Free The Alpha's Mail Order Bride by Jasmine White

tonight. If you get home and change your mind about me and about this place, all you have to do is ask and I’ll fly you back down here.”
    With nothing more to say, Akala opened the truck door and went into the B&B to pack her bags.
     
     

EPILOGUE
     
     
    Saying goodbye to Haley had been difficult, but they’d managed to get through it with only a few shed tears. Akala had made it as clear she knew how that she’d appreciated everything Haley had done for her, and that she hated the idea of leaving her so soon after forming their friendship. They promised to stay in touch no matter what final decision Akala came to, and then Nashoba came inside to carry her bag to the truck.
    Once again, she found herself sitting silently in the old truck while Nashoba drove down roads that were now considerably more familiar than they had been a few short days ago. Akala smiled when they passed the Wilkinson’s farm, and she almost asked that they stop for a bite to eat in Mountain View before leaving it for what might be her last time. A lot of new memories had been formed in this small corner of Colorado, and it was much more difficult dealing with it than she had thought it would be.
    Looking at Nashoba didn’t make things any easier. He spoke no word of complaint, and did nothing to make his disappointment known, but Akala could sense his unhappiness. His jaw seemed clenched a little too tight, and his gaze stayed firmly fixed on the road in front of them, never once turning to look out the side window or at Akala.
    When he slammed on the brakes and pulled off onto the rough dirt shoulder just outside of town, Akala braced herself for him to plead for her to stay and rethink her position on becoming his mate. She was so sure that he was going to make a last ditch attempt to keep her from leaving that she took a moment to comprehend why he’d really stopped.
    “ Shit,” he grunted, cutting the engine and peering off into the gloom of twilight. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.”
    “ What is it?” Akala asked when she finally understood that his reasons for stopping had nothing to do with her. The light was fading fast, and she couldn’t see what had caught his attention.
    “ A pack of wolves just ran across the road in front of us.”
    “ Is that bad?”
    “ They’re not of our tribe, and they had the look of a hunting party about them. They shouldn’t be here like this. It goes against the treaty.”
    “ Treaty? Hunting party? What on earth is happening?” A note of fear crept into Akala’s voice.
    “ I know I said I’d bring you to the airport, but this is too important to let go. It’s my duty as alpha to let my tribe know what’s happening.” He turned his key to start the engine and roared out into a tight u-turn. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come with me.”
    Akala gripped the door frame and braced herself as Nashoba sped down the country roads without turning his lights on. He turned down an unfamiliar branch, and Akala realized he was choosing a route that kept him out of town and angled them towards the tribal lands he’d shown her earlier that afternoon. She couldn’t be sure, but from the direction he’d been looking after stopping, and the direction they were now driving, it seemed like the hunting party was heading directly for the Choctaw village.
    “Maybe they’re just coming to trade with you or something?” asked Akala, her gut telling her that it was nothing so simple.
    Nashoba veered off onto a rougher road, keeping his speed high and sending them bouncing along the rough and rutted track.
    “If I’m right, those were Kintawep wolves.” He veered hard to the left to avoid a particularly deep pothole. “The Choctaw and Kintawep people have had an age-old rivalry that is nowhere near peaceful resolution. If they’re on our land, it’s because they’ve come for a fight. I just hope we can make it in time to warn my people.”
    The trees blotted out