Out of the shadows of the mountainous forest of Pine Rock territory, high above a city unaware of what lurked in the darkness above them, emerged a being. His gait was tired, tensed, and very troubled. This being, known to the darkness and known to his own people as Alpha, closed his deep crimson eyes and welcomed the peace the surrounding quiet gifted him.

Alpha took in a deep breath just as a cool summer night breeze kissed his face and combed through his midnight black fur. He could feel the tension within him ease as his breath slowly escaped him. He needed this. He needed to let the familiar scent of nature and the beauty around him settle his mind. He needed the familiarity of home.

The moment Alpha opened his eyes, he continued to push forward. Out from the protective trees and brush onto a wide, grassy cliff that overlooked the city. His eyes inspected the view before him. He was amazed at how the distant city sparkled to life. Seeing the city lit up at dusk like this always reminded him of fireflies awakening within the ominous shadows that was his home.

A smile suddenly creased his tired face as he was finally able to relax without distractions. Alpha loved this feeling of freedom…the freedom to let his predatory nature run free without any restraints or rules. Here he could be who he was born to be; strong, commanding, audacious, erratic and deadly without reproach and void of judgment. He could freely become the wolf within.

In his natural state, Alpha was larger than most of his kind. Standing slightly over five-feet, while on all fours, he was the pillar of strength and authority. Everything about him was large; his paws, his head, and his ego. He was all muscle and hard as steel despite the soft featherlike fur that covered his body. He was quick and more agile on his feet than any wolf of any generation. He demanded power without lifting a finger. But, if he had to prove his strength, he did it with grace, fluidity, and finality.

He was, in every sense of the word, a beast.

Alpha huffed out a breath, took in the view in front of him once more, and then rested his head on the cooling bed of leaves and grass before him. He closed his mind off to the world and allowed both man and beast to co-exist as he thought back to how he became the man and the alpha he was today.

Andrew ‘Alpha’ Pierce understood at an early age what it meant to be an alpha to a pack. His lineage had been the Westside Shadows’ pack leader for centuries, solidifying his destiny before he was even born. Each of the former alphas, including his father, had tried to prepare the young protégé to take his rightful place when the time was right. They did it by teaching the growing rambunctious pup everything he needed to know in order to become an effective and efficient leader. However, in the end, Andrew was the one who did the teaching.

Andrew had proven that he had been born a leader with survival instincts heavily engrained in him as if he’d been successfully protecting and leading a pack all his life. Dominance and aggression were more familiar to him than his mother’s touch. He was extremely intelligent and calculating and very quick on his feet, never making decisions foolishly. Still, Andrew’s father felt he had a long way to go before he was truly ready to lead.

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

It was a quote that Sonny Pierce, Andrew’s father, had heard from somewhere and adopted its meaning. Then he drilled it into his son from birth. But for Andrew, the great power he possessed not only came with overwhelming responsibility, but with a huge bullseye on his back.

Every alpha or wannabe alpha from surrounding packs knew Andrew was being groomed to take over after his father. One of the strongest bloodlines ever bred and one of the strongest packs ever created was being protected by inexperience. Andrew was young, with a temper that was all too easy to provoke, showing a sign of possible weakness that his enemies could and did exploit every chance they got.

Andrew, however, proved that he should never be underestimated. He continued to rise to the challenges he faced with determination, control, and above all else, calculated rage. He refused to let anyone keep him from his destiny. It didn’t matter to him if he was confronted by one lone wolf or a pack of them. Time and time again he destroyed his enemies with extreme prejudice.

As Andrew grew, so did his aggressive nature. He never stopped having to prove himself or prove his strength, his power, or his fearlessness. However, what did change, what made his lessons different from childhood to adulthood, was the presence of his “brothers.” This was his inner circle that happened to be just as callous, mean, and deadly as Andrew.

They were called The Lethal Seven by everyone around them; enemies and friendly packs alike. Winston, Edgar, Stevie, Deacon, and Brody had been with Andrew since the beginning of high school; Cedric since grade school. His brothers were Andrew’s soldiers. They knew and understood what it took to defend their territory and families and did so without hesitation.

The Lethal Seven were ruthless as individuals, but when they came together, they were a force to be reckoned with. They each possessed a certain set of skills that enhanced them as a team. As they fought side by side, they moved in sync with each other like mastered choreography. They could sense each other’s behaviors, sense their thoughts, and were in tune with each other’s emotions deeper than anyone outside of their brotherhood.

