Bound to the Alpha: Part Three by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online Page A

had their situation not been so dire. He looked to Sarah just in time to catch her smile. She was handling the situation remarkably well, but Cain suspected that beneath her calm façade she was just as anxious as the rest of them. He wished that he could reassure her, but there was no time.
    Heading up the pack, Cain shifted, signaling to the others that it was time to depart. His wolves fell into a tight formation behind him, and he led them towards the river.
    According to Hale, who had been on patrol, the shots had come from the east. There had been no more gunfire after the first two shots, and to Cain, the silence was foreboding.
    Between getting medicine for Snow and taking a new mate, Cain had either been away from the pack, or otherwise unfocused on his duties as alpha. If he had been doing his job right, he would have known why there were humans encroaching on his territory and how best to protect his pack.
    Instead, he was leading them blindly. With human soldiers having been spotted near his southern den and gunshots in the east, there were only two choices: north or west. The western mountain ranges were hotly contested and doubtlessly flooded with an influx of predators that’d had the sense to leave weeks ago.
    It was not the first time Cain had moved his pack, and he doubted it would be the last, but this time, his decision seemed to matter so much more.

Chapter 10
    T he sky was just beginning to lighten when the pack finally stopped to take a break. They had traveled all night, and Sarah was looking forward to getting some rest.
    Yet another perk of werewolf children was that they were very quiet travelers. None of the kids spoke all night, except to alert an adult that they had to pee. They all seemed to sense the magnitude of the situation, and adjusted their behavior accordingly.
    But by the time the pack stopped, most of the children were buzzing with pent-up energy. Not allowed to wander from the small campsite, they chased one another around in circles.
    Shortly after they stopped, Cain came to check on her and Caim. There were dark circles under his eyes, and Sarah wanted badly to take him into her arms and make him rest. She urged him to stay, but he left to scout with Fern and his brothers anyway, promising to return within the hour.
    As building a fire might have drawn attention, they all had to deal with the cold. Not quite as impervious to weather as her werewolf friends, Sarah wedged herself between Grace and Jewel, pretending to be interested in their conversation. She didn’t have to feign interest for long.
    “Let’s hope no one raided the food provisions there,” Grace said, her lips flattening.
    Sarah looked between the two women. “Where?”
    “The safe place,” Jewel said. “It’s where we’re headed.”
    Sarah was embarrassed to realize she hadn’t given any consideration as to where they were going. After the gunfire, her mind and body had gone into a sort of autopilot, and she’d trusted Cain and the wolves to know what they were doing.
    “Where is this ‘safe place’?” Sarah asked.
    Clover chimed in, “It’s past the river to the north, about another day’s walk from here. It’s very small, but it’s safe.”
    “I figured as much,” Sarah said, staring down at her hands glumly. Another day of walking. Just what she wanted to hear.
    Sarah heard the snap of wood, and looked up as Lotus came tumbling down from a tree. She landed face first in the snow, but got up quickly, not looking any worse for wear.
    “What are you doing, runt?” Jewel asked, giving her little sister a stern look.
    “I was trying to show them how high I could climb,” Lotus said, brushing the snow from her blonde hair.
    “Well, we all see how that worked out. How about you stop acting like a cat and come sit down?”
    Lotus’s face scrunched up. “I am not acting like a cat, and I do not want to sit.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I have been sitting all night.