Chained To The Alpha: A Paranormal Shifter Romance Standalone by JJ Jones Page B

animalistic shrug. “Don’t know.”
    “Why?”
    “I’m Alpha,” he told me in the way of the beast.
    There was no way to use diction or specific language like that. That wasn’t the way we did things. Still, I will try to translate the conversation as well as I’m capable of doing. We communicate through a variety of smells, actions and small noises. It’s hard to explain. Hopefully, I can make it clear.
    “Hunters?” I indicated the men that were shooting at us as we spoke.
    We were in a fairly safe spot and needed to make a plan. So far, I couldn’t smell blood. That was good. No one had gotten hit, but we had to figure out how to get up that hill to the men that were camped up there.
    “Yes.” There was doubt there. He couldn’t know for sure, but agreed that it was the best guess that we had.
    “Others?” I indicated the other shifters that were trapped like we were.
    “Friends.” He obviously knew these people.
    While I had heard that already; I was kind of happy to hear that he trusted these men.
    “Why here?”
    “Don’t know.”
    “Did friends bring hunters?”
    He was expressing a great deal of displeasure at the idea that I was putting forth. “No.” It was something that couldn’t be argued, more like a ‘hell no’ than a regular ‘no.’ He refused to entertain the idea that we had been set up. “Friends are friends. Hunters are hunters. Friends do not work with hunters.”
    “Agreed. This is strange.”
    “Agreed.” He nodded at me and we continued to watch our assailants.
    They had stopped firing for the time being. I watched them; they appeared to be searching for us, bringing out some rather specialized equipment. I didn’t know what it was, but I thought it must be some sort of thermal scope, something to help them to see us. We would have to do something soon. I knew there was only so much that we should do.
    I looked at him and his muscles were twitching. He was planning to charge up there during the momentary distraction. I wasn’t sure how well this was going to work, but we weren’t going to be able to wait this out. They had forced us to this point, now we had to respond. We were predators, capable of great violence when pushed out of our own comfort zone. He charged up the hill, foam flying from his mouth as he growled and howled the attack, leading all of us behind him.
    We had to do something.
    I saw one of the hunters struggle with a small sidearm as we got to the top of the hill. I moved to him, intent on defending myself, but I wasn’t going to make it in time. The man had the weapon pointed straight at me. There was no time to get out of the way, but suddenly there was something in the way. I couldn’t identify it right away. It was large and grey, and right in the path of the speeding bullet. The weapon had already struck the wall in the way before I realized whom it was. It was Devin and I was watching him fall. I have to admit that I lost my mind in that moment. Several others and myself leapt on the man that had taken down the Alpha. Needless to say, he didn’t last much longer.
    The fight was still going on around us as I changed back into my human form, gripping the man in my arms. He was shifting back to human himself. I screamed a horrific sound. My pain seeped into the surrounding trees as I held him to my chest, the tears running down my cheeks and onto him. The fight seemed to continue on around us, a slow motion encounter that belonged in the movies. I could see bodies and bullets flying. I was totally exposed, but nothing seemed to come my direction. I was alone, trapped in my grief. I couldn’t really explain it. I didn’t know him well, but flashes of a future that would never happen rushed into my head. I saw an entire relationship in time lapse as I cried over his body.
    He reached up to me, his arm weakly trying to touch my face. I leaned down and he began to whisper, “Fynna.” It took a lot for him just to say my name.
    “I won’t