Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 40

The feral wolf fought like it was possessed. It snapped and clawed without strategy or sense, just pure violence. But even in its maddened, unpredictable state, it was no match for two Alphas. I got my jaws around its throat while Damon pinned its thrashing body. Together, we forced it into submission.

The wolf shifted suddenly, revealing a young male I didn’t recognize. He writhed on the forest floor, eyes still rolling, muscles twitching unnaturally. Even in human form, he was still feral.

Frowning, I leaned closer and inhaled deeply. There, beneath the scent of sweat and saliva, I could smell it: something herbal. I recognized that scent.

I snapped my gaze up to meet my brother’s startled eyes, and knew he had picked up the scent, too.

“Wolfsbane,” Damon breathed. My heart skipped a beat. Wolfsbane grew wild in certain parts of the Northern River Basin it didn’t grow anywhere else in the region. In small doses, it could enhance a wolf’s senses. In larger doses, it drove them feral.

My stomach dropped. How had I been so careless as to choose the one place in the region where wolfsbane grew? I should have paid more attention, should have been more careful.

I turned to check on Natalia, but Damon was already there. While I had been agonizing over my bad decisions, he had moved toward her and quickly swept her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest while examining the three long gashes on her leg. The attacker’s claws had sliced right through the leather and likely a good half-inch into her flesh. The very sight made me wince.

“Those are deep,” I said. “Damon, stay here with the attacker and I’ll—”

Damon wasn’t listening to me. “We need to get you to a healer,” Damon murmured to her, already carrying her away. Natalia nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks as she clutched at his shirt.

The sight made something violent twist in my chest, something I didn’t want to put a name to but couldn’t help it anyway: jealousy. My wolf surged, angry and territorial, raring to shift again if only to take Natalia back.

That should have been me, the wolf in me thought. I should have been the one carrying her to safety, the one she leaned on, the one whose name she cried out when she was hurt. Not Damon. Never Damon.

But I had a feral wolf to deal with, still writhing beneath my grip, and thus a dire responsibility to the people in attendance to this hunt. I couldn’t just let this male loose, potentially allowing him to hurt someone else, just so I could chase after Natalia and Damon over petty, momentary jealousy that would soon fade.

I yanked the snarling male to his feet, slinging his wriggling body over my shoulder with ease. One of my pack members appeared through the trees–they must have heard the commotion.

“Wolfsbane. Take him back to the medical tent,” I ordered, passing him off. “Have him secured and watched. When he comes to his senses, I want to know everything–where he found the Wolfsbane, what possessed him to

eat it.”

The pack member nodded, grimacing at the sight of the writhing male, and quickly left.

The forest felt too quiet once I was alone. I wanted to return to the main feast grounds, find Natalia… But just as I

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Chapter 40

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