Read Bound to the Alpha: Part Two for Free Online Page B

lose Hale. While he could not be relied on to always be there, when he was, there was no one Cain trusted more to defend the pack.
    To Hale, he said, “Speak.”
    Hale sighed with annoyance, but complied. “ After I made sure that the pack was secure at Greystone, I went back to scout the hills.”
    His eyes became unfocused as he thought back. “I followed a few trails, but didn’t find anything. Just when I was about to turn back, I ran into one of the foxes who live in the eastern lowlands. She said that their forest is being leveled by some logging company. Everyone is heading for the western mountains and we should probably do the same.”
    “We do not have a den there,” Alder said, stating the obvious.
    “Well, if it’s true, we can’t stay here,” said Hale.
    Cain tuned them out as he considered all of the new information his brother had given him. The western mountains were already a highly-contested area. Large packs of various species were constantly embroiled in territory wars over the limited hunting grounds. Moving his small pack there would be dangerous, even if they had the security of a den.
    Rubbing at his temple, Cain decided he would wait until later that night to decide. He was far too drained to be making such a major decision.
    “Go inside,” he told them. “We will discuss this at length later.”
    Hale stood and left, not needing to be told twice, but Alder lingered. Once his brother had gone inside, he asked, “Who is the female?”
    Cain sat beside Alder, giving his brother a weary look. “My new mate, though she does not yet know it.”
    Cain recounted the events of the past few weeks, from meeting Sarah, to the mating thrall. It had not been his intention to divulge his mistakes, but if Hale was the brother he could trust in a fight, Alder was the one he could trust with his indiscretions. Alder listened stoically and without judgment, and that was exactly what Cain had needed.
    When Cain finished, Alder simply asked, “Do you care about her?”
    “It would be much easier if I did not.”

Chapter 9
    T hings fell into a comfortable routine at Greystone. The wolves slept in the mornings. In the afternoons, while most of the pack was preoccupied with hunting and chores, Sarah took on the job of minding the ‘pups’, which had previously been Clover’s responsibility. Clover was overjoyed at finally being able to join the hunt, and Sarah was pretty sure that the only reason the girl wanted her to stay was so that she no longer had to be the pack babysitter.
    Sarah really didn’t mind watching the kids. Cain’s son always went hunting with his father, which left her with Sable and Snow, who couldn’t have been more different. Sable, a cousin of Lotus, was loud, forceful, and prone to spectacular tantrums when she didn’t get her way. Only half Sable’s age, Snow was quiet, amiable, and even-tempered. Having to watch them both, it was easy to see how many of the adults in the pack overlooked Snow. With such a mellow nature, she was often ignored in favor of the more demanding children.
    Although Lotus would throw a fit at being called a pup, her sisters regularly left her in Sarah’s care while they hunted, which Sarah thought was a little unfair, considering Caim could go, and he was half the girl’s age. Lotus thought so too, and she would often spend the whole afternoon getting herself in a lather over being left behind and bragging nonstop about her hunting prowess as Sarah chased the pups around.
    Sarah’s favorite time of day was the hour before everyone returned, when the sky was just starting to darken. After tiring themselves out all afternoon, the three of the girls would lie down for an early-evening nap. In their wolf forms, Lotus and Sable would fight over Sarah’s lap, pawing each other in the face until they ran out of energy and passed out. Snow slept in Sarah’s arms, cradled against her chest. While Sarah didn’t want to play favorites, there was a muted