Enslaved by the Alpha (Shifters of Nunavut Book 2)

by Rivard, Viola

  Erik crouched down beside his mate. He lifted her arm to examine it, but the red line was still there.

  “It doesn’t work right away,” Indigo told him. “It looks like we got to it before the infection reached her blood. We still need to get fluids into her. I can run an IV if she doesn’t wake up, but I’d rather not waste the supplies if we don’t have to.”

  Over the next few hours, the inflammation went down and they managed to get her to drink an adequate amount. Indigo predicted she’d make a full recovery within a few days, and as the night wore on, the room’s occupants finally cleared out, leaving Erik alone with his mate.

  While his mate wouldn’t die, Erik knew that a part of himself had. He wasn’t sure which part, he only knew that the experience had changed him, and that he would never be quite the same again. And that was not such a bad thing, he thought.

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  Astrid woke to the sight of Ginnifer yawning. They were both lying on their sides on the bed, facing one another. When Ginnifer noticed Astrid was awake, she gave her a megawatt smile.

  “Sten brought you,” Astrid said.

  She had vague memories of her sister being there, along with a tall young woman she didn’t recognize. They’d helped her to get up and pee, as well as coaxed her to drink broth. It all had a dreamlike quality to it, and she was amazed to see her sister in the flesh. She reached out to stroke the side of Ginnifer’s face, noticing that her cheeks seemed fuller than usual. Ginnifer’s light brown eyes sparkled with mirth.

  “He brought all of us,” Ginnifer told her. “But we can talk about that later. Can I get you something to drink?”

  Ginnifer sat up, not waiting for a response. Astrid tried to sit up as well, but the most she could manage was propping herself up on her arm. She still felt shaky, but it felt more like she needed to eat, rather than that she was sick. A glance at her arm revealed that the red line was gone.

  “I gave you amoxicillin,” Ginnifer said as she busied herself with pouring a cup of water. “It seems to have worked well.”

  “Where did you get that?” Astrid asked, before remembering to add, “and thank you.”

  “We have a decent supply of antibiotics and other medicines back at the den. We couldn’t bring everything when we left. We couldn’t bring much of anything, really. But I remembered that, at least. Thank God.”

  When she turned back around to offer Astrid the water, Astrid could see that she was still very pregnant. Her belly appeared to have doubled in size since the last time Astrid had seen her, and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask if Ginnifer was expecting a whole litter of puppies.

  Astrid took a drink from the cup. “You look radiant.”

  Ginnifer snorted. “Give me tusks and I could be a walrus.” She rubbed the top of her oversized belly. A worried frown marred her pretty face. “I was due almost two weeks ago. Every time I have contractions I think it’s definitely time, but then they stop. I’m not even afraid of giving birth anymore, I just want it to be over.”

  Her smile returning in full force, Ginnifer said, “I can complain about this to you now, without feeling like a bitch.”

  She gave Astrid’s belly a pointed look, and Astrid’s hand moved to cover it. “You know? Do you think everything’s all right?”

  “Everything’s fine,” Ginnifer said, giving Astrid’s shoulder a squeeze. “Indigo says that you and your baby should make a full recovery.”

  “Who’s Indigo, and how can she be sure everything’s okay with the baby?”

  “She’s my little sister,” Ginnifer said, her lips quirking. “And as for the other part… I’m not really sure, but she seemed confident.”

  Astrid was about to ask her sister to go find this Indigo and drag her back to the room for a thorough questioning, but from the doorway, a deep voice spoke softly to her.

  “She can tell by your scent.” Astrid looked up to see a figure leaning against the wall, just outside the door. She could only make out one shadowed side of his face, but she recognized her sister’s handsome mate.

  Zane went on to say, “The scent of your pregnancy becomes stronger each day. It plateaus eventually, but it’s a very noticeable difference early on. If you’d lost your pup, the scent would have stagnated and then begun to weaken.”

  “Oh,” Astrid said, relaxing a little. “Thank you.”

  Ginnifer glanced his way, sighing.

  “I guess I’ll let that one slide,” Ginnifer muttered. To Astrid, she said, “I asked him to give us privacy, but he refused to any anywhere with your mate here. As if Rip Van Winkle over there is going to hurt me.”

  Astrid’s brows rose, and she turned around, noticing for the first time that Erik was in the room. Her eyes bulged at the sight of him, sprawled out on the floor with one big arm flung over his eyes to block out the lantern light. Only the slow rise and fall of his chest told her that he was sleeping, and not dead.

  Astrid heard Zane’s smooth voice from behind her. “Does he always rest like that?”

