Page 9 of Freeing My Alpha

I don’t know; maybe I can, or maybe I can’t. All I know is that I really want to.

Okay, Alpha. I’ll try.

Noah’s excitement only rises as my wolf crouches in our bond, her wagging tail doing nothing to conceal herself. As I draw another deep inhale through my nose, I’m met with so many scents that my brain pounds in my skull. Clasping my forehead with a wince, I close my eyes.

You can do it. Think about what I smell like, Noah mindlinks. Try smaller, faster sniffs rather than deep, big ones.

I exhale hard, clearing all distractions from my mind. My memory fills in a phantom sweetness, doing its best to mock Noah’s scent. Or, wait, no. Maybe I smell a hint of it?

My lungs flex through every inhale, instinct taking over as Noah’s scent shines brighter in my mind’s eye.

Am I doing it? Am I tracking him?

Taking a few steps to my right, I sniff faster now. I feel ridiculous, but I can’t stop myself. Something primal within me has unlocked, and I’ve never craved Noah’s scent more. Pups swirl around my feet, watching me with curious, focused eyes, but I can’t spare them more than a glance. My feet move faster, kicking up leaves as I ignore all spatial awareness to push through a wide thicket.

A faint crinkle of leaves sends my system into full alert. With a sharp turn of my head, I’m face-to-face with Noah. Except to my surprise, he’s just as shocked as I am—and he’s covering both his mouth and scent gland to block his scent.

Before I can stop myself, I break into a proud grin.

And I’m tackled into the thicket.

I scream through a laugh, my limbs too weak to defend myself from Noah’s kisses all over my cheeks.

“You did it! You did it so fast that I had to make it harder for you, and you still did it!” Noah laughs.

My eyes water, but I’m smiling wider than I have all day. Scents are so much stronger now, and I still have a slight headache, but I haven’t felt this excited over my own accomplishments since I lowered my OCD diagnostic test scores to subclinical levels. I’m almost embarrassed as pups trample around us, adding to our wolfpile over my childish accomplishment, but as their laughter flutters through the forest canopies, Noah’s smile shines so bright that his eyes squint. My heart couldn’t be happier.

Until a sharp, stagnant scent passes my nose. Furrowing my brows, I alert Noah’s wolf without meaning to. He pulls me to my feet in seconds, his joyous smile erased. I feel awful for it.

But Noah tucks pups against him, searching my eyes. “What do you smell?”

I swallow hard, struggling to catch my breath. “I think it’s— Well, I don’t know—” I sniff again, but Noah shakes his head.

“Don’t overanalyze it. Trust your wolf. Something’s wrong, and I believe you.”

Rainn rushes to our side, her sharp eyes just as serious as Noah’s. But the longer we sit in one place, the stronger the scent becomes.

“I think it’s a few Alphas,” I say.

3

Noah closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opens them again, his eyes are stark yellow. “You’re right.”

Before he can flip around, seven burly men stream from the forest thickets behind Noah, setting their sights on us. Not a single pup makes a sound, cramming themselves behind Noah’s protective form as Rainn huddles into my side. Her frantic glances over pup heads as she counts them beneath her breath sends my heart into overdrive, all her ease from earlier erased.

Are these pack members? Wait, they have to be, otherwise Noah would’ve chased them from Greenfield. Even still, they look furious. How concerned should I be for our safety? I shuffle a few pups behind me, reassuring two little ones who grip my thighs with my hands on their heads.

The men still haven’t said anything. I’m on the verge of panic; we can’t stop all of them if they attack, not with this many pups to protect.

But our Alpha doesn’t panic.

Noah crosses his arms. “Class is in session. I’m not available.”

A pale, muscled man with auburn hair flashes a sharp smile, his semi-shifted incisors on display. He comes to a halt ten feet from us, leaning one shoulder against a tree before crossing his arms to mirror Noah. “We didn’t want to have to interrupt playtime either. Unfortunately, you’ve left us no choice.”

The bearded, scowling man to his left doesn’t look as relaxed. “Let’s get to it. I’m wasting my lunch break for this, and we have urgent demands for our family’s safety that require your attention.”

Noah nods, motioning to a clearing about 30 feet to our left. As Noah strides toward it, the Alphas follow without complaint.

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