Over past decades, people had tested their loyalty to each other and learned the hard way that the bond between them was unmovable. They would give their lives for the other with no questions asked. But, when it came to their Alpha, there was no doubt. These fierce warriors would walk through fire for him without a second thought.

Alpha sighed and closed his eyes. He felt the presence of two of his brothers deep in the brush behind him, but he didn’t acknowledge their presence. He knew why they were there. His unpredictable behavior worried them. He didn’t blame them. Their apprehension and questioning gazes were warranted. However, he couldn’t bring himself to quiet their thoughts or their uneasiness. Hell, he didn’t know how to quiet his own trepidations much less figure out how to quiet theirs.

This was new for him; the emotions he was feeling. He had never felt anything like this. He had never wanted anything or anyone as much as he wanted this woman and that shit was bothering the hell out of him. He was also missing her like crazy.

It had been two weeks…two long and excruciating weeks since Andrew had seen Nyla. They’d spoken on the phone countless times, but they had yet to place their eyes on each other. Andrew was losing his mind. Consequently, it was his own damn fault really; not finding the time to indulge in his desires. He had found himself consumed with working Nyla’s case, looking for all the ammunition they could use to keep Michaels and his client in line. He also had been representing three of the highest grossing companies in the area on huge cases. Two of his cases even took him out of the country. No matter how many times he reminded himself to call her, something unexpected would always come up. He didn’t have the time to do shit else. He barely had time to do the necessities of life: shower, shave, shit, eat, and sleep. And he hadn’t fucked in weeks either, which also didn’t help his mood.

Yeah, something had to give and soon or he would definitely lose his shit.

The last time he had indulged in his favorite past time was the night he spent with Nyla. It had been by far the best night of his life. The way she had opened up to him and how she gave herself to him both humbled him and fucked him up all at the same time. He also felt exposed as shit. The beast inside him, his natural self, had been stirring within him constantly. That was something that had never happened to him before. Yet, it was also a sign that he was losing control. It meant that he was becoming relaxed around Nyla. All of the walls he had strategically built were beginning to crumble and it had everything to do with her. It had felt as if she had been controlling him that night, which was one of the reasons why he had almost left the first time he emerged from her bathroom.

No one controlled him. No one made him do anything he didn’t want to do. That night, he had convinced himself that it was better for both of them that he made his exit. However, when the feelings of contentment started to take over the moment his eyes fell on her, he was lost to everyone but her; including himself. That fucked with him even more. He had never felt that way with any woman ever. The power she had over him wasn’t something that he hadn’t experienced before. It was just the strength of her power that shook him. He would do anything for her; that wasn’t a foreign concept to him. What blew his mind was how oblivious she was to the hold and control she possessed over him. Andrew believed that if she had the smallest inkling of what she could do to him, she would be more dangerous to him than his biggest enemy.

That admission of vulnerability alone should’ve been a deterrent for him to claim her. He had never knowingly brought harm and danger into his life. He had always been smart about who he brought into his trust and who he kept close. But just thinking about leaving Nyla alone and not seeing her again, sent unbelievable pain throughout his body. He actually felt pain in his heart, and an overwhelming sense of emptiness and misery; just like that night in her apartment.

What the fuck was happening to him?

He knew he needed to figure this shit out quick. He could feel himself spiraling out of control and that just couldn’t happen, not now and not ever. For if he ever lost control, it would surely be the end of life as he knew it.

* * *

Nyla Montgomery stared out of her opened balcony door aimlessly as a cool, summer night’s breeze surged all around her. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed anything except the coldness from the glass tight in her grip. Without much effort, Nyla raised the glass to her lips and took in a healthy sip of her drink of choice.

When she had finally made it home from work, she quickly peeled out of her clothes. She had run herself a bath to try and soak the day away and clear her mind. After sitting in the quiet bathtub for close to a half hour, water getting cold, she hadn’t felt any better. Time to think of a plan B. Nyla had washed up then and got out. While the water drained, she had washed the tub out. As the bathtub emptied, she found herself transfixed on the circulation of the water draining. She couldn’t help but compare her despairing life to the flow of the water disappearing down the drain; spiraling out of control into unknown dank, cold darkness and finality. Now thoroughly depressed, Nyla had dried off and dressed in a short cotton summer dress. Afterwards, she headed to her quiet and dark living room.

She was alone tonight. Dee Dee was keeping Se’Nya for her overnight. It wasn’t the plan when she got off of work and went to pick up Se’Nya from Dee Dee’s a few hours earlier. Except, once Dee Dee saw the mental and emotional state she was in, she suggested that she take a night to get herself together.

