I had known fury many times in my life. When my parents abandoned me with Alpha Peter, the first time I had faced down a demon, when Danny turned his back on me, when I discovered how far Rick and Tanner had gone in poisoning Naomi, and a million other lesser times in between.
I was no stranger to fury, but seeing my mate raise her blade to the sunlight and declare that she would never accept me was a new sort of fury…and a betrayal so deep that Danny's betrayal paled in comparison.
How could she? How in the fuck could she!?
Two hours earlier, I had arrived in Silverfang Creek territory just as the mate match ceremony was getting started, and the scents of all the other wolves gathered together had helped me stay hidden. I'd taken wolf form and lain in the undergrowth, watching as the ceremony took place unbeknownst to the rest of the Silverfang Creek pack.
At first, it was amusing, but the amusement shifted to annoyance when I realized that Hector really didn’t know I was there. The Silverfang Creek pack was one of the biggest and most notorious, and Hector letting a random wolf from another pack hide so close was crazy to me. But when I spotted Naomi and Danny, and then saw the massive amount of wolves showing up at the ceremony, I understood. Even if he didn’t sense me, there was power in numbers. They didn’t have to fear for their safety like smaller packs…like my pack.
Seeing Danny and Naomi again was a punch in the gut. I looked Naomi over first, in no small part because I could barely stomach looking at my old friend-turned-enemy. I searched Naomi head to toe with my eyes, looking for any sign that she was still being affected by the wolfsbane poisoning. It was both a relief and an annoyance to see that she wasn’t carrying any outward indications of the poisoning. I hadn’t wanted to kill her, but knowing she recovered so completely was frustrating. I had lost everything, any chance for reconciliation with the Red Canines, and Naomi looked even brighter and healthier than before.
Meanwhile, me and my pack were living in rundown cabins in the woods, scrounging for every dollar and every ounce of respect we could get. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.
Then there was Danny. Seeing him hurt. I missed him, missed that brotherly bond we had shared, but seeing how obviously devoted and protective he still was of Naomi told me that I had made the right choice. He would never be pulled away from his mate, and now that connection was getting him invited to Silverfang Creek territory and a shiny new friendship with Hector.
I swallowed my jealousy down and focused on watching the ceremony.
The crowd parted for a small collection of wolves that had just arrived—two men and a woman being led by a second, taller woman with icy blond hair. I recognized her as the Silverfang's infamous demon hunter Whitney Gray, Naomi and Faye's friend, and a power in her own right. There was a spark of interest when I first laid eyes on her, but she was a Silverfang wolf through and through. So instead, I watched in silent appreciation as she moved across the field, her body lithe and muscular from years of training. The other female with her, Laura, was an attractive enough girl, but I didn't spend much time looking at her or the other two men in their little group.
I wasn't here to get distracted by a woman, though. No matter how much Whitney seemed to fascinate me. I was here to watch and to get information on what the alliance between the Red Canines and the Silverfangs meant, and to see if there was any way to use that connection to my advantage for the Reckless Stalkers. Danny sure as hell won't put Naomi in danger if he can help it, and if they refuse to get too involved in the demon fighting, then that's where my pack steps in.
Eventually, Whitney and her group made it to the front of the crowd, and Faye became more fixated on the cauldron she was stirring. A hush fell over the crowd as they all realized that the ceremony was finally going to happen. I shifted back to human form, something instinctual telling me that it was the right thing to do for what was coming.
The crowd cheered as the Alphas stepped forward, and I shifted on my haunches, trying to get a better look. Faye was speaking, and then Hector. I couldn't make out all of what they were saying, but got the gist of it—the match ceremony is important, trust the process, all the normal shit that Alphas try to push to keep their pack placated.
Hector was still speaking as Faye dipped her hands into the cauldron, seemingly unbothered by the heat of it. She pulled out two petals, and even from a distance, I could see her entire self change as she read the names. Her spine went stiff with shock, and she seemed to be reading the names on the petals over and over as if she didn't believe what she was seeing at first.
There was something strange in her reaction that caught my attention, and a faint shudder ran through me. Something significant was happening.
Hector stepped up next to Faye, giving her the support she needed to read out the names. "Whitney Gray," she called, tension in her voice, "And Julian Payne."
My name on Faye's lips rang through the field like a gong, and everything seemed to freeze for just a moment.
And then it was like a dam broke, and everyone was moving and talking all at once. Whitney Gray? My mate? How was this possible?
