Punished by the Alpha Book 3

Artemis

Upon waking the next morning, I yawn and rub the sleep from my eyes.

The muscles in my body ache as I try to sit up, but I don’t have time to dwell on the pain because a low, menacing growl rumbles way too close to my face.

My eyes immediately land on the enormous black wolf, and my heart thuds wildly in my chest.

Only a foot away from me, his lips curl back in warning, showcasing a massive set of razor-sharp teeth.

Very carefully, I attempt to maneuver away from him, but at my slightest movement, another deep growl rips from his chest, causing me to still.

The guttural growl is that of an alpha male. Powerful and dominant, it makes my breath hitch in my throat.

Fear mixed with something else I don’t want to name courses through my veins like wildfire.

Goddess, I have really fucked up this time!

I work on controlling my breathing but fail miserably. Deciding it’s now or never, I roll away from him as fast as I can.

I expect massive jaws to tear into me at any moment, but the moment never comes.

Once I am at a safe distance, I slowly get to my feet and make an effort to catch my breath.

“I saved you, asshole!” I pant.

I’m not surprised when he bares his teeth at me again, but when he tries to stand up only to fall back down with a sharp yelp, my anger instantly dissipates.

Then, for the first time, our eyes connect, and it steals the breath right from my lungs.

His eyes are hauntingly beautiful, one a hazy amber, the other a pale blue. The longing in his gaze mixed with the pain I see in it makes something inside me physically hurt.

I’m not exactly sure why I do it, but I drop to my knees, my hands palm-side up on my thighs.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I tell him softly. “Can you shift so we can talk?”

The wolf watches me, his massive head tilting to the side curiously.

“Can you understand what I’m saying?”

He only offers another slight tilt of the head, so I try a different tactic.

“Are you hungry?” I ask.

I feel a smile tug at the corners of my mouth when his tongue darts out to lick his muzzle, and his ears instantly perk up.

So, he can understand me.

“I thought so, big guy,” I chuckle. “I think I have something you will like in the fridge.”

After retrieving a raw steak from my refrigerator, I slowly move back toward him. Even though I don’t think he will bite me, I don’t want to take any chances.

“You better not bite me,” I tell him as I sit the slab of meat down in front of him, but he isn’t even paying attention to me now.

He is solely focused on the bloody piece of meat in front of him, and I watch in amazement as he scarfs it down in just a couple of bites.

Poor thing probably hasn’t had a meal in a long time by the looks of him.

“You were starving, weren’t you, big guy?”

He looks up at me, licking the blood from his snout, and actually wags his tail.

Dropping down onto the floor a few feet away from him, we spend the next hour in a strangely comfortable silence just looking at each other.

There are so many questions I want to ask him, but if he can’t shift to his skin, then that isn’t going to be possible.

It makes me wonder what he has been through for his wolf to take permanent control.

There were so many wounds when I found him yesterday. If it hadn’t been for my wolf and her freaky healing abilities, he would probably be dead.

Has he been abused? Starved?

He looks rough even for a rogue. He is obviously afraid, but as big as he is, I don’t understand what exactly he would be afraid of.

There is no doubt he is an alpha male, but whoever heard of a rogue alpha male?

Lost in thought, I feel a tingle in the back of my mind, so I drop my mental boundaries to receive whatever message is being sent through the link.

“Where are you?” my dad asks. ~“Why weren’t you at breakfast this morning?”~

“Um, I’m pretty tired from my shift last night. I’ll just fix something here,” I tell him, scolding myself when my voice wavers with the lie.

“Well, alright. Are you sure everything is okay? You never miss breakfast at the packhall.”

“I’m sure, Dad. I’m just really tired. I’ll see you later, okay?”

My stomach growls loudly at the mention of breakfast, so as soon as I end the link with my father, I grab yesterday’s leftovers, a bottle of water, and a clean bowl from my kitchen.

I take my previous spot a few feet from the wolf, and I chuckle again when he eyes the spaghetti on my plate.

Rolling my eyes, I set the plate in front of him.

“Okay, okay, but only because you’re cute.”

He finishes the spaghetti while I pour the water into the clean bowl, and he laps every bit of it up as well.

“So, I guess if you can understand me, I could tell you a little about myself,” I tell him. “My name is Artemis Stone. I belong to the Southridge pack. That’s where you are now.”

He listens intently as I speak, his ears twitching now and then when the pitch of my voice changes.

“My father is the alpha here. I have two brothers, Raiden and Adam. Raiden is my twin actually. He looks just like me, only not nearly as good-looking.”

Something akin to amusement flickers through the wolf’s eyes, and it makes me smile.

A few seconds later, I feel that damn tingling in my mind again, and I groan when I hear Jackson’s voice.

“Wanna grab lunch?”

Sighing, I link him back. I know if I don’t go, he will definitely come here to check on me. If that happens, he will lose it when he sees I have a rogue wolf harbored in my house.

Then, when my father finds out, whatever happens to this wolf will be out of my control.

“Meet me at the packhall in an hour,” I tell him before ending the link.

Standing up, I grab some clothes from my bedroom so I can take a shower before I go. My hair is a filthy mess from getting soaked in the rain last night, and I am positive I smell like a wet dog.

I dress quickly after scrubbing myself, opting for a pair of jeans and a tank top. I throw my long, wet hair into a messy bun so I don’t have to spend thirty minutes drying it.

When I finally finish, I walk back out into my living room, where the wolf is still lying on my hardwood floor.

“I’ve gotta go,” I tell him. “I have to meet a friend for lunch, and I have guard duty again tonight. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please, stay here. It’s not safe for you to be outside right now.”

He flattens his ears against his head again, whimpering. The sound sends a twinge of pain through my chest, but I have to go. My family will grow suspicious if I don’t.

Plus, I have a duty to my pack, and a true alpha always puts that duty first.

After walking outside, I lock the door behind me. Oddly enough, this is the first time I have ever had to lock it, and it’s not even for my safety.

On my way to meet Jackson for lunch, I struggle to come up with an excuse for asking him to cover my shift last night.

Knowing him, it will be the first thing he asks.