THE ALPHA'S NEED

After moments of absolute silence mixed with overwhelming emotions, Freya couldn't function. Everything just momentarily stopped existing before her.

"Freya?" Jake called out with a little voice, but got no response. "Freya?" He called out a second time. Making the tone harsher this time around.

Jolting, "yes."

"What is happening here? Who did you let into my house? What the fuck is going on? Say something, Freya!"

Freya's anguish hit her in a series of waves. Shock, anger, and then a pain so harsh the edge of it hurt her.

"Dante?" She let out slowly. "You bastard! You dare show your disgusting face to me after all these years? After what you and your family put me through? You dare disguise as a stranger to gain access to me? Why couldn't I instantly recognize you?"

Dante reached for her, but Freya snatched up her hand and swung away, blinded. She ran from the room, out of the house, and back into the sunshine.

The house's windows let Jake trace her footsteps through the backyard and around to the front. 

She slammed her way back into the Lamborghini, started the engine with a roar, and shot around the circular drive and out into the street.

Leaving Dante with Jake. 

Freya made the wrong choice by leaving her past with her future. That wasn't wise. You couldn't blame her because her head was all over the place. She could neither think nor act straight. Right now, she was the scared little girl years back, not a grownup Freya who has seen the world from a different perspective.

Back at the house, Jake turned to the source of Freya's distress, the man called Dante.

Jake glared at Dante, outrage in his eyes.

Dante let out a small growl while he held back the snarls in his throat.

The maid grabbed the flower vase close to the door. Not really that she needed it now. She was just eavesdropping.

Dante made for the sliding glass door. 

Jake remained in front of it, glaring.

Dante looked up at him, and a bite of primal fear entered Jake's eyes. He didn't know what Dante was, but something inside him knew a predator when he saw one. 

Dante stood a moment, indecisive, then pivoted, attempting to find another exit. He was eventually stopped by Jake, who slammed him hard against the wall. 

Dante smelled Jake's outrage and hatred, but no fear and no confusion. "Who the hell are you?" barked Jake.

Dante had to crank his head back to look at Jake. Dante had an arrogance that would make a man smack him down just to make a point.

The front door slammed open, as Jake's guard rushed in.

Dante grimaced as he heard the approaching footsteps, then turned even more rage on Jake. "Get off me right this instant if you still want your fingers attached to your body," he demanded. "You can have your bitch for now. But know that it is just for a short while."

Feral anger rose inside Jake in a wave. Living in a place with a woman that gave him total love, and experiencing new sensations and feelings had dampened his rages a bit but hadn't erased them. Nothing ever would.

This man, this stranger, had hurt her. He had not done it with calculation, but with careless cruelty. Now he twisted the fact that he knew her past to address her now as if he still knew her. It was judging her for the little he thought he knew. 

Jake's reactions were more basic. He saw a source of pain, and he eliminated it.

Dante's snarls grew in volume, a sound so deep it was felt more than heard. The glass-fronted cabinets rattled, and dishes behind them took up the dance. The kitchen windows caught the vibrations and rumbled in response.

A glass cabinet door shattered and broke. Jake gaped at it, then back at Dante. "You're paying for that. You can't come in here, ruin my lady's mood and also break things."

"Mr. Kendrick." The guard who stood alert but didn't intervene now stood at a safe distance. "Should we show him the way out?"  

"We should teach him how to respect women." Jake peered up at Dante again, taking in his appearance. He started to smile. "Son of a bitch. You don't know who you just fucked with. You won't have anything left when I'm finished with you. I'll teach you not to mess around with me or anything that has to do with Freya."

Killing rage beat through Dante's blood. To Dante, Jake was a small, fragile creature, smelling of hope, and he dared to threaten a werewolf. An Alpha at that.

Dante slammed his fists to the kitchen counter, a polished slab of granite. It broke into two giant chunks.

"Here . . . You . . ." The guard produced a gun and pointed it at Dante, gaining a chuckle.

Dante might have not been thoroughly exposed to the human world due to Alpha Hero shielding them from reality. But, it will take more than bullets to stop him. He could easily snatch it from the guard and shred him into pieces.

Now fear appeared in Jake's eyes, but still not enough. "Get out of here, or there will be bloodshed." turning to his guard, "stand down," he ordered and released Dante.

Ego and his wolf got the best of Dante. He felt like inflicting pain and leaving a memory with Freya. He was always bad news. And he wanted to slake that defect with something simple, like leaving a mark behind. Maybe ripping the source of joy for Freya apart and painting the walls with his blood. That would be too much. Not this time. 

He reached for Jake's throat.

Fear, at last, radiated from Jake, sickening waves of it. 

Satisfied with the effect of his action, he gripped harder while Jake tried to punch him, but was stopped before he could.

Dante's need to hunt, to kill, the instinct to track through the jungle something for his pleasure. His wolf awoke.

He took his hand off Jake's neck. "Tell Freya that she is mine," he said in-between growls.

Everyone was still perplexed, trying to get what had just happened, while Dante seized the opportunity and left.

Indeed, a ruined proposal and the beginning of disaster.