His Destined Mate

PROLOGUE Nicole stared at her father in shock and disbelief. In all her years, she had never expected to arrive here, at this point, and be having this conversation. Now, everything seemed so different from what she's always known. She had just come from an afternoon run with her best friend, Amber when a guard came up to them with the news that her dad, the Alpha of the Red Summit pack, had needed to see her in his office. Aware that her dad wasn't the sort of man to leave waiting for anything, she'd instantly rushed to his office, not before telling Amber that they would meet up later that night to watch a few movies. Her father, John Morgan, the infamous alpha, had been sitting behind his almighty desk, where he planned his attacks, the torturing of rogues in the pack prison, and not forgetting- how to run the lives of every single pack member. Apart from his high rank, he had managed to possess a wife whom he didn't love, and two children who couldn't love him. He didn't stand to acknowledge her presence or make any indication that she was welcome. Besides, what did she expect? A hug? That's the type of man he was. Selfish, and selfish. He'd gone right into the discussion, certainly not the man to beat around the bush, or with an ounce of patience in his pathetic life. She could still remember the words he had uttered because conversations like the one they'd had didn't just leave someone's mind so quickly. No. It lived with the person on the receiving end for the rest of their life, and she just happened to be the one listening... "You'll be marrying Alpha Rogers in three days," he'd said, and it was more of a demand than a statement. It was an order. One she knew all too well. A normal werewolf living a normal life would've been thrilled to have the privilege of mating with the mighty 'Alpha Rogers' but Nicole was the least bit excited. Actually, she was angry, but she didn't dare express her thoughts to her father. Being the Alpha daughter, a lot was expected of her, including being mated to a werewolf of great power and prestige. Indeed, Alpha Patrick Rogers was one of the most powerful alphas in the US- the Sentinels being the first. Yet, he wasn't her mate. And she didn't want him to be. From the first moment they'd met, she had felt disgusted by his mere presence. Even his name 'Patrick' didn't sit so well with her. Along with being the very last wolf she'd ever want to mate, he also possessed the attribute of being an arrogant and egotistical jerk whom she wished she'd never met. Never had she expected her father to utter those words to her. Just because his life had been destroyed, doesn't mean hers also needed the same fate. Her parents had mated under terrible conditions. Her father's real mate had been killed, and in dire need of an heir, he'd mated with her mother, Sherry. Her mother had never been a wolf or had known of the existence of werewolves before meeting her father. They'd had Nicholas and six years later, Sherry gave birth to Nicole. Surprisingly, both pups had received the werewolf genes from their father. Along with being bullied by pack members, her mother had lived with a man who could never love her. It was no secret that her parents weren't the happiest mates in the world- and that's if they could be referred to as such. And that's why she couldn't possibly mate with Rogers. Who's to say that a few months down the line he won't hate her as much as her dad hated her mom? Her father expected obedience, and nothing more. Yet, she wouldn't keep quiet and allow her life to be controlled by a man, even if he's her father. "But he's not my mate," she reasoned. However, when he looked at her, she wished she had kept her mouth shut, and left his office without any plans of returning in the future. "I know that, but we need to form an alliance with his pack. And what better way to do this than to have him mate with my daughter?" Nicole frowned in confusion and felt a headache coming in. Alpha Rogers' pack was to the South-East region, and not even bordering with their pack. They certainly didn't need an alliance with his pack, and even if they thought about it, there were other more capable packs out there that weren't always concerned about their power and wealth. So where had her father come up with this ridiculous idea? "Father," she began, deciding that she needed to put her foot down, and say what was on her mind. "My mate is out there somewhere, waiting for me. Will you just destroy that chance of me ever having the love that I deserve from my mate?" The man was pissed alright, no doubt angry at Nicole for questioning his motives and judgment. His palm slammed against the tabletop, causing the loud noise to resonate in the room, and wake her up from the direction of her thoughts. "And when will you find him?" He asked. "When you're 30? You will marry Alpha Rogers or else you'll be punished severely. That's the rule and I will obey it, even for my daughter." Nicole knew her father wasn't bluffing. Besides, he wasn't Alpha John Morgan for nothing. If he said that she would be punished, she knew she could even be killed. Her father didn't make empty threats. He would stick to his very last word, no matter the cost. She was barely twenty years of age, and at this age, she-wolves were going off to college, wanting to experience life and what the world had to offer. And she was in no hurry to find her mate and have pups running around. Although it would be amazing to have her own family, she wanted to further her career, go to college and become a teacher. Against her father's wishes, she'd signed up for online courses in a community college and was slowly and carefully living her dream of becoming a teacher. It's always been her passion, to teach children, be their role model, and fill in where their parents could not. Her father, however, never wanted this for her. He wanted her to be mated with the richest wolf the werewolf species had ever seen, and be a housewife for all of eternity. Here's to say how little her father cared about her or her happiness. He didn't mind selling her off to the highest bidder- or in her case, Rogers. "And what does mom think about this?" She questioned. Instantly, his facial expression changed. "She doesn't need to know. The fewer people aware, the better." He's insane, she thought. He wants her to mate with an Alpha in three days, but he won't tell her own mother because he wants to keep it a secret. Would he wake up that day and invite everyone to a ceremony, only for them to find out that she was about to tie her soul to the devil in wolf form? For years he's treated her mother as a slave. A possession. He would never love her because he'd never once tried. Not after this long; two kids, so many years by his side. Her mother was practically locked up so she could do her duty as his Luna. Would that be my fate?  