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  SAVED BY THE ALPHA

  By

  Natalie Kristen

  Copyright © 2019 by Natalie Kristen

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the author’s written permission, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Epilogue

  Also by Natalie Kristen

  About the Author

  About this Book

  Out of the foster care system, Marie Lynn has learned early in life that she has only herself to rely on.

  Fiercely independent and guarded, Marie is nevertheless incredibly kind, courageous and protective. Her protective streak lands her in trouble and Marie finds herself in the hands of a dangerous, merciless predator.

  Gage Harris is returning to Bear Ridge and he never expects that a stop at the gas station would change his life forever.

  He catches the scent of his mate...coming from the trunk of a stranger’s car!

  There is no mistake.

  His mate is hurt and barely conscious in the trunk of that speeding car.

  When Marie is saved by a gorgeous alpha bear shifter, she can hardly believe that she has managed to escape from her ordeal alive.

  She has no idea just how much her life is about to change.

  Just as Marie begins to open up her heart to love, danger starts to close in on her. She escaped the first time. But she may have run out of luck.

  Will her new life end before it can even begin?

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  Marie switched off all the lights in the diner and went to the door. She locked up the place securely and stuffed her hands into her coat pockets to keep them warm.

  As she glanced back at the small diner, Marie couldn’t help thinking how fast time flew. It seemed like yesterday that she walked into Sweetdreams Diner and asked about the “Help Wanted” sign that she saw hanging on the door.

  “I’m looking for a job,” Marie had said to the bespectacled, middle-aged woman behind the counter.

  “And I’m looking for a waitress,” the woman had replied with a smile.

  Lani Delgado had hired Marie on the spot. Lani was a widow and she had been running Sweetdreams Diner for the past ten years in Sweet Hollow.

  Lani was the first friend that Marie made in the small town of Sweet Hollow.

  Marie hadn’t planned on staying in Sweet Hollow, but she really enjoyed working at Sweetdreams Diner and before she knew it, the months had turned into years.

  Marie gave a wry smile when she realized that she had been living in this sleepy little town for five years now.

  Sweet Hollow hadn’t been her destination when she jumped on the bus with a bulging rucksack containing all her worldly belongings five years ago. At that time, she was just nineteen years old. She was out of the foster care system and had gotten into a few disastrous relationships in quick succession.

  The last relationship was the worst. Even now, Marie couldn’t believe that she had been foolish and reckless enough to get herself involved with a gang member. She was just so lost and desperate for attention that she simply jumped from one bad boy to the next. But these relationships that were filled with thrills, tears and drama never lasted more than a few months.

  Ronny had charmed the pants off her initially. But he soon showed his true colors. He thought he was some big shot just because he was in a gang. When Marie finally had enough of Ronny’s foul mouth and temper and told him that it was over between them, Ronny threw one hell of a hissy fit. He screamed all sorts of insults and threats at her, and said that he was going to get his buddies to teach her a lesson.

  Marie had seen the way Ronny’s gang buddies looked at her. They were like ravening wolves, salivating at a piece of fresh meat.

  Terrified for her safety and sanity, Marie had stuffed all her things into her old, trusty rucksack and hightailed it out of the city.

  She wasn’t going to wait around for Ronny and his friends to jump on her and lay their cruel, disgusting hands on her. She made her way to the bus station and just got on the first bus that was leaving.

  She had no destination in mind. She just knew she had to leave.

  On hindsight, that was the best decision she had ever made.

  With nowhere to go, Marie realized that she could go just about anywhere. She had no family, no ties to anyone or any place. She was free...and broke.

  When she alighted at the sleepy town of Sweet Hollow, Marie had walked into the small town and wandered around in trepidation and anticipation.

  Even though she felt a little scared at finding herself all alone in a strange new town, there was a tiny spark of hope and excitement leaping in her heart.

  She realized that she could make a new life for herself right here in Sweet Hollow.

  She had left her old life behind, and she was glad to see the end of her trail of horrible, destructive relationships.

  Those bad boys had trampled on her heart and self-esteem, and Marie swore that she wasn’t going to let anyone make her feel worthless and empty ever again.

  Marie always told Lani that it was luck that brought her to Sweetdreams Diner.

  Lani employed a cook and another waitress, and Lani trusted her staff to lock up the place when they left.

  As Marie walked down the quiet street, she blew out a soft sigh. Sweet Hollow was a secluded town and the residents all got on well enough.

  But it wasn’t a close-knit community. People were polite and civil to one another, but everyone tended to keep to themselves and stay out of one another’s business.

  Which was good...and bad.

