Reluctant Mate

by H Q Kingsley

  I found myself enchanted by his wolf, mesmerized by the way he moved. He was so swift and dangerous, I might have been impressed if that danger weren’t pointed at my father. He bared his teeth and growled, and my father’s wolf matched him, growling back with a viciousness I’d never seen in him before. Him or his wolf. Something was being unleashed in him, and it suddenly left me frightened.

  “Iosefa, you’ll want to back away,” Alpha Rayden told me, as he stretched out his arm to push me back.

  The moment he did, Alpha Callum snarled and lunged at my father with his teeth bared to show sharp fangs.

  My father dodged out of the way, but he was far too slow, and Alpha Callum grabbed his tail in his teeth.

  My father whipped his head back and howled in pain.

  “Father!” I yelled out, wanting to help him, but Alpha Rayden held me back.

  My father struggled to break free from Alpha Callum’s clutches, and with his hind legs, he kicked dirt into his eyes. It made Alpha Callum release my father’s tail, and he managed to escape.

  I gasped, the pit in my stomach deepening with every moment I watched them.

  My father backed away from Alpha Callum, who stood there trying to shake off the dirt that had landed in his eyes.

  He charged for the Alpha and used his body to slam into the distracted wolf.

  But just as he made impact, Alpha Callum’s head snapped up. He opened his mouth, clamping his jaw shut around the back of my father’s neck. I cried out and watched as the black wolf had his paw pressed down on my father’s head and his fanged mouth gripping his neck.

  “He warned him that he would kill him,” Alpha Callum’s partner said with a nonchalant shrug as he stood off to the side, flanked by his friends. No. I shook my head. I couldn’t let this happen. I wouldn’t let my father die for me, for something that was happening to me and that I was supposed to do. Goddess above, why have you done this to me?

  I was the fated mate of the Shadow Moon Clan Alpha. That was no one’s responsibility but my own.

  “Stop!” I called out, raising my hands as I approached the two tangled beasts.

  Alpha Callum shifted his cold eyes to me and slowly removed his jaws from around my father’s neck.

  My father whimpered in pain, and it shattered me into a million pieces.

  I flinched as guilt flooded me. I had caused him this pain. It was all on me.

  I looked down, my hands gripping at the hem of my shirt. I blinked back the tears burning at the backs of my eyes. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t make anyone feel sorry for me.

  “I’ll do it,” I said softly.

  What was that? Alpha Callum’s voice forced its way into my head. I didn’t quite hear that, Iosefa.

  I glanced over at my father. Alpha Callum’s paw was still on his head and dark red blood stained his gray coat and the dusty ground around him.

  “I’ll come with you of my own accord,” I said, shifting my gaze to Alpha Callum. “But you’ll let my father go now.”

  Alpha Rayden called my name and my father whined and tried to move from under the murderous Alpha’s massive paw, but I had made my choice. And like my father, I was too stubborn to be swayed.

  Alpha Callum cocked his head to the side, and for a moment, I thought he might not listen. But he surprised me by removing his paw and taking a step back.

  I didn’t hesitate and immediately ran to my father’s side.

  “Father!” I cried out, and I crumbled to the ground, embracing his wolf.

  I touched his bloody coat and rage built inside of me. I hated Alpha Callum. I would go with him. I would be his mate in title only, but I would never love him. Not after this. I couldn’t.

  I nestled my face into my father’s fur. “It’s okay, Father. It’ll be okay.”

  My blood went cold as I felt Alpha Callum rattling around in my head again.

  Good boy, Iosefa.

  5

  Elspeth Callum

  I crossed my arms over my chest, trying my hardest not to let my impatience get the best of me. I’d already nearly killed his father, so interrupting Iosefa’s long, teary goodbye with his family and village probably wouldn’t win me any extra points with him.

  “He’s quite the family man, isn’t he?” Dimitri said next to me, leaning his weight against the boat.

