I'm The Alpha's Mate Read online

  “Kill me! But I didn’t mean to cross on his land!”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “To the alpha.” His voice is firm and emotionless as if he knows this is not going to end well for me, and I believe him.

  The man continues to drag me, and I happen to notice a small building through the trees. Behind it, I can almost make out other buildings, almost like houses. As I come closer towards the dreary, dim place, I notice two people standing outside by the door. Maybe they are guarding it.

  “Found a rogue while checking the perimeters?” one of the men guarding the doorway asks, not very amused. “Why bring it back?”

  The man dragging me nods. “It was giving me a hard time.”

  “It! We are not an ‘it!’” My wolf riles up within me.

  “I was going to keep it in a cell until I get orders from the alpha, you know, what he wants to do about it.” The man’s tone is bored as if he deals with this kind of nonsense every day.

  Locking innocent people in cages, how barbaric.

  “Go on in.” The guard motions to the doorway.

  The man abruptly yanks me into the brick building. The inside is dark with a horrid smell, possibly rotting flesh, reeking throughout the room. There are rows of cells with black bars caging in whatever they hide.

  We halt in front of one cell, and with a thin strip of light cutting into the cold space, I see the rest to be empty. Suddenly, his large hands push me inside. Before I can comprehend what is happening, the door is slid shut with a clicking sound. My eyes grow full, and I rush to the black bars. As soon as my bare hands touch the metal, a stinging, burning sensation sears me. Hissing in pain, I peer down at my singed palms.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t touch the bars. They’re made of silver. Don’t let the color trick you!” the man calls from where we came, on his way out.

  “We have to get out of here!” My wolf frantically panics.

  “Oh really? You think we should?” I seethe at her sarcastically. I take a deep breath to calm down. “Sorry, I’m just scared.”

  I am torn from my thoughts by a sudden movement in the far corner of the cell. It is too shadowy and dark to tell if anyone is there, so I stand up straight, trying to find an ounce of courage I may have.

  “Hello?”

  “Help…me.” The voice is feminine and weak as if she has been sitting in here for decades.

  Immediately, I rush into the darkness and try to feel around for anything. Then a hand lightly touches mine, and I grab it.

  “I’m going to pull you where it has more light, okay?”

  I warn the person, but I get no answer. What if she is dying? I do not think twice before pulling her where the light shines through the small window in the hallway.

  When I look down, I see a girl maybe a few years older than me. I gasp when my eyes reach her leg. There is an enormous gash on it, and it is most likely infected. Dirt from the floor covers her face, and there are small cuts and bruises all over her body. The clothes she is wearing are all tattered and stained with blood.

  “Oh gosh! What happened to you?”

  Her head slowly turns towards me, and her dull eyes stare into mine. “I-I was trying to get home, bu-but I accidentally c-crossed on a territory.” She breathes out.

  Her voice is dry and hoarse, and I know she must be dying for a drink.

  “But your leg?”

  “They attacked m-me.” Her head moves back onto its side, and the girl takes in a small breath.

  I peer back down at her leg, and it looks to be bleeding.

  I quickly take off my jacket and wrap it around her leg. I try to tie it the best that I can to stop the blood from seeping out.

  “Thank you,” she mumbles.

  “I wish I could do more, but—” I look around the cell “—there is not much in here. How long have you been in here?”

  “I’m not sure. M-maybe a couple of days.”

  Who could be this cruel? Trapping people in cells until they rot. What kind of land have I stumbled onto?

  After a while of sitting in silence, exhaustion starts to come over me, but I have nowhere to sleep but the cold cement floor.

  “Goodnight,” I say to the girl, yet her eyes are already closed.

  I do not get any answer, so I assume she must be asleep.

  I sigh and turn on my back, looking up at the blank, gray ceiling.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here,” my wolf says.

  “I sure hope so.” I close my eyes, hoping this is all a cruel nightmare.

  Please, let me wake up in my bed. Let me wake up at home where I am safe.

