Chapter 3

Mia's fist slammed down on the alarm clock, cutting off the shrill warbling sound that would wake her no matter what condition she was in every morning. She sat on the edge of her bed, running her hands through her dark hair before forcing herself up. A yawn caught her by surprise and she shook her head. She pulled on skin-tight lycra pants and pulled a jogging bra over her head. Then she gathered her thick locks up into a ponytail and headed out of her room.

Her running shoes were in the front closet and she quickly slipped them on, tying them tightly. She grabbed her cell phone off its charger and shoved it into the zippered pocket in her pants. It was still dark outside when she opened her front door. She waved at the boy on his bike that was delivering the paper, snagging hers and tossing it on the side table by her door. Then she did some warming up, stretching out her shoulders as well as her legs, admiring the bruise she'd gotten last night, before hitting her stride on her third step.

The first of the morning birds sang to her as she jogged through her neighborhood. It was one of her most favorite time of days, this solitary run. The repetitive nature of her stride, the smack of the sole of her shoes striking the concrete was very soothing. It let her think; it gave her time to breathe, to think through things that might be bothering her. And right now something was definitely bothering her.

His name was Aidan Hunter. In some ways, even the thought of his name made her feet slam down even harder and the easy count of her breathing grow rough. Thoughts of his golden eyes, their heat on her legs yesterday when she'd changed into her fatigues; well that was only half of it. The way his hand had felt against her skin was something she'd been fighting to forget all night. Aidan was a playboy. He didn't have a serious bone in his body and he was definitely a little more alpha male than she wanted to deal with.

Sweat was pouring off of her body and she ran in place as a stop light held her up. Two more joggers caught up to her there while she waited for the light to change. One was one of those men that drive women nuts just because they think they are god's sweetest gift to women. He tried to interest her in conversation and didn't take it too well when he didn't get a reply. She took off when the light changed, quickly out-running the jerk. She shrugged off the disruption, running her usual paths.

She finished in record time, sprinting the last quarter mile and running into her house. Feral, her shepherd, met her by the front door, his long, thick tail wagging. "Hey boy," she said quietly, scratching his head and walking through the living room and into the kitchen to let him out the back door, into the fenced in yard. He did his business then raced around the trees, barking at the small brown squirrels that chattered back at him.

"You idiot," she said with a soft laugh. He didn't seem to even notice her words, barking happily up at the racing squirrels. "I'm not waiting for you to catch one, Feral. I've got to go into work." He barked once at her and then continued to race around the yard.

Mia left the back door open knowing that Feral could open the screen door and let himself in when he was finally ready to admit defeat. She headed back toward the bathroom to grab a shower before heading into work.

The hot water felt fantastic as it streamed through her hair and down her slender curves. She grabbed her favorite shampoo, lathering it through her long locks, enjoying the fragrance. Tipping her head back into the water, she let it wash through, the suds sliding off of her hair and running down her body. For a minute, with her eyes closed, her head back, she could imagine someone else's hands moving over her skin, fingers tripping magically over her hardened nipples.

Those hands became more forceful, sliding over her ribs and down her firm abdomen, tangling in the tiny heart-shaped patch of hair that covered her mons. Then they slid into heat, slipping over her clit before strumming it hard enough to have pleasure rising inside of her. "Mmm," she hummed. "Aidan..."

The name on her lips shattered the fantasy and she tore her hand from between her thighs. Her temper showed and she slammed her hand against the wall of the shower. "Damn him!" she growled. "Stay out of my head, asshole." With a huge sigh, she finished her shower, grabbing a towel and quickly drying herself. Then she grabbed her robe, wrapping a towel around her hair and opening the bathroom door.

Feral barked once at her, letting her know he'd had his fill of the squirrels, at least for the moment. Now he wanted food and he wasn't very patient about waiting for her to get it for him. Mia opened the small covered tub where she kept his food and scooped enough to fill his bowl. Feral nudged his nose under her hand, giving her a lick before digging into the food with hungry intent. "You're welcome." She patted him quickly and then rose, turning on her heel to go to her bedroom.

She grabbed clothes, more workout articles and sweats. Then she put on her uniform, shining up her badge and pinning it into the black shirt. Her uniform pants slid on over her hips and she tucked in her shirt, then grabbed her belt and slid her holster on it. Wrapping it around her slender waist, she tossed off the towel and bent at the waist, shaking out her hair. Brushing it took another twenty-minutes, which included French braiding it to keep it out of her face.

