Alpha's Claim: Urban Fantasy Romance Standalone by Amelia Hutchins

Author:Amelia Hutchins [Hutchins, Amelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amelia Hutchins
Published: 2021-04-22T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

It took days to fully heal from my injuries, even with copious amounts of vampire blood that had been fed to me intravenously. During that time, Saint had hovered. He’d been inside the room with me, trying to force conversation, which I’d ignored for the most part. There was a certain freedom in knowing someone else was taking care of the pack and that it wasn’t up to me to oversee it all anymore.

On the fifth day of being on bed rest, Saint finally slipped out of the room to deal with a disturbance. It left me alone for the first time since he’d shown up here and ruined my plans. Slipping into the closet, I dressed into a soft pair of jeans and a cashmere top.

I slid my feet into a pair of knee-high leather boots and stepped out of the bedroom, peering up at Xavier, who leaned against the wall with his phone in his hand. He pushed it into his pocket the moment he noticed me.

“How are you feeling?” His kind, blue eyes met and held my stare.

“Fine,” I said sharply as his mouth tipped into a friendly smile.

“Saint didn’t want you to leave the room, but a bit of fresh air never hurt anyone. Do you want to go outside for a few? It’s not too cold yet, but you might want a jacket.”

“Fresh air sounds good,” I answered, noting the way his muscles rippled.

Xavier’s dark blonde brow rose in silent question, and I shrugged. “I don’t get bothered by the cold unless I’m left underground inside a storage container for a few weeks.” So, I was being petty and rude, but then he was on Saint’s side, and I was done playing nice with all of them.

Not bothering to wait for permission, I started down the long hallway toward the staircase that led down to the main entrance. The cold air blasted against my face as I pushed through the doors. I could smell the promise of snow in the crisp air.

People paused the moment they caught my scent, examining me like I was a threat. A mother grabbed her child, pulling him closer before fleeing with him. It caused an ache in my chest that tightened around my heart.

Men that had been chopping wood paused, staring me down with derision burning in their gazes. I got it; to lie to the pack or place them into a threatening situation was a heinous crime that would sever their trust. It didn’t look good, but that they’d assume I was guilty based only on the word of strangers stung.

I’d never given the pack a reason to doubt my loyalty, always placing their needs before my own. Now, they’d chosen to treat me like I wasn’t the same girl who had grown up working beside them. They had judged me without a trial or without one person asking if I’d done the crime. Toralei waved, and a soft grin tugged my lips as I turned, peering up at Xavier.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.