The Alpha's Prey [Alpha-series (I)]

Chapter 9

The wolf watched me with sad, amber eyes. Suddenly he lifted his head and let out a loud, sorrowful howl that gave me a jump. Then, after a last quick glance towards his daughter, he ran back into the heart of the forest.

Maureen emptied the bags with the raw meat and threw it on the ground.

“He will come back when he has calmed down”, she explained.

“Why did he run? Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head.

“No, dear. It wasn’t your fault.”

Maureen looked into the direction her father had vanished just now.

“Meeting a newly mated she-wolf probably made him remember my mother more vividly than usual. Some days he manages better, on others he can’t even look at my brother or me.”

“Do you think he’ll ever turn human again?”, I asked. Meanwhile, we were back home and I helped Maureen prepare dinner.

“No”, she firmly replied. “When my mother died, his human form died as well. The only thing keeping him alive is his wolf-instinct. Fortunately, such cases are the exception. Usually, mates would pay the debt of nature together.”

“Hold on! Are you … Are you saying when one mate dies, the other does as well?”

“When werewolves die naturally, of old age, that is the case”, Maureen confirmed. “Although having a mate is a blessing beyond compare, losing our mate … It’s a pain you wouldn’t even wish your worst enemy. The moon goddess was well aware of this when she brought our kind to life, so she took precaution.”

At that, I remembered what little Austin had told me earlier this day.

Because you will be claimed by Alpha Caleb, other Alphas will come to visit, and he won’t be fighting just one but twelve warriors.

The mere thought of Caleb being hurt or even worse felt like a stab through my heart. I knew that was pure insanity considering we met a little over a month ago, not to mention for most of this time I hated him to the core. Yet after two days as his mate, it seemed impossible to imagine a life without him. Yes, it was completely and utterly irrational, but it was still how I felt. That’s why I needed to stop this fight – no matter what!

“What’s on your mind?”, Caleb asked as we headed home from his parents’ house.

“How did you know?”

“That something is bothering you?”

I nodded.

He rolled his eyes as if that would be obvious.

“During dinner, you were lightheartedly chatting about your day, but as soon as we left the house you went awfully quiet”, he observed. “And you are avoiding eye contact with me.”

“Okay, fine, it’s this claiming-thing I am worried about”, I admitted. “The children told me about this custom.”

Caleb took my hand in his, interlacing his fingers with mine.

“You are here, and that’s all that matters to me. The pack will understand if we delay the claiming until you become more accustomed to this new life.”