The Alpha's Rival

Chapter 5

Grabbing the beam above his head, Mitch pulled himself up and back onto the shed’s rotting roof. Carefully, so that he wouldn’t be seen or fall through, he laid on his stomach and peered over the ridgeline.

The first thing he noticed was that the two guards that had treed him in the shed were still nearby, but neither were paying much attention. One was busy on his phone. The other was puffing on a cigarette, staring at the dancing people in the tent. Robinson was nowhere to be seen, though that was to be expected. As the groom, he was needed elsewhere tonight.

Resting his head on his arms, Mitch blew out a breath of air before clenching his jaw in frustration. Oh, what he wouldn’t do to trade places with Robinson right now. In a few short hours, he could have been the one taking Kelly to wherever they were headed for their honeymoon. He could have been the one to strip her wedding dress off and lay her down. He could have been the one to make her come so hard she saw stars. Instead, he was here, hiding on the roof of a run-down shed like a scared little b***h. Not that he was actually scared, or anything.

Hell, he was an alpha in his own right. He had the same power Robinson had. If it wasn’t Robinson's wedding night, and if he was alone, he’d have confronted him already. As it was, Robinson’s people were out in numbers tonight and Mitch was sure they’d back their alpha in a heartbeat.

Rolling over, he stared up at the quickly darkening sky, wondering how long he’d have to sit here before he’d be able to climb down. He hoped it wouldn’t be too long. The heat from the sun-baked shingles was scorching his back through his dress shirt and he needed to get back home before he did something else stupid, like lose control of his wolf again.

Groaning, he ran a hand over his face. When Rowan and Josh had talked him into coming to the wedding, he hadn’t imagined he’d find himself hiding out until he could manage to sneak away unnoticed. If he had, he would have stayed home. Hell, he should have stayed home. He could have put the new exhaust on the Impala if he had.

Cursing his beta, he rolled back over to give his back some relief.

Peering at the tent again, his eyes instantly found Kelly standing by herself at the edge of the dancefloor. Biting his lip, he studied her longingly, his eyes trailing from the swell of her breasts down to the curve of her hips, as his wolf grumbled in frustration.

She should have been ours, dickhead.

No s**t, sherlock, Mitch shot back through gritted teeth as he struggled to remain in control.

Ever since he and Kelly had come up with their plan to rescue Robinson, his wolf had been beyond ecstatic. All his wolf could think about was the many ways he’d make Kelly submit to them both inside and outside the bedroom. Hell, both of them had even started having fantasies about watching her belly swell with their pup.

But then, against all odds, the rescue mission had been successful. Watching Robinson lay in a pool of his own blood, his wolf had started howling for him to end it. And goddess, he had wanted to. But then Kelly had wanted to talk and had asked him for help yet again. How could he refuse?

Finding out she wanted him to keep his father away to give Robinson a fighting chance had nearly broken him. He had been so very tempted to tell her to go to hell. If his father got to him, then his little problem was solved. And if not, well, he hadn’t been lying when he had mentioned he was half tempted to end Robinson himself.

But, he had reminded himself, he was supposed to be the good guy, supposed to be Kelly’s bestie. He couldn’t do that to her. Couldn’t stand the idea of hurting her. So somehow, he had reigned his wolf in and smothered his feelings. He kept it up too, for a while. Or at least until his father died. After that, he had struggled more than he cared to admit.

Burying his face in his hands, he bit back a strangled sob.

Hey dickhead, I think she’s looking at us, his wolf crowed, interrupting his pity party.

Shaking his head in disbelief as he raised his head again, he noticed that Kelly had indeed turned in their direction, her head tilted to the side just slightly. He was too far to tell if she was actually looking at him or if she was studying the shed, but he had a feeling she knew he was there.

Fanning herself, hot and exhausted, Kelly made her way to the edge of the tent and stood just in the opening, delighting in the cool breeze that had picked up in the last hour or so. Smiling, she watched as her grandmother danced with Griffin, both giggling as they twirled slowly around the dance floor. Just beyond them, she could see Tate and Greg sitting on a bench, their heads inclined towards the other. They were talking about something serious judging by their expressions, and if she had to guess, that something was Mitch.

Frowning, she turned to look out into the evening. They’d have to file a complaint with the committee and that would end up being a huge mess with a lot of paperwork involved. And there was a good chance that the peace treaty Tate had just signed would be ripped to shreds. She wondered if Mitch thought risking their tentative peace had been worth it.

