The Alpha King’s Human Mate

The King grinned.

“Will he be at the meeting tomorrow, Your Majesty?” Sebastian asked. It was the first time he’d spoken since the Alpha King walked into the room.

“Yes,” the Alpha King said, “He has a vested interest in the meeting. I have no

doubt he’ll be there.”

Well, that just confirms that most of this meeting is just a rouse for the Prince to find

his mate.2

Fine by me.

If the Prince is too busy hunting down his mate, I can do what I do best at these sorts of things and make friends with the wallpaper (and hopefully whoever is in charge of the food).

Suddenly, my mind flashed back to my conversation with the elder from the pack.

the old man who had told me that there was a miniscule chance I could be a

wolf’s mate given my bloodline.

No, there’s no way.

If I was someone’s mate, I’m sure I would’ve felt it some sort of mate pull like the

wolves do.

I’m only human, there’s no way I’m going to end up someone’s mate, let alone the prince of wolves.

It’s such a miniscule chance, and as unlucky as I may be sometimes, there’s no way I’m unlucky enough to be the mate of some possessive werewolf prince. That’s the kind of stuff you see in books and TV shows, not real life.

4

But no matter what I tried to tell myself, my stomach was in the knots the rest of

the dinner party.

“I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.”)

Mary Shelley

You’d think if there was any time that you’d be able to sleep like a baby, it’d be when you’re lying on a luxurious king-sized bed with sheets that probably cost. more than my college tuition would.

But I was wide awake that night.

Lily was snoring just feet away from me, in the other bed of the castle suite. Sebastian was probably asleep too, although I couldn’t tell since he was separated by the large sliding glass door. {1}

Since the dinner party, I’d been riddled with anxiety and I couldn’t articulate the source of it. Was I nervous that my biology meant I could end up saddled to a werewolf forever? A little bit. But really, I just felt out of my depth at this place. It was like I was walking on pins and needles everywhere. People like the Alpha King and Ezra saw my genetic makeup as a weakness, something they could poke and prod at like a science experiment.

There was nothing I could do about it, not really. All I could do was wait it out. Once I was back home and away from the castle forever, I was sure I’d feel better.

But what I am going to do about sleeping tonight?

I took another glance at Lily. She was out like a light and Sebastian was probably passed out even harder.

When I had trouble sleeping at home, I’d drink a cup of tea and walk around the pack grounds. It was safer than it sounded. My dad ensured that Blacktooth’s lands were patrolled by wolves around the clock, so there was no real danger for me to encounter.

It’s not like I could take a walk here. I didn’t doubt that the place was guarded, but I didn’t know my surroundings. The last thing I needed was to get lost or encounter someone like Ezra, who thought it would be fun to mess with the human.

I could step out on the balcony though.

On the way back from the dinner party, I had spotted a door that led out to a

balcony. I doubted anyone would be out there in the middle of the night, and it was close enough to the suite that I was confident I could find my way there and back. without getting lost.

It only took me a moment to make up my mind. As quietly as I could, I threw off the thick covers and sat up. My pajamas, one of Sebastian’s old t-shirts and a pair of cotton shorts, were definitely not very royal but hopefully, nob*dy was going to see me in them.

I kept my eyes on Lily’s peaceful face the entire time I put on my sl*ppers and tip- toed out the door. I couldn’t hold back my cringe when the door squeaked as I was opening it, but thankfully, Lily kept on snoring.

Time to find that balcony.

As I maneuvered the hallways, I couldn’t believe how beautiful the castle was at nighttime. There weren’t any electric lights that I could see but moonlight shone. in through the big, stained glass windows and bounced off the hallways. It looked magical.

Up ahead, the door to the balcony came into view.

Success! And not a single soul had to see me in my old Pls.

Fortunately, the door was unlocked and I closed it behind me, savoring the fresh

air. Don’t get me wrong it was freezing out. There was still snow on the ground from our earlier arrival, but the cold didn’t feel so biting right now. If anything, the chilly air in my lungs and the goosebumps on my skin felt marvelous compared to the suffocating castle.

I dug my fingers into the polished stone railing. The balcony was at least two stories, if not more, but it was hard to make out much of the view. There was a reflection of the moon in the snow, but other than that, it was all inky darkness.

