Capturing the Alpha (Shifters of Nunavut Book 1) by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online

his wolf had quickly dismissed this male as viable competition. No male of any substance would allow his female to put herself in such a dangerous position without his protection.
    If he let her, Zane thought she would question him until first light. But he knew that she needed her sleep, and so eventually he feigned tiredness and then got up to search for Indigo. He wanted badly to stay with her, to cover her in his own furs and to have her sleep beside him, enveloped in his warmth.
    But she wasn’t for him, she couldn’t be. And if he did those things, it would be harder for him to remind himself of that once they got back to his den. Better she sleep beside Kuva and wear his scent in the morning. Perhaps then, his wolf would begin to accept what Zane already knew.

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    Ginnifer slept horribly. It wasn’t the cold or the wind that kept her from sleeping deeply, it was anxiety over being exposed. She kept waking in the night to readjust her coverings, fearful that one of her limbs would slip out and she would wake to severe frostbite.
    Eventually, she fell into the hard sleep of exhaustion, only to be rudely awakened by the glare of morning sunlight. She sat up, her muscles and bones aching unpleasantly. She was unexpectedly warm, and she noticed that in addition to the fur that Kuva had given her, a darker fur laid spread out over her. She slipped off her glove to finger the sleek, espresso-colored pelt contemplatively.
    The fire had gone out some time ago, and only a pile of ashes remained in the small stone circle. His teeth chattering, Boaz sat hunched over it, as though trying to gleam some phantom warmth from hours past.
    “G-Good morning,” he said, rocking back and forth on the balls of his heels.
    “Good morning yourself. Where is everyone?”
    She spied Tallow near the alcove, still dozing in her wolf form, and to Ginnifer’s surprise, Indigo was there as well, sitting not far from Boaz, but with her back turned to them.
    “Breeze went for a run and the guys said they were hunting. I told them we had enough food to share, but I guess they aren’t interested in power bars.”
    “What are they hunting?” Ginnifer asked. “And did they say when they’ll be back?”
    “They’re hunting rabbits,” Indigo said, still not looking at them. Unlike her brother, her voice held no discernable accent. “Though, I suspect Zane would drag back a whole herd of caribou if he thought it would impress you.”
    Ginnifer frowned, but didn’t comment on the remark. Instead, she asked, “How is your ankle doing?”
    Indigo was quiet for so long that Ginnifer thought she wasn’t going to respond. Finally, she said, “It’s better.”
    She turned around, extending her leg to show that the mangled flesh had already undergone a rapid regeneration. The skin was an angry red color, but the wounds had closed and Ginnifer could see the beginnings of scar tissue forming.
    “That’s amazing,” Ginnifer breathed, and she could only wonder at how many incredible things she would see in the coming weeks.
    Indigo pulled her leg back and tucked it under the grey pelt that she wore. “I suppose I should thank you. Unlike my brother, you actually tried to save me.”
    “Zane was going to save you,” Breeze said, appearing from behind a large rock. She wore only a loose leather hide and her short white hair was windswept. “But not until you learned your lesson.”
    “Because Zane always knows what’s best for me,” Indigo muttered.
    “You’re fortunate he let that be your punishment, for all the trouble you caused the pack. We will be fortunate if Sedna doesn’t hear of this.”
    “Sedna can go stuff it,” Indigo huffed. “We have a better territory, more food, and a stronger alpha. I don’t see why we’re always treading on eggshells with them.”
    “You’re right,” Breeze said patiently. “We do have more than Sedna, much more. But the more you have, the more you have to lose.”
    “I guess I