Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 5

Ava woke with a start from a deep sleep and blinked in confusion at her unfamiliar surroundings.

This wasn’t her bedroom. Where was she?

A noise from the foot of the bed drew her attention and she was greeted with the rear view of a very well-built and very naked male. The sight stunned her before she remembered recent events. She was in a cabin with her new mate, Arthur. The past twenty-four hours hadn’t been a bad dream.

She let her head sink back onto the pillow and silently studied the man who was getting dressed before her. Muscles rippled across his back and his taut buttocks. His legs were long and sturdy, also giving evidence of his strength. As his lower anatomy disappeared from view under a pair of briefs, he glanced her way and caught her watching him.

“I see you’re awake.”

“Uh-huh. What time is it?” Her voice was raspy, her throat still tight from her earlier emotions.

“Almost noon. You must have been tired after our run.” He turned to grab a shirt and she noticed a long scar on his side, its pink colour indicating that it was still fairly new. She vaguely recalled seeing it last night.

“What happened to your side?”

Arthur barely glanced down at the mark. “Nothing. Just a scratch from a fight.”

“That’s more than a scratch. Who was the fight with?”

“Another Lycan named Ryne.” Arthur shrugged as if to dismiss the matter and stepped into his pants.

The scar appeared to have come from a serious injury, not the result of a minor scuffle. Not sure why it suddenly mattered to her, she hitched herself up against the headboard and pressed for more information. “Why were you fighting?”

Arthur sighed and finished doing up his zipper before turning and facing her, his arms crossed in resignation. “You aren’t going to leave this alone, are you?”

“No. I have an inquiring mind.” She gave him a smirk that indicated she wasn’t planning on backing down. He might be her Alpha, but she wasn’t going to let him walk all over her—she’d come to that decision earlier in the morning—and there was no time like the present to start showing that she had a backbone, especially since she still had home turf advantage.

“Well, in that case, I suppose I should tell you. Otherwise you might ask questions of the wrong people and end up with some incorrect information.” He rubbed his hands over his face then walked to the window and stared outside while speaking. “As you know, I’m the new Alpha of my pack. Our previous leader, Zack, was killed in an accident. Ryne and I were both Betas. Half of the Elders favoured me as the new Alpha and half wanted Ryne.”

“So, it went to a pack vote?”

“Usually that’s what would have happened, but Ryne pulled out the old rules and declared a challenge.”

“A challenge?” She sat up straight and shuddered. “That’s not done anymore. It’s ridiculous! We’ve evolved beyond that.” Two wolves fighting to the death for the leadership was barbaric.

“I agree, but he was within his rights.”

“So…what happened?” “We fought. I won.”

“Did you…kill him?” She almost hated to ask the question. The idea that her mate could kill a fellow Lycan was sickening.

“No. It was a long drawn out fight and both of us were pretty beaten up by time it was over. He made an impulsive move. I pinned him down and could have crushed his windpipe, but instead let him go.”

“And where is he now? Did he stay in the pack?”

Arthur shook his head. “Ryne chose to leave. I told him he could stay—we’d been packmates for years—but he said he wasn’t going to grovel in front of me. He was bitter and said some crazy things.” He paused and shrugged, but the tone of his voice when he spoke again belied his outward lack of concern. “In the long run, it’s probably best he’s gone. There would have been too much division in the pack if he’d stayed.”

“And is the pack united behind you now? Even Ryne’s supporters?”

“Yes. The pack mentality still runs through all our b***d. The strongest member is the leader and we instinctively accept that.” He raised his chin as he spoke, an Alpha’s confidence showing in his stance. “I proved myself and the others are at peace with the results.”

She considered what he’d told her. It must have been an awful position for him to replace himself in; forced to fight someone who, quite likely, had been a friend for years. She was glad he’d shown mercy to the challenger. It spoke well for the kind of mate he would be.

Arthur was watching her, one brow cocked, perhaps wondering what her reaction was to his tale.

She gave him a nod. “I’m glad you won and that you healed well from your fight.”

“Thanks. It was a few weeks ago; all water under the bridge now.” Flashing a smile at her, he seemed to relax, almost as if her reaction had mattered to him. He wandered back to the dresser and picked up his watch. “You need to get up and get dressed. We’ll be leaving in an hour.”

“Leaving?” She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.

“Uh-huh. I need to return to my pack. It’s not that far but I want to get back in good time so that you can see your new home before it’s dark.” Grabbing his jacket, he left.

She wrapped her arms tightly around herself. In an hour she’d be leaving the only home she’d ever known, leaving all the people she’d grown up with. She’d be joining a new pack, be surrounded by new faces. The only person she’d know would be Arthur, and he was still the next best thing to a stranger to her.

Once again, her stomach clenched as she slowly climbed out of bed and prepared to follow him.

A short while later, Ava stood in the doorway of her old bedroom. All her possessions had been packed for her and the room was now bare, almost as if she’d never lived there.

Slowly, she entered, her steps echoing in the nearly empty space. She touched the mattress, smoothed the pillow, then ran her hand over the white dresser and pulled open a few random drawers, checking if anything had been left behind. They were empty. The packers had been efficient it seemed. Peeking into the closet, only one lonely hanger remained on the rod, forgotten and forlorn in the flurry of activity that had no doubt overtaken the room.

How could her whole life be gathered up and stuffed into a few boxes in such a short period of time?

Wandering over to the window, she looked out at the familiar view of the yard and the forest beyond. A reminiscent smile played over her lips as she recalled all the times she’d stared out at the scene below dreaming of the future, planning her life around this small world that she’d grown up in. Leaving had never entered her mind. Instead, she’d envisioned herself b***d-bonded to a packmate, raising her pups here, teaching them all the special, secret places in the woods.

Tears threatened and she turned away from the beloved view. Those had been nothing but foolish childhood dreams. She was an adult now with responsibilities that must be faced.

Swallowing hard, she walked to her bed, carefully tugging it away from the wall so that she could feel along the baseboards. There was a loose section and she moved it away, feeling inside the hidden space behind. Was it still there? Surely no one had found it.

She reached in further until finally her fingers encountered a soft surface. Pulling it out, she shook the dust off the leather-bound book. It was an old diary; one that she’d kept on and off for years. Lately she hadn’t been writing in it, but she couldn’t leave it behind. Someone else might take over this room in the future and she didn’t want a stranger reading her private thoughts.

Tucking the book into the large purse she had slung over her shoulder, she walked to the door. About to leave, she turned and gave the room one last glance before flipping the light switch and quietly closing the door on her childhood.

Her chin quivered as she stood in the hallway, but she forced her emotions down. Taking a deep breath, she descended the stairs and went to meet Arthur where he was waiting to take her to her new home.

The drive was completed mostly in silence. Arthur made a few idle comments along the way but seemed content to listen to the radio, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel as he kept time with the music. Ava didn’t feel inclined towards conversation either and was grateful for the songs that filled the quietness of the cab. With her head leaning against the window, she stared unseeing at the passing landscape, lost in thought…