The Blood Alpha's Mate.

Sapphire glanced around almost disdainful as she took a lick of her ice cream. Everybody. Paired off with mates.

She scoffed internally.

Not that she was jealous. No. She wasn't. It's just a little bit annoying to be one of the few left unchosen.

And where was Skylar anyway? She glanced left and right, hoping to spot her sister.

Wham!

She ran straight into a tree. Or not a tree, she thought, judging from the hushed whispers around her. If it was a tree, people would come to her aide immediately. Or was it a tree and people just didn't want to bother?

"Er," she began. Apparently her brain had short circuited.

A smile appeared at the corner of the tree's mouth. "Hello." It said.

"Alpha Nicholas?" It was more of a question since her eyes were still seeing stars and couldn't yet focus properly.

"Are you okay?" He didn't wait for her to reply as he called out to someone. "Hey. Get her sitted for a few minutes until she's okay."

****

"Sapphire Goldstone, where the hell were you?"

Rubbing her head, she replied, "I ran into a tree, er, Alpha Nick. Head first."

"Oh." Her mother paused.

"I gotta go apologize."

"No need to. I'm sure it's fine. He'll understand. He can be nice sometimes."

"Nah. I want to."

And off she went, pep-talking herself as she went along. She found him sitting with another Alpha, his brother.

"Alpha Ryder?"she called, bowing.

The brothers both turned.

Nick smiled. "It's you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Thank you. I just wanted to apologize for earlier." She ignored Liam's, Nick's brother, intense green-eyed gaze on her face.

He smiled again. "It was an accident."

Relieved, she smiled back. "Thanks. Bye."

As soon as she left, Nick turned to his brother. "What's up?"

"Mate." Liam managed to choke out.

Nick's eyebrow went up. "Really?" Then a smile softened his face. "I'm happy for you, man."

"Thanks." Liam stood up. "Maybe you'll find your's soon, too."

At that, Nick threw back his head and laughed. "Just go, Liam."

****

"Can Miss Sapphire Goldstone, please step forward? You have now been claimed as a mate by Alpha Liam Ryder and he is now to be claimed by you."

"Surely they don't mean me, do they, Mom?"

"I'm sorry, baby."

Before anyone could say anything else, Sapphire entire body shook and she morphed into a full white wolf and took off. Liam, from where he stood , watched and went after her.

Sapphire could hear the footsteps behind her and she pounded harder but despite the fact that she was running her fastest, it was impossible for her to evade him. She couldn't outrun an Alpha, even though he was in human form.

"Turn around!"

But it was too late. The branch wiped her across the face, drawing blood. She came to a halt.

"Christ." Liam crouched beside her and took out an handkerchief. He dabbed at the blood. "Hey, careful. Relax. It's a small cut. It'll heal fast." he continued talking, taking her mind off what had occurred.

"Mom!" she cried as she sighted the older woman, morphing back into her human shape, fully naked.

Liam diverted his eyes and turned to the Mother who held a bundle of clothes. "I'll be waiting."

Her mother bowed her acquiescence. "Of course."

Liam pulled up in front of one of the most beautiful houses she had ever seen. It was moderately big with a fountain in the center.

The car stopped and a man appeared seemingly from nowhere.

"Hello, Alpha."

Liam got out of the car. "Hello, Jeffery." He opened the back door for her and beamed a bright, innocent smile at her.

She beamed one right back. Without warning, she turned to the other side of the car door, jerked it open, and sprang out.

Liam appeared by her side in a minute. He grabbed her upper arm. "Hey. Let's not do that. I understand it may be a little daunting at first but let's try and be friends."

"I just want to go home."

"I understand. But let's try and be friends, shall we?" His tone was gentle and appealing.

Sapphire whoshed out a defeated breathe. "I suppose."

This was her reality now. There was no changing it. And he was nice. And good looking. Very, very, good looking. Back in high school, she and the girls sometimes took votes on who the most gorgeous Alpha was , and the money fell on Liam every time and again, with his piercing green eyes and swoon-worthy grin.

And the fact that he was the youngest Alpha in history at the young age of nineteen kinda sealed the deal. Some girls would lose a limb just to be with him.

"Take it positively, Sapphire. Take it positively. Now just imagine what Edith would do." Edith, her friend, was a self proclaimed die-hard number one fan of Liam, and proudly flaunted herself as an expert Liamologist. Everything Liam.

But a serene, happy smile appeared on her face when she realized that Edith had been matched with a very powerful Beta from one of the other packs. Her friend would be happy, she was sure of it.

"Chin up, chin up. You're fine. At least it's not his brother." She chanted to herself. Because she just couldn't imagine anything worse than being matched to the Blood Alpha.

