Page 46 of Claimed By the Wolf
I frown at her response. Is that all they care about? What parties they can go to?
Me:I’m glad my sacrifice works out for your social calendar.
Sienna:Aw, come on, honey! You know we wish you were here with us.
I don’t answer right away, and my phone pings again.
Sierra:We told you to stay, didn’t we?
Yeah, they told me to stay, but at what cost?
I eye the time on the phone, and my heart jumps.
Me:I have to go.
Sierra:Ooh, Daddy Alpha is coming to call. Have fun for us!
Sienna:We want details next time!
I roll my eyes but don’t respond, and I stand from the couch, tucking my phone in my pocket. I’m tempted to meet this mysterious stranger in my animal form, but I decide against it for the time being. I can shift on a dime if I feel endangered.
But if it’s Nox…
Stop it. It’s not Nox. I have to stop thinking it’s Nox.
Checking to ensure I’m not being followed, I head out of the house through the front door and around the back of the barn and stables, beyond the bunkhouse, where the ranch hands sleep. A greenhouse and rose garden lie just over the knoll on the other side, a little oasis where the ceremony will be held this weekend.
My senses pick up on a presence as I approach, and my hackles rise.
It’s not Nox.
“Who’s there?” I demand, but my voice is a strangled whisper, fear gripping me as I wonder if I made a terrible mistake by coming out here on my own. No one knows where I am. What if I’ve walked into some kind of a trap? What if Emeric learned about Nox and me?
“Hello there.”
A semi-familiar voice calls out in the darkness, and I whirl around, enacting my lioness vision to look. Perched on the bench, next to the wisteria, sits a brunette, watching me with a coy smile on her face.
“You were at the party.” Cautiously, I draw closer to her, unsure of what to make of her.
“I was.” She hops off the bench to approach me. “You can call me Alessa.”
My frown deepens as she nears, her cocksure attitude neither alarming me nor putting me at ease.
“What do you want, Alessa?” I ask warily, half-ready to shift. “Why did you send me that note?”
She laughs, and the sound troubles me as I look back, expecting someone to hear.
“Don’t worry,” she reassures me. “The pack is out on guard duty tonight. No one but the staff is around, and they’re not doing any work while Emeric is gone.”
“How do you know so much about what goes on here?”
Alessa shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m a respected pack member.”
Confusion overwhelms me. “What do you want with me?”
Her smile falters slightly. “I’m trying to help you. If you want my help, that is.”
“What makes you think I need help?”
