The She-Wolf Series: Catching Kate
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J.B.
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23
Chapter 1
Spinoff: Catching Kate
KATE
I was speeding down the road to the pack house in Sam’s SUV.
Back in Chicago, I rarely drove. My condo was a stone’s throw away from my office, and taxis were my go-to for everything else. But here, the vast open spaces and the isolation of the landscape made driving a must. Especially since I wasn’t blessed with the ability to morph into a massive werewolf at will like most of the locals.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed the tranquility of the forest until I relocated. Sam and I spent a good chunk of our childhood outdoors.
Our family was big on camping and hiking, and Dad taught us how to fish and track wild animals. In retrospect, it all made sense, given our half-werewolf lineage. Well, Sam was the half-werewolf.
As it turns out, there’s no such thing as “half.” You’re either a werewolf, or you’re not, like me.
At first, I was a bit envious of her. I mean, who wouldn’t want superpowers if given the choice? But after witnessing what she went through, I decided my life was probably simpler as it was.
She quickly found her destined mate, the werewolf king and was forced to choose between either becoming his queen or giving up her soulmate to protect her teenage son, Luke, from the alpha’s call.
I couldn’t stand by and let my big sister sacrifice a lifetime of happiness out of fear for her son’s future, so moving to the pack lands to look out for Luke was a no-brainer. She had already given up everything for Luke countless times in her life.
Not that she saw it that way or that I thought she made the wrong decision. I loved Luke. Everyone did.
But I felt that Sam deserved the chance to follow her destiny. And it’s a good thing she did, considering a powerful, dark witch was now trying to destroy the world. Or something like that.
I was still a bit fuzzy on the details. But it didn’t really matter. The king had forbidden anyone in his inner circle from discussing it with outsiders.
I decided I wasn’t going to waste energy worrying about something that “didn’t concern me,” as my high-and-mighty brother-in-law put it. Instead, I spent my time keeping Luke out of trouble and fending off my own apparent destined mate.
Shortly after deciding to move to the Redclaw Pack, I met Emerick Stone. The moment our eyes met, he felt a deep connection that I was completely unaware of.
Just my luck. Apparently, for the first time in history, a werewolf was destined for a mere human who loved practicing law and keeping people at a distance.
Not every werewolf found their destined mate, but if they did, the drive to seal the bond was a powerful one. And, of course, he was the sweetest, most thoughtful guy ever.
He had also slept with my perfect, big sister. Then he spent the next year pining over her, tried to get her to reject her own destined mate, and dropped everything to protect her son out of his devotion to her.
How was I supposed to compete with that? Even though Sam assured me that nothing could trump the bond he felt for me, it still made the whole situation incredibly awkward.
On top of that, I wasn’t looking to settle down. The mate-thing was a lifelong commitment. Not even the best divorce attorney could separate us.
Considering I had never even kept a houseplant alive for more than a few months, the idea absolutely terrified me. Not that I would admit it.
As I pulled into the pack house parking lot, my eyes landed on the tall, dark, and handsome man I couldn’t seem to shake. Emerick was leaning against his blue muscle car, holding two cups of coffee.
He looked absolutely irresistible in his blue chinos and white button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. His head turned as he followed my car through his black aviators into my parking spot.
He stepped up to the door when I cut the engine.
“Good morning, Kate.”
“Emerick,” I responded curtly to his greeting.
Despite my cold demeanor, he gave a small grin. I tried my best to keep him at arm’s length, but damn if that smirk didn’t get me every time. And he knew it.
“Thirteenth time’s the charm,” he said, handing me one of the drinks he was holding.
It was a game he insisted on playing. I refused to give him my coffee order, so he snuck a sniff of mine one day. Since then, he had been trying to match my drink of choice by smell alone.
I rolled my eyes but took a sip.
Damn, he nailed it.
“Nope. Still not right,” I lied.
“Bullshit.” He smiled wider.
“It’s close. Still tastes like shit, though.” I turned to walk away.
“I can hear your heart rate, Kate,” he called, following close behind. “I know you’re lying.”
Stupid werewolf powers.
“You must be losing a step from the mate bond,” I shot back. “I’m not lying.”
He stayed quiet, but I could hear his footsteps still trailing me.
It was a low blow. I knew that the incomplete bond would slowly rob him of his heightened senses. It’s what happened with my sister and King Ivar, her husband.
Both of them were immortal and arguably the most powerful werewolves to walk the earth. Each had slowly lost their ability to heal along with their strength and other abilities when they fought their connection.
The same would happen to Emerick. He wasn’t immortal or an alpha, so it might be worse for him. Although I insisted I didn’t feel guilty, it was hard not to.
I made my way through the pack house hallways until I stood outside the alpha’s office—Luke’s office now. It was still strange to think of my sixteen-year-old nephew as the alpha of one of the largest werewolf packs in the world.
Almost as weird as the fact that werewolves actually existed. I knocked on the door and found him engrossed in paperwork with Michael at his side.
The beta had taken on a much larger responsibility since Sam left to fulfill her duties as queen. He was teaching Luke everything he could, but it would still take time for the young alpha to come into his own.
“Hey, Aunt Kate,” Luke greeted without looking up. “Do you have the contract for the Dark Hills Pack ready?”
The kid was all business these days. I guess he had to be. An alpha was akin to a CEO of a company, dictator of a small country, and general of an army all in one.
