The Alpha's Contract Mate

THIS STORY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED ON THIS PLATFORM BY THE AUTHOR.

Natalie crunched her nose and mused at the scent that had just hit her. She tried to comprehend it, but she was a hundred and one per cent sure that she had never perceived a smell so enticing. It wasn't a familiar scent and her eyelids were too heavy to lift so she could figure out whose it was. It sure didn't belong in her bed though. Her sleep-fogged brain was able to tell her three things. One, the scent was a person's scent – a most delicious scent; fresh spring, cinnamon and cedar wood. Two, the alluring scent belonged to a male. And three, that male was a wolf shifter, just like her.

Natalie West did not smuggle strange guys into the pack house, even if they did smell delicious. Forcing a flaccid eye open, she peeped at the space beside her and was able to confirm her suspicion that the mystery male was long gone. Swerving her head – which felt unnaturally hefty – she peered at her alarm clock. Or, at least, she would have done it if it hadn't done a disappearing act. Along with her bedside table. One look at the silky sheets beneath her and she immediately realized that they were not her sheets.

With a start, Natalie sat up and cursed. Nope, she wasn't in her room. She wasn't even in her home. Scanning her surroundings warily, her eyes widened in response to not only the luxury around her but also the realisation that she was inside what looked to be a cave.

Wait. A cave?

One thing was for sure, this was no Stone Age cave. Hell, no it wasn't. The light bisque marble walls were all perfectly smooth apart from the occasional niche that was being used as a mini shelf. The floors were covered with a plush cream carpet that looked invitingly soft. There was a very masculine-style tripartite wardrobe and a large set of drawers; both were of dark oak that matched the headboard of the platform bed. The bed itself was under a smooth arch that had been etched into the cave, making it cosy despite that the bed was huge. But not cosy enough that she was enjoying this freaky little scenario.

Although her inner wolf was on the alert, she wasn't nervous or anxious. Her damn wolf didn't even have the sense to worry that she was in a strange place – a cave, no less – that she had no memory of arriving in. It was probably a good thing that she was Kage.

So...had she gone out with Shirley and somehow ended up going home with a guy? No, that didn't ring right. For one thing, she couldn't recall arranging a night out, let alone venturing out. Moreover, her position as pack healer meant she was constantly on call and so getting ridiculously drunk was something she never did. Also, she was fully clothed – casual clothing that she would never wear on a night out – and there was no smell of sex on her or on the bed.

What was the last thing she remembered doing? Despite the fogginess in her brain she could recall heading to the internet café at around noon. She sure didn't remember getting there. And she was someone who always remembered every single detail.

Natalie heaved the air around her into her system, filtering through the various scents. There were only two individuals that she could smell beside herself and the yummy-smelling wolf. Another male and a female, both of whom were also unfamiliar wolf shifters. At least she could be sure that she wasn't in the grasp of that dick, alpha Ray, who didn't give a crap that she didn't want to be claimed by him. To make matters worse, her father didn't give a crap either; he was too busy trying to build an alliance with the other pack and if that meant using his Kage daughter to get it, of course, why not?

Sometimes, Natalie wished she could say that it was just because he was so desperate for an alliance. But no, her dad already had plenty of alliances with other packs. His real reason was simple. Get rid of the Kage who turned out to be his only daughter and save his ego from all the shame and embarrassment of fathering such a being. She was a blow to his pride, an aberration in his bloodline, and he hated her because, as he had seen to her conception, she was his weakness. She put his 'greatness' into question for the rest of the pack. Or so he thought. He certainly wouldn't bother putting her photo on a milk carton if she never got home from wherever the hell she was.

Natalie spotted a set of cream curtains and flicked the bedcover aside, and after a moment, rose from the bed. Dizziness momentarily rushed over her and she swayed. Jesus, what was with her? Staggering to the curtains with sluggish, ungraceful movements, she parted them to reveal a bay window – a window that was unfortunately locked.

Natalie frowned when she discovered that rather than morning, it was more like late afternoon. Did that mean she hadn't spent the night here and had only been here a few hours? Or did it mean she had just had one hell of a sleep? Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline as she took in the view before her. Most packs had a massive luxury lodge surrounded by several cabins. Some even had lodges situated on cliffs. But this place wasn't on a cliff, it was the cliff. With the arched, lighted balconies and the smooth stairways leading to different levels, it was like those ancient cave dwellings versus the town of Bedrock.

Wow!

Below was grass... Grass. More grass. A huge forest. So, from what she could tell, she was in some kind of huge cave system in the middle of no man's land. She had heard of caves having been hollowed out and turned into homes or even hotels so she wasn't so surprised as to how this has been made to have such a warm, contemporary look. Something told her she was still in Michigan somewhere, but she had a feeling the cab ride home was going to be expensive. Good thing her kidnapper was wealthy. Especially since there didn't seem to be any sign of her purse anywhere. If this was all a joke she so didn't get it. And if she discovered this was one of Shirley's pranks, she was very well going to eat her raw.

