Alpha's Mate: A Steamy PNR Shifter & Fantasy Romance Collection (Hot Shifters Book 3)

by Casey Morgan

  Pax went to him with proposed changes on a couple occasions, and nothing really got done. I hope that this time things go over a little more smoothly.

  Kenzie and I go inside the house and head towards the kitchen. That is where Anson usually is if he happens to be up this early. As we get closer, I hear shuffling around. I stop Kenzie before we step inside. She looks shocked but doesn’t make any protests… yet.

  “Look, I know that you want to be a part of all of this, but I think it would be better if I did the talking. Anson can be difficult to handle.”

  Kenzie has already proven to me that she is a valuable asset, but Anson will be a lot more dismissive of her than he would of me. That still doesn’t mean he’ll take my word for it, but there is a better chance.

  “It’s fine. I understand how all of this works.”

  I nod, and the two of us walk into the kitchen together. Anson is making himself a quick breakfast, the same shake he makes every day.

  “Tamir! I was wondering where you had gone off to. You disappeared mysteriously.”

  “Yeah, I was getting tired, I guess.”

  “Not too tired, it seems.” He looks at Kenzie, and I can already tell what he’s thinking. Anson is always on me about finding a mate. That it would be a better look for the pack if I had one. Lately, the talk has died down because of everything going on, but I’m sure he hasn’t totally forgotten about it.

  I don’t want to get into all of that right now, though. What’s more important is finding a way to convince Anson that he shouldn’t trust Flint.

  “Last night was fine, but there is something I need to talk to you about.”

  “Now, Tamir. You know I don’t like talking business when I first wake up. I’m sure this is something that can wait.”

  I take a deep breath because this is what happens a lot. Anson likes for things to work on his own time. I’ve always done things his way because it’s a lot easier than getting into arguments with him.

  But I don’t have the luxury of doing that this time.

  “I know, Anson, but it’s really important, and I’m worried if we put this off for too long, things are going to get much worse.”

  “Okay, what is it? What’s so important that you have to talk to me about it right now?”

  “It’s about Flint. There are some things I am worried about.”

  “You already told me, Tamir. You thought it was much too early for us to bring him into the pack, but we already did, and there’s really no turning back at this point. I already made my decision.”

  “No, it’s not that,” I start. I’m not sure how to explain any of this to him. “Something about him just doesn’t seem trustworthy. I mean, where did he really come from? We don’t know anything about him. What does he even want with our pack?”

  “What are you trying to say?” The alpha turns and leans against the counter, resting his thick, muscular arms on the edge.

  I can tell he’s getting frustrated. I want to tell Anson everything Pax told me, but I know that if the information comes from my brother, he’ll just dismiss it as poppycock. He never took Pax seriously. Maybe I should have fought harder for my brother when he was actually here, but it’s too late to be lamenting the mistakes I made.

  “I just want us to be more cautious. I just feel like things are moving too quickly, and that something bad is going to happen.”

  He tuts. “But why? All you’re doing is coming to me with your thoughts on the subject. Where’s your proof? Do you have any?”

  I don’t know what to tell him. All I have is what Pax told me. I wish he had gotten that footage, so I had it to show to Anson. Then there would be no way for him to dismiss me.

  “I’m trying to figure this out, but there’s been so much going on—”

  He waves a hand, turning away. “Come to me when you actually have something. I don’t know why you can’t give Flint a chance. Is it really that hard for you? Do you want to end up like your brother?”

  I push out a breath. I’m not going to get through to him. It’s like Flint is his new best friend or something. Any time anyone says something bad about him, Anson won’t even entertain the thought. It’s like Flint can do no wrong in his eyes. I don’t understand it, but clearly, I am wasting my time here.

  “Sorry for bothering you. I’ll see you later.”

  I grab Kenzie’s hand, and we leave the kitchen. I’m fuming on the inside and trying to keep a lid on my anger. I’m about to reach the stairs when Kenzie pulls out of my hold.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to my room. I thought you’d come with me.” I was probably a little rash with dragging her out of the kitchen, but I needed to get out of there.

  “We need to go back, so you can talk some sense into Anson. You can’t give up so easily. Pax told you what Flint is up to. If we do nothing, the entire pack is in big trouble.”

  “He won’t listen to any information that comes from Pax. He never took my brother seriously when he was here, and now, things are even worse between them. I mean, you know what happened.”

  “So? You have to do something. You always do this. You never stand up to him. He brings a stranger into our pack, and you let it happen. He tells you to attack your brother, and you do. Are you your own person, Tamir? Or are you just Anson’s lapdog?”

  I can’t believe she just said that to me. I thought Kenzie and I had gotten past all of this, but it seems like nothing really has changed. She’s still the same pushy, shrill, annoying woman she’s always been.

  “I’m doing the practical thing. Maybe you can’t see logic right now because of your own mental blocks. It’s no use talking in circles. It’ll get us nowhere.”

  She glares up at me. “That’s what you think. You’re not always right, Tamir. Remember how I made some great suggestions that ended up helping us out? Why can’t you see this from another perspective? We need to talk to Anson more.”

