Filed to story: The Wolf Prince’s Fated Love
“It’s wrong, taking our she-wolves. I know a few of us might find mates, but what if we don’t? We’ll never get a chance if they take all our women. We’re a small enough pack as it is, without the oh-high-and-mighty one deciding his pup needs first dibs on all the unmated she-wolves.”
That was Dante, one of the older unmated males in our pack. He was at least two hundred, but I didn’t know his exact age. It made sense from his perspective to be annoyed about possibly losing an eligible female to a younger wolf when he still hadn’t found his own mate, but I found it shocking that the men were concerned about losing us.
“Well, we won’t give him first dibs. I’m sure there’ll be opportunities to meet some fine ladies outside scheduled hours. He might be required to behave, but that doesn’t mean the five of us can’t do a little extracurricular meeting and greeting,” Ricky said, his tone dripping with innuendo and his grin devious.
I shifted in my seat, uneasy at the idea of our pack planning to break the rules before we’d even arrived. This was the high alpha’s event. I didn’t imagine he was the sort of man you’d want to get on the wrong side of. He was the most dominant wolf in the northern hemisphere, possibly the world. I risked a glance over at Shay. She was still flipping pages in her paperback, head tucked down, but her eyebrows had completely disappeared beneath her bangs. I turned back to my e-reader, ignoring the words on the page as the men continued to discuss their plans for extracurricular activities.
Jonesy broke in from the front seat next. “Yeah, and did you hear the rumor that you’re expected to be mated at the next full moon if the mating signs show up? Can you believe that? I’m all down for sniffing some tail, but I have no interest in getting shackled yet. I’ve got a long time before I’m ready to deal with rug rats and a mate bond.” He was the Alpha’s third, but he was unmated and apparently had strong opinions about the purpose of the gathering, as well, if his eye roll was anything to go by.
I hadn’t heard anything about a timeline for the mating to take place, but unease grew in my stomach as the drive continued. It wasn’t possible to get a false match for your fated mate, but that didn’t make the person any less of a stranger. I found myself hoping suddenly that what I’d told Leigh the very first day was true, and that I didn’t get matched. I wanted to go home to Texas, to my little lab and my study of shifter medicine.
I was only allowed to pursue it because our pack was so small. It was frowned upon in general to study the differences between wolf shifters and humans. If the research was discovered, it could put our entire species under the microscope for power-hungry human scientists. I knew the risks, but it was my one rebellion, my refusal to choose a more “appropriate” career. I wanted to know why my parents died, and I wanted to know what flaw in the wolf shifter genes had allowed a sickness to take my mom down so long before her time. I didn’t care what anyone else thought about it.
“With an attitude like that, the ladies will be lucky to have you,” Leigh slurred, half-asleep as she adjusted her position over to Shay’s shoulder instead of the window. “Pipe down, will you? Trying to get my beauty rest, here.”
“Yes, pipe down, all of you,” Alpha Todd said from the driver’s seat. “And anyone bringing the high alpha’s wrath down on this pack will be dealing with me, are we clear? I expect you to be good representatives of the Johnson City pack.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the men all grumbled, but fell blessedly silent after that.
My neck hurt, my calves were cramping, and I smelled like van. Really, it was the perfect first impression for the milling crowd of wolves when we stepped off the van at midnight. At least my hair looked good. When Leigh had woken up, she was bored and decided that we all needed fancy, intricate braids in our hair. She had double French braids-it was all I knew how to do-Shay had gotten a Dutch crown with tendrils of her brunette locks artfully framing her face. Mine was a composition of many smaller braids tapering down and woven into a loose mermaid braid over my shoulder. It had taken two hours, and I was pretty sure I’d have to leave them in permanently, based on how attached Leigh now was to her masterpiece.
The air was fresh and clean with a tinge of cold that burned my delicate nose, even though it was May. It was wonderful to stretch after so many hours stuffed in the twelve-passenger van with only two short bathroom breaks along the way. My wolf was oddly present with me, probably due to the excitement and presence of so many other wolves. I mentally stroked a hand down her silvery back. It was a welcome change from her usual silence, and I hoped she was able to stay with me for a while.
The Alpha’s men unloaded the bags, and in moments, I was juggling two pull suitcases, my duffel full of lab notes, and blood-draw tubes slung over my shoulder. It wasn’t perfect, having to find a local lab or freeze them until I got home, but I was hoping I could get a wider array of willing wolves here to give me samples for my testing. In fact, once I’d realized how much this little trip could advance my research, I’d actually gotten kind of excited.
There was no shot in hell of me getting matched, but this?
This was a benefit I could get excited about. More blood samples meant a wider array of data to compare and search for anomalies against my own. It could move me years ahead of schedule on my research, but I had to figure out a way to get the wolves here to volunteer. I knew that would be no easy feat.
Leigh was almost as loaded down as I was, but Shay traveled light, with only one midsized rolling suitcase and a backpack slung over one shoulder, so she rolled one of my suitcases for me. We wandered together toward a clipboard-holding wolf in a suit who read off names and room assignments for the line forming ahead of us. My head was spinning with possibilities, so I didn’t notice when the line moved until Shay prodded quietly.
“Brielle, we’re next.” The soft-spoken words were barely audible over the sounds of the milling wolves talking and laughing, but I was used to it and attuned to Shay’s voice.