That might’ve freaked me out on another day, but right now, the isolation felt nice. There were no rude Kings or annoying wolves to deal with out here. Just me, the moon, and the below-freezing temperature.

Just two more days, Clark.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someb*dy look so happy standing in zero-degree weather in a t-shirt,” a female voice piped up from behind me.

3

I whipped my head around immediately and spotted a newcomer on the balcony.

Guess I spoke too soon about getting to enjoy my time alone out here.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

The first thing I noticed about her was the scar on her face.

It stretched from her eyebrow to her chin, and although I could see that she was smirking at me, the scar seemed to tug her skin into a frown. The girl didn’t look hardly older than I was. She had dark hair that hung in ringlets about her face, startling green eyes, and tawny brown skin.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she continued to smirk, taking a few steps. closer to me. She must’ve had at least five or six inches on me and the height difference became apparent the closer she got.

Despite being caught off-guard, I tried to recover quickly. “No worries,” I said, “I was just taking a bit of a late-night walk. I didn’t expect anyone else to be out

here.”

She glanced up at the moon, crossing her arms. Unlike me, she was dressed a little. bit more appropriate for the weather. a leather jacket, jeans, and thick boots.

“Me either,” she said.

“I’m Clark.”

Perhaps I should’ve been uneasy around a stranger on a secluded balcony, but some instinctual gut feeling told me this girl didn’t mean me any harm.

there was a

“You’re the human, right?” she asked, and her eyes lit up with curiosity, “I think I was supposed to meet you tonight. Well, you and a couple of others dinner party for the Alpha King, but I didn’t go.”

“Yep, resident human here,” I said, unable to keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice, “The dinner party? Wait a second…you must be Alessia. I think I remember them mentioning your name, but they said you weren’t able to come. You were sick. or something?”

“That’s what I told them,” she said, rolling her eyes, “But really, I had no interest. in spending my evening at some stuffy dinner party getting interrogated by the King. That guy is an a*s.” (

The laugh flew out my mouth before I could stop it.

Alessia grinned. “You don’t like him either?”

Deep down, I knew I should be careful about badmouthing the King with anyone,

especially a werewolf I didn’t know. But after that fiasco of a dinner party, all I felt was sheer relief that someb*dy else felt the same way.

“He’s, uh, interesting,” I finally said.

“Let me guess. He found a way to ask you super personal questions that would

make anyone uncomfortable and you had no choice but to answer.”

“Uh, pretty much…yeah. I’m guessing you’ve met the guy.”

A curl fell into her face and Alessia huffed, moving it out of the way. “Yeah, a

couple of times,” she said, “They haven’t exactly been the most comfortable encounters. That man definitely enjoys trying to make his guests as uncomfortable as he can. I think he gets off on the power of knowing they’ve got to be nice to him,

no matter what crazy shit he says. He’s a sadistic dick.”

“Given how I just spent my evening, I think you’re 100% correct.”

Alessia laughed. “Oh, and by the way, it’s technically Alpha Alessia.”

Wait, Alpha?

There’s no way this girl is an Alpha, right?

Female Alphas are extremely rare and she’s practically my age!

“You’re an Alpha?”

“You don’t need to look so shocked,” she smirked, “Most people don’t believe me

when I tell them that.”

“Because you’re a woman or because you’re a teenager?”

“Usually both,” she shrugged.

I gave Alessia a second glance. I wouldn’t have pegged her as Alpha without her

telling me, but now that she’d said something, I could see it. She was lean and well-built and she held herself like most Alphas did like she had all the confidence in the world (and she’d tear your throat out if you suggested otherwise). The scar certainly added the toughness factor too.

“Nah, you definitely look like an Alpha,” I said, “You’ve got the signature glare down pat.”

She chuckled. “Glad you think so.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how is it possible you’re an Alpha?” I asked, “My

dad always told me that female Alphas were extremely rare…although I will admit. I’m not Werewolf Wikipedia, so I might be missing something.”

