The Alpha's Mate
Copyright © 2020 Jennifer Winget
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: Jennifer Winget
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
INTRODUCTION
Prologue
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
Chapter 33
Epilogue
INTRODUCTION
7 years ago, Ellie was rejected by her mate. Under the threat of death, she was forced to flee with her mate's child still growing inside her. Left heartbroken and hunted, she ran from the world she was forced out of and created a new one. But, when an attack on her new pack threatens the lives of both her and her child, she has to turn to the one man she swore she would never come back to.
Will her mate be her savior, or will he kill her on sight?
Axton is the Alpha of the Black Stone Pack. 7 years ago, he found his soulmate, the one that was supposed to be with him forever. After months of being together, she is taken from him without a trace of who did it. Left heartbroken, he searched every corner of the world for his lost mate, but she was no where to be found. Now, he has become cold and distant from everyone in his pack, feared by all for his ruthlessness. His heart broke the day his mate disappeared, but could it be mended when she finds her way back to him with the child he didn't know about.
7 years ago, something happened that changed the lives of these two mates. Now, will they be able to end up together?
◆◆◆
Prologue
Ellie POV
I pushed through the terrain as fast as my paws would carry me. Leaves and bushes shook as I whizzed past their stationary form. Critters cowered in fear as I ran faster, moving like a speeding train.
We can’t do this! He needs us! My wolf whined in my head. Her whimpers on separating from our mate blocked my ears from the noise of nature around us, He didn’t mean what he said! He loves us! She tried to tell me.
Then he wouldn’t have told us to leave, I spoke back to her.
After almost three months of accepting us, he changed his mind. All it took was three words for him to no longer love me, to make my entire world shatter around me.
My wolf, Raelynn, continued to sob in my mind as I pushed to go faster. We had to make it to the border while we still had a head start.
We need to go faster, I yelled to her.
She whimpered more at my request and my urgency to be as far from our mate as possible, but she did as I asked.
The darkness of the forest lit up as we neared the pack border. All I had to do was cross the line and never look back.
I was about to cross over when I heard her try to reason with me once more, What if he changed his mind? What if he really does want it?
I shook my snout in response to her, He was disgusted by the mere thought of this child. He believes I lied to him. He thinks that this child isn’t his.
Just go back and talk to him, she pleaded.
If I go back, he will kill our child on sight. I will not let him hurt it, I reasoned with her.
But-
There is no but, Raelynn, I interrupted her, He swore to kill us and our child if we ever stepped foot back on his land. If we hadn’t of left, he would have executed us on the spot.
We are his mate. He wouldn’t do that to us, she tried again.
He rejected us. He used us, Raelynn. There is no going back.
I shut off the mind link between us as I crossed the border. Fire burned my mark as I sprinted into the forest.
I pushed through the pain, refusing to turn back as a distant howl cracked my already fractured heart into shattered pieces.
◆◆◆
Chapter 1
Ellie POV
It had been 7 years since I was forced to flee from my home, my life, my mate.
I try not to look back at the life I had lost so many years ago. But as I look into the eyes of my child, all I see are her father’s. Her bright blue pools reflected the part of his soul I had fallen in love with. Every time I looked at my child, I replayed all the memories I had shared with her father, from the love to the betrayal.
Zea danced around the field, laughing at her own silliness. Happiness seemed to surround her, a feeling she gave to all who knew her. Over the years, being away from my mate broke my heart into a million pieces, but just being around her would put a smile on my face.
She was only six years old, yet she was my life line to living a life I could be happy in without him. She was the greatest gift I had ever been given.
I watched as she played in the field behind the pack house. Her laughter filled the air around me as she giggled about some secrets she was sharing with her Aunt.
After I was forced to flee from my mate, I travelled around the country. His pack tracked me down, but I was able to escape them at every turn. I was only ever caught once by his gamma; however, he couldn’t bring me back after I told him the danger I would be in. The gamma’s job was to guard the Luna from any threat, even from her own mate, and that’s what he did. He let me go, so my child and I would live.
When she was born, I moved to the Blue Moon Pack. The Alpha who had just arisen was my brother’s best friend, Madden. He promised to hide my child and me in his pack because of the great threat looming over us.
As the years went by, Madden and his mate, Layla, became the closest thing to family. Since I would never be able to return to my original pack after an encounter with rogues, I haven’t seen my brother in almost seven years. I wondered some days if Zea would ever meet her Uncle Xander, but I know it would be too dangerous for her to ever travel to my old home.
I refused to think of her never meeting her father, of never knowing the kind hearted man I had fallen in love with and not the beast I was forced to flee from.
A voice took me out of my thoughts of the past, “They still out there?”
I turned to Madden as I nodded my head, grinning at my child and his mate, “They have promised the best bouquet of daisies for the dinner table.”
He laughed at their ridiculousness as we both remember that they had said the same thing about roses for yesterday’s lunch, “I love the way they act around each other. Layla will be a perfect mother.”
I watched as his eyes shimmered at his love for his mate, my heart ached slightly that I would never see that in my own mate’s eyes when he watched our daughter.
I took
a small sip from the cup I held in my hands, “When is the littlest addition to our ever growing family supposed to be arriving?”
He gave me a smile as he realized that I knew, “In about 7 months. How did you know?”
I looked at his bewildered expression, “I have been pregnant before,” I said all knowingly before bringing my drink up to my lips and mumbling under my breath, “And she told me two weeks ago.”
“Of course she told you. We were supposed to be keeping it to ourselves until the 12 week mark,” he said.
