Crow

Chapter 9

Kaiden's plans had been turned around.

Instead of yelling at the Alpha and cursing his name, he found himself yearning for the female's attention. He had been waiting for a mate all his life and now he had finally found her.

Katie Storey.

Euphoria flooded his body and he couldn't wait to bring her back to his pack, introduce her as his Luna and officially be crowned as alpha. Then the crashing realization fell upon him. His father's curse was his curse. Regret and pain swirled inside him as he realized that his clock had just begun ticking. He had so much on his plate with his sister's death and now he had found his mate! He should be rejoicing and pulling her into his arms.

He laughed bitterly at fate. He had found what every wolf yearned for and soon, it would be ripped away. He told himself to stay away from Katie. She was nothing to him. But he was weak and part of his mind kept whispering hopes and dreams into his ears.

Hold her before you go.

There is no harm in kissing her once.

Don't you want to feel her before you have to leave?

Kaiden wanted to experience everything with his mate. He wanted her to be his first and last kiss. Ignoring Alpha Triton's warning, Kaiden stayed. He mind linked his beta and told him he would be staying a little longer on Triton territory.

Although his beta was curious, he didn't ask any questions, making Kaiden feel relieved. Having a mate wasn't a gift. He would be his downfall. He just wanted to learn more about her. That way, when he fell, he would have something to hold on to.

He swallowed hard, imaging Katie's beautiful face, memorizing how her hair curved around her chin. He ingrained the picture of her beautiful brown eyes into his mind, remembering the spark of mischievousness in them. 

A small part of him hoped that because Katie wasn't a wolf, he would be safe. Maybe spending time with her wouldn't hurt him. With his decision made, he ordered his beta to send him a backpack of clothes.

He felt like a giggling girl. He found his mate!

Kaiden tried to relax, grinning at his little mate as he drove her home. He tried to play it cool, but seeing her face redden at his quips made her adorable. He couldn't ever be mad at her.

With both hands in his pockets, Kaiden introduced himself to his mate's parents. Her mother, Mal, seemed so happy and cheerful. Even though Katie looked at her mother with annoyance, Kaiden could also tell how much Katie loved her mother. Mal reminded Kaiden of his own mother with the protectiveness surrounding her. Katie was lucky to have both parents.

When Katie introduced her father, he was surprised that Beta Storey showed no hostilities as he had shown while standing next to his alpha. Kaiden liked his mate's family. He yearned for a family like that. He couldn't wait to introduce Katie to his own family. She and his mother would get along.

As he stood outside the door to the kitchen, he smiled, observing the furniture and walls of his mate's house. While Mal rambled beside him, Kaiden couldn't help but feel relieved that his mate had such nice parents. He could get used to having family dinners with Beta Storey and Mal.

"-and that's why I always wear oven mitts when I cook despite being a werewolf," Mal said, interrupting his thoughts.

What was she talking about again?

"Does your mother cook?" Mal asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

Kaiden replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "My ma did. She had this amazing lemon cheesecake that she used to make."

"Ooh! My Katie babe loves cheesecake." Mal grinned, clapping her hands together.

Kaiden raised an eyebrow and his gaze wandered to the open kitchen door. He wondered what his little mate was talking so intensely with her father about.

He wanted to know if they were talking about him. Was Beta Storey talking to his daughter about protection? Was he saying goodbye before Kaiden took Katie back home with him?

And the thoughts fluttered about, his heart hammered louder in his chest. What if his mate was talking about how devilishly handsome he was?

He wanted to hear what his little mate was saying, but at the same time, he knew that an invasion of privacy would make his little mate angry.

But at the same time, what you don't know can't hurt you right?

With a settled decision, he used his enhanced hearing to allow himself to listen to the private conversation.

"Is- is your shoulder itchy?" Beta Storey's voice was clouded with concern. It made Kaiden's muscles tense. Where was the beta of the Triton pack going with this?

"No," Kaiden's heart stopped for a fraction of a beat. "Why would it be?" His mate's melodic voice made him frown. Was she rejecting the bond?

Every wolf knew that a shoulder would itch until mating and marking.

At the sigh in relief from Beta Storey, Kaiden could feel blood pumping in his veins.

His mate, the one he had been looking for, was rejecting him! He scoffed but deep down inside, he felt relieved. If his mate didn't feel the mate bond, then maybe she was exempted from the curse. As a result, he would live.

Someone screamed and he blinked, snapping back into the present. The next thing he knew, the door slammed against the wall as Katie left the house in a rush.

"Katie!" Beta Storey screamed. Katie's sobs reverberated in Kaiden's ears. A growl left his throat. He hadn't paid attention to what was happening but his parents-in-law had just hurt his mate.

Then he was running toward the girl that didn't want him.

When she fell unconscious in his arms, he felt panicky and sweaty. His poor mate was deathly hurt. He had been worried sick while she laid in the hospital. He was outraged with the Alpha of Triton pack! Mal even had the decency to sit next to his mate's bedside.

"What did you do?" Kaiden snarled at her. Beta Storey growled, taking a step forward, eyes flashing at the threat to his mate. Kaiden bared his teeth at the beta, "Why did you make her run?"

Guilt crossed Beta Storey and his mate's faces. Shamefully, Beta Storey indulged him in the cause of Katie's turmoil and Kaiden's stomach fell.

If his mate was a wolf, then the curse was real. His time with Katie would be short. However, he promised himself that before he left, he would make sure she was safe. He stayed by her bedside, holding her hand as he talked to Mal. He wanted to know everything about Katie so that he could surprise her and shower her with gifts and love.

When Katie woke up, he demanded to know why the Alpha of Triton pack wanted to hurt her. But instead he received warnings and silent threats. Kaiden scowled, regretting the decision to ever agree to anything Alpha Triton had asked him. 

He knew he couldn't stay on the territory any longer. Perhaps his mate could live with him. But her parents loved her. It was imperative that she had a nice home. He didn't know how long the curse would give him. He could feel his stomach shift, queasy at the thought of losing himself. He needed to make sure Alpha Triton was gone by the time the curse took him and Kaiden couldn't plan everything when his mate distracted him.

It took everything Kaiden had to turn his back on his mate. Every part of his body urged him to turn around and comfort her. With darkness in his heart and dread in his mind, Kaiden forced himself away from her. She was better without him.