Alpha Protector (Shadow Sentinels World #3)

Chapter 1

S hannon

The long-haired, sexy shifter on the other side of the bar placed the glass in front of me. “There you go, Shan.”

Clear liquid wavered in the blurred glass like the air in a heat wave, and squinting didn’t bring it into focus. Biting my bottom lip, I reached out to take my drink, but my fingers slipped in the condensation on the sides. Urgh, why had the too-handsome barman, person, whatever, made the damned thing with ice in it? Rose water was better neat. Concentrating hard, I tried again, but my arm was heavy and didn’t quite go where I aimed. Instead, I compensated for how the slippery glass evaded my grasp and managed to do a kind of batting move that pushed it into my other hand. I quickly cradled it in my palms, just in case Mr Smexy barman-person decided I’d had enough and took it from me.

“Fuck…” It didn’t move an inch when I tried to lift it. I glared at the strong fingers that rested over the top, keeping it stuck in place. Baring my teeth didn’t make any difference. The owner of those digits ignored my warning and kept his fingers firmly between me and my ticket to oblivion.

My attention captured, I lifted my head, causing the room to spin. I swallowed down another burst of bile that burned the back of my throat as viciously as the last one. Shit, maybe I should have tried to eat something before I started my mission of getting shitfaced. Jesus, couldn’t a girl just be left alone to drown her sorrows and, just maybe, the fucking endless pain that never ever left?

Mr Smexy barman…person, cocked an eyebrow. Did I know his name? I wracked my brain but couldn’t remember. Even biting my upper lip until it hurt didn’t help. I wished I did know him, though, ‘cause he was hot. Had I fucked him yet? My eyes narrowed on his face. I really should. Yep. He was definitely worth a roll in the hay. Something told me he’d help me forget all the bad shit in my head for a few hours.

Mr Smexy cocked his head, his crystal blue eyes narrowing. “You sure you want more? I could call someone to come get you if you’d like.” His attention strayed to the person sitting beside me at the bar.

I laughed, the sound as bitter as I felt. He had no fucking idea. There was no one to call. My sister was busy getting laid by her super sexy Alpha mate. No way was I disturbing her. She was going to have his baby, and they would have a happy life together. The kind of life she’d always deserved. One that didn’t include rescuing her shitfaced sister at two in the morning. And there was no one else. Well, no one I wanted to see me like this, anyway.

Don’t get me wrong, I knew people, especially as part of my role as a Shadow Sentinel, one of the Shifter King’s close circle. But equally, I had managed to let them all down at some point, and the last thing I wanted was to deal with their judgy looks. Yep, my ability to get rat-arsed drunk was about the only fucking skill I hadn’t messed up recently—besides driving people away. I was really good at that. Especially the silvered-haired, moody, arsehole Alpha that had been my… what? My friend? I shook my head. Stone wasn’t a friend, but neither was he a lover. Sometimes, I hated him, and he returned the favour. Sometimes, he was angry enough with me that I thought he’d throw me off the nearest cliff. Other times, when my defences were down and I let him in, it seemed like he was the only one who ‘got’ me. Except, he didn’t. Not really. No one knew me, not truly, because I had never let anyone get that close.

I blinked, my stomach sinking like I’d swallowed a damn brick. Now, even he’d gotten pissed off enough with my self-destructive behaviour that he’d stopped giving a shit. But that was the point, wasn’t it? I’d deliberately pushed and pushed until he realised what I’d known all along—that I wasn’t worth the hassle. That I was damaged goods. A crazy, selfish bitch.

I should be glad I’d finally managed to alienate him. The Mother knew I’d been trying long enough. Tonight had just given me the opportunity to finish it.

There’d been a death challenge for the position of Cain Rawson’s Beta. Rawson was the Alpha of the Canadian pack here in the isolated town of Hope. He was also my sister’s mate. Lucas, a wolf shifter who deserved that Beta position more than anyone else in this pack, had defended his right to it viciously and without mercy. I’d no idea what his history was, except that he was a local, a powerful wolf shifter who’d been here since the whole pack had escaped incarceration from a shithole prison that had used shifters for amusement, breeding…and other hideous things that still made me shiver.

