Chapter 3

LUKE

"OK. I'm not taking the pack, but I'm not leaving either." I walk into my dad's office after lunch.

He leans on his desk. "That's good, son. What changed your mind?"

"Um, I got mugged." I said in a sarcastic tone. "This town has been swimming in the toilet for too long. Time to clean it up."

My dad chuckles. "Good luck. I've been trying for years."

I sit in a chair across from him. "I will. This has to end. I laid in the street bleeding and no one cared. That is not how a pack should be."

He sat back. "Son, I won't discourage you, but you have to know the reality of the situation. The people here have given up. Given in to the criminal element. It's easier to fight with them then against them. You'll have a challenge."

I lean to my father. "I've been up against some really sick fucks in the unit. This criminal element is nothing compared to that."

My father got up and walked around his desk. He leaned on it crossing his arms. "Are you ok?"

I slouch in my chair. "I'll live." I mumble as the pair of green eyes float across the front of my brain.

"What happened?" He said with concerned lacing his words.

I shake my head. "I was blind drunk. All I remember is I was trying to get some guy to stop beating on the other guy and I got jumped." I adjusted myself in my seat hoping my dad can't read into this. "When I came to, it was morning."

"Did you see him? Get a look at his face?" His brow furrowed.

"No." I sat up more. "He had on this like really long coat with a hood. You know like something in movie and these huge thick boots. That's all I know."

He nods. "Still. I'd like you to see Madison before you go anywhere. While it's still fresh in your mind. Maybe she can trigger something."

I get up. "I don't know what else to tell her." I shrug.

My dad pulls out some paperwork. "Just try."

I grunt and walk out of his office. I walk down the hall and hang a right down another hall of offices. I get to the door marked packhouse security and knock.

"Come in." A woman's voice came from the other side.

I run my fingers fast through my hair and put on a charming smile. I walk in. "Hey, Madison."

Madison Yuca. My little Asian minx. I've been trying to get this woman between the sheets since I was 17. She's hard to break, but I keep trying. I've had so many dark fantasies about pulling that long black hair, squeezing that tight little ass, sucking on her perky little tits. Yeah, I'm a pig, but some women love that. Madison? She can't fucking stand me. Which is probably why I want to bone her so bad.

She glances at me with those exotic violet eyes of hers and turns back to her computer. "Luke. Nice to see you again."

I stand in front of her desk, eyeing her ass and tits in that short, little, white business dress. I wonder what those long legs would feel like around my head. I grin a seductive grin. "Nice to see you, again." I bounce my brow.

She sighs like she's sick of my bullshit already. "Sit."

I sit in a chair next to me. "My dad told me to come. I was attacked last night."

She turns her chair to me. Resting her hands on her crossed legs. "Oh my god, are you ok? I mean, I can see that you're not." She eyes my bruises.

"I'm fine. The other guy was worse." I lie. I can't seem like a pussy. "I don't remember what he looked like though. It was dark and I was really drunk."

She nods and pulls out a writing pad. "Give me every detail you remember."

So, I told her everything. She wrote down all my words. "Is there anything else. Tattoos, scars, jewelry..."

My mind flashed. I squint and put the bridge of my nose in my fingers as I try to clear the fog. My finger caught something, Something shiny. When I grabbed her coat. It broke off and flew.

"Luke?" She looked at me with a raised brow.

I shoot my head up to look at her. I smile. "Uh...nope. That's it. Don't remember anything else."

She picks up her pad and scans my statement. She presses her lips together. "It's not much, but I'm pretty sure we can develop some sort of description from this." She stands and offers her hand. "Don't worry, Alpha. We'll find this man for you."

I stand and take her hand, shaking it. I take my hand back. "Say...how about you and I go for a couple of drinks tonight. You can share how the investigation's going. Then we can pick my brain.... back at my room." I flash her another charming smile.

She smirks. "I think you need to get some sleep. Clearly, that guy thumped your head a few times too many."

I lean to her quickly. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

She quickly chuckles. "No. I guess you can't."

"Later." I head out and shut her door. I walk back up the hallway and Gavin came out of his office. "Hey. You remember something?" He looks back at Madison's door.

I look at the floor as I walk. "Naw. I was just telling security what I know. They said they'd investigate. Hey. How'd you hit that? I've been trying to for years and she won't even touch me. I swear she's stone cold."

Gavin laughed. "Well, it helps not being a dirty bastard."

I tick my head. I mean, he's not wrong. Not like I'm shy about who I am.

"I'll get her someday." I grin.

Gavin shakes his head. "You coming to the meeting?"

I scrunch my brow. "What meeting?"

Gavin points to the files in his arms. "The pack meeting. We hold them every couple of weeks." He said in a tone like I really should know this by now. But, I don't because for the last six months, I'm usually passed out sleeping it off somewhere.

I contemplate. "I got nothing better to do, so I guess so."

I walk with Gavin to the conference room. All the heads are here. My dad, Bobby, Madison, our trainers, Tyrone and Richie, some people from finance who I don't know. It's a big meeting.

"Glad you all could make it." My dad said in a gruff voice. He looked at me and almost smiled. "So. We have a problem. A huge one. If you haven't heard, my son was attacked last night while in our downtown core."