Great idea! She had told herself. The question now was how was she going to get herself together as suggested? A thought quickly popped into her mind and she smiled.

Alcohol…

Nyla had poured herself a drink and turned her favorite chair toward her balcony. She then plopped her tired body down into the plush cushions of her recliner. Her plan had been to just to have a few to clear her head, enabling her conscience to kick into gear and explain what in the hell she did to deserve what was happening to her. Unfortunately, her few had turned into many, and so far, the useless liquid was doing nothing but making things worse. Although she had failed to get herself out of the rut she felt, she had no intention of putting her glass down. Instead, she brought the glass back to her lips and consumed the bitter taste of reality.

Today was the day from hell, she thought to herself. Drinking might not make matters better, but fuck it.

She took the remaining liquid down quickly, ignoring the burn as it made its way along her thick, dry throat. With her glass now empty, she slowly rose and moved through her dark apartment, careful not to knock over anything as she sauntered into her kitchen. Once she reached her counter, she placed her empty glass down and opened her refrigerator for temporary light. Nyla made her drink; the ratio of vodka to pineapple juice skewed immensely.

Before Nyla plunged herself back into darkness, she used her finger as a stirrer and mixed the contents together as best she could. Once she was satisfied that the little bit of juice was mixed in, she placed her finger into her mouth for a little taste.

“Perfect!” she called out, making a satisfying smacking noise with her lips.

With her drink in hand, Nyla made her way back to her chair and fell into the recliner. She reached for her phone, brought up the music app that housed all of her tunes and found the playlist she wanted. She pushed play and leaned back into the chair. The smooth tone of her grandmother’s favorite artist, Anita Baker, began serenading her through the wireless speaker next to her.

Nyla smiled at the memory of her grandmother, wishing she was there, and took a healthy sip from her glass. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to relax her mind and body, except, it wasn’t working. It seemed that no matter what she did or how much alcohol she consumed, the sadness just wasn’t going away.

“Goodness! Will I ever get a break?” she asked herself and shook her head. So far, the answer to her question had been an overwhelming hell no.

When Nyla woke this morning, she hadn’t expected her day to end like this. She had climbed out of bed with excitement surging through her body and a huge smile on her face. Actually, she should’ve been scared half out of her mind. After all, today was the first day she would face off against Robert for custody of her daughter. Nevertheless, her mind wasn’t on the inevitable custody case. Her dirty mind had been on one thing, and that was tasting Andrew again.

The mediation hearing was to be held in a large conference room at her lawyer’s law firm. The law firm was located on the twenty-second floor of one of the tallest office buildings in the heart of downtown. Having the mediation at Elese’s office had been agreed upon by both parties and had seemed ideal as a neutral place to meet.

The first day Nyla had met Elese, she was skeptical. She actually believed that Andrew was abandoning her. But, Elese had quickly cleared that up by explaining that this case was a huge conflict of interest for Andrew. Nyla understood that logic and after meeting with Elese on multiple occasions, she was glad to have her on the case. It also helped that Andrew had promised to be there every step of the way. That put her mind at ease.

Excited for reasons she shouldn't have been, Nyla had pulled from her closet her favorite dress to wear for the meeting. The dress was made of a polyester-spandex blend with various shades of tan, brown, and orange intertwined together, which flattered her skin tone. The dress wasn’t too sexy or revealing despite the V-neckline. It stopped just above her knees and hugged her curves nicely.

Nyla had accented her outfit with a pair of tan four-and-a-half-inch heel sandals and applied light makeup just to enhance her eyes and lips. She didn’t want to seem as if she was trying too hard to impress, but the thought of seeing Andrew again put her in the mood to tease just a little bit.

Nyla hadn’t seen Andrew since the night she invited him to her apartment and that was about two weeks ago. Admittedly, she was missing the hell out of him. She wanted to see him. She had been dying to touch him, kiss him, and have his arms wrapped around her again. Sadly, between Andrew’s business travel plans and their work schedules, they hadn’t found time to see each other. They did try to make the best of their situation by talking on the phone every chance they got. But, even phone calls were becoming harder to return, replaced with apologetic text messages instead. No longer was she able to lean on hearing his voice to get her through her day. She was left with holding on to mere memories that were starting to sow seeds of doubt.

Was she on her own about this? Did Andrew miss her at all?

