Page 5 of Alpha’s Vow (Copper Canyon Shifters #3)
CHAPTER 5
SABLE
S able woke with a start, her senses immediately alert, her body tense beneath the soft motel sheet. The room was still, save for the faint whirr of the air conditioning, but something felt off. Her heart beat a little faster, her wolf instincts stirring as she replayed the scattered fragments of the night before.
She turned her head and saw him.
Bryce lay sprawled beside her, his broad chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep. His dark hair was tousled, his sharp jaw relaxed in the quiet peace of slumber. The sight of him should have been reassuring, but instead, it set her pulse racing for entirely different reasons.
Something tugged at the edge of her awareness, a faint, unfamiliar heat radiating from her neck. She sat up slowly, the thin sheet pooling at her waist as she reached up to touch her skin. Her fingers brushed the hollow of her throat, and the instant she felt the raised, tender skin, her stomach dropped.
A bite.
She bolted from the bed and crossed the room in a blur of motion, her reflection catching in the motel mirror. Her eyes locked on the fresh mark etched into her skin—a claiming bite, unmistakable and irrevocable. It was deep and would leave a prominent scar. An alpha—perhaps not a pack leader, but an alpha nonetheless.. Sable had recognized him as a wolf-shifter, but she hadn’t counted on him being an alpha. Shit. Her anger flared hot and immediate, a wildfire consuming the last traces of last night’s passion.
“Bryce!” she snapped, her voice sharp as she stalked back to the bed.
He stirred, groaning softly before opening his eyes. They were dark and piercing, still heavy with sleep but already aware of her fury. “Morning, Sable,” he drawled, his tone low and rough, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Her fist connected with his nose before he could say another word.
Bryce’s head snapped back, his hand flying to his face as a pained grunt escaped his lips. “What the hell?” he growled, sitting up and glaring at her, blood already trickling from his nose.
“What the hell?” she repeated, her voice shaking with barely contained rage. “You marked me! Without my consent!”
Bryce’s eyes flickered with confusion and then realization. He winced, his free hand raised in a gesture of surrender. “Sable, I...”
“Don’t you dare try to explain!” she cut him off, pacing the room like a caged animal. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing and towering over her with his imposing height. His expression was torn between frustration and regret. “It wasn’t planned,” he said, his voice steady but firm. “It was instinct.”
“Instinct?” she spat, stopping to glare at him. “That’s your excuse?”
Bryce’s jaw tightened, his dominance rolling off him in waves. “It wasn’t just me, Sable. You felt it, too.”
Her breath hitched at his words, anger clashing with the truth she didn’t want to acknowledge. There had been a connection last night, something raw and primal that had pulled her toward him. But that didn’t justify his actions.
“This bond” —she gestured angrily to the mark— “isn’t something you can force on someone. It’s a choice. My choice. And you took that from me.”
Bryce held her gaze, his eyes unreadable. “You think I don’t know that? It wasn’t planned, Sable. But it’s done.”
“That doesn’t make it okay,” she snapped, her voice cracking with her emotions.
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Bryce’s shoulders squared, his dominant energy filling the room, but Sable refused to back down. She wouldn’t let him control this narrative, wouldn’t let him think this was something she would simply accept.
Finally, she grabbed her jeans from the chair and started pulling them on with sharp, jerking movements. Bryce watched her, his fists clenching at his sides.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Away from here,” she said without looking at him. “Away from you.”
She didn’t miss the way his nostrils flared or the brief flash of hurt in his eyes, but she didn’t let it stop her. She threw on her boots and jacket, grabbed her bag, and stormed toward the door.
“Sable, wait,” Bryce said. “You can’t just run away from me.”
She paused, her hand on the doorknob, and looked back at him. “You made this choice for you and for what you wanted, but that doesn’t change anything for me. Stay away from me, Savage.”
Without waiting for a response, she yanked the door open, grabbed his keys and stepped out into the crisp morning air. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting long shadows across the empty parking lot. Sable sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady her frayed nerves, but the mark on her neck burned like a brand, a constant reminder of what had happened.
She climbed into his truck and slammed the door shut, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. The bond was already making itself known, a faint, invisible thread that tied her to Bryce, tugging at her heart and mind in ways she didn’t want to admit.
“No,” she whispered fiercely. “This doesn’t change anything.”
She started the engine, returned to the arena, loaded Ghost in her trailer hitched to her truck and heaved Bryce’s keys as far as she could. Damn him. Putting her truck in gear, she pulled out onto the highway, her mind spinning with plans and distractions. The next name on her list, the next lead in her search for the hunters who had destroyed her family—those were the only things that mattered now. Bryce and his bite were complications she didn’t need.
But no matter how hard she tried to focus, the bond refused to be ignored. It thrummed faintly in the back of her mind, a low kind of awareness that reminded her of his presence even when he wasn’t there. It was infuriating, maddening, and deeply unsettling.
She clenched her jaw, her foot pressing harder on the gas pedal. The open road stretched ahead, but it didn’t feel like freedom. Bryce’s voice and touch echoed in her mind. She might never admit it to him or anyone else, but she’d felt the same pull he had. But that didn’t mean she forgave him.
Sable drove until the sun was high in the sky, her mind locked in a battle between anger and something she couldn’t quite name. She wanted to hate him for what he’d done, but the memory of his touch, the fire in his eyes, and the way he’d held her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world refused to fade.
She pulled into a dusty rest stop, parking beneath the shade of a weathered oak tree. Stepping out of the truck, she leaned against the hood, her fingers brushing the bite mark again. It wasn’t just a mark—it was a promise, one she hadn’t asked for but couldn’t escape.
