Free Terr4tory by Susan Bliler Page A

me.”
    “You’re making this harder than it has to be.” His mind was working desperately to find a solution.  “You’re beautiful, young…hell you can’t be more than twenty-three.  All of the Alpha’s won’t be that bad.  Claim one ,” he practically commanded.
    “I’m twenty-six,” she clarified, “and do you think a relationship could work if I know he’s taken me only to gain my lands?  Do you have any idea how he would treat me?”
    Barron shrugged. “There are worse things.”
    She frowned up at him. “Yeah?  Name one.”
    “DEATH!”  He yelled, finally losing the tight rein on his temper. “ Death is worse than living with an imperfect mating.”
    “Have you ever lived your life unhappy?” she asked.  “I have, and it’s no place I’ll willingly go back to.”  She had turned back to the farm when her senses kicked in.  She froze and scented the air.  Her head jerked to the side as she scanned the area.
    Barron was suddenly at her side. “I scent it too.”
    He put his back to hers as they scanned the forest.  His body suddenly tensed, and Willa tried to step around him to confront what she could now scent as two unknown males in her territory.  Barron didn’t let her.  His hand curled around her hip as he shoved her behind him, using his own body to shield hers from view.
    Standing behind him, Willa realized that either Barron was extremely large or she was ridiculously small.  Her nose only reached the center of his back and her slight frame was completely hidden behind the breadth of him.  And what a breadth it was.  All lean, corded muscle that bunched and flexed under his clothes as he tensed with the challenge that surged through him.  His massive shoulders hunched, and she recognized the stance as one of threat.
    “Who in the fuck are you?” Barron challenged in a snarl.  Willa attempted to step around him again, but his hand gripped tighter to keep her behind him.
    The response was a growl before a throaty laugh bounced off the trees.  “I’m Alpha Atkins.  This is my Beta, Cobalt.  I’ve come to court the Alpha Willow.”
    Willa’s heart thundered to a halt in her chest.  Her hands trembled with the need to curl into the back of Barron’s shirt, but she was an Alpha, and knew that any display of weakness was an insult to her pack.
    “Her name is Willa ,” Barron ground out, “and she’s not seeing any suitors.”
    “Really?”  The voice seemed closer.  “And who might you be?”
    In front of her, Barron stopped hunching and rose to his full height.  It was an impressive display.
    “Alpha Barron Kane,” he supplied in a lethal tone that dripped with authority.
    The asshole, Atkins, actually had the nerve to chuckle.  “I’ve heard of you.  Your brother, Evander, just acquired the Colorado territory.  He’s close friends with the Blackbird packs of the Montanas and Wyoming.  And you…,” the voice inched closer.  “You abandoned your pack.  Left them to fend for themselves so you could cavort like a cub in the wilds of British Columbia.  Couldn’t decide if you were ready to be an Alpha…ready to be a man !”
    Willa’s breathing stopped.  She didn’t want to miss a word.  In front of her, Barron’s body vibrated with the threatening growl that rumbled loose.  Every line of him was taut, ready to spring.
    “I don’t explain myself.  Especially to the likes of you.”
    Atkins was back to laughing.  “The likes of me?  I’m just a harmless Alpha.  I’ve sustained a modest domain in New Mexico.  I’ve come to court Ms. Willa .  To show my good faith, I’ve only been accompanied by my Beta.  There is no one else.  The rest of my pack has remained in New Mexico.  It’s a show of good faith.”
    “You left your pack,” Barron snarled, “because you’re a scavenger and it’s quicker to travel in small numbers.  You hoped to beat the other Alpha’s to the prize.  I’ve heard of you, and your pack of