Page 13 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

“Come on, kitty.” I nudge her awake. “I’m going to take a shower, and we’re going to go out for breakfast today.”

After a quick shower, I put Mano in my bike’s basket and set off for a local, pet-friendly cafe. But if I thought an outing would relax me, I’m proven wrong. There’s a budding tension within me.

For years, I’ve tried to leave my past in my past. Seeing Droga again brought everything back, though. It reminded me of how weak I was and still am. I’ve tried to build a life outside of my species, and to some extent I’ve succeeded, but now, I feel like the same scared girl who was thrown out of her home in the middle of the night. Because at the end of the day, if my father learns I had anything to do with those two dead vampires, he won’t stop at just killing me. First, he’ll hurt everyone I hold dear.

I know him.

Beruth Sanguinite is a sadist. Both my siblings inherited that cruel streak of his. I never mourned my brother’s death; I felt relieved. One less monster in this world.

Clyde used to enjoy luring human girls into the woods around our compound, where he and his friends would each have a go at her, drinking her blood till there was no more ecstasy for her, just pain. The bite of a vampire is like a potent drug. In certain parts of Europe, there are human farms where humans willingly live with vampires.

Over here, human farms are not a thing. We’re not allowed to drink from humans at all. But it’s not a hard-and-fast rule; it only becomes a problem if the human becomes aware of what is happening. Most of the time, vampires drink during sex, as the human reaches his or her climax. In Europe, the humans are treated better than they are here. Clyde and his friends would not let their victims enjoy the experience or even hide what they were from their victims.

They tormented the girls and drank by tearing their flesh, not letting them experience the euphoria that might have numbed some of their senses. I never knew what happened to Clyde’s victims, aside from the fact that they were left there in the woods for the scavengers.

When my father discovered what was happening, he didn’t say a word to Clyde. All he did was tell his most trusted man, the second-in-command of our clan, Seth Morgan, to make sure the boys covered their tracks.

My thoughts are dark as I bite into my bagel, sunglasses hiding the bruise on my eye. The waiter still gives me an odd look. Mano has effectively tangled her leash around my legs and is now lying on the table, sunbathing. She has a satisfied grin on her face, probably because I caved and fed her the salmon from my bagel.

I check my watch before finishing my breakfast. “Alright. Wake up, Mano. Let’s go.”

My cat stretches and turns onto her back, eyeing me with her one good eye.

I push her off the table, and she lands on her feet. Tail in the air, she gives me an arrogant look as I grab the bag of extra items I ordered to go.

We set off in the direction of the park.

It’s a lovely day, so there are plenty of children around. I see a lone woman sitting on a bench in front of the trees that lead into the woods, her raven black hair tied in a long braid, her eyes a surprisingly tawny shade. She looks across the park at me, and her smile is slow and mysterious. I make my way over to her.

“Angie, I thought I might find you here.”

“You have blood on your hands,” she says calmly, and my heart stutters before I take a deep breath and hand her the paper bag.

“Here. For you.”

She peeks into the bag and then sets it aside. I know she’ll eat a little of the food; the rest she’ll give to her faithful crows.

Mano climbs onto Angie’s lap and settles down.

“Your fate has changed.”

I blink slowly. “Really?”

“You made a choice, and that has affected your future.”

I swallow, my mouth feeling dry.

Angie is one of the few gypsy Seers left. I met her when I was fourteen and all alone; she brought me to the women’s shelter I ended up staying at. I’d never heard of a Seer till I met her. She had been pleased to find me, for some reason, and was incredibly kind to me. It was a kindness that I never forgot.

“Peeking into the future again, Angie?” I remark, keeping my voice light. “You know what will happen if you do.”

Seers have the ability to look into the future. At least, that’s what Angie has told me. But doing it drains their lifespan.

Angie usually deals with tarot cards. She finds them easier to help interpret the future.

“I didn’t peek,” Angie says as she strokes Mano. “I kept thinking of you last night, so I opened my cards and did a reading. Your future is unclear now. You made a decision.”

“I saved a wolf Alpha.” I glance at her. “I considered minding my own business but he—I didn’t feel right about letting him die.”

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