  Chapter 2

  I am jolted awake by the sounds of footsteps hitting the cement floors. I push myself from the cold, hard ground and yawn. My body aches and my bones are chilled. It was like sleeping in a freezer. A dusty, potent freezer meant to hold dead bodies. This entire building feels like a death chamber.

  I glance at the other girl in the cell. She seems to still be sleeping.

  My hands run down my face, and when I look at my palms, there are thin streaks of dirt on them. I am thirsty. My mouth is like a dessert that has not seen rain in years. I wonder what Grandmother is doing and what she is thinking. If she is panicking, hopefully, she does not have a heart attack. I just need to get back to her.

  The footsteps grow louder until the man from yesterday stops in front of the bars of the cell. A glare hardens on my face as he opens the door and motions for me to go with him. It would not be smart of me to refuse. I glance back at the girl. I do not want to leave her, but I will find a way to get her out too. I struggle to my feet with a sore back and trudge towards the man. He shuts and locks the door after I am out.

  “Do I have to drag you, or can you obediently follow? Well, if you try to run, I will have to kill you,” he says.

  I nervously nod my head and follow him out of the brick building. When the sun hits me, I am blinded. My eyes burn from the sudden light. I rub them until it does not sting to have them open.

  “This way,” the man orders.

  I trail behind him as we walk from the brick building and towards the houses in the distance. The closer we get, the more I study them. There are about three houses in a row, much farther in the distance.

  The three homes are vast, but the one in the middle is mesmerizing. It is white on the outside with accents of gray stone. We hurry to the front steps, and I feel a little on edge when the man knocks on the two grand, white doors.

  It does not take long before a handsome, young guy opens one of them.

  “What ya got, Andrew?” he asks the man, excited just from this small encounter.

  I can tell he is an overall happy person.

  All of a sudden, a dog of some breed comes running out the door and straight towards me. I have never seen a dog in person before.

  “Bruiser! Get back here!”

  I immediately crouch down and start to pet the sweet thing. I have always wanted a dog, but Grandma said if I can barely take care of myself, I cannot take care of an animal, though I was a child when she told me that.

  “Hey there. Aren’t you just a big sweetheart?” I coo at the slobbering dog.

  His stubby tail wags like crazy. He jumps up at me, placing his paws on my shoulders and starts to lick my face. I let out a giggle, returning to some other version of myself who still wishes for pets.

  “You’re silly, aren’t you?”

  I peer up at the two people, and their expressions are full of surprise. I pat the dog on his head and stand up, remembering my position.

  “Um, okay, come on in. He’s in his office.” The guy at the door welcomes us, and the man, whose name is Andrew, leads me into the house.

  Andrew grabs my arm and pulls me down a long hallway. Portraits hang in between the windows that have silky curtains framing them like white waterfalls. They pool on the wooden floor. As we venture further into the lovely looking house, my heart starts to beat faster as if somet
hing is calling me to come closer.

  All I want is to get back home to Grandmother so I can get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. I miss her terribly, and I bet she is panicking like a child who cannot find their mother.

  We near two large gray doors, and I can tell that whatever is behind them is the thing calling me, whispering for me to burst through. An irresistible aroma floods the air. It is woodsy, fresh, and very masculine. I never want not to smell it as the particular scent has my knees wobbling. I start to breathe heavy as the temperature in this house begins to rise.

  “What’s happening?” I ask my wolf, in need of an explanation.

  “Mate.” She sounds different, and she is being affected by this hypnotic trance also.

  We reach the doors, and my wolf is utterly restless, not being able to calm down. Andrew chooses one of the two and knocks on it, and seconds later, I hear a low “Come in.”

  My heart thumps hard.

  Andrew slowly pushes the door open, and it takes a second but feels like an hour-long ordeal. My eyes dart into the room. Bookshelves line two opposite walls, and they are filled with hundreds of books. The walls are a dark gray, and the floor is clean dark wood. There are two comfortable looking seats placed in front of a grand wooden desk.

