In the Alpha’s Arms

Lita's our Luna? "CAREFUL!" Stace hissed at Alex, "Put her down there, on the couch..." She brushed Lita's hair out of her face, "She's burning up doctor?! I told him we were on the way fifteen minutes ago." where the hell is the Alex's mind was still swirling with what the hell was even going on. He replayed the last five minutes again. Stace had called and asked for his help downstairs, but he hadn't expected what he saw. Cole was pacing outside the car, in a full wolf's rage, and he couldn't seem to cback down. The man had been halfway shifted, eyes completely red, claws extended, teeth clongated into a snarl. What the hell could have made their Alpha that angry? Stace was doing everything she could to stop him from approaching Lita And that's when Alex saw Lita slumped against the passenger side door, beaten and unconscious. And though he couldn't understand what he was seeing, Alex knew the girl needed help, and that there was no way the pack wouldn't get sucked into her mess. He rolled his wrists, feeling that T-told-you-so brimming in his throat. As Stace pushed Cole towards the packgrounds, Alex snatched up the injured girl and headed inside. He glanced down, taking in the full extent of bruising everywhere he could see. Who did this to her? For a moment, he flashed his eyes up to Cole, who'd taken off toward the woods. Would he...? If Cole had listened, and stayed away, they might not have gotten involved, but there was no way any of them could leave her like this anymore. They weren't animals and once he saw something like that, he couldn't unsee it. And if Cole had been the one to do it....

Alex shook his head. He didn't want to challenge his friend. He normally respected his Alpha in both a personal and professional way. His arms shifted and Lita made a pained sound. Alex swallowed. But if Cole had done this, he would take action. He wouldn't pretend that it was okay or that being their Alpha would save him. Packs revolted for less all the time. And he knew his pack mates. He knew his sister. If that man had put his hands on Lita, he would regret it.

A few moments later, Stace rushed into the packhouse and Alex stumbled, trying his best to lay the battered woman down gently without pushing Stace out of the way.

"Stace you've got to move it, I almost dropped her!" When he finally had room, he slid Lita down onto the soft couch and covered her with a blanket. Standing over top of her like that, Alex got a good view of the black eye and the finger-shaped bruises over her throat. His blood felt hotter than usual as he backed away to give her room to breathe. Cole was already pushing through the door, calmer but just barely. He was hot on Alex's heels, practically breathing down his neck, "How is she? Has she woken up? Where is the doctor?" He had finally calmed down enough to retum fully human, no claws or canines in sight. Alex hadn't seen that kind of emotion on his face in a long time. The man wore a permanent scowl as an accessory, but looking at his unconscious mate on the couch, he appeared genuinely worried. Was he worried he had gone too far? "What the hell happened? You were supposed to go apologize, and leave, asshole!" Alex grabbed Cole and pushed him hard across the room, "You're beating women who reject you now?!" He didn't believe there would be anything else Lita could have done to make Cole mad enough to put his hands. on her. He knew his best friend. His Alpha. And yet his brain couldn't wrap around what he was seeing.

Sure, Allex hadn't been Lita's biggest fan in the beginning, but it was mostly because he suspected there was more to her than it seemed. She looked like a woman on the run and the last thing the pack needed was more . Especially not after James. And, of course, he truly respected his Alpha's authority, but this was too far. How could he hurt a woman? Especially his mate, even if she rejected him. He didn't want to think his friend was capable of such a thing, but what other kind of conclusion was he supposed to draw? That girl looked like she'd been through the ringer, and the only fighter she'd cin contact with was the man standing in front of him. "You think it was me?! ME??" Cole lunged, completely outraged at the accusation, and the two fell into the coffee table, shattering it beneath their swinging Embs, "I would never! How could you think such a fucking thing!" "I don't know what to think-comph-Alpha," Alex growled between punches before flipping Cole to land his own punches, "you cback with a beat up mate! What am I supposed to think! We both know your temper!! You were damn near shifted just ten minutes ago!" "Jesus, it was not Cole, you fucking idiot!" Stace put Alex in a choke hold, dragging him backwards until Cole could get up. She was ready to kill the pair of them. Lita needed help and those two idiots were fighting over nothing. Then she glared at Cole, "MATE?! She's your mate and you've been treating her like that?! You should have fucking said something! I introduced her to the pack as a ring bunny, for fuck's sake, Alpha..." "Who's got a mate Mark asked as he entered the room. "It's Alex, isn't it?" He laughed, the others trailing in behind him joking as well, until they read the seriousness of the mom. As they all walked in on the tail end of the Eight, it surprised them to find the Alpha and Beta genuinely angry. Alex nursed a cut on his forehead and Cole's nose leaked fresh blood onto his white undershirt.

"What the hell's up? Another pack?" Brody asked, always ready to do whatever was asked of him. Then they inhaled another scent, and their eyes shifted to Lits on the couch "Who did that?" Andres asked, eyes flashing green. All the tension in the room hit the roof. None of the men could abide someone beating up a woman. There was never an excuse outside of a battle.

"How could you keep that information to yourself?" Stace folded her arms at Cole, ignoring the rest of the pack.

her friend's co blamed him for "More importantly, why haven't you taken her in at any point over the last month? She could have at least lived here, with us. Did you ever consider this might not have happened if you had?"

"Lived here? With a bunch of unmated wolves that aren't supposed to EXIST?" Alex chimed in, his mood improving as he now understood the situation. better, "I side with Alpha on that one. It was safer to leave her where she was. I vetoed the idea of her getting closer to the pick."

"Then why let her train with us at all?" Stace let out an exasperated breath.

"You're tellingyou knew she mmight be in strouble and did nothing? Two grown men... the primary and secondary lenders of our pack?! Please. TellI'm wrong. "I didn't know it would be like this," Cole sighed, "Or I would have stepped in. I thought-I don't know... I don't have a good excuse. My wolf wanted her so badly it was drivingcrazy. Alex was just trying to keep the peace. Neither of us