  I grunted, but it wasn’t impatience. It was jealousy. I was jealous of Iosefa for having a family that looked at him with such affection and jealous of his family for Iosefa returning that affection. I wanted him to look at me like that. Not the terrified, glazed-with-hate looks he kept shooting my way.

  I shrugged at Dimitri, trying not to let my emotions show. “Good. He’ll need it to raise our heir.”

  Dimitri looked at me in shock. “Heir? I didn’t know you were thinking of pups.”

  “I wasn’t. But now, I have a mate and Alpha’s need heirs. It’s the logical thing to…” I trailed off as I realized who I was talking to. Dimitri and his mate were desperate for children and here I was talking about it like some obligatory right of passage.

  I cleared my throat. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter.” I turned away from him. “Iosefa!” I shouted. Despite my desperate need to win points in his favor, I couldn’t seem to stop myself from being… well, me. “Hurry up!”

  He turned around and looked at me with blurry eyes, and I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Goddess, why couldn’t I stop terrorizing him? What the hell was wrong with me? His eyes narrowed on me, and I could distinctly see the difference in the way he looked at me as opposed to the way he looked at the people he loved. Really loved.

  He turned back to his family one more time, and I deflated a little. He would never look at me like that. Not now.

  I watched as his father hugged him to his chest. He was heavily bandaged on his head and neck and his left arm was in a sling, but he still held him tightly despite a slight wince of pain. When he let him go, Iosefa turned around, his shoulders sagged and the light in his eyes seemed to dull as he approached the boat.

  “I’m ready,” he mumbled as he stopped in front of us.

  I nodded and reached out for him, but he shrunk out of my reach.

  I frowned, tussling with hurt and rejection, two very unfamiliar things to me.

  “You need to relax, Iosefa,” I said, my tone coming off more harshly than I’d intended. I tried to soften it and failed. “The more you fight me, the more difficult you’ll make this for yourself.”

  After the boat docked back home, we started to unload. Iosefa hadn’t brought much. Hell, I was pretty sure he didn’t own much, and I relished the thought of giving him a life he’d never had. A better life, filled with all of the finest. No mate of mine would live with less. Iosefa was a reflection of me now, and I would mold him into a king among men. “Wait,” I called out to Iosefa as he stepped onto the dock.

  He turned to face me, his eyes red and puffy. He’d cried in silence nearly the whole trip, but now the tears were gone and he looked at me with cold indifference. I stepped toward him and he matched me with a step backward.

  “What?” he huffed. Despite the fact he’d had been crying for the last few hours, he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest as if he had no fear at all.

  I bit back a smile. Had to give him credit. The boy had balls.

  “I want to make things clear to you,” I said, reaching out to place a finger under his chin, but he swatted me away. Fucking balls, this kid. “You are no longer on Maehelio,” I told him. “You are now in Capri. The home of the Shadow Moon Clan. Everything that you know or have ever learned, you will forget because this is your life now. You are an omega, my omega, and my mate. Nothing else matters but that.”

  Iosefa’s face twisted in anger. I could smell the defiance and rage rolling off him in thick waves.

  “I will never be yours,” he spat.

  I grinned. “That’s where you’re wrong, Iosefa. You are mine. The sooner you accept that, the happier you’ll be.” I ste
pped closer to him. I had nearly a foot of height on him, and I used every inch of it to my advantage. I towered over him, intimidating him with my size. “ Unless you want to challenge me like your old man?” I taunted.

  His eyes widened, and he looked me over like he was actually considering it.

  “No,” he finally whispered, dropping his gaze to the ground.

  I reached out and tucked my finger under his chin again, and this time he let me. I tilted his head so that he met my gaze. “No, Alpha. That is the appropriate response. You are my mate, my omega, but you will learn to respect me, even if I have to force it out of you.”

  He gritted his teeth. “No, Alpha,” he said through them.