It was a constant source of disgust to me that I shared the same blood as the evil fucker that had run that place. My father. He’d hunted down shifters and locked us in that unsanctioned shifter prison. I’d found out eventually that he’d been collaborating with a powerful demon to do those violently unspeakable things to us all.

My father…

I shuddered, my nostrils flaring as I shoved down and then stamped on the dark memories that wanted to flood me.

Lucas’s victory would have been a good reason to celebrate, but seeing Stone leave with a dark-haired beauty that I could never compare to had been so fucking painful I’d gone right to my default method of coping. Alcohol. I had other ways, too, but those would have to wait—at least for now.

“Fuuck offf, Mr….” I squinted. The cute barman’s name badge was too blurry to see. I grunted in disgust. They needed better quality printing… “...Smexy.” I tried pointing a finger at him, giving up when it wouldn’t stay on target. “An’ no callin’ Stoney-boy. Nope.” My lips smacked together on the P. “He’s bizeee fucking someone.”

Smexy chuckled and shook his head, lifting his hands in surrender. Without another word, he walked into the back where I couldn’t see his gorgeous face—or arse—anymore. With a lack of anything else to study, I squinted at my drink. The pink liquid in the glass wavered. Even the glass changed shape. I blinked. “Thas clevah.”

The guy next to me pushed off his stool and moved in. I’d been aware of his presence but too intent on getting more alcohol in my system to acknowledge him until now. His fingers traced up and down my forearm. I narrowed my gaze on that movement and curbed my instinct to punch his lights out for touching me without permission. I didn’t like that contact but didn’t bother pulling my arm away. He was offering me my other favourite form of distraction without any effort on my part. Good. I really couldn’t be arsed with chasing anyone. I needed sex: no strings, no repeats, just sex. Definitely not sweet nothings.

I peered at him, but his features blurred. It didn’t matter if he was as ugly as sin, which no shifter really was, not on the outside anyway. I could still lose myself in him for however long an orgasm took. Even if he was a quick finisher, I could sink into that pleasure high for a while and not think about anything else. Then I could pass out.

I peered at the clock above the bar. Not quite two-thirty AM.

I huffed. I’d still be fine going to see Ava in the morning. Rawson had made me promise to be with her. My sister didn’t need me to protect her any more than I needed her to protect me. She was an ex-SBI agent, just like me, but Rawson was still worried about her. Something was going on with the Made vampires and their infiltration of our shifter compounds that put us all at risk. And he had enemies. Things he’d done in his past. Things that haunted him. Things my father had made him do…

My admirer’s touch got firmer. I tolerated it, just like always. The fact that I fucking hated being touched by the strangers I picked up didn’t matter. It got me what I wanted…no, what I needed.

I released a breath and forced a sultry smile to my lips. I’d have another quick drink, a quick fuck, and I’d sleep this evening off. I’d forget about Stone and the fact he was fucking someone else, and I’d get up tomorrow to see Ava, then rinse and repeat.

Coming back to this bar tomorrow was probably a bad idea; they always rang Stone or Ava if I showed up too early in the day and got plastered. The town’s store might be a better option. I could get a couple of bottles of cheap vodka, take it to my room and down it without any judgemental looks from anyone. Not that I needed alcohol to get me through each day, but it sure made things more tolerable.

The strong smell of said alcohol hit my nostrils as I raised my drink. I grimaced when I realised it was my own breath that I could smell. My hand jerked, and I spilt some of the precious liquid over the edge. Flicking my tongue out, I licked it off my skin and heard a groan from the shifter, aware his intense gaze was fixed on the side of my face.

Of course, I’d already noticed him when I walked in. It was obvious in his body language that he was on the prowl for a hookup, too, and part of my routine was to search out any potential fucks when I walked into the Black Orchid.

This guy wasn’t as big as most shifters. Perhaps he wasn’t a powerful one. A fox or smaller animal of some kind, maybe? I didn’t really care. He had a dick, a mouth, and functioning fingers. That would do. Gods knew I wasn’t looking for a mate.

