by Skye Winters
Table of Contents
Alpha's Heart: Part Two
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Alpha's Heart: Part Two
by Skye Winters
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PUBLISHED BY:
Skye Winters
Alpha's Heart: Part Two
Copyright © 2014 Skye Winters
www.skyewinters.com
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* * * * *
In the boundary, every wolf counts.
As Anna fights the bind placed on her wolf, the promise of attack forms an even greater ravine between the one chosen by her heart and the blood of her family.
Strength in numbers has never held as much meaning as it does right now.
And it all starts with one wolf.
* * * * *
Chapter One
I stirred under the blankets and blinked at the rays of sunlight streaming through my bedroom window. Without looking, I knew Rowan was gone. I couldn't sense her small wolf body at the foot of my bed. It was the same place she'd slept every night since my father forbade us to shift.
It had been weeks since I'd taken my amulet back from Devlin's house and just as long since my father put his new rule into practice. He was waiting for me to crack and beg to have my wolf released.
But the longer I stayed in my human form, the more control I had over my wolf. If I asked my father for forgiveness, it would've come at a price I wasn't willing to pay.
I'll never bond with Devlin James.
I couldn't bond with a wolf I didn't love.
He was the enemy.
In my eyes, he still was, only now, I was fighting for my heart, which I'd already promised to Rowan.
No doubt she was off on a hunt. I groaned as my stomach twisted in pain. I missed my wolf. I missed being a wolf. I wanted to feel the wind in my fur, to have every scent tingle up my nose. But the part I missed most of all wasn’t being a wolf but running with the pack without holding anyone back.
I was a hindrance to everyone around me. My brothers had run with me a handful of times, but I could tell their wolves preferred a hard dash instead of the loose canter they’d adopted as to not leave me behind.
I may have been the oldest, but they were the ones watching after me, not the other way around.
Floorboards creaked outside my room, and when I looked up to see who it was, Caine leaned his shoulder into the doorframe. His hair was in complete disarray, and even though I’d pushed my wolf back, I could still smell the hard soil and sweet pines that grew around the boundary.
"Ass," I said, throwing the covers off my legs as I climbed out of bed.
He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Still feeling sorry for yourself, I see. It’s been how many weeks now? When are you going to tell Markus and I what you did so we can get the same treatment?"
I sighed and fished through my dresser for a change of clothes. "You wouldn’t want this punishment, trust me."
"No?" He pressed off the doorframe and padded in my direction. "The way I see it is this—Dad won’t speak to you. Hell, he doesn’t even make eye contact with you, and he’s the alpha. If I could get Dad to look away from me the way he does with you, just think of all the fun I could have." He smiled, briefly. "Come on, An. Have you at least talked to Mom about it?"
The pain in my stomach returned. I dropped my gaze and busied myself with a pair of socks I didn’t actually need.
Caine was my baby brother. He was supposed to be the innocent one. And to me, he was. He understood our laws, but he’d questioned them when we were alone and may have had one too many drinks. He told me things he’d never say to Markus.
I was an hour older than Markus. If I screwed up, then the task of alpha would go to him. And I couldn’t jeopardize his chances by sharing this burden with him.
But you can tell Caine.
In the weeks since my restrictions began, I’d thought of telling him. Multiple times. Thing is, it didn't matter how thick the walls were. In a pack like ours, interruptions were commonplace.
I wet my lips and eyed the door.
Caine caught on and quickly closed it for me before returning to my side. "Well?"
I exhaled and lowered onto the edge of the bed. "You can’t say a word of this to Markus or anyone else."
"Duh. What do you take me for? Some random mutt?"
I winced. He was obviously joking, but calling any member of the pack a mutt was one of the worst things a wolf could do. For us, it was like accusing someone of being bad blood. Like they didn’t belong. Mutts can’t be trusted.
But I could trust my little brother.
"Dad wants me to bond with Devlin James." It probably wasn't the best place to start.
"Devlin? As in the loner? The one who left his pack, rallied a bunch of rogue wolves—that Devlin James?"
I nodded. "The same."
"Why?" Caine shook his head. "That doesn’t make any sense."
"Because, like it or not, that band of mismatched wolves is getting stronger by the day. The last time Devlin challenged our alpha, he almost took half our pack with him. Dad’s not in his prime, and most of our wolves know it. Dad seems to think if I bond with Devlin, it’ll protect the pack."
"No, it’ll protect you." He looked at me. "And I wish I could say that’s enough but—"
"Living outside the boundary is a death sentence."
"You do realize if Dad gets his way, Devlin’s pack will take over and exile those he doesn’t need."
"And that brings us to why Dad is so pissed. He wants to protect the pack, but if I can’t respect the bond—"
"It’s just as bad as having none at all." He gazed out my window. Back at me. "I don’t get it. Dad knows how the bond works, so why is he holding it against you?"
Yes, Anna. What other reason could he possibly have?
"That bad?" Caine lifted his eyebrows.
