Owned By The Alphas: Part Three Read Free Page A

under his neck. “You jerk! Don’t do it!”
    He leapt onto the smallest rock, four feet high, then to a slightly darker gray rock that was more than six, then to a grand boulder with a flat top that was at least fifteen feet above that. Ali gasped and he could hear her heart race, but when they got to the top he felt her grip loosen, like she might faint. He gave a short bark, warning her to hold on, and she grabbed tightly again. He hadn’t meant to scare her that badly, and now he worried he wouldn’t make it, the gap between the top of the boulder and the mountain, great. He took a few steps back to get a running start, and jumped. If he had been in human form, she would have heard him laughing as they landed safely and with only a slight wobble on the higher ground of the granite mountain. The rush was invigorating and he wished he could see her face.
    “Proud of yourself, aren’t you?” she chuckled, unlocking her hands. He paced back and forth, feeling so good about the jump that the thought flashed into his mind to just take her to his pack now, without asking her. He could make it there in no time. They were in the valley on the other side, not far from here. Like she read his mind, she tugged on his fur and said, “Okay, big guy. Don’t get any ideas. Let’s go!”
    It took him a minute to act. Pacing back and forth, he considered what to do, but then he realized she might do something stupid, like jump off of him just to prove a point. Women, they could be very stubborn, he knew. If she jumped, she could break something, and humans don’t heal fast. Swearing to himself, he headed uphill to the last place he wanted to go.
    As the mountain steepened and the inevitable battle got closer, Ali whispered to him, “We’re almost there, aren’t we? Put me down and go home! I’ll call for help and say I got lost!” When he didn’t stop, she repeated her plea. He couldn’t do what she asked, and the irony was not lost on him that he had brought upon himself what was about to happen. He knew there would be hell to pay when they heard him coming. But he’d gotten her into this. And he wasn’t about to leave her to face them alone.
    They neared the other pack’s den. His adrenaline spiked as he waited for the ambush. Should I shift now? But then I will be vulnerable. I can protect her better if I’m in my stronger form .
    He trotted up the medium-grade climb, searching the perimeter. Her heart had begun to beat fast, too. Her fingernails gouged into his skin. It calmed him. He felt her rise up on his back as she looked around. He listened with his heightened aural sense, but heard nothing. Odd. Where are they?
    He stopped walking.
    “Do you hear them?” Ali whispered in his ear.
    He shook his head.
    After a few painfully long moments, he gave her a signal to climb down. She let go of his fur slowly, like she didn’t want to. As soon as she was off, he stepped away and transformed into his human form again, facing the den with both legs firmly spread, his hands in fists. “Get behind me, Ali.”
    She implored him, “Run! Go home! They won’t hurt me!”
    He cut her off, calling out, “Hello!” He wouldn’t run like a coward. “We need to talk. Do not hurt Ali! If this is an ambush, take me. I am giving myself to you in exchange for her.”
    She pressed her body against his back. “Oh my God, don’t say that.”
    Red held up a hand to quiet Ali. He listened harder. More to himself than to her, he muttered, “I can’t hear anything. That makes no sense.”
    “You know what! Fuck this.” Ali jumped out. “You will not take him! We can talk about this! No one needs to fight, for God’s sake!” She was rigid as she waited. He looked at her, surprised and impressed, especially since she was blind as a bat, yet still she walked forward. He joined her, walking ahead of her. Hearing him, she ran up so she could be first, stumbling once and holding out her hand so she didn’t bump into