The Falcon Ridge Series Book 3 If Looks Could Kill

(Chapter song ‘Hells Bells' by AC/DC, ‘Fade To Black' by Metallica)

ALEXI

At a secluded, abandoned hunting cabin I found, I tuck my property away and call the wind.

It swirls around my ankles, up my naked body and through my hair as my body rearranges and I lands on all fours. My paws grow, my skin writhes with the muscle of the beast within. My body grows and red fur coats me. With a small growl, my wolf shakes her fur out and licks her lips. She looks to the trees and breaks into a run.

Into the night, she runs as the creature we were meant to be.

As the wind rushes past my ears, I remember running with my pack just behind my father. I remember feeling of the thundering paws in the earth under my claws. The sound of the panting wolves surrounded me and filled me with pride. Each one was willing to die for the pack and my father.

We were one and forever, but who knew forever would be so short.

I run alone now. It's been so long since I've run with another. It's a lonely feeling. Wolves being of a social nature will lose themselves in this state. My mission has been what keeps me grounded and still does.

As of late, though, another thing has been growing inside me. A small tiny flame.

It threatens to push my mission aside. I will fight it, but the seed of doubt has implanted inside. But I must fight it if I can't contain what it means. I cannot lose sight of my vengeance because of the Alpha. My father demands blood and I'll be the one to spill it into the streets of the Alliance.

If I am to kill this Alpha Luke Jackson, I need to refocus my energy. I need to see my target in a different light.

With the moon above the trees, I run around the trees surrounding Red Rock. My target, pack house.

Once I see lights just ahead, I slow my pace. Under the cover of darkness, I trot to the tree line bordering the Red Rock pack house property. My purpose will be to see if there’s a weakness I can expose. Alphas are not without some sort of Achilles heel. I will find Luke’s.

On the property is a large house made of stone and white painted wood. There is a large round driveway with several cars and a few motorcycles parked off to the side.

The house itself is not a grand castle, but a simple, large, family home. It has a porch and a large garage off to the side. The windows are many, but they, too, are ones you’d find in a home. It’s not the arrogant representations of Alphas I’m used to seeing from the wolves my father dealt with.

I do think this suits the Alpha here. He may be arrogant, but he does have an air of humbleness in him.

As I settle into my surveillance, I hear the laughing in the distance.

Using my wolf vision, I see the Alpha walking from the other side of the garage to the front door.

He's shirtless and carrying a ball between his arm and his hip. I pause for a moment to admire his cut, muscular torso before getting to work and observing his action.

He's wearing sweatpants and sneakers and has his other arm draped around a small boy. They’re both smiling and having a grand time. The child bears no resemblance to him so, I don’t believe this child is his, though you wouldn’t know it the way he interacts with the child.

My wolf tilts her head to the side as the two stop in front of the last garage door by the porch.

Luke bounces the ball and playfully jogs around the driveway while the small child tries to take the ball from him.

Luke drops the ball, but it doesn’t look like he did so by accident. The child grabs the ball and bounces it. He struggles, but still he giggles. Luke runs up behind him, grabs his waist and lifts him to what looks like a net attached to the building.

The child puts the ball into it and yells with his hands in the air. He’s so full of excitement.

Luke lifts him up and places him on his shoulder. He raises his arm in the air like the child also sporting a large smile. I’m lost in the happiness of this moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The best basketball player in the world! Yeah!" Luke calls out then he runs around the lot as the child laughs and holds his head. "The crowd goes wild!"

They break into hysterics as Luke pulls him off, cradles him in his arms and spins around in a circle.

In my mind, I’m grinning right with them. My wolf lays down, rests her chin on her paws and lets out a tiny whine with the lick of her lips. She watches them intently and I feel a softness from her.

A small movement has her snap her head up and look to the front door.

A woman steps onto the porch and calls to the child. "Joshua, time for bed."

"Awe mom. Can't I stay up?" The child whines as Luke puts him on his feet.

Luke drops to one knee next to the child. "Yeah, mom." He mockingly whines as I internally giggle at his foolish tone.

She folds her arms and laughs. "Your dad has your story, come on." She waves the child to her.

"But I want Uncle Luke to read to me." The child protests as he walks to the steps..

