Not His Mate

Chapter 2

I pick up my pace and keep my head on a swivel. I can smell a town nearby, and if I can just make it there, I’ll be among other people and closer to safety.

A branch snaps to my right, and I forgo the power walking. My feet pound against the soft forest floor, but the echo of someone else’s shoes behind me sends my heart into its own race.

I wasn’t just being watched. I was being followed.

And then I hit a brick wall. Or so it felt.

“Sh*t!” I mutter as I look up into a pair of chocolate brown eyes above a disdainful scowl. “I-I didn’t mean to get in your territory. I’m just passing through.”

I could smell the werewolf’s disgust as he looked me up and down before he looked past me and gave a single nod.

Before I could plead my case any further, four arms were wrapped around mine, and I feel my body lift from the ground with silent, deadly ease. My first instinct is to scream and fight them off, but I know it won’t do me any good.

Just like the stories I’d heard, I had managed to find one of the packs who didn’t take a rogue in their territory lightly.

Just my f*cking luck.

The wolves on either side of me are much stronger than I am, probably at least five more years of shifting under their belts, and they’re clearly warriors.

The one on my right is well over six feet tall with a broad, bare chest half-covered with abstract tattoos that swirl and loop over his chiseled muscles. His blonde hair is tied back with a piece of black leather and flows down his back like golden waves. He gives me absolutely no attention as he escorts me east, but the wolf on my left is a different story.

He is shorter than his counterpart, but his build is just as imposing. His jet black hair is loose and ripples down his bare chest and shoulders, nearly to his waist. And his neon green eyes are locked with mine.

Something about them strikes a chord, but I’m more taken aback at his brazen stare than interested in why he seems almost…familiar.

I inhale sharply and turn to watch our path, and I can feel his gaze finally shift away from me.

Why the hell is he looking at me like that?

We reach a small clearing in the woods, and my stomach growls as the scent of roasting meat reaches my nose. I haven’t eaten in a couple days, and I’m regretting my choice to avoid shifting to hunt.

Maybe if I wasn’t so hungry, I would have noticed the warriors sooner, but if I had been in wolf form, I risked being viewed as an attacker.

This rogue life is for the birds.

“What have we here?” a smooth female voice asks.

My feet hit the ground, but the men don’t loosen their grip on my arms as they turn me to face her.

And she is incredible.

She’s wearing a sheer white robe that does nothing to hide her ample bosom and hourglass figure. Her silvery hair drapes her thighs, and her icy blue eyes peer into mine with a sense of curiosity.

“A rogue,” the man behind me answers her in a gruff voice. “She was prowling around our territory.”

“Prowling is a harsh word,” I cut in once I finally find my voice. “I was trying to avoid all pack territories and misjudged yours. I apologize, but if you’ll let me go, I’ll be on my way.”

“Nonsense.” The silver-haired wolf shook her head and smiled. “You need to eat. I can hear your body’s reaction to the remnants of our lunch.”

“You’re going to feed a rogue?” The man behind me was incredulous. “But Alpha Roman—“

“Will agree with me wholeheartedly that a brand new rogue who has done nothing wrong will not hurt anyone by eating some of our leftovers,” the woman cut him off with a glare that made me cringe. “Now, release her and continue your hunt. I’ll handle it from here.”

I wonder who this woman is that she holds such authority over the warriors and doesn’t even worry about upsetting her Alpha. She doesn’t smell like the Luna, but she certainly carries herself with pride and confidence.

I feel the right grip on my right arm loosen immediately as the taller wolf steps back and bows to the woman. The green-eyed man hesitates for only a second before he follows suit, but I can feel his stare boring into me until the three men retreat back into the forest.

“Thank you,” I say in a voice just above a whisper. “I don’t want to cause a problem with your Alpha. If I need to leave—“

“My Alpha respects my opinion,” she interrupted me with a wave of her slender hand. “First things first, my name is Gabriella. What’s your name?”

“Krista,” I reply with a cautious smile. “Of the… well, never mind. I have no pack.”

“You still smell clean, and you’re obviously not yet insane,” she chuckles. “How long have you been a rogue, Krista?”

“Three days,” I sigh.

“Ah, you didn’t have a mate in your pack,” Gabriella observes as she looks me over. “Am I right?”

I nod and look down at my feet with shame.