  Sitting behind the desk is a man.

  He has neat, deep brown hair, and it suits him well. Even though he is sitting down, I can tell he is well-built. The stranger’s fierce, dark green eyes glide up from the papers scattered on the desk as soon as I step in. I suck in a breath and stare at his addictive, handsome face. It is unreal, inconceivable.

  This creature set before me is something I could not fathom even in my wildest imagination. The scent took over my brain the second the door opened, and now I feel the intense need to breathe it in. His gaze burns through me, and unlike any time before, I worry about how I look. Dust and dirt from the cell cover my face, and I must look monstrous. His eyes roam my body, making me feel naked. He must be the alpha. Does he have this effect on everyone?

  “I brought the rogue,” Andrew says, reminding me of where I am.

  I do not realize I am holding my breath until the man behind the desk stands up, making me breathe out. The stranger is like a mighty statue of a warrior from long ago, and like the man beside me, he intimidates me so easily. My body slightly shakes under his harsh gaze, my knees grow weak, and my palms feel clammy. I force myself to look away, averting my eyes to my feet, as I cannot look at him any longer without realizing the truth.

  “Very well, you can leave.” His voice sends a shiver down my spine, and I have goosebumps on my arms.

  Inside, I cannot help but hope the order was for me, but it was not. I hear Andrew’s retreating footsteps as he flees the room. The sound of the door closing taunts me, but my gaze stays strictly glued to the floor.

  “Look up.”

  This time, his voice sounds smoother like a melody in my ears.

  “Look at me.”

  My breath hitches in my throat as he steps closer to me. I cannot bear to look at him. I cannot admit to the inevitable effect he has on me.

  “I said look up,” he repeats, sounding more serious like I am a child and he is scolding me.

  I start to panic.

  “Please, I didn’t k-know that I crossed into your…territory. I don’t even know what’s happening,” I ramble.

  Where is my wolf when I need her?

  Suddenly, his hand touches my jaw and tilts it up so that my eyes connect with his. My heart jumps from the electric feeling of his skin on mine as I obediently raised my head. Mate…Mate!

  His hand slowly slides from my jaw to the back of my neck, and I study his emerald green eyes, the eyes of my mate. I have found him—the person that Grandmother has told me so much about, the person that is supposed to matter so much. I cannot control the sudden need to be with him. He is a stranger, yet I have an abrupt need to please him.

  “What is your name?” he asks quietly, not moving his other hand while the other continues to rest on my back.

  I cannot focus. His touch is distracting.

  “Evangeline.” I breathe out. “I’m so sorry for what I did, but I have to go,” I say and glance away from his handsome face, landing my eyes on the wall.

  Maybe if I do not look at him, I will gain back the ability to speak properly. My mind is torn apart. A part of me doesn’t want to leave his arms forever, but the other knows I have to return home as soon as possible.

  “Who put you in the cell?” he asks, not fazed by my words.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You do,” he corrects me.

  “I don’t know his name.”

  The alpha makes me face him again. “Tell me, Evangeline.”

  Again, I refuse to answer. Andrew did indeed lock me in a cell, forcing me to lay in the dirt, but I will not turn him in. Something tells me he will be punished.

  “Why do you need to know who? They couldn’t have known.”

  “Nothing will happen to them,” he assures me, though I have my doubts.

  “If I tell you, can I go?”

  The alpha, my mate, nods.

  “Okay, it was Andrew, but—”

  “Marina,” he calls out.

  It only takes a few seconds for the doors to open, revealing a short woman with caramel colored hair. She has an apron wrapped around her body and white tennis shoes, ones that older women tend to wear, which is understandable. Her skin is tan and glowing.

  “Yes, alpha?” she asks quickly.

  “Take Evangeline and get her cleaned up.”

  Hearing him say my name makes my lips part. Never has it sounded so beautiful, so desirable. Before I know it, I am being led out of the room by the woman, Marina. When I climb out of the trance my mate placed me in, my eyes grow wide.

