The Alpha (6 page)

Chapter 9

“Tyler’s right, this stuff is difficult to read. Legalese is hard enough in modern English let alone in ancient English.” Sugar passed Spice a copy of the Accords. If her smart sister couldn’t read this, then she wouldn’t be able to. She sighed and set it back on the table.
Piece of crap paper
.

Dawn arrived as they spent the night searching for a solution. Daedalus slept in his coffin, and Katrina crashed on the couch in the living room. The others were still out searching the city for Clair.

It drove Spice nuts to be so helpless. “I need to know more about werewolves. Do you have access to the internet?”

“Sure, there are computers in Robert and Eric’s office upstairs.” Spice had been there once or twice in the last two weeks but only at the doorway. “They’re password protected but I have them.” Sugar grabbed her sister’s hand and led her.

They huddled around one of the computers, side by side. “What do you want to know?”

“How to fight a werewolf.”

Sugar twisted in her seat. “Really? Have you ever seen a werewolf in its beast form? Watched them fight?”

“No, but I’m starting to think I don’t have a choice. Everything you and Daedalus told me last night points to one solution. I have to challenge Clair and beat her before she claims Eric. Let’s see if they have any weaknesses.”

“There is another solution.” Katrina’s accented voice startled both sisters. She stood in the doorway, her thin, narrow face solemn and her hands clasped in front of her.

“What?” They spoke in unison. Spice screwed her lips in annoyance. Twenty-five years and they still managed to sound like the Doublemint twins.

Katrina came into the room and sank onto Robert’s thinking couch. “I will challenge Clair on your behalf. If I win, I will be Eric’s mate in name only and represent you in the pack.”

Spice opened her mouth but nothing came out. She turned to Sugar, who looked just as speechless. What could she possibly say? Honesty always worked best when lost for words. “Uh… do think you can win?”

“Spice.” Sugar smacked her upper arm.

“Hey, she offered. I don’t mean any offense, Katrina, but you’re tiny. Is Clair small too?” Maybe they could make this work.

Katrina smiled. “My human size is irrelevant. What matters is how strong my beast form has become. I lived a long time as a werewolf in China before escaping to America. Over there one needs to learn to fight to live.”

Sugar leaned forward. “Really? How long have you been a werewolf?”

“Longer than your age.” Her smile turned secretive.

“You never told me any of this.” Sugar waved her hands, confusion drawing her brow down.

“Like you advised me, I built barriers between me and the past, then focused on my friends and future. If Clair takes over as the female Alpha our pack will wilt, not grow. My future begins to appear bleak.” She shrugged. “I don’t know if I can win. I haven’t fought a challenge in decades.”

“Decades?” they both said together. Spice glared at her little sister. “Stop that.”

Katrina giggled. “You two are so cute.”

Spice aimed her stare at Katrina. “This doesn’t sit well with me.” She left her chair and paced the room between the two computer desks. Her fingers caught in the tangles of her short curls as she ran them over her head. “Eric belongs to
me
. I should be the one fighting.” Daedalus’s words floated back to her memory.
Too bad she’s not wolf.

Her heart skipped a beat. It would solve all their problems. Did she have the guts? She stopped her pacing and stared at her sister, who faced a similar problem, just not as urgent.

“What if I became a werewolf?”

Sugar got to her feet. “No, Eric would be furious. He never wanted this from you.”

“I know, but maybe it’s what I want. I came home to find a fresh start, and I found him. He’s everything I need and more than I deserve. The least I could do in return is become what he and the pack needs.” She shifted her gaze to Katrina. “Is it that much of a sacrifice?”

The petite woman didn’t answer. She fixed her stare on the floor.

Sugar shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, there’s not enough time to change you. Eric’s body took weeks to transform the first time. I doubt Clair will wait.”

“Sugar’s right, once the pack accepts her as Eric’s mate the only way you will be able to take your place by his side is a challenge to the death. We need to act now while the challenges are only to dominate.” Katrina still didn’t meet their mutual stares as she spoke. She fiddled with a button on her red sweater instead. “I know another way.”

“And…”

Katrina leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and faced them. “A human’s body needs time to assimilate the werewolf contaminant. It needs to be a certain—what is the word I need?” She looked at them as if searching for the answer in their faces. “Concentration, yes? When something gets strong like coffee?”

They both nodded.

“Once at the right level, it will trigger the first change on the full moon. It is where the myth came from. Eric took time to change because he fought it. He didn’t want to be werewolf. It’s different for those who choose the change.”

“Since I want to become one then I should be able to change sooner.” Spice grinned and hugged her sister. “This might work.”

