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

But I don’t know how.

“Focus on your human center. Focus on something you need, like the power of speech. Focus on the simple things. It’ll happen,” he says reassuringly.

I try to do it once. Twice. But I keep failing. I’m beginning to panic. Am I going to be stuck in this form forever?

“It’s not that hard!” Nathan says impatiently. “Just think that you want to be human again!”

Patrick smacks Nathan upside the head. “That’s not helpful, kid.”

“Give it some time,” Alex says as he rubs my snout. “Breathe. It’ll happen naturally. The first time is always tough.”

I close my eyes and imagine myself in his arms.

This time, I feel the shift take hold of me. It’s a pleasant sensation, as if cool water is coursing through my body. When I open my eyes, I’m standing on my feet.

And I’m completely naked.

“Whoa!” Jared exclaims, quickly covering his eyes and turning around. Saul and Derek do the same. Nathan gapes at me, and Patrick grabs the boy by his hair and forces him to turn his back to me.

Patrick takes off his jacket and tosses it over his shoulder to me, while Alex gives me his shirt.

“You’ve never shifted before, so you’ve never had to wear the special clothing that reappears when you shift back,” Alex explains, seeing my confusion. “We’ll buy you some.”

I stand there staring at all six men. When I speak, it’s to Alex, and my voice is thick. “How are you alive? I saw him—I saw him rip out your throat.”

“I didn’t die, Sophia, but I was on the verge of death,” Alex tells me, his voice careful. “I don’t know how, but you did something. I was aware of your presence, and when you moved toward me and lay down next to me, I felt magic wash over me. Very strong, healing magic.”

I recall the tingling sensation in my body. Was I healing him with my powers? I mean, do I have powers now?

“We need to get out of here,” Alex says, looking at the two dead bodies. “If you stick around any longer, we’re going to be in for trouble.”

“What about Drew?” I look at the unconscious man at the foot of the tree.

“Did you give him a healing potion?” Alex asks.

“Yes, but—”

“He’ll be fine, then.” Alex takes my hand. “We really do have to leave, Sophia. The other members of Black’s pack must’ve felt the ripples of our fight. We have a couple of hours at best. We have to make it past the South Alliance border. As soon as we enter Northern territory, we’ll be safe.”

Nathan turns around to address us, still shielding his eyes. “I still don’t understand. She’s the Silver Wolf? Why were we running around in circles looking for her when she was right here? Why did you lie to us, Sophia?”

“I didn’t lie to you!” I stare at him, still not having processed the fact that I am the wolf they’ve been looking for all this time. Although, now that I think about it, it does make a lot of sense. It explains why Alpha Black was after me and why Rita wanted to tell me about my true identity. “Wait…”

The missing piece of the puzzle was me. It was always me.

“Noah knew. He knew who I was, and that’s why he was trying to court me. In that book we read, Alex, didn’t it say forced matings of the Silver Wolf result in her powers disappearing? Maybe that’s what Noah wanted to prevent. He wanted me to mate him willingly and then share my powers with him.”

“But then, why did Robert try to force you to mate him?” Alex looks as confused as I’ve been feeling.

I glance at the dead Alpha, but the sight of his missing head forces me to look away. “The archives room we went to was untouched. All the books we read were covered with a centuries’ worth of dust. Nobody had been down there for ages. What if Alpha Black didn’t know? What if Noah figured it out another way?”

“Then that’s a problem. It means he knows a lot more than we do,” Alex says grimly. “Like I said, it’s time we leave.”

The rest of his men turn to look at him, and they all nod, their communication silent.

They start to walk away, giving us a few minutes alone.

“I know this is a lot to take in, Sophia,” Alex says as he cups my cheeks. “And please know, I’m not forcing you to do anything. I’m just glad you’re here with me. Not because of what you are but because of who you are. My mate.”