Chapter Thirteen

Three Days Later

Sonya had been avoiding Alec for the last three days. Her body drove her toward the edge of insanity, encouraging her to run to him. Her mind was the issue. He was too strong, too direct, and too right for her. If she gave in to him that would be the end, forever.

Sonya sat at the kitchen table, still in her pajamas, her hair a mess. All she could think about was Alec, which caused her to push him farther away. In the midst of all that she had going on, he shouldn't be the thing taking most of her emotional and mental energy.

Her father didn't have much longer, and with his death the rest of the world would turn and notice. His illness had been kept concealed from the media, but not well enough.

Alec had texted her after their night of passion with a warning about the Gareth's though he didn't name them specifically. She thanked him and told him she would look into it. No reason to, really. Parik would bring her all of the information she needed to make a few decisions, but other than simply waiting for them, her hands were tied.

Alec could take care of the situation, but at what cost? It was inappropriate to involve him. He was probably fending off a civil war within his people as it was.

They had to know about her and certainly had discussed Varetec. She pressed her fingers to her lips as the front door to the house opened. She needed more information on the brown bear and black bear history. Something heavy sat between them.

If there was any chance of a future between her and Alec, she needed to know what they were up against.

"Sonya?" Parik called from the foyer, the sound of his voice bringing her comfort.

"In here. Just thinking about getting up and making breakfast."

The large dark-skinned man walked in and stopped at the edge of the kitchen. He was in his typical attire of jeans and a polo shirt, his body much too big to pull off a suit.

"Just thinking about it? Martha had breakfast made three hours ago. You're going to make some poor bear a horrible wife." He snorted and walked into the kitchen.

"Me making breakfast isn't even the beginning of it. How about the facts that I hate cuddling, I refuse to share the closet or the bathroom and having kids is out?"

"Yep. Forever alone. You sound like Cade." Parik walked back in with a cup of coffee in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. "Need a refill?"

She lifted her mug and watched him. His presence made her feel like her father was in the room as well. The two men had been inseparable for most of her life.

"How is my brother? I haven't seen him in a while. Seems like every time I do, all we end up doing is fighting." She blew the hot steam off the top of the dark liquid.

"He's good. Cade just needs time to fight his own demons. He's not sure at all if he's the man your father would want him to be. He's the only son of the Alpha and doesn't have a bone in his body that screams leader." Parik pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning back and smiling. "You, on the other hand.."

"I am not interested in spitting in the face of tradition." She lifted a hand to wave him off. She didn't want to offend him, but starting down the same well-worn path only to end up with no resolution and a few more hours lost was a waste of time.

"You need to visit your father today. I just came from there and he's having a hard time lifting his hand from the bed." Parik picked up his coffee, avoiding her gaze. Sonya caught the sadness in them before he had a chance to look away. She had seen her father every day, but Parik must have missed her visits as they crossed paths.

"I'm going after I stop by the office. Dr. Phillips called this morning and told me to start getting our affairs in order. I need to meet with our lawyer today and finalize Daddy's will." She let out a long painful sigh and ran her fingers over the dark blue cloth on the table in front of her.

"Have you been in the safe?"

"No." She glanced up at the older man. "I can't force myself to do it. Did Mom and Dad beat compliance into me as a kid? I swear, I just sit there in front of the damn thing and pray it will open on its own so I don't have to break the rules my father set up long ago. We were told time and time again not to get into that safe."

"You? Compliant? Never. You're rebellious just like the rest of us, but you understand and uphold respect. You have a respect for your father that surpasses anything I've ever seen. Victor couldn't be prouder of that quality." Parik ran his fingers through his thick brown hair. "You need to get into the safe. It holds answers, Sonya. You'll need them as you move forward."

"I guess so, but that's easier said than done. I can't imagine what's in the safe that I don't already know. Alec is Dad's plan. I get it."

"Yes, but Alec is far more special than either of you realizes."

"How so?"

"As the Alpha of the black bears, he has a slim chance of bringing his people to unite with us and save us from what's headed our way."

"We don't need saving. You and I can do this."

"Hold on. Let me finish and then you can get upset." He paused, setting his coffee down and leaning forward as he pinned her with his gaze. "He can force his people to do anything. That's the power of the Alpha."

"Great. I'm not interested in forcing an old boyfriend into submission to become our Alpha. I'm looking for the right person to step up. He has to want this."

