Taken by Her Mate (2 page)

Chapter One

Present day

One month, four days, and sixteen hours until she turned twenty-one and was handed over to Brendan like livestock. Addie lived in a small community of wolf shifters that resided in the Northern Mountains. It was situated away from the general population of humans, and surrounded by the thick covering of trees. It was safer that way, for both species. At times the males of her kind could be unstable and territorial, especially during a full moon when their hormones were rampant, or when the mating heat was upon them. It was bad enough that they were dominant assholes on the best of days, but throw in the previous issues and they were a bunch of chauvinistic alpha pigs.

“Would you quit looking like someone killed off your best friend?” The rough timbre of her older brother’s voice pierced her sour mood. “There could be worse things than being shacked up with the alpha’s son.” Jackson sat beside her on the couch at their parents’ cabin. “Just think
,
being Brendan’s mate will make you the queen bitch. That can’t be all bad, right?” He nudged her shoulder with his, and she rolled her eyes. One of his long, muscular legs was propped on the coffee table. Dirt littered the area around his boot and covered the intricately carved wood with grime.

“You better get your boot off the table, or Mom’s going to have your ass.” Jackson snorted but did remove his boot. Addie smirked and continued to flip through the magazine in her lap. Her thoughts moved to her upcoming mating. Perhaps if she dug deep inside of her she could find some semblance of happiness in regards to mating with Brendan, but even digging deep into her soul couldn’t produce those emotions. The glossy photos all showed waif-like females with small breasts, boney limbs, and hollowed cheeks. Compared to them she was fat as hell. She self-consciously picked at her shirt. Her size fourteen was normal amongst her kind. In fact, the males preferred thicker women with good child-bearing hips. If the females weren’t built good and sturdy, the males felt the chance of producing equally strong offspring decreased. And in the end wasn’t that what the world was about, keeping the numbers up?

“You
wanna
hang with me tonight? I’m heading to Steel’s Corner for some drinks with the guys.”

“Ugh, like I want to hang out with your asshole friends?” She flipped through several more pages, then grew disgusted with the beautiful woman and tossed it on the coffee table.

“You love those guys,” he said absently as he stared at the television.

She rested her head on the couch and turned to look at Jackson. The volume was muted, but she knew what was on. It was always football, no matter what time of day, Jackson and their father loved their sports. He sensed her stare and grinned down at her. Yeah, he was right. She did love those guys, but they could still act like assholes.

“Come on, Addie. It’ll only be for a few hours, and I’ll bring you home.” He threw a thick arm over her shoulders and pulled her into the side of his body. Like the males of their species, Jackson was built like a freaking tank. “I promise to make sure the guys keep their asshole tendencies to themselves while in your presence.” She sighed. “Listen, getting out from under Mom and Dad’s thumb will be good for you. The fact you stay cooped in this damn house all the time isn’t healthy.”

He was right, of course, but Addie refused to acknowledge it aloud. She was a recluse by nature, but the closer it got to her mating ceremony, the more she burrowed deeper into her hidey-hole. She looked into Jackson’s face and saw similar features. Their hair was a deep auburn, much like their mother’s, yet they had their father’s light grey eyes. The corner of his mouth curled up, and she couldn’t help but return the smile.

“Oh, all right.”

His grin widened, and he pulled her into a tight hug before letting her go.

“Just give me a minute to get ready.” She got off the couch and slipped into the bathroom. A look in the mirror showed a very homely girl by anyone’s standards. Pin straight reddish hair fell to the center of her back and hung over her shoulders. Her pale flesh was dusted with a light sprinkling of freckles, another courtesy of their mother. A look at her attire had her wincing. She wore a ratty tee that had seen better
days,
and a pair of cutoff shorts with splatters of paint across the thighs. She didn’t have time for a shower, so she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and threw her hair up in a ponytail.

She went to her room and found a light, flirty green sundress. The color went well with her hair and fair skin, but that’s not why she wore it. It was hotter than hell outside, even after the sun went down, and she was all about comfort. Slipping on a pair of flats, she went back into the living room to see Jackson in the same position she had left him in.

“Ready?” She gave him a second to respond, but he was like their father when it came to selective hearing. “Jackson?”
Still no response.
She moved to stand in front of the television and glared at him. He had been the one who insisted she go, and now he was more interested in a bunch of oversized humans throwing a ball around. “Are we going or what?”

“Yeah, yeah.”
He stood to his full six foot six height and rolled his head from side to side. He tilted his chin toward the front door, and she followed him out. He grabbed a baseball cap before he left and slipped it on.

Once outside, she climbed into his pickup truck, and they headed to Steel’s Corner, the local bar in town. The only reason the males of her kind would consider hanging out at a human bar was to find a piece of ass. She wasn’t stupid enough to think that wasn’t why Jackson was heading down the mountain
,
 
but
he must have thought she was pretty damn pathetic to invite her along. She should have said no, but it was too late now.

They took the bumpy, unpaved road that led down the mountain and away from their small community and the safety the forest offered. Once they reached the main road it was only a ten minute drive into town. Steel’s Corner came into view, with bright lights and a flashing neon sign welcoming anyone wanting to get rowdy and drunk all in the same night. Jackson pulled the truck into an empty spot, and she climbed out.

