The Alpha's Unwanted Mate: (BWWM) Paranormal Romance Standalone (4 page)

Angeline’s gaze lowered to the spotless counter beneath her and her mother’s entwined hands. A part of her hoped that if she stared at it for long enough, everything would begin to make more sense. She could understand, now, why it was so important for her mother to join the human world and the wolf world, but that didn’t make it seem any less savage to her. These men were still part animal. How were they to know how the girls were getting on, if the young women themselves hadn’t contacted anyone?

“It takes time for anyone to adjust, darling, and wolves are more secretive than most. To be honest, when I first considered mating you to one of them, the thought gave me pause. I know that aesthetics – power and looks – aren’t as important to you.” A small, fond smile crossed Madeline’s mouth. “Ever since you were younger, you prized intelligence over appearance, and I’ve always been proud of you for it…which is why I think Clyde would be an excellent match for you.”

Angeline’s head jerked up anew at the mention of her match. While it was on the tip of her tongue to protest, she swallowed the words. After her mother had revealed her deepest secret, she at least owed it to the older woman to allow her reasons before she refused the man outright.

“This wolf is no untried adolescent. He’s elder brother and advisor to the Alpha. He’s made it his duty to make sure he knows as much as he can about our world and how we live in it. He’s attended university classes downtown, is extremely well rounded and…has very little interest in having any more pups.”

At that particular statement, a small sound of surprise escaped Angeline. One of the very reasons this little “arrangement” had come into being in the first place, was because wolves wanted to have stronger pups. It was implied that if you mated with a wolf, you’d be pregnant within a year, regardless of what method of contraception you used. They were
ridiculously
fertile, and it seemed that human females bore them infinitely more healthy children than their own women.

The idea that this particular wolf cared little for pups…well, that was no small detail. However, Angeline hadn’t missed out on her mother’s statement entirely. What Madeline had said was that the man didn’t care for
more
pups.

“So he’s been mated before?” Her inquiry came out slowly, almost hesitant.

Madeline nodded in reply. “To a wolf female. Almost fifteen years. They had two pups together and Clyde mentioned that the boys are…sickly. Like their mother was. She died a little more than a year ago.”
             

Angeline’s eyes widened.
Died
?
The wolf was a widower
?

She didn’t think she’d ever heard of such a thing. She knew that wolves usually mated for life, but she’d heard precious little of what happened when they mated with their own kind. Now, the males sought out humans with much more enthusiasm.

“The man is looking for companionship, Angeline.” The empathetic quality of her mother’s voice recaptured the young woman’s attention. “There’s a true, genuine sadness in his eyes. He needs a second chance to be happy. You…you, my dear girl, are the most intelligent girl I’ve ever known. Your heart is immense and I know you have an amazing capacity to love. On top of that, you can fuel this man’s curiosity for our world. I know now that you have questions about my methods, but let me tell you this: you are Clyde’s perfect match. I can’t
make
you do anything you don’t want to, and I’d never dream of such a thing, but think on it. That’s all I can ask.”

It was a lot to take in. Her mother was, in essence, asking her to abandon the life she knew just to help a wolf that needed a new lease on life. She didn’t know the man, and discovering that there were children in the equation didn’t make her any less nervous. She didn’t even
like
children. She was the woman who glared daggers at negligent women in grocery stores because they couldn’t get their kids to shut up.

And now, she’d be, for all intents and purposes, stepmother to
two
of them. Christ, she thought, this would take an eternity of thinking.

Pulling her hand gently from her mother’s grip, Angeline stood, trying to hide the tremor in her fingers. “Mom, I…I’m going to need some time.”

“Of course, darling. I understand.” Standing, Madeline moved to the fridge to pour herself a glass of milk. She drank the cool liquid slowly before she spoke again. “You know…I’ve always been very picky. Part of me thought I would never encounter a wolf that I thought would be right for my Angeline.”

