Free Owned By The Alphas: Part Two by Faleena Hopkins Page B

your ego aside, you would have seen that she is right. If you had done as you wanted, and had have arrived at dawn, the other pack would have thought your arrival a threat, without question. Had you been listening, you would have heard that. If you had not agreed, you should have come to me for the final decision. I see fight in your eyes. This expedition is not to fight, but to avoid one.”
    Tawny’s voice was shaky as her pale-blue eyes narrowed into daggers. “If a fight is needed, and you’ve sent these two, you will regret this!”
    Ali held her breath. He seemed to become steel before her very eyes.
    “With them , there will be no fight. I am done explaining. Your insolence is ugly to me. Leave us.”
    Tears exploded from Tawny and to hide them she quickly shifted into her wolf, so quickly Ali cringed, the painful shift more explosion than transformation. Ali’s head whipped to the side to watch the tan and white fur fly past her out of the room, her speed lifting up Ali’s long hair in a breeze. For a terrifying second, she thought Tawny would head for the forest, where she might discover Red if he were still around, but her fear was gratefully unfounded. Tawny headed right, instead going deeper into the den. Ali exhaled and turned to catch Calt watching the jaggedly arched doorway. He exhaled loudly and turned to the fire, walking to it with his back to her. She glanced around the room, not knowing if she should follow him. But then he raised his hand and called to her, “Come.”
    “I’m here,” Ali said, quickly joining him. Lorn was sitting on the rock-fireplace with a piece of meat burnt to a crisp on a now blackened stick. Ali glanced from it to Calt’s back as Lorn made a face and ripped the meat off, tossing it all the way across the cavern where it dropped with a soft thud on a large pile of ash. Lorn met Ali’s eyes and motioned for her to sit, clueing her into what Calt wanted before he had to ask. Gratefully, Ali bowed her head to her helpful friend and lowered to sit next to the alpha. The delicious aroma was making her salivate, but she didn’t mention this.
    He sat on his heels, his chin down as he stared into hypnotic flames, the golden glow making him all the more striking. Ali silently vowed to remain the soft place to land, because Tawny clearly wasn’t that, and maybe that would give her an advantage over the supernatural beauty’s allure and history. Watching the warm colors dance on his skin, Ali wanted to reach out and touch him, but her confidence just wasn’t there yet.
    After a few charged moments, he looked up. “Lorn, explain.”
    Lorn was pale and nervous as she began, “Uh, well, this is venison. I cooked it since you probably do not eat raw meat.” She waved her hand toward a long, uneven granite slab beside her that already had six good-sized pieces cooked and waiting for Ali.
    “That was very nice of you.” She’d meant to say that louder than she had. Clearing her throat, she repeated it and added, “Thank you, Lorn.”
    The werewolf, beautifully lit by the orange-red glow, smiled. She bent to pick up a chunk of lightly-charred meat, extending it. “I hope you like it.”
    “Lorn takes pleasure in pleasuring others,” Calt said, his eyes only half present.
    As she accepted the food, Ali wondered at how many ways he meant that. “That’s a good quality,” was all she allowed herself to respond with. She hadn’t eaten since morning, not including a light snack that just didn’t count with all she’d been through. And before that, breakfast had been pretty awful. She’d stopped at a small-town diner a couple miles shy of Yosemite, where she’d been disappointed by tasteless eggs, burnt coffee and bacon that was more fat than meat. The smell of the venison alone let her know she was in for a treat, but it was even better than she expected. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside–the best combo, and it melted on her tongue.

Chapter 2
    C alt was