The Falcon Ridge Series Book 3 If Looks Could Kill

(Chapter song ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith)

ALEXI

Bars clink and lock. The sound of the prison doors closing echo through the cold, badly lit building. I’m pushed along the colorless hallway. Chains rattle between my ankles and another chain connects that to the cuffs around my wrists.

My wolf is silent and my body aches from the silver in the restraints and the collar around my neck. Still, I hold my head high like a Torrent even though I'm shaking like a leaf.

The sounds from the other inmates in here make this experience even more terrifying. These aren't the type of people I would normally encounter in my life. Not up until the last year, at least. Still, I had the freedom to fight and escape Ian and his gang. In here, I’m powerless and outnumbered. I have the skills, but I’m sure I would be struck down before I could make any solid move.

I will also have to watch my back. I’m sure, even in here, Dragons are the least favorite people. There may even be Dragons in here who would love to get their hands on me.

I’m stuck.

I take small steps as a guard holds my arm and leads me to a grey metal door with a small window in it. He opens the door and leads me inside.

It's just as grey as everything else. There’s a metal table, two metal chairs across from each other and a microphone. There’s nothing on the walls except a large mirror that covers half the wall. In a corner by the ceiling, a security camera pointed at me.

The guard sits me down in the chair that faces the mirror. He unattaches the body chain and lifts my wrists to the table top. There’s an eye ring welded to the table and I’m locked to it.

He leaves and I’m left with my thoughts.

After I was brought here, I was searched, showered and given a white t-shirt and white cotton pants then I was restrained. I haven’t been given a cell yet. I have to be interrogated first. I assume about the goings on with lost pack members. I really don’t know, but I’m about to tell the Alliance anything.

I look around the tiny room. The only way in or out is the door. There is no vent that I can see, so there is no possibility of escape.

I turn my attention to the mirror and lock in a stare with my reflection.

I can't remember the last time I actually looked in a mirror. I don't look like myself. The image in front of me isn't the one I remember back in my room before the Alliance raided us.

I have fallen so far. Is Luke, right? Was my mission to avenge my father killing me, too? Was I just being controlled by a ghost?

My face is so dark. So full of evil. I've never been this black. My former self would have never taken young people as hostages. I would never threaten lives the way I have. I'm so far from my father's honor. If my fate is sealed, I will welcome it. Evil like me doesn't deserve this life.

The door opens, and a well-built man with blonde hair walks in. He's carrying a file. My eyes follow him as he sits in the chair across from me, slapping the file down on the hard table.

He silently opens it, flipping through papers, and takes out a notepad. He pulls out a pen and positions it above the paper. "I'm Alpha Drake. Senior investigator on the Dragon case. I have a few questions for you." He glances up at me.

I don't say a word.

He writes something on his paper. "Full Name?”

I hold my head up. "Alexi Catherine Torrent."

He writes it down. "You were a member of the pack formally known as the Dragons?"

"I was." I raised my head higher in honor of the name.

"What was your position?" He continues to write.

"Daughter of the Alpha." I state.

"How many people have you murdered?" He didn't even look when he asked that.

I lower my head and tilt it. "None."

"None." He raises a brow and looks at me with disbelief in his eyes. "You never killed a single person."

"No." I lean back.

"Ok." He writes glancing at me on occasion, suspiciously.

"How many have you injured?" He asks. I feel like he's searching for something but I've no clue what.

"Several. I am a fighter." I say in all seriousness.

"I see." He writes more.

"We're you ever involved in your father's rampages?" He asks.

"My father was defending his people from you!" I snap.

He leans on the table and glares. "Your father was a deranged lunatic bent on the domination of the Northern Hemisphere. He was hardly a victim."

I lean on the table, glaring back. "Your Alliance tortured him for years. He was determined to not allow another wolf to suffer the way he did."

He leaned back folding his arms. "Really, is that why he attacked and killed entire packs? To save us?"

"My father did no such thing. He protected those loyal to him. Those loyal to you were punished. Cole Karver was the one killing everyone. My father would not kill without mercy."

"Really." He reaches into a pocket and pulls out his phone. He opens a file and lays it on the table. "This is from our interrogation of Karver." He presses play.

