Page 7 of Fated to the Wolf Prince

Kane. I knew that name, even though I hadn’t placed it earlier in my anger. Kane, Kane…

The high alpha’s son.

Oh, Goddess.

SIX

Kane

Brielle. The name sounded like sunshine and the ocean breeze, crisp and perfect, something I wanted to caress and savor on my tongue. It fit her, and it was burned into my memory right along with her facial expression when our skin touched for the first time. Pure, unadulterated bliss.

I’d felt the same, but had been unable to tear my eyes from her face, this complete stranger who had already sunk her claws straight into my heart.

How? How was it possible to feel such a soul-deep connection to a complete stranger? Yet I could no more deny it than I could my lungs their next breath. She… she was mine. My mate. But how could she be, when she’d never have the strength to lead a pack by my side? When I dropped her hand to face the curious she-wolf across the hall, reality had rushed right back in, souring the moment and my stomach along with it.

“Kane,” I answered her, though I felt the need to run straight into the woods and shift so I could sink into that animal oblivion. Become nothing more than paws and fur and fangs and claws, digging deep scratches into the earth as I pushed myself faster than my human body could ever go.Soon, I quieted the beast inside on instinct, though he was oddly calm given all that had just happened… content, even.

“Well, well, well… you are quite a specimen. And, Brielle, why are you wearing a towel? Inviting the studs home already? I’m proud.” The she-wolf gave Brielle an exaggerated wink, and she blushed profusely, the red creeping up her neck to her cheeks. “I’m Leigh. Nice to meet you.” She stepped forward boldly, ignorant to the earth-shattering moment her friend and I had just shared. It felt wrong, pressing my palm to hers in a handshake, but it would be rude of me to reject the offer of friendship.

When she gripped my hand, I felt nothing, but froze when an aggressive growl ripped from Brielle’s throat. I dropped Leigh’s hand immediately and spun back toward Brielle.

She slapped a hand over her mouth, clearly shocked at her own reaction. Without another word, she slammed and locked the door. My wolf hearing had no trouble picking up her footsteps running to the back of the room, and the slam of the bathroom door a moment later. When I turned back, Leigh and her silent friend were both staring at me, slack-jawed.

“You… you two are mates? And here I thought it was going to be Mr. Suit from check-in. You’re notat allher type, but I ship it.” She grinned, the expression somehow lascivious rather than friendly.

“Please keep this to yourself,” I said, adding a hint of alpha command to the words.

She frowned as she felt the compulsion, but didn’t argue.Couldn’targue, and I felt like a jackass. But… I also wasn’t ready for all and sundry to know, and I didn’t think Brielle would be either. I needed time to process.And run, my wolf added, on his feet and prowling now that Brielle had hidden away from us.

“Have a good night,” I murmured and took my leave, the feeling of their eyes still burning my back as I reached the stairs and jogged down.

I ran,and I ran, and I ran. Trees blended together, melding into one endless mass of color at the edges of my vision, their unique scents coalescing into one beautiful melody ofwilderness. It was where I was most comfortable, and I relished letting go, leaving the responsibility of being the high alpha’s heir behind. If I didn’t, It would crush me.

My wolf and I were a strong team, and I was grateful to have his sharper side when I needed to make tough decisions. He’d never steered me wrong, which was why his fixating on Brielle as our mate was so unexpected. She was wholly unsuitable, soft and pliant and intoxicating, yes; but even standing an inch from her, I could barely feel her wolf. She had one. Reed had seen her eyes light from within back at the clearing.

My wolf growled at the thought, still hating that Reed had something of our mate that we didn’t, even something as simple as the first glimpse of her wolf’s eyes.

Soon, I reassured him, and he ran faster before skidding around a tree and heading down a mountain, arrowing straight for the rivers’ confluence. The mighty Yukon and the Tanana cradled our territory, and the place where they met had a kind of power that no other did in this area. I hadn’t realized how far we’d run, but I could no more mistake the smell of that place than the smell of my own cabin.

My paws dug in as we ran downhill, sinking farther into the earth as my front paws bore my weight down. It wasn’t long before the rushing water grew louder and the trees broke, revealing the surging waters. It was home, in a way. And a power cradle. I didn’t know how or why, but I could sense it just the same. I’d often wondered if this was what drew me here to build a pack of my own. I slowed to a stop, tongue lolling, at the river’s edge. This place soothed me, it always had, and so long as my pack called Alaska home, I knew it always would.

I lay down on the bank, belly flush against the cool, damp earth, and rested my head on my paws, thinking over the whirlwind events of the last two weeks. Most of them brought a strong sense of pride from my wolf. We’d pulled together as a pack and knocked out the construction of two huge dormitories in a short amount of time. We’d been handed the huge challenge of hosting this event for the packs, and we’d delivered. It was an honor, and an obligation of enormous proportions. We weren’t done yet, of course, but I was damn proud of my wolves.

And then I thought about today. The influx of pack after pack from all over, squeaking in before the final deadline. Most were unmemorable, blending into a blur of faces and scents. There was one that concerned me—the Russo pack, from Virginia. They’d been giving my father a hard time for decades, constantly challenging his leadership. The fact that they’d shown up a day early and with twelve male wolves with grins on sent my internal alarms jangling. If anyone were to try something, it would be them.

Gael agreed, and he was keeping a close eye on their pack members. He could handle it, but I’d be staying on my toes as well. I had no doubts they’d try something, but we’d be ready.

The Northern Territories pack was equally large, but their only threat was some overly aggressive she-wolves. They’d been eye-fucking me since they stepped out of their transport vans, but I could ignore that. The males of their pack were old and long-since mated, and the females were the daughters of the pack leadership, hungry for my title more than who I was as a person.

Then, at the culmination of it all, was Brielle.

Brielle.

Even her name had my wolf sitting up, letting out a short whine on the bank that disappeared into the misty void above the rivers. He wanted her, wanted to bite her, claim her. Right now, with no waiting. He didn’t have the man’s compunctions about getting to know someone, or how her lack of strength would affect pack dynamics.

She is strong, my wolf growled, startling me. He rarely bothered to form words. Our connection was soul-deep, and I understood him well even without words. A simple fact of an intertwined lifetime.

She is not. She is psi. And a psi can hardly rule over alpha she-wolves.

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