Werewolves are meant to find their mates, have pups, and strengthen their packs. I had failed to do that for the Black Shadow Pack, though I was grateful for Gabriella’s kindness, even if it was intermixed with pity.

“That doesn’t mean you don’t have a mate,” she says softly as she lifts my chin with delicate fingers and meets my tear-filled stare. “It only means you’re meant to find him somewhere else.”

“I failed my family,” I choke out as the tears stream down my dirty cheeks. “I had one duty, and I failed them. I failed my future Alpha.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Gabriella says as she wraps her arm around my trembling shoulders and guides me toward the cabin behind her, through a living area, and into a master bedroom with its own bathroom.

A handful of other women scurry around the large bathroom to draw a hot bath and gather fluffy white towels for me while Gabriella leans against the door jamb and watches me with a look I can’t quite describe.

She seems curious about me, but I have no idea what’s drawn her interest. I’m not anything special, and I’m even further from special being a rogue wolf.

Once the bath is ready and the other women have left, Gabriella looks me over one more time.

“I’ll get you some fresh clothes,” she decides. “You take your time.”

“But I—“ I start to argue that I have more clothes in my duffle, but she’s already shut the door behind her. “Hopefully, she doesn’t get me something as transparent as her robe.”

I set my bag on the floor and peel off my clothes. I’m not sure how she could tell I was a fresh rogue based on the stench currently emanating from them, but I fold them up anyway and shove them to the bottom of my bag. Once I get out of here and find the town I smelled earlier, I can wash them at a hotel or something.

The hot water feels incredible as I sink into the tub with a sigh. I can practically feel my pores opening up to release the dirt and grime I’ve acquired over the past few days in the forest. I lay my head against the back of the tub and let the bubbles swirl around the water as I breathe in the lavender scent.

I must have fallen asleep, and I wake up to Gabriella standing over me with an impish grin.

“I knew you’d like my tub,” she giggles.

“Oh, god!” I gasp and try to cover my body with the few remaining bubbles. “I, um, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s fine, Krista.” She shakes her head and gestures toward a pile of clothes on the counter. “I just brought you these and figured I’d check on you since it’s been almost an hour.”

“Wow, I’m so sorry,” I mutter as I search for the towel.

Although how I’m going to get out of this tub without going full frontal for a stranger has yet to materialize in my brain.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Gabriella assures me with a softer smile. “And I’m not worried about seeing you naked either. We all see each other naked on big hunts before and after we shift. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

I feel my gaze trickle down to her breasts, barely hidden behind the almost transparent fabric of her robes, and a blush warms my cheeks.

“In my old pack, we didn’t really, um, do group hunts,” I finally stammer. “Not the women, at least.”

“Ugh, we are much freer to be who we are here,” Gabriella replies and shrugs as she steps back toward the door. “Anyway, I’ll let you get dressed. There’s food waiting for you once you’re done.”

My stomach rumbles before I can respond, and she laughs as she closes the door. I sigh with relief before I climb out of the tub and dry off.

I’ve never seen anyone else naked before, and no one has seen me. And I can’t get the image of her barely covered breasts out of my head.

“Get yourself together,” I mumble as I pick up the deep red robe from the counter. “You need to eat, say thanks, and get out of here.”

I wrap the silky fabric around my body and frown. This robe is terrible for more forest running, but I can’t risk offending Gabriella by putting on my own clothes. I’ll have to wear it long enough to show my appreciation before I switch to a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

I tie the belt of the robe around my waist and attempt to adjust the collar, but its deep V still reveals the swells of my bosom.

At least it isn’t see-through.

When I step out of the steamy bathroom with my bag slung over my shoulder and walk through the bedroom to enter the living room, I stop at the sound of low voices.

“…hardly even a rogue!” Gabriella whispers harshly. “Just give her a chance.”

“We can’t let the pack think I’ll let any and every rogue into our territory without question,” a deeper voice growls back. “I know you think—“

“I know she’s the one I saw,” Gabriella cuts the man off, and he swears in response.

“I need to see her for myself,” he finally grumbles. “And you better be right about this.”

“I am,” she chirps. “Aren’t I always, dear brother?”

Their conversation dwindles, and I breeze out of the bedroom as though I hadn’t heard a word.

Then I stop in my tracks.

His.