Alpha Rogue 3 (BBW Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance) Read online

  Josh and I exchange glances of confusion, then look back to Alexis.

  She’s looking at the small screen next to her, and talking to herself.

  “Ouch. He’ll feel that tomorrow. If he sees tomorrow, that is,” she says. “A real pity. Hawes has a great bod too. Not really my type though…” she trails off.

  I can’t bear to think of Hawes getting beaten senseless in that ring. I want to go back to the mansion with him, do things all over again, change how we ended things, change the choices we made and not come here at all.

  I can feel Josh watching me, my head buried in my hands, trying to think of a way out, while simultaneously wishing that I could change things by simply wishing them away.

  “Rose,” I hear Josh say, his voice sullen. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

  I look up at Josh and see sincere sadness in his eyes. His armor is finally cracking, the heavy burden of his decisions finally wearing him down.

  “No, it’s not your fault…”

  “It is. I’m the only one who should be held responsible for this. I treated Hawes badly, and when I found out you had feelings for him it made me even angrier, more cold toward him. But I’m so sorry, I didn’t think it would go this way. That things would turn out so bad.” He hangs his head limply, eyes sad and brooding. There’s silence for a moment, only the quiet sound of the tiny TV from the table heard in the room.

  Then I hear clapping. A slow, intentional, rhythmic applause coming from the woman leaning back in the chair. I look up and see Alexis, her dark red lips turned up at the corners, staring at me.

  “Wow, you can’t make this shit up. This is better than a telenovela. Bravo.”

  Josh perks his head up and looks with shock at the source of the slow clap. Alexis looks over and raises an eyebrow at Josh, then turns back to me.

  “Well, how about we make a deal?”

  “A what?” I reply, stunned.

  She plops her chair legs back onto the ground, picks the shotgun up from her lap, presses it onto the table, and then leans over the table, her forearms crossed. Her eyes are serious now, an intense chocolate brown color, staring at me across the table. They’re cunning and intelligent.

  “How’s about I let you go. But on two conditions.”

  “What?” I reply.

  “Don’t listen to her, Rose, she’s a criminal. It’s probably a trap,” Josh says from his place on the wall behind her.

  “You. Cállate. Shut up,” she says, putting a finger up in Josh’s direction, but still looking intently at me. “I’m talking to her.”

  “I’m listening,” I say, trying not to let my voice falter.

  “I can tell this guy Hawes is important to you. From where I stand, he’s a silver spoon-fed brat, but apparently you see something more in him.” She pauses, collecting her thoughts, but not blinking, her focus still squarely on me. “As I see it, I’d just as soon see Legrand dead so he can’t encroach on my turf.”

  “Wait, you want Legrand dead?”

  “Yeah, he’s only been in the mob a few months, and already the higher ups are basically his bitches. I’ve been a part of this organization for a long time, and I’m not going to just roll over and see him run it when I’ve worked so hard to make a name for myself. That, and the guy’s a real asshole,” she says plainly.

  “What’s the other thing?”

  “He stays.” She points at Josh behind her.

  “Why?” I ask, confused.

  “I need collateral. I know this place will be crawling with cops and with Tribunal brass any minute now. I want him here in case I need a hostage to make a break with.”

  “Do it, Rose,” I hear Josh call across the room.

  “Hey, what did I say about you talking?” Alexis raises her voice and turns around to glare at Josh. Josh doesn’t move, just glares back.

  “What will happen to my partner?” I question.

  “I can’t make any promises, I’m sorry,” she replies, raising her hands with a shrug.

  I’m not sure I can do it. I know if Josh was in this position, he’d never put me in danger to save himself. And I don’t even know yet what I’ll do to help Hawes. But I know I’ll do whatever it takes.

  “Rose, I know what you’re thinking,” I hear Josh say. “Just go, don’t worry about me.”

  Alexis throws a glass at the wall in Josh’s direction, purposefully missing him, but making her point all the same. “I swear, I’m coming over there when I’m done!”

