Alpha's Fated Mate

I never liked going to parties. But tonight, I made an exception.

My best friend pulled me through the crowded room with astonishing determination, navigating through the sea of party-goers. I, on the other hand, threw my head back in unattractive laughter and enjoyed the ride. Eventually, we reached our destination: the refreshment table.

Lizzie and I had already visited the booze-station thrice before, and there was no end in sight. A variety of bubbling wines and dark-colored liquor lined the table, an impressive display that promised intoxication. But no one seemed to mind. Not even the lightest of light-weights. We were werewolves, after all.

Werewolves supposedly possessed immunity to the effects of alcohol, at least to some degree. But, at the moment, I seriously doubted the fact. My best friend, Lizzie, swayed drunkenly as she reached for another glass.

It was the Summer Solstice. The only night of the year when all four werewolf packs of our region came together to celebrate the beginning of the packs. Only adults pack members have access to the celebrations, and Lizzie and I each turned eighteen a few months ago. We passed the final examinations and graduated just in time to join the rest of our pack members.

Most werewolves regarded The Summer Solstice as a formal event, a time for the packs to mingle in peace. But that did not stop Lizzie and I from fully indulging in our newfound freedom.

My red-haired best friend downed another glass of champagne, burped, and offered me a sly grin, "Look Charlie, some boys from the Celestial Pack are checking us out! Can we please go talk to them?"

I glanced over my shoulder, hazel eyes scanning the crowds to find the boys in question. I could easily separate the packs based on their clothing-- each dressed in their own pack's colors. Finally, I spotted the boys watching us from a distance.

I wrinkled my nose in unashamed distaste, "You can go talk to them. I'll stay here and laugh at you."

The boys looked our age. Their silvery-blonde hair sleeked back against their heads, a bit too greasy for my taste. But the polished appearance and airy color pallet of their clothing came with membership with the Celestial Pack. I shouldn't reject the boys based on their appearance...

Lizzie pouted, her lower lip jutting out. She knew I couldn't say no to her.

I groaned, "Fine! Lead the way."

Lizzie squealed and clapped her hands in quiet celebration before painting an award-winning smile on her pink lips. Once again, she practically dragged me over to the Celestial boys, whose eyes traveled up and down our bodies. I fought the urge to gag.

"Hello ladies," One of them stepped forward, although his eyes were glued on Lizzie. "You both look gorgeous tonight."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, activating whatever obscene powers the Moon Goddess had gifted her for talking to boys. "Ugh, gods no. These dresses that they make us wear...The oranges and yellows do not work with my skin tone."

I looked down at my own dress, considering her words. Our pack, the Golden Walkers, traditionally dressed in golden yellows and oranges, an array of colors that resembled the sunset. Truthfully, the warm colors had always brought me joy. I liked them.

The boys laughed and the same one smiled, flashing a row of hyper-polished teeth. "No, I like your dresses. But you would look even better in Celestial silver."

Lizzie giggled, taking on the personality of an air-headed bimbo to gain their attentions. I'd have to have a talk with her later that evening about changing for a boy... Nonetheless, I couldn't help the blush that crept onto my cheeks at their forwardness.

I dared to open my mouth, intent on trying my hand at a bit of flirting, but a sudden hush overtook the room. My eyes immediately flickered toward the ball room's massive entry-way, where at least two dozen men and women now stood. They exclusively wore variations of black, and every soul in the room tensed. The Black Lupis Pack had arrived to the party.

Their arrival visibly dampened the care-free celebrations, probably because the Black Lupis Pack had been pushing boundaries lately. I'd heard rumors of violent border fights and brawls between Alphas. A few werewolves growled, confirming my suspicions. Even I found myself wanting to snarl at the sight of them.

A voice from across the room laughed loudly, an obvious effort to diffuse the sudden tension, "Why am I not surprised that you are late?"

I stood on my tippy-toes to see over the crowds, as the Celestial Alpha walked over to greet the newcomers. The male's smile could have charmed anyone-- except, perhaps, the Black Lupis Alpha.

I could only see the back of the infamous Alpha's head as the two males shook hands and muttered greetings. After a few long moments, the rest of the room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. Thank the Moon Goddess...

So occupied in my own thoughts, I didn't catch that the Celestial boys offered to take Lizzie and I dancing. When I snapped back into reality, I realized that the trio were already pushing through the crowd toward the dance floor. Not a single one looked back to see if I was following, but I supposed I didn't mind. Lizzie had always been the better dancer.

