The Alpha's Cursed Mate

Chapter 5

Kelly watched the hook on the industrial-sized dough mixer swirl around as she leaned wearily against the wall next to it. She felt like she had barely slept at all. Tate had plagued her dreams all night, and she had woken that morning, desperate to smell his scent again.

Glancing up, Kelly watched her best friend and coworker, Sarah, walk over to join her next to the mixer, rubbing her back.

“If I have to lug another bag of flour out of the back of a delivery truck, it’ll be too soon,” Sarah groaned, closing her eyes.

"I’ll get tomorrow's load if you want to take over the baking," Kelly offered with a giggle.

“No, no, I’ll stick to the unloading,” Sarah said, her brown eyes wide. “Me and baking don’t mix.”

Kelly laughed harder.

“You look like you barely slept a wink,” Sarah said, cracking an eye to survey her friend.

“I had a late night,” Kelly yawned. “Then, when I got to bed, I couldn’t sleep."

“Why were you up late?” Sarah asked sternly, straightening up before placing her hands on her hips.

“Tate,” Kelly said simply, still leaning against the icy wall.

“You mean Alpha Tate?” Sarah asked, stunned, placing a hand on the wall behind her for support.

“Yup, that’s the one,” Kelly confirmed.

“Why…? How…? What…?” Sarah stumbled over the questions, not sure what to ask first.

“Did I tell you what happened during the full moon?” Kelly asked. She was so tired that she couldn’t remember what she and Sarah had talked about the day before.

“No,” Sarah said slowly. “You were so grumpy that I sorta left you alone yesterday. All we talked about was the list of treats we had to make by closing.”

Kelly sighed. Where to start and how much should she tell Sarah? She wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone to know that Tate was supposedly her mate and that just being near him was enough to drive her crazy. She also wasn’t sure she wanted to tell anyone how delectable his body was. She frowned. Who cared who knew? It wasn't like they were actually a couple. Besides, she wouldn't be around long enough for any jealous female wolves to get to her.

“I went up to the cabin as usual, but I left later than normal,” Kelly said finally. “Tate followed me up and spent the night because he said he was worried about me.”

“He followed you to the cabin?” Sarah gasped. “I didn’t know you two were a couple. Did you two…?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Kelly said quickly, stretching before heading over to the mixer again to stop it. “I guess Blackfur makes him uneasy.”

“But Tate’s the alpha, Kelly,” Sarah said slowly as she helped Kelly scoop the dough out of the mixer. “He wouldn’t follow just anyone into another pack’s territory. Are you two… mates?”

“That’s what he says,” Kelly said, her voice hushed as she glanced over at the front counter where Carl, her boss, was helping an early customer. “But I haven’t changed yet, so if there’s a bond, I’m not sure if it’s really there. I mean, can someone who hasn’t changed really feel it?”

“I’m not sure,” Sarah said, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. “Why would he lie about it, though?”

“You know how I was treated when I was brought here,” Kelly hissed. "He could be lying about it to torment me again."

“What if… No, hear me out… What if he treated you that way to keep his father from finding out?” Sarah mused. “He had already changed when you came along, so he would have felt that bond immediately. How do you think his dad would have acted if he had found out that his son’s mate was the daughter of his now-deceased enemy? I know my dad would have freaked. So, maybe, he might have treated you the way he did to keep you safe, and then, when you got adopted, he left you alone to ensure that you had as normal a life as you could.”

“I don’t know,” Kelly said hesitantly as she cut the dough into chunks and placed them in greased loaf pans. “It could definitely be a possibility, but why not say anything until now? His father died over six months ago. Why not say something then?”

“Maybe he’s been busy?” Sarah offered.

Kelly thought back to her conversation with Tate the night before, nodded, and then shrugged.

“So,” Sarah continued, “does that mean that you’ll be staying in town then?”

“No,” Kelly shook her head. “I don’t want to stay here. Too many bad memories. I want a fresh start. I’m tired of being looked at like I’m something that crawled out of the gutter. I’m tired of being treated like I don’t belong. Going somewhere new, I stand a chance of making a name for myself.”

“But Tate’s the alpha,” Sarah retorted, watching Kelly place the pans on a large baking tray. “He could help give you that. Someone looks at you like you’re trash. Boom. Tate goes alpha on their ass. Someone makes a condescending comment to you. Boom. Tate takes care of it.”

“I don’t need some big, strong man coming to my rescue,” Kelly muttered, sliding the tray onto the baking rack. “I’m not some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself.”

“I know,” Sarah said, pursing her lips. “I just don’t want you to go.”

