Page 8 of Alpha's Hated Mate

I think about all the stories I’ve heard about fated mates. Legends and fairy tales about wolves going wild for mates that they are “destined” to be with. It’s all bullshit, of course. Just old wives tales to make the whole mating thing sound more appealing to young wolves.

And clearly, I’m talking to the wrong person about all this. I sigh again. “You know, nevermind.”

“No, wait, wait. This is a very serious thing you’re talking about. Especially since you don’t exactly have the best grades right now. I’d hate for you to get evenmoredistracted.”

“Professor,” I say, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice, “this isn’t a joke or a game. This is a real problem. If you could just speak to the dean about making an announcement reminding everyone of the school’s policies—”

“There are no policies on heavy scents, Mr. Vaultmore. It’s a Lycan academy. Scents are a part of our anatomy.”

I clench my jaw to keep from talking back to her.Well, then there should be, I almost say. Instead, I take a breath and reply, “All right, well . . . sorry to have bothered you.”

As I turn to leave, she says, “You shouldn’t be afraid of whoever is chosen for you. You never know what good they may bring into your life.”

I just leave. I should have known better than to bring this subject up.

Midterms were difficult. My studies have all surrounded history and languages and Lycan etiquette and diplomacy. These are all things that I grew up with and I just don’t need. The longer I stay in this school, the less reason I see to be here. Father was a well-respected Alpha, and I watched him lead my entire life. I don’t need any of this formality to lead my pack.

Around lunchtime, I decide to go see Nadia. The bio labs at midday are the one place that doesn’t seem to be drenched in the smell of that Scarlet. Nadia’s pursuit of becoming a scientist usually puts her there around this time.

The second I walk through the large stone doors, there is blessed silence. I stand in the crisp white hallway for a moment and take a deep breath. A million soft sounds of absolutelynothing crash into each other. I make my way to the main lab where I find her, standing at a counter with several beakers of different colored liquids. She’s wearing goggles and a lab coat, her long hair tied back from her face.

As soon as I open the door, she looks up at me and smiles. “Hey,” she says. “What are you doing all the way on this side of campus?”

“I needed to get away.” I walk up to the table and sit down on the stool opposite her. “What are you doing?”

“Extra credit,” she says as she picks up a tube of blue liquid. “Want to see something cool?”

“Sure.”

She pulls over an empty beaker and pours the liquid in. The blue fluid sloshes into the glass unceremoniously. I raise an eyebrow at her, then clap. “Brilliant.”

She hisses in frustration. “It’s supposed to disappear. Dammit. I thought I got the gases right.”

“Science. It’s a bitch to work with, I guess.”

She laughs. “As if you would know. How do you think you did on your midterms?”

“Shitty. But it’s not my fault. I’m distracted. You know that Scarlet that I have a few classes with? The one that hangs out with Yarra Robertson?”

She pauses, then looks over at her notebook and starts writing an equation. “Mm-hmm.”

“She reeks. Some rose perfume that she probably bathes in. I smell it all over campus. It’s driving me insane.”

She sighs and finishes her equation. “I haven’t noticed. But then, I usually don’t pay much attention to trash.”

“I’m serious. It’s a problem, Nadia. And you know the worst thing? I tried to tell Professor Robertson about it, and she suggested that I was picking up my ‘fated mate.’Fated mate?Like this is a fairy tale or something.”

Nadia laughs, and it feels good. At least somebody acknowledges my pain.

“And if thatwerea thing,” I go on, “how could a Scarlet be fated to be my Luna? Me? I’m a Vaultmore. Every Alpha before me would roll over in their graves.”

She glances up at me and moves back over to her beakers. “Well,” she says as she starts mixing the fluids again, “as much as we both agree that Scarlets are a stain on wolf existence, believe it or not, they are necessary for our ecology.”

I frown at her. “What?”

“Scientifically speaking,” she says, “the existence of aberrations like Scarlets are important to wolf evolution. Every so often, a normal wolf is born with some Scarlet benefits like their ability to be stealthy and their tolerance for pain—”

“So what? I’m supposed to be glad to be attracted to a Scarlet?” Nadia tilts her head and looks at me, and I realize my slip. I clear my throat. “You know what I mean.”

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