In the Alpha’s Arms Novel

There You Are

Getting drunk burned out to be a very different experience with a wolf She’d been drunk a few times with Brian when she was still in high school but it was never like this. And hell, she was surprised she was allowed to drink at all hut Stace knew the bartender and he never asked Lita for LD.

Lita felt like she was on fire, burning from the inside out. She already shed her light jacket down to her strapless black mini dress an hour ago. And shed strategically bunched it closer to her middle so she could get a breeze on her exposed thighs. She was definitely sweating

Lita hadn’t been drunk with anyone except Cole since letting her wolf out and if alcohol ance let her guard down, it now practically let her wolf run free, Everything seemed turned up, not down. Colors were brighter, music louder, her body stronger and more in tune with itself. Dancing with her friends had felt like an out of body experience, especially when she stopped feeling the pang of her heels cutting into her toes. She could dance all night like this. Probably fuck all night too. That sent a wicked little shiver down her back. She couldn’t wait to get back home,

She hadn’t seemed to notice it when she was with Cole in that cabin but out on the town with lar and State? Nyx w practically cut her teeth on her own canines. And it thrilled her. The wolf was a busybody and a threat all rolled into one and as it turned out, she was a

was so close to the surface she could fucking party girl. Nyx had screamed shots in her head until she finally broke down and took some.

And her eyes? Well they’d stopped being a normal color about an hour ago if her estimate was correct. About the same time she lost track of her purse and jacket. About the same time she stopped checking her texts from Cole. They were all very apologetic anyway, the kind she didn’t really need to read to get the gist. He loved her. He was sorry. Etcetera etcetera. She peered up at the foggy mirrored wall behind the bar, Even drunk, she could make out the sizzling ruby of her pupils. What the hell was she going to do about that?

“Are those contacts?!” The rowdy guy two seats down from her asked. He’d been eyeing her since she stumbled over to the bartop but she hadn’t noticed his gaze on her in the mirror. Nyx immediately wanted to fight. Lita had to dig her nails into the smooth wood beneath her hands just to curb the urge. Damn, she needed to stay with the others.

The lounge wasn’t that packed in other areas but at the bar, the seats were nearly all full. And at the moment, at least four different guys were watching her with little smirks. The contacts” guy, was nice enough looking: brown hair to his chin, shaggy but not messy. A semi–cultivated goatee drew her eyes to his mouth which seemed fine, all his teeth in tact, all the skin smooth. He was even in a nice thin sweater that looked expensive with dark colored pants in the exact shade as his shoes.

His face was actually really growing on her, but she wasn’t interested. She watched him motion the bartender for two shots of something in a brown bottle. What was the here to do? Right! Get the drink, she reminded herself. She wasn’t here for hot guys at the bar. Or at least, Nyx wasn’t interested if the wild growl in her head was any measure.

Don’t even fucking ink about it! Nyx growled.

Lita cringed at the rough, grating sound. She couldn’t even study the other guys because Nyx scratched at her mental cage. She already had someone and the longer she spent surrounded by other men, the more she just wanted to go back home to Cole. That was clearly Nyx’s vote too.

Lita tried to remind herself she was here to make Cole jealous. Make up sex. Apology gifts. Sexy Alpha wolf. Those were the things Stace and Jaz said she wanted. It was important to make him grovel and beg or something like that. What better way to do it, than to post all the fun they were having at the lounge? It didn’t help that Nyx just wanted to sink her teeth into everyone who looked her way. She’d been lucky to get in a few dances before she got too drunk.

Lita sighed, she should avoid the guys altogether but… she hadn’t managed a single photo that wasn’t of the three girls sharing drinks. That wasn’t liable to make Cole very upset.

She didn’t know what other photos the girls had posted though. Their cameras were flashing nonstop while they were on the dance floor. Where even was her phone? When her eyes slid hack up, she saw the guy was still waiting on an answer, lopsided grin and all. He had two shot glasses, one in each hand.

