Rogues

Four

Alexie:

"She has to want something. Alphas don't just wander for no reason," Archer said. My dad walked into the room with my mother behind him.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked.

"None of your business, Jerry," mom said winking in my direction.

"Oh, I think it is," my i***t brother laughed.

My parents both turned to look at me. I sat up straight trying to not to remembering the way they reacted to Lance when he had announced his mating and that he was going to pledge allegiance to an alpha for her sake. My dad was pissed.

"I found my mate," I announced. The sound of my mother's heartbeat accelerating makes me nervous. More than I care to admit.

"And?" my dad asked.

"You both know her," I said looking away.

"Do we now?" he asked his tone dark just like every other time he got pissy with any one of us.

"Sloane Vanderbilt," the expression on his face made want to laugh and walk the hell out of here at the same time.

"What have you done, boy?" he growled. "They could have killed you,"

"You would have known if I left neutral grounds. She's here. The new headhunter you wanted to meet. That's her," he turned around facing the bar. I hate when he gives me his back. As of late, he's been doing it more and more. He thought about what that would mean for an instant before he poured himself a drink.

"Have you approached her?" he asked.

"Look at him," mom said. "He's spent more than a couple of hours with her already. He has that newly mated glow. Have you marked her yet?"

"Have you?" my dad growled.

"That is really none of your business," I said looking away.

"Good, this mating is a joke," he growled. "An alpha female here on our turf taking from our people,"

"For someone who hates alphas you sure do know how to sound like one," I said. The growl boomed off the walls making me want to laugh. That sound hadn't frightened me for a really long time now. "I think you'd both enjoy her company. She's invited us to her place for dinner,"

"I know you've heard the rumors about her kind. They eat rogues for dinner. They don't invite them over," mom said.

"She was kicked out of her pack," I said. This caught everyone's attention. "She doesn't exactly play well with others. Just ask Archie,"

"I would never have guessed she was a pack wolf," he nodded.

"Where?" my dad asked.

"In Shores. Nicholas and third," I said standing up. "I didn't understand why you were so upset when Lance left. I know what you did to them, dad. So does she. You're lucky I found her before she crossed paths with you. If you try to hurt my girl, you'll regret it much more than when you lost your other sons,"

"You dare to threaten me, boy?" he growled.

"Yeah, that was a threat. You know better than anyone that I don't just toss words out in the open. After all, I am your son,"

"Alexian, you will not speak to your father like that," mom growled.

"You'll come if you want to continue having a son," I said turning away from them.

I think that's the hardest thing I've ever had to do. My parents are a pair of aces. My dad a spade and my mom an ace of hearts. It seems fitting that I'd be mated to a second class alpha female. We might not be the firstborns but that doesn't diminish what we are or who we are. Lance had disappointed my dad in a way I prayed I never had to.

I thought it was the position my brother had taken that angered him. I want to know why my dad hates Sloane's father so much. Sofia. The only daughter of a beta. Kal Kurran. Lance had been born the first son of an alpha wolf and settled for the role of beta. It was an insult to what my father is and he hated everything about his mating. What does it mean that I was mated to one of his alphas? I couldn't get to the Tavern faster.

"Sir, we have a problem downtown," Octavio, one of my best Capos let me know as soon as he saw me walk through the door. He handed me my usual box containing a cigar and a box of wooden matches.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Ash," he said looking down at his feet. They all knew better than to mention that name looking me in the eye.

Ash. My youngest brother. That one had fallen worse than Lance and I could have ever. He had rejected his wolf and turned into a leech. With the alpha demand frozen inside those dead veins of his, he had taken over the vampire underworld. Served the Queen as one of his best lieutenants. Just like when he was a kid, a f*****g thorn in my ass is all he is.

"Ash is the leech from last night?" I smiled at the sound of her voice. I thought I had been imagining the scent. It had been on the tip of my nose since I left her place last night.

