Mine

Chapter 2 - Mine

Chapter 2

Dante's POV

I groaned, dropping my pen on the table and rubbing my temples to try and get rid of this headache my wolf was giving me. He had been so restless all morning ever since I awoke.

"Dom would you just chill please" I begged him in my mind, "I need to get this work done, and then I'll let you out for a run."

Dominic whining pathetically in my head, "Now!" he begged, "we need to go now!"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. This was so unlike him he never begged, demanded yes, insisted of course, but never begged. He was an Alpha wolf this was beneath him. At twenty-one years of age, I felt like I weight of the world on my shoulders, it was a lot of responsibility running a pack as large as mine. My father had stepped down as Alpha of the New Moon pack as soon as I turned eighteen. It was no big deal since this was what I had been training for my whole life, but I had expected to be doing it with someone at my side. My father had found his mate a few weeks after his eighteenth birthday and always ruled the pack with his Luna at his side. But here I was three years after I took over and still, I had not found her. It was driving both my wolf and me nuts. It's not like I didn't constantly have she-wolves throwing themselves at me daily and whilst they were good for the night, to scratch a never-ending itch, s*x with them was always empty.

When I watched my parents' together, I couldn't help but want what they had. My father looked at her like there was no one else in the world and she looked at him the same way. That's what I wanted; I wanted a mate that time stood still for. I could have easily claimed one of the she-wolves as my chosen mate and gotten over it but even if I wanted to, my wolf would not let me, he only wanted his mate. Any time any of the she-wolves even suggested it I had to use all my inner strength to hold Dominic back to stop him from ripping out their throats.

Running this pack on my own was a nightmare, I had a lot of help, of course, I would have been driven mad before the end of my first year as Alpha without my Beta and Gamma at my side, my second and third in command. But whilst they were a tremendous help, they couldn't take the place of a mate and especially not a Luna. A true mate was the other half of your heart, they grounded you, their touch could even calm you, just being with a true mate made an Alpha stronger. I hoped that one day I would find mine but until then I had a mountain of paperwork to get through and Dominic would just have to suck it up and deal with it.

I was just about to go over the financials of the pack to sign off on the next business acquisition when I received a mind link from my beta, Nolan. He, my gamma, Tristian, and one of my best warriors Hailey, were in town again for breakfast at the local diner. They had been going every day for the past month Tristian had the hots for one of the new waitresses. I do not know why he bothered with humans, it's not like it’s could go anywhere it was one thing to have a chosen mate, it was another thing to bring a human into the pack unless it was your true mate. He had smelled something when they went in after this new waitress started, it was faint and he hadn't smelt it since but he wanted to make sure it wasn't his mate.

Nolan's voice called through our pack mind link, "Ah Alpha you better get down here, that human waitress that Tristian's been after……turns out she's not a human, she's a wolf. I don't know how I didn't pick up on it before."

I let out a loud growl at the thought of a lone wolf this close to my territory they were nothing but trouble. "What the hell, Nolan! How the f**k is that possible? What kind of Beta are you that you can't pick up on an ordinary wolf here?"

I rushed out of my office stripping my clothes off as I went, so by the time I reached the front door, I ran out and shifted into my wolf Dominic. Anyone seeing my wolf for the first time would be freaked out. Even for an Alpha, which is generally bigger than most normal wolves, he was on the large side. His long fur was the same shade of brown as my hair, apart from the white patches on his paws and snout. His eyes were pools of black with flecks of hazel surrounding them and when he was standing, he was probably the same height as me in my human form which was more than twice the size of a normal wolf.

As Dominic raced through the territory at lightning speed, weaving through the trees as he headed towards town, I couldn't help but wonder why a she-wolf was here. She could not have been a rogue, they tended to stay in animal form and live in the forest. They weren't ones for living amongst the humans. From what Tristian had told me she had worked there for a month and I still had no idea how she hid so long from them, especially when they were there every morning. Plus, they emitted the foulest smell on this earth, there was no way Nolan could have missed that.

