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

“You’ve broken the bond?” he hisses.

“Not yet. It’s going to be very painful to do that. I don’t want to her to have to go through it.”

There are two ways to reject one’s fated mate. The bond can be severed, which is an agonizing process and one I don’t want to put Sophia through. The other way is to put distance between us and, once the strength of the bond fades, take another mate. That is also painful, but the severity is less since the bond has already weakened due to the decreased interaction.

Of course, this is all theory. I’ve never witnessed anybody breaking their fated mate bond. While the backlash is mentioned in texts and we were taught about it in school, not even our pack elders have ever seen such an event unfold.

Patrick rubs his temple, exasperated. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, Alex. But whatever it is, you are right about one thing. We are out of time. I’ll deal with that female fighter tonight. In the meantime, I don’t think I’ll come back here. Once Julia realizes you aren’t in the forest, she’s going to start watching the rest of us like a hawk. I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

I agree with him and nod my approval.

As Patrick starts to leave, he says over his shoulder, “I wasn’t implying that Sophia would make a bad Alpha Female. But with all the disadvantages our pack already has, I don’t think we need another one.”

My jaw tightens, and I reply coldly, “Sophia will never be a disadvantage to us.”

Patrick turns the doorknob. “She won’t bring as many benefits as the Silver Wolf will, though, will she?” I remain silent as he opens the door, his voice is hard. “You’re still stuck in the middle, Alex. You can’t afford to be this undecided. Our pack is barely hanging on as it is. Think of the pups.”

I glance at him, and my eyes widen fractionally when I see Sophia standing in the middle of the living room, watching us. I expect her to walk away, but instead, she picks up a tray and brings it into the bedroom, walking past Patrick.

“Here. This should help your healing.”

It’s a beef steak, drowning in butter and herbs, and it smells fantastic. I don’t think I’ve had this kind of food down at the Dancing Bear.

I can see Patrick’s envious look in my direction, and I smirk at him. He sure had a lot to say about Sophia. And now he’s drooling over her cooking. Hypocrite.

As Sophia shows him out, my sudden good humor fades. Patrick is right. I can’t afford to be indecisive. I have to think of the pups.

I hear the front door close and then the sound of footsteps returning toward me. Sophia doesn’t come into the room; she stands in the doorway, watching me intently. Her eyes look slightly red-rimmed but are dry, and her expression is carefully blank.

“What pups?”

I’d hoped she hadn’t heard that part of the conversation. It makes me wonder what else she heard. It wasn’t like we were being quiet in here.

“I don’t think—”

“I am already knee-deep in this situation,” Sophia cuts me off abruptly. “Why not just tell me what you’re doing here?”

I frown. “Because it can put you in more danger.”

She gives me a jaded look. “You mean more than you what you’ve already put me in? And by the way, I wasn’t eavesdropping on your conversation. It’s a wonder you guys have managed to keep your identities secret. You really have no sense of volume control.”

“So, you heard everything?” I ask warily.

“No. Just from when you told your friend my wolf is latent and he thought I would be a burden on your pack. Just the normal, uplifting stuff.”

It bothers me that I can’t read her eyes. Her tone is sarcastic, but I can’t get an idea of her true feelings.

“Patrick was just—”

She shrugs. “You don’t have to defend him. I’m not mad. A latent wolf is always a burden on a pack. It’s not my first rodeo. But I heard mention of a Silver Wolf. And then the pups. I think it’s time you explain to me what you and your friends are really doing here in this town out in the middle of nowhere. And who is this Silver Wolf you’re looking for?”

I close my eyes briefly. “This situation is more complicated than you can possibly understand,” I say as I finally look at her. “If you find out our true purpose here, it’ll put you at more risk then you realize, Sophia.”

“Shouldn’t that be my decision?” She folds her arms across her chest. “I would like to know why you came all this way and upended my life.”

Her tone is neutral, but when I try to access the fated mate bond between us, it feels cold. I’ve never actually examined the link that ties us together, but it’s always felt like a vibrant thread inside me. I’ve never known it to turn cold like this.

I don’t know what it means, but it cannot be anything good.