Alpha's Mate

Mating season was here, it was in the air all around me and the atmosphere among the young males and females were tense. For the males it was essentially a war, and they were mentally and physically preparing themselves for battle.

For the females it was both nervous anticipation and fear that warred for emotional supremacy, as we began to feel the subtle changes in our bodies, the increased awareness of the animal, even stronger than usual. I dreaded it, and I dreaded it because I’d always found the process of a mating to be prehistoric.

It was very caveman-like. A male chose a female, fought of any other contenders, then he chased her, caught her and essentially clobbed her over the head and pulled her into his cave to have his wicked way with her.

It was like the female had no say in the matter, and that irritated me. Mating was for life, there were no second chances, no take-backs, and most of the time love or feelings other than lust didn’t even factor. Those things were supposed to come later, like you simply had no choice but to force yourself to love the person you ended up being mated to.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, in the weeks leading up to the Hunt, (yes, that’s what it was called), all the females of mating-age were collared. This meant we couldn’t shift for weeks, something that drove the animal crazy, which again meant we were that much more volatile when we were uncollared and running for our fucking lives.

Sighing, I wrapped my fingers around the collar around my throat and yanked it, hoping beyond hope that I’d be able to break it and hopefully run away before it was too late. Alas, the stupid thing wouldn’t budge.

The collar itself had no magical powers that somehow stopped us from shifting, but it had been coated with a combination of wolvesbain - a natural herb poisonous to wolves - and a highly concentrated dose of human hormones that worked to suppress the shifter genes.

The worst part was, the only way to remove it was with a key that our “keepers” kept perfectly hidden and secure - meaning I had no idea where it was or how to get to it.

Gritting my teeth, I turned away from my vanity mirror and walked over to my closet, shrugging my robe off my shoulders and throwing it on my bed as I picked out a dress for the day.

My thick mahogany hair was pulled back in a messy bun and the light blue summer dress I chose fit me snug around my breasts, the bottom half of the dress loose and flowing around my upper thighs, falling to just above the knees. I chose a pair of white wrap-around sandals to match and grabbed a light jean jacket before I headed out of my room.

I could hear voices from the lower floor as I headed down the stairs.

“I hear Gage Blackwood is participating in the hunt this year.”

“Oh my God, could you imagine being claimed by him?”

“Well, if the rumors are true, at least you won’t go unsatisfied.”

I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous conversation happening on the front porch. I recognized the voices as belonging to Mila and Verity. Like me, they’d both just turned eighteen and had been whisked away to Isolation in preparation of the Hunt. There were fifteen of us in total, all of us living in a large isolated house in no-man’s land between the three local packs, hence the house had received the name “Isolation”.

Unlike me, Mila and Verity were excited about what was only days away. I didn’t know them that well, but we’d grown up in neighboring packs so we knew of each other and we’d all gone to the same high school, so I knew that both of them had dreamed about the day they’d find their mate.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t done that at some point either, but as I grew older and started to understand the outdated ways of our culture, that excitement turned into aversion. How come they weren’t even mildly upset at the fact they wouldn’t have a choice in who they ended up with?

And as for the news that Gage Blackwood was entering the Hunt…

Well, I pitied whoever he claimed.

Gage was an Alpha, and if male shifters were normally domineering, possessive and intimidating, Alpha’s took that to the extreme.

Making my way to the kitchen, I found Cora and Ivy sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and talking quietly, both of them turning smiles my way as I walked in.

Cora had been my best friend since we were babies, and when Ivy’s family joined our pack when she was seven, we quickly became an unbreakable trio.

Cora was tall and slim with subtle curves, long red hair, and dark brown eyes. She’d been a troublemaker since we were kids, and she was no happier about this mess than I was. Ivy was, like Cora, tall and slim but there weren’t a lot of curves on her lithe body, and she had shiny blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. Her skin was creamy white and she had this whole innocent appearance that just made everyone want to protect her. Ivy was quiet, she didn’t like to be the center of attention in any way, and she was abhorrently shy.

I knew this wasn’t exciting to her, if anything it was terrifying. In our little trio, I was the quiet rebellious one. I was a good blend of Cora’s crazy and Ivy’s quiet, something that balanced us all out. I was the one who was able to talk Cora down from doing stupid things, and I was the one who was able to talk Ivy into things she’d normally never be up to. While not sisters by blood, we’d formed a bond that was just as strong, if not more so, than those of family.

Grabbing my own mug of coffee, I walked over to the table and settled down in the vacant chair at the end of the small table, my eyes moving to the window and the forest bordering the house. I felt a sense of deep longing as the wolf in me whimpered sadly. She wanted out, wanted to feel the earth beneath her paws, smell the myriad scents of spring and hear the soothing sounds of rivers deep in the forest. God, she missed it.

We both did.