My wolf was so happy on this run, normally he would be agitated to hear there was another wolf so close to home but today it was like he was more excited. It took all of my strength to shift back to human form once I reached the edge of the town and even then, he was bouncing around in my head like a pup. I picked up some clothes that I always left hidden there for when I came into town after a run, most of the time I came into town using the car but on the odd times I was hungry in the middle of a run, Randy's Diner did have the best burgers around.

I was walking out of the trees, pulling the t-shirt over my head when the scent hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like someone had just baked the biggest chocolate cake around. Its scent was the most delicious thing I had ever smelt and was coming from inside of the diner. Dominic was howling in my head so loud that I had to put a mental wall up between us so I could concentrate.

I walked in and searched for Nolan and the others and when my eyes hit him he nodded in the direction of the kitchen. I stormed past them and followed the delicious smell, despite the protests from the staff in the kitchen. I followed it directly to the back door which had just closed. Once I made my way through the door, I saw that the smell was coming from the she-wolf who was running down the back alley.

"Where do you think you're going, little wolf?" I demanded, using my Alpha tone. Even though she wasn't part of my pack, it was hard for a wolf to resist a command like that especially when their Alpha wasn't around.

She stopped dead in her tracks and was muttering swearwords under her breath that made me chuckle such a dirty mouth. She started to turn around, keeping her head lowered in submission. She was taller than a normal she-wolf which meant she had either alpha or beta blood in her family, my guess was beta as anyone with alpha blood would have been able to fight harder against my commands. My wolf was buzzing underneath my skin, begging me to see more.

"Look at me" I commanded again.

As she looked up her vibrant green eyes met mine and it was like the whole world melted away, she and I were the only two people in the world and that's the way I wanted it. I wanted to wake up every morning and have those eyes staring back at me. I wanted to explore every inch of that perfect body that I knew was hidden underneath that hideous diner uniform. At that moment I knew I just had to have her.

Because I was distracted it allowed my wolf to break through and he growled loudly, "MINE" he stated forcefully.

It was then that I clicked, my parents had tried numerous times to explain the mate bond but said it was not something I could fully understand until I experienced it for myself and now, I knew what they meant. She was my mate and there was nothing I wouldn't do for her.

She looked around nervously trying so hard not to look in my eyes again, "I'm Sorry Alpha. I didn't know this was wolf territory I don't mean your pack any harm I was just working here until I had enough funds to move on. If you allow me to, I just want to move on in peace."

Her voice sounded like an angel, I didn't understand why she was talking about leaving, didn't she feel the pull of the mate bond?

My wolf was whining in my head trying to push himself to the top to stop her from leaving.

"Dominic, I will handle this, stand down before you scare her away completely." I ordered.

"Mate" he whimpered but stopped trying to force me to shift.

"Why would you leave, little one? Don't you feel the mate pull?" I queried.

She nodded, "Of course I do, just reject me and get this over with so I can leave."

Dominic howled sadly in my head, she wanted me to reject her. She wanted me to let her leave, why?

When I didn't say anything, she huffed in frustration, crossing her arms across her chest, "Fine, I'll do it, I, Ca……..."

I was about to yell for her to stop when she cried out like she was in pain, suddenly her eyes went to pools of black like her wolf was forcing it’s way to the surface. This generally doesn't cause pain I had only seen it once before and it now made perfect sense why Nolan and the others hadn't sensed her yesterday.

"NO!! MINE" Her wolf growled loudly before her eyes went back to forest green and suddenly, they started to roll back in her head.

I knew what came next, so I ran over to her to catch her before her unconscious body hit the pavement. I dropped to my knees holding her body to mine, I felt like I was in heaven and this girl in my arms was an angel. A tingle was spreading through my entire body. I heard the door open and growled before looking up ready to fight anyone who tried to come near her.

"Chill Dante, it's just us." Stated Nolan as the three of them took in the scene before them, "what did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything" I stated sternly, "I know why you couldn't feel her before today. She's a new wolf, I'd say today is her birthday. She hasn't shifted yet and her wolf tried to take over to stop her from doing something. It's too much strain on her body before her first shift, she fainted."

Nolan knelt beside me to check her out, but I snarled at him, shielding her protectively with my body. He may have been my beta, but Dominic didn't want him touching her, he didn't want any other male touching her, it was instinctual.

