Page 4 of Fated To Be Alpha

To say the man is staring daggers at me would be an understatement. What the hell did I do to him?

I duck into a hallway and take my time wandering around the first floor of the castle. I can’t shake the feeling of eyes being on me, even when I’m the only one around. I try to shake it off as I look around the castle. It’s like something out of a fantasy novel with its cold stone walls and mysterious dark hallways.

The upper levels are blocked off, and I’m not risking trying to sneak up them. Besides, it’s getting dark outside, and I know I should start to head back toward the hotel soon.

The party is still raging on and I glance into the great room as I pass. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I don’t find it. It’s definitely not the jerk from earlier. Why would I want to see him again?

Even as I tell myself that, a tiny piece of me can’t seem to forget about him. He’s important somehow, but I can’t figure out why. The more I dwell on it, the more elusive it becomes, like trying to remember a dream before it fades away.

I tuck my purse closer to my side as I head toward the castle walls. The feeling of being watched is stronger now, and I keep glancing back to scan the castle grounds. There’s no one there and I wonder what it is about this place that makes me feel like I’m under surveillance.

I reach the castle gates and breathe a sigh of relief when I pass through. I’m hoping that the feeling of being watched will pass, and I try to relax as I start the walk back into town.

I only make it two feet before someone grabs me from behind. I scream, panic surging through me as my feet are lifted off of the ground. My heart thrashes inside my chest, adrenaline piping through my veins and triggering my fight or flight response.

My kidnapper drags me back toward the castle, and I go limp, hoping he’ll drop me.

The man grunts, tightening his arm around my waist and hauling me into his chest. I kick my legs, trying to scratch at the arms around me. I’m about to scream again, even though I doubt anyone will hear me inside. Before I can, however, a large hand covers my mouth. I freeze as my kidnapper carries me to a side door in the castle.

The door slams shut behind us and we’re plunged into darkness.

THREE

Koda

Damn. She kicks hard for a human. A short one, at that. I tighten my hold around her waist, hauling her further into my chest. I grunt while my wolf howls inside me, clawing at me to get to our mate.

“Fuck,” I rasp as the woman in my arms elbows me in the ribs. At the same time, my wolf lunges for my throat, wanting to break free and mark her.

I pause, tipping my head up and taking a deep, cleansing breath.

Big mistake.

The sweetest, most decadent scent fills my lungs, making me lightheaded with need. My wolf agrees, urging me to bite her and get it over with already.

She’s human, I remind him. The beast scoffs, not understanding how complicated this makes everything.

A jolt of pain startles me out of my thoughts, and I stare down at a mop of red hair, ignoring her addictive scent.

She bit me.

This human woman actually bit me.

I’ve never been at a loss for words, but this…

The woman chomps down again, but I just growl and continue carrying her up the spiral staircase until we reach the very top.

My wolf snarls in my head, telling me we should be the ones biting her, not the other way around. He also has issues with me not taking her directly to my bed. Clearly, the lovesick pup is confused about what’s going to happen.

She can’t be my mate. At the same time, I couldn’t just… let her leave. With this horrid party going on and tourists milling about, I don’t have anywhere else to stash her except the prison up in the tower. No one ever comes up here so I know that we’ll be alone.

The woman is shaking, partially from physically exhausting herself, and partially from fear. Her heartbeat hammers against her throat, letting me know she’s terrified.

My throat closes, choking out my air supply at the thought of causing my mate harm. I swallow thickly, pushing my wolf instincts way down deep.

I’m not going to hurt her, I reassure my wolf. I just need to figure out what to do with her. I need time to come up with a plan.

This does little to pacify the animal pacing around in my chest. He hates that our mate is afraid of us, and he’s pissed that I’m screwing up our first real encounter.

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