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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE
Startled, relieved, and wondering what could be so frightening that it would send Coello running like that, I spin around.Sterling is in the doorway, a jagged edged dagger in one hand, breathing heavy. His hair is coarser, his muscles thicker, and it’s clear that he’s an instant away from shifting entirely into his wolf form.“Sterling!” I cry, running into his arms. He holds me tight, careful to keep the dagger away from me. I can feel his body settle down and relax a bit, staying in his human form, but the sheer willpower and protectiveness of his energy haven’t dissipated.“Ayala! Are you alright?” Sterling looks down at me, worry creasing his brown. “What happened?”“The…” I stutter, then take a deep breath, trying to get the words out. “He…the one I’m hiding from.”“The Moon Rabbit?”I nod.“He was here? Where?”“On the balcony,” I say, pointing. The bloody corpse of the hawk is still there, in the shadow of the railing. “He tricked a hawk into carrying hi
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN
Back inside my bedroom, Sterling gives me a gentle smile, but there’s a weariness in his eyes. That makes total sense, after all - he did stay up all night to watch over me.“You must be tired,” I say.He nods. “Do you have anything planned for the rest of the day?” I ask.“Nothing until the afternoon. I have a crew coming to run through some training down on the beach, but that’s after lunch.”“Well then,” I say. “Why not rest up a bit? Coello’s powers are severely limited during the daytime, and he mostly comes out when the moon is shining. I’m sure I’ll be perfectly safe for the next few hours.”Sterling raises an eyebrow at that, as if he’s skeptical of the fact that I could ever be okay without him watching over me, but when I tug the covers down and look at him invitingly, he hops into the bed.“Alright,” he says. “But if I fall asleep, make sure to wake me up if you see anything out the window.”“I promise.”Sterling nestles up against me, and I run m
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN
After lunch, Sterling tells me that he’s going down to the beach to run the trainings. He tells me that there’s a squad of other shifters, mostly Betas, who come to do workout drills with him in the afternoons.“Are they from around here?” I ask.“Some of them,” Sterling tells me. “Others are here to do more intensive courses of training with me, but all of those are on a break right now, so we’re just doing our daily exercises.”“Why are your courses on break?” “I always leave time in between my training classes,” Sterling explains. “I just extended the break this time because I didn’t know how long you would be staying.”I feel my face redden. “I’m so sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to come here and interrupt your work like that.”“No, no, not at all,” Sterling says, taking my hand in his. “I wanted to be able to be there for you, to look out for you, at least until we understand the threat you’re facing.”“But you shouldn’t have to quit everything you’re doing ju
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN
STERLINGI’m doing my best to run my squad through their training, but truth be told, it’s not easy. I’m incredibly distracted today.This isn’t normal for me. I could run these drills in my sleep. Heck, during tougher periods of my life, I basically did. It’s not a specialized class, and it’s not like I’m working with a tough crowd. These guys aren’t Betas sent by their Alpha to learn a skill they don’t see the point in, they’re just my buddies who like my training style and hang out on the beach to keep themselves sharp.Still, I’m having an incredibly hard time leading the workout today. And it’s not because I’m a little bit sleepy after staying up all night. I’ve done much harder stuff on much less sleep. The difference is Ayala. I can’t keep my eyes off her. She looks so cute in her workout gear, and the fierceness in her eyes as she learns these battle moves is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.I can’t stop thinking of the kiss we shared last night. I ho
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN
It’s a long, tough workout, made even longer and tougher by the fact that I can’t get my mind off thoughts of Sterling. Things get easier when he decides to be my sparring partner for the remainder of the workout. I shouldn’t have let him do that - after all, I need to be searching for my mate - but I’m just so glad to be close to him again.Every time he puts his hands on my hips to show me how to adjust my center of gravity, or grabs my arm to practice a grappling technique, my whole body lights up. Being close to Sterling makes me feel so good. I feel focused, grounded, and like I could take on anything. I love the way it feels. I can’t get enough of it. Which is why I’m disappointed when the workout ends and everyone gathers around the pile of towels and water bottles. We catch our breath, slap each other’s sweaty backs, and guzzle down fresh water. “That was a wild one, Sterling,” Piper says, raising her eyebrows. “If we’re going to have to run drills like that ever
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN
When I decline the kiss, Sterling pulls back immediately, folding his hand in his lap.“I’m sorry,” I say miserably. “I…I wish I could.”“Why can’t you?” Sterling asks, his voice tender and full of concern.“I need to focus on finding my mate,” I explain. “Until I’m mated with another shifter, the Moon Rabbit thinks he has a claim to me. Also, my sister and her mate think that finding my mate will be the key to me and Layla finally being able to shift.”“Wow,” Sterling says. “That all sounds really important.”“Yeah. Which is why I can’t let myself get distracted. You’re an amazing guy, Sterling, and I really do like you. But I don’t have time to spend on crushes and flings, and you don’t seem like you’re ready to settle down.”“I understand,” Sterling says. The solemnity in his voice makes my heart break. “But…” Sterling reaches for my hand, holding it tightly between his own. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve been wondering lately if you’re my mate?”
