Bad Boy Alphas Book 5: Alpha's Obsession
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Renee Rose
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A werewolf, an owl shifter, and a scientist walk into a bar…
Sam
I was born in a lab, fostered out to humans, then tortured in a cage. Fate allowed me to escape, and I know why.
To balance the scales of justice. Right the misdeeds of the harvesters.
Nothing matters but taking down the man who made me what I am: A monster driven by revenge, whatever the cost.
Then I meet Layne. She thinks I’m a hero.
But she doesn’t understand—If I don’t follow this darkness to its end, it will consume me.
Layne
I’ve spent my life in the lab, researching the cure for the disease that killed my mom. No late nights out, no dates, definitely no boyfriend.
Then Sam breaks into my lab, steals my research, and kidnaps me. He’s damaged. Crazy. And definitely not human.
He and his friends are on a mission to stop the company that’s been torturing shifters, and now I’m a part of it.
Sam promises to protect me. And when he touches me, I feel reborn. But he’s hellbent on revenge. He won’t give it up.
Not even for me.
Chapter One
Layne
The computer data stares at me and I stare back. It’s a pointless contest. The computer wins.
Shaking my head, I roll my chair across the lab to my microscope, but no, nothing’s changed there either. “That can’t be right,” I mutter and rub my eyes. I’ve been peering through the microscope or at a screen all day, seven days a week since starting this job. Maybe I’m starting to hallucinate.
“Something wrong?”
I gasp and whirl, hand to my chest. “Dr. Smyth, you startled me.”
The man at the door inclines his white blond head but doesn’t apologize.
“Nothing’s wrong. Just talking to myself. I do that sometimes. Um.” I clear my throat. “I finished with the preliminary tests with the cells the Alpha team rushed over. There have been some rather spectacular results.”
My boss walks in like he owns the place, even though he hasn’t set foot in here since he first hired me. He isn’t dressed in a lab coat, but in a dark business suit. Even in shiny black shoes, he doesn’t make a noise when he moves, and sometimes I catch him watching me with an unblinking stare. Like an alligator or some predator on the hunt. My mother always told me I had a wild imagination. I clutch my desk chair, happy to have something between me and him.
“I have to ask—what was the source of these cells?”
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” His smile makes me stiffen. If anything, the mirthless grimace only showcases his prominent canines.
“Ah yes, of course.” I give a half-hearted laugh, to show I know it was a joke.
“All in due time, Miss Layne. For now, Data-X is enforcing double blind tests on all new projects, to prevent research bias in the findings.”
“Of course. It’s just, the data… it’s extraordinary.” I move to my desk to show him. “Everything was normal until I placed them under a high spectrum—”
“One moment,” My boss interrupts and waves in someone from the hall. A lean, older man with a seamed face walks in. “Don Santiago, I’d like you to meet our new hire, the leading scientist on the Omega project. Miss Layne Zhao.”
Actually, it’s Doctor Zhao. I worked hard for that Ph.D. Someday I’m going to have the nerve to correct this creep with a crocodile smile.
The newcomer’s eyes crawl up and down my form. He’s either judging my rumpled appearance, or admiring my breasts under my lab coat. I decide it’s the former, to give him the benefit of a doubt.
“Nice to meet you.” I straighten, wishing I’d known my boss was coming with guests. I can’t remember the last time I went home to shower. Not that I’d have much time, but at least I could’ve put on a fresh lab coat and brushed my hair. I can’t remember the last time I did any of those things, either. Which isn’t keeping Don Creepy from eye-fucking me.
“The pleasure is mine,” the man purrs in heavily accented English. His gaze rests on the curve of my breasts under the lab coat as he says to Smyth, “Such a beautiful woman to keep locked up in this lab.”
Smyth chuckles and I grip the chair. Something about the grating sound puts my teeth on edge.
“Oh, we’ll let her out eventually.” To me he says, “Don Santiago is visiting all our operations. He’s a major donor to the program. I’d like him to hear your findings.”
