My Surprise Mate
Chapter 20

"What'd you replace?”

Dane asked his father as we took a seat. Zayd shook his head solemnly, “Not as much as I wouldhave liked to. I'll tell you what little we found and then I'll tell you a theory that your mother and Ihave come up with.”

" Sounds good,”

he replied as he wrapped an arm around me. * The day that Holly was born, a younger woman hadshown up at the hospital, alone. She refused to give her name and paid in cash. During labor, shetold the doctor and nurses she wanted to give the baby up for adoption. It's a small town,everybody knows everybody kind of thing, and no one had ever seen this woman before. Aftergiving birth to a baby girl, the woman whispered in the baby's ear before the nurses took her away.The woman disappeared in the middle of the night.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My heart dropped the more Zayd talked. So not only did mymother not want me, but she also made sure there would be no way to replace out who she was. Danemotioned with his hand for Zayd to continue, “ Humans aren't usually able to leave within hours ofgiving birth to a baby, but this woman did. According to records, she eyebrows at Dane. “So, shewasn't human. The only ones that can possibly heal that fast after giving birth are werewolves andstrong ones. Maybe Alpha blood? But why doesn’t Holly have a wolf? Or any of the abilities of awerewolf?”

Dane seemed to be talking more to himself. “What is the theory?”

He seemed to be a little calmer as we walked out the front door. As soon as Kain saw me, he startedwalking toward me, “Holly, it's time to go home.”

Ash quickly stood in front of me growling, “I wouldn't.”

he told Kain. Aman I had seen with Kain around town stepped beside him staring at Ash. I could seethe anger flash through Kain's eyes, “Alpha Dane, I'm here to get what belongs to me.”

his eyes never left me. “Sorry Alpha Kain, but there is nothing here that belongs to you,”

Dane replied calmly. And then Kain saw it. escaped his throat, “You marked her? She wasn't yours tomark.”

His eyes now left me to stare at Dane, “She's my mate, so yes, I marked her. And youcannot ownaperson, Kain.”

I noticed the hint of sarcasm in Dane's voice. Without warning, the man standing next to Kainlunged at Ash, shifting in mid-air and knocking him to the ground. Everything around me seemed tobe happening so fast. Dane pushed me back hard as Adria grabbed my arm. In one step, Dane nolonger stood on the porch but in his place, a huge light grey wolf stood. He had small patches ofblack on each ear tip. The grey wolf was facing off with a much smaller, dark brown wolf. I couldfaintly hear Adria yelling for me to go inside as other wolves came from all directions, circling thehouse. The only men still standing as humans were Zayd and who I assumed was Kain's father. “Youknow you will lose this, ”

Zayd warned them. I felt like I was frozen in place, and everything was in slow motion. I lookedaround me, the wolf that had tried to attack Ash was pinned on the ground by a large tan wolf.Though so far, the light grey wolf towered over all the others. I had never seen a werewolf. Thewhole time I had been here, I hadn't seen one. I should have been scared but I wasn't. snarling.Dane didn't back down though, in fact, it looked like he...smiled? I couldnt be sure, but I swear if awolf could smile, Dane's just did. The urge to protect Dane was back and stronger than before. Itried to step next to him, but something was holding me back. I spun around and found Adria witha death grip on my wrist. Her eyes, which were normally dark blue, were now swirling dangerouslywith silver. Ash still had the wolf pinned to the ground; I could now see asmall amount of bloodrunning down the other wolf's neck where Ash's teeth seemed to have broken the skin. Dane wasstill standing off with Kain, waiting for Kain to make a move. Kain's father had been creeping closerto the porch as he thought no one was watching him. Zayd stood next to Dane as he leaned on hiscane. I could tell he was mind linking Dane, probably trying to tell him to calm down. Kain's fathersaw an opening and lunged toward me, “Zayd!!”

Adria yelled as she spun me behind her in one swift motion.