".... Who gave the order?"

"I'm not telling you shit."

Sounds of a punch.

"Who?!"

"You'll never know, Alpha."

More punches and struggling.

"Tell me who or I'll throw you into the deepest hole we have in this place."

"Ok. Ok. It was Torrent."

"Why does he want us all dead?"

"Because you're not loyal. You have no honor. He said anyone touched by the Alliance was tainted and needed to be culled from the shifter society."

"So, he ordered you to kill everyone in Helena, Silver Lake and Timber?"

"Yes. We needed them killed because they were the firsts. This would have been next on my list."

"So, you..."

Alpha Drake pressed pause. "Your father was a cold-blooded murderer. Straight from his own pack members mouth."

"He's lying," I spit.

Drake shakes his head. "No, he's not. He's not the only one we've heard this story from. Every Dragon we've pulled in here said the exact same thing."

"All Lies!!" I yell.

"Does your father condone lying to save your own skin?" Drake asked.

"No. There's no honor in that." I grumble.

"Are you lying, Alexi?" He asks.

"No. I'm not."

"So, if your father taught you to stand by your convictions until you die, then I guess you need to take Karver’s words as truth, don't you?" He leaned back in his chair again.

A tear falls from my eye. "My father's not a murderer." I say quietly.

"He is Alexi. Whether you believe it or not." He sat in his chair acting like he's won.

I refuse to believe my father would be so callous as to kill innocent people. I refuse it. The man who raised me and showed me nothing but love and devotion, could not be capable of doing something so monstrous.

"I will not believe your lies." I clench my jaw through my tears.

"Well, that's on you, isn't it?" He sits up. He flips some more papers. "Ok. So, you're charged with attempted murder of two Alphas and the kidnapping of 20 Alliance recruits. As well as, the break and enter of an Alliance facility and the attempted murder of six scientists and one security guard. They're all fine by the way." Drake read my charges. "Do you agree?"

"No." I look down at my lap.

"Okay." He closes the file and stands. "You'll be taken to your cell shortly." With that he left me in the room.

I thought of Karver’s confession. Karver, like all of us, are incapable of lying for the most part. My father didn't tolerate lies. He often taught that if you couldn't stand by word, you couldn't stand by anything. Even in times of war. Karver was a soldier of my fathers. He wouldn't lie. But I cannot believe what he said is true. My father wasn't an evil man. He couldn't be.

I was escorted to a small cell with a glass wall that overlooked the dimly lit hallway of the prison block.

When they removed my chains, I walked slowly around the room. When sadness took me, I climbed onto the small cot in the back of the cell and cried. I cried for my failure. I cried for my father.

I cried for Luke.

****

LUKE

I swing my fist with all the anger I have. Every punch I hit Richie with came with my chest vibrating in deep growls that were getting increasing louder by each blow.

He tries to block my punches, but I'm relentlessly coming at him with lefts and rights. In my sight, I see Torrent laughing his disgusting face at me. I smack him and he just comes back, cackling harder at the fact that he ruined Alexi with his sick, twisted insanity and now she’s paying the price.

She’s in prison facing execution because of that fucking dick and I can’t fucking stand it. It's not goddamn right.

Richie has to take several steps back as I belt out more hammers at his face. I hit him harder and faster. I’m biting my upper lip with fire in my eyes. I’m dripping in sweat and every muscle is tense as fuck.

I start throwing out the combos so fast, Richie has to call me out or he’s getting killed. My growls are so loud and dark, I can barely hear him yell at me.

"Luke! Tone it down!" He yells as he shields his face.

It only pisses me off more. I forcefully huff out my breath with each swing. He's not going to last much longer.

"LUKE!!" He yells, trying to break my tunnel vision. He finally sees an opening and slams his fist down on the side of my face which sends me crashing to the floor.

I lay on my forearms, holding my head and trying to breathe. Reality is trying its best to set back in as I grit my teeth and fight this.

"ENOUGH!" Richie barks.

My back is swelling with each huff. My fists are still solid and I'm shaking like I'm frozen, but I'm burning hot. I feel him get down on the floor beside me and lean to my head.

