Orrin

“Get the fuck away from her!”

Out of nowhere, she runs, the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon. Long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, eyes so blue they look like two perfect balls of ocean water shining in the light of the afternoon sun.

Her lips are full and red, and her body is clad in nothing but tight jeans and a t-shirt. I can tell the girl is in good shape, with perfect full hips, thick thighs, flat stomach. She runs like a predator and stands like an Alpha.

Goddammit, she’s perfect.

Her eyes are locked with mine even as she reaches down to grab the arm of the little girl. She pulls the child behind her as though to protect her.

“Stay behind me,” She tells the child.

“Will they hurt us?” The little girl asks.

“No, baby, I won’t let them hurt you.”

Adrian laughs loudly. “You really think you stand a chance against the two of us? Do you even know who you’re talking to?!”

The girl grinds her teeth. “I don’t care who you think you are. Come near us, and I’ll tear you apart!”

“You bitch!”

“Adrian!” I use my Alpha tone, my eyes clouding over white. “Hold your tongue!”

Adrian bows his head. “My apologies.”

“I’m scared.” The little one sniffs.

She’s so young, and she doesn’t deserve to be afraid of anything. She should be home safe and sound, not running through the woods like a savage.

“It’s okay, baby. No one is going to hurt you.”

“But, An. . .”

“Shh. They won’t hurt you, I promise.” The older girl replies, to which the little one nods.

The kid looks at us, peaking from behind, whom I imagine is her big sister. The beautiful one doesn’t look near old enough to be anyone’s mother.

There’s something cheeky about that little girl. There’s a glint in her eye that tells me that she could be trouble.

Typical bear cub.

I wonder what they’re doing out here in the wilderness so far from Kulumi?

Surely they know where they are?

If they do, the older one at least should have known trouble would find them. This is wolf territory, and am I the King of wolves the world over! Everyone knows who I am, or they should, at least.

“What are you doing here? This forest is private land. You have no right to be here!”

“We meant no harm,” The beautiful girl tells Adrian. “She was hungry and wandered off before I could stop her.”

“Maybe you should take better care of your pet!”

I see her eyes flash, something dangerous. I am so fucking attracted to her right now.

Adrian growls in the girl’s direction, angering me like never before.

“Enough, Adrian!”

Instantly, he’s quiet.

The girl’s eyes flash to me again. This girl is no human; she’s a shifter, but of what kind, I cannot tell.

How is she blocking me of all people?

No shifter has the power to prevent me from reading them. I am the Alpha of all Alpha’s; I am a rare breed of shifter that commands all other shifters.

I am blessed with powers others can only dream of, and for this girl to be blocking me, she must be almost as powerful.

She cannot be my equal; such an Alpha does not often come along. If she were my equal, she’d be a wolf, and I don’t sense it.

I see the fear in her eyes, but she has no reason to fear me. I don’t know what has come over me, but I have a strong sense of need for this girl.

‘Yes, you do, Orrin,’ Alarick, my wolf tells me. ‘She’s our mate!’

‘She can’t be our mate,’ I reply. ‘I don’t even know what she is; I can’t sense anything. That’s not possible, Alarick. The young one is a bear; the older one must be too. She cannot be our mate; wolves and bears do not spark!’

‘Keep telling yourself that,’ He laughs. ‘She’s no bear, Orrin. You might not be able to sense it, but I can. We have to keep her safe; she belongs to us. You cannot fight the mating pull.’

I sigh because Alarick is right. There is no fighting the mating pull. If it turns out that this woman is a bear, then I would have to reject her publicly. If that happens, I will have to stand back and watch as she suffers through the breaking of the bond. It may also kill her, kill me. The thought is not pleasant.

“I will not hurt you.” I hold up my hands to show my surrender.

Even an Alpha needs to show that he’s willing to back down now and again, especially when it comes to his mate.

“Will you tell me your name?”

My mate shakes her head, eyes wide.

I can’t let her go. Not only because I want her, but because she’s seen this place. No one who sees this place leaves it alive. I will not harm her, she will have a choice, or so it will seem to her, come with me willingly, or spend eternity in the dungeons of my home.

A day in my dungeons would have this girl begging to be with me. It’s not easy being tortured with silver, but I know that doesn’t affect bears, but gold does, so that’s what my guards would use. Either way, she’d be mine.

I grab her arm before she has time to turn and run, and a flash of light blasts me like lightning to my brain. Eyes wide, wolf senses activating, I see a vision.

I see a woman with long dark hair flowing behind her in the wind. She has a ring of white flowers around her head like a halo. She calls my name and giggles as I rush towards her, lifting her and spinning her around.

The woman’s laughter echoes in my ears as I set her on her feet. Her round belly jumps with the force of my cub kicking inside of her. I look into her eyes, those big blue eyes.

I’m ripped away from the vision as the girl yanks her hand back. Before I can stop her, she lifts the child in her arms and runs. I don’t know what she did to me, but I have no strength. I fall to my knees, breathing hard.

I feel Adrian clasp my shoulders. “Orrin, are you okay? What happened?”

I chuckle while nodding my head.

Goddess, I’m fucked.

“I think I just found my Queen.”

“What the hell?”

I look at my brother with a smirk on my face.

That girl is my mate, and I won’t stop until I find her and bring her home.