Page 1 of Owning His Mate

Chapter 1

Apryle

Ialways wake up swallowing the scream before it can escape my throat. My heart thunders beneath my ribs as I swipe a hand over the back of my clammy neck.

Blinking in the dark of my room, I take a slow breath, trying to calm my adrenaline-fueled body.

I’m fine. I’m safe.

It’s a lie. There is no such thing as “safe” as a hybrid. My kind are hunted, and in the past were killed, just because of what we are. The Order of the Crescent Moon wanted to eradicate every single tau wolf in existence, at least until recently.

Now, the white-haired bastard who leads that bunch of psychopaths is building an army using tau and vargr wolves—though not before his kind tried to murder me.

I don’t need an expert to tell me that my past screwed me up or that the nightmares that follow me every time I close my eyes are a reminder that I barely survived the attack intended to end my life. I’m more than aware.

My throat burns as I swallow down my apprehension. Fuck. I can’t keep doing this night after night. The gritty feeling in my eyes is becoming all too familiar. I can’t remember the last timeI slept properly—definitely not since we left the Sanctuary with Callum and Ayden.

Slowly, I swing my legs out of the bed, my head fuzzy and light as I sit on the mattress, gripping the edge with whitened knuckles.

I’ll never be safe—none of us will—until the Order is destroyed, but for now I can breathe easy. Callum and his coven plus the other wolves here offer far more security than we ever had at the Sanctuary, and for the first time I feel like we can fight back against the hunters trying to capture or kill us.

Pushing up from the bed, I run my fingers through my hair as I wander over to the window. As I draw back the curtain and peer out over the compound, I understand the difference between here and Hester’s place. The compound feels like a military operation. Everywhere I look is surrounded by stout buildings that house the many survivors here. I do miss the wood cabins I’d become accustomed to and the looming mountains on the horizon reflecting in the still water of the lake, but not enough to go back. The Apryle I was then was weak, willing to hide and cower back from the fight. That’s not who I am anymore.

The only way to survive this is to stand up for ourselves. We have to push back against the Order.

I flex my fingers, and that familiar sensation of restlessness washes through me, making my shoulders tight. We’ve been here almost a week and have yet to see any action. My teeth grind together, my jaw feeling solid as I grip the edge of the windowsill.

My wolf is quiet, which isn’t unusual, but it unsettles me. I’ve always had problems reaching the animal I share consciousness with. That side of me has never been as strong as my witch, but it never bothered me until now. Here, it makes me feel vulnerable.

Get a grip, Apryle.

Shaking myself, I step away from the window, grabbing my things and slipping out of my room. I share a bathroom with Sawyer and Roux, but they won’t be up for at least another hour. The last thing I want to deal with is seeing happy couples right now. Jackson and Dove are the latest to fall victim to the mating curse.

I almost make it to the bathroom without incident, but then I hear a high-pitched giggle. I donotwant to hear my friends having sex, so I pick up my pace, almost breaking into a run. Before I reach the safety of the room, Cade and Halle come around the corner of the hallway.

The huge vargr wolf is wrapped around her from behind, his nose buried in her neck, which is tilted to the side to give him better access. I don’t miss the fact that his hand is shoved down the front of her yoga pants, and she’s grinding against him like a horny dog in heat.

I squeeze my eyes shut, turning away, and cling to my things as if they can protect me from the nonstop PDA I’m subjected to daily.

“Sorry!” Halle’s voice rings out, sounding anything but apologetic. I don’t miss the breathless gasp she gives. “Didn’t see you there?—”

Her words are cut off as a door slams and I hear her muffled squeal. I risk opening my eyes again, and thankfully the hallway in front of me is empty, but the laughter from behind the bedroom door turns into high-pitched whimpers and grunts.

That’s my cue to get the hell out of here.

I dart into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and sliding the lock into place. As I strip out of my pajamas, I try not to think about the real reason the affection between my friends bothers me. Being surrounded by all these couples has made me realize how alone I really am, and that hits a nerve because I know I’m doomed to stay that way.

Stepping into the shower cubicle, I turn the water on and move back as the pipes rattle before it starts to run. I already know it’ll take at least a couple of minutes for it to get hot, so I grab my toiletries, laying them out at the bottom of the shower tray before testing the water temperature. When it’s hot enough, I stand under it and let the heat soothe my bones.

I take my time washing, carefully avoiding the bruises littering my thighs and upper arms. There is a deep ache in my left hip from where Beck flipped me onto my side yesterday. That asshole is quick—strong too. He has about a hundred pounds on me, which makes him a difficult adversary when we’re sparring. There is a way to beat him, I know there is, I just have to figure it out. I’m sick of seeing his smug face looking down at me every time he throws my ass on the mat.

As soon as I’m clean, I get out of the shower and dry myself. Scraping my wet hair into a messy ponytail, I pull on a pair of tight-fitting pants and a black tank top.

The house is eerily quiet as I leave, shutting the front door behind me before I head over to the main building.

I don’t come across anyone until I’m inside. Talia, a young tau female, is already sitting at a table with another guy—I think his name is Devon, but I can’t keep track of everyone. The scent of bacon and eggs swells in the air, making my stomach rumble, but I ignore it, instead heading over to the training area.

Beck is already at one of the punching bags, a thin sheen of sweat coating his face as he slams his fist into it over and over, making it rattle on the chain it is attached to.

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