Chapter 272 – Owned by the Alphas Novel Free by Jen Cooper

Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel

“My children had been left in the forest to die? How dare he?!”

He was a sorry excuse for a man, and if he thought I was going to let him go that easily, then he was delusional.

“Can’t believe they actually had winterborns. Good riddance, I reckon. Nothing but a curse, them things,” Barry said as they walked away like they hadn’t just put my heart at risk of an attack.

I fought the panic back, but it was debilitating. What if I was too late? What if I didn’t find them alive?

The tears streamed down my cheeks, and I pulled my coat tighter.

It didn’t matter. I still had to find them.

I wiped my tears and looked around the huts.

The grassland stretched for miles except in the west. It was the closest forest, and my husband liked to pretend he wasn’t lazy, but he was.

So, I headed in that direction.

I kept the lantern with me, planning to light it once I got to the forest. I had packed some of the milk I had been hand-expressing for the twins. Their blankets I had knitted their names into. I had clothes, cloth diapers, and even a little wooden rattle each.

And I was going to find them so I could be the mother to them they deserved.

I didn’t care that they were winterborn.

I only cared that they weren’t in my arms.

I trudged through the snow, almost sinking as it got deeper near the edge of the village.

I was almost clear of it when, at the last hut, I rounded it to find a man in my husband’s army uniform. He had his hands behind his back, guarding.

It told me I was on the right track, but it also told me I was about to get caught.

I swallowed hard as he narrowed his eyes on me, lifting his lantern from the floor to see me better.

“Hi, Jeffery,” I said, remembering his name like I did everyone who came to the village.

He seemed surprised at that, which was what I had been hoping.

I eyed his bottle of alcohol next to his feet. Hmm, that would have to do. I had no other weapon.

I swayed closer, using the body that had earned me my marriage against the man.

I was no fool. I knew the looks I received. I knew I could have my pick. But I knew who I was, and loyal was a proud trait I had earned. I was not going to foil that.

I could teeter the edge to find my children, though.

Men were stupid enough to believe a pretty woman could only be good for one thing.

I was going to use that against Jeffery.

“Pearl. Uh, Mrs. Valarian. You should not be out here at this time of night,” he said, looking over me as I lifted my skirts higher, moving toward him.

I smiled like a silly girl, giving him my winning smile. “I know but I saw you from over there and thought you looked lonely.”

“I, uh–does The general know you are–“

I pressed my finger against his lips to shh him.

“He’s busy. And we both know what that means.” I smirked. His eyes went wide, his throat bobbing with a deep swallow.

I smiled wider and bent down in front of him, letting him see down the top of my coat to unnerve him.

Then, I gripped the neck of the alcohol bottle.

“Mind if I have a drink with you?” I asked, my voice low as I made sure his assumption of my intentions were of an improper nature.

He smirked and looked over me before nodding.

“He would be very mad if he found out, Mrs. Valarian. He would kill me,” he stammered.

I laughed and pretended to sip the alcohol.

“Then it’ll be our little secret, hmm?” I smiled.

His eyes widened, and he nodded, going to step into me.

I gripped the bottle tighter and smashed it over his head.

He cried out and dropped to the ground. The bottle shattered around him, and I didn’t wait to see how badly I had hurt him. I ran.

I ran faster than I ever had, darting into the forest. I was deep in the trees before I heard the yelling and shouting.

I knew one of those voices was my husband’s, and I grinned. I was going to save my children before he could get to me and he better hope he didn’t find me when I found them because I might just use something more hearty than a glass bottle to wrap around his charming little head.

6. The Woman

GALEN

The little girl was sprawled across my legs, which were stretched out in front of me, ankles crossed. Her brother, however, remained cautious, despite the few days we’d spent together. He wasn’t fond of being held or accepting anything from me.

The girl, on the other hand, adored everything I did. She was particularly fond of my fur when I shifted. She would snuggle into it, her snores a soft lullaby that affected me more than I’d ever anticipated. I’d never yearned for pups before, convinced I’d never have the opportunity.

I couldn’t be with females without losing control, and control was all I had. So, I kept my distance. I was a large wolf, a large man, and while some women found that appealing, the female wolves I’d encountered assumed it meant I’d be rough and ruthless. I preferred to savor women.

They didn’t seem to appreciate that sentiment.

I wasn’t one to rush through life. I valued a slow, steady pace. Peace was important to me, both in mind and body. Especially the control it afforded me.

I despised losing control, becoming a wolf that wasn’t me. I wasn’t willing to let that happen around those I cared about.

So, they assumed I didn’t care. They thought my aloof behavior was a choice, a snobbish attitude. It wasn’t.

I tried to convey that, but I was much older than them, from a time when manners and class were more prevalent than savage wolves who openly fornicated.

This made me feel out of my comfort zone, so I stayed in my home, where I was comfortable.

No triggers or assholes.

I glanced down at the girl on my legs, watching as she tried to catch the glowflies that hovered around us. She giggled as they danced around her fingers.

Her shadows were out as usual, playing with her and her friends. She was an incredibly open child, which was remarkable considering her age. But she was wise beyond her years. Whatever her shadows whispered to her, she absorbed it, accepted it, understood it.

I didn’t believe she was the same as the last one. Not in my advanced mind, and certainly not in my heart, where she had wriggled and giggled her way into.

Her brother was a different story. I couldn’t read him. He was winterborn, but I was almost convinced he had no shadows. He was a human who had escaped the curse.

Almost.

I smiled down at the girl, who suddenly tensed.

She turned her round head, dark tufts of hair sticking out, her bottom lip trembling.

I frowned as her shadows reached me, enveloping me in her emotions.

A mix of hope, love, fear. It was all there, and I didn’t understand it.

The brother began to squirm, a whimper escaping his lips, followed by a wail.

Even the girl started crying. Well, half-crying.

It was more like a call.

I frowned, tuning into whatever they sensed.

The faint crunch of quick footsteps. Someone was running toward us. And fast.

<< Previous Chapter

 

Next Chapter >>

---