The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 25

"I'm on my way," Tristan said, ending the call and immediately starting the bike again with more force than necessary.

The jealousy I'd been trying to suppress flared hot and ugly in my chest. Of course there was a she. Of course Tristan had someone he cared about enough to drop everything and race to her side in the middle of the night.

I should have expected this. Men like Tristan - strong, protective, devastatingly handsome - they don't stay single. They don't spend their nights watching over broken girls like me unless they're just being kind.

The thought made my stomach twist painfully. I'd been so stupid, letting every gentle touch, every concerned look, every moment he chose to stay with me instead of going wherever he used to disappear to at ten o'clock, get to me.

I let it all get into my fucking head. Even though I knew there's every tendency that he has a mate. Who wouldn't have a mate?

He made a sharp U-turn that had me gripping him tighter to keep from sliding off the bike. The sudden movement pressed me against his back, and I could feel the anger and worry radiating from him in waves, his muscles tense beneath my hands like coiled springs ready to snap.

I wanted to ask who she was, what had happened to her, why he looked like he was ready to tear apart anyone who had hurt her. But I couldn't form the words. Part of me didn't want to know, didn't want to put a face to the woman who clearly meant so much to him.

We drove for about twenty minutes through streets that became increasingly empty as we left the city center behind.

Tristan was pushing the bike faster than he'd ever driven with me as a passenger, taking corners with a precision that spoke of years of experience but also a recklessness born of desperation.

The city blurred past us in streaks of light and shadow, neon signs becoming ribbons of color in my peripheral vision.

I found myself pressing closer to him, whether for warmth against the night air or comfort in the face of the unknown, or just because I knew this might be one of the last times I got to hold him like this without an excuse.

Once we reached wherever we were going, once he was reunited with his mysterious woman, there would be no reason for him to stay close to me.

The wind whipped through my hair despite the helmet, and I could smell his scent even over the rush of air and exhaust fumes.

Pine and motor oil and something uniquely Tristan that made my wolf whimper softly in the back of my mind. Even Ciara seemed affected by him, though she still wouldn't respond to my attempts to reach her.

Finally, we pulled up in front of a sleek glass building that I didn't recognize. It looked like some kind of medical facility, all clean lines and soft blue lighting that gave it an almost ethereal quality in the darkness.

The architecture was modern, expensive, the kind of place that catered to people with money and secrets. Tristan's bike announced our arrival with its deep, throaty rumble as we came to a stop in the nearly empty parking area.

A young man who looked slightly younger than Tristan was already waiting for us by the entrance. He had the same alert posture and sharp eyes that marked him as pack, that predatory stillness that all wolves carried when they were on edge.

He approached Tristan the moment we parked, his movements quick and purposeful.

"Has he been found?" Tristan asked without a beat, his voice carrying that alpha command again as he swung off the bike in one fluid motion.

The authority in his tone made something deep inside me respond automatically, my wolf recognizing the power even if I was still processing what it meant. This wasn't just concern or anger - this felt like an alpha protecting his territory, his pack, his people.

"We're still searching for him," the younger man replied, his frustration evident in every line of his body. "I've sent out teams to sweep the entire territory, but it's like he just vanished."

"You can't track him down?" Tristan's voice was deadly quiet now, the kind of calm that preceded violence.

"No, Alpha. It seems like he covered his scent trail somehow, or he's left pack lands entirely. I can't establish a mind link with him anymore. It's like he's completely cut himself off from the pack bond."

Alpha.

The word hit me like a physical blow, making me stumble slightly as I got off the bike. Tristan was an alpha now? When had that happened? How had I missed something so significant?

That explained everything - the commanding presence that seemed to radiate from him even when he was trying to be gentle, the way other wolves automatically deferred to him, the protective instincts that seemed to consume him whenever I was in any kind of danger.

It explained why he'd been staying with me instead of going out at night, why he felt responsible for my wellbeing.

I knew Orion was alpha of our pack, had been since our parents died and he'd stepped up to take their place. I wasn't sure I should even be calling it our pack anymore, since I'd walked away five years ago and never looked back.

I'd assumed when Tristan parents died, it would go to Tristan's uncle - his dad's elder brother who'd been groomed for leadership.

Tristan had never wanted to be alpha, had always seemed more interested in other things that didn't include pack politics.

Things must have changed significantly while I was gone. I'd have to ask Orion about it when he got back, though part of me dreaded that conversation.

It would mean admitting how little I knew about the life I'd left behind, how much I'd missed while I was busy destroying myself with Daxon.

"He should keep running," Tristan said, his voice dropping to something that sounded more like a promise than a threat. "Because if I find him before you do, there won't be enough left of him to question."

The menace in his words made my wolf whimper again, but not from fear. From recognition. This was what an alpha looked like when someone threatened what was his.

Then his tone softened again, taking on that gentle quality that made my heart ache and my chest tighten with emotions I couldn't name. "Where is she?"

There it was again. She. The woman who could make Tristan Hayes drop everything and race across the city in the middle of the night, who could make an alpha's voice turn soft with concern.

A woman who wasn't me.

"She's still unconscious," the younger man said, glancing between Tristan and me with obvious curiosity. "The doctor just left about an hour ago. He said her vitals are stable, but she hasn't woken up since we found her."

Found her. What did that mean? Had she been attacked? Kidnapped? Was that why they were hunting for some mysterious he who'd covered his scent trail?

Tristan nodded and started walking toward the building with long, purposeful strides. Then he surprised me by reaching back and taking my hand in his, his fingers intertwining with mine like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The contact sent another one of those electric shocks through me, stronger this time, like touching a live wire.

My skin tingled where he touched me, and I could swear I felt something pass between us - some kind of energy or recognition that made my wolf stir restlessly.

I realized he'd remembered I was there despite his obvious worry about this mysterious woman, despite having every reason to be completely focused on whatever crisis had brought us here.

His hand was warm, rough and strong and completely engulfing mine.

For just a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like if he held my hand because he wanted to, because he felt the same electric current I did every time we touched, not just because he was being protective of his best friend's little sister.

The fantasy was dangerous and stupid, but I couldn't stop myself from savoring the warmth of his palm against mine, the way his thumb brushed unconsciously across my knuckles as we walked.

When we entered the building, it became immediately clear this was some kind of private medical facility that catered specifically to supernatural beings.

The lobby was elegant and understated, with soft lighting and comfortable seating that looked more like a high-end hotel than a hospital. But underneath the carefully designed normalcy, I could sense the magic and power that hummed through the walls.

I could smell the sharp bite of antiseptic, but underneath it was the faint musk of wolves, the ozone scent that clung to witches, and something else I couldn't quite identify - something old and powerful that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

The staff we passed moved with the fluid grace of predators, and I caught glimpses of tattoos that were probably more than decorative, jewelry that glinted with protective charms, eyes that held flecks of gold or silver that marked them as something other than human.

This was where supernatural beings came when they needed medical care they couldn't get in the human world, when their injuries were too strange or their physiology too different for regular doctors to handle.

The younger man led us down a hallway lined with rooms that looked more like luxury hotel suites than hospital rooms. The doors were solid oak instead of the standard hospital white, and I could hear the soft hum of climate control systems that were probably doing more than just regulating temperature.

We stopped in front of one room with the door slightly ajar, and I could hear the steady beep of medical equipment from inside. Tristan squeezed my hand once, a gesture that felt both reassuring and farewell, before letting go and pushing the door open.

When we stepped inside, I froze completely.