as I could until I stumbled over a rock and tumbled sideways, rolling into the ditch. My vision was blurry as the world spun around me. I tried to look up, but I was suddenly too weak to even lift my head. Lying there whimpering, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made it this far, only to die in a ditch on the side of a human road.
Except I wasn't even in the ditch. I'd landed on the edge, half in and half out with my head hanging down. The blood rushing to it was probably contributing to my current vertigo.
My vision started to go black. I was wondering if this was really it when I heard the rumble of an engine unlike any of the cars I'd seen so far. Powerful like thunder, it echoed through the hills as if demanding to be noticed and admired.
As everything went dark, I wish I had the strength to see the kind of vehicle issuing such a sound. If cars had an alpha, surely this one must be it. Smiling at my own silliness, I let my thoughts drift as I released my grip on consciousness.
Three
Lucian
A month earlier…
Driving through the small mountain town of Tehachapi was a trip. Of the mind-blowing variety. With a population barely over thirteen thousand, it was a charming community nestled high in the Southern California mountains. In the past as I zoomed by on Highway 58, I'd barely registered the exit. I remembered coming into town exactly once, and the high price of fuel and snacks sent me right back to the highway. Although, to be fair, it was probably marked up near the interstate to catch the tourist money, not locals. I’d keep an open mind.
Yeah… looking at the area with fresh eyes, I could see myself settling in here quite nicely. It was definitely scenic. The rugged desert was twenty minutes down the highway, while these hills thrived with life. Sure, rocky hills and craggy bush surrounded the highway, but off of it, trees and grass took over. And grape vines. And neat suburban neighborhoods with manicured lawns.
How did a thriving pack kept themselves hidden in such a small, enclosed town? Given the surrounding mountains, they couldn’t sprawl like most places in this state.
About twenty minutes out of the downtown area, I found myself in the Bear Valley Springs neighborhood and better understood. The homes I passed now sat on larger plots. The land was filled with trees, surrounded by hills and the ever-present mountain. If they kept their heads down, a pack would easily blend in. The GPS told me the address was still a couple miles out, even further from town. Another good idea. Maybe this new pack wouldn’t be so bad.
While I was trying not to have any expectations, the best way to avoid disappointment in my book, I’d been half afraid of finding douchebags like Bart Macklebee III, the former alpha I’d killed while defending my buddy Matt’s packlands.
I hadn’t been the only alpha to accidentally inherit a pack. I was simply the shmuck who’d least wanted one. The West Coast Wolves, my biker club and unofficial pack of fellow alphas, were all growing up with packs of our own, it seemed. With everyone else stepping up to their responsibilities, I’d had no choice but to do the same.
At least, I was sticking with that story when anyone asked. Secretly, Matty’s growth as a pack alpha had inspired me, and I wondered if maybe, just maybe, I might have it in me to follow in his footsteps with a pack of my own. After a lifetime without roots or family to call mine, it felt like the right time to take a chance on finding some. Roots, anyway. I had a family with my crew. Anything more would be too much to hope for… and if I harbored a fantasy or two in such a direction, nobody needed to know.
It was okay. I knew I could do this, and at least I was still a quick ride to any of my buddies and brothers-in-arms. But… fuck. I wasn’t like Matthias with his purposeful pack management. How he’d accomplished so much in Lucerne Valley in such a short time was amazing. Although having a mate like Eli didn’t hurt.
Yeah, Eli had to be one of his secrets. Matty was lucky to have a perfectly sweet helpmate at his side who knew how to organize with the best of them. Not to