His Lost Mate

Freja Running through the forest, I hear his evil laugh. He is gaining on me. I find a small cave and slip inside for a moment. After I catch my breath I exit the cave a run into someone and we tumble to the ground. A hand clasps over my mouth and I struggle to get free. “Shh, I am here to help you,” says the man with his hand over my mouth. I bite his hand and he lets out a low growl. Not menacing, more of an annoyed growl. “Freja, I’m going to release my hand, please don’t scream or he will find us.” “How do you know my name,” I ask. He smiles and says “I have been looking for you for many years.” I c**k my head in confusion and he holds his hand out like he wants me to take it. I hear rustling behind him as a black wolf stops just behind the man. I take a few steps back, getting ready to run. The wolf lowers its body to ground and looks up at me with ice blue eyes. It lets out a little whine. I feel my body hum and shake my head. The man looks at both of us and shakes his head too. “This is my son, Ares. And I am Alaric, alpha of the Crescent Moon pack,” he says. I hear snarling off in the distance and my eyes widened in fear. Alaric takes my hand and whispers, “Please, trust me. Go with Ares; he will lead you to safety.” I obliged, as I am out of options. I cannot outrun my alpha. I cannot hide from him. I have tried many times just to fail. The punishment that followed each escape attempt should have stopped me from trying. But I am stubborn. “Fine, I’ll go with him, but that doesn’t mean I trust either of you,” I tell him with a bit of defiance. He laughs a little and says, “I’ll take it. Now go. I’ll deal with your alpha.” He says the word like it tastes disgusting on his tongue. I don’t disagree. Ares hops up and turns to lead me away. He looks back at me with urgency in his eyes. I walk over to him and he looks me up and down. I know what he’s asking. “I can’t shift. I’ll keep up, lead the way,” I tell him and he takes off with me on his heels. We weave through trees and bushes. Low lying limbs hit me in the arms and legs but it doesn’t stop me. We jump over fallen trees. If I weren’t running for my life, this would actually be therapeutic. Ares continues on for what seems like hours when we finally come to a stop. I look around for a path, but there is only a cliff. I look at him with questioning eyes. He looks at me then to the cliff. He wants us to jump. Off a cliff! I back up a few steps and shake my head. “I’m not jumping!” He shifts back to his human form and with a voice that sounds like heaven, says “You have to, this is the only way down. There’s water at the bottom. We will be fine.” “Maybe you’ll be fine, but I can’t swim!” He steps closer to me and I am very aware that he is naked. Naked as the day he was born. My stupid body starts to hum again and I shake my hands to try to make it stop. “Freja, trust me, I will not let you drown.” I hesitate for a few moments and chew on my bottom lip. I really don’t want to go cliff diving. Ares just waits patiently impatient while I mull over what we are about to do. “Are you sure this is the only way?” I ask. “Afraid so sweetheart.” He holds out his hand and waits for me to take it. We walk to edge. I lean over to see how far down it is to the bottom, but it has since become dark and I can’t see. “Trust me,” he says again. I look at him with a look that says easier said than done. He grins at me and says, “It’ll be fun. On three?” I roll my eyes, “Sure, on three.” “Three!” And we are flying through air. To certain death I am sure of. He never lets go of hand. Instead, his grip tightens. We fall for what seems like forever. Finally, we hit the water. The impact steals my breath. I’m kicking and flinging my arms, trying to get back to the top of water when I kick Ares. His hand tightens again around mine and his grabs my arm with his free hand. He pulls me closer to him and guides us up. We reach the surface and I’m gasping for air, still kicking frantically. “Stop kicking!” He growls out. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying not to die!” I retort. “I told you I would not let you drown.” He swims over to shallow water and my feet hit the bottom. He let’s go of my arm but keeps his hand in mine. We make it to shore unscathed and he lets me go. I crawl on the rocks and try to slow my breathing. He laughs and says “See, wasn’t that fun?” “Look bud, you and I have different definitions of fun. That,” I point up to the cliff we just jumped off, “that was not fun.” “You kicked me in the stomach. Surely that was fun for you.” I roll my eyes at him again. He may be very handsome, but dang is he annoying. He looks around and says, “We have to keep moving. Are you good?” I grumble and