The Alpha’s Tempting Mate

Let the record reflect: The werewolf abandoned his date on A Mountain.

“Thanks for picking me up,” I tell Foxfire as she pulls away from the overlook. The site of a date gone awry. I’d waited a full hour for Garrett to return before accepting I’d have to find my own ride back.

“No problem. Least I could do, after making a fool of myself last night.” She looks a bit wan but steadier than I feel. “Tell me again what happened. You went on a date and, in the middle of it, he up and left?”

“He’s… strange.” Understatement of the year. And hot. And probably a millionaire. And a werewolf.

And a goddamn asshole.

“Wait,” Foxfire says. “I’m putting together the pieces. Is this your neighbor?”

“Yeah.”

“And he was there last night, right?”

“He owns Club Eclipse. And, after I got home, we had a little talk.” And a little spanking, followed by a not-so-little orgasm. And hot dreams all night long.

I press my hands to my cheeks to hide my blush.

“He kinda knocked on my door. I got scared and went out the fire escape. I nearly fell, and he caught me. Brought me to his apartment and told me-” I break off.

“To never set foot in his club again,” Foxfire fills in my awkward pause. “Because of me.”

“No, it’s fine. I think he’d let us back in.” He told me we could use the club for the foster fun night. I hope he meant it. “This morning, he helped me with my car, but then…”

“He took you for a ride on his motorcycle and stranded you in the middle of nowhere.”

“Yes,” I rub my head. My temples throb like another vision is due. Wonderful.

“This guy sounds like bad news. You’re usually not the reckless one.”

“I know.” What was I thinking? “We have this connection.”

“What could you possibly have in common with this guy? He’s in a motorcycle gang. You spend nights working or organizing your pens and ironing your underwear.”

“Gee thanks. Why don’t you just call me boring?”

“You know what I mean, Amber. I love you to bits, but you’re a control freak. That guy is chaos.”

“You don’t get it. I felt like I could open up to him. I told him about the visions.”

“Really?” Foxfire’s eyebrows arch so high they almost disappear under her bangs.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“Yeah. He’s the first person I’ve told in years, other than you.” Foxfire’s grandmother was a medicine woman, so she grew up hearing about the spiritual side of things. It’s one of the reason we’re so close.

“I can’t believe you confided in that jerkoff. He seems likes the big Neanderthal type.”

“He is, but he’s more than that. I had an episode in front of him, and he took care of me.”

“When you told him about the visions, how did he react?”

My head swims at the word vision and I put a hand on the dash to steady myself. “He believed me.”

“What’d you see?” Foxfire asks.

“A wolf.” Something flashes in the desert as I stare out the window. A coyote or some other wild animal? Garrett is out there, running in his other form. For a moment, I taste the hot, dry air, powering past cacti as I run on all fours. I’m a predator, powerful, unafraid. The moon hovers just under the horizon, unseen, but my skin tingles as it calls to me, telling me to shift…

“Did you just say werewolf?” Foxfire’s gasp brings me back into the car.

“No,” I shake my head, dazed. Did I just have a vision? “Um, what’d I just say?”

“You said Garrett is a werewolf. At least I think that’s what you said. You were kinda out of it.”

Damn. “Uh… that’s the name of his motorcycle club, I think. The Werewolves. They have a wolf theme. Club Eclipse. Moon tattoos. It’s a thing.” Please, please, believe me.

“Okay, whatever.”

I stay quiet, just focusing on breathing. Amber weaves into traffic as the desert slowly makes way for urban sprawl. I close my eyes, fighting dizziness.

“Does your head hurt?” Tess asks.

“A little.”

“You look a little sick, otherwise I’d take you apartment hunting, right now.”

I slide down in my seat. Do I want to leave my apartment? Not have Garrett as a neighbor? No. He fucked up today, but so did I. Was there ever more proof I’m a freak?

“I don’t like this, Amber.” Foxfire’s frown creates furrows alongside her mouth. “Garrett sounds like bad news.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I think he’ll stay away from me now on.” I ignore the pang in my heart. I barely know the guy. I shouldn’t care if I never see him again.

“Just take me home.” My voice breaks on the word. I can’t lie to myself. Years of foster care, and I’ve never had a safe place to call home. A place I can be myself, a family who accepts me for what I am.

Garrett

I made it home, no thanks to you. Just thought you should know.

I read Amber’s text as I enter my apartment building. For a second, I debate texting a reply, but I fire one off to my sister instead.

It’s been almost a day since you checked in. Call me soon.

I pocket my phone before I crush it in my grip. Females. Maybe it’s a good thing my pack is all male.

My wolf surges forward as I pass the spot where Amber’s car was parked. I push him back down. Hours of running, chasing jackrabbits, and I’m still all riled up. One woman is the cause of this. I catch her sweet scent in the stairwell, and I’m ready to rampage.

Mate.

There’s no other reason I should act like this. I’ve never had problems with my wolf before. But, one date with Amber, and I almost lost control. I was ready to rip her clothing from her, throw her down and fuck her senseless. Worse, my canines had elongated, ready to mark her forever with my scent. Claim her as mine so no other wolf would ever think about taking her. The trouble is-she’s human. Mating her would mean relinquishing my position as alpha. An alpha mates an alpha. Humans are about as far from alpha as it gets. Although a psychic human might be different. If we produced dominant wolf pups with psychic abilities, it would be epic. But the pack isn’t going to wait around to see what our pups look like. If they sense a leader has a weakness, another dominant wolf moves in. Tank. Or Jackson King, the lone wolf who owns the multi-billion dollar tech company SeCure.

No, I need to resist Amber. For her good, and mine. Hell, I could’ve hurt her. I had zero control, was ready to tear her flesh with my teeth to make sure she knew who claimed her.

There’s a word for wolves who lose it like this: moon mad. The wolf takes over, consumed with the desire to mate. The more dominant the wolf, the more dangerous it is.

I’m alpha. I’m the most dominant wolf I know, except maybe my dad. It’s clear my wolf wants Amber. To keep from going mad, I’ll have to either claim her or stay way far away.

That’s why spending time with Garrett was so special. For a few short hours, I felt like I belonged.