It would take some more convincing for Angeline. This was her life she was talking about. She would have to leave everything and everyone she had ever cared for an indefinite length of time. She couldn’t. It was
impossible.
Then why, for the love of God, she questioned herself, had those piercing silver eyes haunted her all day long?

CHAPTER THREE

          He was nervous. Standing outside the cabin he shared with his boys, Clyde stared at the bike before him, losing himself in the sheen of the chrome. Over two weeks ago he had gone to visit Madeline. He would describe their visit not as a discussion over a potential mate, but more reasoning as to why mating with a human girl would have no merits for the girl herself.

He hadn’t talked himself up to the older woman, hadn’t bragged about how fast he was or how well he could provide for his new mate. Clyde had his hands full providing for his own sons. Lex always made sure that their pantry was well stocked, and, in return, he lent his guidance and strength to the younger Alpha. In the truest sense of the term, they governed side by side, as two halves of one whole.

Clyde was feeling rather like half of a convoluted mess at this point. Elias was under the equivalent of house arrest after attempting another stunt that put his life in jeopardy. Whereas, Ian, one of the most docile pups under most circumstances, had been reprimanded by his tutor for trying to start a fight with another boy. The child said that the pup had said something about his mother, and so, he had jumped on him without seeing, fists flying.

Christ, he thought, it seemed things grew more and more out of proportion every day. Around him, the settlement was thriving. More than twenty males had all found human mates and they, along with Lex, were populating their pack with stronger, healthier pups. Beyond that, the males seemed genuinely happy. Their human females brought along news and stories of the outside world with which they interacted with fairly little. They provided invaluable knowledge if they were to pass into the new age efficiently.

It was only he himself who that seemed to be dragged down by his current misfortune. And now, something else had been added to his overstuffed plate: Madeline had called to reveal she’d found a mate for him. Clyde couldn’t lie, when he’d first heard the words his heart had inexplicably leaped.. The emotion made him feel no small amount of guilt over Leila’s memory, and he had stemmed it quickly. The woman hadn’t said much about his prospective mate, only that she’d like him to come back down as soon as possible to speak with the girl.

So here he was, with two rebellious sons in the house, off to meet a human woman who would, more than likely, only complicate things further. He wasn’t looking for pups, he didn’t have the swagger and overbearing confidence of younger wolves, and he was still clinging to his past love. He’d be lucky if she didn’t hate him on sight.

As he maneuvered his bike through the trees down towards the road, an image of Madeline’s daughter sprang to his mind, as sudden as it was unexpected. While he was sure that the woman didn’t include her own daughter in her list of potential mates, he had to admit that it had been a long while since he’d seen a female who piqued his interest like that one had.

She was tall for a woman, and slender, with a full, kissable mouth and a no nonsense, short haircut that framed her alluring face becomingly. The contrast of her dark mocha colored skin to the white dress she’d been wearing had been almost startling. He’d caught a scant hint of ample bosom, gently curved hips and long legs – legs that, he had to admit, he wouldn’t mind having wrapped around him. While the thought did afford him a small amount of discomfort, he attributed it to his nature. He might have gone out of his way to make forays into the human world and learn all he could about their race, but Clyde was still very much a wolf. This, no one in the pack had forgotten.

His appetites could be…intense, as Leila had often commented after their all-night marathons. He liked to worship the form of a female as much as any other male, perhaps more so, as he didn’t have youth and ineptitude to hinder him. But it was better if he forgot about Madeline’s daughter. At the very best, she was a woman he’d only see seldom when he came to talk business with the elder woman, and at worse, Madeline might be offended if she ever caught him gazing at the young woman in any way less than proprietary. No, he’d be better served putting his mind towards the woman Madeline wanted him to meet and hoping that he wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed by her.

**

It had been a long time since Clyde had felt apprehension like that rolling through his gut as he rang Madeline’s bell. He felt as if he were going to have to prove himself, something that, from the get go, he’d told the woman he’d be unable to do. If the girl she chose would like him, it would have to be because he was who he was, no frills attached.

