Page 3 of Fated Alpha Protector

I gasp in response, but it turns into a slight wheeze from my lips. I can’t form the same sounds as my human mouth can. And when I try taking a step forward, I wobble on my forearm.

Walking on large paws is a struggle. But I persist, needing to get out of the open before someone comes back.

My ears perk up when I hear a howl in the near distance. Just beyond the group of pine trees lining up the entrance of the woods. I shake my head, realizing that I can pinpoint the sound to the nearest cliff.

My senses are heightened.

My wolf had finally come.

I gaze up at the moon, saying a mental prayer to the Moon Goddess. A prayer of gratitude, for finally being released from the clutches of being the outcast.

‘Run…’ that inner voice warns me, propelling my paws forward off their own accord. It’s like I no longer have control of my body.

The wolf controls my wolf body.

Along with the warning comes the dread in my gut. Fear. As my ears pick up the sound of leveled steps emerging from the woods.

They’re coming.

The wolf takes the lead, my paws patting smoothly on the ground. My wolf nostrils flare as the scent of werewolves enter my airways.

A scent I've never experienced before. Like warm fur and a fireplace mixed with the plants they've touched on their run.

It's growing closer. The looming threat. That which quickens my steps, turning my sprint effortless as I rush to the west side of the cliff.

I've barely had time to enjoy this feeling. To immerse myself in the pride of finally receiving my wolf. Now, it's fear of the Blackclaw group that has me running away.

As the Omega werewolf of the Blackclaw Pack, the dirt under the soles of their ranks. I have never been accepted as their own.

And the further I run – away from Rocheport, away from Blackclaw territory – the freer I feel. The free sprint, dodging boulders like stepping stones, is all the enjoyment I need.

It overshadows the fear of being caught by my pack. Even if I'm running toward unknown territory. It's only when a powerful howl reverberates from behind, that I'm distracted.

Enough to send me hurtling over a stray rock in the forest. I tumble down the cliff, my wolf whimpering from the pain.

I must have crushed something against the tree. I'm not sure. All I feel is warmth oozing from the side of the impact.

Then I see the glaring wolf eyes at the top of the cliff.

They've seen me.

And they've just witnessed my fall.

Great!

Chapter 2

THEO

“Have you given it some thought?”

I glare at the man who lumbers past me with a large log and a question I wasn't expecting. Not at a time like this.

“Can you focus, please?” I scold the Beta of the Nightalker Pack. I grab a log twice the size of his and head toward the path we’d created in the forest.

“I’m trying not to think much about this wedding,” Liam pauses and sighs as he gazes down the path. With logs on either side, it’s starting to take shape.

We’re almost at the altar now.

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