Deception (Dark Alpha #3) Read Online Free PDF

wish to hold her hand.
    My number is programmed in, he wrote on his pad. I’ll spell it all out for you, step by step. It will work. I promise.
    Maybe we can just run away? she wrote back. The phone had already disappeared into a pocket deep inside her backpack.
    He paused to look at her. She kept her eyes glued to the instructor rambling below them, avoiding Jak’s corner-of-the-eye stare.
    It was tempting. He could just wait until Mace was out screwing someone else in a club in Seattle. Then Jak could simply drag Arianna out of his house until she would come with him willingly. Of course, the magic would still hold. It was strongest when she was near Mace, or in his territory, but no matter where on Earth Arianna went, she would always carry Mace in her blood. And he would never stop searching for her, never stop wanting to reclaim his mate. She and Jak would have to constantly look over their shoulders. One day Mace might catch up to them… and then Arianna’s fate would be worse than it was now.
    Much worse.
    Not to mention that simply running away would mean she could never mate again.
    She would never fully belong to him. That thought struck at a nagging fear: what if, once she was free of Mace, she didn’t choose to be with him? Once Mace was dead, his magic in her blood would die along with him… and the mating bond would be cleared from her mind. What if, in that clarity of mind, she realized Jak wasn’t really worthy of her? He was only a beta. And she was young and beautiful, smart and unmated: she could have her pick of any alpha on the planet. The likes of Mace only got hold of her by force. If she was free, she could choose to be with anyone… and, if she was at all logical, she wouldn’t pick a beta like Jak to mate with. To raise a family with. It wasn’t just tradition or pack ritual—it was primal. He knew her wolf would be drawn to the strongest alpha around. It was the instinct of their species, the way to ensure the strongest bloodlines. Survival of the fittest.
    She could fight the instinct, of course, make a different choice. But would she?
    Jak wasn’t even sure that she should. In any event, she would need the protection of being mated to someone. An escaped captive female who was still mated… she would never find another pack who would take her in. Jak would protect her with his life, but she would always be at risk of being hauled back to Mace by some wolf who thought he was doing the right thing.
    Or a bounty hunter in it for the cash. Or the parts.
    Arianna snuck a look at him: he was taking too long to respond. But that innocent, trusting look in her eyes decided it for him: whether she wanted him or not, he was going to wrench her free of Mace. This wasn’t about having Arianna for himself—this was about freeing her to make her own choice. No matter what that choice might be.
    He finally wrote on his pad. I would run away with you in an instant. But as long as Mace lives, you will never have another mate. Or a pack. You deserve better than that. You deserve a wolf who will claim you with his heart as well as his bite.
    He watched her face as she read his words. The tears slowly leaked down again, working a strange magic on him. They loosened a need to touch her that couldn’t be denied. He reached under her table, his fingers searching out hers. When he found them, her hands were soft and warm, and there was a tremble in them that he tried to soothe by lacing his fingers with hers and slowly running circles across the back of her hand with his thumb. He didn’t think his heart could soar any more, but when she squeezed his hand tight, it practically lifted him out of his chair.
    She trusted him. She said she wanted him, at least for now. That was all he needed.
    He spent the rest of the hour detailing their plans, step by step, so she would know exactly what to expect on Saturday. They promised each other they would try to find a way to meet before then, but even if they