Chapter 7: Mate
Kane's POV:
Ever since we stepped foot into the Moonlight Pack, something had been off with Ash, my wolf. Normally, he was calm and collected, especially when it came to business matters like this. But today, he had been pacing restlessly in the back of my mind, a low growl vibrating through me every time we moved closer to the Moonlight territory. It was like he was on edge, anxious about something, but no matter how many times I tried to reach out to him, he wouldn't tell me what it was.
"Relax," I muttered under my breath as I entered the Moonlight Pack's main hall, straightening my jacket. "We'll be out of here soon enough."
Ash didn't respond, but I could feel his frustration simmering beneath the surface. His restlessness was starting to get to me, too. I wasn't usually one to get rattled, especially not when it came to dealing with other packs. I had been in countless meetings like this one, negotiating contracts, asserting my dominance, and making sure everything ran smoothly. But today was different. Something was in the air, and it had Ash on high alert.
"Alpha Kane," a voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see the Moonlight Pack's Alpha, Samuel walking toward me with a wide, but forced, smile on his face.
"Alpha Samuel" I greeted him, extending my hand. We shook, but I could feel the unease radiating from him, too. He wasn't exactly thrilled about renewing our contract, but he had no choice. His pack depended on me—for protection, for financial support, for everything. And he knew it.
I couldn't deny that there was a part of me that relished in that power. It came with being an Alpha. Hell, it was in my nature to dominate, to be in control. It was one of the reasons I had built my empire the way I had. The Moonlight Pack needed me, and as long as they kept up their end of the deal, I was happy to provide what they needed. But make no mistake—betray me, or even try to back out of our agreement, and I'd take what was mine without hesitation. I had no mercy for those who crossed me.
"We're ready for you," Victor said, gesturing toward the meeting room. "Everything's in order for the renewal."
I nodded and followed him into the room, my Beta, Luke, close at my side. As we settled into the meeting, I noticed Ash's agitation hadn't lessened. If anything, it was getting worse. His growls were becoming more insistent, louder, like he was sensing something I wasn't. I tried to focus on the task at hand, discussing the terms of the contract, but Ash's anxiety was starting to bleed into my own thoughts.
As the hours dragged on, I found myself getting increasingly irritated. I wanted to finish up and get out of here. Something was wrong, and I needed to figure out what. Shifting into my wolf form would help, but I had to be patient. Once we left, I'd shift and let Ash sort out whatever was bothering him.
"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Samuel asked, looking more than a little uncomfortable. He had been fidgeting the entire time, like he was afraid I might spring some new demand on him. I couldn't blame him. That's exactly what I usually did—keep them on their toes, make sure they knew who was in charge.
But today, I didn't have the energy for that. Ash was too distracted, and it was starting to affect me. "No," I said curtly, signing the last document in front of me. "We're done here."
Samuel visibly relaxed, though he tried to hide it. I stood up, Luke following suit, and I made my way toward the door. But as I stepped into the hallway, Ash suddenly let out a fierce growl in my mind, almost making me stumble.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growled back, pushing open the door to the outside. The fresh air hit me, but it did nothing to calm Ash down. His agitation was growing stronger, more insistent.
Mate, he suddenly growled.
My entire body went rigid.
What? I asked, stunned. That couldn't be right. Ash was mistaken. We had searched for our mate for years, coming up with nothing. I had stopped believing she existed a long time ago. At 28, I had accepted that the mate bond wasn't in the cards for me. There was no way my mate was suddenly here, in this pack, after all these years.
But Ash's growl wasn't filled with doubt. It was filled with certainty.
Mate, he repeated, and I could feel him straining against my control, wanting to break free, to shift.
My pulse quickened, my heart pounding in my chest. I glanced around, half-expecting someone to jump out from behind a tree or building, but there was nothing. No one. I scanned the area, my senses heightened. There was something… something faint, almost imperceptible in the air. A scent. Sweet, intoxicating. My mouth watered, my instincts kicking in before I could stop them.
There. Find her, Ash urged, his voice thick with need.
I swallowed hard, trying to push back the surge of emotions rushing through me. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not here.
But as I inhaled again, the scent hit me full force, and my knees almost buckled.
She was here. My mate. After all these years, she was here, in the Moonlight Pack.
I turned to Luke, my jaw tight. "Stay here," I ordered, my voice harsher than I intended. I didn't wait for his response before I stormed off in the direction of the scent. I couldn't stop myself, couldn't control the magnetic pull that was dragging me forward.
Every step I took brought me closer to her. My heart was pounding in my ears, my wolf clawing at the surface, desperate to find her, to claim her.
I rounded a corner, and that's when I saw her.
She was walking toward one of the cabins, her long, rich dark brown hair cascading down her back, her shoulders slightly hunched like she was trying to make herself smaller. She hadn't noticed me yet, but the moment my eyes locked onto her, my entire world shifted.
She was stunning. Beautiful in a way that made my chest tighten painfully. But there was something more—something innocent and pure about her that made my dominant side bristle with conflict.
She wasn't like the women I'd been with. No, she was the opposite. Too pure, too… untouched.
Ash growled possessively, his desire to mark her overwhelming. But a part of me hesitated. Could she handle the darkness that came with me? Would she even want someone like me?
But it was too late. She was mine.
Something New
Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince:Masquerading as aMan
Chapter 8: Mate (II)
Elena's POV:
I was on my way to one of the cabins, a place where my father had taken in a group of refugees after a rogue attack. Visiting them had become part of my daily routine, and today, I welcomed the distraction. Anything to take my mind off the fact that Derick, the boy I'd thought would be my mate, was not. He wasn't my destined mate, and worse, he'd rejected his true mate in a desperate attempt to convince me to become his chosen mate. He hadn't loved me for who I was—he wanted to be Alpha, and to him, I was the key to that power. The thought made me sick. All this time, I had believed he truly cared for me.
