Alpha Wolf: Alpha Bites, #4

By Mandy Rosko

Does it have to be so complicated for a villain to get his happily ever after?

Dennis is used to being the villain. He's used to being chased by people who want to take him down. But this time, things are different.

Annie and Dennis are on the run from his old pack. Desperate to save his mate and his son, the villain will throw away his old anger, for now. If it means giving the woman he loves back to the alpha he hates, then so be it.

It will most likely kill him, but Dennis' old pack will kill Annie if he fails, and his son isn't safe with the pack of his enemy, or the wolves hunting him down.

If Dennis is to survive this with his son and his mate, then he must carefully navigate the hundred year rage of his enemies, and come to terms with the crimes of his past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mandy Rosko
• Release date: Jul 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393742517

Mandy Rosko

USA Today Bestselling and award winning author Mandy Rosko loves writing paranormal romances with werewolves, dragons and people with special powers. She is the author of the Things in the Night Series, Night and Day, and the Dangerous Creatures Series.She does M/F, M/M, a touch of medieval under her other pen name, Rizzo Rosko, and pretty much anything else she's in the mood to write (which makes things confusing for readers since that means she's too much of a flake to stick to any one brand).Favorite authors right now are anyone who writes dangerous and tortured heroes ;)If you want to keep up to date on the sexy guys in my hot new releases, then sign up for my Newsletter and receive a free copy of The Vampire's Curse: http://mandyrosko.com/contact.htmlAnd on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandyRoskoRomanceThings in the Night Series:The Vampire's CurseThe Legend of the WerewolfThe Shepard's AgonyThe Dragon and the Wolf (A prequel novella)Night and Day Series:Night and DayThe Calm Before The StormAll Hell Breaking LooseBook Four Coming Soon!Dangerous Creatures:Burns Like FireA Shock To Your SystemAs Cold As Ice Coming December 8th 2015

Book preview

ALPHA WOLF

Does it have to be so complicated for a villain to get his happily ever after?

---

Dennis is used to being the villain. He’s used to being chased by people who want to take him down. But this time, things are different.

---

Annie and Dennis are on the run from his old pack. Desperate to save his mate and his son, the villain will throw away his old anger, for now. If it means giving the woman he loves back to the alpha he hates, then so be it.

---

It will most likely kill him, but Dennis' old pack will kill Annie if he fails, and his son isn't safe with the pack of his enemy, or the wolves hunting him down.

---

If Dennis is to survive this with his son and his mate, then he must carefully navigate the hundred year rage of his enemies, and come to terms with the crimes of his past.

Alpha Wolf is Book Four

in the Alpha Bites Series.

Alpha

Alpha Bear

Alpha Dragon

Alpha Wolf

1

Anna Maxwell jerked awake. She barely realized she’d nodded off, but she supposed that happened after a kidnapping gone wrong, and then she was stuck helping a very tall, very heavy, very bloody alpha into the motel room for his recovery.

It was still dark out. A quick glance to the table showed sweat still on the ice bucket.

And Dennis was so still.

She shot up, pushing her blond hair behind her ears. Anna reached her hand out to his chest. Her fingers barely grazed his skin before she felt the intake of breath. Anna jerked her hand back. Her fingers burned, as though licked by fire, and in that moment, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

But she was grateful. The fact that he was breathing was good.

If he’d died while she lay next to him…

Anna didn’t even want to think about that.

The bandages she wrapped around his stomach were showing red through, but this was an alpha. He was strong. He was a warrior, and everyone knew they could heal faster than normal.

They were more than capable of dealing with any injury.

She was pretty sure of it anyway. Her brother was strong, why not Dennis?

Anna gently pulled back the wraps she’d made out of the bleached towels. What she saw beneath didn’t give her much relief. The wound was still there. Still mean and deep, but at the same time…

Did she imagine it? Or was it possible the claw marks weren’t quite as wide or messy?

A quick check of the clock showed it hadn’t been that long since she’d nodded off. Maybe twenty minutes. Twenty-five at the most?

She sighed. If he’d had a few hours, she would have more to work with. This wasn’t quite what she’d been hoping for.