Sam was right about the weight of it for someone so young.
“Yes, Luke,” I assured him. “It should be in your email.”
I took the empty chair across his desk. “I planned to let you know during breakfast this morning. Imagine my surprise when you didn’t join me.”
He glanced up, and I gave him a pointed look. The day after his mom left, Luke started leaving before the sun rose to begin his work day.
“Apologies,” he said, his face a mask of neutrality. “I had some pressing matters to attend to here.”
“But you still need to eat,” I countered. “I haven’t seen you eat a proper meal in a week.”
The atmosphere in the room grew thick with tension. Instead of responding, my nephew shot me a sharp look and clenched his jaw.
“Gentlemen,” he said to Michael and Emerick, “I need a moment with Ms. McClain.”
They both stood up and promptly made their way to the exit. Once the door had shut behind them, I quirked an eyebrow at him.
“Kate,” Luke began, his voice strained. “I’m the alpha. Don’t treat me like a child in my own office.”
“Firstly, it’s Aunt Kate to you,” I retorted. “Secondly, you’re still a kid, alpha or not. Eating is non-negotiable. So is school, which I hear you’ve been skipping for five days.”
He averted his gaze and took a deep breath. I could tell he was trying to keep his cool. Considering he’d only slept for about six hours in the past three days and was living off Hot Pockets and Cheetos, I was amazed his wolf hadn’t already snapped and torn the pack house to shreds.
I knew I had to tread carefully, which wasn’t exactly my strong suit.
“Lukey,” I said, my voice soothing. “It’s okay to take a break. There are plenty of people here who can help you. No one expects you to do everything right now.”
He shook his head, a look of disgust on his face.
“You don’t understand,” he protested. “That’s what being an alpha means, Aunt Kate. An alpha is supposed to do all of this.”
“You will,” I assured him. “But not all at once. Your mom took some time to find her balance.”
He scoffed. “No, she didn’t.”
“Really? Because I remember getting several frantic phone calls from her. She had to learn as she went—just like you—and she was dealing with her ‘fated mate’ issues. It wasn’t a walk in the park for her either.”
He leaned back in his chair. I watched as he stared into space, his face etched with exhaustion.
“She just made it look so effortless,” he confessed. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to fill her shoes.”
“Kiddo,” I said gently, “you’re not supposed to. You just have to do your best and find your own path.”
He glanced at the stack of paperwork on his desk. “There’s so much to learn. How did Mom figure it all out?”
“Well, she had experience running a business.” I shrugged. “She was familiar with most of the paperwork. The rest of it…” I paused. “You’ll have to ask her. She’s a natural leader. You both are. I think she just did what she thought was right.”
He remained silent, staring at his hands.
“You can ask her tonight,” I suggested. “She’s coming for dinner. Gran’s making fajitas.”
“Great,” he muttered.
“Luke, she’s worried.”
“I know,” he admitted. “I just don’t want to keep letting her down.”
“Then don’t,” I advised, standing up. “Tonight, just be her son—not the alpha.”
Sam and Luke had been at odds every time they were in the same room since her wedding and the fallout that followed. Initially, she said she wouldn’t leave after the evil witch Tatianna revealed herself and attacked the pack. Luke argued that her staying undermined his status as alpha. Most of the pack council had agreed.
She moved with Ivar, but then Trinity, her new sister-in-law, teleported her back to spend every day on Redclaw Pack lands. It made for awkward situations when mother and son held conflicting opinions. No one knew whose direction to follow considering one was their alpha and the other, their queen.
In the end, Luke asked her to limit her time until he established himself as sole leader. Sam was heartbroken, but Michael and Emerick pointed out that a weak alpha might invite a challenge. Ivar warned her that it could be politically tricky to prevent someone from challenging Luke since werewolf law dictated any alpha had to defend their leadership when confronted.
For the past week, Sam had complied with Luke’s request and stayed in Canada. But that didn’t stop her from calling me and her friends multiple times a day to check in.
“And Luke?” I called over my shoulder. “School is non-negotiable. Figure it out.”
“You should invite Emerick to dinner,” he suggested just as the door swung open.
My eyes landed on the man who was always by my side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Our eyes locked for a moment before I turned back to Luke and mouthed screw you.
Luke smirked in response. I knew he could sense Emerick standing outside the door. His suggestion was a calculated move.
“Sounds like a plan,” I said loudly.
Emerick fell into step beside me as I stormed off to my own office down the hall.
“You don’t have to invite me,” he said after a moment.
“No, I don’t,” I agreed. “But Sam would be thrilled to see you.”
That wasn’t a lie. Sam still thought Emerick was the bee’s knees, or at least that’s how she portrayed it to me. I knew they were friends, and she cared about him, but the dynamic between the three of us was awkward.
“Kate.” He interrupted my thoughts, placing a hand on my arm. “I know this is hard for you.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” I muttered.
“I know,” he echoed. “But please understand, I’m trying.”
I looked into his eyes and saw the desperation there.
“Emerick, I don’t feel the same way you do,” I told him for the umpteenth time.
“I’m aware,” he said, his tone icy. “That doesn’t mean we can’t give it a shot.”
“I don’t want a relationship,” I stated bluntly. “Not with you or anyone else.”
“Kate—”
“Emerick,” I interrupted him. “Why won’t you just reject me?”
