an idle glance. Murray, who was in the middle of making
himself a sandwich, just glanced at him. He had obviously just come
from a patrol, since he was still in his uniform. “Rhys. Where is
Don?” He continued to butter a piece of bread.

“He got a call,” Rhys explained. “What’s that?”
“A turkey sandwich. Want some?”
“No, thanks.” Rhys watched as Murray took a big bite and closed

his eyes in bliss. “Oh yeah, that’s good,” he said, moaning around the
mouthful.

Still chewing, he started cleaning the counter.
“I can do that,” Rhys said, stepping over to pick up leftover food

and put it back in the refrigerator.

“Thanks. Don hates it when I leave everything out.”
“You sometimes do?”
“Well, yeah. Sometimes I get a call. I really don’t have time to

clean after myself.” Murray took another bite. He chewed
thoughtfully. “Don doesn’t mind that I come in for food. I eat a lot of
takeout, and he doesn’t think it’s healthy, so.”

“It’s not,” Rhys said in a flat tone.
Murray rolled his eyes. “It figures you would agree with him. It’s

not like I have a lot of time to cook.”

“I can believe that.”
“Jason is always threatening to find my mate just because of that.”

Sunny Day

“He figures your mate will know how to cook?” From what he’d

seen of Jason, he could imagine him saying something like that to
Murray. Murray snorted.

“He figures anyone will cook better than me.”
“Hm,” Rhys mumbled in answer. “Were those his exact words?”
Murray stopped eating to give him a suspicious glance. “Yes.

Why?”

“No reason.”
Rhys smothered a laugh. He was finding it quite telling that Jason

hadn’t used the words she or he, since he was pretty sure it would be a
he. He would love to be around when that happened. His mood
dimmed a little. He rubbed his forehead. Chances were, he would be.
That meant he would have to challenge and fight the Blue Lake alpha,
Zane. He had a feeling Don wasn’t going to be happy about his
decision.

Murray’s cell phone started ringing.
“Crap,” he said. “That’s the ringtone I use for pack members. See

who it is, will you?”

Rhys just shrugged and pulled the phone from Murray’s belt. “It’s

Don.”

“What did you say, where is he?”
“He didn’t say.” Rhys pushed the button. He opened his mouth to

ask his mate what this was about but stopped when an unfamiliar
voice said, “I knew you would answer when it’s your cousin calling.”

He saw Murray freeze. He dropped the sandwich and reached for

the phone. “What do you want, Zane? And where is Don?”

They both heard a laugh. “What do you think?”
Rhys felt uneasy. A sense of foreboding came over him. He

glanced at Murray to gauge his reaction. The other man was clearly
unhappy.

“If you wanted to talk to me, you could’ve called.”
“You wouldn’t answer,” Zane told him. He sounded amused. “But

now you will come.”

Finding Alpha

“Come where? What did you do?”
“Nothing yet. You want to make sure it stays that way, don’t

you?”

“You wouldn’t dare hurt Don. He is a pack healer. You can’t.”

Murray was practically growling by the time he’d finished.

“I’m your alpha. I can do everything I want.”
Murray gritted his teeth. “Fine. You’ve convinced me. Tell me

where to come.”

“You know where,” Zane said in a conversational tone. “You’ve

already had one meeting here. I’ll be waiting.” He disconnected.

Murray swore. Rhys was past swearing. Coldness was spreading

over his chest. His mate was in danger. He had to act quickly.

“What’s he mean?” he asked of Murray.
Murray ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know.”
“Think.”
“I’m trying, but if he’s got Don, it had to be in a place where there

won’t be witnesses, and Zane and I don’t socialize.”

Rhys looked up sharply at him. “The coyote.”
“Huh?” Murray appeared confused at first, but then his gaze

cleared. “Damn, you are right. That might be it.”

“Of course,” Rhys answered, dark satisfaction spilling over him.

“This time, I’m going in with you.”

* * * *

He should have known better. Honestly he should. But when he

had gotten that call, he’d just rushed in to help. It never occurred to
him that he might be in danger, even if the call was from one of
Zane’s betas. Stupid, stupid. At least he should have checked with
Murray, told him where he was going.

Sam and Corry had grabbed him and stuffed him in the back of

the truck. Don had resisted, not that it did him much help in the end.
He glared defiantly at Sam, who was leaning on the cabin of the truck,

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his nose still bleeding. Don must have broken it in their earlier scuffle.
Good.

