Read Online Wolver's Reward by Jacqueline Rhoades - Free Book Online Page B

wolf form, they would have
belly crawled with their tails between their legs, yet there was
something about their deference that didn't ring true.
    Another scent caught River's attention. It
was wolver, it was male, and it was fouled by the faint but putrid
odor of rotting flesh. There was something familiar about the
scent. He couldn't place it, but it was there in his memory.
    The bearer of that scent emerged from the RV;
tall, gray headed and broad shouldered. He'd once been powerfully
built, but now his body sagged as if his weight was too heavy for
his bones to carry. Still, there was power in the air of magic that
surrounded him and distinctly marked him as the Alpha of his pack.
He slowly walked to an awaiting chair where he sat as if taking his
place on a throne. This Alpha was sick, and every wolver in
attendance knew it.
    A third and markedly interesting scent wafted
through this fourth pack, but she was not among those females
milling about. Curious, River's wolf wanted to find her, but River
wasn't interested.
    "She isn't worth getting our throat torn
out," He whispered mind to mind. "Curiosity doesn't just kill cats,
you know."
    His wolf snarled in reply, but didn't move.
Something was happening.
    The milling wolvers began to step aside to
allow three others to approach the seated Alpha. They too, were
Alphas, and River could easily match the Alpha with his pack. The
blond Adonis was one of them. Their body language told River they
spoke as equals, but their voices were so low, he couldn't hear the
words and his wolf wouldn't share. The animal only growled low in
his throat.
    It was interesting business, but none of his.
Once more, he nudged his four-legged half to move. He needed to be
near the truck when the shit hit the fan. He didn't need to hang
around and be splattered by it.
    The door to the RV opened again and a woman
emerged, not any woman, but the seated Alpha's Mate. There was no
doubt about it. Kat was a mother hen, all ruffled feathers and
chicks tucked under her wings. This woman bore her small share of
the Alpha's mantle like a queen, a queen whose crown was growing
too heavy to bear.
    She was tall and thin, too thin, and her skin
was drawn tight over the fine bones of her face. Her hands were
clenched in tight fists as she made her way to her mate's chair
where she stood behind him. Only when her hands settled on her
mate's broad shoulders did the fingers relax as if touching him
brought her strength and calmness.
    The seated Alpha spoke loud enough for all to
hear. "The bargain is struck. Pay what is due and let the Chase
begin."
    All three of the waiting Alphas motioned
behind them with a flick of the hand and their Seconds stepped
forward. Each held a fat manila envelope and it didn't take a
genius to figure out what those packets held. After checking the
contents, the seated Alpha handed the packets to his own Second,
who passed them to one of the women standing outside the RV.
    "Two minutes to moonrise," the seated Alpha
called out, "And the girl has three more after that."
    Holy shit! What kind of Chase was this?
Normally, a Chase was a mating ritual practiced by his kind where
the male chased down his intended mate. Usually, the Chase was just
for show. It was part of the celebration when two wolvers chose to
bind themselves together as mates. That was how it was at Wolf's
Head, no matter who the mating couples were, or what their standing
was in the pack. At Wolf's Head, it was an excuse to party, but
this wasn't Wolf's Head, and River knew from experience that it
wasn't always just for fun, particularly when it came to Alpha's
Mates.
    Only certain females, wolver or human, could
hold the position of Alpha's Mate. In his old pack, the intended
Mate had no choice. The ritual began with a kidnapping and ended
with a rape. He'd never heard of three Alphas vying for the same
Mate, but he instinctively knew that the end result would be the
same. The Alpha's would fight each other and the winner