He needed more time. He needed to rest and get some food in him, but he’d barely eaten a slice of the pizza she’d ordered when an alpha like him should have had trouble sharing one with her. They ate like food was about to become a rarity. As if their stomachs had no bottom.

Dennis ate like a newborn kitten. The tiniest bits at a time, as if he couldn’t quite force any down.

Anna wanted to stay close. Part of her wanted to put her hands on him and keep them there. Because deep down, she knew she could help him if she did.

But that was a ridiculous and narcissistic thought to have. She wasn’t his mate. Why would her touch have an impact on him?

That didn’t stop her from reaching out and touching his shoulder this time. The burning sensation returned. The small hairs over her entire body stood on end, and Anna gasped as the sensation surged through her.

But she kept her hand right where it was, needing to see how far this sensation went. Because it seemed this feeling was getting stronger every time she touched him.

Dennis groaned. He moved, his body shifting slightly beneath her hand as patches of fur came in through his skin. But it was as though he couldn’t hold together the shift. The fur came and went as though rippling through his body. He reached his hand up, sliding it across her arm, down to her fingers.

Anna held very still. This was… holy shit, her entire body was alive.

She’d never felt like this before. This intense surge of…of…she didn’t have the words to describe it because it was so many things coming together at the same time. She didn’t want to remove her hand. It tingled. It burned. It felt good, and it overwhelmed her at the same time with so much information inside her head and body that she could hardly think about anything else other than the delectable way his thumb caressed her hand or the way he smiled with his eyes closed as he did it.

Anna’s mouth went dry so fast she struggled to speak. D-Dennis? Are you awake?

He groaned, still smiling, his thumb still caressing her hand in a way that made the inside of her stomach melt.

Anna shivered, her body jolted, and holy shit, she was going to have an actual orgasm just from the way he touched her hand if she didn’t pull back.

So she did.

Anna jerked her hand back, holding it against her chest as though it was injured when she knew she was perfectly fine. And she couldn’t stop herself from staring at Dennis, wondering how in the hell he’d been able to do that to her when she’d barely touched him.

The smile melted from his face. He lowered his hand and seemed to fall back into a fitful sleep.

Anna clenched her fingers again and again, trying to dispel that sensation of something building inside her, even though it had felt good.

She frowned. She looked at her hand, then at him.

He’d risked so much, fought against his own pack to save her after he’d gone through the trouble to kidnap her. Laurence was still out there, and he was…

Right here. With her. She wanted to be close to him. She wanted to care for him and heal him when he should have been ransoming her back to her brother.

But he didn’t. He’d confessed everything to her, was risking everything for her.

Maybe the mating thing wasn’t such a stretch.

She reached out to touch him again but stopped when she heard tires come to a screeching halt somewhere outside.

Anna jumped off the bed, rushing to the window. She pulled back the curtain to have a look at what waited for her outside.

She had to look down the walkway, and there, she spotted something a little too familiar, and her gut went from melty to twisted.

That was Jax’s truck.

Garret was with him, and together they left the engine running while marching into the main office of the motel.

Anna should have been happy. She should have run out there to meet them, to throw her arms around her brother’s neck, but…

One look at Dennis and she knew she couldn’t do that.

They wouldn’t believe her if she told them Dennis wasn’t here, and she couldn’t leave him here alone anyway.

Not injured like this. Not with Laurence out there.

Go back to your family.

Anna jumped a little, stunned to see Dennis’ eyes open. His face was pale, and the dark circles under his even darker eyes made him look like a zombie.

She shook her head. I can’t go.

Yes, you can.

Garret will kill you if I go out there!

He didn’t look as though that bothered him too much, and that bothered her all the more.

When you get out of here, if you find him, tell Derek that I love him.

She didn’t understand. Who’s Derek?

He closed his eyes. My son.

That made her jerk back again. I didn’t know you had a son. But then again, there were a lot of things she supposed she didn’t know about him.

One deep and meaningful conversation didn’t make them the best of friends.

He’s probably dead, but just in case…I hope he’s alive. Dennis looked at her again. Go to your brother, before Laurence finds you.

The way he looked at her…

Anna shook her head. You don’t mean that. You don’t want to die, and you don’t want me to go.

He watched her. Anna went to the door, looking back at him one more time. I won’t let you die either. Tell your son you love him yourself.

