Chapter 9
Frankie felt her stomach twist with bitter anger.
The damned bears weren’t saying a thing and that infuriated her.
If anyone else said they meant to take over the werewolf pack—if any man said it—then the bears would have shrugged and gone on with their plans.
But when a woman says it, they stare at her, doubt written in every line of their confused expressions.
“Female alphas exist, you know. It’s the twenty-first century and—”
“And you’re not a werewolf,” the bear alpha said. There was no condemnation in his tone or expression. Simply a statement of fact.
“So?”
“So isn’t that a problem? Not being a full-blooded shifter.”
Fortunately, the hybrid bear stiffened at the insult.
“Just because we don’t go totally hairy doesn’t mean we can’t lead.
” He turned to her. “The problem is that you’re a hybrid and a girl.
You’re the weaker sex and though we may live in the twenty-first century, pack mentality is grounded in the Dark Ages. ”
Like he had to tell her? She shoved to her feet, bringing the blanket with her.
Her legs were still trembling, the aftershock of the Taser making her feel weak.
Damn, she really wanted a shot of the serum.
Better than a triple espresso, but that way lay disaster, so she blocked it out of her mind.
What she couldn’t block was the way Kennedy stared at her, his gaze heavy, his expression thoughtful.
That, plus the fact that he was gloriously naked, erect, and mouthwateringly attractive to her. Stupid libido couldn’t tell a bear from a wolf.
He straightened up with her, his hands ready to catch her if she wavered. He didn’t touch her, which was a salve to her pride but a disappointment to certain other parts. Either way, she lifted her chin and stared all three of them down.
“Men addicted my pack to the serum, poisoned an entire city, and have gone to war with you for some idiotic reason I can’t fathom. Now are you going to help me overthrow them or not?”
“Help.” Kennedy’s answer was quick and without reservation, which warmed her down to her toes. But it was the alpha who mattered politically, and so she focused on him.
“How long do you need?” he asked. “Emory is pushing for a conflict.”
“Don’t give it to him!” she retorted.
“Bears do not back down from wolves,” he stated.
And right there was the problem with the entire male brain. It saw only two choices: fight or submit. “Talk. Negotiate. Stall. Anything you can while I get my people in line.”
“And how are you going to do that?” the alpha pressed.
“I have allies. You get Raoul out of the way, I can stage a coup. I’m a better fighter than anyone knows, and I’m smart enough to beat my father in a dominance fight.
” She didn’t say strong enough. Emory was more powerful physically, but she knew his fighting weaknesses.
She could best him. “But it won’t come to that,” she stressed.
“I can manage the pack while my father sits as figurehead. I’ve been doing it for years.
But I can’t do it if my brother takes me out from behind while I’m dealing with my father. ”
She saw doubt in all their faces but to their credit, they didn’t argue with her, though the alpha pointed out her current problem.
“You’re running out of time.”
“Like I don’t know that. My best friend was just abducted by my brother’s bitch.” She took a breath, hating that her gaze strayed to Kennedy. “I’ll find where he’s keeping the serum. I promise.”
He nodded as if it were assured. “And I will help you.”
“And I—” began the hybrid, but the alpha cut him off.
“You’re coming with me. We’re spread too thin to risk everything on a single wolf of any gender or persuasion.” His gaze landed heavy on Ryan. “I do not trust her or what she’s done to you.”
“I know.”
He dug into his pocket and handed over a hypodermic case. “This is an antidote to the poison. Dr. Lu has used it twice now in the hospital, and it seems to stop continuing damage to the brain, but it can’t reverse it. Whatever damage your brain has already suffered is permanent.”
Kennedy took it, his gaze troubled. “I feel fine. Better than fine.”
“If that changes—”
“I’ll shoot up. Promise.” His lips quirked at the joke.
Frankie didn’t smile. She knew from experience that once a shifter started with the serum, they didn’t want to stop.
But after the first day, the hunger lessened.
She only really craved it now when she was tried or stressed. Which meant she wanted it all the time.
Meanwhile, the alpha’s phone buzzed again, and he grimaced. “We have to go,” he said to the hybrid. Then he pinned her with a heavy look. “Work fast. We need leverage if you want to avoid a war.”
