His Fated Mate: A Werewolf Romance

Rowan

Our nighttime excursions aimed at uncovering more about the destructive drug, but the gruesome experience left me winded, bewildered, and furious. However, at this rate, Sexflex was taking too many human and supernatural lives. Our upcoming trip to Cormac Quinn’s residence was my only hope for getting further information to aid in this crusade.

I had no proof the bastard was involved with the drug, just a feeling deep in my gut. It made perfect sense with him being a scientist and owning stock in pharmaceutical companies. The dying fairy-turned-zombie flashed in my mind, causing my heart to ache, and I knew what must be done. I’d send a message to the Creatures of Primordial council requesting for all supernatural races to attend a meeting. Some wouldn’t show, but I needed to get the word out that Sexflex wasn’t just affecting humans. For all I knew, some of the other races might already be aware, but I had to make sure. The recent revelations had taken this drug war to a new level.

Lost in our thoughts, we reached the SUV, and I was quick to hand him a bottle of water. Rian grabbed it and rinsed his mouth out several times, struggling to wash away the taste of rotten blood. I sat in the driver’s seat and retrieved another water as I waited, handing it to him once he climbed inside.

The plastic made loud cracking noises as Rian drained the bottle in one gulp. “Thanks, bro.” He sounded out of breath.

“No problem. Let’s just drive through the city and see what we find.” I cranked the engine and drove off. Neither of us spoke and kept our eyes peeled for more potential danger or attacks, and through our bond, I perceived our mutual thoughts. It was never easy watching an innocent person die—human or supernatural. As werewolves, we had no beef with innocent humans, only the ones who hunted us down.

All those tall tales of the evil werewolves who roamed the night looking for humans to kill for the hell of it were fictional. Just made-up folklore stories by people with vivid imaginations or writers spinning yarns to sell books. When in reality, we kept to our own and wanted to live in peace. In the past, the races were always at war with one another, but times had changed… until now. Someone must take responsibility for the chaos Sexflex was causing.

After an hour of driving around Dublin without further incident, I started toward home. I felt exhausted and needed to concentrate on informing the other races about our findings and also search Cormac’s home from top to bottom. I’d look for Viona later, but I wasn’t looking forward to my next encounter with the witch. “Let’s call it a night,” I told Rian.

“I agree,” he ventured, still staring out the window as I passed the darkened streets and alleyways. “Woah. Back up or turn around. We’ve got action in the street we just passed that runs behind that disco.” He threw his thumb over his shoulder.

“Feckin’ great!” I slapped the steering wheel and cursed some more under my breath as I drove to the next street and found a place to turn around. “What is it? Did you see something, Rian?”

“Some kind of battle with about three people. But that’s all I could see. Let’s hope it’s a regular street fight with a few drunk idiots fighting over some bird.”

“One can hope,” I agreed and drove back past the street to find what appeared as witches or warlocks fighting something dark and hunched over, and did another pass and stopped the SUV, watching the spectacle for a moment. I noticed one figure had long, curly blonde hair. “I see a female,” I told Rian.

“Aye. She’s moving her hands, so my guess is she’s a witch.” As soon as the words left his mouth, bright light sprung from her fingertips, landing like a ball of flames engulfing the ominous creature, and its moans so loud it filled the SUV.

“Looks like the witches and warlocks are aware there’s trouble brewing, but do they know the cause?” I glanced at Rian.

“Do they know about Sexflex?” he finished.

“I’m going to call a meeting to order,” I told him.

“Good idea. But they have this in hand. Let’s go home. I’m too knackered to deal with any more witches.”

I put the car in drive, ready to pull off, when I saw something jump from the roof above the commotion. “Holy shit! Did you see that?” Before Rian could answer, a tall warlock threw out both hands, and the creature exploded as it landed.

“Damn,” Rian whispered.

“Like you said, bro… they got this.”

“Get out of here before they see us and think we are the enemy. I don’t feel like being blown to smithereens or torched tonight, either.” Rian gave a nervous giggle, and I sped off.

As we pulled into the circular drive of our home, it surprised me to see Fiona sitting on the top step of the landing. What was she doing outside at this hour? Was she waiting for me? She hasn’t slept because she was worried about us. The more time I spent around her, the easier it was for me to know what she was thinking. It was normal to read your mate’s thoughts, especially after marking them. Even though I hadn’t and couldn’t mark her, I still detected parts of her musings and emotions.

The closer I got to the house and Fiona, the more I felt her anxiety.

“I swear I don’t know how you have kept from marking her,” Rian said, looking at me as I rolled to a stop in front of the house.

Now was not the time for this debate again, but my brother continued to stare at me, his eyes seeming to burn holes in my skin. Instead of answering, I took in the lone figure of Fiona shivering in the cold and my inner wolf grumbled.

She stood, wrapping a thin sweater and arms around her petite body; a look of apprehension covered her face as she waited for us to exit the SUV. “I mean... if she was my mate…”

“Yes, so you’ve said… you’d mark her in a heartbeat. But I’m not you and she’s not your mate!” I growled out in a menacing whisper as Fiona approached us, a tight smile gracing her lips and I wanted to jump from the vehicle, take her in my arms and kiss away all the fear and tension I felt balled inside her.

