Fated To The Alpha: A Paranormal Shifter Romance Read Online Free

first.  For a while, Leon led the pack in howling , while I simply sat beside him, idle.  Finally, I realized I was just being obstinate, and let myself join.  Leon howled again, and I finally threw my head back and let the night hear my song.
     
    As they always did, the pack soon scattered, running off into the woods.  This time I didn’t hesitate to join them.  This was exactly what I wanted to do, more than anything.  I wanted to run.  I wanted to run far away, if I could.  The only thing that was different about this than it was on any other howl we’d had was that I didn’t want to run alongside the rest of the pack. 
     
    I wanted to run alone.
     
    As we hurried down off the rock and followed the pack disappearing into the trees, I stayed at Leon’s side just as long as I had to.  I wasn’t sure if he would try to follow me if I tried to go my own way, but I felt it was worth trying.  Besides, it wasn’t like I was trying to escape from him or anything; I just needed some freedom and solitude.
     
    Soon enough, however, the issue got resolved for me as we caught the scent of a deer.  Immediately the whole pack went charging in that direction.  No one noticed when I decided to go off on my own.  I peeled away from Leon’s side as he joined the others closing in on their new found quarry, and I dashed off into the brush.
     
    Thankfully, I neither heard nor smelled anyone following after me.  I was free to run where I wanted for now.  I raced away from all the pressures of my pack’s expectations.  I raced away from the pressures of my alpha wanting me to be his.  I raced away from the pressures of my father having my life already planned out for me.
     
    I’m not sure how long I ran. It was like I intended to keep running until I felt like I’d left all my worries behind, even though I knew I could never run far enough for that.  I finally stopped by a creek, where I caught my breath for a minute, and lowered my head to lap up a drink of water.
     
    I allowed myself a moment to forget everything.  I even let myself forget that there was anything human about me.  As far as I was concerned, at that moment, I was just a wolf out in nature, enjoying the stillness of the woods and the cool water soothing my parched throat after a good run.  I let myself forget that I had an alpha, or even a pack.  I allowed myself a moment to believe there was only me.
     
    That is until I heard something move.
     
    I lifted my head, moving my ears about and sniffing the air.  At first, I detected nothing.  Maybe it had just been a raccoon or something that had scurried away.  I wasn’t hungry enough to go after it.
     
    Suddenly, I looked around me, and realized I no longer knew where I was.  I’d never run this far before; could I have crossed outside of Caldour territory?  I’d never even been beyond the borders of my pack’s hunting grounds.  For a second I started to worry that I might not be able to find my way back… but then, my own scent trail couldn’t be too hard to follow, could it?  I couldn’t have gone that far.  I’d be able to find the scents of my pack soon enough; I was sure of it.
     
    Just then I caught another scent.
     
    Whatever it was that had moved before, moved again, and this time the wind brought its scent to me.  The scent was unmistakable.
     
    Wolf.
     
    And not just any wolf.
     
    A wolf like me.
     
    A shifter.
     
    And it wasn’t from my pack.
     
    I tensed up, searching about for the strange wolf I smelled.  I even dared him to show himself, giving a soft but sharp “huff!”
     
    Finally, a head emerged from around a tree, cautiously moving forward, sniffing the air coming off me.  We spent a moment simply standing there, tensed, regarding each other.  So far, I could tell only that he was a he, and that he was not of the Caldour Pack.  Anything beyond that could only be conjecture.
     
    At least until he finally decided to take a chance on me and