moan like a toddler because I’m still out of breath. But I know he’s right, we have to keep going. “Yeah, I’m good.” And under my breath I say, “ You’ll be the death of me.” “What’s that now?” He puts his hand on his hip and c***s his eyebrow at me. “I said lead the way.” “Liar,” he says, but then chuckles and shifts back to his wolf. I’m a little disappointed because his body is a force to be reckoned with. We continue our journey to wherever he is taking me. I don’t know why but I do feel like I can trust him. I also don’t know how I feel about that. We come to a clearing and I feel like my legs can’t go anymore. I stop and put my hands on my knees and breath heavily. I’m almost embarrassed at how heavy my breathing is, but my lungs and legs burn! I call out for Ares to stop and he turns to me. I wave my hand at him because I can’t talk. Between the running and almost drowning, and then mire running, I feel like I’m going to die. It’s actually pathetic. Ares makes his way back to me and shifts his head to his back. Telling me to hop on. His wolf is large enough to carry me. I look at him sulking a little but climb on his back. He takes off again. I can feel the muscles in his back. He is strong, I can feel that. I admire his wolf form. He’s beautifully built. He is swift on his feet, er, paws. He leaps over more fallen trees and dodgers low limbs. How is he so graceful? I grasp his fur but I’m afraid my grip might be too tight. I lower my body and put my arms his neck. I hear him purr. Wolves don’t purr, but that was definitely a purr. I lay my head against his back and try to relax. After a long trek, Ares slows and I lift my head. I can see lights. We are on top of a hill looking down into what looks like a community. Ares continues down the hill a little further and comes to a stop. I slide off of him and he shifts back to his human form. “Thank you for carrying me,” I say, a little embarrassed. I lower my head toward the ground. He lifts my chin up and smiles. “You are very welcome.” “Is that your home?” “Yes.” “It’s a little daunting,” I admit. We start down the hill toward his pack home. “Why?” He asks, confusion on his face. “It’s so big, and bright. My pack is tiny compared to this.” “We are one of the biggest packs in North America. But it’s nothing to be afraid of. This pack is nothing like your pack. We thrive because our alpha doesn’t rule with an iron fist. He is fierce but generous when need be.” “He is your father, you have to say that,” I counter. “I say it because it is true. He will discipline if someone gets out of line but he is just. He knows what a bad alpha is. He has seen the worst of the worst in alphas. He has learned from the good alphas. He treats his pack with respect. He respects their opinions. You will see.” He walks ahead of me and I feel like I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth. Ares takes long strides. He is tall, at least 6’5”. I almost have to jog to keep up with him. “I’m sorry if I offended you,” I say as I come to his side. “It’s okay, you don’t know what it’s like to be in a good pack. It’s not your fault,” he says. We fall into a comfortable silence and walk down the rest of the hill. We come to the edge of the community and he turns down a street toward a big house. I’m assuming that’s the pack-house. It’s huge. With a big bay window to the right of the front door. It’s the biggest house I have ever seen. It reminds me of the old Victorian style homes I have seen in books that I snuck from the library. The lights are on and I see a few people wandering through the house. We make it to the house and Ares walks up the front steps, but I stop. I’m scared. Am I walking into my demise? Will I be taken to another dungeon? I am frozen in fear. Ares Freja stops at the bottom of the steps of the pack-house. She looks scared. Her eyes are wide and I can see now that she has two different color eyes. One is blue and the other is blue and amber, split right down the middle. I walk back down the steps and stand by her side and look at the pack-house with her. “I can see now why it would be daunting. It’s obnoxiously big,” I say. She turns her head to me and for a second the fear is gone. Replaced with a sarcastic look, and I try not to chuckle. Then the fear is back. I can smell it. I don’t know what I can do to take her fear away, but I know I have to. “Are you going to kill me now? Take me to a dungeon? Because I will fight you! I will surely lose but I will not go back to a dungeon!” She almost shouts at me. “Freja, you are safe here. You will never see another dungeon as long as you live. Nobody will hurt you here. I promise you that,” I tell her. It breaks my heart that she has that much fear. My wolf wants to