Alpha's Feisty Mate: A BBW Wolf-Shifter Romance (Arcane Affairs Agency)

by Cara Wylde

  “What are you doing?” asked Nina when she saw her sister pull a loose T-shirt and an old pair of jeans out of the depths of her wardrobe.

  “Getting ready.”

  “For what?”

  “For a long day of following Aiden around. I need to know what he’s doing, where he’s going, whom he’s seeing. I’m too involved in this case, and I’ve no intention of letting him close it without me. This is my town, and that rogue werewolf has killed three of my neighbors. I have a right to see this through.”

  Nina sighed. “You’re so stubborn. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “I don’t care.” She changed her clothes and started looking for a pair of sneakers. “I can’t sit on my ass when there’s danger out there, and I can’t let Aiden go alone. I know I’m only human and I don’t have your skills, but I might still be able to help him.”

  Nina shook her head and went to her own wardrobe. She was already wearing comfortable clothes. All she needed to change was her shirt.

  “I’m going with you,” she said.

  Skye’s eyes widened. “No, you’re not. The whole point of lying about who’s the witch was to keep you safe. You’re not going anywhere near that beast.”

  “And what if you do need some magic to get you out of this alive? The both of you. You’re only going because you’re so in love with this guy that you’re ready to sacrifice yourself for him. It would be really nice if you dropped the act and admitted it.”

  Skye blushed up to the tips of her ears. She opened her mouth to say something, but Nina stopped her with a gesture.

  “No, I don’t want to hear it. You don’t actually think you can help him. You just can’t sit tight and wait for this whole thing to end. You need to be there, to see him take down the werewolf with your own eyes, to make sure he comes out of this alive and well. And I get it. Believe me, I do. But I can’t let you go alone.”

  “Nina, please…”

  “No.” She fixed her sister with the most determined look she could muster. “I will not let you go alone. We’ll go together.”

  “What if he sees us?”

  Skye’s intention had been to sneak around as undetected as possible. It would only be harder if Nina was there, too.

  “He won’t. I’m going to use a simple protection spell. It will basically make us invisible.”

  “Oooh, that’s amazing! So no one will see us?”

  “Err… no. I can probably do that, too, but it’s way more complicated. This is a simple ward that will make it impossible for your agent to detect us. That doesn’t mean we can go jump in circles around him. We’ll have to keep a low profile and stay a few feet behind him. He won’t see us, as in he won’t sense our presence, hear our footsteps, catch a glimpse of us out of the corner of his eye.”

  Skye was a bit disappointed, but she tried not to show it. It would’ve been so cool to be completely invisible for a day.

  “Come here,” Nina said.

  The sisters stepped closer to each other and joined hands. Nina closed her eyes and focused hard for a few seconds. This was a spell she knew well, as she had used it many times before, usually to avoid certain people. She had learned it early, right after she had found out she was a witch. It was the best spell to have up one’s sleeve when the school was full of bullies who happened to have something against redheaded freckled kids.

  “Is that it?” asked Skye when Nina opened her eyes and let go of her hands.

  Nina smiled. “Yep. We’re all set.”

  Skye looked at her hands, then stepped in front of the tall mirror to study herself.

  “I don’t feel any different.”

  “Well, trust me, you are. Now, let’s see what that lover of yours is actually up to.”

  “He’s not my lover!” yelled Skye as she followed Nina out the door.

  ***

  Aiden would have liked to watch the suspect a while longer, but it was clear the wolf-shifter had smelled him. He didn’t do anything in particular when he felt Aiden’s presence, but it was obvious from the tense muscles in his neck and the more controlled way in which he moved. Aiden watched him as he took a chair out of his rundown trailer, set it a few feet away from the vehicle, and sat down with a piece of wood and a sharp knife. The wood was already half carved, and the final model was supposed to be a sort of bird. Aiden was sure this was the man’s way of telling him he was waiting for him to step out of the shadows.

