Book 1 of Alpha Wolf: Mate Mine

AN/ This is an extract from the spin off of Mate Mine. The book is called “Maze of Hearts” :)

As I was returning home via a shortcut through the woods, I was deeply absorbed in my private world.

Bitter and sweet sensations mingled within me.

The truth was that I had been under my older brother’s protective arm all my life. And I had to admit it had spoiled me a little.

That meteorite of positivity and good energies called Marco had always been my rock. When he lost his hand, for a moment I thought my rock had crumbled, I thought I had lost my best friend and brother. It had been a long winding road but, in the end, he learned to live and accept his new situation. The fact that he could still shifted in his entire wolf and run, helped immensely.

Crucifero had joined the party and I could not be happier about it.

As much as I wanted to move in with them, in their new home, I would never interfere with their new life together ... especially after all they had gone through.

Marco’s insistence and Crucifero comforting smiles were not enough to convince me.

I sighed as I kicked a few stones off the path that meandered between the pines and firs.

What awaited me on the horizon was pure mystery. I had no idea what to do with my life.

As sad as it may sound, I had always thought of moving in with my mate, in his pack, and then decide from there. I grew up with this romantic idea of

meeting the love of my life, my soul mate, and being in total synchrony with him. I thought I would find him as soon as I shifted into my wolf, when I turned 15. For a while I had even believed that Rex would be the one ... thank God no!

As time passed, my hopes and butterflies began do die. When we had moved to the new high school, under Black Devil jurisdiction, I secretly hoped that my mate was there. I secretly wanted a wild Black Devil warrior as my companion... but Moon Goddess had other plans. He was not there either.

Where was he then?!

Instead, Marco had found the love of his life the very day he set foot in the new school, and then it was Elena’s turn. Although she still had not uttered a word, and I understood why, I was 100% sure that she was the fated mate of Black Alpha himself. A chuckle escaped my lips.

Elena had always been my other rock. Strong, independent, down-to-earth. Never minding whether her mate would come, Elena had always kept her eyes on the goals, and I always admired her for that.

“What are you doing here?” A deep voice came from above me and I stopped dead on my tracks.

As I slowly looked up, I found myself staring at Black Alpha, perched on a tree branch.

I was speechless, agape. He seemed part of the nature itself. I realized that I had not perceived even a whiff of his scent. How did he do it?!

“I-I visited Marco and now heading home.” I managed to utter without shaking.

He studied me for a while without blinking. Dam, Alpha Mirko was the epithet of intimidation... and the guy was not even trying to be.

Everyone in my pack thought Crucifero was terrifying.

’Wait until you meet your Alpha daughter ‘s mate.’

“Why didn’t he accompany you?” He raised an eyebrow, jumping down easily from a 10 meter tree.

Thank God he kept some distance, without getting close.

“These woods are no-man’s land. It’s dangerous.”

Meanwhile I was observing him. How can he be so tall? I noticed his hands. I wasn’t sure why I always found them a fascinating feature of the human body. Black Alpha’s hands were large, with thick, protruding veins and long, slightly calloused fingers. For a moment I tried to imagine Elena next to him, holding those gigantic hands with her smaller ones, and a wave of confidence enveloped me.If Elena was the mate of this ‘man’, than he must be special.

“What about you? Isn’t here unsafe for you too, Alpha Mirko?”

As soon as those words left my lips, I realized how ridiculous I must have sounded ... he was the thing to be afraid of. He simply shrugged my question but didn’t come any closer.

“So ...” I paused, remembering the last time I saw him: all covered in someone else’s blood, partially shifted in his wolf. “What brings you here?” Then a smile broke my lips. “Are you spying, ehm, on Elena?”

He looked like a deer in headlights. Way to hit this confident man: bring up his mate, aka my best friend.

“Yeah,” He scratched his neck nervously.

“I wanted to make sure she got home safely.”

I had the strange feeling that it was not the first time. I was about to aww at him but he didn’t look like the kind of person that was used to people ‘awww’ at him.

“How many times have you ‘checked’ on her?” I investigated, gesturing the word ‘check’ with my fingers.

His eyes widened at that before he cleared his throat.

Bingo!

“My wolf and I aren’t calm not knowing if she is ok or not.”

It was so sweet to watch a werewolf so big and large worrying about Elena. It was almost comical.

“Crucifero and some of my men keep an eye on her constantly when I’m not able to do it.” That admission startled me for a second. “Especially considering how many times she wanders around by herself,” He added with a scowl.

“You are a great mate... Mirko. I’m happy my friend is in good hands” After his confession, there was no need to address him by the Alpha title.

“Thanks, I should go now. Pack’s meeting and training are waiting for me.”

He was charismatic and sweet behind that terror shield and notorious reputation. I liked him.

I was about to turn and walked away when his voice stopped me.

“And Giulia” He called me from above his shoulder. “Don’t tell herI was-”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me” I pretended to zip my lips as he nodded before disappearing behind the trees like a mystical shadow.

I had almost reached the eastern border of my pack when a strange noise caught my attention.

