FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

"Do you and Mylar get along?" I asked my mate after Joe mentioned that he suspected Mylar of harassing Ania.

"We're not friends, nor enemies," my mate replied. "I'm her student, and she's my principal. We just live in the same house." I nodded in understanding.

Mylar had been my friend, and I didn't think she was capable of harassing my mate, but she had been acting awkwardly lately. I let it slide. But considering the day Ania was poured hot water on, and when we found the culprit, he said he was acting under Mylar's instructions. I didn't believe him, so after punishing him, I let him go with a stern warning for him and everyone else in the pack house to never harass my mate or anyone else in the pack house again. We must be our brother's keeper.

The drive to the coven was long, with winding roads that caused Ania to complain of feeling queasy. I could feel her stomach heaving violently, and she asked me to pull over twice so she could vomit. I followed her out, giving her water and holding her hair back as she threw up. I felt sorry for her.

I instructed Lemmy to drive us and led Ania to the back seat, sliding in beside her. ''Not much further, I promise,'' I said, noticing that she sat directly under the air-conditioning vent. I could tell she was feeling hot. I also knew that my mate was about to shift, and I had the nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I couldn't wait for Jake to meet her wolf. But her problem right then was her cramps; she was about to have her period, and the trip, together with the shifting symptoms, was not making it easier for her.

"Ania, put on your seat belt," I said. She ignored me and turned her face, burying it slightly under my armpit.

"Ania!" I warned. She huffed and closed her eyes, looking adorable. "I'll give you two seconds to put on your seat belt." She flickered her eyes, as if deciding whether to comply. In the end, she chose not to.

"One," I groaned. She rolled her eyes and growled, her shifting almost triggered. "One and a half, and you didn't just growl at me," I said disapprovingly. She snickered and shook her head. I growled back at her, but she growled even louder, her werewolf side slowly emerging. I clicked my tongue.

"Are you seriously refusing to put on your seat belt? Do you want me to count to three?" I asked, annoyed.

"Two," she said stubbornly, not caring about my counting. "You're not the one having period cramps and driving on a road that seems to have no end."

"You're in a foul mood," I observed. "If I didn't know it was your period and your werewolf side coming forward, I would have spanked you by now." She scrunched up her face at my words.

Last chance, Ania. Put your seatbelt on," I growled, but she just rolled over and whined, "No, it makes it worse." She turned her head to face me and huffed, "Why do I have to wear one when you don't?" Her tone sounded a little snarky, so I raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe because I have already shifted in case of anything. I can self-heal, but what about you? I can lick your external injuries to heal, but internally, I can't do anything. Now put the seatbelt on, Ania," I snarled.

"Put yours on, then," she retorted. I growled, and she growled back at me. I pressed my lips into a line, and my eyes flickered. "Sorry," she blurted out.

"You're lucky I'm patient with you. If you were anyone else, Ania, I wouldn't put up with that nasty attitude, whether it's hormones or werewolf instincts kicking in or not," I snapped, clicking my tongue in disapproval.

I leaned forward and gripped the front of her jeans, pulling her swiftly across to me. She yelped as she found herself on my lap and hastily pulled up her sagging jeans. I chuckled as I watched her try to fix her jeans while I held her in place.

Then, I stretched my legs out and placed them on the armrest between the driver's and passenger's seats. I repositioned Ania so that her back was against my chest and her legs rested over mine. I clipped the seatbelt across both of us.

"I have my seatbelt on. Are you happy?" I said, gently tugging on the strap around her waist and placing my hand on her stomach where her shirt had risen, exposing her skin. I rubbed her tummy gently, hoping to relieve her of her period pain and relieve myself in return.

I told her to sleep as I pulled her head against my chest, purring loudly to soothe her. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, but I knew that Mylar might harm us if we had to pull over again.

"Sleep, or Mylar may kill us both if I have to ask them to pull over again," I chuckled, purring louder and stronger until she couldn't resist and fell asleep.

"Finally, my alpha. You seemed to be in a lot of pain," Lemmy teased me as she slept. I covered us with a blanket and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this bond thing doesn't filter anything. My mate was in pain," I replied, and Lemmy nodded in understanding.

I dozed off but woke up when I felt the car come to a stop. I peered out the window and saw the Duchess coven castle in front of us. Sky was coming in our direction.

"I'll wait for you outside Alpha while you wake her up," Lemmy said as he stepped out of the car. I watched the sleeping beauty in my arms, her sweat making my shirt damp.