I knocked back the shot, enjoying the burning sensation down my gullet and smiled at him. “You wanna go somewhere?” There, my words weren’t slurred at all. Well, not much…

He cocked his head, his eyes glowing for a moment. Yep, definitely a shifter of some kind. But Hope was a shifter town, and no one would pull any shit that would hurt me, not when it was run by Rawson, who was one of my oldest friends—or at least oldest acquaintances. I didn’t have friends, not seeing as I’d pretty much alienated everyone I knew.

It didn’t matter. I didn’t do friends. Never had, except maybe Ember who was back in the U.K. The Queen of Shifters was my past enemy from when we were teenagers. We’d put that old enmity aside and gotten closer in that shithole prison, and she was probably the only person I trusted besides my sister. But she was pregnant with the Shifter King’s baby and had her life together enough she didn’t need me.

Nor did Ava….

Except that wasn’t true. My older sister was quietly tough, and she and Rawson had recently had a hard time sorting out their lives and how they fit together. They were fine now—more or less. I bit my top lip. Except she was vulnerable while she carried his child. She was a target for our enemies and people who wanted revenge on Rawson for what he’d done in the past. Not only that, but they hadn’t officially mated, which meant another Alpha male could move in and claim her against her will. It would be an outright challenge to Rawson, and he’d fight for her, no question. However, kidnapping his mate would allow others to rile him enough that he wasn’t thinking straight. And that would make him vulnerable.

“Sure do.”

I gave a start, the shifter’s voice making me jump, I'd been so lost in thought. What had I asked him? Oh, yeah…

Lust burned in his eyes.

Swallowing down a wave of nausea, I stood and slammed the empty glass down. “Good.”

Godsdammit! Did the room have to spin so much? I tossed my long blonde hair over my shoulder and took a few steps, right before I stumbled over a chair leg.

“You okay there, honey?” My companion’s amusement at my expense irritated me.

“Fine!” The breath I took didn’t calm my annoyance at his chuckle, but I motioned him closer. “Give a girl a hand, would ya?”

His grin was wide. “Course.”

I grabbed his sinewy arm and walked out with as much grace as I could muster, ignoring the eyes boring a hole in my back. Mr Smexy Barman could fuck right off. I knew what I was doing. Drunk or not, this was my choice.

I woke up and instantly knew I was alone. Light poured through the cracks in the motel room curtains, burning my already dry and scratchy eyes. There was a bloody massive hammer hitting the inside of my skull, and covering my eyes to block out the morning sun didn’t help even a little bit. For a moment, I just laid there trying to remember last night. Had I had sex? My brows drew down. I couldn’t remember. Tentatively, I moved my hand down between my legs. I wasn’t sore, but that didn’t mean much. Most of my one-night stands were underwhelming at best. I sighed in relief. There was no evidence of whoever I’d been with either.

Had I even come here with anyone? I wasn’t easily scared, but I didn’t like that I couldn’t remember anything after leaving the Black Orchid on that guy’s arm. I blinked away the sudden burning behind my eyelids. Shit! I was such a fucking mess…

Heavy knocking at the door made me jump and set my heart thumping.

“Housekeeping!”

Keys rattled. I sat bolt upright and immediately regretted it, my head pounding so hard I wanted to hurl, but I forced my voice to work. “No! I..um…give me a minute, and I’ll be out!”

“Okay, but check out was an hour ago.”

The rattle of a cleaning cart moved on, and the housekeeper entered the room next door. With great effort, I kicked the starched white sheets off my legs and lowered my feet to the relatively clean carpet. Not giving myself time to adjust to being upright in case the cleaner came back, I pushed off the bed and looked around. My clothes were strewn on the floor, but my phone and wallet were hidden under the mattress on my side of the bed.

I sighed with relief. Old habits never die. And, as an agent of the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation, that kind of routine was embedded in my subconscious. Even when pissed out of my mind, I still went through the ritual of hiding my personal shit from my hookup.

If there had even been a hook up.

“Shit!” My heart raced as I registered the cleaner’s words. Fuck! Check out was an hour ago? Fumbling, I flipped open my phone case. Seven missed calls. Rawson. Lionel. And Stone. My face flushed, my stomach dropping out.

“Holy shit balls! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

I stumbled across the room while pulling my clothes on before giving myself a few seconds to relieve my bladder and rinse my mouth out with water. Not bothering with my bed hair, I slammed my feet into my boots, grabbed my stuff and ran.

