Page 9 of Mated By the Alphas
“Then take her to your bed,” Remy suggests, shrugging a shoulder. “Find out what she is. Either way, I’m sure it’ll be better than fucking a human. We have to hold back with them too much to truly enjoy it.”
“After what I felt, I think it’s best if I stay away from her for now,” I respond, even though that’s the last thing on my mind. “I need to find out more about her. Maybe if I look into her family, I’ll get some answers. But the vampire brood is priority.”
“I’ll get in touch with Storm and Wyatt,” Remy says, draining his glass before putting it down. “It’ll be nice to see everyone again. It’s been too long.”
“Agreed. I just wish it was a reunion under different circumstances,” I grumble. “I fucking hate vampires. If one ofthem bites me, I’m going to rip their damn fangs out of their mouth before I tear their heart out of their chest.”
“The fledglings will be dead before they even think about biting us. Their maker… depends on how old he is. How many he’s turned,” Remy says. “I don’t think an older vampire would be foolish enough to build a brood in Chicago unless he’s desperate. My guess is he’s a vampire from a larger brood who recently got the power to become a maker and set off on his own. Clearly, his maker didn’t prepare him for the responsibility.”
“No surprise. Vampires don’t have the same kindred sense we do.” Remy stands up and straightens his jacket. “Probably because they don’t breed or have offspring, except for the fledgling slaves they create.
“I’m sure that’s part of it,” I agree.
I don’t walk Remy out. He can come and go as he pleases. My door is always open to my brothers, even if we barely qualify as a pack. I may be the Alpha, but I’m hardly a leader. I make tough decisions because I know my brothers won’t. It’s not that they’re incapable, it’s just instinct. The Alpha leads. The pack follows. That’s how it’s always been for our kind.
Our pack is one of the last remnants of a different time. A time when shifters owned the wild and lived in harmony with nature instead of being trapped in a concrete prison. All of my brothers would have found mates. They would have left our pack to form their own and became Alphas like I am.
Instead, they’re stunted. I became the Alpha when our father died, but without mates, my brothers will never reach their full potential. We’re a dying breed. The Crimson Templars hunted us to extinction. We’re just waiting for time to finish the job.
But as long as we draw breath, our survival instincts won’t allow us to give up, won’t allow us to go down without a fight. I’ve lost too many brothers and sisters to the Crimson Templars. We’ve avoided them for a long time by keeping a low profile and hiding behind our Third Form. If wiping out a vampire brood keeps the Crimson Templars away from Chicago, then it has to be done. Protecting the pack takes priority.
Normally, the promise of a fight would have my wolf pacing beneath my skin, waiting for the moment I have an excuse to embrace my Natural Form and lick fresh viscera from my fangs.
Instead, I’m thinking abouther. The mysterious Scion. Her scent still lingers in my nose, strangely decadent. The chaos she caused inside me is still unsettled. My instincts are frayed, seeking something I know is impossible. Whatever she is, she’s dangerous, and I should stay far away until I know more about her.
But I already know I won’t.
Some instincts are too difficult to control.
CHAPTER 5
Ansley
I spend Saturday and Sunday at home.
It’s not my normal reclusiveness that keeps me indoors. I have a hard time shaking the strange feeling that someone is watching me. Even safely in my apartment with the deadbolt locked, it seems to come and go, especially when it gets dark.
This is why I don’t like going out. I had a few drinks, met some guys, and now I’m worried that I’m being stalked. I sigh, stretching out on the couch and staring at the ceiling. Like anyone wants to stalkmeof all people.
Luckily, I’ve had plenty to keep me busy and distracted from the weird sensation. I moved into my new apartment shortly after I got a job offer from York Financial and I’m still unpacking. Deciding where I want everything to go. Making the place my own, so that it feels likemyhome.
I love my grandparents, but the thought of living with them again after college wasn’t appealing. My grandfather can be a bitmuch. I wouldn’t say I bloomed and prospered at college, but it was nice to feel like I was in charge of my own life, even if I was driven by my grandfather’s expectations. The expectations still haunt me. I’m sure they always will, even after he’s dead and buried. Now I get to do things my way.
“Okay, that’s enough of a break,” I say out loud, pushing myself up from the couch. I’ll finish unpacking the kitchen, and then I’ll pour myself a glass of wine. I deserve it after working in this apartment for two days straight.
As soon as I stand, the strange sensation sweeps through me. A feeling like I’m being watched. Arousal between my legs. A pulsing heat in my core.
It’s ridiculous, of course. I’m too high up for anyone to peek in my windows. The fire escape is rickety and old. If anyone stepped foot on it, I’d hear it. I hear it creak every time the neighbor above me goes outside to smoke.
“Work stress. Dating stress.Daisystress,” I sigh, trying to shake it off. “That’s all this is.”
As if on cue, my phone lights up with a message from my best friend.
Daisy: So, did you call any of them yet?
Ansley: No, not yet.
Daisy: Lame! What about the cowboy? He was hot!