“Raging out isn’t going to help. You can’t win this with a fucked up head. An Alpha needs a clear head.” He whispers to me as I squeeze my eyes shut and breathe through my clenched jaw.

“It’s not over. Not yet. I heard no bell. Did you?”

I shake my head no.

He’s right. I can let out my frustrations, but I can’t let them make me blind. If I’m going to find a way to help Alexi, I got to be smart about it. I need to keep my anger in check.

I start to slow my breathing and making each one calm the flames in my gut.

“That’s it. Keep going.” He taps my back as he breathes with me.

After I'm calmed down enough, he helps me to my feet. I wipe the blood and sweat from my face with the back of my arm as I try to get my head straight.

He walks to the side of the sparring floor, oulls out a towel from his bag and tosses it to me. I catch it and clean myself up. “Thanks.” I mumble as I walk over to him.

He crosses his arms. "No problem. As much as I'm enjoying having a real challenge, I don't need to be pummeled by you, ok?"

“Sorry.” I grunt.

He puts his hand on my shoulder. “You can get through this. You deal with it like the leader you were born to be.”

I roll an eye to him. “When did you become such a pussy?”

He smirks. “That Unit shit you put out is rubbing off, dick.” He shoves me and I chuckle.

I walk to the wall and sit on the floor. He sits beside me. I lean my head on the wall and look out to the room. “The woman I want is in prison with all these charges against her, my dad's upstairs in his room bedridden, my pack is a mess because of my bullshit. I don't know what to do."

He puts his head back and rolls it to me. "Well, I'm not sure how to handle all that. I'm not an Alpha. But I would hang off all of us. We're here to help you."

I roll my head to him and offer a fist bump. He returns it and I give him a small smile. "Thanks."

I suck in a breath and get to my feet. “Sorry for beating on you so hard.”

He rises to his feet, too. "No problem. Just warn me when you're in a mood next time."

I chuckle. "Sure."

After showering and nursing my swollen cheekbone, I walk down the hall to my dad’s room to check in.

I hate this. We’re born with all this damn power and the thought that our wolves can just take that away, pisses me off to no end. It’s not fair.

It pisses me off more that I pissed my time with him away like cheap beer. I’ll never forgive myself for that.

The only thing I can do is change. Change myself, Red Rock and everything. I can make him proud to call me his son. I just hope I have enough time to show him I’m doing that.

When I get to his door, I quietly open it and walk into the large Alpha room. The lights are low, but the sun still creates a decent amount of light through the windows. My eyes land on him sitting up with his chest and legs under blankets in bed. He's barely strong enough to sit up, so we prop him up on pillows.

The machines helping him survive breathe rhythmically and beep quietly. I have to try to be normal. He doesn’t like it when I’m upset and I can’t show him. Like me, it makes him uncomfortable.

So, I suck up everything and shut the door behind me. He's barely awake and gives me a weak smile. I return it with a grunt and a small wave.

I stuff my hands in my pockets. "Hey dad."

"Hi, son." He says hoarsely.

I sit on the edge of his bed, pull a leg up and lean on my thigh. "How are you?" I reach out and pull his blanket back up under his arm.

"Still dying." He smiles.

I chuckle and look at my hands. “Not funny.”

“It’s a little funny.” He grins.

I just shake my head. Damn Jackson’s and our dumb jokes.

I reach out, grab his hand and hold it in both of mine. The aging process is really taking effect now. It's like all the human health problems are hitting him at once. His face is sunken. His hair is snow white. His muscle mass is all but gone. He looks frail. His hands are pale and wrinkled. It crushes me to see this. This man was a virtual monster in my eye growing up, now…

"How are you?" He asks.

"Fucked up." I grumble.

"Your mother told me. It’s quite a situation. Are you sure you want to pursue this son?" His holds my hand back and I press my lips together to push back my emotions.

“I have to.” I quickly glance at his brown eyes. I didn’t realize how much of his light has faded until now. “I don’t know. I don’t know what this is, I just know it’s not how it’s supposed to be. I mean. I know what she is, but I don’t care. I don’t know what to do.”

