Mate!
Autorzy
Angie Pichardo
Lektury
662K
Rozdziały
54
Prologue
Tension hangs in the air within the Crescent Moon pack, as its members have recently suffered threats and attacks from lone wolves.
These solitary creatures wander like hermits, causing problems in different packs. While a group of warrior wolves patrols the boundaries of Crescent Moon, another group has gone to confront the intruders.
Alpha Mateus is also investigating the bloody witches' attempts to breach the barriers that separate them, a rumor that has the pack members terrified.
One summer afternoon, little Gia plays with her wooden sword alongside her friend Lia, even though her father had ordered her not to leave the house due to the turmoil in the pack.
The threat from their enemies, the siege of the lone wolves, and the rumor about the bloody witches have caused quite a stir.
"Gia, look!" Lia, her friend, captures her attention. "It's the alpha, your father. Run before he sees us!"
Both girls flee from the park at full speed. Gia, who has developed impressive speed since she was very young, is the first to reach her house, followed by Lia, who rushes to her own home.
With her toy sword in hand, dressed in a thick, brown fabric dress, and her hair braided into a long plait that her mother had made, Gia hides in the closet in the living room.
Through a crack, she spies on what's happening. The alpha had left that day with several men from the pack, and they all returned as agitated as they had left.
Gia watches in silence, masking her scent so no one notices her presence. She is the only werewolf in the entire pack capable of doing this, but no one knows of her gift, as she keeps it a secret for fear that others might see her as a threat.
She notices a boy crying inconsolably, and, for some strange reason she can't understand, she feels his pain, a feeling of helplessness that causes salty drops to emanate from her eyes.
"Who is that boy?" Gia wonders.
Suddenly, she perceives his gaze on her, and indeed, his golden eyes connect with hers, as if he knows she is hiding there.
Gia hugs herself, feeling exposed, but more so due to the strange electric current running through her body. Her heart pounds intensely, and she can't tear her gray gaze away from the boy's, no matter how hard she tries.
Before anyone else notices his scrutiny and consequently exposes her, the boy diverts his attention away from the closet. TheT
At that moment, the icy feeling of helplessness and the painful emptiness of despair diminish inside him, the boy, replaced by a need to protect the girl.
***
Days pass, and with each one, Gia's curiosity about the strange boy grows. His origin and the reason why the alpha brought him to the pack remain unknown.
"Won't you tell me who that boy is and why dad brought him here?" Gia asks her mother. She is very intrigued, especially by the strange dreams she has had since meeting the mysterious golden-eyed boy.
The pack's Luna looks at her with a furrowed brow, as if she too is in the dark about this matter that the alpha has kept a mystery.
"All I know is that the Golden Moon pack was attacked by bloody witches, resulting in the death of their alpha and luna. Actually, all the wolves of that pack were killed," her mother replies.
"Did Dad participate in that battle?" Gia asks curiously.
"Mateus was involved by chance, as he was near that territory with the warriors of our pack. He hasn't explained to me how they ended up in that territory or how they found the boy. I know even less about his plan for the child," her mother responds.
Gia grabs one of the cookies that her mother had set out to cool and takes a bite. The luna watches her with a smile and reaches for the chocolate syrup to decorate the freshly baked treat.
At that moment, Alpha Mateus enters the kitchen with the boy, who they hadn't seen since the day the alpha brought him to the pack. Two warriors also enter with them.
The two children look at each other nervously and shyly, but Gia blushes and avoids his gaze.
"Katrina," he addresses his wife, Gia's mother, "tell the servants to prepare a room for Gael. From today on, he will live with us and be part of our family.," the alpha informs.
His wife's face contorts with surprise, and suspicion is evident in her expression.
"I know what you're thinking, and no, this child is not mine," the alpha clarifies with a playful smirk. "~We found him hidden in the rubble. He told us he remembers nothing more than his name, which is why we kept him in the pack's healing center for a few days.
According to the doctor, his amnesia is due to the trauma he experienced, so his memory could return at any moment, though it could take years.~"
Gia watches her mother, who has relaxed her expression, though she still seems wary.
"Hi, I'm Gia," the alpha's daughter greets the boy, approaching him with nervous steps.
"Hi, Gia, my name is Gael," he responds kindly. He's scared and disoriented, but the girl's smile gives him a sense of security.
"How old are you?," she asks, but he wrinkles his face when he tries to recall that detail, which is missing from his memory.
"Around twelve, I can tell by his voice," the alpha answers for him.
It's normal for alphas to know this kind of information, as it's part of their leadership skills.
"I'm ten. I'm younger than you," Gia comments.
The boy smiles at her, and she feels her heart pounding hard.
"Would you like a cookie?" Katrina asks the boy with a kind smile.
He nods shyly. She hands him a piece of the baked treat, which he devours eagerly as if he hadn't eaten in days.
"Are you going to train him to be a warrior?" the luna inquires, still not understanding why the boy must live with them.
"More than that, Gael will be raised to be my right hand and the son I never had. He will inherit my leadership and marry a she-wolf from an influential pack, which will make us more powerful," the alpha answers, full of hope.
Katrina nods, sad and disappointed, as it's her daughter who should be inheriting the alpha title, not an outsider. However, she knows he made that decision due to his chauvinism.
"Why not have him become my mate instead?" Gia blurts out suddenly, capturing everyone's attention. "If he becomes my husband, we would both lead this pack, and your leadership would stay within your lineage."
It's no surprise to anyone that Gia speaks as if she were an adult, as the girl has demonstrated this intelligence from a very young age. But for Gael, what she has said is fascinating.
"Absolutely not!" the alpha exclaims emphatically. "You and Gael will never see each other as mates because, from today on, you will be like siblings," he declares, leaving his daughter confused and deeply saddened.
"Don't worry, Alpha, Gia, and I will be siblings, and I will protect her with my life. " Gael intervenes with a firm and determined expression, but his words break the girl's heart, just as her father's attitude did.
