The Alpha and Her Secret Mate

A Different Wolf

As it always does, the feel of my paws hitting the ground while I race through the forest is exhilarating. I fly through the trees, easily following Alex’s scent. I want to sink into his scent, even as I’m angry and confused. When his scent is mixed in with the earthy smell of the trees, it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever smelled.

“What are you doing, Alex?” I ask him, but he’s not there to respond to me.

I feel a glow of anticipation telling me I’m going the right way, and for some reason, the glow feels like the Goddess, nudging me forward.

I get to the river, and stop abruptly. His trail dissipates in the water, and I narrow my eyes at the stream as though it will reveal where he went. I turn my nose to the sky and sniff trying to sense him. There’s nothing, and I’m disheartened. I don’t want to go back without knowing what Alex is doing, but I don’t know how I can find him like this.

I pick a direction at random, and follow the water upstream. The terrain starts to elevate, and I push more power into my legs, forcing myself up the hill. The burn in my muscles is a welcome distraction, but before long, I make it to the falls.

I’m about to start climbing to the top when I hear something on the rocks. I duck behind a tree and hold my breath, watching silently. Then I see him.

At least I think it’s him. The gray fur matches Alex’s, the markings are right, and I feel the usual thrill at his presence. But it also feels off. His posture isn’t familiar, and when he turns in my direction, his eyes are joltingly wrong. His gaze passes over me, unseeing, and when he turns away, I cower lower. He’s my mate and…and I don’t want him to see me. Not when he’s like this.

He turns on the hilltop, and a different wolf shines through his eyes.

I have to get him back. I need my Alex back. My pulse races, and I jump up before I can chicken out. I quickly race up the hill along the stream and jump the last few yards to the top. I stop behind Alex, and he’s perfectly still with his back to me.

He turns slowly, unnaturally, and when he faces me, his eyes are unseeing.

I return to my human form and call out to him. “Alex?” For the first time, I feel truly vulnerable in front of my mate. My breath comes in quick short bursts, but I refuse to back down.

His snout is inches from my face, and hot steam comes off of his face. His eyes meet mine, but there’s no recognition there. An icy spike shoots from my spine down to my finger tips.

I carefully lift my hand to his face. “A–Alex?” I stroke the soft fur around his eyes. Everything about him feels familiar. The gradient of gray fur, fading to almost white at the tips of his ears, the way he leans his head into my palm, even the flash of lust in his eyes. But it also feels wrong.

Something in his expression darkens, and I flinch back.

Then he lunges at me, pushing me backwards off the rocks.

I scream as we fly through the air. He shifts then turns me around in his arms. He lands on his feet, then silences me with his mouth on mine. His usual gentle questioning touch is gone, and his lips are rough and firm against me. I gasp when his tongue plunges into my mouth, which only makes his grip rougher and more out of control.

“Who are you?” he whispers incredulously between kisses, but his voice is deeper than usual, and his tone is unsettling.

"Alex, what are you doing?" I ask, but my question is swallowed in another kiss. He pushes me back until my back slams against the rocks behind me. His hands are rough against my hips and I arch my body into his touch. The sounds I make are needy and desperate. I want this man's hands on me.

Alex yanks at my shirt, and when it doesn't give he rips it off of me. The night air chills my skin, but his body is warm and I press myself against his chest. He growls possessively, and I laugh. This is Alex, and he’s mine, and I can’t quite remember what I was so worried about.

His mouth presses against mine again but something in his touch makes my skin go cold.

“Wait, Alex?” I say, pushing him away.

“No,” he says, pushing his tongue into my mouth again.

My body wants him, but my mind is screaming to run.

His hand slides into my waistband, and I moan, I want him. When he hears my moan, his hand dips deeper into my pants, and he squeezes my butt with a desperate groan.

My eyes flutter shut, and I grasp onto his hair to pull him to me. His hand inches around my hip, but as soon as I feel his fingers reaching down, I panic. He didn’t want this. He wanted to wait. He wanted to tell everyone first.

“Alex, stop,” I say, but my voice comes out as a soft whine.

He jolts still then growls, “I’m not used to being denied.” He presses himself against me and his free hand finds my skin under the shirt he ripped.

“What are you doing?” I whisper. I put my hands on his shoulders and push him away, but he doesn’t budge. “Alex, talk to me, please.”

He grasps my wrists in one hand, and I fight against him, but he squeezes tighter.

“You’re hurting me,” I gasp.

He ignores me, and pushes his lips against mine again.

“ALEX!” I yell, and I shift with a roar. I shove my shoulder under his ribs and push up, and he flies away from me.

He hits the ground, and yells in frustration. “Who do you think you are?” he yells, but his accent is off…almost old?

I stand over him with my front paws on his chest. “What the hell are you doing? Talk to me!”

Something changes in his expression, some sense of determination settles on his face. I shrink back, just enough for him to shift. The wolf launches himself at me, and he hits me with a force I don’t expect from Alex. My breath is knocked out of me, and I brace for the impact of his teeth.

His jaw closes on my neck, but it’s not a bite to kill. I scratch at his neck and feel his skin give way to my claws, and he lets go.

I jump away from him the second I’m free.

“What is wrong with you?” I demand.

When he looks up at me, his expression holds no recognition. His eyes are angry, and his muscles tense, ready to pounce. But there are also flickers of fear. “I don’t care who your mate is!”

When he starts to get up, I slam him back into the ground. “You’re my mate, you dummy!”

There’s a flicker across his face that I don’t recognize, and then he leaps up towards me. I lower my body to the ground. When he hits me, I stumble back, but only a little bit. My feet dig into the dirt as I stabilize myself, but I don’t fall.

He falters when I don’t fall, and I don’t give him time to recover. I shove my shoulder into his chest, and he takes the brunt of the hit, knocking the wind out of him. His back hits the ground, and he scrambles to right himself, but I attack. I close my teeth around his neck, holding him to the ground. My claws dig into his shoulders.

“What the hell, Alex!”

In an instant, I feel the resistance go out of him. He shifts again, and I jump up to keep from hurting his human form. He won’t meet my eye, almost in a sheepish way, but when he does look up, the familiarity of his gray eyes is marred by fear.

I shift and kneel beside him. I wait for him to say something, anything. I need any kind of explanation. But it doesn’t come.

He starts to back away from me, wrapping his arms around his stomach protectively. I can sense him on the mindlink, but he won’t let me see his emotions. ‘Layla, I…” His voice falls silent, with no explanation to follow up.

I want to hold him, but the memory of that icy stake of fear weighs heavy. “Go home,” I order him. “Don’t come back to the pack house until you’re ready to talk.”

I don’t wait for him to respond. I turn and start jogging away towards home, eventually shifting so I can leave faster. Even my wolf form can’t get away fast enough.