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Taking in a deep breath, Natalie headed for the door on light legs. She always made it a habit to be cautious whenever she was in a strange place, even if she felt annoyed, woozy or confused. Better safe than sorry. Although, she couldn't help but admit that if these wolves had any intention of hurting her they would have done so already, and they definitely wouldn't have left her to sleep on such a comfy bed in an extravagant room. But still, she always played things safe at all times.

She wrapped her hands around the door handle and tugged. The door was locked. Damn! Now she had no choice but to make a fuss. If she was going to find a way out of here, she needed to get her kidnapper's attention.

Natalie took in a deep breath and then yelled, "Hey!" There was no response. "Helloooooooooo!" she called out again, this time knocking on the door. Still nothing.

Shit!

So, to sum up, she was in a strange place around strange shifters and she was being confined. Well now her wolf was pissed. Being cooped up was enough to infuriate and agitate any shifter. "Hello! This is your captive speaking! Open the freaking door!"

A chuckle preceded the turning of a key and then the door slowly swung open. Natalie found herself face to face – well, face to chest – with what could only be described as a living breathing mountain. Another wolf, she figured and arched a brow at his cocky, devilish smirk, wondering what could be so amusing.

"You're awake. Good."

"And just which dwarf might you be?" No, it wasn't a good time to make jokes but she was a sarcastic bitch and when she was pissed off the sarcasm took on a life of its own.

His smirk widened. "The Alpha wants to speak to you."

Natalie snickered. "And your Alpha is...?"

He winked. "Follow me."

Oh hell, if things didn't get better from here, Natalie was a hundred and one per cent sure she was going to kill somebody.

*****

Natalie followed the mountain man through a tunnel which took them deeper into the beautifully designed mountain. Seeing the occasional turn-off, she realized that it was actually a network of tunnels like some kind of giant ant colony. She sighed, knowing that finding her way out of these tunnels was going to be difficult as hell.

Just like in the bedroom, the light bisque walls were so smooth they actually looked soft and she felt like swiping her palms along the wall as they went. Natalie took a deep breath and shivered. Her wolf was going crazy at the strange, unfamiliar scents hovering around the atmosphere, and was strongly pushing her to explore the place.

"Mind telling me where I am?" Natalie asked, expecting a nasty resort from the wolf shifter in front of her.

"All will be revealed shortly," he drawled.

"How about how I got here?" Natalie tried again, knowing that even if she asked for ages on end, he would still not give her anything.

"The Alpha will explain everything to you," he growled and Natalie almost laughed at how predictable he was.

Soon they came to a large brown door, which Mountain Man held open while she passed through. They were now in a huge open-plan kitchen that was surprisingly modern and stylish with its oak cabinets, black marble countertop, and platinum appliances. In the centre of the large space was a long oak dining table around which, a small number of male wolf shifters hovered. All heads turned as she entered and the crowd split, giving her a view of who sat at the table. Her jaw almost hit the floor.

Dominic Motherfucking Crane.

If Dominic Crane was her host, then now she knew for a fact that she hadn't come here willingly. Even if she had been on a night out and gotten hammered, no amount of alcohol would have distracted her from the fact that this guy was Mad. He was kind of like the Black Mamba snake; fiercely aggressive, had a bad reputation, and was respected, admired, and feared all at the same time. This had a lot to do with the rumour that he had challenged and almost killed a mature Alpha male at the delicate age of fourteen. A mature Alpha male who had also been his father.

If what Natalie had heard was correct, Dominic had been banished rather than earning the position of Alpha male when he hadn't had the heart to finish off his father after the fight. The act had caused a divide in the pack and those who hadn't agreed with the decision of the elder wolves had left with him. Together they had formed their pack with Dominic as Alpha male and earned their territory through battles with other packs. So far this particular Alpha was undefeated...which was probably because his wolf tended to turn feral during battles. And here she was with him. She couldn't help but get the feeling that the universe was laughing behind her back.

Given that she was in the company of – or, more accurately, being confined by – a person who wasn't at all mentally stable, you would think her wolf would be at least a little nervous. Natalie certainly was. But oh, not only was her wolf agreeable, she wanted to rub against him enticingly, recognising his scent as the one from the bedroom. Oh, well, just great!

It wasn't like Natalie couldn't concede that the homicidal nutcase was seriously hot. She could. She so could. And, the harsh scowl and the sharpness in his dark blue eyes seemed to only add to it. His t-shirt didn't hide his broad shoulders, defined upper body or washboard abs. Ripped, that was what he was. Ordinarily, Natalie didn't much like the highlander look, but she found that she couldn't help but admire that physique. In addition, both her body and her wolf helplessly reacted to the power that was practically buzzing around him; he wore authority like a second skin. Perversely, his hard penetrating stare was heating her blood rather than affronting her. His eyes had taken on a glazed, hungry look that both thrilled and startled her. It made her wolf growl in excitement. The primal lust that gripped her was so intense it almost hurt. Well, that was just great. Maybe she was developing Stockholm Syndrome or something.

In any case, no way would her inconvenient attraction to him inspire her to react to him as her body and her wolf wanted – and as many other females often did, if his reputation as a rake was enough to ground her lust to a halt. The truth was, Natalie was used to rakes. Her father was also the dark, rugged, brooding, dangerous type and he was a pain in the padded ass.

