The She-Wolf Alpha (Book 1 She-Wolf Series)
Chapter 10

Emerick

Shit.

Every part of me had wanted to kiss Sam. It took every ounce of my self control to hold back from pushing her against the wall and taking her lips in mine.

I hadn’t slept a wink. Instead, I enjoyed the feeling of her against my chest, listening to her breathe peacefully. This was not a part of the security detail I was supposed to be providing. I was kicking myself for getting so lost in the moment with the beautiful, little alpha.

I had been overjoyed when she invited me in. My plan was to get to know her further and show her she could trust me. She needed wolves that she could rely on in the coming days, and selfishly, I wanted to keep my role as the pack's beta.

I had felt completely lost since losing Christian. Not only had I lost my best friend, but I more or less lost my job. While I was still being treated as the beta for now, the new alpha would choose their own. I had thought if I showed her how useful I could be then she might let me stay in my role.

Somewhere along the way, I had started to realize just how amazing a woman she was. Anyone could see she was beautiful. That much was obvious. And her wolf… incredible was the only word I could use to describe Ayisha. Zef, my wolf, had fought his own self-control to stay back and show deference to our new alpha. He wanted to be near her - as much as I did - from the moment he saw her.

After spending the night together, I was further drawn to everything about her. She was incredibly smart and funny. She had a strength I knew only a few possessed. Upon learning werewolves were real, she faced the situation head on and used her time with me to learn everything she could before she was thrown in with sharks tomorrow. I knew part of it was that she didn’t want Luke to face being an alpha so young, but even then, she was not necessarily under obligation to be good at her job. However, I could tell she cared about her success and the pack.

I walked to where I could sense Jackson positioned.

“Anything I should know?” I asked him.

He stepped from the shadows and shifted from wolf to man.

“Nothing of note. It’s been a quiet night,” he responded.

“Good.”

I surveyed the area. We had expected wolves to be banging down the door to meet the alpha they knew nothing about, but maybe Stephen’s message had gotten through.

“Jonathan heard from a few of the security detail back with the pack,” he spoke cautiously as I turned to face him.

“And?” I asked.

“We may have a problem upon our return.”

I frowned, “What do you mean?”

“There are those that are… opposed to a female as Alpha. They are calling for her to step down and let Luke lead. Or…”

“Or?” I demanded.

“They will call for a challenge,” he finished.

Zef growled low in my throat. The thought sent rage coursing through me. I could feel Zef pushing for me to shift and go rip the throats out of anyone who dared to threaten Sam.

“William is working to handle it. It’s a small faction, but she might have to face a challenger to quell it,” he continued.

I roared, “Over my dead body will she face a challenger!”

He looked at me with a measuring gaze.

“Are you saying that as the beta of the Redclaw Pack? Or as the man who just spent the night with her?”

I swung to hit him, but he blocked me. He had me face first in the dirt with my arm pinned behind my back before I could even process what happened. Jonathan stepped from the tree line and walked up looking bored. He leaned against a tree lazily as Jackson drove his knee between my shoulder blades. These two were the best fighters in the pack. It was why they were the alpha’s personal security detail. In fact, the role had been within their family for generations.

“Beta Stone. I would sooner die than watch anything happen to Alpha Paulson. However, she is in a tenuous position. She is completely unknown to the pack, the daughter of a former alpha’s bastard child, and a female alpha. She is going to have to prove herself quickly, or she will face much worse,” I stilled and listened to the truth in Jackson’s words. “The blood of an alpha runs through her veins, and you saw the size and strength of her wolf. It is better that she face a challenge we know is coming and can be prepared for, than one that comes as a surprise."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"What training does she have?" he asked

“Elias taught her in self defense as a child,” I grunted, still pinned under Jackson’s weight.

“Good. She can use that,” Jonathan spoke.

Jackson nodded and loosened his grip on me. I pushed him off and stood up, glaring at the two brothers who both looked at me with their usual impassive expressions.

“She is going to be facing a wolf who has been trained in combat their entire lives. She’s only shifted once. Even with the blood of the alpha, how is she supposed to stand a chance?” I asked, letting the anxiety I was feeling seep into my question.

“Female alphas are a gift from the moon goddess herself, Emerick,” Jackson started, “We have to trust that she wouldn’t put Samantha in the position only to be struck down by another wolf without ever having a chance to lead our people. I believe in the destiny she brings each of us. Do you?”

Jonathan nodded behind him. I sucked in a breath.

“Of course I do,” I answered, confidently.

“Then we have to prepare her, but in the end let her prove herself to her pack.”

He was right. I knew it deep in my bones. And yet, the thought of her having to fight another wolf had me clenching my fists. My nails dug into my palms. I felt like no matter how deep a breath I took, I was drowning.

“I don’t think I can watch her get hurt,” I whispered.

“Then you have to stay away from the challenge,” Jonathan said. My head snapped to meet his gaze as he continued, “If you can't stand by, you need to stay away tomorrow. We cannot have you as a distraction for her. It would only put her in danger. I won’t allow it. Either you pull it together and support her, or get your ass out of town.”

I realized in that moment how deeply I cared for Samantha Paulson, and it scared the absolute shit out of me that I might lose her. The brothers were right, and I hated it with every fiber of my being.

“I’m going for a run,” I muttered before finally letting Zef loose and taking off through the woods.