And he could only hope the boys would at least tolerate a new female presence in their lives. As much as Liara and Lex speculated on how they would do with a new motherly figure, he himself knew his sons well enough to be sure they would run the gauntlet of emotions from angry, to hurt and then, perhaps, just
perhaps
, bitter acceptance.

When Madeline answered the door, she ushered him inside quickly, seating him at the kitchen table with a cup of tea before disappearing into the hallway. For two minutes, Clyde toyed with the small, fragile cup without drinking a drop. However, when the sound of footfall on the staircase reached his ears, he straightened, his breath catching in his chest. And then his prospective mate entered.

Clyde almost dropped his cup. The woman that faced him was the same one who had answered the door two weeks ago: the same inky, short chopped locks framing a gorgeous chestnut hued face inset with large, dark eyes. Her full lips were parted in nervousness, and even from where he sat, his superhuman senses could read the tension in her body.

Today, she wore blue jeans that molded to her curves along with a red sweater that offered a generous view of the vee of her bosom. Though he knew it was impolite to stare, Clyde couldn’t help himself.

“Clyde, this is my daughter, Angeline. I believe you’ve met.”

He nodded stiffly, trying to pick his jaw up from the floor.

“Hello, Clyde.” The young woman’s voice was softer than it had been before, more demure. The gaze that met his was somehow different, guarded. “I think we have a few things to talk about.”

That was the understatement of the century, he thought. As the young woman settled across from him at the table, Clyde wracked his brain for rational words. How on earth was he going to convince this woman he could make a worthy mate? More importantly, how as he going to walk away
without
her when she refused him?

Clearing his throat, he began to speak – and never wished more intensely for grace in his entire life.

**

An hour later, the man was in a slight state of shock as he waited outside by his motorcycle. What he’d believed to be one of the most difficult conversations he’d ever have in his life had actually turned out to be the easiest. Angeline hadn’t asked him how he’d provide for her, or how many children he wanted. She hadn’t asked him how long before she’d be able to return to Atlanta or about her potential living conditions. Instead, she’d just asked him how much he would teach her.

She wanted to know if she’d have full access to all the knowledge of their kind, and also to the women that had gone before her. Of course, Clyde had no right to refuse her anything on either of those counts, but he’d thought it would take far more than his acquiescing to those simple two demands to seal the deal.

It hadn’t. She’d told him she wanted him, and now, there e he stood, waiting for her to gather her things and join him on the bike. Unlike many of the girls who came to join their pack, Angeline wanted no wedding ceremony. In fact, she’d requested that they didn’t have one, citing that she knew the idea of the mating bond was more powerful than anything they could promise as husband and wife. She appeared to know a great deal about wolves already, considering that most women that mated into their pack were relatively clueless about how things in their society worked.

That she was willing and able to come back to the settlement should have elated Clyde. The one woman who’d lingered in his mind since Leila’s death would now belong to him and him alone. The only problem was, it seemed as if some of Angeline’s words fell a bit flat. Though she seemed earnest enough in her desire to return with him and learn all she could about his kind, she could barely meet his eyes when she spoke of being his actual “mate.” Her speech was stiff and formal, and she didn’t look at him with excitement so much as apprehension.

It worried him. He’d never force a woman to do anything against her will, and he didn’t want to start with Angeline. But, here she came, of her own accord, hugging her mother tightly as she left the elder woman’s house, her head held high.

Christ
, she was a lovely thing, he thought as he watched her – all youth, curves and glowing skin. Though Clyde had had relatively little time to feel baser emotions such as lust in the past year, he found his body hadn’t forgotten how to react to a beautiful woman. Cursing lowly, he willed himself to calm down as he took a deep breath, watching the woman approach.

She paused just before him, her deep brown gaze unreadable. “I’m ready if you are.”

