Her Wolf Mate

by Hannah Lin

see. And she'd avoided me all day for fear of worrying me.

  That was the only explanation. Kate was a protector, and

  she probably didn't want to scare me with stories of what

  she'd seen.

  I sighed. Yup. Things between us would be complicated.

  Kate would have to learn to open up to me about the worst

  parts of her job. I would have to learn to wait for her to open

  up to me, before listening and sympathizing without

  showing discomfort or passing judgment.

  Whoever said life with a mate was easy was lying, I

  thought.

  Before I drifted off to sleep, the door to my room flew

  open. I screamed as I fought to sit up. Kate had already

  jumped out of bed and stood at the foot of my bed,

  protecting me. How she'd woken up so fast and acted, I’d

  never know, but I was glad she had.

  “Kai,” Kate hissed, shutting the door behind her Second.

  Kai moved into the room, running shaky hands through his

  silver hair. Kate glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with

  you? You scared Maddie half to death.”

  My heart swelled to see that Kate's first instinct was to

  defend me.

  “I'm fine,” I said, pulling my blanket over my chest. “What

  brings you here, Kai?”

  I had never heard Kai speak. He seemed to be the quiet

  type. The broken voice that escaped his throat was the last

  sound I’d been expecting.

  “I messed up.” Kai took a shaky breath. “I really messed

  up, and we need to get out of here.”

  Kate pulled the chair from the corner of the room and set

  it before Kai. “Sit,” she said, before crawling onto the bed

  beside me.

  Kai shook his head, his breath coming faster. “No. We

  need to move. Now.”

  “Tell me why,” Kate said, her voice calm.

  “Taylor. I was with Taylor.”

  Kate hissed. “I warned you about him.”

  “And I should have listened, but he just kept coming on to

  me, you know? And then one thing led to another, and we

  ended up in bed—”

  “Please spare me the details,” I said, raising a hand.

  “Sorry.” Kai sat down on the chair and placed his elbows

  on his knees. “We started having sex, but then I got carried

  away. My eyes glowed, and they must have turned to slits,

  because the next thing I knew, he shoved me away and

  accused me of being a dragon. I knocked him out, but who

  knows when he'll wake up.”

  “Fuck,” I said, at the same time Kate said, “You've been

  made.”

  Kai's voice cracked when he next spoke. “I’ve let you

  down. I've let Testea down. Heck, I've let myself down. I did

  something unforgivable: I slept with the enemy.”

  “Sleeping with the enemy isn't unforgivable,” Kate said,

  her voice shaky. “Slitting two children's throats because

  they won't respond to a suppression potion is unforgivable. I

  should know. I did it last night.”

  My eyes bulged as I stared at Kate, who stared at me with

  shame written all over her face. Her hands shook, and I

  reached out to take them in mine. “I'm so sorry you had to

  do that,” I said.

  “No, I'm sorry,” Kate said. “I've done nothing remotely

  close to that. It was messing with my mind, and I didn't

  want you to see me like that.”

  “Uh, I know it's not my place to say this,” Kai said, “But I

  think you handled yourself well. You did it so fast. We all

  stood there in shock long after you left. I would never, and I

  mean this, never have the balls to do that. Team ritual or

  not.”

  “Oh, honey,” I said, scooting up to Kate, wrapping her in a

  hug. “I'm so sorry you had to do that. I'm so sorry Carter

  made you do that.” I was done referring to Carter as my

  father. He was nothing but a sperm donor, and a truly evil

  one at that.

  Kai cleared his throat, and I pulled away. My heart was in

  pieces as guilt over asking Kate to take time to find an

  alternative to killing Carter gnawed at me. If I’d given her

  the go-ahead and helped her gather information actively,

  we could have left the cell by now, and Kate would never

  have had to kill two innocent children.

  “We'll talk later,” Kate whispered, placing a kiss on my

  cheek. Then she stood up, and Kate, my mate, disappeared.

  In her place stood Kate, the soldier.

  “All right,” she said. “How long has it been since you ran

  over here?”

  “About five minutes,” Kai said.

  Kate nodded to herself. “Okay. Based on Taylor's size, he

  should be out at least another ten minutes. That gives us

  barely enough time to get to the holding cells and release

  the couriers.”

  “What about Carter?” I asked.

  Kate turned to me and shook her head. “He'll get what's

  coming to him, eventually. We’ve got enough information to

  get Mabos to lock down their borders, and we should be

  able to release the couriers and get them to safety. I'd

  rather have this classified as a failed mission than have any

  of us die trying to complete it.”

  “I can't believe I slept with Taylor,” Kai said, his voice full

  of disbelief. I felt sorry for him. Based on what Kate had told

  me, he was a hotshot. His career could be in real danger.

  “Don't feel bad about that,” I said. “Taylor can be pretty

  persuasive.”

