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

As if he heard her thoughts, he shouted again. “Over here!”

The weeds were opened up and Caleb looked down at her. She burst out crying, the huge weight off her shoulders, the relief, it was just too much. He hoisted her up then scooped her into his arms.

“My baby girl. Thank the gods you’re alive.” He held her head to his chest, kissing her hair. “I’m so sorry. I never should have sent you away.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you found me.”

“I’m never letting you go again.”

The love in his eyes melted her heart. She felt complete and utterly safe. “I just want to go home. Our home.”

The bear roared.

She gasped. “Don’t let him get her, Caleb. Please…”

He looked into her eyes. She could tell the female wolf was the last thing on his mind, but he nodded. “I’ve got to handle this, Bethany. Now that I know you’re safe, I need to end that bear.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“Reese, take Bethany. Brian, get David’s female back to the waterfall. We’ll meet you there after we deal with this shit.”

Caleb gently kissed her lips then passed her to Reese. She wanted to protest, but she knew he was the only one who could shift into a wolf right now. At least he had Joe. She watched as Brian scooped up Heather. She had beautiful tan skin and black hair that fell past her back. There was a quiet, kind aura to her and the last thing she wanted was for that bear to get his claws on her again.

They began walking away. Once they were out of the immediate area, Bethany wiggled in Reese’s arms. “I can’t leave him,” she said.

“Sorry, Alpha’s orders.”

It felt like a lifetime before they arrived back at the waterfall. They all sat down on a downed tree and waited.

“How’d you find me?”

“Joe knew he wanted a rebirth. A female bear told him about it. Then we picked up your scent,” said Reese.

“The bear said he had other women trapped somewhere.”

“Yeah, we found them. We rescued some. Others didn’t make it. He’s left a lot of death and havoc in his wake,” said Reese.

“I hope Caleb makes him suffer,” said Brian. “That bear’s a freak of nature.”

The bellowing started. Growls and snarls filled the forest. Small forest animals rushed past them, seeking refuge deeper into the woods.

Even though Bethany knew her mate was capable, she still had a lingering fear that something could go wrong. The ground trembled, the vicious sounds sending shivers up her spine.

Reese must have seen her shaking. “Caleb is the largest, strongest wolf I’ve ever seen. He’s a capable alpha, Bethany. He’ll slaughter that bear. My only regret is I can’t help him do it.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, trying to keep positive.

The sounds grew louder, the trees shaking, the brush quivering.

“We should go,” said Brian. “This doesn’t look good.”

But it was too late. Two bears and a wolf crashed down in front of them. A ball of teeth and claws.

Chapter Eleven

Bethany distracted him.

Caleb sensed his pack close by and in danger. This wasn’t good for either of them. The crazed man had hold of the woman’s hair again and was tugging at her like she was nothing more than a rag doll. He had to stay focused even with danger all around him. It was next to impossible.

The bear was obsessed with the she-wolf, convinced he needed her for his rebirth.

Seeing the rogue, he couldn’t help being grateful for his madness. If he hadn’t gone to find another female, it would have meant Caleb was too late to save his woman. Bethany would have drowned. He couldn’t even begin to stand it the thought of it.

“Do you really think you can overthrow me? I’m a fucking king. I’m better than all of you. No man, no weapon, no beast, none of you can stop me. None of you are worthy of stopping me. I am stronger than all of you.”

“Put the woman down,” Joe said.

“You consider yourself a bear of any real standing? You should be grateful to be alive right now. You’re all going to regret getting in my way.” The bear snarled and Caleb watched as he started to turn. His claws, currently in the wolf female’s hair, extended. She tried to get away, pulling with all of her might, but the bear picked her up and threw her toward the lake. She landed with a splash.

He didn’t know if the woman could swim but for now, she was going to have to wait and just figure out how to stay above the water.

“Help!” Her desperate screams filled the air.

Great, she couldn’t swim. He’d sensed her importance immediately, so he couldn’t let her die. Before he had a chance to even formulate a plan, the rogue bear shifted and fuck him, it was something monstrous. The bear had to be three times bigger than anything he’d ever seen.