The Alpha's Mutt
highlight_author
M. L. Knight
highlight_reads
4.1M
highlight_chapters
57
The Flower Moon Festival
MYSTI
The large garden behind the pack house was adorned in a breathtaking array of vibrant flowers and ribbons. Candles littered the tables, and twinkling lights were strung throughout the area, assisting the bright glow of the moon in illuminating the space.
I knew our pack was one of the largest on the North American continent, but I rarely saw them gathered together like this. I usually wasn’t invited to pack events. And truth be told, if attendance wasn’t mandatory, I wouldn’t have come to this one.
Seeing so many pack members in one space and knowing very well that they all hated me was instantly taking its toll.
I started fidgeting with the sides of my dress as my nerves took hold. I didn’t feel confident enough to be wearing something like this—especially not in this situation.
The dress Alessa had picked for me was much too revealing. It had a silver embellished bodice with spaghetti straps, a neckline that showed a healthy amount of cleavage, and a tulle skirt that fell down to my knees.
Alessa had chosen silver to go with my eyes, which I argued were actually a dull gray. She wouldn’t listen to me, though.
I didn’t think of myself as ugly…maybe average. But I never thought I could be beautiful. I had mousy brown hair, and my slender figure didn’t possess the full curves of other wolves my age.
“Just relax,” Alessa said encouragingly. “You don’t have to stay long. You just have to let enough wolves see you so there’s no doubt that you were here.”
“That’s true.” I took a deep breath and tried to will myself to calm down. It didn’t help.
As I breathed in, I caught a scent that sent shivers down my spine and a tingling in my heart as it wrapped itself around my senses. It smelled like the freshness of pine and the spice of peppermint—an herb I’d always enjoyed rubbing through my fingers.
It was absolutely intoxicating. The forest mingling with mint.
“Do you smell that?” I asked Alessa, nudging her side.
She tilted her head back and stuck her nose into the air, taking a large sniff as she did so. “Yeah, I do. It smells like fresh fruit and sunshine.”
“What? No,” I said, turning toward her with my eyebrow cocked. “I smell peppermint and pine.”
She sniffed at the air again for a moment.
“That’s not what I smell. All I smell is fruit and sunshine.”
“I bet it’s your mate.”
“I bet you’re right. You know what…” She paused, turning to face me. “I bet you’re scenting your mate too.”
“I hope not,” I replied, shaking my head.
“Come on, Mysti,” she pressed. Don’t you at least want to know what he looks like?”
I supposed she was right. But I was still uncertain. Even so, I had to admit I was eager to at least see who it was. He may not be my mate for very long, but I was curious to find out who the Moon Goddess would choose for a lowly mutt like me.
“Okay…,” I reluctantly agreed, releasing my breath. “I’ll go look for him.”
“Yay!” Alessa cheered, clapping her hands. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. Don’t be silly. Go find your own mate.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile.
She flashed me another toothy grin before rushing off to seek her Prince Charming.
I knew I would never feel the excitement she did. With her long, wavy dark locks and her bright-blue eyes, Alessa was surely a catch for any wolf. Her sparkling blue dress hugged her figure just right and made her eyes shine. Her mate was going to be thrilled the moment he saw her.
She was in for an evening of fairy tales.
I was happy for her. Truly. I knew she deserved someone to care for her.
I was much less hopeful for myself. I had to find a way to get a look at my mate without him spotting me in return.
If I could just get through tonight, I would be grateful. Rejection was going to be embarrassing enough without having the entire pack witness it.
I sniffed the air and snuck around the outskirts of the festivities, keeping my head low as I followed the alluring scent. I prayed that I could track down my mate before he caught mine.
I took an extra-long whiff as I passed several groups of males huddled together. None of them were registering with the scent.
As I made my way back around toward the front of the festival, not far from where my search had begun, I started to wonder if my mate had already come and left.
The only group I hadn’t passed by was the one of higher-ranking wolves, including the alpha. I scoffed at the idea of my mate being among them.
I inched closer to the group, trying to determine where my mate was.
His scent suddenly grew much stronger.
I crept along more carefully now, my eyes scanning the surrounding area. He had to be somewhere nearby. Maybe he’d been moving around the crowd by himself too.
But as I neared the alphas group, the realization became all too clear. It had to be someone there. I couldn’t deny it any longer.
