BOUGHT BY
THEIR ALPHA
A PARANORMAL SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE
BONNIE BURROWS
Copyright ©2017 by Bonnie Burrows
All rights reserved.
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About This Book
Eva Thomas enjoyed living a quiet life amongst her own wolf pack but all that was about to change.
There was a new pack in town headed by a handsome Alpha named Quinn Maywell. His pack had bigger numbers, stronger males and more resources than any other pack for miles.
And because of this Quinn knew he could have whatever he wanted.
So he made an offer.
He wanted Eva to join his pack in return for a substantial amount of gold and the eternal protection of her former tribe.
It was a good deal. In fact it was so good, that Eva's pack simply could not say no.
Eva had no idea what the sexy Alpha wolf wanted with her but she was about to find out in more ways than one...
This is a sexy werewolf romance aimed at adults. There are lots of steamy scenes so please only read if you are 18+
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
“You would sell her?” her father said, incredulously.
“Don’t think of it that way, Angus,” Walter replied.
“And just how would you have me think of it?” Angus sneered back. A sound of feet moving on the other side of the closed door caused Evangeline to back up against the wall, and sidle further away. The feet moved back in the other direction, as though someone were pacing. She sighed in relief, and moved back to where she could hear better.
“… not a sale, rather an exchange,” Walter explained, almost impatiently, Eva thought to herself. She leaned in closer to the door, holding her breath. “You somehow think I’m going to let you sell my daughter to that thing and also let you take me for a fool by believing it’s an exchange?” Angus’ voice was rising; his anger was getting the better of him.
“No, of course not, Angus. No one thinks you’re a fool. These were the only terms he was willing to give us; what would you have me do?” Walter implored.
“I would have you burn in hell for the rest of your miserable existence,” her father spat back. Evangeline’s eyes widened – she had never heard her usually placid father speak like that before.
“Be that as it may, Angus, the deal has been signed. I suggest you say your farewells,” Walter remained calm.
Evangeline began to back up from where she had been eavesdropping, slowly at first, until she was sure she was out of earshot She spun on her heel and ran as though her life depended on it.
It did, she realized breathlessly as she ran headlong into the woods around their village.
As she ran, Evangeline shifted into her werewolf shape. The pure feeling of freedom in her other form was breath-taking. There was a sense of power in her wolf form that filled her with its strength. The ground at her feet was littered with the last of Autumn’s offerings – leaves the color of copper, rust and gold flew up in flurries as she moved through them. The air was crisp and clear, only the scent of a hunting party in the vicinity crossed her path.
Eva slowed to a trot, then to a walk, as she sniffed the air around her. The hunters were not from her village – the hair on her back raised as a low growl started in her throat. Strangers, in these woods? It was unusual, to say the least. This territory was well known as belonging to her tribe.
A movement in the dim undergrowth off to her left drew Eva’s attention. There was more movement, as four werewolves detached themselves from the darkness settling across the ground. The sun was hanging low in the sky; night time was almost upon them.
The air shimmered around the wolf in front as he shifted back into his human form. He held his hands out in front of him, in a gesture of peace.
“Evangeline, we have been looking for you,” he said.
Evangeline took a step backwards at the realization that these were members of her new tribe. Of course, he’d sent someone out to look for her. Of course. She was his property now, after all.
Eva shifted into her human form, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What? Your precious alpha couldn’t afford the time or energy to come looking for his new property?” she arched her eyebrow.
“We only obey our orders, we don’t ask questions, Eva,” the man in front replied.
“Of course, dutiful as you should be,” Eva studied her fingernails in a show of disinterest.
“Eva, please, it is time to leave. We will take you back to your village to collect your things and say your farewells. Then we would ask that you come with us.”
Evangeline shook her head, her grief threatening to overwhelm her. She fought against the tide of her emotions, pushing them down as far as she could. She could not appear weak in front of these members of her new tribe – she would not.
Her father had sold her into a form of slavery – she wasn’t sure she could ever face him again. Her friends would know why she didn’t say goodbye, and she figured her ex-boyfriend would understand if she didn’t run crying into his arms, either. “No, it’s fine. Let’s go,” she whispered as she shifted into her wolf form. The man followed suit, and led his pack of hunters past her; Eva fell into place in the middle where a gap had been left for her. She wasn’t sure if this was an honor guard, or a security detail, but she wasn’t entirely sure she appreciated it in either case. She felt very much like a prisoner, albeit a well-treated one.
