Forbidden Alpha (Alpha's Obsession 4)

“But, they didn’t do anything to you!”

“That guy attacked us!” Patrick shouts from the back. “For only talking to his girl!”

I resist the urge to scream at him. If it was these creeps, they were probably trying to do more than talking. I’m sure they had it coming.

“We’re going to kill two bears with one stone,” Rhys says with a grin. “Payback those fucking grizzlies for messing with my crew and we’re going to get the perfect ranch for a tenth of the price. Now, Brooklyn. Think carefully. How many of them are there?”Chapter EightLoganI hate myself for letting her leave.

My bear is just as pissed. He’s sulking around inside, growling at me in warning.

She better be okay.

I’m sitting on the porch and anxiously watching the stars, wondering where Brooklyn is. I’ve been out looking for her all night.

When Cameron came home and told us what happened, I jumped in my truck and rushed over to the scene. Brooklyn’s car was wrapped around a tree with the bumper ripped off. The only thing keeping my heart from imploding was knowing she wasn’t in there. She was in the truck.

I searched her car looking for something to indicate where she lived, but the address on her registration was her old address in Ohio. But that didn’t stop me from searching for her.

I drove to Belgrade Springs and asked everyone I saw if they knew where she lived, but no one talked. Either they didn’t know or they weren’t willing to rat out her stepfather and his crew of tigers.

After every business closed, the street lights turned off, and the sidewalks emptied, I got back in my truck and drove home, feeling like I was dying inside.

Cameron is doing okay, but he’s really pissed. I can hear him grunting like a madman as he chops wood behind his house. His ax is slamming into the logs so hard that he’s probably gone through a couple of chopping blocks by now.

All I can do now is wait for her to arrive tomorrow morning. If she doesn’t show up, I’m going to drive back to Belgrade Springs and knock on each house, one by one.

I’m finishing the last sip of my beer when I see headlights cutting through the night sky. My heart jumps into my throat as I follow them down the road and onto our ranch.

The unfamiliar car stops as I leap up from my chair and run over.

“Oh, thank God,” I whisper when Brooklyn steps out. She stares at me with watery eyes as her Uber driver pulls away and disappears back down the road.

I’ve never been happier in my entire life. She’s okay and she’s here. I’m not going to make that mistake again. I’m never letting her leave my side.

I rush over to her and swallow her in my arms, breathing in her warm scent, drinking in her sweet innocence. The relief is crippling.

“Are you okay?” I ask when I pull back to quickly look her up and down.

She nods, but she looks upset. It kills me to see her like this.

“Was that them?” Cameron hollers as he comes charging around the house. He’s gripping the ax in his hand like he’s hoping the next thing he gets to chop in half is a tiger shifter.

“No,” I say as I turn back to Brooklyn. “It’s my mate.”

“Your mate?” he says with a shocked grunt. “Oh. Hello. I’m Cameron. Logan keeps talking about you.”

She forces out a smile. “Are you okay? I heard what happened.”

He grips the ax harder and then charges behind his house without a word.

“He’s fine,” I say as the thundering sound of him slamming his ax into wood echoes throughout the night sky. “His ego is hurt more than anything. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

My bear growls as we wait for her answer.

“No,” she says as she grips my arm. “But I have something to tell you. It’s not good.”

I guide her to the porch and sit her down on the chair. I pull up another one and hold her hand.

“Your father didn’t die in a tractor accident,” she says as she looks at me with her chin quivering.

My body prickles all over. I’m stunned as she tells me that her stepfather killed him.

“He wanted your ranch,” she says as she squeezes my hand. “But your father wouldn’t sell it.”

My stomach churns as I stare at the dark forest until it blurs and I can’t see anything.

“Logan, I’m so sorry.”

Tears are sliding down her cheeks when I turn back to her. I thought I recognized that guy from somewhere and now I know where. He showed up at the ranch a few times and my father was always pissed when he left. I didn’t realize it was him who had taken over what my father had spent his life building.