  The agent took a deep breath and walked towards the trailer. It was strange. There was this feeling in the pit of his stomach which told him he was being followed. Sure, the rogue wolf had detected him, but that wasn’t it. There was something else in the air. He turned around a couple of times, studied the woods and his surroundings. Nothing. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and sniffed the air. He could swear there was someone behind the trees, watching his every step, but he couldn’t see them. Neither of his other senses were quite able to pinpoint what was wrong, whether someone truly was there, or if it was just his imagination. He had been too stressed the past few days. Everything had happened so quickly. It was safe to say this was his most taxing case so far, and he had been an Arcane Affairs agent for some years. It was his dream job, too. Aiden Ashwood was 26, and had been working for the Agency since he had turned 18. His parents were both agents, so the desire for order and justice ran in the family. He had always been focused on his job, had never cared for serious relationships, or actively looked for his soul mate. In truth, he had hoped he would find her as late as possible, so he could dedicate all his time to his missions. The fact that she was out there was a comforting thought. All shifters had mates, and destiny would bring them together one way or another. But he had found her now, in this small, isolated town at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and he was afraid she would change everything. He was afraid she had already changed a lot about him and the way he treated this particular mission. For the first time in his life, he was nervous about the confrontation with his suspect. It was strange, really. Aiden had always been confident and calculated, had never lost a civilian life in his career, and always trusted his instincts, yet this time… this time he was almost scared for his own life and wellbeing. There were no civilians around, and of that he was thankful. Skye had promised to wait for him at the Watsons’ house, the rogue wolf-shifter didn’t look threatening in the least, and Aiden was well prepared for whatever was to come. Still, something wasn’t right. His heart started beating louder with every step that took him closer to his suspect, and his wolf was beginning to feel agitated. He threw another glance towards the trees behind him, then shrugged and stopped in front of the werewolf.

  “Who are you, and what do you want?”

  The man’s voice was low and even. When he lifted his gaze to meet Aiden’s, the agent saw the saddest blue eyes he had seen in his life. They almost threw him off guard. He took out his badge. His real badge, this time.

  “Agent Aiden Ashwood with the Arcane Affairs Agency.”

  The man put down the piece of wood and the carving knife. He took Aiden’s badge and studied it carefully, then huffed.

  “Can’t believe they sent you for me.”

  Aiden cocked an eyebrow.

  “Who do you think sent me?” he asked.

  “I would have expected a private detective, yes, but not an Arcane agent,” the man continued.

  He gave the badge back to Aiden, but didn’t return to his carving. He simply sat there, in his small chair, and waited. Aiden himself had no idea what he was waiting for. He took his time to study the guy. He seemed as tall as he was, but he was definitely thinner and not as well built. Actually, he looked like he had once been, but had recently lost a lot of weight. He had blond long hair that hadn’t been washed in at least a week, and he wore old, tattered clothes. Aiden could almost feel sorry for the guy if he hadn’t known he was responsible for the three deaths in Misty Falls.

  “You haven’t answered my question,” he insi
sted. “Who do you think sent for me?”

  The man smiled. “Do you really want to play this game? I’m not in the mood for games. Not today.”

  “Humor me.”

  The blond sighed. “The Silva Pack. I told my Alpha I’m never coming back. He never listens. I guess that’s why he’s the Alpha, right? As stubborn as a mule.”

  The cogs in Aiden’s brain started moving. The Silva Pack… He knew about it. They lived in the Appalachians and never bothered anyone. It rarely happened that a shifter left his pack of his own accord, and this was exactly what this guy seemed to have done. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have believed his Alpha was trying to bring him back. Suddenly, Aiden was more interested than ever.

  “Would you care to identify yourself?” he asked the man.

  Surprise danced in the sad blue eyes.

  “I want to make sure I got the right guy,” Aiden added.

  “Carter Wagner.”

  Good. He had a name and the name of a pack. Things were going smoothly so far.

