Enslaved by the Alpha (Shifters of Nunavut Book 2)

by Rivard, Viola

  When they moved in to repeat the strategy, the bears were wise to it. This time, they turned their attention to Erik, preparing to defend the bear he was charging at. But once again, they tricked the bears. This time, it was Sten who attacked, and with the bears distracted by Erik, he was able to do serious damage to the bear’s midsection before he had to back off.

  Their attack was brutal and relentless. Each time, a different wolf attacked, and soon the wolves in the center joined in, compounding the frenzy. Although the bears were larger, they were not as agile as the wolves, and they lacked the coordination that the alpha provided his wolves with. Very quickly, the tide had turned, and the bears were fighting for their lives.

  One of the bears shifted. He held up his hands and began to speak, but was too far away for Astrid to hear. Whatever he said, it didn’t provoke any mercy from the wolves. One of the unfamiliar grey wolves dove on him and ripped his throat out.

  Up until that point, Astrid had been silently cheering the wolves on. But something about seeing a shifter killed in human form got under her skin. She had to look away as bile rose up from her stomach. Her breathing became irregular as images of the campsite attack infested her mind.

  She lay on the ground for a while, trying to calm herself down. It was almost impossible, as the air was soon filled with the sounds of dying creatures. Her vision blurred, and by the time it cleared, everything was terribly quiet.

  “What are you doing up here?”

  Sten appeared above her, looking concerned. He was sweating and panting, but seemed to be unharmed. He offered her his hand, and she took it, letting him pull her up onto unsteady legs.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, placing a hand on the back of her neck. Astrid quickly stepped back, putting herself just beyond his reach. She wrapped her arms around her torso.

  “I’m f-fine,” she said, not meeting his gaze.

  He hesitated, and then said, “All right. Let’s go, follow me.”

  Astrid trailed after him down the hill. When they reached the valley, they passed by two fresh wolf corpses. She tried to pretend that they were just animals, but then they passed the dead bear shifter who had taken human form. His eyes were already glassy and stared lifelessly up at the sky.

  Two of the grey wolves had split off to howl in unison. The other had shifted, taking the form of a tall, attractive female with shrewd eyes. Blood oozed from where she’d lost a piece of her ear, but neither this nor her nudity seemed to bother her. She stood, conversing with Erik, who had also shifted.

  “I never thought I’d owe you my life,” she said with obvious disdain. “What’s your angle, Erik?”

  Up until that point, Astrid had still been in somewhat of a stupor, but she snapped out of it when she realized that she recognized the female wolf.

  “Tallow?”

  Tallow turned towards Astrid, regarding her with a sneer. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

  “You were in Ginnifer’s documentary. You’re Zane’s girlfriend, right?”

  “Girlfriend?” Tallow repeated the word with obvious impatience. “Alphas don’t have girlfriends. They’re not—”

  “—teenage boys!” Astrid exclaimed. “You said that to Ginnifer in the documentary. “Wow, it’s so good to finally meet you, I—”

  “I don’t know who the hell you are, and I don’t give a fuck,” Tallow interjected. “In case you haven’t noticed, I was almost killed just now, and six of my friends, they weren’t so lucky. So spare me the chit chat, bitch.”

  Both mortified and taken aback by Tallow’s reaction, Astrid immediately began babbling a long-winded apology. Unfortunately, it was drowned out by Erik’s growling.

  “You don’t speak like that to anyone in my pack,” he ground out. Sten appeared at his side, presumably to mediate, but it was ultimately unnecessary. Tallow immediately backed off, lowering her head to glare at the ground. Apparently, an alpha’s authority transcended pack lines.

  Dark figures appeared in the distance, stemming any further conversation. Tallow backed away, and Erik made no move to stop her as she shifted and went to join the others.

  Astrid counted fourteen Siluit wolves, not including Zane. The Siluit alpha approached in his human form, riding on the back of a large grey beta wolf.

