Younger Daughter Read Online Free Page A

more." I can do that. Talia has made it clear she won't be mating until after she graduates. That would give Nolan five or more years toward his goals.
    He seemed shocked by her answer. "You'd be content with that?"
    Aurora straightened. "I'll live with it."
    His eyes narrowed. "Live with it?"
    "If you're asking if it's what I want , no. It's not, but you have to follow your dreams, right?"
    There was a tense moment of silence between them. "What do you want?"
    Her heart hammering in a mixture of fear and anticipation, Aurora stepped toward him and went up on her toes, sealing her mouth to his.
    For a heartbeat, Nolan didn't respond. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush to his body.
    The kiss took on a potent edge that made her dizzy in need.
    "Nolan!"
    The shout from one of the other students broke them apart...just in time for claws to cut deep into Aurora's cheek.
    She fell back into a patch of Stella de Oros, stunned and in pain.
     
    * * * *
     
    Nolan spun around to face their attacker, noting the flow of blood down Koukla's face in rising fury.
    He'd seen the male before. He was a Regina Hall snot of some sort, usually seen in the company of the young Alphas.
    Aurora's siblings.
    "Your brother wants to see you."
    Damn it, I didn't remember who he was back then. Aurora's dress and demeanor had put him at ease. He hadn't searched for the wolf's identity, because he felt safe with Aurora...thus, safe with anyone she associated with, by extension.
    The wolf facing him was anything but safe. He was half-shifted, showing his teeth and claws. The latter were stained in blood.
    Aurora's blood. How dare he!
    That simply, Nolan's vision went red-tinged. He pulled at his shirt with shifting paws, tearing the fabric and throwing it aside. Growls rose from his chest.
    "No." Aurora's protest was a strangled whisper of sound.
    Nolan didn't turn toward her. He wasn't about to give this beast his back.
    The other male's voice was guttural and stank of malice unleashed. "You were supposed to be mine."
    Aurora gasped at that. "I never invited your attentions. I made it clear I couldn't stand you long ago."
    "An alpha stakes his claim."
    "Only if the female accepts him. I don't. I will never accept you, Darian."
    "He moved and left you open to attack. You want a male like that?"
    Before Nolan could call him out as a liar, Aurora did. "You attacked his back from downwind, like a jackal. Neither of us knew who was attacking or from where. You are a coward, Darian."
    As if that pushed the alpha male past his limits, Darian shifted, and Nolan did the same. Darian, focused on Nolan, then turned his attention on Aurora.
    Nolan's fury rose like a tsunami. Darian intended to attack Aurora. It was beyond contempt. Everything he was doing was nothing short of treason and foul play.
    "Me and me alone," Nolan barked at him in wolf language.
    Darian offered a tip of his head and attacked.
    What Nolan lacked in practice, he made up for in speed and agility. He worked for a living, and it showed in how they fought.
    When Darian tried to attack his feet and come up at his belly from below, Nolan pushed off his back, driving the larger wolf into the dirt as he leapt away, leading his enemy further from Aurora. Darian tried to attack from above, and Nolan jumped, powering his shoulder into Darian's rib cage to send him sprawling.
    I have to end this quickly. Aurora is bleeding from her wounds.
    Nolan came down over Darian before the other wolf could right himself. He used his claws to dig furrows in his enemy's chest and belly. When Darian tried to push him off with his paws, Nolan clamped down hard on a forepaw, snapping bones.
    Darian yelped like a frightened pup, then started pleading for mercy in whines and cries. Though it galled him to let the bastard go, Nolan backed off and shifted back to human form.
    He ranged his gaze along the horrified students watching them, savoring the blood in his mouth. "You all heard him. He conceded