Bound to the Alpha

Chapter 1





If Sarah had one talent, it was the ability to keep calm in a crisis. When she was a child and her mother left her, Sarah didn’t kick or scream or cry, she just accepted it and moved on. In junior high, when a bee stung her cousin Wendy, it was Sarah, not the camp counselor, who had the presence of mind to administer Wendy’s EpiPen. When she had crashed her car in the middle of the wilderness, Sarah hadn’t dwelled on the fact that she had nearly died or would probably die in the future, she had just put one foot in front of the other and began walking.

To Sarah, there were only two options in a crisis. Either find a solution, or keep moving forward until you do. And so, when she found out she was pregnant with the child of her werewolf lover, Sarah did what she always did. She thought of a solution.

Not bothering to clean up the vomit on the floor, she got up from bed, put on a pair of slippers, and grabbed a fur to toss over her shoulders. Lotus followed her as she made her way down the familiar maze of passageways that led to the moon room. Sarah was aware of the fact that Lotus was talking to her, but she couldn’t process anything that the girl was saying. Her mind was too focused on the task at hand.

Grace and Jewel were in the moon room, cleaning out the fire pit. When Sarah entered, both females looked up. Grace approached Sarah, her eyes wide.

“Your scent, it’s…”

Sarah held up a hand to silence her. “Where’s Hale?”

Her brows drawing together, Grace said, “He left a while back to see Cain off. He should be back soon if you’d like to sit and rest.”

“Thanks,” Sarah said, brushing past her. She made for the exit of the room, but Jewel blocked her path, concern in her green eyes.

“That passage leads outside. You really shouldn’t—”

Sarah ignored her and marched towards the exit in quick, purposeful strides. Taken aback by her cold attitude, the females didn’t follow her.

Outside of the den, Sarah’s breath crystallized in the air. The mountainous woods that surrounded the den were nothing but a blur to her, obscured by her poor vision and the fading sunlight of early evening.

Examining the ground, she noticed three sets of large paw prints that led off into the forest. One slippered foot in front of the other, Sarah followed them.

Stubborn thoughts and emotions kept trying to worm their way into her mind as she walked. She squashed them down, focusing instead on the soft sound of the stream in the distance, the snow crunching beneath her feet, and the clattering of wind-whipped tree branches. Anything to get out of her own head.

“What are you doing out here?”

Briefly startled, she jerked around at the sound of Hale’s voice. Cain’s younger brother stood a few feet behind her, a large bear pelt flung over one shoulder.

Sarah took a few steps forward, bringing his face into focus. He looked the same as he had yesterday, handsome, symmetrical features, wavy blond hair, and striking eyes, one blue and one gold. But there was something in his eyes that she hadn’t noticed before. He seemed guarded, and maybe even a little uncomfortable.

“I’m ready to go,” she said, pleased at how evenly the words had come out.

One fine brow arched. “Go where?”

“Home,” she said, waving her arms for emphasis. “Back to my kind, where I belong. You said you’d take me if I wanted to go. Well, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Hale’s expression turned irritatingly inscrutable. “I don’t recall saying I’d take you anywhere.”

Sarah’s hands clenched into fists. “Stop bullshitting me, Hale. Either help me get the hell away from here or I’m leaving on my own.”

He tilted his chin up, regarding her with mild annoyance. “Alder.”

Her brow furrowed. She opened her mouth, and then shut it, realization dawning on her. Heat spread over her cheeks, and for a moment embarrassment took precedent over all of her other grievances.

“I forgot,” she said abashedly. “I have really bad vision. I’ve never seen you up close.”

Sarah had heard in passing that Hale and Alder were twins, but she hadn’t realized they were identical. She had only seen Hale up close once, but he had the type of face that left an impression. Everything about Alder’s was the same, from his aquiline nose to the sensual shape of his lips. He looked like a younger, fairer version of Cain, and the resemblance helped her to regain her focus.

She asked, “Can you tell me where Hale is? Grace said he was out here.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why, so you can ask him to abandon his post and take you away behind Cain’s back?”

Sarah let out of huff of frustration. “I don’t give a crap about Cain.”