Filed to story: The Wolf Prince’s Fated Love
She left. We had shared a moment. Of connection, of joy, of being mates, our wolves bonding. And then, between one heartbeat and the next, she left.
I could see that it cost her, smell her sorrow like sour roses. What I didn’t know was why. But I wasn’t going to give up. I would have her, and I would find all her objections and obliterate them, no matter what she asked of me.
I would do it for her.
I would solve the mystery of her pains. I would mate with her, protect her from the Omega Defense League. I would climb any mountain, protect her from any threat with my life. And pups. Though the idea terrified me, I would give her pups.
But first, I needed to know why she was distancing herself, pulling away from me. Second, actually. Because first I had to calm down. My wolf was raging, my heart was pounding, and I was staring through my two most trusted wolves like they didn’t exist, as they stood shoulder to shoulder between me and the path to the dormitories. Where my mate had disappeared inside, taking my heart with her.
I shook my head, sucked in a lungful of air. Her scent still clung to me. It was a temporary mark until our permanent one could be forged.
“Alpha, we should go somewhere private and talk about this,” Gael’s voice was respectful and calm, the complete opposite of everything inside me.
“Yes, I’m sure there’s an explanation. Maybe she was embarrassed, or got cold feet,” Reed agreed. “That was a lot for a new couple. She’s probably not proud of any show of weakness, and that one was particularly public.” He shot a pointed glance behind me, reminding me that my simmering rage was also public, even though I’d shifted back out of wolf form.
I clenched and unclenched my fists a few times, trying to rein it in so I could listen to calmer heads. My men had my back, and they always would. This wasn’t a problem we couldn’t overcome.
I took one step forward, then another, when I heard it.
A snigger, a few feet back.
Someone was laughing. Then, the whispers started. I probably wasn’t supposed to hear, but they were imbeciles to whisper in my presence. Wolf hearing was exceptional. Mine was better still than most.
“Did you see that? I’d heard the rumors that the Johnson City pack had a real dud, but she couldn’t even hold a shift for five minutes!”
“You think that’s bad? That dud just rejected the high alpha’s son.
Publicly.”
“With mate marks,” a third wolf added.
“No way she has mate marks already.” I knew that voice.
Shane Fucking Russo.
“And until the bond is complete, it can be challenged. She didn’t seem too keen on him, so she’s still fair game.”
My spine stiffened, and I turned slowly to face the lingering crowd.
“She’s got a hot ass, for sure, but I can’t overlook being unable to shift. Is she even a full-blooded wolf? Maybe she’s a mutt.” The smart-mouthed male was elbowed by his more attentive friend, and they both snapped to attention at the back of the crowd when the wolves in front of them began shifting uneasily on their feet. But I wasn’t worried about them and their crude comments.
Let them out their bias and idiocy to every female here so they could spread the word about Tweedledee and Tweedledum. No, I was looking for a far greater threat.
She’s still fair game.
Like hell, she was.
I stalked forward, wolves scattering like chaff before a stiff wind as I closed the distance between myself and Russo.
He didn’t budge, standing with his arms across his chest, staring me down as if he had the right. My wolf was already boiling for a fight, and for once, the man was more than happy to acquiesce.
“Stay away from Brielle.” My voice was all grit and threat, the wolf’s fangs descending into my mouth as I finished on a snarl.
Make the first move, I dared him mentally.
He had the audacity to lean forward as he spoke again. “You heard me. She’s available. That was a rejection. Everyone here is witness. Your marked, fated mate left you. I’m going by there tonight to see if she wants a better option.”
“Somebody notify Webster, ‘better’ now means inferior in every possible way,” Reed sniped from my right shoulder.
“You will not approach my mate, not unless you’re willing to challenge me for her hand. You know the rules, Russo. There can only be one. It’s me.”
Shane waited, eyes narrowing, but didn’t react like I’d hoped. Was it juvenile? Yes. But I needed to tear into someone, and he was a prime option. Better him than Gael, though he’d be more than happy to slake my need to fight off the rage building inside me. Goddess knew we’d done it for each other a hundred times before.
Dogging my father’s leadership, calling the ODL-unconfirmed, but my wolf knew-being a grade-A asshole and putting his hands on unwilling women.
My woman. I wanted to dig in my claws, rip him apart for daring to threaten my connection with my mate. Brielle was part of my soul, and he wanted to act like it was nothing? He deserved for his blood to soak my soil.
I sneered at the coward once more, then turned on my heel. I’d just have to find my release elsewhere. “Let’s go.”
I hadn’t taken two steps when I heard the familiar snapping of bones, indicating a shift. The coward thought to catch me unawares? Attack my exposed back?
He had another thing coming.
I twisted and leapt to the side, shifting in midair. His steel gray wolf landed where I used to be, and primal glee exploded in my chest.
I used his confusion to my advantage, continuing my spin around to sink my teeth into his exposed flank. He howled with pain and rage, as his hot blood coated my tongue.
The taste of victory. But he dove away, rending his flesh to free himself from my first bite. When he faced me again, there was undisguised hatred in his eyes, canine or no. We circled for a moment, a pause to see who would attack again now that we were on equal footing.
The fat splatter of his blood hitting the ground had my wolf preening, but he didn’t lose focus. I had a gut feeling that Russo would eventually snap, and I wanted to take advantage.
We circled three times before Shane lost patience and dove straight for my neck. The full-on frontal assault was dumb, and I deflected easily by ducking low and charging toward his inside shoulder, knocking him off-balance. He recovered quickly, but didn’t waste time with more pacing. His claws slashed at my back leg, ruffling my fur, but not quite making contact.