Mated to the Enemy

Chapter 1.2

13 years later....

           Alexander woke to the sound of car keys clanking and the front door slamming shut. He rubbed his eyes and lazily got out of bed, checking his phone for any missed calls from his beta. The only message was from his father.

          You're on patrol this morning, Clover had her pups last night.

          Alexander groaned, going to his closet and throwing on a pair of black sweat pants and a hoodie. Then going downstairs to grab a cereal bar before heading out the door in his slippers. Once he finished the cereal bar and reached the border, he shifted into his wolf and began his patrol. Their pack territory was aligned with the north border of the U.S. and Canada, reaching from the far side of Minnesota to a few miles into North Dakota. Yes, big territory, but with a big pack, you need all the territory you can get.

          Alexander caught the scent that was unfamiliar but welcoming, burning his nose with pleasure and his mind with curiosity. He followed the scent to the very edge of the border in North Dakota, going much farther than he had anticipated. The scent grew stronger and he became impatient and frustrated. Whatever the scent was coming from, it was on the pride lands, somewhere he is never allowed to go, somewhere forbidden for the weres. After a few moments of thinking how much trouble he could get in, not only if he were caught by the pride, but by his father as well, he stepped over the boundary line.

          'I'm going to find out where it's coming from.' He nodded to himself and instantly felt out of place, and in danger. He ran, following the scent to a large hill just a couple miles from the border. The scent was intoxicating and everywhere. He peeked through the bushes and heard a hiss of warning. He looked up to a tree where a small white kitten was arching it's back, claws out and ears back. He stared at the kitten for a few seconds, then stepped out of the brush and wagged his tail back and forth happily.  'Mate!" His wolf yipped in happiness. The kitten didn't take her eyes off of Alexander as he walked to the base of the tree and rested his paws on the trunk as he looked up at her with a lazy wolfish grin. The kitten leapt to the ground, followed by Alexander replacing his giant paws on the ground. She weaved between his legs and began to purr. Alexadner sighed in content and relished in the moment of his mate rubbing against him.

          Suddenly, she hissed and stepped back, startling Alexander and forming a look of confusion on his face.

          'What could possibly be wr- oh....right, kitten shifter." He lowered his body to the ground, laying on his belly, watching her intently as she dragged her clothes behind the tree and shifted to her human form. He looked away, not wanting to invade her privacy. She hugged the tree close, hiding behind it as she asked,

          "W-Who are you?"

          Alexander stood, about to change to his human form, but stopped. He could smell another male around, could hear the large footsteps of a lion. Alexander lowered his ears and curled his lips back in a silent snarl.

          "R-Run, L-Leave," Alexander was taken aback, hurt clearly on his face but he knew he had to. For both of their safety. He longed for her to come with him, he wanted to stay, to get to know her, to know her name, to feel her warm body against his. She shook her head, as if reading his mind. "Tomorrow, meet me at the lake. B-Before d-dawn." Alexander nodded and disappeared into the trees, risking one last glance at his beautiful mate, a mate he couldn't possibly have.

          Once Alexander was across the border and back into pack territory, he slowed, thinking of what just happened. He found his mate, only, they're forbidden to be together by Pack and Pride Law. They could both be killed for even looking at each other, for speaking, for a simple glance. Her beauty wouldn't leave his head.  Images of her short, petite body and mesmerizing eyes, both different colors, one blue and one a violet purple. Something he had never seen before and had never thought would captivate him. Her gorgeous blonde locks that he wanted to run his hands through, and her kitten...so small and fragile, and very unusual for a Lion-shifter. How could it be that she, a lioness in her pride, be merely a kitten? He didn't think that was how it worked, growing from kitten to lion, but he could be wrong. He would just have to ask his father. He could still feel her kitten running through his legs, rubbing herself and purring contently.

          He found himself back at the pack house, changing breifly into a pair of sweats and heading inside. An ache went through his chest and he stopped, his mate, she was hurt. But it wasn't physically, but emotionally. As if something happened to her that she least expected. Alexander growled with frustration, fighting the urge to run back and scoop her into his rams and never let go.  He mind-linked his best friend to meet him in the game room asap.

         "What's wrong, Alex?"

          "I'll tell you when you get there."

          Alexnader made his way down the hallways to the game room where there were multiple game systems and arcade games. When he saw ,Charlie, his future beta, he relaxed. They sat down and started to play Call of Duty before finally, the question arose.

           "Alex, what happened man?" Charlie asked.

            "I found my mate."

             "That's awesome- wait, why aren't you excited?"

            "Because, Charlie, she's a kitten shifter."