Nicole thought. Yet, she knew better than to question her thoughts. This would definitely be her fate if she stayed here, and allowed her heart to be given to a man who would never love her. Yes, they would be in a loveless mating, and he would never care for her because he was too busy caring for himself, and no one else. Her father didn't believe in love. He never would. With all the power that he's been trying to grasp, his greed had changed him into a monster. God bless the day that he realizes that all the material things he's so concerned about mean nothing in this world. We can be taken away so quickly from everything we've spent our entire life building. Yet, he's not a man to be argued with. Many times, wolves who had questioned him had gotten far worse than a rogue who had crossed into their pack lands. Nicole didn't even want to think about what her future would hold. After giving her everything, what would she have left? Nodding, she left his office, heading straight to her room. She ignored the stares she received from fellow pack members, as she drowned in thoughts of her fate in a few days. She would have to mate with a man she didn't love- and would never love. Is this really what was best for the pack? For once in her godforsaken life, she wanted to be treated like a queen. She wanted someone to love her. Not rule her. She wanted to make her own decisions, not worrying about what others thought about her. It was time to put her feet down, raise her head up, take her life into her own hands, and make her own choices. She couldn't allow her future kids to experience the same fate as her. She had alpha blood running through her veins, and not even her father would be able to stop what she had planned. She was shaping her own destiny, and boy was she nervous. And scared. ** After having grabbed a backpack with clothing, food and money, and all her important personal belongings, Nicole walked across the hall and entered her brother's room. Nick was lying down in his bed, his eyes glued on the television across the room, and no doubt exhausted from training earlier that day. Being the future Alpha, it's expected that he trains every day to become strong and unstoppable. Their father, however, expected Nick to be training every single minute of the day, without tiring. Why couldn't he invest all the pack's money into a robot? Nicole walked over to him and took a sit on the edge of the bed. Sensing that something was wrong, Nick turned his gaze to her, and asked, "What's wrong?" She sighed, "I'm leaving." That seemed to have caught his attention as he sat up in bed and stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "Leaving?" He whispered, the word almost sounding foreign to him. "Why?" Nicole felt the tears rushing down her cheeks, and she knew it would be devastating to say goodbye. Her brother had always been her rock. He'd protected her when she couldn't protect herself. He'd taken care of her no matter what he was going through. How could she lie to him? She wiped her fallen tears before whispering, "Dad wants me to mate with Alpha Rogers." He frowned in confusion and anger. How could his father order her to do something like this? Nick knew how demanding and controlling their father could be. "What do you mean? He's not even your mate," he seethed. "He thinks our mating will form an alliance between both packs." Nick wanted so much to throttle their father or kill him. Either way, he would be making many dreams come true. Including his. He dreamt of the day when his father would no longer possess an ounce of power, so he could be treated with the same level of mercy that others had experienced because of him. He knew their pack didn't need an alliance with Patrick Rogers' pack. The friendship between both packs was enough. Besides, he's never liked the man. He couldn't stand being in the same room as the man. And to allow him to marry his sister. Yeah, right! He didn't want to think that her choice of leaving was the right option. Actually, it was the best. Their father would pull her to the altar if she didn't agree, and he couldn't see his sister suffer for the rest of her life under a man. But not any man. The-worst-alpha-the-world-has-seen kind of man! Nick wanted the best for his little sister, and if getting her away from their dad was the only way to achieve this, he would close his eyes, and help her escape. Then he wouldn't feel so bad or allow guilt to eat him from the inside for the rest of his life. There were worse things than running away. Leaving with her wasn't even an option, either. If both of them were to leave, his father would blame their mother, and he didn't want to think about what would happen to her. He couldn't allow anything to happen to their mother. "Let me help you. It's the least I can do," he offered, and Nicole declined immediately. She didn't want to burden him with her problems. For years he'd made her issues his very own, and now she refused to allow this. Keeping her secret was enough to help her. Upon sensing that she was about to decline his offer, he continued, "You'll get caught if I don't help you." Nicole thought about her chances of escaping and it was very slim. Apart from finding her way around the property without anyone seeing her, there was also the issue of pack warriors patrolling the territory. What was even worse was that she didn't know when and where a wolf would be. Nick, on the other hand, knew this. He trained with them, and although they weren't the best of pals, he knew he could trust a few, or find a way to get Nicole out of the territory without anyone knowing. Voicing his thoughts, she agreed and they went about planning her escape route. When they finally got to the border, Nicole