A Mate's Submission: (Hot Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sight of some young on the playground. They played, sure, but they weren’t happy. Not like the young he knew from Ravendale. Once Avan proved herself, things would get better. A little stability. Some good leadership. And the pack would begin to flourish. He knew it was possible.
    Avan’s cabin was small. She hadn’t yet moved into the alpha lodge. The place had been the scene of so many bad memories, she should probably just tear it down and build a new one.
    As Lexar approached, he noticed a group of four men standing on the porch. They were huge, and taking up the entire area as if they owned the place. His wolf growled inside. He wanted to run the bastards off Avan’s property but it wasn’t his place. Not his game. He had to remember that or he’d find himself her enemy instead of… whatever it was they were.
    Lexar climbed the steps. “Out of the way,” he grunted, but the massive wolf taking up the front door only bowed up, growing bigger.
    “I don’t take orders from anybody. If you want through, you ask. Nicely.”
    Lexar chuckled, running his palm across his jaw. This guy.
    “You really want it like that then?”
    The other three came out of their relaxed positions to stand at attention.
    “Are you here to challenge for alpha?” the door guard asked. “Because if so, the line is back there.”
    Oh, shit. Were all these wolves here to fight Avan?
    The guy narrowed his eyes. “Or… wait, are you the alpha’s mate?”
    Lexar jerked at the implication. A hundred different scenarios ran through his head, but none of them ended with Avan looking strong. And she needed to appear strong. Any perceived leg up, and these wolves would pounce.
    “Look,” Lexar snapped. “We can do this the easy way, and you can let me through. Or we can do it the really fucking hard way. Your choice.”
    The bastard crossed his big-ass arms over his chest and smirked.
    Lexar sighed. Fine. He was itching for a brawl anyway.
    Just as he pulled back for a punch, the door swung open and the stranger whipped around. Seleka stood in the doorway, her mouth dropped in surprise. The challenger stared at her as if he was confused by her appearance. His shoulders went slack, all the fight leeching out of him like a drained bathtub.
    Lexar straightened as the stranger looked her up and down. She fidgeted, her gaze shifting to Lexar.
    “Alpha would like to see you.” Her voice was quiet. “As for the rest of you, she will take the first challenge in a few minutes, with the fight to start at sundown.”
    Lexar swallowed. Cael would be here by then. It would be alright.
    He pushed through the door, stalking to the bedroom. He reached for the handle but then thought better of it, and rapped on the door with his knuckles.
    Avan’s voice filtered through the solid oak. “Come in.”
    Lexar entered to find her dressed in loose fitting black pants and a t-shirt, and sitting on the edge of the bed. Her mouth was set in a grim line.
    “It’s all set. Cael will be here in a couple hours.”
    She nodded, staring at the floor.
    He moved forward, but she stood, taking baby steps toward the door. “I have a challenge to accept, and I’d love to do it somewhere other than my bedroom.”
    Wrapping his arm around her thin frame, he helped her to the door. She was a touch stronger today, but still too fragile to walk much.
    “Hey,” he said, stopping at the entrance of her room. He turned to face her, his eyes level with hers. “It’s going to be okay.”
    “Of course.” The tone of her voice wasn’t as sure as her words.
    Lexar reached up to brush a thumb over her bruised cheek, but before he made contact, she jerked her head back. A sick feeling snaked through him at her reaction.
    “What makes you think you can touch me?” she hissed.
    His wolf did a total recoil at her tone, but Lexar tried to hide his surprise. Maybe he’d misinterpreted their connection. He’d been so sure there was something budding between them. Something new