Her Wolf Mate

by Hannah Lin

  not the time. It's better to bide your time and look for an

  opening. Don't rush into anything like you did last time.”

  I felt my breath come faster and my heart slammed in my

  chest. This conversation was getting more infuriating by the

  minute.

  “Bide my time, huh? How long have you been doing that?”

  For the first time in a long time, Liana's stone cold exterior

  melted, and hurt flashed across her face. My throat

  constricted. I'd hit a nerve, and I hated that.

  “I'm sorry,” I whispered.

  “Look,” Liana said, a hard edge to her voice. “If you don't

  go, you'll create trouble for us all. Think of Justin.” Liana left

  the room, leaving me with guilty thoughts.

  A few weeks ago, I'd refused to accompany my father to

  one of his work parties. He'd always asked me to attend,

  and I had always obliged, knowing that with my father, the

  path of least resistance was better. Besides, he didn't have

  a wife to accompany him after things with my mother ended

  badly.

  My father and I weren't close. I knew it disappointed him

  that I didn't go into military life or something he considered

  appropriate. And I understood he was a cold, driven man

  who had no time to raise a child. I'd learned that a long time

  ago.

  So, we’d co-existed in a live and let live situation for most

  of my life. But when I refused to attend the party a few

  weeks ago, my father had been furious. This prompted a

  visit from my cousin, Taylor.

  Taylor had rumbled on about my duty as a daughter, and

  when that didn't work, he'd done something I never

  expected. My cousin had revealed the glorious work that he

  helped my father carry out on Zov's behalf, going into

  details about their latest mission. Taylor's dark brown eyes

  shone as horror filled my heart.

  My father ran a suicide bomber cell, and my cousin helped

  him. I quickly kicked Taylor out, promising I’d think about

  attending the party. But as soon as he left, I snuck out

  through the back window of the cellar and made a run for it.

  Literally.

  I hitched a ride from a stranger and was soon within the

  walls of the Testean embassy, waiting for an audience with

  some important higher up. All I'd told them was that I had

  vital information to share. The young man that received me

  had his doubts. Then I told him that my father, a major in

  the Zovite army, ran a suicide bomber cell that was

  planning an attack on Mabos.

  The young man's face blanched, and he ran out of the

  room, promising to return with someone higher up. Before

  he could, Justin, one of my father's guards, stormed into the

  room and dragged me away.

  After that, things moved quickly. My father was furious

  with everything and everyone. He blamed Taylor for

  revealing the truth to me, interrogated all his guards, and

  fired Justin. I wanted to tell my father that Justin had no part

  in all of this, but he'd stopped talking to me by then.

  I took a deep breath and pulled my shoulders back. I

  would not be responsible for another life. In my father's line

  of work, anything could have happened to Justin.

  I ran up to my room and packed a bag of clothes.

  Realizing that I didn't even know where we were going, I

  packed a mixture of clothes for summer and winter. With my

  father not talking to me, and still furious over the fact that

  his daughter had been so eager to betray him, it was best

  that I take my comfort in my own hands.

  After packing, I sat on my bed. “I can't believe I'm doing

  this.”

  I was about to spend days on end with my father and his

  men. The guards that stayed at the house, and

  accompanied me when I went out, were friendly enough,

  but the men my father worked with had an air of danger and

  perversion about them.

  Simon was the sweetest, but when he was around the

  other guys, he turned into someone else. I shook my head.

  It wasn't like I had plenty of friends to begin with. I clapped

  my hands and rose, carrying my bags down the long flight

  of stairs. By the time I got to the bottom, Liana was waiting

  for me with a stern look on her face.

  “Travel safely, and make sure you steer clear of your

  father's men,” she said.

  I smiled and hugged the older woman. That was the most

  affection she allowed, but it spoke volumes. It meant that

  Liana had forgiven me and that she hoped nothing bad

  happened on my trip.

  “Thanks, Lil,” I said, shortening her name in a way that I

  knew she secretly liked. It was an odd relationship we

  shared. But then again, what hope did I have of regular

  relationships with the upbringing I'd had?

  My mother, I'd been told, was a traitor who now lived in

  Testea. That left me with a military father who was never

  around, and when he was, his coldness filled our house. The

  other kids kept away from me because of my mother's

  reputation, but also because of the wolf heritage I got from

  her. Wolfs were a minority in Zov, and so, I had always been

  alone. Except at work. My coworkers were lovely, but I

  suspected that had more to do with their fear of my father.

  “Off you go,” Liana said, pushing me away.

  I stepped out into the cloudy day and sighed. There was

  no turning back now.

  “Ah, Maddie,” Simon called, stepping out of the van. “Do

  you need help with your bags?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I'm a wolf, remember? I may not be as

  strong as a bear, but I can manage.”

