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

Owen

The day Rosa was born, my sister’s little girl, was a day of joy and fear. The joy was easy to understand—it was the birth of my niece, named after our mother, who I still remember with a love that never fades, even after all these years. The fear, however, was because of my father’s stroke.

After my sister Emma was taken away, my father’s health started to decline. I initially thought it was due to the stress of keeping our pack afloat under Orion’s rule, but even after he handed the reins back to our Alpha, his health didn’t improve.

My brother-in-law, Orion, has a lot to answer for, in my opinion. But ever since Emma managed to tame the beast that haunted our nightmares, it seems like I’m the only one who remembers. How could I forget?

He forced her to leave the only home she’s ever known, took over our peaceful pack, and then abandoned us like a used toy when he realized his mistake. It’s taken us over a year to recover, and that’s mainly due to the money Emma sends our way.

I despise him.

I know he’s my sister’s mate, I know he’s the reason we’re still surviving, but I hate him nonetheless. I’m convinced that if he had just left us alone in the first place, none of this would have happened. But I keep those thoughts to myself.

Especially now that I’m supposed to live with him in their pack for my father’s recovery. It’s a fate worse than death, in my opinion. But seeing the pup will do my father a world of good, and I know he misses Emma.

I miss her too, and I want to be a part of Rosa’s life. I just need time to cool down the anger I still feel toward her father.

“He didn’t need to send a car,” my father grumbles for the third time since we set off toward the Blood Moon pack. “I’m still capable of shifting.”

He’s clearly defensive now that his illness has been revealed to the couple. The car is a clear sign that Emma worries for him. At first, we wanted to keep it from her while she recovered from the birth, giving them time to enjoy their little bubble. But any longer than the two months we kept it a secret, and she would have sent assassins instead of a car.

“If you’re expecting not to be coddled, you’re in for a surprise,” I tell him, raising an eyebrow before looking out the window.

Ever since we got into this damned car, my wolf has been restless. But there’s no way my father would have accepted the ride if I hadn’t, so here we are. I’ll need to go for a run the second we arrive to calm him down. The collar around my neck feels tighter by the second as he keeps begging to shift.

“I wish she wouldn’t worry so much—”

I tune him out, my human ear twitching, something I didn’t think was even possible. My hand reaches for the door handle as if it has a mind of its own—or, more accurately, the mind of my wolf.

Before I can stop myself, he has us out of the car and rolling onto the asphalt. We shift in a matter of seconds and dive into the woods. I don’t even have the chance to mind-link my father to apologize or explain the confusion before my wolf is howling, “MATE.”

Wait, what? Is it finally happening for me? I never told anyone, but I’d almost lost hope after all these years. But my mate, she’s out there and he’s sensed her.

“Where is she? Find her! Run!” I practically yell at him inside our mind, and he doesn’t need to be told twice.

Roots and leaves scatter behind us as his claws dig into the forest floor, propelling us forward toward the distant smell of cinnamon and coffee. I’m transported for a moment to Sunday mornings with my mother, a time I didn’t realize was so important until now. What will I smell like to her?

Goddess, where is she? I’ll have forever to ask these questions, but they won’t matter unless she’s here. I’ve waited years for this, but another minute of running in the middle of nowhere will be agony.

Mate.

My wolf stops at the edge of a clearing, and that’s when I see her. Tall, dark, muscular, but undeniably feminine. Her wolf’s bright blue eyes practically glow across at us. Our heart beats rapidly against our ribs, and for a moment, I just stare, unable to believe it.

Unable to believe that she could be real after all this time.

I open our mouth to speak, forgetting for a moment that I’m in wolf form. I shake my head in realization and shift back to human. I’m desperate to communicate with her, the other half of me gifted by the Moon Goddess herself. It’s never felt so real.

But it seems too good to be true. The moment I reach my human arm out toward her, my long-awaited mate bolts for the trees and out of sight.

What did I do?