My Big Bad Alpha Biker

what is that 14

IChapter 14

Alice POV

I couldn't believe how lucky I had gotten it. After everything that had happened over the last few days, finding a job and a cheap place to live almost felt too good to be true. I glanced at the address again as I drove back toward the hotel. Ice. There was something about that man I couldn't explain. The moment I saw him, I felt... different.

Not scared. Not exactly. It was more like my entire body had suddenly become aware of him. His eyes had stayed on me the whole time we were talking, and there was something intense about the way he looked at me.

I shook my head. "Get a grip, Alice." I didn't need another man in my life. Especially not after Randy. The last thing I needed was to get involved with someone else. I pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked near my room. Before getting out, I sat there for a minute with both hands resting on the steering wheel. Tonight. Tonight I'll have a job. Tomorrow I'd have a real place to stay. Tomorro, I'll finally be moving forward. That was all I needed to focus on. I grabbed my bags and headed inside. The hotel room was exactly how I'd left it. Messy, Temporary. Cold.

I dropped my bags beside the bed and sat down. For the first time since I left, I let myself breathe. I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

There were no new calls. No messages. I stared at the screen for a moment. Randy. Just thinking about his name made my stomach twist. I quickly locked my phone and tossed it onto the bed. "No."

I wasn't going to think about him tonight. I had spent too many years allowing him to control my life. That was over. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the water warmed up, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped underneath it. For the first time in days, I actually felt safe. Maybe I was finally getting my life back. I closed my eyes and let the water run over my face. Then something strange happened. I suddenly smelled something.

Something warm. Something clean. Something I couldn't identify.

I opened my eyes. "What the hell?"

I looked around the bathroom. Nothing. The smell disappeared as quickly as it had come. I shook my head. I was exhausted. That had to be it. After my shower, I crawled into bed. I expected to toss and turn all night. Instead, I fell asleep almost immediately.

Ice POV

I stood in the garage, watching the guys load groceries into the truck.

"Make sure you get enough food," I told them.

Angelo looked at me. "How much is enough?"

"A week."

He laughed. "She's one person, Ice."

"I know."

"Then why are we buying enough food to feed a damn army?"

"Because I said a week."

Gator shook his head. "He's already gone."

I frowned. "What?"

Angelo laughed. "You're acting like she's been your mate for twenty years."

My wolf growled inside me. “She is our mate.”

I ignored him. "Just get the damn food."

They laughed as they climbed into the truck. I turned away from them. That's when I heard it. A howl. My entire body went rigid. Gator. His first shift had started. Another howl followed. Then another. My wolf pushed hard against my control. “Let me out.”

“Not yet.”

“Mate.”

"I know."

I walked toward the back of the property where the younger wolves were gathered. Gator was on the ground, his body shaking violently as his bones began to shift. Angelo stood nearby, ready to help if something went wrong. Another wolf began howling. Then another.

Within seconds, the entire property seemed to come alive with the sound. I closed my eyes. Alice. Thank God she wasn't here. If she'd been in that room above the garage, she would've heard every damn howl. She would've been terrified.

I looked toward the road. Her car was long gone. Good. Tonight, she was safe at the hotel. Tomorrow, she'll be here. And tomorrow was going to change everything.

Alice POV

I woke up sometime after five. My heart was pounding.I sat straight up in bed. What the hell had woken me? I listened.Nothing. I looked around the room. Everything was quiet. Then I heard it. A long, distant howl. I froze. Another one answered it. Then another. I slowly climbed out of bed and walked toward the window. The howling continued somewhere in the distance.

My skin prickled. "What is that?" I pulled the curtain back and looked outside. There was nothing. Just the dark parking lot and the trees beyond it. I stood there for several seconds. Then the howling stopped. I let the curtain fall.

"Okay, Alice. You're officially losing your mind."

I crawled back into bed and pulled the blanket around myself.,But I couldn't shake the strange feeling that someone was watching over me. And somewhere deep inside me, a tiny voice whispered that tomorrow... Tomorrow I was going somewhere I had never been before. Somewhere I was meant to be. I just didn't know it yet.