BETA: Her Alpha(10)

“Okay. Well, I’m against the human candidate. You know the danger that they present.”



“Yeah, but a lot of the criminal element entering the area are human. It may work to our benefit to have one of their own patrolling.”



“You’re the boss.” He grabs his jacket and slides it on.



“Yes, I am, but it’s still important that we agree.”



“Oh, please. I’m on my way out.” He walks away with his hat and out the door.



Something about the way he said that bothers me. I’ve been thinking about it since he left two hours ago. It’s been dead so far. I’ve handled some paperwork that’s been sitting for two days. I call Chloe, but she doesn’t answer so I leave a message. “Hey, babe. I just called to say I love you. Miss you, my sweetheart. I can’t wait to celebrate, wife.”



Just as I end the call, Letty rushes in. “Sir, there’s a call coming from Evansville. A fight with two of our men and five guys from Seattle. The Evansville police asked for our help because they’re dealing with a shooting in town.”



“Okay. I’m on my way. Can you get more details?” I ask, moving around my desk and grabbing my shotgun from the cabinet.



“Here. I wrote it down. Please, sir, be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.” I can sense her fear is real. Letty isn’t the overly concerned type, but given all things considered with Lauren and Rocky it’s a bit disconcerting.



“Why?” Did something happen that I don’t know about?



“I don’t know. It seems fishy. Why didn’t they call Redding?” Her concern worries me. She really doesn’t want me going out there.



“We’re the county seat, so maybe they thought of us first,” I tell her before I walk out the door.



I should’ve listened to Letty. I got to the scene an hour away, and it was all cleared up. The Redding police along with the Evansville police are there talking to each other, no criminals in sight.



“Hey, fellas. What’s going on?” I ask as I walk up to them. The only one I know well is Charlie Connors.



“Hey, Smith. We got it locked up. It was just a local squabble. I don’t know why they would call you from so far away,” Deputy Connors from Redding says with a shake of his head.



“That’s what my dispatcher said,” I confirm, feeling like an ass for showing up.



“Be safe. Tomorrow’s another full moon. The nuts are starting to make an appearance, both our kind and theirs.”



“I will,” I chuckle. It’s always crazy during full moons. Last time I found my mate, and it was really crazy.



“By the way, congratulations on finding your mate,” Connors says.



“Thanks. Good luck finding yours.” I know he’s not as old as me, but his time hopefully will come soon.



Jumping back in my squad car, I make my way back to town. I call dispatch and let Letty know she was right; it was a waste of time. “The Redding officers were there along with the Evansville police. They didn’t need me and aren’t sure who called it in.”



“Boss, just be careful,” she pleads.



“I’m going to be fine…” All of the sudden I’m slammed into by another car. Disoriented I try to get my bearings. My body is pinned in and I can’t find my phone. Shit. I’ve got this overwhelming feeling that this wasn’t an accident. “I love you, Chloe,” I whisper as I try to stay awake. Before I know it, someone is approaching and I’m being shot at. I duck, but it’s too late.





Chapter 8


“Ah!” I shout, waking myself out of my sleep. My hearts pounding a million miles an hour. I look around, confused and crying. It’s still light outside. I grab my phone and see that I’ve missed a call from Erik. It’s from two hours ago. Damn. I try to call him back, but it goes straight to voicemail.

I call the station, hoping that just maybe he’s there and his battery died. He’s never charging his cell. I hear the beeping sound daily. The phone is busy. Phones still have a busy signal?

Something’s wrong. I can feel it. The dream was too real, too scary—my heart’s praying it’s just a wild nightmare. My phone rings, and that ominous feeling courses through me. It’s not Erik’s cell ringer. I have one for his work and cell. It’s his work. My hand’s shaking so much, I can barely slide the answer button.

“Hello,” I say, a sob trailing behind.

“Chloe, it’s Letty. Erik’s been shot. He’s been airlifted to Redding Regional. Hunter’s on his way to get you.”

