leave 20
1486 Words
Chapter 20
Ice POV
I finally finished the damn paperwork. I shoved the last few papers into the folder and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my eyes.
Being Alpha wasn't all fighting, protecting the pack, and making important decisions. Sometimes, it was just sitting behind a desk staring at paperwork until you wanted to throw the whole damn desk out the window. I stood up and stretched. My wolf immediately perked up. “Alice.”
“I know,” I muttered.
He had been restless ever since she had arrived in town. He wanted to see her. So did I. I grabbed my keys and headed outside. The moment I stepped into the parking lot, several pack members nodded at me.
“Alpha.”
I nodded back. “Is everything quiet?”
“Yeah, Alpha. Nothing unusual.”
“Good.”
I climbed onto my motorcycle and started the engine. The club wasn't far away, but it felt like my wolf was dragging me there. He had been driving me crazy for days. “Mate.”
“I know she's our mate.”
“Our mate.”
“Yes, I heard you the first hundred times.”
He growled. I couldn't help but smile. My wolf was normally controlled. But when it came to Alice, he was completely different. He wanted her close. He wanted to protect her. And most of all, he wanted her to know who we were. But I couldn't force her. Alice had already been through enough. I wasn't going to be another man who controlled her life. She would learn the truth when the time was right.
I pulled into the parking lot of the club and immediately noticed how busy it was. Cars were everywhere. Motorcycles lined the front of the building. I parked and got out. The second I walked inside, the familiar smell of alcohol, food, smoke, and werewolves hit me. I looked around. Then I smelled her. Alice. My wolf practically slammed against the inside of my mind. “MATE!”
“Calm down.”
“Find her!”
“I am.” I started walking through the crowd. Then I saw her. She was behind the bar, carrying a tray of drinks. Her hair was pulled back, and she was wearing a simple black shirt with jeans. Nothing fancy. Nothing that should have made my heart stop. But it did.
I stood there watching her for a moment. She smiled at one of the customers. My wolf growled.
“Don't even think about it,” I warned him.
“He is too close.”
“He's a customer.”
“I don't care.”
I almost laughed. “You're going to have to learn some patience.”
My wolf wasn't listening. He wanted to walk over there, pull Alice into my arms, and tell everyone in the building that she was ours.
But I couldn't do that. Not yet. Alice suddenly looked up. Our eyes met. She froze. For a second, neither of us moved. Then she smiled. “Hey.”
That one word did something to me. “Hey.”
I walked toward the bar. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking on things.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Checking on things?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She leaned against the bar. “Or checking on me?”
I smiled. “Maybe both.”
She laughed softly. “You're pretty bold.”
“Only when I need to be.”
She looked at me for a moment. There was something different in her expression. Like she was trying to figure me out. I could feel my wolf getting excited. “She feels it.”
“Don't get ahead of yourself,” I warned him silently.
Alice picked up a glass and began wiping it. “So, Ice…”
I raised an eyebrow. She smiled. “I heard you have a thing for rules.”
I chuckled. “Who told you that?”
“Everyone.”
“Everyone talks too much.”
“That they do.”
She laughed again. I couldn't help but stare. There was something about her laugh that made everything else disappear. Then, a loud crash came from the other side of the club. Alice turned. “What the hell?”
I immediately straightened. My senses kicked in. The entire atmosphere changed. I could smell anger. And something else.
Fear. I looked toward the crowd. Two men were standing face-to-face. One of them was a werewolf from another pack. The other wasn't someone I recognized. My wolf growled. “Danger.”
I stepped away from the bar.
“Stay here.”
Alice frowned. “What?”
“Stay here.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know.”
I looked directly into her eyes. “But stay here anyway.”
She opened her mouth to argue. I didn't give her the chance. I walked toward the two men. “What's going on?”
The room went quiet. Both men looked at me. One immediately lowered his head. “Alpha.”
The other didn't. That got my attention. “Who are you?”
The stranger smiled. “Just passing through.”
“Then pass through.”
His smile disappeared. “I don't think that's going to happen.”
My wolf slammed against me. “He knows.”
I stared at the man. “What do you want?”
He looked past me. Straight toward Alice. My entire body went rigid.
He wasn't looking at the bar. He was looking at her. My wolf went absolutely insane. “Protect her!”
I stepped directly in front of his line of sight. “You need to leave.”
The stranger's eyes narrowed. “She's important.”
My jaw tightened. “She's none of your business.”
He smiled. “Oh, I think she is.”
I took one step toward him. “You have five seconds to walk out of this club.”
He laughed. “You really don't know who you're dealing with, do you?”
“No.” I cracked my knuckles. “But I know exactly what happens when someone walks into my territory and threatens someone under my protection.”
The man's smile returned. “Protection?”
He glanced around the room. Then back at me. “Is that what you're calling it?”
I didn't like the way he said that. Not one damn bit. “Four.” His eyes flicked toward the door. L“Three.” He smiled. “Two.” He finally took a step backward. “This isn't over, Alpha.” “One.”
He turned and walked out. I watched until the door closed behind him. The room slowly came back to life. But my wolf wouldn't calm down. “He knew about Alice.”
I looked toward the bar. Alice was still standing there. Watching me.
Her expression was confused. I walked back toward her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
Then she lowered her voice. “Who was that?”
“I don't know.”
“You looked like you wanted to kill him.”
“I did.”
Her eyes widened.“Ice…”
I sighed. “He was looking at you.”
She swallowed. “Why?”
“That is exactly what I'm going to find out.”
She stared at me. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then she reached across the bar and touched my hand. The sparks immediately shot through me. My wolf went silent. For once, he didn't say a word. Alice felt it, too. Her eyes widened. She slowly pulled her hand back. “What was that?”
I looked at her. I knew this moment would eventually come. The moment when she would start asking questions. The moment when hiding the truth would become harder. But I wasn't ready to tell her everything. Not yet.
“It happens sometimes,” I said quietly.
She frowned. “Sometimes?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
She looked at me like she knew I wasn't telling her the whole truth.
And she was right. Before she could ask another question, the door opened. One of my pack members rushed inside.mindlinking me
“Alpha!”
“What?”
He walked straight toward me..“We found something.”
“What?”
He glanced at Alice. Then back at me. “We followed the guy who just left.”
My instincts immediately kicked in. “And?”
“He wasn't alone.”
I felt my wolf wake up again. “How many?”
The pack member swallowed. “At least twenty.”
The entire room went silent. I looked toward Alice. Then, toward the door. Someone wasn't just passing through town. Someone had come looking for her. And I had a feeling this was only the beginning.
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