Chapter 3

Supreme Alpha Jade

My pack, the Moon Star park was the most secure, covered by the forest with traps to turn intruders away. Some areas were deadly as ripping life in an instant. I just finished my early morning training with my pack warriors and decided to let my wolf, Navajo out on a run.

This was the first time I met my warriors after the just-ended war and coronation of the title Supreme Alpha. I dread the title so much but have to accept it for the sake of peace. The title is safer with me than the unscrupulous power-hungry Kings and Alphas out there.

I haven't stopped mourning my lost warriors, refraining from food and not letting my wolf out as punishment for my inability to protect them. Every loss lays heavy on my shoulders.

“Alpha, the borders are secured. There are no intruders,” my Beta and best friend Duke gave his morning report.

I shook my head in contradiction. “Wrong. Gather a few warriors and follow my lead.”

He nodded his head and beckoned a few warriors while the rest charged towards the other areas of the forest. I was surprised he didn't ask any questions. He too has been devastated from the war just like me.

We took off our clothes, shifted into wolf form, and strutted to the border of our pack. I could feel a strange presence and couldn't feel better till we checked it. It was a supremacy thing. The title carried the powers needed to help me maintain the peace we have now.

Not everyone was happy with my coronation, especially some of the Alphas of other packs, the Mages and the Vampires but I cared less. Navajo had been restless and took off sprawling relentlessly, diving towards the border of our pack.

The sound of a shrill got me to shift to human form, speeding on my toes. Another shrill was enough to draw me to one of my ditches. A figure sank so fast, I couldn't capture the image but I dived in time to grab hold of a frail arm, pulling it out instantly. Duke and the warriors shifted at the same time, jostled with uncertainty. A female. Not what I anticipated.

A strange force as that of an electric current shot through me when I drew out the feather weighed body. I instructed Duke to move the warriors to check the borders, clasping the body in my arm. Navajo was aggressive, a word tore from his mouth, “Mate.”

Aside from the title of supremacy, my next hated word was 'Mate.' That name painted a black history in my heart therefore, I do not want a mate.

“The ether must have made her unconscious. Take her to the pack doctor. I will check the end of the border.” I shoved my unwanted mate gently into Duke's arms because I didn't like the strange feeling gushing through me with her closeness.

“No, I will go with you,” Duke said to my dread. I knew that he wanted to have my back but right now, I needed him to get my mate far away from me.

“Don’t worry about me. It’s either she was being chased or she was conspiring with someone.” A loud clang of thunder roared, just as I ended my sentence. Heavy rain followed instantly. “This was the doing of a Mage. Washing the traces of their scent and footsteps. "Go now and be fast," I told Duke.

The Mages were my strongest contenders. Their King killed most of my best warriors with his powers. I had to use a special gift I had never used before. Heat vision - allows me to fire two thick laser-like beams of intensified heat in the form of heat irradiated speed or fiery-like beams. Well, using that power to kill the Mage King with the help of Duke had dire consequences.

Life needed to be exchanged and one dear to me at that. Duke's life was being taken but he was saved by his mate Blevine, a hybrid and our pack doctor. In return, two of my best warriors were taken. I don't think I will ever use that power again. I don't regret using it during the war because it saved the life of my remaining warriors. The late Mage King doesn't have an heir therefore, the strongest in the royal lineage was Prince Marcus.

Not being directly birthed by the King or not married to his seed, he can never be as strong as the former, which weakened the potency of the Mage Kingdom. Whichever mage crossed this territory, I had to investigate. I shifted back to wolf form for Navajo to take over. Duke opened his mouth to speak but clamped it shut.

I was about to delve towards the border but Navajo wouldn’t barge. His claws dug into the wet ground. 'Nobody should touch our mate,' he roared in my mind. Fury encamped me. The rain was becoming heavier which meant every delay counted. As expected, the scent I was tracing was being masked with the scent of the rain. I shifted back to my human form.

“You already know that I don’t want a mate.” I was furious and forgot to say it through mind-link. Duke and my warrior's eyes widened in a stupor which only meant they had heard.

“This remains between everyone present here. No one must know that she is my mate. After her interrogation, I will decide on what to do," I whirled around and said. What will I do with a mate? Damn the moon goddess for doing this after everything we have been through. She will have it from me tonight.

I turned around, taking her gently from Duke. My body stiffened. Those sparks began again. Damn the fucking mate bond. It's worse than I thought. Instantly I swept her across my shoulders, hoping it would reduce the connection but it didn't. Navajo was calm, feeling his mate close. He doesn't agree with me not wanting a mate which is a betrayal from my wolf but he's also a part of me that I can't live without.

I caught sight of some members of my pack gawking with confusion all over their faces when I was getting close to the pack hospital. I wanted to ask what was making them gawk when it smashed me that I was still naked after my shift. I galloped away so fast I didn't have time to slip into some of the clothes we kept in nylon bags at vantage points in the forest.

Nudity wasn’t something sacred among the werewolves but it was tangible enough to dress up after shifting back to human form. I met their stares with a scorn which made them Coward in fear. The rain had stopped as suddenly as it began but my mate was still dripping wet with mud.

I laid her gently on the hospital bed, instantly moving away despite Navajo's urge to stay closer to her. Blevine arrived at the emergency room just as Duke arrived with clothes for me to wear. I thanked him and slipped them on.

“So it’s true. The rumours are true. Who is she?" Blevine asked with unrest as she began to examine her.

"I don't know. I felt a strange presence within our borders during our training session and moved towards it. She had fallen into one of our traps before I could reach her and she's now unconscious, most probably because of the ether," I narrated, leaving out the mating part even though I couldn't hide it from her for long. Duke will definitely tell her. It was difficult for werewolves to keep secrets from their destined mates. The ether is a chemical that causes unconsciousness, making it easy for us to catch perpetrators. It shouldn't take long for it to wear off from a werewolf.

I felt Blevine shiver slightly. "Who could she be? Was she trespassing, was she lost?" She was worried and couldn't hide it as she tried to wake her.

Almost every part of her body was covered in mud and being incompletely washed with the rain, she was a mess. Her hair looked ashy brown, her face and other parts were covered in dirt.

"We don't know," Duke responded, giving me a slight wink. I knew he was trying to prove to me that my secret was safe with him. Blevine continued with his work just as I heard someone sneeze. Before I spoke, there was another sneeze.

My unwanted mate seemed to regain consciousness and I couldn't help the unease creeping in. She will feel the mate bond too which meant I wouldn't be able to hide it anymore. For the first time, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to reject her but Navajo wasn't on my side with that decision. I was so torn. I needed to prepare myself for this, mainly without Navajos' aggression.

"Get her cleaned up and send her to my office," I said to Blevine. I whirled around and left before my mate opened her eyes. I will speak with her in private without Navajo. Perhaps, I will have the courage to reject her.