Page 4 of Bound By My Alpha Mate

“I’ll release you. Sorry about that. It wasn’t meant for you,” he said.

I remained rigid as he inched closer, flashing my teeth again when he got close enough to unlock the snare. The moment my paw was free, I leaped away, bolting between two of the humans. They shouted in surprise, the man imploring me to stop, to stay, and I briefly considered ignoring him to keep running. But if he knew where my mother was, maybe I could use him.

I came to a halt and turned so that my back was to the freedom of the forest. Facing the humans and standing my ground, I began to change.

It must have been months since I’d been in human form. The transformation hurt more than I’d expected.

After my bones had snapped, cracked, and shifted into place, and my muscles had stretched and thinned and rebuilt themselves, and my skin had shed its fur and turned soft, I stood naked in the grass before Mythguard. Long white hair fell around my face as I peered at them. Anger burned in my eyes. “Where is she?” I said hoarsely.

They all stared at me in awe, like they’d never seen a naked girl before.

I knew what it truly was that they’d never seen before, though. It wasn’t that I was a naked girl but that I—an impossible creature—was finally human and speaking to them. I was a rare hybrid, my existence suddenly tangible.

“We’ll tell you everything as long as you trust us,” said the man in charge, gesturing at one of his companions to find me some clothes. “Come with us into town. I’ll introduce you to some other wolf shifters. We’ll keep you safe.”

“Trust you?” I scoffed. “You’re the reason my mother and I were attacked in the first place.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.”

“Who are you?” I demanded.

The man took in a breath and stood straighter. “My name is Sebastian Hicks. I’m going to help you, Kiara.”

I wanted nothing to do with Mythguard. But if this man was telling the truth about knowing where my mother was, then I had no choice but to trust him.

Chapter 4

Colt

Trudging back to where my pack had been hiding, I could only think of the celestial creature I had seen earlier. I couldn’t shake her from my thoughts. So pale and perfect, almost glowing in the starlight. Beyond beautiful, her angular visage and shining horn promised humanity that her human form was even more stunning than her beast. Everything about her, from her smell to her mere posture, captivated me. And I had tried to hurt her.

Resorting to solitude once more, I didn’t bother checking in with the dragons. They could handle themselves. I went straight south through Dalesbloom territory and then considered deviating, stalling so that I wouldn’t have to explain myself to my father. I would have to return eventually, though. Best to just get it over with.

By sunrise, I’d followed the scents of my packmates to a region close to where all three territories met. In the center of Dalesbloom territory, close to the southern borders but north of the junction of Grandbay and Eastpeak territory, the mountains became jagged and steep. A treacherous canyon carved its way beneath a mountainside that then rose above the rest of Gunnison National Forest. There was only a single road leading here, and it was rarely traveled, if ever. Strangely, all wolves’ sense of smell became muddled in this area. Wolf shifters had no use of their noses here due to the abandoned silver mine, the effects of which were extensive and concentrated, even with most of the ore having been mined out of the mountain long ago. The lingering presence of the silver was so intense that it robbed a wolf of its ability to smell—so, even though it was dangerously close to Eastpeak and Grandbay, this deserted mine was the perfect place for us to hide.

I made the laborious climb up the mountain, passing vegetation until it thinned into stone. At the top of the ridge, one might expect a lush valley nestled between the mountains—instead, it was a barren pit circled by ledges, like an open mouth, littered with piles of slumping gravel dotted by weeds. Obsidian reptiles lay sprawled in the rising sun, refusing to hide themselves here, while wolves and humans prowled in an idle patrol. They all looked up at me, a dark speck on the edge of the mine. Everyone was on guard, and everyone was hungry since we couldn’t hunt while we were in hiding. Had I been a stranger, I would have been swarmed. Instead, they watched me descend into the mine and head toward a gaping cavern.

All the recent activity there had kicked up dust and dirt that made my throat dry. I skulked into the darkness, my readjusting eyes catching sight of several more shifters within, sleeping, eating, reading by flashlight, playing cards—anything to pass the time while they were forced to be away from their homes. Keeping my eyes looking ahead, I went deeper into the mine, to an alcove where I kept my belongings: my bag full of clothes, a couple of books, a handgun, and my shoes. I still had to go to work Monday through Friday at the insurance brokerage firm I was hired at last year, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to hide my fatigue and pretend I wasn’t risking my life every day in this secret war. Fortunately, today was Sunday. I could rest today.

After shifting back into human form, I dressed myself in jeans and a black sweater. I felt dirty. The only access to a shower I had was the camper one of my packmates had parked on the road leading up to the mine, but I would take advantage of that later. First, I had to speak to my father.

He wasn’t too much deeper in the mine. I didn’t even need a flashlight; throughout the tunnel, my packmates had set lanterns that spewed dull yellow light across the rock walls. Turning a corner, I saw long shadows ripple across the cavern and heard voices dimming into silence. Finally, I met the eyes of my father, David Hexen, who was with his new Beta, Garrett Roydon. My father relaxed when he saw it was me, and he turned his attention back to Garrett, continuing with what he’d been saying before.

“Since Mythguard are searching along the eastern edge, we should be able to send a hunting party to the western part of the territory tonight. I don’t want them to come back unless it’s with at least two deer,” said David. “And I need you to go to the train station at 6 p.m. and pick up a pallet from the freight dock. It will be under the name Brandon Gillam. You’ll have to sign for it, which I’ve already pre-approved.”

Garrett folded his arms. “The station’s in Eastpeak. I won’t risk running into Mythguard or any of Everett’s wolves, will I?”

“Wear a hat and sunglasses,” my father replied irritably.

“Right.” Garrett turned away, catching my eye briefly before leaving the cavern via a different tunnel.

As the Beta’s footsteps faded away, I approached my father. I was wary of getting too close—his rage might cause him to lash out at me, leaving me with a scar to go with the one Gavin had given me across my nose. David looked more tired than all of us, with bags under his eyes, hair uncombed, beard scraggly, and body odor creeping out from under his stained dress shirt. He frowned at me. “What is it, Colt?”

I stood before him with my hands at my sides. Did I really want to confess to what I had seen last night? Well, if I didn’t say anything, the dragons would.

“I found something last night,” I began, meeting my father’s gaze. His expression was unchanged: constant disappointment and underlying anger. With a slow inhale, I continued. “The dragons were hunting a wolf shifter on our northeastern border.”

“And?”

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