  Kate nodded. “We all make mistakes. I won't mention this

  to the Major General if you don't.”

  My heart swelled. Here we were, minutes away from

  disaster, and Kate still had the foresight to look out for a

  friend.

  Kai stood up and cracked his neck. Something in him had

  woken up. “Don't. I'll take responsibility for my actions. It's

  the least I can do. Let's get out of here, and salvage what

  we can.”

  I got out of bed, not caring about my bra-less state, and

  pulled on a pair of shoes.

  “Wait,” Kate said, moving up behind me. “I need you to be

  safe.” She threw a vial onto the ground, and a purple orb

  appeared in its place: a transport portal.

  “No,” I said, taking a step back. “You can't ask me to

  leave. Where does that portal even go to?”

  “Testea. If you step through it, you'll come out near our

  military academy. It's an exit point that we often use in case

  of emergencies. Several well-trained guards are stationed

  there ready to receive both you and the couriers we send

  after you.”

  I folded my arms. “Let's imagine I agree to go through this

  portal. What will I even say? I'm not Testean or one of the

  kidnapped couriers. I'm from Zov, and Carter's daughter.

  They'll pounce on me within seconds.”

  Kate reached around her neck and pulled out a medallion

  with a golden dragon on it. “Give them this. They'll know a

  Testean soldier sent you.”

  I froze, and my lip trembled. Kate was dead serious about

  me leaving. I wasn't hurt that she thought me incapable of

 
staying out of the way. It upset me that she thought my

  feelings for her were so shallow that I’d go so easily.

  “I'm not leaving you, Kate. So, don't ask.”

  Kate got onto her knees. “I'm not asking, I'm begging.

  Maddie, I've not known you very long, but I love you. I can't

  fight and release all those people if I'm worried about you.

  I'd always put you first, and all those people, those children,

  would suffer. Please, I beg you. Go. Be safe. Wait for me.

  Then I'll come to you, and we can start our lives together, in

  our new home, wherever you want that to be.”

  My eyes watered, and my heart thudded painfully against

  my chest. Kate said she loved me. My mate loved me. So

  much so that she was willing to live wherever I wanted to.

  Kate was a lot of things, but underneath it all, she was a

  loving soul. I was glad I got to call her mine.

  “Uh, guys,” Kai said. “I hate to interrupt, but the ten-

  minute window you gave Taylor to wake up is closing fast.”

  I wiped my cheeks and pulled Kate up to me.

  I kissed her hard and then hugged her tightly. “I love you

  too,” I said, before grabbing her medallion and stepping into

  the portal. The dizziness of the portal as the magic

  transported me through space and time didn't impair me

  like it usually did. All I could do was pray that Kate came

  back to me because one thing was true: Carter was a

  ferocious fighter, and his men outnumbered Kate and Kai

  ten to one.

  It was going to be a fight to the death, but I had faith in

  Kate. Unlike Carter and his men, she was fighting to come

  back to her mate. And that was the kind of motivation that

  defeated darkness like Carter’s.

  CHAPTER 9

  KATE

  Once Maddie left, my chest expanded as I took a deep

  breath. All I needed to know was that she was safe, and the

  medallion I’d given her was the one I’d won a few months

  ago. Any Testean would understand what it meant.

  “What’s the plan?” Kai asked.

  “We wing it.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yup.” I took a step toward Kai and placed a hand on his

  shoulder. “We both let this mission get to us. Let’s do what

  we can by freeing the couriers and get back to Testea.

  Deal?”

  Kai hung his head. “Deal.”

  I clapped his back and opened the door so we could sneak

  out quietly. None of us should have been anywhere near

  Maddie’s room and getting caught now would only add

  problems to our already impossible task.

  Kai was down, but I trusted him to get back up. That he

  owned up to his mistake meant he was well on his way.

  Some of the best soldiers I had seen had risen from the

  ashes of mistakes. Kai would be something special if he

  could get through the self-hate and humiliation he was

  feeling.

  When I got to the end of the hallway, I raised a fist in

  signal for Kai to stop. I peered down at the staircase and

  saw no one on the landing. I waved Kai forward, and we

  descended the stairs.

  I could have opened a mental communication with Kai,

  something several dragons did, but I knew Kai wouldn’t

  want that. He was in a vulnerable place mentally, and the

  last thing he needed was for me to listen in on his most

  private thoughts. So, hand signals and whispers would have

  to do tonight.

  Once we got to the landing, we spotted a single guard

  standing right outside the barracks with his phone in his

  hands. I shook my head. Even in this communication black

  spot, the young man still sought comfort from technology.

  He was probably looking through photos, feeling like he was

  missing out.

  I turned to Kai and pointed to my chest, signaling that I

  would take the guard down. Kai nodded sharply, then pried

  the door open quietly. I took two large but silent steps and

  wrapped my left arm around the guard’s neck while

  covering his mouth with my right hand.

