by Ovidia Pike
The Alpha Wolf
Crystal Lake Forest Wolf Shifters
Book 5
By: Ovidia Pike
© Copyright 2019 Ovidia Pike - All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction
Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Image by Charmaine Ross
Contents
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Chapter 1: Gabriel
Chapter 2: Sophie
Chapter 3: Gabriel
Chapter 4: Sophie
Chapter 5: Gabriel
Chapter 6: Sophie
Chapter 7: Gabriel
Chapter 8: Sophie
Chapter 9: Gabriel
Chapter 10: Sophie
Chapter 11: Gabriel
Chapter 12: Sophie
Chapter 13: Gabriel
Chapter 14: Sophie
Chapter 15: Gabriel
Chapter 16: Sophie
Chapter 17: Gabriel
Chapter 18: Sophie
Chapter 19: Gabriel
Chapter 20: Sophie
Epilogue: Gabriel
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Chapter 1: Gabriel
“I’m not answering the door. Go away.”
“Open the door or I’ll shoot the knob off,” came a familiar voice outside. My heart clenched in my chest and I pulled back the curtain to see Sophie standing there with her hands on her hips. I opened the door for her and she swept past me inside, turning and looking at me with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Are you back?” I asked her.
“Harley has powers,” she said.
“Harley has powers,” I repeated slowly. She nodded.
“I saw it myself. She says...she has the powers of the elders, the witches, and the faceless man.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “She was lying.”
“She wasn’t,” Sophie said with a deep frown. “I saw her. She froze me, and then...she was able to manipulate plants. She made this throne out of vines; it was insane.”
“How did that happen?”
“I have no idea,” she replied impatiently. “But she told me to come back here.”
“For what? Just to tell me this?”
She paused, pursing her lips and looking away from me.
“She says I’m your natural mate,” she said.
“Oh.”
“Is that true?” she asked.
“What do you think?” I countered. She didn’t answer the question.
“Anyway,” she went on, “she wanted me to come back here because she says I make you stronger.”
“Why would she want me to be stronger?”
“Because she wants to fight you. She says she wants it to be an even match. And she says the only way you’ll be strong enough is to...keep me around.”
“Keep you around?”
“Yes. Close to you. Because I make you stronger.”
“Close to me...” I said, my voice trailing off.
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “In the village.”
“She wants us to mate,” I said. “Doesn’t she?”
“No,” Sophie said sharply. “She didn’t say anything about that.”
“I would be at my strongest if I took you as my mate. It might be the only way I can beat her.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen,” she snapped. “You’ll have to deal with whatever we have going on already. I’m not here to protect you. I’m here for the people who live in this village because I don’t think you’re competent enough to protect them yourself.”
“So you’re staying?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “But I don’t really want to see you.”
“You’re not going to make me stronger if we’re not even going to see each other,” I pointed out. She shrugged.
“I’m not worried about making you stronger. Like I said, I’m here for them. You can face Harley and die, for all I care.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” she spat. “I would rather you die than be your mate. That’s the truth.”
“So if I face Harley alone—”
“You better hope you don’t run into her,” Sophie said. “Don’t go out into the woods alone. Maybe she won’t come here.”
“And if she does?”
“Like I said, you’re on your own. If I’m close, I’ll come...touch your hand or something. Try to boost you up. I don’t know how it works.”
“Touching my hand would help.”
“Fine. I can do that. If I’m around. If I’m not, good luck.”
“Good luck,” I repeated dryly.
“Yes,” she said.
“So what exactly are you here to do?”
“Those zombie things are still out there. Harley is out there. She wants what he wanted—to take over this village. People are going to die. I’m here to help protect them when that happens, and to kill the zombies in the meantime. You heard what the faceless man said: We put a dent in them. That’s all. And they’ll be here as soon as she’s ready to send them.”
“I’ve been taking care of them,” I said to her, though in truth, there were more than I could imagine killing on my own.
“Not all of them. You need help.”
“I do.”
“So I’m staying here, but I don’t want to see you, got that? I’ll get some other people together to go hunting. You can go with whomever you want,” she said, looking coldly into my eyes.
“Yes, Sophie.”
“I’ll help you if I can if Harley comes, but I’m not going out of my way to do it.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I said. “Thank you.”
She didn’t say anything before moving past me again and leaving. I sighed and shifted, leaving through the open door and jogging through the village to the woods. I ran out toward the edge of my land and shifted again, grabbing one of the sharpened sticks I had left there the day before. I passed through the line of trees, walking swiftly and quietly, keeping an ear out for sounds of footsteps, grunts, or growls. I heard nothing, but every hair on my body began to rise as I felt eyes on me from the darkness. I swiveled around to see someone in a black robe, face hidden in the shadows.