My heart started pounding in my chest as I looked around, searching for her among the crowd. I had been told stories of fated mates when I was young, but never really believed in them. They were fairy tales told to pups by their parents. It was a nice idea, but it wasn't reality. My parents had proved to me that love isn't enough, not in this world that we all were forced to live in.
But there was no denying what was happening here. My mate match was being read out, and it was Whitney. Strong, powerful, demon-fighting Whitney Gray, untouchable Silverfang darling.
The crowd parted, and I saw her standing in the front, her head raised high even though she was shaking in anger. She was tall, but still short enough for me to rest my chin on top of her head if I wanted to. Her hair was white blonde and long, falling down her back in a single braid. She looked like an angel, and I couldn't stop looking at her.
The crowd gasped and began to chatter, but I could barely hear them. My eyes were fixed on Whitney, who seemed to be in shock. Then her shoulders squared, and I watched as her small group of hunters embraced her to try and calm her. I felt a growl rising in my throat as the two other male wolves touched her, but I kept myself under control. Their body language was brotherly and worried. Platonic, not lovers.
Whitney pushed herself out of their grasp and stood alone. I felt it then, the invisible cord tying us together. Thin, even delicate, not yet strengthened by the mate bite, but it was there. Whitney Gray really was my mate.
Mine , I thought internally, she is MINE .
A million feelings rushed through me, but after the wave, only joy was left behind. This was why I had been inspired to come here, not for some alliance but for Whitney. I had been looking for legitimacy and there's nothing I could imagine that would be better than my mate being one of the best demon hunters alive, and a Silverfang member too.
Whitney's reputation and toughness would be the perfect complement to my pack. With Whitney by my side, as the new queen of the Reckless Stalkers, there was nothing or no one that could deny that we were a pack deserving of respect anymore.
Of course, we didn't even know each other, but that would come in time. My blood was already running hot, thinking about chasing her through the woods, catching her, biting her, and making her mine for life. I'd be a good mate for Whitney, a strong and worthy one, and I'd prove it as soon as possible. She deserved nothing less than an Alpha.
All my planning for the future came screeching to a halt as Whitney went to talk to the Alphas and their wives before stepping forward and raising her blade to the air. I'd had trouble hearing everyone talking, but Whitney's voice cut through everything loud and clear. "Let it be known here and now, with the Silverfang Creek pack as witness, I will be Julian's mate in name only. I, Whitney Gray, refuse to let a villain like Julian Payne ever touch me. And if he tries, I'll kill him myself."
Her words rang out across the field, and I felt a shudder of horror run through my body. What was she saying? Was this some kind of joke? No one spoke to an Alpha that way. And why was she calling me a villain?
She's rejecting me and she doesn't even know me?
I stared at her, unable to comprehend what was happening. There had to be more to the story than what I was seeing. There had to be a reason that she would say something so damning. The crowd was murmuring, but they seemed happy to see their demon huntress declaring her independence from me.
All of that exuberance for a rejected mate match…how could that be? I knew my reputation was tarnished, but mate matches were usually met with happiness. But everyone despised me, Silverfang Creek and Red Canine alike.
Most importantly, Whitney didn't want me. She didn't even give me time to prove myself, and the unfairness of it all had anger brewing inside of me. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails were nearly cutting into my palm.
"I hope you know what you're doing," I heard Hector say.
"Yeah, so do I," my mate said.
The crowd continued to cheer, but I felt sick.
Stomach churning, I watched as her group of hunters tried to comfort her again, but Whitney had no desire to be coddled. She shrugged everyone off, and they let her go. She wasn't running, but it was clear that she needed to process the mate match.
To process her link to one of the most hated wolves on the East Coast. Me.
Staying at a distance and still concealed in the woods, I followed Whitney until she made it to her Outback and pulled out of the area where all the other wolves had parked. Panic speared through me—I couldn't lose her just yet, I needed more time to form a plan. So I shifted, grabbed my clothes in my jaw, and loped after the car, staying among the trees the whole time.
I couldn't let her get away.
Fate favored me when Whitney only went a few miles down the road, pulling into the parking lot of a rarely-used hiking trail. It was overgrown and unkempt but perfect for a wolf that needed to be alone.
Alone. That gave me one hell of an idea.
Danny had used his far-reaching connections to kidnap Naomi and bring her to his territory, and while she had fought him at first, she had given herself over to him soon enough. Now, Whitney was going to be all alone, and it gave me a golden opportunity.
If she wasn't going to give me a chance, I'd just have to force her to.
