I have felt anxious all day. I don’t know why, but it just feels like a part of me is lost. I put the weights down and take a deep breath. I’ve been working out for hours now, but it’s not helping. The anxious feeling has been there since the invitation to Alpha John’s kids’ eighteenth birthday celebration came in. I’m Alpha of the Aurora Flame pack.
Onyx Moon has wanted to be officially associated with us for the last four years. Attacks on their lands have been increasing, and being involved with us would hopefully put a stop to it. I’m sure Alpha John is hoping that his son will meet his mate and that she’ll have ties to my pack. I’ve been Alpha for two years since I turned eighteen. I wanted to wait to take over until I met my mate, but my father was eager to retire. He said he wanted to spend more time with my mother. But I haven’t seen him do much of that. In fact, I almost never see them together unless they are on official pack business. I think he just hated the job. The constant bickering between she-wolves. The logistics of it. He was always a fighter, never a business type. I would rather solve petty debates than fight in a war.
As an Alpha, though, I’ll do whatever I have to for my pack.
“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Sammie exclaims as I walk in the door.
Sammie is an annoying she-wolf who loves to pretend we have something. She’s got long black hair, darker than my own. Her pale blue eyes disappear among her pale skin. She’s pretty, but she isn’t my mate.
“What do you want?”
“Geez, I just thought you could use some company. We could head to my room.”
“Sammie, this hasn’t worked once in the last year. Would you give it up already?”
“Oh, come on, if you would just try, I bet you’d find that we have something.”
“I don’t want to try. I want to wait for my mate. I’m never going to try with you, Sammie.”
I don’t want to hurt her, but I wish she’d get the picture. I don’t want to be with anyone other than my mate. I know my mate is out there, and she’s worth waiting for. I don’t wait for Sammie to reply. I quickly jog up the stairs and to my room, shutting the door before anyone else can bother me. I carry my plate to my red velvet couch. This isn’t the first time I’ve eaten alone to avoid desperate she-wolves. I really hoped it would be close to the last, though.
Some wolves in my pack don’t find their mates until they are nearly thirty. I shudder at the thought of being alone all that time. I just want to find the person who I’m supposed to share my life with. The woman who is going to strengthen me. The woman who is going to complete me. I finish my food. I still don’t feel like being around people, so I sit the plate outside my room and decide to hide out in my room for the rest of the evening.
Still feeling anxious, I decide a hot shower would be the best way to relax. I walk into my bathroom, and the marble tile is cold beneath my feet. I reach into the shower and turn the water to the hottest setting. Allowing it to warm up, I undress and catch myself in the mirror. I analyze my raven hair and deep hazel eyes. What if my mate doesn’t find me attractive?
I whiffle the thought from my head and step into the shower. Letting the hot water run over me relaxes my tense muscles. As I wash myself, I wonder what my mate will be like. I imagine a strong-willed woman who isn’t scared to be herself. She’ll be the most beautiful wolf. She’ll be mine. The thought causes me to harden, and I stroke myself, thinking of her, imagining how amazing her touch will feel. She’ll make me feel less alone. I release at that thought. I just want someone to love. I finish my shower. My member is still hard, and I know it will take a while for it to relax. It craves something that I can’t give it, my mate's touch.
Drying off, I pull on some sleep shorts up just enough to cover the goods but low enough to show off my V-shaped muscles. I don’t know why, because it’s not like I’m going to find my mate sleeping in my room. I climb into bed and lay down. I stare at the ceiling, waiting for sleep, when I feel a pain in my chest.
Mate. Our mate is hurt. Dom screams in my head.
What? Like dead?
No. She’s in pain. Her heart is broken. Someone hurt our mate.
That revelation pisses me off. How dare someone hurt our mate? How dare our mate give someone the power to hurt her? I send calming energy out, hoping it will reach her. She has to be close to me for me to feel the pain. The pain slowly subsides, and I’d like to think that has something to do with me. The anger remains as sleep carries me off to dream of my mate wherever she is.