  “Mr. Wagner…” He paused and looked around him. “Do you mind if I sit with you for a minute?”

  Carter laughed and stood up. “I’ll bring you a chair.”

  While the rogue wolf was in the trailer, Aiden studied his surroundings one more time. The odd feeling that he was being watched wouldn’t go away. On the other hand, his mission was looking good, his suspect wasn’t violent or dangerous at all, and that gave him hope it would be over soon. Once he took Carter Wagner of the Silva Pack to the Agency, he could return to Misty Falls and tell Skye the truth. He had made a decision: he had to tell her the truth. It was the only way he had a chance to claim her as his mate. He chuckled at the thought. A werewolf and a witch. What an amazing couple they would make! His shifter colleagues would laugh their assess off when they found out.

  Carter returned with a chair similar to his. Aiden thanked him and sat down. For a few moments, they sat in silence, studying each other and listening to the comforting sounds of the mountains.

  “I’m not going back,” Carter eventually said. His voice was still low, still even. He sounded as if he was exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept in days. “Just so you know. You’ve already wasted enough time looking for me.”

  Aiden fixed him with his piercing green eyes, and Carter held his gaze. Something at the back of Aiden’s mind, a memory, sparked for a second when he saw the strange golden tint in the sky-blue eyes. It was gone just as quickly as it had come.

  “Why did you leave, Mr. Wagner?”

  “You already know why I left.”

  “Actually, no. Your Alpha hasn’t told me. He didn’t consider it necessary to my mission.”

  Aiden wasn’t sure why he was continuing this charade. It didn’t matter why Carter had left his pack, nor why he thought his Alpha wanted him back. All that mattered was to confirm that he was, indeed, the rogue werewolf who had terrorized Misty Falls for the past two weeks. The other agents could interrogate him later, at the Agency, and find out all these irrelevant details. However, once he started, he couldn’t stop. Carter Wagner intrigued him. He had never seen a wolf-shifter so lonely and defeated. He didn’t look like a rogue who would kill three people in cold blood, and for no reason at all.

  “Well, it isn’t much of a story,” Carter said. He looked at his hands as he spoke. “I lost my mate and I simply couldn’t live there anymore. Too many memories.”

  The man’s words hit Aiden right in the stomach. He had lost his mate. The agent didn’t even want to imagine what his life would be like without Skye.

  “How did you lose her?” His own voice sounded low and tired now.

  “She died. An accident. It was no one’s fault, really. I know that. It’s still hard to accept. I had to… I had to put some distance between me and the Appalachians. Between me and all the people who knew her. I came here to find some peace. I thought my Alpha understood at the time. Apparently, he thought two months would be enough. Well, they weren’t. They never will be.”

  “Two months. You’ve been in Misty Falls for two months.”

  “Yes.”

  Aiden furrowed his brows. Something didn’t make sense. If Carter had been here for two months, then why lash out at the townspeople now? On the other hand, it was clear the guy was unstable. All that pain… For shifters, the loss of a mate was greater than any other loss. It hurt a thousand times worse than losing a parent, or even a child. It was as if half of their being was ripped apart. They could never be whole again, and life would never make sense again. A mate was irreplaceable.

  “So, you see,” Carter said when he saw Aiden was lost in thought, “I have a good reason for wanting to stay here. The Great Smokies are nice, the town is peaceful, no one bothers me, and I never bother anyone. It’s just me and my carvings. I have my house on wheels, I can hunt in the woods, and I know I can leave whenever I want. I’m thinking… if I travel long enough, far enough, maybe I’ll be able to move on one day. Move on…” His voice cracked.

  Aiden gave him a second to regain control of his emotions. In fact, he was thinking of a way of breaking it to him: the only place he was going next was the prison in the basement section of the Agency. He sighed and stood up. Who was he kidding? There was no easy way of giving him the news.

