My Big Bad Alpha Biker

ease dropping 29

Chapter 29

Alice POV

It had been a month since I came here, and Ice still hadn't made a move. Not that I was keeping track or anything. Okay… maybe I was. I don't know what it was about this man, but damn, I had the biggest crush on his ass. And the embarrassing part? I was twenty-three years old and acting like some high school girl who couldn't figure out how to talk to the guy she liked.

“Damn it, Alice. We're not in high school anymore. Get your act together and ask him on a damn date or something.” I stopped what I was doing and stared at myself in the mirror.“Great. Now I'm talking to myself.”

I shook my head and laughed. I had been living here for a month, and my life had basically become a routine. Work, home, sleep, repeat. I barely knew anything about the town because I hadn't really bothered to explore it. Well, today was my day off. Maybe it was time to change that. I decided to head downstairs and see what Ice was doing. Maybe I'd finally work up enough courage to ask him out. Or maybe I'd chicken out like usual.Either way, I was getting tired of sitting around in my apartment.

If I was going to stay here, I needed to learn my way around.

I got dressed, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and gave myself one last look in the mirror. When I worked at the biker bar, I always left my hair down. I'd noticed that I got better tips that way, so I wasn't about to argue with something that was working. But when I was off? I didn't care. I liked having my hair out of my face.

“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Let's go explore.” I headed downstairs, looking around as I walked. I still wasn't completely sure where Ice's office was. I usually stayed upstairs in my place unless I was going to work, so I hadn't really wandered around much. As I passed one of the rooms, I heard voices. I stopped. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop. I was actually looking for Ice. But then I heard his name.

“Man, when are you going to tell her? She's going to find out sooner or later.”

There was a pause.Then I heard Ice's voice. “Soon, man. I just need to make sure she won't get scared out of her damn mind and run for dear life.”

My eyebrows pulled together. “She's human, man. You know she might freak out when she finds out. Then I'll definitely lose her for sure.”

Human? Why was he talking about me being human like that was some kind of problem? I moved closer to the door without even realizing it. Then the other man spoke again.

“Ice, just remember what's happening tomorrow night. Nattie's shifting. What are you going to do about that?”

Shifting? What the hell did that mean? There was another pause.

Then Ice answered. “Easy. Alice works tomorrow night. She won't hear or see anything. No freaking out, no running. She'll be at work. After that's done, I'll go see her, and everything will be fine.”

My stomach tightened. What the hell were they talking about? What is happening tomorrow night? And why did they care so much about whether I heard or saw something?

“You can't hide this forever, man. Things are going to happen. Rogues, fighting, war against packs… then what?”

Silence. I could hear papers being shuffled around inside the office.

Finally, Ice spoke. “I haven't thought that far yet. What I need to do is ask her out. Man, I'm already in love with this woman, and she doesn't even know it yet.”

My eyes widened. He was in love with me? I stood there frozen for a second. Then something inside me snapped. I marched my ass straight into that office so quickly that both men practically jumped out of their chairs. One look at Ice's face told me everything. They were busted. Big time. But instead of confronting them, I decided to play it cool. If they wanted to keep secrets, fine. I'd play along.

“Sorry,” I said casually. “I should've knocked.” I looked between Ice and Gator. “I was heading out to take a tour around town. I was actually thinking about asking if anyone needed anything while I'm out.”

Neither of them said anything. Their jaws dropped open. Then closed. Then opened again. I almost laughed. Finally, Ice recovered.

“How about I take you on my bike?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I know you've only been here for a month, but I want to take you around. It'll save you gas in your car, you know what I mean?”

I wanted to roll my eyes. Men. Always trying to play things slick.

I already knew they were hiding something from me. And now I had even more questions. What the hell did “shifting” mean?

What is happening tomorrow night? And why did everyone seem so worried about me finding out? I knew Nattie. She was a sweet woman. Now I was starting to worry that something was going to happen to her. I smiled at Ice anyway.

“Sure.” But inside, my mind was racing. Something wasn't right. And I was going to find out what it was.

Ice POV

I had no idea how long Alice had been standing outside that door.

But judging by the look on her face, I had a horrible feeling she'd heard more than I wanted her to. We had never bothered soundproofing my office because there had never been a reason to.