Having been abandoned by my best friend, I began to wander aimlessly around the huge room. I stuck to the outskirts, admiring the tall ceilings and various archways that decorated any entrances. Massive windows allowed the moonlight to shine into the room, and I leaned against the wall to admire the splendor of night.

Behind me, a group of adults reclined in their seats, leisurely discussing the new arrival of the Black Lupis Pack. Their voices mingled with the upbeat melodies of a distant orchestra, creating a pleasant background noise.

"It's such a shame that she is gone. She was so young and bright... only twenty!" One of the older werewolves stated, and her words piqued my interest.

"Alpha Nolan hasn't been the same-- not since she died," A man's voice agreed solemnly.

A pang of sorrow struck my chest. Everyone knew the story of the Black Lupis Alpha's mate. Except she was not just his mate. She was his Fate Mate.

Fate Mates were an extremely rare phenomena. Typically, two werewolves fell in love and then decided to declare themselves mates, either through marriage or another means. But the love bond of a Fate Mate gives the werewolves no choice in the matter. I'd heard it described in stories and fairytales. When you find your fate mate, and you look at the person for the first time, the entire world stops. The one thing that keeps you alive is that person. And separation from that person would mean losing a part of yourself.

Apparently, after a few months of blissful love, something went terribly wrong with Alpha Nolan's mate. Nobody outside of the Black Lupis Pack knew exactly what happened, but the young woman died.

Every pack felt the impact of her death, but none of us could begin to imagine the despair that Alpha Nolan felt. I'd heard stories that he went away for months, secluding himself from the rest of his pack. A girl in my graduating class claimed that the Alpha tried to kill himself multiple times, but his body had healed too quickly.

Eventually, after months of being in the dark, Alpha Nolan emerged again. And his pack became a menace-- a force to be reckoned with.

In an effort to retreat from the dark, gloomy topic of death, I wandered away from the table of elders. But I couldn't shake the chills that coursed down my back at the thought of the Black Lupis Pack. They'd become legendary across our continent for their brutality, and the idea that I now shared a ballroom with some of them had my heartbeat racing. And not in a good way!

Utterly entranced in my own thoughts, I didn't realize that my absent-minded feet drifted toward a crowd of Black Lupis warriors. I blinked, taken aback by how far I'd traveled in the crowds, and instantly took a step backwards to retreat.

But my breath was nearly knocked out of my lungs when my back struck a hard wall. No, not a wall. A man. I quickly turned around to apologize to the werewolf from the Broken Valley Pack, but in the process, ran in to another body behind me. Moon Goddess above! I mentally cursed myself, and hurriedly went to apologize to both men.

"I'm so sor-..." I trailed off as soon as I turned around to apologize to the second man. An immediate chill swept across my body, and my blood turned to ice as I realized who I had disrupted.

Alpha Nolan of the Black Lupis Pack. Waves of power coursed off of the male's massive body as he turned around to face me. My insides flipped in one hundred different directions, and I silently backed away from his towering figure. I didn't want to be too close to him when he realized that I, a petty first-year werewolf, had disrupted him.

The further I moved from him, the more of his body came into my view. And I couldn't resist the urge to sweep my gaze from his feet to his face. His legs were long and powerful, standing wide to accentuate the size of him. Next, I raced to study his lean torso and broad chest, covered by a nice shirt and jacket. The fabric did nothing to hide the curves and crevice of every muscle that adorned his chest and abdomen, all the way toward his boulder-sized shoulders. Finally, I reached his face.

His piercing blue eyes locked onto my hazel orbs, and, in an instant, a great power swept almost knocked me to my knees. The world stopped and so did my heart, as adrenaline coursed through my veins. What is happening? I managed to think, because I didn't think I could form any words at the moment. I could scarcely remember to inhale and exhale!

A few people from nearby stopped to look at us, but they had no idea what happened. I didn't know either!

Alpha Nolan's gaze intensified, and he took a staggering step toward me. I could physically feel the distance between us closing, like a piece of elastic that relaxed after being stretched for far too long. I felt drawn to this male, and it terrified me! I wanted to run but couldn't imagine ripping my eyes from his.

When he finally closed the entire distance between us, he grabbed both of my arms, as if unable to fight the primal need to connect. The moment that our bodies touched, I felt a new type of warmth seep into me like melting honey. It filled me to the brim, and I felt the sense of satisfaction even in my toes.

