Page 3 of Gabe's Lone Wolf

“Your pack?” I asked.

“I don’t have a pack.”

That made two of us.

“Why would an alpha I’ve never met offer me protection?” I demanded.

I’d met several packs since I’d been on my own. Some ignored me, knowing I was only passing through. Some tried to capture me for the reward Cam offered for my safe return, though I’d learned safe meant different things to different people. Some planned to kill me outright, seeing me as a threat simply because an alpha was hunting me. Some merely wanted to fuck me to see what was so special about me that an alpha would spend so much time and effort hunting me down. The fact I was unwilling offered no deterrent at all.

“James is different. His whole pack is made up of alpha bastards and lone wolves. Like you.” His gaze met mine again briefly. “Their pack is often referred to as the Alpha Pack. They’re like a brotherhood. They’ll protect you. Stand with you.”

“Why?” I demanded again.

What was it about this alpha pack that would make them help me? If anything, knowing it was a pack of alpha males had everything inside me screaming to keep my distance. My experience with alphas wasn’t pleasant. Thus the running and staying gone. I wouldn’t be anyone’s pawn ever again.

“Because it’s who they are.”

He pulled my Jeep onto a dirt lane that was little more than a rutted path and slid it into park. He turned in the seat and faced me, one arm braced atop the steering wheel, the other along the headrest.

“The alpha’s mate is a woman named Raina Byrd. Raina James now. She’ll stand beside you.”

“How do you know the James Pack?” Because it was evident he knew Raina Byrd. His expression said he knew her well.

“Everyone knows the James Pack. I’m willing to bet even you’ve heard of it.”

Of course, I had. Several times. Usually spoken of with fear. They were a legend of epic proportions. That reinforced my doubt as to who and what they really were. I’d be best served to keep my distance from them. Obviously, the man at my side didn’t share my skepticism.

“What makes you so sure they’ll help me?” I asked again, demanding a better answer this time.

“In another life, I knew Bastion James and his mate. If you ask them for help, tell them why Cam is chasing you, they’ll protect you.”

I wanted to ask what other life he was talking to, but it seemed an intimate question to ask a stranger. Even one who’d broken into my Jeep and saved my ass from a life as Cam’s property.

“Hell, I’m not even sure why Cam’s still after me. He should have given up years ago.”

Mystery man shook his head. “You’re a beautiful woman, Eliza, but I don’t think you’re fishing for compliments. We both know your alpha is obsessed with you, and an obsession like the one he has, it doesn’t fade away. It only grows stronger. Especially when it’s denied.”

“He knows we’re not mates.”

“That doesn’t mean anything to some wolves. They don’t believe in true mates. Your alpha seems to be one of those.”

“It means something to me,” I growled. “Besides, there are plenty of female wolves who’d be willing to mate him. Why me? And, no, I’m not fishing for a compliment. I can’t change my face.” Or my body, which tended to be on the curvier side.

“You’re a virgin. One he spent years grooming to be the mate he wanted.”

I tried not to react to his blunt statement. How did he know what Cam had done? How much did he know? Who the hell was this guy? I opened my mouth to demand answers to the last question, but he spoke first.

“He took you as a prize when you were far too young to be thought of in the way he obviously did. He’s a bastard for demanding you, for doing his best to groom you to be who he wanted. Your whole fucking pack should be shot for allowing it to happen. Men like him should never hold the rank of alpha.”

“Who are you?” I demanded. “How do you know any of this?”

“He won’t stop hunting you until he’s forced to.”

Did he think I wasn’t aware of that? My temper edged closer to the snapping point.

“You think I can’t force him to stop?”

He shook his head, not remotely concerned with the growl that spilled from my lips.

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