My uncle is My Alpha Mate

Viola.

I was crashing early that night in my dorm room, dead to the world.

Then I felt this strong hand sliding under my shirt, touching my skin. "How the hell?" I muttered, my heart pounding.

I bolted out of bed and there he was-my ex-boyfriend, half-naked and shirtless, grinning like a creep.

He'd already yanked off my bra! I yelled, scrambling to cover my body and my boobs with my arms. "Are you crazy?" I shouted, totally confused and shocked.

He looked wasted, like he'd downed a whole bottle. He stepped closer and grabbed my waist roughly, his eyes all hungry for me.

His touch burned right through my skin. He cupped my face, leaning in to kiss me, and growled, "I want your body now."

I slapped him hard across the face. "Fuck you! Get out or I'll kill you!" I threatened, my voice shaking with rage.

But he just shoved me down to the floor and climbed on top, his heavy body pinning me. His big hands slipped into my pants while he kissed my neck roughly, whispering nasty stuff.

"I'm gonna take you tonight and then toss you like trash. I'll make you see who I really am. You think you can just break up with me?!"

He had no clue I wasn't fully human. He had no idea he'd just woken the beast inside me.

I grabbed his neck and kicked him off hard. The wolf in me was clawing to get out, but I held it back. I was on school grounds-I couldn't let it happen here.

He wiped the blood from his lip, smirking, but then his buddies burst through the door. Four of them, all piling in to help him strip me down.

I wasn't gonna stand there and let him rape me. Screaming for help? Yeah, right-that wouldn't save me in time.

So I snapped. I smashed their bones, one by one, showing them exactly who was boss. Cracks echoed as I broke arms and legs, my strength surging like fire.

They crawled out of my room on their hands and knees, crying and whimpering like babies.

My ex turned back at the door, his face twisted in fear. "You're a beast!" he spat before they all limped away.

I locked the door behind them, my heart racing, the wolf still howling inside. But I was safe-for now.

Prince Mathew.

My private jet touched down in England. Finally. A weekend of peace-no meetings, no deals, just quiet. I needed it badly.

But before I hit the limo, my phone buzzed like crazy. Alex, my business partner. Couldn't he survive two days without me?

"You've got to be kidding," I muttered into the cold air. I was wiped out, brain-fried. This is close to ignoring it.

I answered anyway, sarcasm thick. "Miss me already? Can't handle the boss seat solo?"

"Sorry, Mathew. I know you just landed, but this is urgent," Alex said, sounding as pissed and beat as me.

Business mode kicked in. "What? Singapore deal tank?"

"No. Listen-don't interrupt. You're in England. I need a huge favor. My daughter Viola's at a private school there. The principal called-she smashed some guy's bones in a fight. I'd fly over, but it's ten hours, and I can't ditch the office. Go talk to him for me. Please."

Viola. Alex's kid. He was like family. "Yeah, okay. Text the details. I'll handle it and call back." Inside, I groaned. I hated kids.

"Thanks, man. You're the best. Owe you big." His relief hit hard.

I hung up, glaring at the limo. "Un-fucking-believable. Not one weekend?" I waved my guard over, slamming the door as I slid in.

I'm an Alpha werewolf, damn it. Wanted to blurt it to Alex: *Hey, surprise-I'm a wolf, and in ten days, on my 25th birthday, I become king of the whole pack.* Yeah, right. He'd freak.

Text came: school address. Then it hit-smashed bones? How does a little girl do that?

"Change of plans," I told the driver. "This place first." Quick fix, then hotel bliss.

Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to the school. Middle of nowhere, looked like a creepy old prison disguised as a castle-dark stone, massive walls.

Why send a kid here? Alex was 32, so Viola had to be young, like 12. Troublemaker, maybe.

Gates creaked open. Eerie silence, no one around. Ghost town vibes. My guards and assistant trailed me to the principal's office.

Then-bam. A fiery girl tore into some cowering boys, yelling like a storm. Wild energy. She spotted me staring and snapped, "What the hell are you looking at? I ain't a zoo monkey-stop gawking!"

My heart slammed. Her scent-vanilla and wild-hit like a drug. Mine. It screamed *mine*.

"Yes, idiot! She's your mate!" my wolf roared in my head.

"No way! Impossible! She's human!" I shot back, mind reeling.

Before I could snap at her, a door flew open. "Viola Alex! Office-now!" the principal barked.

My jaw dropped. *Viola? Alex's daughter?* She wasn't 12. She was a young woman. "That's her?" I asked, stunned.

The principal, twitchy guy, nodded. "Yes, Mr. York. Alex said you'd... handle her this weekend."

"Whoa, hold up. Just here to sort today's mess, not babysit two days."

She stormed in. He waved me inside, slumping at his desk. "You don't get it, Mr. York. Let me explain."

