Filed to story: The Tyrant Alphas Rejected Mate
“She made it?”
“No. She wasn’t the type to sew. She must have bought it.”
“It’s human-made?”
“Yeah.”
“Your grandmother traded with humans?”
“She must have.”
Una raises her eyes to me. Her usual defensiveness is gone. There’s a vulnerability there now which scares me shitless. This female can be hurt. I can hurt her again. I can lose everything in this second, and I am not equal to the moment. At the end of the day, I’m nothing but a brawler. All fists and fangs.
None of those will do me any good here, with my mate considering her nest, her raw heart on her sleeve.
“Why can’t we, then?” She adjusts the quilt so it covers the pillows she slept on last night.
My wolf’s ‘no’ is loud enough it sounds in my throat. She startles, her fingers flying to her side. I stay still. Shove my hands in my pockets.
The picture of that smarmy human with the beard leering at her flashes in my brain. And her all alone, clutching that jar of mushrooms to her chest like it was treasure. It wouldn’t take a rogue wolf to carry her off. Any idiot human could manage it if he promised her whatever it is she’s looking for.
What is it that she wants?
“I’ll pay for your phone. If you want to buy the others games or whatever, you can.”
She straightens her spine. “I don’t want your money.”
“Then why do you want to sell shit to the humans?”
“I want my money.”
“We’re pack. There’s no mine. No yours.” Every pup understands this. Wolves aren’t human. We rise and fall together.
She snorts. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“Everything I have is yours.” It’s the truest thing I know.
She takes a deep breath and tries again. “I don’t want your stuff. I want mine.”
“You’re happy enough with my stuff in your nest.” It feels like a solid point, and I know when it lands, that I shot myself in the foot.
Her eyes turn shiny, but she doesn’t cry. She lifts her chin and steps away from the bed. “It’s just biology. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Una-“
“You don’t understand, and you don’t want to.” She shrugs. “I guess it is what it is.”
She sails past me, dragging her bad leg with the offended dignity of a queen. I’m an asshole, and I’m not really sure why.
“We can go to dinner now,” she says over her shoulder. “I’ll sit wherever you want. Alpha.”
“Una.” I follow her. “You’re being bitchy.”
“Sorry, Alpha.”
I speed up to open the door for her. She shuffles past me, chin high. I lift her by the waist and carry her down the stairs while she holds herself as rigid as a board.
“Damn it, Una. It’s not safe for you alone in town. Let alone Mari and Annie. How many wins do you have between you?”
The answer is none. Females fight rarely, and then usually only those contending for alpha rank. Cheryl won her position more through lack of interest than prowess.
“We sell honey and herbs. It’s not fight club. It’s a farmer’s market.”
“You’re not that na?ve. You can’t be.”
She heads down the path toward the commons, and I shorten my stride to keep pace with her. She’s hustling a little more than usual, but the speed is still painfully slow. At least by the time we get to the lodge, dinner will be served, and our original point of disagreement will be moot.
I’m grouchy, starving, and even though I know she’s trying to pick up the pace, we’re basically taking one step at a time like a bride toward the altar.
And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world. My heart soars, and Una looks over at me. Her brow wrinkles. She felt that through the bond.
I offer her a wry grin.
“What are you so happy about?” she grumbles.
“Smells like venison tonight.” The rich, gamey scent is in the air.
We both know I’m lying, and she grunts, but she lets it be. We’re approaching the lodge now. There’s more than the usual number of males hanging around on the front porch. We’re a good half hour late. Everyone should be digging in right about now.
It’s not until I escort Una through the front doors that I realize I’ve thrown a wrench in the works. Cheryl’s standing by the dais, arms folded, glaring down her nose. No one’s been served.
Annie, Mari, and Kennedy are standing at the kitchen door, laden trays propped on their hips, looking tired and pissed. There’s a general grumbling and more than the usual number of squalling babies.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Una looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Cheryl doesn’t let us serve until you’re here.”
“No?” I hadn’t noticed. Of course, I’m rarely late for a meal.
And then inspiration strikes. Didn’t my mate say something about a buffet? Instead of heading for the dais, I make my way toward the kitchen.
The table furthest back is a bunch of pre-shift males. I moved them back here the first day I became alpha. They eat like animals.
“Clear off.” I snap and point to another far corner. They scramble, leaving a half dozen gum wrappers and a weird puddle. I grab the slowest one by the back of his shirt. “Go get a bucket. Wipe down this table. You have sixty seconds.”
I let my wolf growl his displeasure. The pup gets it done in forty-five.
Then I take the tray from Mari. “Come on.” I nod for Annie and Kennedy to follow.
I unload the plates on the table, buffet-style, grabbing the best-looking cuts of meat on my way back up front.
“Help yourselves.” I gesture to the overflowing table. “Elders first. Then pups and females. Males last. Like you’re getting on a life raft.”
The grumbling gets louder, some growls thrown in. My wolf alerts, his fur prickling up my spine. He’s not mad. He’s ready for a challenge that he can actually win. He’s on a solid losing streak with Una Hayes.
I soothe him with the promise of venison and our mate. She’s still standing in the entrance, baffled and blushing as she worries the tip of her braid.
The elders are lining up with their plates, perfectly content with the new set up.
I grin at my mate, and I restrain myself from asking if she’s happy now. Instead, I gesture her toward my accustomed place in front of the fireplace.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?