"Ania, wake up. We're here," I whispered. She groaned and turned her face into my chest. As she sat up, she looked at me before noticing my sweat-covered shirt. Her eyes widened.

"Don't worry about it, love. I think it's the cramps causing the fever, or are you in heat, my love?" I teased. She chuckled, and her heartbeat changed. My mate didn't know what that meant.

"Hunter, I feel like I'm having a terrible hangover," she complained.

"Yes, I may have gone a little overboard with the calling, but you kept complaining that your stomach hurt," I said, unclipping the seat belt. Suddenly, my leg went limp from being in the same position for too long.

I leaned forward, tugged off my shirt, and reached for a hand towel to wipe my chest. Ania blinked, and then her fingers brushed through the hair on my chest. I stopped wiping myself and glanced at her. When she bit into my collarbone, she shook her head as if trying to fight her urges for me. I chuckled. She was so adorable when she was being stubborn.

I hissed as her teeth broke through the skin on my chest when she bit me. From our bond, I could tell that her possessive urges to claim and mark me were taking over, turning her savage. But she could only mark me when she shifted, so what she was doing were only love bites. Blood ran down my chest, and then the car door opened.

"Close it," I snarled .

"It's fine, my love," I said, seeing how teary and confused she looked. I knew she didn't understand what was going on with her. I gripped her face and looked down at my chest before prying her lips apart to examine her teeth. My mate's teeth felt stronger than a typical lycan's teeth, and she seemed more like a hybrid. While I was still pondering on that, she bit down on my finger. I groaned and pressed my lips into a line while she tried to unlatch her jaw.

My blood ran across her tongue. A feral growl escaped her as she released my finger, but before I could react, her teeth sank into my shoulder. The door opened again, and upon catching Mylar's scent, I growled menacingly, "The next one to open that door will lose a hand. Close it."

The door shut quickly, and Ania was mortified. By the time she had finished attacking me, I had dozens of love bite marks across my chest and shoulders, and she broke down crying. "I am sorry, Alpha. I don't know what came over me. I am sorry I hurt you."

"Shh, stop crying, Ania. It's fine. It's not your fault; it's mine. Like I said before, I went overboard with the calling. It can make you react oddly and possessively because it strengthens the bond even more. Furthermore, you weren't hurting me. Can you feel it?" I asked as I pulled her onto me so she could feel my erection. I loved how she blushed.

"It's fine. You didn't hurt me. You only aroused me," I said, wiping her tears. Her face was scorching as she blushed.

"Do you want to finish what you started?" I whispered in her ear as I rolled her against my erection, and she shook her head. "I don't know how to," she said, and I chuckled. "I know you don't. When the time comes, it will come naturally to you, mostly after you have shifted and when you go into heat." I enlightened her, but she seemed more confused. So I told her I would answer all her questions when we got to our room.

I leaned forward and took the hand towel to start cleaning up the blood. She took the towel from me, and I watched as she cleaned me up, all the while wishing she was licking me instead. The indents from her teeth littered my chest.

"We should get this over with. I want to get you back home before you start shifting. I want you to shift in a familiar environment. It will be less painful," I said, tossing the bloody hand towel onto the seat.

"Come on, let's get out of the car," I said, sliding her off my lap. She grabbed my hand as I reached for the door handle.

"They will see," she shyly chirped, gazing at her love bites. I sat back down in the seat and sighed before mind-linking Lemmy to bring over a t-shirt. Someone tapped on the window a few moments later, and she jumped, feeling scared as her heart rate spiked.

"It's just Joe," I whispered, and the door opened. I took the shirt from him, and he closed the door while I pulled it on. Yet some of the marks could still be seen as the t-shirt was a v-neck.

Once I had my shirt on, I reached for Ania and kissed her before nibbling on her lips. "This place is amazing. I can't wait for you to see it," I told her while pushing the door open.

"What kept you inside there for so long? You know I hate waiting," Sky squealed the moment I stepped down. One glance at her, and I knew she was about to hug me. I snapped my neck at Lemmy, who nodded before stepping between me and Sky. I didn't want Sky's scent on me. A Lycan she-wolf about to shift could be so possessive and dangerous when they felt threatened and insecure. The last thing I wanted was Ania fretting again. I didn't want anything to hinder or delay her shifting process this time around.