"You were waiting for me?" I asked turning to face her. She sat in the same exact spot she had been last night. Hyde smiled in our direction as I placed the cigar and matches on the bar next to her helmet.

"Well, Don Alexian Victor," she just called me that. "You are the one who calls the shots around here,"

"You're even crazier than I thought if you think I'm giving you a job," she laughed.

"Not one to play well with others. I have a problem with one of your associates," she said glancing over to my right. I looked over to see one of my brother's friends. Actually, all of them.

"You can't take care of your problems, Trouble?" she growled at me. The anger flared in her eyes like wildfire. I smiled at how cute she is.

"I'm only here because if he ends up impaled by my claws I'm going to have a whole lot of your little pups on my ass," she said challenging my gaze. "Deal with your little pups, Alexie or we're going to have a real problem,"

"You think you can come in here and talk to me like that?" I growled grabbing her arm. She firmly placed her hand on my wrist. The way she gripped it would make snapping it incredibly easy.

"I talk to whoever the f**k I want to however the f**k I please. I thought we established that," a lot of the wolves here stood up staring her down. I looked around wanting to tell them to back the f**k up but I can't exactly do that. Not in front of my guys. I'm no one's b*tch. "We both know I can kill them all without breaking a sweat. It'll make this situation worse for both of us. Get your pups in line,"

"Or what? You're going on a kill streak. I know your kind princess and you're not about that life," she smiled.

"My kind?" she asked. With her spare hand, she pulled a Barretta out of the inside of her jacket and aimed it behind me right over my shoulder. "Are you sure about that?"

I hadn't expected this in the slightest. She's been completely unpredictable from the very beginning. This little display has to be because of last night. She really doesn't take rejection well, I'm going to have to make a note of that. I also have to remember the stupid f*****g promise I made. I let go of her arm and she lowered her gun.

"What do you want?" I asked her and she smiled. "You want me to kill him?"

"If I wanted him dead, I would have killed him myself," she said putting the gun inside the holster hidden by the leather jacket she's wearing. She has two more guns in there and god knows what else.

"What do you want, princess?" I asked pulling her into me. This must have confused the hell out of everyone watching.

"Make an example," she whispered in my ear.

I pulled back looking her in the eyes. She's one hundred percent serious. I smiled at her knowing exactly what this meant. She didn't want to work for me, she wants to sit on my lap and watch me take whatever I wanted and she whatever she demanded. She's going to make me regret my promise, I know it. I didn't see that coming in the slightest. Her little laugh told me she knew that we were on the same page now.

This is actually easy for me. I'd be able to keep her out of trouble, she does whatever she wants, and everyone knows she's off limits. I pulled her into me and she let me looking over everyone in the room. The kid she has a problem with was looking at us. There's obvious anger there.

"What did he do?" I asked her.

"I said I wanted you to make an example of him, not kill him. It's not their fault. They just can't help it," that angers me. Her cocky demeanor bothers me but it makes me proud in a sick sadist kind of way.

"Marcus," it came out as a growl more than a command. His friends stepped away from him when he jumped. He walked over to me nonetheless.

"Sir," he said lowering his head.

"Do you know this woman?" I asked looking down at my mate. She kept that little smirk on her face.

"Y-y-yes," he studdered making her laugh.

"Come on, Marcus that's not the tone you used before," she taunted. "What were you saying? You work for who?"

I don't like that. I hate it when these pups use my name to justify or get away with whatever they want around here. If he was hitting on Sloane and she had rejected him, he should have backed off. No means no. That's a rule I've always established both with men and women equally. If he pushed the matter and threw my name in there it just makes this a little worse.

"Why don't you take a seat, trouble? Watch," she looked up at me and smiled. She took a seat back on the stool and asked Hyde for a gin and tonic.

"She doesn't want me to kill you," I said looking down at him. "There are three rules we live by here. I want all of you to repeat them as I call them. What's the number one rule?"

"No vampire affairs," everyone called out. I turned back to look at Sloane.

"Noted," she said lifting her glass.

