Alpha's Unwilling Mate Book 2: A Rogue's Secret

Ada

My mom always told me that we, as wolves, are supposed to feel a deep connection with nature. She used to say we always have one paw in the forest. I used to believe her.

Now, though, I’m starting to question her wisdom. After spending so many days surrounded by trees, I’m ready to swear off forests for good. Once I reach Canada, I’m heading straight for the city. My wolf side will just have to deal with it. Lately, it seems like we’re always in her form anyway. It’s about time I got a turn.

I don’t need to shift to know that we’re covered in mud from head to toe. It’ll take my human stomach a while to adjust back to regular food, but I’m looking forward to it. Besides, I can tell she’s tired. It’s not natural for us to be in her form all the time. She didn’t mind being kept inside when we lived with the humans, back when Mom was still alive to tell us such things.

God, I miss her.

Me too.

I smile inwardly at my wolf’s response. She’s all I have these days, and I’m grateful for her. It’s rare for us to disagree, which I hear is unusual among shifters. Her senses are unmatched. It took us some time, but we eventually realized that our height, strength, and alertness mattered.

These traits are part of our Neville heritage, as one of the last Lycan descendants. We’re just fortunate that no one has connected the dots. If I hadn’t been naive enough to trust Viktor, we could still be coasting along with only one enemy on our tail. My true family.

Apparently, one enemy isn’t enough for us. Even though they took my mother from me, I’ve been lucky enough not to have seen much of my blood relatives. I think it’s because I bit one of them pretty badly during the fight. I like to think that’s one of the reasons they backed off.

A Lycan’s bite is deadly to all werewolves. I wonder how potent it is in my diluted blood, if I even qualify for such a weapon. It’s been years since a purebred was alive. Lycan’s tears are rumored to have healing properties, but the only person I need to worry about right now is myself. I doubt it would work that way. That would be too easy.

I never got a chance to test it on my mother. She died too quickly. But since then, my teeth have grazed a few of Viktor’s men during my escape. If they react the way the legends say they will, it won’t exactly help me keep a low profile. But I could use all the help I can get against the army of rogues searching the country for me.

Right now, though, I need to focus on finding a place to rest. We’ve been running all night and all morning. Even now, my wolf is restless, urging us to keep going as if she senses something I don’t. Could someone be following us? I know Viktor’s followers are fast, but I’ve been banking on the fact that we’re faster.

It would be a terrifying realization if that weren’t the case.

Not them.

My wolf isn’t one for many words, but she tries to reassure me as my mind races with possibilities. But if it’s not them, then why is she so agitated?

She’s usually open with me, and I feel a pang of guilt as I try to take control. But we’re nearing our limit, and if we don’t stop soon, we might not be able to start again. As long as it’s not rogues, I’m confident we can protect ourselves.

Not a threat.

I stop us abruptly, nearly tripping over our own feet as we lose our momentum. Dirt flies into our eyes and pine needles rustle around us, irritating our already heightened senses.

“If we’re not in danger, then why are you pushing us so hard?” I shout internally at her, unable to hold back.

Dramatic.

She huffs, and I wish I were being dramatic. But I can’t ignore the spots starting to appear in our vision. Can’t she see them too? We need food, water, and a good night’s sleep if we’re going to do this again tomorrow.

Trust.

There’s a hint of hurt in her voice as she says it. She’s never been this... reserved. If there were something out there, she’d tell me. That means she either doesn’t know herself, or she’s hiding something. Either way, it sets off alarm bells in my head.

So I start the internal process of shifting back into my human form. It’ll make it easier to hide if we need to. But then a scent wafts past our nose—fresh cotton and lavender, not something you’d expect in the middle of a forest. Before I can even ask, she answers with a howl so loud it makes the trees tremble.

Mate.