Page 21 of My Shy Alpha

I jolt upright, struggling to contain my rapid breath as my heart shatters.

My dad and Ritchie Greenfield were shot on that hunting trip, side-by-side. Noah had to experience this grief too?

But our dads were best friends, as tight-knit as Amy and me. “How the hell did I never meet Noah before?”

“All we knew was that you were a hybrid, but you never shifted into a wolf, so we had to protect you from both the pack and human hunters.” Amy rubs my arm as I groan, my head spinning. “We figured you were mostly human. Maybe entirely human. But after what I’m seeing right now... I think we were wrong.”

As Amy says those words, it finally sinks in - the piece of this story that isn’t adding up.

I already suspect the answer, but with how impossible it sounds, I ask the question anyway to be sure.

“Me... What about me?”

My heart pounds as Amy searches my eyes. “A., why do you think I decided to tell you this today? When before this, I couldn’t tell you, only because–”

“You thought I was human.” I shudder, the truth exploding from my chest - just like the moment I knew Noah was my mate.

My mind flashes through my entire life. That feeling something was always wrong with me, but I never knew what. All those moments my human authority figures berated me for being too loud. Too unruly. Too unladylike.

Until I became quiet. Shy.

Domesticated.

“Amy, oh, my God... I’m a wolf.”

Brushing my messy hair from my face, Amy looks me straight in the eyes. “I think you’re more Lycan than anything. And you’re in heat.”

My rapid breath turns into stressed whimpers, unsure of what she means. “Like... a cat?”

“More like a wolf.” Amy grins. “But cats are similar. You’ll be craving to mate with Noah, and it might be uncomfortable for a while.”

I gasp through panic. “A while? What about my kids? I can’t teach preschool like this.” But heat is all I can focus on, my body boiling to the point of delirium. “I don’t know how I’ll survive this, Amy.”

She grounds me with a sharp stare. “Listen to me closely, okay? Lycans can shapeshift, but only into their wolf. Our wolves are stable, individual beings - like alternate versions of ourselves with fairly strong opinions and personalities. Do you feel your wolf yet?”

“I don’t know. How can I tell?”

“My wolf feels like another side of me. A wild, unfiltered side that’s all gut instinct.”

In a rapid replay of my life - how much I stifled myself as a child and still continue to - I wonder if any wild, unfiltered side of me still exists.

“Amy, what if I killed her?”

She giggles, giving me a soft smile. “Trust me, she’s there. I smell her, and she’s absolutely an Omega in heat. But she’ll be strong enough to dramatically alter your behavior, and I don’t know how you’ll feel about that.”

I whimper, gripping my arms. “Not good, obviously.”

Amy smooths my hair, staring deep into my eyes with such worried eyebrows that I wish I could massage them back into tranquility.

“You have to keep listening closely, Aliya. Your wolf will want Noah to mark you - biting your neck to seal your mate connection.”

The urge pounds deeper. My nails dig into my thighs, imagining Noah’s teeth piercing my neck in vivid detail.

“He told me about that, and I... I can’t get enough of it.”

“Hey, stay with me.” Amy redirects my focus, hardening her tone. “Knowing you, you’ll need more time for a lifetime commitment. Do post-heat you a favor - do not let him mark you today.”

My heart throbs, torn on what to do. When I had a clearer head yesterday, I wanted to trade marks with Noah. But now I’m stressed as hell. Amy’s right - this could’ve been my silly heart talking all along, ignoring what’s truly right for me. My heart and brain will have to battle this one out, and I won’t win either way.

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