The Alpha's Hunger by Renee Rose Page A

phone, but he’d arranged to meet him here to give him the laptop so he could analyze it, and monitor when the signal was sent for it to detonate. While at the motel, he’d called Stanley and asked him to come to the meeting as well. He would need a ride back to Stone Tech to get his car and the laptop and he needed someone to watch Ashley while he went. It wouldn’t be safe to bring her back to the scene.
    He entered cautiously, scenting the air. Empty. He pulled off the pillowcase blindfold once they were inside. Pointing to an old couch against one wall, he said, “Sit.”
    She glared at him, but obeyed.
    “Little girl,” he said, “You need to stop giving me those dirty looks, or I will take you back over my knee for a reminder of who is in charge around here.”
    She wobbled on her feet, and he would swear the look she gave him was pure desire, but she looked hastily away.
    “That’s better,” he said, his voice thicker than usual.
    He lifted his head, catching a sound at the back door. It pushed open and Stanley and three other males strode in, naked. Shifters were unabashed about nudity, but for the first time, he found himself bothered, not liking the way Ashley stared at them. They grabbed clothes from their lockers, stalking over, eyeing her. He became acutely aware of how out of place she looked, still dressed in her narrow work skirt and heels, her blood-stained blouse gaping because he’d popped all the buttons off when he tore it open to check for injury. Why the hell hadn’t he put her in his shirt first?
    “Hey, Stanley,” he said. “Hey, guys.”
    “Who’s she?”
    “You don’t need to know,” he said. To Ashley, he said, “Lower your eyes.”
    She obeyed him, although he could see she was alert and paying attention.
    “You brought a human to our private location,” Stanley stated the obvious, his eyes narrowed.
    “She was blindfolded.”
    “She knows what we are.” He folded his arms across his chest.
    “I’ll handle her.”
    “How?”
    The general code was to kill outsiders who found out. He bristled. “It’s my problem and I’ll take care of it.”
    Stanley raised his brows, looking at Ashley dubiously. “She looks like trouble.”

Chapter Four
     
     
    Ashley had abandoned lowering her eyes to glower at the man named Stanley.
    “My problem, not yours,” Ben said.
    What had he meant when he said he’d handle her?
    “Yeah? So why are we here, then?” the aggressive wolf asked.
    Ben’s jaw hardened. “Someone’s trying to kill me. I just need a little backup while I figure out who’s behind it.”
    Stanley looked at him. “You’re calling in a lot of favors for someone who’s not even a member of the pack.”
    He shrugged. “If you’re not willing to help, I’ll deal with it on my own.”
    Stanley scowled. “You’ve already involved us. You brought a human into our den, and now she’s seen our faces.”
    A low, unearthly growl emitted from Ben’s throat, sending shivers up her spine.
    Stanley beckoned with both hands. “You want to challenge me for alpha? Do it. We both know you’d win. But if you just want to waltz in and pull favors without giving back, no one is going to fall in step behind you.”
    Nothing changed in Ben’s face, yet she could feel his frustration.
    A car pulled up outside. No one moved, the two men—or wolves—eyeing each other, tension radiating between them.
    The door swung open. “Hey, Ben,” a middle-aged man with a shaved skull and a tight white t-shirt said as he walked in. Like the other wolves, he was stacked with muscles. In fact, they all looked like they stepped out of a fireman’s calendar. Except maybe a little less wholesome than firemen. There was a grungy roughness to the men that made her nervous.
    “Hey, Mark.”
    Ben continued to eye the other wolves as he shook hands with Mark. “Thanks for your help earlier.”
    “No problem,” Mark said, looking from Ben to the pack leader and back again, most likely