The Alpha's Fight: Huntsville Pack Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page B

must’ve really been fuming. Ryder resolved to work harder at controlling his emotions.
    "Oh, she wasn't scared. Chloe just didn't want to be around if you were going to lose your cool."
    Gravel spit in the winding driveway that led to Jackson and Chloe’s house. Jackson cocked his head slightly. “That sounds like Cal's truck. Shall we go back to the house?”
    Ryder took one last swing at the bag. “Yeah.” Wiping the sweat off his brow with his shirt, he followed Jackson into the house as a blue pickup parked behind his bike. Recognizing Cal's bald head and the alpha's customary flannel shirt, Ryder waved.
    "Hey, Ryder," said the alpha, hopping out of his truck. "Good to see you."
    "Same here." The two men shook hands, matching their grip strength so they each felt it. Ryder held back a bit, as being stronger than the alpha was rude and could be construed as a challenge.  Handshakes with dominant alphas were tricky things. Go at it too hard and you could start a fight. 
    Ryder kept his eye contact light and friendly, too, wanting to reassure Cal that his intentions were good.
    "You guys coming in or what?" Jackson poked his head out the front door. "Heya, Cal."
    "Hey yourself, son. What's so important that you boys had to see me right away?" Cal ambled toward the house. "I was fixing to go fishing."
    "I won't take too much of your time, alpha." Ryder bounded onto the porch and held the door open for Cal.
    "I sure hope not, or else it'll be too late to go fishing. Once it gets hot, they stop biting."
    "Well, that's why I wanted to see you."
    The alpha turned back to Ryder, surprise on his face. "You want to talk fish, son?"
    "No. It's more that shifters are always ready to bite. I have some news you'll want to know."
    They moved into the house where a pitcher of cold lemonade sat on the dining room table along with a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies. Ryder snagged a cookie and gulped it down before he could blink. Sweetness exploded in his mouth and, in his mind's eye, his wolf did a little dance.
    "Those smell amazing." Cal sniffed.
    “These are delicious. Did Chloe make these?” Ryder asked as he grabbed another one.
    Jackson took a handful of cookies. “Yeah. She’s a great baker.” His tone held reverence, which Ryder understood. A mate who could cook was a real treasure.
    "Save some for me," Cal said, his voice gruff.
    Jackson waved the alpha forward. “You’d better hurry. We’re hungry.”
    “Really hungry,” Ryder added, filching just one more cookie. The plate looked rather sad now, with just a few cookies and lots of little crumbs the only evidence that there had ever been more.
    "To the alpha go all the cookies he wants, understand?" Cal gave them both a look of reproach and pointedly picked up the plate, taking it over to a seat, where he settled in to eat. “Your mate is one hell of a baker,” he said between mouthfuls.
    “I know. I'm a lucky man.” Jackson poured them each a lemonade.
    Ryder sniffed in the direction of the kitchen. “Is there more? Does she have a stash?”
    Jackson looked sad and shook his head. “Yeah, but I haven’t been able to figure out where she hides the extras. I do have some microwave pizza rolls, though. You want some?”
    Both Cal and Ryder said yes at the same time. Jackson went into the kitchen to make them, the open floor plan allowing him to continue to speak with everyone.
    “So what is going on?” Jackson asked as he dumped a bunch of frozen pizza rolls on a plate and threw them in the microwave.
    Ryder heaved a sigh. “You know Mason is not exactly up for Alpha of the Year.”
    Cal gave a slow nod. "Yes, and?”
    “And you recall my grandmother was my pack’s Alpha’s Mate back when my grandfather was alpha? Well, there’s been a lot of friction. Mason stuck Grandma Tillie in Crescent Pines while I was out on the Pack League's fight circuit and she’s been fuming ever since.”
    “That’s hardly a capital offense, though,” Jackson said, his