  I look up at Josh, whose face is resolute. I nod at him, and he nods back, a wordless exchange between us. In that moment, I’m grateful for a partner like him.

  “Fine, I’ll do it,” I tell Alexis.

  “Good. Now get your ass out of here, your man looks like he could use some help,” she replies, standing and picking the shotgun up from off the table. She swings it over her shoulder, and gives me a sarcastic salute.

  I get up and move toward the door.

  “Just take the way back to the arena that you came from. The halls should be pretty clear, but if you come across any of my boys, don’t kill them, or I’ll come after you.” She turns and faces Josh, chained to the wall and looking down at her. “Now, you. We have to do something about that mouth of yours that just can’t stay shut.”

  I open the large steel door and peek into the halls, which are completely empty. I turn to shut the door, and the last thing I see is Josh looking disdainfully down at Alexis, and her looking back at him with a sultry grin, working on the top button of his shirt. I put the sight quickly out of my mind. I’ll just have to trust that Josh can handle himself. I bolt down the hallway toward the arena. I have to save Hawes.

  I just don’t know how yet.

  5

  Hawes

  I’m not a huge fan of having Legrand on top of me like this. Especially because it basically gives him free reign to punch me in the face, when in reality I would prefer to be doing that to him instead.

  He’s starting to wear down as well though. I’m sure this match has lasted longer than he anticipated, and it’s probably the most fight he’s gotten from any of his victims before. The only problem is his technique is better than mine, and pound for pound we’re about the same strength. So the outcome is bleak.

  From his position on top of me, Legrand throws several more jabs. I block, but my arms are screaming from blocking repeated impacts like that. I try again to buck him off of me, arching my hips quickly and trying to grab him so his center of gravity falters, but he’s determined to not give up the ground he has on me.

  Here, laying on my back, there’s not much in the way of things I can do offensively except jab him in the side. But the last time I tried that, five seconds ago, I got a pounding. So for now, I’m strategizing.

  Legrand is doing the same. While my arms are up, blocking my vision, he grabs one of my arms and pulls it above my head, hoping to anchor my arm to the ground, snake his arm under it, and twist so it breaks at the elbow.

  I can feel my trapped arm extend the limits of its normal range of motion, and I act quickly. While Legrand is leaning over my hand, I push off the ground and ram into his exposed side with my free arm. He loses his balance and topples forward, but locks his legs around my midsection. We roll several times, both trying to gain the higher ground.

  For a split second Legrand loses his grip, and I try to scramble free. If I can get off the ground and put some distance between us, there’s a shot I can land a strike on him that gives me the upper hand. Trying to make a break for it exposes my back though, the worst position to be in, but I figure it’s worth a chance, since I won’t be able to last much longer if I’m pinned.

  I’m getting pretty good at this whole “planning” thing by now. It’s probably just too little, too late.

  Legrand jumps, and I can feel his arm around my neck in an instant, pulling me backwards. Damn, that backfired in a bad way.

  He’s behind me now, kneeling.

  “Just give up
already, Hawes,” I hear Legrand say behind me, a hint of frustration behind the veneer of his perfect control sounding in his voice.

  “Ha, your 90 seconds were up a while ago, you creep,” I manage to choke out with a cough. I probably should have saved that last breath though.

  He deepens the choke, one arm firmly wrapped around my neck, the other on top of the first, locking it in place and keeping me from being able to pry it free. I struggle against his arm, but the pressure in my head is building, and I’m starting to see stars.

  My mind starts to wander. I think of Rose. I see her standing in a field full of blossoms, wearing a long white dress. White, like the color of her wolf. She’s so beautiful, so perfect. She turns to me and smiles, and I see her gorgeous blue eyes and her silvery hair, shining in the sun.

