Claimed By Her Alpha by J.E. Cluney

3

Dray.

* * *

Iwatched her return with more plates, unable to look away from her as my heart hammered and every fiber of my being screamed for me to seize her as my mate. I withheld a growl at her closeness, my hands still fisted under the table as I fought the insane urges within.

“So, this is your friend?” she mused as she arched a shapely brow at me, sweet dimples appearing as she smiled sweetly at me.

I had to fight the insane urge to stand up and pull her hard against me, to claim those delicious looking lips and let my wolf take charge, to show her that she was mine and only mine.

“Yes, this is Dray,” Ethan said quickly. “Can we grab another pitcher please?”

“Right, on it,” she bobbed her head, although she looked a little confused and flustered as she gave me a strange look.

Her scent was overwhelming, and I needed more. I needed to bury myself within her, to complete the primal mating bond that had awoken within me.

“You, me, outside,” Ethan said sharply. “I’ll bring him back in a moment.”

I growled softly, not wanting to leave my mate now that I’d found her, but Ethan made it clear I needed to follow. As much as I wanted to argue and fight, I knew challenging a fellow Alpha right now was not a smart move. I’d come here for alliance talk, not a challenge. I reminded myself of that, despite wanting to hurl him across the room for even suggesting I leave my mate.

Fresh air might be good for my frantic mind too.

I felt the other men watching me with intrigued looks as Ethan ushered me outside.

Why was he pulling me away from her? I knew he was trying to diffuse the increasingly dangerous situation. When a wolf felt the mating bond, it was powerful. But I was not some pubescent boy who’d stumbled across my mate. I was an Alpha. I still retained control.

“You need to calm down,” Ethan ordered once we were outside and had circled the side of the building. Ethan scanned the area quickly before rounding on me.

I snarled at him, hating that he thought he could tell me what to do. He just shook his head and sighed.

“Everly is human, you’re going to freak her the fuck out,” he said gruffly, and my chest tightened at her name.

Everly. What a beautiful name for such a stunning woman.

“She’s my mate,” I ground out, my jeans extremely tight and uncomfortable as images of her gorgeous figure swam through my head. Of me spreading those legs wide as I dove down between them, bringing her pleasure and bliss like she’d never had before, then driving myself into her and claiming her.

“Clearly, so she must not be fully human,” Ethan said with an eye roll. “But this is a human establishment. You need to get control of your wolf. I know that’s hard right now,” Ethan said with an exasperated sigh as his eyes flicked over the area once more. He was constantly alert like any good Alpha. Exactly how I should be, but right now, instincts were trying to take over.

A part of me knew he was right. My wolf was clawing to escape, and I was struggling. But the other part of me wanted to knock him on his ass for even suggesting I not take my mate right now.

“She must be a quarter-blood, an inactive one. So basically human,” he mused, surprised by the revelation as much as I was.

“Human,” I growled softly.

Shifters and wolves could not develop a true bond to a human. But a half-blood could ignite it, although a quarter-blood sparking it was practically unheard of. In the few that had been heard of the quarter-blood was active, capable of shifting. Her scent was excruciatingly human though, so she was not a half-blood. A half-blood would carry traces of their supernatural side. A quarter-blood was different. They were practically human unless their shifter side awoke. Which it might never do. Only about a tenth of quarter-bloods had their shifter side awaken. And if they bred with a human, the remnants of their once supernatural side would vanish in the next generation.

But her scent was human, so she hadn’t had her shifter side awaken. She was essentially human then, and they weren’t wired like us. She wouldn’t feel the call the way I did, to the same extreme extent.

“Yes, exactly,” Ethan said with a heavy sigh, like he felt like he was talking to a simpleton.

Right now, with these urges clouding my senses, I might as well be. I needed to pull myself together, take control once more. This was not me. I was a goddamn Alpha. My wolf was a part of me, but he was not the one in control.

“And she’s not hinted at knowing what she is or about the supernatural world. We’ll have to assume she doesn’t know of it. If she did, she would’ve made herself known to the local Pack—my Pack. So, pull yourself together,” Ethan ordered, and I bristled. I wasn’t about to take orders from anyone. But with him able to see the facts clearly and being someone I considered a friend, I needed to simmer down. He was right, and I’d pull my shit together in a moment. Besides, acting dominant with another Alpha was never a good way to begin a proper alliance. I’d met Ethan as a child when my father had forged the treaty between Packs, and we’d become decent friends. So, despite wanting to snap at him, I held myself back. Any other wolf would’ve been reminded of his place.

Shifters and lone wolves had to make themselves known to any local Packs or Prides so we didn’t consider them a threat. There wasn’t exactly a directory of supes, but we were taught how to seek them out from our parents. If she hadn’t been taught to do that, then Ethan was probably right in the fact that she knew nothing of what she was. And if her shifter side never developed, which was more than likely, she was considered human anyway. There was no real need for her to know.

Until now. Now that she was my true mate, calling for me.

“Still, to think you found your mate here of all places,” Ethan chuckled as he shook his head. “I guess our alliance for travelling is unneeded then.”