I sighed. "Fine. Talk."

"Viola's a rebel. Troubled. Fights daily-like one of the boys. Today? Nearly broke our star quarterback's arm." He rubbed his temples. "Been here since she was two-started as a kindergarten. Never fit in. Dad visits once a year. She's a genius, but full of rage. So much anger."

Sympathy hit me. Alex's teen slip-up-short fling, surprise kid. Lonely as hell.

"How old?" I cut in.

"Eighteen."

"Shit." Way off. I rubbed my chin. "So she kicked his ass for a reason? Doesn't seem random."

He squirmed. "Yeah. Boyfriend Jake. Caught him kissing another girl."

"Solid reason. Why treat her like a monster?"

"This is just the latest! She's a fireball-yells, curses, smashes stuff. Fights every day. Needs her dad, structure. Not detention-removal. Punish her, tame that beast."

I nodded. Made sense. "So, take her out for a few days? Cool off?"

He chuckled weakly. "Exactly. Exams in two weeks. Won't hurt her. Please-I'm out of ideas. Can't control her."

Shrug. The only way. "Okay. But first, I talk to the ex. His side."

Not a ploy-just curious. See the guy up close.

He called his assistant. Kid showed, got sent for Jake.

Awkward wait. Door opens. In lumbers this giant-built like a tank, pale, blue-eyed. Hand in a cast, face bruised and cut up.

I blurted, "She did *that* to you?!"

Jake flinched at her name. "Yeah! Don't say it. She's a wild animal-a tiger. Hate her. Regret dating her."

I stood, eyeing him head to toe. Calm but hard. "Alright, Jake. Spill. From the start. What happened-why'd she snap like that?"

He gulped, glancing at the principal, eyes wide with fear.

Prince Mathew.

I snapped my fingers right in front of his face to get his attention back. "Hey! Look at me. I'm the one talking to you. If you don't start telling me the absolute truth right now, I promise you, I will sue you into the ground." I said it sternly, leaving no room for doubt that I was dead serious.

His jaw dropped open in surprise. "What?! Sue me? For what? I'm the victim here! I should be suing her! She ruined my football career! She probably broke my throwing hand for good!" he exclaimed, his tone suddenly violent and arrogant. In that instant, I knew. I knew Viola wasn't the villain here. This guy was a classic, egotistical jock playboy.

Before I could tear into him, the office door flew open and Viola barged right in, without knocking. Jake immediately yelped and tried to hide behind me, using me as a human shield. "Viola! Stay away from me! Don't touch me!" he cried out, genuinely terrified.

Viola just crossed her arms over her chest, glaring pure fire at him. "You pathetic piece of shit! Did you really just stand here and tell them I broke your stupid arm just because you cheated on me? Seriously?! That's your big story?" she hollered, her voice shaking with rage.

"Viola, that's enough. Watch your language," I said firmly, turning my gaze to her. She was a storm contained in a person.

She smirked, a defiant and angry look on her face. "Oh yeah? And who the hell are you supposed to be? The new hall monitor?"

"I am Mathew York. I'm your father's best friend and his business partner," I replied slowly, keeping my voice even, trying to be the calm one in the room.

She let out a harsh, hysterical laugh that had no joy in it. "Oh, I see! That's rich. Do I even actually have a father? He never cared enough to ever come see me himself. Why did he bother sending you?" The pain in her voice was obvious, hidden under all the anger.

I decided to ignore her comment for the moment. I needed to end this circus. I was beyond tired; my ten-hour flight was catching up to me and this drama was giving me a pounding headache. I turned my attention back to Jake. "You! Now! This is your very last chance. Tell me what really happened. And if you lie to me again, I swear to God I will personally make sure your life is over. You have no idea who you're dealing with." I leveled my threat with a cold stare.

He widened his eyes, finally seeming to understand I wasn't bluffing. He cleared his throat, looked down at the floor in shame, and started speaking in a low mumble. "Okay... okay, fine. I lied. I... I snuck into her dorm room last night. I was trying to... you know... convince her to sleep with me. Like, finally be together... as lovers." He couldn't even look up.

A red-hot rage exploded behind my eyes. In a flash, I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him hard against the wall, my hand pressing against his throat. "So you thought you could force her?! You wanted to pressure her into satisfying you? You wanted to fucking force yourself on her!" I growled, my voice dropping to something low and dangerous.

He struggled to breathe under my grip. "No! It wasn't like that! We'd been dating for over two years! I just thought it was the right time, that's all! She's eighteen, for God's sake! It's not a crime!" he choked out.

Then, a soft touch on my arm. Viola's hands were on mine, gently trying to pull me back. Her voice was quiet, broken, and it cut right through my anger. "Please. Just stop. Let him go. It's not worth it."

