Cruel Alpha Daddy (Silver Meadows Wolves #4)

Chapter 11 - Rider

Over the next few days, I’m relieved to see Fiona settling in. I don’t want to keep her locked up in the cabin like a prisoner. And if she becomes invested in the pack, I won’t have to.

We sleep in the same bed, and even though we don’t touch each other, there is a feeling of intimacy I can’t deny. As first light brightens the window, I roll over and watch her. I love to see her eyes open first thing in the morning. She always has such a beautiful smile when she wakes up and sees me.

Pure joy—that is immediately replaced with anxiety. If she loves me, why is she still so eager to get away?

Deep down, I know that my attachment issues are severely stirred up, because I want her to stay with me.

I want her to need me. To choose me and want to be my partner for life.

She murmurs in her sleep, and her fingers twitch. I watch her eyelids flutter and wonder what she is dreaming about. If she would just stay with me, everything would be alright. I’d keep her safe from the bikers, and we could tell Bailey she was here by her own choice.

The thought of Tobias ruins my good mood. I roll onto my back and glare at the ceiling. After the ass-kicking I gave him, I didn’t really expect him to come back. Now, he and his little group of goons have set up in a cabin at the other end of town, where they hold parties that attract quite a few young men from the pack.

Why has he come back? Does he really want the whole pack to follow him?

It might be a matter of pride for him now that beating me isn’t good enough. He has to win over the hearts of the other wolves before he takes me out.

Fiona mumbles, and I turn back over to look at her. She opens her eyes, and again, I’m struck by that deep blue, darker than sapphires but shining with the same delicate beauty. She smiles, and the joy on her face is undeniable.

I smile back, and she reaches out with one hand to stroke my cheek. The moment is perfect. It feels like my world is finally complete.

Then, the contentment on her face is shattered by a look of pure panic. Her lips tighten, and her eyes go wide. She sits up suddenly and looks around as if she’s searching for something. Her shoulders slump as she wraps her arms around her knees and lowers her head defeatedly. A sigh that sounds more like a sob escapes her lips.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

It’s the same pattern every morning. I wish I knew what was wrong, that she could just tell me. I can’t stand to have secrets between us.

I opened up to her, but she is still hiding something from me.

“Do you want to go and get some breakfast?” I suggest.

“Sure,” she answers without enthusiasm.

I hop out of bed and get dressed, heading for the bathroom. If today is like any other day, she’ll come out to the hall with me, smiling and happy. I truly don’t know if it’s an act or not, and it disturbs me.

Over the last couple of days, Fiona has cleaned the cabin from top to bottom. It looks almost brand new. The other guys and myself have installed the plumbing and connected generators so we have power. There are still a lot of repairs to be done, but the place is almost looking like a proper town.

What should we call it? Getting away from the name “Sawpit” sounds like a great idea to me.

As I leave the bathroom, Fiona brushes past me, barely looking at me. A memory of our time together in Delta rises in my mind—the two of us playfully fighting over the toothpaste, giggling as we wrestle back and forth until the tube pops and sprays us both with minty goo.

I should never have run from her.

These memories keep haunting me, dragging me down into the past. I have to accept that even if Fiona and I can have a relationship again, that warmth might be gone forever.

“Ready?” she asks, coming out of the bathroom.

“Yes,” I answer, reaching out to her. She eyes me warily, then takes my hand.

As we walk over to the hall, lots of people wave and call out to us. Fiona waves back, looking happy and comfortable like she usually does. Instead of reassuring me, I find the sight unnerving.

It would be very cruel of her to lead these people on, whatever her reasons are. They are depending on her.

We sit down in the hall at a big table where Donny, Tucker, Ryan, and Luke are already waiting with their mates. Donny was a member of the pack way back when I first joined. Ryan, Tucker, and Luke were picked up by Jethro. It wasn’t until they found mates that they decided they couldn’t live rough anymore.

Fiona brightens a little as she sits down next to Lilah. The two have become good friends already, and I hope that strengthening her ties to the pack will also deepen her bond with me.

“Okay, Ryan, tell me about the scouting mission last night?” I say.

“It went well,” he answers. “We can’t keep hunting the hills the way we have been, though, or we’ll strip the place of wildlife.”

I look down at the bacon and eggs on my plate. We have some chickens, and the only reason we have bacon is because we slaughtered a few pigs a couple of weeks ago.

