Page 4 of Fated to the Wolf Prince

Leigh was almost as loaded down as I was, but Shay traveled light, with only one midsized rolling suitcase and a backpack slung over one shoulder, so she rolled one of my suitcases for me. We wandered together toward a clipboard-holding wolf in a suit who read off names and room assignments for the line forming ahead of us. My head was spinning with possibilities, so I didn’t notice when the line moved until Shay prodded quietly.

“Brielle, we’re next.” The soft-spoken words were barely audible over the sounds of the milling wolves talking and laughing, but I was used to it and attuned to Shay’s voice.

We stepped forward together, and as usual, Leigh took charge for our group.

“Johnson City pack, Leigh Barnes, Shay Woodlawn, and Brielle Masters. The males of our pack are over there, as well.” She waved vaguely at the van, where the guys were showing off and doing handstands, for some odd reason. Oh wait, a gaggle of she-wolves one van over. Spotted the reason. With an eye roll, I turned my attention back to the suited man. He was eyeing me oddly, and I straightened my spine. Had I missed a question? A quick glance at Leigh’s and Shay’s expressions told me no.

Surely news of my weaknesses hadn’t preceded me, right? I couldn’t imagine my Alpha would want to spread that news a second sooner than necessary. The man took a longer than usual drag of air in through his nose, then shook his head and dropped his eyes to the clipboard.

“All right, Leigh, you are in room two-oh-eight, with a… Shailene. Is that your full name?” The man, Reed, according to his name tag, cast his eyes back and forth between me and Shay, waiting for confirmation.

She nodded silently, so he ticked her off on the list. “I’ll make a note that your preferred nickname is Shay, so there won’t be any confusion. Now, Brielle, you’ll be in room two-oh-nine, directly across the hall, and bunking with Cherry from the Omaha pack. I believe her pack came in yesterday morning, so she may already be asleep, but she knows to expect you.”

“Okay, thank you.” I gave him a polite smile, but he was still looking at me strangely.

“Which way is our dorm?” Leigh cut in, and the man pulled his gaze from mine slowly, like it took effort.

“I’ll have one of our wolves escort you.” He peered over his shoulder and scanned the crowd, looking for someone specific. “Gael!” His shout wasn’t louder than necessary, but it was laced with power and a hint of an alpha bark, which made my wolf whine and shake her head. This man was too dominant to be holding a clipboard, whoever he was. I’d wager he could give our Alpha a run for his money, easy. Was he one of the high alpha’s men? Either that or our pack was even weaker than I thought.

A tall, broadly muscled man with intense green eyes jogged over from where he’d been talking to an even taller—good gravy, what was he, six-five?—brooding alpha wolf. The brooding alpha scowled at Reed, and then his eyes flicked dismissively over the three of us. But when they landed on me, they locked on like a missile. He was utterly, undeniably gorgeous, and everything I never knew I’d wanted in a man. Dark hair trimmed close to his head but a little longer on top, sharp cheekbones, and a straight nose. Tan skin from a life spent outdoors was paired with muscles that looked like they came from hard physical labor. His dominance was so thick in the air, I could taste the sharp tang of it from here. I got a faint impression of citrus and something spicy, though that was absurd even for a shifter nose at this distance.

Strangely enough, my wolf wasn’t whining as she had at Reed. The dark haired wolf and I stared at each other across the dark field, and she rose shakily to her feet, pacing forward, agitated for some reason. There was energy, pure and brilliant, blazing across the field between us, even though it was dark except for the half-moon. My wolf howled and pressed forward against my control, shocking me into stillness. I was barely breathing as I stared at the handsome stranger. As I watched, his eyes began to glow bright green, his own wolf peeking through in response to mine.

Gael skidded to a stop next to us, on high alert, and I hurriedly dropped my gaze from the handsome, intimidating alpha across the field. I glanced up quickly and took in Gael’s thick eyebrows, the scar on his cheek that bisected his stubble and ended abruptly on his throat. His tight, black T-shirt and black cargo pants made me guess security, or maybe even someone’s enforcer. Though why they’d need security to escort us to our dorms was beyond me. Surely the area was safe, if they’d brought us all here?

“How can I help, Reed?”

The two shared a long, lingering look before Reed bobbed his head in our direction. Mental communication? Maybe they were pack mates. “Can you please escort these three to rooms two-oh-eight and two-oh-nine?”

“Absolutely. Ladies, this way.”

He turned and marched off through the milling wolves, not taking the time to make sure we followed. Reed gave us a finger wave in dismissal, then turned his attention to the group of wolves behind us. I snuck a quick glance toward the alpha, but was nearly rolled over by a wave of disappointment when I found him gone.It’s for the best, Brielle. Get your head out of your tail.

“Was that weird, or was it just me?” I whispered to Leigh and Shay as we half trotted behind Gael to keep up. Luckily, he was tall and easy to spot, or else we’d have lost him in the bustle.

“Definitely weird. Hottie McHotterson had total eyes for you, babe.”

“Uh, no way. Did you feel how dominant he was? My wolf didn’t like it.”

Leigh snorted, shaking her head. “Your wolf? She barely comes out to play. Don’t blame intimidation on her. That’s hardly fair to the poor girl.”

“I’m serious, Leigh! She’s been alert ever since we stepped off the bus.”

“Huh, well, that’s probably a good thing. So many wolves might be able to pull her out of her shell. Maybe she needs a stronger alpha?”

Our conversation came to an abrupt end as Gael opened the door to a massive, log-cabin-style lodge. The place towered at least two stories up, with beautiful dormers cut into a green tin roof. The double front doors were painted a matching green, making the place feel natural and like it blended into the forest. If it wasn’t a country mansion, anyway.

We trailed up the front steps one by one, and Gael dropped the door to help with our bags.

“Sorry, I should have thought to carry those for you. Geez, what have you got in this one, rocks?”

“No, not rocks,” I said, indignant.

Leigh laughed, not bothering to cover her smirk. “Did you pack a whole bag of lab equipment? Why am I not surprised.”

“Hey, I’m ninety-percent sure that your entire second bag is shoes. Lay off.” I leveled her with a pointed glare.

“Shoes are necessary. Lab equipment—”

---