****

"No way." Skylar said as the news was announced. Unlike her sister, she didn't run. She just laughed it off. Because there was no way, right? She turned to her mother. "Mom?"

But her moher wasn't listening. Faced with the probability of giving another child out, and TO the BLOOD ALPHA, she had gone pale.

Nick sauntered towards them in all of his arrogance and watched mother and daughter. He'd first seen the girl with Liam's mate when she came to apologize, but he hadn't said a word. She had been watching Sapphire protectively from a distance away, and when Liam had suggested that he might find his mate soon, he was already thinking if he hadn't already found her.

The girl turned to him. "Alpha Ryder, we are both very reasonable adults here-"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "We are?"

Skylar painted an artificial smile on. "We are. And I was just wondering if a mistake hadn't been made somehow."

A loud growl escape Nick just then. Everyone around scrambled a few feet back. "Sorry for the interruption. Go on, if you please."

Skylar decided to try another tactic. "I'm sure I'll be the worst mate ever and-"

"I'll take my chances."

All resources used, Skylar clung to her mother. "Mom, I don't want to go." She whined.

"I'm sure the Alpha and I can come to an understanding."

"We can?" asked the ever doubtful Nick.

"We can. She's not ready for this and her sister has already been claimed by your brother."

"I am not my brother, Mrs Goldstone. We are two different people. Or does Liam and me bear an uncanny resemblance that makes us interchangeable?" He turned to the man beside him. "Do we, Daniel?"

"No, Alpha. Not at all."

"I thought so, too."

"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that." Skylar bared her teeth at them.

"Reasonable adults having reasonable conversation, sweet. You said it yourself. Pack up and let's go, please."

"Don't come near my child."

Nick sighed, as if tired. "I give you thirty minutes to kiss up with Mommy and meet me. Daniel here will stay with you to help with anything and escort you back. Please, don't make me come find you."

When he left, Skylar wailed. "Oh, Mom. It's horrible. I can't imagine anything with him. Why did I come to the ceremony!? Can't I just run!?"

"He'll find you, Skylar. No matter where you go. And that'll only make it worse."

"But why me?"

"The blood matches."

"What?"

"Remember how difficult they say it would be for him to find his mate? He needs someone who can match his power, or at least, put up with it."

Skylar was shaking her head. "That's not me."

"The moon goddess doesn't make mistakes, honey."

"But I don't want him."

"I don't want him for you, too, darling. But the fight is totally out of my hands." Her feeble attempts earlier had meant nothing. Deep down, she knew there was no way to thwart this. She sank down in a chair heavily. Goddess, two babies at once. Who would have thought.

"Darling, pour me a shot of vodka, will you? I really need it."

"I'll make your life hell, you'll see." Skylar vowed as she was bundled into the limo. "I'll make sure you never have a moment of peace."

"Peace," mused Nick. "Often overrated. You get all the peace you want when you die."

"You just wait and see."

"Alright, darlin'," drawled Nick, "I'll wait." But he was worried. How was he to deal with a mate who hated him? This one not only hated him but she would be glad to have his head on a platter with a goblet of wine right next to it.

Oh, well, he thought as he reclined his head, he'll just have to wait and see like she'd said.

****

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, Sapphire."

"No, it's not. I came to- I wanted to-"

"Sapphire. Calm down. I wasn't naked."

Because he saw that she was still very uncomfortable, he said, "You came for something, right?"

"My book." she said, reaching for a novel on the bed.

"Why don't you come upstairs, Sapphire? Take a shower, change. I can have someone bring you dinner."

"Umm, Alpha Liam-"

Liam just watched her.

"How about you just show me one of the guest rooms."

He continued watching her.

"You know, it'll be awkward to share a room with someone you barely know."

Liam did not move. "Not to me."

She sighed. "So you don't want to sleep separately?"

"No, Sapphire."

A moment passed in silence.

"What exactly are you scared of, Sapphire? That I'll murder you in your sleep?"

"Well, not really, but-"

"We've been mated to each other. Relax. And besides, I like you already."

"You do?"

"Yep. Now go freshen up." he steered her towards the bathroom. "I'll have dinner waiting downstairs."

****

"I'll do what I bloody well please, Mr Nicholas Ryder." Skylar punctuated each word with a jab of her finger at his chest. "What. I. Please."

"You seem to like trouble, don't you?"

"Try me."

The Alpha merely raised an eyebrow.

"You're not sleeping in this bed with me, Mr Alpha."

"Really?"

Nick took off his shirt, and calmly slid underneath the covers.

Skylar lunged.

As her palm came in contact with his skin, Nick gave a growl so loud the house seemed to vibrate. She jolted back in shock.

"Quit fooling around," he warned in a low, low voice. She stared at him for a moment then, chin high, matched out of the room with a loud bang of the door.