He inhaled, moving his head closer to my skin and hair as he took in my scent. I was too scared to move or pull away from him, and frankly, I did not want to. After a few seconds, he pulled away and stared at me with still slightly shocked eyes, but now, possession filled his gaze as he ran his gaze down my body in a way that had to mean one thing.

Mine.

I was awakened from my dreamlike state by the sound of people around us murmuring and whispering things. I tore my gaze away from Alpha Nolan, which proved to be much harder than I had suspected, and suddenly, reality hit me.

It seemed to hit Alpha Nolan at the same moment too, because the second our eyes were ripped from each other's he almost pushed me away from him. He looked down at himself, as if making sure that he was still there, and then back to me, clearly as confused as I felt. But there was something else in his eyes that made me uneasy. His piercing blue eyes were clouded with a hungry anger.

Suddenly, somebody pushed their way to the front of the crowd, which was now surrounding Nolan and me. My father, the beta of the Golden Walkers Pack, emerged followed by a few other high-ranking officials from other packs.

My father's bewildered and somewhat horrified face made me want to melt into the ground, "What has happened, Charlotte?" He kept his burning gaze on me.

I tried to appear strong and opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Amidst my struggling, I could sense Alpha Nolan inch closer to me again, but he offered no help.

What could I say? That Alpha Nolan and I were fate mates? I shook my head slightly- it could not be. My thoughts kept going back to his deceased previous mate and how there was no way he could have gotten over her that quickly. But he does not have a choice.

I don't know how long I stood there in silence, with every eye in the room trained on me, before, suddenly, a pair of rough hands grabbed my arm. I let out a small shout of surprise as nails dug into my skin.

It was my brother, Jeremy, whose face was distorted in anger as he tried pulling me away from Alpha Nolan. But before Jeremy could get me far, a menacing growl erupted from Alpha Nolan and, in an instant, Nolan wrenched Jeremy away from me.

Now, Nolan stood in-between my brother and I, shielding me from my brother's fierce, brown gaze. Nolan's hand lightly grazed my arm, sending an electrifying chill down my back.

Jeremy stared at me for a second, looking slightly betrayed, as if I had a choice in Alpha Nolan choosing me. The look he gave me made my insides twist and I attempted to walk around Nolan to reach Jeremy, but Nolan gave me a dark look, and held me back with a shaking hand.

After a few seconds of strained silence, Jeremy erupted, "Not my sister you son of a bitch." He suddenly advanced on Nolan, his entire body shaking with might and fury. Before Jeremy could reach Nolan however, dozens of people from the crowd leapt forward to hold his struggling body back.

My brother held a special hatred for the Black Lupis Pack, ever since one of their members blinded his mate in a border quarrel. And now his only sister and longest friend was mated to the pack's alpha.

I realized that Nolan was shaking too, although nobody from his pack attempted to calm him down. I gently reached out a hand to touch his arm, and instantly I felt him stiffen beneath my touch.

"What is done is done," my father said calmly as he stood in-between my brother and Alpha Nolan, "Somebody take him out- there will be no fighting tonight," he motioned to my brother and a group of my pack members escorted him from the room. As Jeremy vanished from my sight I lightly held out my hand in the direction he had gone, as if that could make my dear brother come back.

The room erupted into a frenzy of chatter and people were staring at me with mixed expressions- shock, excitement, and even some horror.

"We need to leave..." Alpha Nolan muttered, although I do not know if he directed it toward me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw other Black Lupis pack members nod and begin to clear the way to the nearest exit.

In an instant, Nolan's hand was wrapped around my arm in a steel lock as he pulled me along with him as we reached the exit and stepped into the cool night air.

Once we were outside, I looked behind me, "What about my family?" My voice was full of fear as I searched the crowd for a familiar face.

When Nolan said nothing and continued to force me over to a black SUV that just pulled up, I began to struggle against him.

"Stop! My family! ...I need to say goodbye!" I yelled, twisting my arm away from him only for my other arm to be snatched by him with ease. Fear began to consume me and a feeling of panic rose in my throat as I continued to fight my mate. When he would not release my arm, I spun around as fast as I could and punched his face.

When my fist made contact with his face I let out a strangled yell as I felt my knuckles crack. I cursed loudly and gripped my hand, while he stood unfazed before me.

His beautiful eyes connected with mine in a way that took my breath away, but there was a certain fierceness in his gaze that stopped my fighting all together and I just clutched my broken hand.

