After My Alpha Chose My Sister Over Me

The letters lay scattered around us like fallen snow, but all I could see was Parker's face. The raw honesty in his amber eyes made my chest tight with something I'd never felt before—not the desperate need for approval I'd craved from Ryker, but something deeper. Something that felt like coming home.

"You knew," I whispered again, stepping closer to him. "All those years, you were watching over me."

Parker's jaw clenched. "I couldn't claim you. Not then. I was—am—a hunted man. My brother Marcus, the Lycan Prince, he's been tracking me for years. If I'd revealed myself, if I'd tried to take you from Ryker, Marcus would have killed you to get to me."

"And now?" I reached up, my fingers tracing the jagged scar along his jaw. He shuddered under my touch, his eyes fluttering closed.

"Now you're already in danger because of me," he said roughly. "I should let you go. Find somewhere safe—"

"No." The word came out fiercer than I'd ever spoken before. "I'm tired of being pushed around, tired of being told what's best for me. I choose you, Parker. Scars, crown, danger—all of it."

Before he could protest, I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his.

The world exploded.

Heat raced through my veins like wildfire. Parker's arms came around me, crushing me against his chest as he kissed me back with years of suppressed longing. His lips were warm and demanding, and I melted into him, finally understanding what it meant to be wanted—truly wanted—by someone.

Deep in my chest, my wolf threw back her head and howled with joy.

Then the pain hit.

I gasped, pulling back from Parker as agony lanced through my bones. My spine felt like it was being twisted by invisible hands. I doubled over, crying out as my ribs expanded and contracted.

"Angelina!" Parker caught me as I fell to my knees. "What's happening?"

"I don't—" Another wave of pain cut off my words. My hands were changing, fingers elongating, nails sharpening into claws. "Oh God, I'm shifting!"

I'd never shifted before. Twenty-three years old, and my wolf had never been strong enough to break free. But now, with Parker's scent surrounding me and the mate bond singing in my blood, she was finally claiming her place.

Parker knelt beside me, his voice calm and soothing. "Let her come, Angelina. Don't fight it. I'm here."

The transformation was brutal and beautiful. My bones cracked and reformed, my skin stretched and sprouted fur. I felt myself growing larger, stronger, more alive than I'd ever been. When it was over, I stood on four legs, panting.

I looked down at my paws—they were pure white, like fresh snow. My entire coat was white, gleaming in the firelight.

*Beautiful,* Parker's voice echoed in my mind, and I gasped. A mind link. We had a mind link.

*You can hear me?* I thought back, amazed.

*Clear as day, my queen.* His mental voice was warm with affection and pride. *You're magnificent.*

Parker shifted beside me, his massive black wolf appearing in a blur of shadow and muscle. Where I was light, he was darkness. Where I was new and uncertain, he was ancient and powerful. We were perfect opposites, perfect matches.

*Run with me,* he said, and I didn't hesitate.

We burst through the cabin door into the snowy night. Running as a wolf was like flying. My paws barely touched the ground as we raced through the forest, weaving between trees, leaping over fallen logs. The cold air filled my lungs, and for the first time in my life, I felt truly free.

*This is what I was meant for,* I told Parker as we crested a ridge, the moonlight turning the snow silver around us.

*This is what we were meant for,* he corrected, and I felt his love wash over me through our bond.

We ran for what felt like hours, exploring the mountain territory that Parker called home. But as we circled back toward the cabin, both of our wolves suddenly went rigid.

A scent. Familiar and unwelcome.

*Someone's here,* Parker growled, his hackles rising.

I lifted my muzzle, testing the air. My blood turned to ice as recognition hit me.

Ryker.

He'd found me. Somehow, impossibly, he'd tracked me through the Dead Zone to this hidden sanctuary. And from the desperation clinging to his scent, he hadn't come to finish what he'd started.

He'd come to beg.