  I walked down the stairs and cursed the day I ran to the

  Testean embassy for the thousandth time. Now, my father

  never let me leave the house without at least three guards.

  And apparently, I couldn’t stay home by myself if he was

  going off the planet.

  “Hi,” a tall, lithe woman greeted, appearing out of

  nowhere. I looked up at her and did my best to keep my jaw

  from dropping. Had the woman been in the car with Simon

  all this time? How had I not noticed her?

  The woman had dark brown hair and the brightest blue

  eyes I had ever seen. Her curves were subtle, but difficult to

  miss, and the muscles of her arms stretched the sleeves of

  her t-shirt nicely. I licked my lips as I imagined what the

  woman looked like naked. I was sure that toned abs and a

  tight butt would be part of the visual feast.

  “I'm Kate,” the goddess supplied with a cheeky grin.

  I cleared my throat and lifted my eyes to her face. Kate

  knew how ridiculously good looking she was, and the last

  thing I would ever do was fan a person’s ego. Besides, Kate

  was a murderer who worked for my father, wreaking havoc

  all over the universe.

  I brushed past the taller woman and made my way to the

  back of the van. I threw my bag in through the open doors

  and walked around the vehicle, ready to settle into the

  passenger seat.

  “I'm afraid I ca
n't let you sit there,” Simon said, moving

  closer.

  “Why the hell not?” I said, folding my arms.

  Kate had already thrown me off balance with her sex

  appeal. My wolf was stirring within me, eager to get closer

  to Kate. I had to hold her off. I needed to get laid, but Kate

  was not the woman for that, nor was this the time.

  “I've heard stories about your escape from vehicles over

  the years,” Simon said. “I'm afraid I can't take that chance.

  You'll sit in the back with Kate.”

  I scoffed, then turned to find Kate leaning against the van

  with her arms and legs crossed. The lazy smile on her face

  told me she'd been watching me for a long time and liked

  what she saw. Butterflies filled my stomach as I swallowed

  thickly.

  Why does this criminal of a bear get under my skin like no

  other woman has? I wondered.

  She's not a bear, my wolf said, excitedly. She's a dragon

  and our mate.

  My heartbeat thrashed in my ears as my skin tingled.

  Mate. This woman was my mate.

  After all these years alone. Never having friends or a

  genuine relationship that lasted once anyone found out who

  my father was. After all this time, I'd found my mate.

  I stood rooted, unable to move or blink. Kate's eyebrows

  furrowed as she regarded me. The concern in her blue eyes

  rose with each second our eyes remained locked. Gods, Kate

  was my mate, and she was worried. Since when had anyone

  cared about my emotional well-being?

  I turned around, needing to break the intense connection.

  Kate undoubtedly knew we were mates. How was I going to

  spend the next few days or weeks by her side pretending I

  didn’t know of our connection? I had no intention of mating

  a murderer.

  “Your father said to use force if we have to,” Simon said,

  his voice laced with worry. “Will I have to do that?”

  I shook my head. “I'll go,” I croaked. The poor guy had

  missed the entire exchange. He probably thought we had a

  face off.

  Hah! I thought. How could I face down a dragon?

  Simon doesn't know Kate is a dragon, my wolf supplied.

  My breath hitched. That was right. As usual, my wolf was

  one step ahead of me. When I first scented Kate, I thought

  the blue-eyed woman was a bear. Now, as I took a stronger

  whiff and concentrated, there was a trace of a dragon.

  I turned sharply and stared at Kate. Whoever she was, she

  wasn't Zovite. All Zov's dragons, the few that we had, were

  forced to fight on the front lines.

  Kate was from another planet. And she had a potion that

  hid her dragon scent and made her smell like a bear. My

  skin tingled as I breathed a sigh of relief. My mate was not

  one of my father's people. Kate did not kidnap innocents

  and send them to their deaths.

  That relief was short-lived as my stomach dropped. If my

  wolf had figured it out so quickly, couldn't my father do the

  same? Or did it have something to do with the fact that we

  were mates? I hurried to the back of the van, needing to

  have a serious chat with Kate. Whoever she was, and

  whatever she was doing, she was playing a dangerous

  game.

  Kate followed me into the van and shut the door behind

  us. I heard Simon turn a key in the door, locking us in like a

  herd of cattle. I couldn’t even get mad. There were much

  more critical issues at hand.

  “Who are you?” I asked once the van started moving.

  Kate grinned. “I’m your mate, and you’re mine.”

  My heart fluttered at the way Kate said those words. The

  taller woman was so possessive, so sure, and I wanted

  nothing more than to replay those words while lying in her

  arms, naked, after a few hours of what I imagined would be

  spectacular sex.

  Focus, I chided myself.

  “I know that,” I said. “But who are you? You smell like a

  bear, but my wolf says you’re a dragon. Zov’s dragons are

  all on the front lines, so you’re not from here. Where are you

  from?”