"It’ll get out eventually." I sighed. It was a wonder the whole pack didn’t know already. About me, my bond with Rowan or my mother’s failing health.
Granted, most wolves didn’t share their wellbeing with anyone outside the wolf they bonded to. Especially the alphas. If word got out—if the other packs knew—we’d be overrun. And Devlin James was ready to strike.
Caine turned to me. "What is it?"
Don’t tell him.
He had a right to know.
Caine wears his emotions on his sleeves. The pack will ask questions.
He couldn’t keep it silent the way I had done, and until Dad told him and Markus, it wasn’t my place to say. And that wasn’t why Dad forbade me to shift anyway.
Tell him the truth.
He could hate me. Anger was still an emotion we could use against Devlin when the time came. But if Caine knew about Mom, we’d be down another wolf. He’d sit at her bedside and refuse to move.
"There’s a reason I can’t take the bond." I clenched my jaw and hugged my arms around myself as another wave of pain washed over me.
"You already have one," Caine said with a nod.
I smiled. "Observant as ever."
His eyes brightened. "So, who is he? Who’s the lucky wolf?"
"He isn’t an alpha, which is all that matters to Dad."
; "Okay fine. I don’t care what he is, just so long as I get to congratulate him."
You’re such a puppy sometimes, you know that?
He was on the edge of jumping up and down. I could see it in his eyes. I could feel him shaking as he held back his need to shift. He’s happy. For me. He was happy for me. Excited.
But your bond isn’t to another man.
"Well, who is it?" Caine asked again, taking my hands in his. "Don’t keep me on the edge of my seat. You know I hate when you do that."
I smirked. "You need to promise not to—"
"Anna. Tell me."
"It’s Rowan."
His bouncing stopped. He frowned. "We have more than one Rowan?"
"Nope, just the one."
"But she, she’s..." His brow lifted. "Oh."
"Yeah."
"Well, that makes sense."
"I’m so sorry, Caine. I just—wait, it does?" I looked at him. At his wide grin. His disheveled hair. "You’re not... you aren’t mad?"
"Mad?" He laughed. "More like jealous! She’s a beautiful wolf. Can’t say I blame you for looking in that direction. Hard to ignore her when she’s taking care of you, you know?"
My sweet, adorable, baby brother. Was he seriously admitting to having eyes for Rowan? My Rowan?
"You don’t think it’s weird? You sure you aren’t upset—"
He took me in his arms. "Anna, you may be the first born, and you may have girl parts, but you’ve always been an older brother to me. You play rough. You fight hard. Not many of the other females are like that. Can’t say I took you for one who would bond with another female, but if I’m being honest, I’m not that surprised, either. Besides," he lowered his voice, "she’s more attractive than any of the other males around here, and way hotter than Devlin James."
I lost it. Here I was, afraid my brother would throw me to the wolves, literally, and instead, he was giving me kudos for defying our father.
"Dad may be pissed," Caine said around fits of laughter, "but turning your back on the entire male population? That takes balls. Which is totally awesome, by the way, seeing as you lack the equipment."
I smiled, but as I slowly returned to Earth, my responsibilities to the pack sat heavily on my shoulders. "Dad doesn’t think so. He’s disappointed with me, I think. Maybe himself. I can’t say for sure since he won’t talk to me. He’s waiting for me to change my mind."
"Is that even possible? Changing your mind after making a bond?"
I shook my head. "Even if it was, I don’t want to. Just thinking about it hurts."
"Then don’t. Look. Pack law may tell us what we can and can’t do, but shouldn’t love trump centuries of ancestry? You only live once, right?"
I shrugged. "This isn’t really living, though. Some of the old magic still has a say in what I can and can’t do."
"Only because Dad allows it."
"He didn’t just allow it. He enforced it. I wasn’t lying when I said I couldn’t shift. I literally am unable to run as a wolf, and Rowan can't hug or even speak to me because she’s stuck. The woman I’m bonded with is hidden deep inside her wolf’s body. Dad won’t let her out unless I agree to bond with Devlin James."
"That’s stupid. I’m sorry, but pack law can’t dictate who we bond with. Arrangements do happen, but Dad protected you from that for so long, your heart found someone else. You aren’t the one to blame."
"The pack won't see it that way."
"What the pack doesn’t know won’t kill them. It’s none of their damned business. You’re the next alpha in line. Who says you can’t change the rules once you get there?"
I stared at my lap. "The pack will never accept it. You know they won’t."
"So? Like I said, it’s none of their concern."
"No, but it could divide us if they knew. It would weaken the pack and leave our flank open. I get why Dad’s upset, I do. It’s just that—Caine, I can’t change. If it would spare the pack, and if I could change it, I would."
"But you’ve already taken a bond. No amount of wishing will alter that. That right there is ancient magic at work. Dad may be using old magic on you, but the bond is older than that. Turning your back on your bond would be like trying to severe your human body from your wolf. It isn’t possible." He got quiet then, looking from me to the window, and then to the floor. "You should tell him. Tell Markus. He’d understand."
