Page 8 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

We have a mate!He growls.You can shove my support up your ass. I don’t care.

I don’t want a mate,I huff.Leave me alone with that shit.

That’s because you are selfish and a coward,he growls before retreating again.

Nowadays, Cyrus only comes forward to insult me or piss me off in some way. He won’t listen to reason, he doesn’t care. I don’t want a fucking mate. I don’t want a mate to be around me all the time, and I don’t want to change how I live and who I am. I saw what having a mate did to my brother—he was that cold distanced guy, then he met her, and look at him now, she has him in the palm of her hand. She made him open up to her. He looks at her like she is some sort of messiah who flew down from heaven on a pink cloud, gracing us with her presence.

Our mates are supposed to bring forward our strengths and hidden potential. I don’t care for any hidden potential. At least my brother’s mate was an omega she-wolf. Granted, she turned out not to be as weak and pathetic as I expected her to be. She’s actually pretty cool and strong, not that I would ever admit that to anyone, but it went without saying that she would join my brother and become luna. But Celine leads a pack already, she is not going to give it up, which means I would need to move again.

I brush through my hair, feeling a wave of exhaustion hit me.

I don’t want a mate. I can’t have one.

I drive fast, reaching the pack house in half an hour, just in time for breakfast. The guards nod at me shortly when I walk towards the building. Liam and Annie have really worked miracles on the pack. When Liam killed the old alpha and freed everyone from his reign, people here were sick and without strength. They had been living in fear and suffering abuse for years. The pack grounds were big, the numbers huge, but everything was worn down, old, or ruined. Now, over a year later, there are no traces of that crazy old tyrant left. The pack is flourishing. There are parks and playgrounds for kids, a swimming pool, and every single house got renovated. There are new spaces for everyone.

When I step into the huge salon with the breakfast buffet, there are plenty of pack members in there eating and chatting. I move towards the alpha’s table, my heart sinking when I see almost everyone there. Liam looks at me briefly, his brows furrowed, but he doesn’t say anything, just nods at me. If he knew what I was doing to Celine and why, he might snap my neck… or at least punch me in a way that will hurt, a lot. Liam is an alpha through and through.

What can I say, our relationship has always been a bit strained. Liam is the golden child, the powerful lycan, the one who managed to free this pack, the wolf with the awesome mate. And I’m just the black sheep, the bitter kid that never succeeds at anything and doesn’t even try.

“Good morning,” I mutter when I sit down, hoping no one will talk to me.

“Hello, Marius,” Luna Annalise greets me with a smile.

The others follow her example and greet me too.

Ella, the luna’s beta and her oldest friend, just nods at me though. Probably hates me. She looks harmless at first glance, with her short hair and freckles. Truth is, she is like a rottweiler, fierce and easily pissed off, and totally loyal to Annie. I’m not always very polite to my luna, and Ella doesn’t take that kindly.

“There is plenty of coffee,” Liam points out.

“Do I look like I need it?” I frown.

Liam just raises his brows.

“I’m fetching myself some tea from the kitchen. Anyone else want some?” Jun, the young gamma and another loyal protector of the luna, asks.

Ella smiles. “For me, please.”

“Me too,” Liam agrees. “When you’re in the kitchen, tell the staff to prepare some more coffee for us, will you?”

Jun nods with a polite smile. “Of course.”

“You’re more silent than usual. Had a late night?” a female voice to my left asks inquisitively. It’s Aryanna, my brother’s beta, a young she-wolf with incredible fighting talent. He has two betas because the pack is huge, and Liam is a strong alpha. He needs the extra support, especially in case he loses it and can’t keep Fenris under control. “How do you like my hair?” she grins. “Rainbow colors are the newest trend.”

“It’s hard not to notice,” I mutter.

Ella glares at me, but Aryanna just laughs. “Someone needs to compensate for all your gloominess.”

“Don’t worry,” Annie chuckles. “It looks crazy. Crazily good.”

“Yes Ari,” Ella grins, moving her hand to touch Aryanna’s hair playfully. “I’m still waiting for the neon-yellow mohawk though.”

“There are limits to my art,” Ari laughs. “What do you think, Liam?”

“I think the kids in the nursery will love it,” he says dryly.

Annie elbows him a bit and he just chuckles.

“Why is that even of interest?” I frown, wondering why the fuck they fuss about hair that much. Who cares?