“But first you need a high concentration of contaminant in your blood. I saw it happen in Beijing to a young prince, who needed to be changed quickly so he could inherit the pack from his deceased father. His choices were much as yours. If he waited for the natural change then he would have had to fight the new Alpha to regain the pack. If he became werewolf that night, then the challenges would only be to dominance. It is very dangerous what they did.”

“Wasn’t he born a werewolf?” Sugar asked. She came and sat next to Katrina to grasp her hand.

“No, none are. The world would be overrun with us.” She chuckled. “The placenta keeps the baby human. Once they reach maturity they can choose their own destiny.”

“So if I have ch-children they’ll be human.” Spice shook her ice cold hands, trying to get the blood to flow into them again. “What do we have to do?”

Katrina released Sugar’s hold on her hand and rose from her seat to face Spice, then smoothed the wrinkles from her black slacks. “I have to get a concentrated amount of Werewolf contaminant into your heart. If your body rejects it, you’ll die.”

She felt her eyes almost pop from their sockets. “You gotta’
what
?”

“No!” The command in Sugar’s voice made them both spin in her direction. “I won’t allow that. We’ll let Katrina fight. Once she wins if you want to become werewolf the old fashion way, then go ahead.”

“If Katrina wins then I have to kill her to be Eric’s mate, Sugar.”

“Then stay human, be his mistress and Tyler could be Katrina’s lover.” She jerked her head and sighted on Katrina. “You did tell Tyler, right?”

“Of course not, he would never allow me to fight.”

“Great.” Spice crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Eric would be elated if they managed to find a solution to stay together. If she tried to become werewolf she could die. Tyler might kill her anyway if Katrina got hurt challenging Clair in her stead. What if Katrina didn’t win?

Clair would own Eric. The crunch of her teeth as they ground together snapped her out of her reverie.

She’d have to become a werewolf and fight Clair as an Alpha. Either way she’d have to face death. Sweat trickled down her back. She had more faith in the tiny oriental werewolf’s knowledge than in her own fighting skill. Her best chance at survival probably lay in Katrina’s hand. When she faced Clair as a beast they would fight for dominance, not death. If she lost, then she had no one to blame but herself.

She glanced at her little sister sitting on the couch, worry etched into her face. “Will you still love me if I became pack?” It was the only thing left that would stop her.

“Spicy, nothing could ever change how I feel. You’re my twin, a piece of me.” Tears trickled from her eyes.

“Then let’s do this. That stray humping bitch won’t get her claws into my man if I have anything to do with it.” She knew squat about werewolves and less about the Omegas but once she won this challenge they would be hers as well. “What do I have to do?” She rubbed her hands together and stared at Katrina.

“Fight to survive.” She removed her clothes and folded them into a neat pile on the couch. Naked, Katrina kissed Sugar on the forehead, who cried in silence with her legs drawn to her chest just like when they were little girls and their father yelled at them.

Spice was an expert at the art of surviving. Abusive parents, scum-sucking boyfriends, drugs, alcohol, none of them kept their hold on her. She fought back and won. This wouldn’t beat her either.

Silky black fur grew from Katrina’s skin. Her face elongated, bones cracked, and joints snapped as the tiny woman grew into a magnificent, huge bipedal beast.

Spice’s heart fled to hide in her shoes, and her courage followed.

The beast swung its head in her direction.

She stepped back but realized she had nowhere to run. It blocked the only exit from the room. She changed her mind. This wasn’t such a good plan. She opened her mouth to tell her to stop, but Katrina drew her thick muscled arm back and stabbed her long, sharp claws into Spice’s heart in one smooth motion.

Sugar’s ear-piercing scream filled the room so her sister couldn’t tell if she screamed as well. The pain spread across her chest and stole her breath as she coughed up a splatter of blood. She raised her chin to stare at the beast. It had Katrina’s eyes and sorrow poured from them. If she could speak, Spice knew she’d say
sorry
.

She wanted to tell her that everything would be all right, there was nothing to apologize for, but the room tilted and she grabbed onto Katrina’s furry arm. Her claws remained embedded in Spice’s body.

The beast guided her to the ground and shredded her shirt open with the other claws. She stared with tunneling vision as it leaned its muzzle close to her chest and tore her wound wider.

She cried out. It sounded weak even to her own ears. Blood pumped from her chest.

Katrina opened her mouth and drool oozed from her canines to mix in with the blood. A steady stream of the clear slime came from her mouth until it coated the wound and the bleeding stopped.