She smiled, showing a little more teeth than necessary as a warning, thanks to Nyx, and gave a noncommittal gesture with her arms. Lita spied her friends three tables behind her. As Jaz and State flagged down an empty high–top table on the restaurant side, Lita waited for their next round of drinks at the bar. She needed food badly or Nyx was going to come out and play for real. She shuddered as an image of a bloody floor flicked across her mind.

No Ericas tonight. Apparently her eyes were full on Alpha now and she was past the point of friendly conversation. At least in the pulsating colored lights, it just appeared to be an illusion. She blinked and the guy was a step away now, holding a glass out to her.

wear those often?” the guy tried again, motioning that they should take a shot together. It was clear he wanted more than just an answer about stupid ass colored contacts and Nyx already had her claws out, hollowing out the bar top. Clearly the wolf part of her mind took mating extremely fucking seriously if her me was any sign llow the girls thought she was going to manage fake flirting… she had no idea.

Lita

shrugged, avoiding eye contact in case Nyx was planning to bite his head off, “It’s all the rage on the east coast! She yelled over the music. This

There You Are

was killing her fucking buzz. She smiled and threw the shot back. He nodded vigorously, raising his glass in a mock toast before downing his, ‘Cool as fuck! Sexy too!” Something vibrated her chest and she jumped. Then patted her chest until she felt the cool metal outline of a phone. Well, fuck, that was smart of her. She checked her phone to find a few more messages from Colle.

I’m sorry!

Where are you.”

Why aren’t you home yet?

Why the fuck did Stace just post you at a bar?

Who the fuck are you dancing with?!

Seriously, get back here NOW

Got the location te. Don’t fucking move

That wasn’t very good… or maybe it was? Her mind rocked back and forth a little. He was supposed to be angry, right? That’s what she wanted right? “Boyfriend seems mad, the guy said with a smirk, looking over shoulder.

Thank the lord the bartender put her drinks up so she could get away from whatever this was. Scooping up the drinks, Lita shot the bartender a grateful smile for rushing her order and stumbled her way back those three rows to her friends, now cackling like hyenas over their phones. She didn’t bother saying goodbye to the guy.

“What in the h–hell is so f–funny? Lita hiccupped, messily sliding the glasses onto the tabletop. She might have already sipped from all three and that last shot sat funny on her stomach.

“Alex commented on my pic and said Bad move, busybody,” Stace cackled, “They are soooo pissed.”

“What photo is it? Lita burped quietly, ‘Fuck that liquor is giving me indigestion.”

“It’s the one of you twerking on me,” she bellowed, “And I might not have cropped out the guy in front of you staring at you

your tits…”

“Well shit…maybe Cole didn’t see it.”

“If Alex saw it, Cole saw it babet And Ace said someone needs a spanking undermine Jax wheezed, “I’m so ready for that spanking too. You have no idea. His hands are so big More giggling.

“Let me see yours,” Lita sighed, looking over Jaz’s shoulder to see a picture of them taking shots with a bunch of random guys, “When in the hell did that happen? She genuinely could not remember.

“Fuck if I know,” Jax shrugged. The caption didn’t help I’m sure. Single ladies do it better with a winky face.”

“Remind me again, were we trying to make Cole mad or murderous?”

“Same thing really,” Jaz elbowed her,

“Hey! That one’s mine!” Stace yelped as Lita helped herself to another sip of Stace’s blueberry drink.

“Yours is better than mine! Shareeeeee,” Lita whined, flashing a big, pleading smile, “ohhhh this is my fucking songo!”

“Ah ah! You’re not dancing without us and we all need food you messy drunk?” jaz reprimanded, barely grabbing Lita’s forearm in time.

“You’re the one that got me liquored up! Amarelio sour taste like fucking juice,” Lita slurred, sliding back towards the table, “I just want fries…”

“Yes!! Fries–chf–fuck,” Jaz hiccuped, “We got the fucking geo tag from my last post! Oopsie we were probably gonna get yelled at.” She seemed anything but worried as she took a hefty gulp of her drink.

