His Unidentified & Untouchable Mate

The LIE in Alienation

Rowan POV

I knew Zahraa had a fear of mirrors, but I’d never seen what she saw before. Her reflection, fighting to free itself was…

I would hate to see that, too.

I hated to leave her there after such an incident, but father had summoned me, and I couldn’t ignore him.

Danielle, I linked my Head Omega.

We usually saved linking for emergencies, so the undercurrent of panic when she linked back yes, alpha? was understandable.

I need you to personally do something for me, I replied. Go into the alpha suite and take down every mirror. Remove them from the suite entirely.

Panic turned to confusion, but there was only a small hesitation before she asked, Where would you like them stored?

Anywhere that suits you, I replied.

Yes, alpha.

I was already down the first flight of stairs when a thought occurred to me. Oh – and Danielle, I reached back out, feeling her unique signature. Don’t bother the girl in there.

There was a rush of curiosity that I shut out immediately. Danielle was older than any of us, a remnant of the previous alpha’s reign, but she was dedicated, and more importantly, when I’d told her to keep her mouth shut in the past, she’d obeyed readily and without question. I knew this time would be no different.

I hopped into a four wheeler to trek across the pack lands to the Central Pack House. Secretly, I was hoping I would bump into Jacob. I could push him against a wall, crush his windpipe, make him reconsider hurting the people I cared about.

And there it was.

I’d always cared about Zahraa – always. Sure, I loved my mate deeply, and would never have betrayed her, but she was from another pack. We were still strangers in many ways when she’d passed.

Zahraa, I knew intimately.

I knew her fears. I knew her limitations, her doubts, her deepest desires. Hell, I’d had to convince her not to open a Door to Europe a few too many times when wolves became too overbearing for her.

And sure, there had been an age gap, but I liked the way she depended on me, and only me. I’d wanted to make her mine for a long time before meeting my mate. Now that she was of age, the only thing standing in my way was that cheating snake, Jacob.

But alas, some things simply aren’t meant to be. I didn’t run into Jacob on the way to father’s office.

I knocked, and received only an unintelligible mutter as a response. I opened the door a crack, and when I didn’t get yelled at, opened it the rest of the way. “You called, dad?” I asked, surveying the mess in his office.

Someone had just been in here on a rampage. His model globe was in pieces on the floor, something had been thrown through his window, and there were papers scattered around the floor. Father himself seemed a little too self-satisfied, hands folded over his stomach while he watched the world through his broken window.

“What happened here?” I asked, taking a seat. I knew well enough to know that if he wasn’t worried about the damage, I shouldn’t bother worrying myself.

“Oliver was just in here throwing a fit,” he replied. “I sent him on a little walk to clear his head.”

My brows raised. “Oliver? Why’s your beta rampaging through your office?”

He swiveled his chair to face me, his face alight with that smile I hated to see. It always meant he was up to something – or had been up to something and had succeeded. “He just found out I paid his little girl to carry out a task for me.”

Amber was far from a little girl. She had an unscrupulous reputation, and I’d avoided her ever since she stopped wearing pigtails. She was also, of all things, Jacob’s ex.

My stomach dropped. “What task?” I was afraid to ask, and the uncertainty in my tone made his smile broaden.

“To seduce Jacob.”

I tried to keep my breathing even, even as my hands clenched on the arms of my chair. “Why would you ask her to do that?” I asked, fighting to keep my tone even.

“She wants to be with Jacob,” he replied, as if that clarified everything. “And we want Zahraa to be with you. Two birds, one stone.”

I knew dad had a sick side, but I never expected him to break up a mated pair like this. I was at a loss for words, and my hands slackened as I slouched back into the chair. “Why?” I managed, finally.

“She’s off my radar,” he replied, ignoring the question. “I assume she ran straight to you?”

“Why?” I repeated, with more of an intensity.

He sighed, standing and looking down on the ebb and flow of wolves below, going about their daily business. “Because I can’t hold this position forever,” he admitted, finally. “I wanted to retire when I was sixty, and unless I find a High Alpha candidate by next year that seems unlikely.” He paused, as if for dramatic effect. “I want to name you, but tradition dictates I need my successor to have a luna. The outlying packs may be fine without one, but a High Alpha needs someone by his side.” He turned, looking at me with sudden seriousness. “I want that to be you.”

I think, deep down, I’d known.

The Northern Pack never wanted for support from the High Alpha, even when I thought my asks were a tad on the ridiculous side. He was always checking in on me, making personal rounds about the pack and praising me up and down. Monitoring my progress – ensuring I had the resources I needed to make it happen.

“You would sabotage Jacob to make that happen?” I asked, feeling suddenly sick to my stomach.

He huffed. “Is it really sabotage? He could never actually have her.” He took a seat once more, bending to pick some of his paperwork off the floor. “You’ve assured me that you can solve her little issues. Are you still confident? Because if so, I can deliver her to you on a plate – I’m sure you know now how serious I am on the matter.”

One word.

It would take one word from me to end my current vexation. Zahraa rested in my bed now – she could stay there forever. All I needed to do was say yes, and follow through with a plan I’d had for ages.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. It would be a betrayal of my little brother. I’d had my chance at happiness, and fate had ripped her away from me. There had been nothing I could do to save my mate, but Jacob… his happiness was still within reach.

Except he’d already shown his unwillingness to commit to her, and I was nothing if not committed.

I met father’s eyes. There was an intensity blazing there – a determination. Whatever I decided now, he would follow through with.

One word. One syllable.

“Yes.”