  A world with Rose would be wonderful. Beyond what I could fathom. I think that’s why I let it slip out of my grasp. The pain of acknowledging my loneliness, my sorrow, my stupid stubbornness at not moving on from the past and embracing the future. I couldn’t bear to think of losing Rose, so I let all of this come between us and bring us apart.

  I know there’s a lot more to learn. Healthy ways of coping with pain, for starters. But more than anything, I want to get to know Rose even better. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know her. I want to go back to the hot spring with her. I want to make her smile and hear her melodious laugh every day. I want to make love to her. For her to be mine, always.

  You’re crazy, I hear the one remaining part of my consciousness that’s sane and not passing out from loss of circulation. Shut up, you.

  “Just die already,” Legrand says. I can hear him just barely, as if his voice is swimming underwater. Everything is turning black. My cheeks feel flushed and full of blood, and there’s a throbbing in my head that’s going to the rhythm of my heartbeat.

  I try to hit Legrand in the face behind me, my actions feeble and sluggish. I can’t even tell if I hit him, the darkness has almost completely consumed my consciousness.

  Once I’m out, I know Legrand will probably break my neck, or something even more horrific, but I can’t stop it. I’m just not strong enough, Rose. I’m sorry, Rose. I’ll miss you, Rose.

  Then a funny thing happens.

  A sound pierces through the blackness, coming through my ears but filling my mind, even my being, if that’s possible.

  “Fight, Hawes! Don’t you dare give up!”

  As if acting on their own accord, my eyes open and somehow focus in on the source of the sound. There, at the end of the ring, looking at me on the other side of the fenced cage, is Rose. Her hands are grasping the cage, and I can only see her from the shoulders up because of the raised arena. But it’s still her.

  I can feel an incredible power surging through me at the sound, and the sight, of Rose. Somehow, from somewhere, strength fills my body, and with both my hands I’m able to pry Legrand’s arm free just a hair of an inch. I suck in air and let my head clear with the second of time I have before Legrand repositions his arm and locks it around my neck again.

  Somehow, it’s bought me more time. I look at Rose again, her face worried and scared, but a ray of determined hope shining through.

  I’m coming, Rose.

  I hear Legrand grunting, trying to twist his arm even further around my neck, but every second I continue to feel my strength returning. Adrenaline from an unknown source courses through my veins, and my body is coming back to life.

  I look at Rose and smile. She returns with a tentative smile, and nods, as if to reassert her previous statement.

  Legrand is still holding me tightly, so I start to work at his hands, his arms, anything I can reach, trying to pry them and loosen his hold. It feels like trying to move a steel reinforcing bar, but he’s not immovable. I make a little headway, and I can feel him fighting against me. I bring my legs close to me, plant my feet on the ground, and stand with great effort. Legrand is still behind me, but thankfully in the hustle he forgot to position his legs properly to prevent me from being able to get up.

  I’m still working at the hold, and though I’m far from out, it’s getting looser. Loose enough, at least, to do this.

  Exerting the strength in my core, I pull in toward myself, bringing Legrand up and over me. His arm, once loosened, comes off my neck altogether with the motion, and he hits the ground with a loud thud. I hear a cry of joy that sounds like Rose, but I’m unable to see for a moment. Blood is rushing to my head and my body is returning to normal after being choked for a prolonged period of time. I can see her with my mind’s eye though, and the thought of her standing there, watching me, continues to grant me renewed strength.

  I kick wildly at the ground, hoping to connect with Legrand’s face, but I miss, my vision still blurred, and he moves away from me and comes back up to his feet.

  “How the hell did you…” Legrand asks, his face bewildered and, for the first time, a little shocked.

  “Tsk tsk. You didn’t think you were the only shifter who… is an alpha with… strength powers that are strongerer than yours,” I reply, trying to sound witty.

  “That didn’t make any sense, Hawes,” I hear Rose shout out to my left.

  My head is swimming still, and only now does it recall the words that just came out of my mouth. Why you make no sense, brain?