"And Victor believes that because you are included in the deal, he will want to rule both groups. He can force his people, but not ours."

"Neither group will ever go for this, Parik. What was my father thinking?"

A loud laugh left the handsome man across the table from her, his action softening the tension. "Read the contents in the safe. You need to understand all the pieces of the puzzle. I'm off to the hospital and then to Varetec this afternoon. I'll be around if you need me."

"Did you stop by just to see me?"

"Yep. I'll be doing that a lot more now that your father isn't able to do it. My number one responsibility is to protect you and Cade. I would do it without being told." He stood and walked around the table. Sonya stood and gave her father's best friend a long hug before releasing him. "Be careful."

"You too," she mumbled as he turned to go. She needed to get dressed and head into the office. Varetec was her top priority until she and Alec entered into their agreement later in the week. If she could simply get rid of the desire to forget everything and rush to him, she would be good.

A growl left her lips at the memory of how it felt to have him pressed to her again. Pleasure.

Why couldn't life be simple?

The drive to the office was quick and traffic-free. As Sonya parked and walked into the large building, the receptionist glanced up.

"Morning, Miss Valsek. We're all thinking about you and your father. Any updates?" Kinsey, a young brown bear female with thick curly hair stood and smiled.

"Nothing's changed, unfortunately. Hold my calls and alert me if anyone shows up for me. I want to limit my time here today so I can get to the hospital. Got it?" Sonya stopped in front of the desk and slid her hand along the cold marble.

"Absolutely. There shouldn't be any interruptions. There is nothing on the calendar for today."

"Thanks." Sonya turned and walked to the elevator, nodding appropriately as various people spoke to her. She made it to the top floor and walked into her large office, shutting the door and dropping her bags in an empty chair near her desk.

The office across the hall belonged to her father and would have to be cleaned out, but that could wait. She didn't have the emotional strength to do it just yet.

She moved to her desk and reached over to hit the blinking red button on her office phone. Alec's voice filled up space around her. She shivered and stifled a groan. This wasn't good. His voice alone brought her to her knees. Seeing him was going to be torture.

"Sonya. It's Alec. I have the final drafts of the papers ready and will deliver them myself to your office, or your home, on Thursday unless you direct me otherwise. I'm busy until then with a few things in order to close the deal for us. If you need me, you know where to find me."

She sat down, leaning back and pressing play again as she closed her eyes. She had it bad. Really bad and it wouldn't be long until she broke down and just owned up to the fact that he was the one.

"How fucking scary is that?"

No one had lorded over her in all of her life but her father. She could trust him with her heart and well-being, but Alec? Alec was a hothead, an ass at times and fiercely passionate, not to mention jealous. She was the kind of woman that gave nothing or everything. If she gave him her all, what would she get back in return?

She pressed pause on the machine, not wanting to hear any more. He had too much power over her already. It was only going to get worse.

Giving herself a few more minutes to collect her thoughts, she sat up and turned, pulling various files from her desk drawer. She needed to work up figures for the split and fully understand everything that Alec was proposing before she met with him.

Her father had mentioned that the black bears had an advisory council that worked alongside the Alpha to make pack decisions, but the brown bears didn't have anything of the sort. Victor didn't believe in democracy and she wasn't sure where she stood on it.

Having someone to kick ideas and decisions around with would be great. Her and her father had been doing it forever together, but he wouldn't be around much longer.

Maybe a council was a wise move. She would look into one after the Varetec merger. It would do nothing but slow down the process at this point. She had agreed with Alec to do the deal on a one-year probationary time frame, and she was going through with it no matter what.

A buzzing stopped her in her thoughts and caused her to jump. She was overly sensitive and needed more sleep. Too bad that wouldn't be the case until she found the right medication or finally gave up and went to Alec's bed. The angry animal pacing inside of her wanted more of the sexy black bear and she was being a feisty bitch about it.

"What?" Sonya asked after pressing the small blinking button. Her voice was harsh and though she tried not to be too brash with their staff, she was on edge.

"There is a gentleman here to see you, Miss Valsek."

"And his name is?"

Kinsey must have put her hand over the phone by the muffled voices talking. The man definitely wasn't Alec. It wasn't a voice Sonya knew. The receptionist cleared her throat and responded to Sonya.

"Mr. Dax Collingsworth."

"I don't know him. Tell him to come back another day."