Sam noticed him staring and growled warningly. Don returned his

stare fiercely. Upon arriving, he was tossed on the ground. Zane was
already there. He hadn’t turned a hair at Don’s appearance, just
requested his cell. Don had been reluctant to hand it over. Corry had
just snatched it up. Helpless, one arm cradling his ribs, he was forced
to listen as Zane made a call to Murray. He had a very bad feeling
about this.

Obviously satisfied, Zane threw his cell at him. “Here,” he said.

“Now we just have to wait.”

Don narrowed his eyes at him. Sam had landed a good kick to his

side earlier, and it still ached. Not as much as he wanted his captor to
think. So he stayed on his knees, arms wrapped around his torso
protectively. He licked at his bloodied lip.

“What exactly do you hope to accomplish?” he asked. His voice

was hoarse.

Zane gave him a cold smile. Don was once again struck by Zane’s

similarity to his twin brother. He hoped it stopped at physical
resemblance, though. One loony wolf in a pack was quite enough.

“Relax. I just want to talk to your cousin.”
“Then there was really no need”—Don indicated his injured side

and winced—“for this.”

“Oh, but there was. There definitely was.” There was dark

satisfaction in Zane’s voice.

“Just how do you think to get out of it? I’m a pack healer. You

aren’t allowed to hurt me. The pack won’t stand for it.”

“The pack is mine.”
“Silver Moon won’t stand for it.”
Sam snorted. “Silver Moon won’t have anything to do with this.”

His eyes glinted maliciously. “You should have let me tough him up
some more, boss. He is too damn chatty for his own good.”

“How’s that nose?” Don asked.

Finding Alpha

Sam’s eyes darkened. He took a step toward Don. “Why you…”
“Stop it.” Zane interrupted him. “I told you, not yet.”
“Not yet?” Don reminded himself to keep his calm. He needed to

get out of this alive. He had a mate. He wasn’t going to die. He wasn’t
going to let Rhys die, either. He idly wondered if this was what this
was about. Had Zane found out about their plan? His throat was
suddenly dry.

“Picked up on that, did you? Well, there is no reason why I can’t

tell you. After all, you play an important role in my plan.”

Don didn’t like the sound of that.
“I do?”
“Oh yes. You see, this is where both you and your cousin are

going to be attacked by coyotes and die. Like you said, you are a
healer. The reaction from the pack is going to be instantaneous.”

“You want a war with Black Paw.”
“Yes.”
“You are crazy.”
“No. They deserve what they are going to get. I’ll make sure they

are all dead.”

Something clicked in Don’s mind. He narrowed his eyes at Zane.

“You wanted this from the beginning, didn’t you? That’s why you
made pack alpha. So you could lead us into war. Do you have any
idea how many lives will be lost?”

“The sacrifices need to be made.”
Something occurred to Don. “Do those include your brother?”
For the first time there was a crack in Zane’s cold-and-unflappable

manner. He dug his fingers into Don’s shoulder, pain shooting down
his arm. “No one threatens my brother.”

“You can’t be sure he will stay alive.”
“I’ll make sure. They won’t take anyone else from me.”
Don shivered at the icy determination in Zane’s voice. He sounded

determined. No one else? Is this revenge?

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“Someone is coming,” Corry suddenly announced, and Zane

stepped away from Don. He breathed out in relief. His shoulder was
hurting, and his arm was going numb. He directed the tingles of
power that way. He shifted slightly, careful not to let anyone notice.
All three men seemed focused on the newcomer.

There was indeed a sound of a vehicle approaching. Several

heartbeats later, the noise died away. Don heard a car door being
slammed.

“I’m here,” Murray called. He sounded annoyed. Not good. Don

made a tiny sound to warn him of his presence.

“Don! Are you all right?”
“For now,” Zane said, once again negligently. “This is all your

fault, you know.”

Murray narrowed his eyes at him. “How’s that?”
“You should have talked last time. The attack of a pack member

by coyotes would have been enough to start a war with Black Paw.
But you kept quiet. You knew it was me, didn’t you? I waited for you
to report it, but you didn’t.”

