Page 2 of My Ruthless Alpha (Alpha Outlaws Club #5)

The house was rowdier than usual while the game played on the flatscreen, and the guys sat around drinking and downing snacks for the night.

My place was normally quiet and spotless, but that changed when our group wanted to hang out, but nobody felt like trudging over to the old bar. It was unusual for us, and while I could’ve lived without the chaos, I didn’t mind having them around.

“All right,” Levi said just after half-time, standing from the recliner he took up as his seat of choice from the moment he arrived. “I should head out.”

Ethan scoffed, throwing his arms up. “What, already? The game’s not even over yet.”

He chuckled. “There’s not much I can do about that…you know how it is.”

“Some of us have others waiting for us to get back home,” Sebastian added with an amused grin, also getting up from his spot while he stretched absentmindedly.

“And some of us will get reamed out for being home too late,” Ezra piped up, quietly admitting that Zoe didn’t let things slide with him too often. Not that it was a secret, anyway.

Ethan waved them off with a shake of his head. “ Some of us sound incredibly lame…bunch of old-timers…”

The others snickered, and Jacob gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Old timers that can still beat your ass if we need to.”

“Yeah, sure,” he muttered before a smug look crossed his face. “We both know your knees would give out before that could ever happen.”

“Being the youngest of us must be nice,” Levi said, unprepared to stay quiet during the light-hearted banter. “Being so presumptuous, ignorant, and sorely misguided.”

Ethan chuckled. “Try incredibly strong, fast, and quick-witted. I’d be afraid of putting you into a nursing home after a spar between us.”

Levi laughed at that, grinning as he held a hand out to dap him up, but not without keeping his fingers locked against Ethan’s, keeping a mischievous air about him. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid.”

“Yeah, yeah, get out of here,” Ethan returned, letting a faint smile cross his lips. His eyes flickered over to me as he grabbed a can of something new and tossed it my way. “That just means more for us, right?”

Catching it easily, I put it down beside me. “That’s right.”

“You two enjoy bachelorhood together…we’re out of here,” Sebastian said while the others followed, and they started leaving the room.

On their way out, we said our goodbyes, and then Ethan and I returned to our places and continued watching the game.

Taking a swig of my drink, I lifted a brow and glanced at him. “This isn’t your usual cheap crap.”

Ethan snickered. “Nah, I grabbed something imported since you guys wouldn’t quit harping on me. It’s fancy, apparently. Whatever the hell that means.”

“You have to admit it has a more refined taste.”

“Refined my ass…it doesn’t beat my usual,” he retorted with a vaguely disappointed shake of his head. “Remind me not to let myself conform to criticism next time.”

“Good for you, learning to stick up for yourself,” I chided while the game continued to play.

Ethan chuckled at that. “You guys and your ageism…as if we’re not all in the same league here.”

“You make it too easy.”

As the game went on, the two of us went from comfortable bouts of silence to jeering, complaining about our team's bad plays, and chattering aimlessly. We mostly shared our mutual irritation about how the game was unfolding, but either way, it wasn’t outside our norm.

Ethan and I started hanging out more one-on-one since we were the only single guys left between the six of us. The others joined us whenever they could, but between their mates, kids, and running their packs, they were too swamped to hang out as much as the two of us.

It could be disappointing sometimes, but we didn’t mind all that much. At the very least, we had our relative freedom, and as far as I could tell, I didn’t have anything to complain about.

I had my pack, company, brothers, and friends and was determined to be fine with that. I was in a better position than most in the grand scheme of things, and I didn’t want to be ungrateful about it.

Even if I found myself right in the middle of the scale of wanting to settle down and savoring being a bachelor. The guys were on one side, Ethan was on the other, and I was hovering somewhere between.

Over the years, I worked hard to craft the life I wanted. Everything was done carefully and meticulously, and I wasn’t about to risk it all just to appease the part of my inner wolf that wanted to slow down and experience another aspect of being I hadn’t looked into too deeply.

Regardless of how I went about it, searching for a mate would only bring chaos, and I had already been somewhat scarred by that notion.

While the game played on the screen, lighting up the otherwise dim living room, a familiar scent filled the space before I caught his footsteps.

“Damn it, I missed the guys again?”

Glancing over at my youngest brother, Miles, I nodded. “Mhm. By about ten minutes.”

Miles sighed and shook his head before wandering over and dropping himself onto the couch, reminding me of how he used to when he was a kid. “I always do.”

“Good. They’re awful influences on you.”