  Astrid probably knew more about Zane than she did about Erik. She’d watched The Wolves of Nunavut several times before leaving the states, determined to know what she was up against. On the surface, Zane was a smooth, charming male with a pretty face and an easy smile. But beneath his façade, he was arrogant and manipulative. So in many ways, he was exactly like Ginnifer.

  “I should kill you right now,” Zane said, staring at Erik with open hostility.

  Erik glanced around the battlefield, with a bored look. “Why? Because I didn’t come sooner?”

  A muscle in Zane’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t argue. He jumped down from the wolf to stand a few feet away from Erik. In spite of his pretty boy appearance, Zane was actually quite intimidating when he was angry. Still, Erik had a few inches and several pounds of muscle mass on the other alpha, and Erik’s calm demeanor was infinitely more frightening.

  Zane looked between Erik’s wolves, his gaze falling and sticking on Astrid. She saw his nostrils flare and confusion pass over his features.

  “Who are you?” He asked.

  Erik answered for her. “My mate. And she is here to see her sister.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Mate?

  “Astrid?” Zane asked, brows rising with surprise.

  He called me his mate…

  “Huh, what—uh, yeah, that’s me.”

  Real smooth, Astrid.

  The voices in her head were having a field day with this situation. She’d been planning out her confrontation with Zane for days. She had a speech prepared, in which she demanded he return her sister, or else. But what Erik said had thrown her completely off her game. She looked at Erik, eyes wide. He stared back at her, expression perfectly blank.

  He’s just working some sort of angle, she told herself.

  She didn’t have time to figure out what Erik was playing at; she had to stay on target. She turned her attention back to Zane.

  “Where’s Ginnifer? I know you have her.”

  Zane visibly tensed. “I’m sorry, but she’s not here.”

  “If you’re going to lie, at least don’t be smelling like her when you do. It’s insulting to my intelligence,” said Erik.

  “What are you doing with him?” Zane asked Astrid. “Is he holding you against your will?”

  “No,” Astrid said. She wasn’t about to turn herself over to become Zane’s captive instead. “I’m here of my own volition. Now please, I want to see my sister.”

  Zane exchanged a look with Tallow, and then scratched his short beard. “Fine, you can come see her. But the rest of them aren’t going anywhere near my den.”

  Erik’s composure vanished as he began to growl. “She is not going anywhere without me.”

  Zane matched his growl. Under any other circumstances, it would have seemed ridiculous for two grown men to be growling at one another, but the tension between the two alphas was palpable and unnerving. Astrid stepped forward, coming to stand beside Erik.

  “Let Erik come with me.” She decided to appeal to his pride. “It’s not like he’s going to attack you or your pack mates in the middle of your own den. And if he does try something that utterly stupid, I’d bet you could kill him pretty easily.”

  Erik was still scowling at her an hour later, when they were on their way to the Siluit den. Zane agreed to bring them to see Ginnifer, under the conditions that Erik not shift, and that Sten and the others stay behind.

  Without Erik’s back to ride on, Astrid’s short legs quickly grew weak. When she began to lag behind, Erik scooped her up into his arms to carry her. She was way too tired to protest.

  The Siluit den was located on an icy island. Rather than go around, they crowded onto two wo
oden boats to cross the water. This wasn’t a surprise to Astrid, as she’d seen Ginnifer make the journey across the inlet several times in the documentary.

  The sun was already starting to set when they neared the island. Neither alpha spoke on the boat ride, though they both looked like they had a great deal to say to one another. Astrid suspected they were waiting until they didn’t have an audience. Erik had wrapped Astrid up in his pelt to keep her warm, and she was still conflicted over the way he was treating her. What if he really did think that they were mates? She wanted to ask him about it so badly, but couldn’t risk exposing the lie in Zane’s presence.

  Erik didn’t carry Astrid the rest of the way, but the path to the den was well worn and it made for an easy walk. The den was only a mile in from the shore. With the natural water barriers around it, they hadn’t bothered hiding the entrance to the large cave system that was their den.

