Page 41 of The Alpha's Chosen Fate

Inhale.Exhale.

“Ivy,” he tried again, "I’m not sure what’s happening but you need to calm down."

I whirled to face him."I can't!Rieka needs to run.My wolfneeds out.”

“I told you—”

“Stop torturing me.Please."My voice cracked on the last word, raw with desperation.

Could I sound any more pathetic?

The two times I’d asked to let Rieka free in the woods I’d gotten an emphaticnoornot yetfor a response.Just days ago, I’d accused him of purposefully putting me in this state so he could manipulate me and my wolf.

His big hand scrubbed down his face and he dipped his chin.“I’ll shift with you and we’ll run.Together.”

"Alpha McClellan—”

“Briggs.”

I sniffed.“If Rieka gets near your wolf right now.They could …" I swallowed hard."They could mate, without our consent."

I was sure Onyx had complete consent from his human, but I wasnoton board.

Something flashed in the depths of Briggs's eyes before he shuttered his expression.

“I haven’t asked you for a single thing, Alpha Mc—Alpha Briggs.”There, I used his first name.“Please don’t put me in the position of being forced to accept a bond our wolves might not be able to resist.I’ll beg if I have to.”

I felt wretched and weak, begging like this.

His expansive chest inflated before he expelled a slow breath.

Finally, he gave a curt nod."You can run the woods for one hour.I will be nearby,” he held up a hand before I could protest.

“I won’t let Onyx near you.Enforcers will be out so if you try to flee …" He let the threat hang unfinished.

My lips curled back from my teeth."Let me guess, you’ll sick Baylor on me?"The thought of the brutal wolf hunting me down again wasn’t pleasant.

Briggs’s stony silence was answer enough.

I turned and sprinted for the tree line.Just inside the shaded woods, I ditched my clothing and reached for the electric hum of my shifter magic.

The change took hold in a crackle of energy.Rieka's form settled into place like a second skin.Freedom sang through our merged consciousness as we bounded through the underbrush, paws barely skimming the ground.

The rich loam of nature filled my nose, a dizzying cocktail of decaying leaves, small prey, and the crisp bite of evergreen.

We ran without direction or purpose, guided only by the primal need to move, to feel the wind through our fur.

For the first time since returning to Darkwood, the suffocating bands constricting my chest eased completely.Out here, racing between the towering trees, it was almost possible to forget my current circumstances.

Too soon, the shimmering expanse of Lake Alburn came into view through the thinning trees.We slowed to a trot, then froze as a familiar scent reached my nose.A scent that set my hackles rising and a growl rumbling in my throat.

Ruby's petty posse—as Emery had once dubbed them—materialized from the shadows, their lips curled in mocking sneers.They fanned out in a loose semi-circle, cutting off any escape routes.

“You were right, Scarlett!”Ember proclaimed in mockery.“It really was the little mouse’s stink you caught.”

Scarlett, Ruby's right-hand bitch, stepped forward, her eyes glinting with cruel amusement.

"Well, well, well.If it isn't Alpha's little reject.How does it feel, little mouse?That he only brought you back because his mate is dead?"

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