Until now. Now I was seriously regretting that decision. How much had she heard? Had she heard the part about Nattie? Had she heard me say I was in love with her? Goddess I hoped not.

Although, judging by the way she was looking at me, I had a feeling she had heard something. I wasn't even sure how much longer we could keep the truth from her. We had already kept two shifts away from her. Last night, Buddy shifted. It had been way too close. Alice had been getting off work around the time it happened, and we had to carry Buddy farther into the woods just to make sure she couldn't hear him.

The poor bastard had screamed through most of the first shift. It was brutal. The bones breaking. The screaming. The wolf fighting its way out. No human should ever have to hear something like that without knowing what it was. PBut Alice had already heard the howling. There was no way around that. Once someone shifted for the first time, the entire pack welcomed the new wolf. The whole damn pack howled. Then we ran together. It was our way of welcoming them. Our way of letting the wolf know it was finally home. And every time it happened, I worried Alice was going to put the pieces together.

Then she walked into my office. Both Gator and I jumped because we had been deep in conversation. Alice looked from me to Gator.

Then back to me. She wanted to go into town Honestly, it was about damn time. She had spent almost the entire month upstairs, leaving only for work. I wanted her to see the town. I wanted her to experience something other than work and hiding away in her apartment. And selfishly? I wanted to spend time alone with my mate.

“How about I take you on my bike?” I asked. “You might like it. The wind feels good, especially on a day like today. No rain either.”

She stared at me for a few minutes. I could practically see the questions running through her head. Maybe she wanted to be alone.

Maybe I should have just let her take her car. Then she finally answered. “Sure. I'm game. I'd rather go now instead of at night, though.”

My heart skipped. She continued talking before I could answer.

“I hear a lot of howling at night. I'm starting to think there are wolves around here that are hurt or something.”

Gator and I exchanged a quick look. She didn't know how close she was. “Is there somewhere we could go hiking or camping?” she asked. “I've been thinking about buying a tent and camping out for a few days instead of being cooped up in my place.” She was talking so fast I could barely keep up.

I smiled. “Yeah. We have plenty of places to hike. There are parks, the river, and even trails back here that you can explore.” I paused.

“There's also a campsite outside of town. I'll show it to you.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Really.” I grabbed my keys.“Are you ready to head out?”

“Yeah. Are you ready, or do you still have things to do around here?”

For her? I'd drop everything. I looked at Gator and mindlinked him.

“You got this, man.”

His response came immediately. “Yeah. Go do you. Just don't have too much fun.”

I laughed under my breath. “Yeah,” I told Alice. “Let's head out.”

I wanted to show her everything. The town. The river. The tourist attractions. There was even a place where she could see shows, an aquarium, and a 3D roller coaster. “You're going to love it,” I told her. “That roller coaster is badass.”

I stood up. Without thinking, I reached for her hand. The second our skin touched, sparks shot through my entire body.The mate bond exploded between us. Heat rushed up my arm and straight into my chest. My wolf practically roared. “Mate.”

I wondered if she felt it too. Then she jerked her hand away.

“What the f**k was that?”

I laughed nervously. “Probably static from the carpet.”

She narrowed her eyes on me. I could tell she didn't believe me.

“Come on,” I said quickly. “Let's head out. I want to show you the 3D roller coaster and the aquarium.”

She shrugged, but I could still see the confusion in her eyes. We walked outside. The second we stepped out, I noticed everyone watching us. The pack knew. They were watching Alice because she wasn't just some human woman. She was their future Luna.

My mate. And they were just as terrified as I was that she would leave once she learned the truth. I silently looked up toward the sky.

Goddess, please. Don't let her leave us.

Alice walked toward my motorcycle. She climbed onto the back, settling herself comfortably. I climbed on in front of her and started the engine. The rumble echoed through the parking lot. She placed her hands around my waist. My wolf practically lost its mind.

I smiled. “Just hang on tight, baby.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. I wasn't even sure if she heard me. But right now? I didn't care. For the first time in weeks, I had my mate sitting behind me. And for today, I was going to enjoy every damn second of it. I pulled out onto the road, heading toward town. Neither of us knew that the secrets we'd been trying to hide were getting harder to keep. And tomorrow night… Everything was about to change.