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

The last time I saw Noah was when I was thirteen years old. He and his friends had thrown me into a creek that was six feet deep. I didn’t know how to swim back then, and I was drowning, kicking my hands and feet to try to stay afloat. But they’d tied stones to my legs, and no matter what I did, I was sinking. As I fought for my life, they laughed. I used to think children were cruel by nature, but then I realized it wasn’t children, but shifters. It’s survival of the fittest in wolf packs. Pack members look after each other, but a pack is only as strong as its weakest member—and I was the one with a latent wolf.

Noah’s father, Alpha Black, saw what was happening, pulled me from the water, and threw me on the ground. He didn’t say a word to me, just dragged his son away. I never saw Noah again. Not till today.

Instinctively, I try to move away from him. I stumble in the process, and Noah catches me.

“Are you alright, Sophia? Are you hurt?”

I look down in horror at the hand gripping my arm. I don’t want him to touch me. I want to yell at him to let go, but fear leaves me mute.

Suddenly, a firm chest presses against my back, and I hear Alex’s voice. “Let her go. Can’t you see she’s fucking terrified?”

He wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me away from Noah, who releases me almost instantly. He doesn’t look shocked, but his expression is filled with regret.

“Sorry, Sophia,” he apologizes in a low voice. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

My skin feels cold as I hear footsteps.

“What is going on here?” Elsa sounds livid. Her anger is quickly replaced by shock. “Noah? What are you doing here?”

“Apparently, my father has neglected this town for a little too long,” Noah replies before looking at Freddy. “You’re Migael’s son, right?”

Freddy nods, sweat beading on his upper lip. Noah gives him a pleasant smile and reaches out to grab him by the shirt collar. “Come with me. Let’s have a chat.”

He drags Freddy toward the front door, and I just watch, frozen in place, still in Alex’s arms.

As soon as they are outside, my knees buckle. Alex catches me before I hit the floor. He slowly eases me onto a barstool as I stare ahead numbly.

“Sophia?” His voice is careful. “Are you alright?”

I wonder why people always ask me that. Maybe I should get the words “I’m fine” tattooed on my forehead. I just had the shock of my life, seeing the one person I fear more than anyone else, here in the bar where I work. I always believed it was Alpha Black I was most scared of when I was a kid. But no. It was Noah. As cruel as Alpha Black was to me, he never tried to kill me. His son treated me like my life was disposable.

“Sophia?” Elsa’s voice reaches through the haze surrounding me, and I snap out of it.

“I need some air.”

Getting to my feet, I’m about to step toward the front door when I hesitate. Noah is out there. Turning on my heel, I walk in the opposite direction, now planning to go out back to the alley. I just want to get some fresh air. I feel like I’m suffocating in here.

Walking past a wary Jack in the kitchen, I exit through the back door into the alleyway. It’s empty aside from a few trash cans. The air is cool, and it feels good against my skin. My hands fall to my knees, and I retch into a trash can multiple times before I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Not caring how dirty the ground is, I sit down heavily, my back against the wall. My breathing is ragged, and I rub my chest, trying to let in some air.

Why is he here? What does he want? Is he going to do something horrible to me again?

I press the heels of my hands against my eyes, trying to calm myself, but I can’t. My wolf is just as panicked. I have to run away. Nobody will stop him if he tries to murder me again. I have to—

Two hands suddenly wrap around my wrists. I open my eyes to see Alex crouched before me, his expression worried. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“Leave me alone!” I try to pull my hands away from him, but he refuses to let go.

“I’ll leave once you tell me what’s wrong!” he says fiercely. “Why do you look like you’ve seen the Devil himself?”

“Because that man is the Devil,” I hiss. “You don’t know Noah, but I do.” I take a shaky breath. “I just want to be alone. Why can’t you just leave me be?”

“It’s not that easy,” Alex murmurs. “You expect me to walk away when you look half out of your mind with fear? You’ll hyperventilate yourself into a panic attack.” He pulls me into his arms, wrapping them around me like steel bands. “Just breathe easy now. You’re safe.”

I’m not a child who needs reassurance!

I struggle in his arms. “Let me go!”

But he just holds me tighter. I hate how my body relaxes at his touch. I hate how his presence makes me feel safe because I know it’s not true. And I hate that he’s pretending he cares about me.