Alter by Gracie Cochran (iphone ebook reader .txt) 📕

first place. I should be really freaked right now. Wait so that means your brother…. Man! I had a crush on your brother.” She flops on a seat next to me.

 

I turn to her with a disgust face. “You had a crush on my brother? You know he’s like too old for you anyway right?”

 

She rolls her eyes. “I can crush on people I know I can never have. But that’s not what i’m saying. Your not human.”

 

I nod. “I know. I thought you knew. I mean slavery is illegal in human laws. I thought you would’ve guessed when this news reached you that maybe I wasn’t human. I mean even my growl a couple of minutes ago should have set off warning bells in your head.”

 

She throws her hands up. “I just thought that was normal for you. You know how things just go right over my head. Come on I’m stupid you know this.”

 

I glare at her. “You are not stupid.”

 

I smell Jim and tense. "Crap."

 

Paula raises an eyebrow. "What?"

 

"I need to hide now. Paula my brother can't know I'm here yet."

 

She tosses me a pair of clothes. "Put these on and go in the back. Quickly." she says.

 

I run to the back just as the bell rings. I quickly toss on the work outfit.

 

"Was Anne here?" I hear my brother ask.

 

"I haven't seen her." Paula says.

 

I hear him growl. "Don't lie to me Paula. I know she's been here. Where is she?"

 

I hear footsteps coming towards my direction. "WHERE IS SHE?!" he grabs my shoulders causing me to gasp. He spins me toward him. I keep myhead down.

 

He puts a finger under my chin and lifts my head up toward him. "Anne?"

 

I look at him. "Ummmm..."

 

Tears well up in his eyes. "I missed you so much." he pulls me in for a hug.

 

Well crap.

 

Chapter 8

He pulls himself away from me and glares. “Why were you hiding from me?”

 

I look at the ground. “I’m sorry I …” I trail off not wanting to lie but also not ready to tell him the truth. “I wish there was a simple way to tell you.”

 

He crosses his arms. “It is simple. You tell me why you were hiding and why your hair is cut like that.”

 

“I can't just please drop it. I need to go.” I say trying to get around him but he blocks me path.

 

“Your not leaving until I get an explanation.” He says sternly. Anger flares inside me.

 

“Let me go. Please.” I clench my jaw trying to stay calm. He sighs uncrossing his arms and brushing a stray hair from my face.

 

“I miss you. You freaked me out when i came into your room and you were gone.” He says.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you. I needed to get away. I went to Josh like you said to and was happy until I had to go.” I say leaving out the fact that me and him aren’t mates anymore.

 

A smile spreads across Jim’s face. “Let’s go visit him. He probably is going insane without you. Unless that’s what you can’t explain and you’ve already seen him.” His eyes sparkle and his smile widens.

 

My heart drops and my cougar growls. I can’t tell my brother that me and Josh aren’t bonded anymore without having to explain to him what I am. I don’t want to put my brother at risk.

 

I put on a fake smile as he practically drags me to Tom’s pack house.

 

Jim knocks on the door. After a few minutes we are met with  a very tired looking Josh. He looks at Jim then me. “Can I help you?”  He asks. He squints like everything is blurry.

 

I clear my throat. “I’m sorry if we’re bothering you. My brother wanted me to come visit. We probably should have sent notice first. I apologize.” I adjust my sword. I what recognition fall into Joshuah’s features. He looks at me seeming to be awake now.

 

“Anne?” He asks his eyes turn hopeful, desperate, and lustful.

 

I nod. “Yes. Like I said I’m sorry to….” I get cut off with Josh’s lips crashing against mine in a sloppy kiss that’s filled with hunger. I pull away in disgust. He looks at me hurt and confusion in his eyes.

 

“Anne I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go. I should’ve protected you. I haven’t been able to sleep or eat since you were taking away. It was my fault. Please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you. It was terrible of me. Please won’t you forgive me?” He says looking at me with desperation clear in his force..

 

I shake my head. “They didn’t take me. I left. What you did hurt me beyond measure. I gave up myself. I became his little pet he could tell what to do. I let him push me around. I was only able to escape because of a kind man that paid off my debt. You just left me to the leech. You are nothing but a desperate coward.” I say angrily. I turn around and start to walk away. He grabs my hand and i rip it out of his grasp.

 

“What did he do to you?” Josh asks angrily.

 

I turn back to look him in the face a cruel smile on my face.“He opened my eyes. I will leave your territory Beta Joshuah. I shouldn’t be trespassing without the permission from your alpha. Don’t count on ever seeing me again.” I turn back around and start walking away. I hear a growl behind me.

