The Alpha's Secret Mate

"Are you excited?" Lindsay asked, gripping my neck tightly and staring at me, her intense blue eyes blinking at me.

"Of course I am," I smiled, brushing her nose with mine.

"I'm so eager to reveal myself as your mate and finally become your Luna." Lindy grabbed the collar of my dress shirt, giving me a smile.

"If I were you two, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high," Gamma Paul said, tapping his glass on the coffee table. He chuckled and looked at his wife. "I swore another she-wolf was my mate, hated Lucia, and look at me now, I can't live without her."

"Oh, no, that certainly won't be our case," Lindy laughed. "Don't worry, Uncle Paul, the goddess will watch over us both."

"Well, I think young love is beautiful," Lucia said, gazing at us with shining eyes. "Look how adorable you two are,"

Lindsay blushed as she let go of me and sat next to her mother, the wife of our pack's beta. We grew up together, and it wasn't hard to fall in love with her. She's the sweetest and most delicate girl in the world, and she's very kind too.

Of course, sometimes I wonder what would happen if we weren't mates, but I try not to dwell on it. Deep down, I'm sure she's my mate. Period.

"Here," Kyle murmured, handing me a can of Pepsi, my favorite soda.

"Mommy!" Emily's high-pitched scream echoed through the room. Her footsteps in her fancy shoes sounded like trotting horses. Her face was red and angry.

I laughed when I saw her. Lucia had dressed her beautifully in a white dress with a big bow on the back, knee-high socks, and doll shoes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail decorated with another bow. Her furious expression didn't match her cute and delicate appearance at all.

"I'm going to kill him," she growled, glaring at her brother. "Kill him."

Kyle burst out laughing beside me, using me as a kind of human shield. "Emy, whatever he did, remember I had nothing to do with it," I said, raising my hands in surrender. "I'm being used as a shield. I'm a victim here."

"Oh, don't worry. Mom said I can't kill you," she huffed. "But him..." She glared at her brother. "I'll give you the same fate as Pitty."

"Pitty?" I frowned.

She growled, and I barely held back my laughter when she raised her arms, revealing a Barbie doll with nearly all its hair cut off and colored black, the body covered in tattoos-probably with a permanent marker-and some drawings on the face.

"She was my favorite doll, you mutt," she grumbled, throwing it on the floor.

"I can see the love you have for her, you didn't even have the courage to give her a proper funeral."

"Oh, certainly, the one who'll get a proper funeral will be you," she said, rushing towards us, but I held her back, keeping her in place and preventing her from advancing.

"Emily." Her father's voice echoed, making her freeze. "Is that any way for a young lady to behave?"

She stopped, with my arms still on her shoulders, her body trembling with a stifled sob. Then she ran to her father, pouting with tear-filled eyes. Hades watched her closely, and I frowned.

He hates children. I mean, he hates other people's children. He finds them annoying and as hell. But he doesn't usually complain about her. Not about Emily, and he's always nearby when he hears her cry. "Daddy, punish him. Make him pay," she sobbed, inconsolable. "He killed Pitty. That mutt."

"Emy," Lucia pulled her into her arms. "Come here," she hugged the little one, who now seemed even more inconsolable.

"If you keep coddling her, she'll keep crying like a spoiled baby," Kyle taunted.

"I'm not a baby," she screamed.

"Of course you are," he said, sticking his tongue out at her.

"No, I'm not," she stomped her shoes on the wooden floor.

"Kyle, that's enough," their father shouted. "Goodness, can't you two behave politely in front of our guests?"

Kyle stood still while Emy hid her face in her mother's neck. For a second, I felt Hades wanting to come out, and I was mad at Kyle, but it passed before I could question it.

"Kyle, go now and buy her a new doll," his father pointed.

"Dad..."

"I said now," the older man grumbled as he sat back down.

Kyle walked out, kicking the ground, and I watched him, unable to follow. I mean, he had crossed all limits, hadn't he?

The adults started a new conversation, something about children, but I stayed out of it, watching Lindsay talk. Emy jumped off her mother's lap and walked over to me with weak steps. My eyes were on her now.

"Uncle Ezra," she called.

"Yes, Em..."

"Do you think I'm a crybaby?" She blinked, her eyes swollen and her face marked by tears.

"No, I don't," I sighed, watching her sit next to me with a bit of a struggle due to her height. "Kyle's just an idiot, that's all."

"I know," she rolled her eyes. "He's a meddler. Are you sure you want him as your Gamma?"

"He's smart, you just need to see it in him," I chuckled softly.

"Well, he's dumb and gets low grades in writing," she scoffed. "And has mediocre grades in math. Good luck."

I watched her grab an unopened can of Pepsi behind me. I figured it was Lindsay's since I didn't see her holding one.

"Didn't anyone bring me a soda?" Lindy pouted.

I looked at Emy with a conspiratorial glance. "No, dear, sorry," I shrugged.