Alessia’s smile dropped and her face became blank as she stared at the moon. “No, you’re not missing anything,” she said, “Female Alphas are rare. It pretty much never happens, even when you’ve got the right blood. I was my dad’s only child, the only heir with Alpha blood in my veins. I spent my entire life training and preparing for the Alpha position, but when he died, it didn’t matter. All the pack elders wanted to give the position to my dad’s Beta. They insisted that I’d be happier “not on the battlefield.” That’s code for them telling me I needed to stay inside the house, find a mate, and pop out a bunch of babies like a docile female

wolf.”

Alessia’s face was blank but I could see the rage burning in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “That’s awful that they tried to toss you aside like that. But if everyone was against it, how did you manage to become Alpha?”

Alessia’s mouth twisted into a bloodthirsty grin as she turned to look at me. “That Beta they wanted to put in my place? I slaughtered him in front of the pack. They changed their tune pretty quickly after that.

My jaw hit the floor.

I was not expecting that.

6

It took me a moment to regain my composure after that bombshell. “Oh, I…see.”

Alessia laughed like she’d been expecting that reaction. “Come on, Clark. I know you’re human but don’t tell me a little bloodshed makes you that uncomfortable. I’ve heard about you, and if the rumors are right, you’ve spent too much time around wolves to have a weak stomach. Or are all humans just weak?”

I couldn’t stop myself from lashing back at her – even if it probably wasn’t the best choice to give attitude to a girl who had just described her kill to me.

“I’m not weak,” I retorted, “And humans aren’t either. We might not have the physical manpower but at least most of us aren’t still living in the 18th-century with a monarchy. Human women are actually allowed to hold positions of power without murdering someone for it…or at least, in the past twenty years they can.” O

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Was she going to physically retaliate? Even the hot blood and adrenaline pumping through my veins didn’t give me enough confidence to think I could stand a chance against her.

–

I might’ve had held my tongue in another setting, but I wasn’t tired of feeling pushed around like I was somehow inferior for just existing. What was so bad about being human? At least humans had options. We could carve out our own destinies, some more than others. Wolves would never have that power. Everything

was bloodlines and hierarchies and dominance to them.

“Well, well,” Alessia whistled lowly, “You have more bite than I thought. Maybe

not all humans are just weak babies.”

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful that she hadn’t taken any real offense to my

words. “Gee, thanks. What a high compliment.”

“Coming from me, it is. I promise.”

There was a lull in the conversation, and for a moment, we both just took in the bright moon and the inky night sky.

“So, why were you on a late-night stroll?” Alessia asked.

“I couldn’t sleep. Walks usually calm me down, but I didn’t want to get too lost, so

I ended up here. What about you?”

“Oh, I followed your scent out here,” Alessia said, shrugging casually.

I whipped my head around. “Wait, my scent? You followed me out here?”

Alessia closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. “Yeah, I wasn’t trying to stalk you but I caught a whiff of your scent in the hallway. You smelled ridiculously good and I

was curious.” [2

“I smell good? In like a flattering way, or in a you-would-like-to-eat-me-for- dinner kind of way?” (3

Alessia seemed to ponder the options as if she wasn’t sure. “More in a flattering way. I almost thought you were my mate for a second if I’m being honest but the scent wasn’t strong enough and I would’ve known when we made eye contact.’

I blushed.

12

“But there is something about you. It’s like your natural scent is fine but it’s mixed with something else something that smells amazing,” Alessia looked at me curiously, “I’m not sure what it is.”@

I knew enough about mating bonds to know that a wolf’s mate was supposed to

smell irresistable to them.

“Well, I’ve come across a few different wolves while I’ve been here,” I said, “Maybe I interacted with your mate along the way and that’s what you’re smelling?”

“Maybe,” Alessia hummed, and then began to walk back to the door, “I think I’ve gotten enough fresh air for tonight, and unless you want to add a layer of frostbite to those jammies, you might want to come in too.”

Although talking with Alessia had been a nice distraction, the goosebumps were starting to reappear on my skin and my teeth were beginning to chatter. D

“Yeah, I think you’re right. Will I see you tomorrow at the meeting?”

“Not sure,” Alessia shrugged, “I haven’t decided whether I’m going to be ‘sick’ or not. Either way, I have a feeling I’ll definitely be seeing you again, Clark.”

“Funny. I’ve got that same feeling, Alessia.” O