Alpha Queen (Claimed by Wolves #4) - Callie Rose Page 0,1

way, he looks as strung out as I feel.

None of us have really slept lately.

Ridge twines the fingers of one hand in my blonde hair, a small grin curving his lips. “That’s on me. I shouldn’t have asked a question I already knew the answer to. The answer most certainly isn’t ‘I’m okay.’”

I laugh, but it’s a tired, forced sound. Emotions bubble up inside me, threatening my tenuous control over the barrier in my mind. I rest my forehead against his chest and take several deep breaths, breathing him in, bracing myself against his solid strength because it’s the only thing keeping me on my feet.

He gives me time to center myself without even being asked.

Finally, I sigh and straighten to catch his gaze again. “I’m getting by. But, Ridge, it’s terrifying trying to guard the perimeter of my mind all the time. If I slip up even a little, Cleo could get through. She could reach us. Find out our secrets. Even hurt me.”

I don’t voice my worst fear—that if she does get back through, she’d kill me.

She hasn’t been back in my mind, nor has she managed to pull me into that strange, cave-like place on the astral plane again, but I figure it’s only a matter of time before she tries. Honestly, I don’t even know what’s keeping her away at this point. It could be my protections, which are by no means strong or powerful since I’m hardly half a witch at this point with barely any training to my name. Or it could just be that Cleo herself hasn’t decided to come back.

Yet.

“Keep your barriers in place, and we’ll work out the rest,” Ridge says gently.

“I’m trying.” I grit my teeth, a note of irritation crawling into my tone. It’s not directed toward Ridge though, and he seems to understand that. “I’m trying to block my mind from invasion, but it’s incredibly difficult. Plus, I can’t even tell if it’s actually working. It takes so much constant focus. I feel like I’m walking through the day trying to do complex math in the back of my head all the time. I can’t fucking concentrate on anything.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No.” Sinking back into his chest, I take comfort in the warmth flowing from his body and the scent of his golden skin. “It’s just wearing on me. It’s only been a couple days, and it’s like my mind is shattering under the pressure. I don’t know how long I can keep this up.”

My voice cracks on the last word, and his whole body tenses. I can almost feel his emotions racing through the mate bond between us—anger, frustration, love, determination. As far as he’s concerned, his mate is hurting, and it’s his job to ease her pains, but he has no idea how to deal with something like this. The wolves have harnessed some minor protection sigils for their own use over the years, but when it comes to something this major, they have no answers. This is witch magic, through and through.

Instead of giving me cheap platitudes or promises we’ll both know are lies, Ridge tilts my face up to his and kisses me. The soft warmth of his lips on mine is a hell of a lot better than some silly reassurance that “it’s going to be okay.”

He pulls away entirely too soon, and I leave my face tilted up toward his, hoping he’ll come back for more. He does, unable to resist the pull between us, and for a few more moments, nothing exists but the feel of our lips moving together.

Finally, he squeezes me against his chest and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear as he says gruffly, “You won’t have to keep up the barriers for long, little wolf. We’re going to deal with Cleo sooner rather than later.”

A muscle clenches in his jaw, and I stare at it, fascinated by the way it turns his face even more ruggedly handsome. I don’t think any of my mates have quite gotten over what it looked like when I was passed out on the floor in the council meeting. When Cleo dragged me into that cave and attacked me, she yanked my astral self from my body. She was killing me; I’m sure of it. And God only knows what my body was doing back in the real world. From the way my mates have tripped all over themselves to tend to my every need since,