Rawson was going to kill me! I was over an hour late! And I daren’t even think about Stone. He’d rung me more than anyone. No messages, but his silence spoke volumes.

My heart pounded almost as painfully as my head as I tore down the road. I could swear alcohol was leaking from my pores. My legs felt heavy, and even though I’d done nothing so far that day, my muscles ached so much that it was difficult to lift my feet. Drinking might have dulled my memories and guilt, but it also made me unfit. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to the gym or for a run, in human or wolf form. And when did I last eat? My jeans kept slipping down my hips. Annoyed, I yanked them up.

Gasping for breath, I didn’t let myself slow down. If my sister’s soul mate realised how late I was, he’d throw a fit, and if he didn’t rip my throat out, he’d definitely send me back to the compound in Scotland. He’d already lost one mate to a madman—my father. He’d go feral if anything happened to Ava. I almost tripped when I remembered it wasn’t just him who’d be pissed off; it was also Connor. The Shifter King had arrived last night for the challenge and, as far as I knew, was still here.

“Shitshitshit!”

Connor was protective of all the people he loved, which meant Ava. He’d been her lover when they were younger, a relationship that had meant something to both of them, much more than when Connor and I had been fuck buddies in the prison just to scratch an itch. That meant he’d be as angry with me as Rawson would if I didn’t do my job and protect my sister. And I daren’t even think about what Stone would do if he knew I’d gotten so drunk I’d put my own sister, not to mention her baby, at risk.

Shit, please be alright, Ave.

My head swam, and my throat hurt as I ran for my sister’s house. Surely, the Made vampires wouldn’t attack Hope again—would they? But the war with them was escalating and Ava had found an important bit of code embedded in the communications hub. That had only been a recent discovery, but what if they knew? What if they had spies here and somehow figured out they’d been discovered, and by whom?

I ran harder, pushing away the throbbing in my head as I dragged in air until my throat and lungs burned. I almost kept running when I recognised the cars gathered outside Rawson’s home. But this was about my sister. Heart slamming against my ribs, I barrelled inside the open front door and skidded to a halt as five powerful Alphas glared at me. Rawson’s expression was a mix of devastation and fury.

I dropped my gaze, instinctively moving back a step. My face, already hot and sweaty, burned enough that I was sure my skin would melt off as shame flooded me. My hands shook so much that I had to shove them in my pockets to hide it. Something bad had happened, and it was my fault.

The need to turn around, run away, and hide in the oblivion of a bottle was almost overwhelming. But even I knew there was no way to escape Rawson’s wrath.

Pulling his glare from me, Rawson roared and grabbed Lionel, slamming him against the wall. “Where the fuck is she!?” roared the Alpha, his bear rising in his eyes. He snarled in Lionel’s face. “You were supposed to protect her!”

Lionel and D were part of Connor’s inner circle, two of the Shifter King’s brothers, along with Rawson, Stone, and several others. They all carried a small drop of the King’s blood and power, making them more powerful than any Alpha male shifters had ever been. And I’d managed to fuck up enough that Rawson was ready to hurt one of his brothers. I kept my eyes down, hating that I’d caused this.

Why the hell hadn’t I set a damned alarm on my phone?

Because you were too damned drunk to even think about it.

Worry for Ava almost swallowed me whole. Stone’s silver grey gaze flashed with purple, his face cold as he glared at me. My chest tightened. His mouth pressed into a tight line and his nostrils flared, but my attention shot to Rawson as he yelled, “You all were!”

Mother Wolf, he was right. I’d been sent to Hope by Connor to protect my pregnant sister, and I’d let my twisted feelings and memories get the better of me. It didn’t matter why, only that I had. I dropped my gaze, studying the floor. Heavy footsteps marched towards me. Rawson stopped only inches away, and I braced myself for his attack.

Fuck, I deserved it.

Bitter with alcohol, the scent of my fear laced the air, and I couldn’t even bring myself to be embarrassed by it. I was sick of being tough, kickass Shannon; it was exhausting. My shoulders drooped. I’d let down the people I cared about most, and if he struck me down now, I’d almost welcome his punishing blow.

