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

“Not really. So, what do we do now?” I ask.

“For now, you keep a low profile here. I’ll go get the guys, and together, we’ll formulate a plan to get out of here as soon as darkness falls. I agree with you that we should not leave by boat. The water has been rather choppy, and I can sense a storm coming.”

“What if we take the bus that leaves every night?” I ask.

“No chance.” Alex shakes his head. “All the buses are checked for shifters upon departure and arrival.”

“That leaves the forest, then.”

“If the storm does come tonight, the pack security team may not be combing the forest for the black wolves. That would give us a head start,” Alex muses.

“What about Julia?”

“We’re going to leave her here.” Alex smirks. “And we’ll send an anonymous message to the pack security about her identity. I need to get that woman out of my life as soon as I can. This seems to be a good way to accomplish that.”

He turns around to leave, but I touch his elbow. “Alex, I have to talk to Mathew. If he reveals my identity, I will become a fugitive.”

His back stiffens. “Don’t worry about Mathew.” Alex faces me and then takes me in his arms. “You never have to worry about that man again. I’ve dealt with him.”

“What did you do to him?” A strange sense of foreboding comes over me. “Alex?”

He looks away. “I don’t think you want to know. But rest assured, it was quick and painless. Considering the kinds of plans he had for you, he deserved it.”

“You killed him,” I murmur.

Alex studies me. “Does that upset you?”

It doesn’t, I realize. Which is odd. When Noah killed Wyatt, I was horrified. But when I find out Alex killed Mathew, I feel nothing.

“No. Thank you.” I go up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his mouth.

He freezes, and before I know it, he has me pressed against the wall. The heat between us is intense.

“Don’t do that,” Alex breathes. “Not unless you want to ‘get busy,’ as you so eloquently put it.”

Laughter spills out of me, but his blue eyes darken with want. “Sophia, I mean it. Don’t toy with me. You have no idea how much I’ve been restraining myself. I’d like nothing more than to pin you underneath me.”

I swallow, the sheer intensity of his gaze igniting something deep and primitive inside me.

“But not today,” he says regretfully, his eyes heated and torn. Taking a long breath, he growls, “Stay put. Don’t leave till I come back for you.”

When he releases me and walks out of the room, I feel my body burning on every inch of where he touched me as he held me against the wall. Is this the sensation he has been repressing? My lower body throbs in desire.

I have vivid memories of what he was like in bed. His hands, his mouth…They were so greedy. He held me open for him as he—

I take a deep breath and try to dispel the image. I need to focus on the present. We have to get out of this town. Hiding out here isn’t the way I want to spend my day. I would rather be out in the forest, leaving Oakrest behind.

I’m glancing at the clock to check the time when the door opens. I jump to my feet, realizing too late that I never locked it after Alex left.

Eve walks in.

“Sophia?” She stares at me. “What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m waiting for—”

“Are you going somewhere?” she asks abruptly, her eyes on the backpack on the chair.

“No!” I say too quickly. “That’s Elsa’s. I’m just waiting for her.”