“Yea Cole texted and said he’s on the way so I guess our night is going to be cut pretty short,” Lita smiled, “So can I dance now? Before they get here???”

“Jesus!” Jaz jumped, looking over at Lita’s face, “How long have your eyes been like that? Did anyone notice?” She eyed the bar and the room to see if

There You Are

any faces lingered in their direction. Her face sobered slightly. Stace looked worried ton

“My guess? Like an hour, that’s when I really started to feel the last round,” Lita shrugged, sliding onto her bar stool, “Guy at the bar asked if they were contacts. I think I’m g–good!” Lita stomach felt like it was going to turn itself inside out. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I

“Fuck on second thought guys, I think I gotta throw up,” Lita put her hand over her mouth, scooting off towards the bathrooms.

“You go, I’ll stay with the drinks,” Jaz yelled to Stace, “Make sure she makes it back in one piece.”

“Lita wait up!” Stace yelled from behind her but Lita was moving too fast through the crowd, sliding past dancing couples and moving under arms, in between bodies. Stace was hitting those bodies like walls. It was causing the gap between them to grow and Lita was too sauced to hear Stace yelling to wait.

Lita found the hallway to the bathroom but the line was too long to wait. She needed to harf now. Her stomach felt like a blender. Everything was spinning and pulsing towards her mouth. Nyx urged her forward, pushing her past the girls leaning against the wall until they were at the service door Her wolf’s directions were clear enough but they lacked bite. Was she feeling as miserable as Lita felt?

She shoved the door open and barely made it to the side of the dumpsters before she was tossing up everything she’d had to drink. Everything burned on its way up and it was all a strange color, red–tinted and chunky. What the hell did she eat? This wasn’t liquor sick. This was food–poisoning sick. Or something just as serious. Her whole body felt clammy and drained

Her head spun a little as she spit to clear her mouth of the bitter taste, leaning her head forward against the wall of the building. Jesus she felt like she was getting a fever.

“Ughhh not my shoes,” she whined, looking at the red chunks on her suede shoes, “Fuck! I just got these!”

She never got trashed like this. But she had to admit she was a bit of a lightweight too so it wasn’t entirely shocking. There hadn’t been many opportunities for her to develop a tolerance to liquor. It just sucked that Cole was going to get here and see she’d thrown up on herself. How embarrassing. Maybe they could leave before the guys got here?

Lita was so busy trying to scrape the vomit off her shoes and figure out to make an escape before Cole saw her, she didn’t hear the feet on the pavement or the slow roll of tires in the alleyway. Nyx was swaying and making strange noises in her mind. It was yet another distraction.

What’s wrong?

I’m not–not sure.

Are you just drink like me?

Wolves d–don’t g–get dr–drunk, something’s wr–wr

Something slammed into the back of Lita’s head hard, knocking her face into the wall. Liquid exploded across her mouth. “There you are

No

Cole thought Midnight was bad before he’d claimed Lita but this? It put all those old rages and mental fights over whether to claim Lits to shame. This was the worst he ever been. The wolf had nearly decapitated the bouncer outside the door, just for putting a hand on his chest to frisk him. One minute he was pissed, heading for the door and the next, he had all his claws out, pinning the hounner by the neck against the wall. And thank god for Alex smoothing that over because another second spent waiting outside when Lita was inside doing god knows what would have only resulted in death, A lot of fucking death. Cole wasn’t entirely convinced it still wouldn’t.

What he felt for Litaran deep. Deeper than he thought a bond could go. He could feel it in his wall, in his bones and skin, in the air he inhaled, in the food he ate, in that part of himself that didn’t exist on words. She wasn’t just a part of his life. She was a part of him. Hell maybe all of him. It surely felt as if he wouldn’t survive without that part. It was the majority of the reason he was even here, breaking into a lounge to drag her ass home. What he felt for her wasn’t rational, it was instinctual and short of locking him up in chains, there was nothing that would have kept him from her right now.

y too little They were having a fight. Okay, their first fight. And it was definitely his fault. But did that fucking warrant her running off to put on entirely clothing and dance entirely too fucking close to other males? No. No it fucking did not and he was already planning to roar that exact thing as soon as he found her. His better judgement said that Lita alone wouldn’t have made such a selfish fucking choice. It wasn’t her style. But that didn Lexcuse het. He was going to mar Stace’s petty little face when he finally got his hands on her too though, for dragging his mate into this shitshow. This could ve been worked out hours ago if not for those two nosey… Jaz was lucky she was human. He’d save her punishment for Ace, who might have been just as angry. Cole rolled his eyes, realizing that her torture was most likely going to end up being her pleasure. He’d have to think of something else to punish

the human.

