Page 11 of The Alpha's Envy

“It doesn’t matter if she was mad at me. It’s not right that she’s there alone.”

Graham Reynolds isn’t your average male. If his own father is concerned about his reaction, I should be too.

“Jonathan, listen to me.” Interrupting my spiralling, her father meets my eye as he steps in front of me, blocking my way, as I rush toward the driver’s side of the van, ready to hightail it out of there. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess not to shove him out of the way and climb behind the wheel. “Just breathe.”

Easier said than done, I want to shout, but this is my father-in-law. So instead, I bite my tongue and stand tall, clenching myjaw but forcing myself to remain still and wait. It’s excruciating. I always thought I was a patient man, but apparently not.

“Marie is going to test you in every way imaginable. She’s funny, quick-witted, and brave. You’re going to have to learn how to deal with her… quirks, while picking your battles.” His lip quirks up, and he watches me closely, taking in my tense posture and the perspiration on my forehead. “She wouldn’t have let you come with her. If you’d have tailed her, she’d have known and been insulted. Sometimes, you’ll have to let her do what she wants and deal with the consequences.”

Sounds like great fun.

“But she is loyal, fierce, and she loves her family more than anything else in this world.” Pride fills me. I already know this. She’s exactly the woman I want by my side. “You’re just going to have to take the sometimes uncomfortable with the good.”

Uncomfortable? That’s the understatement of the century. It feels like there's something crawling under my skin.

“Any tips on how to make it easier?” I ask, my body practically vibrating with the need to chase after her. “My wolf isn’t feeling very rational, and I’m not sure just reassuring him that our mate is clever and strong is going to help me right now.

Her father laughs. Laughs right in my face, his eyes dancing with mirth. This is a man who knows exactly how I feel, because he's been there before. Some other time, I'll get those stories about tearaway teenage Marie from him. But not today.

“She gets it from her mother, and there isn’t a week that goes by when that woman doesn’t do something to drive me up the walls.” He gives me a conspiratorial wink and shakes his head. “And I love every fucking minute of it.”

With a despairing chuckle, I have to concede that Marie’s already made my normally precisely scheduled and ordered life a little more interesting. And hopefully, today will be the only day where her actions make me this agitated, because tonight,I’m going to mark her as mine and make sure nobody is left with any doubt who she belongs to.

“So she’s going to keep me on my toes?”

Her father laughs. “Son, she’s going to keep you clinging to the edge of sanity. Welcome to the family.”

Fuck. I know he’s right, but I still wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I have to go and find her. I appreciate what you’re saying, but… this feels different.”

Her father nods and holds out a hand for me to shake. “You don’t need me to tell you how important it is to trust your gut. When it comes to your mate, your instincts will lead you the right way.”

“Thank you, Sir. We have a big pack dinner every couple of weeks, and the teenagers feed us with the spoils of their extensive training in tracking and hunting. I’d love it if you could make the next one and come to see us.”

“We’ll do that. I’m glad she found you, Jonathan, and you, her. You’ll be very happy together.”

Nodding, I give his hand a firm shake, and open the driver’s door, eager to get going. Because my instinct is telling me that something is wrong, and that Graham Reynolds isn’t going to let a good thing go that easily, fated mates or not.

7

MARIE

Coming here alone seemed like a good idea at the time.

I thought that Jonathan’s presence here would set Graham off, but it turns out he was never going to let this go. It’s not even about me, it’s about something being taken from him, and like a child who doesn’t like being told no, not even by the moon goddess, he’s throwing an alpha-sized tantrum.

“But your mate is out there, Graham. If you mark me, you’ll never find her. She could go through life alone.”

She might be better off but now isn’t the time to tell him that.

All wolves long to meet their fated mates. Lots choose to take a chosen mate, forsaking their chances to find their fated mate, once all the possible opportunities to meet them have been exhausted. But they would only mate someone that they loved, and they would never, ever, take someone else’s fated mate away.

To wolves, disrespecting the magical connection the moon goddess has bestowed is sacrilege, even if it’s not the future you were hoping for.

“Or she could be dead, and I’m not in line to get a second chance mate.” His fingers dig into my arm as he hauls me along.

I use my weight to slow his progress, but the sight of a truck parked tight against the trees sets my heart pounding. That vehicle may as well be a gun, because if he gets me back to his pack house, I’ll never escape. His pack is known for being extremely well trained as warriors and excellent trackers.

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