Page 6 of Snowbound with the Alpha Wolf
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He had waitedten years for thismoment.
Adrian was a patient man. He had no desire to rush things. Instead, he relished having Darcy in his grip atlast.
She’d proven elusive after he’d recovered in the cave. The fifteen Lupines who had sought to warm him with theirbodies had become his adopted pack. They were lost wolves, in need of leadership after their alpha passedaway.
Soon as he’d been strong enough to lead them out of the cave, Darcy hadvanished.
Oh, she’d reappeared now and again, even seeking shelter with him when he’d moved the pack to North Carolina when she was between her mysterious assignments. But always she’d danced away fromhis sexual advances, saying they were two different for eachother.
He didn’t think so. No matter she was a Changeling Shifter and he was purebredalpha.
He wantedher.
He would have her, and that was all there was toit.
Adrian stood at the open sliding glass doors overlooking the rock garden. Instead of resting, or figuring a way to escape, or playing with her cellphone, the woman worked in the rock garden. Sorely neglected after the last hurricane, Adrian had left it as a test for a troublesome, egotistical Lupine to tend it. He told Walter if he weeded and cared for the garden, he’d hand him moreresponsibilities.
Walter failed the test, mainly because the Lupine thought gardening beneathhim.
Foolish Lupine. He would soon find out gardeningwas a pleasant duty compared to what Adrian planned for him as punishment. But his interest now remained with the dark-haired beauty who yanked tall weeds and dug at the earth with zealousfervor.
Darcy knelt in the earth and then sat on her haunches. “This garden makes my head hurt. How did it get thisbad?”
Walter, a younger male who had a sense of pure entitlement, sniffed. “Maybeit was waiting for the help likeyou.”
“I’m not a servant. I don’t belong to this pack.” Darcy leveled a cold stare at the offending male. “But you do, and leaving this garden in disgrace is a poor reflection of you, your pack and Adrian. And it annoys me to see this. So move your ass and pull thoseweeds.”
Face reddened, the male scurried to obey. Adrian chuckled. Such a female.Darcy had a natural leadership spirit. No need to raise her voice or whine. Lupines, both female and male, did as shepleased.
She would make an excellent mate for him. If only he could convince her of therole.
He owed Darcy a debt he could never hope to repay. Not saving his life, although that was what she ultimatelydid.
But saving the lives of more than a dozen ragged,starving Lupines who would have otherwise died without hisleadership.
Not ego. Merely a fact. He was a purebred alpha, and ruling was in his blood andbones.
He never intended to become alpha of his own pack at such a young age. He’d been content to quietly wait in the background, learning because he knew he was too young, too inexperienced, to lead. Lars had been a good alpha,and the pack washappy.
All was well until Adrian reached sixteen. And then came the Skins with their greed, anger, hatred andweapons.
They made demands. Lars bit the bait—the money too tempting to resist. He worked his packhard.
Power went to his head. Later, when quotas were not met, the packpaid.
Sometimes, in the case of the weak and the elderly, with theirlives.
Adrian shook his head, clearing the memories as one would clear away wisps of a silky spider’sweb.
To rule, one must be strong. Lars had been strong but later turned cruel. Darcy might see his next actions as equally cruel, but he would brook nodisobedience.
No disrespect. Adrian strode outside to address Walter. “I told you to weed and tend thegarden.”
Withhis blond hair and beard, Walter looked more wild and Lupine than the other groomed males in the pack. Adrianwaited.
Walter shook his head, folded his arms. “I deserve better than that. I went tocollege.”
