Stealing Her Heart

Contents
 
 Copyright
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Chapter Thirteen
 Epilogue
 More From the Author
 
 Stealing Her Heart
 
 C. A. Hall
 
 
 Copyright © 2023 C. A. Hall
 Cover and interior design by C. A. Hall
 
 
 
 This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. 
 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any way, including information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter One
 
 
 The lower streets of Al’maria were full of criminals, but none of them were half as good as me. Abandoned by my pride and thrown onto the streets when I was a kid, I’d learned how important my inner feline truly was. She was small, quick, and could slip in and out of spaces no other lion could.
 My family didn’t see it that way. Shunned for being different, they saw my housecat as a weakness instead of the strength she’d become.
 It’s their loss, I thought as I scaled a nearby building, ignoring the rickety fire escape while using the small footholds instead. My cat moved with ease, dipping in and out of buildings like a shadow, easily forgotten and rarely seen.
 Pausing on the edge of a windowsill, I peered through a large glass window. My lips curled upward in a mischievous grin as soon as I realized where I was. The building itself was unremarkable, but the scent coming from inside told me everything I needed to know.
 Wolves.
 Dozens of them, which meant an even bigger payday once I made it out. Much like dragons, the wolves of our world loved collecting trinkets whenever they could. We cats had no interest in such things, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t pawn them off.
 Taking a breath to calm my nerves, I slipped through the open window, then crouched amongst the shadows and turned. Silent as night, I shifted between forms, taking on my human skin so I could better traverse the maze-like halls. 
 My inner feline wiggled with joy as I padded across the plush carpeting. Living off the streets wasn’t bad, but nothing compared to walking barefoot without having to look where I was going.
 The carpeting allowed me to move faster than I normally would, giving me the time I needed to find something of value without getting caught. That was the idea anyway. However, as I walked from room to room, the only things worth taking were a silver pendant and an old pocket watch that had stopped working ages ago.
 So much for that.
 With a sigh, I neared a bedroom door, pressing my ear to the hard fibers in case someone waited for me on the other side. 
 The house was silent.
 More than that, the upper level was empty. 
 Normally, this would’ve alerted my cat, but it’d been close to a year since I’d snuck into one of these buildings. So as my curiosity got the better of me, I slowly opened the door, checked the still-empty hall, then turned to my right.
 One room after another, I explored. The second was about as dreadful as the first. Same with the third.
 It wasn’t until I reached the end of the hall when I finally found what I was looking for. 
 The grand suite.
 This is the alpha’s room, I thought as I quietly closed the door behind me. 
 And yet, still no guards.
 Taking a breath, I scented the air. With so many wolves living in one area, it was hard to tell where they actually were.
 My feline vision assured me no one was here, so with a few more steps, I worked my way through the deep twilight until I reached the edge of a large bed. Surely the nightstand had something I could take.
 I opened the drawer, my heart racing at the possibility of a big score. However, before I could search its contents, the door handle behind me moved.
 Panicked, my vision darted from the door to the window several feet away. If I changed quick enough, maybe I could–
 “It’s fine, really,” a woman said, her attention set on someone standing in the hall.
 “But m’lady, it’s the Alpha’s orders. If I could check–”
 “That won’t be necessary,” the woman said, cutting the other one off. “If my father was so concerned, he would’ve sent someone up here earlier. It’s all right. Go on and enjoy the party. I won’t tell him, and neither will you.” Her last words were deeper than the first, likely an order to the one I couldn’t see in the hall.
 My cat insisted I turn and run down the hall while I still could. My heart begged me to do the same.
 But something about the she-wolf intrigued me. From everything I’d observed, wolves never broke away from their pack. So why was she?
 She might’ve been in the same building but if there was a gathering downstairs, surely she would’ve wanted to join her family.
 Positioning myself behind one of the drapes at the edge of the bed, I looked on, studying the she-wolf as she walked over to an elegant white desk with a mirror sitting on top of it.
 Dark ringlets fell down her shoulders and across her back. Her clothing suggested royalty, but the deep lines marring her forehead said otherwise. This was a wolf stuck in a world she had no right being a part of, and she knew it. I could see it in her deflated shoulders, on her pale skin, and I could smell it in the air between