Touch of the Alpha by K Matthew Page B

lot of wolf in him. Maybe he was even
pureblood.
    “ Just off the ship.” Karen
tossed her stick to the side and picked up her empty beer can just
to give herself something to hold onto.
    “ Mind if I sit down?” He
gestured to the empty space beside her.
    “ Be my guest.” She glanced
over at the spot before he filled it. He smelled strong before, but
now his scent was almost overwhelming. A good kind of overwhelming
though. There was something about him that woke the small trickle
of wolf blood inside of her—made her feel things that seemed better
snuffed down. Surely, he was just being polite. There was no reason
for her body to be reacting to him like this.
    “ So, what are you in for?”
He raised his beer to his lips and gulped it heartily, staring at
the other party-goers. Karen felt slightly ignored, since he wasn't
looking at her, but at least they were talking. Maybe this was the
start to making a new friend. Or maybe he had just gotten bored
with the rest of the girls at the party. Whatever the case, Karen
was thankful not to be alone anymore.
    The real answer made her nervous.
Sleeping with humans. Refusing to shift with her family during the
full moon. Breaking away from her pack when she was able to shift
because she didn't want to follow the same trails, or perhaps she
just wanted to hunt alone. She had a feeling that disclosing those
safety violations wouldn't earn her any brownie points with a guy
whom she was pretty sure was a pureblood. Instead, she said, “It
doesn't matter. What I'm in for won't get fixed here.”
    “ Why not?” He gave her a
curious look.
    Karen straightened herself and allowed
her eyes to roam over the other lycans, all laughing and having a
good time. “Because this place obviously isn't what my family
thought it would be. They had expected some sort of werewolf reform
to go on here. Not all of this partying and bullshit.” She couldn't
believe she actually sounded somewhat angry about it. The last
thing she had wanted was to be reformed, but the fact that she
hadn't been welcomed into the fold with open arms didn't exactly
make her want to party either. “The regional Alpha obviously
doesn't give a shit about the minor packs. He wouldn't even meet
with my family because our bloodline is so muddy. All he cares
about is having fun.” She furrowed her brow. “It looks like this
place could use some new management.”
     
    New management,
huh? Carter didn't think he did such a bad
job running the place. He certainly didn't have time to greet every
new werewolf dropped off at Sky High Ranch though. There were more
important things to do, like meeting with the pack leaders all over
the state and ensuring that justice was enforced when someone broke
their sacred rules. The nighttime was when he dealt with the lycans
who had been temporarily placed at Sky High Ranch by their
relatives—lycans like Karen.
    Carter knew all about Karen Needham,
her pack, and why she was here. Just sitting next to her, he could
smell that there was barely a trace of wolf left in her blood.
Hardly worth his time to convert. If he hadn't felt attracted to
her, he might not have even bothered to come greet her. She was
different than the other wolves though, and not just because of her
blood.
    “ I must admit, I was
rather surprised to see such a lovely wolf as you sitting alone.”
It was a lie. She was alone because he made it that way. Told the
rest of the wolves not to speak to her, to make her feel alienated.
It was easier for him to get in and take hold of her emotionally
when she thought he was the only one interested in being her
friend.
    All of this was part of his plan.
There was a special way to change good girls who had gone bad, and
Carter rather enjoyed it. Thinking about starting the process with
Karen made his wolf stir in anticipation. Telling her that he was
surprised that she was sitting alone was only part of the lie.
Saying that she was lovely was an understatement. She was