Fated Mates: Book 1 of the True Mates Series

by Alicia Montgomery

  Just before noon, he saw a flash of black hair - it was definitely Alynna, but no car had pulled up to pick her up. She started walking north. What the heck was she doing? Why was she alone? His jaw tightened, but rather than running across the street to grab her, he pulled the cap lower and started tailing her.

  Alex made sure to stay at least a block behind her at all times. Her heightened senses, plus PI instincts might alert her to a tail. He followed her north, hanging back when she stopped at a cafe and waited until she stepped out. Where the hell was she going?

  He nearly lost her when she went into Central park. As the crowds grew thinner and thinner, he didn’t have much of a cover, so he hung back even further. She’s probably gonna try to cut across and walk back to The Enclave. Alex couldn’t believe the Beta or the Alpha would let her out alone, not after the ball.

  He followed her until they were almost at the top of the Reservoir, then he felt vibration in his pocket. Shit. She would hear him if he picked up the phone, so he let her get ahead of him even further, but kept his eyes on her as he stepped off the path.

  “Westbrooke,” he answered, not bothering to check who it was. It was his work phone, so it could only be one of the guys or the Beta.

  “Alex,” Nick’s voice was tense. “Sorry to bother you on your day off. Are you at The Enclave?”

  “No problem, Al Doilea,” he answered. “I’m not at The Enclave. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s Alynna. She’s missing again. We found Heath - he was subdued and locked in the trunk of the town car. The receptionist said Alynna walked out into the street and didn’t see what happened after.”

  The hairs on the back of Alex’s neck stood up, his heart started to pound. He had a terrible feeling. “She’s here…I mean, I’m at Central Park and I followed her. She’s ahead of me, probably cutting across 97th street to head back to The Enclave.”

  “You saw her? What are you - never mind. Grab her and bring her back The Enclave, right now, ok?”

  “Yes Al Doilea,” he said. “Wha—“ Before he could continue, he heard a scream. “Fuck! I mean…there’s something wrong.” Alex breathed deeply, in and out, to try and calm down, but his body tensed. Something was wrong, he knew it. Keep her safe….keep them safe…

  He was stunned. His inner Lycan never spoke to him while in human form. Only during transformations, and that was very rare. Even when he was fully shifted and could control himself, the wolf only spoke in growls or single words.

  “Alex?”

  He snapped out the trance. “I have to go. She’s in trouble,” he growled softly as he dropped the phone to the ground. His human legs would be too slow to help her, and his wolf was already rearing to get out. He ran towards Bridle Path, shedding his jacket, shoes, pants, and shirt as he fully shifted into his Lycan form.

  Alex’s wolf form was well over 6 feet when it stood on its hind legs. Its muscular body was covered it dark brown hair with streaks of light blond. Its eyes were a pure molten gold color and fangs long and sharp. He controlled the wolf expertly, pushing its legs as fast as it could. He sniffed out Alynna’s scent - that familiar, wonderful scent until he came upon her just off the Bridle Path.

  Well, he didn’t see Alynna exactly, but he knew it was her. The black wolf (he realized later, almost an identical copy of the Alpha’s, except half the size) was pinning someone - a man - down on the ground as its jaws snapped at the man’s head. The man’s shoulder was bleeding profusely.

  He howled at the other wolf, and its shaggy head snapped up. Green eyes - Alynna’s unmistakeable eyes, looked back at him. It whimpered, and then walked over to him.

  Alynna nuzzled his neck, staining his fur with blood. It’s ok, he wanted to say to her. She let out a last whine, then lay down on the ground. Probably tired.

  The black wolf closed its eyes, and then slowly began to shift back into human form. Limbs and torso began to shorten, as did the long snout. Fur retracted back into the skin, which turned from black to milky white.

  Alex looked around, looking for something for Alynna to wear, but all her clothing had stretched and ripped. He quickly retraced his steps and gathered this discarded clothes. He rushed back to Alynna, covering her naked, shivering body with his jacket.