She ran out the door, locking it behind her and screaming bloody murder.

2

Oh God, what was she going to do?

Dennis sighed, hearing her scream for Garret.

Damn, she sounded as though someone was actively in the middle of murdering her.

Not that Dennis didn’t appreciate how she wanted to keep him alive, but was she not aware that screaming like that would bring Garret down on him even harder?

Dennis wanted Garret to kill him, not torture him to death.

Even though it was probably what he deserved.

The fact that Garret wasn’t rushing in here to beat him into an unrecognizable paste meant that, whatever Anna was saying to him, it was keeping Garret off Dennis’ back.

For now.

Was she actually trying to throw Garret off his trail?

That was… maybe one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him. It was certainly more than he deserved. The fact that she would want to do that for him in the first place was enough to make Dennis push himself up to sit.

He grunted, the wound on his stomach pulling, his aching muscles struggling against the movement.

Everywhere hurt, but the fact that he could move at all meant he’d recovered at least a little.

Dennis pulled at the bandages on his stomach, getting a look at what lay beneath. Still looked like bloody shit, but it wasn’t quite as bad or as deep as when Anna first wrapped him up. Maybe sleeping next to her had helped more than he thought it would.

Maybe she’d been touching him in his sleep.

The thought made him groan. It made the wolf inside his head sit up straight as though getting ready for a treat.

Stupid animal.

He rarely felt himself at such odds with the animal inside. He always felt himself in control. So to feel the creature as a separatist entity that wanted something as much, if not more than he did…was a strange sensation.

He’d lost Derek. Was he about to lose her?

No. He didn’t want to lose his son, or her. Derek could still be alive. If he let himself be killed by that asshole Garret, then he might not find out what happened to his son.

Anna was right. He needed to live. He had too much shit to get done before he could let himself bite the dust.

If Derek was still out there and Laurence got his hands on him first…

Dennis pushed himself out of bed. Anna was safe. Dennis had done what he meant to do. Now he needed to see to his boy.

He grabbed what little he could. He didn’t need much, just his phone, wallet, and his shirt, even though it was bloodied and torn. Even a bloody shirt could come in handy.

He went to the front door, cracking it open just in time to see both Garret and Jax rushing out of the main office. They didn’t head for him, however. They ran across the street and into the darkness of the trees, Garret while in the middle of transforming into his wolf shape, and Jax as scales formed over his body, his wings spreading out from his back.

They looked like they were running out there with the intent to kill.

Yeah, he needed to get out of here.

Dennis slipped out the front door. He went for the truck. The engine was still running. It wouldn’t shock him if those idiots left the keys, ready for him to grab.

He made it to the truck, and, to his shock, the keys weren’t there at all. And the engine turned off.

What the hell?

The passenger door opened. Anna jumped in with him, holding the keys in her hand.

At least what he thought was the key.

You need this to turn the engine on. The truck is new. She pressed a button, and the engine rumbled back to life.

He looked down at the dashboard, and yeah, this was definitely a new model, not the sort of vehicle Dennis was used to driving.

Do you want me to drive?

He looked at her, putting the truck in reverse. I can drive just fine. You need to get out of here and wait for your brother.

I’m going with you.

He clenched his teeth, pulling out of the parking space, but Dennis didn’t keep going. He put the truck back in park. I’m going to find my kid. I need to make sure he’s alive before I let your idiot brother kill me. That will be harder for me to do if you’re here.

As hard as it will be to heal without your mate next to you?

He looked at her. Really looked at her.

She didn’t avert her eyes. She stared him down just as hard. I’m not leaving you behind when Laurence is still out there. You need to heal if you come across him again, and you need me to make that easier. And you need the keys.

A howl in the distance made up his mind for him. Garret was going to quickly realize his sister had sent him after a scent trail that wasn’t there, realize he’d been tricked and backtrack.

If you get hurt—

Then you’re not to blame. I got it.

He put the truck in drive. That wasn’t what I was about to say. He started driving. He glanced back, waiting to see the furious wolf and dragon bursting through the trees to chase him down and make him eat their claws.

But no. It didn’t happen. Not that Dennis was going to stop.

Not for the first time, Dennis was glad Jax couldn’t fly. If he could, losing both him and Garret would be a pain in the ass the likes of which he didn’t want to think about.