My gaze danced around the group, searching for any low-ranking wolf amongst them. When I zeroed in on a male I didn’t recognize. Perhaps it was him. I didn’t know him so he’d never picked on me and he couldn’t be too high ranking or I would’ve seen him at some point. I may not know everyone in the pack, but I’d encountered all of the high-ranking wolves at one time or another.
I tentatively stepped forward. Not enough to reveal myself, but enough that I could get a better look. As I did so, I realized he couldn’t have been my mate. I didn’t feel anything special as I looked at him.
He was attractive, that much was true. However, as he looked my way and I got a look at his face, there was no spark. No intense attraction. Nothing that would lead me to believe he was my mate.
But still there was that scent.
And then I heard it, the most beautiful and melodious laugh I’d ever heard–it was literal music to my ears. It hadn’t even ended yet, but I already wanted more. I turned my head towards the sound–eager to learn where it was coming from and that was when I found him.
The most beautiful man the Goddess had ever created.
His short midnight-black hair was styled perfectly up and away from his face. His golden eyes shimmered, even in the limited light of the night. His toned arms were covered in tattoos, and his muscles bulged noticeably through his shirt.
He looked more relaxed than usual tonight. His chiseled jaw was often clenched, but maybe that was because I only ever saw him when he was angry.
Even though no unmated wolves were supposed to bring dates, he had a woman draped on each of his arms. Not a surprise—all the she-wolves would kill to be his mate.
How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel? What had I done to incur hate? This had to be some kind of mistake.
I stood there staring at him, mouth agape, frozen in place. It made absolutely no sense. How on earth could this be the man I was destined for?
The one wolf who hated me more than anyone else.
I was mated to Alpha Farris.
I froze, the shock of realization stealing the breath from my lungs.
A shiver of fear ran up my spine when I noticed Alpha Farris catch a scent on the wind. He sniffed at the air and pushed everyone away from him.
He began to turn, taking another long whiff. I knew he’d smelled me. His eyes began to scan the crowd. Just before they were set to lock with mine, I turned and ran.
FARRIS
My nose told me my mission was a success. I had found my mate.
She’d been trying to hide from me. I was sure of it. But she wasn’t fast enough to escape my notice.
I watched her retreating figure, angry that she’d run from me. I didn’t hesitate, pushing everyone away from me and taking chase. She wanted to play this game–then I would remind her that I was a predator.
Run rabbit run, I chuckled to myself as I hurried after her.
It didn’t take much to catch up to her. Maybe she wasn’t as desperate to get away from me as she appeared. Maybe she simply wanted privacy. Why else would she run so slowly when she knew a wolf was giving chase?
As soon as I reached her, I wrapped her up in my arms and she squealed in surprise. I relished in the sound as I took in a deep calming breath full of her delicious scent–the sweet and fragrant mix of honey and lavender.
I held her against my chest, holding her close and reveling in the sparks that our touch ignited. She fought against me for a moment, still seeming as though she was struggling to get away. But after a second she relented and as she did, I could feel all of the tension seeping out of my own body as well.
I had waited for this day for so long and now that it was here, I could hardly believe it. I turned her in my arms, ignoring how stiff she remained.
I looked down at her, gently brushing the beautiful brunette locks out of her face. I stared down into her silver eyes and that was when reality struck me like the ringing of a bell.
I was mated to the mutt.
I’d spent my life looking forward to finding my mate and having the kind of love my parents had shared.
Now I wasn’t so sure.
My father had hated mutts and despised having one in our pack. He’d seen them as a burden—a watering down of strong, pure wolf bloodlines.
He believed they would eventually be the end of the wolves. And he had taught me to think much the same.
The Goddess had really screwed me this time.
“What have you done?” I accused as I stared down at her beautiful face, my eyes traveling over her features as I drank her in.
Despite my anger, I couldn’t help but take note of all the things about her that I’d ignored before. Like her flawless skin, her soft hair, her sparkling eyes, and her luscious lips. I wanted to kiss her as badly as I wanted to push her away.
“I-I…” she stammered, irritating me further.
My own mate was terrified of me and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“This is wrong,” I declared, still keeping her pinned against me, unsure what else to do. “The Goddess made a mistake or she’s punishing me for something. I can’t be mated to a mutt. It’s not possible. My father would be furious.”
“I know,” she whispered, her voice so soft I could barely hear it.
“What am I supposed to do?” I sighed, unable to resist running my nose along her cheek and feeling her shiver in my grasp. “The pack will never accept this.”
“Please don’t banish me, Alpha.”
