Page 57 of Wolf’s Fated Bride

He could be a lone stray wolf looking for shelter from the storm. While I feel bad for him, I can’t let him into my nest. He could hurt me. Even the most honorable and controlled of alpha males would have a hard time sitting with a nesting omega without absolutely destroying her when the urge strikes.

The fire moon’s energy is aggressive, dangerous.

“Get away from the door,” I shout. “I have a gun, and I’ll use it.”

The scratching stops, and I hear bones rearranging, the telltale sign of a shifting werewolf.

“Let me in,” he says.

Oh fuck. “Ash?”

“Mmhm.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I’ve nested and want to be left alone. Shoo back to the party.”

“I don’t like parties. Let me in.”

I step back. “You can’t come in here.”

“I can. But when I get inside, I want us to keep the door closed. Which won’t happen if I have to burn it down.”

“This is blackmail.”

“Let me in.”

I don’t know what to do. Ash isn’t the kind of alpha who makes idle threats. He’s simply stating facts. I could open the door, or he could burn it down. The choice is mine. No alternatives.

“I brought chocolate-covered mints,” he says.

I twirl my hair around a finger. “You did?”

“Mmhm.”

“What else did you bring?”

Someone, please stop this pussy-induced madness, because I can’t. Anyone? Last call.

I look around. Blankets, pillows, an unlit fireplace. It’s a basic-bitch nest, and there’s no way I can invite an alpha like Ash in here. He’s probably used to nests made by a harem of omegas who swing from poles and chandeliers. This is my hidden space, not the kind of place an omega would invite an alpha.

“How did you find me?” I ask, trying to stall him until I can come up with something to say to make him go away.

“I don’t know,” he says.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean what I said. I do not know.” A moment, then, “I followed a…a tug.”

“Like in the chest?”

“Exactly there. I see you know what I mean.”

That’s how I found him in the cave. Kind of weird. The scent of smoke teases my nose, but before I can protest, the door catches fire, the lock melts, and the door swings open.

Calmly, a very big and naked Ash walks inside and closes the smoldering door behind him. A basket my mother prepared for Maren, I’m sure, dangles from his hand. If my parents knew he was here, they’d kill him.