  “I’m not here to take you back to the Silva Pack,” Aiden said. He towered over the blond man, tall and wide-shouldered. His voice and attitude had changed. He wanted Carter to understand there would be no negotiations.

  “You’re not?” Carter straightened his back and looked up at him. He was confused.

  “No. Carter Wagner, I’m here to arrest you for the murder of three people.” He took out the silver handcuffs, which were especially designed for shifters. No matter how strong shifters were, there was no way they could break them. Silver was lethal to shifters, so much so that a silver bullet, for instance, could strip him of his supernatural powers for long enough so an agent could restrain him. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you.” He took a step towards Carter, and the man stood up. “My mission is to take you to the Agency, where you will stand trial. Your fate will be decided by the Council.”

  “No. Wait.” Carter finally started to understand what was happening. He took a couple of steps back, knocking his chair down. “I didn’t do it. I’m innocent, I swear! I would never hurt a human!”

  Aiden shook his head and tried to grab him by the arm.

  “I saw the victims. Or… what’s left of them,” he said. “Your scent was all over them. Please, do us both a favor and stand still.”

  “No!”

  Carter’s eyes glowed golden. Aiden almost gasped, but he stopped himself in time. The man was starting to shift right before his eyes, but what was truly strange about it was that he didn’t seem to want to. He grunted when the first bone in his body snapped, even though there shouldn’t have been any pain.

  “Carter, listen to me: you’re only making things worse.”

  Aiden hoped the use of his first name would draw the wolf’s attention, make him self-aware. He reached for his Glock 22. The gun was loaded with silver bullets, but the last thing he wanted was to use it. Carter turned around and ran in the direction of the forest, but fell on his knees after a couple of steps. His transformation was the weirdest Aiden had ever witnessed. It looked as if the wolf was fighting it. He ran after him, but was forced to stop when he found himself face to face with a huge, brown wolf. The beast snarled at him, and Aiden took a step back. What shocked him and made him hesitate with his finger on the trigger was the wolf’s eyes. They weren’t sky-blue, as they should have been. Instead, they glowed eerily golden. It was as if they weren’t Carter’s eyes.

  “Carter, you know I can make you shift back to your human form in a second.” He waved his gun at him. Indeed, one of the immediate effects of silver bullets was that they took away a shifter’s ability to turn into his animal form. If Aiden shot the wolf, he would shift back in
to a very naked, very weak and vulnerable Carter Wagner.

  The brown wolf glared at him with menace and bared his teeth. He was ready to attack.

  Aiden had to make a decision. He had hoped threatening Carter with silver bullets would make him change his mind, but his bluff hadn’t worked. Yes, it had been a bluff. Aiden had never used silver bullets on other shifters, and he had no intention to begin now. It didn’t matter that the shifters he usually dealt with on his missions were criminals, he still respected his own species too much. It was a simple question of not doing unto others what he wouldn’t have liked done unto him. He had tested a silver bullet once, and it had rendered him completely useless. He hadn’t been himself for hours, having lost contact with his inner wolf. If he were to describe the sensation, he would have said it was almost as bad as losing a mate.

  Carter started moving in a circle around the agent, patiently waiting for the right time to strike. Aiden swore and tossed his Glock 22 on the grass, then stripped as fast as he could. When Carter shifted, his rags had turned to shreds. Aiden happened to care about his leather pants and jacket. They had been rather expensive. He tossed his clothes on top of the gun and started shifting. As an Alpha, it was easier for him to shift, and entirely painless. It almost felt euphoric. Letting the wolf out, allowing the beast to take control and take down his opponent the old fashioned way… There was something exhilarating about the whole experience.

  Now, behind Crater’s old trailer, at the foothill of the Great Smokies, two tall, strong werewolves were snarling at each other, ready to pounce. Aiden was a bit taller than Carter, and he had black fur and the same intense green eyes as in his human form. Carter’s eyes still glowed unnaturally golden. Why? Aiden had no idea, but he hoped he would find out soon.