I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes meeting hers. And I truly saw her for the first time. She had the most stunning, beautiful green eyes I had ever seen in my life. She was pale, with a striking contrast of dark black hair. She was gorgeous. But more than that, I could see the unshed tears glistening in those beautiful eyes. This girl put on a tough act, but deep down inside, she was fragile and hurting. She hid her true feelings from everyone. It was so obvious she was deeply, deeply lonely.

Her pain just made me angrier. I pressed my hand harder against Jake's neck. "I will fucking sue you for attempted rape! I will ruin your life, your future, everything!" I roared, my control snapping.

The principal finally jumped into action, hurrying over and pulling me away from Jake. "Mr. Mathew, please! Sir, calm down! I will handle this! I will take the proper legal actions against him immediately. I had no idea he was such a liar," he said, trying to placate me.

I raised an eyebrow and pointed a warning finger right at the principal's face. "You better make sure that you do. Or I promise you, I will make sure you end up behind bars right alongside him. For now, Viola is taking a leave of absence. And I am taking her with me. Right now."

Viola was just standing there, frozen in place, staring at me in total shock. "Wait, what? Me? You're taking me where?" She blinked, completely confused by this sudden turn of events.

I walked over to her, linked my arm gently with hers, and gave her a soft smile. "We're getting out of this awful place. We're going to go have some actual fun this weekend. Just you and me."

And in that moment, I had no idea that this was the first real heartbeat of my new life. I didn't know that this rebellious, fiery, fragile girl was about to turn my entire world upside down and completely conquer my stone-cold heart with nothing but her fragile smile.

Prince Mathew.

The principal's office door clicked shut behind us. My two guards, who had been waiting patiently right outside, immediately fell into step behind us. Their presence was a constant reminder of my world, a world Viola was about to step into.

I looked down at the girl beside me. "So, Miss Viola, are you ready to go? Do you need to grab anything from your room before we leave?" I asked, trying to maintain a formal tone. I still didn't quite know how to talk to her. She wasn't a businesswoman, nor was she a fully grown woman yet. But she certainly wasn't just a little girl either.

Viola giggled lightly, a sound that felt surprisingly refreshing in the stuffy hallway. "Whoa, so formal! You sound like my principal giving a lecture. Please, just call me Viola. And I'll call you Mathew, okay? No more of this 'Miss' stuff." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And yes, I do need to head to my room immediately to pack my clothes into a small bag, and..."

I cut her off gently, wanting to take control of the situation. This was, after all, my responsibility now. "You won't need to pack clothes. Consider that stuff your old life. We will go shopping, and I'll buy you anything you want, anything you need. New everything. What else do you need from your room?"

She raised an eyebrow, looking a bit incredulous. "Buy things for me? Like, a whole new wardrobe? Why would you do that? You don't even know me."

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to sound nonchalant, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Because you are my partner's daughter?" I wasn't sure if I was telling her or asking myself. Money wasn't a big deal for me at all; spending thousands of dollars on a shopping spree was actually quite normal in my world.

A playful glint appeared in her eyes. She pointed a finger right at my nose in a teasing manner. "Okay, fine. Be my sugar daddy for the day. But yes, just one more thing, and this is important." She leaned in a little and dropped her voice to a mock-serious whisper. "Don't fall in love with me." Then she winked at me, so playfully it was almost charming.

I froze in place, completely shocked by her boldness. Was she kidding me? I would never fall for my partner's daughter! And most of all, I would never, ever fall for a human girl. The very idea was ridiculous... right? Or maybe I would?!

My mind began to drift off into a weird spiral, and she snapped her fingers right in front of my face. "Hey! Earth to Prince Mathew. Come back to Earth. I was just kidding! Gosh, don't have a heart attack." She laughed, a light, airy sound. "Actually, if anyone should be worried, it's me. I wouldn't mind falling for a hot, handsome man like you." She licked the corner of her mouth in a way that was probably meant to be funny but somehow sent my heart racing.

I widened my eyes in disbelief. Without even thinking, I cupped her jaw firmly yet gently, making her look right at me. "Don't talk like that. Ever. You are a young lady, not... not a whore. Do you understand me?" I said sternly, my voice coming out harsher than I intended.

She blinked, clearly taken aback by my reaction. She nodded her head politely, her playful mood vanishing. "Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It was a stupid joke." She apologized immediately, her tone now soft and sincere.

I turned my head away from her, trying to regain my composure. Why had I reacted so strongly? "It's fine. Forget it. Now, let's go back to your room. You said you needed to get something, and honestly, I need to get some things from there, too," I said, changing the subject.

She gasped, her eyes going wide again. "You want to get stuff from my room? What could you possibly want from my messy dorm room?"

I blurted out firmly, grabbing her hands as I spoke to lead the way. "Yes, now stop asking questions and show me your room."

