Hate Mates (The Alpha Shifter Collection Book 16), page 1
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Copyright© 2022 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0662-7
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Audrey Bobak
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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HATE MATES
The Alpha Shifter Collection, 16
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2022
Prologue
“They’re so cute together,” Gertie said, staring down into the crib her little boy shared with a little girl. They’d been born just a week ago, on the same day, at the same time. Within pack wolves, it was very rare to have two babies born together. Landon Gorman and Alexa Coin were their names.
Marcel gripped her shoulder, and she looked up into her mate’s and alpha’s eyes, and smiled.
They had done good. A beautiful baby boy.
“You two need to get a room,” Penelope said, laughing.
Gertie smiled and rested her head against Marcel’s shoulder before turning toward Penelope and Dan. Their little girl rested so quietly in the crib, curled up, hands wrapped in small little mittens to stop her from scratching, just like her son.
“Do you think the rumors are true?” Dan asked.
Dan and Marcel had been best friends since children. They’d done everything together: hunted, transitioned, and learned how to be wolves. Together, they ran the Gorman Pack, keeping the whole pack safe while also building a tourist attraction and town. They allowed the pack to run businesses, to have a chance at a future.
Gertie’s old pack, they hadn’t allowed such things. They had to be kept to the shadows, secretive, hidden. Ashamed of who they were. Meeting Marcel was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she was so grateful to him for stumbling onto her pack that day so many moons ago.
“That our children are destined to become … mates?” Gertie asked, smiling.
Just the thought of it was enough to make her happy. Her baby boy, already finding his mate. It was so hard to find your one true mate. She had to wait so long for Marcel to come and find her.
Not all mates were found within one pack. They did if they were lucky, but that also accounted for all wolves.
“I hope so,” Penelope said. “I never knew true happiness until I found you.” She kissed Dan.
Marcel tightened his hold on Gertie, and she smiled up at him.
Staring down into the crib, she couldn’t believe how beautiful, how sweet these two babies were, and she hoped the rumors and myths were true. That two babies born within the same pack were destined to be mates. If that was true, then her son was a very lucky boy.
Chapter One
Five years later
Screams filled the air. Penelope closed her eyes and sent a prayer to the heavens that it wasn’t her baby girl. That sounded exactly like her daughter, but then, she also recognized the alpha’s son as.
“I hate you!” Seconds later… “Mommy!”
Her name being called had her turning toward her little girl.
One of her little pigtails had come loose, and tears ran down her face.
“Alexa, baby, what’s wrong?”
“I hate Landon. He … he … pulled my hair.” Her hands were screwed into fists as she started to sob.
Of course, her little girl was never one to take much in the way of an attack, and Landon came running toward Gertie, holding his stomach.
“She punched me in the stomach!” He was trying to hold in his tears, but Penelope knew differently.
It was moments like this when Penelope doubted if the rumors of fated birth mates were true, seeing as Landon and Alexa were … well, there was no polite way to say it, but they seemed to fucking despise each other.
They couldn’t get along. Not even for ten minutes without something going wrong.
When they were babies, and even toddlers, they were fine. They played together, and she’d seen them snuggle.
Since going to playschool, everything had changed.
She didn’t understand what was happening.
“You pulled my hair,” Alexa said, drawing Penelope’s attention back to her daughter.
“They’re pigtails. You’re a wolf. Not a pig.”
“I hate you!”
Penelope quickly wrapped an arm around her little girl and smiled at Gertie. “I am so sorry about this.”
“It’s fine.” Gertie was doing the same thing with her son.
Their children were not mates. Not even close.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened. A few weeks ago, Landon had thrown mud at Alexa, and her little girl had shoved him over and forced him to eat it. She wasn’t proud of her little girl’s actions, but at least she knew her baby girl could take care of herself.
It wasn’t good though.
“What is going on here?” Marcel asked.
Their children, a little terrified of the alpha voice Marcel put on, stopped wriggling and bowed their heads.
“Nothing,” Alexa said.
“Nothing,” Landon said.
“Good, if this is nothing, then go and play together.”
The two glared at each other, but like other times, they held out hands. Then under Marcel’s watchful eye, they went and joined the other children for play.
****
Five years later
“What’s the matter, son?” Marcel asked, seeing Landon with his arms folded, glaring across the town square, or more importantly, at Alexa, who was enjoying a slice of cake. It was their birthday. Like every other time, they had a shared birthday and the whole town celebrated.
Marcel felt a little guilty about this because his son was often the one in the spotlight whereas Alexa was … a little ignored. His eldest son would one day be alpha, and because of that, the pack liked to present him with gifts.