  “It’s like he’s in a coma,” Ginnifer added.

  Feeling protective of her mate, Astrid replied, “Only when he hasn’t slept in days. A lot of days. Any other time, he sleeps with one eye open.”

  Astrid grabbed one of the furs from the bed and covered him with it. Even for Erik, it was an unusually deep sleep, and she wondered how long he’d been awake, worrying over her.

  “You said you brought your whole pack?” Astrid asked, suddenly remembering her sister’s earlier words. “Erik let them all in, right?”

  Ginnifer’s expression tightened. “For one week. The baby really will be here any day now, so that’ll be long enough for me to have someplace safe to give birth, and then—”

  “And then you’re staying here,” Zane said, an authoritative edge to his tone.

  Ginnifer blinked rapidly, and then her jaw locked stubbornly. Speaking through her teeth, she said, “My mate doesn’t seem to realize how contradictory it is that he won’t leave me alone for a private conversation, but in a few days he plans on ditching me and our son here indefinitely.”

  Zane stepped into the room, and the cold fury on his face had Astrid shrinking back to be closer to Erik. Zane opened his mouth to say something, but stopped short when he saw Ginnifer, who looked to be on the verge of tears. They both stared at one another, neither moving except to blink.

  The tension in the room was unbearable, and Astrid was eager to cut it. “Where are you planning on going?”

  They both looked at her. Zane spoke first. “There are mountains to the north of here. I’m taking the pack ahead to get settled, and then I’ll be back for Ginnifer and our pup.”

  “He doesn’t even know if they’re inhabitable or not,” Ginnifer said, wrapping her arms around her torso. “And even if they are, there’s no food up there, not enough to support the entire pack.”

  They looked to be on the brink of arguing again, and Astrid quickly reinserted herself into the discussion.

  “There’s no reason for your pack to go anywhere. You can all stay here, at least until you figure out where you’re going.”

  Zane gave her a half smile. “I don’t think that’s your call to make, Astrid.”

  “It’s not.”

  Astrid gave a start as Erik’s thick arm came around her waist. In the next instant, he’d pulled her down beside him, and was scrutinizing her with his heavy-lidded blue gaze. She was so taken aback by the sight of him that she almost forgot what they’d been discussing.

  “We’re not kicking Siluit out,” she said, trying hard to sound stern even as her hands caressed his face and her fingers threaded through his hair. “It’s dangerous out there, and we all need to stick together.”

  She would have said more, but Erik already seemed distracted. He paid no mind to the others in the room, his sole focus on Astrid’s arm, which he held up by the wrist. When he responded to her, Astrid was surprised, not because he’d actually been listening, but because he
said.

  “I did not say that they couldn’t stay, only that it was not your call to make, mate.” At the final word, his lips twitched with a smile that he tried, but ultimately failed to restrain. He let her hand fall back onto the bed and then lowered his head to her hair, inhaling her scent.

  As glad as she was to have her sister there, Astrid wished that she and Erik were alone then. Her chest felt like it was going to burst with all of the emotions she was holding back, and there was so much she wanted to say to Erik in private. At the moment, she no longer trusted herself to speak without being weepy.

  Casting Zane a glance, Erik said, “Our food stores are already too low to support our own numbers. You are responsible for figuring out how to feed your pack while they are here, and your wolves are to keep clear of our hunting grounds. Aside from that, you manage your own and I’ll manage mine. Stay out of my way, and you can remain here through the winter. Contradict me or challenge me, and you’re out.”

  Astrid wasn’t sure if that was a good deal or not, and Zane’s blank expression gave no indication of how he felt about it. Ginnifer, on the other hand, looked like she might have gotten up to hug Erik, if not for her cumbersome belly.

  “Thank you,” Ginnifer said emphatically.

  Zane bent to help his mate to her feet. He pulled her into a loose embrace, and she leaned her head against his chest. They were both tall, beautiful, and despite their earlier spat, they obviously cared deeply for one another.

  Astrid couldn’t help but wonder how differently things would have gone if it had been Erik that Ginnifer had encountered when she’d first come to Nunavut. Rather than feel a stab of jealousy, she had to stop herself from laughing at the thought. Her sister was far too stubborn to have ever capitulated to Erik’s domineering nature. Even Astrid had trouble with it sometimes, but she was pretty good at picking her battles.

  “We’ll find a new den by spring, then,” Zane said, giving Erik the barest incline of his head. To Ginnifer, he said, “Come on, you need some rest.”

