Chained To The Alpha: A Paranormal Shifter Romance Standalone by JJ Jones

CHAPTER ONE
     
     
     
    I smelled the earth, pinched in my hands and loved it all before I opened my eyes. It was an amazing feeling and I managed to forget the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be there. Still, I breathed in the earthy aroma that surrounded me. It was loamy and fresh and natural, and it brought out the beast in me. I wanted to howl at the moon—no, perhaps that’s a bit cliché—I wanted to run through the undergrowth and bring down a rabbit. I wanted to feel the fresh air through my fur and to enjoy the sun on my flesh. That was what I wanted. I squeezed the earth in my hand; it was where I was meant to be, at peace and a part of the natural world.
    The beast in me wanted to come out, but I wasn’t supposed to be there. I had to open my eyes and find out why I wasn’t in my apartment anymore. It was good to be in the natural world, but something was strange here. I couldn’t quite place what was wrong, but I was looking up toward the sun and I could feel the cool fall breeze rushing over my body. I was in a forest. I could smell the pine trees and I could feel a pine cone sticking into my back. I wondered why I hadn’t noticed that before. I groaned and rolled over, reaching under me to help dislodge the offender.
    “What?” My arm was dragging something along with it. I could feel the pressure on my wrist. Whatever it was, it was heavy. My eyes snapped over to whatever had a hold on my arm. “Metal?” I followed the chain with my eyes.
    “Who are you?” I heard the question, but didn’t know how to respond.
    My eyes reached the arm that was chained to mine. “Where are we?” It would do no good to freak out, so I bit back my fear.
    “I don’t know.” Whoever was there with me sat up.
    He pulled my arm along with it and I chose not to fight it. I sat up too. I examined him carefully, studying his dark hair and hazel eyes. He was a handsome man, someone I would definitely have given a second look back in my regular life, but in this situation, adding to the fact that I was chained to him, I was willing to take a third or fourth look. I stared at him and he was doing the same to me, looking up and down my body. I felt exposed, even though I could feel the sturdy clothes on me.
    “Who are you?”
    “Fynna.” It was all that I needed to say. I noticed that he had a nice tan that laid over his naturally white skin. My eyes snapped around, taking in our surroundings. “Who are you?”
    My stomach suddenly started to feel a bit heavy. I wanted to puke. Something was terribly wrong. I felt dulled somehow, like I was trying to think through a fog.
    “Devin, Devin Gold.” He reached his free hand out to me and I shook it. “Nice to meet you, maybe.” His eyes narrowed in confusion. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
    I could smell him; he was a wolf too, just like me. That was strange. Still, he didn’t smell like he was lying. He was just as confused as he looked. There was something in his pheromones, something that told me that he wasn’t comfortable.
    “No, do you?”
    “Do you feel strange?” He looked down at his wrist, lifting it up and examining it. The cuff looked ancient in origin.
    “Fuzzy, strange, somehow. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s whatever they drugged us with?” I followed his lead, carefully looking at the strange runes that covered my side of the cuff. “This is going to chafe soon.” I couldn’t recognize the runes, but I felt the need to say something useful.
    “Who made this?” He showed me the cuff, as if I couldn’t see it already.
    “It seems like we don’t have any answers, but we seem to have enough questions.” I was trying to make a joke.
    He didn’t laugh. I didn’t know if it landed poorly or if he just lacked the necessary sense of humor that would be required to have any fun in life. “I guess.” He shrugged. “We need to do something.”
    “We’re taking this really well.” I was just starting to feel a little strange about