The Alpha's to Share: A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance by Alanis Knight Page B

head nodded, and she kneeled beside the spring and gathered the cool, clear water in her hands and drank of it deeply. When she’d had her fill, she wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist, and then Seth dipped his head to drink until he could drink no more.
     
    Again he bowed, and she mounted him. He quickly made his way toward the cave, and he ducked his way through the narrow opening and carried her to the pine bough bed he’d made for her.
     
    She slid off his back and said, “We’re sleeping here?”
     
    He shifted and said, “Is this alright?” He hoped she’d not been expecting more elaborate accommodations.
     
    “It looks fine,” she said. “Quite cozy.”
     
    “I’ve made a bed for you so you don’t have to sleep on the ground,” he told her, waving his hand toward the pile of boughs.
     
    “Thank you, Seth,” she said. “But where will you sleep?”
     
    “I am quite comfortable sleeping on the ground,” he told her. “I’ll be shifted into my wolf form so that I may react quickly to any danger, and it is much more comfortable to sleep in that form here, anyway.”
     
    She snuggled down onto the pine boughs and shifted her position several times. She looked uncomfortable, and he frowned.
     
    “Is this unacceptable?” he asked her.
     
    “It’s fine,” she said. “It’s just the pine needles keep poking me through my clothes.”
     
    “You will have much more comfortable sleeping quarters back at my den,” he promised. “I wish I could do more for you now.”
     
    “Oh, don’t worry, this will do just fine,” she said pleasantly. “I just need to find the most comfortable position.”
     
    After a while, she managed to nestle into her little nest of pine boughs and she began to relax. The night air began to creep in from outside the cave, and he noticed she was shivering.
     
    “Are you cold?” he asked her.
     
    “Only a bit,” she said, though her teeth were clearly shattering as she spoke.
     
    “I must keep you warm,” he told her, and he lied down beside her in human form and wrapped his arms around her.
     
     
     
    She stiffened at first, and he thought she might ask him to move away, but she slowly began to relax. Her trembling eventually subsided, and the warmth of his body lulled her to sleep.
     
    He snuggled closer to her, feeling her soft curves melding against him and wishing she were naked so he could feel her skin against his own. His nose nuzzled into her hair, breathing in her delicious human scent, and he struggled to hold back the raging erection that threatened to interrupt her sleep.
     
    Patience, he thought to himself. She will accept you as her mate soon enough. As he listened to the rhythmic sound of her breathing, he slowly fell asleep.
     

     

     

Chapter Twelve
     

     
     
     
     
     
    When Callie awakened, the morning sunlight was spilling into the small cavern and warming her face. She shifted her body and then realized that Seth was nestled close beside her with his arms wrapped protectively around her. Her heart began to thump rapidly at the thought of his nakedness so close to her.
     
    He stirred, and she immediately tried to still herself, not wanting to wake him. The feeling of lying beside him was pleasant, and she didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, her own movement had already woken him up, and he’d sat up and taken his pleasant warmth away from her.
     
    “Good morning,” he said.
     
    “Good morning,” she answered politely.
     
    “Are you hungry?” he asked her.
     
    “No, not yet,” she answered truthfully.
     
    “How is your ankle?” he asked.
     
    She wiggled her foot and there was only a bit of tenderness. “It’s a bit better,” she said. “Still just a little discomfort, but not nearly as bad as yesterday.”
     
    “Then we should get started soon,” he told her. “The den is still a few days journey from here.”
     
    She nodded, but disappointment knotted up in her throat and threatened to