In the past few years, Alexa had shown she had an eye for knowledge, excelling at school and winning multiple awards, while his son was proving to be a little … behind. Not that he minded. Landon had a good heart.
“They’re all laughing at me.”
“They’re not laughing at you at all,” Marcel said
“Alexa knows everything.”
“Why don’t you go and join in?” Marcel said. “Some kids are book smart, and other kids get their smarts from somewhere else. I’m book smart. Her dad is streetwise. We all have our place.”
“Mom’s not street smart.”
“Why are we talking about Mom?” Marcel asked.
“Opposites attract. You love her because of her mind, and she loves you because of yours.”
Marcel knew where he was going with this. “You and Alexa will find your path together.”
“Why do you all keep saying that!” Landon stood up and glared at him. “We’re not going to ever be mates. We hate each other too much.”
And with that, he watched as his son walked into the throng of people. Within a matter of seconds, he took the attention of the whole group. Alexa watched and stepped back, moving back to the sidelines where Landon had placed her.
****
Five years later
Penelope knew something was wrong when her drenched daughter made her way through the large town square. There was no mistaking the fire in her eyes. The anger. The rage.
She also noted that for some reason, her daughter was also dressed in a pair of panties and a bra. Nakedness was not a problem within the pack. Over the years, her daughter’s body, developed differently from many of the pack members. She wasn’t slender, and since she had turned a teenager, she’d gotten hips, thighs, and large breasts.
Several of the guys in the pack had noticed.
Penelope loved her daughter, and she had done everything in her power to make Alexa proud of her body, and seeing her walking through the town square in her underwear was a two-edged blade for her.
She was so happy for her daughter’s confidence, but she had never shown this much flesh, and she knew she was going to the lake to hang out with friends. There had been a few pranks between Alexa and Landon that she felt was pushing it a little too far, and this was one of those occasions. She didn’t exactly know the full details, but it didn’t take a lot to guess that Landon and his friends had stolen her clothes.
Glancing toward her mate and husband, Dan, she saw he wasn’t pleased either.
The first day Alexa had come home crying because she’d been called a fat ugly lump had been difficult for him. He couldn’t kill her bullies.
Penelope had expected Landon to be the culprit, but it wasn’t. It turned out to be another girl who had a crush on Landon and hated the pre-mating rumors that had surrounded Landon and Alexa since their birth. If Penelope was honest with herself, she was starting to believe the rumors weren’t true.
Landon and Alexa had never, ever gotten along. Not even for a little bit. Their hatred of one another was a little … shocking.
No one, not herself or Dan, or even Marcel and Gertie, knew why they behave
Laughter drew her attention back to her daughter, and she saw Dan was already making his way toward them.
“Do you think this is funny?” Alexa asked.
“You need to get some clothes on,” Landon said.
It had been a long time since they had to tear their children away from each other, but even Marcel and Gertie were getting closer.
“I would, but you know what? I was lured to the lake for a party. Then, I was invited to go for a swim, and you know what? I figured why the hell not. It’s a hot day, but instead, my clothes were taken. And you know what I heard?”
Her daughter had developed a keen sense of hearing. It had been that way since she was a little girl.
“Let me guess, laughter.”
“No, I heard your name.”
“I didn’t tell them to fucking do this!” Landon said, growling.
Penelope looked at Landon, truly watched him, and she saw the red around the back of his neck. He was angry.
“You’re a fucking prick and a coward, and you have no right to be the next alpha in line.”
“Oh, please, just because you think you know everything, you don’t. I didn’t take your lame-ass clothes.” Landon turned his back on her.
Before Penelope could react, her daughter had thrown herself at Landon, taking him down to the ground. She didn’t know exactly what was happening, as no punches were thrown, but Alexa and Landon rolled on the ground.
Dan captured their daughter around the waist, and Marcel had Landon, both of whom were struggling within their hold.
“I hate you. I fucking hate you!” Alexa yelled.
“And I hate you, you fucking bitch!”
****
“I didn’t take her clothes,” Landon said.
“I know that, but your friends are saying you wanted them to.”
“No, I didn’t. I … I wouldn’t do that.”
“Landon, you and Alexa haven’t ever gotten along.”
His son snorted, but Marcel wasn’t interested. “Enough. If I find out you did take them—”
“Dad, I wouldn’t do that, okay? I wouldn’t.” Landon shoved his hands beneath his legs and stared down at the ground.
The redness on his neck was another telltale sign of something else.
Marcel gripped the back of his neck. This shit between Landon and Alexa was exhausting.
Seeing the way Alexa confronted him though, Marcel knew deep in his soul that she would make one hell of an alpha’s mate. She was strong, full of confidence and compassion. Unless it had something to do with Landon, she was a kind-hearted soul.
