In the Alpha’s Arms

Dreaming of a Date…

The sound of waves crashing into the shore filled the night.

Lita always loved the nighttime view from the beach house as a kid, but they hadn’t been back in years. Her parents hardly had time to spare her a conversation that wasn’t centered on Brian anymore, let alone take her on a weekend getaway. It all worked out in the end, because now this was the only place Lita and her brother could come when he was in town. God, she missed James like air in her lungs. That goofy face, those ridiculous two in the morning rambling conversations. Eating junk while binging every rocky movie.

Something warm bloomed in Lita’s chest, fighting off the chilly night breeze. Their own parents wouldn’t let James set foot in the house after they excommunicated him. A nasty symptom of abandoning the life they’d dreamed up for him. Lita had laughed the first time he’d called to say he bought gym. Or rather, that he’d bought a derelict building he wanted to make into a gym. But he hadn’t laughed hack. He’d only given her his famous line, you think you have forever, Lit, but you don’t. Do what makes you happy and burn everything else.

Their parents being who they were, it hadn’t surprised Lita that his room was packed up almost overnight afterward. It hadn’t surprised her that his photos were scrubbed from the walls and they had tossed his competition plaques. It hadn’t surprised her they were all hell–bent on never saying his nome. But it still hurt and made her feel more alone that she ever had before.

Lita wasn’t close to her parents, outside of blood, they wouldn’t have been a family at all. But she loved James, felt bonded to him in her core. And the distance weakened her. Made her weak enough for Brian to swoop in.

She clutched her side gently, knowing she would never tell James that or risk being another person trying to keep him from his dreams. Her brother- would worry. He’d give up his Cali life for her in a heartbeat, Lita knew. So, she could never bring herself to ask. She couldn’t explain that tether tying him to her or how badly it ached when he moved away, but she managed.

Lita leaned against the balcony railing in nothing but a bikini top, knit sweater and a pair of ratty shorts. God, what she wouldn’t have given to rewind the last half hour,

She could hear the welcome–home party leaking out from the cracked balcony door, but she just needed a minute to herself before she could go back and face everyone. She only prayed no one had told James yet. One of her brother’s high school buddies had been trying to throw her over his shoulder into the pool when her sweater had lifted away. It revealed an ugly bruise over her ribs, and everyone had seen it. To their credit, they all acted as if they hadn’t. But the hat flush of embarrassment still stung.

She blew her tense air out into the breeze, lost in the quiet moment where she could almost forget what her life had become. Balmy night air swirled past her as the heard the balcony door slide open.

“No li

lies, what happened to your side, Lita?”

Janies. Of course, someone had already told her brother what they’d seen. It was a simple question, but it held all the undertones of a threat. He didn’t want to know what happened. He wanted to know who did it.

“Would you believe me if I said it was an accident?”

*Would you believe me if I said I already know who it was, and I just need to hear you say it and put the nail in his coffin?” His throat sounded strained, as if he were losing control of his notoriously terrible temper. How tembly stereotypical. Her brother was a professional fighter with a bad temper. In the ring, that temper was a strength. In the real world, it was scary and unsettling, “Dammit, just say it, Lita!” James barked, startling her enough that she dropped her party cup. She watched it splash into the sand below, feeling her heart go with it.

“If you already know, why the hell do you need to hear me say it?” She still hadn’t turned away from the sea. Too weak to face his opinion of her, her eyes already growing misty. This was a derailing train she couldn’t stop.

right. I’m going to make him wish he was never

A shoulder here, a knee there. Somebody’s cup went tumbling to the ground, lata didn’t care. She couldn’t hear anything over the desperate thump of her heart. She snatched

can’t do thist Please

don’t kick his ass. No way I don’t break th and threw the car in reverse. She

“It’s not… I don’t…”

The engine startled Lata

Dieng of a Date

nearly screaming. “Of course, I knew the type of family he comes from,” James sneered, his distaste clear, “But you don’t care about shit like that Lita. You care about car rides and baby animals at the state fair, and helping kids learn to swim whenever we stayed at the beach house. My baby sister doesn’t get roped into political matches. Why

first, had no idea that her parents were in talks with his. That they were planning to use money and influence in their

silence, digging deeper, “You made it seem like you two were happy… And goddamn if I wasn’t happy as hell, you had somebody, you know? Even if it was that wannabe. That Alpha. As if he could lead his own pack. No one would follow him. And he’d die in a challenge with Asher every day of the week…” James trailed off, not making a lick of sense to Lita. She couldn’t stand to see him to so upset, so disappointed in her decisions. It had been her decision, right? She’d chosen this

“I was on

were happier than you ever been. You sold me a line about how you thought you might marry that guy. An eighteen–year–old thinking about getting married should have been a big ass red flag for me. I gotta own that one. It’s

James! Please. Don’t drive like this.” She couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t think

down on the smooth wheel, squealing to a stop at the red light. “You’re my family. My only blood family, sis. those other two. To hell with that den of vipers they call friends and colleagues. To hell with Asher

That my brother is looking at me like I’m scum?! He’s not always- Lita exhaled, tears springing into her eyes-“He used to be sweet, James, He took me on those long Sunday car rides. He helped me feed the baby fair animals: He was nice and

she’d never heard before. “Look at me.” She did, letting the tears fall because she was beyond pretending not

At all, jellybean. You hear me? Lita felt the

as if realizing he’d already blamed her once. “I’m sorry for saying

thought he liked me for me. I didn’t think he liked me for my

goddammit,” James snapped his head. “You have no idea. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The moves they’re trying to make with Brian and his idiot of a father, go so much deeper than money and influence.” James

her skin. She swiped the hot tears, ignoring the damp spots on her pillows as she got up. On autopilot, she forced her body into the bathroom, grabbing her phone to check the time. She choked at the numbers staring back at her. How had she slept until

the night worrying and working that she didn’t even set her alarm. But sleeping for nearly fifteen hours wasn’t normal Sighing she accepted she would miss her classes

her messages. Mark had sent her a video of some

gym today. Not after the insanity she still couldn’t make sense of It was best to take a break from the gym and get through this mess with Brian unscathed. That would be hard enough by itself without thinking about whether she

over her new stomach. It fell at mid–thigh with the

Dreaming of a Date

scars. Would Brian want her sexy? Would he want her dressed down? It was always a gamble, and it rarely paid off anymore. Whatever she chose would likely be the wrong