THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN MATE

003 (THE ALPHA RETURNS)

Elina's POV

"What?" Nina shrieked. "Yes, girl! That's the spirit! Slutty Elina is finally breaking out of her cocoon!"

I smiled weakly. Everybody saw me as the good girl. The people pleaser. The one who always said yes. The girl who did everyone's favors and picked up their pieces, but never her own. No one ever thought I could want something for myself.

Tonight, I did.

I was going to do what I wanted. I was going to get laid. And I was going to enjoy it.

"I'll meet you at the bar in 10?" she asked. I nodded, as if she could see me through the phone.

The second the call ended, I stood and flung my wardrobe open. All I saw were flowery, preppy clothes. Ruffles. Pastels. Dresses that screamed pick me, I'm safe. Nothing remotely close to a club attire.

I sighed. Then I saw it.

The black, sparkly mini dress that had a deep neckline that revealed my boobs. Nina had gotten it for me when I started seeing Leo. She said it was what men loved. I'd never worn it.

Until now.

I slid it on. It hugged the curves I never knew I had. I put on a red lipstick. I combed my hair and then threw on some knee high boots. I stared and my face and it was giving depression. I sighed and put on a little bit of concealer around my eyes and I grabbed my bag and key and drove to the bar.

The place throbbed with bass. The floor vibrated beneath my boots, the music crawling up my spine. Drunken bodies pressed against one another in a blur of motion. The air reeked of sweat, alcohol, and s*x. I gagged slightly, heading for the booth Nina usually claimed.

She waved at me from over the bar.

"Damn!" she whistled as I approached, hugging me tightly. "Look at you! Makeup and everything! We are so getting you laid tonight."

She smeared a bit more makeup on my face without asking. "There. Perfect. Now you look like the slut you want to be! I ordered drinks. Cheers!"

We clinked glasses. I laughed.

I didn’t remember how many drinks I had.

Two? Five? Ten?

All I knew was that I was dancing.

I was light. Free. I felt good. So damn good.

The DJ put one of my favorite songs, and I screamed, moving my hips like I had no idea where I was. Just the music, the alcohol, and the heat in my blood was what I could feel.

Men watched me. Nudged their heads. Some smiled. None came close. It was weird. Like something… or someone was warding them off.

That was when I felt it.

A tap on my shoulder.

I turned quickly, too quickly. I stumbled forward on my heels but I never hit the ground.

Strong arms caught me. My breath stuttered at the sight of the stranger.

He was massive. His body was hot and cold at the same time. Those grey eyes met mine again, and they were the same ones from the woods. The ones I was trying so hard to forget that I really saw.

My fingers curled into the black fabric of his shirt. His leather jacket smelled like smoke and something wild. His jaw was sharp enough to cut.

He was real. It was him. Everything that happened in that woods was real.

"You planning on staring at me all day?" he asked, voice a rich, velvety growl. "I overheard you telling your friend you needed a good f**k. That offer still on the table?"

I blinked.

Did he just say that?

"W...what?"

He leaned in. My pulse thundered.

"Mate," he growled softly.

Then he sniffed me. The side of my neck.

I stiffened.

He closed his eyes for a second, like he was savoring the scent of me. My thighs involuntarily clenched, reacting before I could stop them.

"Okay, okay," I mumbled, pulling away. "Thanks for the save, this time and last time…but I can't. I’m not... this isn’t a thing. This weird."

I turned to leave.

His hand snapped out, wrapping around my wrist.

Not hard.

But unmovable.

He pulled me against him so fast I barely made a sound. My hands slammed into his chest, breath caught in my throat.

His arm locked around my waist.

"Don't be like that, sweetheart. Dance with me." He said, already pulling me to the dance floor.

"I didn't say I wanted to dance," I snapped. "You don't get to decide that."

He smirked. God, that smirk.

"But here we are."

He moved us slowly, his hands sliding to my hips in time with the beat. My body hated how good it felt.

"You're the man from the woods," I said. "You were... that was real."

He didn’t answer.

I looked up at him. He was staring at me like I was made of secrets he wanted to unravel.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who’s going to protect you."

I shoved him away. "Tell me who the hell you are!"

His jaw clenched.

"Kade. Kade Thorn. Alpha of the Blackfang Pack."

"Alpha of what now?"

He stepped closer. "You’re my mate."

The way he said it made my chest ache.

"No, I'm not your mate or wolf or whatever. I'm Elina. A very normal girl who is not interested in you!"

I turned and stormed away straight to a booth.

My head spun. My heart wouldn’t slow. I needed Nina. I needed another drink. I needed to breathe.

"Get the lady whatever she wants," a deep voice said.

I jumped. He was already there, across the table, giving the waitress a look that made her knees wobble. She practically drooled.

"When did you get here?" I asked.

He adjusted his coat. "Just now."

"What do you want?"

He didn't answer immediately. His eyes were locked on me, as if studying every twitch of my expression.

"I waited years for you."

I scoffed. "Spare me the dramatic werewolf pickup lines."

"You don't believe me. I know. But your body does. You will too. I will make you."

I froze. "Excuse me?"

"Your heart is racing. Your pupils are dilated. You can feel it, Elina. You can feel me."

I grabbed the glass in front of me and took a long, shaky sip, looking away from him.

“I'm not a kid, Kai—”

“Kade—”

“Same thing. I don't know who you are or where you're from, but I want you to stay the hell away from me.”

We sat in silence. The music thumped around us. The booth suddenly felt too intimate.

I stood up after a while. "I need air."

He didn’t stop me.

The cool night air hit my face as I stepped outside. I took a deep breath.

My entire life felt like it had turned sideways in one night.

A guy from the woods. A wolf. A man who called me mate like it was a holy title.

I leaned against the brick wall and closed my eyes.

What the hell is happening to me?

"Elina?"

The voice made my eyes fly open.

I turned. It was, Leo. My ex.

He looked just as shocked to see me as I felt seeing him.

"Leo? What are you doing here?"

But he didn’t answer.

His gaze had moved past me to the figure stepping out of the bar behind me. It was Kade. Leo froze. His eyes narrowed. Something dark and dangerous crossed his face.

Kade stopped, his own gaze sharpening. The tension in the air changed. It became thick, heavy and charged. They stared at each other as if they had some sort of history.

I stepped between them. "You... you know each other?"

No one answered. Kade took a slow step forward. Leo’s fists clenched at his sides.

Then Leo walked towards me and grabbed my wrist, “Let's get out of here.”