Page 47 of Mated By the Alphas
I’ve seen things like this tear packs apart. One wolf falls in love. Another realizes the she-wolf is his mate. She’s forced to choose. Betray her heart or betray the one she’s fated to be with. That’s ifthe two wolves don’t settle it themselves with a fight that doesn’t end until one of them no longer has a heart in their chest.
“I won’t fight my brother. I won’t betray him,” I mutter to myself, my tone lacking the conviction it normally does.
This situation makes no sense to begin with. Falling in love is one thing. It’s a special bond, but most wolves would choose their true mate over love if faced with that choice. Two wolves feeling the pull towards the same she-wolf is unheard of. But Ansley isn’t a she-wolf. She’s some other kind of Scion. This is uncharted territory.
And it goes deeper than that. If one of our kind chooses love and bonds with a wolf that isn’t their mate, it means they’llneverfind their mate. It severs their connection with whatever force draws the mates together. Love is more complicated. It lingers, but choices that are made cannot be unmade. A true mating ritual bonds two wolves for life.
“Hayden has already claimed her, so it should be impossible for me to feel what I feel,” I snarl, slamming my hand on the table, immediately regretting it when pain shoots up my arm. “Damn it!”
I feel Hayden approaching and tense up. He could tell something was wrong yesterday. The hunt kept us distracted. Kept me from losing my mind, every time I caught a whiff of her scent on my Alpha. It’ll be fresh again today. I hope I can handle it.
I lean back in my chair and wait for Hayden to come inside The Den. Our other brothers haven’t arrived yet, but they should be here soon.
“Hayden,” I acknowledge him somewhat tersely and silently curse myself for it. The scent is even stronger today. Practically overwhelming, even after a shower.
“Good morning, brother,” he responds, then he gestures to my bandage. “How’s your arm?”
“It won’t slow me down much,” I grind out. “I’ll still be faster than you, unless you want to tear the pavement apart when you run.”
Hayden stares at me for a moment, like he’s trying to read my expression. He’s our Alpha, but he’s not as perceptive as Jaxton. Unfortunately, I think even ahumancould tell something isn’t right with me.
“Something’s bothering you, Remy,” he says. “You didn’t want to talk about it yesterday. I respected that. But what are you hiding?”
“Nothing, I’m fine,” I mumble.
“Don’t lie to me, brother,” Hayden grumbles, putting his fists on the table. Even in his Third Form, I feel his Alpha presence. “If it’s something that could jeopardize the pack, you need to be honest with me. I’ll pull rank if I have to. Please don’t make me.”
I could never refuse a direct order from the wolf who leads our pack. I thought I could hide this better, but I’m coming apart at the seams. Even now, her scent is driving me mad.
“Did you complete the mating ritual with Ansley?” I ask, meeting his gaze.
“Close enough,” he growls. “I didn’t knot, but she is my mate. I feel that in my soul.”
“And you knew this, because you saw her at the bar? You got her scent and it started fucking with you, right?” I continue.
“Yes, brother,” he answers, and I see suspicion in his eyes. “Why?”
“Because now it’s fucking with me,” my voice is barely more than a whisper. “When I brought you the car, I caught her scent. Faint, but there. It hasn’t gone away, either. Even now, smelling her on you, every instinct… every…” I trail off, not wanting to say it.
“What do you mean?” he asks, leaning closer.
I’ve said too much. There’s no way to backtrack. I wish Jaxton was here. He’d punch my face so hard I wouldn’t be able to say it. He lives in isolation, but this p
ack still means more to him than he lets on. I’m about to tear it apart at the seams.
“My instincts are telling me she’s my mate, Hayden. I’m sorry,” I say, pushing away from the table. “I won’t fight you. I won’t challenge you. I understand you are the Alpha and if you feel the pull, then it’s not my place to question it. But that’s the problem. I can’t explain it any better than you can explain what she is.”
Hayden glares at me, his face getting more intense by the second. He could make the first move. I’ve told him I feel drawn to his mate. I’ve seen wolves die for professing their love for a she-wolf who has already found her mate.
“I’ll leave. I’ll go rogue. I don’t want to, but I’d rather disappear than fight you,” I try to keep the despair growing inside me out of my voice.
“Fighting me would mean death,” he growls, narrowing his eyes.
“Itmightmeandeath,” I clarify, an edge to my voice. “Being the Alpha doesn’t make you invincible and I’m faster than you, especially in a fight.”
“You think you could take me?” he scoffs, his natural Alpha instincts bristling his hair, even in his Third Form.
“Plenty of cocky Alphas got their throats ripped out because they were overconfident,” I remind him. “It’s not something that has to be settled with blood. Like I said, I’ll leave. I will not challenge you.”
