Page 12 of Sold to the Alpha Wolf

It was massive, a wood and stone fortress that was in much better shape than the Collins pack house. It didn’t look militaristic, though. The large building, even with its obviously thicker walls and large boulder-like accents, looked like a home.

A real home.

Smoke billowed from a few chimneys, and I could make out the smooth curves of curtains hung in the windows. Even in winter, I could see the dormant plants of a cultivated garden and landscape that circled the entire house. There was a considerable porch—at least, I assumed it was huge—that wrapped around to the back of the house. I could only see the frontmost portion of it, but it could be reasonably assumed that the wood slats continued at the rear to make a large deck.

There was also something about the wooden walls, the long beams running up and down the length of each wall, that gave the impression of a house well-loved for generations. The red of the paint was slightly faded, but it worked. It looked good on the building.

The creak of hinges snapped my attention back to the door where we waited.

“Inside. Now, ” Terrance’s temporary beta snapped at me as he stuck his head out of the house, and I was shoved forward by the pack mate at my back. I fought the shaking that threatened to drive me to my knees as I stepped forward, clenching my hands into fists to hide their trembling.

I immediately pulled up to a stop once I was inside. The meeting was apparently taking place right in the front vestibule. The air was thick with warmth, and the sudden change in temperature made me abruptly tired.

Raking my stare across the high ceilings of the large entryway, I silently marveled at the reinforced sense of home the interior offered. Deep, dark wood accents covered every corner, also creating a chair rail wall with thick rectangular panels. The walls themselves were a deep yellow, but it was hard to see behind the dozens of framed paintings and photographs that covered them.

The massive wooden staircase that stood before me had smooth, curved edges and ran straight up the middle of the house, where it created a landing that overlooked the room. Wolves stood there, barely suppressing angry growls.

Deep, reddish wood also covered the floor. My steps made them creak as I was shoved another step forward by the wolf at my back. A large rug sat at the base of the stairs, red and black and blue designs intricately woven from wool.

Large, burnt-copper sconces perched on the walls, their firelight flickering as wind swept across the hall from outside. My eyes tracked how it flowed through the room, rustling hair and clothing.

But then my gaze fell. That buzzing beneath my skin had doubled down, yanking my attention so firmly that I couldn’t fight it. The pull in my chest snapped taut as I stood before whatever it was leading me toward.

And then I saw him.

This can’t be.

The alpha I’d slept with, my…

Mate.

He stood just before the set of huge stairs. His silver hair tussled like he’d been raking his hands through them over and over, was as gleaming as ever. The deep well of his dark green eyes was as alluring as ever.

Was that the pull, the desperate need to get in here? Was it because of him?

I roamed my eyes across his body, and an odd, unwanted hum started in my blood. He was as tall as I remembered, maybe taller, and the alpha wore a dark-colored flannel button-down. It fell open at the top, revealing a hint of his muscular chest against the crisscrossing plaid pattern.

The alpha had also rolled the sleeves up the elbows again, like he had that night. His intricate pack tattoos were plainly visible on his inner forearms, and I studied those geometric patterns again. It was almost like they created a landscape—a circle sun bisected by a triangle mountain with two more triangles coming off that one to depict rivers or valleys.

There was even something that could be understood as a crescent moon and dot-like stars.

Well-worn jeans hugged his legs, a dark wash that added to the menacing, if laid-back, appearance he presented. He also wore dark boots, thick and chunky. I could see him clobbering over twigs and branches in the woods in them after a shift.

“Alpha, may I present Senna Richards.” My attention switched briefly to Terrance, who spoke through gritted teeth.

“What’s happening?”

My heart skipped over itself, and I watched as the man I knew, my fucking mate, stepped forward from his position. Oh Gods, you’ve got to be kidding me? My mate is an…an Edwards? Their alpha?

“Shut it!” Terrance took a step closer to me, raising his hand in warning.

I shrank back, the burn of his alpha claim itching through me like a thousand insect bites. It choked me, nearly driving me to my knees. He’d never pushed so much of his presence into his words for me. I was sure he’d done it for others, but Terrance simply never bothered with the wolfless wonder.

“Watch your tone in my house, Collins.” I looked up at the Edwards alpha, but his eyes were pinned to Terrance. “If she is indeed going to be relinquished, you’re going to need to release that alpha claim.”

My mind was reeling, and I was trying to pick up on what they were saying by context alone. But the alpha before me was giving me nothing. Shock reverberated through me—that need to be close to him—but the Edwards alpha hadn’t even looked at me. It was like I didn’t exist.

Doesn’t he remember? Doesn’t he feel it?

---