 

“Anne lookout!” I feel the wind get knocked out of me and I’m on the ground. I groan and see Josh in front of me in wolf form. He snarls at me.

 

“Jim get off of me and back away slowly.” I whisper. He does as I say though I can feel his reluctance. I watch Josh’s eyes move to him then back to me with a crazed look in his eyes..

 

“Josh you need to let me go. I am no longer yours. We have no bond. You are meant for another.Another thing is I don’t want you anymore. I don’t want to be the mate of a beta who won’t even stand up for his mate when she needs him. So let me go” I say as I slowly get up. He growls and shakes his head.

 

“Let me go or I will have to use force. I don’t want to do that.” I say as calmly as possible. On the inside I do want to hurt him the way he hurt me.

 

He lunges at me and I move swiftly to the side. I quickly change into my cougar form and growl. He snarls and lunges at me. This time I’m not quick enough and he knocks me to the ground. He rips into my shoulder. I yelp in pain. He barks at me. I growl and knock him off me.

 

“Anne!” I hear my brother cry out.

 

“Stay out of this Jim. Let me take care of this myself. I’m a big girl.” I mind link to him.

 

I hear him growl in disapproval but he doesn’t interfere.  

 

I feel tingling in my shoulder blades. I crouch down. Josh jumps on top of me and latches onto my shoulder. I yelp feeling slicing pain throughout  my shoulder.

 

I feel pain shoot through my shoulder blade and know my wings have come out.  I decide to use this to my advantage and flap my wing so that I’m floating above the ground. Josh yips in surprise and let’s go of my shoulder. I make my wings disappear and land back on the ground. I glare at him. He growls and jumps catching me off guard.

 

He knocks me to the ground and starts ripping into the flesh on my stomach. I growl and dig my claws into  him cause him to howl in pain. I become weak because of my injuries. We both stop to catch our breath. I hear footsteps and turn to see Derek and West. When West catches sight of my injuries he runs. My brother growls warningly. I roll my eyes at him.

 

“He’s not a threat. That’s my mate.” I say to my brother through our link.

 

“Your mate’s human?” he asks shocked.

 

“No he’s an angel. We can hide our wings.” I say.

 

He raises an eyebrow. “We?”

 

I nod. “No one else can know about what I am. I didn’t want to tell you because it puts you at risk.”

 

West checks my injuries. “You’re hurt pretty bad. Your cougar side could die if I don’t stop all the bleeding soon……… I’m sorry about earlier. I’ve been taught that things born into evil are evil and should be killed. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve made many mistakes and don’t want to make them again.” He says.

 

I turn to Joshua and see that he’s been pinned down by Derek. I feel West messing with my fur and a purr escapes my lips. I close my eyes enjoying the feeling of his touch. His affect on me is strong. The urge to shift back into human form and kiss him is proof of that.

 

He picks me up carefully. “Let’s get you home so I can better take care of your wounds.”

 

My brother shakes his head. “I don’t want you to go.” He says through our link.

 

“I know but I will come back and see you. This isn’t that last time your going to see me. I love you Jim.” I say.

 

He carefully hugs me around my neck. “ I love you too.”

 

West walks until we’re deep in  the forest. His wings appear and he flies through the clouds.

 

Once he lands on the ground he breaks into a jog. A door comes into view and it opens. My eyes start to get heavy. When we get inside he carefully sets me down. “Stay with me.” he says then goes into the bathroom. He comes out with a rag.

 

“This is going to sting a little.” He starts cleaning my wounds. He hits a sensitive spot and a low growl rumbles in my throat. He finishes cleaning all of my wounds and gets up. I go to get up but he gently pushes me back down.

 

“You need to rest.” he says gently.

 

I huff at him and pretend that I’m going to stay laying down. As soon as he goes to the bathroom I get up and sit down, my cougar is smiling. My tail flicks back and forth as I start to think about what happened with Joshua.

 

My thoughts are interrupted by West clearing his throat. I tilt my head at him. “You should be resting.” His arms are crossed sternly. I snort at him. He sighs. “Please get some rest?” he gives me a pleading look. I flop onto the ground and he smiles. I flinch forgetting that my stomach was injured.

 

West goes into another room and I hear papers being shuffled around. The front door opens and Arny walks in.

 

He sees me and concern etches his features. “What happened to you?” He asks.

 

“She and her ex had a fight!” West yells from the other room.

 

I roll my eyes. My nose starts to itch and I sneeze. Arny smiles and I tilt my head at him.

“Your sneeze is adorable.”

 

I growl at him