“Of course.” I pause as several black clad men stride in and take places by the door and discreet places around the room. They all carry automatic weapons strapped to their chest.
“My apologies,” Santiago says in that warm, rich tone. “I bring my bodyguards wherever I go. Things are less secure in my home country.”
“Ah, right. No problem. Security around here is pretty tight, too.” I smile weakly. Truth is, security around here is ridiculous. Another reason I work such long hours in the lab—so I don’t have to go through the stupid strip search every time I take a break or leave for lunch. Some of the security guards enjoy searching me a little too much.
“A necessary precaution,” Smyth says. “Our research is on the cutting edge of DNA studies. Our competition would kill to get their hands on our findings.” I stiffen again at the word kill, but both Smyth and Santiago chuckle. Being surrounded by six burly guards with guns must put me on edge.
I clear my throat. “As I was saying, these are the cells extracted from the Alpha project—you’re familiar with it?”
Both Smyth and Santiago nod. They probably know more about it than I do.
“So I’m running tests on these cells. And… they’re extraordinary. Resistant to disease, extremely long lasting and self-regenerating.” I pause for gasps of awe.
Nothing. The two men watch me. Santiago almost looks… bored. Smyth gestures for me to continue.
“But they’re normal human cells… at least I thought they were.” I turn to the computer where I ran the latest test. “Today I placed them under a weak light spectrum. The cells… morphed. Into something else. Something… not human. I haven’t been able to discover much beyond that—”
“What sort of light spectrum initiated the changes?”
“Uh.” I hate when I’m interrupted, and Smyth does it a lot. But he’s the boss, and when he hired me, he gave me access to a state of the art facility to complete my post-doc studies. And when I publish my findings, all the creep factors here will be worth it. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway. Just smile and comply. “It’s uh…” I search for layman’s terms. “Made mostly of red and orange. A weak light. Meant to simulate moonlight.”
Smyth and Santiago exchange glances.
“Anything else?” Santiago asks. I shake my head, even though I want to gush on about how amazing the breakthrough is.
“Good, good. Email me with any more findings.” Smyth holds out a hand to usher Santiago from the room, immediately dismissing me.
I bite my tongue. I’m a DNA scientist. I have degrees from two top schools. And now I have a boss who treats me like an idiot lab tech, or worse, eye candy. And I’ll take it, because if these Alpha cells hold the key to curing disease, then being a little uncomfortable is worth it.
I sigh and get back to work.
.
A few hours later, the lights flicker above me, and I blink. For a second the lab is bathed in darkness, the only light coming from the computers. I stand, but they come back on, as if everything’s normal. My computers are all running, but they’re on backup generators so if there’s a power outage, I don’t lose any data. Still, it’s odd.
“Security,” a low voice calls and I rear up from the desk. A young man with spiky blond hair holds up his hands. He’s wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt molded to his muscled chest. He’s not a big guy, like some of the security guards, but he is pure lean muscle. Something about him makes my near-extinct libido rev its engine.
“Hey, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s all right. Um, do you need me to go?” I gather up some papers.
“No, I won’t be here long. Are you on the night shift?”
I flash him a smile. He’s young for a security guard—my age. Tattoos run up his forearms and he has gauges in both ears. Even so, he’s friendly-looking, and not in a creepy way.
“I’m just working late. Ongoing project. You know how it is.”
“I’ll be quick,” he says. “Just doing the rounds.”
“Got it. They sure don’t skimp on the security around here.”
Another low laugh. He’s a little James Dean. Or Billy Idol. Not like the other military-type guards. “I promise not to get in your way.” His voice is smoky.
“Thank you.” This earns him a bigger smile. My lab is my kingdom and sanctuary. As much time as I spend here, it should be my permanent address.
I pinch the bridge of my nose to relieve the ache between my eyes. It’s nighttime, which means dinner. I haven’t even eaten lunch.
