The Alpha King’s Human Mate

“I’m waiting with bated breath to hear that silver tongue of yours.”

Jodie B. CooperCopyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Before I could respond or even properly think about what Griffin’s words meant, there was a knock on the door and Griffin’s eyes glazed over as he used the mind

link.

Someone’s here. Maybe Lily or Sebastian?

I didn’t even say anything but Griffin still squashed my hope. “That’s the castle healer,” Griffin told me, “Now that you’re awake, I want to make sure your physical health is okay, given your reaction earlier today.”

You mean when I fainted after watching your father’s decapitated head roll at my feet? Was there a more appropriate reaction I should’ve had to that? Q

I bit my tongue as the door opened and a middle-aged woman with a medical bag approached. I tried to squirm out of Griffin’s hold so that I could greet the woman or just get a little space but his arms felt like iron. He clearly had no qualms about PDA, and judging from the healer’s quiet, meek demeanor, she wasn’t going to say anything about it. 6

“Your Majesty, will you allow me to approach your mate?” the healer asked. Griffin stiffly nodded and the woman perched herself on the side of the b*d. “May I touch her?” Another nod. The healer held my chin in a gentle grip as she examined my pupils.

It didn’t escape my notice that the healer never talked to me directly during the entire exam. She never asked me for permission for anything. Every move she made got the seal of approval from Griffin – as if I was an object he owned or a toddler incapable of speaking.

6

Anger settled into my stomach and grew as the exam went on. By the time the healer had finished and declared my fainting spell a minor stress reaction, I was practically seething. I waited till she closed the door and asked Griffin for another cup of water. I wasn’t even thirsty but I just needed a minute to think without his tingly little touches or his hulking presence looming over me.

Was this the kind of treatment that I could expect from a mate bond? I knew wolves were territorial and possessive – especially over female mates but it was another thing to experience it firsthand.

–

A previous conversation popped into my head. It was the talk I’d had with one of

the pack elders at the meeting where I learned that I’d be going to the castle. That old man was the first person to warn me that humans could have werewolf mates. although I had completely dismissed the idea of it ever happening to me. He had also explained just how possessive werewolves could be over their human mates. I

recalled his words:

“What do you mean?” I had asked.

The elder smiled ruefully. “Having grown up in this world, you already know how possessive wolves can be, especially male wolves,” he continued, “Most wolves are naturally territorial of their mates. It’s in our nature to be protective and dominant of what’s ours. The higher ranking the wolf is, the more possessive they’ll be. Alphas are the most possessive, and while I’ve never met the Alpha King or the Prince, I assume they’re even worse than normal Alphas.

As you know, humans are more fragile than werewolves. Your senses aren’t as good, you break more easily, take longer to heal, and you get sick. Having such a fragile mate would put any wolf on edge any possessiveness or protectiveness they’d feel just gets amplified ten times over.”

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t just mated to a wolf. I was mated to the Alpha of Alphas. Within one day of meeting him, he’d already beheaded his last living parent for threatening me and made a werewolf doctor ask his permission to touch

No, no, no. This cannot be my life.

There’s got to be a way I can get out of this.

Maybe I can reason with him he just met me and the bond is fresh, so maybe there’s

still time to convince him that he doesn’t want a “weak human” when he could have a

strong werewolf mate?

Even I could admit that my plan wasn’t great but it was all I had.

“Are you okay, little mate?” Griffin popped back into the room, a full glass of

water in hand.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I said, trying to hide my anxiety. I took the water from him, and this time, he let me. “Actually, I was wondering if we could talk. I have some questions.”

Griffin looked curious and sat next to me on the b*d. To absolutely nob*dy’s surprise, he took the opportunity to touch me again by rubbing my back. O

“So, you know I’m human,” I said, “I’m not a wolf like you.”

Griffin nodded with narrowed eyes like he wasn’t sure where this was going.

“And you’re werewolf royalty,” I continued, “You’re the heir to the throne.”

“I’m not the heir anymore,” Griffin said, “I hold the crown, little mate. After my father’s death this afternoon, I am the King now.”

“Right,” I said, “You’re the King and that’s a ton of responsibility. I guess I’m asking, where do I fit into that equation?”

