Page 37 of Fated Alpha Protector

I just didn’t expect it to feel so intense. I see her for who she really is, and I feel my wolf chest swelling with the pride of knowing that she’s mine.

‘Did you hear that?’ she mentally whispers, snapping her head back.

A moment of silence passes when I hear the rustling in the bushes.

It’s her first time hunting, and yet, her hearing is sharp as if she’s done this many times before.

‘It’s time to hunt,’ I tell her, carefully treading forward until I get to her side without making a sound. ‘Follow me. We’ll find a spot to hide and watch our prey.’

Mia nods eagerly, following me as we find a spot behind a stump of a tree. When she engages the innate alertness of her wolf, I feel it pulse all around her like an invisible aura.

Stunned, I keep my eyes on her as if I’m enchanted. Her first time hunting, and she’s a natural. At that moment, all my worries fade away.

And I realize that the fated mate bond is worth every trial I have to face.

Chapter 13

MIA

Huddled behind a tree stump in our wolf forms, Theo and I watch the mountain goat intently.

It grazes on a patch of long blades of grass, often lifting its head at the slightest sound like it’s on guard. Any sound from either of us will alert the animal of our presence, and it’ll run off.

‘You've gotta feel it inside…’ Theo speaks through the mind link. ‘Trust your instinct, and let it guide you.’

With his encouraging words, I close my eyes momentarily. To train in on that instinct. To focus on it, allowing it to guide me.

It seems that Theo's mere presence offers me strength. It radiates off him, forming an imaginary shield around us. A protective shield. And one that permeates all the power of the Alpha that he is.

It's quite extraordinary, feeling so effortlessly courageous for the first time in my life. Opening my eyes again, I'm as ready as ever to hunt the goat.

‘I'm going for it,’ I tell Theo as I push my weight down on my hind legs. Preparing for the attack, I lunge over the stump and knock the animal to the ground. Sharp canines distend, puncturing through the mountain goat's flesh.

Warm, rich blood oozes onto my tongue. It's heady and almost seductive as it trickles down my throat. Dropping the animal's neck from between my teeth, it falls to a heap on the ground before my feet.

‘Well done, Mia!’ Theo appreciates as he finally steps out from behind the tree stump. I turn to him, only to witness the marveled glow in his eyes.

Sparkling as if he's just witnessed the greatest accomplishment being made, he's staring at me with astonishment. His awe swells his chest with pride as he finally becomes unfrozen from the spot.

Heat rises in my face. I would be blushing profusely if I was in human form. But even now, Theo must notice my reaction. He whimpers as he comes closer, pressing his muzzle to my neck.

‘You're heating up,’ he observes, stepping back to look into my face. Whatever he sees there stuns him as his wolf eyes widen.

‘What's wrong?’ I ask, feeling my face pull taut as if I'm frowning.

‘I think we should eat…’ he replies, though I can sense that there's something he isn't telling me.

Still, I heed the instruction. The nagging pull in the pit of my belly is too strong to ignore. The pang of hunger gripping me so tightly that I part my lips and chew into the warm flesh of the goat.

When we've left only the carcass, my tongue juts out to lap at my lips. The meal was divine and filling. Yet, the feeling of a void in the pit of my belly remains.

My ears perk up when the rustling sound of Theo's shift sounds in the air. Turning, my wolf instinctively retreats. As if it knows something I don't. I also shift so that I can speak to him.

“Mia…” Theo sucks in a breath through his teeth as he closes the distance between us.

Compelled to melt into his arms, I feel that tug in my belly pull tighter. Coiling until it brings with it realization.

The heat I'd been feeling rise in my wolf is the very same heat I felt when I lost my virginity. Stronger now, as if it's intensified by a full belly.

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