Hated by My Mate

Wolfgang

I can’t believe I let Max and Remus throw this shitty party.

My birthday had been three months ago. What was the use of celebrating it now?

I knew they only wanted the excuse to throw a party.

“C’mon Wolfgang, it’s just for one night! I want to see if I can finally find my mate,” Max whined. He put his chin on my desk, pleading.

“That’s what you keep saying. And in your quest to find her, you’ve slept with almost ninety percent of the female population,” Remus argued. He held a pile of papers in his hands.

“Oh, shut it. You don’t care, because you already have a mate,” Max shot back to Remus, who was the oldest of the three of us.

Max and I were both twenty-six years old, while Remus was twenty-nine.

We had all taken the roles we were assigned early in life, after the great war.

After most of the leaders, including my father, the late alpha, his second-in-command who had been Max’s father, and Gamma Craton, had all died in combat against rogues.

“Having Aspen has nothing to do with it. I want a moment of relaxation as much as you do, Max, but our obligations come first,” Remus argued.

“But I wanna find my mate!” Max whined, sounding like a little kid. Sometimes, I wondered how the hell he’d gotten the title of beta.

“You’ll find her in due time. Right now, we need to figure a way to get rid of that rogue Klaus, and his lackeys,” Remus countered.

“Ugh. We’ve been chasing those assholes for a year straight! One night off won’t hurt us. Plus, you might finally find your mate too, Wolfie,” Max said, waggling his eyebrows at me.

“Not interested,” I answered. And it was the truth.

The last thing on my mind was finding myself a mate—to have to worry about her, and my offspring’s safety.

All I wanted was to catch that bastard Klaus and put an end to this war.

“What do you mean, ‘not interested!’ You know, I’m starting to think that you might not be interested in she-wolves,” he said with a grin, earning a glare from me.

“Might I say, sir, he is right. No one has ever seen you interested in a woman. We’ve never even seen you speak to one,” Remus added.

I glared at him too as Max snickered at my side.

“Fine! I’ll allow the stupid party at the end of the month.” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “But afterward, we go straight back to finding and annihilating Klaus.”

“Yay!” Max jumped up in delight.

“Yes, sir,” Remus said. “We’ll start preparations then for the gala.”

That was how I’d ended up here today, at this party I didn’t even want to be at.

Now, the leaders—the alpha from the Blue Moon Pack and his daughter Tallulah, Remus and his mate, Max and myself—stood outside the door of the grand hall, waiting to be announced.

One by one, they entered as their names were called.

My name was called last. I went in, not bothering to look at the people who stood around me.

Not until I reached my table.

The party went on slowly, to my displeasure. I was soon bored out of my mind by having to constantly reject girls asking me to dance with them.

Even the Blue Moon alpha’s daughter, Tallulah, came up to me, batting her eyelashes as she tried to seduce me.

“Hey, Wolfgang,” she said in her sweetest tone. I only nodded at her as I stood with my arms crossed.

“Nice party you’re throwing. I didn’t know you were the kind to have parties like these,” she said.

“I didn’t do shit. Max and Remus pulled this off. I only authorized it,” I said, already losing what little patience I had.

At that moment, I was tackled by a drunken dumbass.

“Hey, birthday boy!” Max slung his arm over my shoulder as he tried to keep his balance.

“You know, my birthday was months ago. This was just to get you off my back,” I answered.

“Oh c’mon, party pooper. You can’t possibly be bored,” he slurred as he drank his beer.

“As a matter of fact, I am. I’m only here because I’m the host.” I glared at him. “Have you found your mate yet? Cause I want to end this party soon.”

I regretted the question the moment it came out of my mouth. Max started tearing up as he threw his hands around me.

“No! I’m starting to believe I’m mateless. Oh, Moon Goddess! Is it my fate to be a lone wolf forever?” he cried, holding onto me.

“Let me go, you idiot!”

But he had an iron grip on me. “No. Comfort me! I’m heartbroken, because I haven’t found my mate.”

“I said get off!” I stopped abruptly as a heavenly scent crept into my nostrils. I pushed Max off me, trying to sniff the air for the source.

“What the…hey!” Max started to whine, but I cut him off.

“Do you smell that?” I asked him.

“Smell what?” asked Tallulah. I’d completely forgotten she was there.

“Huh?” Max sniffed the air. “I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to smell, dude.”

I ignored him. The smell was sweet and delicate, like vanilla and marshmallows.

Suddenly, my wolf, Cronnos, was howling like crazy in my head. He jumped up and ran from side to side, also sniffing the air.

“Mate…I can smell her. I smell our mate,” Cronnos said from within my mind.

I stood frozen to the spot. This could not be happening. I hadn’t found my mate for eight years. Why now?

“Wolfgang? Are you okay?” Tallulah asked.

“Yeah, dude. You turned really pale. Are you alright?” Max inquired.

“Uh…yeah. I’m okay,” I said, still focused on the scent.

“Our mate is finally here, kid. Find her! I can smell her!” Cronnos shouted.

I snapped out of my trance.

“I…need to use the restroom. Excuse me.” I walked away from Max and Tallulah. I needed some air.

“Where are you going?” Cronnos demanded as I started to head for the balcony. ~“We have to find our mate!”~

“Are you serious?” I growled in my mind.~ ~“We don’t have time for that. Rogues are gathering at the borders. There could be another war. We need to strengthen our alliances with the other packs~.

“That can wait!” Cronnos howled, thrashing to get out.~ ~“Our mate needs us~!

“If I wanted a luna I’d just get Tallulah.” I sidestepped a group of women that were eyeing me up and down. I didn’t have time for this. The pack was in danger. I had to protect everyone.

“That woman isn’t destined for us.” I could feel Cronnos’s anger bleeding through.~ ~“You cannot deny the mate bond.”~

“Watch me. If it’s for the good of the pack I can do anything.”

“Run from it all you like, but the second you lay eyes on her you’re going to fall tail over paw for her.” I didn’t like how smug Cronnos sounded. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

“Yeah, I doubt that.”

Aurora

“Are you sure he’s here?” My heart was pounding so loudly I was positive everyone at the ball could hear it.~ My mate! Was my mate really here?~

“I’m positive,” Rhea sang in my mind. She sounded jubilant. My wolf’s excitement was contagious, and I found myself smiling happily.~ It was really happening. I was going to meet the love of my life!~

I looked around at all the beautiful women in flowing dresses, and back down at my maid uniform. If only I was wearing a pretty dress like them…

“Don’t worry about that,” Rhea assured me.~ ~“Our mate will think we’re beautiful no matter what we’re wearing…or if we aren’t wearing anything at all.”~

“Rhea!” I gasped, my cheeks turning bright red.

My wolf giggled in my mind.

“It’s true! That’s the beauty of the mating bond. Our destined mate will love us unconditionally for the rest of our lives…and we will love them back with all of our heart and soul.”

I sighed, getting caught up in the moment. It sounded so wonderful. Every little girl’s dream.

“There he is!” Rhea sang.

My heart skipped a beat. My eyes searched the crowd—and I saw him.

Oh.

My.

God.

It was Alpha Wolfgang—and he was heading straight for me.