Speaking of what Mitch was thinking, what the hell had he been thinking when he came storming down the aisle? She could understand that he was hurting. His mate had rejected him, and that would take its toll on anyone. Then he had lost a potential mate with Tate’s rescue and miraculous recovery. And then he had lost his father and been thrust into a position he didn’t want. But still, even with all that, what he had done was uncalled for. His feelings weren’t the only ones that mattered.

“Selfish bastard,” she muttered angrily, her eyes catching on the guards standing near an old shed behind the packhouse.

Her frown deepening, she studied the guards and then the shed. That was an odd place for Tate to place guards. Unless… Her eyes widened as she realized why they were there. They had caught Mitch and were holding him there. And Tate knew, which is why he said he had a couple of things to take care of before they left. But what if she took care of it? She was more than capable.

Glancing over her shoulder at Tate to make sure he was still busy talking with Greg, she smirked. It was time to have a little fun.

Hoisting her skirt up with one hand, she stepped out of the tent and made her way over to the guards. Smiling sweetly at the two of them as they both snapped to attention, she jerked her head in the direction of the shed.

“Is he still over there?” she asked.

“Is who still over there?” the nearest guard asked innocently.

“You know who I’m talking about,” she snapped, her patience starting to wear thin. “I want to know if the bastard who crashed my wedding is still hiding out in the shed. He’s put me through the f*****g wringer today, and I’d like to have a word with him.”

“We don’t know,” the other guard said quickly, elbowing the other guard in the ribs before shooting him a look of disbelief. “We didn’t see him over there, and your mate didn’t say anything when he checked it out himself.”

“Tate was here?” she asked, her brows shooting up in surprise. When had Tate slipped away long enough to come out here without her noticing?

“Yes, ma’am,” the same guard said.

“Well, he’s obviously taken care of it then,” she said quickly, glancing over her shoulder again to make sure Tate hadn’t followed her. “You two are dismissed. Go enjoy the party.”

“But…”

“I said go,” Kelly ordered, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her foot impatiently.

Turning, she watched the two guards lumber away. When they reached the tent, she watched for a second longer to make sure they didn’t make a beeline for Tate before turning to the shed. She didn’t want to be interrupted.

Studying the shed for a minute, she shook her head and sighed.

“I know you’re there, Mitch,” she called. “Get your ass down here before I climb up there after you. And if you make me climb up there in my wedding dress, I will gut you like a fish when I get up there.”

Get it, girl, her wolf snarled in agreement.

“Goddess, you’re violent,” a muffled voice said from the backside of the shed. A loud thump followed as Mitch dropped from the roof to the ground. A second later, he was leaning against the far side of the shed, his arms folded across his chest. “Is Robinson turning you into his personal bodyguard? Or have you become the champion of the Nightstalkers?”

“Get over here, Mitch,” she growled, not deigning to respond to his questions.

“Nah, I’m good right here,” he shook his head, shooting a quick glance at the tent. “Your husband can’t see me if I stand right here. Don’t really feel like having him break my neck, you know?”

“He’s the least of your problems right now,” Kelly snapped, taking a couple steps forward as her hands started to shake again. Glancing down, she saw her fingernails lengthen into claws, the poison that had maimed Warmouth glistening on the tips.

“I can see that,” Mitch said quietly, a wary look on his face as he glanced down at Kelly’s hands. Swallowing nervously, he looked back up at her face. “You wouldn’t really hurt me, would you?”

Tearing her gaze away from her hands, she met Mitch’s eyes and snorted in derision.

“That’s funny, coming from you,” she snapped. “Because all you’ve done today is hurt me.”

“I…”

“No, Mitch, this is my f*****g day,” she snarled, her voice rising an octave. “This is my f*****g wedding day. You had no f*****g right to come here and crash the ceremony. You had no f*****g right to come here and try to ruin things between my mate and me. You. Had. No. f*****g. Right.”

“You invited me,” Mitch pointed out. “So I had every right to be there. It’s not my damn fault the guards wouldn’t let me in when the ceremony started.”

“You said you weren’t coming,” Kelly hissed. “And even if they had let you in, I imagine you still would have interrupted with your bullshit.”

“I couldn’t just sit back and watch you marry Robinson without knowing…” Mitch sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I sent you a letter a while back, letting you know that I…”

“That you what?” Kelly interrupted. “That you’re a selfish prick who only cares about himself?”

“No,” Mitch sighed wearily. “I wanted to let you know that I love you. That I’ve loved you for months now. I wanted to let you know that if you were having second thoughts about your relationship with Robinson, you could come home and I’d… I’d be there to take care of you.”

“When did you send this letter?” Kelly breathed, deflating just a bit.

“I sent it with the RSVP,” Mitch replied as Kelly took a step back.