She winced. She hated that she was now forced to give leverage to the bears. Meanwhile, the hybrid pulled some clothing out of his backpack and tossed it at Kennedy. “And get dressed. It’s embarrassing to have you running around like that. People will think we’re rogue cover models or something.”
Kennedy looked down at himself like he just realized his nudity, but then he started pulling on the attire. Loose sweatpants, a tank top, and an extra-large pair of black Crocs. As soon as the other two left, she gestured at his erection. “That’s not going to happen. You know that, right?”
He arched a brow. “I think it’s pretty obvious that it is happening and will likely continue for the foreseeable future.”
She shot him an I’m-not-amused look, though secretly she did think his response was kind of funny. “What I mean is that we’re not going to have sex, make love, or do anything else that will make it very happy.”
He shrugged. “It seems to be very happy just being around you.”
She frowned, finding his words hard to believe. She was an attractive enough woman, but not someone who made guys pant. Or sprout erections without end. “It must be a side effect of the serum.”
He didn’t respond and wasn’t that a bit of a blow to her ego? It would have been nice for him to at least acknowledge her looks. Either way, it wasn’t important. She had people to see and a best friend to rescue.
“Look, you can’t come with me. They’ll spook for sure. You’re not just a bear, you’re a cop.”
“We serve and protect. That includes wolves.”
She shook her head. “It’s not going to work.”
“Make it work.”
Impasse. Which meant they could stand here arguing needlessly or she could show him the truth. “Fine. Come with me, but at least stay outside. Let me talk to them on my own.”
He shook his head. No words, just a flat denial.
“Why not?”
He frowned, and his expression grew troubled. “I’ll give you what space I can.”
She’d have to make do with that. Otherwise, her brother was going to lead them into a war and neither wolf nor bear would come out of that alive.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to go far, just a couple blocks over to the apartment complex owned by her family’s company.
She and Kennedy walked quickly, and she noted his eyes were constantly moving.
He watched, he remembered, and although he made her nervous with the way he was standing so close, he appeared completely relaxed.
As if it was his right and his purpose to serve as her personal bodyguard.
They rounded the corner and Frankie saw with pride that the sidewalk had been fixed and the swing set in the back replaced.
She’d had to badger her father for a week to get that taken care of.
When she was in charge, there would be a large line item in the books for property upgrades, and she’d hire Hazel to regularly inspect the buildings and make recommendations.
She went to push inside the front door, but Kennedy was there before her, stepping in to make sure it was safe.
She startled, oddly touched by the gesture.
No one had ever done that before. Normally she was the one protecting everyone else, and his simple action threw her.
Especially since he then held the door for her to enter.
A protector and a gentleman? Wasn’t she supposed to feel insulted that he thought she couldn’t take care of herself?
She didn’t. She felt cared for, and that was a very seductive feeling.
The elevators worked in the building, but she headed for the stairs.
Bad crap always showed up there in the debris on the floor or a lingering smell.
Plus she wanted to check that there were cases of bottled water on each floor.
She’d ordered the superintendent in every complex they owned to provide cases for everyone. It was the least her family could do.
“We’re heading for the sixth floor,” she said.
Kennedy nodded and checked out the stairwell before he let her enter it.
He did all the things she normally did, which was even more disconcerting.
He slowly pushed open the door, working to be as silent as possible.
He scanned the area while sniffing the air.
And she immediately took up a defensive posture behind him.
She was alert to anything behind or beside them while he scouted the front.
It felt like they’d been doing this for years and she stepped inside the stairwell the moment he pulled the door back for her to enter. Then they climbed with him elbowing her gently behind him as he took the lead.
She noted that the water cases were stacked right where they were supposed to be.
Every floor was clean, no disasters. If it were a normal day, she’d check on any number of tenants, but they didn’t have time, so she pressed ahead to the sixth floor.
Then together they maneuvered down the hallway to apartment 6E.
“Just stay back,” she said. “Noelle’s skittish.”
Kennedy arched a brow, but stepped back. Then she knocked on the door. “Noelle? It’s me, Frankie. Are you in there—”