He stood up, backing up slightly at my reaction, looking from me to her and back to her, "Seriously!" he exclaimed, "this random she-wolf is your mate?"

I let out a low growl as a warning for him not to disrespect her.

Hailey took Nolan's place beside me, "I just want to make sure she's ok Alpha."

As a female, Dominic was a little calmer with Hailey putting her hands on our mate than Nolan. She was Nolan's sister, and their mother was one of our pack's best doctors. So whilst she had gone down the path of a warrior, she still knew a thing or two about wolf checkups.

"She's breathing fine, and her pulse is steady. I think you're right, her wolf coming to the surface like that drained her, but just to be sure we should get her back home and let my mom check her out." She advised.

I nodded back at her, "Did you guys bring the car today or did you run here?"

"The car is parked out the front," Tristian answered, speaking for the first time since I got here, I hope he wasn't too upset, I knew he would be disappointed that she wasn't his mate. "I'll bring it around to the alley."

I slowly stood up, cradling her bridal style in my arms, and walked towards the end of the alley to wait for the car. Nolan took the passenger seat in the front and Hailey sat in the back with me and my little wolf who I had cuddled against me on my lap. I still didn't understand why she wanted me to reject her and why she then tried to reject me. But I was grateful her wolf stopped her because I just found her and already couldn't imagine life without her. It was strange to feel this way when I didn't even know her name.

Hailey's mom, Dr. Helen Brand, was waiting for us as we pulled up to the packhouse. Hailey had suggested getting her to the hospital, but I knew that we would get more privacy at the house. I knew once we made it across the border and the guards caught a glimpse of an extra person in the car, especially in my lap, word would spread like wildfire throughout the pack that she held a connection to me. Curious eyes would want to catch a glimpse. Whilst the hospital was open to everyone, the packhouse was only available to the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma families, the omegas that kept the house running, and a few chosen warriors unless invited which meant less prying eyes.

The packhouse was fairly large, as far as houses go, and was probably better described as a mansion. Four levels in total. The bottom floor housed all the common arrears such as the kitchen, dining room, formal ballroom, and several lounge spaces. The second floor held the offices and guest rooms. The third floor was for the beta and gamma families and the fourth floor was mine and mine alone. It consisted of my room, several other bedrooms for guests or future pups, my office, and the office of my future Luna.

The omegas' upon hearing a guest would be arriving, had set up one of the guest rooms on the second floor but she was my mate and therefore my wolf wasn't having it. She was to stay in my room. I ignored all the eyes on me as I carried her up to my room, sitting on the edge of my king-size bed and pulling back the sheets before carefully laying her down.

Hailey's mother kicked me out after I released my mate, much to my wolf's disgust, but I knew deep down it was the right thing to do. Hailey ran past me and into my room with a pile of clothes before slamming the door behind me, leaving me pacing the floor outside.

After what seemed like forever, Doctor Brand and Hailey exited the room.

The Doctor bowed her head to me respectively, "It was as you thought, Alpha. Her wolf burnt through all of her energy coming to the surface like that so soon after waking. It's nearly unheard of, so she would have to be a strong wolf to do that. Hailey tells me that she's your mate, seems like she is going to be a great addition to the pack. I've hooked her up to some IV fluids to give her a bit of hydration and I would say she'll be out the rest of the day at a minimum, but I'll come to check on her again in a few hours."

"Thank you, Doctor Brand," I responded gratefully, I was glad she was going to be ok.

I was about to go in, but Hailey stopped me. Dominic whined in my head wanting to push her aside to get to my mate. I had only been away from her for roughly twenty minutes, but it already felt too long. "I changed her into some of my clothes as I thought she'd be more comfortable than in that uniform. According to the name badge and ID, her name is Hayden. However, the ID also says she's 21, and given her wolf just woke up I would say it's a fake. So I doubt the name is real either. Do you want me to get Nolan to reach out to some of the other packs to see if we can figure out who she is?"

I shook my head, "No, if she was on her own and using a fake name then she's running from something and the last thing I want to do is bring attention to her until we figure out what her story is."

"I'm here if you need anything." She replied before bowing her and walked away.

