suprise

I told myself that I was only allowed to write for the new story if I wrote a chapter for either this one or the Luna Prophecy first.

So, since I uploaded a chapter for both today and yesterday and some of you asked for more.... here is another chapter for Mommy is mated to the Alpha King. working title ;)

I wanted another grumpy alpha, so meet Cas. Of course he has a sad backstory that I still have to figure out and he's clearly not perfect, but I think he'll grow on us, just like Osiris did. 

*****

Cassius’ pov

"So you want me to book the same hotel as last time, Cas?" My beta asked me.

He and my sister were the only ones that were allowed to call me Cas, and only in private. I had known my beta Zaid since we met at school when we were four years old.

‘So twenty-five years ago,’ my wolf Aziel added. ‘And ten years of that friendship, you’ve been looking for our mate and failing.’

I growled at my wolf, my aura leaking out of me, making Zaid bow his head, showing his submission.

"Aziel?" He asked, looking up at me.

I nodded, "he’s still hung up on me finding my mate."

"This kingdom needs a Luna, Alpha Cassius." Zaid said carefully, still barring his neck.

"It needs my mate," Aziel growled, almost taking over. My eyes turned black and my nails extended, and it took everything in my power to hold my wolf back, knowing he wanted to kill my friend for disrespecting us.

‘He didn’t mean it like that,’ I growled at my wolf. ‘He’s right.’

For ten years, I had been looking for my mate, ever since I turned eighteen. But she was nowhere to be found. Traveling around the country was part of my job, and I visited each pack that belonged to my kingdom, checking to see if my mate was there.

Every pack had beautiful women dying to lay in bed with the Alpha King, but none of them were my true love.

‘That didn’t stop you from fucking them,’ Aziel growled, and I pushed him to the back of my mind, sick of his interference.

"Continue," I told Zaid. "What were you saying?"

"The Hotel. You want to stay in human territory again? It might look strange, seeing as there are two packs nearby that would happily host you." Zain felt my aura lessen, and his posture went back to normal.

I shook my head, "I am in no mood to socialize and have them suck up to me. The humans might be simple at times, but at least they leave me alone when I ask. Money can buy anything among humans, but all I need right now is some peace of mind."

"Do I need to call ahead and specify that you won’t be needing housekeeping this time?" Zaid asked with a smirk.

The last time I went to the Marionette Hotel, there was a naked woman waiting for me in bed. After making her cum several times, I found out she was a cleaning lady who snuck into my room. After speaking to what’s her name, Allison, the girl was reprimanded and forbidden to ever clean my room again. From that point on, I requested that there be no housekeeping done during my stay.

I didn’t like the smell of those humans in my things anyway. Their scent would linger in the room, especially those horrible perfumes half of the cleaning staff wore. Disgusting and way too fucking strong.

"No, thank you." I replied, ignoring my beta’s smirk.

"And you’ll be back in three days for the party?" Khalik confirmed.

I nodded my head, "Arella and Victoria are handling everything for the party. But I’ll be there to do my part."

My sister, Arella, had found her mate, Victora, six years ago. She would tease me that my baby sister had found her mate before I did, and I would tease her that she was stuck with the same pussy for eternity, while I could sample any that crossed my path.

In reality, I was jealous of what Arella and Victoria had. Even Zaid had found his mate three years ago, yet mine was still out there. The longer it took for me to take a mate, the more restless Aziel was becoming.

While I still trusted myself to do my job, there had been a few times when I had lost control.

‘They all deserved it,’ Aziel growled, pushing past the blockade I had put up. He was becoming stronger, and if I didn’t take a mate, there was a chance my wolf would become feral and take over. Nobody wants a king who can’t control his beast.

‘That doesn’t mean I agree with your decision,’ Aziel growled again, pissing me off once again. Couldn’t he see it was what’s best for everyone, including us?

It was a three-hour drive, and I had decided to drive myself, not in the mood to socialize. The music was blaring through the speakers, distracting me from my wolf’s voice that was trying to convince me to change my mind.

Nothing could change my mind. I was doing this, and Aziel better get on board quickly.

The valet stood ready to take my keys, and I got out of my car, walking up the stairs to the hotel lobby, when I smelled a scent stronger than anything I had smelled before. I followed my nose, trying to see where this wonderful scent of freshly baked cookies came from.

My eyes found this perfect woman. Her black curls were up in a high bun, and I wondered what they would feel like in my hands. Her brown skin was amazing; she absolutely glowed. I couldn’t really see her body in that blazer, but what I could see, I wanted to grab and fuck, until she screamed my name.

Aziel pushed forward, and I tried to reel him back. We weren’t among our kind, but before I knew it, his voice overlapped with mine, and we yelled "Mate" through the lobby.

The beautiful woman, my beautiful woman, laughed as if it were a joke. Didn’t she realize she was mated to the most important werewolf alive?!

‘She’s human,’ Aziel clarified, and I suddenly smelled it too. Besides her scent of freshly baked cookies, she had the scent of a human. I had finally found my mate, and she was a weak human who could never understand the mate bond.