He pulled me closer to him, "Do not ever do that again." He growled in my ear, a sound that made me shudder as I felt his breath graze my skin.

Nolan almost shoved me inside of the SUV, and, once I was inside the car, I was face-to-face with a girl who looked a little older than me. She had short, cropped black hair with highlights of red spread throughout it. She possessed the same fierce eyes as Nolan, except hers were filled with pity as the door slammed behind me.

Nolan was in the driver's seat, a rigid expression on his face as he put the keys into the SUV and shifted it into drive. The car was full of strangers that sat in silence, but occasionally I would catch a pair of eyes watching me.

Tears began to fill my eyes and I did my best to wipe them away before anyone noticed, but one rogue tear slipped down my cheek and I looked up to see Nolan's piercing eyes on me from the rearview mirror. I quickly glanced away and rested my head against the seatbelt as I looked out into the night sky.

Everything had happened so fast that I hardly had time to think, but now that I was alone in the silence, everything caught up to me, and I could feel myself shaking from tears as we drove into darkness.

I had fallen asleep during the long drive back to the Black Lupis Pack territory, and, even when we reached the pack mansion, I did not awaken. The events and emotions from the night exhausted me to the point where I could not be roused by anyone.

Although I was asleep, I was still conscious of the things happening around me, and when the car stopped I felt somebody's arms lift me from the large car. The feeling of their skin against mine felt foreign and odd, to the point where it was almost uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a rumbling growl erupted from nearby. It was a sound that made my insides tingle uncontrollably with eagerness and longing.

"Sorry boss, I was just getting her out of the car for you," a carefree voice came from the man who was holding me, "Here you go and I am out. No need to get defensive."

Stirring warmth overcame my body as I felt a new pair of arms pull my cradled body into their chest, and I knew it was Nolan. My body molded against his, and I could feel every ridge and curve along his chest muscles.

The movement of his stride was almost comforting to me as I slept in his arms, and, before I was ready, he laid me down on a bed and his arms were no longer surrounding me.

Someone placed a blanket over my small body and I could hear Nolan's dark voice instructing someone, "Raegan, I want guards outside of the door. Get Sophia to come watch her, and only Sophia, got it? I am going to go research... this."

The way he said 'this' made my half-conscious-self cringe inwardly. His tone was incensed and clouded, like he had no clue of what to do with himself.

Raegan, the beta of the Black Lupis Pack, spoke in a quiet voice, like he was just as bewildered as Nolan was, "Yes Alpha...What do you think happened?"

Nolan spoke softly, "She is my mate, there is no question about that, but..." The voices trailed off as they walked out of the room and I could no longer hear anything.

With nothing else to listen to, I quickly succumbed to sleep in this foreign environment.

I woke up to the sun creeping in from the window, extending across the bed and warming me up after a cold night's sleep.

I groggily opened my eyes and looked around, and, at first, a feeling of panic arose inside of me as I took in my new surroundings, but then the previous night's events caught up to me and I calmed down.

The room was large, with an off-white theme and black furniture. The bed I was lying on was huge and nicely decorated, with great pillows and blankets surrounding me like one great cushion.

Glancing across the room, I saw a girl with long, brown curly hair watching me intently, a small smile on her face as I woke up, "Great! You are awake... I will go tell Nolan."

I must have looked confused because she laughed slightly, "I am Sophia, Alpha Nolan's little sister and greatest advisor."

I nodded slightly, "Er, I'm Charli. It's nice to meet you..." I cringed at my awkwardness, but Sophia did not seem to notice since she stood up and walked over to the door.

Before she walked out, she turned to me, "Oh, and there are some clothes in the bathroom that should be your size. I want them back though." She laughed at the last part before leaving me alone in the room.

After she was gone, I slowly crawled out of bed, my feet hitting the cold floor and the icy air giving me a rude awakening. I could only hope that the clothes Sophia gave me were more substantial than the small dress I was wearing at the moment.

When I reached the bathroom, I looked in the mirror, horrified at the way I looked. My dark brown hair had fallen out and was lying in matted curls around my head while my makeup was smeared across my face.

I immediately turned on the shower, which began to steam up the bathroom in a matter of seconds while I stripped down. Once my dress was off, I was vaguely aware of dark marks across my arms, and I bit my lip when I realized that Nolan had inflicted those marks on my arm last night.