was in tears at having to leave her family behind. She'd promised her best friend that they would meet up to watch a few movies, and she didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. Her mother would be worried sick, but Nicole knew Nick would comfort her. As soon as she was safe, she promised Nick that she would call him to give him her location. With one last look at her brother, she changed into her wolf, welcoming the familiar c***k of her bones, and allowing her senses to be heightened. She's always loved the feeling of being in wolf form, but now, she would have to depend on her wolf for basically everything. They were now on their own. Without even a glance behind, she ran until running was the only thing she knew, not wanting to turn around and allow her sadness to take her back home. Home. Where is her home now? ** Five days later... In her human form, Nicole came across a river, the water as clear as crystals. As the water flowed, she welcomed the sweet melody, wanting to store it to memory. Trees swayed in the breeze, and daisies danced like this would be their last song. She had missed peaceful moments like this. She wished she could be so carefree, not caring about a thing in the world because she had everything under control. For the past few days in the woods, running had made her fear of what was in store for her future. She didn't want to live like this for the rest of her life. She wanted a home. Somewhere that provided her with security. She didn't want to have to look over her shoulders every day, wondering if she would be killed or when it would be okay to stop running. For days she'd pushed her wolf to cover up miles and miles of land. She had no clue where she was, but with her werewolf senses, she could tell that she was close to someone's territory. It was something that a wolf could sense, and now, hers was saying that the nearby pack gave off a number of different scents. She didn't want to stay so long, but she needed water. Her water supply had finished the day before, and she wasn't able to quench her thirst or that of her wolf for an entire twenty-four hours. Well, that's what her wristwatch was saying. Walking over to the stream, Nicole stooped down, cupping her hands and leading water to her mouth. The first drop of water rushing down her throat was like heaven, and for the moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the water. It happened so fast. One moment she was savoring the crystal water, and the next, she was knocked aside by a blur. Except, the blur was, in fact, a wolf. As her body regained from the strong impact against the ground, she was instantly aware of the pain radiating from her ankle and abdomen. Growls filled the air, along with her groans of pain. She tried moving, but her body didn't allow her to. It was then that she saw the wolf. No, but not any wolf. One that made her blood run cold as she realized that this was indeed a rogue. She knew this first by its color, and secondly, its smell. The dirty creature stood a few feet away from Nicole, its fangs bared, and just plain angry. It looked like a wolf protecting its territory, but mostly one who wanted her dead. Now. A red sticky substance –blood– oozed out of its mouth, dropping unto the ground. No doubt from the number of innocent wolves- or animals it had killed. Nicole had never been so scared in her life. She couldn't possibly explain the level of fear that coursed through her as she sat there, not being able to move or run away to save her life. And she tried. She tried to ignore the pains and concentrate on moving away. Yet, this only infuriated the rogue even more as he walked very slowly, yet purposely towards her. It seemed to be on a mission; to kill, and at that moment, she was its prey. She knew pleading for her life wouldn't make a difference. Rogues were vicious creatures, who cared about themselves and nobody else. If its goal was to kill her, she knew there was no changing its mind. Besides, who was she kidding? She was practically dead already. As it continued to step closer to her, she thought about her chances of surviving this brutal attack. Would anyone show up to save her life? Is this how her life ends? She couldn't stomach the thought of having run away from her pack only to be killed before she could accomplish anything. Then what would be the reason for all this effort that she had put in? In a matter of seconds, the rogue had moved over her body, holding her prisoner under its weight. She couldn't possibly push him away. If she wasn't so badly injured and could've been able to turn into her wolf, she knew for certain that her wolf's alpha size would be able to take him down. However, her injury wouldn't allow her to. Suddenly, she felt the puncture of its teeth on her arm, and she screamed in agony at the pain that was quickly becoming too much to bear. Never had she experienced such pain before, that she felt that she would pass out. Yet, he wasn't nearly done. It moved to her neck, sinking its teeth into her flesh. She didn't scream. There was no more fight left in her. She welcomed the pain like an old friend. Yet, the silent tears rushing down her face didn't ease. This isn't how she wanted her life to end. Not by the hands –or teeth– of a vicious monster. She cried for her family who had no idea what was going on with her at that moment. Would they ever find out what had occurred to her? Her brother and mother would be so devastated. Her father wouldn't care. She had already disobeyed his order, so to him, there were worse things in the world than being killed by a rogue. She cried for her friends she had known all her life. She didn't get the chance to say goodbye. She cried for her mate who would never get the chance to meet her. She would never have pups and the love that she had always dreamt about. She'd wanted a happy ending- a mate and kids she would cherish for eternity. She cried... Like a jerk movement, the weight of the rogue was off her body, and through her slightly closed eyes, she saw him run away in the direction she'd come from. With no time to investigate her surroundings, for why he'd ran away and left her breathing, she felt unconsciousness come knocking. With open arms, she welcomed it, allowing herself to be whisked off into the far, deep, black abyss.