Concentratio n ?
She pondered to herself as the darkness closed in. Katrina spoke of it. Maybe werewolf drool contained more contaminant.

“What the hell is going on here?” Spice recognized Tyler’s voice as he hollered. “Katrina, oh my God, what have you done?”

“She’s changing Spice.” Sugar’s tear-filled words answered him.

“Tyler, I know what I am doing.” Katrina must have returned to her human form to speak to him.

They sounded farther away. Spice wanted to shout, to tell them she was still there, but her vocal cords wouldn’t work.

“You must keep Eric away from here. Take him on a wild goose chase if you have to. If she survives this wound and if I mixed in enough of my saliva with her heart’s blood, she should change with the full moon tonight.”

“That’s a lot of
if’s
Katrina,” he shouted.

“I know.”

Chapter 10

Spice cracked open an eyelid and peeked around. A computer desk faced her. She was in Eric’s office on Robert’s thinking couch. Someone had placed a pillow under her head and a blanket over her body.

How did she get here?

The last thing she recalled, they’d been playing Monopoly, she’d been winning, and the dice were in her hands. Daedalus gave Eric a letter.

Clair. The werewolf bitch wanted to steal Eric from her. With a swift kick of her legs, she flung the blanket off and sat up. Her feet landed on a sleeping Sugar who squeaked when stepped on.

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“What are you doing trying to leave?” Her little sister scrambled to her knees and proceeded to open Spice’s shirt. A bandage covered the area over her heart.

She thought back to Katrina and the beast she’d grown into. Their plan. She touched the bloody bandage and expected to wince but no pain jarred her. Pulling on the edges, she gasped as she exposed healed new flesh. “How is that possible? I had a huge hole.”

Sugar cupped her mouth with her hand and shouted, “Katrina, she’s awake.”

“How long have I been out?” She rotated her left shoulder and arm. Nothing hurt, this was a definite perk.

“All day. The sun’s setting, and Daedalus should be awake soon.”

“The sun has set, and Daedalus is already here.” The vampire stormed into the room wearing a pair of black silk boxers. “What have you three brainless twits been doing? I could smell Spice’s blood from my coffin.”

Spice had never seen him undressed before. His skin, so pale it seemed almost translucent, covered hard, sculpted muscles over his chest, arms, and abdomen. Her sister sure had a keen eye for scrumptious male flesh. She met Sugar’s gaze and gave her a mental high five.

Katrina made her way around the vampire, carrying a tray of food, which she set in front of Spice.

The smell made her stomach growl. She could discern the scent of beef and ham from the cheese and bread. Each little particle differed from the other. She passed her nose over the sandwich on the plate and inhaled deeply. Her mouth watered.

“Spice?” Sugar quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you going to eat it or inhale it?”

She grinned. “Thank you, Katrina. I’m starved.”

“That is normal.” Katrina eased onto the couch next to her.

“Normal for what exactly?” Daedalus asked.

The sandwich called her name and she took a huge bite from it. Layers upon layers of meat assaulted her taste buds, and she growled in tune with her stomach as she tore into another bite.

“You might want to feed your sister more often.” Daedalus stepped closer to the couch, his eyes narrowing as he observed her eating.

“Leave her be. We must deal with a greater hunger. Controlling it controls the beast within.” Katrina offered her a drink. “Try not to choke though.”

“Beast?” He gasped. “You made her a werewolf?” He examined her while she gobbled her food. “I must be getting old because I sense she’s almost complete. How is this possible?”

Spice swallowed a half-chewed lump. “What does he mean
almost
complete?”

“You still need to make your first physical transformation.” The tiny oriental woman swiveled to face the vampire. “I made Spice part of the pack this morning. It was a dangerous risk, but neither of us could figure a different solution.”

“Thank you for not killing me, by the way,” Spice mumbled around another bite of sandwich.

“Amazing, but how?” Daedalus crouched on the balls of his feet and watched her like a spectator at the zoo.

Spice narrowed her eyes at him, and a rumble came from her chest. It stopped short as her sandwich fell onto the plate and she looked down at her body. “What the hell?” Something inside of her shifted as if trying to get comfortable. “Katrina?” She didn’t mind the note of panic in her voice, it was honest. What had she done?

She gave up her humanity for the man she loved.

When did Spice Monroe start making sacrifices?

She sighed. The day Eric spit water on her and set her soul at ease.

“Your beast responded to your emotions. It will take time for you to master these skills. You won’t be allowed to be by yourself for the next few weeks.”

“And you plan to set a novice werewolf against a dominant alpha?” Daedalus gaped at the three of them. “This should have been set in motion weeks ago. Not tonight.”

