All or Nothing

Coffee. She had been craving a cup for hours, and had been tying to continue her work instead of letting that distract her. Now though, she could smell it, rich and warm, just a little hint of citrus. She almost thought she was imagining it until a knock sounded on her door.

“Come in,” she called and her door opened with a soft click. Standing there was a young woman, dark hair pinned high on her head. She still had on a pair of pink scrubs, white shoes clashing against the plush grey carpet.

“Thought you might need a cup,” she said, walking over. “The girls said you’ve been up here all night.”

“Raven, I love you,” Mya said, wrapping her hands around the mug and enjoying the warmth radiating from it. “How was work?” she asked, taking a long sip.

“Short staffed, again. You know how fun that it,” she said, yawning. “Hence why it is now,” she glanced at her watch, “10:00 when I was supposedly off at 8:30.”

“Might need this more than I do,” Mya said, reluctant to give up her cup.

“Mine is already in my room. We going out tonight?” Mya yawned, shaking her head. Raven looked like she was hardly standing, and she herself felt like she could sleep for days. Every unit was short right now, and they were running all their staff like crazy. Mya still wasn’t sure why she was awake, after working her sixteen hours and getting home around 7:00.

Raven gave her a tired smile and nodded, waving on her way out. Mya figured she would be asleep the moment she laid down. It had been one of those weeks. Wishing she could do the same, she forced herself to turn back to the computer, pulling up the pack’s joint bank account once more. The house was due for some repairs outside, things none of them had the time or expertise to handle. Time for a new budget.

Before she could start editing her spreadsheet formula, she heard her name being yelled from downstairs. This was never going to get done, she decided. Between the committee she had been forced onto at work, actually working, and this pack, she had tried and failed to update their budget every night this week.

“Coming,” she yelled from her room, making sure to bring her coffee cup with her. She let her hands trail down the railing as she went downstairs, fingers tracing the vines carved into the dark oak. The frustration she always felt when multiple repairs came up at once was once again soothed at the fine architecture of their old house. Most of the inside restoration had been done by them, but it hadn’t taken much creativity to return it to its former glory. Everything had been made from thick hard wood, railings and spindles carved to look like ivy, stairs curving from either side of the upper hallway to meet in the middle of the foyer.

This house may have taken a long time, and a lot of money, but it had been worth it to stay here instead of demolishing it. For that, she would do the budget tonight, she decided. As soon as she figured out why her girls were yelling at her so late at night.

“What?” Mya asked as soon as she saw Harley, an envelope in her hand.

“Just got the mail. This stinks like alpha,” she said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder, face scrunched up.

“Like that mutt who keeps taunting me,” Mya said, more to herself than anyone else, but Harley was nodding anyway. She took the envelope and slid the knife from her sleeve, using it to slice the top open. She cursed as she read the letter, fury raging through her as she chucked her knife. When it landed it the wall with a thud, it did little to satisfy her.

“We leaving?” Harley asked, already headed towards the stairs. Mya nodded and her Beta started yelling for the rest of their pack to come downstairs. Mya found herself rereading the letter, wanting her knife to be in this alpha’s chest, instead of her foyer wall.


Dearest Alpha,
It’s me, once more. You continue to ignore my attempts to make contact. I wonder, if maybe you are not the alpha this community thinks you are. Are you hiding, so as not to show how weak you are? You are only a female after all. I’m surprised another alpha has not swept you off your feet.
Still, I would like to have a discussion with you. There is turbulence among these packs, and I would think you would be interested in what I can say to you. Remy’s, at midnight tonight.
See you there.


Mya drained the last of her coffee before going to the kitchen and washing out the cup. By the time she had made it back to the living room, there were three girls waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

“Raven is coming, she’ll just be a minute,” Kylie said. Mya felt guilty for making her come too, but they needed to have numbers on their side. She had no idea how many she was about to walk into.

“Let’s see you,” Mya insisted.

Harley stepped up first, blonde hair tied back by a black band around her forehead, eyes lined in black, and a flowing linen top and jeans. Mya eyed her strappy black heels but nodded when Harley reached down and pulled a knife from her pant leg.

Jamie and Kylie spun in a circle as one, grinning at Mya when they finished. Jamie still hadn’t changed from work, in a yellow blouse and dress pants, hair in a tight ponytail. Kylie was the most done up, her make up piled on and contoured, a fitted pink dress and tights on. Her blonde hair was curled, brushing against her back. Both of their shirts had an open neckline, and she knew they would each have a gun tucked in their bra, ready to fight.

Raven stepped off the stairs just as she had finished with the twins, with a cerulean tunic over leggings on. She knew there would be at least a knife in each of the knee-high boots she wore.
“Just let me change and we’ll go,” Mya told them all, convinced all of their weapons were well concealed. It had only taken once for someone to notice how armed Kylie was at a bar, and to start a scene, to make them careful. They didn’t need any extra attention.

Mya groaned to herself, not even wanting to change. She couldn’t meet another alpha in her wrinkled, dirty scrubs. She took a deep breath, still contemplating, but the smell of blood still lingering on them convinced her to change the rest of the way. The gunshot that had come in just before shift change had turned her into a mess, but she had thought the gown she had over her scrubs at the time would have been enough.

She stripped once she reached her room, examining her top and finding no stains. Finally, she found it, a few splatters along the hem of her pants. The blood had blended with their navy blue color, and she felt vaguely disgusted that she had been spending her night at home with some thug’s blood on her. The way he had treated them, and reeked of vodka, she wasn’t surprised he had been shot. Hell, she might have done it herself if the man had come up to her on the street.

In her closet, she found a black leather skirt and pulled it on, pairing it with tights and combat boots. She slid a small dagger in by her ankle, into the holster she had sewn into them already. Paired with a white t shirt and her harness over it, two knives tucked into each side, she was ready.

“Girls, let’s go,” she said when she was back downstairs. Harley tossed her leather jacket over, to cover the harness, followed by the knife she must have pulled from the wall, and led them outside.
Mya locked the door to their home, reluctant to bring her whole pack. She hoped this alpha wouldn’t attack their home once he had lured her out, but her pack was small. She didn’t have enough to split them up, and trust both would be safe. She would rather have the house destroyed than her girls.

“We’ll meet you there?” Raven asked, and Mya agreed, figuring it was better to at least have separate cars. They would be able to blend in better, if all five of them didn’t walk into the tiny diner as one group.

Harley walked to her car and Mya slid in the passenger seat, happy to not have to drive. All she wanted was to be getting a shower, and going to bed. But, she reminded herself, this is what came with being an alpha. She hated to go, because it felt like he was winning, finally getting the meeting he wanted, but his taunts had gotten to her. She wanted to hurt him.