Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
It would be so easy giving everything up to his wolf, but he knew it would lead to nonstop war, and he wasn’t interested in that.
Wolf packs at war were a thing of the past, and he intended to keep it that way. He knew of other packs struggling who lived on each others’ borders, and it was a delicate balance, but not for him.
Within minutes, he was at Silver’s home, and the man himself was already at the front door.
“You’re late,” Silver said.
“And your daughter decided to frequent a human bar and take my mate with her, along with several of your own pack.”
“Mateo, let me worry about how I run my pack and my people, and you focus on your own pack and your own troubles.”
He wanted to argue the point but he also knew Silver was doing him a favor. He thought about Harper, and he stared at the other alpha.
“I need to ask you for a favor.”
“See, you want to ask me for something. Isn’t it a good thing that you stop with potentially insulting me?”
Again, he wanted to dispute but knew the other alpha spoke the truth. He needed to get his shit together, and fast. Gripping the back of his neck, he took a deep breath. “I want to stay here until I get Harper back.”
Silver folded his arms across his chest. “Come again?”
“You heard me. It’s time. She’s my mate.”
“But I recall a conversation where you specifically said you would never want her. That she meant absolutely nothing to you.”
Mateo had said that. He’d told Silver to keep her, and he’d also told him to take care of her and look out for her. “I know what I’ve said.”
“And now you want to change that?”
“Yes.”
Silver sighed.
“She’s my mate,” Mateo said.
“A mate you have rejected and pushed aside, Mateo.”
“You cannot come between two mates.”
“I know Harper has become a valued member of our pack. She had a rough start, but since then, she has blended in well, and I know besides my daughter, there will be a lot of people who miss her.”
“And?” Mateo didn’t give a fuck what the other pack’s feelings were. He wanted his mate.
Silver glared at him. “This is going to be Harper’s choice.”
“Pardon me?”
“Harper will be the one who gets to decide if she leaves this pack. Not you or I.”
“You’re the alpha.”
“And as alpha, I intend to make the right decisions when it comes to my pack. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ll handle all of this tomorrow. Have you found a location to reside in while you’re here?”
“No,” he said.
“Then you can stay here.”
And just like that, Silver left, and it was up to Mateo to follow.
He was pissed but years of training with his father told him to be respectful. He was the one who approached Silver’s pack, and he didn’t want to make an enemy out of this man.
Chapter Two
“Thank you, Harper. It looks stunning. I cannot wait to show my mate.”
Harper smiled at Sheila. The woman had been with her mate nearly forty years, even though neither of them looked a day over forty. She knew they were close to seventy years old. Wolves aged a lot differently, and their lifespan wasn’t well-known. She’d heard rumors of some alphas being near two hundred, not that anyone talked about it.
“Oh, dear, I’m sorry,” Sheila said.
“What are you sorry about?”
“I said mate. How callous of me.”
Harper held her hand up. “Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re not upset?”
“No, I’m not upset every time he comes here. Why should I be?”
Harper was aware of his annual secret visits, sometimes twice a year. She wasn’t sure if he ever visited monthly, but then, why should she care, because he never came to see her. That first time she was aware of his presence, but then he never showed, although she knew he turned up. One conversation with Franny confirmed it. Although, Franny had said she’d never actually seen him. She heard her parents talking about him in whispered voices, and according to Franny, her parents’ whispering was pointless.
“It’s just that … I remember how hard it was for you when you first arrived.”
She walked over to Sheila and took hold of her hands. “It’s fine. I don’t even know what it’s like to be mated, or to have any of what you have. Trust me, I am so happy for you.” She pulled Sheila in for a hug. She didn’t squeeze too tightly. “So, anyway, good luck tonight on your anniversary.”
“I will, and I have to say, you’re right about this lip gloss, it is spicy. I love it.”
Sheila paid and then made her way out of the shop, leaving her alone, to which she breathed a sigh of relief.
Mateo was still in town. She sensed him close, and her wolf wasn’t exactly in a very receptive mood right now. Her wolf wanted to hunt him down and do all kinds of bad things, and not any of the sexy kinds of things either.