Page 13 of Alpha Wolf (Return To Fate Mountain #6)

Chapter

Twelve

Valeria pressed her back against the rough log wall of the cabin, her hands shaking as she stared at the man who had just kidnapped her.

The small space felt suffocating, every shadow seeming to hide new threats.

One room with a kitchenette, a single bed, no escape.

Dom moved through the space with calm authority, checking the windows and doors.

This wasn’t improvised. He’d been prepared for this exact scenario.

Her bear stirred weakly beneath her skin, trying to surface, but it felt like pushing against a brick wall.

Dom’s alpha energy filled the cabin like invisible smoke, pressing down on her animal with overwhelming dominance.

She’d never experienced anything like it.

Even when other bear shifters asserted their authority, she could still access her animal strength. Now she felt as helpless as a human.

The suppression created physical symptoms that terrified her.

Nausea rolled through her stomach in waves.

Her head felt light, disconnected from her body.

Every time she tried to call her bear, the effort left her dizzy and disoriented, like trying to breathe underwater.

The alpha dominance wasn’t just blocking her shifter abilities—it was making her sick.

“You planned this,” she said, her voice coming out smaller than she intended. “This whole setup. You’ve been ready to take hostages.”

Dom glanced at her from across the room, his expression unreadable. “I prepared for the possibility that someone might need elevated protection. Turns out that person is you.”

Her cop training kicked in despite the terror. Study the suspect’s patterns, identify their capabilities, assess the threat level. Everything about Dom screamed professional operator.

He checked sight lines, tested locks, positioned himself to control the room’s access points. His movements were economical, purposeful. This was the kind of professional competence that had made the Crown Mountain attacks so devastating.

“Those weren’t random shooters,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “You knew exactly what to do. How to evade them. Where to bring me.”

“Because I’ve been on both sides of operations like that.” Dom pulled out a radio, speaking quietly into it. “Package is secure, but the scene’s compromised. Maintain distance until we know the scope.”

Package. Her stomach dropped. She was cargo to be managed, a valuable asset in whatever game he was playing. The professional terminology confirmed her worst fears about Steel Protection’s true nature.

The radio crackled with responses she could barely make out, but the tone was military-crisp. This wasn’t some improvised criminal enterprise. This was coordinated, systematic, planned.

Valeria tried again to call her bear, desperate for the strength and enhanced senses that might help her escape.

Instead, she met the same impenetrable wall of alpha dominance.

Her animal had retreated so deep she could barely sense it, leaving her trapped in human form with all its limitations.

The effort left her gasping, black spots dancing at the edges of her vision.

She pressed her hand to her chest. The mate bond pulled at her, insisting this man was meant to protect her, not harm her.

But her training recognized the psychological manipulation tactics kidnappers used.

Creating false intimacy. Making victims feel special, chosen, cared for. It was textbook predator behavior.

“You’re using the mate bond against me.” Anger flared in her chest, hot and clean. “Manipulating my shifter nature to keep me compliant.”

“I’m keeping you alive.” Dom moved to another window, scanning the tree line. “Those shooters aren’t going to give up because we got away. They’ll regroup and try again.”

Valeria pushed away from the wall, testing her limits. She made it three steps toward the door before Dom intercepted her, his large frame blocking her path. This close, his scent filled her nostrils, and her bear emerged just enough to purr with desire.

The sound horrified her. Her animal was responding to him with pleasure while her human mind screamed with terror. The biological betrayal felt like having her own body turn against her.

“I need to call my father,” she said, hating how breathless she sounded. “Let him know I’m alive.”

“Can’t risk it. We don’t know who’s compromised in your department.”

Dom’s hand closed around her wrist, not painfully but with enough pressure to remind her of his superior strength.

The physical contact sent electricity through her arm.

She jerked away from his touch, disgusted by her body’s response.

How could she feel attraction to the man who’d kidnapped her?

How could her skin crave more contact when her mind knew he was dangerous?

“You’re paranoid.” She backed toward the bed, needing distance from his overwhelming presence. “My father would never…”

Her chest tightened as she thought about her family. Her father would be frantic when she didn’t check in. Gabriel would organize search teams, but how could they possibly find this place? It was hidden deep in the mountains, accessible only by someone who knew exactly where they were going.

By the time anyone found her, it would be too late.

The Reynolds family had built their reputation on protecting Fate Mountain.

Two generations of law enforcement, all dedicated to keeping their community safe.

Now she was going to become a victim, another statistic in a case file.

The daughter of the police chief, kidnapped and killed by the very criminals she’d been investigating. By her own mate.

She tried one more time to access her shifter strength, pushing against the alpha dominance with everything she had.

The effort left her retching, her body rejecting the attempt so violently she nearly passed out.

Dom was beside her instantly, his large hand on her back, supporting her through the wave of nausea.

“Don’t fight it,” he said quietly. “You’ll only make yourself sick.”

His touch was gentle, concerned, completely at odds with her image of him as a killer. But she’d read about this too, how sophisticated predators could mimic empathy, create the illusion of care while maintaining complete control over their victims.

She jerked away from his touch, moving backward until her back hit the wall. “Don’t touch me.”

Dom’s hand dropped, but his expression remained concerned. “You need to stop trying to shift. Your bear won’t surface while my wolf is protecting you.”

Protecting. He used the word like it meant something, like he genuinely believed he was keeping her safe instead of holding her prisoner. The manipulation was even more sophisticated than she’d given him credit for.