I'm The Alpha's Mate

by Sydney Marie

  “I do not even know the book you are holding,” he says, so I flash him the cover. “Lycanthrope Mythology, how interesting. I did not know we had such books in here. There are so many that I tend to leave them alone.”

  “So you didn’t leave this marker here?”

  “No, those books have been here for generations. Anyone could have done that really. Now did you want to get on with my uncle or talk about mythology?”

  I sigh and set the book off to the side, forcing myself to let go of it for now. “Your uncle, please. How he acted before he disappeared would be great.”

  “How he acted, well, very odd. It was almost like half of him was here, and the other was off somewhere else, worrying about goddess knows what. For as long as I can remember, he has been mentally absent. My mother and I moved away for a while. She could not stand the sight of my uncle, and she did not want him around me. My mother passed, and I came back only a year before his disappearance.”

  “Why did you come back?”

  He exhales. “I had lost my family, and I knew this pack was the only place where I could find a relative or anyone that knew who I was. When I got here, everything was going haywire. Rogues were getting past borders, and no one knew where the alpha was. Someone asked who I was, and when I told them, I was taken to the beta. He shared with me his plan to take down the alpha, as he also knew that my uncle was no good. The beta said that I would take over, and since I had nowhere else to go, I agreed to help him. For months we tried to take him down without my uncle suspecting anything, but as time went on, we saw him less and less. The beta was practically running the pack while teaching me how to be an alpha. It was all one big mess. Whenever my uncle came home, he would take over and set us back, ruining everything we had done in his absence.”

  “And no one knew where he was running off to?”

  “No one.” He assures me. “One day, he simply never came back, and eventually, the pack decided to move on, needing a new leader. I took the position, and that was the last of it. Without him, this pack has flourished.”

  I sit back in my seat, taking in the new information.

  “I believe your uncle is trying to kill me, possibly my mother, and I think he has killed my grandmother. I believe he was following my mother, planning something during all that time he was not here.”

  “Will you tell me why?”

  Hesitantly, I nod and grab the book from the table beside me. Turning to the marker, I hand it to him with the pages displayed, and after looking at it, Alpha Kenn gives me a questioning look.

  “Not everything in the book is accurate. I trust you. I believe you are not like your uncle at all, so I am going to be honest. I communicate with the Moon Goddess like the women of that myth.”

  Alpha Kenn closes the book. “Really? You’re serious?”

  “I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s what my grandmother told your grandfather before he tried to kill her. Somehow your uncle must have found out about it, and I believe he wants to end this genetic line so no others like myself or my grandmother can be born. He wants to kill us off.”

  “Your mother does not have the…”

  “Ability. No. It skips around. Your uncle must not know that though.”

  “Why would he want to kill you and your mother if your grandmother was the one who killed his father? Simply because he thinks you all share the ability?” he asks.

  “Well, your grandfather believed that we have an absurd amount of power, like the book states, but we don’t. He wanted to kill my grandmother because he feared that she would use these powers to take the pack from him.”

  “Alright, so you are trying to kill my uncle before he kills you and your mother?”

  “Killing is very…Well, I was hoping I could try to—”

  Alpha Kenn interrupts my failing answer. “If you are right about all of this, then I am not sure convincing him to think otherwise is possible. Clearly, he has dedicated most of his life to you and your family, and this has obviously grown into an obsession. How do you plan on stopping him anyway?”

  “This is kinda as far as my idea went, learning more about him. You don’t know much about me, but I’m not used to all this killing talk like it’s normal. Death used to mean something.”

  Alpha Kenn sighs and sits forward. “I can help you, and once he is caught, I will handle it.”

  “Really?” I ask, grateful and dazed at the same time. “Why?”

  “He killed my father, destroyed my mother, and nearly wrecked this pack. I can’t say that I will not enjoy handling the situation.”

  It should feel wrong to plan someone’s death. Though I am not doing the dirty part, I am still a part of it all, yet guilt is not seeping into my head and my heart, making me feel as if I am being consumed from the inside. Here, right now with Alpha Kenn, I do not feel guilty for what we are about to device. Should I?

  “He is after you lately, yes?”

  I nod. “But I don’t think he is alone.”

  “Where is your mother?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in a long time. All I know is that she, too, was paranoid, thinking that your uncle was watching her and all,” I explain, not focusing entirely on the subject of my mother.

  “Maybe we can lure him in. Set you out on unclaimed land, and—”

  “No.” I cut in. “He isn’t just taking any chance to kill me. I have been out in the open. He has had opportunities, but he doesn’t take them. I can’t figure out why. Could he be waiting for something?”

  Alpha Kenn’s hands fall underneath his chin. “Possibly, though I am not sure how we are supposed to figure out what exactly he is waiting for.” He pauses then comes back fueled and energized by some idea. “Now could be his chance. He could have been waiting for a distance between you and your mate. It is a possibility and could be worth a test.”

  “How do we test it?”

  “As I said before, we place you out in the unclaimed land alone and wait to see if he bites.”

  “And if he does? What will happen to me?”

  “Don’t worry.” He assures me. “I’ll have men surrounding you.”