  Even after five years, Marie couldn’t say that she was really close to anyone in Sweet Hollow. Lani was her boss and friend, but outside of work, they didn’t spend a lot of time together. Lani had an ailing, elderly mother to take care of, so she didn’t hang around much after work.

  The cook, Donald, was a father of five and he went home as soon as he finished work. The other waitress, Olivia, was a single mom and she too had to rush home to her children as soon as she knocked off.

  Marie blew out a long breath. They all had family, people who depended on them and bonds that tied them to this place.

  “Not me,” Marie muttered with a shrug.

  She had no family, no bonds...no real life. She worked long hours at the diner, went home to her apartment, took a quick shower and crawled into bed.

 
; Rinse and repeat, day after day.

  And she had almost no social life to speak of. She had dated a few guys in town, but those dates went nowhere.

  Marie shook her head as she turned the corner. There was absolutely no reason for her to be feeling so discontented and restless now.

  She had a job, a roof over her head, and peace and quiet.

  “That’s enough,” Marie said firmly to herself. “That should be enough for me.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Marie was nearing her apartment block when she heard a muffled sob coming from a narrow alley. A whimper followed and more wrenching sobs were heard.

  Marie hurried to the alley and peered into the darkness. “Hello?” she called tentatively.

  Someone hiccuped and she saw a slim figure leaning against the wall.

  Very cautiously, Marie walked over and asked, “Are you all right? Do you need help?”

  “I...I’m okay...” a female voice answered.

  Marie went nearer and saw the young woman wiping her eyes frantically. The woman looked up and Marie’s eyes widened in recognition. Marie had seen her in Sweetdreams Diner a couple of times and had chatted with her.

  “Karen?”

  The young woman managed a watery smile when Marie called her name.

  “Hi, Marie,” Karen said just before her face crumpled and she burst into tears again.

  “Karen, what’s wrong?” Marie said, putting a hand on Karen’s shaking shoulder. “Talk to me, Karen. I’ll help you. I promise.”

  Karen shook her head and Marie narrowed her eyes when she saw the bruises on Karen’s arm.

  She’d heard the rumors. The townspeople had been whispering about Karen and her new guy.

  Karen had hooked up with a stranger who had breezed into town just a few weeks after Karen’s parents passed away. Ervin Zunder had been staying at the motel where Karen worked as a receptionist.

  Ervin had talked to her, lent her a shoulder to cry on, and comforted her. Less than two weeks later, Ervin had moved out of the motel into Karen’s house, the house that her parents had left her.

  Ervin had told the motel owners that he was just passing through, but now it looked like he was staying. For Karen, he said. He was staying for her.

  But the townspeople weren’t totally convinced. There were only a few shifters living in the largely human town of Sweet Hollow. The Sweet Hollow shifters didn’t shift into large, predatory beasts like wolves, lions or bears. There was a family of rabbit shifters, a couple of squirrel shifters and a handful of badger shifters.

  Ervin was a wolf shifter.

  The townsfolk didn’t feel safe around him. And some of them tried to talk to Karen and warn her about Ervin.

  But Karen simply smiled nervously and told them that she trusted Ervin and that he was a good man and wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  Marie stood in front of Karen and said gently, “Karen, look at me. Please.”

  Karen reluctantly lifted her tear-streaked face and Marie let out a cry of shock and anger when she saw the ugly bruises and claw marks on Karen’s face.

  “That bastard!” Marie hissed. “I didn’t want to believe all those rumors. People have been saying that Ervin is a dangerous, abusive piece of shit. But you always defended him and assured everyone that you’re fine. Why didn’t you say something, Karen?”

  Karen hiccuped a sob and tried to turn away. She looked ashamed and humiliated.

  “Ervin said that if I ever told anyone what he did, he would hurt all the people I had talked to,” she whispered. “He would hurt them real bad.”

  “Your silence protected him, not those people,” Marie said.

  Karen bowed her head, her tears dripping from her chin. “I know. I’ve tried to run away before. I’m really scared, Marie...”

  Marie took Karen’s clammy hands and said, “You left. You finally left him. You’re here now, away from him...”

  “He...he’ll find me,” Karen stammered as she swiped at her eyes. “He always does. And when he drags me back, things become a lot worse. I know...” She squeezed her eyes shut and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I know that this time, Ervin will kill me,” she whispered.

  “Ervin can go to hell,” Marie snapped, putting her arms protectively around Karen. “He thinks that just because he’s a wolf shifter, he can scare everyone into submission. He’s not a wolf. He’s a fucking wuss! Only a coward and a weakling beats up his girlfriend behind closed doors.”

  Karen gulped. “I don’t know what to do. I have nowhere to go.”

  “You can stay with me.”

  Karen jerked her head up. “Y-you’ll let me...”

