New Alpha – New Rules(7)

“I think you are just a good leader. I haven’t danced in forever.” He nodded, his lips pressing into a thin white line. The song stopped and everyone clapped while the singer said that the band was taking a break. Ryder led her from the floor and back to her table where half of her pack waited. “Shit.” She muttered. Ryder held onto her hand and didn’t drop it when they got close even though she tried to wiggle from his grasp. “I wasn’t kidding Jake, I meant what I said.” She started before he had a chance to speak a word. Ellis reached for her, he was Bronson’s cousin and he’d always been nice, smarmy but nice. Now, he just looked at her with a nasty hateful look on his face.

“Harper. You’re living in my family’s house. You are no longer welcome there if you can’t behave, as a grieving mate should. Pack your things. I want you out by morning.” His eyes flashed up at Ryder. “There are plenty of males that will pursue you if you behave as you should through this. If you’ll leave this bar now, I’ll let you stay in the house. I might even give you a whirl myself in a year.”

Ryder stepped forward, past her and growled backing Ellis up a step. “Mine.” Whoa, did he just stake a claim on her? They’d met an hour ago. Harper gasped.

“Hold up there big boy.” Sidney got between Ryder and Harper. “Not yours. You just met. Give her a minute. She just lost her mate and even though he was the biggest low life that ever crawled out from under a rock,” the pack growled behind her. “Ya’ll know it’s true, don’t growl at me. You’re only upset because she is flirting with another pack, if it was one of you, nobody would care. You don’t like it because she’s finally free and don’t nobody like it when a good looking woman is free.” She turned back around and faced Ryder again. “Just give her a minute. She’ll take your phone number and maybe she’ll see you again but there won’t be any claim staking here tonight.” His eyes went full amber and most of the wolves backed away and that included his pack. Ryder was a big wolf, big and intimidating. He was solid from head to toe, all six and a half feet of him. He was broad through the shoulders, and power rolled off him. He was not to be messed with and every wolf left in the room knew it. Many had ducked out of the doors because this thing may go nuclear.

“Anything that gets broke, you pay for, got that?” O’Malley called from behind the bar. He was wiping the counter down with a white rag. The Alpha gave him a sharp nod.

Ryder stared them all down then looked at Harper. “Where is your cell phone?” She pulled it from her purse and handed it to him. He scrolled through it and tapped the screen. Harper thought that he must be putting his number into it for her while they all watched him. Anxiety was rolling off the pack around her and it was making her wolf jumpy. Usually she was pleasant enough. If she was let out to run often then she was amicable but right now, she was pacing inside Harper’s skull. If this went on much longer, the wolf would force a shift and that was not allowed in public. Ever. He put the phone up to his ear.

“This is Ryder Dawson, I am the Alpha of the Green Valley pack. We’ve moved into the area recently onto the Reed farm property to your...,” he looked at Curtis.

“South.” Curtis answered.

“To your south. I am at O’Malley’s Pub with several of your pack members. I am calling to make you aware of our presence if you were unaware and to let you know that several of your pack members are being disrespectful of Harper. Just so you are aware, I am making public claim to Harper.”

He stared into her eyes while he listened to her Alpha. Max was probably fit to be tied right now. Another Alpha tattling on his pack and calling them out for bad behavior then laying claim to a she-wolf that was just recently widowed. Max and she would certainly have words later. She just hoped she was in her jeans and not this scrap of fabric skirt.

Sidney was grinning at her now and making faces. She would think that this was funny. She’d probably told him ‘no’ to goad him into action. It wouldn’t surprise Harper one bit. They would have a great laugh about it later. “I don’t appreciate any male treating a female as badly as they have treated her this evening. I am taking her home with me because I don’t think your wolves will let it rest as it stands tonight. One of them has asked her to move out of her house by morning because she is in a bar dancing.” He listened and grunted. “Absolutely. I will take excellent care of her and return her to you in the morning before breakfast. Hopefully, you will have control of your wolves by then.”