Griffin tilted his head as if I’d just asked him if the sky was really blue or if the sun.

was yellow. “You fit exactly where a King’s mate should,” he said, “You will rule beside me as my Queen.” He smiled like he was picturing it in his head.

“And as Queen, I would be free to do what I wished? Like, say, go to college or take the occasional solo vacation as long as I came back?” I asked. Although I already knew what the answer was going to be, I had to at least ask. I wanted to know just how broad the boundaries were how much Griffin thought he could restrict my freedom.

Griffin narrowed his eyes and I heard a low rumble in his chest. “You’re asking if

you’d be allowed to leave me?”

“Well -”

“The answer is no,” his voice was sharp and hard, leaving no room for argument. ‘I spent nine years waiting for you and I’m not going to let you leave me, not for iny reason. You will be my Queen. There will be those that wish to harm you because of me, and your human status will only encourage them. You will stay here, under my protection and with me.”

Griffin turned away, and I’m pretty sure he thought the argument was over. And, hey, the guy was royalty. People took his word as law, but I wasn’t so easily

convinced.

I had not waited this long for freedom to go to college, to feel human in at human world again – just so a paranoid Alpha King could take it from me. I understood that it wasn’t his fault, not really. He didn’t ask to be mated to me, but even so, why did my life have to end so he could have a little peace of mind? 3

Time to turn on that classic Clark charm (although charm is probably a strong word).

“I get it,” I said, “You’re the King, so people are going to be after you and in turn, be after me. But wouldn’t it be easier if you had a mate you didn’t have to worry about all the time? I’m human, I could break my n*eck walking down a flight of stairs or die of cancer when I’m, like, forty. That’s not including anyb*dy who actually tries to hurt me to get to you. I can’t hold my own against a werewolf, I’m done-zo if there’s an assassination attempt. Is that really the kind of Queen that you want or that your people deserve?” [5

He stared at me, not responding. Once again, his expression was blank and

–

unreadable I had no idea what he was thinking, but hopefully, he was mulling

my words over.

Alright, time to drive your point home, Clark.

“You’re the Alpha King,” I said, “You deserve a strong mate that can rule by your

this bond that we side and take care of herself, not some weak human. And us

have it’s new. There’s still plenty of time for us to part ways so that you can find a mate that’s truly worthy of you and your people.”

I watched with bated breath as he continued to stare at me.

There was silence.

Finally, Griffin spoke and I noticed an odd twinkle in his eyes. “I think you’re

right, Clark,” he said, “I do deserve a worthy mate. Someone who can rule by my side.”

Wait, really?

That’s it?

That convinced him? Q

Hope blossomed in my chest – maybe my life wasn’t doomed after all.

A cunning smile spread across Griffin’s face. “My Queen will be someone who is

–

like a fox clever and sly. Even too clever for her own good. What do you think, little fox?” (

The hope in my chest extinguished. O

Danger! Danger! If my b*dy had warning sirens, they would’ve been blaring. 2

As I made a move to lean away from him, Griffin’s smile became predatory and he pounced. One moment I was sitting up in b*d and the next, he was on top of me, his dark eyes only inches away from mine.

“I had no idea you were such a tricky little thing,” Griffin said, and then he leaned. down to brush his nose against my n*eck. “Did you really think that would work? That I wouldn’t see your manipulation?”

My heart was beating a hundred miles per minute and with his face in my n*eck, I wondered if he could feel my racing pulse.

“I figured it was worth a shot, you know. And it’s not like it wasn’t true.”

Griffin tore his face from my n*eck so that he could look me in the eyes again. I couldn’t recognize the expression in his eyes, but whatever it was, it unnerved the

hell out of me. 2

“You seem to be unclear about how I feel about you and our mate bond,” Griffin said, and his voice was barely above a growl, “So allow me to clear things up for you. You are mine, little fox. It does not matter to me if you are human or not. You are mine and I take care of what belongs to me. If someone wishes you harm, I’ll slaughter them. If I have to lock you in a room and throw away the key to keep you safe from others or yourself – I’ll do it.”

–

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He paused and I watched his sharp canine teeth gleam in the light. “And if you’re stupid enough to think you can run from me, I will chase you to the ends of the earth.” 18