Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Accidental Theft Book 1) Read Free Page A

cleaned up and fed. What is your name?” Ward
snagged a bottle of water and handed it to her. The vampire opened the lid and
drank her fill using the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.
    Her
eyes narrowed in distrust. Ward waited patiently, keeping his eyes locked with
hers the whole time. She finally sighed softly. “I suppose it won’t make any
difference if you know…I’m Stephany.” She paused as if she expected it to mean
something to him. “My wounds are almost healed. Though if you are going to
insist on holding me prisoner then a bath would be appreciated.” Her eyes
drifted around his small space, landing on the two doors on his back wall.
    Despite
himself, he felt his lips draw into a smile. His personal lodgings were not
meant for non-shifters. “I’m Ward. It’s the one on the left. Wait a moment while
I fetch you a towel.”
    The
female took a step towards the exit but halted at his bidding. He rummaged in a
cabinet, hoping he still had a clean one… thank hounds . He grabbed the
fabric, stepping in front of her in order to open the door.
    She
made a sound of disgust. Ward had to work to keep from chuckling.
    “What
the…?”
    “It’s
an outdoor shower. Cold water only I’m afraid. I would’ve lit the fire that
heats the tank for it if I had known I was going to be having a guest.” Ward
had been a part of the team that had breached the castle earlier today. In what
was an attempt to get their hands on the future vampire queen. His blood
ignited at his knowledge of their failure. In the end, the elves had run. Yellow-bellied
cowards. The wolves had been forced to flee. Somewhere in the chaos, Hayden
had taken this female. He suppressed a sigh. As if he didn’t have enough to
deal with.
    She
shook her head, stepping into the small space outside. It was closed in with a seven
foot makeshift fence made from fine, stripped branches tied tightly together to
form a screen. He had made it himself.
    “I’ll
manage.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke, dismissing him with her body
language.
    Ward
folded his arms across his chest.
    “Um…this
is kind of private.” Her eyes widened.
    “A
few quick rules before I allow you to shower. For your own good.” he added when
she narrowed her eyes and cocked her head.
    “You
stay at my side at all times…when I say at all times, I mean it. There are
males out there that would see you dead in a heartbeat. The fact that you are a
female means nothing. Your kind is not welcome in my territory.”
    “Listen,
Mister…wolf.” She remained polite, her voice even. “I didn’t ask to be stolen
away from my people. I didn’t ask for you to attack us in the first place. As
to my being female, I just had a very definite taste of what your males would
do to me.”
    Ward
felt his blood ignite. A knot twisted in his belly. “What happened with Hayden
was inexcusable. The male worries me. It is something I will deal with. You need
to know that you are in no danger of being rutted against your will by one of
my males, but make no mistake that they will not hesitate to remove your head
or burn you at the stake.”
    Stephany
kept her composure, which impressed him.
    “I
apologize for the way you were treated. It should never have happened. I don’t
want anything to happen to you.”
    She
pursed her lips. “Okay so let me get this straight, my only crime is that I am a
vampire? For this I deserve persecution? There is no love lost between our
species, but I would’ve thought that being a non-human species in general meant
that we were somehow on the same side at the end of the day.”
    “Look,
it’s complicated.” He sighed shaking his head. “Quite frankly I have no idea
what any of them would do if they got their hands on you, but I don’t want to
take any chances. You are right, there is no love lost between our species. We
are not on the same side. Never have been, never will be. It is that type of
arrogance that makes it so.”
    She
shook her head.