“I believe you’ve been kicked out of the sick room,” I turned to find Wyatt leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting for me. “Clean bill of health, then? Because I’m dying to see how this all goes.” He motioned to the front door, and I curiously went to see what he was talking about. What I saw surprised and angered me.
Delaney and Alex stood in the front yard, nose to nose. Delaney was whispering fiercely and poking her finger into Alex’s chest. Unbidden by me, I felt a growl rumble in my chest at Delaney’s aggressive behavior towards Alex. Ignoring the chuckle behind me, I stepped down off the porch and walked quickly to the arguing duo.
“A human?” I heard Delaney spit out venomously. “You are picking a human as your mate? I don’t care that you changed her. That does not make her worthy of a born wolf!” I saw Ryker coming to check on the situation as well, and at Delaney’s words he flinched. I had only a moment to consider what that meant before I was standing beside Alex, staring down the redheaded female who seemed to always be against me.
“Did you need to say something to me Delaney?” I asked, trying to keep calm as heat coursed through my veins. My newer instincts called for me to defend Alex and myself against the impetuous female before me.
“You don’t deserve him,” Delaney spat. “No made wolf could ever be good enough to become an Alpha. You don’t have the right to carry on the pure blood lines of his family. Only a pure born wolf should have that right.” Alex growled beside me, and I noticed the slightest flicker of doubt cross Delaney’s face. This was my fight though, and if I let Alex handle it for me, I would never gain any respect from the pack.
“A pure wolf?” I questioned, stepping forward. I raise my head high and looked down at Delaney. “I suppose you’re a pure wolf Delaney. Has Alex shown you interest that I’m unaware of? Do you think you can frighten me because I’m new to this? Because let me tell you, new or not, I still feel the urge to rip your throat out for touching Alex and assuming that you’re better than I am.”
Delaney’s eyes were enormous as she looked from Alex to me. Finally, she lowered her head, though only slightly lower than mine. It was a small victory, but my heart swelled with triumph. I didn’t allow the smile I felt show on my face. Instead I continued to watch Delaney as she backed away a few steps and then turned to stomp into the house. I saw Ryker watching Delaney’s retreat as well, and the shock and sadness on his face was now replace with disgust.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alex
I was shocked. Not shocked by Delaney’s behavior. I knew that her prejudices ran deep, and I hoped that one day she would overcome them. My shock stemmed from Zee’s aggressive response towards the threat to our relationship and her ability to be an alpha. She hadn’t backed down in her newness to the situation, and in the end, she had won out. Now I could see that her eyes were a lighter brown and she was incredibly tense.
“Let’s run,” I said pulling her into the trees. She followed easily until I had her quite a distance in the trees. “Shifting is easy, remember that fluid feeling I talked about? Just let it happen.” I waited a moment, watching her close her eyes. Her brow wrinkled in frustration and I pressed a kiss to it. She smiled and then with a deep breath she shifted.
Standing before me was pure white wolf. I looked over her body and did not see a single guard hair in a different color. Her lighter brown eyes and black nose stood out in stark contrast against the white. She was breathtaking. Her head cocked to the side, as if in question.
“You’re beautiful,” I breathed. “Pure white, like the snow.” The wolf before me looked down at her paws and then around at her back and tail. She wagged her tail a bit and then looked back at me. I knew she was waiting for me to join her, so I shifted, too.
The moment I was a wolf she ducked her head slightly for the briefest moment of respect and then she was against me. She sniffed all over my body. When she seemed satisfied with that, she licked my chin once before dashing into the woods. I gave her a ten-count head start and then took off after her.
She was magnificent to watch in action. Her wolf instincts seemed to be helping her greatly. She left paw prints but left the rest of the world around her relatively unscathed. She ran with her tail held high until she noticed me gaining on her. Then she shifted directions, kicking some snow at me, and tail down, put on as much speed as she could. I loved it, picking up speed to keep pace with her. The moment I thought she would slow down she bumped me with her shoulder, causing me to roll over in the snow, and ran off in a different direction.
You do realize that I’m going to get you for that, right? I asked. I felt her shock at hearing me.
Wow, so that’s how you guys seem to say so much, Zee marveled. Oh, and you have to catch me first. She laughed over our mental link. I was already on the hunt for her. She wasn’t careless, but even she couldn’t leave no signs with all the snow on the ground. I followed her scent and her trail through the forest at a quick