I head to the corner where I keep my granola bars and pain meds, feeling the young guard’s eyes on me. He’s attractive, if you pay attention to things like that. Which I usually don’t. For whatever reason, my hormones, which have barely worked since I skipped high school and went straight to college, just kicked into gear. Over the first friendly security guard in this prison-like work environment. Go figure. I definitely need to get out more.
I use the break to go to the bathroom, where I splash water on my face. Other than dark circles under my eyes, I don’t look too horrible. My straight black hair is pulled into a tight ponytail, no muss, no fuss. I have high cheekbones and dimples, like my mother, with almond-shaped eyes, a gift from my Chinese-American father. I guess I’m pretty. Even in a lab coat, my curves are obvious. Not as full as they would be if I ate regularly. But under the white fabric is a woman’s body. Enough to entice skeevy security guards. Enough to draw Santiago’s attention.
I make a face at the mirror. I don’t care if he’s a donor and multi-millionaire—and he must be, to fund a project like this. That dude was creepy. I don’t want him ogling me. The young security guard… now that’s a different matter. Wouldn’t mind a strip search from him.
Okay, that was an uncharacteristically sexual thought. What’s going on with me? I really have been too isolated lately.
When I return to my seat, the computer flickers. Odd. It was fine a minute ago. But now the screen is alive with movement.
What the hell? I frown, my fingers flying for the mouse. My research is on this computer and I don’t have time for IT problems.
I look over and see the young security guard bent at a modem in the corner. “What are you doing?”
He straightens, but doesn’t answer.
“The only person who’s supposed to touch these computers is me.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and for some reason, I think he’s doing it to seem less threatening.
“Did Dr. Smyth send you?”
The handsome guard goes still. Fully alert. “You know Dr. Smyth?”
“Of course I do. He hired me. He was just here.”
“Here?” The man’s mouth tightens, blue eyes blaze. “Did you see him?”
“Yes. Why?” The computer beeping beside me makes me turn. “What did you do?” Numbers scroll across the screen, some sort of code I don’t recognize. “These machines are used only for tabulating my test results.” I hit the keyboard and nothing happens. “Did you do this? Make it stop!”
When I turn, he’s pointing a gun at me. A large handgun with an extra barrel on top. “Step away from the computer,” he says. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
My heart jams up in my throat. I raise my hands and back away. Gone is the casual, harmless air, replaced by a hard-faced soldier.
Who in the hell is this guy and what does he want? Suddenly the security in this building doesn’t seem so over the top. Maybe they really do have people who want to steal the research. If I can get into the hall, I can pull an alarm. My eyes must’ve flashed in that direction because he shakes his head.
“Don’t even think about it.”
My blood runs hot, then cold. “What are you going to do?”
“What I have to. No more, no less. Do as I say and you have nothing to worry about.” Says the man holding the gun. I keep still, mentally tallying everything in this place I could use as a weapon. There are a few vials of infectious diseases in a cold room, but if I throw them at him, I’m putting myself at risk. Keeping the gun trained on me, the intruder moves to the computer and waits.
“A few more minutes, and I’ll be on my way. This lab is rigged with explosives, though. So you’ll want to get out quick.”
Ice sluices through my veins. “What? No,” I gasp. “You’re bluffing.”
“I don’t bluff.”
I grip the back of a chair to keep upright, the tidal wave in my stomach making me dizzy. “Why are you doing this? This research could save lives.” My brain spins, working on how to get my data out of the place before it blows.
“Is that what they told you to get you to work here?” He has an eerie calm about him. A quiet intelligence that keeps me from writing him off as a lunatic.
How could I have mistaken him for a security guard? When he turns his eyes on me, I see I was wrong—they aren’t blue. They glow a weird yellow color. Or maybe it’s a trick of the light.
“They lied.”
