Page 65 of His Mate

“I’ve got questions,” she said, her voice hard. “The wolves. They weren’t just hunting us—they were after you too. Why?”

I glanced at Kendra, who was still trembling slightly beneath my touch, her green eyes locked on mine, before I looked back up at Sorin.

“They’re after me,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me. “You already know the reasons why, that they refer to me as Patient Zero. They want to use me.”

Sorin raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t interrupt.

“And now her too,” I continued.

Sorin’s face remained impassive, but I could see the flicker of interest in her eyes.

“Kendra,” I said softly, glancing down at her again. “I rescued her from one of their breeding facilities. She was taken, just like so many others. They took me too because they want my bloodline. My offspring would carry the gene for long life. That’s what they’re after. They want to create more wolves like me—ones who don’t age, ones who can live for centuries. Since I’ve already mated her, they want her too. They want her for the potential that’s already in her womb.”

The tension in the air thickened as Sorin considered my words. She studied me for a long moment, her expression hard to read, but I could see the wheels turning in her head. This wasn’t justa random attack to her anymore. It had been personal, and now, the story I was telling her—our story—was starting to make sense.

“So, you’re saying that all of this—this fight, this slaughter—was about you and her?” Sorin asked, her eyes flicking to Kendra again.

I nodded. “Yes. We’ve been on the run ever since I got her out. The wolves won’t stop until they get what they want.”

Sorin stared at me, her lips pressed together in a thin line, and I could see the doubt still lingering in her eyes. She didn’t fully trust me—why would she—but the attack had shaken her enough to make her consider the possibility that there was more at play than she had originally thought.

The quiet between us was broken by another low growl from Kendra. I could feel her trembling beneath my hands, the frustration of being trapped in her wolf form growing by the second. She was stuck, unable to shift back, and I could sense what she needed. Her instincts were screaming for her alpha to put her in her place.

Sorin’s eyes narrowed as she looked between us. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s struggling with the shift,” I explained, trying to keep my voice calm. “It’s new for her, and it’s… complicated.”

But it was more than that. I could feel the heat of her need through the bond, the way her body was tense and coiled, waiting for me to take control, to help her. But I couldn’t do that here. Not in front of the Resistance.

“She needs time,” I added quickly, glancing at Sorin. “She’ll calm down.”

Sorin studied us for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Fine. But if she loses control, we’ll put her down, just like the others.”

The coldness in her voice made my stomach twist, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I turned my full attention back to Kendra, my hand resting gently on her neck, soothing her as best I could.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, leaning close to her ear. “I’ve got you. I’ll help you through this.”

Her green eyes flickered with confusion and desperation, and I knew she needed more than just words.

I needed to make her yield. Now.

There wasn’t time to wait for privacy. The humans watched us, guns ready if she lost control, but I couldn’t let them see her as a threat. She needed to surrender to me, to remember her place beside me—as my mate.

I straightened up slightly, my voice firm as I spoke, directing it to her. “Kendra, look at me.”

Her glowing green eyes snapped to mine, wide and filled with confusion, but there was a flicker of recognition there too. I could sense it, the tug of the bond pulling her to me, even as her wolf instincts resisted.

“Kendra,” I said again, my voice low and commanding, filled with the authority of the alpha I was. “Submit.”

She hesitated, her muscles trembling as the instinct to fight warred with the bond we shared. I could see it in the tension of her body, the way she crouched, uncertain, her hackles raised.But her wolf needed to remember who I was—who we were to each other.

I moved toward her, slow and deliberate, my hand still resting against the back of her neck.

“You’re mine,” I growled softly, leaning close so she could feel the heat of my breath against her fur. “Now yield.”

She resisted, a low growl rumbling in her throat, her body still coiled tight.

I needed more. I needed my own wolf. It was finally time to let it go free.

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