  “Won’t he smell them?”

  “No, because we will mask their scents. It is an old trick. It does not last too long, so we will have to move quickly.”

  I take a breath, using the moment to refresh myself and pull my head back to earth.

  “What about Sebastian, my mate? I have to ask him and make sure this is something he will agree with.”

  “Evangeline, Sebastian will never agree to let you do anything close to this.”

  “But—”

  “You are mates. He will not knowingly place you in a dangerous situation. If you are truly committed to ending my uncle and his obsession, then you will also have to commit to lying. It is for the best, is it not?”

  “What if something goes wrong? What if he never forgives me? You don’t understand. He’s always trying to protect me and always trying to make sure that I am as safe as possible. He wasn’t going to let me come here alone, but he finally agreed because I have two guards following me around wherever I go. My safety is everything to him.”

  “Listen. I may not understand what it is like to have a mate, but you are living in fear. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about Sebastian. You said my uncle might have killed your grandmother. You fear that he will take your mate next, don’t you?”

  I stay quiet.

  “You cannot wait for the day when he finally comes and ends you. You have to fight back now, and with help, and I am willing to give that to you.”

  Biting my tongue, I nod. “It has to happen tomorrow. He is expecting me home the next day.”

  Alpha Kenn leans back. “I’ll see what I can do. For now, get some sleep and try not to worry about a thing. If you talk to Sebastian, act like everything is normal, like tomorrow is just like any other day, alright?”

  “Okay.”

  Chapter 17

&nb
sp; “Sebastian?”

  “I cannot wait for you to come home tomorrow.” His voice soothes me, making my raging nerves settle for a while. “My heart has grown too fond if that is possible.”

  “Today will go by quick, okay? Just focus on work, and I promise it will be morning before you know it.” A smile lights up my dreary face. “I can’t wait to tell you everything when I get back.”

  “Was the trip worth it?”

  “At night when I am lying awake, no, but when I am talking with Alpha Kenn, definitely. I have learned so much, and when I get back, I’m sure all of our problems will be solved.”

  “You sure are confident in what he is telling you.”

  I watch Alpha Kenn from the guest room window. He is talking with his guards, most likely setting everything up and putting the pieces in place for our test.

  “It is good information, very useful.”

  Alpha Kenn’s eyes suddenly find mine, and he waves for me to come down.

  “I-I have to go, but I’ll call you tonight. I promise.”

  His tone changes. “Is everything alright? You sound rushed.”

  “Everything is fine. Alpha Kenn is just ready for me now. I don’t want to waste time before he has to get back to work.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you tonight.”

  “Okay.”

  “Stay safe,” he says before the line goes dead, and my heart wrenches in my chest.

  I place the phone down and quickly leave the room, but in the hallway, my guards emerge and stop me.

  “Where are you off to, Luna?”

  “Oh, I am just talking with the alpha again.” I lie. “Don’t worry. I’ll be downstairs in his office. If I want to go for another walk, I’ll come fetch you, alright?”

  They let me pass, and I leave them with my smile before it fades from my face. Rushing outside, I see Alpha Kenn and hastily walk over. He notices me and meets me halfway.

  “Hurdle in the hallway?”

  “No, sorry. I’m here now, so where do we start?”

  “I am assuming you dealt with that mate of yours?”

  I nod.

  “Alright. Right now we are going to walk over to the southern border, where everything is going to happen,” he explains as I follow him. “There will be six guards set up around you, shifted, and masked. You will not look at them, or do anything that could suggest that there are others around you. If you are right, if he or someone working for him is constantly watching you, then we might have a chance.”

  “Wouldn’t they know what we are planning then?”

  He shakes his head. “Hopefully not. I doubled border watch and had groups sweep the area early this morning. They found a rogue.”

  “And?”

  “And he refused to say anything, but this benefits us greatly. If my uncle has rogues watching you, then we might have caught today’s worker. Hopefully, he goes out looking for him and then falls into our trap. Even if he was not planning on killing you today, the opportunity is just too good to pass up.”

  We join the trees, and my stomach rises. “I’m nervous.”

  “Remember, if anything happens, the guards are around you.”

  Sunlight leaks through the trees and sprays in my eyes, blinding me seconds at a time as we near the border. The trees are nearly bare as the last few leaves hang on. The ones on the ground are sparse, most of them carried away by the wind, leaving no satisfying crunch as I step. Alpha Kenn comes to a stop in the center of a small clearing, hardly anything noticeable.

  “Where are the guards?” I ask while looking around.

  “They are already in place, hidden with masked scents.”

  “How do you mask their scents?”

  “A mixture of herbs. I do not make it, but too much will kill you yet just enough will mask a scent for around an hour,” he explains. “Do not worry about it. You did not know they were here, did you?”

  “No.”

  “Then everything is good. You are going to stand, sit, whatever you please, just stay in the clearing. I will be at the border post. Once everything is done, two of the guards will take you back to the house while my uncle is brought to me. At the house, you can do whatever you want. Just do not leave the house, alright?”

  “Alright. What do I do if he comes?”

  “You don’t have to do anything. Let him come close enough, and the guards will attack.”

