Girl from Jussara by Hettie Ivers Read Free Book Online

almost, but not quite, a shrug, and the soldier fell to the ground. Lifeless.
    Death by Alpha half-shrug? Holy shit!
    When he turned the full weight of his attention on her, Lupe determined it was time to panic. He looked her over, and she him. He was huge—as tall and as large as Alcaeus. But darker. His coal eyes were cruel.
    She’d heard stories, whispers amongst the human help about the feats of untold magic for which the Alpha was capable. She’d heard him described by his own kind as “brutal” and “sadistic.” And now, as he stood before her, everything about him screamed that he was definitely a dangerous predator beyond compare.
    “You’re Al’s little human woman, aren’t you?”
    He’d asked a question. She knew she should say something. But he’d phrased it more like a statement of fact. Conflicted, she stayed silent. Staring. Shaking. Scared out of her wits as she wondered if he was going to kill her next.
    His head canted to the side, bored eyes skating over the bloody machete clutched in her trembling hands and the dead werewolf at her feet before returning to study her face. Then he yawned. Actually yawned! As if the sight of her terror and his own beheaded pack member were just that dull to him.
    “That little brat they call Jussara I’ve seen running around with Al is your little one?”
    His words surprised her, and she straightened defensively but did not reply. Again, she wasn’t sure he’d actually posed a question. And she was still struggling to compose herself. It was a shock to her that he’d even known who she was, much less known of her daughter.
    “Haven’t made many friends here, have you?” he assessed. Another statement-question.
    “You know, there’s a book about making friends by a man named Carnegie you might want to peruse sometime,” he suggested. “Humans seem to like that one. Read a bit of it myself once. Don’t recall offhand there being a chapter endorsing the practice of macheting people whenever conversation fails.”
    She snorted before she could prevent herself. This beast was lecturing her on the subject of making friends? While the Alpha Alex was widely feared and revered, he was not well liked by many. Not many at all. This much she knew.
    “Mm … can’t read, huh?” he very insultingly presumed, scratching his jaw. “Figures. Well, in any case, I can’t allow you to go about macheting my pack members every time you’re startled or feel threatened, understand?”
    She nodded slowly.
    “Good.” He extended his hand to her, palm up. “The machete.” It was an Alpha command.
    Her eyes danced nervously from the bloody weapon in her shaking hands to the Alpha’s expectant face. Briefly she considered going for his throat with it. His sudden, deep roll of laughter startled her, and she tottered backwards on wobbly legs.
    Capable arms caught her from behind before she tumbled to her ass. On reflex, she flailed and swung wildly with the weapon. But the stranger who’d caught her from behind seemed to have anticipated this exact reaction from her, as his arms immediately trapped hers and his hand clamped forcefully over her wrist, instantly stilling the weapon’s movement before she could do damage to herself or anyone around her.
    “Shhhh—you’re okay. Be calm and let go, Lupe,” Kai’s most welcome voice soothed in her ear, using nearly the same tone he’d employed throughout her labor. “I’m in charge,” he whispered. “You will heed me and let go. Now, Lupe,” he ordered. “Do as I say and I will take care of you.”
    She understood what he was after. She would have to relinquish her weapon to the Alpha. There was no way around it. Alex had commanded it, and Kai would have to obey him. If Kai were to have any chance at all of protecting her from Alex, she would have to do exactly as instructed.
    Reluctantly, biting back a sob, she let Kai pry her father’s machete from her bloodless fingers.
    As it thumped to the ground, she