Book 1 of Alpha Wolf: Mate Mine

Extended version of this chapter is available on Patreon! With extra scene with Marco and Crucifero with Mirko and Elena ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Black Devil’s Alpha and his future Luna were curled up on a soft cushion on the edge of the ravine, watching the forest spread for miles and miles below them.

Between sweet kisses, gentle touches and small talks, nobody in the world could be happier... Except for other mated couples.

“Mirko” Elena called at some point, with her face hidden in the crock of his neck, breathing his scent.

“Hmm?” He hummed.

“Did you really live in the Alakasian mountains all by yourself when you were a kid?”

Mirko stroked her hair before placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. “Yes, I did.”

“Was-“ Elena paused, reflecting carefully on her following words “Was your mother ok with that? Or your father?”

“I never met my mother... and my father, well, I’m sure you heard the stories about him. And how he used to lock the Black Devil female mates in our dungeons to let them rot in there. He did the same with my mother. His own mate.” Mirko admitted in a bitter tone.

It was as if a knife had slipped into Elena’s heart. She could not believe her ears.

“Two years later, my father returned to the Alakasians, probably to confirm that I was long dead... instead, he found me in my wolf form, as head of a pack that I had created myself.”

“A pack?” Elena repeated in shock.

“Yes” He confirmed, “Crucifero was also part of that pack. There were mostly rogues but also real wolves.” His eyes were lost in terrible memories... in the dark maze of the past.

“But what was Crucifero doing there? I thought they had sent you to the Alakasians alone.”

“Correct. I was left there alone.” He paused, placing a kiss on her hand.

“I found him there. And Crucifero was a boy, just like me, even younger, who couldn’t even say a word. When I first found him, he was full of scars and dried blood. Totally frightened and unaware of the existence of werewolves, including his own.”

Elena was listening carefully, agape, as he started to draw circles on her hand, absently.

“You see Elena, I was only 8-year-old when my own father abandoned me up there, but at least I knew what I was. A werewolf. A future Alpha.”

Elena’s heartbeat increased instantly, surprised by his words: the stories about Mirko were true after all.

“But Crucifero was a mere 6 years old. He had lived in a remote village on the edge of the Alakasian forest with his human mother. At least that’s what we think since he remembers very little.” His voice was hoarse and tired as if he had just returned from a distant land.

“As far as we know, nobody has ever shifted into a wolf at such an early age, at least not in normal conditions. Surely his were not…” Mirko paused, as if pondering his next words.

At that moment, Elena realised she was hearing those stories she had listened all her life...she was hearing them from the legend himself... her mate. Unrevealing even more frightening skeletons...

“How did you meet him exactly?”

“I saved him from a bear.”

He added nothing else, his tone suggested not to push any further.

“We lived 3 years in those woods in those mountains. And they changed us, mentally and physically. Those mountains crept into our veins, under our skin.”

His knuckles were white and when a drop of blood started to dip, Elena grabbed his hand, opening it, revealing his claws.

Never ever had Elena witnessed someone who could partially shift into his wolf. It was as if Mirko and Craken were so mixed up that he could do it. It was magical and scary at the same time.

“You see, when you spend part of your early childhood in the forest, that forest, at minus 30 °C (-22°F), without clothes or any trace of edible food, when the border between prey and predator is so thin that one day you are hunted and the next you become the hunter, well… you let your wolf take over. Leave the reins to him.”

Elena covered her mouth. The information was too heavy to digest.

“In those years I shifted into my human form only on 3 different occasions and none of those were pleasant.”

“What happened to you, err, father?” Elena was afraid of the answer.

“One day Rolando came home with a human crying in his arms, stating that she was his mate.” Mirko smiled at the memory, letting out a sigh.

“I was speechless. And we were practically all children. But we knew very well that my father would never accept her. A mate, moreover, a human.” He scoffed, shaking his head.

“And abandoning or moving her elsewhere was not an option. A glance at Rolando was enough to know that. So, we kept her hidden for years. Until one day my father discovered her and tried to kill them both…” He trailed off before smirking maliciously.

“So, I killed him.”

.....

“I wanted to do it for a while but maybe a small part of me hoped that one day he would recover from that world of madness in which he had fallen and started being a father. But obviously it didn’t happen.” A shaky breath escaped his tense figure.

“I could have forgiven him for what he did to me, and maybe, just maybe, for what he did to Rolando and his mate ... and to Crucifero as well. But I could never, ever forgive that he deprived me of a mother I have never met.”

The death of his unknown mother was still tormenting his mind with nightmares even when awake. Elena remained silent, crying without even realising.

“When I finally returned home, everyone was afraid of me. Surviving and then ruling the Alakasian mountains has changed me profoundly. It stole my childhood. My humanity. And mine and Crucifero wolves were born there, under special circumstances. According to some, this would explain our size and strength. And why we are monsters”

That was enough. The girl threw her hands around his neck, wanted to stop him right there. “That is so no true! You are this super sweet and a wonderful mate. Perfect. And yes, you may be a little tough when circumstances require it, but we live in a somewhat difficult world, where brute force is often needed to survive.” Meanwhile she had cupped his face staring directly into his shocked eyes.

“And yes, you are a little too stubborn and insanely jealous sometimes” She chuckled a little as he rolled his eyes playfully. The tension of his story volatilised.

“But I wouldn’t change anything about you, not even a small inch of your oversized body.”

Mirko was distracted for a moment by how her long thick eyelashes fluttered against the top of her delicate cheeks. Then, as her words sunk into him, he kissed that little amazing thing. His mate. It was a long kiss, filled with unspoken feelings.

The conversation lulled after that. The two mates remained lost in their private bubble, in a comfortable silence, as they watched the moon kiss the treetops while howls and growls spread far.

And, when sleep enveloped her, Elena could never hear certain magical words… mere whisper lost in the wind ...

“I love you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Extended version of this chapter is available on Patreon! With extra scene with Marco and Crucifero with Mirko and Elena ;)