Claimed by the Alphas: Part Six Read Online Free PDF

everything she needed during her pregnancy, and explained that there was at least one discreet doctor they could call on when the time came for her to give birth. He told her that werewolf children were less prone to disease, infection, and disabilities. His words soothed the sharp edges off her fears, but did little to make them less prominent.
     
    Mila sat up when the car came to a stop. She rubbed her eyes, taking in their surroundings. A thick forest fringed the narrow road that had been etched into the foot of the mountain. The road befo re them glistened with unblemished snow in the headlights of the sedan.
     
    Asch handed Brae the car keys before getting out. As Mila heard the trunk pop open, Brae cocked her head back to smile at her. She looked more like her usual chipper self now that they were away from the city.
     
    “I’ ll be taking the car back and then I’ll meet you both at the den.”
     
    Mila nodded, too groggy to care what that entailed. Her door clicked open, and Asch was there, extending his hand.
     
    They said their goodbyes to Brae and then set out into the forest. Between the thin moon and the thick trees, Mila couldn’t see much more than a few steps ahead of her. She held tightly to Asch, letting him guide her through the woods.
     
    After a few minutes of walking, she asked, “Are you too tired to shift?”
     
    “Never,” he replied, sounding amused. “I just don’t want to leave tracks this close to the road. We’re going to walk for a little bit, then I’ll carry you. Are you tired?”
     
    She was tired, but she didn’t like his cajoling tone. “I’m fine.”
     
    “Are you sad to go back?” he asked, giving her hip a squeeze.
     
    Mila looked up at him. “No, I’m relieved.”
     
    He looked surprised. “You are?”
     
    “Yeah,” she said shrugging. “It was nice for a little while, and I’ll definitely want to go back again, particularly when I run out of toothpaste and deodorant, but, I don’t know, it just wasn’t what I thought it would be.”
     
    She wasn’t sure how else to explain it. After l iving in the pack, being back around humans was just weird. Sure, the amenities were great, but everything just felt shallow and…cold.
     
    In the city, everyone had seemed to keep each other at arm’s length. Mila knew that she used to be one of those people, meandering through life in a bubble of personal space, a little too distant and a little too self-contained. That wasn’t who she wanted to be anymore. She missed her friends, who talked with her and touched her without reservations.
     
    “ I get it,” he said. As if reading her mind, he added, “It takes some getting used to. It’s hard to leave everything behind, but once you experience the sense of community in a pack, it’s almost impossible to go back.”
     
    She ducked down as Asch brushed aside a low hanging branch. “Why did you leave?”
     
    He was silent for a moment, only the crunch of snow accompanying their trek. Finally, he said, “ I spent a lot of time denying what I was and trying to be human. In the end, it made me weak, because I didn’t understand how to control my instincts, particularly when it came to women.”
     
    “Did you hurt someone?”
     
    “Almost,” he said. “There was a girl that lived nearby, a year younger than me and really sweet. Our sisters were always hanging out, and eventually we became friends—watch your step.” He paused, lifting Mila up over a large tree root.
     
    “What happened?” she asked, a little too eagerly. She could tell it wasn’t something he wanted to rehash, but both of the alphas were always so private about their pasts.
     
    He secured his arm around her waist as they continued walking. “Well, we spent a lot of time together. I knew that she liked me—most girls did.” His smile gleamed in the scant moonlight. “But I liked her a lot, too. Eventually, I told her the truth about what I was.”
     
    “What did she