Pushing her feet into her work boots, she ran a quick cloth over the shine, buffing it up just a bit more. Then she grabbed her bag and grabbed her set of keys. As she walked out of her bedroom, Tanya was in the kitchen fixing Emilee some eggs and bacon. "Keep the doors locked, I already let Feral out."

Tanya handed Emilee a plate, sliding her hand over the girl's shiny blonde hair. "What time will you be home?"

"Ah, I'm not sure, sis. We've got drills today so it may be an all day thing. You need anything? I can pick it up on my way home."

"Milk?"

"You got it, sis. Remember what I said about Ricky. He shows up, you call, I'll have someone here in five minutes."

"He wouldn't hurt me, Mia."

Mia glanced at the bruises on Tanya's arm. "Those don't look like they felt good."

Tanya's face flushed. "He's the father of my baby, Mia. He loves Emilee."

Mia wrapped her arm around her sister's neck. "Honey, I love you and Emilee and this little one." Her palm rested against Tanya's stomach. "Just do me a favor, if he shows up, call me."

"Don't hurt him, Mia." Tanya's voice was adamant and Mia smiled at her.

"I won't hurt him. Much." She gave Tanya another hug and then hefted her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you tonight, honey. Lock the door behind me. Emilee? Can I trust you to keep an eye on Feral?"

"Yes, Aunt Mia." She was given a grin with a bacon filled mouth. Mia returned it then walked out the door, waiting until she heard Tanya lock the door and then slip the dead bolt. Then she skipped down the stairs and got into her truck.

It took very little time to drive to the base. Flashing her identification, she drove through the gate and then headed to the Alphas' bunker. She parked close to the back of the lot and hefted her bag again, then walked to the bunker.

"Bout time you got here, sugar britches." A big hand came down on her ass and then squeezed one cheek. She dropped the bag on the ground and grabbed his hand.

"Aidan, are you ever going to learn?" she growled, twisting his hand and pushing it so his wrist bent back. She held it and added pressure until he apologized, to get her to get her to let him go. "Knock off the shit."

"What shit? You do look pretty good in uniform but I think Demon has other ideas for us today." He nodded over where Demon was standing. He was dressed in jogging pants and a tight tank top that showed off every ridge and ripple of muscle on his chest. His arms were impressive even in a room full of Alphas.

Demon saw her looking and then jerked his head toward the locker room. She nodded and walked around Aidan, anxious to get by him and down into the tiny room that they'd given up for her to change in. She'd have been okay changing with the rest of the guys but somehow, even though these men had been brutal physically to her, the thought of her nudity had them panicking. Aidan stepped in front of her again and this time she let him have it. She pushed her bag into his stomach and then grabbed his arm, flipping him onto his back on the mat. "Leave me alone, Aidan. I mean it."

Then she escaped down the stairs. The time she took in the locker room gave her little time to think, but when Demon wanted to work the team, he wasn't patient about the time it took to change clothing. She hung up her uniform, careful to hang it so it wouldn't wrinkle and the creases would be just as sharp as when she'd put them on this morning. Throwing on another training bra, she skipped over the track pants and grabbed a pair of tiny bike shorts that hugged every inch of her ass. She smoothed down her braid, and then headed for the gym.

Demon had the team running laps around the gym and she slipped in amongst them, easily keeping pace with the much taller and longer-legged men. The Alphas was one reason she got up and ran six to eight miles every morning. She had to keep up or get cut. They ran on the small indoor track until Demon blew his whistle. Then he had them pairing up on the mats.

Standing across from each other, he had them run through a tai chi stretching routine of his own making. This was Mia's favorite part of Demon's workouts. The tai chi made her relax, the slow, intimate movements felt like dance to her and it was just as good as her run this morning, a way to rid herself of any evil in her head. But every time her eyes fell on Aidan, she felt the tension rise all over again. She finished the routine with her muscles as tight as they'd been when she started and she walked around the mat for a few minutes, shaking her hands and her arms, trying to loosen up.

Demon called her name and she sighed, turning to look at him.

"We're about to start here, do you plan on joining us or should I use Aidan as a demonstration dummy."

For a second, she put her finger against the corner of her mouth and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure Demon. I don't think he has the smarts for the job."

Everyone laughed, including Aidan. "Maybe we should see who the dummy is." He walked toward her, stalking her like a panther does its prey.