Page 42 of The Alpha

His eyes grew brighter still. “Kahtala Miah.”He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out. “Te su mah, Kahtala Miah. Tu rey delah soh.”

She let go a small laugh. “Look, big guy, I barely figured out what the Kahtala Miah thing was.”

He smiled at her with his eyes, put a hand over his heart again, then pointed at her. “Kahtala Miah.”

“Your heart, I get it.” She blinked in confusion. “Are you saying my heart?” Pari put a hand over her heart, then pointed at him. “Kahtala Miah?”

He smiled again and pointed at himself, his eyes turning fierce. “Antalah.” His eyes bore into her. “Bondrah.”

Pari’s heart shuddered. What was that?! It wasn’t fear, this was something else. She put her face as close to the wall aspossible without smashing her nose against it. “Bondrah?” She tried to roll the “r” like he did but didn’t do a very good job.

He stood proudly. “Bondrah Miah.”

She trembled at the words but didn’t know why. Something was happening, something… powerful. “Bondrah Miah…?”

He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. A low growl escaped him, and he took a step back.

Unable to help herself, she said the words again. She had no idea what they meant, only that they affected him somehow. “Bondrah Miah.”

His eyes sprang open and were such an incredible blue, they almost glowed. His upper lip pulled back from his teeth, and she watched in utter fascination as fangs descended.

“What the heck?” she whispered. He reminded her of some huge predator—a wolf or a lion— as he turned toward his cell door.

She shouldn’t do it, but what the hey? “Bondrah Miah!”

His head snapped to her, and he roared once, then ran at the cell door.

“Holy guacamole!” Pari fell onto the bed. “No, they’ll come for you. They’ll shoot you!”

An alarm sounded within the lab and another in the outside hall. Pari could see a red flashing light through the windows of the doors, and she panicked. “Stop, please! They’ll hurt you!”

His cell door cracked on the second hit.

Pari’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh goodness…”

The door to the hall flew open, and men ran into the lab, each armed with some kind of rifle.

“Don’t you dare shoot him!” she screamed.

They ignored her and approached his cell. She knew they’d have to get close enough to put the barrels of the rifles through the slits in the front cell wall and door.

He hit it again and another alarm went off.

She looked at him as he backed up, preparing to attack the door again. “Bondrah Miah…”

His eyes brightened even more as he looked at her. Unfortunately, it was the opening the men needed. They shot him, multiple times with tranquilizer darts.

He took the hits, never once taking his eyes off her. Then he smiled.

Without thinking, the word slipped right out of her. “Bondrah?”

He ran at the door, cracking it further.

“He’s going to break free!” a man cried.

“Shoot him again!” a familiar voice yelled.

“No…” Pari said. “Leave him alone!”

---