"What's number two?"

"If the Don doesn't act on it leave it alone," I glanced at her again her cheeks tinting pink.

"What's the last rule?" I growled looking down at Marcus.

"No means no," they said. She put the glass down and jumped off the stool. Her demeanor calmed completely.

"That's right. No means no," I growled grabbing him by the neck. "You used my name to try something on my mate?"

"Don Alexian, I didn't know," he said both his hands coming up to my wrist.

"Didn't know what? That she was my mate or the meaning of no?"

"Both," Sloane said coming closer. "He knows now right?"

"Yes," Marcus nodded. I tightened my grip on him and she growled in the back of her throat, not a threat at least it didn't feel like it.

"You're not going to do it again. To me or any other girl, right?" she asked him. He tried pulling my hand away and nodded when he couldn't make the words out. I let him go. He fell to his knees.

"Stay just like that," I said as he tried to take in as much air as he could. "Now apologize to her,"

"I'm sorry," he choked out holding his neck taking slow breaths.

"What?" I growled.

"I'm sorry. Miss Sloane," he coughed. I looked over at her, that little smirk on her face returned.

"Cool," was all she said. She shrugged like all of this had been no big deal.

"Get out of here," I growled. He got up and stumbled out of the bar. She was sitting at the bar facing away from me. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course we are," she said downing her drink. "I've been working on it all day. I just wanted to do it a little more peacefully,"

That isn't sitting well with me, it boils my blood a little more and made me want to kill him a lot more. She got up taking her helmet off the top of the bar. She placed a twenty on the bar and walked out. I looked up at Hyde and he laughed.

"Close up. We're going downtown," I instructed.

"You heard the man," he shouted and everyone cleared out. I waited for him to close up. He got in the car arming his pistole as I headed to leech grounds. "She's trouble,"

"I know," I said.

"We can't afford that kind of trouble right now, Alexie. Ash is on the move. He so much as sees her, she's dead,"

"He wouldn't,"

"Come on, man. He's not your brother anymore. This changed him. The Ash we know is dead,"

"You know why he did this,"

"If he finds out that she's Lance's alpha he going to hit us with everything he's got to get to her," I know that. It was why I didn't let him see her back in the alley. Yet a part of still thinks he wouldn't do that. He might be one of them but he's still my brother. "I like her. She suits you,"

"She's something else," I agreed thinking about what had just happened.

"Yeah, she is but so are you. How did the old man take it?"

"We'll find out at dinner. She likes you. You're coming in case she tries to kill him. I want you to set up security around her place for when I'm not there,"

"She's not going to like that. I'm sure she has wherever she's staying at on lockdown," she does.

"It doesn't matter. She's my mate. She can bring it up with me if she doesn't like it," he laughed. "Stop enjoying this so much,"

"I can't man. I knew you had this s**t in you. We might not be pack dogs but we're no different from them. She's proof of that. All you have to do is set the borderline,"

"I'd have to kill my baby brother for that," I said parking in front of the nightclub. "I can't,"

We both got out. I locked my car letting the valet know I wasn't going to be long. It's hard for me to come down here. Vampire nightclubs are the worst. This is their official feeding grounds. The place reeks of blood and s*x. The most disgusting stench comes from them. The leeches stink of something between life and death. Kind of like trying to cover the stench of rot with perfume.

My brother sat right in the center of the dance floor. The white tailored suit goes well with him. The crowd of feeding leeches opened up a path for us. He sat on a golden throne. The Arabian Nights theme of the club is perfect for this s**t. If he shut his eyes he looks dead. I stopped in front of him.

He looks like something is bothering him. Growing up, Ash was always laughing. Always doing something that got us all in trouble and like the older brothers that we are we covered for him. At least I did. He and Lance were close. Everything Ash knows about what our family does, my older brother taught him and when he chose to leave this life for the pack life it destroyed him. Ash took it the hardest. It drove him to this. It took all the good in him and twisted it into something dark.