They ran at a comfortable pace, the ground hard beneath their paws. The heat was leaving the world; a chill wind cut through Eva’s fur straight down to her skin. She was thankful for her thick fur coat in that moment – it would be a cold winter; she could feel it in her bones.
The pack of five came to a rest after several more hours of running; the moon hung full in the sky, giving as much light as it could. Eva would never admit it to the men, but she was tiring and only too glad for the break. As they each shifted back into their human forms, one of the men immediately bent to start a fire, while two others set up blankets and light make-shift tents they’d carried with them in their backpacks.
Evangeline, lost for something to do, and too tired to try to find something, sat down with her back against a rock just at the outer limits of the fire’s reach. She must have dozed off for a few minutes she realized, as one of the men shook her awake, a steaming bowl of what smelled like stew in his hands. Her stomach aching with hunger, Eva thanked him and wolfed down the food as fast as she could, barely pausing to taste it as the warmth spread throu
gh her body.
Her hunger sated, Eva moved over to one of the piles of blankets, and climbing under them, closed her eyes again, and drifted off into a troubled sleep.
They moved out again at first light; her new tribe was roughly a day away as the wolf ran. They would reach it just before dusk that day, Clayton, the youngest of the pack, informed her before they left their camp. Eva found herself immersed in the rush of the wind through her fur, and the sound of her paws padding across the ground. She gave herself over to the exhilaration of having the freedom to run for miles without fear.
She had never been past the outskirts of the woods around her old village; she had never had reason to leave before. The thrill of the run coursed through her blood, until she realized it would probably be the first and last time she would ever run free. She was now someone’s property – there was no getting around that. Bought and paid for, she was no more than a piece of jewelry or clothing. The thought only served to anger Eva more; as her anger grew, so did her bitterness.
She fought the feelings for as long as she could. She was determined to enjoy the last day of her freedom, even if it meant pretending she wasn’t burning with indignation at what had happened to her.
As the pack crested a rise in the ground, her new village spread out before her. Eva’s heart sank; there was no denying reality anymore.
Quinn paced as he waited for the hunters to arrive. He paced up and down the hall, his long stride screaming his irritation. He had to keep reminding himself that it was a day’s run – they were due to arrive that evening.
One of his men poked his head around the door, and said simply, “They’ve arrived early, Quinn. Seems they made good time.”
Quinn felt the blood drain from his face. Now that they were here - now that she was here - he was suddenly uncertain of this decision. It had been an impulsive offer that he’d made, and now he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to deal with the repercussions. He was the alpha of his tribe, he told himself fiercely. He had nothing to fear, least of all from a she-wolf.
Squaring his shoulders, Quinn stepped out of the hall and into the sunlight.
The pack escorting Evangeline came to a stop outside a long hall. Dusk was not long off; yet there were men, women and children everywhere. They were expecting their arrival, and wanted a front row seat to the evening’s show, Eva guessed. She was the star of that show, she thought miserably.
Thomas, the leader of their little pack, shifted into his human form, and came to stand beside her.
“Eva, I know he wants to see you as soon as possible – a room has been prepared for you to freshen up first, if you’d like?” he whispered.
Eva nodded, and was led past the hall to what she assumed was the alpha’s personal house. A large room had been designated as hers; all the luxuries and amenities she could have hoped for had been thought of.
She sighed in relief as she sank into the tub, the weight of the journey sloughing off her shoulders in the heat of the water. She closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts and scattered emotions, soaking up the warmth of the water.
Quinn had watched Evangeline, still in her wolf form, being led to the room that had been prepared for her. She hadn’t even glanced his way; nothing had changed there, Quinn grimaced. Thomas met him in the hall, pride in his accomplishment strong in his smile.
“Did you have any trouble?” Quinn asked his old friend and beta, as he handed him a beer.
“With the girl? Not enough to worry about,” Thomas replied as he sat down opposite Quinn.
“I meant on the journey,” Quinn cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh, that. Of course not, Quinn. We were the worst things out there,” Thomas laughed at his own joke. Quinn smiled faintly; his eyebrows drawn together with concern.
“Tell me about her, please.”
“She’s angry, as I would expect. She’s a spitfire, that one. I think you’ll enjoy her,” Thomas grinned.
“Mmm… And the deal? Did all go well?”
“The father put up some resistance to it, but what can you do? They went over his head – and all for gold. I’ll never understand it,” Thomas shook his head.
“No, I don’t think I will either,” Quinn said softly.
Eva ran her hands down her sides, her nerves getting the better of her now that she was about to stand in front of the man who had paid for her to be here.