As beautiful as she was, I could see that Whitney had just returned from battle. There was blood on her cheek and mud on her boots. I knew she was going to put up a fight, but if she was already tired, it shouldn't take me long to overpower her. From there, I could put her into her vehicle and drive us back to Reckless Stalker territory, where Whitney would be forced to hear me out and accept me as her mate. I wasn't about to let her get away from me, not when she could be the key to making my pack whole. Faye would never turn her back on Whitney—she had proven to be loyal to a fault, staying with Naomi in Red Canines territory when she was in danger—and if Faye wanted to keep Whitney in her inner circle, it would be impossible for her and Hector to ignore me. There would be an alliance, like it or not, if their demon huntress was officially mine.
Whitney had taken off down the hiking trail, and while her stride was long and angry, she wasn't hurried. I knew that she was in turmoil, wondering how she ended up connected to a pack enemy, but I'd have all the time in the world to change her mind once I had her.
I stayed in wolf form, moving as silently as possible while keeping her in my eyesight. There was an incline up ahead that curved around and upward, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike from above. I knew that once I moved on her, there was no turning back. No matter how she fought me, I wouldn't let her go. She was mine and I was hers, and all this foolishness about never wanting to touch me would disappear. I could see the hurt in her eyes when she read out my name. She had been afraid. I couldn't blame her for it, but I could fix it. I could be the mate she needed, and we could be happy together.
There was no denying our connection.
It was getting darker, and the sun was beginning to sink in the sky, but I was ready. I had been watching Whitney for the past half hour, and she was slowing down. The adrenaline from the mate match was wearing off, and the fatigue of the demon hunt was setting in. She would be exhausted, and it would make it easy to take her.
I moved into place, creeping up the incline until I was nearly level with her, and then I attacked. My wolf form made me quick and stealthy, and before she could react, I was on her. I landed hard on her back, throwing her to the ground as my jaws closed over her throat in a warning bite. Not enough to do real damage, but enough to cause pain.
Whitney let out a cry, struggling under me, and I pushed down harder on her.
If you don't fight me, I won't have to hurt you, I thought desperately, willing her to stop resisting. The last thing I wanted to do was really injure my mate, but I didn't have a choice if she wouldn't give in.
I knew she couldn't understand my thoughts, but it seemed like she calmed slightly anyway. Whitney stopped struggling and went still under me, waiting for me to make my move.
I released my hold on her neck, licking her skin gently to ease her pain. She shuddered under me, and I had to fight the urge to growl in pleasure. Even though we were enemies, and she had just been attacking me, there was no denying how good she felt under me. I could feel the heat of her body, even through my clothes, and the smell of her hair and skin was intoxicating. My blood was running hot, and I wanted to mount her right then and there and take her as mine.
This damned fascination was going to be the death of me, and Whitney quickly proved it. I moved off of her, thinking that maybe she'd come willingly instead of having to be kidnapped, but the demon huntress had just been playing calm to get my guard down. The second I relaxed, she was on me, kicking my knee out from underneath me and then tackling me to the ground. I fell hard, the air knocked from my lungs, and before I could catch my breath, she was on top of me.
With me still in wolf form and her in her human skin, the fight was fierce and difficult.
I tried to bite at her legs, her arms, anything I could get to, but Whitney was fast and brutal. She managed to twist my jaw at an angle that hurt like hell, and I howled in pain. That seemed to only make her angrier, and she started punching me. Her punches were aimed at the sides of my head, trying to knock me out.
But I wasn't about to let my mate get away from me. I wouldn't lose her.
Whitney landed a solid blow on my head, but it only served to make me angrier. I shifted, not caring that I was now completely naked under her, grabbed her by her shoulders, and flipped us over. The fight went on for several more minutes, but in the end, I had her pinned. We were both breathing heavily, exhausted from the fight. I stared down at her, trying to memorize every detail of her face, and then I shifted my gaze lower.
Even though we were enemies, I knew Whitney was gorgeous. Her breasts heaved as she struggled under me, and I could feel every inch of her body pressed against me. Blood rushed south, and I had to bite back a groan.
Those thoughts ended abruptly when she froze, recognition kicking in. "You!" she hissed, enraged. “How dare you come after me like this! You fucking asshole!"
Her voice was low and intense, and she was clearly furious with me. I had thought that she would be afraid after our initial encounter, but if anything, she seemed angrier than before. I had to admit, it was a turn-on. I loved how strong she was.
"Hello, Mate," I purred. "It's so nice to have a chance to talk."