Alpha of the Pack (Night Stalkers MC #1)

Chapter 1

Ace

I could smell the blood in the air as I entered the bar. That was the thing about being a shifter. You could smell just about everything. Your nose was your most powerful tool and rarely led you astray.

There’d clearly been a fight in this room tonight.

The sharp tang of iron still wafted about, lending a feral edge to an already wild and untamable environment.

That was nothing new though. Chub’s was a bar on the wrong side of town that only the bravest frequented.

Renowned for its rough atmosphere, and rougher clientele, men like me and my crew, The Night Stalkers Motorcycle Club, came here to blow off a little steam from time to time.

Tonight was one of those times. It was close to the full moon and me and my brothers were itching for some fun, women, drinks, and a fight or two. And there was no better place than Chub’s to get all of the above.

The majority of people who visited this bar were sups of some kind.

Shifters. Vamps. Witches. Hell, even a demon here and there weren’t out of the ordinary for this little hole in the wall.

Humans drank here, too. Though they had no idea who they were actually drinking with, as the supernatural community didn’t reveal itself to the “normies”, those who lacked supernatural gifts, without serious consequences.

Domino, our Club Enforcer, lumbered down beside me then. He was the only son of a bitch in this Club that was bigger than me. Though we were all large bastards, given our shifter heritage, Domino still had me beat by several inches.

“How’s the talent tonight?” He asked, pitcher of beer in hand as his eyes roved the dimly lit space. “My dick’s been hard for so long it’s starting to hurt!” Reaching between his legs, the mountainous man shifted himself within the strained confines of his jeans.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “You’ve been away for five days, Brother. Surely you’ll survive your short stint of abstinence.”

The Enforcer had been in Nevada on club business and had just gotten back into town when we decided to head out to Chub’s for the night.

With a surly expression, Domino swigged his beer. “Can’t without some tail. You know how it is with the Blood Moon being so close. No matter how much I fight or fuck, I can’t seem to take the edge off.”

I knew the feeling. My skin was tight and hot.

Well, hotter than usual. Wares run warm.

About five degrees warmer than humans, which really confused the fuck out of doctors when we had to get medical care.

Though, admittedly, that was rare. Not only do we heal exceptionally fast, but we also hardly ever get sick.

And when we do, we know better than to go to the hospital unless the circumstances are dire.

Even then, we made sure to seek out our own kind for help whenever possible.

My nerves were on edge as I examined the bar. The rest of the pack, I was certain, was experiencing the same issue. In fact, I was pretty sure all of the sups in Chubs were being affected by the season and the upcoming Blood Moon.

A Blood Moon occurs during a full lunar eclipse.

When it happens, the moon turned a rusty-orange color and shifters aligned completely with their animal nature.

Though the event was merely pretty to humans, to supernaturals of all kinds, it held a much greater significance.

Especially to wares. To us, Blood Moons were almost a spiritual event.

Sacred even. They only came about every two to three years.

But when they did, they sent the shifter community into a frenzy of sorts, a sexual frenzy that could last for weeks on end.

Though ware shifts weren’t entirely based on the moon’s cycle, they were heavily influenced by it.

A Blood Moon was special because we often found our mates during this time.

When that happened, we fell into what is called “rut”, sexual debauchery so ravenous and insatiable we were more animal than man while in the throes of it.

As if on cue, two men at the bar began to argue.

I could tell both were strays without any pack affiliations.

Strays lived a mostly feral lifestyle, moving from town to town until they fucked up one time too many and were chased out by the dominant group in the area, which, based on Chub’s location, was my club: The Night Stalkers MC.

Sampling my beer, I leaned back and watched the men duke it out. If the bartender, Kierston, needed me, I’d be over there in a second to put an end to this tickle fight. Until then, I was just going to sit back and observe.

The noise bloomed and crescendoed with each successive strike. It didn’t take long before I smelled more blood in the air, coating both the men’s fists, and anyone stupid enough to get between them.

Irritated by the foolish pups’ antics, Domino stood to put an end to the nonsense. Before he could act, Kierston pulled a soda gun from behind the bar and aimed the device at the squabbling men.

“Knock it off, you damned mutts!” She shouted, leveling it on her targets. Kicking the spigot on full blast, the shock of cold spray caused the men to immediately separate.

“What the fuck?” The larger of the two brutes groused, frantically swiping the offending liquid out of his eyes.

“You’re lucky it’s only water, asshole! Next time, I’ll let the Night Stalkers have a go at you. You won’t recover so fast after that, I promise! Now get out of my bar before I toss you out on your ass!”

“No woman tells me what to do,” the mutt growled, his chest puffing out with righteous indignation.

That was another thing about wares. We were so damn dominant that we hated being told what to do. Especially by those perceived to be weaker than us. But Kierston wasn’t weak. If this dumb mutt didn’t figure that out soon, he’d be learning his lesson the hard way tonight.

“One last shot to do it on your own, big guy, or I’m going to make you leave,” Kierston warned.

The defiant man smiled at the bartender condescendingly. “You’re going to make me do something, sweet cheeks? I’d love to see you try!”

Domino whistled and sat back down. “He’s going to regret that comment in a few seconds,” he correctly prophesied.

Kierston, an impressive witch in her own right, wasn’t above using her powers if someone got out of line. Since there were no humans in the bar right now, she was in the clear to demonstrate her skills. This prick didn’t even know what was coming his way, but that was all about to change.

Those nearest to the stray took several steps backward when Kierston mumbled a few words under her breath. “What’s that, honey? Speak up. I can’t hear you,” he taunted, before he was blown clean off his feet and landed on his ass, as promised, a stone’s throw from the door.

