Page 67 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

As he leaves, just a bit later, I find my jaw hardening.

If I keep thinking and pondering, I won’t get anywhere. I can’t deny my wolf when it’s treating Charlotte as its mate. And my human side is no less besotted with her. Around her, I feel young and alive. The apathy that has become second nature to me fades away when I see her.

All my life, I’ve played second fiddle. Even though I was born as the Alpha-heir, I was still unwanted, torn from my mother’s arms and thrown into a viper’s den where everyone wanted me dead. If it hadn’t been for my grandfather, who protected me at my most vulnerable time, I might not be alive right now. But there was no love in his heart for me. He made sure I survived, but that was it.

Children react to trauma in different ways. I remember being confused as a boy about why my siblings were showered with affection while I was punished for so much as drawing a breath. I realized pretty quickly that I was not wanted, and then survival became a daily routine. I also learned that if I played the fool, my family would underestimate me. My desire to become Alpha stemmed from rage and was fueled by the idea of humiliating my father. I was always a thorn in his side, especially since I was the apparent heir to the Alpha seat. He did everything he could think of to discourage me, down to letting my siblings pour liquid wolfsbane on my face and then locking me in a room to prevent a healer from seeing me.

And yet here I am.

But my wolf was permanently scarred from the childhood I experienced, and it refused to trust anyone, to open its heart to anyone. I forged bonds of friendship with Morris and Adam, both of them fighting to claim their rightful places in their packs. I built a vast network of resources, knowing that, physically deformed as I was, I would need everything I could amass.

But becoming the Alpha didn’t give me the satisfaction I thought it would. It was still a lonely existence; my wolf was antisocial, aware that it was lacking. I looked at my friends as they found their mates, as they lost them due to their foolishness and then managed to win them back. A small part of me found their actions ridiculous. They didn’t realize how lucky they were that their mates accepted them and loved them.

Nobody could love the beast I was. People respect me. They like me. But I was so sure that no woman would be able to see past my hideous appearance. Not till I met Charlotte.

Charlotte, who stirred the desires of my wolf.

What would have happened if I hadn’t walked in on her sister trying to kill her? What if Arabella hadn’t revealed the ugly truth about Charlotte’s relationship with her family? Would I have confronted her? Would I have forced Charlotte to leave this place, burying my heart in the process? Or would I have listened to her reasons for not telling me the truth?

My mind is reeling as all these possibilities swim through my head. My situation is unique. If she were a wolf shifter, or even a human, I might be able to navigate the waters better. But Charlotte is the daughter of the enemy, the person responsible for all the carnage the shifter packs have been experiencing over the past ten years. The depravities of Beruth Sanguinite know no limits. He’s even gone as far as using our people as ingredients in his drugs.

For me to be chasing his daughter borders on insanity. Perhaps that’s why I have been keeping her origin a secret. It’s been close to a decade since Charlotte was kicked out of her clan, around the same time that her father launched his plan and started distributing drugs in Morris’s territory, drugs that affected shifters and made them lose control of themselves. Many died as a result, their wolves unable to cope with the loss of connection between the human and the animal.

However, I don’t believe Charlotte knows much about her father’s activities. I will ask her, nonetheless. I need honesty from her. Now is not the time to try to deceive me. Besides, she needs protection. From her own family.

I met Arabella once, a couple years back. A beautiful creature, but a serpent under that exterior. I found her vapid and shallow; there was a cruelty in her eyes that I’ve often seen reflected in the eyes of my own half-sister, Eve, who is now in prison.

Listening to the audio of the footage of the fight in the cafe made my blood boil. It was worse when Charlotte didn’t argue back, almost as if she believed her sister’s claim about her worth. And then to stop me from killing her attacker?

My claws dig into my palm as I curl my hand into a fist. Charlotte’s heart is too soft for her own good. She was right: she’s not somebody who could take a life. Her survival instincts, as honed as they are, have a limit.

And if that’s the case, then someone needs to become her shield. She needs somebody in her life who will protect her from her own gentle nature. I just have to convince Charlotte that I’m the person best suited for that position.

******

I should have expected Charlotte to bounce back quickly.

Still, there is no way I will leave her alone while she has a concussion. Also, the wounds on her face need to be looked at. I suggest taking her to a hospital, but she refuses.

“Ricky can do it.”

I’ve heard her mention her veterinarian friend before, but I feel uncomfortable with the idea as I drive her back to her apartment. Another idea I’m very much against at the moment.

“A doctor for humans is a better option than one who treats animals,” I point out. “And you should come stay with me until your concussion is better. I’ll be able to keep an eye on you that way.”

She’s clutching her bag to her chest, her expression strained. “I don’t need looking after. And Ricky’s also an MD. He’s patched me up before.”

“Before?” I give her a sharp look. “When have you needed stitches before?”

She tries to shrug, wincing at the movement. “Long time back. It was how I began volunteering at the shelter.”

“I would still like to know.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like minding my own business and because poking my nose into yours is so much fun,” I respond, watching the road now.

She sighs, as if too tired to argue. “I got jumped by some kids from another vampire clan. My kind don’t exactly throw their own people out. They can, but it’s so rarely done that when I was expelled from the clan, obviously the news leaked to other clans. The kids went to a private school near where I was working at the time, and one of them recognized me. Anyway, they thought it would be a good idea to have some fun with me. Ricky was passing by and saw the whole thing. He came to my rescue. I had a few nasty cuts on my arms, and it’s not like I have insurance, so he offered to patch me up.”

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