Alpha's Unwilling Mate Book 2: A Rogue's Secret

Ada

What now?!

My wolf is practically screaming inside my head, but she doesn’t try to take control. I’m grateful for that. I need to be in charge right now—to run and hide—because I’m not ready to face the reality of what finding him means.

Everything is happening too fast. I’m running for my life, trying to envision a future in Canada, and now he’s here—the one who’s supposed to change everything. What was the Moon Goddess thinking? Why now?

I’m exhausted—dangerously so. Instead of me worrying about our energy levels, it’s my wolf who’s warning me. It’s a role reversal for a change. Our legs ache with every step I take, our eyes sting from staying open, and the dots I saw before are growing larger—more intrusive in my field of vision.

I should stop.

But what if he followed us? What if he’s there and he wants to talk? What if my secret is exposed again and I don’t have the energy to fight? Fear grips me as my front paws buckle and my face hits the dirt of some random meadow.

I guess we’re done for now.

I can’t even remember the direction I was running in. I could be anywhere, and that scares me—especially with several pack borders to avoid the further north we go, and other, more dangerous wolves potentially on my tail. But I can’t get up.

It’s my own fault, really. I shouldn’t have run when I knew we were so weak. But what’s done is done, and here we are—a pathetic, dirty heap of fur.

I didn’t think that would ever be possible.

I let out a brief chuckle, proud that I can still find humor in the situation. But the ghost of a smile fades quickly when the air shifts and I smell him again before I see him.

The large brown wolf I now recognize as my mate trots over until he’s standing in front of me. His hazel eyes are curious, and my wolf likes that.

I can tell as she lifts our head to look deeper into them. I wish she wouldn’t, to conserve energy, but who am I to argue at this point?

His head tilts, as if asking a question, before his body shivers—the telltale sign of a wolf shifting back into its human form. It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen that.

It took some getting used to when I first lived with the rogues. My mother always made a point to shift in privacy on the few outings we made to do so, to get it out of our system.

My jaw tightens involuntarily when the male finds his feet. I don’t know if it’s dread or something else—I mean, he’s standing naked in front of me.

I’ve seen a lot of naked men in the last two years, something I never thought I’d say before my life turned upside down.

But I’ve never seen my mate naked, and let me tell you, it’s a whole new ball game. If my skin was showing, it would be bright red. Meanwhile, the man who was made for me stands there, as naked as the day he was born, seemingly unbothered. How do werewolves get used to being so exposed?

Even now, I’m still skittish about it. My large wolf was able to help with that when I lived with the rogues. The teasing I received for hiding away quickly stopped the second they saw her.

He’s not scared of me, though. That much is clear. Even though I am taller, something I wonder if I should feel self-conscious about. But that’s a minor concern compared to everything else.

The top of the list being that he’s about to speak, and I have no idea what he could say to make this less terrifying.

Breathe.

Easy for her to say. She’s the one who’s happy about this.

“I—You.” He gasps for a second, and I realize he’s still out of breath from chasing me. It makes me feel a bit better about being collapsed in front of him like an idiot. Maybe he hasn’t noticed yet?

So while he catches his breath, I take the time to inspect him more, trying not to let my eyes wander too far. That would only delay getting a read on him. And it would be a guaranteed distraction due to a certain region.

His brown fur matches his full, slightly fluffy hair, even down to the red tints that I can see in the light.

But the crooked smile on his face, showing his slight embarrassment at his failed attempt to speak, is new and refreshing. I like it. In fact, I find my wolf smiling back at him, which is ridiculous. I’ve never been one to grin at strangers.

Not stranger. Mate.

My wolf corrects me before I can continue my train of thought. I close my eyes to roll them without offending the man in front of me. Of course, she doesn’t see him as a stranger, but how could I not?

His bushy eyebrows, his full lips, his thick arms and toned stomach—they’re all new to me. How did he get them? Why does he need them?

I know nothing about this man or what makes him who he is. And even though every cell in my body wants to change that, it remains a fact.

“Goddess, you’re fast.” His deep voice resonates in my chest. I blink a few times, trying to process how attractive a voice can sound when it’s not gasping for air.

My wolf nods our head in acknowledgment, then scolds me for being rude and not shifting to speak with him. But I don’t want to expose myself like that. There has to be a line somewhere, right?

I swallow, expecting him to say more. But as he looks around, his expression changes, furrowing the brows I’ve started to study. Something is wrong, and even my wolf senses it, ready to stand to attention.

“You shouldn’t have run here... the Alpha’s going to sense you trespassing before I can warn him.” He rubs the back of his neck with a shaky hand, a simple habit that I almost miss because of the urgency in his words.

Alpha? Which pack have I stumbled into?