The Alpha Takes a Mate (2 page)

She fought to
get him to let go.

Layla tried to get to her. Lewis stopped her friend with an arm around her waist.

“Mine,” Brandon said with a growl to his voice.

Everything went black.

Chapter Two

Brandon caught her in his arms. Her blood coated his tongue. The taste of her was amazing. He’d never had anything so good in his mouth. The need to claim her rose within him, as tasting her blood was not enough.

“What have you done?” Layla asked, screaming at him. Lewis held her back.

I’ve found her. I’ve found our mate.

His wolf purred in agreement. From a young age
, Brandon had always talked to his wolf and felt a connection with
that
side of him.

“She’s human,
Brandon,” Darcy said.

Staring down into Elle Smith’s face,
Brandon understood the feelings he’d had when he first met her at sixteen. His wolf had waited until she was of the right age before claiming. Their laws were sacred, and no one claimed a mate younger than twenty-one. Brandon did a quick calculation and knew she’d turned twenty-one this year. He frowned. Most of the pack celebrated everyone’s birthday, but he couldn’t recall Elle’s birthday coming up.

“No one breathes a word of this,” he said to the room. Everyone in the diner was a member of the pack. They all nodded in agreement.

“Tonight’s the full moon, Alpha. You’re not going to keep her safe like this,” Drake said.

Brandon
glared at his beta. He didn’t need to hear any of the problems that having his mate come to him on the night of the full moon meant.

“I’m taking her to my home. Is there a back entrance I can take her?”
Brandon asked. He lived at the far end of the town, which lay next to the forest.

“You can’t take her,” Layla said.

Lewis muttered in her ear. The other woman sobbed. “Go through the kitchen,” she said.

“You stay and talk with Daisy, Lewis. None of this leaves the diner, understood?”

Once everyone agreed, Brandon carried her out toward the kitchen. Darcy and Drake flanked him as he made his way up to his home. She felt amazing in his arms. The blood from her wrist dripped onto the floor as they went.

“You’re g
oing to have to bandage that up,” Drake said.

Apart from those words, nothing else was said.

Brandon kept staring down at the woman destined to be his. Her short brown hair was caught up in a ponytail. Some hairs had escaped framing her face. He’d seen beautiful hazel eyes as she stared at him in shock and then in horror. Brandon wanted to see those eyes staring at him with lust and pleasure.

Her
heart-shaped mouth called to be kissed. His lips tingled with the need to see how her lips would feel against his own. He pushed the craving aside. Drake opened the door and Brandon went straight upstairs, placing her on his large bed.

Lori wasn’t around, which he was thankful for. Now that his mate had entered his life there would be no other woman for him.

Placing her on the bed, Brandon stared down at her. His gaze moved down her body taking in every swell and curve. The uniform she wore did little to hide her large tits and narrower waist. He loved a woman with real curves, and Elle had real curves. Her hips were large, and he could see himself holding onto their width while he fucked her. Her legs were thick. To a lot of men she’d be considered fat, but to him, Elle was perfect. Being a strong man and a wolf, he liked his sex rough. Elle would be able to take him and his passions. He felt relieved at knowing this.

Drak
e and Darcy stood by the door waiting for him.

“She’s human,
Brandon,” Darcy said.

“I know.”
Brandon stroked her hair, needing to touch her in some way.

“I can’t believe we were only talking about mates a few minutes before you sensed yours,” Drake said.

“I need to talk with Raymond, her father,” Brandon said, forcing himself to look away from her.

“I think you need to talk with your mate first,” Darcy said. “Human mates are not always the easiest, Alpha. Listen to reason.”

Brandon growled in response. Gazing down at his
human
mate, Brandon saw the value in his friend’s words.

He couldn’t believe he’d mated with a human. Staring down at her pretty face the full force of what just happened hit him in the stomach.

Elle Smith was human. She was fragile, and he was a mate who was supposed to supply an heir to take over his pack. Stepping away from her, Brandon felt defeated. She was … breakable.

How could he have mated to a woman who could be taken away from him so easily?

“I need to go for a run,” Brandon said. He pushed past his men and charged downstairs heading toward the door.

“What do you want us to do when she wakes up?” Drake asked.

He stopped as he opened the door. Staring up the stairs, he saw the concern on both of their faces.

“Tell her she can’t leave by order of the alpha.” He didn’t turn back.
Brandon headed toward the trees. He needed to run in order to clear his mind. Without removing his clothes, he turned into his wolf and headed toward the trees. He didn’t need the full moon to turn. None of his pack needed the full moon to become wolves, but they celebrated their traditions at the full moon.

Brandon
ran down to the river, and he stared at his reflection in the water. A black wolf with fierce teeth snarled back at him. During his first turning, he’d been petrified. His father had talked to him throughout it, relaxing him and showing him everything was going to be okay.

