Page 11 of Grace of a Wolf 1
He takes a step closer, looming over me. "Don't lie to me, girl. Did you shift?"
I shake my head frantically. "No! No, I didn't shift. I'm human!"
Alpha's hand shoots out, his fingers digging into my jaw. A strangled gasp escapes my lips as he pulls me forward. His eyes blaze golden, feral and unfamiliar. The air thickens, pressing down on me like a physical weight.
"Shift. Now."
His command slams into me, an invisible force threatening to crush my bones. My lungs struggle against the pressure, each breath a battle.
"I can't," I wheeze. "Please, I'm human—"
"Shift!"
The order reverberates through my body, setting every nerve ending on fire. My vision hazes, darkness creeping at the edges. I want to obey, to do anything to make this stop, but there's nothing to obey with. No wolf hiding beneath my skin.
"Alpha, please—"
His grip tightens, nails biting into my flesh. "Shift, damn you!"
The world tilts and spins. My legs give out, but Alpha's grip keeps me upright. Spots dance across my vision as he shakes me, each command more forceful than the last.
Suddenly, I'm airborne. My back slams against the floor, driving what little air remains from my lungs. I lay there, boneless, gasping like a fish out of water. The crushing weight of Alpha's presence lifts, allowing me to draw in ragged, desperate breaths.
Through the haze of pain and confusion, I force my eyes open. Alpha towers over me, his face a mask of disgust and contempt. The replacement father I've known all these years is gone, replaced by this cold, furious stranger.
A voice filters through the ringing in my ears. Beta. When did he arrive?
Alpha's words cut through the fog, clear and devastating. "We wasted these years. She's truly just a human. The bitch betrayed me."
Betrayed? The accusation stings worse than the physical pain. How could I betray him? I've done nothing but try to belong, to prove my worth. Being human in a wolf pack is not an easy life.
"Alpha," I croak, struggling to push myself up. My arms tremble, threatening to give out.
But they ignore me.
"To ignore a mate bond," Beta says, spitting on the ground. "It is good she doesn't share your blood, Alpha. Your line would be weakened with a mother like hers. An honorless whore."
Alpha growls. "To sire a human with my mate mark on her neck… I would kill her again if I could."
Shock steals the very breath from my lungs, what bit of it I've managed to gather with my ragged gasps.
My mother… mated to Alpha? It can't be true. She was human, just like me. Wasn't she?
I stare at Alpha's back, willing him to turn around. To tell me he's joking. That all of this is nothing more than some fever dream.
"What are you talking about?" My voice trembles, barely a whisper, but loud enough for his keen senses. "My mother was human. She couldn't have been your mate."
"Your mother was a liar and a whore. She betrayed our bond."
My mind reels. It's impossible. It has to be.
"What should I do with the girl?"
Alpha turns, his upper lip lifted in a sneer. "She is no daughter of mine. Send her to serve the omegas. It'll keep them silent for a while."
"Understood, Alpha."
Chapter five
