The Alpha’s Heart (Stolen Mates #3)

2. Kendall

CHAPTER 2

KENDALL

T hankfully, I don’t.

Guy’s probably either at his cabin, or maybe in the communal hall where any packmate can go for a meal without any innuendos or implications. As Alpha, Kendall is responsible for making sure that each wolf that pledges their loyalty to River Run has the three essentials for a supe: food, shelter, and security. If you don’t want to cook, a row of pack chefs will feed you while also providing community.

I’ve avoided the hall ever since the first time Guy invited me to sit with him. That one was my mistake. I thought that, because the food came from the chefs, it was safe to sit and eat with him. Yeah, no. He decided then and there that he had a chance, and that was one of the last times I went to the hall myself.

Just in case, I take the longer route to the Alpha’s cabin so I can go around the hall the same way I ducked behind the schoolhouse. Only when the little hairs on the back of my neck start to stand on end, my wolf whining softly in her throat as she brushes up against Kendall’s overpowering territorial markings do I give up worrying about Guy, turning my sudden nerves toward facing my Alpha instead.

Think of an Alpha like the principal in a much larger school system than the one we have for the pack. Here, there are only a handful of teachers who each take turns with the pups, discussing their speciality. Me? I do math with a little shifter science on the side. We don’t have a boss. Just the Alpha. He’s the one in control of everything, but we prefer him to be as paws-off as possible.

Let him do the administration work. He can arrange funds for things we need like books and pencils, but other than that, we like to fly under his radar. It’s like that as a delta, too. Alphas have more important things to worry about. They’re responsible for the pack as a whole, not the individual cogs that are a part of it.

If you’re not high up in the hierarchy or a member of his inner circle, you don’t want to draw his attention. For Kendall to be waiting for me? I’m not sure what it is I did, but I don’t think I want to know, either.

Not like I have a choice. And though I’ve never had a reason to set foot inside of the Alpha cabin in my twenty-three years, just like all members of the River Run Pack, I know exactly where it is. Same with the den. It’s a side door, a light over the top of it, with a worn dirt path that marks all of the tracks from shifters who have visited with the Alpha over the years.

Shifters run hot. I’m an oddity. I’ve always been colder than most, as though my wolf’s fur coat doesn’t help me when I’m in my skin. I have on an oversized sweater that matches the brisk October weather on the east coast. The sleeves are long enough that they reach midway to my hands. Shoving one back, I fist my fingers and knock on the door.

Two seconds later, I wince. Knocking? Really? That’s the whole point of the den, that when the light’s on and the Alpha is in residence, all packmates are allowed to go inside. If Kendall is busy with another packmate, the light goes off. It’s on, and he’s waiting for me.

And if I had any doubt that he was, in answer to my knock, he calls out, “Come on in, Sofia.”

I toss my hair over my shoulder, take a deep breath, and open the door.

Our den is pretty relaxed. I’m not sure what other Alpha’s dens are like, but Kendall has two couches along one wall, two stuffed armchairs opposite of a wooden desk, and a matching one sat behind it for our Alpha. The walls are painted a serene sky blue, and with the window partially open, the smells of the river on the far end of our territory still manage to reach us here.

He’s sitting behind the desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper. I inch my way into the room, part of me apprehensive, while the rest of me feels safe just being surrounded by the Alpha’s aura.

Kendall glances up at me, and my heart lodges in my throat.

It’s an instinctive reaction, and another reason I avoid being close to the Alpha if I can. My wolf cowers whenever his dominance catches her off-guard, and though I recover quickly, there’s just something about him that has me wanting to blurt out every secret I have to the older male.

I don’t meet his eyes. To do so would be a challenge. Not like Kendall is going to think that Sofia Russo is about to challenge him or anything. It’s just better to be safe than sorry, and I fix my gaze on the hollow of his throat instead of his bright gold eyes.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Take a seat, if you would. And don’t worry. No one’s in trouble here.”

My principal analogy is pretty apt. As I plop down on the nearest armchair, all I can think about is that I did something wrong and I just don’t remember.

“I have a pack meet with Seton and some of my patrollers that I need to host shortly, but this couldn’t wait. I’ll make it quick, though, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. You understand?”

I nod.