Ethan chuckled. “It’s true.”

My brother just waved us off. “Can’t be any worse than Tyler’s influence.”

I scoffed. “Don’t remind me.”

While the rest of my life tended to be tidy and reserved, my brothers were anything but. The three of them were always getting themselves into trouble. Tyler, the second oldest, had an impossibly difficult streak for a while, and I spent a lot of time trying to rein him in. At the very least, he seemed to level out the older he got. Aiden was surprisingly moodier than Miles, but I attributed that to him being freshly twenty and still figuring everything out for himself. Miles, the youngest of us, still had that innocent, humorous outlook on the world, and while he could be naive at times, it only added to his charm.

Even if they could all be difficult in their own ways, I cared about them immensely, and everything I made for myself was also for them.

Of course, they were free to do as they wanted and explore their own lives, but I would always be there to provide for them whenever they needed it. It didn’t matter what kind of mess they got into; I would always look out for them.

Just like he owned the place, Miles made himself comfortable and joined in with us while we finished watching the game. Since he still lived with me, it was typical of him to invite himself, but I didn’t mind. It’s his house, too, after all.

I was just glad my brothers could still stand me as they got older.

Eventually, our night came to an end when Ethan decided to head back home, and Miles slipped upstairs to his room, leaving me to clean up the mess as usual.

With a sigh, I grabbed a flat box and gathered the empties left around the living room, grumbling to myself.

It was typical of them to get up and leave, not thinking twice about the mess. While I enjoyed having them around, the aftermath was definitely my least favorite part.

When the room was clean enough to satisfy me, I headed for the garage to leave the garbage out there, pausing to look over Miles’ Wrangler, which sat caked in mud, giving away how he had spent his evening.

Typical.

Letting go of another breath, I went to turn around and head back inside, but something stopped me. An odd sensation moved through my system and prevented me from leaving the garage.

I didn’t know what it was or what it meant, but the longer the feeling lingered, the more compelled I felt to lift the garage door.

As it smoothly slid up the track, I stepped outside and looked down the street.

It was quiet in the darkness, save for the streetlights lining the road into town, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

My pack members and anyone else living in the area were at home and likely sleeping, if not preparing to do so. Looking over everything, knowing they were safe and comfortable, brought a sense of appeasement over me. Knowing I was doing everything I should for them, providing and giving them the security they deserved.

I never intended to be an alpha, but when it happened, I made it my personal mission to look after my pack as my previous alpha had. He became a sort of archetype for me to follow, and I was thankful I did.

Not thinking much of it, I went to head back inside but stopped. In the distance, I could hear something—shoes against pavement.

They weren’t fast by any means, but given how the sound gradually got louder for my sharp hearing, I knew they were getting closer.

It wouldn’t be unusual for someone to be awake and up at night, but something about it felt different.

A sense of fear lingered in the air, almost wafting over to me before I could decide to ignore the sound. The panic that came with it helped me make up my mind, and without thinking twice, I moved down the driveway and made my way to the street.

Even if it was nothing, I still had to check. I needed to know.

After walking for a bit, that was when I spotted her.

I had been right about the fear and anxiety, which only heightened as we drew closer. There was no mistaking the desperation that seemed to follow her, and it became incredibly obvious that I couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

As the woman approached, moving slowly, exhaustedly, she held a child against her shoulder. Regardless of how tired she seemed, she never put down the small girl with near-black hair.

Brows furrowed, I carefully approached her and tried to keep my increasing curiosity at bay. I didn’t want to scare her even more because of how alarmed she seemed.

Even from that distance, I could hear low, quiet mumblings coming from the woman, almost like she couldn’t stop saying those words. They were quiet and gave away her true exhaustion even more than her distressed steps, but I managed to catch the most important word…

Help .

Decided, I picked up my pace, determined to help the woman however I could.

But as the wind picked up and carried her scent in my direction, something in me seemed to wake as if emerging from a deep slumber.

A shiver moved through me, and at once, there was no denying that scent. How even after several years apart, I could still pick hers out from a crowd if it ever came to it. She was someone I couldn’t easily forget anyway. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t always think about her.

My expression softened to one of surprise and awe. I never thought I’d see her again…and I definitely didn’t think I’d find her frantically approaching my pack grounds, looking like she was being chased by something dangerous.

I couldn’t believe it.

Despite the slight ache in my chest that accompanied those memories I shared with her, and regardless of her panic, I still thought she was just as beautiful as the day I left her.