Of course Cole regretted telling Lita she was his property. It sounded ugly, it was ugly and not at all what he wanted to convey to someone who meant so much to him. It reminded him of his fucking father but…he wasn’t necessarily lying and that was the part that bothered him the most about it. That’s the part he felt genuinely sorry for. That possessive, dark side to his wolf was unpredictable and unforgiving but it wasn’t lying. She was his to own and claim and ravage forever. But she was also his to love and honor and raise pups with. He couldn’t always control that desire to claim, to control, to own, to protect. It was down to genetics and instinct but it didn’t mean he didn’t that she was person. She wasn’t just his mate. That’s the part that hadn’t come out quite right. And now he was going to have to hash this conversation out in front of all the men that were probably drooling over her in that skin tight dress. That perfect body….

His fists were lethally clenched. This was not the time for arousal because that kind of mindset would definitely get someone killed for touching her.. Cole chuddered to think of all his MMA training being used to palverize shitless men who just had the unfortunate luck to touch his mate. It wasn’t there fault. Being attracted to Lita was as natural as anything Cole was feeling and yet, he didn’t focking care. No one touched his mate. Even just the thought sent hot blood flushing through his veins. He felt his pupils dilating and his neck tightening. Cole scrubbed his face, cutting through the throng of people surrounding the bar. He needed to pull his head out of that dark place before things got out of hand. Thinking of Erica still tore Lita up a little and that bitch had it coming. If he killed some handsy drunk prick? Fuck, he didn’t want to think about it.

For a moment, he thought back to her apartment. He thought back to hour out of control he’d been the second he saw all those bruises. It wasn’t just that someone had hurt his mate, though that was the main reason his soul raged. He lost control because someone had the nerve to touch his mate and he wasn’t there. Brian could’ve fucking taken her and Cole had no idea, no inkling. He’d have been powerless to stop it while he paced like an idiot at the gym all night worried that she was going to expose them all. That would never sit right with him.

When he’d finally seen his failure to protect her, his wolf just rushed out, shredded everything he could touch. And the issue with that was all the collateral damage. Other tenants who had stepped into the hall could have been hurt because he didn’t care. The people walking on the sidewalk when he made his way to the car could have been attacked. Hell, Lita herself was even vulnerable to him when she was slumped against the door. His need to the situation couldve led to her being hurt more. His temper didn’t have a limit, only a trigger. And he didn’t want that switch flipped in a lounge full of innocent people.

Cole sung his eyes across the first crest of people lining the dance flour. He didn’t recognize anything. Not a face, not a scent, not a piece of clothing. Where the hell were they? Alex spread out to the right of him and Ace brought up the rear, all staring out into the packed expanse of the Lounge. It hadn’t seemed this crowded in all those pics but, checking his phone, Cole saw it was a little past eleven. Prime party time. He swiped out her contact info and dialed the number. One ring. Two. It rang until her voicemail kicked in.

‘Not answering her phone! He yelled over the rabble. Shouldering a guy into the wall, Alex took off towards the booths in the back, Ace headed over to the bar and high top tables as Cole reluctantly headed into the mass of dancing bodies. He tried her phone again. Hey you’ve reach Lita, leave me some love after the beep!

