Alpha Wolf's Fated Mate

JAKE

My bench is at an angle, and Julia drapes over it on her right side, exposing her left thigh to me.

Like most newbies, she didn’t come prepared. She did not bring a change of clothes that would show more skin for me to access to her entire thigh.

When I asked her how comfortable she would be in just her underwear, I thought she would end up rescheduling. But my brave girl asked me to turn around so she could take her jeans off.

Of course, I was a gentleman and turned away to give her some privacy, but I caught her reflection in the mirror over my bench, and I couldn’t help myself. She is no girl. She is all woman. MINE.

“So, what brings you to Rapid Falls? We don’t get many new people moving into town. It’s pretty far out in the middle of nowhere.”

“It was the first job offer I received, and it was far enough away from Brookdale. I jumped on it.”

“A job here in town? What do you do, if I may ask?”

“I’m a nurse over at Grace General. It’s probationary for ninety days, but I feel confident I will pass with no trouble. I’ve been in nursing for eight years and love it.”

“Grace General? Do you know Haylee Woods?”

She jerks up and smiles. “I do! She’s the one that was going to come with me today, but she got called to work an extra shift.”

That’s good to know. I need to call Haylee and find out what she knows about Julia. “Haylee is like a little sister to me. I’ve known her all my life.”

“She’s been a big help, teaching me the ropes at work. She even helped me find my rental home.”

“Okay, I need you to stay still.” I press my hand into the back of her thigh to get her attention.

“Oh, sorry.” She settles in, and I continue to work.

Being this near to Julia is both comforting and frustrating at the same time.

I fall into a rhythm as I spread the dark ink across her silky soft skin. My wolf is getting eager to claim her. He’s scratching at me, wanting to get out.

Not yet, buddy. She’s not like us. We don’t want to scare her.

Mate.

I know. She belongs to us. But we are going to have to be careful how we show her our world.

My wolf growls but settles back down and watches as I continue to etch into our mate’s skin.

“How did you get into the tattoo business?” she asks.

I pull up from her leg and roll my stool over to the side so I can see her face. “Nate and I both love to draw. We get it from our mom. She taught us how to draw shapes and shade when we were just pups, er, kids.” Idiot.

“Pups?” She giggles.

“You know what I mean. When we were just little kids. We would sit and draw for hours. The older we got, the more we realized we could do this for a living.”

“So you two own this shop together? That’s really cool. I don’t have any siblings; it must be nice to have someone to share this with.”

“At some point, I’m going to have to step down and just be a silent partner, but for now, this is a great creative outlet.”

“Step down? Is there something else you want to do instead?”

I finish drawing the last line, clean the ink off her thigh, and hand her the skin aftercare instructions along with a small tube of Aquaphor. “I’d love to tell you about it. Have dinner with me tonight.”

“Oh. Um, I don’t think so, Jake.” Her cheeks turn red. She reaches for her jeans and slips into them without asking me to turn away.

“Tomorrow, then.” I’m not letting her leave until I get her to commit to seeing me again soon.

“Listen. You seem like a nice guy.”

“But—”

“But I’m not interested in dating anyone right now. It’s not you.”

“Don’t give me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line, beautiful.” I prowl toward her, cornering her between my bench and the wall. “I know you can feel something between us.

“You need to know, I feel it too. Let me take you out. We can get to know each other, and then maybe you’ll change your mind about your dating rule.”

I watch her chest rise as she takes a deep breath. “Instead of dinner tomorrow, how about we meet for coffee?”

Okay, I can compromise. “Do you work tomorrow?”

“Yes. It’s just coffee, Jake. Okay?” She’s so cute.

“Right. Just coffee.” I lean in and inhale her scent, memorizing it.

She shivers. “Jake?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I should go,” she says in a whisper.

I pull away from her, and taking her hand, I lead her to the front counter. “Let’s look at the schedule and get you on the calendar for next week.”

She pulls out her phone, and we coordinate the next two appointments. We should be able to finish it up by then. Although, I might drag this out a bit if she continues to be hesitant.

“Thanks again. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the coffee shop.” She takes a tentative step backward.

“Judy’s cafe right next door to the hospital. I’ll be there.” I follow her toward the door.

“Okay, tomorrow then.” She fumbles for her keys and walks out the door.

I watch her as she struggles to get the door to her Corolla open.

“What are the chances of that happening?” Nate comes up from behind and stands next to me as she drives away.

“Chances of what happening?” I watch her until her red taillights disappear around the corner.

“Your mate showing up? It’s perfect timing, Jake! I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad. They’re both going to be excited.”

I turn and face my brother. “No. You can’t say anything to anyone. Not yet. I need to make sure she understands who she is to me before I throw her into our world. We can’t chance her running for the hills. Do you understand?”

“I’ve got your back, bro.” He smiles. “I’m genuinely happy for you. What are you going to do about Sheila?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’ll figure it out. She was pressing me earlier about who I will choose for my mate.”

“Don’t let that go too long. You know how she is. Don’t let her mess this up with Julia.”

“She won’t be a problem. I’ll talk to her.” I hope I’m right.