The Reluctant Alpha (West Coast Wolves #1) - Susi Hawke Page 0,3

Devon ambled over to join us. "Nice ape hangers, man. Couldn't handle it myself. Vibration has got to be hard on the shoulders."

The guy didn't seem as spooked by us as other bikers normally were. Probably because he was old enough to be ornery if he wanted and didn’t give a shit who cared. Grunting, he stopped picking his beard to smirk at Devon. "It takes a real man to handle a beauty like this, son. If you can't handle the vibes, maybe you don't belong on the road."

Devon—ever the peacekeeper—kept a congenial smile on his face. "Maybe so, but I think I do all right. Haven't wiped out or gotten any cases of road rash in recent memory, so I guess I'll keep riding. I like your bedroll. Bet it makes a great bug shield. Made it yourself, did ya?"

He knew the magic words to get the old-timer talking. The two of them discussed the man's bedroll while Tucker and I wandered inside.

We grabbed the last empty pool table, and I racked the balls while he went to get a couple beers. At the bar, Lucian was parked at one end with the twink on one leg and the sexy mama on the other. The two didn't seem too interested in each other but sure were focused on Lucian… and competing for his attention. From the looks of it, he had his hands full. Nick was on the dance floor trolling for a date for the night. Whenever Devon made it inside, he'd probably end up shooting the breeze with whoever was sitting next to him once he claimed a barstool. And Tucker and I would play pool.

I knew how things would go down because they always went the same way. The only changes we typically saw in our day-to-day lives were the scenery we rolled past and which bar we ended up in. Otherwise, we were creatures of habit.

Halfway through our third game, Tucker poked my buzzing ass with his pool stick. "Okay, whoever keeps calling isn't going to stop. You might be able to ignore it—hell, maybe you're enjoying the vibrating action—but dammit, answer your fucking phone before I snatch it out of your pocket and snap it in half."

I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone out. "Right. Because you’d really be so drastic. Nah, I figure anyone I need to talk to is inside these four walls. It's probably a wrong number anyway."

Grinning, Tucker motioned for me to hurry up and deal with the call. "So answer it and tell the poor schmuck whatever chick he bought a drink for last week obviously gave him a wrong number. And hurry up because I'm about to kick your ass again when I bank the eight ball off the side and hit the corner pocket."

"Doubt it." I frowned at my screen, relieved the call had gone to voicemail but chilled when I saw the Lucerne Valley area code. The good old 760… my hometown.

Tucker must've noticed something in my expression because he immediately stiffened as if on the alert. "Trouble?"

"Not sure. Area code is for my home pack or someone in the general area. Don't know how they'd have my number when my grandparents passed several years ago. Can't think of anyone there I'd like to talk to either, to be honest." With my bad blood in mind, I deleted all the voice messages without listening to them. Screw that shit. I didn't need to hear from my father if he'd somehow gotten a hold of my number, and I couldn't think of anyone else who would try to reach me because I'd been gone for over a decade.

When my phone vibrated with the same number, Tucker scratched his jaw. "Want me to answer? I have no problem telling your old man to fuck right off. He's neither my sire nor my alpha, so it's no skin off my nose. But whether you do it or I do, someone has to answer, or he's gonna keep calling. If it's even your father. You never know—maybe he got challenged, and there's a new alpha in town. Or one of your childhood friends has been pining for your sweet ass all these years and wants to beg you to come get them."

"I seriously doubt anyone's calling to pledge their undying love. And if it's a new alpha, then he can sit and spin too. I'm telling you, there’s no good reason for anyone to be calling from Lucerne Valley.