“I won’t be going anywhere if Tate doesn’t let me get any sleep,” Kelly grumbled.

Sarah raised an eyebrow at Kelly.

“We didn’t do anything like that,” Kelly said, shaking her head. “Get your mind out of the gutter, geez.”

“'Kay, so what happened?” Sarah asked, intrigued.

“He surprised me with Italian and donuts last night, and then we watched a movie on the couch until after midnight,” Kelly said simply as she pushed the rack into the oven and set the timer. “Wanna step out back for some fresh air? We've got a few minutes before I have to start the next batch of bread.”

“Sure. It's so stuffy in here. But, like, he brought dinner, and then you watched a movie?” Sarah said in delight as she followed Kelly out the back. “Did you guys cuddle?”

“Goddess, Sarah,” Kelly breathed, as she walked outside and then sat down on the curb and placed her head in her hands. “Yes, we cuddled on the couch. I was cold, so he wrapped his arms around me to warm me up. It was… nice.”

“Just nice?”

Kelly sighed again. It had been more than nice. She hadn’t even watched half the movie because she’d been so distracted.

“Did he stay the night?” Sarah pressed. “Come on, you gotta give me the deets.”

“No, he left,” Kelly said quietly. “I told him I needed to get to bed and that we could finish the movie another time, so he got up, kissed me on the cheek, and left. But I couldn’t get him out of my head all night.”

“Did you have a s*x dream?” Sarah gasped. “And here I was thinking you were the innocent one.”

Kelly shot an exasperated glare at Sarah, who giggled with glee.

“I need to go check the bread,” Kelly said quietly, standing up. “I’ll see you inside.”

down.”

The rest of work passed in a blur. She had kept busy making batch after batch of cinnamon raisin bread and making lists of what she needed to do before the month was up in order to be ready to make her move up to her cabin. Before she knew it, she was on her way home.

A few hours later, she found herself sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the mess in her room. Since she had gotten home, she had been cleaning her room and organizing what she was taking to the cabin into piles. Rubbing her now aching head, too tired to clean anymore, she stood up and headed out to the kitchen for a glass of water.

The house was quiet as Kelly flipped on the kitchen light. Opening a cupboard, she grabbed a small glass and then turned to the sink and turned on the tap. Glancing up, she noticed the box of donuts from last night was still unopened. Grinning, she grabbed the box and her glass and headed to the couch. What better way to stop an emerging headache than with a little self-indulgence? A little TV also sounded like heaven.

Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz.

Kelly’s phone went off. Sighing, Kelly placed the donuts and her glass on the coffee table before fishing her phone out of her pocket. It was Tate. Of course it was. She hesitated, debating whether she should answer it.

“Hello,” she said wearily as she perched on the edge of the couch.

“Are you home?” Tate asked sweetly.

“Uh-huh,” she confirmed.

“Can I come in?”

“Door’s open.”

The line went dead.

Kelly heard a car door slam shut and listened as footsteps came up the driveway. She turned to face the door and watched as Tate opened the door. He quickly spied her on the couch and grinned, a bouquet of daisies and a box of pizza in his hand. She smiled back, his grin contagious, and leaned back against the cushion in exhaustion as Tate came to sit next to her.

“Want me to go grab some paper plates or some napkins?” he asked, kissing her on the cheek as he handed her the daisies.

“They smell lovely,” she murmured, sitting up and burying her nose in the flowers. “Do you know where the paper plates are?”

“Your mom showed me yesterday,” Tate replied, standing.

Kelly stood with him and followed him to the kitchen, where she looked for another vase.

“If you keep bringing me flowers every day, I’m going to run out of vases by the end of the week,” she teased as she prepped the daisies.

“That just means I’m doing my job if that’s the least of your problems,” Tate said softly behind her.

“Tate,” Kelly said slowly, wondering if she should tell him she'd be gone by the end of the month. “I appreciate the flowers and how much you’re trying.”

“But…” Tate said, raising an eyebrow.

She hesitated as she watched his grin fade.

“I’m leaving in a month,” she finished. “I’m transferring to Carl’s other coffee shop that’s much closer to the cabin.”

“I wish you wouldn’t,” Tate said, knitting his brows together, his eyes darkening. “I can’t protect you out there like I can here.”

“You don’t have to take care of me,” Kelly retorted.

“I’m your mate,” Tate shot back, crossing his arms across his chest, his biceps straining against the sleeves of his flannel shirt. “That’s my job.”