“Fiona may not be my mate, but she needs someone that cares enough to guide her through all this shite that’s new to her, and I—”

“Keep your grubby paws off of her! I can guide her without marking her,” I seethed through gritted teeth. “I forbid you to touch her… and I say that as your alpha, not brother. Besides, you’ve already bedded her best friend! So, now you want Fiona, too?”

“That’s not what I meant, Rowan!”

“Whatever! Get out. Who knows how long she’s been sitting out here in the cold waiting for us?” He grunted and opened the door.

Fiona smiled and ran toward Rian, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you are both home and safe!” She studied me over Rian’s shoulder and I felt the tinge of guilt coming off her in waves. Somehow she realized her actions, innocent or not, bothered me, and as she pulled out of the embrace and glanced at me, I knew it was me she wanted.

With intuition guiding her, Fiona threw me a shy smile and followed Rian inside the house. I wanted to kick or punch something—preferably Rian—but realized it wasn’t fair. This was my choice to make, and I made it. Now I had to stick by it and it was a fucking challenge, especially with her in my house. I vowed that as soon as we searched her father’s property, I would find somewhere safe for her and Kat. Somewhere Cormac Quinn would never find them. But Fiona had to go.

I couldn’t bring myself to go inside yet, so I wandered the property and updated the guards on my findings of the night. Afterward, I approached the back door near the kitchen and hoped that Fiona had gone to bed. It was half-past three in the morning and I figured she was in her room and I could calm down and have a whisky in my office before turning in, too.

The house was silent as I made my way toward my destination with deft feet, closing the door behind me with a sigh. I couldn’t risk being around Fiona tonight for fear that I would be careless and mark her. The stakes were even higher now that I had proof Sexflex turned supernatural races, as well. And if her father was involved, it wouldn’t be just my pack or the werewolf race out for blood… it would be the entire supernatural world.

The thought caused me to sweat, and I ripped off my t-shirt in anger. My emotions were raging like an inferno inside me as I rushed to the window, unlocking it and shoving it open. I needed air. This cruel twist of fate had me in knots as I experienced rage, grief, and then shame at feeling sorry for myself when so many lives were at stake. But becoming alpha and finding my luna were things I had dreamed of since I hit puberty. I had one, but not the other, and would have to learn to live an eternal existence as a lone alpha wolf without my mate.

It’s not fair, I thought, despising my self-pity, and poured a double shot of whisky, pacing the room.

“Rowan? May I come in?”

I turned in shock at the sound of her voice, unable to speak while she stood just outside the threshold, her hand on the doorknob. I downed a large gulp of whisky, my eyes never leaving hers, and watched as she stepped inside and closed the door. “You should be in bed,” I told her as she rubbed her bare upper arms.

“We need to talk, but it’s feckin’ freezing in here.” Fiona moved further into the room clad in a tiny pair of shorts and a white tank top before heading toward the leather couch and grabbing the throw blanket to wrap around her.

“Now is not the time for us to talk, lass. Trust me on that.” I turned away and wandered to the window, noticing it was snowing.

“Why not?” she asked, and I sensed her approaching.

“Dammit, Fiona! This is hard on me, and you are making it fucking impossible. Please leave me be tonight. I don’t want to be an ass to you.” I flinched as she placed her palm on my bare skin and my pulse raced from her touch.

“You are so warm,” she purred, and I wanted to turn around, take her in my arms and carry her to the couch.

I growled, the sound coming from deep in my chest. “Fiona,” I warned, “don’t do this to me. Not tonight. You are making this very tough for me.”

She ignored me and reached up, massaging my shoulders, and I knew I had to remove her from my office or flee like a coward. “What’s so troublesome about me touching you?” Her voice sounded like silk and I dropped my head, succumbing to her ministrations.

“Fiona…” I whispered. “You’re part human.”

“Yes, and it’s just a massage.”

I groaned from the pleasure. “You’re the daughter of Cormac Quinn.”

“And again, it’s just a massage.”

I jerked around to face her, grabbing her hands and holding them captive in mine. “It’s not just a massage! You don’t get it yet, do you?”

Her eyes broadened, and she said, “I get that there’s something powerful between us and I’m drawn to you like no other.”

I dropped her hands and raked my fingers through my hair, sighing in frustration. “It’s so much more than that, lass.”

“Then why not explore it,” she whispered and reached up, pushing the hair from my eyes.

“Because I can’t! It’s too dangerous.” I searched her eyes for understanding, finding only lust and something more… the love of my mate.

“But we are alone,” Fiona said. “Who would know?” She winked and shrugged her pretty shoulders.

Losing all common sense, I dipped my head, taking her lips in mine, kissing her with an unleashed passion she matched. I lifted Fiona under her plump bum as her legs wrapped around my waist and the blanket fell to the floor.