I shook off the feeling of fear that crept into my stomach and stepped in to the shower, letting the warm water rejuvenate my skin. I stayed in the shower for longer than I should have while I washed my hair and skin.

When I was out, I dried off quickly and grabbed the clothes Sophia had laid out for me. I grabbed the black tank-top and slipped it on over my bra after pulling up the tight, dark jeans as well. There was a light jacket to the side that I wore, just to keep me warm in this cool environment.

Sophia was waiting in the same chair she had been in before for me to emerge from the bathroom. When I walked out she stood up, an approving look in her eyes, "Black Lupis looks good on you... And, as much as this pains me to say, you look better in those pants than I do."

I laughed slightly; glad to know that Sophia seemed friendly enough.

Before I could say anything, she continued, "I talked to Nolan and he said you could go downstairs to his office. He may not be out of his meeting yet though, so you can wait outside."

I nodded, "Where's his office?" I tried to hide the shake from my voice as I thought about seeing him again.

"I will take you to it," she laughed slightly; "I am not allowed to leave your side anyways, Alpha's orders."

I looked at her with wide eyes, slightly dismayed by what she said, "Um, what?" I tried to let out a laugh, "I don't need a babysitter." Especially a babysitter who was probably younger than I was. Sophia looked almost sixteen years old, whereas I was eighteen.

She gave me a look that said that she understood how I felt before opening up the door and walking out, leaving me to follow her.

"Not according to my brother. He thinks your number is up or something," she said with a slight eye roll, but I just laughed at her terminology.

"I don't plan on dying any time soon, can you tell him that?" I said sarcastically as we walked through the long hallway that led down some stairs and onto the main floor.

She glanced at me, her hands in her pockets as she shrugged, "That's what his old mate said too."

Her words stopped me in my tracks and I had to speed up to catch up with her. I was about to ask her what she meant but we turned in to a room with a group of pack members in it.

They all turned their heads toward me, but Sophia just kept walking through the room like it was no big deal.

A few of the male pack members were scanning my body and Sophia snapped her fingers as we passed, "Hey boys, eyes off. She's off limits and out of your leagues." A couple of them laughed before returning to the TV program they had been watching.

When we exited the room Sophia gave me a smile, "Nolan is the protective type. I just saved their skins."

My heart began to speed up as we neared a room with closed double doors and I knew that Nolan was in there.

Instead of knocking, Sophia walked straight in to the room as if she owned the place.

I was surprised to find a girl with a tight, blonde bun sitting at the desk instead of Nolan.

She glared up at Sophia, "You cannot go in there right now. He is about to close on a very important business deal."

Sophia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Oh yeah? Well, you can tell him that his mate is waiting out here for him, and then we will see how important this business deal is." Her voice was so loud that Nolan was bound to have heard it through the door that separated him from us.

The woman, whose name was Felicity based on the engravings in her desk, shook her head, "You two need to wait outside."

Sophia did not argue and instead she turned toward me and motioned for me to leave the room as well, muttering some rude things about

Felicity, "She thinks that because she is my brother's pretty secretary and little play toy she can do whatever she wants."

I was a little concerned about the fact that Sophia said "play toy" but decided to brush it off. We closed the door behind us and waited outside of the room for about ten minutes. The entire time my heart was beating out of my chest and I paced back and forth while Sophia chattered aimlessly.

Finally, a middle aged man walked out of the room carrying a briefcase and Felicity immediately followed.

"Alpha Nolan is ready for you now." She said it smoothly, with an almost eerie expression on her face.

I walked in to the secretary's office with Sophia behind me, but before Sophia could enter, Felicity stopped her.

"No, he only wants to see her," Felicity said with a small smirk. Sophia rolled her eyes but obeyed, nonetheless.

I waited for Felicity to come back into the room, but she never did. Instead, she closed the door to her office so that I was alone in there.

Adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I took a few hesitant steps toward the door before placing my hand on the cold handle and turning it slowly until I heard a click and opened it.

Immediately, his scent overcame my senses and I breathed in sharply to take it all in. It was husky yet sweet in a sharp way, and the abundance of it made my knees go weak.

My gaze fell on his huge figure, which was facing away from me while he looked out of a window.

He wore a nice white shirt that contrasted his tan skin with what looked like a black tie that was strung loosely around his neck. His pants were black and tight, showing off his powerful legs and figure.

He brought a glass of what looked like whiskey up to his lips before he turned toward me and said in his dark, hungry voice,

"Charlotte."