“Tate,” Kelly snapped, taking a step closer to him as she gritted her teeth. “Just…”

The smell of crushed pine needles hit Kelly in the nose, cutting her off. She took another step closer and looked up at Tate. She hadn’t realized how much taller he was until just now. He must be pushing 6 foot 2 inches, she guessed. She was just barely 5 foot 1 herself, which was rather tiny for a wolf. She wondered vaguely if that had anything to do with why she hadn’t changed yet. Her eyes traced the contours of his face. Her chest ached ever so slightly as she met his gaze and held it for a minute or two.

“Yes?” he breathed, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Nevermind,” she whispered before tearing her eyes away and stalking over to the fridge. “Want a coke or something else to drink?”

“I want you,” Tate said, his voice husky with emotion.

Kelly turned to see Tate still standing in the same spot she had left him, his chest heaving, his eyes hungry.

“I’m… I’m not on the menu tonight or any other night,” she choked. "I'm leaving, remember?"

“No,” he murmured, taking a step in her direction, “You'll still be here and one day, you won’t tell me no when I come home and sweep you off your feet. One day, you won’t be able to keep your hands off of me. One day, you’ll be all mine.”

His voice had lowered to a growl by the time he was right in front of her. Kelly felt herself trembling. She should send Tate home. She needed to send Tate home. This predator in front of her wasn’t the same as the man who had cheerfully spent the evening with her yesterday.

Meeting his dark eyes, she quickly realized that it wasn’t Tate who had haunted her dreams last night. It was the alpha wolf in him that had. Tate was sweet and caring. The alpha took what it wanted.

“Tate,” she whimpered. “Please, I’m not… I don’t feel well enough to get into this tonight.”

Almost instantly, the alpha disappeared, and the Tate that she had started to get to know and adore emerged, concern in his eyes.

“What can I do to help?” he asked, taking a step back.

“I just need some food and some rest,” she said, sagging in relief as the pounding in her head intensified. “I’ve got the worst headache.”

“Go get comfy on the couch,” Tate directed. “I’ll be right there with the plates, your coke, and some Tylenol.”

“Thank you,” she practically whispered as she slumped onto the couch.

Less than five minutes later, Tate handed her the coke and bottle of Tylenol that she had forgotten to put away and covered her with the fuzzy blanket from last night. He then opened the pizza box, pulled out a slice of Margherita pizza, and then handed her the plate. Kelly smiled thankfully at him and dug in.

“Are you up for the rest of The Princess Bride?” Tate asked after he had taken a couple of bites of his slice.

Kelly nodded and watched as Tate placed his plate on the coffee table and then got up to get the movie going again. She watched with hooded eyes as he squatted in front of the DVD player, her eyes studying the muscles in his thighs and upper back.

“I can feel you watching me,” Tate chuckled.

“It’s not my fault you’ve got an exceptionally nice body,” Kelly muttered. “Everyone thinks you’re good-looking.”

“Everyone?” Tate teased, turning to look at Kelly with a smirk. “Are you included in that 'everyone'?”

Kelly narrowed her eyes as Tate cracked up.

“I take that as a yes,” he chuckled as he stood up and came to join her on the couch. “Are you actually going to pay attention to the movie tonight or are you going to be lost in that pretty head of yours again?”

“How did you know?” Kelly gasped.

“Your breathing changed,” he said simply. “I was almost jealous, but then I figured I was what was running through your head.”

“I… you…” she stuttered.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he asked, suddenly serious.

“Feel what?”

“The bond,” he explained. “The pleasant smell that you can only smell when you’re around your mate. The calm you feel when you’re around them. How easy it is to seemingly fall in love with them, even when you barely know them. And then there are the things that you probably don’t feel yet."

"Once you change," he continued, "it’ll be like there’s a tether connecting me to you, and the farther I am from you, the more anxious you’ll become because you can’t sense the link as well as you normally can. That’s why I panicked the other night. You’ll also be able to feel when I’m excited, angry, or scared. Usually just strong emotions. And then you’ll be able to smell my pheromones just like I can smell yours.”

Kelly let out a deep breath, not realizing she had been holding it while he had been explaining the bond. If what he said was true, even if she left, she’d never truly be free. She’d always be connected to him in some way unless she rejected him once she changed and severed that bond.

One of the driving reasons behind leaving permanently was to avoid doing that. She had seen what severing that bond did to wolves. It was like their souls had been torn into pieces. Some wolves recovered and would go on to find a partner that they were mostly compatible with, but most went off on their own, too miserable to try and be part of society.

She sighed. This was becoming more and more problematic by the day. She could never hurt Tate like that. His father, maybe, but Tate wasn’t responsible for his father’s actions all those years ago. She looked up to find Tate watching her carefully.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worry creasing his brow.

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him.