  “I’m not going to do that.”

  “Then there’s no reason for me to be here. I’m leaving, and don’t bother following me.” Kenzie storms off in the other direction. I don’t know where she’s going, and, at this point, I don’t care. She said some pretty shitty things to me just now. If she really feels that way, we probably shouldn’t be working together. We’ll just get in one another’s way.

  “Whatever,” I mumble and go up to my room.

  Why does she have to do this all of the time? Everything was going well between us, and then she has to ruin it by not listening to me. Sure, she helped out before. But I know more about Anson than she does. I spend almost every day with him. We do need him on our side if we want to get rid of Flint the easy way, but arguing from a place of emotion never works with the alpha. He needs something more concrete and direct.

  I slam my door behind me and go to my closet. I hid Pax’s laptop behind the wall in there. I get it out and turn it on. Thankfully, I actually paid close attention this time when Kenzie was showing me how to use the laptop. I’m able to turn it on and navigate to my email. I see my brother already sent me a message asking about the silver mine.

  Just like Kenzie, he has no patience. But we already went, so I’m going to tell him all about it. I also need to know if he’s gotten any closer to actually getting that footage of Flint. It’s what we need to convince Anson and the elders that Flint has got to go. I don’t know if I trust him and Mini to actually get it, but they are the only ones who can do it at the moment.

  I’m stuck on the compound right now. There are things I need to do here to make sure that we don’t get tricked into our doom. Seeing that fog made me think that there are more sinister forces at play here. Kenzie was theorizing all about it, but I didn’t hear much of what she was saying because I was distracted.

  Who cares what she thinks anyway? It’s not like she cares what I have to offer. I have more important things to worry about than her right now anyway.

  Chapter Nine

  Kenzie
<
br />   Why does Tamir have to be so God damn stubborn all the time? I thought he would be different because of what happened between us in near the mine. I thought we had finally connected on a deeper level and had come to an understanding, but he’s still the same annoying ass idiot that he’s always been. He still pushes people around and has no idea how to stand up to Anson. He’s still a total snob who thinks only he can be right. He really hasn’t changed at all.

  I can’t even deal with him anymore. I just walked away. He really thought he was about to disrespect me like that, and I was supposed to do what? Say nothing? Act like we were all hunky-dory, and he hadn’t just hurt my feelings. Be the quiet type girl he clearly wants.

  “Yeah, right,” I mumble to myself.

  It’s probably a better thing not to go with him anyway. I’m all dirty from running around the orchard and then that silver mine. I really need to take a shower.

  Oh God, I just had sex in the woods with Tamir. I never ever thought something like that would ever happen. What even is my life anymore?

  I’m also still covered in Tamir’s scent, which is another great reason to shower. Being able to smell him is making me sad and angry because of what an asshole he is. It’ll be better just to wash the entire day away. Get a fresh start or whatever.

  I make it up to the shower, clothes and towel already in hand, and get myself undressed and under the hot spray. It feels so good getting clean. I hadn’t even realized just how much of the day had stuck to my body. All of yesterday was a wild ride, and I’m not sure if it has come to an end yet, this new adventure I’ve found myself on.

  I start getting contemplative, the water washing down my body. I’m still mad at Tamir because he still isn’t listening to me. He can only see things from his point of view, which has proven to be wrong a few times. I wonder if he’ll ever be able to be flexible. It seems like he might be incapable of doing things any other way.

  But I might have to admit that this time Tamir may have had a point. He does know more about Anson than I do. I never really spent too much time with the man. I’m just a medic with no connection to the elders. The alpha would never listen to anything I have to say. He has no reason to.

  Something does seem off, though. I’ve never known Anson to be so open to a stranger. I mean, our entire pack lives in the woods so we can be isolated from anyone else. Very few people are given access to the world beyond our gates. I’ve never liked that idea, I feel like we should be allowed more freedom, but he’s also managed to keep everyone relatively safe all these years.

  Until now. Something else has to be going on, something Anson isn’t telling any of us. The alpha is allowed to have his secrets, everyone is, but not when they are deeply affecting everyone in the pack so badly.

  Or maybe Anson doesn’t even know himself. Maybe it could be that fog.

  Magic isn’t something I know a whole lot about. Outside of the usually shifting, I’ve never really dealt with that kind of stuff. All I know is that it exists, but if not used properly, it can be a rather slippery slope. My parents used to tell me all kinds of stories about shifters who tried out magic but became much too greedy for their own good, eventually getting consumed by whatever evil they had unleashed. It definitely put some fear in me, but also made me curious. I never tried my hand at magic, but I did read a lot about it.

  Maybe whatever is going on in that mine has something to do with magic. Some kind of magic spell. But who would have cast it? Flint doesn’t seem like the magic type, but he’s working with the Mathis pack, maybe he’s working with others as well, like someone who is adept at casting spells.

  Oh, I’m much to wired to sleep. I need to figure out what’s going on, and I need to figure it out as soon as possible.

