The Alpha’s Fated Choice (Alpha's Fated Encounter Trilogy #1)

He looks thoughtful as he stares down at the text, and then he reaches out and grabs another book from his own pile. He opens it to a specific page. He doesn’t show it to me, but after reading some of it, he frowns. “I think what it’s saying is that for the Silver Wolf to share her power with somebody, it has to be done willingly. If she were to be coerced, she might…it might not work.”

“So does ‘mutual affection’ mean the Silver Wolf has to love somebody in order to help them?” I ask.

Alex looks as confused as I am. “In this book, it says ‘willingly.’ So perhaps it just means she has to want to help the person.”

“What happens when she is forced?”

That is when he shows me the passage. “There have been two recorded instances where forced matings of the Silver Wolf resulted in a disappearance of her powers.” Alex closes the book and says, “So, if one forcibly puts their mating mark on the creature, she will lose her abilities.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Well, nature certainly has its ways.” Alex looks troubled, and I study him. “Don’t tell me you were planning to force your mating mark on the Silver Wolf.”

He pauses, then admits, “In my desperation, it’s not as if the thought hasn’t occurred to me. But it wouldn’t be right. I’m hoping to convince her to help us, maybe win her heart.”

Hearing him speak of winning another woman’s heart makes me experience a crippling pain, but I keep a straight face. As I speak, my smile is insincere, an attempt to hide the raging wound inside. “Well, you’d better whip out your best courting strategies then.”

Alex studies me. “It bothers you.”

It’s not easy to maintain my smile. Not when it feels like somebody is stabbing me in the heart. But I try. “It doesn’t. I told you I’d help you. Let’s just leave it at that.” I check my watch, and my eyes go wide. “We’re running out of time. We only have half an hour till sunrise.”

Alex glances around. “We’ve been through most of the books. Maybe we should stop here.”

I shake my head. “No. You said you’re a fast reader. You go over the remaining books. The ones we’re done with, I’ll put back.”

He looks at me for what seems like a long time, then gives me a nod.

I make sure that every book is returned to its rightful place. The sun is probably rising in the sky once Alex is done; he helps me put back the remaining books.

“Find anything?” I ask him.

“Something about the blood of the Silver Wolf. The writing was smeared, so I couldn’t make it out. I saw the word ‘frenzy,’ but everything else was blurred out. And there was no other identifying feature about it.”

I am not disappointed, though. “At least we found out how the wolf’s powers work.”

Alex agrees with me. “It’s more than what I knew before breaking in here.”

I make sure I have all my things with me before we leave. It takes some effort, but I manage to lock the padlock again, and we exit the library through the back door. The sun is already in the sky.

I gesture to Alex with my hand. “You should get going. People in this town are early risers.”

He shakes his head stubbornly. “Not till I know you are safely out of here, as well. I don’t want you getting caught.”

It takes some time for me to lock the door of the back entrance.

“Go,” I tell him urgently once I’m done. I don’t know why Alex looks so reluctant, but he needs to move it. When he finally does leave, I watch him until he is out of sight before making my own exit.

Using the back alleys to wend my way home, I don’t come across anybody, and when I enter my apartment, I don’t even bother changing out of my dusty clothes. I collapse face down on the bed with a loud groan.

I’m both physically exhausted and mentally drained.

Turning my head to rest my cheek against the pillow, I stare at the wall, thinking about everything we’ve just discovered.

I need to go see Rita. I need to talk to her. But exhaustion catches up with me, and my eyes flutter shut. I make a mental note to do it after I’ve rested.

I just need to sleep for a while…

I’m back in that dungeon. This time, the wolf with the dirty, silver-gray fur is awake and watching me. It is still chained to the wall.

I clutch the bars of its cage. “Who are you?”