The She-Wolf Alpha (Book 1 She-Wolf Series)

Odd, I thought. Luke must have forgotten something.

We rarely if ever had visitors. Travis and I purposefully purchased our home for the privacy the location and neighborhood provided. We had needed to be close to the city in order for Travis to run his business, but I craved the serenity the woods nearby provided. While still technically considered the suburbs, we were right on the edge of town and the homes were fairly spaced out. Both of those facts tended to dissuade solicitors.

“Did you forget your home…”

I trailed off as I opened the door and stared up at two of the most intimidating men I had ever seen. Practically carbon copies, they were tall - probably about six-three - and dressed in black shirts and tactical-looking pants. Both were packed with muscle and had serious, dark eyes below their cropped hair.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought my son had forgotten something. Can I help you?”

“Samantha McClain?” asked the one on the left.

“Samantha Paulson.” I answered.

Again, odd. How did they know my maiden name?

“Are you not Elias McClain’s daughter?” Questioned the second one, on the right.

Why were they asking about my dad?

“What is this about?” I asked my own question, squaring my shoulders.

They looked at each other. Lefty moved forward.

“You need to come with us.”

“No, I don’t think I do. I asked what this was about,” I retorted, preparing to shut the door on the two.

Law enforcement would have identified themselves. Something else was going on here, and I did not have a good feeling about it.

Faster than I could fathom, they grabbed me and tossed my bag inside the entryway.

Shit.

My phone was in it. I started to scream and a hand came over my mouth. I kicked and threw myself, fighting against the grip pinning my arms behind my back. It didn’t make a difference, these guys felt like they were made of iron. They drug me to a blacked out SUV and put me in the back where a third guy was waiting. He was just as large as the first two.

“I’m sorry about this,” Number Three said. “But you really do need to come with us.”

Righty crawled in next to me. The door was shut and the vehicle was moving before I had another chance to scream. Not that there was anyone nearby to hear it. Pinned in between the two hulking men next to me, I started to feel the absolute terror of the situation creep in.

Oh my god, I’ve been kidnapped, I thought. Fuck, I need to remember all that self defense Dad had insisted my sister, Kaitlyn, and I take as kids.

Nothing came to me though. The blood started to pound in my ears. I needed to control my breathing or I was going to have a panic attack.

“You are not in any danger Samantha,” Number Three said gently, “My name is Emerick. We just need to talk to you. Explain some things, maybe?”

Dark eyes stared into mine. Even in the situation I currently found myself in, I could not deny this guy was seriously good looking. His dark hair curled in ringlets around his ears and the bright white of his teeth was a perfect contrast to his olive toned skin. The shoulder brushing mine was smooth muscle and I imagined the rest of him was too.

Where did that thought come from?

“You can start by telling me why the fuck you’re kidnapping me,” I snapped narrowing my eyes.

He looked away but reached across me to buckle my seatbelt.

“We are not kidnapping you per se. If you want to leave after we talk, you can. Let’s get where we are going, so we can sort it out,” he responded calmly.

“Excuse me?” I shouted. His calm demeanor was squelching my panic and replacing it with anger. “You people rip me from my house on a random-fucking-morning and I just need to wait patiently while you drive me to god-knows-where so we can chat? I don’t think so buddy. Stop this car and let me out. Now.”

He looked surprised. To my astonishment, he started to reached for the door handle. Then, he shook his head and settled back into his seat with a frown.

“I’m sorry Samantha. We won’t hurt you, but you’re not getting out of the car either.”

We drove for about an hour. The suburban landscape of home was replaced by secluded forests. At some point, we turned down a dirt road and continued far back into the woods. Eventually, we pulled up to what looked like a mountain lodge.

I had hiked near this area many times and I never heard of any resorts close by.

Where had they brought me? Some secret base?

It certainly didn’t have the look or feel of military. Although, my kidnappers definitely held a commanding presence.

“Let’s head inside,” Emerick said, getting out of the truck and turning to reach for my arm.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, but followed him out of the backseat.

Lefty and Righty flanked me as I followed Emerick to the main entrance.

The inside was a surprise. I half expected the exterior to be a front for some covert-ops-shady business-something-or-other. Instead, I was greeted by an open foyer with beautiful wood floors, tall ceilings, and a massive staircase. A large fireplace burned in a comfortable looking lounge while a group of what appeared to be moms and their young children sat and played beyond. They all stopped and stared when we walked.

Where in the world was I?

Emerick turned down a hallway and led our party into a conference room. It was already occupied by two older men, one maybe 55 and the other in his 70s. A woman, also appearing to be in her 70s, sat to their left with her hands neatly folded.

Emerick led me to a chair on the far side of the room and took a seat next to me. Lefty and Righty took up guard at the door.

Figures.

My gaze was drawn to the woman. She was well-dressed with white hair pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Her posture was relaxed, but the energy around her told me she was not pleased to be here. She looked down her nose at me with an air of disdain.

The two older men, despite their age, both looked strong and able. Both wore suits and crisply pressed shirts. The younger of the two had dark hair that was starting to salt and pepper around his ears, while the older had white hair like the woman sitting to his left.

The younger of the two spoke, “Ms. Paulson, I am sure you have a lot of questions, and let me be the first to apologize for all the secrecy.”

“Your men forcefully pulled me out of my house and shoved me in the back of a car. I think there is a little more than secrecy to apologize for,” I snapped, holding his gaze with narrowed eyes.

He looked at Emerick who shifted uncomfortably next to me.

“Right. That may have been a little over the top-”

Suddenly, the door to the conference room burst open and every male jumped to attention. The energy radiating off the figure was palpable and yet…

“Dad?!” I exclaimed.