“Talk to me, Landon. What is going on with you?” He took a seat beside his son and waited.
Landon sighed. “A couple of the guys at school, they have an issue with her … weight. They call her names. I don’t like it, and I tell them to stop.”
“Do you have a problem with her weight?”
“No, I don’t.” The redness on the back of his neck deepened.
“Are you … attracted to her?” Marcel asked.
“Hell, no.”
That was the first lie his son had ever told him.
“Okay.” He put his hands on his knees.
“She is … she is … I hate her, and she hates me. I don’t know why you all keep thinking that we’re going to be mates. We’re never going to be mates. Not ever.”
“Where does this hatred come from?” Marcel asked.
Landon opened his mouth, closed it, and then shrugged. “I don’t know. It has been so long, I can’t remember. I just wished people would stop treating us like we’re soul mates or whatever.”
Marcel was aware of his son’s girlfriend, or whatever she was, as Landon never said if she was his girlfriend or not. Cheryl wasn’t a nice girl. She was cruel and weak but stunningly beautiful.
“Okay, fine, but whoever took her clothes, they’ll pay for it.”
“It wasn’t me.”
Marcel nodded and left the bedroom, but he kept the door ajar. Then he watched and listened to his son.
The drawer beside his bed slid open, and Landon sat on his bed, staring at something, but Marcel wasn’t sure what.
Landon went to screw up the picture but then tossed it back into his drawer and got up.
Marcel heard the shower running, and with his son distracted, he stepped into his son’s room and went to the drawer. Sure enough, the picture Landon had been looking at was one of Alexa.
It had to have been taken a few months ago, as she looked roughly the same age as she did now. In this picture, she was laughing. It looked like someone had zoomed in the camera to get a good shot of her.
If his son hated her so much, why did he have this picture of her, which was clearly taken without her being aware of it?
****
Three years later
Graduating high school was a lot easier than this. The transition was never sugarcoated. The experience was going to be painful. Since their seventeenth birthday, they had been preparing for this. As per pack Alpha Marcel’s training, for the moons leading up to their transition, they had to be present with the pack. They had to witness their fellow wolves, as well as their seasoned wolves, turn into a wolf.
New wolves screamed, fought, and struggled, and the experience was pure pain. For older wolves, it was like being a second skin. No pain, just acceptance of what was going to happen.
Alexa closed her eyes as another wave of pain came, and she didn’t want to fight it. Her mother had said the biggest problem new wolves faced was being afraid. She closed her eyes and breathed through the pain, trying to contain the screams as her body broke, shattering the bones and then melding them together.
Curling up into a ball, she panted. Not too far from where she lay was Landon. They were the only two to have their birthday this past month. Shared as so many others were, and she heard him scream. An odd, unmistakable need to go to him, to help him, started to overwhelm her.
The feeling lessened as more pain erupted throughout her body.
She wasn’t going to fight it. Not ever.
I’m at one with my wolf.
She kept on chanting it, picturing her wolf. Her parents had told her a wolf’s coloring was normally down to their natural hair color, and she imagined a dark-brown wolf, trying to picture what her wolf looked like.
The moon gained power as it went high up into the sky. The pain seemed to go to unimaginable lengths. Then, a sudden jolt, a tearing of flesh, and Alexa was a wolf. She turned on her four legs and stared at the ground, becoming aware of so many things all at once.
Especially the wolf a few feet in front of her.
Landon.
Looking up, she noticed he was already staring at her, and she knew what her parents had been saying since their birth was correct. Landon Gorman was her mate. The flash, the awareness, the needs within her wolf to go to him was so strong, but she held herself back. The boy she’d hated for so long, who was now a man, was her mate.
No.
This couldn’t be happening. She refused to accept it.
They moved together as one and glared. Underneath it all, Alexa couldn’t deny the attraction she felt. The overwhelming need to feel him surround her.
It was strong. Impossibly strong.
She wanted him so badly. But she was going to deny herself. They were not going to ever be mates, ever.
****
Later that night.
“They fought it. How is that possible?” Penelope asked.
Gertie reached for her best friend’s hand and tried to offer her support. For eighteen years, they had waited for this moment. With their kids’ hatred for one another developing, they had all hoped that with the first transition, a mating would occur.
It hadn’t.
They had watched the two face off with each other, and being in wolf form themselves, they had felt the connection the two had. The rumors were indeed true.
Born at exactly the same time, within the same pack, it meant they were fated mates. They knew all their lives that they were destined to be together, but they had fought it.
Gertie had never known anything like it before.
“Their hatred for one another,” Marcel said. “That has to be the key. They don’t want to be mated, so they’ve denied each other the truth for so long. In my experience, I’ve never known anyone to reject their mate before. Never.”