“Good. Okay. First. I know you’ve been part of River Run your whole life. You’re an excellent teacher for our young pups. You’re not mated yet, though not for a lack of trying on the parts of some of our males.”

Of course he knows about Guy. An Alpha knows everything about his pack, including what each of us can handle, which is why he’s not bringing up my delta shadow… but I think I get where he’s going with this when he keeps the topic of conversation along the same lines.

“Are you looking for a mate, Sofia?” Kendall asks. “Most mature wolves are eager to find their life partner.”

Am I? “I would love to find my mate,” I tell him honestly. I have to be honest. Kendall would know if I was lying. “I just… I haven’t yet.”

“What if I told you that I knew who your fated mate was?”

My lips part, mouth falling open at the implication. I don’t say anything, though. I don’t know what to say.

Kendall chuckles. “It’s a shock. I’m sure it is. When I got the phone call earlier… tell me. What do you know about the Sylvan Pack?”

I blink. At least I can answer this . “Nothing, really. I know they’re made up of wolf shifters like us, but they’re on the other side of the country, I think.”

“Louisiana.”

Okay. That’s still over a thousand miles away from here.

“They also recently transitioned from their elder Alpha to a new one. Bishop Dupuis is twenty-one, a dominant Alpha who took over the pack without a single challenge… and, according to the Luna herself, your fated mate.”

My what ?

Nervous fingers fiddle with my long sleeves as I watch Kendall’s Adam's apple bob as he explains.

All shifters know that an alpha becomes a capital-A Alpha after he has the Alpha Ceremony where the Luna blesses him as the new leader of a pack. Other alphas can challenge for the position, but when there’s only one male left standing, the Luna marks him as Alpha, and if he’s unmated? She whispers the name of his fated mate into his ear.

That’s what happened to Bishop, Kendall tells me. The Luna told him that Sofia Russo of the River Run Pack was born to be his, and his immediate reaction was to call Kendall and ask my Alpha if I would take him as my intended.

An intended mate is just that: a promise is made between two souls, with the mate bond finalizing with a mating on the night of the full moon where a shifter both claims and marks their mate. If I agree, I’m telling this unknown Alpha that I’ll pledge myself to him without knowing little more than his name and the location of his pack.

His pack… which would become mine the moment I accept his proposition.

I don’t blame him for going through my Alpha. That’s what they do. As a new Alpha himself, Bishop can’t leave the Sylvan Pack to meet me in person. So he offered himself to me instead, and if I accept, I’ll go to him—and Kendall will be the one who brokered our mating.

Think arranged human marriages, only we already have Fate telling us that we’re meant for one another on our side.

I just… this is so unexpected. An Alpha . I’m meant for an Alpha ? If I’m sitting on the edge of the armchair, halfway ready to either bolt or show Kendall my throat because of his dominant aura, how would I react to an unknown Alpha who wants to fuck me? To bite me?

To claim me as his forever?

But to be handed my fated mate as easily as that, and for him to send for me instead of rejecting the promise of our bond the moment the Luna whispered my name to him? I’d be a fool to refuse.

Mate Bishop and I’ll never have to worry about overbearing males like Guy again. But mate Bishop and I’ll never return to River Run… to my students… to my colleagues… to my packmates… to Declan ever again.

I’ve grown tired of the way things have been lately. If only to myself, I can admit that. I’ve longed for a mate of my own, one that I chose. So maybe Bishop Dupuis is choosing me first. He’s an Alpha. That’s how it goes.

But a mate still gets to choose, and from the way Kendall is focusing all of his attention on me as I sit quietly, he’s waiting for me to say something in answer. When I don’t, he asks, “What do you think?”

What do I think? I… I don’t know what to think. A fated mate. Deltas rarely find their mates. Especially for one like me, who’s never left pack territory before, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Only Alphas get gifted the names of theirs, and sometimes a Beta is lucky to get a hint, but unless we stumble upon our mates, how else could we meet?

And mine is an Alpha in Louisiana who is willing to make me his intended sight unseen.

Of course, that means that I don’t know anything about Bishop Dupsuis despite the fact that he’s a new Alpha, and that the Luna thinks he’s the one male in the whole world who is perfect for me.

The Luna is our goddess. The embodiment of the moon herself, she is the one all wolf shifters revere. A fated mate is a gift from her and to reject that gift… well, you better have a good reason.