“Someone mentioned it was a possibility,” Murray said flatly.
“Really? I guess I’ll have to kill that person, too. I can’t have

anyone spoiling my plans.” Zane glanced at Don, who was still
hunched on the ground. “Don healed you, didn’t he?”

“He did.”
“Shame. Then again, it worked out for the best. Killing the pack

healer will cause a huge outcry.”

Don bristled. Zane sounded positively cheerful at the prospect.
“You going to let him do that? He is crazy. You have to know

that,” he challenged Corry. Corry just shifted uneasily and glanced
away. Sam, the bastard, just laughed. “Don’t worry about us.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Murray warned.
“You would dare to challenge me? You know you have no chance

of defeating me.”

Finding Alpha

“I can,” a new voice said. Don closed his eyes as myriad feelings

made themselves known—relief at hearing his mate’s voice, fear that
they were all going to die. He opened them again to see Murray
retreating to let Rhys approach the alpha. Both Sam and Corry tensed.

Rhys didn’t look at Don. He focused all his attention to the rival

alpha. He must have been hiding in the truck. His lips curved into a
smile. “I would love to try.”

In a flash, both he and Zane changed. Two wolves, one black and

one dark gray, ran at each other, teeth snapping as they attacked.
Don’s breath hitched in his throat. He half rose. “Stay where you are,
Don!” Murray yelled. He and both Zane’s betas changed. Don’s eyes
narrowed as he realized that Sam was charging at the two alphas
fighting. Murray interceded, growling and throwing him to the dust.
Corry ran to help him. Murray twisted, but kept the two betas away
from the fighting pair.

Stay where you are? Not a chance. Don turned toward the alphas,

only to crumble as he realized why Murray had called a warning. Stay
where you are. If he interfered, he was risking distracting Rhys. He
couldn’t do that. His mate needed all his strength and attention to
fight off Zane. He was a ruthless fighter, and they were pretty evenly
matched. Murray was doing a pretty good job of holding off the two
betas. Theoretically, they weren’t allowed to interfere in an alphas’
fight, but Don didn’t doubt they would do it. His eyes fell to the pile
on the ground. Murray’s uniform. His cousin should have brought a
gun with him. He glanced again at Rhys and Zane, and his heart
lurched. Rhys was bleeding. Zane was limping. To get to the gun, he
would have to go past them. Could he risk that?

The dirt road stopped here, curving into a small clearing before

giving way to woods that were pack hunting ground. He glanced to
his left side and quickly calculated that there were enough trees that
he could hide while he went over to pick up the gun. He started
toward it, keeping an eye on the combatants. One of the betas
disentangled from Murray and ran toward the alphas. Rhys must have

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felt him coming, because he swiftly turned, forcing Zane to stand
between him and his beta. The wolf yelped and retreated from his
alpha. The dark gray wolf that was Murray immediately engaged him.

Don knelt by the pile and started rummaging through it. He knew

how to shoot. For some reason, his hands were shaking, and Murray’s
belt kept slipping through his damp fingers. Come on, come on. He
murmured at it in frustration. A keening wail interrupted his thought.
He looked up to see a dark wolf going limp on the ground, the wolf
above him darkened with its blood. He froze for a long moment. Then
the winning wolf raised his head. It yipped at him, and Don went
almost limp with relief. It was Rhys.

Grabbing a gun, he went to the other three wolves. “Stop it right

now, or I’ll shoot!” he yelled. He had no mercy toward either Sam or
Corry, but he didn’t want to fire a shot that Murray would have later
to account for. Besides, with the way they were tangled, he couldn’t
be sure he wouldn’t shoot Murray. He heard movement behind
himself, and a furry head bumped his thighs. He glanced down to see
that Rhys was standing behind him. His teeth were showing, and he
was growling. He double-checked. In his wolf form, Rhys was over
five feet long.

There was a pause before both Sam and Corry shifted. Murray

backed out before shifting, too.

“Stand up,” Don ordered. “Hands in the air. And no sudden

movements.”

“Do as he says,” Murray warned. He went over to his truck.
“Who the hell is he?” Sam growled, staring at Rhys with hateful

eyes.

“Your new alpha,” Don said coldly.
Sam laughed harshly. “You brought another wolf here? I don’t

think the pack will be happy about that.” He narrowed his eyes
calculatingly. “If you let us go, we won’t tell.”