I hang up the phone, shaking. Erik’s been shot. I howl loudly in our home. How can this be? We just spent the morning worshipping each other. Erik had just found out about our pup. I can’t understand or believe it. He was just here.

I’m out the door and in my car before I’m done getting dressed. He’s at a hospital in Redding, and that’s a long drive. I don’t understand how this happened or why he was near there in the first place.



I stop on the road not two miles from our house, unable to see because I’m crying uncontrollably. My pain is etched deep in my heart—losing him would be the death of me. It’s not just because we’re mated, but he’s my everything. We became friends and soulmates long before we became one. He’s the air I breathe, the father to our unborn pup.



A truck pulls alongside of me. It’s Hunter. I don’t move because my body doesn’t know how to function.



“Chloe. Chloe…Chloe, unlock the door!” he shouts. “Damn it, Chloe, open it!” I hit the button, and he’s on me in a second, unbuckling me from the car and holding me tight to his chest.



“He’s going to be fine. He’s my Beta. It wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t meant to survive. Come on.” He carries me to the truck and straps me in. Cat’s sitting in the back with me, hugging and holding me as I shiver and rock back and forth.



“Tell me what happened,” I snarl, rage and feral instinct to find the shooter and tear them apart is climbing through my chest.



“All I know is they received a call for assistance needed in Evansville. Letty didn’t want Erik to go because she felt something was off about it. He waved her off, telling her it was his duty. Then he called her back later and was telling her that it was a waste. Before he could say anything else she heard a loud crashing sound.” My dream comes racing back to me. No, it can’t be true.



“It’s him. Ryan did it.” I know it in my heart to be true. It may have been a dream, but it was too close to real for me to be wrong.



“What makes you say that?” he asks with a gritty grunt.



“Hunter, I woke up screaming from a nightmare. It was about Erik. He was shot in the line of duty. I remember Ryan’s words in my dream, and he said, ‘You’re not so strong now, are you?’ I felt the bullet like it was me in Erik’s place. He’s been shot in the head, hasn’t he?”



I look at my brother, but he doesn’t respond so I know it’s true. “No…no. Hunter, Cat please tell me it’s not real. Tell me…tell me it’s not true. My Erik,” I cry out, sobbing and moaning as hysterical as I feel.



“Damn it, Cat. Do it,” Hunter growls. The last thing I feel is a needle pierce my neck and a drowsy feeling taking over.





The room is dark. I don’t know where I am, but I’m curled up into my mate’s body. It was just a bad dream, I think to myself. I cuddle deeper into him, but he’s not holding me back like he normally does. Every time we’re near each other we’re wrapped up in one another, even in our sleep. I look around, and there’s a large bandage wrapped around his head. A brokenhearted howl rips through my chest. Tears flow down my face. My nightmare is real, and it’s brutal. The room is immediately full of my family. Gage and Hunter’s eyes are open wide, scouring the room for potential threats, but Cat places a hand on Hunter’s chest to calm him. With a silent conversation shared between them, he backs down.



The room is quiet except for the sound of the machine beeping in the background. There’s nothing but the sound of that machine, and it’s killing me. I turn my face to my brothers. “I love you both, very much. But if he doesn’t…I won’t…I can’t…”



Everyone has tears in their eyes. They understand that this is more than a mating thing. Erik’s life and mine are intertwined, and the bond is unbreakable. I turn back to Erik, not caring who’s around. “My world, you need to stay with me. You’re going to be a father; we can’t leave our pup without parents. The pup will need us. I need you. Damn it, Erik! You can’t leave me.” My hand rests on his heart with my head on his chest. “Don’t leave me, Erik. I love you. I can’t live without you.”



Sobs continue to rack my body. They all leave the room, their tears echoing in my ears.





The sunlight peaks through the room, but there’s no change in him. Resting my head on him, I will him to survive. Looking at the heart monitor, it’s beating slightly faster than yesterday, but it’s a negligible change. My bladder finally gets the better of me, so I force myself up and away from his side to use the restroom.