The Alpha's Shatter Zone
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Chesca clenched and unclenched her fists, her eyes seething. She burnt holes in the back of Asa’s head while he stood talking to one of his command. Soon they were all seated at the large dining table, eating lunch. She pushed the salad around on her plate, a knot twisting in her stomach. The decision was all up to her, Asa had made that much clear. The only reason she could figure for his stupid deal was that he and Kaiden must go further back than she realised, and he was looking out for his friend, wanting him to be happy with a mate. The fact it was her who would be tied down to that jerk was lost on Asa. Maybe it was to spite her. Maybe it would be to finally break her, she’d refuse his condition, and just hand over the whole pack and territory to Asa. Yes, that must be it—he wanted her pack, too! Grrr, why was every male so power hungry? The glass in her hand cracked slightly under the pressure she’d applied, and the table all looked at her.

“I’m sorry,” she said hastily before getting up, throwing her napkin beside her plate. “I need some space.”

Kaiden got up to follow, but her deadliest glare made him sit back down.

The forest needles crunched under her heavy footsteps as she wound her way between the trees. She didn’t know where she was going, but it didn’t matter. She could only think clearly when surrounded by fresh air and the calming sense of nature. Her father would always replace her out in the woods late the night before stressful exams, and he joked that she was part wood nymph on top of her keen wolf instincts. She never got lost, but could expertly track paths and animals, always replaceing her way back home.

So when she heard footsteps behind her now, her whole body tensed, knowing exactly who it was. The scent of freshly cut grass seeped in the air around her, making her heart twist and flip despite her best discipline.

“I told you not to follow me.”“You just glared at me, how was I supposed to know what that meant?”

“Seeing as I’m your mate, I figured you could read my mind by now.”

“Only once we’re mated, sweetheart,” Kaiden walked closer with a smug look on his face, and reached out his hand. She swatted it away and turned around, walking deeper into the forest.

“Asa wants to know your decision. He said the offer won’t stand forever.”

“Tell him to go stuff his face in a pile of poetic junk. There’s no way I’m gonna get stuck with you as my soulmate.”

“If it’s only land you want, then….we could…” Kaiden began slowly, and Chesca turned to watch his face, wanting to see just where he was going with this. She could see his lips twitch upwards, words on the tip of his tongue as his mind continued formulating them. “We could just go through with the ceremony like Asa wants, but, you know….it doesn’t have to..” he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his feet.

“Doesn’t have to what?” she crossed her arms and stared at him hard, the leafy shadows dancing rhythmically across his face, the dappled sun rays tinting his brown hair with golden specks.

“Mean anything?” he spread his hands and his voice went up at the end like he was asking for her agreement.

She narrowed her eyes. Did he really mean that, or was he manipulating her, getting her to agree to the acceptance ceremony just so he’d be one step closer to owning her pack? “I don’t believe you,” she stated coldly.

“Oh Chesca, come on,” he dropped his arms. “Your pack needs the land, yes?” he waited until she nodded. “And Asa has agreed to move the border, so why can’t you just do this? For your pack? We can maybe work out whatever is between us later,” he put his hands on his hips, regarding her intently.

She looked away and took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it,” was all she said. She didn’t believe him one iota. What man wouldn’t want anything from their mate after accepting each other?

He still had a plan in play, and she didn’t trust him one bit. But that was ok, she thought as she paced her room, the distant thump of drums echoing through the walls. She didn’t have to trust him to do what was right for her pack. That had always been the case, hadn’t it? She had always based every decision, every course she took, and plan she made on what was right for her pack. And it would remain that way. A part of her wondered briefly if she should be consulting her beta about this decision, seeing as he was her right hand man and this involved the entire pack. But then she realised it mostly involved her and what she was willing to do. She’d have to decide with her heart on this one. Or was it the other way around, and only her head need make the decision? Her pack needed the land, and she would ensure they got it even above her own heart’s wishes.

She marched down to the living room, watching Alpha Asa for a few minutes as he played his drums, his broad shoulders and thick arms expertly handling the sticks. It was rather beautiful to watch, and Chesca had never been a fan of such hard core music, but this rhythm that reverberated in her heart made her appreciate it just a little.

He looked up, acknowledged her, then finished his session with a loud crescendo.

“I’ve made my decision,” she said boldly before she lost the nerve. “I accept Kaiden as my mate. We’ll have the acceptance ceremony as you wish.”

Asa got up and immediately pulled the papers from his back pocket, placing them on the coffee table for her to sign.

“Alright! Let’s set a date for the special occasion!” he nodded his head joyfully. “I knew you’d see sense eventually,” the slight smirk on his face made her nearly regret her decision.

She sensed Kaiden enter the room, and watched him lean against the doorway, a smug look gracing his handsome face.

She ignored him and signed her name on the land contract. He kicked off the wall and sauntered towards her. He leaned over her shoulder, much too close for comfort, and looked at her signature.

“Congratulations, mate,” he gave her a knowing smile.

“This has nothing to do with you,” she growled.

“Oh Beautiful,” he breathed closely near her ear, sending tingles racing across her skin, “This has everything to do with me,” he winked.

Darkness descended on the forest path as clouds slid across the moon. Shadows that once were clear melded together, agreeing with the haze in his mind. Kaiden rubbed his forehead, using his wolf sight to see in the dark, but knowing it wouldn’t help with the real path in front of him.

Chesca had agreed to Asa’s condition, and now.. now they both would be attending a very personal mate acceptance ceremony. Their own. A part of him loved the idea of getting this much closer to Chesca and being a part of her pack. Which would be just as much his pack soon. That’s what he wanted, right? He asked himself as the twigs and snow crunched under his boots, the mud sticking to the tread. His breath came out frosty, and he thought of Chesca’s gorgeous blonde hair that was nearly the colour of the snow in sunlight. Yes, he definitely wanted her as his own. No one else would have her—she was his mate, and nothing could change that. But… did he want the feelings reciprocated? What would it be like to be wanted by her? Originally he’d only wanted a pack to run after his father reclaimed what was rightfully Kaiden’s. But what would it be like to wake up beside Chesca and have her smiling face all for him? What would it be like to have her slip her hand in his and rest her head on his shoulder? Would she grow to care for him? To love him and bear his children—

He cut himself short there. There was no way he should be thinking about that now. He had no idea where that line of thought had come from, but he shook his head and cleared it from his mind. Jogging lightly back to Asa’s place, he strengthened his resolve that there was only one thing he wanted out of this.

When he neared the porch, a shadowy figure made him pull up abruptly. Her head turned to him, and he felt like disappearing back into the trees. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt about his thoughts while she was this close to him. If she knew what he was thinking and what his plans were, she’d react in every possible way he couldn’t imagine.

He inched his way slowly up the steps and toward the door.

“Couldn’t sleep?” her whisper made him jump.

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Ask you what?”

He raked a hand through his messy hair and didn’t even know where he was going with this. “Why didn’t you tell me before you agreed with Asa? This does include me, you know.”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? To belong to my pack, to have me as your mate?” she seemed to sneer even though he couldn’t see her in the pale darkness.

“The pack, maybe, but…” he stopped, realising his next words would have been stupid.

“I get it,” she shifted on the seat, wrapping her arms around herself. “You don’t want me as mate. That makes two of us,” her tone was smug, cynical even.

He sighed and stood in place, weighing two options in his mind. Then his brain just blurted something out that wasn’t part of either. “What are you thinking about in that beautiful mind of yours?” he said quietly, trying to keep any snark or sarcasm from his voice so she wouldn’t get all defensive.

She was silent for a few moments, then he heard her take a breath.