  Ginnifer started to protest, but her gaze flickered to Erik and Astrid. She nodded her understanding. “I’ll talk to you in the morning,” she said to Astrid, before letting her mate guide her from the room.

  When they were finally alone, Astrid flung her arms around Erik’s neck, pulling herself up to press a kiss to his lips. Erik gave an appreciative growl, but made no effort to deepen the kiss. When she let him go, she could see that he still looked quite tired.

  Rolling onto his back, Erik stretched out his limbs, all save for the arm that he had around Astrid, which he used to pull her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled up at him.

  “Thank you for letting them stay,” she told him. “I know you didn’t do that for their benefit.”

  “The Siluit wolves are not our enemies, not anymore,” he told her. “Their pack is weak now, but in a few years, if all of their juveniles are properly trained, they will make formidable allies. The balance of power is going to tip in the favor of the bear clans if we don’t come together as they have.”

  “Will Amarok and Siluit be able to take them on together?”

  “We’ll need Sedna as well. If memory serves me, Senda and Siluit have old ties, though the fact that Siluit is here and not up there says that Zane likely did something to fuck that up.” He shook his head. “You should not be concerning yourself with these things.”

  “But they are things that concern me,” she told him. “Even if I can’t do anything to help, it would mean a lot to me if you didn’t keep me in the dark.”

  Erik gave her a measuring look, and then said, “Very well. But know that whatever happens in the months to come, I will keep you and our pup safe.”

  Astrid cuddled closer to him. “I know you will.” She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. “You know…I meant what I said earlier. I really do love you.”

  “Mn. I love you, too,” Erik said mildly.

  Astrid blinked in surprise, and then her eyes narrowed. “Wait, just like that?”

  “Just like what?” he asked, arching a brow.

  “That was the first time you said that you love me. I thought it would be more, I don’t know, romantic.”

  “If it displeases you, then I take it back. I do not love you.”

  “You can’t take it back,” Astrid said, sounding dismayed. “Love doesn’t work that way. You either love me, or you don’t, so which is it?”

  The alpha’s eyes fluttered shut. “I love you. I think.”

  “You think?”

  Astrid sat up, preparing to smack him, when she felt his chest begin to shake. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was laughing, and then she really did smack him. She’d been expecting him to block her hand, and when he didn’t she hit him so hard that she was certain she hurt herself more than him.

  “This is important to me. I wish you would take it more seriously,” she huffed, cradling her stinging hand.

  Erik’s laughter subsided. “I am very fond of you. Perhaps it is love, but whether it is or is not, I will say the words, if it pleases you.”

  “I don’t want you to say it unless you mean it.”

  “I’m not sure if I will ever mean it in a way that suits your definition. I will never give you romance—” his lips twisted with distaste “—and most times, I would much rather be inside of you than listening to you talk. But there is nothing I would not sacrifice to ensure your safety.”

  Astrid felt her bottom lip begin to tremble. “Because of the pup?”

  Sighing, Erik pulled her back down into his arms. Once she was nestled snug beside him, he pulled a pelt up to cover them both.

  “That is part of it,” he said. “But a larger part of it is that I do not want to go back to a world where you don’t exist. You and our pup are the only future I want. Anything else would be unacceptable.”

  Astrid put an arm around his broad chest. Two teardrops escaped as she shut her eyes, and Erik’s thumb brushed each away.

  Before she’d met Erik, Astrid had been the type to look both ways down a one-way street. She would have never chosen to give up the security and comforts of her former life to live in the arctic as the mate of an alpha, especially one so imperious and, at times, pitiless. She felt like a stone that had been hurled into the sky. She’d had no control over where she’d landed, but by some miracle, she’d ended up exactly where she wanted to be.

  Erik would never be sweet, or even particularly kind. He could be egregiously inconsiderate and suffered from a dearth of empathy. But in his own way, the alpha loved her, and there was no one she’d rather have watching over her and their pup by day, and keeping her warm during the long, cold nights.

  COMING SOON

  After over a year of pursuit, Indigo has finally found the male whose scent calls to her on a primitive level. Strong, intelligent, and unbearably beautiful, she knows that Sten is destined to be her mate.

  Brother and advisor to the most formidable alpha in the arctic, Sten is comfortable in his position as a beta male. He has no idea what to make of Indigo, a shifter female nearly half his age, who seems convinced that he’s to be her mate and the sire of her pups. But as chaos and upheaval ripple through the tundra, Sten finds himself with a powerful need to keep the eccentric female by his side, even if it means defying both of their brothers.

  CHASING THE ALPHA

  Coming February 2016

  ***

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