He smiles. "You sound like me when I met your mother." He struggles to laugh then breaks into a coughing fit. I reach for a cloth and wipe his lips and help him through it. “Thanks.” He chokes.

I just grunt and toss the cloth. “Anyway…The Alliance has her and I have no idea what they're going to do with her. They won't let me in to see her.” I turn and lean on my thighs. “If I can prove to them she's not her dad and prove that I can take care of her, I know she'd turn out to be a good person."

"Son, love is certainly a fickle thing. What matters to everyone is not what should matter to you, but reputations being what they are, a pack needs to know their Alpha makes goods decisions.” He raises a brow. “She’s a Torrent. Do you really think you can trust her? Sometimes, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”

“I get that, but Dad. I don’t even think Alexi is the same kind of apple. Besides trying to kill us, she doesn’t act like her father did at all.” I stitch my brows up.

“If that’s what you think. But, son. Do you think you can prove to the pack that this Alexi is a good person and not the Torrent she is." He tilts his head on his pillow and gives me that dad look.

I rub my nape. He has a point. It’s not one I haven’t thought about either. Convincing the pack that their Alpha fell for a Torrent…it’s a tough sell, but every bit of me doesn’t give a shit.

"I hope I can. I can’t pass this up, Dad. There’s something inside…it won’t let me. I’m something to Alexi. I don’t know what, but I have to do this. I have to see where this goes. I just don’t know how I’m going to do that when she’s locked up.” I hang my head and lace my fingers together.

"Talk to Bastian." My dad offers. "He may help."

"Dad…” I smirk. “The last time Cole and I were in the same room together, it didn't end well." I tick my head.

He nods. "You're an Alpha now. You have more responsibility. Which means interacting properly with other Alphas."

I snort. "Oh yeah. All us young Alpha's are off to a great start."

My dad chuckles. "I heard about the fight with Alpha Blake. I'm sure the dust has settled."

I grunt. "Yeah. Though he didn't look good for a few days."

He pats my hand. "Call Bastian. Don’t let him get to you. I know he’s a challenge. Just try to be the Alpha I know you are."

I take his hand in mine. "Ok. I'll try."

"Good luck son." He says.

Before I get up, my face falls and I look into his eyes. "Hey dad?"

"Yes."

"Don't...go anywhere until you can meet Alexi. Ok?" I scan his face.

"I'll try." He smiles.

I lean to him. “Try hard.” I arch a brow and give him a stern look.

He claps my cheek and chuckles. “I'll try, son. Get to work.”

I smile and lean in for a hug before leaving. As I walk down the hall, I think about what my dad said. I know if I had complete access to Alexi, I could make her into the person I know she is. Somehow, I need to convince the Alliance to hand her over to me.

The problem is the last time Bastian and I talked, I kind of punched him out when my parents had an Alliance party we have called the Blue Moon Ball. I’m sure you've heard about it.

Anyway, I was 16 and a bit buzzed, so…

Ok. I was drunk, but he was being a dick and deserved it.

I really hate to have to grovel to him, but he's the head of the Security Unit Prison Department.

He's also the Alpha of Black Rock. The largest single pack in the Alliance. And because he’s situated around the edge of human territory, his family have banked a lot of coin on humans crossing over to shop and shit. It wouldn’t be so bad except the idiot rubs it in all our faces every chance he gets.

Which, in my mind, deserves a slam dunk to his pretty face. It may be wrong, but it makes me feel good. Sorry, not sorry.

For Alexi, I'll bite the bullet and call him. I should anyway since I'll be joining the council in another couple of months. I just have to remain level headed. Just keep my eye on the prize here and try not to piss him off.

As I jog down the stairs, my front door opens.

I cinch my brow and slow my steps to the first floor as River, Jayson and Mica Whitney walk in.

“What are you guys doing here?” I fold my arms and look them over.

River crosses his arms and smirks. “Wanna raid a lab?”

A smile crosses my lips. “Hell ya! Let’s go!”

They walk out the door and I follow them out.

This will be my chance to prove to Alexi I’m on her side. Shutting this shit down is top priority before going to Bastian. This lab started this hell she’s in and I’m going to show her how I deal with Satan.