“No, it’s the truth. I should know. I’ve been working on this project half my life. And I’m so close to a breakthrough.” I can’t stop myself from turning to the printer and grabbing the reams of paper printout. “Please, my findings will mean so much to people. People with no hope—” my breath catches on a sob. I don’t usually wear my heart on my sleeve. Guess having my life threatened brings it out.
He takes a soft step forward and studies my face a moment. “What did you find?”
“The cells I’m working on—they’re resistant to disease. Not only that, they regenerate. I’m almost done extracting their DNA sequence. Once I do that, I’ll be able to replicate it.”
Something flickers in his expression, but I can’t quite read it. “And then what?”
“Then… I’ll use it to help people. People who are sick. People who have debilitating, life-threatening diseases, and no other options. This can help so many.” I stop as the lights flicker again.
They come back on, pause, as if holding their breath. Then cut off for good and we’re plunged into darkness. I can only see by the green gleam of the exit sign over the door. The young guard hasn’t moved, and I realize—this is part of his plan. His handsome face is almost weary in the low light of the computer screens.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
Something in me snaps. I run toward the door. He’s on me in a flash, arms banding around me from behind. I open my mouth to scream and he clamps a hand over my mouth. It occurs to me he didn’t use the gun. Why not?
“Calm down.” He carries me backwards. I’m smaller than him, and he’s also freakishly strong. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to know more about Dr. Smyth. Where is he now? In the facility?” He smells like pine trees and warm earth. Maybe it’s a sign that I’ve been cooped up alone here too long, but his arms feel nice around me—as if he’s giving me a hug, not restraining me. And I’m not as freaked out as I probably should be. Still, I can’t have him ruining my research. He slowly peels his fingers from over my mouth.
“I don’t know anything. Please. I was just hired a few months ago!”
“But you saw him today?”
I nod.
“Was he with anyone?”
“An old man—a donor. Don Santiago. He had lots of bodyguards,” I add. “Like ten of them. Men with guns. Militia.” I don’t know if I tell him that part to scare him or because I need to share it with someone because I found it so bizarre.
The young man turns me so I face him. He holds both my forearms in a firm but not bruising grip. Something about his closeness brings my body to life, my nipples tingly and hot, heat pooling between my legs. But it’s insane to be attracted to a criminal.
“Are they in the building?”
I shake my head. “No, I think they left.”
“Where did they go? Does Smyth have an office here?”
“Please…”
“Answer me!” he snaps.
“No! I don’t know where he works. We usually conference by phone or video.” I peer up at him in the darkness. His eyes are ancient in his youthful face. He’s lived a hard life, whoever he is.
“What’s your name?”
“Dr. Zhao. Layne.” I add my first name, hoping he’ll see me as a person, not some faceless lab rat. I lick my lips. Briefly, his gaze falls to them. Indecision plays over his face.
“All right, Layne.” He rotates me to pin both my wrists behind my back. “You’re coming with me.”
.
Sam
Layne’s frightened breathing haunts me as I propel her in front of me, one hand caging her wrists. After standing up to me to make an impassioned speech, I half expect her to try to make a run for it. But she keeps her head down and does what I order. Maybe she’s in shock. Or biding her time. She’s obviously smart.
Dr. Layne Zhao. Layne. Her name jingles through my head like a melody. She smells sweet, like jasmine. Apparently it’s been too long since I’ve hooked up with a female, because my wolf went nuts when I grabbed her, flooding my mind with images of dragging her down to her hands and knees and taking her hard from behind.
Christ. I’m losing control. I can’t let the moon madness take me again. I can’t. If I want to shut this operation down, I need to maintain my humanity. I can’t let the darkness take over.
I hustle her down the hall, swiping her badge and using it to open the door. She angles her face to the camera above it and mouths the word, help.
Too bad for her a simple hack on site has them looping the same recording over and over. Besides, I already tranquilized the two guys monitoring the entrance. Security is tight, but no system is impenetrable. It’ll be tricky to get out with a hostage, but so far so good.
