Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 12

Once she was in the bedroom, Ava dropped the laundry on the bed and flopped down beside it, staring at the ceiling. It had been a foolish move on her part, refusing to tell Arthur about the sports car, but at the same time, it was such a minor thing. She needed to show him that she wasn’t a complete pushover before he took it into his head to walk all over her.

Taking a calming breath, she tried to figure her mate out. As she’d just witnessed, he was definitely in control and not one to put up with insubordination. He was strong, dominant, and cool; he hadn’t raised his voice at all, but his message had been as clear as a bell. On the other hand, he hadn’t forced her into submission either, giving in to her silent plea that he drop the matter. That must indicate he had some consideration for her and was willing to allow his pack members some autonomy.

Yesterday, as he’d shown her their suite of rooms, he’d actually been quite kind. He acknowledged that she was probably feeling homesick and unsettled. Even when they’d first mated, hadn’t he tried to ease the situation for her? And the morning after, he’d seemed to understand that losing her dream of a relationship with Seth was difficult. How had he put it? ‘Sometimes our lives have moments of great disappointment. It’s difficult at the time, but we have to move beyond.’ Yes, Arthur definitely had a more sensitive side.

But then he’d talked about making their bonding work because it was their duty to the pack. She, of all people, knew that theirs was not a love match but her young heart still hoped for some tender sentiments and affection from her mate. Of course, as Alpha, his first duty was to the pack. She knew that from her own father, and if she’d had any doubt on the matter, the fact that Arthur had all but abandoned her on her first day in order to deal with pack business would have straightened out her thinking. Looking back on last night, she recalled how he’d left the supper table and stayed out all night, searching for Thomas. Yes, Arthur really did seem to have his pack’s best interests at heart. The pack was devoted to him too, though. She only had to look at how everyone had gathered to greet him yesterday afternoon when he’d arrived home.

Rolling over, she propped her chin on her hands. How did she feel about him? Physically, she was drawn to him and, based on his earlier actions, he had some small liking for her, she was sure. After all, he had sought her out and asked her to go see Thomas with him…

Yikes! She’d forgotten that she said she’d meet him in a few minutes. Jumping up, she quickly put away the laundry. Arthur hadn’t been overly pleased with her when she’d left. There was no point in trying his patience any further today by making him wait! Tossing her clothes in her bureau and the towels in the linen closet, she clattered downstairs in search of her mate.

By the time she met him at the backdoor, Arthur seemed in a better mood and didn’t mention their confrontation, for which she was extremely grateful. By pack standards, he would have been justified in ripping a strip off her and she still wasn’t sure why he’d let her go, however, she wasn’t going to question her good luck. At least her mate didn’t seem to be one to carry a grudge, she decided.

They walked to the infirmary since the building was only a short distance from the main house. She learned that the driveway wound in a long, narrow oval that started at the highway, came around by the Alpha house, and then worked its way through the front edge of the woods with various houses and buildings located along the way. After that, there were numerous paths that ran through the territory—some well-travelled and others barely visible—leading to the more remote corners of their land. These were often partially overgrown and seldom used except by the most adventurous pack members.

The particular path they were on now was basically a short cut between the Alpha house and the infirmary. As they walked along, she was very aware of the fact that Arthur was almost a foot taller than her. Yet for all his size he moved gracefully, his steps barely making a sound.

Sunlight was streaming down through the trees and the gentlest of breezes caused leaves to drift lazily downward, carpeting the ground in gold and orange. She could smell the mustiness that wafted up from the decaying foliage as it was crushed underfoot, and she thought she could detect the scent of water. She questioned Arthur about its location.

“Just over that rise, there’s a small stream that feeds into the river. If you follow it along for a few miles, you’ll come to our lake. It’s not overly large but sufficient for us do to some swimming and a bit of fishing in the summer. There’s also a waterfall—I think I mentioned it to you yesterday—but it’s hard to get at due to the ravines. I’d advise you to go there only when accompanied by myself or one of the more experienced runners. It can be quite dangerous.