We stepped forward together, and as usual, Leigh took charge for our group.
“Johnson City pack, Leigh Barnes, Shay Woodlawn, and Brielle Masters. The males of our pack are over there, as well.” She waved vaguely at the van, where the guys were showing off and doing handstands, for some odd reason. Oh wait, a gaggle of she-wolves one van over. Spotted the reason. With an eye roll, I turned my attention back to the suited man. He was eyeing me oddly, and I straightened my spine. Had I missed a question? A quick glance at Leigh’s and Shay’s expressions told me no.
Surely news of my weaknesses hadn’t preceded me, right? I couldn’t imagine my Alpha would want to spread that news a second sooner than necessary. The man took a longer than usual drag of air in through his nose, then shook his head and dropped his eyes to the clipboard.
“All right, Leigh, you are in room two-oh-eight, with a… Shailene. Is that your full name?” The man, Reed, according to his name tag, cast his eyes back and forth between me and Shay, waiting for confirmation.
She nodded silently, so he ticked her off on the list. “I’ll make a note that your preferred nickname is Shay, so there won’t be any confusion. Now, Brielle, you’ll be in room two-oh-nine, directly across the hall, and bunking with Cherry from the Omaha pack. I believe her pack came in yesterday morning, so she may already be asleep, but she knows to expect you.”
“Okay, thank you.” I gave him a polite smile, but he was still looking at me strangely.
“Which way is our dorm?” Leigh cut in, and the man pulled his gaze from mine slowly, like it took effort.
“I’ll have one of our wolves escort you.” He peered over his shoulder and scanned the crowd, looking for someone specific. “Gael!” His shout wasn’t louder than necessary, but it was laced with power and a hint of an alpha bark, which made my wolf whine and shake her head. This man was too dominant to be holding a clipboard, whoever he was. I’d wager he could give our Alpha a run for his money, easy. Was he one of the high alpha’s men? Either that or our pack was even weaker than I thought.
A tall, broadly muscled man with intense green eyes jogged over from where he’d been talking to an even taller-good gravy, what was he, six-
five?-brooding alpha wolf. The brooding alpha scowled at Reed, and then his eyes flicked dismissively over the three of us. But when they landed on me, they locked on like a missile. He was utterly, undeniably gorgeous, and everything I never knew I’d wanted in a man. Dark hair trimmed close to his head but a little longer on top, sharp cheekbones, and a straight nose. Tan skin from a life spent outdoors was paired with muscles that looked like they came from hard physical labor. His dominance was so thick in the air, I could taste the sharp tang of it from here. I got a faint impression of citrus and something spicy, though that was absurd even for a shifter nose at this distance.
Strangely enough, my wolf wasn’t whining as she had at Reed. The dark haired wolf and I stared at each other across the dark field, and she rose shakily to her feet, pacing forward, agitated for some reason. There was energy, pure and brilliant, blazing across the field between us, even though it was dark except for the half-moon. My wolf howled and pressed forward against my control, shocking me into stillness. I was barely breathing as I stared at the handsome stranger. As I watched, his eyes began to glow bright green, his own wolf peeking through in response to mine.
Gael skidded to a stop next to us, on high alert, and I hurriedly dropped my gaze from the handsome, intimidating alpha across the field. I glanced up quickly and took in Gael’s thick eyebrows, the scar on his cheek that bisected his stubble and ended abruptly on his throat. His tight, black T-shirt and black cargo pants made me guess security, or maybe even someone’s enforcer. Though why they’d need security to escort us to our dorms was beyond me. Surely the area was safe, if they’d brought us all here?
“How can I help, Reed?”
The two shared a long, lingering look before Reed bobbed his head in our direction. Mental communication? Maybe they were pack mates. “Can you please escort these three to rooms two-oh-eight and two-oh-nine?”
“Absolutely. Ladies, this way.”
He turned and marched off through the milling wolves, not taking the time to make sure we followed. Reed gave us a finger wave in dismissal, then turned his attention to the group of wolves behind us. I snuck a quick glance toward the alpha, but was nearly rolled over by a wave of disappointment when I found him gone.
It’s for the best, Brielle. Get your head out of your tail.
“Was that weird, or was it just me?” I whispered to Leigh and Shay as we half trotted behind Gael to keep up. Luckily, he was tall and easy to spot, or else we’d have lost him in the bustle.
“Definitely weird. Hottie McHotterson had total eyes for you, babe.”
“Uh, no way. Did you feel how dominant he was? My wolf didn’t like it.”
Leigh snorted, shaking her head. “Your wolf? She barely comes out to play. Don’t blame intimidation on her. That’s hardly fair to the poor girl.”
“I’m serious, Leigh! She’s been alert ever since we stepped off the bus.”
“Huh, well, that’s probably a good thing. So many wolves might be able to pull her out of her shell. Maybe she needs a stronger alpha?”
Our conversation came to an abrupt end as Gael opened the door to a massive, log-cabin-style lodge. The place towered at least two stories up, with beautiful dormers cut into a green tin roof. The double front doors were painted a matching green, making the place feel natural and like it blended into the forest. If it wasn’t a country mansion, anyway.
We trailed up the front steps one by one, and Gael dropped the door to help with our bags.