Unveilded by the Depths

New Girl

Dillon

"Maya and Aspen are fighting on the back patio," Kyle, my Beta links me.

"And I care why?" I'm in the middle of a stack of reports my dad wants me to finish by tomorrow. Since I turned twenty-four and returned from Alpha training, my workload has slowly gotten heavier. Dad says it's important I learn how to run the pack. I secretly think he's just pawning off his tedious work on me. It will be years before I become Alpha, but as Father has been shouldering all the duties alone for over fifty years, I understand why. In six years, when I turn 28, I will formally be acknowledged as the heir and will name Kyle as my Beta and Oliver as my Gamma. Kyle is the same age as I am, and Oliver is two years older. We have been friends since elementary school. Kyle returned from his Beta training last month. None of us have found our fated mates. I'm not worried but my dad is starting to question my choice to wait.

"They are fighting over you." I feel his smirk through the link.

I growl and head downstairs at a jog. Sometime last year, the younger, unmated she-wolves decided among themselves since I couldn't find my fated mate, they would choose the best one of them as my chosen mate and took it upon themselves to sort out the order. Some Alphas did. But I wasn't ready to give up on my fated yet. And if I ever did decide to select a chosen mate, she would be my choice, not theirs.

"She's close," Jagger, my wolf, tells me.

"How do you know?" I ask him as I go straight to the patio.

He only chuckles at me.

I roll my eyes internally at him as I deal with the brawling she-wolves. Just as I turn to go back upstairs, I smell it...like a meadow after a spring rain.

"MATE!" Jagger howls.

She's beautiful, I can't help but stare. Her hair is dark red, and her body belongs in a Botticelli painting. All smooth, round curves.

I watch her sit down at a table with Shay and frown. Shay didn't have many friends and no close she-wolf friends as far as I remember.

"Go meet her," Jagger urges.

I walk over, her smell gets stronger. But then I notice her other smell. She's not a wolf. Well, not all wolf and her wolf isn't awake yet. Which means she is unable to feel the mate bond. But she stares back at me, clearly sensing something, her eyes are the same green as my Beta.

"I don't care what she is," Jagger tells me, purring in pleasure. "I want her. She's our mate. She's perfect." I agree with him. She's incredibly beautiful.

I'm excited to learn she's Beta Brandon's daughter and she's the reason Marin is finally in trouble for her dictatorial behavior. Dad might be blind to it, but I've seen it. I'm in disbelief my mate stood up to her. And I'm ecstatic to learn she'll be staying here with us indefinitely.

Kyle follows me upstairs to my office after his uncle takes Nixie away from us. I was tempted to tell him no, but without her wolf, I have to wait.

"Not so smooth, Dillon," Kyle teases me. "What happened to the ladies' man?" I have no defense against his words. Without his not so gentle mental prodding, I would have ended up just staring at her like some creep. He chuckles, "Not that I don't understand. She's smokin'!"

"She's your cousin!"

He shrugs. "I know but I have eyes. Her body's a wet dream."

I growl at him, both Jagger and I irked by his reaction to our mate. "She's MINE!"

"Calm down, Dillon. You can call dibs on her. I can't touch her anyway, she's my cousin."

"No," I tell him. "She's my mate."

"Sh...ooo...t," he drawls. "For real? How's that gonna work?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's half witch. Her mom's Becca Moore, remember? The witch Alpha kicked out after the war?"

"She doesn't smell like a witch though," I say, more to myself.

He frowns. "You're right. She doesn't really smell like any other species I know. But how? She's got to be a wolf/witch hybrid."

I shrug, "I guess we'll find out tonight at dinner."

He chuckles and rubs his hands together. "That should be eventful."

"How you figure that?" I ask.

"Marin just got let out. Your dad made her stay in holding for a few hours as punishment. She's not going to be happy with Nixie, considering she's the reason your dad left her there. You ready to play referee?"

"We'll protect her," Jagger tells me.

"From Marin?" I ask him. I don't have a problem putting my sister in her place but that didn't mean Jagger felt the same.

"From anyone," he says. "She is ours."

"What if she never gets her wolf?"

"I don't care," Jagger says. "Whatever she is, she is ours. The Moon Goddess chose her for us and that makes her perfect."

"We'll protect her," I tell Kyle. "Jagger's already in full-on possessive mode."

Kyle shrugs, "Works for me. She's family." Then he frowns, "You going to tell Alpha?"

I grunt. "Do I have a choice?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Kyle says. "Depends on how tonight goes. But I'd keep most of the pack out of the loop for now if I were you."

"Why? Because of her mother?"

He nods. "Not that many remember her. Didn't your dad do something?"

My eyes widen, I had forgotten my dad had a light witch dampen her memories from our pack. "Yeah. And now I'm wondering why."

He shrugs. "Does it matter? You should probably concentrate on now."

"What are you saying?"

"she's without her wolf."

"I know," I groan. If her wolf were awake, I might be in bed with her right now. My body starts responding to my thoughts.

Kyle chuckles, he reads the direction my mind has gone. "All those she-wolves fighting each other for you are going to be out for her head the minute they find out."

"Shit," I growl. "I hadn't thought about that."

Kyle smirks at me. "That's what I'm for."