Lycan Alpha Claim (#1): (BBW Shifter Romance) (Brief-Bites Novelette) (5 page)

“
Now let
me
be clear. I want to be
seen
—in a professional capacity, Doctor
Phisher.”

Terror smothers me. My lips part in
readiness for a scream, and my expression of neutrality slips.

His grip imperceptibly tightens.

I can't help the whimper of pain when my
already tender joints suffer from his hold.

“
Patty,” I murmur quietly,
desperately hoping she's followed protocol. No one who enters from
the back is considered friendly admittance.

She doesn't reply and I say the thing that I
haven't been trained for. I say the human thing, “Please, don't
hurt me.” My voice is low and calm. My heart pounds. I jerk my
wrist and he clamps down.

I moan at the pressure, sweat popping out on
my forehead, upper lip, my palms are slick with it. I look at my
hand. It's mottled from his vice-like grip.

A cruel smile fills his face like water
pouring into a cup.

Suddenly the door he came through slams
open, and the stranger walks through as the knob buries itself in
the wall.

I look at him, startled, and immediately
drown in the sea of his eyes. They're more blue than a summer
sky.

That gaze travels to where Jamie's hand
latches my wrist. The edges of those azure eyes tighten like a
wrench. “I've lost my way,” he says.

I blink stupidly. His voice captures me,
soothing the frayed edges of my nerves.

How did I know if he spoke it would be a
melody only I could hear?

Jamie jerks me closer and a small pain sound
escapes before I can stop it.

I don't catch what happens next, it's too
fast. He's soundless—the stranger's attack.

Patty screams.

It's the blood
, I think
numbly.

I'm covered in it. It smells like metallic
rain and I stumble back, the soreness of my wrist lost to what's in
front of me.

Jamie's nose is broken—not a little.
Shattered like a crimson pancake in the middle of his face.

He howls and releases me.

I sit down hard on my ass, giving a sob-like
laugh that all those squats must be working because there's no butt
bone to jab me as I fall.

I look up and the stranger raises his fist
to strike a bloodied Jamie again.

“
Don't,” I call out softly, my
injured arm rising.

His intense gaze looks at my bruised wrist.
Then he captures my eyes. My core clenches with a responsive clench
and I involuntarily moan.

Not in pain.

His eyes slim on me as though he knows my
body's reaction to him. “Why?” he grits. His gaze pierces me.

I wet my lips and he tracks the movement.
“Because violence won't solve anything,” I manage.

He hesitates, his balled fist is as big as a
dinner plate, his bicep is almost the size of my waist.

Instead he grabs Jamie's shirt and easily
hauls him to his feet.

I crab walk backwards.

He scares me.

I close my eyes as brilliant, raw shame has
its way with me.

I want him.

“
Don't touch her
again—ever.”

My eyes snap open as he throws Jamie before
he can reply. Of course, he has to breathe through his mouth now so
maybe that's a little complicated.

He slams into the wall. Drywall dust plumes
as his body slides down and the clear outline of his body is
embedded in the wall.

I giggle, and vaguely recognize I'm in
shock.

The stranger's eyes run over me from head to
toe, as though taking a damage assessment.

He heaves a sigh of disgust, and strides out
the way he came in.

Probably doesn't like what he
sees
. I'm instantly ashamed. I want to lose
my old insecurities, not nurture them.

In the middle of the chaos, I'm worried
about his opinion. A man I don't even know.

Patty helps me get up as sirens fill the
distance.

“
Thank you,” I tell her.
Thanking her for pulsing the police.

Just then my first appointment, and a new
patient walks in—surveys the carnage, and walks right back out.

He won't be back.

I sink back down on the lobby couch and put
my head in my hands as police pour through the doors.

My last thought before things
go to hell is:
did he ever find his way?

Because he sure as hell didn't seem lost to
me.

Merck

Fuck me.

And
fuck me
again.

Talk about blowing it big time. Couldn't I
have just let the cops come and haul that dumb mundane thug away?
Why did I have to white knight the thing and run in there?

Because I'm letting my emotions rule me like
a bitch. Yeah.

I revealed myself to the change before her
time!

I could kick my own ass.

I pace back and forth inside my condo. If
there were carpet it'd be threadbare where I tread.

I force myself to stop, leaning a forearm
against the window trim, trying to come down from my mistake.

The wide and fast-flowing Big Sioux river
flows below. Water muddied from a late spring deluge runs alongside
a path I jog on. Close to where the former underground meetings
took place in Falls Park. Before Marc was eliminated. I miss the
prick. He made shit interesting.

I give a savage kick to the wall, leaving a
hole where my foot just connected. A rage-filled exhale sounds like
a hoarse shout in my sparsely furnished condo.

I like it that way.

Just Me. By myself. Not a lot of shit to
take care of. No pets. No nothing.

My emotions burn, lodging tightly inside my
chest.

Her fear
.

I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my
nose.

Talyn's fear forced me.

I was right outside the Carpenter Hotel, per
usual. Watching the mundanes scurry around like ants going to and
from their various hills.

I'm accustomed to her scent. She's a change.
I know it intimately.

Then it morphed.

I somehow missed numbnuts as he charged down
the back entrance to the old hotel and Talyn's office.

My fault—that complacency.

What had Charles been drilling into our
heads for centuries? Never let a change be unsupervised before
transition.

They are at their most vulnerable.

Then the scent of her fear swamps me. If I
can break this apart intellectually I'd realize I never had a
chance.

I reacted as though we were mated.

