His Refused Mate by Jade Marshall

Chapter Two

Caine

I love my pack, don’t get me wrong, but they are driving me up the fucking wall. All day, every day, all I hear is pack this, pack that. I need a break. A vacation. But that isn’t how it works. As Alpha, I am responsible for each and every member of my pack, and I take my job seriously. The problem is, while I’m being responsible for the pack, who is taking care of me?

For the past eighteen months, I have lived with an emptiness in my heart, an aching in my very soul. I have watched my friends, brothers, and pack members find their mates, but still, I am left standing in the cold.

The twins, Cole and Chris, have both found their mates and moved on. I get it. You don’t want to live under your oldest brother’s reign for the rest of your life. Add to the fact that we are four men, born from a strong Alpha, and we all feel the need to lead. To have a pack of our own that we can care for.

There are no females in our pack that are of age or available, meaning that I will be alone for so much longer. The next female in our pack that will be able to mate still has three years left to go before she turns eighteen. But that is a lie. There is one female that is of age, nineteen to be exact. Sara. But the idea of settling down with her, even just mating for the sake of it, makes my skin crawl. She was a loner that our pack took in out of pity. She was adopted as a baby by humans, and when her first change came they kicked her out. Sadly, it happens more often than you would think.

We have always had a sort of open door policy here, our pack growing from inside our ranks as well as the lost souls joining.

From the moment she joined us she has been actively chasing me. It’s clear that she is power hungry, wanting to mate the Alpha, which I am sure stems from her lack of control over her own life when she was younger. But I don’t want to be a crutch or a power piece for someone else. I want the mate the goddess selected for me. The overwhelming need. I crave that.

I stare out the window of my modest log cabin, looking over our gathering table where all the women are setting down the dishes they prepared for tonight’s festivities. It’s not so much a table as it is a couple of them shoved together to create a huge buffet for all of us to share.

We are a small pack with only twenty-two members, so it isn’t that hard to set up. But once a month we all gather for a family-style meal. Each female of the pack prepares a dish to share with the other families as we gather around to celebrate nothing in particular. It is our way of staying connected with each other.

I move away from the window as I hear my Beta come up the stairs.

“Morning,” I call before he steps into my office.

“Morning, Alpha.” He grins.

He knows I hate it when he calls me that. I may be the Alpha of the pack, but I am still just Caine. And as my younger brother, he is the person that knows this best.

“What do you want, Calum?” I turn away from him to take a seat behind my desk.

“Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine this morning.” The grin never leaves his face. “Don’t worry. I have enough sparkling personality to make up for your lack…”

A hardcover novel I was reading sails through the air, aimed directly at his head, which he deftly dodges, laughing brightly. I love my brother and his laugh is infectious, but with the way my mood has been these last months, he should know better than to poke at me.

I have been in charge of our pack for almost two years. My father was the Alpha before me. A proud and just Alpha who taught me everything I need to know. After years of my father leading us, keeping us safe, and ensuring peace for us, it was time for me to lead. Our mother passed in her sleep, peacefully, our father following soon after. Calum and the twins are all the family I have left in the world, and although Calum drives me nuts on the best of days, I love him.

“Spit it out. Or, even better, just get out. I don’t have the time or the patience for your bullshit today.”

Calum stares at me before taking on what I refer to as his Beta stance, letting me know he’s in my office for more than just a casual chat. I wait, although not patiently, for him to speak.

“On the west side of our land,” he pauses, taking a breath, “there is a scent we can’t identify.”

“When?” We have been expanding our borders gradually through the last six months, getting closer to the falls. My stomach sinks, and I know his answer isn’t going to be something I like.

He cringes before lowering his gaze to the ground.

“Every day for the last month,” he replies softly.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” I roar.

Pushing my chair away from my desk, I move toward him, watching him shrink into himself with every step I take closer. It is his instinct to shrink away from the command in my tone, but I hate it all the same. At this moment, though, he isn’t my little brother. He is my Beta. My second in command. And he has been hiding things from me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry. I thought I had it handled. I put extra wolves on the perimeter, but whoever it is keeps dodging them. They don’t come any closer than the lake. Well, at least until last night.”

“Goddammit, Calum. I can’t solve problems that I’m not aware of. You can’t keep things from me and try to solve problems by yourself. I am the Alpha of this pack, and as such, it is my responsibility to take care of my people.”

Running my hands through my hair, I turn away from him, going to stare out the window again. Calum isn’t dumb, which only serves to irritate me further. He knew what he doing was stupid and yet still did it.

“Show me.”

Exiting my home and heading to my vehicle, I get stopped in my tracks when Sara pops up in front of me.

“Morning, Caine,” she purrs, placing her hand on my chest.

“Sara.” I step back, causing her hand to fall from my chest. She looks unhappy about the move.

“I was wondering if you had a moment to talk.” She leans forward, her breasts almost spilling from her top.

“What is this about, Sara?” I don’t have time for this shit today. We could have a serious threat on our hands, and I need to find out what is going on.

“About us, silly.” She laughs, running a long, painted nail along my forearm.

“No.” I step around her. “There is no us. I need you to make peace with that. There will never be an us.”

Anger crosses her face before she replaces it with a fake look of sadness. I am not about to fall for her shit. I leave her standing there and get back to business.

****

Reaching the border of our land, I survey the area, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. Anything that should concern me, or tell me who might be hanging around. I don’t want to be a doomsday prophet and always only expect the worst, but I don’t trust what I don’t know. Calum walks beside me without saying a word. He knows better.

Tension rolls off me in waves, causing all the other members of my pack to keep a wide berth. They can sense my anger and don’t want to be on the receiving end. I am by no means a cruel Alpha, but I am hard on them. The survival of our pack depends on everyone knowing their place and working together. My brother, my Beta, and all the men working under him have gone against the most basic of my rules.

Closing my eyes, I open my senses to the world around me. The breeze rustles through the trees, cooling my heated skin. Birds chirp in the trees nearby, and somewhere in the underbrush, a small rodent scurries away. But it’s the smell. The smell has my hackles rising as my gaze drifts from man to man, looking to see who would be able to stop me. The moment the smell assaults my senses, all rational thought leaves my mind as my wolf starts to emerge. I don’t fight him, just let him consume me as he pushes out.

Calum stares at me with terrified eyes, not understanding what could trigger me to shift so violently. I don’t even bother to undress, letting the shift take me, my wolf bursting out in full force. A howl rips from my throat, sending the birds flying from their perches and my pack members skittering back from me. My teeth are bared. To them, I must appear close to feral at this moment, but I don’t give a fuck.

I have only one thought going through my mind, one purpose.

My mate.