Something inside me pushed me to check it out. So, I turned right and headed for that noise, passing through foreign woods. As the noise intensified, reassembling meat that was shredded, apprehension grew.

I could see a small clearing around the corner, and I quickened my pace. The urge to reveal with my own eyes what was hidden beyond those trees gripped my soul. Finally, step after step, I reached what seemed to be my destination...my destiny.

And what I saw next... I could never ever forget.

There was a huge wolf I had never seen before, as big as my Alpha’s wolf. His muzzle was covered in dripping blood as he tore and sucked away the life of a male elk. The way he consumed his prey was so rough and ravenous that I almost mistaken him for a real wild wolf rather than a werewolf. The sunlight shone on his thick fur, creating a mysterious play of light and shadow. Various scars ran all over his powerful body, making him look like a guardian of the underworld.

When those amber eyes locked with mine, a thought struck me like a bullet train.

Time stopped. My skin tingled. My heart jumped.

There was one word that reverberated throughout my being. That word I had always dreamed of uttering. The word that each of us wants to hear once in a lifetime.

Mate ...

Of all the ways I had pictured meeting my mate, this was probably one of the least anticipated.

Of all the words I had imagined my mate say to me, a snarl was the least expected.

My mate.

Unsure what my next move would be, I swallowed nervously. Surely he would have done something ... anything... but, instead, he remained there, still, staring at me as if I were an alien.

There was a strange fact: his eyes were rapidly changing from amber to green, like crazy. Was my mate fighting an internal battle with his ... human side?

Usually, humans fought against their wolf counterpart when trying to gain the upper hand in certain circumstances. Never the opposite. Never had a wolf been seen in control.

Suddenly he began to tremble and growl at no one in particular, or perhaps towards an invisible enemy within his private universe. The pain I felt for him surprised me as I started to experience the effect of the mate bond. His pain was my pain. His suffering was my suffering.

Shaking my head, I approached him as I would have done with a wild animal. I slowly raised my hand and touched his back....

The sparks were immediate. Intense. Like thunder that crossed my soul, electrocuting it. It didn’t have to go differently for my mate as he turned to stare at me with a similar emotion.

And then, out of the blue, it happened. He started to shift. In a painfully slow way, often stopping, other times returning to his wolf form. In a moment of courage, I touched him again on his paw. And that did it.

The change accelerated drastically until a naked man lay on the floor, instead of the massive wild wolf.

I could no longer breathe while watching him. My destiny.

His curly hair, awfully long, went down to his back. The body was covered with constellations of scars, some smaller, others massive, especially one that crossed his back like a coiled snake. Another detail: he was gigantic, with muscles so protruding that they looked like rocks fallen from the mountains. His fingers were still curled and ended with long sharp nails. Different parts of his body were still covered by his wolf fur.

I was in awe, motionless, agape. With a groan, my mate pushed himself to his knees, breathing heavily. Suddenly he stopped, sniffing the air, and snapped his head towards me.

And a lump formed in my throat at how mesmerising he was, with a pair of green eyes that would have caused many sleepless nights. They were of a strange color, a blend of forest and stormy clouds.

His face had such a sharp jaw line that he could probably cut my pants and a terrible scar crossed his face, passing over one of his eyes, without disfiguring it, and down to his chin.

He stared at me for what seemed forever, without blinking.

Despite the wild state, creepy scars and beastly appearance, my mate was the most beautiful specimen you could lay eyes on. Like a Viking god, fierce and indestructible. I found no fault. He was simply perfect.

A grimace ruined that beautiful face when he tried to get up. As if by magic, my feet brought me to him to help. A small part of the mind wondered why he was in those poor conditions and what frightening tales were buried behind those scars.

When I grabbed his arm, to stabilize his shaking figure, he flinched as if electrocuted. First, he stared at my hand, then at my face, with surprise and other emotions difficult to classify.

That scent was a powerful mix of spices that made me dizzy. Overheated. Almost drunk.

With controlled movements, since he still could not trust his body, my mate placed his big hands on my shoulders to support himself. Eventually, he rose to his full height, dominating my figure by almost one feet (~ 30 cm). He must have been of an age similar to mine, although it was difficult to realize it under those features hardened by life. He had his hands on my shoulder, as if he needed support. I didn’t notice his legs were shaking. Maybe he didn’t realise either as he kept staring at me.

“Hi,” I murmured as my cheeks turned red under his gaze. On hearing me speak, his mouth parted, eyebrows puckered and breathing quickened.

One of his long fingers touched my cheeks, as if marvelled at the fact that I was flushed because of him. When the same finger reached my mouth, tracing my lips, he tried to say something.

“M-m ..” He cringed before shutting his eyes.

“M-mi-mi-n” Among those stuttering, his voice sounded very deep. Almost as if he had not used it for some time. For a very long time.

I tucked a few strands of those indomitable hair behind his ear, admiring how soft they felt.

The connection between us was palpable, incredible.

Understanding what he was trying to say, realising he couldn’t say it, I said it for him

“Yours”

And his lips smashed against mine.

And it was all that took.