“I am her best friend, of course she told me. We don’t keep secrets from each other,” I said, before quickly adding, “Just you.”
“Secrets like what?” mischief shining in his copper eyes.
“Now if I told you, they wouldn’t be secrets anymore,” I laughed as a slight frown took place over face. I took a deep breath before continuing, “I understand wanting to wait.”
“After what happened last time, we didn’t want to take any chances,” He said, his voice shaky as worry started to set in.
“It’s going to be alright,” I assured him, “Nothing is going to happen to either of them this time.”
He gave me a small smile, “Thank you. Honestly, if you and Zea weren’t here, I don’t know how Layla would be doing. After she lost it, Zea was the only one she would talk to. She made Layla happy again.”
I turned back to the perfect angel running around the field, “That’s what she does. She makes people happy, just like me.”
We watched in silence as Layla and Zea continued to pick flowers and chase each other around the field. It was a perfect day, filled with happiness and laughter.
Then Layla and Madden froze as horror crossed their faces. Their eyes glossed over as they were pulled into a mind link.
In a split second, the perfect day came crashing down as the first horn whaled out over the trees.
As each horn blared, fear seeped into my bones. The sentries around the pack only sound for one thing.
Rogues.
Chapter 2
Layla POV
Rogues crossed the border, one of the sentries sent out in the mind link.
“Layla!” I heard Madden scream to me as he ran across the field in order to reach us.
But he didn’t reach us in time.
Rogues poured out of the woods in a blind rage as they charged from the pack house. They moved in a frenzy as blood of our pack members soaked their clothes and covered their features in the sticky red substance.
“Zea!” I heard Ellie scream over the snarls of the hoard of rogues emerging from the woods.
The second her voice hit my ears, I snapped into movement and ran toward the little girl I had come to call family. Her little arms wrapped around my neck as I swept her into my arms and ran toward the house.
I could hear the stomping of rogues chasing us as I pushed my legs to sprint faster toward my charging husband. My only thought was to protect the child we currently held in our arms and the one growing inside me.
Layla! Get down! Madden yelled to me through our mate bond.
I immediately dropped as he sailed over me in his wolf form, charging into the middle of the rogues threatening the lives of his mate and family.
I looked back and froze as I watched my mate fight off an attack of over fifteen crazed rogues attacking him from all sides. My wolf whimpered and snarled at the rogues as we watched one of them take a swipe at our mate.
Madden! She called out in my head.
“Layla!” Ellie came to our side, pulling her daughter into her arms, “We need to get out of here!”
I looked back to her as if she just said the craziest thing in the world, “What?! No, I will not leave Madden here to fight without me!”
“You don’t have a choice!” she argued back as she tried to pull me toward the other side of the field, but I continued to fight her as more of my pack came out of the woods to join their Alpha on the battlefield, “Listen to me, you are pregnant! You can’t be here and protect your child!”
I understood her reason for wanting to protect me, but I couldn’t just leave my mate, “I can’t leave Madden.”
“You will only put him in danger by staying,” she spoke over the roar of the raging war, “Your being here is a distraction that will get him killed. We need to run.”
I nodded my head as we took off to the forest. We ran deep into the underbrush before Ellie pulled me to an abrupt stop.
“What are you do-” she slapped a hand over my mouth as she dragged us down to the forest floor in a crouch.
What is it? I ask her through the pack link.
Her voice shook even through the link as she replied, It’s him, the one who tried to kill me after I left my mate.
How do you know? I ask her, my fear for Zea’s and her safety growing from the story Ellie once shared with me about this man.
It is not a scent I could ever forget. I need you to take Zea, she said as she carefully handed me her daughter.
Where am I supposed to take her? We are surrounded and from what you’ve told me about him, he won’t give up until he has both you and your daughter, if he even knows she exists.
Take her to the only person that can protect her, she said, hesitation clearly in her voice.
What! He will kill her on sight, he told you he would, I argued with her to reconsider this choice.
I know what he said, she told me, her eyes drifting to the frightened little girl I was holding in my arms as she cried silently as if aware of the danger around her, But no one, not even this monster, would go against him.
But if he recognizes her-
He won’t. You will say that she is your daughter.
He won’t believe that, I argued with her, The second he looks at you, he will know that she is his.
Her eyes sunk to the ground as she spoke back to me, her voice heavy, That’s why I’m not going with you.
No! I cried to her, If you stay here, you will be caught. Cortez will kill you.
She shook her head at me, Not until he gets what he wants, she gently stroked Zea’s hair as she stood firm, and he will never get to her. Just keep her safe.
I promise.
Quickly kissing her daughter on the forehead, she silently said goodbye before running back into the field of battle.
Stay strong, I sent those last words to her and I took off with her daughter towards the one place she swore never to return to.
Back to her home.
* * *
Run! My wolf screamed to me as rogues emerged from the trees surrounding us. We were only a mile from the border. All I had to do was make it there before they caught us.
Zea squeezed my fur harder as she urged me to move faster.
Hold on, I told her as we jumped over and dove under fallen trees in the path.
I felt teeth graze my hind leg as one of the rogues nipped at me. I pushed faster until I saw the border tree in view.
The old, wise tree lit up as the fire burned to light the way for those who were lost, as a warning not to cross into this territory on penalty of death, but I had no other options.
Come on, I told my wolf as we gave one last push to break through the barrier.
The rogues skidded to a stop as they realized where we were. I gave them a sly smirk as they growled lowly at the line drawn between them and their goal.
THE ALPHA's MATE: A Romantic Thriller Page 1