Betraying nothing about her appreciation of him as a male specimen, Natalie returned his full-on alpha stare with one of her own. Oh her wolf may be Kage, but she was still an alpha wolf.

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Dominic regarded the female before him curiously. He had been told that she was Kage but they didn't tell him that she was a tiny little thing. Add that to the fact that she had been kidnapped and forced to be in his company, and surely you should have yourself a flighty deer. But there was no fear in her expression, nor was it wafting from her like fumes as he would have expected. Instead, she was royally pissed. He had become so used to the scent of fear that he now found himself a little thrown.

He also found that he was becoming painfully hard as a raw basic hunger surged through him, beating at his self-control. She wasn't beautiful in that in-your-face-sophisticated-kind-of way but in a natural, all-woman, all-real way. Although she was slender, she had mouth-watering curves that had all sorts of fantasies playing around in his head. It was her mouth that had most of his attention though; it was plush, and carnal and made a guy think impure thoughts. A mouth that was currently set into a hard line, communicating how livid and stubborn she was. Still, the stench of fear hadn't permeated the air. Maybe she just didn't recognise him. "Do you know who I am?"

*****

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Why don't we just skip to the part where you tell me how the hell I got here and why exactly I'm here at all, Crane?"

Everyone around her stiffened and an uncomfortable hush fell upon the room. Obviously they were all waiting for the guy to explode. Yeah? Well, she had had enough of intimidating, dominating males. Had had enough of boyfriends who seemed to think that her being Kage meant she had to be submissive and meek. Had had enough of her father trying to force her to mate with that bastard for his own sly reasons. Had had enough of said Bastard who was so determined to mate with her that he had cornered and almost bitten her without her permission, believing he could mark her as his. And now this Mad man here had obviously kidnapped her. Forgive her if she had reached her limit!

*****

Dominic smiled inwardly at Natalie's feistiness. He had been told enough times that he had an intimidating presence. All his life, even before earning his reputation, people had been weary of him and it had kind of irritated him. His grandma blamed the seemingly permanent scowl on his face as well as the dominant vibes that surrounded him.

This female, however, wasn't shrinking away from him or the intensity of his gaze. And he knew it was intense. He knew that his eyes were so completely focused on her and every single line and curve of her hot little body that it should have been enough to make her look away, squirm or scowl. She didn't even flinch under his scrutiny. Instead, she met his hard stare boldly, and it occurred to him that he might have found someone who could outstare him. This was obviously a female who wasn't used to taking shit from people – even though she was a Kage. Her fiery nature pleased his wolf who didn't respect tremblers. He would bet she had a wicked temper.

Instinctively, Dominic inhaled deeply to investigate the scent of the female Fuck! He was hypnotised. The exotic fusion of coconut and vanilla seemed to slam into his system and shot straight to his hardening cock, making it jerk. His wolf growled his arousal, wanting to further examine this female with the mouth-watering scent.

Without tearing his gaze from hers, finally spoke. "Why don't you sit," he invited, gesturing to the seat opposite him, a small smile curving around his full lips. If things go as planned, his strong attraction to her would be a good thing in the end. A very good thing indeed.

*****

Natalie wanted to refuse Dominic's invitation. She almost did. But to do that was to give the impression that she was feeling too intimidated and truth be told, she couldn't afford to look like that in an unknown enemy's territory.

Natalie settled on the seat Dominic had gestured for her and sent a blazing glare his way. "So you were going to explain what this is all about?"

"My Beta and my Head Enforcer brought you here a few hours ago," Dominic immediately replied, with that rough, gravelly voice of his pricking into Natalie's senses.

"What? Why? And how did they even get me to go with them?"

"They drugged you," he simply said and Natalie gaped. He was too flippant and unremorseful for her liking.

"They did what?" she drawled, almost dangerously and Natalie watched as Dominic's sharp gaze metamorphosed into that of pure heat. Electricity flashed through her and for a moment there she almost forgot she was angry. Which made her even madder at him for being able to affect her like this.

"After you left the café, the drowsiness kicked in as you were walking home, Dave and Talon took you and brought you to me." The way he spoke with so much calmest baffled Natalie to no end, especially after she just saw the raw heat in his eyes.

"If it makes you feel any better," began Mountain Man, "you still fought me and Talon like a wildcat before you passed out." He lifted his t-shirt to show her a set of claw marks that spanned his chest. Her marks, she realized. Although she was Kage, she could partially shift. She also realized that Mountain Man was amused rather than angry.

"Wildcat is an understatement. No one ever marks our Beta," a tall, olive-skinned wolf told her who she presumed was Talon – her other kidnapper. With his athletic build and chocolate brown hair, he was more her type. Unfortunately, her wolf was growling at her disagreement; she rather liked the Mad one.

"And the purpose of 'Operation Drug and Kidnap the Female Wolf' is what exactly?" As Natalie asked this, she made it rather plain with her tone that no amount of justification was going to satisfy her.