A second mate
1321 Words
I slam the front door of my house behind me as I rest against it with my eyes closed and my breaths coming out in hard puffs.
Honestly, I'm tired.
But maybe I don't need a mate. Who needs a mate when you have a kingdom to rule.
My fists clench and unclench at my sides as I let go of the rage.
I let it go, calming myself with the thought of of king. A king rules.
I am a king and I bloody well don't need a mate to do that.
The moon goddess has turned her back on me. That much was clear. I have given her everything—my loyalty, my strength, my victories—and in return, she has given me… nothing. No mate. No peace. Just endless nights, howling alone into the dark.
I run a hand through my hair, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me like a second skin. My boots thud against the wooden stairs as I make my way up towards my room, seeking the comfort of my bed.
My stomach growls and I remember I haven't eaten anything since the breakfast I ate last.
I stop to look at the kitchen, contemplating whether to make myself something light for the night but I decide against it.
I'm too tired for any of that.
I continue climbing the stairs when a knock on my door stops me
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I freeze mid-step.
No one dares come to my door uninvited, especially not this late.
The knock comes again.
Insistent. Light.
Almost… hesitant.
With a low growl, I descend the steps and reached for the door. I don't bother masking my irritation as I fling it open. I'm about to blast at the person when I suddenly see something—or rather, someone—on the other side of the threshold that knocks the breath clean out of my lungs.
She stands there—barefoot, her clothes tattered and clinging to her like the aftermath of a battle. Her skin, pale and dusted in dirt and blood, glows faintly under the porch light. But it's her hair that catches me first: snowy white, like winter. And her eyes—
Blue. Too blue.
Time seems to freeze as I examine from her feet to her head.
Our eyes met and I feel something in me rise.
Mate.
The word slams into my chest like a war drum. I hear it in my own mind's voice, but louder still in my wolf’s, howling in absolute certainty.
She blinks once, her lips parting.
“Mate,” she breaths out.
And then, she collapses.
“No—!” I lunge forward just in time to catch her before her body hits the ground. Her weight feels like nothing in my arms, but the shivers wracking through her frame tells me everything I needed to know—she's being maltreated.
My wolf growls at this and my hackles rise.
And worse, she is dying.
Not on my watch.
I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Dave's number. His house is right behind mine.
“Dave!” I roar into the phone as I cradle my mate against my chest and carry her inside, slamming the door shut with my foot. “Dave, get your ass over here! Now!”
I don't hear a reply, just the sound of bones snapping as he shifts into his wolf. One minute later, I feel my Beta’s familiar presence as he bangs the door open, already in human form.
“What's wrong, Jarek? Where are they? I was just—” Dave’s voice cuts off when he catches sight of the woman in my arms. His jaw slackenes. “What the.. Is that...?”
“My mate,” I growl, not caring how raw or wrecked I sound. “She collapsed on my doorstep. I don’t know who she is, or how she got here, but she’s hurt. Bad.”
Dave doesn't waste time. He was a doctor before he became my beta and a warrior, so his instincts kick in fast. He clears the dinning table in one sweep of his arm, and I gently lay her down.
The light above flickers, catching the angle of her face. She looks too fragile for someone the goddess has paired with me. And yet, she smells like wildflowers—something old, powerful, and entirely mine.
Mine!
Dave crouches beside her, running a quick check on her vitals while unfastening the bloodstained remains of her blouse to examine her torso. Angry, bruised welts mar her ribs. Her arms are littered with cuts, some still oozing faint traces of blood. One of her ankles is swollen and turning purple.
“Goddess,” Dave mutters under his breath. “What the hell did they do to her?"
“I don’t know,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “But whoever did this… they’re already dead.”
My wolf growls in agreement.
Because I will find them. And I will burn the world down if I have to.
Dave starts cleaning her wounds, dabbing them with antiseptic and applying salves I don't recognize. My hands twitch, itching to help. To do something.
“Her body’s in shock,” Dave says. “But she’s strong. Look at this—” He turns over her wrist, revealing a faint beating pulse beneath her skin. “i don't know what happened to her or why she's underfed and malnourished but all I know is she's fighting.”
“She’s special,” I say, and it's not just a statement. It's the truth. I can feel it in my bones. “She’s not an ordinary wolf.”
"That's where the first problem comes in, her wolf should be healing her. But she's not healing. She's healing at a humans pace but I've very sure she's not a human."
I release a sigh from my nose. I'm ready to accept whatever the moon goddess has given me. Even if she's a wolfless she-wolf. "Do what you can." I say to him.
Dave nods once and continues tending to her.
I sit beside her on a chair, brushing a blood-matted strand of white hair from her cheek. Her face twitches slightly at the contact. Even unconscious, she responds to me. Her scent wraps around me like silk, calming the storm inside me.
Finally. f*****g finally, I've found you.
“You’re safe now,” I whisper to her. “I don’t know what hell you crawled out of, but I swear it ends here. No one will ever hurt you again.”
I don't care if the moon goddess has ignored me until now. She has finally given me something I never thought I’d have. A mate. A reason to believe again.
And she’s shown up at the very moment I had given up.
Fate has a funny way of working.
Her lips part slightly, and I lean in, thinking she might wake. But she only sighed, her breathing evening out.
“She’ll need rest,” Dave say. “A warm bath, a change of clothes, maybe food when she wakes. I’ll call for Bianca. She's more experienced than I am and she's the pack doctor. She'll do better than I can. I'll also have a room prepared."
“No,” I sat quickly, glancing up. “She stays in my room.”
Dave arches a brow but doesn't argue. “All right. I’ll help you carry her once I finish dressing these cuts.”
"I'll carry her myself too. Don't worry about that."
He lifts his hands and shrugs. "You're the boss."
I sit there, watching her.
And for the first time in years, I don't feel like the cursed, matel
ess Alpha anymore.
I feel whole.
Whoever she is, wherever she came from… she is mine.
And I will kill to protect her.
- Writer