  The inside of their den felt much warmer than the Amarok den, though it could have just been Astrid’s imagination. After all, she’d spent nearly a week out on the tundra. At this point, the inside of a refrigerator would probably feel quite cozy.

  Astrid recognized the main room. In the documentary, it was where the pack had congregated during their waking hours. The giant bonfire in the middle of the room was familiar, though looking around, it seemed more sparsely populated than before. One thing that struck her was how many children there were. She counted at least a dozen kids of all different ages, which was strange because there had been no pups in the documentary.

  Her eyes fell on Ginnifer almost instantly, despite the fact that her sister was barely recognizable. She wore a dress made of dark leather and fur, and her angular face was free of makeup. Two little girls were styling her long dark hair, tying it into loose, uneven braids. When she saw them arrive, Ginnifer had the girls help her up. Astrid stopped dead in her tracks, her throat tightening. Her sister was visibly pregnant.

  “What happened?” Ginnifer asked, scuttling over to Zane. She cupped his cheek. “Is everything all right? Were you hurt?”

  “I’m fine,” Zane said, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “But not everyone made it back…”

  Ginnifer’s eyes scanned the group. When she noticed Astrid she gasped, her hand flying to her chest. “Oh my gosh!”

  She brushed past Zane, running up to envelop Astrid in a big hug. Astrid rigidly accepted it.

  “What are you doing here?” Ginnifer drew back, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She tugged at the pelt Astrid wore. “My God, look at you, you’re all…”

  Ginnifer trailed off as she noticed Erik standing just a few feet away. “What’s he doing here?”

  “He’s with me,” Astrid said. She stopped Ginnifer before she could continue her questioning. “Look, can we talk, in private?”

  Ginnifer didn’t need to be asked twice. She was already pulling Astrid away as she said, “Yes, of course. Come on, I’ll show you my room.”

  “Take Tallow with you,” Zane ordered.

  Ginnifer narrowed her eyes on Tallow. “Not a chance. This is my sister. Buzz off.”

  ***

  Erik felt intensely uncomfortable watching the human disappear with her sister. He’d wanted badly to intervene and stop her from leaving without him, but even his wolf knew that it was a bad idea. This was not his den. Here, he would have to play by Siluit rules, at least for now.

  There had been a great deal of blood shed between Amarok and Siluit, and although Erik had saved Zane’s wolves today, he had no doubt that the alpha would have taken the opportunity to kill Erik, had he not presented himself as the human’s mate. And just as Erik had suspected, Zane had claimed her sister as his own.

  Zane headed back towards the entrance of the den, motioning for Erik to join him. His beta female tried to follow, but Zane stopped her with a hard look.

  Outside, the faint glow of golden sunlight could still be seen over the western hills. A soft flurry of snow had begun to fall, blanketing the region in winter silence. Zane leaned back against the wall.

  “Just so you know, if Astrid lays a finger on my mate, she’s dead.”

  Erik said nothing, but couldn’t stop from clenching his fists. This didn’t go unnoticed by Zane, who regarded him with an arched brow.

  “Huh. I thought you were bullshitting when you said she was your mate.”

  Erik ignored the comment. “My pack will be using your hunting grounds this winter.”

  Zane laughed out loud. “Over my dead body.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  “This is a one-time exception,” Zane said, crossing and uncrossing his arms. “If I catch your wolves hunting in my territory, I’ll kill them myself.”

  It was not lost on Erik that that statement bothered him less than when Zane had threatened the human.

  “So you will allow your mate’s sister to starve?”

  “You’ve never had trouble providing for your pack before.”

  “I never said I couldn’t provide for them,” Erik said, with a sly look that was completely forced. He would never starve the human. At least, not intentionally.

  Zane took the bait. “Don’t you dare threaten her.”

  “Weren’t you just saying you’d kill her if she touched your mate?”

  “I was just—ugh, never mind.” Zane ran a hand through his thick brown hair. “I’m not going to hurt Astrid. And if you honestly plan on depriving her of food just because I won’t let you hunt in my territory, I’ll just keep her here.”

