Alpha Packed - Book 2 (EBOOK)

AT FIRST there was only the hunger. It pulsed through Rebecca, tricking her into thinking she was actually alive. But she knew better than that, didn’t she? She spent most of the night staring into a mirror, seeing nothing in the reflection… as if she had been wiped from the pages of the history books completely.

They were looking for her. She saw posters plastered around town, asking for any information on where she had gone since the bookshop was ransacked. She kept her head low and chopped off most of her hair in exchange for the semblance of a normal hairstyle. She had gone back to try and find her friend, Darlene.

But the hunger clouded everything. It was too dangerous to talk to anyone. Then it became too dangerous to even stand near them. The smell of their skin, alive, with blood pumping just under the surface, was too much to bear. She had retreated into the woods.

Just as daylight approached, she stumbled across an empty cabin that overlooked the highway. Clawing at the floorboards, she managed to get herself into the ground before the sunlight could shine into the cabin.

Now it was the middle of the night and she was staring at the soulless mirror. She was almost glad she couldn’t see herself. She didn’t want to see herself. Because the mess behind her was already too gruesome. A hitchhiker had thought she could stay here the night as well…but she was fatally mistaken.

No, Rebecca didn’t want to see herself in the mirror. She didn’t need to, because she knew what the mirror would show. Her face, smeared red…her hands, coated in the hitchhiker’s blood. Rebecca could just make out the girl’s hand, sticking out from behind the makeshift bed, her fingers curled slightly, a slick pool of blood sliding out from underneath her body. It was her first feeding and she made a huge mess of it.

Rebecca closed her eyes and screamed.

***

“Am I under suspicion of anything?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Truly? Because it honestly feels like you suspect me of something.” Darlene crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair, staring down Officer Walsh. Normally, she had the utmost respect for police officers and knew Walsh was just doing his job. But she couldn’t help but think of him as a pain in the ass.

“Listen, Miss Troop, I’m just trying to understand why you went to see Ms. Boots that night.”

“And I told you a thousand times already. I tried to make you guys aware of the forum post by her son that I found. I was blown off here, so I went to his mother directly to tell her.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re involved in an old case from someone who has no connection with you whatsoever.”

“Why does it matter? I didn’t murder her, and it feels like you’re suggesting I did. Do I need to get a lawyer?”

Walsh paled. “No, there’s no need for that, ma’am. They’re just routine questions. What did Ms. Boots say when you went to her with your information?”

“She told me she had known already that he thought he was a werewolf. She told me that he fell in with the wrong crowd. She was very sad about it all. But she confirmed that someone picked Brent up that night. So my information was useless, like the cops said. Brent’s mother already knew that someone came for him that night.”

Darlene hoped her story sounded convincing. Most of the details were true. It was just the circumstances of the details that were fudged a little.

Walsh looked down at his notepad. “What about Roman’s Tavern? Witnesses put you there last week. Your boyfriend got into a fight with Roman. No cops were called, and the two of you bailed afterward, from my understanding.”

Darlene’s heart thrummed. For a second, she wanted to shake Idris. Why in the world did he fight with Roman that night? Of course people would have seen them and word would have gotten back to the police. It was a vicious fight. She didn’t know that Walsh had heard about the fight already though. Who blabbed?

“So?”

“So if Roman decides to press charges, your boyfriend will be in a lot of trouble.”

“As far as I know, Roman didn’t press charges. So what is the question?”

“Why were you at Roman’s Tavern that night?”

“I can’t go to a bar with my boyfriend?”

Walsh leaned forward. “I just find it strange that after I mentioned to you that Jacob was interested in going to Roman’s Tavern that you ended there as well. And you seemed so interested in Brent Boot’s death, that he had a connection to Roman’s Tavern as well.”

Darlene felt warm. She didn’t like lying to the police. But it wasn’t as if they would believe the truth anyway. Well, the truth is, my boyfriend is a werewolf. His pack leader wanted to exile himself from the werewolves in order to craft a werewolf-vampire hybrid creature. No, don’t worry – he’s dead! Yeah, I killed him with the help of a spirit. Yes, I said spirit. Turns out, I have power over ghosts that no one understands, myself included. Jacob is a hybrid and is out there somewhere doing God only knows what. My best friend is a missing vampire, and her Maker is a crazy bitch. You are chasing leads that go nowhere because my insane social circle, including my werewolf Exsul boss, is on the case!

Ugh. It sounded like a terrible anime.

“This is just a questioning, right?” When Walsh nodded, Darlene stood up. “Then I’m done for the day. I have to get to work. The bookstore re-opens tomorrow. Where are you on my missing friend, by the way… while you sit here and accuse me of murder?”

“No one is accusing you of anything, Miss Troop. We don’t have any leads on your friend yet. Has she been in touch with you?”

“No,” Darlene said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. “I’m leaving now.”

Walsh shook his head as Darlene left the room. It felt as if every cell in her body was vibrating slightly, making her head hurt. She dreaded this police station now. Why did she ever try to tell them about Brent and his forum post? It just ended up biting her in the ass.

As she stepped out into the sunlight and slid a pair of sunglasses on, she thought of Rebecca. Still no sign of her. Darlene was hoping Rebecca would try to call her. She kept thinking back to Rebecca opening her eyes and bursting out of the room, into the night. Guilt immersed heavily in her heart. Idris warned her that newborn vampires were feral and dangerous. Usually their Makers remained nearby to help guide them through their ordeal. But Vivica had no interest in taking care of Rebecca.

Darlene got in her car, ignoring whispers from a couple of teenagers nearby. She knew they were talking about her negatively, making remarks on her weight. I don’t care. I’m above this shit. If she repeated it enough times, maybe it would finally sink in.

She looked at her phone and saw a text from Idris. He asked how the meeting with Walsh went. Darlene paused, unsure of what to type. She was touched that he had texted her with everything else going on in his world. My boyfriend. The phrase seemed so foreign to her. How could Idris, such an imposing, strong and sexy werewolf, be dating her, of all people?

Darlene lectured herself again. She deserved this. She deserved to have a boyfriend who made her happy, was great in bed and clearly interested in her. She had to stop trying to ruin herself and not let herself be happy. It was easier said than done. With a sigh, she typed out a reply. Okay, but he is asking questions about why we were at Roman’s Tavern the night we saw Jacob. What about your end?

She sent the text and pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward the bookshop. She had been putting in extra hours since the time Lucian had tried to kill her to turn her into a hybrid. Originally, Darlene was furious with Maria for keeping the fact she was a werewolf a secret – an Exsul on top of that – but she understood more now why Maria did it. Darlene learned as much as she could about Exsuls in case Idris received that as his sentence. Plus working at the bookshop kept her busy, which meant no time for thinking about how she had killed Lucian.

No, do not go down that road, not right now. Darlene turned down the main street. She was almost at the bookshop. She would be busy soon.

Alpha Packed- Book 1
Alpha Packed- Book 2
Alpha Packed- Book 3
Alpha Packed- Book 4