In the Alpha’s Arms

This is a Terrible Idea

“What the hell am I doing?”

Lita whispered those words to the otherwise empty car, “This is crazy.” Shaking her head, Lita dragged her hands down over her mouth, speaking through her fingers. “I’m going to get myself killed.”

Lita found herself in the middle of an industrial park, long since abandoned, or at least left to exist in its miserable state. From her car windshield she could see ruined buildings and crumbled foundations littering the back lots. Her skin grew tight as she stared at the nearest dilapidated building and considered going inside. As if there weren’t enough horror movies written with this kind of opening. And better still, this place was at least thirty minutes off the main road and Lita had less than an hour before sunset.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at the photo in her hand: a group of people happily posing in front of the same building she was looking at now. Only in the picture, Lita couldn’t see the larger backdrop of empty office buildings and stripped asphalt. She couldn’t even see the front door behind the bodies or the boarded windows. Seeing that might have convinced her to abandon this stupid idea, and now it was too late. She’d already come too far, risked too much. Lita stared at the picture, running her fingers over the crease lines as if it would repair the fraying image.

She sighed, folding the picture once more and tucking it away in her car visor for safekeeping. Lita ran her thumb up her inner wrist, resting on the tattoo that said you think you have forever, but you don’t. She could still hear his voice saying those words to her. And she really needed that courage now.

Pulling her sleeve back down, Lita checked herself in the mirror and got out of the car. She’d pulled her black hair up into a messy bun, tired of fiddling with the waist-length style, and her oversized outfit—sweatpants and a long-sleeved band shirt—had to be three sizes too big on her now. They hadn’t been grossly oversized when she bought them a few years earlier, but even her bulky clothes did nothing to hide her thinness. One look at her neck, or even her wrists, and anyone could see it.

There was nothing to do about the dark circles under her eyes or her pale skin, either. Sure, some concealer would have helped, but there hadn’t been time and Lita didn’t think anyone inside would appreciate her in makeup. Lita looked as bad as she felt, but she had also looked worse before, so this would have to be good enough. She wasn’t likely to impress anyone inside, makeup or not, so authentic would have to suffice.

Trucking across the parking lot, Lita eyed the vehicles—a mix of decent cars and beaters plus a handful of motorcycles that had seen better days. Certainly not the type of luxury her parents would expect for her. Good, she thought. She would like the place one smidge more because of it. Tugging the lightly rusted metal door open with a loud creak, Lita made peace with the fact that money might be her only bargaining chip here and she would use it.

Once inside, she looked around the gym’s open floor plan in anticipation. She didn’t know what she had imagined, but it wasn’t this. From the moment she walked into the gym, she should have felt better, or at least felt like her life was changing for the better. But the gym was simply a gym and nothing about it magically fixed her. Sure, it was a nicer place than she thought it would be, but that wasn’t saying much.

Still, there was something to be said for the aesthetic. It was the size of a warehouse, more than large enough to hold several training areas that were spaced evenly. What looked to be a standard boxing ring and a ring with a metal cage around it were against the back wall. She’d never seen boxing equipment up close, but she supposed that’s how it looked. Then there was an area with nothing but thick mats alongside another section with hanging bags and bags with floor bases. She’d seen training bags like that from her online research. Closest to the front door, Lita eyed the double section of cardio machines and weights. Despite the rough exterior, everything seemed on the newer side and well taken care of. The room smelled like bleach and lemons, with bright fluorescent lights that revealed how clean everything looked. Even the concrete floor looked spotless aside from scratched grooves that looked like someone had dragged furniture across it.

Looking up, she could see some rust spots and drip lines on the exposed pipes. Really, it seemed like the building itself was the issue. If she had to wager a guess, Lita figured the gym’s owner must have been renovating little by little. Even though there were imperfections, Lita felt like the gym had a communal atmosphere she appreciated.

gaze, and stiff but curious expressions were all that greeted her. None of it made her feel exactly welcome. Could she blame them? She silently compared herself to all the fit men around the gym and immediately understood why they eyed her suspiciously. It wasn’t the fact that she was a woman, because she could see a few female outlines near the back of the

thought again, silently kicking herself. How was she supposed to get them to agree to let her train here when she looked like the human equivalent

of nowhere. He was wearing a cut-off sweatshirt that stopped at the bottom of his pecs and a pair of nylon training pants. Both items had the name of the gym on them—which was honestly beside the point. There was entirely too much male abdomen visible, and the muscles weren’t hiding.

wider nose and tapered nostrils. She couldn’t figure out if the subtle tan was a natural complexion or a courtesy of the sun. Either way, Lita made a mental note of his features, planning to compare him to the photo in the car once she got back. She didn’t think she’d ever seen someone with so much muscle. Broad

in the air between them. It was like he wanted to dominate her through physical menace, and her body rebelled. When he came within a few steps, Lita realized he was probably four or five inches taller than her, and the way he pressed his shoulders slightly apart made him seem

a smile, but not a grimace, either. That cocky face and the way he wiped at the back of his neck with the towel had her muscles twitching unexpectedly. Was he teasing her or dismissing her? First, her name wasn’t girl, but it didn’t seem like he cared, and second, how was she supposed to answer his question? Why did he assume she was lost? There was no way in hell anyone would accidentally end up at a gym buried in the back of a heavily forested area. She had to know exactly what was back here before she even tried. So, it wasn’t so much

got her and she needed this to go well. She didn’t like being talked down to, but she was used

and she immediately cleared her throat. Appearing too mentally weak wouldn’t help her

his shirt, “What’s it to you? Your boyfriend

I just want to speak to the owner,” Lita snapped back, grateful her voice

time? Forget to call you back? It’s like that sometimes. Doesn’t mean you should show up at his gym. You’re supposed to take that loss in private, sweetheart,” the man sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Although, you’re a little pale and skinny for his usual taste… You

giving him an awful smile. He was seriously getting under Lita’s skin, but she tried not to focus on it. She didn’t know these people, and they didn’t

sound in

to the owner

just told the joke of the century. And it burned, sent fire flushing through her in a sudden wash of anger. He drew the curious eyes of some of the other

belted out another series of laughs, “You couldn’t even—I mean, have you ever lifted? Anything?” He gasped, “I won’t even bother asking if you’ve ever thrown a punch, but

ways she’d shred him down to nothing with her words. But she couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she talked to the owner. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Lita counted in her head, trying to calm herself. It was a trick her

the owner, please?” Lita raised her voice a little so he could hear her over his heavy snickers. She had to check herself. Her mother had worked desperately to curb her aggression because it wasn’t becoming of a lady. She had medicine prescribed for when Lita’s urges were too

interrupted. And anyway, this isn’t the gym for Insta-selfies or whatever the hell it is you’re here to do. This ain’t that kind of gym. It’s a fight club. So