The night they had, in her opinion, was unbelievable. She didn’t have much experience with men, but she knew Andrew was one of a kind. She felt it in the way he touched her and even looked at her. The man was so attentive and possessive all at the same time. He made her feel wanted and cherished. And sex with him… Holy shit! It was out of this world. The things he did. The pleasures he gave her. He was merciless with pleasing her, giving her everything she wanted and didn’t both at the same time. He stroked her deep, long and thoroughly. He made her go out of her mind with desire, need and a salacious want that she knew deep down no one would ever provide but him. He ruined her. And yet, he seemed to be completely clueless to what he had done.

She felt like, for him, what they had experienced that night was just physical. The fact that he hadn’t made his way to see her yet was starting to confirm that fact among other things. Yet the things he’d said to her and how he had claimed her body. Didn’t that mean something? ‘You’re mine!’ That’s what he had told her, but Nyla had learned the hard way that men could and would say whatever they needed to say in order to get what they wanted. She had hoped Andrew was different. She needed to know that he was different.

Today had been her chance to find out. She would make it a point to pull him aside and talk to him. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him. Everything that came to mind made her sound like a needy little girl. However, she couldn’t go on wondering either. Decisively, on the drive into town, Nyla figured out how she would start this conversation. She played the scenario over and over in her mind. Yup, this was her moment, her chance to find out if he was real or just all talk. Unfortunately for her, she never got the chance to find out.

A shiver slowly ran up Nyla’s spine just thinking about what had happened today. Nyla huffed out a slow sigh and tried to calm her nerves, but the shaking only got worse.

“Damn it!” she spat as she squeezed her eyes tighter. She hadn’t burst into tears yet, surprisingly, but she knew that it was coming. Her world seemed to be crashing down around her. The things that Robert had said to her, the abominable threats his evil tongue spewed at her, was eating away at her confidence. Could she protect her baby from him? She had believed it was possible before, but now, she wasn’t so sure.

Nyla brought her shaking glass to her quivering lips, desperate to drown the fear that was slowly crawling up her throat.

“Come on, Nyla. Get it together,” She chastised, taking a few deep breaths to add to the calming voice inside her head.

She needed to be honest with herself. What had happened today shouldn’t have been a shock to her. She knew Robert wouldn’t lay down and take it in the ass like the prick he was. She should’ve been prepared for what happened today, not shocked. But, she knew why everything had happened the way it had. She also knew the reason why Robert had been so horrible today. It had been because of Andrew.

Elese had announced before the meeting had started that Andrew had been called to court unexpectedly and wouldn’t be able to attend this meeting. Robert’s attorney offered to postpone the meeting, and Nyla had secretly agreed as her heart sank underneath the conference room table from the news. But, Elese assured everyone that they were ready to proceed without him. All parties agreed to move on in Andrew’s absence, and at the time, Nyla was still very optimistic. She trusted Elese. The pep talk she gave Nyla before the meeting had done its job. She was ready.

“John, my ex-husband, is going to walk into this meeting and do his best to take over,” Elese told her while they waited in the conference room for all parties to arrive. “He’s going to try and be sympathetic to you and your needs, agreeing that Se’Nya deserves to be with her mother and stuff like that. He’s going to play to your heartstrings as a mother. Then he’s going to plead his case on why Robert should have joint custody with visitation on his time. He’s going to put it on nice and thick and do his best to make sure we have no choice but to agree to their terms. I’m also going to tell you that the mediator will probably be on his side as well. However, we are not going to go for it.”

Nyla’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “Why not? If what they present is reasonable for both of us and Se’Nya, why wouldn’t we agree?”

“Because of principle, Nyla.”

Elese moved her chair closer to Nyla, never breaking or wavering her connection. “Nyla, this is our show. This is our case. We have the power to ask for whatever we want and we are going to get it. Robert doesn’t have power here. We do. Michaels doesn’t have power. We do. We will dictate to them what the terms will be. Joint custody is out of the question. We want full custody with scheduled two-day a week visitation when it’s convenient for you. I will also suggest that these visits occur in a location of your choice: either here, your place, or someplace that you select. At least until Se’Nya gets comfortable with the presence of her sperm donor. But, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. When you feel at ease about the new relationship between father and daughter, then we can revisit the topic of visitation. The point is that we set the terms, and they agree or they don’t and he becomes one of the many absentee fathers this world has spawned. Also, I’m planning on hitting him with the petition for child support today.”

