Enslaved by the Alpha: Part One (Shifters of Nunavut Book 1) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Viola Rivard
to do whatever I please with. Do we have a deal?”
“And you’ll help me find my sister?” Astrid confirmed, her tone remarkably even despite the bizarre turn their interaction had taken.
Erik nodded.
“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked.
The alpha ran his thumb down her throat. She winced as it scratched the fragile skin, and a second later, she felt the trickle of blood.
He gave her a dark, predatory look. “You do yourself no favors by playing the fool. We both know I do not need your permission. So, I ask one final time. Do we have a deal?”
She said not to let his implacable mask fool me.
There was no mystery to Erik.
Behind those glacial eyes was nothing but a cruel, pitiless psychopath.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER TWO
Hands bound, Astrid was thrown over Erik’s back like a sack of flour. She lay on the wolf’s back for what felt like hours, trying to ignore the pain in her spine and struggling to breathe. The air felt thinner than ever before, and anxiety made her breaths come quick and shallow.
With plenty of time to consider her circumstances, Astrid had come to the conclusion that she didn’t regret her decision to surrender herself to Erik. There had been no other choice. But every decision that led up to becoming the alpha’s prisoner—yeah, she regretted those. If she had never gotten it into her head to rescue Ginnifer, she could have been back home in Miami, relaxing on the beach with an ice-cold beer. Or, more realistically, staring longingly at the beach from the crack in her cubicle, drowning her sorrows in diet soda.
For once in her life, she also didn’t blame Ginnifer for her problems. Astrid could have taken her sister’s money and paid off her credit card debt. Or at least part of it. Why had she felt the need to squander it all on an arctic expedition through werewolf territory? It certainly wasn’t out of love. What, then? Familial duty? Or had she just wanted to see the look on Ginnifer’s face when she came to her rescue?
The sun was rising when they reached their destination. From her awkward position, Astrid wasn’t able to tell where they were at first, but rather was able to sense a change in altitude. When she managed a glimpse at her surroundings, she almost screamed.
Erik was walking on a narrow pathway that had been carved into a sheet of ice. Said sheet of ice happened to be a sheer cliff that dropped down what looked like hundreds of meters into a rocky basin. One wrong move and she would fall to her death.
Presumably sensing her apprehension, the alpha began to toy with her. He went out of his way to make absurd jumps and unnecessary twists, nearly dropping her each time. When he leapt from one carved pathway to another, the momentum sent Astrid flying forward and into the air. This time, she did scream. Erik caught her before she fell, his jaws locking on to the back of her coat. He let her dangle in the air for a few seconds, and she could have sworn she heard the wolf make a noise akin to laughter. Instead of yelling at him, she promptly passed out.
When her knee hit a rock a short while later, Astrid came to. Erik was still holding her in his jaw, and appeared to be dragging her through a frozen tunnel. Despite being surrounded by ice, it felt warmer in there than it had outside.
They passed through a wide cavern. It was dimly lit by a few oil lanterns, giving Astrid a glimpse of the den’s residents. There were wolves of all shapes and sizes—nearly all of them white or gray in coloring. Those that had shifted into human form had long white hair and skin that was either eerily pale or the deep tan of an ethnicity she couldn’t place. Most of the wolves were males, which she found strange. According to The Wolves of Nunavut , packs were predominantly female, as most alphas weren’t tolerant of male competition. She wondered if Ginnifer had gotten that detail wrong, or if all of the females were simply the ones in their wolf forms.
It appeared
“And you’ll help me find my sister?” Astrid confirmed, her tone remarkably even despite the bizarre turn their interaction had taken.
Erik nodded.
“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked.
The alpha ran his thumb down her throat. She winced as it scratched the fragile skin, and a second later, she felt the trickle of blood.
He gave her a dark, predatory look. “You do yourself no favors by playing the fool. We both know I do not need your permission. So, I ask one final time. Do we have a deal?”
She said not to let his implacable mask fool me.
There was no mystery to Erik.
Behind those glacial eyes was nothing but a cruel, pitiless psychopath.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER TWO
Hands bound, Astrid was thrown over Erik’s back like a sack of flour. She lay on the wolf’s back for what felt like hours, trying to ignore the pain in her spine and struggling to breathe. The air felt thinner than ever before, and anxiety made her breaths come quick and shallow.
With plenty of time to consider her circumstances, Astrid had come to the conclusion that she didn’t regret her decision to surrender herself to Erik. There had been no other choice. But every decision that led up to becoming the alpha’s prisoner—yeah, she regretted those. If she had never gotten it into her head to rescue Ginnifer, she could have been back home in Miami, relaxing on the beach with an ice-cold beer. Or, more realistically, staring longingly at the beach from the crack in her cubicle, drowning her sorrows in diet soda.
For once in her life, she also didn’t blame Ginnifer for her problems. Astrid could have taken her sister’s money and paid off her credit card debt. Or at least part of it. Why had she felt the need to squander it all on an arctic expedition through werewolf territory? It certainly wasn’t out of love. What, then? Familial duty? Or had she just wanted to see the look on Ginnifer’s face when she came to her rescue?
The sun was rising when they reached their destination. From her awkward position, Astrid wasn’t able to tell where they were at first, but rather was able to sense a change in altitude. When she managed a glimpse at her surroundings, she almost screamed.
Erik was walking on a narrow pathway that had been carved into a sheet of ice. Said sheet of ice happened to be a sheer cliff that dropped down what looked like hundreds of meters into a rocky basin. One wrong move and she would fall to her death.
Presumably sensing her apprehension, the alpha began to toy with her. He went out of his way to make absurd jumps and unnecessary twists, nearly dropping her each time. When he leapt from one carved pathway to another, the momentum sent Astrid flying forward and into the air. This time, she did scream. Erik caught her before she fell, his jaws locking on to the back of her coat. He let her dangle in the air for a few seconds, and she could have sworn she heard the wolf make a noise akin to laughter. Instead of yelling at him, she promptly passed out.
When her knee hit a rock a short while later, Astrid came to. Erik was still holding her in his jaw, and appeared to be dragging her through a frozen tunnel. Despite being surrounded by ice, it felt warmer in there than it had outside.
They passed through a wide cavern. It was dimly lit by a few oil lanterns, giving Astrid a glimpse of the den’s residents. There were wolves of all shapes and sizes—nearly all of them white or gray in coloring. Those that had shifted into human form had long white hair and skin that was either eerily pale or the deep tan of an ethnicity she couldn’t place. Most of the wolves were males, which she found strange. According to The Wolves of Nunavut , packs were predominantly female, as most alphas weren’t tolerant of male competition. She wondered if Ginnifer had gotten that detail wrong, or if all of the females were simply the ones in their wolf forms.
It appeared
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