Page 8 of Claiming Her Alpha

“Fourteen.”

“How old are you now?”

He indicated the kitchen that was open to the rest of the space. “Thirty.”

She followed him to the kitchen where he opened the fridge and tried to figure out what he should make her. He could feel the stares of his men burning into his back.

“I don’t need anything too fancy.”

Her not being picky relieved him. He wasn’t a great cook. “A sandwich? “

She nodded and he quickly pulled out everything she might want on hers. As she grabbed herself a plate and built her sandwich he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her red curls were long and covered her face each time she leaned forward.

“How did you shift when no one was with you?”

“I don’t know. I just felt uneasy at first. Actually, it lasted for days. When it was time for our celebration and all the pack was together, I just couldn’t take it and left.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his men listening too. They’d quieted down and were watching her carefully, as if she was the enemy. Maybe she was, but not in Ryker’s eyes—not anymore.

“I was walking through the woods when my skin started to burn. My heart was racing so fast I couldn’t breathe and then my ribs started cracking. I think not knowing what was happening to me was even worse than the physical pain. I could feel her, but wasn’t sure what she was. I just knew I was no longer in control of my body.”

“When did you realize you weren’t human?”

“It took me a while but when I realized how fast I was running, I noticed I was no longer human. She wouldn’t let me take over again. She just started running. When I figured out where she was heading, I tried everything to stop us from passing the blood line. I’d never heard any of the wolves talk about losing control like that. Or if they had, I couldn’t remember how they said they fought it.”

“The shift was forced. Those kinds of shifts are hard to get under control. Since you two don’t know each other, it only makes it harder.”

“Will it always be like that?”

“No. When you leave I’ll guide you through your transformation. You’ll be in control of the wolf body.”

She hid her face from him, looking down at her plate. “It hurt.” It was a whispered admission, more to herself than him.

“It won’t always be painful.”

She nodded and picked up her plate, looking around her. “Where should we eat?”

“This way.”

Ryker grabbed more provisions from the pantry, then led Kendra to his private bedroom.

Chapter Three

As Kendra stepped in behind him, she curiously inspected the space. Her eyes fell on his desk, covered in workout plans and new ideas to train his warriors. She quickly looked away and perched on the edge of the bed, setting her plate in her lap.

“When would you like to leave?” He didn’t want to think about it, but also needed to mentally prepare himself and pulled his desk chair over so he could sit in front of her.

“In an hour or two before Mike starts looking for me and my parents figure out I’m gone.”

“Who’s Mike?” he blurted out, his voice dripping with jealousy.

With knowing eyes and an amused grin, she answered, “My childhood best friend.”

“Sorry I didn’t mean to get…”

“Jealous?” she laughed. She finished the last bite of her sandwich, then eyed the snacks he’d left on the desk. “Can I…?”

He nodded and moved to grab them, but she was already halfway there.