The Alpha's Mutt

“Why in the hell would she run off?!” Farris yelled in anger and confusion.

He was absolutely certain that he had caught a faint glimpse of his mate dashing further into the crowd at the party the night before. She had seen him, but he had not gotten a good look at her. Why would she leave? Did she not find him attractive? Was she put off by the she-wolves that had been hanging all over him? He knew that he should have kept them at arm’s length. Was she scared of becoming Luna? Or was she, simply, scared of him and his power?

He had caught the scent of honey and lavender. It was the most addicting aroma that he had ever had the pleasure of smelling in his life. He wanted to run to his mate and wrap her into his arms, then he would never let her go. He took comfort in the fact that she was a member of his pack. This would make her much easier to find. He knew exactly what he had to do to force her to face him. She could run, but she could not hide.

“All unmated female pack members are to report to the pack house tomorrow morning, 0800 hours. This is not a request.” He called out his order through the mindlink.

Now she would have to face him. No wolf could deny the order of an Alpha. All he had to do was wait until tomorrow morning, then his mate would be in his arms. He would calm any concerns that she had about his fidelity or the responsibilities of her station. He would give her anything and everything that she could possibly want or ask for. He would treat her as the Goddess that she is just as he had seen his father care for his mother.

“Farris?” He heard a familiar voice call out him at the same time that there was a knock on his office door.

“Come in, Deene.” Farris bid.

Deene came into the room with some hesitation. This was unlike him, and Farris noticed the odd behavior immediately.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well…uh…I…” Deene began, seeming unable to find his words.

“Come on, man. I don’t have all day.” Farris teased, trying to put his friend at ease.

What is making him so nervous? He had never behaved like this before. As a matter of fact, Deene was the only one who ever called Farris out on his shit. He was the only one that had kept him in line. This was the reason that his father had been so pleased to name Deene as Farris’ Beta.

“Well, um…after you sent out the mindlink commanding all of the unmated females to come here tomorrow…I, uh…I received a link from my mate.”

“Your mate? Shouldn’t the two of you be together. Not having to talk through the mindlink? What in the hell are you doing here, man?”

“Well, I had some work to do, and she was eager to see her friend. They had separated at the party last night to find their mates.”

Farris merely rolled his eyes at this statement. Sometimes he worried that his Beta worked too hard for his own good. He appreciated Deene’s dedication, but he certainly had not expected him to cut his first day with his mate short in order to get work done. Farris knew that he would not have done the same had his mate not disappeared on him. If he had it his way they would be in his bed, together, right now. He smiled at the thought.

“Well, what did your mate have to say about my announcement then?” Farris pressed for more information, eager to find out if Deene’s mate had some knowledge that would be useful to him.

“Well…apparently…her friend is your mate…”

“What?!” Farris jumped up in excitement almost leaping over his large, mahogany desk.

“Yeah…she said that her friend is your mate but that she is feeling a little intimidated at the thought of meeting you.”

“What are you talking about?! We’re mates! How can she be intimidated by her other half?!”

“I don’t know. Alessa didn’t really explain. She said that she is bringing her over here to meet with you. She would rather do this in a small setting than a large one. She’s a bit shy, I guess.” Deene told him everything that he could think of that Alessa had messaged over.

“She’s coming here? NOW?!”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, man! I have never been so nervous in my life!” Farris confessed, as he began pacing around his office.

“What is there to be nervous about?”

“I don’t know!” Farris exclaimed. “She ran away from me last night. Maybe she doesn’t want me.”

“Maybe she is thinking the same thing about you. I told you to not let those two she-wolves hang on you like that.” Deene scolded. “You were meant to be there to meet your mate, not to spend the night with those two gold-diggers.”

“I know. I know. I screwed up!” Farris ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“You’ll just need to apologize to her. Explain that it wasn’t what it looked like. Those females had just come out of nowhere and started pawing at you like the desperate tramps that they are. I am sure that she’ll understand. You’re an unmated Alpha, she-wolves are always after you.”

Farris took a deep breath. Deene was right. He could not help it if women were constantly throwing themselves at him. It was not as though he intended to respond to any of them. Especially not now that he had found his mate.

“When is she going to get here?”

“Should be any minute now.”