Free Claimed by the Alphas: Part Five by Viola Rivard Page B

“Well, I would not worry much about Lotus for now. Whatever you decide, she will make peace with it, as I have.”
    Curious, he asked, “Are you not disappointed that I took a mate?”
    She looked thoughtful. “I will miss our couplings.” Smirking at him, she added, “You are the only male who can pin me into submission. Though, I may enjoy doing the pinning for a change.”
    Caim grinned, giving the carcass one final glance before turning back towards the den. Before he shifted, Sable put a hand on his shoulder, halting him.
    “She was always your favorite,” she told him. “Even when you were small, after your mother died, you would follow her around everywhere.”
    “I remember.”
    “And when you were ready to take a partner, she was y our first choice. She has never been anything but your favorite.”
    “You are repeating yourself,” he said, growing annoyed again. He wanted to shift, and was strangely anxious to return to the den. He had been away for hours, and it bothered him to be so far from his mate, no doubt another lingering effect of the mating thrall.
    “I do not know how to explain,” she said, shaking her head. “All she has ever been is your favorite. She does not know how to be anything else. She will have to learn how to be your friend, as I have.”
    He smacked her hand away, gazing at her through slanted eyes. “I was not aware that we were friends.”
    Sable moved to slap him, but he caught her wrist, twisting it behind her back. Her eyes wide with excitement, she bit down hard on his muscled forearm. He let out a snort of laughter, pushing her head back with the flat of his palm.
    They shifted then, chasing and biting at one another all the way back to the den.

CHAPTER TWO
     
    Mila peeked over the rock, chewing her bottom lip as she eyed the females on the dais. Lotus and Sable were engaged in a conversation, the latter of which was gesticulating wildly. Whatever she said must have amused Lotus, because she threw her head back in laughter. Once her hysterics subsided, she tilted her head back to say something to Caim, who was lying beside them in his wolf form. As she spoke, Lotus placed a hand on Caim’s side, idly stroking his fur.
    If Mila could have anything in the world right now, it would be the power to strangle people with her mind.
    “What did she say to him?” she asked Gem. The bleary-eyed teenager frowned.
    “I’m not sure. Sable made a joke about a turtle and Lotus said something to Caim about running.”
    Mila groaned and ran a hand through her messy hair. “You’re not making any sense. I need to know, word for word, what they’re saying.”
    “ They’ve known each other for a long time. Most times they talk about things that don’t make sense to the rest of us,” she told her. “Besides, if they catch us spying, Sable will box my ears.”
    Mila held us a finger. “One, I don’t even know what that means.” She held up another finger. “And two, no one is going to mess with you, least of all, Sable. Let’s not forget who has ranking here. I’m the mate of the alphas.”
    Gem hesitated before saying, “Mila, that don’t mean anything.”
    She huffed in response. “Of course it does. Maybe before, when I was just some random human it didn’t, but now that I’m probably, well, you know,” she gestured towards her stomach, “things are different now.”
    Gem gave her an exasperated look. “Even if you have a baby, or ten babies, it doesn’t change the fact that Lotus and Sable are dominant to you.”
    “Are not.”
    “ I’m not gonna argue with you, it’s just a fact.” She put her hands on Mila’s shoulders. “You’re important to the pack, real important, but you aren’t dominant. It’s a big difference.”
    “I don’t get it,” she replied, frowning. “How can they possibly be dominant to me? It’s not like either of them could hurt me.”
    “Let’s be serious. They could snap your neck before you could blink two times. They