"I'll get one myself," she said.

Emy giggled softly as she opened the can and winked at me. "Shh," she whispered, putting her finger to her lips.

"Secret, little one," I said, nodding and laughing, as she jumped off the bench and ran outside, where Toby was waiting for her.

I could see him through the window. They hugged, and for the second time, I saw Hades completely focused on everything Emily was doing.

**Ezra's 18th Birthday**

"Happy birthday, baby," Lindsay said, hugging me.

"Thank you, dear," I kissed her forehead calmly.

We were all here. At least, the people most important to me. I mean, at least I can consider each one of them as such.

"So?" My father looked at us hopefully.

"Should it have started by now?" I frowned. "It just turned midnight."

"Yes, it should have," my mother's face twisted into a grimace. "Oh, dear..." she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"There must be a mistake, there must be..." I stammered, trying to find an explanation.

"Ezra," Lindsay held my face with one hand and looked at me, her blue eyes tearing up and she sniffled. "I'm sorry, I'm not your Luna."

"There's still time, I haven't started transforming yet, it was a... mistake?" I frowned, feeling my fingers tremble now.

No. It couldn't be. I was sure she was my mate. I was sure she would be the woman I married. That we would be happy together.

"You must have someone much better waiting," she sniffled. "I'm not upset. I swear. Of course, I would have loved to be yours forever, honey, but we're not and we need to... understand." She sighed.

Before I could give her a sincere response, before I could even think of cursing the goddess, something inside me broke.

We get our wolf at sixteen when we're alphas. But we only transform and discover our mate when we turn eighteen, like any common wolf.

Our wolf is our balance point. We need to learn to deal with him much earlier than all the other pack members. We know we're stronger than everyone else and we need more.

So, I've had Hades since I was sixteen, but everyone will be able to meet him only now, at eighteen. I'm glad that my family will finally be able to connect with my wolf, but heartbroken to have my heart crushed like this.

Even worse, when I find my true destined mate, I'll have to see Lindsay suffer until she turns eighteen. At least I know she and Kyle will continue to be loyal friends-since I doubt she'll want to be close to me for a while.

The pain is so intense that I whimper as I stagger to the small garden of my house.

I have my father, my mother, Uncle Paul, and Lucy, as well as Beta Carl and his wife, Aunt Mel.

They were all staring at me as I writhed, feeling my bones ache like hell as they broke.

I had heard about this so many times, studied it a lot, but now the pain I felt was much closer to death than anything else. Goodness, is the goddess punishing me?

And as the worst pain in the world spread through my body, the best scent in the world filled my nose.

"Mama," Emily's voice echoed. She was wearing her pajamas, clutching a teddy bear tightly in her left arm, staring at me in alarm. "Uncle Ezra... is he hurt?"

"Come in, Emily. Where's your brother?" Aunt Lucy asked.

"Kyle left me alone. Said Lindy was inconsolable," she said, still not taking her eyes off me.

Heavens. The girl... she's my... my mate. I let out a pained grunt and dig my fingers into the soil.

"Emy..." I call out, in a moment of desperation. My voice comes out weak and strained, but I know everyone heard. I know everyone is staring at me. "Emy, I need..." I growl, closing my eyes. "help..."

"Dear, come here," Uncle Paul calls, taking charge of the situation.

In an instant, he's beside me holding the little one's hand, her eyes wide with concern.

"Uncle Ezra," she whispers, placing her hand on my back. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Y-yes," I stutter, giving a disbelieving laugh.

The pain seems more bearable now, so I just lift my eyes to hers.

"Thank you, little one," I sigh.

"Do you want me to stay close by?" she asks, and I nod. "Okay."

She sits next to me and watches attentively.

"Let it flow, son," Paul says, catching my attention now. "Don't hold Hares inside you."

I nod and close my eyes, feeling Emily's gentle touch somewhere on my back.

When I open them again, I'm lying on my own paws. My breathing is erratic, my lungs ache.

I look at Emily and slowly approach her.

"Don't you dare," I growl at Hades. "She can't know. Not now. Look at how small she is."

"Mate," he grunts at me. "I want to protect her, Ezra. We can't let anyone hurt her. Never."

"She has a loving family, and she lives within the Alpha's lands. We can be sure she'll never get hurt," I murmur.

Emily approaches slowly and runs her fingers through Hades' dark fur, petting and giggling as she runs around him.

I just let Hades play with her, jumping around as if he's also ten years old, acting like a damn dog while poor Emily throws a ball for him.

I can't deny how humiliating this is, but I take a deep breath and don't move. He's been trapped for years, and if this is how he wants to spend his time, so be it.

Our parents were talking somewhere, and at some point, Emily lay down on my back and drifted off to sleep. Hades allowed it, lying down too and closing his eyes to sleep sweetly.

