In the Alpha’s Arms

Dreaming of a Date...

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

Lita always loved the nighttview from the beach house as a kid, but they hadn't been back in years. Her

parents hardly had tto 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 cwhen 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 the’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-hparty 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 believeif | said it was an accident?”

*Would you believeif | said | already know who it was, and | 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 hearsay 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.

“You're absolutely right. I'm going to make him wish he was never born.”

Lita heard the door close before she could try to stop him. She raced through the party, bumbling through their

drunk friends. 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 her jean jacket from a chair and

bolted out into the driveway. James was already shoving the key in the ignition before she slid into the passenger

seat.

“You can’t do thist Please don’t do this...

“Like hell | can’t! He brats my sister?! No way, | don’t kick his ass. No way | don’t break th and threw the car in

reverse. She scrambled more fully into her seat and shut the door.

“It’s not... I don’t...”

those hands.” The engine startled Lata as he revved it

Dieng of a Date

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why? All the times we talked on the phone, and you never said a thing.” James

snapped, nearly screaming. “Of course, | 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 Brian?!”

Lita had never heard his so angry at her. Guilt and shslithered through her, numbing anything she might

have said. She hadn't known at first, had no idea that her parents were in talks with his. That they were planning

to use money and influence in their favor. She still didn’t know to what end, but it had becincreasingly clear

that Brian saw her as an object.

James ignored her silence, digging deeper, “You made it seem like you two were happy... And goddamn if |

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 for herself, and there wasn’t anyone else to blame.

“I was on

the other side of the country, worried about my baby sis and you told me, toldyou were happier than you

ever been. You solda 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. | gotta own that one. It's onnot to have

asked more questions, but why lie to me, Lita?

“Just stop the car, James! Please. Don’t drive like this.” She couldn't answer him. She couldn't think of what to

say that wouldn't send his opinion of her even further into the gutter.

“You don’t trustor sshit? You don’t think | have your back?” James slammed his hands 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 and his minions.” James shook

his head, clogging up Lita’s throat with raw emotion. She had no idea who Asher was or why her brother kept

bringing him up, but she couldn't ignore his disappointment in her. “You're my only blood. And you... he hurt you.

And you let him?”

“It's not like that!” Lita snapped, fury climbing up her throat. “I don’t let him do shit. He does it and I'm not

strong enough to do anything about it, James! You think that makesfeel good? That my brother is looking at