Free The Alpha's to Share: A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance by Alanis Knight

defiantly. “Not that it is any of your business if I did.”
     
    “Feisty!” Wyatt exclaimed with a wide grin. Then he growled, “I like it!”
     
    Callie glared at Wyatt through narrowed eyes, and he chuckled at her, further infuriating her. Seth grabbed his brother’s shoulders and whirled him around, pushing him back toward the hill.
     
    “Time to go,” Seth said.
     
    Wyatt leaned back against this brother’s hands, struggling against their forward momentum. He glanced over his shoulder at Callie and grinned.
     
    “I’ll see you soon, Callie!” Wyatt called to her.
     
    “Let’s hope not,” she muttered under her breath.
     
    Seth disappeared around the back of the hill with Wyatt in tow. They were arguing about something, and Callie took the time to look around. The area was rather nondescript. The trees were sparse here, but it wasn’t exactly a clearing. The remnants of a large bonfire stood near the hill, surrounded by several fallen logs that were almost certainly brought here for seating.
     
    Her ankle was starting to throb again, so she took a seat on one of the logs to wait for Seth to return.
     
    As she waited, she noticed a tiny creature peeking at her from behind the remains of the bonfire. It poked its head up and blinked at her with tiny black eyes. She couldn’t help but smile at the little animal.
     
    “Hello!” she said softly, not wanting to frighten it.
     
    Its head sank quickly underneath the pile of leaves that surrounded the bonfire. She noticed a lump moving closer to her, rustling the leaves as it moved along beneath them. Then a tiny nose popped out, and she could see the beady eyes peeking at her again.
     
    “Hello,” she said again, reaching her hand toward the creature.
     
    “That’s Ivy,” said a voice from behind her.
     
    She twisted around and saw a young woman, about her own age, standing nude. Callie quickly turned away and apologized.
     
    “I’m sorry,” Callie said quickly.
     
    “For what?” asked the girl, sitting beside her on the log.
     
    “Uh… never mind,” Callie said. “I’m Callie. What’s your name?”
     
    “Willow,” the girl answered. “I’m Seth and Wyatt’s younger, and much smarter, sister. So you’re Seth’s new mate, huh?”
     
    “I haven’t decided yet, to be honest,” Callie answered truthfully.
     
    “Hmm, I see,” Willow said. “So what don’t you like about Seth?” Then she gasped and added, “Don’t tell me! You like Wyatt better!”
     
    “No!” Callie shrieked. “No, absolutely not!”
     
    “Ah, you have met him, then,” Willow giggled. “Wyatt’s not a bad guy, but he’s not easy to get along with sometimes.”
     
    “I met him briefly, and I can see why you’d say that,” Callie said frankly.
     
    “Come on out, Ivy,” Willow called.
     
    The leaves rustled as the little creature, which had been watching them intently, slithered away beneath them.
     
    “She’s shy,” Willow said. “But she’ll get used to you quickly.”
     
    “Is she a rat?” Callie asked.
     
    Willow burst into laughter and was unable to speak for several moments. Tears of mirth rolled down her pink cheeks, and she clutched her midsection and doubled over.
     
    After a bit, she took a deep breath and leaned toward Callie to whisper, “Please don’t ever let her hear you say that. She’s a mink. And a shifter. And she’s only twelve years old and very sensitive.”
     
    “Sorry, I didn’t know,” Callie said.
     
    “Oh, it’s alright,” Willow said. “At least you said it to me and not her. Poor kid’s been through a lot.”
     
    “Really? Like what?” Callie wondered aloud.
     
    “Both her parents got killed by fur trappers,” Willow said sadly. “She’s an orphan, and Seth took her in because she’s a good kid and she was completely on her own.”
     
    “Why didn’t they just shift into human form?” Callie asked.
     
    “Most shifters won’t around humans, because we don’t want