Free Bound to the Alpha: Part One by Viola Rivard

flustered.
     
    “ I’m not a cop, I’m with the National Guard,” he grunted.
     
    “Well then why don’t you do your job and go find some werebears to chase around,” she shot back defiantly.
     
    Cain’s hands clenched into fists. He did not trust himself to speak, but he could not understand why she was antagonizing the soldier with the gun pointed at them.
     
    The man shifted positions, pointing his gun at Cain. “And what the hell is he?”
     
    She snorted loudly. “He is my boyfriend , Troy.”
     
    The man eyed Cain suspiciously. “And what are you doing out here?”
     
    “We came out here to see the werebears,” she said.
     
    The man abruptly lowered his gun, giving Sarah an annoyed look. “Do you have any idea how many stupid college kids like you we have to—”
     
    This time it was Cain who cut him off, moving with preternatural speed to disarm the soldier. The human male fought back, but Cain’s sheer strength won out. He flung the gun away, pinning the human to the ground by his throat. Fury rippled over him in hot, unrelenting waves.
     
    “Cain!”
     
    He stopped at the sound of the human’s shout, but did not remove his hand from the man’s neck. The man struggled beneath Cain, his face turning red.
     
    “Cain, you have to let him go.” She was beside him now, her tone frantic.
     
    Cain turned to growl at her. “He could have harmed you.”
     
    She tensed, but did not flinch. “He was only doing his job. You can’t kill him.” She reached out, placing a hand on the back of Cain’s neck. “Please,” she said emphatically. “Please, just let him go.”
     
    ~*~
     
    Sarah was relieved when Cain pulled back, releasing the soldier. The man scrambled to get away, but Cain brought his fist down on his skull, knocking the man unconscious.
     
    “There will be more,” he said. “We should go.”
     
    He didn’t look at her before hefting Sarah over one shoulder and grabbing his bag. She passively accepted the gruff treatment, staring back at the fallen soldier as Cain stalked away.
     
    Asking Cain not to kill the soldier had been a knee-jerk reaction. The more she thought about it , though, the more she wondered if she had made the right decision. All she had thought was that she didn’t want to be an accomplice to murder, not the long-term impact it might have on Cain and his pack.
     
    After making it into the safety of the forest, Cain stopped, removing his shirt and kicking off his boots in preparation to shift. When he moved to unbutton his jeans, he stopped, glancing over at her. Instinctively, she looked away.
     
    “How did you know what to say to him?” he asked quietly.
     
    Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. I just acted like a regular, dumb twenty-something-year-old. I’m just glad he bought it.”
     
    She felt him come up behind her and place his hands on her hips. “You could have told him who you were. Asked him to take you back to your family.”
     
    Sarah rolled her eyes. She turned, stepping up onto his boots to get her feet out of the snow. “Do you really think I would do something like that?”
     
    Cai n pressed his forehead against hers. Firmly, he said, “If anything like that happens again, you are not to defend me.”
     
    “You need to get back to your pack.” She gave him a weak smile. “Worry about yourself. Nobody needs me.”
     
    His hands came up to frame her face. “I need you to be safe.”
     
    The look in his eyes unnerved Sarah. Palms sweating, she gripped his shirt and stood on the tips of her toes, kissing him. Like the rest of his body, Cain’s lips were warm and firm, but with a streak of sensuality that made her insides quiver.
     
    When Cain didn’t kiss her back, she felt as if a rock had dropped in her stomach. She pulled away, prepared to apologize, but before she could say anything, he shoved her down. Sarah yelped as her butt hit the snow. Cain was on her before she had time to process what was happening, his