  I see Legrand’s face, once shocked, now stunned and confused. Rather than try to come up with something new to say, I let my legs, with their newfound strength, do the talking.

  I open up with a flurry of kicks. Legrand, suddenly realizing the fact that I’m on the offensive, blocks, but I can feel my feet making contact with his arms.

  He raises an arm and catches my foot under his arm, trapping my foot there. Normally, this would be a bad position to be in since he could pull me to the ground and lock my leg. But I’m not worried, I have something special in store for The Chainsaw.

  Let’s finish this, Legrand.

  6

  Hawes

  I’ve only tried what I’m about to do a couple of times, but I doubt he’ll see it coming. I look down at Rose, watching me in anticipation and worry, and give a quick wink to my number one fan.

  My right foot is still caught under Legrand’s arm, and there’s a second of shuffling as we both figure out our next attack. I take the opening and leap off my left foot, bringing my left leg up and around the back of Legrand’s head. While I’m still midair, I swivel and twist my weight, pivoting off Legrand’s neck, and we both roll forward, onto the ground. We tumble a few times, and while we’re moving I reach for Legrand’s arm that has my right foot trapped.

  We come to a halt on the ground, and I pull Legrand’s now-isolated left arm with both of mine. What was once a vulnerable position for me is now an ideal position, with both of my arms pulling Legrand’s arm toward my chest, my legs creating a barrier and isolating his arm from the rest of his body so he can’t pull it back.

  It’s not a perfect arm bar, but we’ve gone from standing to on the ground and in this position in less than two seconds. I start to really pull on Legrand’s arm, cranking it like one would crank a long lever. He struggles against me, trying to pull his arm back with his free right hand, but he can’t reach. Farther and farther it comes, and I can see panic rising in Legrand’s eyes.

  “Didn’t see that coming, did ya?”

  No answer, just more flailing from his part. Against a human, or even a normal shifter, this would be easy, but it still takes a considerable amount of effort and focus to continue to pull on his arm.

  After a few seconds though, his strength finally gives, and there’s a loud crack that sounds in the ring. Legrand shouts at the top of his lungs, cursing with all of his might at me.

  “Oh, so it does feel pain?” I ask sardonically, thinking the bastard deserves this and more for threatening my woman.

  He continues spitting unspeakable things to me, so I pull his arm back a little further, just to send the right message, then shove h
im off of me. He rolls over on the ground into a ball of pain and swearing, favoring his fairly shattered arm. The match is all but over now. This should be enough for Josh and his people to clean up, I think.

  I stand and turn to Rose. My Rose. She’s smiling and looking up at me from her spot at the edge of the ring. I can hear the crowd applauding and booing and shouting, but I can’t hear them. All I care about is Rose, her gorgeous blue eyes locked with mine.

  I crouch at the edge of the ring, our fingers intertwining between the fencing.

  “You’re incredible, Hawes” she says, smiling widely, her lips beautiful and red and perfect.

  “Thanks,” I reply. “You’re the incredible one. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  “I’m sorry, Hawes. I’m sorry for everything. For what I said back at the mansion, for…” she blurts out.

  “Shh,” I cover her lips gently with my finger. “You’re perfect. Just give me a second to get out of this ring so I can come kiss you properly.”

  Rose smiles, a small tear forming in her eye. I want to wipe it away. I want to wipe all her tears away. I want to make her happy forever.

  We linger a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes, both of us sublimely happy to see the other safe.

  In an instant though, Rose’s gaze turns to something behind me, and her happiness turns to shock and horror.

  “Hawes, look out!” she screams.

  I turn and see Legrand coming at me with a knife, only feet away.

  He lunges at me and Rose backs off from the cage and I roll to the side, his blade just barely missing me. I jump to my feet and face him.

  “Holy shit. Are you sure you’re not a robot?” I tell Legrand, angry for me and Rose’s moment to have been ruined, and wanting to leave this stupid cage and be with her.