Alpha Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel Read Online Free Page B

him.
    “What?”
    “There.” She nodded to the west, right by the tree line, but didn’t make any sudden movements.
    A brown horse whinnied and kept trotting back and forth nervously. Connor had been so focused on Ana and the threat that he hadn’t noticed the other animal.
    “She’s my horse and she was locked up earlier,” Ana continued.
    The nervous, almost pained note in her voice told him a lot. She truly cared about this animal.
    “Stay here,” he murmured, and headed toward it.
    “No.” She grasped his upper arm tightly. “She might run from you.”
    “Trust me, okay?” He looked into her dark eyes. She opened her mouth once as if to argue but nodded.
    It was a small act but it touched him that she was putting her trust in him. “I saw a wolf to the east of us. It’s probably one of Taggart’s and I think it’s gone, but don’t go anywhere.”
    Without waiting for a response he strode toward Ana’s horse. Keeping his movements steady but casual, he quickly breached the distance. Adalita pounded her hoof against the ground twice, as if ready to charge, but the closer he got, the calmer she became.
    Animals had an innate sense of survival. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. By now she was obviously used to the scent of lupine shifters. Connor murmured soothing sounds until he stood directly in front of her. He reached out his palm and let her smell him. When she didn’t bolt, he gently petted her, then loosely grabbed her mane.
    Without bothering to get on her back he hurried the horse back toward Ana, who hadn’t moved.
    “Thank you. I—”
    “Ride her back to the barn.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t know if Taggart or his wolves are still in the woods. Now ride. ” He could barely think straight, knowing danger lurked so close to them. To her.
    She wanted to argue. He could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw, but she did as he said. Part of him knew he needed to stop with the demands, but he didn’t want to waste time worrying about being polite when all he cared about was getting her to safety.
    As Ana rode back to the barn, he ran toward the fire. Flames still licked into the sky, but the extinguishers did their job. After what felt like an eternity they managed to douse the flames. Tonight could have gone a lot different if not for Ana’s preparedness.
    He couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly she and all the women had acted. Even if he hadn’t been there the Cordona women would have had no problem taking care of the fire. Of course, it never should have happened in the first place.
    The dwindling smoke curled into the cold night air, wrapping around all of them. The chemical scent of accelerant was unmistakable. Whoever had set this hadn’t tried to cover it. Even a human could smell the kerosene permeating the air. He stiffened as Ana circled around her packmates, heading straight for him.
    His heart beat faster and he had to contain the lust flowing through him. He didn’t want to scare her even more.
    She stopped a foot away from him. Her dark eyes were expressionless. “I’ll do it.”
    “What?” He frowned, unsure what she referred to.
    “I’ll mate with you on a temporary basis. If it’ll save my pack I’ll do almost anything. I just can’t agree to be your bondmate. I’m sorry, Connor. We haven’t seen each other in decades, and I—” She shook her head and her voice broke on the last word. Her normally silvery voice was distant, remote, and it clawed at his insides.
    Not exactly what he’d wanted to hear. And it was his own damn fault. He should have romanced her, courted her, like she deserved. Taken things slow. Told her how he really felt about her and why he’d left all those years ago. Instead he’d barged in like a jackass and made demands. After what had happened she’d probably agree to mate with just about anyone who wasn’t Taggart, to save her pack. Shame burned through him like swift, hot lava at the way he’d pushed her into that