“Damn you, Bryce,” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.
The wind carried the faint scent of pine and earth, mingling with the wild edges of her wolf’s instincts. Something was coming—she could feel it in her bones, in the way the bond tugged at her even now.
Bryce was part of her world now, whether she wanted him to be or not. Deep down, she knew there was no running from fate.
A week later, with the horses settled in the canyon and not in need of her for a while, she drove into the small border town. It was alive with activity, its dusty streets bustling with vendors, tourists, and locals. Sable stood in the shadows of a narrow alley, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd with the patience of a predator. The scent of sizzling meat from a nearby taco stand mingled with the tang of diesel fumes, but none of it held her attention.
She had spotted him.
The man stood at a makeshift stall near the edge of the marketplace, his broad shoulders and weathered face unmistakable. His name was Markson—a name she’d etched into her memory alongside the others. He was one of the hunters who had gunned down her family. The memory of that day flashed in her mind, sharp and painful: the gunfire, the blood-soaked snow, the anguished howls of her pack.
Her heart pounded as she watched him haggle with the vendor. He looked so ordinary, so unremarkable, that no one would ever suspect the monster lurking beneath. But Sable knew. She could feel it in her bones, the undeniable certainty that this was one of the men who had stolen everything from her.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of the blade hidden beneath her jacket. It was small and sharp, perfect for close combat. She’d used it before, and she wasn’t afraid to use it again. The idea of slipping it between Markson’s ribs and up into his heart sent a surge of satisfaction through her—a momentary balm for the grief and rage she’d carried.
She stepped out of the alley, her movements swift but measured, her gaze locked on her target. He moved down the street, his hands stuffed into his pockets, oblivious to the danger stalking him. Sable followed, keeping her distance, her wolf instincts guiding her like a shadow.
Markson turned down a quieter side street, the noise of the marketplace fading behind him. The buildings here were worn and crumbling, their stucco facades cracked and peeling. Sable’s pulse quickened. This was her moment. She quickened her pace, closing the distance between them, her hand slipping beneath her jacket to draw the blade.
The sound of boots on gravel barely registered in her ears before a firm hand clamped down on her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
“What the hell are you doing?” Bryce’s low, commanding voice cut through the air like a whip.
Sable spun around, her blade glinting in the sunlight as she yanked her arm free. Bryce stood inches away, his eyes blazing with anger and something else—concern. His broad frame filled the narrow street, and his presence was impossible to ignore.
“Get out of my way, Bryce,” she hissed, her voice low and dangerous.
“Not a chance,” he said, his tone steady. “Put the knife down.”
She glared at him, her chest heaving. “You don’t understand. That man...”
“I know who he is,” Bryce interrupted, his voice tight. “And I know what you’re planning to do. But this isn’t the way.”
Sable’s grip on the blade tightened, her frustration boiling over. “He deserves to die for what he’s done. For what he did to my family.”
Bryce stepped closer, his presence dominating the space between them. “And you think killing him in broad daylight is going to fix that? Think, Sable. You’ll be caught before you even get close.”
She snarled, her wolf instincts surging to the surface. “I don’t care.”
“Well, I do,” Bryce snapped, his voice hardening. “You’re not doing this. Not like this.”
Her fury erupted, and she shoved him hard, her strength surprising even herself. “You don’t get to decide that! This isn’t your fight, Bryce.”
“It is now,” he said, his voice low and resolute. He caught her wrist in a firm grip, his eyes locking onto hers. “I’m not letting you throw your life away.”
The air between them sizzled with electricity, their anger colliding with something deeper, more primal. Sable’s chest rose and fell as she glared up at him, her wolf snarling inside her, torn between defiance and the pull of his dominance.
“You think you can just step in and what? Stop me? Save me?” she demanded, her voice shaking with emotion. “You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
Bryce’s grip softened, but his gaze didn’t waver. “I don’t know everything, Sable, but I know enough. I know you’re stronger than this. Smarter than this.”
Her throat tightened, the gravity of his words cutting through her fury. She wanted to scream at him, to push him away, but the truth in his voice stopped her. He wasn’t just trying to control her—he was trying to protect her.
Sable wrenched her arm free, taking a step back. Her blade was still in her hand, but her resolve wavered. Markson had disappeared down the street, his shadow no longer in sight. The chance was gone, and the hollow ache of failure settled in her chest.
“Stay away from me, Bryce,” she said, her voice low and icy. “You don’t want to be part of this.”
His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. “Too late.”
She turned and stormed down the street, the heat of his presence lingering behind her like a brand. The bond between them tugged at her, an invisible thread that refused to break no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.
Sable slipped into the shadows of an abandoned building, her chest heaving as she leaned against the cool, crumbling wall. The anger in her veins hadn’t faded, but it was joined by something else—confusion, frustration, and a deep, unsettling pull toward Bryce that she wanted desperately to ignore.
She closed her eyes, the image of his face burned into her mind. The way he had looked at her, not with judgment but with understanding, had shaken her in a way she hadn’t expected. Bryce wasn’t just a man standing in her way—he was something more, something dangerous.
And that terrified her.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the empty streets. Sable opened her eyes, her resolve hardening once again. She couldn’t let Bryce distract her, no matter how much he tried to insert himself into her mission. The hunters were still out there, and she would find them and make them pay—on her terms.
Sable’s fists clenched at her sides, her determination clashing with the strange, undeniable connection she felt toward him. She knew for certain, he wasn’t going to stay out of her way, and that would make everything far more difficult.