I've had plenty of changes get
into a tight spot, some sensitive human males can sometimes scent
something. They don't know what it is about the female that's so
enticing. But they do know they want to fuck them. Maybe they have
a trace of Lycan.
I don't give a rat's
ass
. Those mundane males who take leave of
their senses after a brief acquaintance with yours truly end up
canned.

In the garbage.

Rivers.

Coffins.

Yeah. Their disposal isn't a concern. It's
about the timing—executing them after they've been sniffing around
but the change isn't there.

I've only had to exterminate one mundane in
fifty years in front of the change. I was disciplined. In
control.

Not this time.

I didn't give two shits and a fuck if the
world was sitting down watching with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

Talyn needed me. Her scent demanded it. And
I came running like her well-trained dog. I'm disgusted with myself
and my utter lack of control.

And her eyes after I was done looking her
over—making sure that stupid male's blood was the only blood on
her.

I had to fight every instinct not to heal
the mark on her body he put there.

But her eyes had been wounded—so
wounded.

And I'd been disgusted with my actions. The
action of interfering when the danger to her hadn't escalated. And
that I stopped beating the male on her request.

Her voice had undone me like a ball of twine
rolled down a hill.

I should have finished that male.

I will finish him
.

When Talyn isn't around. Unfortunately,
she's on guard now.

I jerk away from the window, my tongue
moving to the hole in my mouth where a missing incisor is
regrowing. Hurts like a bitch. Funny thing is, it's like hitting a
piece of furniture then showing up with a bruise later. Who the
hell ever remembers how they got it? For the life of me, I can't
remember when I tore the sucker out—or it fell out.

I hate not having all the teeth in my
head.

*

A low buzz vibrates in my pants pocket. I
pluck my pulse, careful not to inadvertently thumb it open.

I read the message and
grunt.
Perfect.

Charles
ʼ
name flashes for
accept
voice call.

I think
ignore
.

The flashing name vanishes.

I can't deal with my Alpha right now. He'll
shit a granny smith if he finds out the colossal fuck up that was
me today. Worse, he might think I need a babysitter in the form of
a second Lycan.

I haven't had that dubious dishonor yet. And
I don't want it.

The thought sprouts my talons and hair
bleeds like spilt water over my skin in a downy coat of
brownish-red.

I can't tolerate the idea of another Lycan
being within one hundred miles of Talyn.

She's a bitch in heat, and on the verge of
degrading for the change.

Talyn is very attractive right now to a
certain percentage of the population.

A very small but dangerous one.

Talyn

“
I'm sorry, ma'am—there's
nothing we can do. As far as we can see, this man is the
victim.”

Ma'am
.

I can hardly breathe I'm so angry.

Jamie is playing victim like a
Broadway-trained actor. He's rolling around on the gurney, moaning
about his nose while medics try to patch him up

I fold my arms. “Listen,
Officer,” my eyes flick to his badge and the luminescent characters
flash his info:
Cochran
,
Twelve-year veteran
,
Psyche
profile clean
. I ignore the rest of his
flashing stats on the live badge, “Cochran.”

He smiles tolerantly.

I am so far from tolerant right now I can
hardly stand myself. “That man accosted me. He touched me.”

Maybe I'm being too sensitive
.

He smirks. “Touched you?”

Nope
. Not too
sensitive.

I take a deep breath. Another. “He barged in
through the back of my office, demanding to be seen without an
appointment, and then when I made it clear he was to leave, he
grabbed my wrist.” I hold up my arm where a vague red outline, and
the beginnings of a bruise can be seen.

Cochran nods indulgently.

I want to hit him. In fact, I'm in a very
violent mood today.

Cochran jerks his thumb behind him at Jamie.
“He said you two had a falling out at the gym last night?” His
eyebrows rise.

What?
Clearly he's
delusional.

I spread my fingers on my
chest, intuiting his inference. “We are
not
together.”

He nods, eyes glued to my chest as he hooks
his thumbs inside the pockets of his deep navy uniform
trousers.

Unbelievable.

I think steam is escaping
through my ears.
The hell with counseling
,
I think I'm becoming a she-devil.

“
Patty!” I call out
loudly.

She runs to my side.

“
Did this guy not come in the
back and grab me?”

She nods quickly.

Finally.
I turn
triumphantly to Cochran and swing my palm out as if to say,
see?

Cochran turns to Patty and says, “Now Miss
Hershey, you remember stating that you opened the door and invited
Mr. Duncan inside.”

Miss.

His eyebrows rise. That must be the only
look he has. Perpetual question mode.

Patty nods. Her eyes dart to me.

I die a little inside.

“
Further, you mentioned that
Ms. Phisher, and the victim, Jamie Duncan, know each
other.”

Victim.

She nods more slowly this time.

“
It's Doctor, Officer
Cochran,” I correct through clenched teeth.

He gives a vague nod. “Right.”

I cross my arms again, stepping into his
personal space. I'm not a small woman. I stand every bit of my five
foot nine inches, staring him down. “Is this it then? I can't get a
restraining order?”

Cochran spreads his arms away from his body
as though I am the one being unreasonable.

Holy mother of God.

“
If there were probable cause.
As it stands, from my perspective as a police officer, there's a
guy that you know, whom your secretary invited in. Then he gives
you a little squeeze and you're crying foul.” He shrugs, giving a
minute shake of his head. “You understand we can't get in the
middle of lover's quarrels.”

My eyes move to Jamie's.

He smiles through the drying blood on his
face.

My head starts to throb then my teeth. When
the flush starts, I give up.

“
Fine,” my face is on fire,
“if you won't help me, I'll go to someone who will.”

Cochran's eyes narrow. My subtle threat and
dis being clearly received. “The law doesn't look kindly on any
form of vigilante justice, Ms. Phisher.”