Page 6 of Owning His Mate

I don’t even know her name or where the hell she came from. I’ve been out on a mission for the past week and a half, and she wasn’t here before I left.

As soon as the truck pulled into the compound, my body started to vibrate, like an electric current running through my veins. I didn’t understand what was wrong then, but now it all makes sense.

My wolf recognized her presence, even from a distance. It knew our mate was here before I did.

Come back.

I pushthese words through our new bond, testing it, uncertain if it works—or how I’m supposed to use it. When I get nothing back, it only adds fuel to the fire burning in my gut.

Why isn’t she talking to me?

A deep instinct warns me to tread lightly, but I’m driven by something far more potent than sense. My primal urge to take her and put my mark on her is overtaking everything.

I stagger in the direction she took off, but my path is blocked. Beck stands in front of me, his broad arms folded over his chest.

What the fuck is he doing? Does he think he can get between me and my mate?

It would be so easy to knock his teeth down his throat and resume my hunt for my female, but I’m aware I’m outnumbered as wolves and tau crowd closer.

“Move,” I hiss at him.

The asshole shakes his head. Does he have a death wish? He stands between me and what I want.

“You scared the shit out of her, Kye. Let Apryle figure things out first before you go after her.”

Apryle. It’s a pretty name for a pretty girl, and I’m pissed that he knows it. He’s far too fucking familiar with what’s mine. My gaze slides to the mat where she was pinned beneath him. What the fuck was he doing with my female?

My molars grind together.

“She doesn’t need to figure out anything. We’re mates.” I stab my finger into his chest. “Stay the fuck out of my way, Beck.”

His brow cocks as he shoves my hand aside. “If you tried engaging your brain for just one second, you’d understand that all you’re going to do is push her further away. Apryle’s… Going throughstuff.”

Is he seriously trying to tell me how to handle my mate? And what the hell does that mean? Going through stuff? What is she going through?

More importantly, why the fuck does Beck think I’d allow him to fix it?

I may have liked this asshole once, but in this moment, I want to tear his guts out. The low rumbling growl that climbs up my throat is threatening as I draw myself to my full height, letting him feel the force of my dominance.

Beck is a big wolf, yet I still have five inches and at least fifty pounds on him. He’s not vargr, and while his wolf is strong, it doesn’t compare to mine. I’m almost impressed that the fucker doesn’t flinch as I bear down on him.

“What stuff?”

He folds his arms over his chest. “That’s her business. I won’t violate her trust.”

I thought the phrase “seeing red” was just that—a phrase. It turns out it’s not. A crimson haze descends over my vision as I ask again, “What fucking business?”

Does he want her?

Is that what this is? Him trying to prove that he knows my mate better than me?

The thought is enough to make me slam my fist into his jaw. The force of it lifts him off his feet before he sprawls onto the mat. He goes down heavily, groaning as the wind is knocked from his lungs.

“You stay the fuck away from her,” I warn.

His eyes blaze red, his wolf surging to the surface, but he doesn’t move from the floor. This is not a fight he can win, and he knows it.

His younger brother, Archie, isn’t as smart. He squares up to me, his face a mask of anger. Normally, I would relish the fight, but my fear and concern for my mate make me impatient.

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