Stealing the Alpha’s Heart

I hummed to myself as I got ready for work for the first time since I’d been attacked. I was both incredibly excited and deeply nervous. Part of me knew that they wouldn’t hit the same place twice, especially not with all the protection we had set up. But another part of me worried they would try to circumvent logic and just come out in droves.

Either way, bevy of murderous witches or not, I was going in. Being off work for two full weeks sounded like a fun vacation, but it turned out to be anything but. The first week at least was interesting when it came to observing Savannah and having two sleepovers with Lyssa, but the second week…well, it was boring. And maybe that was partially due to being ridiculously h0rny. H0rny, angry, and upset. It was a pretty potent combination.

I paused, scenting the air to be sure. Yep, Theo was definitely around. I’d gotten used to him patrolling once or twice a day, and it did help to make me feel safe. Especially since he never once tried to come in. He was respecting my need for space even after we k!ssed.

And God, that k!ss.

Whew, it was something else. I’d had my fair share of k!sses in my life, and that one blew me out of the water. Maybe it was just the bonding chemicals, or maybe it was how soft his l!ps were and how hard he held me. I felt desired, cherished, lvsted after in a way that left me breathless. Every time I thought about it, I wanted to slide my hand between my legs and finish the job.

But I certainly couldn’t do that and still have time to get to my car for my shift. Theo had been nice enough to drop it off at Savannah’s, given how often he ran around the place anyway, so I wasn’t dependent on anyone chauffeuring me anywhere.

Satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, I opened the bathroom window and leaned my head out.

“Theo! Go take a nap!”

I knew he wasn’t getting good rest with how often he was up. It would be one thing if he just had to run around and keep an eye on me, but he was also a CEO and all-around detail man for the pack. While Mahlan was the figurehead who gave orders, Theo was often the one who did all the little things to make them happen.

But as I looked around, I realized I couldn’t see him. Huh, usually my eyes were pretty sharp. If it weren’t for our tie together, I wouldn’t have known he was there at all.

Maybe he had heard my call and was heading home to actually get a few winks in. And yeah, maybe pigs would fly, too. He probably was just gonna change into one of his fancy suits and roll into the office like he hadn’t been running around like a guard dog for hours. I hoped all his workers knew how hard he was going. Probably not, though. Theo liked to play his cards close to his ch3st.

As much as I wanted to stand at the window and philosophize about my mate and the revelation from a few days earlier, I had a business to run. And by God, I was gonna run it.

---

I woke up feeling more refreshed than I had in ages. My first day with the shop open had certainly been stressful, and my nerves were completely frayed, but it had been as peaceful as could be. I only had a total of three customers, which wasn’t surprising considering the renovation, but I had so many online orders to catch up with.

I sent out an email to my list apologizing for the delay and included a free gift. It was just a little hairpin that I’d ordered in my two weeks out of work, but it made me feel better to put something extra in for my loyal customers.

Still, even with a full day’s work and Lyssa glued to my side the whole time, we still didn’t get through half of the orders. I was looking forward to going in for a second day and busting my as*s, but I had something important to do first.

Going down into Savannah’s kitchen, I started brewing some coffee, the Alma having already drained the pot in her effort to stay up until 8 am. I could hear her showering upstairs, her music faintly playing from the little speaker she tended to carry around the house.

I’d gotten to know the woman pretty well in our two weeks together and I was going to make a concentrated effort to include her in our family dinners and other things. I had no idea how isolating it could be, being the new Alma after our older one had passed. While Savannah’s predecessor had been like a grandmother to everyone, the new Alma was more like a strange but friendly cousin who just moved to town.

I would have to remedy that. But first, coffee.

When the little machine finished brewing it, I poured a cup and fixed it up just how I knew Theo liked it, then walked outside.

“Hey there, you bvtt. Did you get any sleep?” I called out into the yard without needing to look in any particular direction.

Sure enough, a few moments later, a white wolf emerged from between two trees.

“You can’t drink this like that,” I said, gesturing with the very full mug in my hands.

I could hear him think something cheeky even if he didn’t project it with his wolf voice. A moment later, he shifted back to his human form, wearing gray sweatpants and no top.

“What was that about me making up you being shirtless all the time?” I said as he reached out for my coffee cup.

“It’s definitely a figment of your imagination,” Theo said before draining the entire mug in one long gulp. “I am a right dapper gentleman.”

“Pffft, you’re something, alright,” I shot back, arms crossed. As much as I was being saucy about it, I kind of was getting used to Theo being around. And the guards he and Mahlan had hired to watch the shop. They were supposed to be inconspicuous, but I could spot them from a mile away. I’d tried shooing them off at first, but after they resolutely ignored me, I figured it was a lost cause.

