Fight for Me

Two weeks later

He’s sitting at the table counting the seconds for this meeting to be done. They booked a private room at the local bar to meet with the Alpha from the neighbouring pack.

Apparently, they had an incident in their town of a cougar shifter found dead in a burned down motel room. The news is reporting it as accidental, but according to them he was murdered before the fire. One of his men recognized him as a tracker.

For one to come that far out to track someone, he was clearly on a mission to kill.

He’s just annoyed that they didn’t bother approaching the shifter the moment they realized he was in their town. Now they want him to keep an eye out for the supposed killer, should they come through this way.

“Thank you for coming all this way to warn me Alpha Lance. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.” He stands up and extends his hand for the Alpha to shake.

“Not a problem Alpha Nicholas.” He says smiling.

Nicholas knows the Alpha made all this effort because he still wants a formal alliance with his pack. After all, his pack, the Shadow Moon Pack, is one of the biggest packs in the north. But everyone comes running to his pack, because his is also the most ruthless. Better to have as an ally than as an enemy.

“Well then. Let’s enjoy some drinks at the bar before you leave. The tab will be on me.” Nicholas shows for the Alpha and his two accompanying warriors to lead the way to the bar.

“Certainly.” They walk out.

Nicholas follows them to the bar with his Beta, Tyler and his Gamma, Ben.

After an hour of drinking, the atmosphere loosens up a bit more into being casual. Others are always cautious about getting too comfortable with Nicholas. He’s known to be quiet and serious, and his ruthless reputation precedes him.

So just having Nicholas smile or show attention to a conversation brings people relief.

Nicholas is almost done with his next beer, when he’s hit with an amazing scent he’s never smelled before, - of roses and marshmallows.

He gets up trying to find the smell and the shifter it belongs to. The bar is after all predominantly filled with shifters. Humans get afraid being surrounded with their kind.

As the others look at him standing up, he just lifts his empty bottle as a hint that he’s going to the bar to get another.

The whole bar is crowded and filled with noise of chattering. The only thing he can depend on is the scent to find his way to its source. His wolf is getting excited in his mind the closer they get to it.

But that’s when his gaze lands on a particular woman with long black hair at the bar. He can’t see her face as he’s looking at her from behind. And there are too many people in the way so he can’t get a proper look.

Is it her? He wonders.

He sees her taking a bottle of water she must ordered over the counter. But then she turns and walks away. He chases after her as she walks out the bar.

Just as he rushes out the door, he grabs onto her arm, spinning her around and into his chest.

The feel of his hand on her arm and her breath near his chest sends tingles and sparks through his whole body. He can feel his wolf howl with joy, and his suspicions are finally confirmed.

“Mate.”

She looks up at him with confusion and slight anger.

That’s when she pushes herself away from him and out of his hold. His wolf is grunting in annoyance of her behaviour towards us.

But looking at her, he takes note of her dishevelled look. She looks tired, and doesn’t seem to have anything on her other than that torn and dirty backpack hanging over her shoulder. She must be a drifter and homeless. He also realizes the possible reason why she’s not affected by the mate bond as he is, - she’s human.

“You’re human.”

“And you look disappointed.” She says nonchalantly.

He runs his hand through his wavy brown hair and sighs as he looks at her through his lashes.

“Why would the moon goddess give me a human mate?” He says more to himself but loud enough for her to hear.

She just raises her brow, wondering if she needs to stay for this one-sided conversation.

He looks up at her. “I’m sorry, but I cannot have a human mate, and homeless no less. It will not do well for my pack.” His wolf is angry his audacity for such a decision, and his frustrations have become visible on his face.

“O-k-a-y. Well, my knowledge on mates is pretty limited. But I guess this is where I accept your rejection.” She looks questioningly hoping for him to confirm it.

His body tenses seeing how she so casually accepts his rejection, - an Alpha’s. His wolf is shifting his anger to her right now, and he can understand why. She just did a number on his ego.

“Who do you think-.”

“Alpha! Here you are.” Nicholas looks back at Tyler. “Alpha Lance and his men will be leaving soon. They want to get back to their pack before it gets too late.” Tyler continues.

Tyler can’t help but stare at the girl in front of his Alpha. She doesn’t look like his usual flings, not to mention she’s human. Humans can be a good and easy lay, but most of them can’t handle a shifter. And this little girl in front of him does not seem like the type to want to attract preying men, especially with her raggedy outfit.

Ggrh. A low growl distracts the Beta from staring at her.

He looks back at his Alpha.

“I’ll be there now to see them off.” Nicholas says looking at the still standing Tyler looking between him and the girl.

It takes another second for Tyler to get the picture and leave when he heads back in.

Just as Nicholas turns back to look at the girl, he sees a thin line of a smile on her face.

“What?”

“So,……. you’re an Alpha?” She asks with a gleaming smile.

But he grunts, worried that she may be one of those greedy and clingy females who have a fetish for ‘Alphas’.

“What of it?” He says through clenched teeth.

“How about you and I make a deal?” She jerks her eyebrows up and down, as if one with a mischievous plan.

“I don’t like making deals with humans. Honour means very little to them. Besides, what could you possibly offer me?” He clenches his jaw hoping she’s not going to offer what he thinks she will.

“Cooperation.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, no one will have to know that the big bad Alpha of the pack in this town has a human mate, if you help me out.”

Ggrh. “This sounds more like blackmail.”

“Call it what you want. At the end of the day we both get what we want.”

“And what is it that you would be getting exactly?”

She raises her hand lifting two fingers. “Free lodging and food, for about,…….a month.”

“A month?” He huffs in disbelief.

His supposed mate is extorting him.

“Well, maximum a month. After that you will never have to see me again. You have my word. And that actually does mean something to me.”

“How do you expect me to take you back to my pack as a ‘guest’ for a month without raising suspicion?”

“Well you seem smart enough to figure something out. Don’t you wolves higher humans sometimes to help out at the pack? Just tell them I’m a maid or something.” She folds her arms over her chest.

He pinches his brow for even having this conversation. He never speaks this much to anyone, especially a stranger.

“If I say that, then you’ll actually have to clean something.” But he realizes he can’t have a stranger strolling around his house. He’ll need to keep an eye on her. “But maybe,………maybe I can make you one of my personal maids. That way I can keep an eye on you.”

Pfh. “Fine by me. I guess we have a deal then.” She gives her hand to shake.

Nicholas shakes her hand, and hearing her breath hitch, he knows she felt it too, she felt the sparks.

He smiles knowing that he does actually have an effect on her. But his smile quickly fades, realizing they just agreed to go their separate ways in a month’s time.

This is probably the most relaxed and peaceful way any fated pair could go about a rejection. But other than the nagging grunts of his wolf in his head, there is a soft but heavy lump deep in his chest, making him question her and this decision.

She sees his eyes glaze over, and from her knowledge that means he’s mind linking someone. Not long after, another bulky man comes out of the bar and walks towards them.

“Yes Alpha?”

“Ben, can you take her to the car so long, while I greet our guests. She’ll be coming back with us.” Nicholas says just as he turns to go back in.

Ben is staring at her with the same look Tyler did.

“Soooo,…….you can just point me in the direction of the car if you don’t want to leave yet.”

“What?” Ben realizes he was zoning out. “No, of course I’ll show you. It’s this way. Follow me.”

He waves his arm as he leads the way to their black SUV.