Wolves have fallen and died there.”

The challenge of climbing through the ravines sounded rather appealing, and she made a mental note to ensure that Arthur took her there in the near future.

“I can’t wait to go exploring.” She grinned up at him, her joy at being near the wilderness eclipsing any awkwardness that might have remained from their earlier conflict. Like all wolves, the call of nature was simmering just below the surface and being outdoors in a wooded area gave her a feeling of excitement and home-coming.

“Yes, I’m sure you’re eager for a good run.” He paused and seemed about to add to his statement when someone called his name.

“Arthur! You’re back already. I thought I told you to go home and get some sleep.” An efficient looking woman in her forties stood outside a simple, white vinyl-clad building. Her brown hair was drawn into a long braid and she was wearing a lab coat.

“I did go home, Nadia, and now I’m back.” Arthur nodded at the woman and then put his hand around Ava’s waist, drawing her forward. “Ava, this is Nadia, our nurse-practitioner. Nadia, this is Ava, my mate.”

Nadia looked her up and down as if she was trying to decide whether or not this new wolf passed inspection. She must have met the nurse’s standard because she gave the briefest of nods before turning and addressing Arthur with a smile. “Thomas is awake now and doing well. He’s fortunate that he’d shifted into human form just before getting hit. The extra chemicals in his b***d helped minimize the damage.”

Ava followed Arthur and Nadia as they discussed the healing properties of transformation chemicals. In ancient times, shifting forms had been considered magick but modern science had proven it to be a case of harnessing energy to rearrange one’s molecular form, a process that could occur due to certain chemicals shape shifters produced. Ava tuned out, the science behind it of little interest, and, as a result was surprised to replace they were at the door, Nadia holding it open for her. She murmured her thanks as she passed by the stern woman who merely raised an eyebrow and then moved off to a desk in the corner where she immediately became immersed in paperwork and files.

As Ava looked around, her nostrils flared in response to the medical smells. She hated hospitals and doctors, and this space was definitely a medical facility. Several beds lined one wall, separated by the regulation curtains. Chairs for visitors were strategically placed near each bed and a TV was mounted on the wall for patients to view. Across the room, there were locked cabinets containing medical supplies, while a partially opened door allowed her a glimpse of what appeared to be an examining table or possibly a small surgery area.

Arthur led the way over to the lone occupied bed and introduced her to Thomas. It was hard to judge his appearance since he was lying down and pale, yet he seemed pleasant enough, nodding at her and smiling weakly. His mate, Julia, was standing beside him and trailing her fingers through his blond hair in a comforting gesture. Ava recalled they were newly mated and imagined the separation was especially hard on them.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Arthur indicated that he wanted to talk to Thomas alone and the two women stepped outside onto the small porch that skirted the front of the building. Julia stretched her lean athletic figure and turned her face towards the sun, her warm honey-blond hair streaming down her back. “Gosh, it feels good to be outside. I’m stiff from sitting beside that bed all night but I didn’t dare go home, not even once he was patched up.”

“It must have been awful for you, not knowing what was going on while they were searching for him.” Ava smiled sympathetically at the other girl.

Nodding, Julia wrapped her arms around herself. “Yeah. As soon as he was injured, I knew something was wrong even though he immediately blocked our bond. Crazy fool said he didn’t want me to worry.” She snorted. “As if being kept in the dark and not knowing what was happening would make me feel better. Men, they just don’t get it sometimes, do they?”

She gave a half smile and shrugged. “I couldn’t really say. We—Arthur and I—haven’t known each other that long.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot.” Julia clapped her hand to her mouth. “I guess I’m so caught up in

Thomas that I’m not thinking. Yesterday was your first day and—”

“Relax. You had more important things to worry about.” She hastened to reassure her.

“I’m still sorry I wasn’t there yesterday when you arrived. I really wanted to be. We were all so excited when we got the news that Arthur was finally bringing home a mate. Everyone has been secretly hoping he’d replace someone suitable before Mar—” Julia stopped herself mid-sentence.