Luke catches up and rests an arm on the boys shoulders. "I'll tell you what. I'll read two tomorrow, ok?"

An Alpha who reads children’s storybooks. I like that.

"You promise?"

"Pinky swear." He holds his pinky to the boy and the boy wraps his pinky around it.

He runs to the house and Luke follows. "Hey. Don't bust your moms chops alright? She loves you."

The boy smiles. "Ok, Uncle Luke." He hugs his mothers waist and runs into the house. “DAD!”

“Thanks.” The mother smiles.

“He’s a great kid. Don’t thank me.” He grins back.

Luke adjusts the ball in his arm as he takes the first step up the stairs. He pauses and I watch him with curiosity. He steps backwards onto the driveway and turns around.

I pull back farther into the dark of the trunks when I realize he’s scanning the tree line.

He walks halfway across the driveway and stops. I see him arch a brow. "Hello?"

My wolf remains still as stone.

After one more thorough look, he turns back to the house.

Before he gets to the front door, he pauses once again to look over his shoulder. I swear, even though I remain hidden from his eyesight, his eyes still find mine.

He shakes his head then turns into the house and shuts the door. I watch the house darken as the lights outside are turned off.

My wolf whines as she steps out of the trees. This is not the evil Alpha I envisioned to be part of my mission. The Alpha that I would fault in the death of my father is evil. Murderous.

This Alpha holds love in his heart, though he doesn't know it. He told me he doesn't know what it's like to feel love, but from what I saw just now, he knows. He knows how to love as a father. The kind of love my own father showed me.

My mission was to kill him, now, don't know if I can do that.

I can’t destroy something that loves as I do.

****

LUKE

I scrub my hand up my face and into my hair as I analyze all the evidence laid out across my desk.

The photo of the pendent, the video, the articles. All of it is spread out like a code I have to break.

I know who she is, but what I want to know why I fucking like her so much? She’s a Torrent and a Dragon. I should want to slit her throat. Her family has killed so many people and here I am wanting to slam her down on my bed and have my way with her.

I look at everything, trying to figure out why I'm so attracted to her, when a knock came on my door.

"Just a minute." I quickly gather everything and throw it in a drawer. I clear my throat and sit at my desk as normally as I can given this women is under my skin and making me walk around with a permanent semi.

"Come." I bark.

The door opens and my father pokes his head in. "Settled in?" He smiles as he walks in with his hands in his pockets.

I look around my poorly decorated office. Like I said, officing really isn’t my thing. "I guess so. I'm not really the office type."

"Listen, son. I know things have not been the greatest with this town and with me. And I know you believe that I don't care..." He looks at the floor.

I sit back. "No, Dad. That's not it, ok.” I toss the pen I had in my hand on my desk top. “I know you care, but what's pisses me off is how scared you are.”

He scrunches his brow as he sits in the chair in the other side of the desk.

I sigh, get up and walk around the desk to him. “You're fucking Alpha, dad. You let guys like Ian walk all over you. I just want you to stand up and take your pack back."

I fold my arms around my chest as I look down at my dad. He looks like he’s ass has been kicked a thousand times.

He leans on the arm of the chair, rubs his forehead and sighs. "I'm old, Luke. I'm the oldest Alpha on the council. I just don't have the energy these young ones do." He flops his arm down and raises his tired looking eyes to me.

He's not lying. He was fated to my mother for a long fucking time before they had me. Well into his 50s. Then Lucy came another 7 years later. Having kids that late can drain a person for sure.

When Red Rock started to go to shit, and add the council bullshit, his body didn't handle the stress well. I can see in his graying hair and wrinkles. My father is done.

If I’m being honest, this is the first time I truly looked at my dad and took that in. Something inside me turned.

I pull up a chair and place it in front of him. I look at him with concern as I sink into the seat.

"You really can't fight this, can you?" I lean on my thighs and look up at him.

He tries to shy away like he's embarrassed. It’s not easy for an Alpha to admit defeat.

He smiles at me as his eyes glass over.

"I haven't told your mother.” He whispers as he lowers his head. He leans back and adjusts his tie.

“Told her what, dad?” I feel a twinge in my gut as I watch him closely.

