The Alpha's Unwanted Mate: (BWWM) Paranormal Romance Standalone by Ellie Valentina Page A

– completely and utterly. And that had frightened her. More than anything she’d ever known. Admitting she’d been wrong about wolves was one thing, but truly allowing herself to know the man she’d gone to only to expose them? That was another thing entirely. Angeline had envisioned herself as a kind of martyr to the human race. She would give her body to Clyde in exchange for learning the truth of what lie behind the mystical face of the pack.
    Now that her noble cause had been stolen from her, she was forced to face the very real truth of the matter: she wanted Clyde with every fiber of her being. She had wanted the man the moment he’d stepped into her mother’s house, and despite everything that seemed to be struggling against them, she wanted to heal the hole in his heart. That would mean giving herself over to him – every inch of her. Allowing him to be privy to her thoughts and intimate with her both physically and mentally. The bond between mates was something both ephemeral and deep, something her mother had never taken lightly, and now, Angeline realized why.
    She did want to be Clyde’s salvation. But that would mean giving up all her preconceived notions that wolves were hard, primal creatures that cared little for anything beyond lust and fighting. Of course, she’d known that Clyde was an emotional creature the first time she’d seen him clutch his son to him, the first time he’d shouted at Elias in front of her, his gaze bright with frustration; it was clear he loved his sons, and feared for their future in a world where their mother no longer existed.
    She could never be their mother. To be completely honest, Angeline was pretty certain the boys would never accept her. Elias found excuses to be gone whenever she was around and Ian still burst into tears the moment she entered a room.
    And Clyde… She hadn’t seen him since yesterday. Not since she’d sent him away with fear in her belly, her body still cooling from his touch. Angeline didn’t think she’d ever been so conflicted in her life. Part of her wanted to demand that Clyde take her back to Atlanta where her life was simple, selfish and uncluttered. The other part wanted nothing more than for her to throw herself into his arms and forgive her for being so ignorant.
    Which, she wondered, would be the right choice. The young woman’s head was pounding intensely when the first strains of screaming reached her ears. She stiffened for a moment, sure she must be hearing things. Then, the sound came again – a high, shrill scream of terror.
    Immediately, she yanked open the bathroom door and rushed out into the kitchen. She pushed the door open and inhaled sharply to see the tops of flames licking at the trees. From the house’s recessed position, she could barely see the settlement but she saw enough to witness a pregnant woman attempting to run for her life before she was mowed down by a dark, furred shape.
    Angeline’s heart leapt into her throat. What was happening? What the hell was going on, she thought frantically. A loud crash reached her ears, accompanied by a series of bone chilling howls. Though she knew that her first impulse should be to run, Angeline stayed rooted in place. She hadn’t seen Clyde for twenty-four hours, and had no idea where he was. She did know, however, that Ian and Elias were in the house, in the living room. Elias was watching his younger brother, the one task Elias could complete without causing trouble, and Alicia had set him to it when the boys had returned the previous night.
    Something deadly had entered the camp – that was for certain. Something cruel and evil enough to go after pregnant women, which meant that crippled children wouldn’t be excluded either. She had to get them out.
    Whirling, Angeline rushed back into the house, racing to the family room. She found Elias seated in his chair, his nose buried deep in a book of wolf lore while his brother played with a toy airplane on the