THE ALPHA'S MATE WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO LIVE

The first man who came looking for me was my brother. The second was an Alpha. By sunrise, one of them would be dead. I just didn't know which one. I ran barefoot through the forest, branches tearing at my dress and cold mud slipping between my toes. Every breath burned my lungs, but I didn't slow down. Behind me, wolves were howling. Not wild wolves. Pack wolves. My family's wolves. "Elena!" My brother's voice echoed between the trees. "Stop running!" I almost laughed. Stop running? After what they had done to me? After my father had looked me directly in the eyes and told me I was no longer his daughter? After my own brother had opened the back door of our house and whispered that I had to disappear before midnight? No. I would rather die in this forest. At least then, I would die knowing I had chosen where my life ended. I pushed through a wall of branches and nearly fell down a muddy slope. I caught myself against a tree, my hands trembling as I tried to breathe. For twenty-two years, I had believed my family was protecting me. Tonight, I learned they had been afraid of me. I still didn't understand why. I had never been special. I couldn't shift like the other members of my pack. I had never felt the presence of a wolf inside me. I couldn't hear distant conversations or smell strangers from miles away. To my family, that made me defective. The weak daughter. The useless one. The girl who would never become anything. But tonight, my father had looked at me differently. Not with disappointment. With fear. "Take her." Those were the last words I heard before I ran. I pressed my back against the tree and listened. Nothing. The wolves had stopped howling. That frightened me more than the pursuit. I looked around. The forest had become unnaturally quiet. No insects. No birds. Not even the wind. Then I heard a branch snap behind me. I turned. A man stood between the trees. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed completely in black. Moonlight touched the sharp lines of his face, revealing dark hair, a hard jaw and eyes that seemed almost golden in the darkness. I couldn't move. Something about him made every instinct inside me scream. Run. But my legs refused to obey. He took one slow step toward me. I stepped backward. "Stay away from me." My voice shook. He stopped. His eyes moved over my face as if he were searching for something. Then his expression changed. It was subtle. A tightening of his jaw. A flicker of surprise. And then something that looked almost like fear. His wolf moved beneath his skin. I didn't know how I knew. I simply did. He stared at me for several seconds. Then he whispered a single word. "Mate." My heart stopped. "What?" He didn't answer. Instead, he took another step. I stumbled backward. "Don't come closer." He froze. His hands slowly lowered to his sides. "I won't hurt you." "Everyone says that before they hurt me." Something dark passed through his eyes. "Who hurt you?" I laughed bitterly. "My family." His expression hardened. "Why?" "Because they wanted me dead." The silence that followed felt heavier than the forest itself. Then he asked quietly, "What's your name?" I hesitated. "Elena." His eyes widened. "Elena what?" "Vale." The moment I said my surname, something changed in him. His face became unreadable. "You shouldn't be here." "Where else am I supposed to go?" He looked toward the darkness behind me. "They're coming." My stomach dropped. "Who?" He looked directly into my eyes. "Your brother. Your father's guards." He paused. "And my men." I swallowed. "Your men?" He stepped into the moonlight. "Alpha Kael Blackthorn." The name struck me like a physical blow. Everyone knew that name. The Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack. The man whose territory bordered ours. The Alpha my family had warned me never to cross. The Alpha whose name was spoken in whispers. "You..." My voice failed. Kael's expression remained cold. "I was sent to find you." My hands went numb. "By whom?" He didn't answer. "Why?" Still nothing. Then I saw something in his hand. A silver blade. My heart dropped. He had come prepared. I backed away. "You came to kill me." His silence was answer enough. I turned to run. He caught my wrist. The instant his skin touched mine, the world disappeared. A scream tore through my throat. Suddenly, I wasn't in the forest anymore. I was standing inside a burning house. Flames climbed the walls. A woman was crying. A baby was screaming. And beside the doorway stood a younger version of Kael. He wasn't alone. An older man stood beside him. Kael's father. I watched the woman place the baby into his arms. "Whatever happens," she whispered, "don't let them find my daughter." The vision changed. The older man looked terrified. "She's not safe here." Then another voice came from somewhere behind them. "Kill her before the blood moon." I gasped. The vision shattered. I fell to my knees. Kael caught me before my head hit the ground. His face had gone pale. "What did you see?" I stared at him. "I don't know." My breathing was uneven. "But I saw your father." His entire body went rigid. "What did you see?" "I saw a woman." "Who?" "I don't know." "What did she look like?" I closed my eyes. The image was already fading. "She was holding a baby." Kael's grip tightened around my arm. "What else?" I looked at him. "She said something." His voice became almost a whisper. "What?" I swallowed. "She said, 'Don't let them find my daughter.'" Kael stared at me as if the ground had disappeared beneath his feet. Then the wolves began howling again. This time, they were close. Very close. Kael looked toward the trees. "They found us." I pulled away from him. "Then you should go." He looked at me. "You don't understand." "I understand perfectly." I pointed at the silver blade still hanging from his hand. "You were sent to kill me." His jaw tightened. "Yes." "So do it." For the first time, the terrifying Alpha looked uncertain. I expected him to raise the blade. Instead, he slowly lowered it. Then he took off his coat and placed it around my shoulders. I stared at him. "What are you doing?" "Protecting you." "Why?" His eyes met mine. "Because I don't know why you're my mate." He glanced toward the approaching wolves. "But I know one thing." He stepped closer. "If my pack finds you before I figure this out, they will kill you." I shook my head. "You said you were sent to kill me." "I was." "Then why are you protecting me?" His expression darkened. "Because something happened when I touched you." I remembered the vision. "So you saw it too?" "No." He looked at my wrist. "But my wolf recognized you." Another howl echoed through the forest. Kael reached for my hand. This time, I didn't pull away. "Stay beside me." I stared at him. "Why should I trust you?" "You shouldn't." His honesty surprised me. He leaned closer. "But right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and the people hunting you." The trees behind him moved. A shadow appeared between the branches. Then another. Kael stepped in front of me. His eyes changed. Golden. Predatory. Alpha. A deep growl came from his chest. And suddenly, I understood something. The men hunting me weren't trying to bring me home. They were trying to make sure I never discovered who I really was.