Free Reluctant Alpha by Kathi S. Barton

the phone out of the wall two days ago. It had never stopped ringing day and night the four days since the showing. She never carried a cell phone so it wasn’t an issue of anyone trying to call her that way. But the courier showing up today with a cell phone completely charged and already on to receive calls was too much. She was so going to fire Diana. When it rang two minutes after she signed the electronic device, and just as the courier was just pulling away, Airic was pretty pissed off. She’d just opened the box, for fuck sake, and she hadn’t even gotten back in the studio yet. Pulling it open, she lit into her.
    “ If this is not a matter of life and death then it will be once I see you again. If you think this is funny, then you are fucking nuts. If you think I’m going to keep this fucking thing once I give you a piece of my mind then you are stupider than the cow grazing in the next field. Oh, and by the way, you’re fired, and I mean it this time. You’re fired.” She was ready to lay into her once again when the voice at the other end spoke.
    “ What if I just wanted to tell you that it’s past time for us to be together? I’ve waited much too long and I want what I created. I’m coming for you, Airic the artist, have no doubt. You are mine. I told you that before. You will be my mate. We will have sons together. I will be there tonight. You will not run, my dear, or I will be most displeased.”
    ]Airic froze; her breathing ceased to move through her lungs, and her stomach tightened as if would push its meager contents out. She looked up at the new car pulling into the driveway and whimpered. He’s here, her mind screamed. He’s already here and I can’t move.
    ***
    Bradley saw her the minute he pulled into the drive. He had been trying to call her for a couple of days without luck. Just seeing her on the cell phone irked him a little. He’d asked if she had one when he’d had her investigated and had been told no. Damn it, was anything about this woman not complicated beyond reason? He watched her closely as he got out of the car.
    The next thing he noticed was she was barefooted and dirty. The next was what he heard her saying “No, no, no, no” over and over again as she backed away from him, her ear still to the phone. He started walking toward her when she dropped the cell phone and pressed herself against the building. Something was wrong; he could hear her softly whimpering. Moving quicker, he was in front of her in seconds.
    “ Alastriona, what is it? Is it the phone call, is someone hurt?” He bent over and picked up the phone and was handing it to her when she crumpled to the ground. He knelt down to see if she was hurt, and he put the phone to his ear at the same time. “Who is this?” He snapped into the phone. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but damn it, she was upset.
    “ Who is this? Why are you with Airic? She is mine. I made her and she is mine. I will come for her tonight and she had better be prepared if she knows what is good for her. If you wish to live, you will leave her now. I will not tolerate her thinking she can thwart me. I will punish her for this, you tell her that. You should not touch her. You will not touch her. Do you understand me? Tell her to be prepared. I do not tolerate disobedience. I am her…”
    “ You are shit to her, you worthless excuse for a wolf. Yeah, I know what you are and what you’ve done. She isn’t yours unless you lay claim. You try to find her now, you slimy piece of shit.” He closed the phone and slipped it into his pocket. He saw the Fed-Ex bag and pulled it from her limp hand. There was no return address on it. Well fuck, that would have been too easy, he thought.
    “ Alastriona, honey, I need for you to stand up. Look at me, baby. I need for you to stand for me or I’m going to have to pick you up. You can’t stay out here in the open, all right?” When she whimpered again, he slipped one arm beneath her bent knees and