Besides, it couldn’t hurt to be a little extra cautious in case those witchy as*sholes got any bright ideas.

“Any leads on who attacked my shop?” I asked, taking the mug back.

“The guys are working on it. Mahlan and I met with Samson and made some plans.”

“Got any updates for me?”

“We don’t know if the witches have moved on to anyone else. We don’t know who they’re gonna attack next, or if they’re gonna attack outright at all. We also don’t know their allies, how many there are, and if the witches are willing partners or somehow magically brainwashed.”

“Huh, that’s a lot to not know,” I murmured, trying not to feel overwhelmed.

“I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you. But we are trying to set up a trap of sorts.”

“A trap?”

“I don’t have many details for you, but know that we are doing things, even if it doesn’t seem like it on the surface. The hardest part is going to be setting up a convincing fake perimeter to lure these witches in. They’re awfully perceptive.”

“Thanks,” I said, truly meaning it. “I appreciate you keeping me in the loop.”

“Of course. Sometimes knowledge is the best comfort we have.”

“Yeah, and sometimes knowledge is the worst nightmare.”

Theo let out an understanding sort of huff. “You’re telling me.”

He stretched and I did my best not to stare at the way his abs bunched or his pecs rippled. Normally, I was much more into giant teddy bears with nice bellies and big ol’ arms, and yet neither Kaleb or Theo fit that bill. In fact, Theo was pretty much the opposite. Carved from marble with striations so deep, I could run a finger along them.

“What are you thinking?”

“Huh?” I blurted, blinking and pulling myself back to the real world. But it only partially worked, my mind replaying what it had been like to k!ss Theo.

I’m trying to have a conversation here! I scolded myself, focusing on the words coming out of my mouth rather than how shiny Theo’s skin was. Was that like a moisturizing thing or a sweat thing?

“Oh, right. Uh, I was just thinking that they must want Lyssa back really badly.”

“I think so. There are certain things about the story that aren’t matching up, but it’s clear that Lyssa is important to it.”

“You think the story about her dad saving one of them is bupkis?”

“No, that part’s probably true. And we found out her mother really was an Alma. And by ‘we,’ I mean that annoying witch.”

“Sam?”

“Yeah, the iced coffee addict.”

“He does love iced coffee, doesn’t he?” I reminded myself to treat him to one on me. He was doing a lot to help us despite my killing a witch right in front of him, and I certainly appreciated that. But then something Theo had said earlier triggered in my mind. “You mentioned a false perimeter?”

“Yeah. We’re going to see if we can use the moonstones as bait, but there’s a lot of details we need to work out.”

I frowned, my mind racing at a mile a minute. “What…what if we set up the fake perimeter around my house?”

“What?” Theo asked, voice sharp.

“They’ve already targeted me once because I’m close to Lyssa. Whether they wanted to brainwash me, kill me, or interrogate me for info on the moonstones, it’s clear they’ve got all my habits down pat. What if we make a very conspicuous trip to my empty house late at night with our hands full of approximately moonstone-sized boxes? We can put guards on the outside and even have Sam weakly ward it. Baddabing, baddaboom, I bet those witches will be back in under fifteen minutes!”

“No. Flat-out, no. There’s a million and one risks in there that just aren’t worth it.”

“I bet you my brother would think that it’s worth it.”

“Like hell he will,” Theo grumbled. “And the witches aren’t stupid. They’re gonna recon your place to death before they make a single move!”

“In that case, I’ll move back in. Act like I’m going through my everyday motions. Meanwhile, I can set my own little traps inside my place.”

I could tell that Theo was about to lose it with me. His protective instincts had to be going haywire, but I couldn’t just sit around and be a damsel in distress. It just wasn’t my style. I wasn’t trying to be reckless, but to me, it seemed that the more time passed, the more people got hurt.

“If you’re living there, then I’m living there, too. You’re not gonna be there alone!”

Well, that wasn’t a hill I wanted to die on. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Sure, if you’re willing to pack up a go-bag and stay at my house, I’m more than happy to have you. But I’m doing this, Theo. I’m done sitting around.”

“You still need Mahlan’s permission.”

I whipped my phone out, dialing up my brother’s number. “On it.”

“There’s no way he’ll agree.”

That was the thing. While Mahlan and I loved incredibly deeply, but we were also practical. That was why he’d asked Lyssa to help him with his corporate espionage, and that was why he’d believe me about the importance of setting the trap. Because, so far, it seemed to be the best lead we had.

“Just watch,” I said with a wink. “You have no idea what I can do.”