Her True Mate

Chapter 13 - Inflated Egos

* 4 Years Earlier*

Dakota’s POV

Kaitlin giggles like a teenager and nods, taking my hand and leading me back towards her side of the forest. I refuse to scoff at how childish she is. I start to wonder how old she is and worry she might be too young. My wolf snarls at me for my train of thought, so instead I take in her backside as we walk. I growled in approval at her round behind that had her blushing as she turned around to look at me.

I can picture taking her from behind as she looks at me with those eyes, and my dïck tightens painfully. I adjust myself. She hardly notices. As we walked, she explained her pack to me, and I didn’t pay attention. I don’t care.

If this pack is mine, I will change it to my liking. My excitement at the thought makes me puff out my chest. I want to be Alpha. I deserve that position. I am a strong warrior and fierce leader. Men in my pack cower to me, and even more so after my pathetic Alpha has shown everyone how low he has become.

“We are here!” I hear her melodic voice and look around to see a grand pack house. It’s a giant lodge against a considerable lake that almost looks silver with the snow. I see where they get their pack name from.

Yes, this will do nicely.

She continues forward, and several wolves look at us with interest. I shook off her hand, pretending to brush my hair, and straightened my clothes. I see several she-wolves who are hot as hell and wink at them as they pass.

They blush and look away, giggling to themselves and wondering who I am. As we enter the pack house, it’s warm and inviting. Young wolves are everywhere.

What the hell?

The pack house should be reserved for high-ranking wolves, not children, who are destroying everything!

I clench my fists and remember I’m here for a meeting and this is not my pack. Yet. I was focusing on relaxing as we continued to her father’s office.

“Thank you for showing me the way, gorgeous,” I said, stroking her cheek. I don’t need to smell like her at the moment, so I resist her attempt to snuggle close to me.

“Oh, right. Well, I’ll find you when I am done.” She smiles sadly and turns away. She is needy. Strike Two. I knock twice.

“Come In.” A deep voice calls out.

As I open the door, I see that Alpha John is a good-sized man and can hold his own in a fight as he stands to greet me. Damn, he won’t go down easily if I need to challenge him.

“Alpha John?” I extended my hand to him. He extended his own, in a firm shake, but I was not expecting what he would say next.

“It’s Alpha Mark, my father is over there.” The man says, then he points to another gentleman on the couch, whom I missed on my way in.

“Alpha Mark, my apologies, Alpha John, it's nice to meet you.” I nearly stutter and reach towards the older man for a handshake. He was still equally as fit and younger than I had pictured.

Merde.

“I wasn’t aware there was another in your stead,” I tell John as I turn back towards the Alpha I am unfamiliar with—the one in my seat.

“Mark is my son! He took over last week, and we have yet to make the formal announcement.” He says, looking proudly at his son.

Baise, this is not good. This is not how it was supposed to be! Why hadn’t anyone heard of a son before?

I start getting angry. This pack is supposed to be mine with that little girl who is my mate!

I grit my teeth and try to relax.

“Well, my apologies for the mix-up. You’ve caught me off guard.” I said to them both.

“No worries, we keep our pack a mystery to most. We follow the laws set forth by the council, but are a haven for wolves needing a safe place to be themselves, so we stay under the radar.” Alpha Mark says.

Ah, that’s what my mate was droning on about. I resisted rolling my eyes. This pack is a bunch of weak werewolves.

“I see. I wasn’t aware that your pack did that,” I said, trying my best to sound impressed. Who wants a pack like this? The potential for this land is incredible, and it harbors wolves. It’s ridiculous.

“So what can we do for you, Beta Bane?” Alpha Mark says. I try my best not to glare at him as he stares at me with a look I cannot place.

“I was hoping to apply for your Beta position. I was under the impression the job was available,” I say, and he nods with a look of embarrassment.

“It was before I took over. I’m sorry, but I have filled the position with my appointment. Out of curiosity, why are you looking to move Beta Dakota?” Mark asks, looking directly at me.

“My alpha is not capable of running the pack, and we are having our disagreements over it. However, the council has rejected my offer to take over due to his current incompetence, citing that he needs more time to prove otherwise. I need to distance myself from his inability to lead and address the issues that need fixing. I think it is for the best I step away and let him figure things out after some harsh disagreements,” I paused before I slipped up again, like with the last interview I had. Blame him and the council… not implicate myself for trying to become Alpha the wrong way.

They both look wide-eyed at me. Not a good sign. I mentally curse myself and my wolf chorts, but doesn’t comment.

“I see Beta Dakota. Well, the most I can offer right now is a few weeks of staying here to see how you fit into our pack for an unranked warrior position. From there, we can discuss a more permanent place. Is this where you want to be?” He asked, and his voice was irritating, and I tried my best to smile genuinely. It was time to pull out the mate card.

“I would like that. It wasn’t the position I hoped for, but fortunately, it would also allow me to get to know my mate more.” I started and smirked, drawing out the word. This brightens my sour mood to see their faces look shocked.

“Your mate is in our pack?” Alpha John says to me. I nod.

“It appears your daughter is my mate.”

John looks stunned. Alpha Mark looks at me expressionless. Both men shake it off quickly.

“Of course! Wow, well, we would be honored, Beta Dakota, to have you here with us! Kaitlin is an amazing young lady and is beloved by her pack. They would be disappointed to see her go, but if you stay, that’s even better.” He smiles at me, but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. He regards me closely, and I wouldn’t say I like it.

Not one bit. He will need to be convinced I am here for her, not the title.