Finding Alpha

“Pack knows,” Don answered. “And he is my mate.” He patted

the big wolf’s head. “So be very, very careful about what you are
going to do.”

* * * *

“Ow! Watch what you are doing!” Murray protested.
“It wouldn’t hurt if you would sit still.” Don didn’t sound worried.

Rhys, sitting on a couch in Don’s living room, glanced to where his
mate and Murray were. Don had dragged him to the kitchen, with the
explanation that it was easier to wash off the blood from the tiles.

“That’s strange. It didn’t hurt when Don healed me. I didn’t think

Murray was injured that badly,” Rhys said, craning his neck to have a
better look. Don had insisted on healing him, although his wounds
weren’t that serious. Rhys hadn’t objected. This time he would have
healed on his own, the poison finally flushed out of his body, but he
was basking in Don’s attention.

“He probably isn’t,” Gray explained, unperturbed. “Don is

probably annoyed at him, and that’s the way he shows it.”

Rhys looked at the old pack alpha. “You got rid of the body?”
“Yep.” Gray actually sounded smug. “No worries about that.”
Once they had Corry and Sam subdued, Murray had called in

reinforcements. Rhys was a little uneasy when four men showed up,
but they hadn’t commented on his presence, and Don had started
fussing over him.

Marc shook his head. “I still can’t believe Zane tried to kill Don.”
“I honestly think he was crazy,” Rhys said.
“I don’t think Silver Moon is going to ask too many questions

about his death,” Gray grumbled. “But that’s not going to be a real fun
interview.”

“I can handle it. What did you do with his betas?” Rhys watched

the other man carefully to see how he was going to handle this
question. Gray appeared unfazed. He shrugged.

Sunny Day

“The guys detained them. I don’t think they are much of a threat

right now.” Murray had seriously hurt at least one of them, and Don
had also flatly refused to help them, so at least for now they were
unlikely to try to escape.

“What happens now?” Rhys asked, eyeing him warily. Gray raised

one eyebrow.

“You are asking me? You are the alpha now.”
Rhys hesitated. “If you want to.” Gray was the pack’s previous

alpha, and he was obviously still respected by its members. He was
one of the four people who came after Murray called for help. He had
taken one look at the scene, checked to see Zane was dead, and then
started directing his men. The three others bundled Zane’s betas and
dead body into the truck and left. Gray had turned to Murray and said,
“Keys,” in a voice that brooked no argument. There was sense to that.
Both Rhys and Murray were hurt, and Don was going to be busy
healing them. He hadn’t seemed perturbed to see Rhys, but Rhys was
still wary. He waited uneasily until they were at Don’s house to talk to
the older man.

“You killed Zane,” Gray said, giving him a shrewd glance. Rhys

shook his head.

“I killed a wolf who threatened my mate. Anything else didn’t

matter.”

Rhys was being completely truthful. He had wanted to be alpha.

But if he had Don, he realized it didn’t matter.

“You mean that, don’t you?” Gray narrowed his eyes at him.
Rhys glanced toward the open doorway where Don and Murray

were still bickering. “Yes,” he said. “I do.”

Gray grunted in satisfaction. “I had a feeling you were going to

say that.”

* * * *

Finding Alpha

“So, now I get to sleep with the pack alpha,” Don said, reaching to

grab Rhys and pull him closer. Rhys laughed, allowing the other man
to wrap both arms around him, pulling him flush against his body. He
could feel Don’s growing erection digging into his ass. He ground
against it playfully, his heartbeat quickening.

“I can tell you are completely disgusted with the idea,” he said,

tilting his head to allow Don access to his neck. Don wrapped his
hand into Rhys’s hair, tugging on it gently to make Rhys move his
head the way he wanted. Their lips touched. Rhys swallowed back a
gasp, and he had a sinking feeling it had something to do with the
hand in his hair. That was a new kink but one he was happy to explore
with his mate.

“Hmm, yes. It’s not many who can say they had their alpha on his

knees.” His tongue swiped across Rhys’s collarbone, and his lips
traveled to Rhys’s sensitive earlobe. Rhys shivered, his blood heating.
Don’s tongue continued to torment him.

“I haven’t been,” he gasped, pushing back into the taller man, “on

my knees for you—yet.”

He felt Don go completely still. His dick grew impossibly hard

and hot, pushing into Rhys’s backside.