Hostages aren’t really my style, but if she’s telling the truth about Smyth and Santiago, she’s my closest link to them. That, and the data drive burning a hole in my pocket.
Taking her has nothing to do with the fact that my wolf is howling for me to protect her. Afraid she won’t get out before my explosives blow the place.
The lights flicker on and my hostage comes alive, twisting her body in an attempt to free herself from my grasp.
I curse, not wanting to bruise her. She rears her head back and nails my nose with her forehead in a move both surprising and sexy.
My nose cracks, hold slips. She wrenches free, taking off down the corridor.
My wolf thinks it’s a goddamn game and before I can temper my response, launches for her. I tackle her to the ground in a skidding tumble. Her little oof makes my cock harden against the soft curve of her ass. A drop of my blood falls on her neck and I have to bite back the apology that springs to my lips.
She’s the one who broke my nose, for moon’s sake.
I throw myself off her, more afraid of losing control than I am of her getting away. I can always catch her again. Thanks to my shifter healing abilities, my nose has already stopped bleeding, bones finding their way back into place. I’m grateful for the miracle of healing every fucking time, only because I remember all too well what it’s like to be too weak for my wounds to regenerate.
Layne surges onto her hands and knees.
I grab her ankle and pull her back. She takes me by surprise again, twisting and throwing her body at mine, like she wants to tackle me to my back. Of course, I don’t go over because of my shifter strength, so she ends up straddling my lap, arms tangled around my neck.
Well, helloooo Layne, my wolf purrs. My boner presses up against the heat of her crotch. I feel her hand in my pocket, grabbing for the data drive.
Clever woman.
I catch her wrist to stay her hand, wrap one arm around her waist. I don’t mean to yank her hips tighter against mine, but it happens. Okay, maybe I did mean to.
Because I’m losing the fight with my wolf.
Fates, I wish she didn’t look so damn appealing. Her high cheeks flush with color, and fuck, are those freckles sprinkled across her nose?
My wolf pants, bringing my nose right up to her neck. It takes every ounce of my control not to flick my tongue out and taste her skin.
“Dr. Zhao, I’d love to do the horizontal mambo with you some more, but we don’t have time. We need to get out of this building before it blows.”
Tears pop into her eyes and it does something terrible to my insides.
My wolf backs down, aggression dampened.
“But my research.” She sounds absolutely broken.
Seriously?
Wow. This woman cares more about her research than her own life. Which is... fascinating.
“If you want your research preserved, you’ll have to stick with me, then, won’t you?” I wave the data drive in her face. It’s dastardly of me, since I have no intention of returning her research, but I need to get her the hell out of this building before it blows. I lift her from my lap and scramble to stand, hauling her back down the corridor.
She seems to agree with my logic because this time she hurries along beside me. “Where are we going?”
“Out of here. I’m trying to keep you safe, doctor.”
“Safe from whom? You’re the one with the gun and explosives.”
I choose not to answer. We really don’t have time for me to explain how she’s on the wrong side of ethical research right now. I don’t think she has any idea what’s really going on in these labs.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
Lots of reasons, sweetheart. Justice. Rescue. Revenge.
“These men you’re working for? They’re bad guys.”
Her brow wrinkles at my cliff notes version.
“I’m an honorable man,” I tell her. If she was a shifter, she’d know by my scent I’m not lying. She peers up at me as I hustle her through another hallway. Some humans trust their instincts when judging character. I hope Dr. Zhao is one of them.
Of course, it’s also possible she has those instincts along with a predisposition to being turned. Knowing Smyth, he chose her as an employee for just that reason. Waste not, want not. Classic Smyth.
“I’ll make you a deal. You help me locate your boss, and I won’t blow this lab.”
“I told you, he’s not here anymore. He left after our meeting.”
“I mean give me any information you have to help me find him.”
Her eyes narrow. I can practically hear the gears whirring as she analyzes her options. A sharp inhale and she nods.
