Page 29 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

Is it the only reason? If it wasn't for Jarrod, would I consider pursuing her?

It's only now, as I glance at her discreetly with that question on my mind, that I notice the constellation of tiny brown freckles pebbling her nose. I gulp, realizing that the last time I noticed the cuteness of that intricate feature was the last time I saw Cassandra nine years ago.

I catch myself quickly, reeling in my thoughts and reaffirming that I have no intention of acting on my baser needs. Not here, in Mysthaven, anyway.

I'd learned my lesson a long time ago—Emily was a mistake I don't wish to make again. I'd rather keep my endeavors to the human world, where no one knows the nature of my identity and the advantages of being the pack's Alpha.

“Why…” I take a deep breath as we near the ravine on the west side of Mysthaven. “... Why did you want to join patrols?”

Cassandra shrugs as she hangs onto a tree and kicks off her shoes. “I thought it would be fun.”

“Fun?” I chuckled dryly, watching as she rolled her shoulders to get them loose. “Is that the only reason?”

Cassandra turns to me, planting her hands on her hips. “Is there any other reason I'd join?”

My suspicion hangs on the tip of my tongue but I'm not ready to admit that I know something is happening between her and my best friend. Perhaps it's denial that has me shaking my head.

“N-no,” I relent, turning my face toward the mountain. “I just didn't peg you for someone who would care about the safety of this pack.”

“Consider this my way of proving that I do,” Cassandra huffs. “I care more than you realize.”

I turn skeptical eyes on her. “Then why did you leave the first time around?”

Cassandra's eyes soften then, a sadness flashing by the warm hues of dark, earthly brown. Regret grips me as if my question was a little too tasteless.

But Cassandra can't possibly expect me to forget that she abandoned the pack with no explanation. All her mother told us back then was that Cassandra received an offer she couldn't refuse.

Was that all that drove her to leave the pack as if we meant nothing to her?

As if I didn't—

No.

I stop myself from going down that road, lifting an expectant brow as I wait for her reply.

“I—er—I had that job offer…” she replies tentatively. When a howl resounds in the distance, Cassandra's attention is pulled away and she sighs in what can only be relief.

What was that about?

“We should go,” she says before shutting her eyes to invoke her wolf.

I should shift, too, but I'm frozen on the spot when a gentle wind passes and carries her scent toward my airways. The sweet notes of flowers in bloom are mellow, tugging my heartstrings with a beat of a foreign yet innate need to be close to Cassandra.

As silky ivory fur ripples across her skin and her body morphs into that of her wolf, I can't help but remain fixated on her. For the first time in my existence, I marvel at the majestic nature of a wolf I only perceived as ordinary before tonight.

I hadn't paid much attention to her in the past, only because of my denial that I was so attracted to her in human form. An attraction that I refused to acknowledge since doing so would only have led me to the throes of bodily pleasures.

I could never bring myself to cross that line with her. She was a friend back then, and perhaps I respected her too much. In turn, I used bitter words as a defense mechanism, disrespecting her only because of the war I was fighting within.

She's not the same young, geeky girl who hid her braces behind a half-smile. She's become a woman—one I cannot seem to stay away from, as hard as I try. When she turns the majestic head of her wolf toward me, rich brown eyes lock on mine, and she whimpers.

That's when my wolf bursts free without hesitation, compelled by the sudden urge to come forward and protect the she-wolf who watches me intently. When I land on the ground with strong paws, my wolf takes a step forward, and I suddenly want to coil her into the soft tresses of my fur and hold her close.

“Alpha? Are you with us?”

Jarrod's question enters my mind unwelcome like an intruder walking into a moment I can hardly make sense of.

What is this sudden need to protect Cassandra? Why am I unable to tear my eyes from hers?

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