Rogue Alpha: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 1) Read Online Free

cobwebs clouding my thoughts. Flood had torn me out of a deep sleep and
some intense dream. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone or
something watched me through that tree line.
    “Boo!”
    I jumped.
    “Son of a bitch!”
    Cam jumped out from behind my cabin. He held a piece
of cold pizza in his hand on a napkin.
    “Why didn’t you come get me?” I asked. “Flood’s on a
war path. My damn phone died in the middle of the night. It never went off.”
    Cam shrugged. “Sorry. I got up early and did some
work in the lab. But, here’s a peace offering. He won’t wait for you to get
breakfast. Better get your ass moving.”
    I took the pizza from Cam just as Flood laid on the
Jeep’s horn. It was time to go.
    “Don’t forget popcorn,” Cam called out as I bounded
down the cabin steps and headed for the Jeep. “The kind we make over the
campfire!”
    I raised two fingers above my head and waved at Cam.
Then, I hopped into the Jeep, shoving pizza down my head as quickly as I could.
    A good ten minutes went by before either of us said
anything. I couldn’t tell if Flood was angry for having been delayed or still
feeling a little awkward for staring at me in my underwear. I couldn’t decide
if I was angrier at him for that or awkward for being late. Finally, Flood
spoke first.
    “Yeah. Um. I’m sorry about that back there. I really
did think something happened to you. You were, um, screaming, Laura. Like you
were hurt. You sure you’re okay?”
    Color warmed my cheeks. “Oh. It’s okay.” A part of
me wanted to kick myself for letting him off the hook. Except, I’d been
dreaming about the wolf when he burst in. I didn’t remember screaming, but I
remembered the whole thing was pretty intense. Maybe I did scream.
    “I’m kind of used to not getting a lot of privacy
back home,” I said. “Big family. Five brothers. Three sisters.”
    Flood let out a whistle. “Wow. I mean, seriously.
Wow. Nine children? I didn’t think people did that anymore.”
    I nodded. “Old school Catholic parents.”
    “Where are you in all of that?”
    “Smack in the middle. I’ve got a pair of brothers
and sisters above me, a pair below.”
    “Ah. Well, that explains why you were so eager to
hightail it out of there this summer.”
    I laughed. He wasn’t wrong. I loved my family, but
the decision to live on campus at G.L.U. had been one of the best I’d ever
made. It was the first time I’d ever had a bathroom to myself. To me, dorm life
actually brought peace and quiet. When the opportunity to join Flood’s team
this summer came along, it seemed like heaven. Until the last twenty-four
hours, it pretty much had been. Now though, something filled me with unease.
    I pressed my forehead against the window as the
trees flew by. We were deep in the Huron-Manistee National Forest miles away
from anything resembling civilization, and I kind of loved it.
    “Where’s home?”
    “Green Bluff, California.”
    “Well, that’s a long way from home. How’d you end up
at Great Lakes U?” Flood asked.
    I shrugged. “Ah. That’s an easy one. They offered me
a full ride. I did well on my S.A.Ts. G.L.U. was the farthest from home willing
to pay for me. So, here I am.”
    “Good choice. When’s the last time you went back?”
    I shrugged. “Not since Christmas.” It wasn’t that I
didn’t miss my family. I did. But being away gave me freedom from the chaos
large families bring. I loved my time on my own.
    “Well, I for one am damn glad you decided to give us
a try. You’re talented, Laura. Gifted even. You have a drive and aptitude I
don’t often see in girls your age.”
    I bristled a little at the word “girl,” but decided
to let it slide this time. He was trying to give me a compliment, and I
appreciated it.
    “I mean it. You could go very far in this field if
that’s what you’re truly interested in. You know the biology graduate program
at G.L.U. is very competitive. Very competitive. We only let in a