Page 11 of Becoming the Alpha

Amara threw her hands up and scoffed again. She huffed out a breath before leveling me with a pointed look. “Becauseyour fated mate happens to be the fucking Prince of Wolf Hollow and when he asks me to bring you clothes because he doesn’t want other males to see you naked, I don’t really get the fucking option of passing. The clothes are strapped to my back. I was not going to have my hands full of clothes while traipsing throughout this Goddess-forsaken forest. I needed both hands free in case something decided to fling itself at me in an attempt to get a bite of this delicious ass.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed again. She grinned at me, looking pleased with herself. She pulled at a strap wrapped around her shoulders and a bag emerged from behind her. She opened a drawstring bag and pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark blue shirt. I grabbed them from her and pulled them on, inhaling deeply as my wolf caught a whiff of Jason’s scent. I sighed dreamily, my shoulders dropping as his scent enveloped me.

Amara smiled at me. “You really love him, don’t you?” My cheeks heated and I tucked my chin into my chest, hiding my embarrassment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Amara laughed, shaking her head at me. “Oh, please. It’s absolutely obvious. You’re completely smitten and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You found someone who will do anything for you.”

My smile grew, then dropped off my face as I was reminded what Jason had done and why he wasn’t the one standing in front of me right now. I took a deep breath and turned away, running my hand through my hair. “Anything but ask for my fucking consent.”

“I’m sorry, Lily. I know he loves you too. You can tell. He’s completely obsessed with you. He wants to make sure you’re taken care of and safe. He made a mistake. I know you are upset, but he knows he is in the wrong here. I just want you to make sure you don’t push him away so much that you can’t have him when you’re ready to forgive him.”

I sighed, closing my eyes and pressing my lips together. The leaves behind me rustled again. I whirled around, pushing Amara behind me. She gasped and I tensed, waiting to see what threat was heading toward us.

“Oh!”

I blinked, taking in the two girls standing in front of us. They were both pretty in an understated way. The taller one had dark black hair that hung around her waist. Her bright green eyes were narrowed and filled with suspicion. She had on a tan leather jacket and faded blue tank top underneath. She had on light blue jeans that fit her form perfectly and faded, worn looking cowboy boots. The other girl looked to be the same age as Jessica, my sister, would be now. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about her, but I blinked them away until I could deal with those thoughts. The younger girl was dressed in overalls and a light pink shirt. She had newer looking boots on and her hair looked lighter than her companion’s. Her eyes were wide in surprise.

“Who are you?” Amara asked over my shoulder. A growl sounded in the air between us. I blinked as I realized the older girl was baring her teeth at us. I snarled, letting my own teeth show. If someone had stumbled upon us, I’m sure they would have been amused because snarling while human just looks weird as fuck, but I didn’t care - I needed to protect Amara.

“Will you two stop it? You look fucking ridiculous,” The younger girl rolled her eyes. The older girl stopped snarling, closing her eyes and releasing a breath before dropping her head to her chest. She looked exasperated with her companion and I got the feeling that the two of them were sisters and she felt this way often. It was something I could relate to - or I used to be able to before I was kidnapped and whisked away to Wolf Hollow a little over a year ago. “I’m Sarah and this is Elle. We’re from The Sampson Pack, down south.”

12

Jason

I paced around my room, wondering where the girls were and why Dean wasn’t back with them. My wolf was ready to burst out and go hunting for them. He was extremely agitated after Laura’s little speech and Luke and Jake didn’t help matters much. They both agreed that her plan was a good one and were going to do with that. I sent them away as soon as I could. I couldn’t handle thinking about the Alpha Challenge any longer.

“Jason?” Dean pushed open the door to my room, looking wary.

“Where are they?”

Dean grimaced, sighing. “I don’t know…”

“What!” I roared, my wolf pushing to be let loose. He needed to get his hands on his mate. He couldn’t let my father hurt her and the only way he could make sure she was safe was to have her by his side. Dean stayed near the door, his head down. A faint whiff of rotten apricots was wafting off of him, causing me to feel like I was losing my mind.

“Where did you lose them?” I asked through clenched teeth. Reeling in my emotions and keeping my head was becoming more difficult, but my mate needed me to be human right now.

“Lily was headed into the forest. She shifted into her wolf and I lost her. She went running, following no particular path so her scent is everywhere. Amara followed after her, but then made her way back to the castle. I lost Lily, so I came back to find Amara. She got some clothes for Lily and went back out into the forest now. I don’t really know where either one is…I couldn’t keep tracking both of them when they split up like that.”

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and clenching my hands into fists. My claws burst out, causing my skin to split open and blood to come spilling out. Dean’s heartbeat skipped and he held his breath. I opened my eyes, shoving my wolf away. “Let’s go,” I growled, stalking my way to the door. Dean stepped out of my way, trying to get away from me. It occurred to me that having my best friend afraid of me wasn’t what I wanted, but my focus was on my mate.

I made my way down the hallway, Dean trailing behind me. The servants and Royal Guard all moved out of my way. I shoved open the main gates and stormed onto the grounds, making my way to the forest.

“Jason!”

I stopped, my blood turning to ice. My own heart skipped a beat and my wolf let a growl loose inside my head. It made me feel like my brain was rattling, but I smoothed out my expression, loosened my muscles, calmed my breathing, and turned around. My father stood in the doorway of the main gates, smirking at me.

“Yes?”

He tsk’d at me, shaking his head. “Now, Jason. You know better than that. Come closer and address me properly or we will have to delay you from finding your mate even longer.”

I blinked, my sight going red with rage. My body was shaking from the effort of holding back the shift. My wolf was not happy.

First, my mate took off and now I had to deal with his bullshit?

I needed to get away from my father as soon as I could. I was liable to attack him in the middle of the grounds. Instead, I moved closer to him, retracing my steps. I stopped a few feet away, not trusting myself to keep my hands at my sides so I tucked them behind my back. “My apologies, Your Majesty. I’m not sure what you’re talking about. My mate is safe and sound with her best friend.”

My father’s smirk grew and dread flooded my body. “Oh, they’re together alright. I wouldn’t say they were safe and sound, though.”

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