Trust by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online Page A

“This particular pack is mostly female. They’re led by one alpha male, Silas.”
    Taylor blinked in surprise. “Silas? That doesn’t sound like a werewolf name.”
    He couldn’t help but smile. “And what does a werewolf name sound like?”
    She lifted a shoulder. “I dunno. Gur-roth or Var-dred or…why is that funny?”
    Alder shook his head, still smiling. “They’re not as different from humans as you think.”
    Taylor gave a thoughtful nod. “I suppose not. Their mothers are human, after all. Aren’t they? At least, that’s what the fringe people say.” She rolled her eyes. “They think werewolves take their women away to the mountains to breed with them.”
    “Many of them come willingly,” he said, curious as to how she would react. “Being the mate of an alpha is a very honored position. In a stable pack with a strong alpha, those women lead happy and fulfilling lives.”
    And if Taylor were his mate, Alder would make sure she and any offspring they had would be well provided for. He wanted to tell her as much, but it was yet another thing that would have to wait until later.
    “You sure do know a lot about werewolves,” she said, absently chewing her lip. “Hey, are you one of those people who study werewolves? Like that French woman who wrote those werewolf books? Is that why you live out here?”
    “No, I’m not studying werewolves.”
    “Yeah, you don’t really look like a researcher,” she said, grinning. “So what do you do out here?”
    He hesitated. He wasn’t going to lie to her, not when he’d have to tell her the truth soon enough. But he also wasn’t ready to come clean.
    “You don’t have to tell me,” she said, picking up on his reluctance.
    Alder liked that she finally seemed to be getting comfortable with him, and he didn’t want to shut her out. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s—”
    Taylor held up a hand, shaking her head. “No, it’s really okay, Alder. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Most men would have left me in the dust by now. I don’t want to pry into your personal life. I’m just glad you’re still here.”
    It wasn’t the first time she’d expressed the sentiment. The morning after they’d met, Taylor had been surprised when he’d returned, believing that he’d left her. Alder remembered being slightly offended that she’d thought so little of him, but he was beginning to realize that it was more likely she thought little of herself. There was a vulnerability to her, one that she hid well, but was all too apparent to a predator such as himself.
    There were many things he wanted to say to her, but he was also beginning to realize that Taylor wasn’t the type of female who responded to pretty words and promises.
    So instead, he reached out and took her hand, holding it firmly as they continued up the mountain.
----
    ‘ E xhausting ’. That was what Taylor had called hiking through the woods. She seriously regretted using that word now, because she no longer had a suitable adjective to describe climbing up a freaking mountain.
    Within the first few hours of climbing, two things had become apparent. The first was that Alder was a world-class mountaineer. The second was that he hadn’t planned on her sucking so badly.
    While she stumbled and staggered behind him, Alder skillfully navigated the rocky terrain, frequently having to stop so she could catch up. He must have been really sick of having to wait for her, because eventually he began dragging her along under the guise of holding her hand.
    As they scaled a slope of loose stones, one of the rocks gave way under her foot, causing her to slip. The mountain wasn’t steep enough that she’d fall to her doom, but she would have taken a nasty blow to her head, had Alder not caught her.
    “Crap,” she hissed, grabbing her ankle. She wiggled the joint, unsure if it was injured or if it was just sore from all the traveling she’d been doing.
    Alder