He raises his eyes to me. I’ve never seen real pain in my fathers eyes and when his eyes locked with mine, it scared me.

“I'm dying, Luke."

I huff a breath of shock and lean back as my curled fingers cover my mouth. I look out to my office and process his words.

"My wolf has given up. Stopped healing. The aging process...it’s speeding up. From what I understand, I won't see the next blue moon." He whispers.

I drop my hand, turn to him and shake my head. I suck in a breath. "No. No. You can't."

I pull my chair closer and sit on the edge. Holding onto the arms of his chair, I look into his eyes. "There has to be something. Richie. He can train you again. Tyrone can get your wolf off his ass. We can get you healthy again, dad. You can't just give up…" I fight the tightness in my chest that's building in me.

"I'm sorry, son." He places his hand on my nape as he looks into my eyes. Tears well in his eyes as he smiles. "You’re a good boy. A good son, but I've tried everything. We maybe long lived, but we aren't immortal. This day would have to come eventually."

"What am I supposed to do? I can’t do this, dad. I can’t be you.” I shake my head then lower it as I hold my forehead.

"You can, son. I know you can. You take your pack. You take it back from Ian like I was supposed to do. You live the legacy I built for you. You're strong. You're the Alpha our people need. Not me." He rubs my neck as my body fills with doubt.

I raise my head. “I’m not as strong as you.” I suck in my top lip.

He smiles and rests his forehead on mine. “You’re stronger than you think.” He whispers. “You may be the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever come across…”

He laughs with a sniff and so do I.

“You’re a Jackson, Luke. We don’t back down until we are sure we're done. Even then, we'll take them to hell with us as a last fuck you. We have guts and heart. Remember that. Take what I gave you and turn it into the best damn pack the Alliance will ever have. Don’t let it die with me.”

He holds my cheeks as a tear falls. “I’ll help you as much as I can, but your mother and sister are going to need you. Our pack needs you, Luke. Now more than ever."

I take his hands in mine and hold them on his lap, sniffing back the tears.

I wipe my face and take a deep breath before facing him again. "Yeah. Ok. I'll take the pack.”

He smiles like I just delivered his last dying request which crushed the fuck out of me because I’m a goddamn asshole.

I grab his nape and look into his eyes with as much conviction as I can produce. “I'll save us, dad. I'll make sure this pack is safe. For you."

He takes a cleansing breath, wipes his eyes and claps my cheek. "That's my boy."

He stands, clears his throat and composes himself. "Now, don't tell anyone. I'm not ready to say anything yet."

I grunt and stand, too.

He stuffs his hands in his pockets. "On another note, I heard you've been making some headway on your attack. Anything interesting?"

I run my fingers through my hair and look to my desk. After what my father just told me, I almost forgot that the girl I want to bone is a Dragon.

"Um. Just that it's a girl not a guy. We're trying to find her." I walk with my dad to my office door.

He nods. "Well, I'll leave you to it. We'll sign the title papers after lunch. I’ll have Gavin make an announcement to the pack.”

As we cross my floor, I stop him. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...What would do if a girl you really liked was mixed up in some real serious shit?" I cinch my brow and cross my arms.

He look at me with an odd expression and scratches his temple. "Well, I guess it would depend on how much I liked her."

"Say it was mom." I offer.

He chuckles. "Well, I'd rage war trying to save her."

I thought about it. "Even if it was from herself?"

He furrows his brow. "What's this about?"

I wave him off. "Nothing. Just thinking."

He huffs and smiles. "Alright. We'll sit down and go through the budget and vetting members.

"Sounds fun." I smile with a little bit of sarcasm and he chuckles. "Hey dad?"

"Yes." He stops again.

"I'm sorry I've been such a dick." Sadness and regret fill my face again.

He grins. "Already forgotten, son." He leaves my office, shutting the door behind him.

I hang my head with my hands in the pockets of my blue jeans. I suck in my top lip as I think about what a jackass I’ve been.

I raise my head to the door. He didn’t deserves any of it. It was me. I act all angry and tough, but really, I’m a fucking coward. Alphas a huge fucking job and comes with a lot of shit, but it’s my birthright.

I was born to lead them…

To lead her…

I lower my head again and rub my nape.

I was born to take his place, but I didn’t want to take his place like this.