by Elsa Jade
The first month had in fact been quite the transition for her. She loved their den, but it was hard for her to get used to living in the wilderness. Every night Ronan came home from hunting, he had spent the first twenty minutes searching for whatever spider had her huddled by the fire in terror. Rose also insisted on bathing every single night. She wouldn’t wash up in the creek, and so he had to wait hours for her to fill a basin with boiled water. After watching her scrub her nude body, Ronan could hardly wait for her to dry before he pounced her.
For the first week, he’d fed her blackberries and a variety of meats. Before long, she became tired of blackberries and began requesting other foods. At first, the requests were things he could readily find in the forest, but as the days wore on she began asking for increasingly complicated things. Chicken eggs, bread, sweet cakes, maple syrup, and chocolates—all things he couldn’t possibly get without foraying into human towns. He didn’t mind getting these things for his mate, but it did bother him that the towns were so far away and he’d have to leave her alone at night. It bothered her as well, because after the first trip, he had come home to find her in tears, begging him never to leave her again.
Before long, he did not have to wonder if she was satisfied with him as her mate. She told him every time she kissed him awake, every time she flung herself into his arms after a long day of hunting, and every time she cuddled up against him after a night of passionate mating.
After that tumultuous month, they had settled into a comfortable routine. For a short while, he’d felt stable in their relationship and confident in her feelings towards him. Then, she became pregnant.
Ronan was thrilled to be expecting his first pup and wouldn’t change her condition for anything in the world, but in many ways, it had set their relationship back weeks. Her strange food cravings had intensified, but most tedious of all were her moods, which always seemed to range from one extreme to another with just the slightest provocation. Even now, he couldn’t tell if his mate was about to burst into a fit of rage or—
“Are you still attracted to me?” Rose sat up, tears welling in her eyes.
Wincing, Ronan abandoned all thoughts of sleep. He could sometimes ignore her anger and allow her time to cool off, but he was physically and mentally incapable of disregarding her tears.
“Why would you ask that?” he said patiently.
He had long-since learned not to take anything she said too personally, though this particular question struck a nerve. He did everything in his power to make her feel beautiful, important, and cherished.
“You were gone for almost two days.”
“You asked for goat cheese. There are no wild goats in the mountain.” And even if there were, he had no idea how to make cheese. “Besides, why would that make you think I am not attracted to you?”
She bit down on her lip, before saying, “Were you with another woman?”
Ronan rubbed his temple and tried not to sigh. They had been together for three months and she still did not seem to understand what it meant to be a wolf’s mate.
“No.”
“Then why were you gone so long? I know it wasn’t just to get goat cheese.”
She was right, at least about the goat cheese. Still, Ronan had hoped to wait until tomorrow to tell her what he had done. After all, she had only just eaten before laying down and her stomach was horribly temperamental.
But there was no way that he could rest while doubt and suspicion lingered in her mind. He would have to put her fears to rest.
Ronan stood and offered her a hand up. “Come.”
He wrapped a light fur around her and led her to the mouth of the den. Cold wind blasted his face and the early-morning dew was frozen on the ground. Just outside the den was a small burlap sack. He nodded towards it, and then watched as she hesitantly picked it up.
“Is this for me?” she asked, examining the outside.
In a manner of speaking. “Open it, but don’t reach inside.”
Her brows drew together, but she did as he told her. He watched as she untied the twine, opened the bag wide, and peered inside. For second, she appeared confused. Then, she screamed, dropped the burlap sack, and vomited.
Ronan frowned as he watched the meat he’d hunted earlier that morning, as well as the goat cheese, splatter onto the ground. Why couldn’t he have just shown her before she ate?
The burlap sack rolled down a small hill, its contents tumbling out in the process. A severed hand lay prone on the frozen grass.
After retching up the contents of her stomach, Rose took a moment to compose herself. Then, she reluctantly walked down the hill to examine the hand.
“I know that mole,” she said in a hoarse voice. “That’s Alf’s hand.”
Ronan came to stand beside her. They both stared down at the hand.
“Did you kill him?” she asked. Before he could answer, she held up her hands. “Wait, no, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“Do you at least want to know why?” he asked.
She nodded slowly.
“Every night you toss and turn. You cry his name out in your sleep. Every time I leave the den, you are afraid that this man will find you and harm you.”
Cheeks coloring, Rose averted her face from him. “You did this because I was afraid?”
Ronan stroked the side of her face. “I did this so that you know I can protect you. I will always keep you safe, not just from this man, but from anyone that would seek to harm you. You are my mate, and so long as I live, you have nothing to fear.”
With that, he picked her up and carried her back to the den. The fire was still burning brightly, and he laid her down on the furs in front of it. After giving her some water, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss over his mark, then moved to stand. Rose placed a hand on his arm to stay him.
“Where are you going?” Her bottom lip wobbled as she asked the question.
Ronan removed her hand and stood. “I’m going to hunt. I can’t have my mate going to sleep without food in her belly.”
He was about to shift when Rose leapt at him from behind, flinging her arms around him.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Ronan smirked. “I know.”
She released him and he moved to leave the den. Behind him, Ronan heard his mate huff with annoyance.
“Aren’t you going to say it back?”
Ronan didn’t bother turning around.
“I have not slept in two days and I am going out in the cold to find you a second meal.”
Did he really need to say it back?
The End
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If you enjoyed this set, there’s more shifter goodness to be had. Alphas Unleashed has six stories to further feed your cravings for alpha males and the strong women who bring them to their knees.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Box Set Contents
Hero
Title Page
About the Book
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Other Books from Elsa Jade
Forbidden
Title Page
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 Fifteen
> Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Temptation
Title Page
About the Book
Copyright Page
Also from the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Excerpt from Obsession
Author’s Note
About the Author
Iron
Title Page
Copyright Page
Books by Ronin Winters
What is The Mating Season Collection?
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Note from Ronin Winters
Mating Season – Books Released so Far
About the Author
Enforcer’s Heart
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
Other Books from the Author
About the Author
Desert Moon
Title Page
About the Book
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
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Tempted by the Pack
Title Page
Copyright Page
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
Red Fever
Title Page
Copyright Page
Connect With Viola
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
Connect with the Author
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