“Harley,” I said. She stepped closer so that I could see her face, lowering her hood. There was a warm smile on her lips that didn’t match the iciness in her gaze.
“Hello, Gabriel,” she said.
“You gonna kill me?”
“Not yet,” she said. “You’re not strong enough yet.”
“Try me,” I growled at her. She laughed.
“You know I could kill you. Don’t play tough. You have no choice but to mate with Sophie.”
“Sophie doesn’t want to mate with me,” I said.
“Well, make her want to,” Harley said. “She’s in love with you already. All you have to do is be nice to her.”
“She’s never going to forgive me for what I said to her.”
“Welp,” Harley said with a shrug. “I don’t want to have to put her in danger to make you gain your strength, but
if that’s my only option—”
“No,” I snarled. “You won’t put her in danger.”
“I will if you don’t mate with her,” Harley said.
“Do you know how weird it is that you are trying so hard to get us to fuck?”
“Like I said, I want you to be an even match for me. I want you strong when I’m ready to face you one on one. With your natural mate, you will be at your strongest. Even stronger than you would be if I put her in danger. That’s the only reason I’m giving you a chance. That, and I’m fond of Sophie. I’d hate to have to hurt her.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You’re my right hand. We’re—”
“I was your slave,” she scoffed. “Right hand...”
“Harley, I—”
“All I did was what you asked of me. I wasn’t allowed to take a mate.”
“Because of what the prophecy said,” I stated. “You know we can’t—and if I mate with Sophie, she will die.”
“The prophecy was wrong,” Harley said. “My line was supposed to end with yours, but it won’t. I cheated it. Sophie doesn’t have to die. I’m in control of things now.”
“So it’s just me, then,” I said.
“It’s all you, Gabriel. That’s the reason I’m taking over your village. That’s the reason I’m going to tear you to pieces. You are a cruel person, a hateful person. Everyone is afraid of you. I’m going to free that village and kill every last person who is loyal to your line.”
“But not Sophie?” I asked.
“Not Sophie. I won’t hurt Sophie if you mate with her.”
“Why would I trust you?”
“You have no choice,” she said. “Trust me when I say, I want it to be an even match between us. You’re nothing but a shifter, even with your extra strength. But with a natural mate—you’ll be nearly indestructible.”
“Harley, this is stupid. Just kill me if you want to.”
She shook her head.
“You don’t deserve anything quick,” she said angrily. “And I want you to feel something before you die. I want you to have something to live for. Sophie is the only option. Mate with her.”
“And play right into your hands?”
“Yes,” she said. “Because it’s also the only way you have of possibly defeating me, and you know it.”
“Okay, Harley,” I said, taking a deep breath. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” she said sharply. “And stop sending people out here to kill my fucking zombies, or I’ll start eating them.”
Chapter 2: Sophie
In my dream, I was underneath Gabriel, his face buried in my neck, hips pumping into mine as he filled me with his cock. I was aware I was dreaming, yet didn’t try to end it, didn’t try to pull awake, but instead basked in the feeling until I couldn’t sleep anymore. I woke up feeling grouchy—annoyed at the dream, annoyed at myself for letting it happen. The last thing I wanted was to desire Gabriel, even though it seemed like I couldn’t control my body in response to his, no matter how angry I was.
I got out of bed and hopped into the shower, washing myself clean of the thoughts, trying to clear my mind. All I could think about was Alicia and Jackson—how they were natural mates, how everything Alicia described about him was something I had felt for Gabriel since the beginning.
I finished the shower and got ready, then left the hut. It was still morning, but close to noon, and there were people milling around outside speaking in hurried, hushed tones, some of them casting fearful glances at me as I walked to Lily’s. I saw a woman usher her children through the streets as if something was chasing them, and I felt alarm as I went to Lily’s hut and knocked on the door. She opened it and threw her arms around me.
“Sophie!” she said in an excited voice. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“I didn’t think I was, but...I think you guys probably need my help.”
“We do,” Lily insisted, pulling me into the hut. I heard voices—children—and turned around the corner to see the twins sitting at the table drawing on construction paper.
“Hi, girls,” I said to them when they turned to me.
“Oooh, it’s Gabriel’s girlfriend,” one of them said, nudging her sister.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Because...I don’t like him.”
“But he’s nice,” she said, frowning at me.
“I know he is. But I’m not interested. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”
“He looooves you, though.”
“He doesn’t,” I said, looking desperately at Lily for some help.
“Girls, go outside for a little bit. I want to talk to Sophie.”
“Can we go see him?” one of them asked. Lily nodded and they hurried off without another word. I watched them go over my shoulder, then turned to Lily again.
“They really love him, don’t they?”
“They really do,” Lily said. “He’s their favorite person here.”
“Is he not an asshole to them?”
