Enslaved by the Alpha: Part One (Shifters of Nunavut Book 1) Read Free Page B

picked up a Hershey’s bar. Astrid tilted her head to see that the wolf had opened the candy bag. She remembered her own surprise when Ginnifer had described the first time she’d made contact with the Siluit pack. Rather than bringing things that these isolated humanoids may actually need—clothing, weapons, and medicine just for a start—Ginnifer had presented them with gifts of soda, coffee, and candies. Her sister had explained that the wolves made their own clothes and their bodies were their most efficient weapons. To offer them human garb and guns would be a great insult.
    “And the medicine?” Astrid had asked. “Don’t tell me they never get sick.”
    Ginnifer had frowned at that. “Their immune systems are much better than ours, but they aren’t entirely impervious to illness.”
    “Then why would they rather have coffee and candy?”
    “Among the northern wolves, sickness is viewed as a sign of weakness. If you can’t fight off a cold or infection on your own, then you’re a detriment to the pack and deserve to die.”
    Brutal .
    “Americans,” Erik scoffed, bringing Astrid back to the present. She noticed that he had opened the Hershey’s bar and taken a bite. “Over two hundred years and you still haven’t figured out how to make chocolate.”
    It took Astrid a moment to realize that he was addressing her, and by the time she did, he had already stood and turned to face her. She squared her shoulders, doing her best to make herself look tall.
    Still holding the candy bar, Erik waved his hand at the bag. “What is it you want for this?”
    She blinked at him. “W-what?”
    Erik took another bite of the candy bar. “You called it an offering. In my experience, humans do not offer anything without expecting something in return.”
    “And wolves do?” There was a note of challenge in her voice, and it scared her. But before she could backpedal, Erik replied.
    “Some do,” he said, in a way that made it clear that he was not among them.
    “It’s not much of a peace offering when you already killed my people.”
    His eyes flicked over to the carnage behind her, as though noticing it for the first time. “Hm.”
    She waited for him to say more, but instead, he just took another bite of the candy bar.
    “That’s all you have to say? You killed them all.”
    He gave her a pointed look, a look that spoke in volumes. Not all of them .
    Astrid shivered.
    “Their deaths are irrelevant,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Now tell me, what is it you’ve come here for? Claws? Fangs? A pelt? One of our pups? What exactly is it your people think these cheap chocolates are worth to us?”
    His face was still blank, yet it had once again taken on a frightening quality. The enormity of her situation suddenly bore down on Astrid and it became hard to breathe. Tears burned in her eyes.
    “All I wanted was your help…” She could hear the raw vulnerability in her voice and it made her feel even more pathetic. The tears came then, both from the horrors she’d witnessed and from her shame. “The Siluit pack, they took my sister. I needed your help to get her back.”
    The alpha sounded angry now. “And you thought that this would be enough for me to invade an enemy territory?”
    Astrid swiped at her eyes. “There’s more in there. Coffee, soda, sewing kits, and some tools I thought you may find useful…”
    When her vision cleared, Erik was standing directly in front of her. She hadn’t heard him move and stumbled backwards in an effort to get away from him. He caught her, his rough hand holding her by the chin. Beside her, Noona let out a soft growl. The alpha growled back, and Noona’s sound turned into a whimper.
    Erik tilted her head up, forcing Astrid to meet his gaze. As he did so, she noticed that her head only came up to the middle of his chest. For a brief second, she was struck by just how big he was. Despite her curvaceous figure, she felt as though she were in the