A flush suddenly stained Kierston’s cheeks. Her chest rose and fell like she’d just run, full tilt, up a set of steep stairs. “Now get out of here or the next blow you feel will be to your puny balls!” She threatened.

Humiliated, the mutt scrambled to his feet and pinned Kierston with a death stare. “This ain’t over, bitch!”

I shot the rest of my beer and stood up then.

Nobody threatened a woman in front of me.

Having been restless since I’d awoken this morning, I decided it was time to check something off my list. Get into a fight.

Or, at the very least, beat the shit out of some inferior mutt who thought it was okay to disrespect women.

As far as I was concerned, either scratched the itch just fine by me.

“You in the mood for a little fun?” I posed to my Club Enforcer.

Domino grinned and cracked all his thick knuckles in one go. “Absolutely.”

Striding over to the bar, I chucked my chin in the direction of the mutt as soon as Kierston caught my gaze. “Want me to finish the job?”

The diminutive woman placed her hands on the bar top. Even from this distance, I could see they were shaking. Spell casting took it out of a witch, and tossing a full-grown ware into the air was no exception. “If you don’t mind, Ace, that would be great.”

The mutt’s head whipped around in my direction. His fear, thick and stinking, curled into my nostrils. He knew who I was, and that he’d truly fucked up by gaining my attention, tonight of all nights.

“I don’t need anyone to show me the door,” he grumbled, straightening his stained t-shirt. “I’m leaving. This fucking bar is the last place I want to be so close to the Blood Moon!”

Grabbing the man by the scruff, I hauled him backward when he tried to scurry away. “Apologize to the lady,” I demanded, my voice as low and serious as any growl could be.

My eyes swept the bar then, taking the full measure of the room.

That’s when I saw her. Five foot two. Long blond hair.

Big tits, and the kind of ass a man could spend a month in bed exploring.

But it was her eyes that really got to me.

They were so big and golden-brown I could see myself drowning in their round, amber depths, if I wasn’t careful.

Even more noteworthy? Those eyes were human. And she’d just seen everything that had happened between Kiersten and the mutt.

What the fuck! When did a human come into Chubs?

I should have smelled her earlier when Kierston had performed her little magic trick.

There was no way I’d mistaken the scent of a sup with that of a human woman.

Maybe she’d been in the bathroom? Or come in through a back entrance after everything had gone down?

And yet… the more I zoned in on her, the more confused I became. There was something about her scent that I just couldn’t place. Sniffing the air, I tried to discern what it was.

The man in my grasp began to struggle like a wounded worm on a hook, and I had to shift my attention back to what I was doing before he escaped.

Right now, I had to teach this fucker a lesson he’d never forget.

I’d get back to the girl with the alluring scent later, as frustrating as that was for my over-eager dick to accept.

“Did you just raise your voice at my friend Kierston?” I loudly demanded. His thrashing wouldn’t just serve as his personal punishment. I needed to put on a show for all those who would defy the Night Stalkers.

When my quarry didn’t immediately respond, I shook him hard enough for loose change to fall out of his left pocket.

“Answer me!” I barked even louder.

Submissively rounding his shoulders, the mutt began to helplessly flex his fingers, hating my use of dominance on him.

However, like it or not, he’d submit. His defeated posture and lowered chin told me as much.

He might not be pack, but like all wares, the man recognized power and authority when he felt it wrapped around his throat like a fist.

There was a pause and a grimace before the mutt produced the desired response. “I’m sorry, lady. I didn’t mean any offense.”

Kierston didn’t say anything. But when she holstered her spray gun, I knew she’d heard what she needed to move on with her night.

“That’ll do, asshole,” I said cheerfully, searching the room for the human once more.

When I saw her big, brown eyes blinking back at me with surprise, my dick gave another enthusiastic jump. Well, if I had a choice between fighting and fucking tonight, I’d definitely go with the latter.

Unfortunately for me, the mutt at my side muttered, “Stuck up cunt,” under his breath just before I released him.

Hauling him toward the door, I realized that the cocksucker hadn’t learned his lesson at all, and it was time for a hands-on demonstration. My favorite kind.

Dom followed me outside where we dragged the mutt into a back alley and gave him the tune-up he so sorely needed. By the time we were done with him, he was spitting up blood and lying in a puddle of his own piss.

Giving him one final kick in the ass, Dom shouted, “Now get the fuck out of Mercy and don’t come back. We don’t need trash like you littering our streets.”

Like a broken marionette, the ware crawled to his feet and limped out of sight. If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t stop at the parking lot of Chubs or even the city limits. He’d get the fuck out of Arizona altogether.

Not wanting to appear desperate for the little blond who’d revved my engine harder with a single look than most girls did with full-on action, I glanced back at the bar. “Ready for another round?”

“Yeah. He might have been only a small welp, but beating the shit out of him sure worked up my thirst.”

I cracked a grin. “Same.”

Wanting to appear nonchalant, I peered around the room as we sauntered back inside.

Like a beacon, my gaze landed on the blond with the incredible rack.

My dick resurrected in my pants the moment I spotted her.

Our eyes met for a brief moment, then she shyly dropped her attention to her pink flip-flops and fiddled nervously with the icy drink in her hands.

I’m usually into bold women, the kind that drop to their knees and suck every last drop of cum from your cock whether we’re alone or in a crowded bar.

Maybe it was the animal inside of me struggling to get free tonight, but I had the need to hunt.

To make matters worse, or better, depending on how you saw it, my prey was playing hard to get. Something I wasn’t used to.

And I found that I liked it.

I liked it a lot.