He’s My Alpha by Cassandra M (Jake & Clair)
Chapter 31
JAKE
I don’t want to meet my f*uc*king mate!
With Clair in my head, my wolf bared his teeth at me. He was on the edge as well. Echo was torn between wanting to meet our mate or coming back to Clair. He let out a snarl before returning to the back of my mind, letting me decide on this moment. “Alpha!” I heard my Gamma behind me. “Is everything okay?”
I took a hitched breath before speaking. “My mate is here. We need to go. Back in the car! Now!”
I gathered all my strength and turned around, only to be held by Aaron, holding my wrist in his hand. “What the f*uc*k, man! We’re going inside to meet your mate. If you don’t want her, then reject her. You can’t just run away like that!” He tried to pull me inside, but I swatted his hand. I snarled at him, my claws coming out.
“I said NO!” I looked him straight in the eyes before heading back to my car and sitting in the passenger seat.
Aaron looked at Matteo, nodding at him before heading inside the diner.
Matteo hurriedly slid inside the car, sitting behind me. “Alpha, the Gamma wanted to check inside to see if anyone was there. The diner looks deserted. Are you sure you don’t want to at least have a glimpse of her?”
I leaned back on my headrest and placed my fingers on my temples, ma*s*saging them with my eyes close. “No. I just want to go home.”
It took a few more minutes before Aaron hopped in the car.
“Nothing. There are no she-wolves in the diner. Just two guys having a late breakfast. The servers are two old females as well.” He voluntarily shared the information he gathered.
“Maybe in the toilet?” Matteo leaned his arm on my headrest, his gaze shifting from me and Aaron. I remained quiet all along.
“I checked as well. Although she said there were a bunch of teenagers and a lone traveler that had breakfast earlier, they left a few minutes before we came in.”
“And the server said all those girls were exceptionally good-looking.” He added, a coy smile plastered on her face.
“Either one of those girls, or one of the old women serving there.” He joked before putting the engine back to life.
I let out a sigh and fixed my gaze on the view outside my window as the car sped up. I would not deny a part of me wanted to see my mate just out of curiosity, but I had already made up my mind. I wanted Clair.
“And now I’m hungry. Can we just go to a drive- thru? I’m pretty sure no one’s mate will show up at the automated machine.” Aaron gave me a sidelong glance before landing a soft punch on my shoulder. “Hey, man, are you already regretting? I can still turn around and we can find her.”
I scowled at him. “Find some drive-thru and let’s go home.”
We arrived at the pack territory a little over an hour past noon, and I would not deny that the almost encounter with my mate shook me. I told Beta Gavin that I would turn myself in early today and I would do all the impending work tomorrow.
I just wanted to be alone. Refusing to see my mate felt both wrong and right, and I needed to get over my confusion. Part of me wanted to see her, but a bigger part of me was annoyed that she had already gotten a stronghold on me even without actually meeting her.
That’s why I believed the mate bond thing was f*uc*ked up. It makes you want someone you’ve never met, and then they eventually become your weakness. We should have the right to choose who we want as opposed to having someone a*s*signed to us.
I closed all the windows as soon as I stepped inside my room, cursing the cleaners for leaving my window open the whole day. They should know better that I take my privacy seriously.
They would surely hear about this.
I looked at the bed and remembered Clair. A smile crept up on my lips despite the heaviness in my chest as I walked toward the bathroom.
I stripped off my clothes and stayed in the shower for more than twenty minutes, void of any emotions or any rational thinking. I just stood there and blocked off my mind.
I dried off myself and looked for my favorite sweatshirt, only to find it gone. I scowled, thinking I knew it was there before I left because I was contemplating bringing it with me but decided against it at the last minute.
I gave up on my search and grabbed another sweatshirt and pulled it over me before putting on my sweats.
I initially wanted to go to the stream to have a moment of silence, but the shower made me feel sleepy. I didn’t have enough sleep for the last four nights – an Alpha should never sleep peacefully in another pack’s territory for security reasons. I laid down on my bed, just to rest my body for a while, but I didn’t realize that I would eventually fall into a slumber.
There were rogues everywhere, and then I saw her, my mate. She was faceless, but I knew it was her. And she needed my help.
My wolf sprinted to where she was to protect her from the rogues trying to attack her. Echo sank his teeth into the rogues until he snapped the lives out of them. But as soon as our mate was safe, I heard an excruciating scream, and I felt my whole body shiver in fear.
I knew that voice even in my sleep!
I turned around and saw Clair being dragged and
ravished by rogues, her hands reaching out to me, begging for me to save her. But she was too far. Her head rolled to the side as life left her eyes.
They f*uc*king killed her!
I let them kill her!
My wolf growled his loudest and leaped to where she was. But no matter how fast my wolf ran, we couldn’t reach her. They kept dragging her body away. But Echo and I weren’t giving up. We kept running, but she kept slipping away until she vanished into the thin air.
My body jerked awake from the bad dream, and I stayed frozen, laying down on my back, staring at the ceiling. I didn’t notice there were tears in my eyes.
Nightmare.
I chose to save my mate over Clair, and it didn’t feel right. I should have saved her. But instead, she was dead.
My wolf snarled at me, baring his teeth, and right now I was not in my right mind. I had no idea if my wolf was angry that I regretted saving our mate or because I didn’t save Clair.
It didn’t matter if it was just a nightmare. One thing I was sure of now was that I wanted Clair like I never wanted anyone before.
I got up from my bed and glanced at my clock. It’s eight in the evening. I still have time.
I went to freshen myself and walked out of the room and out of the pack house in an instant.
I found myself standing outside Clair’s house. I debated whether I would go by the front door formally or whether I should sneak by her window. But before I could make any decision, the front door opened, revealing a disheveled Aaron.
“Alpha!” His voice was stressed. “Guess you heard what happened with Clair? Come in.”
My forehead creased in confusion. I followed him inside to find Jenny and Chloe sitting next to each other and David standing, leaning against the wall. “What happened to Clair? Is she okay?” I looked at Aaron as uneasiness crept in.
Aaron combed his hair and pulled it in frustration before crossing his arms over his chest. My gaze shifted from him to David.
“She left.” David handed me a letter as my heart began thudding loudly.
I took a deep breath before I slowly opened it.
Dear Dad, and Aaron,
I know I said I’d stay for two weeks more, and I’m sorry I can’t keep that promise. Please don’t worry about me. I’m okay, and I’ll be okay.
I found my mate. That’s all you need to know for now. I will call soon, I promise!
I love you and please take care of each other!
dairy
I didn’t know how I made it back to the pack house after the incident at Clair’s home. I didn’t even know how I was able to hold myself together in front of her family.
She found her mate. And she just left just like that. She didn’t even think about me.
I lifted the glass of whisky to my lips, drowning in it before throwing the glass on the wall adjacent to my desk and watched as it shattered into pieces. I had no idea how many glasses were already broken inside the office.
All I knew was that she had left me. She chose her mate over me. And the pain was unbearable. I didn’t know pain such as this existed. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.
A growl reverberated from my chest as I f*orc*ed the office window open and jumped out of it. I stripped off my clothes and ran n*ake*d towards the forest line before leaping and shifting in midair to let my wolf take over and run free.
I lost her.
I ran with no direction and just let myself grieve, letting my wolf howl in agony under the moonless night sky.
Tonight, a part of me died.