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

shifted to his two-legged form.  A lean, light haired man in his mid-twenties suddenly stood in the place of the wolf that had been there a few seconds before, looking down at me cautiously.  It was obviously a risky move; in my four-legged form, I could easily rip him to shreds, so he was effectively dropping his guard.  I decided to take that as a show of faith.
     
    So I shifted back to my two-legged form as well.  “Who are you?” I demanded.
     
    “A little forward, aren’t you?” he said.  “You’re the one who’s on my turf; who are you?”
     
    “Why should I tell you who I am?”
     
    “I could say the same.  We could go back and forth like this all night, if you want.”
     
    My lip curled up.  “Are you a Morgandorf?”
     
    “You’re in Morgandorf territory, or didn’t you know that?” he said.  “Were you looking for us?”
     
    I didn’t have a sharp retort ready.  “No,” I said.  “I was just running.  I was getting away from my pack.  I guess I got lost.”
     
    “Getting away from your pack?” he said.  “Why, what’d they do to you?”
     
    “It’s none of your business!” I snapped.
     
    “It is if you’re in our territory,” he said.  “Were you looking for a new pack, then?”
     
    “Never!” I declared.  “I wasn’t running away.  I just wanted to get away for a bit.”
     
    He nodded in understanding, but still watched me suspiciously.  “This pack of yours… that wouldn’t be the Caldour Pack, would it?”
     
    I cautiously took a step back.  This had the potential to get really ugly really quick.  “What if it is?” I asked.  “Will you turn me over to your alpha, and have them pass sentence on me?”
     
    “Why should I want to do that?” he said.  “Have you done something to us that needs to be punished?  ‘Cause as far as I can tell, all you did was get a little water from one of our creeks.  Call me crazy, but that doesn’t seem like much of an offense to me.”
     
    For a moment, I didn’t say anything.  “So what do you want with me?”
     
    He shrugged.  “I just wanted to know why you’re here.  That’s all.”
     
    “So… you’re gonna let me go back to my pack now?”
     
    “Do you want to?” he asked.  “You’re the one who said you were trying to get away from them.”
     
    I didn’t say anything then.
     
    “What were you trying to get away from?” he finally asked.
     
    I wasn’t sure why, but I felt comfortable enough now to open up a little more. 
    “My alpha wants me to marry him.”
     
    He nodded.  “And you’re not too keen on the idea?”
     
    “I don’t know what I am on it.”
     
    “But you say you’re not running away?”
     
    “Everyone I know is there,” I said.  “My family, my friends… I don’t know anyone outside my pack.  Besides, I’m not totally opposed to marrying him.”
     
    “But you’re opposed a little, aren’t you?” he said.  “Or else you wouldn’t be this far from them.”
     
    I couldn’t argue with that.
     
    “What are you going to do?” he asked me.  “Will you go back to them?”
     
    “I can’t imagine I won’t,” I replied.  “Why, are you offering to set me up with your pack?”
     
    He tilted his head and studied me.  “I don’t recall saying anything like that.  But that’s interesting, that your mind went there.”
     
    “Well, I mean… I wasn’t suggesting…”
     
    “Don’t stress about it,” he said, putting his hands forward in a calming gesture.  “I don’t think accepting a Caldour among us would go over well even if you were asking.”
     
    “Well that’s fine, because I wasn’t.  I love my pack.  They’re everything to me.”
     
    “But your alpha isn’t, is he?  You say you don’t want to leave your pack, but you obviously don’t want to be with them right now.  I can’t take you to mine either.  So where does that leave you?”
     
    I paused to think of an answer—and I really did not