Ghost riders MC: Claimed by the Alphas

6. The threat

Chapter Six

Damon Pov

I couldn't stop staring at her as she walked away with her jaw tight with anger and fear. Something about this woman had gotten under my skin in the span of twenty minutes, and I didn't know what to do about it.

This one looked at me like I was the devil himself. Like she wanted to claw my eyes out and then maybe run me over with her car for good measure and damn if that didn't turn me on.

I'd been at the school doing my usual morning check when I'd spotted the kid. I couldn't have missed him if I tried. The Little thing with messy dark hair and a backpack almost bigger than he was, bouncing on his toes with excitement but it was his eyes that had stopped me cold.

Blue, bright and electric blue orbit that seemed to almost glow in the morning sunlight.

Just like Kade's.

I'd wanted to get a closer look, see if I was imagining things. I wanted to welcome the kid properly since he was clearly new and we made it a point to make families feel safe here. That's what the Ghost Riders did. We protected, provided and kept Ashwood running smoothly so people could live their lives without fear.

Then I turned around and saw her.

The goddess didn't even begin to cover it. She was all curves and fire, wearing jeans that hugged her hips in a way that made my mouth go dry and a simple shirt that did nothing to hide her full breasts. Her dark hair fell in waves past her shoulders, and her face was equal parts beautiful and furious.

Then she'd yanked her kid away from me like I was about to hurt him, and I'd seen it. That fierce protectiveness and that mama bear instinct that said she'd burn the whole world down before she let anyone harm her child and something in my chest had tightened.

I liked her, more than liked her and I suddenly wanted to know everything about her. Wanted to know what had put that fear in her eyes and that steel in her spine.

I wanted to see what she looked like underneath me, those brown eyes wide and her mouth open on my name.

I pulled away from her house and drove the short distance to the mansion we'd built five years ago when we'd officially taken control of Ashwood. Three stories of stone and wood nestled in the trees, big enough for all of us to have our own space but close enough that we functioned like the pack we were.

I parked in the circular driveway and headed inside, my mind still on the woman with fire in her eyes and secrets in her past.

The living room was a mess. Beer bottles on the coffee table. Motorcycle magazines scattered across the floor with someone's leather jacket thrown over the back of the couch and sprawled across said couch, snoring loud enough to wake the dead, was my twin brother.

Kade lay on his back with one arm thrown over his face and his mouth hanging open. Still wearing his jeans and boots from last night's patrol. I walked over and shoved him hard. He rolled right off the couch and hit the floor with a satisfying thud.

"What the f**k!" Kade shot up, his eyes flashing blue for just a second before he blinked and focused on me. "Damon, what the hell is wrong with you? Can't you see I was sleeping?"

"It's noon asshole, You shouldn't be sleeping." I dropped into the armchair across from him. "Where were you last night?"

"Running the western border and checking for rogues." He rubbed his face and yawned. "We've had three sightings in the past week. Something's pushing them toward our territory, and I don't like it."

That got my attention. Rogues were werewolves without packs, they were dangerous and unpredictable but right now, I had something else on my mind.

"There's a new neighbor in town," I said casually.

Kade raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's what you woke me up for?"

"This one's different." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "She's f*****g hot, Kade. Like, stopped-me-dead-in-my-tracks hot and sassy as hell. She looked at me like she wanted to kill me and maybe dance on my grave."

A slow grin spread across Kade's face. "And you're into that?"

"Hell yes, I'm into that." I ran a hand through my hair. "There's something about her though, I can't explain it. But I want her and I want to know everything about her. Want to—"

"Sleep with her?" Kade cut in. "Damon, we've talked about this. You can't keep sleeping with every new woman who moves to Ashwood. It causes problems and drama. And we've got enough of that without you adding to it."

"It's not like that." The words came out sharper than I intended. "I don't just want to sleep with her. I mean, I do, but that's not the point. I just want to be near her and see her smile. I want to figure out why she looked at me like I was the devil."

Kade sat up straighter. "She looked at you like what?"

"Like I'd hurt her, She hated me on sight." I met his eyes. "She said I look exactly like someone she knows, someone who hurt her badly."