comfort her. She’s my mate and I don’t think she realizes that yet. I knew the instant I looked at her back in the forest. Running with her felt amazing, even though she was running for her life. But I will never let anyone hurt her again. I will give my life to protect hers. “How do I know I can trust you?” She asks “Why would I rescue you from certain death just to kill you myself?” I counter. “Well, I don’t know! I think I need to lay down for eight to ten hours. I’m exhausted.” “Come inside, I’ll find a quiet place for you to rest,” I reach for her hand and she pulls away. I drop my hand to my side and sigh. “You can sleep on the porch if you want, but a bed will surely be more comfortable.” I can see the wheels turning. She’s weighing her options. She can run at any minute and I would let her. I don’t want her to run, but I don’t want her to be afraid of me either. Soon she will realize what the tingling sensation is every time we touch. “Fine,” she sighs heavily. “I give in. I don’t have the energy to fight you right now. Can we put that off until the morning?” I laugh and tell her “Sure, bright and early.” We walk to the door and I can tell she is holding her breath. I push open the door and usher her in and she gasps. “Wow,” is all she says. Her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. I mean, the pack-house is quite large but I’m used to it. I grew up here. “Come on, I’ll show you around a bit so you don’t get lost looking for the kitchen or something.” “I’m gonna need a tour guide!” We walk around the house for a bit and I point out bathrooms and exits. It really is like a museum here. We come to the kitchen and it looks like the rest of the house has already eaten. There’s leftovers in the fridge so I pull out the container and offer to make Freja a plate. “It’s spaghetti. My brother’s specialty.” She shakes her head and I shrug. I make myself a plate and grab a couple bottles of water. I hand her one. She hesitates for a second, then chugs almost the whole bottle. I chuckle and say, “May want to slow down so you don’t throw up.” She nods her head and smiles slightly. The microwave goes off and I grab the food and sit at the island while Freja just stands there. I motion for a stool and she sits. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” I ask. “No, I’m okay,” she answers and her stomach betrays her with a loud grumble. So I get up and grab another plate and spaghetti, pop it in the microwave and wait. “Thank you,” she whispers almost too low for me to hear. “You’re welcome.” The microwave beeps again and I give her the plate. She digs in and moans. “Oh man, that is so good!” “Told you it’s my brother’s speciality,” I say and we continue to eat is silence. When we finish eating I put our plates in the dishwasher and lead her out of the kitchen to the second floor to show her where she’ll sleep for the night. I take her to the room across from where I will sleep tonight. The room has a big window overlooking the backyard of the pack-house. I point at the door just inside the room to the left, “That’s the bathroom. There’s a shower and a bathtub. Everything you need is in the linen closet. I’ll be across the hall if you need anything else just let me know.” I walk to the bathroom and turn the water on in the bathtub. She walks in behind me and says, “I didn’t take you for a bath kind of.. Holy crap, look at the size of that shower!” She walks in to the shower and spreads her arms out, trying to touch both walls but she can’t. “This is unnecessary,” she laughs and walks out. “The bath is for you. I thought you would like a nice warm bath before bed,” I say sheepishly. “Oh. That does sound nice, thanks.” “There’s clothes in the closet that should fit you. They’re my sister’s, but she won’t mind you wearing them because she is in London, studying abroad,” I tell her and we walk back into the bedroom. “The sheets are fresh and there are extra blankets in the closet as well.” She stands in the middle of the room in awe like she’s never seen anything like this. Then it hits me; she never has seen anything like this. I’ve heard stories about her pack and how they live. Almost like rogues. I have not seen their pack lands but I know the pack-house isn’t anywhere near as big as ours. “Are all of the rooms this big?”she asks. “Some of them are slightly smaller. Keep an eye on that water in there; don’t want water all over the floor,” I say as I point to the bathroom. “I have some things to take care of. Sleep well Freja.” “Goodnight,” she calls as I walk to the bedroom door and exit. I make my way to my fathers office downstairs. I try to picture the house through Freja’s eyes. She was awestruck at how big this place is. My mother did amazing job