The male's voice rose up from the small box, the overly aggressive ass having moved toward it somehow.

"Sonya, this is Dax. I'm the leader of a large group in Europe and I have no doubt that you've been waiting to see me. I'm not interested in coming back and I will see you now." He didn't sound angry or condescending at all. He simply pressed the weight of his position into his voice and she felt herself wanting to obey. The bears were particular in choosing their Alpha males for this very reason.

Her father rarely used that power, and although Dax couldn't force her to do anything, her father could. It was her submitting to his power and acknowledging him as her Alpha that gave him that ability over her. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, the desire to break this bastard in half overrunning her ethics.

Almost.

"Yes, you're right. Come up and let's talk, Mr. Collingsworth."

She pressed the button on her phone and stood up, walking around her desk and smoothing the front of her black suit with her hands. She wore a crimson silk top under her jacket and was almost grateful for the choice she made earlier to use dominant colors for the day. She needed everything to scream, "Back the fuck off!" to this male.

A moment later a knock sounded at the door and Dax walked in before she could welcome him to do so. Complete Alpha.

His blonde hair was spiked and attractive against his piercing blue eyes and tanned skin. He looked more like someone from California than Europe. Chances were that he was a transient, traveling wherever he needed to and usurping power as able.

"Aren't you beautiful?" He closed the door and moved toward her with a stance that pushed power into the room. She stiffened, but only slightly.

"Let's talk and then you leave. I have too much to do regarding my father's estate to spend time getting to know someone new. Tell me your plans and I'll politely tell you to fuck off. Or we can just start there."

"With us fucking? Oh, I like that a lot." He moved in a tight circle around her, the sound of him breathing in deep setting her on edge. "I see you've been taken recently. That's good. I hate breaking a virgin in. No fun at all really."

"I'm off limits and you're aware of that." She turned to face him, her eyebrow lifting as she held herself carefully in place. Killing him would be a delight.

"Nothing is off limits for me. I came for your pack and I'll have it. Who do I need to obtain succession from? You or your father?"

"My father is our Alpha until his last breath. You will have to fight me, but it will not be until he passes." Her heart began to beat slower as she felt herself sink down into the place she visited when she shifted or killed. If he wasn't careful, this bastard wouldn't make it out of the room alive.

Dax licked his lips, his eyes moving over her as if he had already stripped her down and was ravaging her uncontrollably. "Should I kill the old man so we can tango or is he almost dead, baby?"

That was it.

She rushed him, her fist connecting with his face as she growled loudly. She threw a quick series of kicks, one of them to the back of his knee, which caused him to drop to the floor. He growled as she mounted him and drew her nails, stabbing in a quick fashion over and over again. The sound coming from him was shocking and it dragged her out of her aggression, quieting her as his hands clamped down on her thighs. He was covered in blood and his shirt and chest were shredded.

The sound was laughter.

"Oh my God. How long have I been waiting to find you? You fight like a beast and I bet you fuck even better." He rolled then, pinning her body to the ground and grinding against her.

She growled and reached to swipe at his face. "Get off of me."

"Never. You will be mine. I will wait until your father dies. It's you I want to battle for dominance. Every day, Sonya. Every day for the rest of my life, you and I will fight and fuck until you're exhausted from it all."

She kneed him in the crotch and he screamed, rolling over as she stood. He was dangerous. Far more dangerous than Alec by the gleam in his eye. He had no soul and was so hungry for power that he would do anything to get it.

How many other women did he hold in his harem?

He moved to his feet and walked toward her aggressively. She stood her ground and growled at him, preparing herself for another fight as her voice deepened.

"Get out. I will kill you the next time you come near me. Mark my words." She growled and jerked back as he reached for her, but he was too quick. His fingers wrapped around her throat and squeezed hard. She beat against his chest as he pulled her in close and licked at her mouth.

"I'm going to fuck you until you can't move. I pray you bleed because if you don't, I'll make sure to fuck you up in other ways. I'm the Alpha and you're on your way to becoming my favorite bitch. Don't go near another male again or I'll kill him and have you watch. I'm not like other men, Sonya. Don't fuck with me."

She spit in his face and he reared back and punched her with his free hand. The hit connected with her left eye and the world dimmed for a minute. She was stupid to let him get so close. He released her and she forced herself to remain standing.

"Get the fuck out. You don't know who you're dealing with." She let out a sound of rage.

"You don't either, but you will soon, kitten."