The fear that accosted Nyla’s already stricken face made Elese reach for her hand. “He owes you, Nyla. He owes you for every second Se’Nya has drawn breath in this world and he will pay up. I won’t let him skip out on giving you what he owes you.”

“Robert is going to annihilate us, Elese,” Nyla warned, her eyes wide and fearful. “He won’t just fight us on this; he’s going to slaughter us. He’s not going to willfully pay me child support nor will he to take too kindly to being told no.”

“Nyla, he can try to scare me all he wants to. I don’t scare easily, trust me,” Elese stressed, hardening her voice with grit and determination. However, seeing that none of her words were getting through Nyla’s shell, she calmed her voice as she smiled. “Listen, don’t you worry about Robert, okay? He’s going to have to learn that you are in control. You will dictate when he gets to see his daughter. You are the sole custodian, not to mention this baby’s mother. You know what Se’Nya needs, wants, and how to make her feel safe. Robert has no clue how to please anyone but himself. What we’re not going to do is allow Se’Nya to be a test subject to see if Robert can be a good father.”

With that being said, Nyla believed Elese was very capable of representing her best interests. And with Andrew being there for support, Nyla truly believed that there wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. On the flip side of that, as soon as Elese announced that Andrew wouldn’t be coming to the meeting, she panicked. And with good reason, she had thought. The last time Andrew had been around Robert and Michaels, he had put fear in them. Now, with his absence from the meeting, there wasn’t a guarantee that things would go smoothly. However, Elese's confidence and her incalculable, determined focus, eased Nyla’s fears. Seeing Elese’s grit and coolness had been the only reason why she didn’t speak up when Elese had announced that they were going to move forward with the meeting. She also thought that maybe, just maybe, Robert wouldn’t show his ass today. Maybe he would act civilized, and everything would turn out fine. Regrettably, it didn’t. He didn’t. The moment Robert learned that she wanted full custody and child support, he erupted.

The whole morning fell apart after that and all Nyla wanted to do was turn back time and start the whole day over. Hell, she wanted to start the whole year over and it would’ve started with not allowing Andrew to creep into her life. She wasn’t blaming him for what had happened. Robert was a psycho; she had known this already.

Andrew, however, was responsible for the hope she had in her heart. She believed that he would take care of her, protect her, and make everything better. It was stupid for her to have put that much faith in someone she barely knew, and it was foolish for her most of all because she knew better.

Andrew didn’t owe her anything and he didn’t know her from a can of paint. Why would he offer his help to her without getting something in return? He had explained why he had helped her after they had dinner, but she didn’t believe him. It was too good to be true. He was too good to be true. She felt stupid for being so trusting and even more stupid for allowing herself to open up to him the way she had.

But goodness, she just couldn’t help herself. It was the way he had made her feel and the way he had looked into her eyes, that was contradicting every rational thought she had about him. Nyla believed wholeheartedly that what she saw in Andrew, what she felt when he touched her and kissed her was real. There was no way someone could fake that kind of sincerity or that kind of passion, right?

Still, it was hard for her to ignore her unwanted but reasonable thoughts. The unknown, she admitted, was eating away at her most of all. Nyla had called Andrew earlier that day; the urge to put herself out of her misery was palpable. She’d even tried to call him when she got home a couple of hours ago, but both times he hadn’t answered nor had he returned her calls. His absence from today’s meeting, the unanswered questions, and the silence from Andrew wasn’t doing her mind or heart any good. And couple all of that with that she’d had sex with him, and shit was fucked up.

She needed answers.

Despite her fears, she needed to know if she should give up or hold on. She wanted to believe that Andrew was nothing like Robert or any other man. He didn’t just want to fuck her. But, again, she was being naïve. Maybe that was all he wanted. Maybe her servicing him on her back was what he considered payment for helping her.

She took down a huge gulp of vodka, sat up and decided to call him one last time. If he didn’t answer or call her back tonight, she’d have her answer.

Just before she looked up his number, her phone started to vibrate. Darrius’ face appeared on her screen.

Nyla’s heart dropped ever so slightly as Darrius’ smiling face looked back at her. It had been a while since she’d spoken to him. Nevertheless, Nyla started not to answer it. She knew Darrius would be able to tell she was off and would grill her until she told him everything. Nyla’s hand was about to swipe her phone to end the call, but she paused. No matter how she felt, she still wanted to talk to someone…anyone. Also, Darrius was her friend. If she couldn’t talk to him, who else could she talk to? So, she decided to answer her phone.

Ten minutes into the call, she regretted not sending him to voicemail.