Claimed by The Biker Alphas

3-Shattered Reflections

SOLON

The steel doors of the Special Beast Officers Headquarters groaned open, releasing a rush of freezing air.

Tension filled the corridor.

This was neutral ground, where no clan’s power meant a damn thing once the cuffs were on.

Officers moved through the main hall, logging evidence and booking rogue shapeshifters. Outside, the impound lot was packed with seized vehicles, including illegal high-powered bikes.

Two officers escorted me into a dim interrogation room. I sat across from a senior officer as he opened a thick file.

“Alpha Solon Hartlock,” he muttered. “Care to explain the war zone left behind after last night’s race? Black Fang and Red Claw turned the venue into a bloodbath.”

He slammed a stack of crime scene photos onto the table.

“Both sides ended up in hospital beds. Including you.” His gaze shifted to the cuts and bruises covering my skin.

“We also seized over ten illegal bikes from the track. Do you know anything about them?”

“Just a minor misunderstanding between clubs,” I replied flatly.

I didn't mention the Red Claw rider who had tried to take my head off during the race. My instincts told me Zephyr Grey was behind it. The bastard’s absence from the competition made even more sense, especially after he’d been seen sharing a room with Everest.

“And those bikes? Not my problem. I don’t run background checks on every nameless rider who shows up at the pit.”

Lies.

I barely registered the officer’s questions. My body was stuck in that cold chair, but my mind remained at the party.

Every time I pictured Everest trembling between those two men, a vicious rage tore through me. I wanted to destroy everything in that room. I wanted blood.

I knew those bastards. My fiercest rivals on and off the circuit. Using Everest wasn’t just about lust. It was a calculated move to break my focus and distract me from the real target.

And the worst part?

It had worked.

I could no longer deny that Everest was my mate. I felt the bond pulling me toward her every damn time she was near. But my heart was a fortress, and I’d spent years keeping it that way. I was terrified of tying my life to someone else, so I hid behind the excuse of protecting her while keeping her at arm’s length.

Then why did seeing another man touch her feel like a poisoned dagger through my chest?

I’d never experienced that kind of agony before.

After hours of legal maneuvering, bail paperwork, and damage fees, they finally released me for lack of hard evidence. I didn’t return to the party. Lyra and the others could go to hell.

I headed straight to the shop.

The moment I stepped inside, my chest tightened. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower, turning the cold water on full blast. The icy stream beat against my skin, but it did nothing to cool the anger burning inside me.

When I shut off the tap and wiped my face, I looked up at the mirror.

My reflection blurred.

Everest’s face appeared in its place—her tear-filled eyes and trembling lips, begging me for mercy.

“f**k!”

Hatred surged through me. For her. For those bastards. And for my own weakness.

I drove my fist into the glass.

The mirror shattered. Blood dripped from my bruised knuckles, mixing with the water on the concrete floor.

I felt nothing.

The pain in my chest was far worse.

I walked into the garage. Sleep was out of the question. My gaze settled on the beast-class racer resting in the center bay, the machine I’d spent months custom-building.

But even as I stared at it, all I could think about was Everest.

She used to sit on the workbench while I worked. She’d complain about the smell of oil on my clothes, yet she never left. Sometimes, she’d silently hand me a drink and watch me work.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the memories away.

This bike was meant for the upcoming showdown. Not some petty annual clan match. I had unfinished business, and no one was going to stand in my way.

I grabbed my tools and threw myself into the build. I fine-tuned the engine, checked the brakes and suspension, and replaced worn parts with custom components I’d been saving.

Sweat rolled down my bare torso, smeared with grease. My hands were stained with motor oil and dried blood.

Hours passed before a sharp chime echoed across the workbench.

I dropped the wrench and grabbed my phone. An unlisted number flashed on the screen.

I knew those numbers by heart.

I rolled The Crimson Talon out of the bay. The fully customized beast-class racer was coated in matte black, accented with metallic red that looked like fresh blood. Every piece had been built by my own hands to make it the fastest, meanest machine on two wheels.

Then the workshop gate slid open.

And my world stopped.

Everest stood outside, shivering. Her eyes were swollen and red, her breathing ragged. But what made my blood turn cold was the jacket wrapped around her.

A heavy leather jacket bearing the crimson fox-claw emblem of the Red Claw Bikers Club.