  Kate’s smile dropped, and genuine panic settled onto her

  face. My mate was in some deep shit, and there was still a

  chance she wasn’t one of the good guys.

  Just my luck, I thought.

  “I guess I can trust you since we’re mates,” Kate said.

  I folded my arms warily, not in any hurry to hear about

  what mess my mate was in. Kate must have done

  something terrible if she had to hide her dragon scent. A

  powerful creature like her should only have feared her kind.

  “I’m an undercover Testean soldier,” she said. “And I’m

  here to take down your father’s operation.”

  CHAPTER 3

  KATE

  I watched Maddie’s head jerk back. That was the last thing

  she’d been expecting. I knew it was a risk to reveal the

  truth, but Maddie was my mate, and her wolf had seen past

  the magic and scent I wore to conceal my identity. That

  thought alone made my chest warm. That kind of deep

  connection was everything I’d ever hoped for.

  Yeah, but how does she feel about you killing her father?

  my dragon asked.

  That poured a bucket of cold water over me. Simon had

  said Maddie hated her father’s men, but she didn’t know

  what they did. I had just jumped the gun in a big way.

  What if, when Maddie found out what they did, she

  believed her father was on the right side of things? What if,

  when she found out the truth, she didn’t want me to kill

  Carter?

  I ran a hand down my face. “Okay, that was wrong of me

  to blurt out. We need to talk about things.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened as she nodded. “So, my message

  got through.”

  “What message?” I asked, cocking my head.

  “A few weeks ago, I found out what my father really does.

  I went to the Testean embassy to get them to stop what he

  was about to do, but I didn’t get to deliver the message

  fully. I guess the kid behind the desk took me seriously.”

  My jaw hung open. Immediately after finding out the truth

  about Carter, Maddie’s first instinct had been to go straight

  to Testea. It was a heartfelt move, but it had put her life in

  danger. What if one of Zov’s spies in the embassy had found

  her?

  I shook my head. “That was a dangerous move.”

  “You think I don’t know that?” Maddie snapped. “I was

  overwhelmed, and I needed to do something.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just thinking out loud.” I smiled bashfully. “I

  rarely do that. So, what stopped you from delivering your

  message?”

  “Justin.” Maddie hung her head. “He was one of my

  father’s guards. He must have followed me. My father was

  furious.”

  I pictured the already scary Carter angry and winced. “Did

  he do anything to you?” Maddie was my mate, and while

  she could protect herself, I still felt the need to do all I could

  for her. I would repay every harm Carter might have caused
/>
  her with a slower, more painful death.

  “No. He just yelled.” Maddie sighed. “I can’t believe that

  my father runs a suicide bomber cell.”

  I moved to the opposite side of the van and sat beside

  Maddie. While I desperately wanted to take her in my arms

  and comfort her, I knew that things between us were new.

  We were strangers, after all.

  I patted Maddie’s shoulder, then withdrew. “There was no

  way for you to know. No one else on Zov does.”

  “But maybe I could have dug a little deeper. Paid more

  attention. I was always so busy with my charity work that I

  just assumed he was doing regular military stuff.”

  “What kind of charity work do you do?”

  Maddie’s brown eyes were wide as she faced me. “With all

  that’s going on, that’s what you want to know?”

  “Yes.” I shrugged. “I want to know everything about my

  mate.”

  Maddie's nostrils flared as she took a deep breath and

  shut her eyes. “Okay. We need to pump the brakes on this

  whole mate thing.”

  Ouch, I thought, as I moved back to my spot opposite her.

  “Can I ask why?” I said.

  Maddie opened her eyes and pinned me in place with

  them. “It’s distracting, and right now, distraction is the last

  thing we need if you're going to get out of this alive,

  hopefully with me in tow.”

  I grinned. “So, you'd come with me?”

  “Of course!” Maddie chuckled. “I've been planning an

  escape for weeks.”

  Double ouch, my dragon said.

  Oh, shut up, I responded.

  “Well, I can help with that,” I said.

  “Good, now let's talk strategy. How are we going to get my

  father into Testean hands? He's a big guy, and a lot of his

  men are good fighters. Are you going to use a trap of some

  sort to lure him in?”

  I folded my arms and stared at the floor. Maddie didn't

  understand what I did. She thought that Carter's

  punishment would be a lifelong sentence. How could I tell

  her that in a matter of days or weeks, he'd be dead, and by

  my hands too?

  “Hey,” Maddie said, scooting forward in her seat. “What's

  wrong? You checked out for a minute there.”

  I let out a deep breath. “My mission is to infiltrate your

  father's cell, learn as much about his operations, then kill

  him and his top men.”

  “What?” Maddie’s face went white as a sheet, and she