Rhys blinked, surprised by the intensity of Don’s reaction. He

could smell lust coming off him. He turned his head to look at Don.
His face was flushed, and his eyes had glazed over. His gaze locked
unerringly on Rhys’s mouth. He licked his lips.

Wow. Looked like he had stumbled onto Don’s favorite fantasy.

He gave him a slow smile. “Don? You have something to tell me?” he
asked in his best innocent voice.

“You can’t blame me,” Don said defensively. “You are the one

who has a mouth like a porn star.”

Rhys wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or not. He

decided to ignore it for now, as there were other, more urgent matters
demanding his attention. “Don? Do you want me to suck you or not?”

Don swallowed. “Yes.”

Sunny Day

“Then shut up and let go of me.”
Don did so. Rhys took a step before turning around to face him

and sinking to his knees. Don practically devoured him with his gaze
as he did so. Rhys reached to unbutton his jeans. Don hissed, stilling
his hands. “Careful,” he warned, “if you don’t want this to end before
it’s even begun.”

Rhys didn’t answer but was gentler as he pulled both Don’s jeans

and underwear down, releasing his cock. It jumped up happily,
flushed and already wet. Rhys hummed softly, blowing a breath on it.
“Rhys,” Don said in a strangled voice. Rhys reached with his hand to
cup Don’s balls. They were heavy and warm. He rolled them in his
palm, enjoying the tremor that went through Don as he did so.

“Rhys, please—” he whispered in a broken tone. He gripped

Rhys’s shoulder, fingers digging into Rhys’s muscles. The sight and
sound of him caused heat to pool low in his belly. He had to press the
heel of his hand against his own dick.

He leaned in and took Don into his mouth, tongue sliding over the

cum-coated tip. Don shuddered and pushed farther in. Rhys allowed
it, cheeks hollowing as he sucked. Don panted.

“Don’t—damn, that’s it—” he said. Rhys glanced up at him,

noticing the way Don was staring at him. He was holding himself
completely still. He reached with one hand to swipe a thumb across
the corner of Rhys’s mouth. Rhys sucked harder, a thrill going
through him. Don tasted familiar and exciting, and his own arousal
was growing. He unsnapped his own jeans, reaching with one hand to
palm his own cock. Don moved slowly, feeding him the whole length
of his dick then pulling even more slowly back. Rhys’s hand on his
own cock moved faster. He growled around Don’s cock. He heard
Don’s sharp intake of breath. He pulled off Don’s cock and looked at
him.

“Put your hand in my hair,” he said, rubbing his dick. He gave

Don’s wet organ a long lick, nostrils flaring as he took in his scent. “If
you want,” he added before swallowing him again.

Finding Alpha

That seemed to rip through the edges of Don’s fraying control. He

gasped and clutched at Rhys’s shoulder, even as he spilled in his
mouth. Rhys almost choked before starting to swallow. He sucked
Don through his orgasm, until Don became soft and pulled out. He
collapsed on his knees, still holding Rhys.

“That was—I mean—” His voice broke. He was panting. Rhys

buried his head in his shoulders, enjoying the way Don was loose and
relaxed and the fact that he was the one who caused it.

Don’s hand covered his on his dick.
“Want me to return the favor?” he whispered in Rhys’s ear.
“That’s one possibility.”
Rhys stiffened, pulling back from Don’s embrace. He frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

Rhys couldn’t suppress a growl of annoyance. “Someone is

downstairs.”

Whoever it was, their sense of timing sucked, and he planned on

telling them so. Don stared at him incredulously. “Now? Right now?”
He stood up, not without effort, and started righting his clothes.
Unwillingly, Rhys did the same.

“What are you complaining at?” he groused, getting up from the

floor.

“I was looking forward to a second round.”
“Can you get it up again so fast?” He had to reach down to adjust

himself.

“We could have tried it the other way.”
“What other way?”
“You on the top.”
Rhys’s hand stilled, his groin throbbing fiercely at the image those

words caused. “Fuck you. You are not helping,” he said through
gritted teeth. They had no idea who was downstairs, and he needed to
focus on that.

“Later,” Don answered before disappearing from the room. He

was giving Rhys time to collect himself. He took a deep breath before

Sunny Day

following him down the stairs. He paused once he reached the bottom.
Don was standing next to the door to his living room, leaning on the
wall, arms crossed over his chest. He looked unhappy.

