Alpha's Bane

Chapter One Wolf Ridge, Arizona (Northern Phoenix) Sixteen Years Ago Sheridan The thunk of bone hitting flesh knots my stomach. I grab my little sister Ruby’s hand and tug her back, out of the way. An inhuman snarl comes from the slender, malnourished teen attacking my cousin Garrett Green, a kid twice his size. You’d have to be insane to take on our alpha’s kid. But Trey probably has a death wish. His drunk of a dad got hauled in by the police today. For murder. Of a human. And the reason all the kids are gathered on this field behind the clubhouse is because our alpha called a pack meeting. Word is, they’re discussing whether to let Trey and his mom stay. The pack doesn’t appreciate trouble with humans, especially cops, so any wolf who puts us at risk is subject to banishment. So yeah, Trey’s probably got a world of anger and fear pounding through him now. Taking the beating from Garrett might be a welcome distraction. To Garrett’s credit, he’s hardly bloodied Trey yet. He maintains the upper hand but lets the fight go on, lets Trey blow off steam this way, punching and kicking, throwing himself into it again and again. Trey picked the fight as soon as the meeting started and we kids clustered up to watch. And they aren’t friends. No one’s befriended Trey since his family moved here last year. He’s stony quiet most of the time, barely talks in class, although he seems to be smart. This is the most interaction I’ve seen from him all year. It’s not as ugly as it sounds. There’s a beauty to the fight—both boys moving with light-footed grace, like trained boxers instead of freshmen. If my older brother were out here, he’d break it up, but he just turned eighteen, so he’s allowed into meetings now. Trey throws his weight and tackles Garrett. They tumble to the dirt. Garrett pins him, but Trey slips out and punches him in the temple, eliciting a surprised grunt. Garrett’s four-year-old sister, Sedona, runs forward, crying for him, and I dash in to get her out of the fray. At the same time, Garrett tosses Trey backward, and he knocks me and Sedona to the ground. A collective growl snarls through Garrett and the group of kids watching. I fully expect Garrett to finish Trey now, his alpha instinct to protect the females overriding whatever restraint he was showing. My friend Pam picks up and soothes Sedona. “Sheridan.” Trey ignores Garrett, instantly transforming from out-of-control fury, to… gentleman. The wolf in his eyes fades from silver to pale blue. I didn’t know he even knew my name, although why wouldn’t he? I certainly know his. He lifts me to my feet at the same time he scrambles up. His knuckles are bruised and bloodied, but he holds me gently, concern etched in the line between his eyes. “I’m sorry—are you hurt?” His tooth has gone through his lip and blood spills down his chin, but he seems unaffected by his own pain. Our gazes tangle and something cinches up in my lower belly—some intense new awareness that I’m female, and he’s male. I can’t look away. He doesn’t release me, even with Garrett breathing down his neck just behind him. “I’m okay.” I finally make my numb lips move. My heart pounds in my ears as I absorb everything I’d missed about this scrappy kid from the lowest pack family. The deepness of his voice. The intensity of his pale blue eyes. The muscle definition on his slender frame. The scents on him—blood, earth and pine. “Hey.” The cluster of kids jumps apart at the command of our alpha’s deep voice. “What’s going on down here?” My uncle sniffs the air, no doubt picking up the scent of blood. The back door to the clubhouse is open and parents are coming out to round up their kids. Sedona runs to Alpha Green and he tousles her hair without taking his narrowed gaze off his son. “Were you fighting?” A muscle in Garrett’s jaw ticks as his gaze flicks to Trey, who dropped his hands from me like he received an electrical shock. “Nah.” He affects a lazy tone that in no way matches the intensity of the tussle he had. “We were just letting off some steam, right, Trey?” He puts a fist out and Trey bumps it, like they’re best buds. Like Trey somehow earned his respect by taking him on. I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Emmett Green turns his commanding gaze on Trey. “You’re going to have to man up and take care of your mother now, son.” Trey keeps his eyes dropped submissively to show respect. “Yes, sir. Are we kicked out?” “No,” Mr. Green says. “You’ll be permitted to stay, so long as you keep out of trouble and sever all contacts with your dad.” Trey swallows. “No hardship there,” he mutters. Then adds, “Thank you, sir.” The alpha walks off and the kids all stay, eyeing Trey with curiosity. I want to punch them all in the face now, even though I am just as much a party to this scene as anyone else. It’s Garrett who shifts things up. “Come on.” He smacks Trey’s shoulder like they’re old friends. “Let’s go hang out.” And just like that, Trey gets folded in as one of Garrett’s little pack, the bad boy alphas of Wolf Ridge High.