Read Online Bride to the Alpha (The Wolf's Pet Book Two) by Aubrey Rose - Free Book Online

the ground. The wounded soldier dragged himself to the sideline. The remaining soldier jumped back, his jaws snapping.
    I gripped my hands against my thighs to keep from clasping them. Alekk looked wounded. He tried to step forward, then his back leg crumpled to the ground. He stood up quickly, but I had seen the misstep.
    The other soldier had seen it, too. He didn’t waste any time. Bounding forward, he lunged with snapping jaws.
    Alekk cowered back, then at the last second rose to meet his attacker. With strong legs, he shoved off of the ground, sending the soldier flying above him and backwards, straight into the fire.
    A collective gasp rose from the crowd along with the pained yelp of the soldier, and Alekk didn’t pause before lunging forward and biting the other wolf’s scruff. He yanked him out of the fire and tossed him through the air. The wolf flew and rolled, putting out the last flames that were on his tufted fur. A tendril of smoke rose from his blackened tail.
    Alekk paced forward. As he walked, his body shifted back into a man’s. He stopped, naked and unashamed, and for the first time I saw the rest of his scar.
    It spiraled across his hips and down one thigh, curling around his skin. I had imagined it as something added to his body, but instead it seemed to be carved inward into his skin. I gasped, my fingers curling into my palms in anger. For a moment, I wanted to run to him, to throw my arms around him. I wanted to kiss every inch of his scar, lick his wounds for him. He stood like a statue of a man: the very portrayal of strength. And yet, with the scar spiraling around his body, it looked as though he had been tied up.
    The taut skin shone almost white for a moment, and then Alekk turned and faced down his attackers.
    “I hope you’ve had enough exercise for the night,” Alekk said.
    The soldiers groaned, and the one who’d been thrown in the fire slumped over in a posture of defeat.
    “See that they get medical treatment,” Alekk said brusquely. He turned to me.
    I almost reached out to him, but before I could decide what would be best, he’d grabbed me roughly by the arm and dragged me out into the clearing. He pulled my body in front of him. I could feel his naked body behind me, his chest pressed to my back.
    “Now,” Alekk said, “If you will all excuse me, I have to exercise my bitch properly.”
    A roar of laughter rose from the crowd of soldiers, and I ducked my head to avoid meeting the eyes of any of the shifters out there. Embarrassment burned through me as he walked me away, his hand gripping my neck in strict possession. He was making a spectacle out of having me as a slave.
    Of course he is. It’s how he shows them that you’re his.
    I breathed out a sigh of relief as we moved away from the large bonfire. I wanted to be alone with Alekk so we could speak in private. I wanted to know when he planned to stop this invasion.
    If he truly wanted to avoid war, he needed to act soon. Or else we would reach my pack’s territory, and it would be too late for any act of peace.
     

Chapter Ten
    Alekk paused at the entrance to his tent where two soldiers stood guard.
    “I’ve no need of you tonight,” he said to them gruffly. “Go enjoy the bonfire.”
    The soldiers left with smiles on their faces, looking eager to go and spar with the other soldiers who were drinking around the fire in the clearing.
    At last, Alekk and I were alone. He fairly shoved me into the small tent, setting a small lantern on the side of the entrance. The dim light was just barely enough to illuminate the small space. Shadows played over his face.
    The first tent he’d been in was huge, with space for a bonfire and many guards. This tent, though, was compact. There was no fire, and the air inside was just as chilly. For a brief second, I wanted to go back to the bonfire. There, at least, the fire would warm me.
    “Are you alright?” I asked softly. I wasn’t sure if the blood on the side of his arm