“If I wanted to harm you, it would’ve already happened.”
“How reassuring.” She stepped further back, “But I’m not what you think I am. I’m not what those things think I am.” She shoved past me, causing the loose hood of her sweater to fall, revealing more of her lovely face.
“You are one of those things.”
The woman spun on her heels. “What?”
“They are hunters that obey the will of the Unseelie Court. You may not be Unseelie, but you are fae—at least half. In fact, I am not certain what sort of fae you are, but your scent gives it away. What I would like to know is how you have stayed hidden all these years.”
I swept my gaze over her figure. The fabric of her waterlogged clothes clung to soft curves and toned form, making my hands clench with the urge to touch her. If what she said was true—if she truly did not know who or what she was, then she was the perfect choice.
It was unheard of for an Alpha of my years to be without a mate. My duty was to the pack and by not doing so sooner, I made us appear weak to the other shifters.
There was no tolerance for weakness when tension continued to rise between the packs and the fae courts. I needed a mate, one that was not influenced by the conflicts of my people, but one that would obey my stand as King and Alpha.
“The hunters would not have been able to find you if fae blood didn’t flow through your veins. What’s your name?” Her eyes darted to the cars that passed by just outside the alley. I took another step in her direction. “Running would not be wise. As I said, this is my territory. There is nowhere you could go in this city where I couldn’t find you.”
Fear—and perhaps a bit of anger—replaced the shock I had seen before.
She raised her chin up, “My name is Anna.”
I held my hand out and uttered a small spell beneath my breath. A coat appeared in my hands and I wrapped it around her shoulders. “Come. I’ll walk you home, Anna. We have much to discuss.”
She pulled out of my reach once more. “Why should I trust you?”
“Because I am the only one that can keep you safe,” I growled irritably. “I can see the fatigue in your eyes, Anna. You want to stop running. You want to live a life that is not dictated by fear and isolation. I can give you that...I can give you freedom.”
“And how would you do that?” Reluctantly, Anna burrowed deeper into the coat. Dark circles rested beneath her beautiful eyes. “Everyone who’s tried to protect me from those shadows has ended up dead.”
“I am the King. It’s a title that was given to me because of my father’s bloodline. But I am also the Alpha of my pack, a status that can only be earned by those who possess a natural talent for the arcane arts. Not all wolves can summon a coat out of thin air.” I smiled as clothing began to manifest on my body, concealing my nudity (which she had been conveniently avoiding). Though the show of magic seemed to impress Anna, there were those within my pack that felt the need to challenge me. “I can protect you.”
“What’s the catch?” She asked.
“The catch?”
“Well, why are you so generously willing to put up with my problems? You don’t know me, so you must gain something from it.” She tiled her head, “I want to know what that is.”
I crossed my arms over my wide chest, “My protection comes under one very specific condition.”
“Which would be?”
“Marriage.”
She scoffed, “That’s not funny.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Anna stepped back with a wariness in her eyes. “I’m a stranger to you.”
“And?”
“Why the hell would you want to marry me?” She glanced around as if looking for anywhere to bolt from my sight. “You want to marry a stranger with a million problems of her own? Someone you have only known for five minutes?”
“My reasons are my own.”
She shook her head, “You have to be either crazy, or some kind of sicko if the only woman you can get to say yes, is me.”
“I assure you I am neither of those things.”
“That’s exactly what a psychopath would say, isn’t it?”
A growl echoed from my chest, “You are exhausting, you know that?”
“I mean you’re a king after all, right? Don’t you have a harem of women willing and ready?”
“Yes, and yet here I am, offering this privilege to you.”
“I still don’t understand why.”
“I can’t explain something you will never comprehend. Your choices as I see them, are either to live by my side—or die by the hands of those who hunt you.”
Anna shifted uncomfortably and crossed her arms over her chest. A million thoughts swirled in her lovely eyes as I waited in silence.
“This is crazy.”
“Not as crazy as choosing the alternative.” I stated.
“I’m going to need time to think. I’ve been searching for answers for a long time and I don’t know what to make of any of this.” She threw her hands into the air, “The life you live isn’t reality in my mind.”
“It’s not your reality, and yet you acknowledge to being chased by creatures no mortal knows of, and talking to a man who was moments ago, a wolf?”
“I didn’t say my logic made sense. It just is.”
I raised a thick brow, “Well, now that you’ve explained yourself so clearly . . .”
“Just because you’ve seen the crazy stuff doesn’t mean you automatically believe in it. The mind does plenty of weird things to protect us.” She exhaled, “And my reality is that I am hunted and I’m afraid that I’ll never live in peace.”
“Whether you like it or not, this is your reality. This world. My world. No more games. What is your decision?”
Her nose scrunched up at my words. “You presented a solution