  Erik’s wolf saw red, but he remained composed as he said, “Go ahead. That is, if you’re in a position to go to war with Amarok. But I get the impression that is not the case.”

  The more Erik considered it, the more he realized how dire Zane’s position actually was. From what he’d seen in the den, the Siluit pack was dwindling. With a pregnant mate and the bears closing in, their alpha was backed into a corner. If Erik wanted to, he could probably launch a successful takeover of the pack. Of course, then he’d be dealing with the bears himself.

  “If what just happened out on the tundra was any indication,” Erik said. “Then you need me more than you need the hunting grounds.”

  Zane appeared guarded. “You’re proposing an alliance?”

  Am I?

  Perhaps it would be in his best interests to ally with Zane. After all, if Siluit fell, it would only be a matter of time before the bears looked towards Amarok. Erik had always been more the conqueror than the diplomat, but even he could see how such an arrangement could be beneficial for both parties.

  “What if I am?” he asked, the question sounding strange to his own ears. He’d come to Siluit planning on making demands, not forging an alliance.

  Zane did not share Erik’s reticence. “Then you’d have my attention.”

  Erik hadn’t anticipated Zane would be so open to allying Siluit and Amarok. Their packs had been at odds with one another for years, and under Erik’s rule, Amarok had overthrown many of Zane’s former allies.

  “My pack has free rein over your hunting grounds,” Erik said. “In exchange, I’ll send you six of my best fighters, with reinforcements as needed.”

  If someone had made Erik the same offer, he would not have thought twice about rejecting it. Six additional mouths to feed, while another pack tore apart his hunting grounds? Absurd.

  “You have a deal.”

  “Just like that?” Erik asked, suddenly suspicious.

  It felt too easy. Zane had overlooked years of bad blood with just minutes of conversation and an agreement that overwhelmingly favored Erik’s pack. Was he really that desperate?

  “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” Zane said with a sigh. “I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending I don’t need this. I was hoping you actually needed my hunting grounds and didn’t just come here to be an asshole, but I can see that’s not the case. If you’re really willing to help, I can’t really say no.”

  Zane turned to lo
ok out over the western horizon. “That attack today, it makes thirteen wolves I’ve lost in just the past two months. The bears are going to whittle us down to nothing if I don’t do something soon.” He paused, before saying, “If it weren’t for my sister and the pups, I’d just take Ginnifer and leave without looking back…”

  “You’re making a better case for me to side with the bears,” Erik grunted.

  Zane turned back to face Erik, his open demeanor gone. “Your wolves stick to the western edge of the hunting grounds, I’ll order mine to keep to the east. There should be more than enough muskox to get us both through the winter. And don’t even think about betraying me.”

  “Or you’ll do what?”

  He had no intention of betraying Zane, but it amused Erik to finally have him backed into a corner. While Erik had fought tooth and nail for each centimeter of his territory, Zane had been handed everything from his father. At long last, justice had prevailed.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Erik,” Zane said. “My scouts have tracked the bears back to where they’re coming from. There are too many of them, even for you.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Zane spat at the ground. “How can you be so self-centered? You have a mate now, you’ll have a family soon—”

  Erik cut him off. “And that is exactly why you are failing as an alpha. If you were as dedicated to your pack as you were to your mate, your wolves wouldn’t be dead. If anyone is self-centered, it is you. I would never so much as think of abandoning my pack to elope with a human, mate or not. The pack always comes first.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Pardon the mess,” Ginnifer said, as she led Astrid into her room. “You know how I am. If I clean, I won’t be able to find anything.”

  Although she’d never seen the room before, Astrid could have easily identified it as Ginnifer’s. Clothes were strewn about from corner to corner and the shelves were unevenly crammed with books and loose sheets of notebook paper. Ginnifer picked up a chair that had fallen over and kicked dirty laundry out of the way to clear a path to the bed.