decorating. She ordered all the furniture from a place in Italy because she love Italy the most. I guess would describe the decor as Italian rustic. In the living room there is a big couch that pack members often crash on because it’s so comfortable. Even I have slept on it a few times. In my father’s office, his mahogany desk sits in front of another large picture window. The curtains are drawn, so I walk over and open them. There’s a few pack members in the backyard training. Dedicated, I think to myself. I grab a book off the shelf and sit on the small couch and wait for my father to return. When that will be, I’m not sure of. He’s not in range for the pack link. I’m only slightly worried because I know the alpha of Freja’s pack is cunning and does not fight fair. I guess I fell asleep because I am awoken when my father walks into his office. I look at my watch. It’s 12:30 in the morning. “You didn’t have to wait for me son,” he says. “I know.” My father is tall, but only a couple inches taller than my 6’6”. We have the same light blue eyes. My mother says she fell in love with his eyes then the man. Like the mate bond had nothing to do with it. I have my mother dark brown hair and sharp features. My father’s hair is more medium brown. His beard is a little more grown out than usual. It suits him, but my mother likes it shorter, neater. While she is away, he grows it out. I think it’s funny. Big, bad alpha bending to the will of his mate’s wishes. I can’t help but chuckle thinking about. “Have you told her yet?” My father asks, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Told her what?” “You know what I’m talking about, Ares. Have you told her that you’re mates?” I wonder how he knows that little tidbit. “I’ve been alive for a long time, son, I know when mates meet. It’s like the air changes and the earth stills. And also, you’ve never sank to your belly in the presence of any other she-wolf. I thought you were going to jump out of your skin.” He laughs and sits at his desk. “You know I can’t just barge in there say ‘hey, we’re mates and you’re going move here and love me forever.’ I’m not trying to scare her away. She’s like a nervous chihuahua. Scared of her own shadow.” “Well you need to tell her. And soon Ares. She may be scared out of mind right now but I have a feeling about her. If she’s anything like her mother, she will be a force to be reckoned with. And a spitfire.” Oh, a spitfire is definitely what she is, that I can tell already. “So what about Alpha Douchebag?” I ask, I really hate Freja’s alpha. I always have, and knowing now that he’s had her all these years just makes my blood boil even more. “I challenged him,” he says, casually, like it’s not big deal. “You did what?!” “You heard me. I challenged his weasel ass. You know as well as anyone what kind of alpha he is..” I interrupt him, “Yes, I do know what kind of alpha he is! He will do whatever it takes to take you down. And I don’t just mean during the fight. He is not above cheating. I wouldn’t even put it past him to try and poison you. He doesn’t want to fight you..” “Because he knows he has no chance at winning! Don’t worry, I made it clear on the terms of the challenge. He has three days to prepare. Until then, no one comes in and no leaves the pack lands. I don’t want him trying to weasel his way in to try anything.” I am pacing in front of his desk. I don’t like this. Alpha Derrick is not someone you want to fight. Not because he’s good at it, he’s actually not a strong fighter. That’s why he relies on his minions to do his bidding. But he can’t when it comes to a challenge. My father challenged him to the death. Yes, he needs to be taken down, but I don’t know if a challenge is the smartest way. Where he lacks in strength, he may excel in smarts. I say ‘may’ because I don’t want to give him any kind of credit. He will either find a way out of the challenge or a way to tip the scales in his favor somehow. Like I said before, he does not fight fair. “You are going to wear a hole in the floor. Sit down and let’s talk about strategy,” my father tells me. “Okay, first strategy: don’t fight him.” “Don’t you have any faith in me Ares?” “I do, but..” “But nothing, this challenge is happening. In three days I meet him in the clearing between our pack lands. You can help me train.” I roll my eyes because he’s knows I’ll help him. “You know mom is going to kill you, right?” “I’ll deal with her. In the meantime, we need to vamp up security on the borders. Make sure no one is lurking. Get with the twins. They’ll know what to do and how schedule everyone.” “Okay,” is all I can say. I’m a little worried. I know my father is a very skilled fighter, but he is still my father. I don’t want anything