On the dark highway, his stomach burning with pain, Dennis couldn’t stop from being angry, even though he’d managed to get his hands on a new vehicle with a full tank of gas to drive away in.

You’re making a mistake. You know that, right?

Anna hesitated, then she reached out, her hand sliding along his shoulder, her fingers finding the back of his neck.

No sooner did her flesh touch his did he feel it. The sudden rush of sensation that had him gasping for breath. He held onto the air for many long seconds before he had to release it in a heave. Then he could breathe normally again. Then he could feel the burning in his stomach dimming down to something he could better manage as his healing sped up to Superman levels of intensity.

God, that felt good.

I’m not making a mistake. Anna kept her hand right where it was, and her fingers were like a balm over his aching flesh. He had to force himself to keep his attention on the road when every cell in his body pulled towards her.

You know I’m not.

Dennis swallowed hard. I’m ninety-eight years old. You’re twenty.

I’m twenty-three, and what does that have to do with what this is?

I’m sure your brother will have a lot to say about it.

She didn’t seem to have a comeback for that one. I’ll talk to him. I won’t let him hurt you. He’ll know it will hurt me if he kills you.

Dennis didn’t think he imagined the sudden hitch in her voice when she said it.

Mate or no mate, he was too old for her. He was the enemy of her brother. He’d killed her father, and there was too much baggage he carried for him to want to saddle her with.

But her hand on the back of his neck felt damned good, and he was too selfish to pull away from it.

We’ll figure this out later. I’m not putting you in Laurence’s way. If Derek is alive and Laurence has him, I don’t care what you say or what you want. I’ll tie you up and phone your brother for a pick up if I have to to keep you away from that. You understand me?

I’ll stay out of your way, she promised.

Which was not what he was asking for, though the offer was still appreciated.

So Dennis kept driving. For now, since his plan to die had gone to shit, he just needed to stay away from Garret, find a place where he could finish resting up, and then try one more time to call Derek’s phone before he figured out his next plan of action.

Garret let the wolf guide him, let the creature wallow in its anger and rage as he stormed down the stairs of his basement, ignoring Katie’s shocked shouts as he rushed passed her and into the room where Dennis’ little kid waited.

The guy pushed himself to his feet the instant Garret punched the door open. Garret barely saw the look of terror that took over his eyes as he marched forward and grabbed the man around his scrawny little neck, squeezing hard.

"Motherfucker!"

Garret! Jax grabbed his arm, but Garret didn’t release the prisoner.

He stared Derek right in the eyes, noting how his skin turned red as his air supply was cut off.

I had her. I had my sister right there. She was there! Your fucking father took her again!

The young man clawed at Garret’s wrists. With actual claws. Garret noted the attempt at a transformation, but with the air supply low, it had to be a difficult thing to bring about, and even if he could shift, no omega could ever stand for long against an alpha.

Katie rushed to stand on his other side. Garret! Stop it! He can’t breathe!

Who cared? If he couldn’t rip Dennis apart, then he might as well get the chance to tear into his kid. Dennis was a piece of shit, but if he cared even a little about what happened to the man Garret held onto right now, it would be worth it to hurt him. It would be worth it to make that cocksucker suffer for what he was doing to Garret.

The man turned blue. His eyes rolled to the back of this head. He stopped struggling, but Garret only dropped him when the shock of the strike behind him forced his hand.

He spun around, ready to attack Jax for daring to do such a thing.

But Jax didn’t stand before him.

Miranda did. With a baseball bat.

His claws and teeth immediately retracted at the sight of his woman. She stepped back from him anyway, as though terrified he could ever hurt her.

And that sliced him in a way Garret hadn’t expected.

Miranda, I…

She pointed the bat at him. It had a wide crack down the wood from where she’d struck him. You need to cut this out right now. You’re not going to hurt him.

I wasn’t going to… Garret clenched his teeth before the lie could escape his lips.

Of course he’d intended to harm the young man. Watching his eyes roll and his flesh change color had been the only comfort he’d had after losing his sister.

I would have stopped.

I’m not about to take that risk. Miranda stared him in the eyes, drawing herself up, and clearly forgetting about the bat.

Not that she needed it.