In her hand, she held just single small duffel bag of things she wanted to take with her. Clyde had known women who wanted to bring whole truckloads back to the settlement, and had done so. Angeline seemed to have made her peace with leaving the human world behind for a while. Either that or she didn’t have many mortal possessions. Somehow, Clyde didn’t think a woman as precisely manicured and groomed as Angeline, would want to bring so few things but he didn’t question her. The last thing he wanted was to seem as if he were prying. They didn’t even know one another very well.

“Let me take your things for you.”

Carefully, he took the bag from her to place in the small storage space at the back of the bike. When he straightened, he found Angeline eying the vehicle with no small amount of nervousness. He couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his lips. It didn’t seem to matter what species the female was, they all got a bit skittish around his Harley. Leila had been much the same.

“Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?”

His question seemed to jerk the young woman from her private world as she stared up at him, cheeks flushing. “No! I mean, no, I haven’t. They look a little like…death on wheels.” She cast the bike another wary glance.

Clyde bit back a chuckle. She was obviously in distress. Reaching around the bike, he extracted another helmet from the side. “Here, you can wear this. I assure you, I’m a very safe driver.”

Angeline looked from him to the helmet and then back again, her eyes as wide as those of a deer in headlights. After a moment, Clyde was fairly sure if he didn’t coax the woman into calming down, she might bolt back for the safety of her mother’s house. She was perfectly willing and ready to give her life over to a total stranger, but the idea of riding on a motorcycle terrified her. Carefully, Clyde tucked the helmet under his arm before taking a step towards the woman before him. She flinched slightly away from him, attesting to her apprehension, but otherwise didn’t move.

Deciding to take a chance, Clyde reached out slowly with a muscular arm. “May I?”

For a moment, Angeline stared at his hand as if she thought he might strike out at her. Then, gradually, her eyes softened. She nodded once, her uncertainty still obvious. In a smooth motion, Clyde reached out to smooth her short, silky locks back from her forehead before raising the helmet to gently slide it over her ears. When the thick plastic was fitted onto her securely, he fasted the strap beneath her chin before lowering the visor. As he did so, his fingers brushed over the smooth, soft skin of her throat.

The young woman inhaled sharply, her gaze darting to his. It was no small challenge to bite back the growl that rose to his lips as he felt himself starting to rise in his jeans. It was far too early, he knew, to show this girl his primal side. For now, he’d just settle on getting her onto the bike without incident.

“That’s step one done. Taking hold of her arm lightly, he led Angeline over to the side of the bike. Thank God the woman was wearing jeans, or this next part would be more than a little bit awkward. “Just swing your leg over and find your balance. I’ll do the rest.”

Angeline visibly took a deep breath before lifting a leg to swing over the immense width of the Harley. She tottered a bit and Clyde helped her to balance until she settled atop the vehicle comfortably. He was loathe to admit how good she looked, perched there, her hands curled around the back of the front seat as she gazed around, getting used to the angle. Before she could get too nervous, Clyde found his own helmet and mounted the bike, immediately starting the motor. When the engine roared to life, Angeline reflexively clung to him, almost throttling him in her fright.

Though it took him a moment to ease her down, he couldn’t deny that the feel of her luscious breasts against his back had been more than a little enticing. When the woman had a bit less of a death grip on him, he eased the bike out onto the main road before slowly working up to speed. He didn’t want to scare her any more than he had to. No doubt, there would be plenty of time for that when she got back to the settlement and faced the world of wolves, savagery, and tradition.

**

Angeline didn’t want to admit it. The goddamn  bike scared the hell out of her the moment she’d seen it and she’d thought she might run before her new
mate
got her on it. However, it didn’t take her long to realize the ride could actually be quite exhilarating. They quickly left the bustling landscape of downtown Atlanta and wound their way up towards the Blue Ridge Mountains. Once they merged onto two-lane highways, the scenery was fairly breathtaking, to say the least, almost enough to distract Angeline from the new life she’d chosen.