  I squeezed as hard as I could, grateful for my advantage

  in height, which made it easier for me to execute the

  maneuver. Within seconds, the guard’s legs gave out. I

  gently dragged him to the side of the door, behind a bush.

  Kai gave me a thumbs up before shutting the door quietly

  behind him. We hurried toward the warehouse where the

  couriers slept. When we approached, I saw Simon standing

  guard outside.

  “Fuck,” I whispered.

  Simon had been kind to me this entire time. Fighting the

  older bear to the death was the last thing I wanted to do.

  And it would come to death because I knew very well just

  how trapped Simon was.

  I looked at Kai as we approached. “Let me talk to him.”

  Kai raised an eyebrow in question, then shrugged. Gods.

  Him not having a retort worried me, but I didn’t have time to

  dwell on it.

  When we got closer, we made sure Simon heard our

  footsteps. He crouched ready for a fight, then straightened

  when he saw Kai and me.

  “What the hell are you two doing here?” Simon asked.

  I swallowed thickly. “I don’t want to kill you, Simon. Please

  get out of our way.”

  My voice was strong, even though I felt anything but.

  Simon stared at me for a good minute before he hung his

  head. “I knew it. You’re a spy, aren’t you?”

  “I am,” I said, taking a step forward when I sensed

  Simon’s reluctance to fight me. “A Testean dragon, to be

  specific. How did you know?”

  “My bear told me I could trust you. He trusts no one

  around here.”

  Kai and I chuckled.

  Simon’s smile dropped. “I assume you want to free the

  couriers.”

  “We do,” Kai said. “Once we get them out, we’ll leave.”

  “You should know that we made a mistake,” I said. “Any

  minute now, Carter and his men will be here. Do you want

  me to knock you out so you can play innocent? Or would

  you consider following the couriers to Testea and seeking

  asylum?”

  Simon ran a hand over his face, and his green eyes

  seemed to brighten. “Neither.”

  “What?” Kai said. “You can’t just stay here. That would be

  signing your death warrant.”

  “I already did that a long time ago. All I want to do now is

  help you free these people. I’m done with this life. I’d rather

  go down for something good than survive in this hell.”

  My heart softened. For the first time, I heard Simon’s age

  in his voice. Decades with Carter couldn’t have been an

  easy reality.

  “What about your son?” I asked.

  Simon shook his head. “We don’t have the best

  relationship. I left both he and my mate once this job started

  getting to me. You can’t just kidnap and kill children, then

  go home to your family. I’ve saved up money that gets sent

  to both of them every month. That should continue to

  happen long after I’m gone.”

  I inhaled
. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  Simon squeezed my shoulder. “I am. It’s time I do

  something good with my life. Stop being a victim.”

  “Okay, good. That means that you can leave, Kai.”

  “Excuse me?” Kai asked, his voice tight. “I may have

  messed up, but this is still my mission.”

  “I know it is, but I need you to do something for me.” I

  locked gazes with my Second. “It’s an enormous risk, but I

  trust you, and I think it will help us all sleep better at night.”

  “Okay.” Kai folded his arms.

  “I need you to take the two children we found last night

  and return them to their settlement. There’s a good chance

  someone survived. If no one did, then I need you to go to

  the nearest settlement and see if anyone will take them in.

  It’s my understanding that Earth shifters stick together.

  When you’re done, return to Testea, and I’ll do everything in

  my power to see that your rank isn’t stripped.”

  Kai bit his bottom lip and blinked rapidly. He was probably

  fighting tears. “I can do that.”

  “Thank you.”

  I threw my final vial onto the ground and opened a

  transport portal. I turned to Simon. “Open all the cells

  quickly. Let’s get the kids out first.”

  Simon nodded and moved fast. He opened the cell, which

  held the two newest couriers. Kai picked them up, then

  turned and nodded to me. He was on his own, and if

  anything went wrong, Testea would disown him, but I

  trusted Kai to get the job done.

  Once Kai left, Simon and I worked tirelessly. We opened

  cells and woke their occupants. We convinced them we were

  the good guys now, before leading them to the portal. This

  went on for a good five minutes until I heard footsteps

  approaching.

  “Shit.” I ushered the last child through the portal, all but

  pushing her through. I turned to Simon.

  “Are you ready?”

  Simon nodded. “What’s the plan?”

  “You get all the couriers through, no matter what. I’ll do

  my best to hold them off.”

  I stepped forward, making sure I left enough of a gap

  between myself and the warehouse so that the couriers

  could move through quickly. When Carter finally reached the

  warehouse, I folded my arms and spread my legs in a

  dominant stance. That stance was a clear signal of a

  challenge to Carter, one he’d want to discuss. I hoped I

  could keep him talking long enough so that Simon could get