His stomach clenched. She’d just changed that voicemail answer yesterday. It was sweet really, how quickly she was learning to adjust to her new body and her new self. He could still remember that sad, waif of a girl that strolled into the gym, demanding to be trained. He’d thought he was the unluckiest bastard alive to have a mate like that. Fragile, human, pathetic. God he hated himself for how he treated her in the beginning

How could he know she was the strongest woman he’d ever met and at only nineteen? How could he know she wasn’t human at all or the least bit pathetic? That she was actually an Alpha equal to him in every way that mattered? She wasn’t a ring bunny or a psycho fan. She was a broken girl whod been abused and used all her life as if she weren’t a real person and she’d lost the only family she ever really had when James died. Hell, no one had even really let her grieve that. Cole’s head started to throb. And after everything she’d been through, he’d told her she was his property. He’d claimed her like she was fucking furniture. Regret was nearly palpable on his tongue. He was determined to make this right.

He caught Lita’s scent on the stale, club air as a few people shifted into each other. Faint, like it had been a while since she was here, but clearly hers. He needed to remember his apology speech. Cole’s eyes shifted red, his body pumping adrenaline everywhere as he prepared for a fight just in case there was an obstacle between them. Don’t kill anybody, he ordered midnight, Cole figured the apology might fall flat if he went and gutted an innocent dude right before he begged for forgiveness.

I’m not making a single fucking promise. Touch my mate and die. Midnight could really be over the top when he wanted to.

Cole pinched the bridge of his nose. Please god let Lita be having a girls only party in the back. He pushed deeper into the swell of people, following that phantom scent. He couldn’t see Alex or Ace anymore but that didn’t really matter. He’d only brought them so they could restrain him if he lost. control.

He cleared the dancefloor and ended up on the other side, near a long hallway that led towards the bathroom and back door. Surprisingly Ace and Alex were already standing there and their faces told him everything he needed to know.

“What’s wrong?” Cole growled, grabbing Alex by the arm as he stared down at the phone in his hand, “Where is she?”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Alex’s voice had hardened, his eyes flicking into his wolf’s color, Ace did too, “Stace called and I could hardly understand her, she was crying so hard. I think she said back or behind and she definitely said Lita’s name but the rest? I couldn’t make sense of it.”

“You got Jaz’s scent?” Cole turned to Ace who only nodded and said, “It’s faint though. I caught it by the tables. No sign of them or their belongings though.”

“Same. I caught Lita’s on the dancefloor but it’s almost gone, Cole inhaled deeply several times, trying to clear his mind and sort through the scents. Then he was walking forward, still sniffing like a bloodhound. His eyes roved over every inch of the hall, watching for faces, anything that looked like what she was wearing signs of anything strange. Cole stormed past the women’s bathroom, then the men’s, then the service closet and employees only room, until all that was left between him and that sweet scent was the back door.

“Back,” he mumbled to himself, throwing the door open with flare as he cut his eyes around the alley. The scent was stronger here but still light. He caught wind of another scent though, definitely male. His skin tightened once more as he noticed Stace’s scent, hitting him like truck just before her body did

Stace wrapped her arms around his own, tugging and crying and saying intelligible things that he couldn’t understand.

“Wh–what’s wrong Stace?” Alex tried to pull her away, despite her desperate, terrified pants. But she wouldn’t let go, instead she used her wolf–strength to pull them both to the dumpsters, dragging hard until they could all scent what had her so terrified.

Cole’s blood froze as he inhaled, sighting the splatter of blood on the brick, then lower to the vomit and a shoe, one that looked like it had been ripped straight off, the anklet still clasped closed. Stace was shaking and hyperventilating, her eyes glowing yellow and fierce.

tas

“Th-th–they t–t–took t–th–th–em,” she choked out a sob, “I–1- Her face crumpled as her legs gave out. She pointed in the direction of the street. “1-1 5-5- saw a v van.” Alex knelt beside her, smoothing her hair and whispering something Cole couldn’t quite hear. His blood pumped too loud in his ears. Lita had bled right here. Vomited right here. But she wasn’t anywhere. She was… and there was a van?

He inhaled again, snapping his tether on his wolf until he was half shifted. That faint smell near to Lita’s bothered him, like cigars and citrus gum and

“No…