Richie snorted. I raise a brow. "You got something to say?"

Richie leaned back, flexing his giant arm muscles. "Just that if you were sober for 2 seconds, maybe the guy wouldn't have been able to paint the sidewalk with your face."

Tyrone grins and nudges him with his thick arm. The two of them are solid walls of muscle. They train everyone who wants to at the pack house. They're also the two most cocky douches in the building. They like to poke at me saying the unit training I got was pretty much pussy training. So, when I say they love this, I mean it.

I turn my chair and lean on the table. "Why don't I show you just exactly how I fight when I'm sober?" I grit.

He snorts. "Yeah, right." He glances at Tyrone.

"Alright, you two. Knock it off." Lucy came in, scolding the trainers. "Sorry, I'm late."

I lean back and put my hands behind my head. "You're not late. Rich, here, was just about to prove how small his roid dick really is."

Richie's jaw ticked. He held his fist in his hand in front of him while Tyrone was doubled over laughing beside him. I smugly smile and bounce my brow.

"You knock it off, too." She hits my arm, knocking me off balance and shooting me forward in my chair.

"Watch it." I growl.

She rolls her eyes. "Please." She pulls her chair in. "Sorry, dad. Please continue." Lucy always the suck up.

My dad clears his throat. "Thank you. Now, my son has informed me that although he still doesn't want his position as Alpha, he does want to help us with the Lycans. So, I want everyone in this room to help my son with whatever he needs. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Alpha." The room says.

Tyrone leans on the table. "We can start by getting rid of that bullshit unit training. You join us, next week." He taps the table with his finger as I side eye him.

One chick from finance spoke up. "We can release more funds to up security. Hire more staff for the station downtown."

"Yeah, what she said." I point to her. Everyone's eyes on me. "What I like the idea?"

I bounce my fingertips together while twisting and leaning in my chair. "Do we know where the Lycans are held up?" I ask.

Madison was playing with her pen. "No. We have yet to pin anyone down to figure it out. They're good. Not really something you'd expect out of gang members."

I nod, "We need to hit the streets. Rough things up. See what shakes loose." I say.

Lucy eyes me. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

I glare at her. Why is she calling me out. "Because. It's gotten out of hand and I want to help."

She shakes her head folding her arms. "No. I'm not buying it. You've been in plenty of fights and it's never stopped you from leaving before. What are you hiding?"

All the eyes turn to me again. I fucking hate that she's pulling this shit right now. "Nothing! I just want to help." I rest my arms on the table, looking around the room. "Is that so hard to accept."

Bobby scratches his head. "Kinda."

I point to him. "I will beat you."

Lucy leans on the table. "Look. It's great you want to stay and help. Awesome, actually. But if you're hiding the reason behind it and its important to this pack, you need to tell us."

I chuckle nervously. "Swift, I don't have some ulterior motive here, ok. Jeez."

She ticks her head. "Ok. If you say so." She puts her hands up in surrender.

My dad continues. "So, in the coming weeks, I want reports on my desk for ideas on how we can improve things in this town. I also need the PR department to make statements to give to the pack. It's time they know their Alphas are doing something. We need to give them hope here. Luke, I know you don't want to be involved, but I'd like to make a public statement and it would mean a lot if you were by my side as second Alpha."

I nod. "Tell me when."

"Ok. Heather, would you make an appointment with the decorators. I think it's time my son took his rightful office." He looks to a tiny brunette a few chairs down from him.

"Yes, Alpha." She writes some things down.

I look at her and him. "Uh...I don't need an office."

"Nonsense." My dad waves me off. "It's right next to mine. It'll be easier to talk with you."

"Ok." I say. Not so sure what he expects me to do with it.

My dad looks around the room. "Does anyone else have anything to add as far as security goes?" Everyone eyes each other in the room.

He nods. "Ok. Moving on. I need to discuss these financial reports. Where are we on the budget?"

I zone out for the rest of the meeting. The business end of a pack isn't something that interests me anyway. Instead, I think of red curls, soft skin, features made from angels. Eyes like emeralds. The urge to touch her was strong. Her power, her confidence. I was lost in her eyes. Lost in the mere presence of her. I was super drunk, but I swear I smelled cherry blossoms. I'm sure of it because I remember thinking how weird it was to have the strong smell of flowers in an alley filled with garbage.

I'm knocked out of my thoughts by Lucy hitting my arm. "Hey, the meetings over. Coming?"

I look around and people are already leaving the room. "Uh, yeah. Sorry." I push my chair back and stand. "Hey, are there any like flower shops downtown?"

Lucy snorts. "No. No respectable shop owner builds downtown. It's filled with drunks."

I stuff my hands in my pockets as we turn into the hallway. "Oh. ok."

"Why?" She asks.

I shake my head. "No reason. I just thought I smelt flowers before I got jumped. I don't know. It just sprung to mind. My heads still foggy."

She shrugs. "Weird."

"Yeah." I disappear into my thoughts again.

It had to have been coming from her and you know what? I loved it. It was like the smell of her hit my core. I need to find her.