I swallow the nervous lump in my throat. “When do I have to decide?”

“Twenty-four hours,” Kendall answers. “The Luna just passed. If you agree, he expects to hold the Luna Ceremony the next time she rises. For you to join him in Louisiana and accept him as your mate before you finalize your bond, he wants you to agree or reject him by tomorrow afternoon.”

Twenty-four hours to make a decision that will affect the rest of my life…

That’s shifters for you.

I nod. “I’ll have an answer for him tomorrow.”

I know better than to expect Kendall to give his input on what I should do. If it had anything to do with my spot in River Run, he would. But this is different. This has to do with mates.

Mates get to choose, and this is one choice I’ll have to make for myself.

Rumors spread in a wolf pack. I know that better than most. Despite Kendall assuring me that he would keep the topic of our conversation to himself while I was thinking about choosing to become Bishop Dupuis’s mate, I’m not too surprised when a pair of familiar scents filter in through my window.

Anise.

Lemon.

Wonderful .

I’d expected Guy. If my best friend was still doing his best to distract the other wolf, that might explain why I pick up Declan’s lemon scent coming closer. Either way, there’s no denying their approach when the mixing aromas grow stronger.

For a second, I think about ignoring it. Knowing that I’ll have to have this discussion sooner or later—and somewhat curious to see if it’s already gotten out that I’m an Alpha’s fated mate—I wait until I can sense two wolves running up to my door before I take a deep breath and open it.

Guy is in the lead. He’s not running, though that’s definitely a stalking motion as he quickly closes the gap between my porch and him. Declan catches my eye, rolling his when I refuse to leave my doorway. He jerks his thumb at Guy, as though saying, “I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Of course not. If the rumors are true, he probably thinks he just lost his best shot at a mate for now.

“Sofia. Sofia! Tell me they’re wrong. Tell me it’s not true.”

Ignoring Guy, I give Declan a shaky smile. “Sorry about tomorrow’s dinner. I didn’t feel up to cooking tonight.”

That should’ve tipped off both males that I’m in no mood to visit with them. She-wolves might not eat as much as males do unless we’re expecting pups. We still eat a substantial amount of calories to fuel our regenerative properties, plus our shifts. For me to admit that I didn’t want to eat tonight… that’s a big red flag for a shifter.

Too bad Guy picks up on the wrong thing.

He whips his head toward Declan. “You expected Sofia to feed you?”

Declan holds up his hands. “She’s my friend, Guy. Food is food. That’s all.”

Not to the other male. Guy starts to growl deep in his chest.

Declan drops his hands, scoffing. “Forget it. You’re wasting your breath anyway. Sorry. If you’re pissed off that the female you’ve chased around River Run these last few months might be off the market, it’s that new Alpha you want to be snarling at, buddy.” He raises his eyebrows. “What do ya think? Want to go to Cajun country and challenge an Alpha? Because you know it’s true. Sofia was never yours.”

Declan is messing with Guy, his way of getting back at him for all the grief he put me through. We all know that I never gave him any indication that I would accept Guy as my male, and whatever I do now, it has nothing to do with either of these two.

But challenge an Alpha? Guy might have pinned all his hopes on me choosing to be his mate, but to challenge an Alpha—even a new one—would be suicide. Especially if the challenge is over me . Guy could choose another female. It’s not like he loves me. He hardly knows me. He just saw me as an available female, ripe for the picking.

I’m not. I have a fated mate.

And, as soon as I have that thought, I know exactly what I’m going to do.

“He’s not going anywhere,” I tell them both. “But I am.”

Guy focuses on me. “Sofia?”

Declan pinches his lips, hiding a smile. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you? Accept the Alpha’s offer?”

At least one of my packmates is happy for me. “I… yeah. He’s my fated mate.”

“He says he is,” cuts in Guy.

“No,” I correct before he can say anything else. “The Luna does.”

And, unless he wants to be blasphemous, there’s nothing he can say to that . Good thing, too, because I… this is right. If I am Bishop Dupuis’s fated mate, then he’s mine. I want a mate. No denying that. My wolf’s been too picky over the years, almost as though she was waiting to find the one mate the Luna chose just for us without letting our human side in on it.

I want a mate—and it looks like I’m going to go to Louisiana to get one.