  My smile widened and I nodded, but somewhere deep in my gut, this didn’t feel like a win. He still hated me. He still thought of himself as my prisoner instead of my mate, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to fix it. Every time I was near him, I just made it worse, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

  I reached up with my other hand and placed it on his cheek. “Iosefa, I…”

  His stony gaze softened a little, and he leaned slightly into me. As much as he seemed to hate me, even he couldn’t deny the electricity between us. Especially when I touched him like that. I could feel the pulse of his heart beneath my palm, feel the heat of his skin. And that smell. His smell. It was like instant brain fog. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think when it hit me. My inner wolf wanted him more than I felt I could contain. A low, harsh growl vibrated from deep in my throat.

  “I will claim you as mine, Iosefa,” I growled, way too harshly. “Have no doubts about that.”

  Iosefa yanked from my grasp.

  He turned, stomping off the dock in a huff as he headed toward our waiting car.

  I watched after him, taking a moment to collect myself. I was pushing too hard. Even I knew that.

  “I hope you aren’t pushing your luck, Alpha,” Dimitri said behind me, echoing my thoughts. “You better hope that he doesn’t run away or risk doing something that could have far worse consequences.”

  I shook my head. “He won’t,” I said, hoping that it were true.

  6

  Dimitri Isakov

  I never grew tired of returning home.

  Our limousine drove away from the port and glittering white sand beaches and wound its way through the hills. We passed over cobblestone streets and cut across the heart of the Shadow Moon Clan’s main city of Capri.

  The city was renowned for its beautifully stunning architectural style and abundance of shops.

  Although there was a multitude of cottage-style homes, it was the two-and-three-story mansions that dotted every neighborhood for which we were famous. Each was painted a different pastel shade and had steeply pitched, cross-gabled tile roofs. Grand staircases and elaborate entryways gave each home a distinct identity, which was rounded out by the many multi-pane stained-glass windows. Each building had a history as unique as the home itself.

  I sat in front with the driver while Elspeth and his mate were in the backseat, and from the mirror, I could see Iosefa peering at the many homes and shops in awe as we passed. But his expression changed every time he glanced over at his mate.

  I sighed, hoping they figured it all out. Elspeth especially. I knew it would be a long road for him. He hadn’t exactly grown up in a loving home. He was raised to be ruthless, to be the Alpha, and though we’d never actually talked about it, I knew he wanted to be something different to his own children than what his parents had been to him. There was goodness in Elspeth, perhaps it was buried deep down, but it was there. I only hoped Iosefa held on long enough to see it.

  The driver finally turned down a private lane and approached a wrought iron gate that opened automatically for us.

  We came to a stop in front of Elspeth’s Tudor mansion, which was a few miles from the city center and surrounded by thick forests.

  “This will be your new home,” Elspeth told Iosefa, gesturing up at the house.

  Iosefa rolled his eyes, and I saw that flash of explosive anger in Elspeth’s.

  “This is the finest home in Capri! Why don’t you—”

  “Alpha,” I interrupted, hoping to cut him off before he yet again stuck his foot in his mouth. “Why don’t we get out and let Iosefa see inside?”

  Elspeth nodded, seemingly defused for the moment.

  “Thanks, Jerry,” I told the driver as we climbed out.

  I waved him off as he moved to help us gather the bags from the trunk. “I’ve got it. These muscles aren’t just for show.” I chuckled as I started to pull the bags out, and Iosefa timidly reached out for his one and only duffle, which I tossed to him.

  He settled it onto his shoulder with a grunt and stared up at the house as if it would come to life and attack him at any moment.

  “It’s okay, Iosefa,” I said gently.

  He gave me a meek nod.

  I didn’t know why I suddenly had a soft spot for the kid, but I did. Perhaps, it was because I knew that someday he would help lead us, or perhaps it was knowing that now that he was fated to my Alpha, I was his beta too. I couldn’t say. All I knew was that I wished him some comfort.

  A moment later, a pair of servant women with matching brown hair tied into tight buns came out of the house and down the cream-colored stone steps, stopping when they reached Elspeth. They both fell rhythmically into a deep, low curtsey.

  “Alpha, welcome home,” they said, echoing one another.