I placed my hand on the door handle and took a deep breath before I opened the door and quietly went in. I walked slowly through the room and sat on the edge of the bed and watched her while she slept peacefully, reaching out and brushing a loose strand of her deep auburn hair from her face. An electric shock coursed through my fingertips as they brushed her soft cheek, even more proof that she was my true mate.

I felt Dominic pacing him my head again, "mate" he growled, "must mark mate, must claim her" he demanded again and again.

"For f***s sake Dom, she's unconscious. I’m not going to forcefully mark our mate whilst she's unconscious. Chill out and back off!" I responded, slamming the wall up to keep him out of my mind for a while.

My room was larger than all the others in the house, but as the Alpha's room, that was to be expected. It held a four-poster king-size bed with maroon bedding. The large bay window filled up a whole wall that faced the entire property and opened onto an expansive balcony. I loved sitting out there and just watching the land below. To the left of the room was a sitting area with a large flat screen tv on the wall and a plush deep grey sofa and two recliners, To the right, was a substantial walk-in closet, and next to that was the bathroom. The room was in desperate need of a woman's touch. Once she woke up, she could do whatever she wanted to the room to make her feel comfortable. She could cover it in pink and I wouldn't care as long as it made her happy. I would do anything to make her happy.

I mind-linked the head omega, Julie, and asked her to organize some clothing and toiletries for when my mate woke up. I told her to ask Hailey for her uniform and shoes to get her sizing. When she woke up, I would take her shopping for whatever else she needed but she needed some things to start with. I know Hailey didn't mind loaning her clothes, but it messed with her scent and I wanted nothing getting in the way of that warm, rich, chocolate smell.

Once she had confirmed that she would leave right away and gather what I needed, I mind-linked Nolan and asked him to bring up the paperwork from my office that I had been working on before the chaos. I needed to get some work done but didn't want to leave her. I didn't want her to wake up alone.

Nolan mink linked me when he was at the door because he didn't want to risk knocking. I told him it was ok to come in. To be honest, I think a freight train could come through my room and it wouldn't wake her.

He walked over to the recliner I had settled in handing over the paperwork, a pen, and my mobile phone. "How's she doing?"

"Your mom said she's just exhausted and needs to rest. She should be awake in the morning," I replied.

He collapsed on the couch next to me, "So how does it feel? What's it like having a mate?"

"I'll tell you when she's been conscious for more than five minutes" I joked, causing him to chuckle, "All I can tell you is that I cannot remember what my life was like before she was in it, it's crazy man."

Nolan hadn't found his mate. He was the same age as me but he was gay so it was a little harder on him to find his mate. Being gay was still a bit taboo in a lot of packs especially the old-school ones so a lot of wolves never admitt it and end up choosing a female mate or staying alone. Once you claim a 'chosen mate' your connection with your true mate ceases to exist. I had no problem with who he loved if he was true to himself. I think he was losing hope that any of us would find our mates but now I had my little wolf, so I was sure that renewed his hope a bit.

"I'll leave you to it man, I will have an omega bring up something for you to eat in a bit. Mind link me if you need anything" He offered walking towards the door before taking one more look at my mate and then me, "congratulations again, Dante."

I buried myself in my paperwork and with no distractions from the pack, as Nolan was taking care of it, I surprisingly got a lot accomplished. The doctor was true to her word and popped in to remove my mate's IV and check on her. She told me she was improving and anticipated she would be fully recovered by morning. Julie brought up the clothes and toiletries she brought earlier along with dinner for me. As much as I didn't feel like eating. I knew I should, I wouldn't be much use to my pack or my mate if I didn't keep my strength up. As it got later in the evening and I got more and more tired, I had the age-old dilemma about where to sleep. If Dominic had his way, I would have stripped down naked and curled up next to her but the human in me knew that she was already going to be disorientated enough when she woke up, I didn't want to freak her out, so I chose the couch instead. Whilst it wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, just being able to breathe in her scent made me relax enough to fall into the deepest sleep of my life.

I woke up in the morning to the sound of footsteps trying to sneak past me. I didn't open my eyes but as soon as I heard her hand on the door handle, I finally decided to let her know I was awake. "Always running away from me, little wolf."