As I approached the cabin, lost in the swirl of my emotions, I almost walked right into him.
A stranger. A god.
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes locked onto him. This man… he looked like something out of a dream. His presence was commanding, magnetic, and I could feel the power rolling off him in waves. His short, dark hair was perfectly tousled, and his jawline—smooth, freshly shaven—only served to heighten the intensity of his deep, brown eyes. Eyes that seemed to see straight through me. My gaze was drawn to the way his muscles moved under his fitted shirt, his broad shoulders and strong arms making my pulse race.
And then there was his scent. Goddess, his scent. It was like the earth after rain, the rich smell of soil mingled with the fresh air and the green essence of nature itself. My favorite scent. It wrapped around me, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe properly. It felt like everything in the world had shifted around me and narrowed down to this moment—just him and me.
Mate. Zena's voice echoed in my mind, her tone full of awe and desire, confirming what I already suspected.
I stumbled, my knees weak, as an overwhelming need surged through me. The connection between us was instant, raw, primal. I'd heard of this feeling, this undeniable pull toward one's mate, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality of it. It was like my whole body, my whole being, was suddenly attuned to him. I wanted nothing more than to run to him, to throw myself into his arms, and let him carry me away to wherever he pleased.
But I froze, rooted to the spot. My heart was hammering in my chest, my breath shallow, my wolf pushing against the edges of my control. I had no idea who this man was, yet everything inside me screamed that he was mine. My mate.
"Mine," he growled, his voice hoarse and raw with possessiveness. The single word sent a shiver down my spine, igniting feelings I had never allowed myself to feel. My heart pounded in my chest, my body betraying me with a heat I couldn't ignore. Every inch of me responded to his declaration, and my wolf, Zena, was practically purring in my mind. It was as if the world had fallen away, leaving just the two of us standing there, tethered by some invisible, undeniable force.
But before I could get lost in the moment, the atmosphere was abruptly disrupted by the sound of my mom calling out to me. Her voice sliced through the haze that had taken over my mind, pulling me back to reality. I turned just in time to see her walking toward us, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the sight of the stranger—my mate. For a split second, she looked genuinely shocked, but then, like a true Alpha's Luna, she composed herself, her expression smoothing into a polite smile. It was a smile most people wouldn't see through, but I knew my mother well. That smile was a mask, concealing the whirlwind of thoughts that were no doubt racing through her mind.
"Alpha Kane," she said, her voice steady but strained, those two words ripping me out of my fantasy like a cruel slap.
Alpha Kane? My heart stopped. No, this couldn't be happening. There was no way. He's the Alpha Kane? The one I had grown up hating, the one who controlled my father's every move, the one who treated him as if he were lesser. The ruthless, cold, arrogant Alpha Kane? No, this had to be a joke—a sick, twisted joke.
I blinked, my mind racing to process the sudden, brutal shift in reality. Everything inside me that had been screaming "mate" just moments ago suddenly collided with the knowledge of who he was. Alpha Kane, the same man I had spent years resenting, was my mate? My mate?
My subconscious was still doing a crazy dance, elated that we had found him, that he was a hunk of a man and more than just the mate I had dreamed of. But now, that dream felt like it was being shattered into a million pieces. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to be mated to someone like him. The tension between our packs, the cold way he treated my father—everything about him was wrong for me.
I looked up at him, searching for any hint of the warm, possessive man I had just glimpsed moments ago. But his eyes had hardened, the softness from before disappearing as soon as my mother had addressed him. The raw, feral attraction between us was still there, humming beneath the surface, but now it felt…complicated.
"Alpha Kane," I repeated his name in disbelief, my voice barely a whisper.
He watched me, his gaze intense, but I could feel the shift in him, too. His face was unreadable, a mask of control slipping over his features, though his body was still taut, as if he was fighting the same war inside that I was.
My mother, ever the composed Luna, stepped forward, breaking the thick tension that clung to the air between us. "What brings you to this particular place, Alpha?" she asked, her tone polite but cautious.
He tore his eyes away from mine and addressed her, his voice now measured and cool. "Someone. I came to look around." His words were clipped, devoid of any emotion. It was like the man who had growled "mine" just moments ago had been replaced by someone completely different.
My heart sank even further. This wasn't happening. I had finally found my mate, only for him to be the one man I couldn't stand—the one man who didn't belong in my world. I wanted to scream, to run, to do anything but stand there and accept this fate. But I couldn't move. I was trapped between the pull of destiny and the crushing weight of reality.
I barely heard what my mom and Alpha Kane discussed. My mind was spinning, my chest tight with a mix of emotions I didn't know how to handle. Zena, on the other hand, was practically howling in my head, demanding that I claim him, that I accept him, that I take what was ours. But how could I? How could I possibly reconcile this man—this Alpha—with the idea of being my mate? My father's pack had suffered under his dominance, and I had resented him for it for so long. Could I really just…forget all of that?
Suddenly, he glanced back at me, and for a brief moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes. It was there, barely perceptible—hesitation, perhaps? A struggle? But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced by the cold, authoritative Alpha Kane I had grown to despise from a distance.
My mom finished speaking and turned to me, her face unreadable as she said, "Ella, why don't you go back inside? We'll talk later."
I nodded numbly, my legs carrying me away from them even though every part of me wanted to stay, wanted to demand answers from the universe about how this had happened. As I walked back toward the house, I could still feel his eyes on me, that same possessive gaze from before. It made my skin tingle, made my wolf restless with desire. But I couldn't let myself go there—not yet.
This was all too much. Too soon.
Something New
Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince:Masquerading as aMan
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