  Alynna’s eyes flew open and she sat up, clutching the jacket around her. She hunched over and heaved, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the soft grass. She wiped her mouth with the jacket sleeve, before putting it on.

  By the time she had the strength to stand up, Alex had fully transformed back into his human form and had dressed in his pants.

  “A…A…Alex,” she cried out, as she felt another wave of nausea and sank to her knees.

  “Alynna,” he said softly as he knelt down beside her and gathered her into his arms.

  “They tried to…they wanted to drug me…” she hiccuped. “But…I transformed, but I didn’t black out! I could control myself…I mean the wolf…it spoke to me too!”

  Alex pulled her to him tighter, “I know…I know…” he soothed.

  She pulled away, then looked at the man lying on the ground. “Wait…is he…”

  He didn’t want to let her go, but she started shaking when she realized she might have killed someone. He kissed her forehead and walked over the other man. Kneeling down beside him, he put a finger to his wrist. The pulse was weak, but it was there. The wolf’s jaws had punctured the man’s shoulder, causing massive bleeding, but it didn’t puncture a major artery. He grabbed the nearest scrap of cloth he could - Alynna’s shirt, and pressed it to his wounds. He wanted to let the bastard die out, but not only would that cause a lot of trouble for the New York Clan, but he knew Alynna would be haunted by the death, even if it was to defend herself.

  “Alex?”

  He looked up. Alynna had put on his shirt and slipped into the jacket. Her face was marred with worry as she looked guiltily at the man on the ground.

  “You didn’t kill the bastard,” he growled. “He’s alive. But I doubt he’ll stay that way once the Alpha gets here.”

  ***

  It wasn’t even five minutes later when Grant, Nick, three other members of the Lycan security team arrived on the scene. The wounded man’s condition didn’t worsen, but just as Alex predicted, Nick had to restrain the Alpha when he saw his sister.

  “Go tend to Alynna,” Nick urged Grant, who looked like he was barely hanging on to his human form. “I’ll take care of this.”

  Grant’s eyes returned to normal, then walked over to where Alynna sat on the grass and was still clinging to Alex. The younger man reluctantly let her go, and let the Alpha gather her into his arms.

  “I’m…fine…” Alynna’s voice cracked slightly.

  “I know,” Grant said, kissing the top of her head. “But I’m not.”

  She sank into his arms and wrapped her arms around him, her body shaking from the ordeal.

  Nick stood over the wounded man, contemplating if he should tear the man apart or let the authorities handle everything. The former choice would leave quite a mess, so he let out a sigh and took his phone out, dialing the personal phone of the Police Chief Deputy of New York City.

  Soon, Cady had arrived, along with Dr. Faulkner and one of his nurses.

  “Alynna!’ she exclaimed, as she wrapped the half-naked younger woman in a blanket. “Let’s get you out of here, ok?” The redhead looked over to Nick, who was still on the phone, but nodded his agreement to her.

  “No wounds? Concussion?” Dr. Faulkner asked.

  “No, I’m good, just…” she stood up, but before she could say anything else, she puked on Grant’s shoes. “Sorry!”

  “I’ll live,” Grant smiled weakly, as he helped her stay up.

  “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?” Dr. Faulkner took out his pen light and shone it into her eyes.

  She nodded, but that sent her head spinning again.

  “Let’s take you back to The Enclave,” Grant lifted her into his arms.
>
  “No! Alex! I want to stay with Alex!” she said in a panic. Her heart pounded wildly at the thought of being separated from the other man.

  “Shhh…” Alex came up to her and stroked her hair. “Let them take you back and make sure you’re ok, please? The Beta needs me to stay here and help first.”

  “Will you come as soon as you can?” She looked at the younger man and then to her brother, who gave her a reluctant nod.

  “Alright,” she replied weakly, laying her head on Grant’s shoulder. She breathed in her brother’s comforting, ocean-spray scent and closed her eyes, before the world went black again.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Alynna’s eyes flew open, and for a second, she felt fear and terror. She was being attacked by three men and one of them had put a syringe with some drug in her neck. She screamed, and the dim lights grew brighter as the door flew open.

