Book 1 of Alpha Wolf: Mate Mine

Elena POV

My silent cry must have somehow called the attention of my so-called father, also known as the possible murderer of my soul mate.

His fangs were dipped in thick dark blood that made him look like a hungry hellish creature. His yellow eyes, which I had always associated with comfort and family love, instilled a feeling of pure terror at that moment. I had never witnessed my father slaughter a werewolf in his human form, not even a rogue or an invader. It was beyond horrifying.

When I met his ravenous eyes, a snarl of pure hatred was directed at me, his only daughter.

And I felt I was dying from the inside.

Of all the reactions that my dad could have had when meeting my mate, of all the possible scenarios that I had pictured, this was the worst ever, without comparison.

Suddenly, my vision began to blur, and everything disappeared in slow motion.

The last thing I saw was my father snapping Mirko’s head. The last thing I heard was the beating of Mirko’s heart that stopped pumping precious life, leaving a void in his chest...a void I could never survive ... and then, I fell into oblivion....

....

When I opened my eyes again, unsure how long after... minutes? years?.. I found myself in front of the inquisitive face of Rex who studied me with raised eyebrows.

“Elena?!” He seemed worried.

Blinking a few times, I tried to get up, feeling slightly dizzy ...

Where was I?

Soon, I noticed my armchair and the familiar walls of my bedroom.

Meanwhile, heavy tears ran down my cheeks, unstoppable ...

And abruptly, realization hit me like a furious bull charging at the matador (bullfighter) ...

It was a dream! A nightmare... The worst of all.

Mirko was alive. Everything was fine.

Usually, the strange world of dreams begins to disappear as soon as we wake up, like a distant memory belonging to a past life.

In this case, the scene of the dream was still so sharp, so marked in my head that it seemed to me something that had happened 5 minutes ago. In the real world.

I could never ever erase the memory of how my father slayed my mate. Stealing his life. Kicking him out of this world.

There was something about that image that literally drove me out of my mind.

“Hey, look at me.” Rex soothing voice relaxed me slightly. “It was just a dream.” Large hands stroked my cheeks, wiping the river of tears away. “Stop crying, come on!”

As I focused on him, I realised Rex had changed and showered.

“I think you fell asleep when I left.” He confirmed my doubts as he scratched his neck. “I rushed back when I heard your scream. Just like your father’s guards. “He chuckled, shaking his head.

My father…. His bloodshot eyes that started at me viciously and the claws that disappeared in Mirko’s flesh invaded a corner of my brain. And it would take a long time to remove the scene from the fortress of my thoughts.

It made me falter. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe I should not reveal my mate’s identity yet...

“I can’t take you to the human city” Rex pouted. “My dad called me to help with some of his Gamma duties”

Still trembling, I nodded absently. “You still have to tell me what happened to you,.. why were you covered in scratches?”

Rex shook his head, ruffling my hair . “Not today,” he said cryptically before hugging me and leaving the room.

With a shaky breath, I hurried to meet Mirko in the woods. I needed him to relax me, I needed him to make me feel safe, to hold me in those strong arms .... We were alive. We were together. And that was all that mattered.

~~~~~~~~

When I reached the familiar woods that bordered the eastern perimeter of my pack, I spotted my mate before sniffing him.

Mirko was already there waiting for me, with his signature lopsided grin. He was there, leaning against a tree trunk. Huge arms folded behind his head and a carefree look lightened the hard features of his face. A pair of short pants wrapped around his rocky legs and a simple black shirt accentuated his sexy and mysterious appearance. Black, the same color as his unkempt hair that danced with a fresh breeze.

A heartbeat later, I catapulted on him as if I had a horde of orcs chasing me.

The confident and relaxed expression changed to one of surprise and then concerned. He straightened up as if on alert and parted his lips. When I reached him, his arms surrounded my trembling body as I got lost in the magical world of sparks that came from the mate bond.

“Hey, hey,” He whispered stroking my hair and placing light kisses on my temple. “What’s wrong?” I shook my head, without uttering a word, hiding my face in his chest.

Placing his hands on my shoulders, Mirko moved me forward a little, and checked me from head to toe to make sure I was not injured, with a deep frown and concentration in those ocean blue eyes. The way he managed to be so handsome in any facial expression he did, was one of his many superpowers.

“Tell me what happened Elena” He commanded with his Alpha tone. His voice was rapidly shifting from apprehensive to angry.

“Has anyone hurt you?” Those words were spoken in a way that almost scared me. I could already see the veins on his neck swelling.

“N-no.” I stammered, peering at him from behind my lashes. Only then did I notice that I had started to cry again. When his gentle but steady hand grabbed my chin, to lift it up, he trapped me under his spell that came from his mesmerizing eyes. And then I admitted the truth.

“I had a nightmare about you.”

Mirko blinked a few times, all the anger gone.

“A nightmare?” He repeated as if to make sure he heard right.

My mate looked uncomfortable then that he had no one to kill or beat up.

I nodded, biting my trembling lips ... and a new wave of tears rained from my eyes.

As I told him about my dream, between sobs and sniffles, Mirko listened carefully with a small frown as if he could not believe what I was saying.

“It’s all right, my love,” he murmured after I was done, rubbing my shoulders. “I’m right here. Nobody can ever separate me from you. Let alone your father.” He scoffed as if I had just told him the biggest joke in history.

“I know but” I sniffed, running my arm over my wet face. “It seemed so real. What if it were an omen? And if-if maybe it weren’t the right time to tell my parents that we-” Mirko’s finger rested on my mouth, silencing me.

“You’re just nervous about our upcoming chat with your parents. I think it’s normal, my love”

He stopped talking to place a kiss on my nose. “Besides, I don’t think I can wait any longer to mark you.” he said in a hoarse voice as he stroked my face. “I’ve run out of ways to keep myself distracted,” he almost growled.

I felt my cheeks turn red under his passionate gaze, full of forbidden promises ....

“And I can guarantee you that I will be ready for any attack from your dad, don’t worry” he gave me a cheeky wink. “The probability is quite high.”

I took his face in my hands, bringing him closer to me as I stood on tiptoe... and I kissed him.

As usual, his lips on mine lit a powerful fire that consumed me from within.

“Promise me you won’t let my father harm you,” I murmured after a while, resting my forehead on his.

Mirko looked at me to evaluate if I was joking. “Nobody has ever physically hurt me, Elena,” he declared firmly before catching my mouth in another kiss.

We stayed there for a while, simply hugging each other, kissing and cuddling.

Mirko was safe. It had only been a nightmare. It would have been all right. Or, that was what I said to myself... what I tried to convince myself of.

“Come now, let’s go and visit your sweet human aunt. I bet she missed me more than she missed you” Mirko joked, ruffling my hair.

And with that, a smile appeared on my face as I grabbed his hand, for a moment forgetting the coming chat with my parents.

As long as Mirko was with me, I had nothing to worry about.

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

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