  “Yes. Of course. Come on, my apartment is just round the corner.”

  “But...”

  Marie shook her head. “I’m not leaving you out here, Karen. You’re coming home with me.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Karen followed Marie out of the alley.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Marie made Karen a mug of hot chocolate and urged her to drink it as they sat on the edge of the bed in Marie’s cramped bedroom.

  Marie’s apartment was a tiny, ground floor apartment with just one bedroom. Her block was in an undeveloped part of town that had only a few dilapidated houses spread far apart from one another. There used to be a shop and an eatery across the street but they had gone out of business.

  No one really wanted to live in this godforsaken part of town so the rent was cheap. And Marie didn’t particularly care about where she lived. She spent most of her waking hours at the diner anyway.

  The two women sat side by side, not talking. Marie gave Karen a few minutes to just enjoy her hot chocolate and pull herself together.

  As Karen sipped her drink, she grimaced and turned away.

  Marie saw that Karen’s lips were broken and her left eye was beginning to swell. The bruises looked even darker and starker against her pale skin in the light.

  Finally, Karen put her mug down on the side table and gazed blankly at the wall. “What should I do now?” she whispered as her eyes filled with tears again.

  Marie gave Karen a big hug and said, “You’re strong, much stronger than you think. You can get through this. I’m here for you. Ervin made you believe that you have no one but him. But that’s not true. He’s been trying to isolate you so that he can control you. You see that, don’t you?”

  Karen gave a jerky nod and closed her eyes in pain.

  When Marie felt that Karen had calmed down enough to listen to what she had to say, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Karen, I need to say this, and...I want to hear your answer. Tell me that you’re not going back this time. You are leaving Ervin for good, right?” When Karen remained silent, Marie pressed on, “How much more are you going to take from him? You’re not his doormat or his punching bag. That scumbag even moved into your house, the house you inherited from your parents and acts like he’s the king of the castle! You deserve so much better, Karen.”

  Karen sucked in a ragged breath and swallowed. Finally she nodded and said, “Yes. I’m leaving Ervin. I’ve had enough. I’ve been a bloody fool. My parents would never have wanted this for me.” She balled her fists. “No! It’s over. It’s all over.”

  Marie nodded. “You’re not alone, Karen. There are people who care for you. I care, and I’m here, and I’m not afraid of Ervin. Ervin is nothing but a controlling, manipulative piece of shit!”

  To her surprise, Karen let out a short laugh at Marie’s outburst. “Thank you,” Karen said softly. “Thank you for caring. The fact that you’re so angry on my behalf shows that you do genuinely care. Thank you, Marie.”

  Marie saw dimples dance in Karen’s cheeks as she smiled. Her blue eyes lit up briefly before her expression became shuttered again.

  Marie sighed and shook her head.

  Karen was such a pretty girl, with trusting blue eyes and sweet, delicate features. She was so gentle and kind, and she loved and trusted easily. Too easily.
/>   That was why she got herself entangled with the likes of Ervin Zunder. Ervin was smooth and knew how to lay on the charm. He was also a professional, pathological liar and he could spin a flawless sob story to reel in a sympathetic, tender-hearted young woman.

  At twenty-two, Karen was two years younger than Marie. But Karen had been sheltered her whole life. Karen grew up with two overprotective parents and she never really learned about the monsters that lurked in the real world.

  When Karen lost both her parents in an accident last year, she was completely devastated and that gave Ervin the opportunity he was looking for. He saw the perfect target. A grieving, vulnerable, naive young woman who suddenly found herself all alone in the world.

  “Why don’t you go take a nice hot bath?” Marie said, gesturing towards the attached bathroom. “We’re about the same size, so you can wear my pajamas. I’ll go to the kitchen and heat up some food, okay?”

  Marie opened the bedroom door and was about to step out when there was a sharp, loud knock on her front door.

  Karen’s eyes widened in terror and she shook her head frantically.

  “It’s him! No...” She was almost hyperventilating.

  “Stay here,” Marie ordered. “I’ll handle everything.”

  Clenching her fists, Marie marched out of her bedroom. Her apartment was on the ground floor, and she could see Ervin peering through her front window.

  The scumbag’s eyes were glowing in the dark and Marie glimpsed the tips of his fangs.

  Did Ervin think that he was going to intimidate her with his big, bad wolf?

  “Open the door, bitch. I know she’s in there!” Ervin yelled.

  Marie went to the window and flipped him the bird. “Go away, Ervin!” she shouted. “You are not welcome here! Just get lost and get gone!”

  “How dare you! Who do you think you are?” Ervin bellowed, banging violently on her front door.

  “Who do you think you are?” Marie shot back. “You’re the one banging on my door in the middle of the night and making such a racket!”