Trapped With The Biker Alpha

Chapter 002

EDWARD

Someone is using my skull as a drum, and I’m pretty sure it’s one of those oversized hammers. Each thud sends a sharp pulse straight through my head. And to make it worse, there’s this annoying voice echoing somewhere nearby. Why is it so loud? Why is everything so loud?

I groan and roll onto my stomach, instantly regretting the decision because even the tiny movement makes my bones feel like they’re cracking apart, one by one. My hand fumbles around, searching for a pillow or anything to make this hangover more bearable.

Instead, my fingers brush against something warm.

And even in my half-dead, hungover state, I know exactly what warm, soft skin feels like.

Cracking my eyes open, the first thing I see is blonde hair. Then another head of blonde right beside her.

Wow. I really outdid myself this time.

“Edward, it’s time you wake up.”

With a groan, I roll onto my back, my blurry focus finally landing on Nicholas, who’s standing over me with a look of pure disapproval.

“What time is it?” I mutter, my throat dry.

“It’s two hours past the time you were supposed to be at the meeting with your father.”

My eyes widen. I jolt upright so fast my head spins, a brutal wave of pain crashing through my skull and nearly knocking me right back onto the mattress. I clutch my head with one hand while the other scrambles around the bed in blind panic, searching for my shorts or literally anything to cover myself. My movements are so rushed I’m pretty sure I might black out.

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” I demand, stumbling out of the bed, fully naked and barely steady on my feet.

Nicholas simply picks up my clothes and hands them to me.

“I tried,” he says calmly. “Several times. You were completely out of it.”

He tilts his head slightly, giving me a look that says I should’ve known better.

And I should have.

My father didn’t suggest I attend this meeting, he ordered it. It’s his own version of punishment for his rebellious son who wants nothing to do with pack leadership. And he’s not exactly the forgiving type, especially when I push back, which I’ve been doing a lot lately.

Fuck.

I rake a hand through my hair, wishing I hadn’t drunk so much. But these girls kept refilling my cup like it was their life mission. I shoot a quick glance at the two blondes sprawled across my bed, barely remembering their names, and grimace. Yeah. Those perfectly round asses just landed me in serious trouble.

Still, I can make the meeting if I move fast while Nicholas sends these girls away.

“And why didn’t you do something?” I snap at my wolf, yanking on my shirt as I bolt for the door.

[Do I have to remind you that what you eat and drink affects me?] he growls back. [You poisoned us both.]

I shove the door open in a rush, stepping into the hallway, only to almost slam straight into someone. I stagger back, my heart jumping into my throat.

A pair of dark, stormy eyes lock onto mine.

Shit. s**t. s**t.

“Where do you think you’re going?” my pops asks, his jaw set hard. He’s so pissed I can practically feel his wolf growling at me.

“To the meeting with the council.” I rake a hand through my hair, already bracing myself. “Or… is it over already?”

His lips twitch in the way it does right before he explodes. He steps closer, crowding my space.

“I told you about the meeting two days ago,” he says. “Didn’t I?”

“Yes,” I admit. “I kind of… overslept. Can I join the next one?”

For a moment, he says nothing and just stares at me. Then he slowly lifts a finger.

“If I walk into that room right now, will I find empty bottles of alcohol and at least one naked girl on that bed?”

[You’re busted.] my wolf mutters.

I scratch the back of my neck. “I’m sorry for missing the meeting. I’ll be there next time.”

My pops inhales deeply, closing his eyes like he’s counting down from ten. When he opens them again, it feels like I’m staring straight into fire.

“This,” he says coldly, “is exactly why you’re third on the Alpha board.”

My jaw tightens, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. “You don’t—”

“We are the largest pack in San Francisco,” he snaps, stepping forward and gripping my jaw hard enough to make my teeth click. “We have the strongest fighters. We’ve dominated every pack for generations. And yet, all you bring me is disappointment.”

His grip tightens before he shoves my head back, releasing me like I disgust him.

“You let the heir of some insignificant pack take your position on the board because you can’t let go of alcohol and women. Are you even my son?”

His words feel like ice on my skin.

“Are you even my father?” I mutter, rubbing my jaw.

The hallway goes dead silent.

“What did you say?” he demands.

I lift my gaze, locking eyes with him, and letting him feel every ounce of anger I’ve been holding. “I said… are you even my father?”

His hands twitch at his sides, like he wants to strike me. “How dare you?”

“How dare me?” I step closer, matching his intensity. “Since Mom died… have you ever asked me how I feel? Did you even mourn her? You just carried on like a damn rock and expect me to be just like you. Well, news flash, I don’t want to be like you. I can barely f*****g sleep at night and that’s why I drink. I drink so I can shut my eyes and sleep like normal people!”

My chest rises and falls in rhythm with his. His gaze lingers, a flicker of shock breaking through his usual cold mask like he didn’t expect me to talk back.

But I’ve tried so hard to be the son he wants, I’ve done everything he’s demanded, even at my own expense. The only thing I won’t do is become the kind of Alpha he is…a cold, unfeeling man. And that’s exactly what he wants from me.

“Your mother died three years ago,” he finally says, his face stripped of every trace of emotion. “It’s not just foolish, it’s weak to keep drowning in self-pity and agony over her. She’s nothing but a faded memory, and your inability to accept that is exactly why you’re still not ready to be Alpha. That’s why you’re not first on the Alpha board. Instead of whining over your mother, have you even considered what happens if you graduate as third in that list?”

I swallow hard, my throat tight. “She… she was your mate,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Mother was your mate.”

“If you graduate as third on the Alpha board…” He doesn’t even acknowledge me. “We’ll lose our ranking as the most powerful pack in the city. Our yearly budget from the council will drop. And worst of all…” He jabs a finger into my chest. “It will be known that I have a weakling for a son. And that… that will never happen.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “And how exactly do you expect to make me first when I don’t want to be?”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Your mother’s room has been locked… on my instructions.”

Something sharp strikes my chest and instantly, heat rushes through me, my wolf growling with anger.

No, he wouldn’t go this far. No way. He wouldn’t touch the one thing he knows I hold sacred.

“You’ll never be allowed into that room… unless I say so,” he adds. “And if you want my permission, you’ll earn your rank on the Alpha board.”

“Don’t do this,” I breathe out, the plea slipping despite my hatred for sounding weak. “That room… it’s all I have left of Mom. You can’t take it away.”

“Oh, I have,” he replies. “And just so you know… if you graduate anything less than first, I will burn every single thing in that room, down to her dresses. Every. Single. Thing.”

My body trembles with rage, and I have to force myself not to reach out and hit him. I have to remind myself that he’s my father and more importantly, the guards lining the hallway are ready to take me down if I so much as breathe wrong.

But how can he hurt me like this? How can he threaten to burn her things…the only connection I have left to Mom?

“Do whatever it takes to make this family proud.” He lifts a hand, like he’s about to pat my chin, but I step back. His eyes darken. “Or die trying.”

He turns and walks away, his guards trailing behind him. I stay rooted in place, my fists clenched, hate and anger coiling in my chest, all of it aimed squarely at him.