“You all still seek your own mates,” I said, unable to draw my mind away from Everly.

She was all I could think about now, and I had to go back in and see her again.

“Yeah, although, seeing how much you’re struggling, I really hope mine is a wolf,” Ethan muttered. “I’m not sure if you should go back in there just yet, maybe try to rein everything in, let’s go for a walk.”

“No,” I snapped, the thought of taking even a few more steps away from this building making my wolf howl in despair.

“Dray, I can see it in your eyes. We can’t have you going in there and staking your claim in front of a bunch of humans. You need to do it like a human. Win her over,” Ethan stated harshly, and I couldn’t keep from growling at him. He was the Alpha of this territory though, and he had to enforce the Alpha laws, even if it meant reminding a fellow Alpha. As much as I wanted to snarl at him, I had to remember this was his home, not mine. I was visiting on friendly terms, not here to overthrow him. So I needed to keep my head on straight, which was hard with that tempting female making my wolf crazy.

She was my mate. I didn’t need to win her over. She was mine.

But she was human.

Fuck.

“Come, Everly doesn’t finish for ages, and she’s here most nights. Walk with me and get your wolf under control. Then we’ll head back inside, and you can try to actually talk to her,” Ethan said firmly.

I wanted to argue and storm back in there, to let my wolf do what it wanted to do, but I knew I couldn’t. I was an Alpha, I had control. Instincts were difficult, but I was not some crazed animal.

I drew in a deep breath and nodded, forcing myself to move as Ethan started walking into the tree line.

Calm down. As a quarter-blood, surely she’d still feel something. I’d heard of other wolves taking quarter-blood mates, and it was rare for one to not return the attraction. But it had to be done carefully, especially if they were inactive.

What kind of shifter did she descend from too?

“What do you know about her?” I managed to ask as I glanced over my shoulder at the Bar and Grill. I had to believe she wasn’t going anywhere, but every step away from her was making me ache with a deep longing and need, something that was new to me.

“Everly is a smart one, could really do more than work as a waitress,” Ethan started. “She’s friendly and polite, likes to get to know her regulars. No idea on what kind of shifter she’d be. I can do some digging once I’m home tonight, and I’ll keep you updated.”

I nodded gratefully. A smart mate was good. But I wanted to know so much more. Her hopes, her dreams, what made her laugh, how to never make her cry. I wanted to claim my mate and show her she was mine, and that I was all she ever needed.

I wanted to discover how soft her body felt, the sounds she made as I fucked her wildly, what made her cry out in bliss…

“We should talk about something else,” Ethan noted as I started to growl softly, my wolf rippling beneath my skin. “You’ve met the others, although that was only brief. Out of all of our Packs, the Clayborn Pack is the biggest, with mine in second. Miles, Kyle, and your own Pack are roughly on par in size. The others have all been to visit each other’s Packs already with no luck. So, I know they're hopeful that going to yours will give them the chance to see if their mate is there. If not, we’re hoping we can come to an agreement where we look out for one another’s Packs while we travel in search of our mates,” Ethan said, his words doing little to distract me from my own feelings and longing. I could barely focus on what he was saying despite my best efforts. Damn that woman, arousing me and making me crazy just by being in the same room.

“Mated Alphas make the Pack more powerful,” I remarked as I thought about Everly.

Even if our mates were not full-bloods, simply having them by our side and completing the mating bond by claiming them would awaken our true Alpha strength and power. Which would, in turn, feed throughout the entire Pack. Those in our Pack were linked, we were family, whether it be by blood or acceptance in one way or another.

“Yes, and I’m sure we all want that. Right now, with all of us as unmated Alphas, we are at risk of outside Alphas overthrowing us and claiming our Packs to grow their own territory,” Ethan said as we continued to walk further from the Bar and Grill.

My wolf was horribly displeased by this, but my head was clearing a little with the fresh, crisp air. I was the one in control here, and I would take charge.

I understood his worries, as I had the same concerns. We had one Pack in particular to the Southern border that had been acting off since my father had passed. Thankfully they were smaller in size, and my Pack was incredibly loyal. But it was the reason I’d decided to claim a mate now, rather than seek out my true mate. I’d decided on that before coming here after listening to my mother’s advice. Without a mate, it was only a matter of time before the Southern Pack made a move.

“Well, I found my mate. Once she’s mine, I will honor my agreement to assist you all in finding your own mates and looking out for your Packs. After all, if I hadn’t come out here, I would not have found her,” I stated, picturing that divine beauty whom I’d carved into my mind like the masterpiece she was.

“Thank you, I appreciate it. Now, if you think you can keep control of your wolf, let’s go back. We need to settle this alliance thing, and I was looking forward to my burger,” Ethan said as he turned to me with a firm look. “But if I think you’re going to expose us, I’ll drag your ass outside and deal with you myself.”

I nodded, knowing full well we’d be on par in strength. But I respected him for thinking of our code first. Shifters were to remain a secret in human society.

I would make sure to never expose what we were, no matter how powerful my urges were.

But as we turned back to the bar and grill, all I could think about was that green-eyed beauty.

She was mine. And she didn’t even know it yet.