AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He doesn’t think I can do it.
Once again, he underestimates me.
I always knew I’d have to snuff out Paul’s pathetic life one way or another. If I allow him to live, I’ll always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to strike back. He’ll be a constant threat to my position.
I lick the blood from my lips as I lock eyes with him, sending him a final, chilling message through the mind-link.‘With pleasure.’
His eyes widen in shock, muscles tensing, but I don’t give him a chance to respond. I lunge in again to sink my teeth into his jugular, and with a sharp tug, I rip the bastard’s throat out.
Blood sprays my face in a hot stream, a sickening gurgling sound emanating from Paul’s wolf as he struggles for air, his body jerking violently beneath me. The light in his wide blue eyesstarts to fade as he convulses, blood pooling on the pavement underneath him as the life drains from his body.
Then, finally, he goes still.Deathly still.
I push off him with a growl, stepping back as the air around Paul’s body starts to shimmer, his wolf receding and his human form emerging in its place. That’s the thing with shifters- while we can take on the body of our wolf, it takes some mental effort to do so, and therefore we inevitably shift back upon death or incapacitation. Paul is no exception. The air clears, and his naked, bloodied human form remains.
I back up another step as I tuck my own wolf away, my bones snapping and rearranging with my shift. Then I rise on two legs in my human form, chest heaving as I swipe the blood from my chin with a forearm.
My eyes glaze over as I stare down at Paul’s lifeless corpse on the ground at my feet. While I take no pleasure in seeing yet another dead body tonight, this one was a long time coming. This wasn’t just for Stefan, for Reina, for Alvin, for Rebecca. Not even for Cheyenne.
It was forme.
A fission of pride curls itself around my racing heart, becausethisis the moment I’ve been waiting for.
I challenged our pack’s alpha tonight andwon.
I’m no longer just Javier Cruz, a rankless member in a pack of nomadic savages.
I’m Alpha.
2
- Present Day -
Who the hell is Javier Cruz?
I slam the lid of my laptop closed in frustration, throwing myself back in my desk chair with a huff and tugging on the end of my long blonde braid.
Nothing makes me crazier than not being able to do my job. I’ve been working in IT for years now, and I’m good at it. So good, in fact, that I head up the security squad’s IT unit. I’m used to people coming to me with their tech problems and working through them methodically to find a solution. Butthis? Chasing my tail and meeting dead end after dead end?
This is new to me, and it isn’t acceptable. It’s freakingmaddening.
I kick the toe of a sneaker against the metal leg of my desk, my chair spinning in a circle as I tilt my head back to stare up at the fluorescent lights overhead.
There has to be something I’m missing here. Nobody alive today has zero online footprint; there’s always some piece of discoverable information out there tied to their name. That’s exactly what’s tripping me up, though, because the surname Cruz is far too common. I’ve found multiple Javier Cruz’s online, and no matter how I try to narrow my search, I can’t seem to nail down the one I’m seeking information on.
Chill out, Lo. You’ve only been at this for a day.
I lift my hands to either side of my head, massaging my temples with my fingertips as my eyes slip closed.
I don’t know why I put this kind of pressure on myself. It’s not like I have someone breathing down my neck, demanding results. I just get in my own head because this is my area of expertise where I’m supposed to shine, and if I can’t deliver in IT, then what good am I to everyone else?
Maybe I just need to take a step back and work this from a different angle.
I blow out a slow breath, lowering my chin and opening my eyes. It’s quiet in the IT hub this morning, the rest of the staff working away at their stations and not paying any attention to the mental crisis I’m currently having in the back of the room. That’s why I like it here- everyone keeps their heads down and keeps to themselves, solely focused on getting their jobs done. The same can’t be said for my circle of friends. They’re always up in each other’s business, so working in the IT hub gives me a much-needed reprieve from the drama.
Resolute in changing tact, I slap my hands onto the armrests of my chair, pushing up to my feet. I collect my things from my desk- laptop, phone, and keys- then head out, mentally combing through every piece of information I know about Javier Cruz as I make my way through the squad complex and out to the parking lot.
We just met Javi yesterday when he showed up in our territory seeking asylum for his pack, saying they’d been on the run from the hunters for years and were looking for a place to finally settle down. His sudden appearance was unexpected, to say the least, as was his request to join our alliance. Though I suppose it makes sense, given the fact that the six-pack alliance was originally formed to provide strength in numbers against a common enemy.
