Denied Mate by Roxie Ray
Cal
My wolf snarled and reared to life moments before the door swung open. I readied myself to fight even as the alpha stepped into the small room. Ben moved his gaze to Liv and my spine prickled with uneasiness. I stayed still, counted my breath, and watched.
“Ben!” Liv shot to her feet, leaving the wet dishcloth hanging on my shoulder.
I twisted it as she rushed over and hugged her brother, unable to tell if she was bluffing to distract him. Didn’t she believe me when I’d told her it was her own pack after her?
He glared at me as he embraced her possessively and my wolf snarled, still tense with anticipation. Brother or not, Ben couldn’t be trusted anywhere near her. I had to forcibly restrain myself from charging him.
“How’d you know where I was?” Liv stepped back and dusted the shoulders of Ben’s shirt, flicking off leaves and clumps of dirt.
“Followed the rabbit.” His lip curled at me before he beamed a smile at Liv. “You didn’t show for Friday dinner. First time ever.”
She couldn’t have been falling for this happy-family shit… No fucking way.
Maren stood by my side at the arm of the sofa, clutching a mug tightly.
“Tea, Ben?” She sounded warm and inviting, but her hand shook almost imperceptibly. If I noticed it, so would Ben.
He looked right past Maren, ignoring her entirely. His eyes locked onto me. “I didn’t expect to see you with him again, Liv. I warned you to stay away.”
“I’m an adult, Ben.” Liv stiffened and stepped back like she was bracing herself. “Look at me when you’re talking to me.” His gaze shifted slightly. “I can be around whoever I want—”
“Not if you want a place in this pack, Olivia,” he snapped.
Liv looked like she’d been slapped by the name. Only her mom called her Olivia, and she fucking hated it. But she quickly recovered, her voice tinged with sugar-sweetness. “You’d seriously kick me out because I was kidnapped into a bomb shelter and—”
“Ask him about the prophecy,” Maren peeped. She was blanched white; even her freckles were pale.
The room fell silent and all eyes were on Maren. She nodded at Liv, who sighed and stepped back, inviting Ben in. It was a mistake. He shouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near her.
“It’s, um, a prophecy about a fae-wolf.” Liv huffed like it was nonsense.
He stepped inside with long strides, leaving the door open, and stalked around the bunker with a sneer, picking up knick-knacks and putting them down just out of order. “Yeah. Your prophecy.”
Liv’s lips parted in shock and she looked between me and Maren with confusion. “My prophecy?”
“You’re destined to be alpha, some freak half-fae, yada yada.” He rolled his hand, still stalking.
Liv laughed shortly and dumped her shawl on the back of the couch on her way past. Her scent wafted by, a clear day on a sandy beach, dampened with a sharp hint of fear. I went to stand by her side, but Maren held my shoulder and pushed me back into my seat with a stern look. I got it. We had to let them play it out. She needed to hear it from him.
“How can I be alpha when you’re alpha?” She met his pace as he circled us and gestured at his jacked-up bulk. “How can I be a— a fae-wolf hybrid when both our parents are truly, one-hundred percent wolf?”
“My mother is wolf. Yours…”—he stopped pacing and cast a disgusted glance at Maren—“was fae.”
Liv laughed again. “Ben, we’re siblings—”
“We’re cousins.” Ben’s expression was a sickening blend of pity and condescension. “C’mon, Liv. Don’t you wonder why Mom never loved you?”
I gritted my teeth and barely held back a growl. I wanted to rip into him, fangs first, but Maren’s grip tightened and I stayed put.
Liv’s chin trembled. “What are you saying?”
“Your mother was some fae slut.” He practically spat out the words, all affection in his face for Liv gone. “Dad had an affair, and took you when you were born. Dad just couldn’t bear to get rid of you, poor little Olivia…”
Liv was struck silent, and slowly wrapped her arms around herself in a hug. Fuck, I wanted to hold her myself. Throw her over my shoulder and get her the fuck away from her psycho brother, too. Hit him in his ridiculous smug face. Maybe not in that order, though.
“Everyone in the upper tier of the Bridgehaven pack knows Dad had an affair with a fae, and they all know I’m adopted. Mom can’t have kids.” Ben sniffed like it was no big deal. “She’s so uptight about appearances and fitting in because she just wants it to disappear. Doesn’t want to talk about why she accepted you into her family—the little half-breed.”
“Why didn’t they tell me?” Liv’s voice was barely a whisper.
Ben scoffed and picked up a cup from the workbench, sniffed it and put it back. “Why would they?”
“They want to stop you from becoming the alpha.” The words boomed from my chest before I could stop them.
“Shush!” Maren hissed.
Liv glanced at me, her eyes glazed with shock. “But if it’s a prophecy, then how could they stop it from happening anyway—”
“Destiny doesn’t mean shit.” Ben cracked his neck, the bones making a sickening crunch. He gave me a knowing look; Liv seemed to go a shade paler. “Apparently, anyone can buck it! The prophecy doesn’t mean anything now. When they took me in, I became next in line to be alpha. I’m Dad’s first son, adopted or otherwise. We need to keep the pack strong, and joining with the fae would do nothing but weaken us.”
My head spun. A memory shot through, a bolt from the past. My dad had said the exact same thing… We need to keep the pack strong, and joining with the fae would do nothing but weaken us. I’d heard him one night, arguing with Ma. Wait. Was Ma the only person in the room? No… It was the night he left with Jeff Burns. The last time I ever saw him.
“My dad knew,” I blurted it out as it occurred to me. The realization almost knocked the air right out of my lungs. The answer had been right in front of me this entire time, and I just couldn’t see it. It was like someone just tilted the screen, and my entire world just fell into focus. “You fucking had him killed because he knew about the prophecy!”
“Hey.” Ben held up his hands in defense. “I was a kid when your dad jumped.”
I growled. “He didn’t fucking jump—”
Ben laughed and shook his head at me, mocking. “You think your dad was some good guy, huh? You wouldn’t have had a chance with Liv if he’d had his way.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I was on my feet and shaking Maren right off.
Ben chuckled and stood taller, looming over me by a few inches. I wasn’t intimidated. I leaped over the couch and got between him and Liv. He sniffed, barely hiding a smug grin.
“You want to know the truth about your dad? The funny thing is, David found out about the prophecy, yeah. Just before he ‘vanished.’” Ben wriggled his fingers like he’d just done a magic trick. “He wasn’t keen on a half-breed mutt running the show. Begged our dad to send Liv away, saw what a threat she’d be to the pack if she became alpha. He was right. The pack had to come first.”
I crunched my hands into fists, every knuckle cracking, and vengeance bubbling through my veins. “So good old Jeff had him killed. And told everyone he’d betrayed the alpha. There was some truth in that.”
“No…” Liv covered her mouth and shook her head in denial.
Ben growled and stepped closer to me. “Your family has a real habit of sticking a nose in our business, doesn’t it? Now your mom’s poking around, and you’re protecting the half-breed threatening my pack.” He flicked his hand toward Liv like she was trash.
“Half-breed?” Liv’s voice was sharp. Stern. The air seemed to snap around us. The single light in the dingy place flickered, and Liv straightened. She pushed between me and Ben, shoulders back.
Her brother sneered down at her, rage rolling off him like waves of heat. The waves were almost visible. His voice dropped an octave and rumbled with threat of violence. “Liv. You need to fuck off like David wanted you to. I’m the fucking alpha, and I’m not going to let your dumbass prophecy ruin my reign.”
