The inside of the place was as straightforward as the outside. There were pine paneled walls, a handful of vintage beer signs, and a line old-fashioned red leather barstools.
Hope counted eight alphas in the place. Strange, seeing as it was still morning.
Then again, maybe day drinking was only frowned upon in the beta world. Maybe here in the Boundarylands, it was a regular Wednesday morning thing.
Every alpha had turned to face them by the time she and Maddox stepped inside as if they'd been waiting for them this whole time. With their heightened senses, the alphas had probably known they were coming before they'd pulled into the parking lot.
"Maddox." After a tense moment passed, the tallest alpha in the place called his name warmly. "I thought I caught signs of life on your property the other day. I'm glad to see I was right."
Really? She and Maddox were both covered in blood, and that was the conversation starter?
Maddox let out a sigh and pulled Hope toward the bar where the other alpha was standing. "Hope, this is Samson. My—" He stopped and corrected himself. "Our neighbor."
Hope blinked up at towering alpha. He was almost a foot taller than Maddox, though somehow not half as intimidating. Though his lack of reaction to the gore covering her clothes and hands was beyond her.
Maybe these alphas were all so used to violence that they didn't even blink at the evidence of it.
Apparently, that was the case because the bartender, a rugged-looking alpha with the biggest hands she'd ever seen, simply slapped a towel over his shoulder before coming over.
"Wasn't expecting to see you for a few months, Maddox," he said, sounding tense. "You drinking?"
Maddox looked at the man for a long second before finally ordering. "Two beers."
"Why hasn't anyone said anything about the blood?" Hope finally asked Maddox in a whisper.
Samson spoke first, reminding Hope that no conversation around an alpha was private. "We learned a long time ago not to ask too many questions when it comes to your alpha."
"I just figured it was from a deer," the bartender chimed in. Both of them looked slightly amused.
"It's not," Maddox said. A silence fell over the room, but he didn't say another word until the bartender finished pouring his beer and slid the mug in front of him. "It's beta blood."
"Randall said your omega had been shot, but he also said you took care of the man who did it," Samson said.
"I got one of them. The other got away when I…" Maddox took a long drink before continuing. "Anyway, he hasn't been back, but he's been sending his friends."
"Friends?" Samson echoed, the friendliness vanishing from his voice, his body tensing. "Plural?"
"Three more, total," Maddox said. "These last two were dripping in scent blockers."
"Shit," the bartender cursed in a disgusted voice. The mention of scent blockers seemed especially offensive to him. "Military?"
Maddox shook his head. "Drug runners. Highly organized and well-funded." He looked down at the bar, his hands curling into fists at his side. "That's why I'm here. I need…help."
Samson and the bartender shared an astonished look. Hope had a feeling there wasn't much that could shock an alpha, but this did.
After a long second, the bartender nodded firmly. "You got it, brother," he said. "Samson, go round up whoever is available and get them here quick. We're going to need to put together a plan."
* * *
Hope went outside to the porch as the alphas strategized inside the bar. She needed a little air. A little space.
She was happy to see the Boundaryland community coming together to help Maddox, even though it was clear they were more than a little wary of him.
She understood their reaction. He was…intense, even among alphas.
But he was also hers, and the truth was that she liked him. No. Not like. With each passing moment, Hope realized that she was in danger of loving him.
Hope knew Maddox hadn't wanted to come down here to the bar to ask for help…but he had. And he'd done it for her. Just like he was building the bathroom and fighting the betas. All of it for her.
But she couldn't stop wondering if he was doing all of this because of his feelings for her—or because his natural instincts were compelling him.
"Hi." A cheery voice broke through Hope's thoughts. "We thought you might like some company."
Hope turned around to find that two women had emerged from the bar. One was a pale redhead, and the other was blonde and blue-eyed.
"I'm Cassidy," the cheery redhead said. "You met my mate Samson inside. And this is Mia."
"Yes, of course," Hope said, trying to match her bright tone. It was hard while still smeared with a dead man's blood. "I'm Hope."
"I'm mated to Ty," Mia said. "The bartender."
Hope pasted on the smile she used back at the sporting goods store when she just wasn't feeling it, but it felt even more strained than usual.
"It's nice to meet you both," she said.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered from your injuries," Cassidy said. "Gail has been worried about you for the past couple of weeks. She wasn't sure you were going to pull through, and no one knew when Maddox would finally show his face here in neutral territory."
There was so much of that Hope didn't understand, so she focused on the first part. "I'm sorry. Who's Gail?"
The women glanced at each other.
"She's the omega who took care of you after you were shot," Mia said. "She's the closest thing we have to a nurse around here."
Ah. Hope had no idea that anyone other than Maddox had been caring for her. She was going to have to figure out a way to thank the woman.
"I'm sorry, I actually don't remember much," she confessed. "This has all been…"
Hope couldn't come up with any words to describe what she was feeling.
Almost as if reading her mind, Cassidy said, "How is it going between you and Maddox?"
"Fine," Hope rushed
