The Marked Mate

KIERAN

Lochlan and I have been in negotiations with Blood Moon for what feels like forever. We need this treaty, but this meeting is mind-numbingly dull, the part of being Alpha I hate the most.

My mind keeps drifting to thoughts of the waitress Maisie. The feeling of her body wrapped in my arms and the siren call of her eyes—something about her calls to me.

But I can’t think of her, especially if there’s a she-wolf around who smells that good. There’s only one reason I would be drawn to a scent like that—mates.

A sharp pain rips through me, yanking my attention away from the meeting and my daydreams both. I pat down my arms and chest, jumping from my seat. My chair falls backward with a loud thud.

Where’s the injury causing this pain?

A stabbing sensation spreads through me, making me wince. Everyone stares at me, their eyes thick with worry.

“Alpha Kieran, are you okay?” asks Lochlan, moving to my side.

I find no injuries on my body. Trying to shake off the strange sensation, I glance at the worried faces around me. Don’t show weakness, I tell myself. An alpha must always be strong.

“Yes, I’m fine. This conversation is just leading nowh—” Suddenly, my stomach clenches, panic flooding me. I grab the table for support, suppressing a scream. “Lochlan, do you feel that? Is something happening with the pack?”

Lochlan, looking more and more confused, closes his eyes to try to sense the pack. He’s only a gamma, but even he should feel it if one of our packmates is going through a trauma this severe.

His eyes jolt open, fear twisting through them. “I can’t sense Lola.” He bolts from the meeting, rushing to our rooms. Everyone follows, concern clear on their faces.

Lochlan bursts into the room he shares with his mate. It’s empty. It’s past one in the morning, and the room is empty. I remember him saying earlier that Lola was going out to explore the human town more, but she should be back by now.

Lochlan’s panic seeps into me through our pack connection. Between that and the sourceless pain I’m still feeling, I’m freaking out a little. I’m the alpha; I have to keep everyone safe.

“I’m sure she’s just late getting home,” Alpha Dawson reassures us both. “Blake, please organize a search party.”

As Lochlan runs out of the room to assist with the search, another jolt of pain shoots through me. This time, it’s mixed with a sense of determination.

Someone is running. I can feel it; they’re close. “The woods,” I announce, “the border. We should meet them there.”

Everyone looks at me, confused. As alpha, I can sense my pack; I can communicate with them in my mind, and sometimes I can feel strong emotions from them. But I can’t usually tell where a pack member is just on instinct.

I can’t worry about figuring out the why of this strange link—not right now. I need to help whoever is in pain.

“I’ll tell the search party,” Alpha Dawson says aloud, and I know he must be doing so via his mind-link. A few minutes later, he confirms, “They’ve been found. A wolf is taking them to the hospital. I’ll show you the way.”

They? Who was hurt besides Lola? Who have I been sensing? Is it the wolf from earlier, the one I smelled in the woods?

The hospital is so close that we don’t need to drive; Dawson leads me over there, and just as we arrive, a she-wolf pulls up with two injured women.

Chaos breaks out as the women are whisked away. Doctors and nurses scramble to figure out what happened. Lochlan follows his wife and the nurses. Alpha Dawson, Luna Dorothy, and I hang back to speak to the she-wolf who drove them in.

“We found them at the border like you said, Alpha. Lola should be all right. She’s drugged, asleep. The other…I don’t know. I smelled a lot of blood on her.”

As she speaks, my senses are overwhelmed with pain and shouting, drawing a whimper from deep in my chest.

Unable to control myself, I storm forward into the hospital, following the noise and pain.

She needs me. She’s in pain, and she needs me.

Blitz stands on alert in my mind, ready to defend whoever is drawing us to her.

Bursting through a door, I freeze as the scent of blood mixed with citrus mint hits me. She’s hurt. The owner of that scent is hurt.

I see the doctor talking, explaining what’s happening. But my eyes are locked on the owner of the scent, the source of the cries.

It’s Maisie. The young woman from the restaurant, the one whose sheer presence calls to me for no clear reason. As I look at her, I know I would do anything for her. She’s lying in a hospital bed, her face twisted in pain, her eyes on me. I need to help her.

