Cricket wiggled to a sitting position and began licking Slade’s nose, calming him.
The alpha wolf in charge lowered his head and sniffed. “Cricket, are you okay?”
“Hey, Trevor. I’m okay, but obviously the bear I just killed isn’t.”
The alpha in charge cocked his head. “I thought the prince…”
She stood. “Come on, Trevor. Quit treating me like a helpless runt. Of course, I killed him.”
Trevor, as his right as alpha, stepped in to discipline her. “You need to learn to quit being a smart ass.”
Cricket lowered her head. “Sorry, sir.”
Slade growled at the alpha. “Come any closer, and I’ll make you my bitch.”
Trevor a smaller alpha than Slade backed down, but threw her a quick glare.
Cricket crawled beneath Slade’s body, acting the submissive, seeking his protection. He suppressed a grin. Now she understands. “If there’s any discipline needed for my little wolf, I shall mete it out, understood?”
Trevor bowed. “Yes, of course, my liege.”
Slade snarled. “Return to base.”
“You must come with us, Prince Slade.”
His hackles rose, and he stared Trevor down. “No more drugs.”
“I promise, as long as you don’t threaten the pack, and especially Dr. Warner.”
Odd. His beast's desire to go rogue and leave humanity had left. “I apologize. It wasn’t my intention to cause harm.”
Cricket moved away and turned toward headquarters. He snapped at her. “Where the fuck are you going?”
She stopped, tucked her tail between her legs and turned. “I need to make sure my mare is okay.”
Slade turned to Trevor. “I’ll go with her, then join you and Dr. Warner in his office.”
“Very well, but allow me to send two betas with you.”
“Yes, of course.” As if they could stop him from doing whatever he pleased.
Cricket turned on the hot shower, and sponge
d herself, allowing the water and soap to wash off the scent of bear blood. Remembering her victory. The bear had twisted to maul her, then fell on his bad hip and moaned in agony. She moved in for the kill. The bear had been so weak ripping his carotid had not been difficult. The famished bear almost didn’t protest. Rylee would have approved of putting Old Miner out of his misery. Though, not her method. Better if she’d used a rifle.
Then Slade showed up.
Cricket shook her head. As if. Go find a real princess to rescue. She didn’t need heroes and bossy alphas to tell her what to do. After earning beta status, did he and Rylee think she would be happy to go back to the lowest status possible?
He bit my nose! If Slade had known the old bear wouldn't survive more than another day or two, he might not have been so fast at disciplining her. I’m not a cub!
Cricket wiggled her sore nose. Not broken. Yet, when he lovingly licked the blood off her mouth and nudged her body as if to feel for injuries, she’d been shamelessly turned on. As if sex was even remotely on his mind. Just his alpha need to protect. He’d gone insane and just her luck found her in the meadow. Why had he not escaped? What was the mysterious bond that kept him near her? Not a bond, just another symptom of his morphopsychosis. Or what Warner preferred to call morphogenesis, or the non-serial killer condition.
At least while they ran back to the stables in wolf form, he’d not pestered her about her defiance. Cricket played the scene at the stables over and over in her mind.
When she reached the barn, she shifted, but he remained a wolf and gazed at her naked body. The heat of his hungry stare hinted at longing. One moment she felt like the kid sister he must protect, and the next a woman he desired. How confusing. She had grabbed an old large shirt in the barn and donned it.
Her nipples hardened as he watched her. Betraying little nubs. Part of her was humiliated at his gaze and other parts begged for his attention. Royal ass probably laughed at the scent of her arousal. Of course, she found him attractive. So what! He’s just eye candy. A toy to look at! Unattainable. With all those lovely she-wolves filling his inbox, he’d soon forget about the runt fawning over the hot forbidden alpha.