Page 5 of Alpha's Rise

Three

A gruff voice called out to her. “We already know you’re there. Come out while you can. You’re trespassing on private land.”

Since she wasn’t sure who was talking, Romi still wasn’t willing to take any chances. She decided staying hidden was her best bet. It was just her damn luck to run into a group of shifters in the middle of the fucking forest.

Yeah, those lemons keep on piling up. One day she would get the vodka and sugar she kept thinking about and make a big ass drink to enjoy.

She heard them moving below her and remained silent. Maybe, just maybe, they’d keep talking and give away their end game.

Considering she was in the mountains surrounded by trees, rocks, and other debris, how were they able to find her? Did they come across her by accident, or had they been hunting her this entire time? Now she had more questions than answers, and with the situation she was dealing with, that wasn’t a very good place to be.

If they’d been tracking her this entire time, then she was definitely losing her touch. How the fuck did she not realize they were around her this whole time? Her training and instincts should have kicked in the moment they got within a hundred feet.

She couldn’t help but blame the lapse in judgment on being a civilian for too damn long. Then again, her mind was so focused on Layla and Christopher that she had overlooked their presence. That was a mistake. One she would never make again.

Whoever this group was, she had no beef with them. If she played her cards right, she would be out of here in the next ten minutes, but they’d need to cooperate first. Plus, they were stopping her from getting to Layla and Christopher. That’s the one thing she could not allow. They needed to get the fuck out of her way.

The same guy spoke again. “I can smell you. I don’t know what you are, but this is Bloodmoon Pack land, and you’re trespassing.”

Fuck! A whole damn pack?

Romi questioned why he admitted that they were part of a pack. Could they tell that she was… other?

Romi knew she needed to get her head out of the fucking clouds. She focused on keeping a steady heartbeat and leveled breathing. Her mind swirled with thoughts, scenarios, and escape routes. Then again, maybe if she asked nicely, they’d let her pass without too much fuss.

Yeah, right.

“You’ve got five seconds to come out before we come in to get you. If we have to pull you out, you won’t like it.”

Shit. The big lug standing in the front started making those damn demands again.

This isn’t what she needs right now. Sure, she could fight her way through them, but that would just put more heat on her when she couldn’t afford it. If she killed an entire group of enforcers from the same shifter pack in one fell swoop, someone would start asking questions.

But what other choice did she have? They were blocking her way forward, and if she tried to turn and run, there was no doubt they’d give chase.

Making a quick decision, Romi stood from her hiding spot and slowly showed her face. At first glance, she almost changed her mind. Hell, at this point, she wanted to turn and run the other way. There weren’t just one or two men standing in front of her. There were five, at least the ones she could see. They were all massively built, and none looked happy to see her.

That wasn’t her problem. She hadn’t been bothering them, so Romi wasn’t sure why they were bothering her. They could have kept on going about their business, but no, they had to get all up in her grill.

“Listen. I don’t want any trouble.” Romi lifted her hands to show that she wasn’t carrying a weapon. Then again, if they were shifters and could tell who and what she really was, they also knew empty hands didn’t mean shit if things popped off.

Another one spoke up. “Why are you on our land? Do you know where the hell you are?”

Romi shrugged. Where she was, or whose land she was on, didn’t matter to her in the end. “No, but I don’t care. I’m only passing through on my way to someplace else. No need for all the theatrics and drama.” She motioned with one hand towards the shifters, all of whom were naked. “You can just let me go on my way, and we can forget this whole thing ever happened.”

One of them stepped forward. “Not gonna happen. Based on pack law, you cannot pass through our lands without permission from the Alpha Supreme. Come with us, and there won’t be any trouble.”

Alpha Supreme? She was tempted to ask but decided to let it go since she wouldn’t be here long enough to find out.

Romi shifted her body, placing one hand on a curvy hip. “Are you out of your mind? I don’t know you. You think I’m really going to just walk off with five naked, big ass men into the woods?” She shook her head at the stupidity of that request. “Nope. Not happening, Giant McShifty. Just point me toward the closest exit from your land, and that’s where I’ll be heading.”

“She thinks we’re good looking,” a younger looking shifter said with a smile.

“Who the fuck is Giant McShifty?” the one who’d made the demand called out.

Romi rolled her eyes at the younger one’s comment. A smile tried to break free, but she kept her expression neutral. Men. Clueless. Clearly, none of them had an ounce of humor.

One of the others jabbed him in the ribs. “Stop being stupid. Either way, it doesn’t matter. We have rules.” He turned back to Romi. “Listen, we know you’re something, we just don’t know what. If you want to make sure you have safe passage on our lands, I suggest you come to the compound. Maybe we can help.”

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