She silently obeyed and walked with me, her steps light and almost hesitant. The walk was quiet, the only sound our footsteps on the linoleum floor. Finally, we stopped at a simple door. She pushed it open to reveal a small, typically messy dorm room.

I took a quick glance around, observing her space. It was full of little clues about her. A few books piled on a nightstand, a hairbrush on the desk, a cozy-looking sweater thrown over the chair. My eyes scanned the room until I finally found what I was looking for.

I walked straight to her desk and grabbed the few pictures scattered across it. They were of her with a boy, a guy with a cocky smile. "Now you need to burn all of your ex-boyfriend's pictures and stuff. Every last trace of him. Are you still in love with him?" I asked her, genuinely curious. I had no idea why I felt so strongly about this, why something deep within me was pushing me toward this decision, making sure she left that part of her life completely behind.

She spoke with a mix of confidence and pure disdain, her words coming out sharp and sure. "That trash?! Are you serious? I wasn't in love with him, not even a little bit. I have never actually fallen in love with anyone before. Heck, I even hated my father most of the time."

I raised my head, gazing at her plainly, wanting to understand her better. "Then why the hell did you...? Why were you with him if you felt that way?"

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as her frustration became evident. "I was desperate, okay? And feeling so, so lonely. I just wanted someone, anyone, by my side to care about me, to pay attention to me. That's all it was," she said, lowering her gaze to the floor, her voice tinged with a deep sadness that felt too old for her.

Her voice, her honest facial expressions, and even her vulnerable body language were all new to me. They attracted me like a magnet. They made me drown deeply into her green eyes, as if I had never seen such captivating green eyes before in my entire life.

And yes, I had to admit, the girl was undeniably hot. Her body was perfectly shaped, but I didn't want to look at her that way at all. I couldn't! She was my partner's daughter, for God's sake! So, I was practically like her uncle, or something like that. Even though the age gap between us wasn't huge, she still felt like a little girl to me in so many ways. I would never touch her or even think of her in that way.

Fuck! What was I even thinking about?! Why was my mind going there?

Suddenly, she pushed her hands into the inside pocket of my jacket, startling me a bit. Her hands were warm against my chest. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice a little tight.

She blinked up at me innocently. "I'm searching for a lighter! To burn the pictures, like you said. Don't you rich guys always carry fancy lighters?"

I nodded, trying to keep my composure and ignore how close she was. "Um, okay... right. No, actually, my men will do it. They'll handle it properly. Now let's go. The car is waiting."

She smiled a small, grateful smile and mouthed silently, 'Thank you, Mathew.'

I smiled back, feeling a totally unexpected warmth spread through me. I instinctively placed my arm over her back, guiding her as we walked out of her room and toward the next chapter of this very strange day. I was about to spend the next couple of days in my hotel with a girl I had just met. I had never taken care of anyone before in my life, and now I was supposed to tame this wild, confusing girl and look after her!

We reached my parked limo, a hulking black vehicle that looked utterly out of place on the quiet school driveway. Before we could get into the back seat, I noticed a figure standing far away, under a tree. It was Jake. He was staring directly at Viola as if he wanted to devour a piece of her.

That guy looked deeply in love with her, or at least deeply obsessed. It made me wonder all over again why he had tried to force her for sex if he felt that way. It didn't add up.

Feeling a sudden, impulsive need to tease him, to show him he'd lost, I opened the door for Viola with a flourish. Then I leaned much closer to her than necessary, my lips nearly brushing her ear, and murmured, "I guess he is so jealous because you are leaving with me. He can't handle it."

She turned her head, and her cheek brushed against my neck. It made me shiver from the strong, adorable scent of her body, which was mixed with the faint notes of my favorite perfume on her skin. "So," she whispered back, her breath warm, "consider that another warning. Don't fall for me like he did. The boy isn't in love; he's just obsessed with me. There's a big difference."

I gulped nervously at her words, my little game suddenly feeling less fun. She just smiled and slid inside the back seat. She gazed back out the window at Jake, who was now huffing and puffing angrily, his hands clenched into fists. He was still glaring, his expression filled with a pure, hot rage.

I guessed she was kind of right about Jake's obsession. But why did she feel the need to warn me for the second time in less than fifteen minutes? Why was she so sure of her strong appeal over other men? Well, she had no idea whom she was dealing with! I wasn't some silly schoolboy. I wasn't into love at all. I was immune.

And that's exactly why, as soon as the driver started the smooth, quiet engine of the limo and we began to pull away, I turned to her and said, my voice confident and clear, "Just so we're perfectly clear, I'm not in love at all. I don't do love. So you can stop worrying about that."

She just smirked a little sheepishly, her eyes sparkling with mischief like she knew a secret I didn't. "Okay, sure. If you say so. But like I said... we will see, handsome."