The Alpha by Annie Nicholas

could smell Spice’s blood from my coffin.”
    Spice had never seen him undressed before. His skin, so pale it seemed almost translucent, covered hard, sculpted muscles over his chest, arms, and abdomen. Her sister sure had a keen eye for scrumptious male flesh. She met Sugar’s gaze and gave her a mental high five.
    Katrina made her way around the vampire, carrying a tray of food, which she set in front of Spice.
    The smell made her stomach growl. She could discern the scent of beef and ham from the cheese and bread. Each little particle differed from the other. She passed her nose over the sandwich on the plate and inhaled deeply. Her mouth watered.
    “Spice?” Sugar quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you going to eat it or inhale it?”
    She grinned. “Thank you, Katrina. I’m starved.”
    “That is normal.” Katrina eased onto the couch next to her.
    “Normal for what exactly?” Daedalus asked.
    The sandwich called her name and she took a huge bite from it. Layers upon layers of meat assaulted her taste buds, and she growled in tune with her stomach as she tore into another bite.
    “You might want to feed your sister more often.” Daedalus stepped closer to the couch, his eyes narrowing as he observed her eating.
    “Leave her be. We must deal with a greater hunger. Controlling it controls the beast within.” Katrina offered her a drink. “Try not to choke though.”
    “Beast?” He gasped. “You made her a werewolf?” He examined her while she gobbled her food. “I must be getting old because I sense she’s almost complete. How is this possible?”
    Spice swallowed a half-chewed lump. “What does he mean almost complete?”
    “You still need to make your first physical transformation.” The tiny oriental woman swiveled to face the vampire. “I made Spice part of the pack this morning. It was a dangerous risk, but neither of us could figure a different solution.”
    “Thank you for not killing me, by the way,” Spice mumbled around another bite of sandwich.
    “Amazing, but how?” Daedalus crouched on the balls of his feet and watched her like a spectator at the zoo.
    Spice narrowed her eyes at him, and a rumble came from her chest. It stopped short as her sandwich fell onto the plate and she looked down at her body. “What the hell?” Something inside of her shifted as if trying to get comfortable. “Katrina?” She didn’t mind the note of panic in her voice, it was honest. What had she done?
    She gave up her humanity for the man she loved.
    When did Spice Monroe start making sacrifices?
    She sighed. The day Eric spit water on her and set her soul at ease.
    “Your beast responded to your emotions. It will take time for you to master these skills. You won’t be allowed to be by yourself for the next few weeks.”
    “And you plan to set a novice werewolf against a dominant alpha?” Daedalus gaped at the three of them. “This should have been set in motion weeks ago. Not tonight.”
    “Some people were kept in the dark.” Spice shoved the last of her meal in her mouth. He made a good point. She knew how to street fight but this took it to another level. Teeth and claw versus fist and feet, she pondered for moment and concluded maybe she could use it to her advantage. “Daedalus, if you’re not on board with the project, then bail. I don’t need anyone knocking my confidence right now. I’m more than capable of doing that on my own, thank you very much.”
    He studied her, then nodded. “I’m on board this crazy train.”
    She laughed and Sugar joined her. The skin under her sister’s eyes looked bruised. A twinge of guilt ran through Spice. Did she ever once consider what she was putting her little sister through? She remembered her tears. Sugar had sat on this couch and watched her best friend stab her twin in the heart. After that Spice passed out but her sister stayed by her side and cared for her.
    Gathering Sugar into a hug she whispered, “I love you.” She was about to put