"We can’t tell him. Caine, look at me." When he met my gaze, I continued. "He can’t know. It would ruin his chance at alpha if he did. He needs a clear view and a clear mind. You know this."
"But you’re the oldest."
"I could leave the boundary. Markus can take my place."
"You can’t be serious. Going outside the veil is suicide. No wolf has ever come back from that. You can’t leave and then change your mind. The pack won’t let you back in."
He was right. In fact, I’d told myself the same thing.
"Look, give Dad some time. Isn’t a strong bond, alpha or not, better for the pack than one that’s guaranteed to fail? Maybe we aren’t looking deep enough. Maybe there’s a law that—"
"Caine, it’s okay. I’ll figure it out. Somehow. I can’t go back now. I haven’t cracked yet, and I’m not planning to."
"Good. I'd really like to see you happy." He caressed my face and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I miss seeing you smile. You used to do it all the time. Please smile for me, okay?"
I nodded. "I’ll do my best."
He grinned triumphantly. "I still think Markus has a right to know, but only when you’re ready."
"Thank you." I hugged him close. "Thank you for listening and not freaking out."
He drew us apart so he could look me in the eye. "Girl cooties don’t freak me out. They’re the best kind. For what it’s worth, I don’t think I could hold out as long as you have."
"Why’s that?"
He offered me a partial shrug. "For starters, I spend more time as a wolf than anything else. More importantly, if you want my honest opinion, not being able to shift is just as bad as going without sex."
"Caine!"
"What?"
"I shouldn’t be hearing this from my baby brother."
"Only by three years. I assure you, I’m no baby."
"Eeeww." I shielded my eyes with a hand. "I’m sorry I asked."
"Think about it. You haven’t shifted in what? Two? Three weeks? That’s a lot of built up tension, and unless you have a wolf on the side..." He raised his eyebrows to finish the sentence.
Hell no. "We so aren’t having this conversation."
"Suit yourself." He glanced at the door. "But you know as well as I do, if you don’t do one or the other soon, you’re going to crack. At least sex is something you can control."
"You seem to forget Rowan’s stuck in a wolf’s body."
"Didn’t say it had to be with her." He met my gaze and raised both his hands. "Relax, I didn’t mean it like that. Improvise. Help yourself. That sort of thing."
Fuck. We really were having that conversation.
He’s right.
No, I could wait.
But will you?
Caine set a hand on my back. "Stop fighting it. So Dad isn’t allowing you to shift, so what? Changing forms gives us the same rush we get when we have a strong bond. Or so I’ve heard. And while improvising might not be the same thing, it’s still biology. The pent-up tension has to go somewhere."
I exhaled and stared down at my feet. "I don’t want to know anything about your love life. I don’t want to see you that way." When I looked at him again, his brow was furrowed. "I know there are times you’ve protected me, held me and let me cry. You’re protective, but you’re still my little brother who gets into trouble. I’ll always see you that way. I can’t help it. But please, unless it’s about your sacred bond, I really don’t want to hear the words sex or improvising from your mouth. Okay?"
His eyes softened. "Okay. I’m just trying to help. Being the protective brother and all
that." He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. "If you need me, I’ll be down the hall."
Need you for what? I wanted to ask, but I already knew.
If I needed to talk.
If I wanted to run.
He’d be there. He always was.
Markus, too. But I could never burden him with this. If I wasn’t going to be alpha, I knew he would. Out of the three of us, he was the one who spoke about it the most. The possibility, what it would feel like, how he’d help the pack—all of it. He had a passion for it, one of which I didn’t share.
"You good now?" Caine asked as he crouched in front of me. "Or would you like to join me on a run?"
I waved my hand dismissively at him. "Go. I can already see your wolf’s dying to get out. This human body will slow you down, and I’ve been doing that for weeks. I’m sure you have some tension of your own, and me holding you back doesn’t help matters." His frown insisted he didn’t believe me, but I couldn’t keep asking for his company. I had another wolf I could run with. "Really, I’m fine. I have Rowan."
"So long as you’re sure." He stood, but didn’t step away from me.
"I am. Go on. I’ll be here when you get back so you can tell me all about it."
"Living vicariously through me?"
"For now."
He smiled, gave my hand a squeeze, and then left the room. His touch lingered a while longer as I tried to hone in on it. To grasp the tingling sensation in the back of my mind and exercise my wolf’s senses. They were still there, available to me. But as a human, they were muted, toned down and not worth crap unless I shifted on a regular basis.
Shifting every few days is normal. Not weeks, Anna. Days.
It didn’t matter. Every day, those senses dimmed a little more, and every day, I fought between my bond with Rowan and the one I had with my wolf.
It has to get easier than this.
Not like it could get any worse.
Chapter Two
My thoughts were a broken record once Caine left. Every time I tried to think of something that didn't involve Rowan or my bed, I somehow got pulled back in. I ached to see her. To be with her. To hold her.
But she's on a hunt.
And she had every right to be. I would've done the same thing if I wasn't stranded in my human form.