The Alpha's Virgin Prize (Mated for Life 1)

She’d looked down at her arm, the rope at her wrist no longer attached to the bear. When he’d shifted, the rope burst off his human wrist. It was her chance to escape.

Bethany had run and run, mostly blindly as the forest was so dense and pitch black. She didn’t have time to worry about her many aches and pains or focus on her fears of being in a dark forest at night. Nothing could be worse than being at the rogue bear’s mercy.

She’d untied the rope from her wrist and stayed in hiding. The wolven cries and howls of pain made her cringe, but there was nothing she could do to help.

Hiding was the only thing she could do now.

If only Caleb could find her. She prayed he was looking in the first place.

She must have started to drift off to sleep when she was startled as the earth seemed to tremble and the sound of an animal attack echoed around her. Bethany made herself as small as possible, curling into a ball. She was too tired and weak to fight off the bear at this point. She had to remain hidden.

Then she lifted her head. Had she heard right? She swore she’d heard his voice—Caleb’s. But her mind could be playing tricks on her again.

It was her name. He was calling her. After listening carefully, she was certain.

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as sweet relief flooded her body.

Bethany used a tree to pull herself to her feet. Everything hurt. She made her way toward the sound, toward the melee. They were in a clearing, allowing the moonlight to highlight the scene. She stayed low, crawling on her stomach again until she knew it was safe.

Caleb was there. And Joe. She squinted to see in the poor lighting. Reese and Brian were there, too. Then she saw him, the rogue bear. Her stomach churned just from seeing him again. She’d come so close to being drowned. There was a woman on the ground near him. She cried out and the men tried to get the bear away from her.

Bethany moved in closer, twigs scraping her stomach and breasts. When she’d gotten a breath away, she managed to make eye contact with the woman from the tall grasses. Her eyes glowed like Caleb’s in the dark, so she knew the woman had to be a shifter like him.

She motioned for her to creep into the brush, and the woman listened.

“Keep low. Follow me,” said Bethany.

There was no way she’d sit and watch this bear brutalize another woman. He’d already gloated about hurting, raping, and killing females like a favorite pastime.

Once they’d gotten to a relatively safe distance, she stopped and sat up to catch her breath. The underbrush was tall and dense, so they were hidden from view.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Heather.”

“Are you hurt?”

Heather shrugged. “I’ll live. Thank you for helping me.”

“Are you a bear? A wolf?”

“Wolf. That bear killed our alpha and one of my brothers.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You’re not a wolf.”

She shook her head. “My mate’s an alpha wolf. He’s going to kill that fucking bear.”

“I hope he manages to kill him. He’s so strong. And he talks like a crazy man.”

“Yeah, that’s our rogue bear. He’s got all the screws loose.” Bethany touched her eye. It was swollen shut now. She felt like crap.

“Leave it,” Heather whispered. She sat straighter, reaching into a small leather satchel strapped across her chest. There was an assortment of leaves inside and some kind of herbs. She took some in her hand and began breaking them down with her fingers. “Don’t move.” The mixture smelled nice, like some kind of fancy tea. Heather spread the paste over her eye and on a couple of bruises on her cheek and neck.

“What is this?”

“Our pack has lived in this forest for many generations. Our ancestors learned the medicine of the earth. Your bruises will heal fast now. The pain will be gone by tomorrow and you’ll be able to see.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I’m sorry about your packmates.”

“There’s only me, my sister, and uncle now. I don’t even know where they are. Once the bear started killing, we tried to fight back, but he was too powerful. Without the full moon, I’m not much help. Only the alpha and mated wolves can shift on will.”

Footsteps pounded closer. They both crouched lower and held each other as they froze. She was hot like Caleb, and it felt good against her cold skin.

“Where is she?” The rogue bear was screeching, a horrible high-pitched sound. “Where’s that bitch gone?”

They held each other tighter.

“Bethany!” Caleb’s voice was music to her ears. Should she call back or was it still dangerous? Was it a trick?

She closed her eyes, sensing her mate, feeling the strength of his heartbeat, feeling his concern. Could he feel her too? Feel her love for him, her fear, her resolve to protect her new friend?