The Alpha’s f*******n Mate

CHAPTER ONE The Boy in the Black Car Elara Wynne was late. Not fashionably late. Not the kind of late that could be excused with a charming smile and a believable lie. She was the kind of late that involved running across half of Aurelia University’s east campus with one shoe threatening to come off, a coffee threatening to spill down the front of her white blouse, and her best friend shouting insults behind her. “Elara!” “I know!” “You said that ten minutes ago!” “I KNOW!” Nia Sterling caught up with her just as Elara reached the marble staircase leading into the main lecture hall. “You are going to die one day,” Nia said between breaths. Elara pushed her hair behind her ear and looked at the coffee in her hand. “I almost died five minutes ago.” “Because you stopped for coffee.” “Because I need coffee to survive.” “You need time management.” “I need both.” Nia rolled her eyes. Aurelia University looked particularly beautiful that morning. The old stone buildings had been washed clean by last night’s rain. Ivy crawled over the walls, and students filled the wide courtyard, talking in small groups as they hurried toward lectures. Elara had always loved the university. It was one of the few places where she felt she belonged. She had worked hard for her scholarship. Her mother had reminded her countless times that opportunities like Aurelia didn’t come twice. So Elara had made a promise. No distractions. No unnecessary drama. No boys. Especially no rich, arrogant boys. She had no idea how quickly that promise would become useless. The noise in the courtyard suddenly changed. Not disappeared. Changed. Conversations became quieter. Heads turned. A black car rolled slowly through the university gates. It was expensive enough that Elara didn’t know what model it was. Nia stopped walking. “Oh.” Elara glanced at her. “What?” Nia didn’t answer. The car stopped directly in front of the main building. The back door opened. A man stepped out. Elara had never seen him before. But she knew immediately that he was different. He was tall. Not merely tall enough to stand out in a crowd. Tall enough to make everyone around him seem smaller. He wore a perfectly fitted black suit, although there was nothing formal about the way he carried himself. His dark hair was slightly tousled, and his face was sharp enough to look almost unreal. But it wasn’t his appearance that made Elara stare. It was his expression. Cold. Completely unreadable. As if nothing happening around him mattered. “Who is that?” Elara asked. Nia grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.” “What?” “Don’t stare.” Elara looked at her. “Why?” “Because that’s Riven Ashford.” The name meant something. She just couldn’t remember what. “Who’s Riven Ashford?” Nia’s eyes widened. “You’ve been living under a rock?” “I’ve been studying.” “Same thing.” Riven closed the car door. Then he looked up. Straight at Elara. The world seemed to stop. She didn’t know why. She didn’t know him. She had never met him. At least, she was almost certain she hadn’t. Yet the moment their eyes met, something inside her chest pulled painfully. Riven’s expression changed. Only for a second. His eyes widened. His entire body went still. Then something flashed across his irises. Gold. Elara blinked. The color was gone. Riven looked away. A strange disappointment settled in her chest. Why? She didn’t know. She shouldn’t care. She turned to Nia. “Okay. He’s handsome.” Nia stared at her. “That’s your conclusion?” “What else am I supposed to say?” “That he’s dangerous.” Elara laughed. “How would you know?” Nia opened her mouth. Before she could answer, someone bumped into Elara from behind. Her coffee flew forward. “Oh—” Riven caught the cup before it hit the ground. His hand closed around hers. Skin against skin. Elara stopped breathing. A strange sensation rushed through her. Heat. Cold. Then— A forest. Moonlight. Snow. A little boy standing beneath a silver moon. His hand was wrapped around hers. He was crying. And Elara heard a child’s voice. “I’ll find you.” The vision disappeared. Elara gasped. She stumbled backward. Riven was staring at her. His face had gone pale. “Elara?” Her heart stopped. She had never told him her name. “How do you know my name?” Riven’s jaw tightened. For one terrible second, she thought he might answer. Instead, he released her hand. “Stay away from me.” Then he walked away. Elara watched him disappear into the university building. Nia came toward her. “Are you okay?” Elara didn’t answer. She was staring at her hand. It was trembling. And beneath her skin, something was burning. ⸻ Riven didn’t stop walking until he reached the underground parking garage. He opened the door of his car and got inside. His driver looked at him through the mirror. “Sir?” Riven said nothing. His breathing was too heavy. His wolf had awakened. Not stirred. Not sensed something. Awakened. Mate. Riven closed his eyes. “No.” His wolf growled. Mate. “She can’t be.” The driver looked uncomfortable. Riven looked through the window. He could still see the university entrance. Elara Wynne had disappeared inside. Alive. After seventeen years. His hand tightened around the steering wheel. “She’s supposed to be dead.” END OF CHAPTER ONE