She breathed in deeply, and pushed the door to his room open.
Quinn was standing with his back to the door, looking out of the window on the other side of the room. He turned slowly to face her, hands behind his back.
Eva’s breath caught in her throat; she had expected him to be as revolting as his actions. Instead, he was the exact opposite.
“Evangeline?” Quinn asked, as the silence between them became unbearable.
“You,” she rounded on him, suddenly furious at not only herself, but him as well.
“Me?”
“You did this,” she sneered, “Don’t think I don’t know this is your doing, Quinn Maywell.”
“Evangeline, you need to calm down.” Quinn held his palms up in front of him. Her sudden change in mood had caught him off-guard.
“Calm down? Are you joking?” Eva laughed hysterically. This was not going quite as well as Quinn had hoped for – the only upside being it wasn’t going as badly as he’d expected, either.
“Just talk to me, please,” he implored her as she backed away from him.
“What’s there to say, milord?” the sarcasm dripped like acid from her words, “You have paid for what is yours in gold; what would please you best?”
“Don’t be childish,” Quinn snapped back before he could help it, his hands falling to his sides
Evangeline’s pale face flushed red as her mouth curled up into a smile.
“Of course, Quinn,” the sweetly spoken words were at odds with the cold expression on her face. Quinn cocked his head to one side, as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. This was no sweet woman standing in front of him – this was a she-wolf backed into a corner.
Eva narrowed her eyes, as she slowly raised her index finger, and, pointing at him, said, “Know this: you may own me, but I will never belong to you.”
Her eyes of ice glared at him, as she turned on her heel and made her way to her own room – a mere three doors down from his.
Evangeline was still muttering to herself when he knocked on her door; the moon rode high in the dark sky and the rest of the village had gone to sleep long ago.
The door opened slowly, and without looking up from where she was sitting, she said only, “Quinn.”
“Evangeline,” she thought she detected amusement in his voice.
“Come to claim what’s yours?” she asked archly, raising her eyes to meet his.
Quinn raised one eyebrow, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“I know better than to claim you, Eva.”
“Could have fooled me,” she stood up to face him, as he took a step into the room.
For the first time, Eva found she could focus properly on him. She hadn’t seen Quinn in several years – time had been kind to him. Strong shoulders pulled at the edges of the simple shirt he wore; the muscles on his arms rippled as he clenched and unclenched his hands. She smiled inwardly; it was good that he was uncomfortable.
“You paid for this with the gold you fought so hard for. If you’re not here to claim what’s yours, then why are you here?” she asked, amusement clear in her voice.
Quinn looked up at her, his piercing gaze meeting hers. It felt as though he looked straight through her, to her very core. Heat rose deep within her as her breath caught in her throat; there was something about his eyes that held her captivated. She tried to look away, but found she couldn’t.
His brow furrowed, as though thunderclouds were massing in his mind. Evangeline found herself wishing she could chase them away – and shook her head. Such thoughts had no business being in her
head.
“One day, you will understand why I did this, Eva. And it was not so that I could own you.”
Eva shrugged. There was no reason, in her mind, that could validate his actions to her.
Quinn folded his arms, his eyes never leaving hers. The dare in his eyes caused goose bumps to flash across her skin. His bright green eyes were digging their way slowly down to her soul, leaving her naked in a completely different way. They were a green unlike any she had ever seen before – pure emerald green, their depths unfathomable.
It bothered Eva that he seemed to be able to see right down to her core, while she couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes. He was stealing her breath away just by looking at her, and she didn’t seem to have the slightest effect on him. It galled her to no end.
“Eva,” he said softly, breaking the spell and granting her breath back. She inhaled deeply, and turned her face away from him.
He took the last few strides to her side quickly, and hesitantly tilted her chin to look him square in the eyes again. She felt her breath slipping away again, but she held his gaze.
“I know this doesn’t make sense to you, but please, just give your new life a chance,” Quinn asked softly, as he searched the depths of her soul.
He looked so lost in those few moments, so vulnerable. Eva shook her head, and the spell was broken as he stepped back from her.
“Get some rest,” Quinn cleared his throat, and nodding, walked out of the room.
Eva leaned against the wall behind her, her breath catching in her throat as he left her alone.
*
“How did you sleep?”
Evangeline looked up at the sound of Quinn’s voice. She had found her way to the kitchen, where a pot of fresh oats had greeted her. She had taken up a seat at the kitchen table, hoping to find some peace within before the day started. It seemed the universe had other plans for her.
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