  “Alynna, dear, calm down,” Dr. Faulkner’s voice was soft and reassuring. “You’re safe. You’re at The Enclave.”

  The young woman’s breathing evened, and she fell back into the soft pillow of her hospital bed. “Yes…I remember. Sorry Dr. Faulkner, I didn’t mean to scream my head off and frighten your entire ward.”

  “Yes, well, you’ve had quite a day. I’m sure everyone would understand if you were shaken,” the older Lycan assured her.

  She smiled at him weakly, then noticed that he seemed hesitant. “Dr. Faulkner, is there something wrong? Did something happen to me when I shifted?”

  He smiled back at here. “No dear, everything’s fine. In fact, you’re in the fit of health…”

  “But?” She knew there was a but.

  “You’re in the fit of health…for someone in your condition.”

  “What condition?” Alynna looked confused.

  “Well my dear…you’re pregnant.”

  “No, it can’t be.” She shook her head and opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. Pregnant. The words rang in her head, her memories flooding back. Her cravings, her body changing. The voice in her head. My wolf said it had to protect…not just me, but us.

  “Er, I take it you didn’t know, my dear?” the older man asked hesitantly.

  “No…I mean, it doesn’t make sense! I’m on birth control and you said….being Lycan, I can’t…” she trailed off.

  “Well, my dear,” Dr. Faulkner began. “All we know that it’s hard for Lycans, but not impossible.”

  The whole last week with Alex, of course it had to happen at some point, with the amount of sex they had. Since finding out about her Lycan biology, she stopped taking her pill since they ran out about two weeks ago.

  “What can I do for you my dear?” Dr. Faulkner’s face was a mask of concern. “I know I’m a Lycan, but I’m still a doctor. I’m bound by my oath, to give you the best care, as well as medical privacy laws in letting your decisions remain…private.”

  She whipped her head at him, and her inner wolf growled at her, as if it had understood his meaning before before she did. “Yes, I mean…please, can you call Grant in here? And, uh, Alex Westbrooke please, if he’s here.”

  The doctor seemed taken aback at the other man’s name. “He’s-”

  “The father, yes,” she confessed. “I should tell them.”

  The doctor nodded.

  “Wait,” she called out. “Uhm…just in case, could you make sure Cady’s here?” She thought for a moment at what her brother’s reaction would be when he found out. “Er…and Nick too, I guess.” Nick’s cool head would prevail, and he would be good backup, just in case Grant overreacted.

  “There’s something else Alynna….something you should know.”

  She let out a breath. “I don’t know if I can take any more revelations, Dr. Faulkner. But if it has to do with Lycan stuff, can we do it with everyone here? I waive my privacy privilege just for them.”

  The kindly older Lycan nodded. “Alright, I suppose it will save us the trouble of informing everyone anyway.”

  Before she could ask what the information was, Dr. Faulkner had already left the room.

  ***

  “Everything alright?” Grant asked as Nick walked into the waiting room of the medical ward.

  “Yes, Primul,” Nick answered. “Don’t worry about it. Deputy Chief Roberts said he’ll take care of everything. They’ll report it as a robbery gone wrong. No one will know Alynna or any of us were on the scene.”

  “Good,” he gritted his teeth, his eyes steely. Cady say beside him, her hand on his arm.

  “How is she?” Alex suddenly burst into the room.

  “You!” Grant shot to his feet and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “What were you doing following her? Did you lead those men to her?”

  “Primul!” Alex exclaimed, putting his hands up in self defense. “No! I was keeping her safe! I saw her walk out of Fenrir without an escort!”

  “Grant!” Cady followed the Alpha, putting her arm gently on his arm. “He help her. He saved her.” Grant loosened his grip on Alex.

  “I think she saved herself,” Alex declared, pride in his voice evident. “Primul, she transformed, controlled her wolf, and took the guy down.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you were following her in the first place, when you’re not assigned to her. Are you stalking my sister?” Grant’s voice had a dangerous edge.

