Page 52 of Alpha Chained

“You okay?” he asks, glancing over at me. I love how he keeps checking on me.

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Yeah. I’m good.”

His brow creases with concern. “That back there…it was intense. I know it’s not something you’re used to.”

A humorless laugh escapes me. “You could say that.” I shake my head, memories of the bloody fight replaying in my mind’s eye. “I can’t believe how quickly you took them down. You were like…like a force of nature.”

His shoulders lift in a shrug. “Comes with being what I am, I guess. I’ve had to learn to use the wolf’s power over the years.”

“Even so…” I trail off, unable to shake the image of him mid-shift – a blur of rippling muscle and ferocious snarls as his body contorted. It had been utterly savage yet undeniably beautiful in its own way. “You saved my life.” I gnaw on my lip. “You were magnificent.”

What is it about this man that has me telling him he’s amazing every five minutes?

He gives me a sideways look, those piercing gray eyes of his drilling into me for a moment before returning to the road. I feel heat creeping into my cheeks yet again and quickly look away, out the window at the scenery blurring past.

We drive in silence for a few miles before he speaks again. “I owe you my life, too, remember?”

I turn back to him. “You keep going on about that. It was nothing, I—”

“It wasn’t nothing,” he insists. “Three times now, you’ve saved me. Twice when we were escaping. And back there, you distracted them when you shifted. If you hadn’t done that…” He shakes his head. “I might have been dead.”

My heart clenches at the thought. “Well, you’ve done the same for me, so I’d say we’re even. We can stop keeping score now.”

He’s quiet for a long moment before speaking again, “No one’s ever done that for me.” Then, so softly I almost miss it, “I’d lay down my life for you, Raura.”

The words hang in the air, heavy with meaning. I blink rapidly, trying to process the sudden intensity. My pulse kicks up a notch as I study the hard lines of his profile, the stubborn set of his jaw.

He means it. Truly and completely.

The realization steals my breath. Because despite everything – the horrors of the Enclave, the blood spilled in our escape – there’s been an undeniable magnetism that’s been drawing me to this man from the first moment I laid eyes on him in that cell. A crackling energy that I can’t resist, even now with dried blood flecked across those chiseled features.

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. Because the truth is, no matter how savage he may appear on the outside, there’s something in Riot that calls to a part of me. A wild part of me that I’d barely acknowledged until he walked into my life.

He calls to my wolf.

Chapter 19

Riot

She’s been sleeping for a while as we’ve covered the miles. The drive has given me time to think.

And my thoughts are chaotic.

I keep glancing at her, feeling my heart clench at the sight of her as she sleeps.

How has she gotten under my skin so quickly?

I look at her yet again, and something stirs deep inside me – a longing, a need I can’t quite put into words. Maybe it’s because of all we’ve been through together, the battles we’ve faced side by side. Maybe it’s because I spent so many years alone, fighting my way through that bleak existence without a shred of warmth or light to guide me.

But now that she’s here, now that I’ve found her…I can’t imagine going back to that empty, hollow life. The thought of being without her leaves an ache in my chest, an emptiness I never want to feel again. It’s a conviction that’s not just my own; being with her settles the prowling beast within me. My wolf wants her.

Her face is softer as she sleeps, those full lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling with each gentle breath. The late afternoon sunlight filters through the windshield, casting a warm glow over her creamy skin. A few strands of that silky rose-gold hair have fallen across her cheek. The urge to brush them aside is overwhelming.

I tear my gaze away, trying to focus on the road ahead. But my thoughts keep drifting back to her, no matter how hard I try to concentrate. That soft, angelic face at peace in slumber. Except, that peaceful future can’t be in the cards for me. There’s too much at stake, too many lives hanging in the balance if I don’t play by the rules. My sister’s life, her family’s safety – it all rests on my obedience.

I’m in turmoil, my mind a battlefield as I grapple with trying to figure out what to do.

Willow…