“What the hell are you doing here?” My voice dropped to a deadly low.

“Alpha Solon... please, hear me out.” She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around herself. “Please believe me. I didn’t want any of it. Someone spiked my drink—”

“I saw everything I needed to see, Everest.” My gaze remained fixed on the damn emblem.

“Don’t bother making up stories. You ended up naked in my rival’s bed, and now you’re wearing his colors. What’s the play? Showing me you finally broke me?”

“No! That’s not true!”

She crumpled, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Solon, think about our year together. It’s me, Everest. The girl who stayed by your side through everything.” Her voice broke. “I love you.”

The words hit me like a sledgehammer.

It was the confession I’d waited so long to hear, delivered at the worst possible moment. Instead of letting it reach me, I locked my heart behind iron bars and forced a cold smirk onto my face.

“Love?” I scoffed. “Don’t ruin that word with your mouth.”

I stepped closer, my voice dripping with contempt.

“You were a nameless stray when I found you. I gave you a name and a roof out of obligation. And now you’ve shown your true colors. Just another cheap girl willing to jump into bed with anyone who hands her a drink.”

She went still.

I watched my words cut through her, but I refused to stop.

Slowly, she opened her trembling hand. The shattered Hartlock family pendant lay in her palm—the silver chain I’d crushed beneath my boot earlier.

She stared at it before dropping it onto the cold pavement between us.

“You gave me this,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Take it back. Starting today, I don’t owe you a damn thing.”

Before I could respond, a deep exhaust roar sounded across the street.

Zephyr Grey sat atop a massive red bike, his arms crossed. The Alpha of the Fox Clan and president of Red Claw watched us with a mocking sneer.

Our eyes met.

Amber fire flared in both our eyes. A silent declaration of war between two Alphas.

I pulled on my helmet and threw my leg over The Crimson Talon. The engine roared to life, tearing through the silence.

I twisted the throttle and disappeared into the night, leaving smoke and a shattered girl in my rearview mirror.

*****

The Crimson Talon tore through the mountain highway like a streak of blood. I leaned into the sharp turns, the icy wind cutting against my body as the tires gripped the wet asphalt. Steep drops and sheer cliffs lined the road, making every mistake fatal.

A bright headlight followed close behind, slicing through the fog.

“Still a sharp rider, Hartlock?” Famille’s voice taunted through the Beast mind-link.

“Thought you’d be crawling on all fours without your woman.”

I drove into a hairpin turn, my knee scraping the asphalt before I opened the throttle.

“Keep your mouth shut,” I snarled through the link.

As the road straightened, the party flashed through my mind again. Everest trapped in that room. Cadiz’s bare skin. That damn Red Claw jacket.

Fury seized me.

My grip tightened around the handlebars as I pushed the bike beyond human limits. The engine thundered through the canyon, and the headlight behind me disappeared into the darkness.

A few miles later, I slammed on the brakes at the cliff’s edge, our agreed finish line.

I killed the engine and waited.

Seconds later, Famille’s bike skidded onto the gravel beside mine. He removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his brow.

My childhood friend. Black Fang’s Vice President. The Beta I trusted more than anyone.

“The custom race parts you wanted are ready,” he said, lowering his kickstand. “Finding them was a nightmare. Stuff like this doesn’t just sit on market shelves.”

His smirk faded.

“But before I hand them over, are you sure about this, Solon? Once you enter this fight, there’s no backing out. Not unless you’re ready to put bodies in the dirt.”

I reached into my leather jacket and pulled out a heavy silver chain. My gaze hardened.

“So be it. I have a debt to settle.”

Famille exhaled and leaned against his bike.

“The parts are in the transport bay at the secondary hideout. But before you lose yourself rebuilding The Crimson Talon, you’ve got a bigger problem.”

“Spill it.”

“Word about the crash and what happened at the track has already reached your old man.” His expression darkened.

“The Council called an emergency meeting at the Main Estate. They’re waiting for you. Right now.”

I studied him. His hesitation made the tension in my chest grow heavier.

“What the hell are they meeting about?”

Famille glanced toward the road.

“They’re not just meeting about the crash, Solon.”

My eyes narrowed. “Then what?”

He hesitated.

“They found something at the scene.”

My jaw clenched. “What did they find?”

He met my gaze, his expression grim.

“Something that makes them think the crash wasn’t an accident.”