Page 9 of Alpha's Rise

“Did one of my men touch you?” Tobias demanded to know, and his wolf was right there with him, ready to come out and teach these young pups a lesson. If one of them laid a hand on her, there would be hell to pay.

She shook her head. “Hell no. They wouldn’t still be standing there if they had.” She glanced around before dropping her gaze down to the watch on her wrist. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, why don’t you… gentlemen, let me be on my way?”

Tobias didn’t move one damn inch. She belonged with him, so there was no way in hell he was just going to let her walk away. “Hold on a second. If you know what I am…” he swept his hand toward his men, “…what we are, why are you not afraid?”

She stepped closer to him, and it almost broke his resolve. It took great restraint not to reach out and grab her close. Even with space between them, Tobias couldn’t help but inhale her beguiling scent. It was driving him mad and making his cock even harder.

“Maybe the question you should think about is why would I, a woman alone in the woods, carrying nothing more than this bag over my shoulder, be so comfortable surrounded by large, naked men who could turn into wolves?”

“What the fuck? Who are you?” Tobias could feel his wolf pacing. Even he was uncertain about their mate. Something wasn’t adding up.

Five

Romi stared at him. Watching. Waiting. For what, he wasn’t sure.

Finally, she answered. “I’m someone who’s looking for my family,” she said with a smile on her plush lips. “No more. No less. And you’re stopping me from doing that.”

Tobias knew he had to think of a way to keep her with him. “Let me help you. Let my pack help you.”

She shook her head and tried to walk around him. “I don’t think you can help me.” As she walked away from him, he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“My name is Tobias Murray of the Bloodmoon Pack. Let us help you find who you’re looking for. If someone crossed our lands, we’d know. I can help you find your family.”

The beautiful woman paused, looking down at the fingers wrapped around her wrist. She inhaled before looking up at him. “Let me go,” she demanded.

“Not yet. Just tell me your name first.”

After a few moments, she exhaled before speaking one word. “Romi.” She wasn’t willing to give him her last name just yet.

Releasing her wrist, Tobias positioned his body to block the view of his men. He crossed his arms over his chest, not bothering to hide his naked form from her gaze. “Who exactly are you looking for, Romi? I know you don’t have a husband.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I would smell him all over you, then I’d probably have to kill him.” She’d learn soon enough that he meant every single word.

Her eyes narrowed, and she shifted her feet. He could smell her essence and knew his words had turned her on. Good.

“A little sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Romi didn’t want to be attracted to this man, but something about him made her want to trust him. And since she wasn’t someone who trusted easily, she found it alarming.

“Because I know who I am, and soon enough, so will you,” he said, smiling.

Romi rolled her eyes at him, but it didn’t hold any animosity. “I’m still not sure I can trust you. I mean, how do I know what you say is true? I don’t know you. Plus, you seem a little crazy. And honestly, why don’t you people have on any clothes?” Her voice raised during the last bit, almost like a yell. He could tell their nakedness was agitating her and almost smiled at her response.

“We have clothes, but if you know anything about us, you also know that clothes are expendable.”

She laughed low under her breath. “Yeah, I know all about how that works.”

“I can help you find your family,” Tobias offered again.

There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she responded to him. “And what if you can’t? Listen, I know you may want to help, but my family is the most important thing to me. Even standing here talking to you and your men feels like I’ve lost traction. I need to find them, and you’re hindering me. I cannot have that.”

She closed her eyes for a second, which surprised Tobias even more. She had no fear of them whatsoever. That’s not something he’d ever experienced before. When she opened her eyes, he released a sigh of relief—until she spoke.

“Listen, if you can’t help me, tell me now. If I go with you and waste even more time, I will kill you and everyone around you. I don’t give a fuck who you are or what you can turn into. I’ll kill you if you stop me from getting to my family.”

Her words froze Tobias in his tracks. Hell, even his wolf stopped pacing and tilted his head as if it were trying to figure out what to do. Of course, she didn’t know who Tobias was. He was very purposeful not to mention who he was to the pack. Then again, she was a smart woman. She must have noticed the others deferring to him. “You can’t just threaten to kill someone you just met.”

“Yes, I can. And I would. You have one day before I head back out on my own. Come through on your word, or I’ll slit your throat.” She stepped back and motioned with her arm. “Lead the way.”

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