He's a traitor. A treacherous wolf. He shouldn't do this. He shouldn't get so close. He just shouldn't. What kind of freak am I?

"It's time for Emily to go to bed," Paul says, picking her up and she curls up completely on him, like a koala. "Goodbye, Ezra."

Hades blinks at him and whimpers, but that doesn't make Gamma Paul stop. He bids farewell to the others, and when it's just us-me, Mom, and Dad-I go through the pain process again, but this time less intense.

When I'm back in my human form, I blink at my parents.

"Has the goddess cursed me, Mom?" It's the first thing I ask as soon as I open my eyes and see myself human again.

This must be some kind of punishment... isn't it?

For some stupid reason, the goddess paired me with little Emily, and when I threw myself on the bed exhausted, the weight of everything fell on me.

After it all ended, my parents covered me and took me to my room, looking at me with pity. I know no one ever expected this - not even me. I always thought Lindsay would be my mate, and now, I see my little perfect world crumbling right before my eyes.

Tears filled my eyes as I felt disgusted with myself and everything that was happening. I couldn't stop thinking about how wrong this was and screamed inside my head, "What's the goddess's problem?"

I'm afraid of myself and Hades. Afraid of the absurd actions he might take if he sees her being scolded by her parents or hurt by other kids her age. Because the fact is, Emy will keep running around and fighting with Toby.

I need to end this, but for it to be over, I need to wait until she turns eighteen. I need her to find out, and then I'll reject her. Yes, that's it!

With that idea in mind, I finally fell asleep.

When I woke up the next day, my head ached. I got up and took a long, hot shower, gathering the courage to drag myself out of my room. I was so tired.

"Ezra, we're waiting for you in my office," my father's voice sounded in my head.

He wasn't being my father, I could feel it. He was giving me an order as my Alpha, and I, as his pack member, had to obey him.

When I opened the hallway door, Emy's sweet scent hit my nose. She was swinging her legs and devouring a pack of cookies while laughing at some joke my dad had made. She was an adorable child.

"Good morning," I said, grumpily.

Everyone turned their faces to me as I calmly sat in one of the armchairs, sliding down to relax afterward.

"We need to talk," my father said, looking at Lucia.

"Emy, why don't you go play outside?" Aunt Lucia asked gently.

"You promised you'd let me take care of Uncle Ezra's wounds," her voice was shrill as she pouted.

"I know, and you can do that... but later!" she said, gently setting the girl on her feet.

"No," she stomped her foot. "I don't like untreated wounds. They hurt," she said, turning to me. "Tell them, please. I need to practice being a nurse."

And damn. How could I say no to her? It was Emy; she could kill me if she wanted, and I'd still smile at her.

"Alright," I sighed, patting the chair next to me and extending my hand. "Be quick, okay?"

She squealed as she ran to her father's side and grabbed the pink suitcase covered in stickers.

"Wow," she murmured. "Uncle Ezra, did you clean this?"

"No," was all I managed to reply before looking at my father and swallowing hard.

He sighed and looked at the others, seeming to enter a conversation via Mind Link. My heart raced, and sparks seemed to travel all over my body, making my toes tingle.

She didn't say anything, appearing very focused, and I decided to study her a bit. Her cheeks were cute, her eyes almond-shaped, and she had Lucia's eyebrows. She had dark hair like her eyes, which were beautiful, by the way.

Emy was as skittish as an angry cat, even though her angelic appearance could fool anyone. She was cute and sweet, just like a child should be.

When she finished, decorating my wound with a pink band-aid full of hearts, I laughed, looking at it. "Thank you, Emy."

"You're welcome," she smiled, packing everything up. Now, all eyes were on us again. "When I grow up and find my mate, will you let us both be pack doctors?"

"I'm not sure," I said, frowning.

"Oh, Uncle Ezra... Dad and Mom said that mates love each other so much they can't be apart, and I don't want to leave you alone," she stomped her foot.

"Well, what if he doesn't like hospitals?" I asked.

"Then he can't be my mate. I'm going to be a doctor," she lifted her chin, and I laughed.

"Okay, okay," Lucia intervened. "It's time to go, let's go."

She grabbed her suitcase and left, grumbling, "I'm going to find new patients and prove I can be a great doctor."

When she left, I felt like I could breathe again, like my senses had returned to my body, and I settled back in the chair, now looking at my father.

"I haven't had breakfast yet," I pointed out.

"We'll be quick," he murmured. "We still have to choose a lead representative to replace Derek in the war. His wife just gave birth, and he asked to come back."

I shrugged. We were caught up in a territorial war. Another Alpha wanted our lands, so we had a large number of warriors being sent there. Derek was a natural leader, and when he volunteered to lead, my father became more confident, and well, things seemed to be going well so far.

I was very excited about all the details until yesterday's events, but now, I just wanted to crawl into my bed and never come out.

"Well, I think we can be sure that Emy will probably reject me," I said, letting out a nervous laugh.