  “Wait. I have to go,” I tell her.

  She turns around with a soft, welcoming smile. “Come on, honey. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  “But—”

  “Come.” She links my arm with hers and leads me down a hall, then unexpectedly to a room upstairs.

  The room is at the end of the long hallway with two large doors. She pushes one open and pulls me in gently. My head spins when I enter the dark room as his scent is everywhere. Everything seems to hold it. In the center of it all is a bed, a bed with silky sheets peeking out from the side.

  My face flushes all possible shades of red. I tear my eyes away, and they land on a doorway, which connects a bathroom. Marina is inside, folding fluffy white towels and resting them on the edge of the substantial tub. Beside the bathtub is a modern dark brown tiled shower. Everything is dark.

  “I’ll leave you to shower, and I’ll grab some clothes from Fiona. They will be on the bed when you are done.” Before leaving, she smiles again.

  She looks excited, and I nervously smile back.

  I hear the door shut, and I know I am alone.

  Surely she cannot expect me to shower in a bathroom that does not belong to me or anyone I know. This is all so bizarre, but knowing my mate is downstairs, so close, makes me feel less uncomfortable. He said I could go home. He said it to my face, but the bond between us has blinded me.

  Maybe he meant after I get cleaned up? Oh gosh, I just want to be at home in my own bed, wrapped up like an infant. This has been the most insane, most unbelievable day of my life. How did the creek possess me? It is as if it grabbed onto my feet and used me like a puppet. He is why I felt so attached to the idea of crossing, and I know that now. I have found my mate, but look where the action has gotten me.

  Hesitantly, I take off my filthy clothes after checking to make sure the door is locked. Never have I felt so bare.

  Under the water’s current, my mind continues to question. The alpha, the stranger, my mate can play me like a violin, and a part of me won’t see the wrong in it. Something about him has me addicted. I am hooked on his every word, move, and breath. It is like he has cast a spell over me. Never have I been so
undecided.

  Of course, I cannot help but think about abandoning my old life, leaving it all behind to be with someone made for me. A mate, oh, how sweet the possibilities sound. Then there is the other half of me—the half that worries for my grandmother. What if she has gone out looking for me, and what if she accidentally crosses the land as I did? They cannot put a fragile old lady in a grimy, noxious cage as they did to me.

  The warmth of the water leaves me.

  Stepping out, I grab one of the towels and cover myself. Marina told me the clothes would be on the bed, so I look out into the bedroom and thankfully find the pile there. The bedroom door is closed, so I venture out and quickly change. Still feeling somewhat bare, though the borrowed clothing covers me, I grab a robe from the bathroom and wrap it around myself.

  Staring into the mirror above the counter, I sigh. Anxiety, caused by all this is keeping me from leaving the room. What if he is out there? What if he tells me that I can never go home? I cannot stay in here and curse myself continuously for wandering over the stream and throwing myself into this mess. Wishing it never happened will not get me out of this situation.

  My mate, gosh, he is intimidating. His eyes alone have me begging for mercy. There is not enough courage inside of me to stand up to a man like him, and that is not even acknowledging that he is an alpha.

  “How could you do this?”

  “What have I done?” she softly asks, though she knows what I mean.

  I am sure of it.

  Glancing to the side, I see her looking at me with the same eyes that she always has ever since I was a child. Every time I peer into them, they bring me back to the times that aren’t so pleasant before my grandmother took me in, reminding me of the pain.

  “Why now?”

  “The choice was yours.”

  “It hardly was. Not with all the feelings poking at me to cross over. You know that I barely had a choice. Now, look where I am. How do I get back home?”

  The Moon Goddess only says, “Evangeline, you are home. Finally, a place where you can be accepted.”

  I swallow. “My parents couldn’t accept me. What makes you believe this man you have set me with will? Because he is my mate? It doesn’t make sense. My own mother kept me hidden, so why should he listen or believe me?”