Now, his wolf was part of him. He’d been born
a wolf and learned to listen to his wolf. Several of the pack members didn’t connect with their wolf and held little control over their temper. His father taught him to accept his wolf and learn to act as one with his wolf.

Staring at his reflection,
Brandon wondered what he’d done to the fates in order to displease them. A human mate had to be retribution for something.

****

Throbbing in her wrist woke Elle up. She rubbed at her eyes with the hand that didn’t hurt.

“Be careful
. Don’t move,” a male voice said.

She started and turned to see Darcy wrapping her wrist in a plain white bandage. The man was glaring down at her hand. The sheet where her arm had been resting was stained red with her blood.

“What happened?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. She never wore makeup and didn’t have to worry about smearing the stuff over her face.

“Do you want the long story or the short one?” He finished wrapping her wrist before placing her hand down on the bed. She sat up bringing her knees against her chest.

“I want the truth.”

He let out a sigh. “The truth is simple. You’re mated to
Brandon, the alpha that makes you his. The bite on your wrist is the first part of the claiming.”

“What?” she asked, staring at him in shock.

Had he lost his mind? Her being mated to Brandon was completely insane. She didn’t even know the man.

You don’t even like him.

“There has to have been some mistake,” she said.

“No mistake.
Brandon and his wolf scented you from the kitchen. The bite is uncontrollable. You’re Brandon’s mate.”

Moving toward the edge of the bed, Elle tried to blank out his words. There was no way she was his mate. She refused to accept it.

She stood up then made her way to the door.

Darcy stopped her from leaving the room.

“What are you doing?” she asked, confused by him keeping her locked in the room.

“I can’t let you go out there.”

“Why the hell not? I’ve got to see my father, and I need to be at the diner working,” she said.

His arm shot out stopping her once again. “Alpha’s orders. You’re not allowed to leave.”

Elle pushed at his arm. Darcy didn’t budge. Throwing her arms up in defeat she walked over to the bedroom window. She saw the town preparing for the feast after the pack had their run.

Folding her arms she stared out of the window.

“You’re not planning to jump, are you?” Darcy asked.

Turning to him, she glared. “I’m not that fucking weak.”

He grunted. She heard the wooden bed creak under his weight and did everything she could to ignore him.

“So, how does it feel being
Brandon’s mate?” he asked after several minutes of silence passed.

“I don’t know. Inconvenient. A pain in the ass. Why don’t you pick one?”

She kept her back to him hoping to stop him from talking.

“It doesn’t matter what you think. You’re his mate
, and I suggest you start thinking about that,” Darcy said.

Annoyed with his attitude and being taken from the diner
, Elle whirled around glaring at him.

“I don’t even know
Brandon. I’ve never known him other than to know
who
he is. There is no way I’m his mate. He made a mistake. I’m human, remember?”

“How could we forget?”
Brandon said.

She turned to the sound of his voice. The man in question stood in the doorway blocking the entire exit. He wore a pair of l
oose jeans and nothing else. His upper body was on glorious display, and what a display it was. Tribal tattoos covered his thick arms. The tats did nothing to disguise his muscles. They were huge and could crush many of his opponents. She’d heard a lot of rumours about his strength. Some said Brandon could crush another wolf with the strength in his arms alone. She chose not to believe that rumour.

His abs
were tight, and she spotted the six pack. Turning her gaze away from the delight of his body she glared at his face. His face was as amazing to look at as his body, apart from his eyes. The colour of his eyes scared her. His eyes appeared black to her, and they startled her when they looked at her. She stared past his shoulder as that seemed to be the safest place to look.

“What is the meaning of this?” she asked, keeping her arms folded.

“Why don’t you look me in the eye when you talk to me?”

Turning away from him she glared out of the window. She couldn’t deal with this.
Brandon, the alpha of the Northern Forest pack and leader of their town, had taken her from her place of work, and she was supposed to be his mate.

My dad is going to fucking kill me.

“Leave us, Darcy,” Brandon said.

Seconds later the door was closed shut. She didn’t hear him move but sensed him stood behind her. His breath against her neck, brushing the fine hairs with each exhale.

“I take it Darcy told you what you are?” he asked.

“Besides human you mean?”

He chuckled. His hand stroked down her arm. Goosebumps erupted along her arm from his touch. Her nipples tightened from his closeness, and her pussy melted from the sound of his voice. She shouldn’t be reacting this way. No man left her feeling this way.

Brandon
isn’t just a man.

Elle cut off the thought and continued staring out of the window.

“You’re my mate, Elle.”

Biting her lip Elle shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. I refuse to accept it.”

“Why fight what is natural between us?” he asked.

She laughed. “Why fight it?” she asked. “There’s a fucking list why to fucking fight it.” Elle was cursing a lot. When she was nervous she cursed
, or when she felt trapped she cursed. Brandon made her nervous, and he had her trapped between his body and the window.