Before I could push him on it, the front door opened and Rika walked in. He was our best tracker and one of the original Ghost Riders who'd helped us rebuild Ashwood from the ashes. Tall and lean with shoulder-length black hair and eyes so dark they were almost black.

He dropped his helmet on the table and collapsed into the other armchair. "I'm exhausted. Please tell me if someone made food."

"Make your own food," I said. "What's the update on the company situation?"

Rika groaned. "They're still being difficult. Saying Ashwood is too remote. Making excuses about infrastructure and access but I think it's bullshit. I think they want to buy the land outright without giving us any shares in the development."

"That's not happening." Kade turned from the window, his face back to its usual calm mask. "This is our town, anyone who wants to do business here plays by our rules."

"I told them that." Rika stretched his arms over his head. "They didn't like it but they'll come around. They always do."

"Speaking of new people," I said, watching Rika carefully. "Did you notice the new family that moved in next door?"

"The woman with the kid?" Rika nodded. "Yeah, I saw them yesterday. I helped her carry some boxes when I was doing my patrol."

Of course he did, Rika was always helping people. It was part of what made him such a good Ghost Rider.

"What did you think of the kid?" I asked.

His expression grew thoughtful. "He was... interesting. Really strong for his age. Picked up a box that should have been way too heavy for him like it was nothing. And his eyes—"

"Blue," I finished. "Really blue."

"Not just blue." Rika looked between me and Kade. "They were glowing. Just for a second when he looked at me, it definitely looked like Kade's eyes."

The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees.

Kade's eyes flashed blue again. "That's impossible."

"I know what I saw." Rika's voice was calm but firm. "That kid has wolf eyes and I doubt the mother is aware of what her son is."

"He's five years old," I said slowly. "Werewolf kids don't manifest until puberty at the earliest. Their eyes don't change until after their first shift."

"I'm telling you what I saw Damon." Rika leaned forward. "That kid isn't normal. And his mother knows it but doesn't know what he is. You should have seen the way she was watching him like she was terrified someone would notice."

"Where's Ronan?" Kade asked suddenly.

"Kitchen, probably." Rika jerked his thumb toward the back of the house. "He was complaining about being hungry when I came in."

We all stood and headed to the kitchen. Sure enough, Ronan stood at the counter making a sandwich that was more meat than bread. He was the biggest of all of us, built like a tank with arms covered in tribal tattoos and a permanent scowl on his face.

He looked up when we walked in and avoided my gaze.

"What?"

"The new kid next door," Kade said without preamble. "Rika says he has wolf eyes."

Ronan took a bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly. "So?"

"So he's five years old and that's impossible." I tell him because that was supposed to be true, it's unnaturally possible for that kid to be a werewolf.

"Lots of impossible things in this world." Ronan swallowed and fixed me with a hard stare. "Why do you care?"

"Because if that kid is what Rika thinks he is, then his mother is in serious danger. People will come looking for him. People who want to study him or use him or worse."

"Then we protect them." Ronan said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. "That's what we do. We protect families in Ashwood. Doesn't matter if the kid's got wolf eyes or dragon eyes or no eyes at all. He's here. He's ours now. End of story."

I felt something settle in my chest. Ronan was right. It didn't matter what Cade was or why Sloane was running. They were in Ashwood now. Under our protection. That made them family.

And we protected our family.

"Damon's planning to pick the kid up from school this afternoon," Kade said, his eyes on me. "Says he wants to help."

"Help?" Ronan smirked. "Or get close to the hot mom?"

"Both," I admitted. "Definitely both."

Rika laughed. "You're hopeless."

"Maybe." I grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter. "But I meant what I said. There's something about her. Something that makes me want to f**k–"

My phone rang, cutting me off. Unknown number. I answered anyway. "Yeah?"

Heavy breathing on the other end. Then a Male voice. That seemed so angry and entitled.

"I know you people have my wife and son. I'm coming to get them back but you'll need to tell Sloane to stop being a stubborn b***h and get back or it won't be funny if I get there myself.

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly with my blood running cold.

Kade saw my expression. "What?"

"Someone just threatened Sloane and Cade." My voice came out low and dangerous. "Said he's coming to take them back. Said he'll burn the town if we get in his way."

Ronan threw his sandwich down. "The hell he will."