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

“I’m not hurt, Alex.”

Of course I know who this is. My wolf also recognizes him.

A moment later, two other wolves show up. Alex growls and tilts his head in the direction of his fallen companion, who stumbles to his feet and disappears into the forest. The two wolves who came with Alex race off after him.

Alex shifts back into his human form. His eyes are frantic as his hands cup my face. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I insist.

He doesn’t seem to believe me, checking every inch of my body that isn’t covered by clothes. Not satisfied, his hands reach for the hem of my shirt, but I immediately slap them away.

“Not happening.”

Alex studies me. “You’re not lying; you’re unhurt. If anyone ever lays a finger on you—”

“You’ll do nothing,” I reply quietly. I glance in the direction of the trees. “You have some interesting friends.”

“You are an anomaly.”

“Nobody in our pack will ever accept you.”

It’s not like I have a stone inside my chest. The weight of that wolf’s words sink in, and my already bruised heart aches. I’m pretty sure Alex’s other companions share the same opinions.

Alex’s eyes are fixed on my face as he contemplates my words, and then his expression darkens. “I’ll deal with Nathan, and he’ll apologize to you for what he said.”

Jolted, I exclaim, “You overheard our conversation?!”

“We weren’t that far away,” Alex admits. There’s an odd emotion in his eyes that I find overwhelming. I look away.

“Whatever. I was heading to the lake, but I’ll just go back home now.”

“I’ll take you to the lake—”

“No.” I turn around, Nathan’s words still revolving in my head. “I’ll see you later.”

I’ve only taken a few steps when Alex pulls me back to him, his hand curled around my wrist. I slam into his chest, and he holds me there, looking down at me.

My heart skips a beat at how close we are, and for a second, I think about how easy it would be to go up on tiptoe and kiss him. It feels different now. The simmering heat between us has expanded into an all-consuming hunger. My body craves his touch, and when he has me pressed against his body like this, I can’t help but recall how his bare skin felt under my hands, how the sweat tasted when my tongue lapped at him.

I can feel the wetness form between my legs, and I jerk back. Alex, though, has no intention of letting me go.

His eyes are burning with suppressed emotion. “Nathan was out of line. What you said…”

I free myself from his hold, using all my strength. “I don’t want to get into it. You should go check on him, make sure he’s not hurt too badly. And let me know if I need to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of your friends, as well.”

“They wouldn’t dare—”

“Clearly, they do dare.” I give him a humorless smile. “I should go.”

“Sophia…”

Before I can say anything, I hear footsteps, and we both turn around to see Patrick and Jared; they are dragging Nathan behind them as they approach us. A fourth companion is trailing after them, shaking his head with a disappointed look on his face. Patrick tosses Nathan at our feet.

Alex’s voice is nothing short of a roar. “Apologize!” He grabs the man by the scruff of his neck and lifts him in the air, forcing him to face me. Nathan refuses to meet my eyes, and I take a couple steps back from him.

“I don’t need an apology, Alex. You can’t force your people not to feel a certain way about me.”

I’m trying to be neutral. I just want to walk away from this whole matter. I want Nathan’s words to stop ringing in my ears.