  “Okay. When should I be ready?”

  “Now,” he says abruptly, and my heart jolts.

  “Now? Wait but—”

  “Do not panic. All you have to do is stand right here if that makes things sound easier. We will wait an hour, and if nothing happens, we will try again tonight.”

  My surroundings are eerily quiet, making me genuinely doubt if there are guards around me. If anything, I feel alone out here, waiting for my death like cheese on a mousetrap.

  “I don’t know about this.”

  “No one knows if he is even going to show up. It is just a test.” Alpha Kenn looks directly into my eyes before repeating, “Just a test.”

  He walks away, leaving me stranded in the ocean of unknown. I watch him until he grows too tiny and disappears from my sight. My eyes discreetly search around the nearby bush for any signs of life, any sign of fur and canines ready to dig into the alpha’s flesh. I feel utterly exposed.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” I whisper while imagining myself at home with Sebastian.

  That is where I will be tomorrow after all of this is over, in Sebastian’s arms.

  After a while, not knowing how many minutes later, I sit down on the grass and pick at the blades, thinking that no one is going to come. We will have to try again tonight, I suppose. Do I actually think the alpha is going to appear? It is a fifty-fifty chance.

  Alpha Kenn said the opportunity was simply too good, but he has passed on others before, such as my walk back to the house from the slain guard. Maybe he wants to wait until nighttime. Maybe he wants to wait in general. I sigh and drop the plucked strands of grass back to the forest floor. An hour has never felt so long. At first, I was practically twitching with fear, but now the entire test seems pointless. The alpha is smarter than this. He has to be.

  A growl snatches my attention, and my head shoots up in the direction of the noise. Immediately, I stand up.

  “Hello?” I call out, forgetting all that Alpha Kenn told me.

  Another growl, louder than before, erupts from my right side as something comes into my view. Suddenly, two large wolves come thrashing into the clearing, biting, wrestling, and snarling. Quickly, I back away and stare horrifyingly at the battling pair. Frantically, I search around for the guards or Alpha Kenn until more wolves catch my eye. Something is wrong. This is an ambush.

  “Alpha Kenn!” I yell and run in the direction we came in.

  Breathing heavily, I weave my way through the trees before hearing a scream. My feet come to a halt. Another scream. It is a female, and something about it is playing with my head.

  “We have to get back!” my wolf shouts at me, fearing the unknown sensations of death.

  “I know that voice.”

  “If we stay out here, we’re going to die!”

  Without thinking, I ignore my wolf and rush in the opposite direction, back into the commotion. The voice, I have to follow it. Something inside of me recognizes the sound and will not rest until I solve the mystery.

  Staying in the trees and not cutting through the clearing, I follow the cries. Lifeless beasts lie unmoving on the ground, and I only have a moment to look at them, only a moment to picture myself in their place. Another scream bursts in my ears, tugging me away from the fighting animals and leading me further into the unclaimed land. The screams replay in my mind tauntingly, reeling me in.

  “Where are you?” I call out into the canopy.

  “Evangeline!”

  My eyes grow wide. As I dash off in the specific direction, all my thoughts flush from my mind. It cannot be. I squin
t at the figure in the distance—a woman.

  “Evangeline!” she yells.

  My face flushes with heat.

  “I’m here!” I cry. “I’m here!”

  Running towards her, the woman turns, and my eyes cannot register the sight before me. It is a dream.

  “Evangeline.” She motions for me to come and hurry. “We have to go.”

  Tears blur my vision as I reluctantly step closer to the ghostly being. My hand reaches out to her face, feeling the warmth and life against my palm.

  “Where have you been?” I ask softly, not knowing how to carry myself. “Where did you come from?”

  “I missed you so much.” She caresses my cheek, brushing the tears from my hot skin.

  “This isn’t real,” I murmur. “This isn’t real, is it?”

  Her hands grab my own and squeeze them in her grasp. “I’m here, but we have to go.”

  “Wait. I-I have a mate. H-he’s the alpha of the Tate pack just that way.” I point with my hand. “And Grandma, she’s missing. I-I don’t know where she is. The alpha, he’s after me just like he’s after you. Alpha—Alpha Kenn is going to kill him.” I try and explain to her, though none of this feels real. “Where are we going?”

  There is a pained expression on her face, and she is battling it. “To your father. He is just over the hill.”

  She tugs me in the direction, but I stop her. “My mate, he needs me. We have to go to him. He’ll protect us.”

  “We have to go.”

  I follow her. “Where are we going with Dad? To my mate?”

  “Please hurry.”

  As we head up the hill, my mind feels lost as if I am not controlling my body or thoughts.

  “Why do we have to hurry?”

  At the bottom of the hill is a man, a stranger. My mother pulls me towards him. Though I do not want to go anywhere near him, I do not stop her. When we reach the base, she lets go of my hand, letting my arm drop to my side. My eyes stare at him, confused. This is not my father.

  “Where is Dad?” I ask her, but she is looking away from me, not giving me any sign that she heard me.

  “Hello, Evangeline,” the stranger speaks up. “It is nice to properly meet you.”