Free In the Alpha's Bed (Stealing the Alpha Book 3) by Kate Rudolph

the highest order coming from Maya.
    "My feelings ," she sneered, "Have nothing to do with this. It's my actions - and your actions - that matter. There are seven billion people in this world. I'm sure most of them would be better than a woman who stole the most important pack artifact that we have and let it fall into the hands of a murderous witch." Here words were spoken with cold fury.
    "Eight years, Maya. Name one time in eight years where I put myself above this pack." He would not have argued with anyone else, but Maya had earned her place as his number two and he could not so easily silence her. If he did not earn her support, he didn't know what he’d do.
    "I don't doubt your commitment. But in this case, I doubt your sense."
    His lion rustled beneath his skin, aching to roar. "If you wish to challenge me, you are more than welcome to."
    She rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to challenge you. You couldn't pay me enough to be an alpha." Her phone beeped and she pulled it out of her back pocket. After a moment, she slid it back. "That's not actually why I wanted to talk."
    "Oh?" He was primed now, ready for the argument.
    "Did you find anything?" she asked.
    Luke took a second and a deep breath. He could do business. "No Well. But there was a vampire, probably scouting. It attacked Mick. Mel and I got there before it could do any major damage."
    A bit of color leeched from Maya's brown face, but her expression remained neutral. "What was Mick doing out there?"
    A question Luke would like answered himself. "Hell if I know. Mel says he was creeping around earlier."
    Maya crossed her arms. "Wonderful."
    "Has anything strange been happening with him?" Luke asked. Maya monitored the pack and acted as his eyes and ears at all times. If he didn't know something, she would.
    "No more than the usual teenage bullshit."
    "And are the others back yet?" He didn't know what Mick was up to, but he couldn't worry about that. He'd concern himself with the kid after they defeated Ava and her murderous witch and vampire accomplices.
    "Yeah. Sinclair called to say they found bupkis."
    "Bupkis?"
    She nodded, "Not a leaf out of place."
    Luke and Mel hadn't had enough time to search their area completely, and he wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was the same for Jonas and Sinclair. "We'll search again tomorrow," he decided.
    "I'll let them know."
    She turned around and crossed the room, only pausing to open the door.
    "What about Cassie?" asked Luke. "Have you checked on her?"
    Maya looked back over her shoulder. "She was fine last time I checked. No change for the worse." She left, closing the door behind her.
    Luke followed not long after, taking a moment to duck his head into Cassie's room. Neither Krista nor Bob was with her. Instead another lion, Kyle, sat at her bedside and read a book while she slept. He started to stand when he heard Luke, but Luke raised a hand and let him know to stay put. It was late and he had no need to wake his sister now that she was resting.
    He made it back to his room and the excitement of the day caught up with him. By the time he opened the door, it felt like a thousand pound weight was crushing his shoulders. It lifted slightly when he saw Mel asleep in his bed, her hair flung out across his pillow. In the darkness she was more of a shape than a person, but it felt so right that he had to force himself forward rather than stand in the doorway and just stare at her.
    That would be creepy.
    He crossed the room in the dark, his steps careful and nearly silent. He didn't want to wake her. Luke pulled off his shirt and his jeans, naked except for his underwear. He gently lifted the comforter and climbed in beside her.
    Mel rolled toward him, curling herself up next to his warmth. Luke put an arm around her and closed his eyes. He couldn't remember ever falling asleep faster or more comfortably.
     
     

Chapter Nine
    The arm around her was almost distressingly tight. But Luke’s scent was all around her