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN
“The guy with the tattoos on his arms,” I say. “He was here yesterday. Where is he?”“Martell?” Stefan asks. He looks over his shoulder. “He’s here somewhere, he never misses training.”“He’s not here,” Piper says, her voice grave. “Who is he?” I ask. “What are those tattoos?”“He’s a mercenary,” Piper explains. “Doesn’t belong to any particular pack. Hires out his skills in fighting, scouting, whatever.”“That would explain the tattoos,” I mutter. “I know someone with the same ones. Or, at least, I’ve seen them.”“Another mercenary,” Stefan nods. “I can’t believe Martell would do this,” Piper says. “He’s been training with us and Sterling for so long!”“Mercenaries all have a price,” I say. “If someone offered him something incredibly valuable to betray Sterling, perhaps he could have been bought off.”“But who would have something that Martell would want badly enough to do that?” Stefan asks.“I have some idea,” I say. I tell them a little bit about th
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN
“There you have it,” Regan says, shrugging at me. “He loves me, and wants to stay here. So your little rescue mission is going to have to be over now. Bye bye.”“You can’t do that!” I lunge at Regan, desperate to break whatever spell she’s holding Sterling in. Piper grabs me and pulls me back just in time, though. With my chest heaving and my vision nearly blurry with rage, I look around and see why. We’re surrounded by the Santa Cruz pack, and picking a fight right now would only end poorly.“Let’s go somewhere a bit quieter and have a chat with their Alpha,” Stefan suggests. I am dragged away from Sterling, who’s still staring at Regan with an obsessive love, and Stefan and Piper guide me into the Alpha’s office.We all sit down in stiff leather chairs, glaring at each other. “So what is this?” Stefan says. “You all have enchanted our training leader, but why?”“A few nights ago, I had an encounter with a strange creature,” Finn tells us. “He looked like a human,
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The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED
Damian is a healthy baby, well loved, and by the time he’s a few months old, it’s obvious that Jasper and I don’t need to stick around in Serpent’s Creek. The mansion is nearly full to bursting with wolf and bear shifters excited to be part of this new family and to dote on the precious baby whose existence symbolizes a fresh start for everyone.Jasper mentions going home to Santa Cruz a few times before I’m happy about it, though. I tell him that Orsina could still use my help, or that there’s still some magic I want to learn from Clara. He sees right through my excuses, though. “Are you nervous and going back to live somewhere with those guys in the basement?” Jasper asks me one evening, sliding his hands around my waist to nibble at my earlobes as he asks. “Maybe,” I say. “Now that he’s not a rabbit anymore, and he’s seen me and spoken to me, and he’s already gotten out once -”“He didn’t get out,” Jasper reminds me. “We let him think he escaped.”“I know, but he th
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE
My eyes fall shut easily, after such a long day. But I don’t sleep very deeply. Instead, I get caught up in a long, complex dream.In the dream, I’m back in the celestial realm, standing in the same dungeon cage that Coello used to keep me in. Sterling is there, too, walking up to me with those piercing gray eyes and that familiar smile. “Hello,” he says. He leans in to kiss me, and I think that the bars will prevent him from being able to, but he just passes right through. I feel his hands on my face, his lips on mine, and he kisses me for a long time.When I open my eyes after the kiss, I’m no longer in the cage. Now, Sterling and I are standing on top of the massive tower where we found him, high up above the rest of the celestial realm. But when I look out, I don’t see the rolling, starlit darkness of the celestial realm. I see the golden yellow plains of Montana, the valley that stretches out around Serpent’s Creek.“Where are we?” I ask, feeling strangely dizzy.
