The Alpha's Mutt

It was the day of the Flower Moon Festival, and I was in for an evening of nightmares.

My best friend, Alessa, was jumping around and clapping her hands as we made our way toward the pack house. “Why aren’t you more excited about this?” she asked excitedly.

The festival was held every year to help wolves find their mates, and this was the first year we were old enough to attend.

I took a slow breath, hesitating for a moment before gaining the courage to say out loud what I had always refused to say before: “Even if I have a mate, he’s going to reject me. So, it’s probably better that I never find him.”

“What?! Why would you think that?” Alessa exclaimed, looking at me in horror.

“Come on, Alessa. You know it’s true. If he’s a member of this pack, he already hates me. Everyone in the pack knows my mother was human and I’m a mutt. My mate is going to reject me as soon as he sees me.”

When I was born, it was decreed by the current alpha’s father, Alpha Cosmo, that I would be denied access to the pack mind-link until I found my mate.

Just another way to keep me separate from the rest of the pack and make me feel like I was less than.

Alessa always came to my defense. But she was ever the optimist. She dreamed big, and her belief that everything would work out for me in the end never wavered. She lived with her head in the clouds, whereas I was forced to see things a little closer to earth.

I understood the grim reality of my situation.

I just hoped that her mate wouldn’t mind our friendship. It would break my heart if she had to stop spending time with me. I sighed dejectedly at the thought.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. It’s silly. Don’t worry about it.” I plastered a smile on my face, hoping that it was convincing enough. “Now, let’s go and meet your mate.”

“Sure…” I nodded.

The large garden behind the pack house was adorned in a breathtaking array of vibrant flowers and ribbons. Candles littered the tables, and twinkling lights were strung throughout the area, assisting the bright glow of the moon in illuminating the space.

It certainly looked like spring was in full bloom here.

I smiled as I took in the decorations, but my enjoyment was short-lived. The sheer number of wolves at the party was overwhelming.

I knew our pack was one of the largest on the North American continent, but I rarely saw them gathered together like this. I usually wasn’t invited to pack events. And truth be told, if attendance wasn’t mandatory, I wouldn’t have come to this one.

Seeing so many pack members in one space and knowing very well that they all hated me began to take its toll.

I started fidgeting with the sides of my dress as my nerves took hold. I didn’t feel confident enough to be wearing something like this—especially not in this situation.

The dress Alessa had picked for me was much too revealing. It had a silver embellished bodice with spaghetti straps, a neckline that showed a healthy amount of cleavage, and a tulle skirt that fell down to my knees.

Alessa had chosen silver to go with my eyes, which I argued were actually a dull gray. She wouldn’t listen to me, though.

I didn’t think of myself as ugly…maybe average. But I never thought I could be beautiful. I had mousy brown hair, and my slender figure didn’t possess the full curves of other wolves my age.

“Just relax,” Alessa said encouragingly. “You don’t have to stay long. You just have to let enough wolves see you so there’s no doubt that you were here.”

“That’s true.” I took a deep breath and tried to will myself to calm down. It didn’t help.

As I breathed in, I caught a scent that sent shivers down my spine. It smelled like the freshness of pine and the spice of peppermint—an herb I’d always enjoyed rubbing through my fingers.

It was absolutely intoxicating. The forest mingling with mint.

“Do you smell that?” I asked Alessa, nudging her side slightly.

She tilted her head back and stuck her nose into the air, taking a large sniff as she did so. Her eyes suddenly grew wide, and she took another whiff of the scent. “Yeah, I do. It smells like fresh fruit and sunshine.”

“What? No,” I said, turning toward her with my eyebrow cocked. “I smell peppermint and pine.”

She sniffed at the air again for a moment.

“No. I don’t smell anything like that. All I smell is fruit and sunshine. But I feel like I have to find the source of that scent.”

“I bet it’s your mate,” I told her.

“I bet you’re right. I wonder if he’s scented me as well. You know what…” She paused as she turned to face me. “I bet you’re smelling your mate as well.”

“I doubt it,” I said, shaking my head.

“Come on. You know I’m right. Don’t you at least want to know what he looks like?” she pressed.

I supposed she was right. But I was still uncertain about meeting him. I really didn’t want to face my mate and be rejected in front of everyone tonight.

Even so, I had to admit I was eager to at least see who it was. He may not be my mate for very long, but I was curious to find out who the Moon Goddess had chosen for a lowly mutt like me.

He must be an omega, but I still couldn’t stop myself from imagining what he’d look like.

“Okay…,” I reluctantly agreed, releasing my breath. “I’ll go look for him.”

“Yay!” Alessa cheered, clapping her hands. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. Of course not. You go and find your own mate.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile.

She flashed me another toothy grin before rushing off into the crowd, seeking her Prince Charming.

I knew I would never feel the excitement she did. With her long, wavy dark locks and her bright-blue eyes, Alessa was surely a catch for any wolf. Her sparkling blue dress hugged her figure just right and made her eyes shine. Her mate was going to be thrilled the moment he saw her.

She was in for an evening of fairy tales.

I was happy for her. Truly. I knew she deserved someone to care for her.

I was much less hopeful for myself. I had to find a way to get a look at my mate without him spotting me in return.

If I could just get through tonight, I would be grateful. Rejection was going to be embarrassing enough without having the entire pack witness it.

I sniffed the air and snuck around the outskirts of the festivities, keeping my head low as I followed the alluring scent. I prayed that I could track down my mate before he caught mine.

I took an extra-long whiff as I passed several groups of males huddled together. None of them were registering with the scent.

As I made my way back around toward the front of the festival, not far from where my search had begun, I started to wonder if my mate had already come and left.

The only group I hadn’t passed by was the one of higher-ranking wolves, including the alpha and beta. I scoffed at the idea of my mate being among them.

Even though no unmated wolves were supposed to bring dates, Alpha Farris had a woman draped on each of his arms. Not a surprise—all the she-wolves would kill to be his mate.

It wasn’t just the power of his position that attracted them; Alpha Farris also happened to be the most handsome man that had ever walked the face of the planet.

His short midnight-black hair was styled perfectly up and away from his face. His golden eyes shimmered, even in the limited light of the night. His toned arms were covered in tattoos, and his muscles bulged noticeably through his shirt.

He looked more relaxed than usual tonight. His chiseled jaw was often clenched, but maybe that was because I only ever saw him when he was angry.

I inched closer to the group, trying to determine where my mate was.

His scent suddenly grew much stronger.

I crept along more carefully now, my eyes scanning the surrounding area. He had to be somewhere nearby. Maybe he’d been moving around the crowd by himself too.

As I stood parallel to the alpha’s group, realization smacked me in the face.

It couldn’t be!

I turned and looked in his direction, ducking behind a few other wolves who were too distracted to notice me.

It was impossible.

The Moon Goddess couldn’t hate me that much, could she? But why else would she ever do this to me?

There had to be some kind of mistake.

I was mated to Alpha Farris.