Without thinking, I move toward her and grab her arm. Sparks fly between us, calming the panic and pain that’s been building in my chest.

Her scent, the sparks in our skin, my overwhelming need to protect her? There’s no other explanation. This woman is my mate.

“Maisie, you’ll be okay. I’ve got you.” Our eyes meet.

I need to help her. I need to make the pain go away.

As if reading my thoughts, Dr. Everett instructs, “Keep doing what you’re doing. It seems to be helping.”

No one needs to tell me twice. I wish I could stop her crying too. If I could take away all her pain so she could rest, I would.

Instinctively, I move closer to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pressing my forehead against hers. “Maisie, are you still with me?”

“Ye—yes,” she gasps.

“You got this. You’re so strong; just breathe, okay?” I reassure her, rubbing my hand up and down her arm to create more of the calming sparks.

She whimpers, sending waves of pain through my body. Who hurt her? Who did this? I’ll kill them.

The doctor continues to work. Stitching and cutting. Setting bones. All the while, poor Maisie sits fully awake and undrugged in my arms. Her pain feels like it’s my own, and I can’t fix it. All I can do is sit with her while she’s being tortured and operated on.

Why wouldn’t she let them medicate her? Maybe the doctor was explaining that when I came in. I wasn’t listening.

“Okay, all done,” announces Dr. Everett. “Maisie, you did amazing! You both did,” she adds with a knowing look and a gentle pat on my shoulder.

Maisie’s heart rate begins to slow, the pain gradually subsiding from both of us. I suddenly feel very aware of how intimately I’m holding a human, so I start to pull away.

How much does she know? They introduced me to her last night at the restaurant as an alpha, so she knows about wolves. But she may not know about mates. I can’t scare her before I get a chance to know her.

A small hand wraps around mine and holds me where I am. Maisie whispers, “Please, not yet.”

It’s barely audible. I’m not sure I would’ve heard at all if not for my wolf senses. Her innocent face looks up at me, calm beginning to spread across her features.

She doesn’t have to ask me twice. She’s feeling what I’m feeling. She needs me.

“Mate,” whispers Blitz in my mind. “~Our mate~.”

Maisie’s breath continues to slow, her body relaxing in my arms. Her sleeping while I hold her is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

But as much as I want to stay like this forever, I need to check on Lola and Lochlan. I’m the alpha, and a member of my pack was attacked.

Outside Maisie’s room, Alpha Dawson and Beta Blake are waiting for me. They look angry. “What happened?” I demand, keeping my voice low so as not to wake Maisie.

“We’re still piecing together the specifics. Lola’s condition is stable, but she’s not fully conscious yet. Maisie told the doctor that they were attacked at a party. She found Lola there.”

A low growl escapes my throat. “Attacked? Who did this?”

“We’re not sure yet. We haven’t been able to get clear answers out of either of them,” Dawson replies. Then he and Beta Blake share a glance that’s hard to read.

“You seem to have a strong connection with Maisie,” he asks carefully. “Have you two met before?”

“You know we have. She was our waitress at the restaurant last night.” I hold in a growl. That was a dumb question.

“But beyond that, have you seen her before? It feels like there might be a bond between you,” Blake chimes in.

Another growl surges through me as I stare at their accusatory faces. “That’s because there is. Maisie is my mate.”

Dawson’s nostrils flare, his eyes darkening. “Thank you for helping Maisie, but you’ll need to leave the hospital now. You can either leave our territory immediately or wait in your room until your beta is ready to go with you, but you will have no more contact with Maisie.”

Eight wolves swiftly emerge from the hall and encircle me.

“Dawson, what’s the meaning of this?” I demand. “She’s my mate. You’re trying to interfere.” I’m more confused than angry. I’ve never known Dawson to be aggressive like this.

“You know exactly what this is about, and you should be ashamed. I never imagined you, of all people, would stoop so low.” Dawson nods sharply at his pack members. “Take him away. If he gives you trouble, put him in the dungeon or kill him.”