I’m surprised how relieved I am to have her consent. How much I want her to trust me. Not that it matters, as long as she does what I say. But my wolf hates when I threaten her.
“Deal?”
“Deal,” she agrees, and I tuck the tranquilizer gun into the back waistband of my jeans. I stop to disable the explosives I set up earlier and take them with me. I’m reserving the right to come back and blow this place up later, after she’s told me everything she knows.
Not while she’s in it, of course.
“Come on.”
At the security check point, Dr. Zhao stops short at the sight of the two human guards I left unconscious.
“Keep moving,” I growl. I’d never hurt a woman, but she doesn’t need to know that. Hand on her back, I push her past the limp bodies. My fingers curl into fists at the worried look on her face. They don’t deserve her sympathy.
“If you knew what sort of men they are, you wouldn’t feel sorry for them,” I snap. I sound peevish, like I have something to prove, which is stupid. I don’t need to defend my case to her, I just need her to get me Smyth’s location.
She bites her lip as I use her badge again. I snuck in here, but we’re going to walk out. I stole one of the downed security guard’s badge, so it’ll look like I’m just walking Dr. Zhao to her car.
When she gives the bodies another worried glance I take her arm. “Come on. We’re wasting time.” I lock her close to me. “Be cool, and you’ll get out of this unharmed. I promise.”
We walk swiftly out together. “Which car is yours?”
She points to a small blue compact car and I guide her there. Of course she drives a hybrid vehicle—one of those touted to be better for the environment. I took her keys earlier, along with her badge. As we approach I pop the locks.
That’s when we hit trouble.
“Hey,” someone calls down from the guard tower. “Have you heard from Matthias?”
I jerk my head no, guiding Layne to the driver’s side.
“I need you to go in and check. Haven’t heard from them in a few.” He tries his walkie talkie again.
“Roger that.” I duck my head as I open the door for Dr. Zhao and gesture for her to get in. Most of the security guards are human, but a few are mercenary shifters. Wolves, mostly.
Just my luck one is on duty tonight.
“Hey, is that Dr. Zhao?” he calls out. “They’re saying she can’t leave. Something about an illegal download of data from her lab.”
I glance over to show I’m listening, trying to keep my movements natural. The wind kicks up. I see his eyes widen the moment he catches my scent.
“Stop right there.” He unslings his machine gun, just as Dr. Zhao breaks from my side.
“Help,” she cries, running towards him.
Of course, the asshole aims right for her.
“No,” I shout, putting on a burst of speed to reach her before the guard shoots. I slam into her, knocking her to the side as the gun bursts above our heads. I pull my own tranq gun out and fire. The target drops and I waste no time hoisting my hostage from the ground and shoving her into the car. Shouts from all around tell me the other guards are mobilizing to take us down.
Covering the doctor’s fragile human body with mine, I push her into the passenger seat and jump in beside her.
“Buckle up,” I order, reversing as soon as the car is on. I stay in reverse, keeping myself between my passenger and the guard tower. A spray of gunfire hits us as we pass. Bullets punch the car but it keeps going.
“He shot at me,” Dr. Zhao cries.
“No shit, sweetheart.” I swerve the car around, heading for the gate. I’ve never used an economy fuel car in a getaway before. First time for everything.
“Why would he do that?”
“They thought you were stealing research.”
“Why would I steal my own research? I’m an employee—” she lets out a scream as a guard leaps at us. I swerve to miss him and press the gas pedal to the floor.
More gunfire, and I steer with one hand, the other forcing Dr. Zhao’s head between her knees.
“Stay down,” I order. The gates are closed. Time for this economy fueled car to become a battering ram.
Shouts sound above us and machine guns blast as I gun it. The car flies forward, smashing through the fence.
The doctor shrieks.
“Stay down,” I shout. Behind us, guards rush through the broken gate, still shooting. Some run for their cars. We’re not safe yet, not by a long shot.
“Oh God, oh God,” the young scientist chants.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
She turns incredulous eyes to me.
