Free Faith by Viola Rivard

FAITH
    Running With Alphas

    Copyright © 2014 by Viola Rivard
All rights reserved.
    This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
     
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
    CHAPTER ONE
    CHAPTER TWO
    CHAPTER THREE
    CHAPTER FOUR
    CHAPTER FIVE
    CHAPTER SIX
    CHAPTER SEVEN
    CHAPTER EIGHT
    CHAPTER NINE
    CHAPTER TEN
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
    CHAPTER TWELVE
    EPILOGUE
    TIES

CHAPTER ONE
     
    Taylor stared up at the blue sky for an indeterminate amount of time, her eyelids becoming heavier by the minute. When her eyes refused to reopen, she began to doze off. A sensation of weightlessness overtook her and she assumed that it was sleep, carrying her off into oblivion. Then, she felt something tickle her neck.
    Her eyes sprang open and she winced as sunlight flooded her vision. A big hand came down to shadow her eyes. After blinking several times, she found herself looking up at Alder.
    It was less of a surprise than it should have been. Taylor was learning to sense when her mate was near. It wasn’t only smelling him or recognizing his touch, it was as if she were in tune with Alder on a deep, mental level.
    “Hey, you,” she said, reaching up to put her hand on his cheek. There were faint smudges of darkness under his eyes, marring an otherwise perfect face. “You look tired.”
    A grin tugged at his lips. “I only fell asleep an hour ago. I almost bit Holly’s head off when she came barging into my room.”
    The memory of her exchange with Holly came back to her. Taylor attempted to sit up, only to find that Alder was cradling her in his arms. How had he managed that?
    His hand moved to cover her abdomen. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me, Taylor.”
    “I haven’t really done much,” she remarked.
    She realized then that her work had only just begun. Getting pregnant had been rather easy, but she suspected that being pregnant, especially while living in the wilderness, would be no walk in the park.
    “Do you think it’ll be okay, you know, raising children out here?”
    She nodded towards the woods for emphasis.
    “It’s the best place for them,” he said, rubbing his thumb in a soothing motion. “They won’t be like human children. They’ll be able to shift from the time they’re very young. It’s better to raise them where they can be themselves.”
    Puppies . That’s what their children would be.
    A smile broke out over Taylor’s face at the thought. It was hard to believe how far she’d come in just over a month. She’d gone from bored intern to wanted assassin to werewolf mate and for the first time, she realized that she wouldn’t change a thing. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
    Taylor craned her neck to kiss Alder on the cheek. His stubble was scratchy against her lips.
    “We’re going to be parents,” she said, crinkling her nose. “Are you excited to become a father?”
    Alder hesitated, a flash of tension crossing his face. Taylor was concerned, until she remembered what he’d told her the week before. He’d had a mate before and had nearly become a father.
    Resting her hand over his, she said, “You’re going to be a great dad.”
    The tension evaporated and Alder leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. This time, he didn’t pull away. His hand went to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair. She parted her lips in invitation and Alder readily accepted, slipping his tongue in to dance with hers.
    Desire made her insides quiver. Her hands went under his shirt and she groaned as they came in contact with rows of hard muscles. As long as she lived, she would never get tired of his ripped chest.
    Returning her groan, Alder deepened the kiss. She could feel his growing erection and couldn’t resist rubbing her soft bottom against it. His grip on her hair tightened.
    A loud