My Mate is an Alpha

Chapter 2

SASHA

It was crazy how your entire life could change in a fraction of a second. All it took was an unexpected meeting. An unpretentious glance. A single word.

Mate.

I was inevitably reminded of the speech my wolf, Topaz, constantly recited to me. When I was giving up hope, she insisted that our time would come, and one day, we would reach our full potential. Maybe she did know better after all because the second I locked eyes with this deliciously handsome stranger, I suddenly got the feeling that my whole world was about to be turned upside down.

The man standing in the middle of the crowd was drop-dead gorgeous. He was tall and appeared to be a few years older than me, probably in his mid-twenties. His perfectly combed jet-black hair glistened underneath the light of the sun. He had broad shoulders and a tough build that had me fantasizing about what his muscles would look like under his dark navy coat. Even in winter, his fair skin was slightly tanned.

I momentarily forgot how to breathe when his thin, pale orangey-pink lips parted to form the word mate. It resonated within me, awakening a primal longing I never knew existed. He was an Alpha, I had no doubt; it was evident in his aura. I’d be stupid not to immediately realize what that meant. But I barely had time to process it before he used his werewolf speed to close the distance between us.

Instead of crashing into me like I thought he would, he stopped inches away from my body. Stunned, all I could do was stand there, struggling to find air as his exotic crystal blue eyes examined me. I took the opportunity to do the same.

Now that he was near, I was able to study his features more closely. His dark and thick upward eyebrows, combined with his narrow eyes, granted him a menacing look. It contrasted with the gentleness with which his fingers brushed against my cheek, shooting jolts of electricity through my body. I couldn’t resist touching his jawline to test if it was as sharp as it looked. My gesture caused a low purr to echo in his throat, and the sound alone made butterflies flutter in my stomach.

“I have been searching for you for so long, ma chéri.” His voice was silky, yet demanding. “May I have your name?”

“Sasha,” I replied obediently, never taking my eyes off him. “Sasha Stone. I’m the Delta of Diamond Tempest Pack.”

A sensual growl reverberated in his chest, turning my legs to jelly. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” His sweet half-smile made me blush. What was this effect that he had on me? “I’m Cedar Adalwolf, Alpha of Ninebark Pack. And you, Sasha Stone, will be the perfect Luna for our pack. I look forward to taking you home with me.”

A short shocked gasp left my lips as he reminded me of what I had realized a moment earlier. The thought of becoming the leader of a pack would be dreadful to some, but definitely not to me. Since the former Luna of Diamond Tempest had passed before I was even born, and our previous Alpha never took a chosen mate afterward, I didn’t exactly have any role models. But I had helped Caitlyn learn everything she needed to know to exercise her new function flawlessly. And I had also spent my entire life training to be something more, waiting to have the power to make a change.

Once my surprise was gone, a joyful smile played on my lips. For the past few months, I had watched from the sidelines as my friends found their destined partners. Now, my turn to be happy had finally come.

I opened my mouth to say something, but my Luna beat me to it. “This is wonderful news!”

My eyes turned in the direction of her voice to find a baffled Caitlyn standing at the bottom of the stairs of the pack house, right beneath where we were. Her hands partially covered the radiant grin on her face. Lance was right beside her. Judging by his expression, he was just as thrilled as she was.

“It seems that Diamond Tempest and Ninebark were destined to become allies one way or another, Luna Caitlyn,” my handsome Alpha replied to her, though he never averted his gaze from me.

Again, my eyes widened in realization. Of course! How could I not have connected the dots before? Cedar was the leader of Caitlyn’s former pack. Although we were only meeting for the first time today, she had told me a lot about the just, kind and respectful Alpha of her former pack. Was he really my mate? He seemed too good to be real.

“Oh, he’s real,” my wolf reassured me. “But I wouldn’t mind licking him just to be sure!”

“Topaz!” I scolded her.

“What? Don’t pretend like you weren’t thinking the same thing. I can hear your thoughts!”

“Luna Caitlyn’s right,” Lance chimed in. “This is a special moment for you, Delta Sasha. You’re excused from your duties for the rest of the day. Take your time to get to know your mate.”

“What about the meeting?” I wondered as I glanced at him, my heart torn.

For a brief second, I had forgotten why all of our allies, including Cedar, had gathered at our lands today. They were here for an important meeting to discuss the success of our latest mission, and celebrate our victory against the crazy bears who had tormented us for so long.

Of course, I wanted to have a moment in private with my mate, and I doubt I’d be able to focus on anything else right now. But at the same time, I had only recently been given the chance to become Delta. It felt wrong to simply ditch my responsibilities.

“I’m sorry to break it to you, but you won’t be Delta for much longer anyway,” Topaz recalled. Well, she had a point.

“I’m sure our allies will understand why our meeting has to be delayed.” Lance winked at me.

My smile grew bigger as I shifted my gaze to my mate again.

He held out his arm for me. “Shall we go, ma chérie?”

Still struggling to find words, I was about to nod in response. Yet before I could, a thought crossed my mind. I suddenly remembered that Jasper had been with me when I picked up on my mate’s scent. Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I found him standing in the entrance hall, only a few feet away from me. He was wearing an indecipherable expression. I didn’t have time to read through it before he shook it off, forcing a smile and mouthing the word “congratulations.”

I took a deep breath as I turned my attention to Cedar once more. Gathering my courage, I interlaced my arm with his, and the second we touched again, another surge of electricity rolled over me. I didn’t think I would ever get used to this. He took the first step, leading me down the stairs and away from the crowd, so we could have a moment of privacy.