“Jason and Murray are here,” he said, “but I don’t know the third

one.”

Warmed by his concern, Rhys stepped closer to leave a quick peck

on his lips. “Relax,” he whispered, “Jason and Murray wouldn’t have
brought a challenger here, at least not without warning me.”

Don relaxed immediately after hearing the words. That was a

distinct possibility, that some ambitious alpha would try to challenge
Rhys for his position. He was not from the pack and had gotten his
position the same way, so outsiders may assume he was vulnerable
that way. Rhys had no concern about that. The pack had accepted him.
He was Don’s mate, and as far as they were concerned, that was all
that mattered. They were grateful to him for getting rid of Zane, and
added to that, he had Gray’s irrevocable support.

“Could be someone looking for you,” he offered, mindful of

Don’s position as healer.

Don brushed his hand across Rhys’s shoulder, leaning down to

touch his forehead with his. “Their timing still sucks, though,” he
grumbled, apparently still miffed. Rhys opened his mouth to answer
but was stopped by Jason’s loud whisper. “Are you sure he is an
Upholder? He seems awfully cute for that.”

Don’s eyes narrowed. He turned abruptly and stormed into the

room. “Damn it, Murray, can’t you keep him quiet?”

Rhys followed, his gaze immediately searching the unfamiliar

man in the room. He noticed that Murray was tense, but that could be
only a reaction to having a visiting member of Silver Moon. Rhys
stilled completely as he recognized their guest. Donovan never would
have sent this particular Upholder if there was going to be trouble
from their side for Rhys’s new pack.

“That’s okay,” he drawled, “he has been called worse before.”

Ned grinned. “Nice to see you again.”

Finding Alpha

“You two know each other?” Murray asked suspiciously.
“Of course.” Rhys snorted. “When I worked for Silver Moon

security, Ned was my charge.” He strode to the other man to clasp his
hand and pull him into a friendly hug.

“Nice to see you, too, but between the two of us, I’d be even

gladder if you happened to come by, say, half an hour later.”

Ned choked on a laugh.
“I still think he is too pretty,” Jason said loudly. Murray cuffed

him over the head. “We’ll be going. Rhys, call me if you need me
later,” he said with a meaningful glance at Ned.

“He is an omega?” Ned asked curiously.
Don nodded, glaring daggers at Jason. “He is, but his power is

somewhat unusual. He can recognize mates.”

“He has no reason to be scared,” Jason groused as Murray was

dragging him outside. “He already knows who his mate is.”

From the corner of his eye, Rhys noticed Ned stiffening at that.

That was a surprise. His friend never mentioned being mated, and
shifters usually cherished their mates. He wondered what kind of
story was behind that.

“Sorry about that,” Don offered, still eyeing Ned somewhat

suspiciously. “Jason is, well—”

“Omega,” Ned finished dryly. “And you’re Rhys’s mate.” He was

giving Don an undisguised, curious stare.

“You are a big one,” he said gleefully. Don seemed taken aback.
“Yes?”
“What kind of temper tantrum did Rhys throw up when he

realized that?”

“Hey!” Rhys said in an outraged voice.
“You must know him well,” Don said, then seemed to catch

himself and narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

“Not that well,” Rhys said, guessing what was his mate’s problem,

and amused despite himself.

Sunny Day

Don visibly brightened. “Oh. In that case, can we have this

conversation so that we can go back to what we were doing before
being interrupted?”

Ned smirked. “Certainly.”
“Last time I checked, I was the alpha here,” Rhys said, narrowing

his eyes at his mate.

“You are my alpha, Rhys.”

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sunny Day’s main preoccupation in life is reading and writing

books, though she much prefers reading what someone else wrote.
She is thirty-something, single, and can usually be found attached to
her laptop. Her only form of exercise is bouncing up and down when
whatever story she is working on shapes well. She hopes readers will
enjoy this one.

Also by Sunny Day

Siren Classic ManLove: The Commander’s Kiss

Siren Classic ManLove: Hold Your Fire

Siren Classic ManLove: Raphael’s Mating

Ménage Amour: Knightly Bonds 1: Their Majesties’ Knight

Siren Classic ManLove: Recovery 1: Cowboy Needed

Ménage and More: Hot in Space

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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