  I turn the shower off and get myself redressed. I throw my dirty clothes in the hamper and hang up my towel. I’m going to go to my room and make a plan of action. If Tamir isn’t willing to do anything else about what is going on, then someone has to. That fog is definitely having an adverse effect on werewolves, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get back in the mine without passing out.

  As I head back to my room, Flint passes by, far enough away that he doesn’t notice me. He appears to be sneaking out of the house. Maybe he’s going to meet up with a member of the Mathis pack like Pax told Tamir and me about. It’s probably a good idea for me to follow him. I don’t have any way of filming him, but that doesn’t mean it would be a totally fruitless endeavor.

  I shift into wolf form, so I can follow Flint more easily. He goes outside and to the edge of the compound. I expect him to not worry about getting through the Mathis pack since he’s working with them, but he takes this weird windy path through them like he doesn’t want to be detected.

  I don’t understand it.

  Plus, he’s staying in human form. If he’s trying to go undetected, walking around as a wolf makes that a whole lot easier. But I don’t know anything about this man, so who knows why he does what he does.

  He keeps going, ending up in the orchard. It’s then that I realize that he’s going to the silver mine. Which means he’s probably connected to that weird fog. Maybe he’s about to meet up with whoever made it for him.

  As Flint gets close to the mine, I catch the scent of someone else trailing him. They smell human. I follow my nose until I come upon a young blonde woman. She’s hidden in some bushes, recording in the direction Flint is going. That must be Mini, Pax’s mate.

  I should go talk with the human. If we can get proof of whatever Flint is about to do, I can take it back to Tamir, who can show it to Anson.

  I crawl over to her. She doesn’t see me until I shift, essentially popping up in my human form right next to her. Her eyes go wide, and I can see she is about to freak out, so I cover her mouth, keeping her from screaming.

  “It’s okay. I’m one of Pax’s friends. I’m not going to hurt you,” I whisper to her.

  Mini nods, her eyes still wide, but her body relaxing a little bit. I slowly take my hand off of her mouth, and her lips form a tight hard line.

  I made sure to bring my clothes with me since I didn’t have Tamir to pick them up this time. I quickly get dressed and proceed to ask Mini some questions.

  “Is Pax nearby?”

  She shakes her head. “He had some other things to take care of. I thought maybe I could be more helpful and check out the mine. He told me about your theory. You’re Kenzie, right?”

  “Yeah,” I nod. I realize I didn’t even introduce myself.

  I also see that Flint is getting further away. I motion to Mini that we should continue following him. I don’t want to lose sight of the traitor. I feel like we’re so close to discovering what’s really going on here.

  Mini and I walk and talk as we go through the woods.

  “Tamir and I went to the mine earlier today. It was filled with this weird fog. I have no idea where it came from, but I think it’s some kind of magic spell.”

  “A magic spell? What do you mean?” Her eyes go wide.

  “I’m sure you’ve seen Pax shift. That’s the kind of magic people like him and I are born with. There are other kinds of magic, though. Magic that can be acquired throughout life. I think someone who knows that other kind of magic is helping out Flint. I don’t know who or how, but it’s the only thing I can think of right now.”

  “I—” Mini seems totally shocked. I can understand why. She just found out about shifters recently. I’m sure the thought that there are other kinds of magic out there never crossed her mind. If it’s not something you grew up knowing, then it can be a lot to take in later in life.

  “Everything is going to be okay, Mini. As long as we stay together, we’ll get through this, okay?”

  “Okay,” she nods. “Sorry I’m so skittish. You probably wish you had a better partner than me to do all these things with.”

  “No, you’re perfect. You and Pax have been tailing Flint all these weeks. I’m sure you have a lot of knowledge about
him I don’t have.”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes, I feel like I hold Pax back. I’m the whole reason he got kicked out of his pack. If I hadn’t done all that stupid shit, Flint never would have gotten away with as much as he has. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “That’s not true. Before Flint found you, he had to have a whole plan to get to Anson. He just changed it when he found you. You can’t blame yourself for the actions of bad men.”

  “Okay,” Mini smiles. We stop walking when we get to the mine. I watch as Flint goes inside. Mini watches me as I wrestle between going back in there. “Are you okay? Should I go in by myself because of the fog?”

  I take a deep breath. I don’t want to send Mini in there by herself. She’s so new to all of this, and, if anything goes wrong, I need to be there for her. Pax is my friend, and I don’t want his mate getting hurt because I was too scared or being overly cautious. Plus, if Flint is the reason all of these bad things are happening to the pack, I need to see it for myself.

  “No, I’m going to go in there with you. It’ll be safer if both of us follow him.”

  There is power in numbers. I’m not sure if I could take Flint on in a fight, but it’s too late to give up now.

  “So, we need to go in there?” Mini points, shivering at the sight of the cave entrance.

  “Just follow me. It can get a little dangerous if you’re not careful. And make sure the camera is rolling. Whatever Flint is doing in there, I want to make sure that we get the footage we need. Anson won’t believe us otherwise.”

  This is the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done in my life. Getting all involved with Tamir has thrown my life into chaos.

  I should have told him where I was going. If something does go wrong, there’s no way for him to find me.

  Here’s hoping nothing goes wrong.