Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
“Can someone fill me in on why it just got super awkward?” I asked, and Derik pushed his chair back, walking from the room.
I looked after him, a heavy ache in my chest at the way he rolled his shoulders back and walked away. I went to go after him, but Brax grabbed my hand.
“He’ll be fine, Spitfire. He’s just going to run it off,” he said, and I nodded, glancing over at the doorway before taking a drink.
“Why don’t you want to send me back for winter? I thought it was going to be too dangerous?” I asked, eyeing Brax, who looked down at his hot drink.
“I don’t want you that far away from us. Maybe we’re dangerous, but without Brax to sense those shadows and with our marks on you, you’ll be too unprotected.
You’re staying, or I’m not locking the gates.” Nikolai shrugged, and I smirked.
“How alpha of you,” I teased, and he grinned.
“You haven’t seen alpha yet, human.”
“Looking forward to it,” I challenged, and he narrowed his eyes in a playful way.
He stood from the chair and walked over to me. His finger went under my chin and made me look at him.
“Mine,” he whispered, his thumb brushing across my lips as I sucked in a breath, my tongue darting out to taste the tip of it. His eyes dilated as stared at me like a hungry lion, seducing his prey. I liked being the prey.
“Ours, Nikolai,” Brax warned, but Kai didn’t even acknowledge that he’d spoken.
“What does it mean?” I breathed. “Mine. Ours. What do those words mean to you?
What do I mean to you?”
Nikolai’s stare intensified. “Everything it shouldn’t,” he said, then walked out of the room, leaving me even more confused.
I turned to Brax with a huff. “I know that is meant to be all romantic or whatever, but a straight answer right about now would be fucking great,” I tried, and he laughed.
“You won’t get that out of either of those two. Derik is all about the good of the wolves, the responsibility of being alphas, and because you are human, he is fighting everything he feels. Well, trying to. When he fails at that, he feels all guilty for it and tries extra hard to follow the rules.
“Nikolai is obsessive and possessive. He wants to keep you forever, but he can be a little much, so we’ve got to be careful not to let him indulge fully or he might get carried away and do something stupid.”
Brax rolled his eyes, and I couldn’t help but ask the question that left me with.
“Something stupid like what?”
“Like turn you,” he finished, and the solemn look he gave me made it sound like that was the worst-case scenario.
“And that’s a bad thing, I’m assuming.”
Brax nodded but didn’t elaborate, which was even more infuriating. “Then you’ve got me, and I think that since you are human with shadows like mine, we should train you to use them and not ignore this epic opportunity to find out who is messing with our territory.
“I also think that since Nikolai is determined to keep you locked up here forever, there’s no harm in you knowing what you need to know to survive. Derik disagrees.
Nikolai doesn’t care what you do or don’t know as long as you are available to him whenever he needs you.”
Brax shrugged, then emptied his drink with a big aaaaahhh, smacking his lips together.
“I’d like to train with my shadows. I want to help.”
“I’m working on it.” He grinned, winking again before abandoning the table and, subsequently, me.
I stood up and frowned after him. “Where are you going?” I asked.
He turned, walking backward. “Wolf shit to do. Hank will take you back to your room. Be good, Spitfire,” he said with a knowing smirk, before leaving.
Hank was towering over me in the next second. “Let’s go,” he said, and I huffed, following him back.
“How’s the balls?” I asked, and he grunted.
“Is that good in wolf language?” I tried again, and he smirked.
“Fuck you, actually,” he corrected, and I laughed, glad to finally get a rise out of him.
“Got it. I’ll have to remember that one. So, is there anywhere else I’m allowed to go in this place? Kind of boring sitting in my room without the alphas,” I admitted, and he pursed his lips.
“You’re meant to stay in your room today.”
He opened my door, but I ignored it and sat down on the bench seat by the window that looked out on the gardens.
There were people out there that I was guessing were wolves, but they looked so much like humans without their claws and fangs that it was hard to tell.
Except maybe taller.
“Can I ask you questions?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.”
“How similar are wolves and humans? Do we need the same sustenance? Sleep patterns?” I asked, and Hank’s eyes widened a little at that.
“I thought the humans were taught of us? We gave permission last year for classes to be a part of training,” he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, but I just shrugged.
“Not for those of us with vaginas.”
“We were under the impression that the classes were needed to maintain the safety of the villages so the wolves and humans understood each other’s limitations. Do your women not worry about their own safety?” he asked incredulously.
I had no idea how to answer. I don’t think they thought of anything other than their next cross-stitch pattern or who’s turn it was to muck out the barn.
“We don’t get a choice. Our men protect us, or something chauvinistic like that.” I shrugged, turning out the window again.
Hank went silent for a bit before scoffing. “So if the vampires broke through, or a faction of wolves went rogue, or we decided that we were sick of babysitting humans, all we’d have to do is attack the women because not a single one is trained to fight back or has any idea what we can do?” he asked, like it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard.
And it was. I nodded a couple of times, then sighed and looked up at him.
“We are to be seen and not heard. To carry children that we don’t know how to protect. To live in a territory we know nothing about. All we learn in classes is our roles as women. We make your wine, rear your food, and grow your crops. Outside of that, we are useless,” I muttered, shame heavy in my chest, as I wished we had something else to live for.
“Then you’ll be lucky to survive here, winter born. Maybe you’ll get lucky with those shadows, but our wolves all know how to fight. How to save their own lives,”
he said proudly, and I decided it was time to go and sulk.
I went to my door and shoved it open, before looking back at Hank.
“Maybe by the time the alphas are done with me, I’ll know those things too,” I said, and as I went through the door, I was sure I heard him whisper, “Or you’ll be dead,”
but I ignored it.
I looked around my room that was so spacious and had everything to make my life here easier, except something to do. It was clean, my bed had been made while I was at breakfast, there was nothing left of the glass mirror…
I sighed, going back to the door and poking my head out. “Do wolves read books?” I asked, and Hank scoffed.
“Of course we do. Knowledge can be just as powerful as brawn,” he said, and I grinned.
“So is there a library or something where I can find some books?”
“You are an annoying human.”
“Compared to all the other humans running around here, of course. Exactly how many have you met, by the way?” I taunted, and he growled warningly.
“You are the first, and hopefully the last.”
“Hmm. So, the library?” I asked, and he rolled his eyes, staring at the wall ahead.
“You can all communicate in your heads, not just the alphas?” I assumed, and he nodded once before motioning down the hall.
“This way,” he said, and I smiled, walking alongside him as he led me down three halls, right, left, right, third room down, with wide open double doors.
He walked me in, and my jaw dropped. The library was bigger than the barn I had to clean out back home.
There were rows and rows, shelves and cubbies filled with books. Ladders moved between shelves so the top books could be reached, and tables sat at the start and end of each row.
There were no other wolves.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?