to happen to him. If I’m being honest, I’m not ready to be the alpha either. So, we sit and talk strangers for the next couple hours. I finally decide I’m tired enough to go to bed. I bid my father goodnight and head upstairs. I stop in front of Freja’s room. My heart starts to beat faster and my chest tightens. I can feel her panic. I open the door and see that she is sleeping but her face shows so much anguish. She’s having a nightmare. Her fists are balled up and she’s mumbling something in her sleep. She lets out a small whimper and cross over to the bed. I grab her hand lightly so I don’t wake her. I know my presence will calm her. It’s the mate bond. She starts to relax and she unballs her fists. I move her hair off her forehead and she snuggles my hand against her cheek. I pull a chair up next to the bed and get comfortable. I hope my sitting here will help her get a peaceful sleep. Freja I smell him before I open my eyes. I know it’s Area because he smells like rain and a hint of pine. The smell is almost intoxicating and open my eyes to see him sleeping in a chair next to the bed. His feet are propped on the bed and his arms folded over his muscular chest, making his arms look even bigger. How long has he been sitting there? He can’t be comfortable. I sit up and just admire him. Seeing him so peaceful while he sleeps makes me feel happy. Something I’ve not felt in a very long time. “See something you like, sweetheart?” I look up to his face and he’s smiling back at me. I feel my face get warm and say, “I was just wondering how you slept in that chair. Can’t be comfortable.” He stretches and says, “Oh it’s not comfortable at all. In fact, I’m thinking about throwing this damn chair out.” I laugh and he just stares at me. “What? Do I have drool on my face?” “No, it’s just nice to hear you laugh. Are you hungry?” Seriously? I just woke up. “I don’t know. I haven’t had time to think about it yet.” “I’ll let you mull that over. I’m going to go take a shower and then we can get breakfast.” He stands and groans, “That chair is definitely going in the burn pile.” I laugh again and leaves. I roll out of bed and stretch my arms over my head. That’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. I’m going to miss it when I leave this place. The sun is peaking through the curtains, so I walk over and pull the open. There’s a balcony overlooking the backyard and forest. It’s a nice view that I could get used to, in another life. I walk to bathroom to pee and brush my teeth with my finger. Not that it does much to clean my teeth, just gets the morning breath out. I look down at the clothes I wore yesterday. They’re stained with dirt and mud. I decide I can’t wear them again and walk to closet where Ares’ sister’s clothes hang. So much clothes! I find a t-shirt and a pair of black leggings. The shirt is a little baggy and hits me at my mid thigh but it’ll have to do. When I’m about to leave the room I remember I don’t know where to go. Ares showed me around a little bit but I was so tired. I’m about to start wandering around when Ares opens the door across the hall towel drying his hair. “Hey, you hungry yet? I’m starving,” he says. “Sure, lead the way.” He leads me down the hall and turns a few times before making it to the stairs. Oh yeah, I would have gotten lost. We head down the stairs but instead of going to the kitchen, we go to the front door. When we get outside I ask, “Where are we going? The kitchen is back that way.” I point back to the house as we walk down the steps. “We’re going to eat breakfast at my house,” he says. “That’s not your house?” “That’s the pack-house.” “Where is your house? Say house one more time.” “House. It’s this way,” he hooks his thumb over his shoulder in the direction we will be going. I follow him once more, like a puppy. We walk for about a half mile before we are standing in front a simple, modern home. It looks well taken care. As I look around, all of the homes look to be well taken care of. The complete opposite of where I come from. I’m suddenly feeling very out of place. Ares puts his hand on the small of my back and guide me up the walkway to his home. The gesture calms my nerves and also makes my stomach flutter. It’s a strange feeling. He opens the door and we walk inside. His scent smacks me in the face. I’m starting to really like the smell of rain and pine. Ares’ home is modest compared to the pack-house. It has a very homey feel; it’s comfortable. As we move further into the foyer, the living room is to the left and of course there is a huge tv hanging on the wall. I roll my eyes and follow him to the kitchen, where he starts making breakfast. “Would like to help?” He asks me and hands me a carton of eggs. “Okay.”