Page 20 of Sold to the Alphas

I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes at him, a gesture that got a genuine laugh from him, but then we all settled down to wait out the storm. It was a joke, but we all knew I never had a pack that treated each other with respect and care, and that was part of the reason I was still holding back along withmy anger. Every person in my old pack was influenced by Raol’s pride and greed. As an omega, I had barely come out of it unscathed, but even the betas in the pack suffered. Raol believed the pack alpha should be free to do whatever they wanted with no consequences. It was an old-fashioned belief, one that many packs had rejected. But the world wasn’t progressing fast enough, not with omega auctions still being held and the council refusing to curb pack alphas who terrorized everyone in sight.

I scanned my eyes over the three alphas around me. Did they lead like Raol? No, I couldn’t see any of these powerful men acting as insecurely as Raol did. They all had distinct personalities, all with different triggers and reactions to my everyday emotions.

I would find out about their pasts soon enough, if only I could get myself to let go of my own past.

I sighed and sank into the warmth of the makeshift nest, simultaneously unfamiliar yet comforting. The storm raged outside, loud and aggressive, but here, in the nest, I was warm and safe and surrounded on all sides by alphas.

It was enough to make my eyelids quickly grow heavy with sleep, and I felt the moment that Marshall and Finn fell into sleep as well. Behind me, August seemed to be having the most difficulty relaxing, and when he pressed up against me, and I felt the swelling length of his erection against my ass, I knew why.

I shifted back against him, but my mind was too tired to do more than that. His low growl of frustration and pleasure was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep, promising myself that I would make it up to him...sometime soon.

9

Elisabed

It had been two days since the cave. Two days of hard travel, the alphas leading me through forests and rough terrain, never once complaining about traveling in our human forms.

It had also been two days of quiet moments. Something about sharing a nest in the cave, huddled together against the storm, seemed to have softened the edges between us. Our wolves had come together, even if our human forms hadn’t caught up yet. I still didn’t trust them completely, but I could feel the tension easing slightly. They gave me space when I needed it, and though they weren’t perfect, their presence wasn’t as suffocating as before.

When Marshall returned from a scouting mission that morning, the alphas had gathered in a low murmuring conversation, thinking I wasn’t close enough to hear them. But I was—Icouldn’t help it. I’d learned to be aware of their words, even when they thought I wasn’t paying attention.

“He’s close,” Marshall said, his voice low.

“Who’s close?” Finn’s sharp tone was tinged with impatience.

“Raol,” Marshall muttered, his face serious. “Or at least his pack. This is Carlisle territory.”

My chest tightened. Carlisle territory—where I had lived with Raol. My blood ran cold as I absorbed the words, their meaning settling heavily in my gut. I hadn’t realized we were anywhere near this place, but it made sense now—the strange wariness in the air that had settled over the alphas these past few days. They were being extra cautious for a reason, and now I knew why.

“We should let her see them,” Marshall’s voice softened, breaking my thoughts. “Her family left the day before we did. From what I can gather, they left right after August and Elisabed saw them. They should be home by now, and she deserves to see them again.”

Why had my family returned so soon? I’d betrayed the pack, marring my family’s name, and they would be pariahs here. They should have stayed longer in neutral territory until everything calmed down and the pack started to forget what I’d done.

Why would Raol accept them back?What was he planning?

I felt the heat of their gazes, but I didn’t look up. I stayed still, pretending to focus on the rough path ahead of us while my heart thudded in my chest.

Finn scoffed. “You think letting her see them will fix everything?”

Marshall’s expression hardened. “You’re the one who keeps saying she’s pissed at us. Do you want her to stay angry forever, or do you want her to forgive us?”

I almost laughed at that, but August’s voice cut in firmly. “If we’re doing this, it has to be done right. I’ll go with her.”

“Why you?” Marshall challenged, his brow furrowed.

“Do you want me to remind you of the last thing you said to Raol?” August asked calmly. “It had something to do with his head being a paperweight. And we both know Finn’s approach wouldn’t do her any good.”

I could feel their tension without looking at them. But something about this, the way they were talking, was different. It wasn’t about keeping me in line or controlling me. They were actually considering what I wanted—what I needed.

The thought made my chest tighten in a way I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

***

It wasn’t long before August led me toward the village while the other two hung back, keeping a wide berth in case Raol or his wolves were nearby. The walk wasn’t far, but each step felt like I was dragging my own weight uphill.

When we arrived at the house, the familiar view of the small, worn-down structure caught me off guard. It looked the same aswhen I had left, with the porch sagging slightly and the windows dull with layers of dust and time.

August hung back, standing like a sentinel a few paces behind me. “Go ahead,” he said, his voice steady.

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