Page 36 of Kidnapped By the Alpha

“No, I need to speak with Alpha Nile. Alone.”

She set down the broom and dustpan she had been using to sweep the floors and came to sit at the table across from me.

“Should I be worried?” she asked, concern lining her face as she reached her hand across to hold mine.

“I don’t know how the conversation will go,” I admitted. “But it’s time for me to tell him about the rest of the pack. If things go south—”

“They won’t,” she insisted. “Nile is a kind man. He won’t hurt you.”

“If things go south,” I continued, ignoring her interruption, “Killian has his instructions on what to do next.”

There was nothing else to say, and I had never been one for emotional scenes. April, likewise, didn’t draw out our goodbye.

***

In no time at all, I was approaching the front door of Alpha Nile’s home.

“Jasper!” Terry said in surprise as he opened the door to greet me. “We weren’t expecting you. Come in, come in. Where’s your bride?”

“She stayed at the cabin. I was hoping to speak with your alpha, if he’s not too busy,” I explained.

“Of course, come on in.”

Terry and I walked inside, and I found Nile reading to his daughter in the living room. The two of them were cozied up together on the loveseat, the very picture of amicability and peace.

“What brings you by, young man?” the alpha greeted me. “Everything is alright with you, I hope?”

“It’s a rather… difficult conversation,” I began.

Nile took the hint and shuffled Penelope out of the room, instructing her to go play while we spoke.

“You’ve known since we met that I’m a werewolf like yourself,” I began. “But I haven’t been completely honest withyou about why we’re near your town. My mate and I aren’t rogues, as we led you to believe. I am the alpha of the Dark Moon Pack, and April is my luna.”

The old man’s face registered his shock, and three of his warriors suddenly came into the room. They had overheard our conversation from their posts throughout the house and had come to the aid of their alpha without question.

“We mean you no harm,” I insisted, holding my hands up in supplication.

“How can we be sure of that?” Terry spat from behind me.

I glanced at him and saw that his expression was fierce, but behind his eyes, I saw the look of betrayal at my secrecy.

“We have done nothing to harm anyone in your pack since the moment we arrived,” I pointed out.

“When was that, exactly?” Nile asked, leaning forward in his seat.

I grimaced, knowing that the length of time we had spent near his territory without alerting him to our presence was unacceptable.

“Four months,” I admitted.

“Why haven’t you come forward before now?” the alpha continued.

“We broke off from the Moonstone Pack a year and a half ago and have been struggling to find a place to call home ever since,” I explained. “When we came to the area, we didn’t realize the town was already occupied by another pack. Once we did… I’m ashamed to admit that my first thought was to take it over from you. But things have changed.Ihave changed. My pack deserves to have a peaceful home, and all we wish for is a place where we can co-exist with the Pinedale wolves.”

“What changed, exactly?” Nile asked. I could tell he was still trying to decide whether I could be believed, so I thought it best to continue being as honest as possible.

“My mate, April. She was the one who showed me that change is possible,” I said.

“No, Alpha,” one of the warriors interjected. “You can’t possibly consider this.”

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