"Ashton,"

"Don Alexie," he smiled at me but it didn't reach his eyes. Something is definitely bothering him. He's acting out.

"Do we have a problem?" I asked.

He stood up waving his hand and I have to be impressed. The crowd moved away as he walked by. Even the guards, didn't dare look up at him. We entered a massive office area. He took a seat behind a glass desk. Everything that isn't glass is white. It's beautiful but at the same time, it's depressing. A little sinister even.

"Not at all," he said waving his guards out. There's no way in hell I'm leaving Hyde out there with all those leeches and he knows that. Hyde stood at the door and made himself scarce. "I feel like doing s**t you don't like is the only way I can get your attention,"

"You can call," I reminded him. He motioned me to take a seat. I looked down at the white leather moon chair and took a seat.

"I can't get it out of my head," he waved his hand in front of him. He looks tired.

"What?" I asked.

"Is she a pack wolf?" he asked.

"No, she isn't," It isn't a lie. He smiled.

"That's good then. Is dad pleased?" he asked.

"No. I doubt the old man will ever be pleased with anything we do," he scoffed.

"That's for damn sure. How is ma?"

"She's... She's okay for now," he nodded.

"About the other night,"

"She's new to this side of town. She doesn't know where everything is yet. I'm teaching her," he nodded.

"I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean to insult you or her. I didn't know she was yours and it got the best of me when you told me," I nodded. "You were kidding right?"

"About her killing you?" I asked and he nodded. "Nope. She's nuts,"

"Does she know?" he smiled and this time it did reach his eyes. It made the cold blue in his eyes glisten.

"Not yet. I'm just working out the kinks," he smiled. "How are you doing?"

"What?" he asked looking up at me confused.

"You wanted to get my attention little man. What is it?" he looked up at something in the corner of the room before his eyes met mine and it told me he was being watched.

"I wanted to know about her but it looks like you know a lot less than I expected. What's her name?"

"Sloane," I said.

"She's beautiful. More of blondes guy but hey, brunettes taste just as good," not sure if we're on the same page but I'm going with the s*x option and not the blood type.

"Ask me what you want to ask me," I said.

"Does she still come around?" he asked. I sat back wondering what the hell he wanted to know that for.

"What's this about, Ash?"

"I want to know," he growled stubbornly. "I'm not completely emotionless. Seeing you with your mate made me think of her and I can't get her out of my head. Give me something so I don't go looking for something,"

"No, she doesn't come around anymore. She..."

"She what?" he asked his eyes zeroing in on me.

"She's with someone else now. She doesn't bare your mark anymore. She doesn't even call," he sat back not taking his eyes off me.

"Where is she, Alex?"

"Come on, Ash. I'm not going to tell you that," He had something in his hand a piece of glass maybe. He crushed it. Whatever it was cut the palm of his hand pretty bad. His guards rushed in from the smell of it.

"Did I call you?" he shouted his eyes glowing red. They all walked out skeptically. "I should have killed her when I had the chance,"

"It's too late for that now. Don't look for her, Ash. It'll just make all of this worse," he tossed whatever was in his hand making a mess on the white carpet. He looked down at his bleeding hand and plucked the shards of glass out tossing them on the desk.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. He placed his bleeding hand on the desk and smeared the blood around like a baby who had purposely spilled his food. "That's all I wanted to know,"

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yup," he said not looking up at me again. "Congrats man. She sounds great. Make sure you don't f**k it up,"

"Thanks," I said getting up. "About earlier,"

"I'll have them clean up. I'll get someone to cover for the guys I killed until you sort out the rest," he said waving me off.

"Alright. Have a good night," I said motioning Hyde to follow me out.

We had to push our way through the crowd this time. I have to go home and shower before going to Sloane's tonight. I'm going to be late which is probably going to upset her. I sat in my car a few seconds before I turned it on. Hyde didn't say a word as we drove to the safe house or on the way to Sloane's. This is not good at all. Something is eating at him. Undead or not. He's my brother.