The Alpha’s Other Woman

Carrie

Heidi’s hand jumped up to her mouth to cut off her startled shriek.

I tried not to get irritated about her obvious overreaction to seeing me. What did she think I was going to do, stab her in the same hotel where all the most powerful alphas in the country were staying, at an assembly of the closest thing we werewolves had to unified governmental authority?

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked, her voice strained.

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s really none of your business.”

“Are you following me?” Her voice became more high pitched with accusation.

“Absolutely not.” I couldn’t imagine a more tedious task.

“Then are you out for revenge? I won our fight fair and square!”

I could argue that, since I’d been sabotaged either by coincidence or design, but what was the point? “I don’t care about that anymore. I’ve got no interest in you or Asshole Dane, and if I had known you were in here I would have gone somewhere else. Calm down, Luna.”

She didn’t look happy with what I had called her mate, but then again, I hadn’t been trying to make her happy with my snarky little nickname. “Then why are you at the Alpha Assembly?”

“Again, none of your business.” I wasn’t going to give a detailed explanation of our pack’s difficulties to Asshole Dane’s head cheerleader. “Now, if you don’t mind...”

She unfroze and rushed past me and out of the bathroom. I did what I came there to do, and then wandered over to the sink and splashed water onto my face.

There was a loud pounding knock on the door. Before I could even make a move towards it, it flew open and my asshole ex stood there in the flesh.

“Dane? What the hell?” I snapped. “This is the ladies’ room, and—”

“Where is she?” he growled, as if I had pureed his precious mate and stuffed her down the sink. I rolled my eyes. These two were so narcissistic, forgetting there was a whole world beyond them.

“Heidi? She left. Calm the hell down, psycho. And again, get out of here. I’m going to call security.”

His eyes narrowed on me. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“I promise you it has nothing to do with you, Dane. Now get the hell out!”

“Heidi—”

“Already left, like I told you.” He was clearly not thinking straight and was blocking the door. Maybe I should have been afraid of him, but deep down I still didn’t think my asshole ex would actually physically hurt me. Treat me like shit, yes, toss me from the pack, yes, emotionally crush me, yes, but attack me, no. This was all bluster. “Now you need to go—”

“What are you doing in there?” Jason growled from out in the hall. Finally Asshole Dane moved his ridiculous bulk from blocking the doorway and went out to face Jason. I followed him in case I needed to mediate, violence would look bad on everyone involved, and I hadn’t forgotten Jason’s threats against my ex and potential disrespect.

“What business is it of yours, rogue?” Asshole Dane snarled. The two were standing far too close to each other. Jason was slightly shorter than Dane and had a lot less bulk, but he was completely unconcerned by that fact. It was striking how much better looking Jason was by comparison now that I saw the two together.

“Carrie’s involved, so it’s my business.”

Asshole Dane stood straighter, as if he were trying to intimidate Jason. Instead of being cowed by Asshole Dane’s display, my mate looked caught somewhere between angry and dismissive as he stared him down. It was like he’d turned his hotness up to a whole other level in that moment. What was there not to like about him?

On the other hand, Asshole Dane might have been bothered that Jason, someone he clearly saw as a lowly rogue, was standing up to him, but he didn’t let that stop him from continuing with his baseless accusations. “Where’s my mate?” It seemed now he was somehow imagining that Jason had something to do with her disappearance.

“Why don’t you try mind linking her and asking?” I suggested as I made a wide circle around him to stand beside Jason.

He growled. “She’s blocking me out.”

“Well, that seems like a you problem then, don’t you think?” Jason asked with a shrug as he wrapped an arm around my waist. As farcical as the situation was, it was nice to be watching my ex have a breakdown from the safety of my mate’s arms.

I leaned into his solid warmth. “I should probably introduce you. Dane, meet Alpha Jason, my mate. Jason, meet Asshole Dane.”

“Asshole Dane?” he asked, the growl coming out in his tone again at the disrespect.

Jason stiffened in readiness, clearly ready to counter him if he tried anything.

“Sorry, habit.” I didn’t bother to try to sound sorry. I smiled at Jason. “I meant Alpha Dane, the asshole who broke a bunch of promises he had made to me and treated me like dirt before banishing me to life as a rogue.”

“I—”

“Shouldn’t you go chasing after your luna now, Dane? I don’t think I have more to say to you.” I smiled coldly. I definitely didn’t want more of his excuses after he just cornered and bullied me.

“Let’s just go back to our room, Jason. I don’t even want to return to the restaurant after this.”

“Sounds good.” Jason pulled me closer and kissed me deeply for a long moment, as if the irritable posturing alpha had simply disappeared. As much as I always loved his lips on mine, I was pretty sure this kiss had additional meaning, and I loved it all the more. Asshole Dane gaped at us, and Jason took my hand and pulled me away, leaving my ex looking especially stupid like he was puzzling over what had just happened.

—————

“Well, that was fun,” Jason commented as we walked down the hall.

“Did you really think so?” I asked, not sure if he was being serious or sarcastic.

“Obviously it would have been more fun to beat the hell out of him, but you implied I shouldn’t attack any alphas before we get the Alpha Assembly’s blessing. And it was hard not to. My wolf wanted to crush him.”

“Well, it would make the case that we’re civilized harder to make if he turned up all black and blue.”

“Plus he looked like too much of an idiot to be a real challenge. I can’t believe you settled for that when you were fated for me, babe.”

“Well, he didn’t seem that bad at the time. I think finding his mate messed up his mind.”

“I hope I don’t look that stupid and anal retentive.”

“Never.” I leaned in closer and pecked his cheek.

“What did I say about proper kisses?”

“We’re walking. It’s impractical.”

He swept me up into his arms. I flailed, “Jason!” He brought his mouth to mine and silenced my verbal protests, but of course I didn’t need my mouth to continue. “Is this really the time!?”

“No one’s around. Push the elevator button.”

I complied. A moment later, it opened to reveal five neatly dressed people, three men and two women.

Not putting me down, Jason stepped back to allow them to pass. One of the unknown men scoffed and muttered, “Werewolves.” Their lack of scent and their unnatural pallor came together, and I recognized the blood drinking supernaturals for what they were.

“Give them a break, they’re newly mated.” I did a double take when I recognized the speaker was Nathaniel, the vampire who had come onto our land. He grinned and winked at me as they passed.

The uptight vampire kept speaking as they walked down the hall. “They don’t need a break, they need a kennel.”

Jason chuckled as he stepped into the elevator, still holding onto me firmly.

The response was sharp. “Kenniston, we don’t need you being disrespectful to our hosts. I could do without your council temporarily—or permanently.”

“Yes, I apologize, Your Majesty.”

I didn’t hear more as the doors shut behind us and the elevator started moving.

“Did you just carry me past the vampire queen?” I asked Jason, because the entire situation did not seem real. I had barely noticed her in the group. If I was right, she had been so understated, short and wearing a plain grey skirt and a white blouse, not at all what I would have expected from the ruler of vampires.

“Sounds like it.”

I groaned. How embarrassing. “What do you think they’re doing here?”

“Well, if rumours are to be believed, I’m guessing it’s about the hunters.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that there’s more on the agenda this assembly than just dealing with our pack. I’m just glad we’re up tomorrow so we don’t have to wait longer.” I clutched my hands together when thinking about it. Dealing with all the packs when we were so new seemed nothing but overwhelming.

Jason stepped out of the elevator with me once it stopped. “Don’t worry, love. They won’t stop us.”

I agreed with him, but now that we were here, it seemed like we were a Chihuahua against a pack of Rottweilers. Maybe our only hope was that the Alpha Assembly might decide not to swallow us in one bite.