“Some people were kept in the dark.” Spice shoved the last of her meal in her mouth. He made a good point. She knew how to street fight but this took it to another level. Teeth and claw versus fist and feet, she pondered for moment and concluded maybe she could use it to her advantage. “Daedalus, if you’re not on board with the project, then bail. I don’t need anyone knocking my confidence right now. I’m more than capable of doing that on my own, thank you very much.”

He studied her, then nodded. “I’m on board this crazy train.”

She laughed and Sugar joined her. The skin under her sister’s eyes looked bruised. A twinge of guilt ran through Spice. Did she ever once consider what she was putting her little sister through? She remembered her tears. Sugar had sat on this couch and watched her best friend stab her twin in the heart. After that Spice passed out but her sister stayed by her side and cared for her.

Gathering Sugar into a hug she whispered, “I love you.” She was about to put her sister through hell again by trying to fight for Eric.

“Sister’s stick together.” Sugar patted her shoulder and they parted.

Spice glanced at Katrina. “What do I do now?”

“Is the moon out yet?”

Daedalus moved to the window. “I don’t see it.”

“Usually, we wait for the full moon. It helps draw out the beast.”

“Great, I get to add getting furry once a month as well as getting my—”

“Hey, hey, old-fashion vampire in the room. I don’t need to hear it.” Daedalus left the window and crossed the room to the door. “I’m going to get dressed.”

Sugar rose to follow him. “You need to feed.”

He stopped her. “You’re exhausted. I can wait. Sounds like tonight might provide some sport. I wouldn’t mind you washing my back though.”

They left Spice alone with Katrina. She twisted to face the small woman.

“We should discuss controlling your beast before you transform. Otherwise you will be seduced into allowing it to take over, to give up responsibility of your actions and ultimately part of your humanity. This happened to many of the Ayumu, some no better than beasts even in their human forms. We’ve cleared out those who didn’t wish to change, and taught better control to those who wanted to remain. But once you’ve crossed over that line it is almost impossible to regain those pieces of yourself.”

“So the moral of the story is don’t cross over to the dark side.”

Katrina leaned forward until their noses almost touched.

“No, it is not to let the beast get control. Ever.”

“You keep speaking like I have a creature living inside of me. Am I not the beast?”

“Yes, you are but the animalistic side of your nature will be more prevalent. Instinctual urges will want to dominate, but you need to be in charge of them.”

“Like what?”

“Hunger, territory, sex, and pack will affect you.”

Spice cleared her dry throat. “When you changed I could still see you in the beast’s eyes. How do you keep it under control?”

“I always stay in the forefront of its mind. Never succumbing to the lure of oblivion.”

“Oblivion? Why would you want that?”

“You have to remember, most werewolves did not choose this path. They were made against their will. The fact you volunteered for it will give you a greater advantage since you will have less inner turmoil and a purpose to your existence.” Katrina took her hands. “Let us do an exercise.”

She nodded. The noise in the shower, far below them in the basement, distracted her. Her new and improved hearing made it possible for her to hear that Sugar was doing more than just washing Daedalus’s back. She smirked until Katrina squeezed her hands.

“I want you to close your eyes and focus inward. Try to…introduce yourself.”

Crossing her legs, Spice tried to get comfortable. Meditation wasn’t on the list of things she liked to do. She closed her eyes. How did someone look inward? Roll their eyes back? Her parents always told her to quiet her mind and stop thinking, but there was no “off” button so how did—

Something prowled in the darkness.

Her eyes sprung open. “Oh, crap.”

“Don’t be afraid. Remember it’s part of you.”

“It’s a lot freakin’ bigger than me.” Her heart pitter-pattered at the thought of becoming that creature.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, watch out
. She took a deep breath. Nobody made her cringe without a fight. Did she always win? No, but boy did she try.

Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what she did to get past the guard dogs to escape her last place of “employment” in Vegas. She pulled out a piece of imaginary meat and set it in front of her. Not a moment later the beast appeared and sniffed at the offering, then swallowed it in one bite. Covered in pure white fur, it eyed her with her own emerald green eyes. “Cool.” It approached and rubbed against her shoulder. She ran her fingers through its soft fur before it disappeared.

The phone rang.

Her eyes snapped open again. Katrina stood, then walked to the desk and answered it. “Where?” She nodded. “We’ll be there soon. Stall them, Tyler.” With a grim expression, Katrina considered her and hung up the phone. “It’s time. I know you’re not ready. It may still be best if I challenge Clair first.”

Spice took a shaky breath. “No. It ends tonight.”