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT
Clara and Zach arrive soon enough, and we all go careening up the mountain. With Clara behind the wheel, we get back to the house in record time. Orsina is sweating now, her breaths coming heavy and hard, and Zach has to help her out of the truck and into her room.“Can you shift?” Clara asks her, gently lowering the laboring mother down into her bed. “It’s so much easier if you shift.”“I think so,” Orsina says. She squeezes her eyes shut, holding her breath. It takes a few tries, but soon she’s a bear, curled up on top of the quilts in her bedroom.“Perfect, perfect,” Clara coos. “There you go, mama bear.”“Could that cause a problem for the baby?” Zach asks, hovering in the doorway. Clara asked him to bring towels, and he’s already brought twice as many as we’ll need, but he has yet another armful. I don’t even know where he’s getting them from, at this point. Even a mansion like this can only hold so many towels.“What do you mean?” Clara asks, her voice calm and unf
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SEVEN
When we call home to let Regan and Isaac know what’s going on, they’re thrilled to hear that Barrett is okay and that Zach and Orsina have a safe place to land. They tell us that Howling Wolf is doing amazingly well - after so many volunteers and friends came to help us with the battle, we’ve gotten tons more clients in the shifter world, and we’ve been able to hire a handful of new employees.Since they seem to have things well in hand, Jasper and I decide to stay in Montana. We set up in one of the westward facing bedrooms, next door to Zach and Orsina. Clara and Bennett take an upstairs bedroom, smaller but cozier and with more privacy. With Weston defeated and his supporters scattered after our Santa Cruz victory, the rest of the bear clan needs a leader and a place to stay. Through a peaceful process, Clara and Barrett become the Alpha and Luna for the bear clan. Bear clans don’t typically refer to their Alpha’s mates as a “Luna,” but Clara is a wolf, and the title just see
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX
“Barrett!” Orsina rushes to his side, laying a hand over his forehead. He lifts his head weakly at her voice, then his eyes spark with recognition.“Orsina…” he croaks, his eyes fluttering shut again. “Help…”Everything then happens in a flurry of activity. Clara sends everyone but Orsina out of the room, giving each of us specific directions. Jasper is sent to get a bowl of hot water and towels, I’m supposed to find a medicine kit under the sink in the kitchen, and Zach is told to go secure the perimeter of the house, especially the rear door.I return with the medicine chest in my arms. It smells familiar, full of the healing herbs and magical potions Layla often uses. It’s also got modern medical stuff like clean white bandages and stitching kits.Clara instantly sets about getting Barrett to sit up. She holds a glass of water to his lips, encouraging him to drink and take a handful of pills and capsules she’s picked out of the medicine chest. She works on Barrett fo
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE
We barely have time to process everything Clara has told us before she’s packing us a picnic dinner and ushering us out the door. We pile into her battered, ancient Jeep, which is almost definitely running more on shifter magic than gasoline at this point, and she heads out toward the mountains. “So, uh,” Orsina asks, after a bit of silence, “does that mean this is, like…you?” She rolls up her sleeve to show the tattoo mark of the wolf that appeared on her arm after the spirits from the carving gave their blessing.“It is perhaps an image of me,” Clara says in her cryptic way as she careens up the switchbacking roads. “Or, perhaps it is another manifestation of my spirit. There have been many over the years.”“What about your beloved?” Orsina asks. “The bear shifter you fell in love with. Where is he?”“That is a lovely question,” Clara says softly. “At times, we have found each other. At other times, our spirits have been far from one another. Since the curse took a deep
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR
It takes Malcolm and Coello a little while to accept the reality of their new situation - that Malcolm is irreversibly bound to Coello, and that Coello is bound to us by virtue of some very powerful magic Layla cooked up for us. They snarl and fight, argue and wheedle, and even try to bust out of their chains by brute force. But nothing works. We’ve won. Malcolm and Weston are both banished to cells in the basement, very far apart to prevent them trying to scheme together. Maybe someday we’ll have another use for them, but for now, it’s a breath of fresh air to know that my biggest enemy, and the biggest enemy of my pack, are both completely neutralized. I had hoped that we would be able to relax and settle down for a bit now that this problem has been solved. In fact, we had a lovely day after the battle, with all our friends and volunteers and former trainees lounging on the beach and splashing around in the cool water.But something is bothering Orsina. She paces, agitate
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE
The Moon Rabbit doesn’t waste any time once Malcolm agrees to the binding spell. With quick, almost spider like hands, Coello spreads the stalks and herbs out on the rocky beach, fluttering them into complex shapes. I stand on my tiptoes, peering out from behind my hiding place. Coello’s form of magic is rough and brutish, nothing like the delicate work Layla does. But it does the job. Malcolm steps over the edges of the intricate shape Coello has created on the ground, and even I can feel the burst of intense magic that snaps through the air as the spell takes effect. “I look forward to having you in my service,” Coello says with a low bow. “For now, however, I must depart. Do enjoy your newfound power.”Malcolm smiles, flexing his hands like he can somehow feel himself getting stronger. Then the two separate, Coello sneaking back into the tree house before anyone catches him outside.I’m surprised, but not entirely so. Some of us thought Coello would try to get as far a
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY TWO
The various wolf shifters staying with us to help out have been instructed not to speak with the Moon Rabbit, but to keep a close eye on him. Coello soon gives up trying to draw them into conversation and instead just wanders around the busy tree house, doing what he clearly thinks is subtle reconnaissance in preparation for his escape attempt. What he doesn’t know is that his ability to slip out of here isn’t going to be the result of his own careful cleverness. It will be perfectly engineered by me and my team, right down to the very moment. It’s early afternoon when we get the signal. We’ve had scouts placed in inconspicuous locations all around the forest and the town of Santa Cruz watching for any sigh of Malcolm or Weston. Sure enough, they roll into town with a huge entourage of bear shifters and werewolves. Our scouts say that they’ve set up a campsite near the beach about a mile south from our location, and that Malcolm is heading our way on his own, apparently to chec
