Oddly Fated Mates: Freya and Atticus

Chapter Six

Atticus

The wolf in front of me is all Alpha—all snarls, muscles, and eyes that flame brighter than any I've seen.

"There's no use growling at me!" My arms cross my chest as I stand my ground. "I'm not doing this."

Dad's hind legs bend as he gets ready to pounce, another snarl leaving his lips.

"Pounce all you like. It's not happening." I sit back down on my couch, lest he really does decide to knock the wind out of me, and cross my legs. "I'm not living with her."

No way am I living with my bully, the girl who hates me more than life itself. The girl who used to be my best friend.

Nope.

It's not happening.

Dad hangs his wolf head in surrender and shifts back, not bothered by his own nudity. "Son, you have to." He wipes a frustrated hand over his brow and frowns. "This is the path Fate has chosen for you. And you'll have to respect that." He sits next to me and places a hand on my knee. "I can't command you to do anything with your Fated Mate, but if you don't, I'll have to command you to leave." He looks me dead in the eyes, practically pleads with me, and lets the first piece of emotion slip I've seen in years. "Don't make me banish my only son. You're the future Alpha." He sits a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Your pack needs you."

I've never really felt a sense of duty toward this pack, nor really have I felt a sense of kinship with them, but in this moment, I realise that I might not have a choice but to walk this path.

A frustrated growl leaves my lips. "She tortured me for years after her parents died. Beat me up, made life at school a living hell, turned all my friends against me, and ruined my life. And now I'm just expected to live with her, love her . . . Mate with her?" How am I supposed to do that?

"Fate works in mysterious ways." He smiles. "I didn't understand why Fate chose your mother, either."

"Really?" This is the first I'm hearing of this. "But you and Mom were perfect for each other." A match made in heaven.

"So everyone said, but we couldn't see it. We didn't really see eye to eye on how the pack was run by my father." He chuckles, a memory flitting through his mind. "But in the end, we realized that if we worked together, we could make changes that would benefit not only the pack, but the surrounding packs, too." He grabs my hand and smiles. "I know I've been hard on you and that your weak wolf has been a challenge, but with Freya by your side, you both plug in each others' gaps." He raises a brow in challenge.

But I can't deny it. She's strong—a born leader. But she lacks strategy, rationality, and a sense of compassion. She's a hardy wolf who leads life by instinct, whereas I'm a think-first, act-second kind of wolf. The brains of the team, as it were.

"You were best friends once," Dad says. "I'm sure you can find a way to be again." He stands and gestures to my room. "C'mon, let's get these boxes packed and moved over to the new house, then we can help Freya with hers."

I scoff. I'm not helping Freya with anything.

"It's what a good mate would do."

Sighing, I give in.

It's either live with Freya or leave the pack. Since the latter isn't an option, it's going to have to be the dreaded option A.

***

A couple of hours later, Brutus, Dad, a couple of other betas, and I are moving my boxes down to the house that's tucked away, down a small side street and off the main path of houses designed for mated pairs. This was always going to be mine. It was built for me.