The Alpha's Other Woman by Vielle Nye (read a book .txt) 📗

I settled on a plan, but she might hate me for it. Still, better me than Porter. "Keep her here for a minute, I'll be right back," I ordered. Then I ran back to our trailer. Once there, I forced myself to shift. My wolf was reluctant, but didn’t put up too much of a resistance.

My bones shifted and my muscles morphed in an excruciatingly slow process compared to the quick and painless shifts I normally experienced. It was like my first shift all over again. I couldn't see it from the window, the moon was full, and my wolf knew it deep down.

Finally, I crouched on the ground, sweating and fully human.

Once I recovered, it took me only a couple of minutes in the trailer to look like my usual self, and wasting no time, I ran through the forest. I couldn’t see perfectly, but I could see at least well enough to navigate. As I approached, I ordered everyone, "Back off. She needs to believe I'm alone."

Porter whined and reluctantly obeyed. Immediately, Amanda began crashing through the trees in a new attempt to escape, but I was faster and she was bumbling in the darkness. Could she see anything at all? She shrieked again as I grabbed her hand. "Amanda!"

"Shit! Shit, Carrie, there're wolves, I swear I saw—" She shook her head as if to clear it. "We have to get out of here, fast, before they come back. I lost my flashlight, but we've got to keep moving."

She held my hand more firmly and began to pull me along, stumbling in the darkness. As I tried to guide her back towards the pack, I attempted to pull her so that she wouldn't hit as many obstacles in her blind rush, but she still managed to cut open her leg on a fallen log. Iron contrasted sharply with the decaying trees and plants.

Then she stopped suddenly.

"You're one of them. That's why you're here!" She threw away my hand as if it burned her.

"I—"

"Don't even lie to me. You're all werewolves, or something crazy like that! I just saw people turn into wolves, and you showed up right when they left! Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Of course not, Amanda. You're my friend." I stepped forward.

She scoffed, but she was still shaking. "If I'm really your friend, then call off your wolves and let me go."

"I can't do that, at least not until—"

She tried to run again, but Porter appeared in front of her in his human form, and she slammed into him instead of the next tree she would have collided with. With another shriek, she stumbled backwards.

I steadied her, and she jerked away from me, straight back into Porter. In a smooth motion he swung her up onto his shoulder and began to stride away. Apparently my damage control of the situation had been a spectacular failure.

"Put me down!" she screeched as she kicked at his chest as best she could with him holding her legs. She flailed punches at his back. "Someone help! I'm being kidnapped by freaking monsters! Help!"

"No one can hear you. And I'm not going to hurt you," Porter said, his voice loud so he could be heard over the sound of her shrieks.

"Porter!?" she snapped. "What the hell? I made myself clear, I told you to stay away from me, damn it!"

"I did stay away," he said, his voice very nearly a growl, his wolf skimming the surface. "I did exactly what you demanded, and I was going to keep doing that. But, you're the one who came sneaking around here after you said you don't want anything to do with me."

She kicked at his back again with little effect. "I didn't ask for this!"

"You were trespassing!"

"That doesn't give you a right to kidnap me, you bastard! And for that matter, you—hey, wait a second! Where's your shirt? Are you naked right now!?"

They were well into the trees, but still within hearing range. There was another growl.

"Stop growling at me!"

"Then don't bite me!"

"I'll bite any freak monster who kidnaps me naked!"

"You weren't complaining about me being naked last time."

I didn't hear her response. Jason came up to me and rubbed his muzzle against my side, almost hitting the underside of my breast. I rolled my eyes at him. "Naughty wolf."

"Porter's got this for now, nothing we can do. You should shift back and be a naughty wolf with me," he said. His wolf was way too large, but somehow his puppy eyes still worked on me, so I did exactly as he asked, putting aside my worries for the rest of the night.

Tomorrow was soon enough to deal with Amanda. Just what we needed before our hearing at the assembly, more problems and complications.