I spend my weekend training and sleeping. The calming energy I felt on Friday has lingered, and it was just what I needed to leave Cory behind. I feel much better as I awake on Monday morning. Double-checking myself in the mirror, the messy bun I forced my red locks in is messier than I meant, but oh well. Leaving my room, I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen, where I know I’ll find my mother. I’m surprised not to see Peyton. I guess he already left. I grab a granola bar and some bacon; I don’t have time to eat a full-blown meal right now, so this will have to do.“I’m leaving now, Mom. Love you.”“Be safe, and please, behave, Paige. Remember that you’re the Alpha’s daughter.”My mom is always like that. She wants perfection, even though perfection doesn’t exist. She runs our pack with those same expectations. It’s why everyone tries to avoid Luna Margot. She will criticize you for hours if you let her. The only person she accepts at face value is my dad. That’s because they’re
“Have they suspected you?”“No. I’ve been sneaking around during the day when no one is home,” I reply, sipping my bourbon.“We can’t let Colin meet his mate. He’ll be stronger, and we can no longer overthrow him.”“That boy is the worst excuse for an Alpha I’ve ever seen. A mate won’t change that.”“He’s my nephew.”“I don’t care! He’s weak. This pack needs a strong, ruthless Alpha. They need me.”Growing up, Colin was always wishing and hoping for his mate. It’s disgusting. An Alpha must be an Alpha with or without a woman behind them. The Alpha is the strength, not the mate bond. Colin could never understand it from my perspective, could never understand why I hate the mate bond. Of course, he can’t. He was born into rank. He and his parents are the most protected in the pack. The rest of us aren’t so lucky.I was born to a pack warrior and an Omega. One night, a rogue broke into our house. My parents hid me in a cabinet, blocking my view of the rogue, but I could hear them. They b
I awake in the morning to my mother yanking me out of bed. “Paige, you’re going to be late for your hair and makeup. Get up!”“Ugh. What if I don’t want to get my hair and makeup done?”“Then, you can explain to your father and Alpha Colin of Aurora Flame why you aren’t looking your best on your big night!”Like I’m the one who asked for this party. My parents insisted on it. Peyton and I are turning eighteen, and they want to go all out for it. I’d rather hang out with Val. Why would Alpha Colin care what I look like anyway? I only remember meeting him once a few years ago, but he didn’t pay me any attention. He was following his dad around like a little Alpha puppy.I groan and push myself out of bed. Every freaking muscle in my body hurts. I guess I’ve been overdoing it at training. With that thought, I push through the soreness and open my bedroom door. I call out for the she-wolves and my mother. They are quickly up the stairs and into my bedroom. My mother paces around while the
The world stops. I can’t hear anything over the loud pulse in my chest. Relief and excitement wash over me at the same time. I finally found her. I can’t believe it. She’s more beautiful than I imagined. All my restraint leaves my body, and I run to her. I pick her up off the ground and hug her. Touching her feels like lightning is pulsing through my veins. I feel so alive. Just hugging her feels amazing. I can only imagine what mating with her would feel like.Much better than your hand. Dom laughs.I’m betting you’re right.“I’m Paige.”“I’m Colin.”“Could you put me down?”I put her down quickly but grab her hand. I look down at my mate to see a hint of fear in her eyes. My thoughts begin to swirl as I try to decipher her body language.She’s not going to reject us, human.You don’t know that.Our parents are staring at us in disbelief, the Beta’s daughter is seething with jealousy, and there’s a boy standing next to her who looks like his world is crumbling. For a second, I wonder
I inwardly groan. Colin has met Paige, his mate. Our plan for the Alpha just got a lot more complicated. He’s head over heels for her too. I could see it the second he saw her. I need to talk to James. The plan needs to be changed. This girl is innocent and doesn’t deserve what we have planned for Colin. I’m not so sure Colin deserves it either, if I’m being honest. The nerves are getting the better of me. I just need to remember that this is the only way to get Charles out of the way.“You okay, little brother?”“I’m fine. It’s great that Colin has found his mate.”“I don’t know. She seems to be opinionated and strong-willed. You know submission is needed in a good Luna,” he says, taking a big swig of his whiskey sour.The anger boils in my blood again as the memories of Charles breaking Nicole’s spirit. She, too, was once opinionated, but as time went on, Charles made her submit. He violated the mate bond in the way he treated her. He sleeps with other she-wolves to keep Nicole in l
My mother decides to stay with Tasha’s family to help them plan a memorial while the rest of us head home. Each of us trying to wrap our brains around what just happened. As we reach the house, my father resigns to his office, slamming the door hard enough to knock a picture from the wall. Peyton to his room. Colin walks me to mine. “Stay, please.” I ask as Colin turns to leave. You do like him! Ash barks. I just don’t want to be alone. I lead him into my large bedroom. Mentally high-fiving myself for making my bed this morning. “Did you know her?” he asks. “We trained together. She’s a pack warrior, though we weren’t close outside of that.” He wipes my tears from my cheek, and his warm hand sends shocks to my skin. He feels so good. I’m not sure I have the restraint to avoid kissing him. I stand up from the bed, trying to put some distance between us. “I’m, uh, going to change. I just realized that you have nothing to wear to bed. So run to your room and grab something.” “W
Our first night wasn’t the magical one I had hoped for. But waking up next to her almost makes up for it. Dom hounded me all night to mate her, but I resisted. Paige wasn’t ready for that, and I want it to be special. I wrap my arms around Paige as she stirs next to me, wanting to feel her as much as I can before she pushes me away. She opens her giant green eyes and inhales a deep breath, breathing in my scent. I wonder what I smell of. “What are you thinking about?” she asks. “What my scent smells like to you. You smell of vanilla with a smidge of cinnamon.” “You smell like a rainy spring day.” She laughs. “More specifically, it’s mint and cypress.” Her laugh sounds like a perfect symphony. I lean down to kiss her lightly on her lips, pulling away to resist deepening the kiss and making Paige feel pressured. I find my way out of bed, not missing the glimpse of sadness in her eyes. Dom tries to push me back, but I fight him. “I’m sure you’re getting hungry. I’ll go change, and t
I wake up with a heavy mind because of last night’s events. I waited all night for Claire to show up, but she never did. She never responded to my texts or calls, either. I was drowning my sorrows when I first heard the howls. Following my father to Tasha’s body, I sobered up exceptionally quick. The sight of Tasha’s body made my stomach churn. I stood frozen, just staring at her.My father and Colin went into Alpha mode, my father ordering everyone to do something, including ordering me to find a sheet to cover her with. I also accompanied him to tell Tasha’s family. The entire night left me feeling even more unprepared to be Alpha. I’m just an eighteen-year-old kid. My wolf is worried about the position, too. Neither of us feel like an Alpha.A light knock on my door pulls me from my bed. The scent of the person behind the door has me throwing the door open with more force than I meant to.Mate. Mate. Mate!Claire stands before me, her eyes cast down as she tries to explain herself.