  “Thank you,” Elspeth said. “Please show my mate to his quarters so that he may rest and wash before dinner.” He pulled the bag from Iosefa’s shoulder and set it on the ground. “Have someone bring his bag up as well.”

  Iosefa shot him a malicious look. “I can carry my own bag.”

  Elspeth raised a finger. “It’s not about can, it’s about should. And as my omega, you will let servants handle tasks for you.”

  Iosefa’s jaw clenched, and I reached out to squeeze his shoulder without thinking. “It’s okay, Iosefa,” I repeated. “They are paid quite handsomely,” I offered.

  Elspeth scowled at me, and I removed my hand with an apologetic nod. But Iosefa seemed eased.

  The servant women curtsied once more and gestured for Iosefa to follow them. Iosefa gave a small glance to Elspeth before he followed the women. Whether it was still anger or out of fear, I couldn’t tell.

  “You’ve certainly made a positive impression on him,” I said dryly when Iosefa disappeared into the house.

  Surely he had to realize that making things miserable for his mate would cause them both unnecessary problems. Even Elspeth had to be aware of that much.

  “He will learn to manage,” Elspeth growled back. “And he will not be needing you to coddle him. He’s been pampered far too long on that island and needs to understand that rules and achievements must be met.”

  I held up my hands in surrender. I knew Elspeth well enough to know pushing him never got results. He had to come to things in his own time.

  I followed him through the entrance and into the foyer of the mansion. After passing the circular ebony table in the middle of the room, Elspeth took the hall to the right of the grand staircase that led to his study.

  I sighed, Iosefa’s angry and terrified face still floating in my mind. “I’m just saying, Elspeth, that I think you should be a bit kinder to someone who’s supposed to give you an heir. You don’t want any complications or added stress.”

  Elspeth remained silent and didn’t turn to look at me as we continued down the hallway. I busied myself looking up at several works of art Elspeth had hanging along the cream-colored walls. Each painting told a different story and held significant value to him. He’d always insisted they were his most prized possessions. You would never know that such a hard as stone, war-like Alpha had an interest in the arts, but that was Elspeth. Ever the onion with a hundred different layers.

  “He’ll have the things he needs for a healthy birth—food, doctors, a
nd medicines.” Elspeth was silent for a moment. “But he’ll also need to learn to be strong because I plan to raise an alpha pup worthy of the title of Alpha heir.”

  “Is that really the father that you want to be, Elspeth? Your father?”

  Elspeth whirled on me. “Not everything can be all sunshine and rainbows. You raise your child your way, Dimitri, and I’ll raise mine, mine.” The sudden mention of the child Mishel and I might never actually have infuriated me.

  Sometimes I forgot just how much of Elspeth’s father was in him. Sometimes I forgot just how much his father had broken him as a child. He’d cleverly put enough of his own pieces back together to appear whole, but then there were moments—cold, callous moments—where I could see the cracks. Elspeth could cut people deeper than any knife, and he could do it without so much as blinking.

  A low growl started in my throat, and I had to remind myself that he wasn’t just Elspeth, he was my Alpha. And no matter how much he tempted me to rip out his throat, my duty was to remain silent and loyal. And most days, he deserved that loyalty. Today, was not one of those days.

  Once we reached a set of double doors on the right, Elspeth opened them for us to enter. I took my usual seat in the leather chair next to the roaring fire, while Elspeth went over to his desk and grabbed two glasses and a crystal decanter filled with scotch. He snorted softly before he poured several fingers into each.

  When he finished, he handed one to me. Possibly his own version of an apology. Elspeth was grandiose in every way. His feelings were always in actions and never in words.

  I took the glass with a nod and a quick swig.

  “No disrespect, Alpha,” I started, remembering the point I’d been trying to make. “But even with the right doctors and medicines, in order for Iosefa to be comfortable enough to give you even one heir, hell, even to just mate, you’ll have to show a bit of compassion first. The boy doesn’t even know he’s going into heat because he’s been scared of you since he first laid eyes on you.”