“Yeah, you know you fucked up. How wasted did you get last night, Shannon? How many men did you fuck? Do you even know? You were so fucking drunk, so hung over that no one could get through to you to even tell you Ava had been taken! Not even Stone!”

“Okay, Rawson, that’s enough.” Connor pulled Rawson away from me.

Stone’s heavy gaze was fixed on the side of my face. I couldn’t see him clearly from the corner of my eye, but I could feel his condemnation. Squeezing my hands into fists, I ignored him, unwilling to acknowledge that his disappointment broke something inside me.

Connor tried to comfort Rawson, even using some of his power to calm Rawson’s bear, but I couldn't process their words, not when I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that my beautiful, strong, and very pregnant sister had been taken because I’d been too drunk to get my arse out of bed. I rubbed my shaking hands over my face, my brain foggy as I tried to think, to figure out how I could help. Rawson’s next words yanked me from that fog.

“Get Shannon out of here. I can’t look at her right now. I know she’s got issues, but we all have. She’s become a liability, brother, a dangerous one, and I won’t be responsible for my actions if I lose Ava and my unborn child.”

“I know.” Stone nodded and walked towards me.

Every muscle in my body tensed as I went into defensive mode. My head snapped up. Stone looked more Fae than shifter, his eyes glinting with purple, telling me his base emotions, his ability to hold back his powerful Fae magic was slipping. I didn’t care. There was no way I was leaving, not without finding Ava.

“Touch me, and I’ll break your face, Faery. She’s my sister, and I’m going to help find her.”

Stone halted, but his expression made me shiver. He’d always been handsome, even more so than most shifters with his beautiful Fae features. With most people, he was distant and cold. Probably because he was emotionally closed off. It was one thing we had in common. At that moment, though, his beauty was icy, and he was terrifying. This wasn’t my frenemy anymore but something to be feared, a being from a world I knew nothing about.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, the only sign of emotion on his ethereal face. “No, you’re not. You’re coming with me. You’ve done enough damage, caused enough trouble. And not only today. It stops. Right now.”

His words landed right in my gut. It was a painful blow. He’d always been the one Eli, the manager of the Black Orchid….Oh damn, that was the smexy barman’s name…ah, fuck, it didn’t matter, not now. It was Stone that Eli called when the staff considered me too drunk to take care of myself. I hated that they did, that Stone often saw me at my worst, but I’d always pretended it was nothing, that look of disappointment in his eyes. Acting like an irresponsible, uncaring bitch had been effective at keeping him at a distance. After all, getting him to ditch me completely had been one of my ultimate goals. Well, I guess I’d achieved that. This morning had just solidified my success.

My legs shook so much I leaned against the wall to stay upright, yet I forced myself to meet Stone’s gaze. And there it was. Not only disappointment but judgement. It was obvious even amongst the swirling violet magic staining his mercury gaze. All the air left my lungs in a rush, and I pushed off the wall, my nails scoring my palms. “Fuck you.”

My snarl had no effect on him. A slow, disparaging smile curled his lip, ice glinting beneath the purple fire in his irises. “Not a chance in hell, shifter.”

Considering the pain already crushing my chest, the disgust in his eyes shouldn’t hurt, but it did. Too much. I spun and walked away, desperate to keep him from seeing the tears lining my eyes. Before I could reach the door, my wrists and ankles were bound in purple magic. My forward momentum meant I fell to my knees, and only my training and instincts stopped me from face-planting on the floor.

I screamed, trying desperately to break its hold. My wolf snarled, fighting to break through, but something about that Fae magic stopped her.

“You fucking bastard, let me go! Now!”

Stone didn’t even look at me as he spoke to Rawson. “I will help you find your mate. Shannon will not. When this is done, we will be leaving.”

What? Leaving? I wasn’t fucking leaving! Finding Ava was my priority, but even when we got her back, I wasn’t going to leave her.

Stone hoisted me to my feet.

“Let me go, right fucking now, Stone!” I swung my bound fists at his stupid head, but, of course, he ducked.

“Enough!”

Before I could regain my balance, more magic bound my arms to my sides and wrapped around my mouth like a gag. I was flung over Stone’s massive shoulder with no choice but to lay there while he strode out into the garden.