“I never got that letter,” she whispered as she took another step back, her eyes wide. Glancing over her shoulder at the tent, she could just see Tate standing up. She was running out of time. Once he noticed she wasn’t on the dance floor anymore, he’d come looking, and right now, she still wanted to handle this situation.

“I swear I sent it,” Mitch said gently, taking a step toward her.

“Don’t move,” Kelly breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. “Just…don’t.”

“But…”

“It doesn’t matter,” she hissed. “It wouldn’t have changed anything and you know it. I’ve told you from the beginning that I’d never be able to give you what you want. I meant it then and I mean it now.”

“So you’ve been stringing me along then?” Mitch accused.

“What? How the hell have I been stringing you along?” she asked, confused. “I was prepared to break things off and not even be friends, but you were the one that said you’d take me any way you could have me. You were the one that said you’d settle for being my guy best friend. Don’t pull that s**t on me, Mitch.”

“You promised me you’d marry me,” he pointed out desperately.

Is he deranged? Her wolf asked, shocked.

“Don’t get it twisted,” Kelly snapped as she shook her head in disbelief. “We both know there was more to that promise than that.”

“Fine,” Mitch sighed, taking another step forward. “You’re right. I’m just… Goddess, I don’t even know anymore. Some days I’m good, but other days I’m downright miserable. And all I can think about is what if. What if you had stayed? Would I be this damn miserable? Would I be struggling with being alpha near as much as I am now?”

“Even if I had stayed, we wouldn’t have ever been a couple,” Kelly sighed, taking another step back, trying to maintain the distance between the two of them. Something about the way Mitch was acting told her that he wasn’t quite himself. She suspected his wolf was the one behind the steering wheel tonight, and while she mostly trusted Mitch, she didn’t trust his wolf one bit. When alpha’s came to play, no one was safe.

“And why not? Why couldn’t you have given me a shot?” Mitch begged, taking an even larger step forward, effectively closing the distance between them.

Before she could back up again, Mitch reached out and ran his hands down her arms, making her shudder involuntarily. None of this felt right.

“Please,” Mitch breathed, grabbing her hands and yanking her even closer. “All I’m asking for is a chance.”

“No,” she protested as she struggled to free her hands. Goddess, he was strong. “It’s too late.”

“No it isn’t,” Mitch shook his head. “You can go over there and shred the marriage certificate before it gets filed. No one would be none the wiser. And then you and I can run off and lay low for a bit, let all this blow over.”

“Absolutely f*****g not,” she bit out, still struggling.

Do something, she pleaded with her wolf, but her wolf, shocked, was speechless.

“Why not?” he growled, tightening his grip and making Kelly yelp in pain.

Kelly? Is everything alright? Where are you? Tate asked through the bond, concern coloring his voice.

“Get the f**k off of me,” she snarled, kicking Mitch in the shin as she ignored Tate, determined to deal with this on her own.

“Why not?” he growled again, louder this time.

“Because I’ve never loved you,” she yelled in exasperation, drawing Tate’s attention. “Now get…”

Charging over like a raging bull, Tate pulled Mitch off of Kelly, knocking her to the ground, and slammed him into the shed, rattling the building. Stalking over to him, murder in his eyes, he grabbed Mitch by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

“I believe I have a promise to keep,” he snarled as Kelly massaged her wrists. Glancing down at them, she noticed welts in the shape of fingerprints forming. Swallowing nervously, she glanced up at Tate. If he saw Mitch’s hand prints on her, he’d kill Mitch in a heartbeat.

“Tate, put him down,” Greg warned, helping Kelly up and checking her wrists. Spotting the welts, he pursed his lips as his eyes darkened. “You don’t want to do this, brother. Kill him and we go to war again.”

“He hurt her,” Tate raged, his clothes straining as he started to shift.

“I know,” Greg snapped, backing up a few steps as he started to shift as well. “But we can’t afford another war.”

“Greg…” Tate breathed. “I don’t know if I can let him go.”

“You can,” Kelly whispered, walking over and placing a hand on Tate’s heaving shoulder. Peering around Tate’s shaking form, she met Mitch’s furious gaze. “Let him go on a warning. The next time he tries this s**t, we’ll kill him together.”

“Kelly…” Mitch gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

“But…” Tate groaned, glancing down at her.

“I need you right now,” she murmured, running her hand down his arm. “We’ll deal with him another day.”

Grinding his teeth together, Tate forced himself to let go before taking a step back. Wrapping his arms around Kelly, they both watched as Mitch slumped to the ground.

“I suggest you run,” Kelly said coldly. “If you’re still here in five minutes, I won’t stop him from coming after you again.”