"How dare you stand between me and the Alpha. Move out of the way now," Sky snarled. My mind link opened, feeling for him. "Alpha?" he called out. "Deal with it," I snarled, joining the link with Joe.

"Really, you did this, Alpha? You flirted with her, giving her ideas that you could end up together, and you shamelessly dragged our Luna here," Joe chirped.

"Pardon their manners, Duchess of Devonshire. They are just doing their job. My Luna is here, and you know how possessive they can get. I just don't want any female scent on me," I apologized.

Sky's eyes widened. I knew I was being a brat. I flirted with her only twice, maybe thrice, but it was because I didn't want my mate then. I knew she would be prosecuted and probably killed for an attempted assassination. But right then, I had to put things in order between me and Sky. Ania was my Luna, and I didn't want to turn my back on her.

I peered inside the car, wondering what was taking Ania so long, only to find her glued to the seat. "Love, we're all waiting for you," I said, grabbing her hand and understanding that she was scared because of the many people outside.

"You came with your mate! The same mate you were telling me you didn't want anymore. I was so dumb. I forgot Lycans can't reject their mates," Sky growled through the mind link. I shoved her out. One question in my mind was: how come Mylar, her sister, didn't inform her that I was visiting with Ania this time around.

𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

Hunter helped me step out of the car, squeezing my hand. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Then, my gaze landed on a lady standing behind Lemmy. She looked oddly familiar, like I had seen her before. My brain cracked as I tried to trace where I had seen her. It clicked in my mind - the night the vampires were hunting. I saw her in the woods. She had a stone face, like someone who rarely smiled, as she scanned me with her eyes when Hunter introduced us. He introduced the lady as Sky.

I took my eyes off her, I trailed my gaze around the environment. The castle had sandstone walls with blooming rose vines climbing them. It was easily two times the size of the pack house. The stone it was made of was covered in flowering vines and moss, giving it the appearance of a castle from some fairy tale.

A massive statue of a man stood in the center of the driveway, wearing a crown on its head. The statue looked familiar, as if I knew the person it was modeled after. The gates leading into the place were enormous. Despite all of this, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had dreamed of this place before, or maybe even seen it in real life. The sense of déjà vu that washed over me was inexplicable, but I managed to push it aside.

"Alpha, we should enter the castle and see what brought you here," Sky suggested, and Hunter nodded in agreement. Once inside, we were greeted with a sight of pure opulence. Everything was made of marble, including the stairs, and huge crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a glittering glow over the space. As we walked around, we marveled at the exquisite beauty of the place.

"So, how old do you think the Vae-wolf princess could have been if she wasn't kidnapped?" Lemmy asked.

"Probably around Ania's age, maybe a little older," Hunter answered.

"So, Sky's dad said anyone with information about her gets a reward? I mean, can't they just forget about her?" I watched as everyone joined in the topic I had no clue about. "What are you guys talking about, mate?" I mind-linked Hunter. "It's Sky's dad. He wants the princess of the coven to be found. He recently announced that she was kidnapped when she was five years old. The Vae-wolf king, who is in hiding, is sick and wants to see his daughter." I shrugged my shoulders and crept into a conversation with my wolf as the rest made calls and sifted through files. Tea was served here and there, but one thing stood out: Sky was drooling over my mate.

My heart churned when I saw her looking longingly at him. I started humming a tune to distract myself from becoming savage.

"Where did you hear that song?" An old man suddenly appeared before me, spooking me and making me jump. Alpha walked over to us and introduced me to the old man as his mate, and the man as Ben, Sky's dad. "That song, where did you hear it, mate?" Hunter asked as well.

"I don't know, I just know it," I told them and they watched me curiously.

"Do you know it?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yes, it was Queen Mary's own composed lullaby song for her daughter. The story goes that only she, her daughter, and the coven elders knew the song. Apparently, they were all vae-wolves," he told me, and my brows furrowed. "So how do you know it?" I asked Hunter. "Both my parents used to be coven elders before they were killed. My mother, bless her soul, used to sing it to me too," he stated, looking at me suspiciously.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" I asked, flooding my eyes with confusion as I looked at them.

"It's just odd that you know the lullaby song and you're from Brooks wolf pack. It's very far from here," Sky said.

I shrugged, unsure of what to say. Both Sky's dad and Hunter's eyes glazed over as they mind-linked, before excusing themselves.

"Well, well, well, the ladies are all left alone. Can we have a little ladies' chit-chat?" Sky said with a grin, and my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. This wasn't going to end well.