“No, he’s not. He’s a little quiet, a little confused, but he goes along with what they want most of the time. He took them to the woods a couple of days ago because they wanted to go back for a little bit.”
“That’s so strange,” I said. “Gabriel with kids.”
“He has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. It’s pretty cute,” Lily said.
“Cute,” I muttered.
“Sorry,” Lily said, putting her hand on my arm. “What happened, anyway? When he sent you away?”
“He told me he didn’t love me and told me to go,” I said. “That was about it.”
“He was lying,” Lily said. “Everybody knows that.”
“He wasn’t lying. He made himself perfectly clear.”
“I’m sorry, Sophie,” she repeated. I shrugged.
“No big deal,” I lied. She stared at my face for a moment, then nodded.
“Everyone outside was acting really weird,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“Uh, Gabriel hasn’t really—the girls make him soft. But otherwise...”
She trailed off, not finishing her sentence.
“Otherwise what?” I prompted.
“He’s acting like a tyrant,” she said. “People are terrified of him. Even more now that you’ve been gone. Everyone’s afraid he’s going to snap and hurt somebody or have them killed.”
“He wouldn’t,” I said. She gave me a serious look.
“You’ve been gone,” she said. “He’s meaner than ever. Having people punished by the guards for nothing. Snapping in the streets when anyone crosses his path.”
“That’s horrible,” I said, feeling irritation rise within me.
“It is. And it’s not getting better.”
“I’m going to talk to him.”
“I was hoping you would,” Lily said.
“I’ll go now. He’ll—I hope he’ll listen to me.”
“I hope so, too,” Lily said, giving me one last hug and wishing me goodbye before I started walking to Gabriel’s hut with determination in my footsteps. He answered it even as I lifted my hand to knock.
“Hi,” he breathed.
“Hello,” I said coldly.
“Do you want to come in?”
“No,” I said. “I just wanted to tell you that you need to stop being a dick to the people in this village. You’re scaring them.”
“I don’t care,” he said dryly.
“I do,” I said.
“Sophie, you can’t tell me what to do. And I’m sick of you trying.”
I stared at him for a long moment, searching his face, eyes tracing the scars that spread from his forehead to his cheekbone. The stubble on his cheeks and the scar made him look rugged and dangerous, but I held his gaze anyway, not backing down.
“Why are you so hateful?”
“Why not?” he asked with a shrug.
“Because it’s wrong, Gabriel.�
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“I don’t care.”
I shook my head and turned to go, but he put his hand on my shoulder.
“Let me go,” I snarled at him, yanking my arm away. I started to walk away again, and he let out a deep sigh.
“I saw Harley. I talked to her,” he said. I stopped walking and turned to him.
“What did she say?” I asked.
“I don’t—I need you to come inside.”
“Fine,” I said, my curiosity getting the best of me. I went past him inside and he shut the door behind me.
“So what?”
“So, she said that she wants us to mate.”
“Nope,” Sophie said.
“Listen,” he said softly. “I know things aren’t good between us. But I think we have no choice. Otherwise, she’ll hurt you to make me stronger.”
“She won’t hurt me. And even if she does, I don’t care,” I said.
“Sophie,” he said, approaching me from across the room, cupping my face in his hands.
“I love you,” he whispered, staring into my eyes. I felt captivated by him and his touch, and so I didn’t pull away. “You love me, too. Would it be so bad if we mated?”
“I don’t love you anymore, Gabriel,” I stated, feeling sadness wash over me. “I just don’t.”
“No?” he asked, heartbreak in his voice. There was a pained look on his face that softened me for a moment before I remembered how broken I’d felt when he sent me away.
“No,” I repeated. “I’m sorry. We’re not going to mate. There has to be some other way.”
“She didn’t want to give a choice.”
“I’ll risk myself to stay away from you,” I told him. “If that’s what I have to do.”
A look came across his face like he’d been slapped, and he pulled away from me with a stricken look on his features.
“I’m...sorry,” was all he said.
“I came here to tell you to stop being a tyrant. Those people don’t deserve it.”
“You have zero say over how I run this village,” he said, a sharpness coming into his voice. “Please go.”
“No, I—”
“Go, Sophie,” he growled, closing his eyes as if he couldn’t stand to look at me anymore. I left then without further word, walking away from his hut as quickly as I could. I made my way through the village and out to the forest, pulling my handgun out of the holster and taking the safety off. I carried it in my hand as I started to walk through the trees, and I didn’t hear anything behind me before someone wrapped his arm around my neck from behind, clamping his hand over my mouth as I tried to scream. I kicked at him, accidentally dropping my gun as he pulled me backward, using his free hand to grab my arms and hold them behind my back. Someone in a blank face mask came toward me, and the next thing I knew, the man had let go of my mouth and a burlap sack was thrown over my head. I opened my mouth to scream but he jabbed my neck with his finger through the bag.