The Alpha's Claim

28

Elijah noted as she fell asleep. He was relieved; she needed the rest, and she made him talk far more than he was comfortable with. A brief smile flit across his face before he pushed it down. She was beautiful, he realized. He had noticed it right away, of course, but it was an intimidating beauty, one that demanded respect. Yet, she was tender. Maybe it was just the mate bond, but from what he had seen, he genuinely liked the girl.

His eyes landed on her hands. They looked black and shriveled. They were deeply bruised, and the muscles had locked them into a semi-clutch, but it stirred a deep discomfort in him. He would take her pain if he could. When he kissed her hand earlier, he had hoped that somehow their touch would heal her. It hadn't.

He had seen similar devices across the old relics, two metal poles with a circle in the center. Of the ones he had seen, none of them were twisted to serve in the way this one had. Someone had fitted a chair to lock a poor soul in placed and force them to feed the beast instead of being fed by them. It would have been unimaginable torture.

He glanced down at the girl. He realized she never shared her name but didn't want to press. He was going to do this right. Even after having her powers drained for nearly a week (if the usurper's beta was to be believed) she radiated with it like soft sunshine. It was frighteningly tempting.

He shifted into a higher gear, eager to get to the pack base. The sun was setting out their right window, casting soft light into the cabin of the truck.

He was surprised he didn't run into the usurper. The beta had warned that he was attempting to rescue the winged one. If he got his hands on her, he would have used her to power his duel against the king. Yet, Elijah had rescued her, never meeting this alpha. Not a bad mission, he mused. He stopped Levithan from being resurrected, he stopped the usurper from stealing the winged one, and he found his mate.

He looked down at the signet ring that graced his hand, bearing the royal insignia. It was smaller than the one his father wore, but it felt extraordinarily heavy. He had only been allowed to wear it this past month; an unshifted man had no honor in his father's household.

As he mused over his ring, he noticed a group of buildings off in the distance. Two sentries stood a distance away and he headed in their direction.

They ran toward the car, and one pulled to a stop in front of him while the other walked to the driver's door and shifted into a man. Elijah rolled down the window.

The old man peered inside, scrutinizing Elijah suspiciously. Then, he looked over and saw Naomi. He jumped back in shock. "Naomi!" he exclaimed. "Betty, it's Naomi! Call it in! Call it in!" he said passionately. The wolf in front shifted and pulled out a cell phone, stepping out of the way. She, too, was nearly sixty, with braided gray hair stretching far down her back.

Elijah pulled the car into drive and rolled up his window.

"It's Naomi! She's coming your way. Tell Berry to..." The window closed.

A small smirk passed over Elijah's face. It pleased him that these people seemed to care for his mate. Yet, she did not belong to this pack. More seemed to be happening than what he knew. He would get his answers soon.

He pulled up into town, which was a main drive with several building on the two sides. Several people streamed out of one and he pulled to a stop. He hopped out and saw that a young woman was pulling Naomi's door open. He jumped over the hood, surprising her into jumping back. A male quickly came to her and stood in front protectively, holding her behind him. His nostrils flared.

Without a word, Elijah unbuckled Naomi and picked her up gently, trying not to wake her. The female pushed forward and eyed him suspiciously.

He stared and glanced around.