Free Torrent (Alpha Love - a Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Book 4) by Olivia Stephens Page A

isn’t surprised that neither of them want to give Lindsey the bad news that is inevitably coming. If she were them she’d be more scared of Lindsey’s reaction than a whole gang of Lycan-haters. Sofie feels sorry for them; clearly neither relish what they have to tell Lindsey about her beloved bar.
    Rudy keeps his eyes trained on the dirt he’s mindlessly kicking at, making it obvious that he’s not going to be the one to speak up. Teresa draws herself up, as if she’s persuaded herself to man up and just get on with it. “They torched it, Linds, right down to the ground.” Lindsey keeps her back straight as Teresa delivers the heart-breaking news in the kindest voice that Sofie has ever heard. “It’s like the whole place has gone mad.” Teresa shakes her head at the shame of it. Of course, the smell on them that Lindsey had scented, that had been what it was, the smoky remnants of the bar that she had inherited from her dad. Now all that was left of it was probably a pile of blackened rubble.
    Sofie takes a step towards Lindsey, to comfort her, but Hector is already there, drawing her closer to him and looping a protective arm around her. He towers over her, cradling her minute body in his lanky one. He’s whispering in her ear, words of comfort that Sofie can only guess at and she sees her friend’s body relax slowly, letting out some of the pain.
    Once the significance of what Rudy and Teresa are saying has sunk in, the chatter between the weres slowly builds to a low hum.
    “How have things gone so far so quickly?”
    “It’s only been 24 hours!”
    “How bad are things going to be in another day or two?”
    The level of panic in their voices rises as their fear starts to take over from their indignation. Ashton lets them worry and complain and curse, but he doesn’t say anything. Once they’re spent, once everyone has had their say and has said what they needed to, one by one they all turn towards the Alpha, their pack leader. They look to him for answers, for guidance, for leadership, just as Ashton had told Sofie they would.
    He squeezes Sofie’s hand and then releases it, stepping out in front of the pack. “We knew that things were going to get worse before they got better. It’s just the way it is.” Ashton’s voice booms out over the assembled pack, and Sofie thinks yet again, just how impressive, almost regal, he is and she feels a surge of pride in the man that she loves.
    “That is why we decided to stay here, why we didn’t return to our homes last night, and why we won’t be returning tonight. Or anytime soon for that matter.” This last comment causes a few of the pack members to whip their heads up to look at him with curiosity but they remain silent. “We’re safe here, in this clearing, for now. But not for long. From what T and Rudy have told us and from what I know you’ve seen on the news, this isn’t going to blow over anytime soon. Calambor is in it for the long haul and he has said himself that he won’t stop until he’s brought every Lycan to justice. That means that it’s only going to be a matter of time before his goons and the people that follow him come looking for us.” Ashton looks out over the assembled faces of his pack and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for what he’s about to say, for the fate that he’s about to seal.
    “But they can’t find us here! That’s how it works, right?” Myra, one of the younger weres asks the question as she looks around somewhat wildly, as if she’s expecting a group of townsfolk brandishing rifles and pitchforks to appear out of the trees.
    “We are protected here.” Ashton makes a calming gesture with his hands to cool the temper of the pack. Even without werewolf senses, Sofie can tell that the panic levels are starting to increase. “But not forever. The canyon will keep us safe for as long as it is able, but between the oil drilling damaging the earth and the hate that Calambor is whipping up,