Page 21 of Alpha's Baby Girl
“Is still in progress,” he finished. “It’s nightfall.”
“How long was I out?” I asked, eyeing him, aware of how very naked I was beneath the blanket after shifting.
“Only three hours. You were shivering in your sleep, so I got the fire going. There’s a canister of fresh spring water next to you. I also have some fruit bags and pieces of meat in the backpack.”
“You… Prepared supplies?”
“I placed some around the woods last night,” he admitted. “I worried some she-wolves would try to make good time through the day in wolf form and by the second day, your human forms would need to take over to complete the trial but wouldn’t have the same survival instincts.”
“You didn’t trust us,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
“No, I didn’t want anyone injured. I wanted tohelp.”
“Any she-wolf here can take care of herself,” I snapped.
“I found you half collapsed on a riverbank,” Fenrys growled. “How about you thank me instead of arguing with me? If it wasn’t for those supplies, your leg could be infected, your shivering would have been worse, and you wouldn’t have healed half as well because I couldn’t carry you into a cave.”
His chest heaved as he panted for breath, his voice a rough snarl.
I wanted to cower to him, wanted to press my chest to the floor in submission at that tone, but something else roused in me as well. He was being overly protective, and while I wanted to whine for that, I tried to lift my head in a stubborn silence.
Mate, mate, mate, my instincts rang out.
I shifted around, a growing heat in my gut, sweeping my body that wasn’t just from the fire.
“I am an alpha, and when a female is in danger, Iact,” Fenrys said, his voice calmer.
“And here is me thinking I was special,” I muttered sarcastically. “Again.”
“Youare,” he snarled. That confession had us lapsing into silence again.
I felt the distance between us so intensely. The rain outside the cave entrance was a thick sheet, thundering down over the trees swaying in the distance. Fenrys was near the fire but not too close, giving me more space. I noticed the quiver in his muscles, a slight shiver. I looked around, but there was only my blanket, no others.
“Will I fail the trial?” I asked. I vaguely remembered him talking to me about it on the banks of the river outside but I needed to ask him properly.
He shook his head. “Nobody will know what happened.”
“You shouldn’t have saved me. I can fend for myself.” And yet my inner wolf was practically preening at his protection and my wrapped leg, the fire to keep me warm, and the food he’d packed.
Fenrys’s eyes cut to me, silencing my protests.
“This is a test of survival,” I countered.
“And you survived, no?” His voice was lighter as I slowly realized he was teasing me. I blinked at him for a few moments before laughing. Ihad, and would have even if he hadn’t found me, but these extra precautions would have me healed in no time.
“Are you allowed to spend the night with just one wolf?” I asked.
“Nobody’s here to tell me I can’t,” he murmured, his eyes still on me. His gaze lowered beyond my face, and I realized the blanket had slipped down my neck, exposing part of my full chest. I blushed and went to pull it up before realizing I could use it to my advantage. Wasn’t this what I had wanted? To seduce Fenrys, lure him into false security, and grow closer to him to put the paralyzing bracelet on him eventually? I didn’t have it now but Icouldhave him.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
I silenced that call in my head.
He had rejected me as his mate. Would he truly pick me now, after all these years? Was there a chance his feelingshadchanged? We needed to talk about our history and what had happened. Knowing he would have felt it, I wanted to know why he had rejected our bond.
I let my eyes close as I recalled the first time I knew that Fenrys Randon had been capable of rejecting me as his mate…
The day of the Silverlake Valley home game for the championships had been a hot spring day, perfect for a celebration. My best friend at the time, Anya, was a cheerleader for our team, her bright orange uniform decorated with a black letterE. We were all permitted to attend the game as a show of support. Once they beat Oak Hill tonight, the team would travel to Atlanta for the next season.