Ryder, Paul, and Max all stood by the front door and watched them approach. The three male shifters were ones she had known since she was a little girl with pigtails, and Addie considered them family. They had always watched over her just like Jackson had, especially before she turned eighteen and the rules in their pack made it impossible for her to spend time with them like she wanted. Their time together had been non-existent for the past couple of years, even if she saw them around the community, so it was nice to be able to hang out with them for a few hours.

“
Yo
.” Max lifted his chin in their direction. When she was close enough to them they didn’t touch her, just smiled down at her with brotherly affection. Once she had turned eighteen she had been locked away from males, in the figurative sense. The opposite sex, aside from her brother and father, were never allowed to touch her. At times she felt like she had some kind of disease by the way the males in her pack kept away from her. She knew that was a big part of the reason she had become a recluse. Spending time with a platonic male might have been frowned upon, but it certainly wasn’t cause for death or exile. But to touch, even just a handshake or hug from any of the males that were not part of her blood-line, was asking for trouble. She had never understood the logic behind that, but there were just some things that weren’t worth the fight, especially with the old-school way their pack thought. The hierarchy and rules of her kind were asinine, but they were ones everyone was to abide by. To break the laws set by the alpha meant banishment or even death.

Seeing Paul, Ryder, and Max had an ache in her chest blooming. The image of Shaun, with his dark hair and eyes, flashed through her mind. The hurt in her heart had her lifting her hand to rub it away, but she stopped right before she made contact with her chest. It had nearly been three years since she had seen him. Before that, his father had brought him around for pack business only. She had loved those times she saw him, even the playful teasing. Brendan had teased her as well, but it had been different, more cruel and heartless. Her feelings for Shaun had been so powerful and different. They had been instantaneous, and she knew he was the one for her. But obviously things didn’t turn out the way one dreamed. Of course she had no chance of ever being with the son of another pack’s alpha. Since her birth she had been promised to Brendan, and there wasn’t anything anyone could say or do about it. With her father being a high-ranking shifter within their pack, her betrothal had been set in stone before either she or Brendan had been a twinkle in their parents’ eyes. The son of the alpha would mate with the daughter of his second-in-command.

Even years later Addie could remember the adolescent touches she had shared with Shaun, and the way they made her feel.
They had been innocent in nature, but her sixteen year old body had lit up for the older wolf. Even thinking of it now had her growing warm. She knew her time with Shaun had probably meant more to her than to him, but there was a part of her that wondered what would have happened if she was able to choose her mate. Would Shaun even remember her, or was she just as forgettable to him as she was to everyone else?

Addie needed to stop thinking about the past. It wouldn’t help or change her situation now, so there was no point dwelling on it. She refused to let herself sink deeper into the dark hole she had made for herself. If she let her mind wander down the path of what could have been instead of what her future now held, she would lose it in front of everyone, and she would not let that happen. She had too much pride.

Looking back at the wolves she considered close friends, she smiled in return. Everyone in the pack was close to a point, as was any close-knit community, but Jackson and the others had always been around, the same as Brendan, and treated her as if she wasn’t some prized piece of porcelain to be kept away on the shelf as others did. Compared to them she was tiny, even with her curves. She followed them inside.

The interior was thick with people, and they made their way toward the bar. Jackson stayed behind her while she followed the other three.
Lynyrd
Skynyrd
played through the speakers in each corner of the square room. A dance floor was off to the side, and couples gyrated on the glossed over top to the southern rock song. The crowd of humans parted for them, as if they could sense that these men weren’t really men at all, but lethal predators. Once at the bar, they ordered their drinks. She leaned against the scarred counter and people-watched. She might not like going out into thick crowds like this, but she couldn’t deny that watching humans interact with one another was entertaining. They didn’t seem to have a care or worry as the men threw back their shots and the women rubbed their scantily-clad bodies against them. The scent of sweat, sex, and alcohol thickened the air.

They got their drinks and headed to one of the empty tables off to the side. Once seated, the guys started talking about douche-bag things, which happened to be filled with foul language and a few choice words on the female anatomy. The few times she had hung out with them had resulted in the same conversations. She cut a glance at Jackson who was just as engrossed in the conversation as the other three. Jackson had promised to keep them in line, but he was getting just as sucked into it. When it was clear she wasn’t going to get his attention or steer the conversation into something a little less vulgar, she stood.

“Where you going?”
Jackson stood as well. It was crazy how he could look right past her when she sat right next to him, but as soon as she went to leave he was on the alert. She didn’t know if it was a big brother or wolf trait, but it did put a smile on her face.

“Bathroom.”
He raised a brow, and she tilted her head to the side. The restrooms were less than ten feet to the left, close enough that they could still see her. Growing up a female amongst male shifters was something she was used to. The males tended to take control, but in the end Addie couldn’t lie and say it didn’t comfort her. Knowing that she was cared for had her heart swelling. It helped, albeit a little, to make the depression that had started to settle into her lift.

She headed to the bathroom, knowing the four of them still at the table watched her intently. She could sense their eyes on her, and the feeling only went away once the bathroom door shut behind her. A few women stood at the mirror. They applied a thick layer of gloss and teased their hair before they left. Addie went to the sink and washed her hands, which didn’t need washing. She splashed some water on her face and stared at her reflection. What was she really doing with her life? The thought of being tied to a male that she didn’t care about scared the shit out of her. She had talked to Brendan enough times and knew just about everything there was to know about him. They had grown up together and gone to the same school. They had even gone out on a few awkward dates as teenagers, but there had never been any chemistry between the two of them. But since graduating high school, which had been almost three years ago, they hardly talked.