Page 1 of Alphas Never Hide

Chapter One

HAYDEN

Wheneversomeone made the mistake of calling meAlpha—with a capitalAlike it was my fucking name, even though it damn well wasn’t—Ialways corrected them.Immediately.

Iwas notWillowLake’salpha, capitalized or not.Notnow.Notever.Andthe people who worked for me in my own damn garage should definitely know better than that.Myname wasHaydenWalker.Thatwas it.Nothingmore.

“So, what do you say,Alpha?Youcoming to the pub for a drink tonight?Jeremyis teaching us about human sports.”Buddysmirked, because seriously?Supesmight not know much about human holidays and traditions, but sports we understood. “Andthe new kid in the kitchen is doing a steak special tonight.”Buddygrinned at me as he wiped his grease-covered hands on a rag.

I’dalready correctedBuddyabout the whole alpha business twice this afternoon.

ThistimeIgrowled.

Myother employees cringed at the sound.Mostpeople did, because they all thoughtIwas the damn alpha of their pack, and they didn’t want to displease me.Andthat thought made me growl louder.

ButBuddymerely lifted an eyebrow.Hewasn’t the least intimidated.Thebastard knewIwouldn’t bite him.He’dbeen working for me at the garage the longest and had seen me through worse moods than this.Thathe was still here always surprised me.

Andtalking about thenew kidand his supper special was the last thing he should have said to tempt me into coming out tonight.Ofcourse, he didn’t know how every timeIsaw the new guy allIthought about was how fucked up things had gotten this past summer.

Becausethe new kid?

Hisname wasBrodie.I’dlearned everythingIcould about him without appearing too obsessed.Thankfully,Van, our hellhoundChiefofPolice, had given his file to me without question.AndGage, our local demon guardian, nodded approvingly wheneverIwent to the inn to spend time withBrodieandDakota, the other kid who’d been found with him.BecauseVanandGage, likeBuddy, thoughtIwas driven by my instincts as alpha of this place.

Butthey were wrong.

I’dneeded to know about him and his friend because they were the ones we’d saved from my brother’s land out in the hills west of town.Theywere a constant reminder of how epicallyI’dfailed, and how desperatelyIneeded to make things right.BecauseifI’dbeen more of an alpha,those kids wouldn’t have had to be saved.Theywouldn’t have even been in that situation.

Still,Iwas glad to hearBrodiewas settling in.Butif everyone was fine and safe inWillowLake,Ihad other thingsIneeded to do.

“WhywouldIwant to learn about human sports?Jakeputs sports up on theTVsat the pub all the time,”Isaid. “Whatis there to learn?”

“FuckifIknow.Heobviously thinks we live under a rock or have shunned everything mundane our whole lives or something, but the steaks should be good.So, are you coming or what?”

“No,”Isaid.

“Ah, come on.Youhaven’t been out with us in weeks.”

“I’mbusy.”Iturned my back to him and tidied my tools.

Ididn’t have to seeBuddy’sface to know he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“Aliceis going to think you’re avoiding her,” the persistent asshole said.

AlicewasBuddy’sgirlfriend.Shewas a sweet supe who worked at the pub a few nights a week.Whenshe’d agreed to go on their first date this past summer,Buddyhad been too distracted to work.Ihad to stick him at the reception desk for the day, so he didn’t get himself killed.Heeven smiled through all the ribbing the guys gave him, becauseshe was the one.They’dbeen dating a few months now, and it looked like they were on their way to becoming chosen mates.Iwas happy he’d found someone.Iwas always happy when one of my pack?—

NowI’dgone off thinking of everyone as my pack, too.

“No, she won’t,”Isnapped. “Ifyou don’t bring it up, she won’t notice ifI’mthere or not.”

“That’sa lie and we both know it.”

Yeah.Hewas probably right.

AtleastBuddyfinally figured outIwas done with this conversation, because he quit pestering me.Whenhe and the others left,Ididn’t lock up right away.Thisplace was almost as much of a den to me as the placeIslept every night.Thefamiliar scents of gear oil, fresh grease, and new tires always calmed me.And, right now,Ineeded calm.

Thiswas home.Myrefuge whenIneeded one.EvenbeforeIstarted working here,I’dsneak over and watch the mechanics work.I’dbeggedGeorgina, the old owner, for a job whenIwas barely fourteen years old.

Myparents hadn’t known what to think about my passion for cars and trucks and anything with a motor, but they still supported me.Allthey asked was thatInot let my work at the garage interfere with learning how to lead our pack.