Home > Alpha Girl (Wolf Girl #3)(3)

Alpha Girl (Wolf Girl #3)(3)
Author: Leia Stone

She flicked her gaze up to Rab. “He is quiet on the matter,” she told him.

Rab chuckled, shaking his braid. “Then we will be quiet too.”

“I’ll go!” Arrow stepped into the open circle, grasping his spear and looking out at the shapes into the trees. “I will go at first light to lend help to the new Wolf City alpha. A new alpha who is different from past ones. When he learned of our crisis, he used his military to give thousands of pounds of food and firewood. I will help that alpha as he helped us.” He stamped his staff on the ground, and a single tear leaked from my eye.

Arrow knew it wasn’t Sawyer who approved that food delivery. It was his dad, but there was too much bad blood there. I could see it. He was trying to make them think differently about this new alpha and I loved him for it. Sawyer was different, and he would be a different alpha than the ones before him.

“I will stand with Arrow.” A man came out into the open, wielding a badass looking blade. All of these men were seriously sculpted from stone, hardened warriors in the best shape of their lives.

“New alpha? What’s new about someone who’s been bred to hate us for a millennium?” someone yelled from the trees.

Dammit, I wish it were lighter out and I could look that bastard in the eyes.

Thrusting my left hand into the air, I let the light catch on my giant engagement ring. “The new alpha, Sawyer, is my fiancé, my true mate.” I stopped talking because they’d gasped at that. “And he knows I’m half Paladin. He doesn’t care. If we work together, both of our packs can benefit.”

It was like it was the knowledge they needed to throw themselves behind the cause. One by one, I heard them.

“I’ll go!”

“I’ll fight with Arrow.”

“Screw the vampires!”

Relief crashed into me. I’d made a promise to Sawyer, and I was keeping it.

Or was I?

I’d said that I would be back by morning with warriors. But now…

“Come on, I’ll show you to the guest house.” Astra pulled my hand and it sank into me that I was going to stay here.

Nerves churned in my gut and I’d completely forgotten Sage was there until she stepped over to me, wide-eyed and wearing a half shredded t-shirt and sweat pants. “You’re staying here? What have you done?”

I … followed my heart and it split me in two. Again.

Arrow raised his fist into the air. “Go home and tell the warrior of your household … we leave at dawn!” And a chorus of the Paladin equivalent of an oorah rang out, but it was more of a guttural ouh ouh!

I walked over to Arrow and stood before him as my wolf nuzzled against his leg. He grinned and dropped his hand down to rub the top of her head. I swear sometimes she was more dog than wolf.

‘I resent that,’ she said and I bristled, still not used to our bond.

‘Sorry.’

“Thank you. Truly,” I told Arrow.

He bowed his head to me. “Thank you. For coming home.”

Home. That word on his lips felt so right, so much so that it made a stone sink in my gut. In what world could Sawyer and I get married and live together if I were alpha of these lands? I shook off that problem for future Demi.

I didn’t want to ask how many warriors they would get by morning, I just had to trust it would be enough. Arrow, being Rab’s brother, seemed to have a lot of pull in the community, and I knew he’d just stuck his neck out for me and I really appreciated it.

I made my hand into a fist and held it out to him. He frowned and I grinned, grabbing his hand and banging them together. “Fist bump. Goodnight. I’ll be up first thing to see you all off.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “City girl.”

I smiled and Sage inserted herself between us. “She’s marrying my cousin FYI, but I’m single.”

I smacked her arm and Arrow looked down at her, confused for a second, then her words seemed to dawn on him. “Oh, I’m mated,” he said, and Sage frowned, stepping away from him with a pout. Every male here was distracting eye candy. I wasn’t going to deny that, and clearly Sage had noticed.

“You are? I’d love to meet her,” I told him as movement picked up behind us and everyone started to disperse. I’d always felt a brotherly vibe from Arrow. Was he hot? Yes. But he was sweet and helpful and … totally in the friendzone.

“Tomorrow morning, at first light,” he told me, and then Astra was back, tugging my hand.

“Alpha, come. I’ve been working on your guest home for weeks. Come and see.” She pulled me away and Sage and I followed her.

Weeks?

I shared a look with Sage.

“I knew you would come.” Astra grinned, as she pulled me into the dark trees past where the floodlights had brightened the meadow, and we were plunged into darkness again, only the moon to light our path. There was a flagstone walkway covered in moss, and suddenly my eyes adjusted, noticing the appearance of hundreds of people to the left and right of the path. Some were climbing down from the trees where they had perched, others just stood, arms crossed, talking in hushed tones and watching me closely.

Every three feet was a little solar garden light that lit our path—and also the faces of some seriously pissed-off women.

“Taking our men off to war already, Alpha?” one snapped as I passed by.

I ignored her and yanked on Sage’s arm when she opened her mouth to retort. It wasn’t the time. I needed to go into a dark room and tell Sawyer what was going on and then cry myself to sleep. My wolf leapt into my chest then, and I nodded for Astra to lead the way. I was ready to see where Run had grown up, the land I was supposed to heal and the place in which I was going to lead these people should I be found worthy.

 

 

The path led for a good twenty minutes before the dim lights of a bustling village shone in the distance. Sage and I shared a look.

Whoa.

I didn’t know why I expected grass huts and torches. The wall encompassing the Paladin land was made of a deep red brick and stood strong over seven feet tall. Two ornately decorated wrought iron gates stood open, with two soft lights on top of the pillars that held each gate. Again, each light had a tiny solar panel at the top, like the ones you would get for your garden at Home Depot. It wasn’t a strong light, just enough to illuminate the buildings’ shapes and walkways, but I was impressed. Astra skipped along the path to the gates and nodded at the two guards that stood there.

“Told you she’d come!” Astra told them.

Their eyes ran over Sage and I both. “These two city wolves have your permission to be here, Priestess?” one of them asked with a sneer. His pec twitched and Sage and I shared a look.

Man, these guys were ripped. They must work out all day long and eat zero carbs, because there wasn’t an ounce of fat on them.

Astra rolled her eyes. “It’s our alpha! She came!”

My heart broke at her words and I could see Sage’s eyes getting misty. The way she spoke about me, her tone, it was full of reverence and excitement and absolute trust.

The guards stepped aside, glaring at me with suspicion.

Priestess. That word again. I’d had no idea when we’d met Astra in the cages of the dark fey realm that we’d met the priestess of the Paladin people. Everyone seemed to defer to her, even over Rab. Which was surprising since she was so young and meek.

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