Alpha Rising Read Free Page A

okay now?”
    “Yes. I’m sorry. I don’t usually have a tantrum when things don’t go my way.”
    “I think it sounds like you’re entitled.”
    “I really don’t know what came over me.” Her throat clogged, and she feared she might start to cry.
    Anger to weeping in less than a minute. A new record for her. What kind of hormonal mess had she become?
    “Maybe you really wanted to tell me about it. That’s okay. People talk to me. I’m good at listening.”
    To her surprise, he pulled her against his large chest. “I’m going to give you a ride home, and I’m going to take care of your car. It will be outside your home tomorrow morning.”
    “You don’t have to.”
    He petted the back of her head. “Consider it already done.”
    His actions were highly inappropriate, but she liked the feeling of being taken care of, even if it was temporary and by a stranger. For once, maybe it was okay to take a deep breath and just say thank you. Her shoulders sagged. Maybe the universe was finally giving her a break.
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    Travis pulled up to her apartment and turned off the car. He didn’t like this neighborhood one bit. Several of the apartment buildings were really run down, and two of the houses seemed abandoned. The whole block smelled of rotten food and rust.
    How long did humans like to date before they moved in with other humans? He’d give Lilliana two days. The wolf side of her couldn’t need more than that to recognize they were supposed to be together. More would just be ridiculous. Once he had her set up in his place in Philly, he’d breathe a lot better.
    She’d fallen asleep in the brief ten minutes it had taken to get to her home. He leaned back in his seat and studied her. He’d been so overwhelmed with her presence, with her ability to defy him—something few humans, let alone wolves, did—and with the fact that she was downright beautiful, that he hadn’t made proper note of the dark circles under her eyes and the red skin on the palms of her hands. She must have them in water constantly. Her sneakers had a hole in the left side of one shoe and the front of the other.
    His mate should not be living like this. If she’d been raised surrounded by Pack, this wouldn’t have happened. Even half-wolves were part of their community. Why had her family kept her from her people? Hidden the truth from her? He had lots of questions and no answers.
    He walked to the side of the car. The closer they got to full moon the better his senses would get. Two weeks away meant he wasn’t at his peak, but his Alpha abilities made him more capable than most. He opened her door. She stirred when he did, and he knelt down so they’d be at eye level.
    “I was going to carry you.” He stroked the side of her face and then frowned. No one would ever accuse him of being gentle or romantic. His mate brought out certain instincts in him he hadn’t anticipated. With war on the horizon, he couldn’t be gentle, not on the inside or out.
    “I’m sorry I conked out. How did you find the place?”
    He pointed to his phone. “You gave me the address, and I plugged it in. GPS is a magical tool.”
    She laughed, a low sultry sound. “I guess I must have been exhausted.”
    “Bone deep, I think.” He reached over her to undo her seatbelt. This Lilliana, the easy, smiling lady without the care of the world on her shoulders, was even more beautiful. She should look like this all the time.
    He extended his hand, and she took it. Together, they moved through the night, Travis focusing his hearing on the neighborhood around. If something—or someone—threatened, they’d wish they hadn’t.
    “I hadn’t realized this area got so bad so quickly.”
    She shrugged, her lips pursing. “It’s the best I can do right now. I’ve lived in worse.”
    “I don’t like to hear that.” He shook his head. Trying to keep cool proved harder than it ever had before. Usually, he did a pretty good job of concealing