The Alpha's Wild Mate

Two

Hazel arched a brow at the guy standing in her doorway; the one with the cocky stance, lazy confidence, and a smirk that screamed “I think I’m God’s gift to women and wolves alike”.

Yeah. She already didn’t like him, even though she didn't know him. She wanted to roll her eyes at him so badly, but she just maintained her cool.

“You’re awake,” he said, voice smooth and rich like honey bourbon. “That’s good.”

Hazel gave him a look. “And who in the tall-ass pine tree are you supposed to be?”

The corner of her mouth twitched, despite her best efforts to keep it straight. She knew it wasn’t the time for jokes, except sarcasm was her default setting, and when she was confused and cranky, it always came out swinging.

His smirk deepened like he found her amusing, which only annoyed her more. “The Alpha wants to speak to you.”

“And your Alpha would be…?” She gestured vaguely with one hand. “Santa Claus? Gandalf?”

He had said it as if she was supposed to automatically know who it was.

Instead of answering her like she expected he would, he winked.

Like, really winked.

“Oh, fantastic.” she muttered under her breath. She was one of those.

“Follow me,” he said, already turning with an irritating amount of confidence. Hazel rolled her eyes so hard she probably strained something, then trailed after him, barefoot and unimpressed.

The corridor stretched ahead, with soft lighting glowing along the walls, and just like her room… huh, the room she had woken up in, the walls were so smooth they looked like they had been polished by hand and then repainted with satin; cleanable paints. They were probably done by monks, people with no jobs, or a bored interior designer with too much sparkling wine.

Her wolf stirred restlessly, picking up scents that were unfamiliar, wild, and…weirdly intriguing.

She was curious but Hazel was irritated.

“Mind telling me where I am?” she asked, trying not to sound like she was one question away from throwing a punch.

“All will be revealed shortly,” he said, like he was narrating a movie trailer.

She stopped walking and glared at his back. “Seriously? Who talks like that?” she asked as she stared at the back of his head.

He stopped walking and turned, clearly delighted with himself. “Someone who enjoys mystery.”

“Someone who enjoys getting punched in the throat, more like,” she muttered, gritting her teeth.

He smiled, then he turned back and kept walking.

Hazel sighed dramatically, following behind him again. “Okay, fine. How about how I got here? Was I drugged, or did I teleport here? Or did you guys abducted me because you want me to heal someone?” I asked, but then I knew everyone outside my pack that knew me, only knew I was a doctor.

The fact that I was also a healer was a mystery to them.

“The Alpha will explain everything,” he repeated, and I almost kicked him where the sun doesn't shine.

Of course he would, because why give her a single useful answer when they could stretch the suspense out like it was The Bachelor: Shifter Edition.

She let out a growl that bubbled up from her chest before she could stop it. Her wolf wasn’t exactly subtle.

The guy looked back at her, completely unfazed. In fact, he looked…entertained.

Which only made Hazel want to growl louder, or maybe even throw something at his head. Maybe both.

Soon, they got to a large brown door, and he opened it.

“Alpha, she's here now.” the man said, blocking Hazel’s view of who he was talking to.

“Thank you, Jimmy. You can go now.”

The voice sounded low and smooth, but it was full of command. Jimmy; the smug, swaggering escort who clearly thought he belonged on a runway, bowed like this was some medieval fantasy and strutted out of the room.

Hazel didn’t watch him go because her attention had already zeroed in on the man now in full view behind the desk, and the other one seated across from him.

Her father.

“Oh great,” she whispered. That surely explained the rage bubbling in her chest.

And just like that, everything came crashing back. It didn't in a slow, gentle reveal, no. This was a flood, a brutal slap of clarity.

She had gone to her brother’s room, asked to borrow his car. Told him she didn’t want their father to notice her leaving; if he saw her car driving out, he’d throw a fit. Her brother hadn’t asked questions, and just tossed her the keys.

She had gone to the parking lot, chatting with Marcie on the phone, plans for the club, laughing about outfit options, complaining about her makeup melting in the heat. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then, bam. She had felt a sudden prick at the back of her neck and everything after that was black.

And now… here she was.

Standing in a strange room in a literal fortress, face-to-face with a man she had never met but absolutely recognized.

Cade Maddox, the Alpha of the neighboring pack.

She didn’t need a name tag to confirm it. His presence filled the room like thunder waiting to break. Even though he was seated, she could tell he was tall, broad, and still as stone, with dark hair, sharp eyes, and a reputation that could clear a room in seconds.

People called him dangerous, and ruthless and some even whispered that he had killed more rogues than any shifter alive. That he ruled his territory with his claws out and the consequences of any offense were sharp.

But what really made her skin prickle wasn’t fear.

It was the way he watched her, like he could see everything she was thinking and wasn’t even slightly impressed.

Perfect.

Her arms folded tightly across her chest. “So are we gonna talk about the whole drugging-and-kidnapping thing,” she asked, tone sweetly acidic, “or is that just the standard hospitality package around here?”

Her father shifted in his seat, uncomfortable and silent, as usual.

Cade, of course, didn’t even blink.

“Sit,” he said calmly, gesturing toward the empty chair next to her father’s.

Hazel arched a brow. “Hard pass.”

A faint tick in Cade’s jaw betrayed the tiniest sliver of irritation. Barely there. But her wolf picked up on it, and tensed.

“You were brought here for your own protection,” her father offered weakly, like that somehow made this okay.

Hazel laughed. Not a ha-ha funny laugh; more like wow, ‘you really are the worst’ laugh. “Right. Because nothing says ‘fatherly love’ like stabbing your daughter in the neck and handing her over to the biggest, baddest Alpha on the eastern seaboard.”

Cade leaned back in his chair, hands folded like a man with all the time in the world. “You’re here because Declan’s petition to claim you was approved, and if you don't get mated soon, you won't be able to escape him.” he explained.

Her stomach turned. “And I told him no,” Hazel snapped. “I’ve told everyone else no.”

“Declan doesn’t care about that,” Cade said simply.

“Who the hell does he think he is?” Hazel thought to herself. “Well, I do,” she shot back. “What’s the point of having a mate bond if one half of the pair is gagging at the thought?”

Neither man responded, but of course, they didn’t.

“This is insane,” she muttered. “You can’t just lock me in here, you yourself wanting to marry me, and call it protection.”

“You’re not a prisoner here,” Cade said, standing slowly. And somehow, that was worse—because now she could see just how big he was. How much space he took up. And how calm he stayed while the room practically crackled with tension. “And you don't have to marry me. You can leave when it’s safe for you to leave.”

Hazel’s eyes narrowed. “Safe from Declan? Or safe from my own father trying to pawn me off.”

Cade didn’t answer but he didn’t have to because she already knew.

He pushed up and walked around the desk, stopping a few feet in front of her. Close enough that the air between them felt charged. Her wolf stirred again, more curious than scared.

He was really tall that she only reached his chest. “You can stay here,” he said, voice low and quiet but packed with authority. “And he won't be able to touch you. No one will without my permission.”

Hazel scoffed. “Great. So I'm upgraded from ‘kidnapped’ to ‘protected hostage.’”

“Or you could leave with your father if you want,” Cade added, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

“And then what?” she asked, crossing her arms again. “I go back and marry Declan?Join his happy little harem? Pop out his moody werewolf kids?”

“You’ll have to choose what you want to do,” Cade said, “I'm not in the habit of forcing myself on women. So that's the options you have. Take it or leave it.”

Hazel blinked. She hadn’t expected that. She hadn’t expected him to say something like that.

He turned and walked back to his desk without another word.

Apparently, the conversation was over.