“Are we going to develop the poultry farm idea?” I ask.

Donny nods. “You bet. Lilah is pretty enthusiastic about it, and so is Shelly, Luke’s mate. But we’ll have to go to an auction to get more birds, and for that, we need cash.”

“We’ll also need feed,” Luke cuts in. “A few months’ worth, at least until we can grow our own.”

“Did we check the area for any decent fields to plant in?” I ask.

“Yes,” Ryan answers. “Once we turn the soil over, a lot of it will be ready to go, but we’re very limited on what we can grow unless we can cover it from frost and snow.”

“We need a supply chain,” I grumble. I didn’t intend for my comment to be heard, but the other men all nod in agreement.

“I’m beginning to understand why Jethro didn’t want to set up in a town,” I say, sighing. “The logistics are a nightmare.”

“He wanted us living rough, like animals,” Luke says. “And it appealed to us as rogues and bachelors. The problem was, we wanted mates. Once we had females and pups to care for, our needs changed.”

I nod, thinking. “You’re right. Jethro never wanted a mate for himself. Even if he could find a woman as wild as he was, taking care of pups is something else.”

“It sure is,” Donny whispers, looking at Lilah and Todd.

That’s why we have to change—for our next generation. We can make this pack better. I know it.

The front door of the hall opens with a hard bang. I shut my eyes and force myself not to react. I know it’s Tobias. He can’t go anywhere without announcing himself.

“Hey, sweet cheeks!” he yells at one of the cooks. “Sling me some of that bacon.”

I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to turn. I know he’s provoking me, and I won’t be drawn in by his games.

He won’t throw a leadership challenge at me while he’s still hurting from the last beating I gave him. He’s too much of a coward.

“Rider,” Ryan whispers. “Look.”

I turn in my chair so I can see Tobias over at the main table. He’s with Gage, and both of them are wearing brand-new leather jackets and heavy boots.

“I saw them doing target practice yesterday,” Luke says. “They had a stack of shiny new shotguns.”

“Did you see the young boys they recruited yesterday?” Tucker adds. “All of them are decked out in new clothes, too.”

I turn back to my crew, making sure Tobias doesn’t notice I was watching him. “Where are they getting it from?”

“It’s got to be crime-related,” Luke says. “I just don’t know exactly what.”

“I forbade anyone from doing anything illegal,” I growl. “No more hitting gas stations and bars, or running drugs. We do everything the right way from now on.”

“Tobias appears to be luring the young males to him with gifts and promises,” Ryan says. “I don’t think any of them realize what is being done to get the supplies.”

“And he’ll initiate them with violence and crime, just like Jethro did,” I say as realization dawns on me. “Once they are as dirty as he is, they’ll never get away from him. He can blackmail them into obedience, if fear doesn’t work.”

“We have to do something,” Donny says. “They are putting our mates and our pups in danger.”

“Okay.” I point at Ryan. “I know we’ve been talking about putting together a council. This is it, the first step. I’m appointing you as my beta. You have full authority to investigate—and punish—anyone who is going against my orders. If I start sniffing around, Tobias will only work harder to hide what he’s doing. Make it discreet. Figure out where the cash is coming from and how he’s luring in the young guys.”

“The parties are getting pretty wild,” Tucker remarks. “Last night, they were all yelling and breaking bottles around a big campfire. We could hear them halfway up the hill.”

“Hmm,” I murmur. “Sounds just like Jethro’s fighting rings. Getting them all bloodied and savage while plying them with alcohol and brotherly words.”

“We don’t want that anywhere near us,” Donny says. “Not anymore. We’re better than that.”

“I agree,” I answer. “But we need to do this carefully. If it was as simple as taking out Tobias, I’d do it right now, but I need to know who is behind him. I don’t want to get rid of him and still have an enemy faction in the pack. I want them all gone.”

“Amen to that,” Ryan says. “I’ll get on it today, boss.”

I nod in approval, then turn around to check on Tobias. He’s sitting at a side table with a plate of food, looking pretty pleased with himself. When he realizes I’m looking at him, he blinks, giving me a wide-eyed, overly innocent look.

Just as I’m about to turn away, I see Tobias’ eyes slide over to Fiona. His tongue creeps to the edge of his mouth, and his eyes turn dark and predatory. A terrifying thought occurs to me.

Maybe staying here and turning the pack has nothing to do with wanting to be alpha. Maybe he just wants Fiona.