Chapter 4: Not My Alpha

SELENE POV

It wasn't until the moon had reached its peak in the sky that I slipped from the bed. Fully clothed, I was ready to make my escape from the manor. The front door wasn't an option this time, since I didn't want to chance anyone spotting me leave. I made my way over to the balcony doors and opened them quietly.

The evening was warm and the moonlight illuminated the tops of the trees. I checked my waist for the long dagger I had lifted from someone's pack that was left unattended in the hallway after dinner. With a sigh, I gave a fleeting glance to the bed chambers and Tor's face flashed in my mind.

A feeling of melancholy washed over me at the thought of never seeing him again, but I couldn't endanger those who had shown me kindness. I gave the warm bedroom one more fleeting glance before I stepped to the balcony railing and hoisted myself over it.

It took me a few minutes to slowly scale the stone wall, but eventually, I dropped to solid ground and started to head for the shadows of the trees. The wind whispered as it brushed through the leaves and my heart longed for my secluded cabin in the valley.

What I wouldn't give for a fresh cup of tea, while I sat and listened to the brook as the water flowed across the rocks.

Unwittingly, the memories of the night that I had to evacuate my home flashed through my mind's eye. They had come while I was cooking dinner, flaming bricks bursting through the windows. I'd barely escaped the flames only to realize that they were waiting for me outside. I narrowly escaped them, losing them in the trees.

My reverie was interrupted by that damned pull within my chest. I cursed and wrapped my hands around my stomach, hoping the action would cut off the blasted chain that seemed to be tethering me to a certain Alpha shifter.

Before I could let out another sigh of melancholy over my circumstances, I heard something in the woods. I stopped, bringing my attention to my surroundings and trying to recognize where it was coming from.

If it was that damned wolf again, I had a trick up my sleeve to completely shield my sight, sound, AND smell from him. I listened closely and heard it again, louder this time. It sounded like someone crying.

Peering around the tree, I scanned my surroundings but could see nothing. Slowly, I crept from around the tree and made my way closer to the sound of unmistakable sniffling. It was then that I saw it, a small child was tucked in the brush, not a few feet from where I stood.

I jogged over to the brush and knelt down reaching my hand out to touch his shoulder. The small boy let out a cry and tried to scurry deeper into the bushes.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I won't harm you," I said softly. The boy slowly lifted his eyes to mine, tears streamed down his round face. After spending the day in the shifter settlement, I was starting to recognize their sharp gaze. Without a doubt, this little boy was a shifter pup.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked settling down beside him. He watched me wearily as he slowly poked his head out from under the branches.

"I accidentally broke my brother's toy horse, so I was runnin' so he couldn't catch me… but then I got lost," the young pup said between sniffles.

I sighed and gave him a soft smile. It seemed like the tether wasn't the only thing keeping me from leaving the shifter's settlement.

"Don't worry, I'll help you find your way home," I said, reaching out my hand to him.

A smile lifted on the boy's cheeks and he began to crawl out from under the bushes when he stopped, the smile dropping from his face. His nose lifted in the air and he let out a whimper as he scurried back under the brush.

"What is it?" I asked. Not a second later the hair on the back of my neck stood up like I was being watched. A low growl filled the air around us. I stiffened and slowly turned toward the sound. Only a few strides away, two glowing yellow eyes watched me and the shifter pup.

I stood slowly and reached for the long dagger strapped to my waist. The creature slinked toward me and my stomach dropped with dread when I realized it was a night panther. They were as rare as they were deadly, and I was in no way equipped to take this creature on.

My breathing sped up; the creature must have sensed the fear growing within me because it let out a growl and charged at me. It all happened so fast that I barely had the wherewithal to counterattack.

I released the dagger from my waist in the same breath as I whispered an incantation of light. A blinding flash of light exploded around us, and the giant cat yowled striking its claws blindly. I took this opportunity to yank my dagger from its sheath.

When it jumped again I took the opportunity and slashed at its bared stomach with the dagger while casting the illuminating spell once again. This was enough to deter the animal as it retreated with another yowl and disappeared into the woods.

***

TOR POV

I was ripped from my sleep by an ache in my chest. It was the same blinding ache that had brought Selene stumbling into the woods. With a curse, I shot out of bed and stalked to the balcony. I was ready to shift and go retrieve that sneaky little witch once again when there was a knock on my door.

With a growl, I stalked to the door and threw it open. Cassius stood on the other side.

"What is it?" I barked. Cassius must have noticed my temperament but did not comment on it.

"It's the Jago family. They just found that their pup Koen is missing," Cassius said.

Concern flooded through me, for the missing boy, as well as that stubborn female. My inner wolf growled when I thought of her deceiving me earlier today when she said she would stay. The things I could do to tame that insubordinate creature…

"Let's go," I said as I stalked out of my room.

It was only minutes later that a pack of wolves was running through the forest tracking Koen's scent. We moved swiftly through the trees as if we were water moving downstream, in perfect synch with one another, blending into the shadows of the forest.

Soon I caught Selene's scent as well as, to my horror, the scent of a cat. The only cats that dared roam these lands were night panthers. With a snarl, I ran faster, the others keeping pace right behind me.

Suddenly, two figures appeared in the shadows of the trees. The pack came to a sudden stop and we all shifted, stopping in front of none other than Selene and Koen. When Koen saw his father he released Selene's hand and ran into his arms. Selene smiled after the boy before her gaze found mine. The smile dropped from her lips. I turned to Cassius.

"All of you, return home," I said, dismissing the pack. The pack turned and made their way back the way we had come without a word. My gaze returned to those green eyes. My wolf howled again as I peered into the depths of her. We stayed that way, eyes locked on one another until her gaze dropped to my chest and she smiled amusedly.

"You've really got to learn how to put on some clothes," she said, referencing my shirtless body.

"Well, maybe I would have time to dress if I wasn't chasing after rogue witches who like to go off on their own and endanger themselves," I said sardonically, trying to keep my anger in check.

Selene's eyes flared.

"If it wasn't for me, that little boy would have been hurt! Did you ever stop to think about that?" Her arms folded over her chest, unknowingly pressing her curves tightly against the lace of her top. I ground my teeth, trying with all my might to compose myself.

"You could have been hurt as well!" I growled. "I told you to stay in Alder, but you can't seem to listen to a simple command."

Selene scoffed incredulously. "First of all, I don't answer to you. You may be an alpha to your tribe, but you are not mine."

The flames in my stomach reached scorching heights at the challenge in her voice.

"And second of all-" Her words were cut short as I closed the space between us in two strides.

All my resolve went up in flames as I reached out and wrapped one hand around her supple waist and the other around the nape of her neck and pulled her close. Her breath left her in a gasp and I caught it with my lips as I brought my mouth down onto hers. What little resistance she had melted away as I slipped my tongue gently into her mouth.