Page 20 of Alpha Claimed

Mine. Mate. Omega.

Trust me, I get it. But that's not the way.

Mine. Take.

Ours. No take. She gives.

His wolf grumbled and then huffed.

For the moment, he had calmed the beast enough to keep him from escaping his tether, but Apollo wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep that tether on lockdown.

"What did you want to show me?"

Apollo pointed to the shop at the end of the corner. "It's right there."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, and when they came to the shop, he stopped to watch her reaction.

A smile spread across her face, and her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. His wolf howled.

"Wood carving?"

"The man who makes them has been doing it for over forty years. The big ones he does with a chainsaw in the back."

"That is so cool." She pulled open the door, and he held it for her as she entered.

The scent of pine, cedar, redwood, and more permeated the store, along with the smell of varnish and motor oil.

A bell tinkled overhead, and River headed straight to a giant statue of a bear standing in the corner.

"Wow." She looked up at the eight-foot behemoth.

Apollo still had no idea how the older man did it, how he achieved such fantastic detail with such enormous tools.

River ran her fingers over the bear and then turned her attention to a statue of two smaller cubs.

"These are unbelievable."

"Thank you." An older man emerged from the back room.

River looked up at him. "You are so talented."

He chuckled, and his belly jiggled in his overalls. "All it takes is practice. Anyone could do it."

River shook her head. "You're being modest. I sculpt with metal, which you can do with practice, but this…" She gestured around. "This takes talent."

The gentleman waved her off. "You could do it too if you tried."

"Me?"

"Why not?"

An idea popped into Apollo's head. "Would you be willing to give her a lesson? I'd pay, of course."

The man looked at him and shrugged. "Sure. You don't need to pay me, though. Just seeing her beautiful face is payment enough."

Apollo's wolf raised his head and growled. Apollo pulled out his wallet. "I insist."

He handed three hundred-dollar bills to the man.