“Sky, you okay?” I tore my eyes away from the window and forced a smile as I looked at Cora, giving a small nod as I lifted my mug and took a sip, wincing at the coffee that was so thick I wasn’t sure it could even be called coffee. Clearly Verity had made it…

My mother told me I got my name because of the night she gave birth to me. She said she’d never seen a more beautiful sky before, and while my father had wanted to name me after his mother, he adored my mom so much that he couldn’t say no to her.

It was my parents’ relationship that was the one thing that made me consider that this whole mating-thing might not be so bad. Then again, I had no assurances that I’d be as lucky as my mother. Theirs were a true mating. My mother hadn’t just accepted her fate once my dad claimed her, their relationship had blossomed in the months after he claimed her and in the end they were very much in love.

“It’s just a few more days now,” Ivy said quietly, breaking into my thoughts, and both Cora and I looked at her to see her looking into her mug, her face a mask of worry.

“It’ll be okay, Ivy.” Cora said softly, trying to assure her, and I really hoped she was right. With the way Ivy was, if the wrong shifter claimed her, it could be catastrophic. She needed someone who’d be patient and understanding, who would break his back to make her happy and make her feel safe.

I knew Micah, one of the male shifters of our pack, had had his eyes on her for a long time, and I really hoped he’d be the one to catch her during the Hunt. He could give her everything she needed, and Ivy knew him, something that would make it easier for her to settle into her new reality.

The worst thing that could happen was if she was caught by someone from a different pack, someone who didn’t realize how fragile she was, and then she’d have to deal with that on top of getting settled in a new pack. If that happened, I really hoped either Cora or I (preferably both of us) would end up going with her.

No, I amended myself as I remembered Mila and Verity’s conversation, the worst thing that could happen to Ivy was if she was caught and claimed by an Alpha, there was no way my beautiful gentle friend could handle something like that. She’d fall apart within a week.

“Hey guys,” We all looked to the door as Rhiannon and Nicki walked in. Rhi was my cousin and Nicki was Cora’s twin. The five of us represented the females of our pack that were up for grabs, so to speak...

Nicki walked over to lean against the table next to her sister and it amazed me sometimes, how twins could be so completely different. Nicki had the same build as her sister, but that’s pretty much where the similarities ended. She had long black hair, indigo eyes and she’d always been so sensible. Rhi and Nicki had been best friends for as long as Cora and I, but even though we weren’t that tight, we were all close friends.

“Did you guys hear, there will be two Alpha’s participating in the Hunt this year?” I twisted my neck to look at Rhi, finding her leaned back against the counter, her arms crossed on her ample chest, long legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles.

“I heard Verity and Mila say Gage Blackwood is participating when I was coming down. Last time I checked, he’s the only unmated Alpha in the area.”

“Yeah, Gage, and Aiden Blake.” Rhi answered and I felt myself tense as my eyes shot to Cora who’d gone completely still at this news. Aiden Blake had participated in the Hunt two years ago, he’d caught and claimed himself a girl from Verity and Mila’s pack, and clearly the rumors were true if he was participating in another Hunt.

Whoever his mate had been, rumors had it she’d passed away shortly after their mating. No one really knew what happened, but some claimed she’d commited suicide within weeks after he’d claimed her.

Aiden’s participation however, did not bode well for Cora, because if the way he’d been looking at her the last couple of times he’d come to talk business with our Alpha, who happened to be Cora and Nicki’s father, then Aiden had already decided on her.

“I thought he already had a mate.” Ivy piped in quietly and Rhi shrugged.

“Apparently, she’s no longer in the picture.”

“Apparently.” Cora muttered, and I looked at her to see Nicki had her hand on her sister’s shoulder, squeezing lightly, a silent offer of support.

A cacophony of voices stopped our conversation as the rest of the girls in the house squeezed into the kitchen, and they were heralded inside by our “protectors”.

I wanted to snort at the thought.

Six mated males, two from each pack, were assigned to keep guard around the Isolation-house at all times. They said it was for our protection, but everyone knew they were more like our jailors. They were sent to make sure none of us tried to do anything stupid... like run away.

“Right, ladies. As you all know, in two days the Hunt starts. So, today and tomorrow you’ll all receive visits from your family members. You’ll all have one hour each with your families, and tomorrow night you’ll start preparing for the Hunt.” I scowled at Luke, an enforcer for our pack, but I’d been scowling at him my whole life so he took this in stride.

“Ladies of Blackwood, follow me please!” Jason, from the Blackwood-pack, lifted his hand and the five girls from his pack; Verity, Mila, Ingrid, Sonia and Luisa, filed out behind him.

Michael, from Aiden Blake’s pack, spoke up next.

“Leah, Clarity, Carissa, Mara and Josie, with me.” The girls followed dutifully behind him, and then there was the rest of us who were left with Luke.

“Right, you all know how this works. Your parents will be arriving within the hour. Cora, Nicki, you guys are up first. Rhi, your parents will be here after lunch. Ivy, your dad is coming after dinner, and Sky, your mom and dad are coming tonight.”

Great, it would be hours until I got to see my family.

Oh well, it had been weeks already, I could handle a few more hours.