  “No, Primul, I love her,” he blurted despite himself. “I’m sorry. I do. She and I…we were having an affair.”

  The room went silent. Cady’s mouth was opened in an unlady-like manner. Nick looked surprised, especially since the revelation apparently wasn’t news to the Alpha.

  “Yes. She told me.” Grant crossed his arms. “What are you doing to do about it?”

  Alex was taken aback by his question. “I’ll leave her alone. I know…it’s not my place. We shouldn’t have slept together. She’s your sister and that was disrespectful of me, Primul.”

  Grant looked at him with steely eyes. “You love her, huh?”

  He nodded. “But she doesn’t feel the same way, I know. She deserves someone who could give her everything she deserved. Someone like Liam Henney.” He looked at Nick. “Al Doilea, I’ll have my resignation letter to you before the end of the day and head back to Chicago as soon as I settle some business here.”

  Before anyone could say anything, Dr. Faulkner entered the room. “She’s awake. She didn’t black out, just passed out due to fatigue.”

  “Can we see her now?” Grant asked.

  The older Lycan nodded. “Yes.”

  Grant nodded and walked towards Alynna’s room.

  “Wait, Alpha,” Dr. Faulkner called out, then turned to Alex. “She wants to see you too. Actually, all of you.”

  Grant wanted to protest, but he was more concerned about his sister’s well-being. “Alright, let’s go see her then.”

  They followed him towards the private room were Alynna was staying.

  “Are you ok?” Grant rushed to his sister’s side.

  “I’m fine,” she laughed weakly. “I was just super tired.”

  “You said you wanted to see all of us?” he asked. “What is it? Did you remember something about your attackers?”

  “Uhm, no…I mean there’s something yes, but I need to know…is the man who attacked me…dead?” she looked nervously at him.

  “All taken care of,” Nick interjected. “They have him in the hospital, under police custody. So far, he’s stable. The deputy police chief is a friend to Lycans. He’s going to make it seem like the man was trying to rob someone, but the victim fended him off with a knife, then fled. We cleaned up any evidence you or we were there.”

  “He saw me transform,” she confessed. “He’s gonna talk and it’s all going to come out…”

  Grant took her hand and squeezed it. “No, Alynna, it won’t. We’re prepared for these kinds of situations. He won’t remember. Or at least he won’t remember if he was hallucinating or if it was real.”

  Before she could
ask, Nick explained. “A confusion potion. We have a limited supply in store and they’re a bitch to get a hold of, seeing as witches don’t like us, but we keep it handy. It doesn’t erase memories but definitely makes them unreliable. We administered it before the cops or paramedics came. He’ll probably be hallucinating about dinosaurs and aliens for a few days too.”

  She sighed in relief. “There were two others. They got away. They didn’t want my money or my purse - they said they wanted me to take a ride with them and then injected me with a sedative. I can work with a sketch artist or identify them through photos, if you need me to.”

  Nick nodded. “That will be helpful,” his brow crinkled. “It’s obvious that someone wants to harm you or get rid of you altogether.”

  “We won’t stop digging until we find out who,” Grant gritted through his teeth. “So, what else did you want to tell us? Why you asked for all of us?” he asked, shooting Alex a look.

  “Well…Dr. Faulkner said…he said that…” she looked at the older Lycan and nodded.

  Dr. Faulkner cleared his throat. “Well, uhm, Alynna is expecting. In about 8 months, we’ll be welcoming a new addition to the New York clan.”

  Alynna heard a growl and in a flash, Grant leapt towards Alex, his hand encircling the man’s throat. “You motherfucking asshole!” Grant roared. Alex barely protested, letting the Alpha’s hands tighten around his throat.

  “No! Grant don’t kill him! I love him, please!” she cried, jumping off the bed to grab her brother’s arm, frantically tugging at his bicep with all her might.

  Grant reluctantly let go and Alynna rushed to Alex, checking his throat, which was already starting to bruise.