Page 10 of Wolf Traded
“Is that why Grayson just stormed out of here barking at his shifters?” She removes her leather jacket setting it in the booth between us before taking a seat herself.
I shrug but she isn’t buying my innocent guy act. She knows me well enough to see the mirth in my eyes. “You are going to be bad for the peace talks.”
“No, those I will take seriously but a weak alpha posturing to me and giving me ultimatums will not be tolerated. I just let his anger get the best of him.”
She shakes her head and turns to the old man waving at him. “Hey Mike, can I get the same thing he’s having? Except give me a vodka tonic instead?”
“Sure thing, Angela. Coming right up.” He smiles and walks into the backroom behind the bar.
“Okay, spill.” She drums her fingers on the table.
“Jara was in here. Someone trashed her dress for the mating ceremony and something happened with the caterer and florist. Grayson accused me of trying to get close to his mate. I may have taunted him a bit.” I smirk.
Angela rolls her eyes blowing out a frustrated breath. “We are supposed to be here as a goodwill gesture not to cause a war between the packs.”
My only response is a grunt. I don’t need her to tell me why I am here. I know perfectly well. I came to find a strong mate, but the only one worthy here is fated to the alpha and I was just warned away from her only minutes ago. “Something is going on with Grayson. I just can’t figure out what it is.”
“I think we should leave. You aren’t going to find a mate here. We can get permission to search another pack for a suitable mate for you.”
“No.” My back goes ridged at her suggestion. My tone leaves no room for argument. The alpha clearly in my tone. Angela bows her head in submission after nodding once. She knows not to challenge me when I use my alpha voice. I can’t leave now. After the challenge Grayson so clearly threw down only minutes ago, I will look weak if I leave before I originally planned and if I’m honest with myself I don’t want to take a different mate. There is something about Jara that draws me in and keeps me there. No. We have to go to this mating ceremony.
“Okay, Alpha. But can you please behave and refrain from starting a war?”
“I make no promises.” I wink at her with a grin.
“You’re impossible.” She huffs out a breath as Mike brings her food. I don’t care if she thinks I’m impossible. There’s something not right going on here and I think it has something to do with Jara. There’s only one way to find out, but what will happen to her when it all comes out in the end?
My wolf is agitated.We don’t normally go days without shifting and everywhere in this sleepy little town smells of Jara. My wolf wants her just as much as the man does. He is agitated that the Fates mated her to such a weak alpha. He wants to challenge him for her and the pack. I can’t go to the mating ceremony hanging by a thread like this so I make my way to the surrounding forest to shift and hopefully wear him out.
I can barely hear over the wolf growling in my head and my distraction almost gets the best of me when I nearly run into Kyle. “Watch where you’re going.” He says as he turns.
I raise an eyebrow at him as his eyes widen. “What was that, Alpha?”
“Oh, it’s you.” He fidgets briefly but is quick to keep his eyes on anywhere but my face.
“It’s me.” I agree. What the hell is he doing? I have no clue. He’s not acting like an alpha. He’s a little too suspicious for that. “What are you doing out here?”
“I just went for a run.” I can smell the lie but I don’t call him out on it. It’s none of my business unless it effects my pack and I can’t see how anything this alpha does would affect them in any way. He’s not strong enough to challenge me and he knows it. It’s why he won’t look at me in the eye. “What are you doing?”
“Going for a run.” I shrug out of my T-shirt as I pass him giving the wolf my back effectively ending the conversation. He growls at the slight but doesn’t move toward me. His footsteps move in the opposite direction. Good. He’s not as dumb as Grayson.
The second I step into the canopy of trees my wolf settles. The scent of pine overwhelms my senses and finally I can breathe a little easier without her scent in my nose. Stripping the rest of my clothes quickly, I fold them and leave them beneath a nearby tree and call my wolf to the surface. He responds faster than ever before probably because it’s been too long since we’ve gone for a run. It’s a seamless transition before my large black wolf is standing where the man once did. I let him take over, I know he understands the stakes and won’t go wandering where we aren’t supposed to.
At least until he catches her scent on the breeze and veers in the wrong direction back toward town. “Whoa, no. We need to run in the woods. You can even hunt but you can’t have her.”
“Mate.” My wolf growls through our connection. Fuuuck. This isn’t good at all.
“No. She has a mate. She isn’t ours.” I growl back at him. I hate the words. They feel like ash in my brain but it’s the only way to convince my wolf to turn around. That and the smell of a rabbit. My head shakes back and forth as my wolf stops. He’s conflicted. He can’t decide where he wants to go. I nudge him in the direction of the rabbit with my mind.
He sits down in the dense forest letting out a mournful howl that would have the hair standing on the back of my neck if it hadn’t come from my own body. He’s in pain honestly thinking Jara is ours. I take back a little control and move us toward the rabbit when an answering howl breaks the silence.
This one does cause my fur to stand on end and my careful control of my wolf snaps. My head turning in the direction of the sound. I can guess who it is. The only shifter in this damn messed up pack that has even peaked my wolf’s interest. Jara. I can’t help but wonder why she answered the call.
She has to know that it isn’t her mate.
Or does she?
She must have run with him on occasion. As a pack. It makes no sense. My wolf doesn’t care though as he races back to the town. I snarl at him trying to take back control before the beast causes a war.