‘She’s our human!" Aziel growled and forced me to move towards the woman, who was now staring at me.

Goddess, she was gorgeous. Her chocolate brown eyes drew me in, begging me to go to her.

Allison introduced us, but I wish she hadn’t. I wanted to hear my mate’s voice. I took her hand in mine, feeling something cold touch my skin. Turning her hand around, I spotted the ring.

I might not live among humans, but I knew what that ring meant. It was their way of claiming someone. This woman, Ripley, was married.

‘I will kill the man who claimed her!’ Aziel growled in anger, and I walked off, knowing that if I stayed, I would lose all the restraints I had.

The woman behind the front desk must have seen I was in no mood for small talk because she handed me my keycard, and I headed up in my private elevator to the penthouse.

What kind of cruel joke was the Moon Goddess playing? I am the King of the werewolves, yet she mated me to a weak human? One that looked much younger than me, and that was married?!

I should reject her and stick to my plan.

‘No!’ Aziel shouted.

‘Nothing good can come of us being mated to each other.’ I replied to my wolf, trying to keep his emotions at bay.

‘Give her a chance. Please,’ Aziel pleaded with me. Aziel had never begged for anything in his life. I couldn't ignore my wolf's request, not after all he had done for me.

‘Until the party.’ I said, and I could feel my wolf’s relief. I would give Aziel the chance to change my mind until the party.

‘Then we need to find out more about our mate,’ Aziel suggested.

I mind-linked my beta. As the King of all werewolves, I was able to talk telepathically to all werewolves, while most werewolves could only talk telepathically amongst the members of their pack.

‘Ask our IT team to find out everything about a human called Ripley Ford and tell them to fucking hurry.’

‘Why?" Zaid asked, and I ended the mindlink, not bothering to reply. There was no need for anyone to know who Ripley truly was. This would all end soon anyway.

My wolf didn’t agree with me, but I decided to pour myself a glass of Bourbon to quiet his voice. I had come here to get away from everything for a bit, not to hear my wolf complain even more than usual.

‘You’re just upset that she didn’t wait for you. But it’s not like you waited for her….’ Aziel said, before going to the back of my mind and ignoring me.

Fucking wolf. Couldn’t he see that Ripley and I could never work? It was doomed to fail.

Nobody would accept a human as my mate. A human as the queen of all werewolves; let’s be fucking honest, it's a joke.

I poured myself another glass when I received a ping on my phone. My IT team works fast, but never this fast. Zaid must have realized it was important.

I read through the files they found. They found her diploma, her marriage certificate, and her name listed on two birth certificates. Fuck, she’s a mom.

‘Did you get the report?’ Zaid asked.

‘Yeah, I’m looking through the files now.’

‘So basically, she was a student who did well in school but got pregnant at seventeen. She married her high school sweetheart, and he joined the military.’ Zaid said, summarizing the files for me. He knew how much I hated to read through all this shit.

‘And then?’

‘Her husband died overseas when her twin girls were only a few months old.’

So he’s dead. Aziel was purring in my mind, happy that whoever claimed our mate was no longer walking the earth.

‘She moved to the city just a few weeks ago and filed for a job at the Marionette Hotel. Cas, really? Did you ask our IT team to do a deep dive for a girl you met at the hotel? Can’t you just fuck her without all this research? Are you really that paranoid? I know people are out to get you, but there is nothing in her files that shows she's a danger to anyone, let alone you.’

‘Shut the fuck up and tell me what else they found,’ I growled at my beta. I didn’t ask him for his opinion.

'Fine. She’s in debt. Mostly because of lawyer bills. That’s all I know so far. On paper, she looks like a mess, Cas. She might not hurt you, but she needs money, so watch your stuff when she does come to your room.’ He joked.

Aziel growled through me, ‘If you ever talk about Ripley this way again, I will kill you.’

Zaid apologized quickly, knowing how bad my wolf’s tantrums could get.

‘They’re not tantrums.’ Aziel growled loudly.

‘They look a lot like tantrums to me, you big baby.’ I growled at my wolf, sick of his behavior.

‘Thanks, Zaid. See you in a few days. If you find out more, let me know.’

‘Are you going to tell me why? I am your beta.’ 

‘No. You know the drill; only contact me in case of an emergency and tell my sister the same. And don’t tell her about Ripley.’ I commanded my beta.

‘Tell her what, Cas? It’s not like I know shit since you won’t share what’s going on.’ Zaid replied, clearly annoyed.

I ended the mindlink and stared at my phone again. Attached to the files was a picture of her driver’s license. Ripley Alwyn Ford. Her date of birth was May twenty-first, and she was twenty years old. I had no clue if I would have been able to tell she was my mate before she turned eighteen. Normally, you would be able to find your mate once your wolf surfaced, but she didn't have one.

It did explain why I had waited over a decade to find my mate. She wasn't old enough for me to find her back then.

I could accept the age difference, but the fact that she was human with kids? Her life was a mess. Teen pregnancy? In debt? She was clearly unfit to rule beside me.