Page 8 of The Alpha's Heart

That’s when I see that he’s not alone. I have West standing at my side, holding both of my suitcases in his grip, but his attention is drawn to the other shifter in the room. When it hits me that she’s the source of the calm, she has my attention, too.

Roughly West’s age or so, she’s a pretty little thing. Tall and slender, willowy with princess-style golden locks, she’s sitting cross-legged on one of the long couches on the far side of the wall.

At first glimpse, she reminds me of a cheery teenage wolf. But I look closer, my wolf venturing out to get a better look, and know instantly that she’s an omega she-wolf with the ability to soothe and, sometimes, manipulate other wolves.

She’s not just a regular omega, though. Just like how Bishop radiates power and safety, she radiates warmth and security.

I think I’m looking at the Sylvan Pack’s Omega, the one wolf responsible for the mental being of the shifters under Bishop’s rule.

The blonde she-wolf smiles. It’s meant for me, an Omega putting a new packmate at ease, but West catches the full blast of it. Poor kid. He jolts in place, then stares back at her as if he’s never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

I swallow my own grin. Young love. These two are at the age where they’re coming into their maturity, and I can’t tell if they’llbe fated mates one day or not, but if West has it his way, he’ll make the Omega his.

Does she reciprocate? That’s harder to tell. So many females in my age group used to tease the hormone-filled males. There were those like me, who decided to wait to mate until they find their forever partner, and those who understood that, at our core, shifters are animalistic by design. Sex is a natural act. Why not have as much of it as possible?

Bishop suddenly clears his throat, snaring my attention again.

Oh my Luna. I guess I didn’t realize it, but because his level of dominance was so overpowering, I’d given my wolf a small reprieve by focusing on the two young packmates in the room.

From the frown on his ruggedly handsome face, I don’t think Bishop is a big fan of me ignoring him.

He breathes in deep. Lightning flashes in his dark gold eyes.

My inner wolf yips, and I take a subconscious step away from him.

CHAPTER 4

HELENE

Ican’t help my reaction, though I guess it’s better that I retreated instead of dropping to my belly and baring my throat to him

To be fair, I kind of want to.

This is my one true mate? Bishop is big. Intimidating.Dangerous. He’s angry, but our bond seems to thrum with sudden attraction and pure desire—and though he still calls to me, I know it’s not only mine. Oh, Luna… I can’t tell if he wants to pounce on me or grab me by the scruff and toss me back out of the den. Either way, he hasn’t said a single word yet except to grunt softly at me when I first backed away.

Is he trying to tell me without words that he’s not as much a threat as he appears?

Or is it a warning not to rile up his alpha wolf any further?

I… what am I doing here? My fantasies of my fated mate being my one true love, the Prince Charming in my fairytale… they’re going up in smoke as his hackles raise and my wolf backs herself into a corner.

The she-wolf climbs off of the couch, patting the skirt on her long dress as she moves toward me.

“Hi there. I’m Helene. I’m our Omega. I’m also Bishop’s younger sister and sometimes mouthpiece. Since the big grump hasn’t realized that saying ‘hello’ to his intended is what a good male would do, let me do it for him.” Her voice drops into a gruff mockery of what she must think her brother sounds like. I wouldn’t know. He still hasn’t spoken… “Hello, Sofia. Thank you for coming all this way to mate me so that I’m not a lonely virgin forever.”

My eyes go wide, and my wolf twitches her ears, not sure if she should bury her muzzle under my paws… or rub flanks with Bishop’s because he knows what it’s like to never have mated before.

Is it true? It could be. Shifter tradition says that, because an Alpha usually learns the identity of their fated mate after the Alpha Ceremony, he’ll usually wait for her so that there aren’t a long line of former lovers to undermine half of the Alpha couple. That doesn’t mean thatallAlphas are untouched when they claim their mate. I’d bet most aren’t. Considering how horny shifters are… and how undeniably attractive he is despite being so frightening… would he have waited.

I can’t say, though there’s one thing Idoknow. These two look absolutely nothing alike. Helene is fair and delicate while Bishop is dark and deadly. And, yet, I know darn well that she must be his younger sister like she claims because not even an Omega could get away with teasing an Alpha about being a virgin without that familial ribbing being part of it.

He doesn’t slap her down for her comment. Instead, the heights of his cheeks turn ruddy, the color disappearing beneath his beard. “That’s enough, Helene.”

And I have my answer right there, don’t I?

Because Helene doesn’t shy away from his reproach, though her smile turns impish. “Next time stop being a growly monster.Use your words, Bishop. You’ll be amazed what happens when you do.”

He pointedly ignores her cheeky response. It’s his turn to ignore me, too, as he jerks his chin at the beta next to me. “Thank you, West. I appreciate you retrieving the female for me.”

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