Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

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  Copyright© 2021 Jade Marshall

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0440-1

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

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  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  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.

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  Thank you!

  NOT HIS MATE

  Katu Wolves, 2

  Jade Marshall

  Copyright © 2021

  Prologue

  Talon

  The Hatcher pack might be one of the worst places in the world to grow up since our Alpha left. It used to be a safe place where we lived in harmony, and everyone was happy to be here. But Slade has taken the reins of our pack and has changed it into something that is barely recognizable to most of the original members.

  He has brought in wolves from other packs, lone wolves, and even wolves that had been excommunicated by their packs. The pack has grown restless with time, and many of the original families have left.

  My father chose to stay, stating that he was loyal to the pack. He wanted to believe the pack made the Alpha but that simply isn’t true. But my father has since passed and left me alone in this pack.

  I am almost certain if I weren’t close to coming of age that Slade would have put me out into the world. He has done it to many other young wolves, especially males. I think he may be afraid of letting them grow up in the pack to challenge him eventually.

  But today is my birthday, my eighteenth to be precise, and I don’t want to think about Slade, or the pack drama, or the way that Parker Grayson has tracked my every move since he got here just a little over six months ago.

  Parker is kind of attractive in his own way, and I’m sure that somewhere there is a girl that would be happy to have to him. But I am not that girl. I watched my parents all my life and saw the love shared between a mated couple. Since I can remember, I have wanted to find my fated mate and live happily ever after.

  But that might not be in the cards for me. Parker is one of Slade’s close men, and my greatest fear is now that I am what the pack views as an adult woman, he might want me. Slade has forced some of the unmated females into mating with his men, his inner circle. It seems to be a reward for their loyalty toward him. Loyalty isn’t what I would call it, rather coercion.

  Making my way toward the borderline of our pack compound, I can’t wait to be among the trees, breathing in nature. My name is called from somewhere behind me but I simply speed up. Letting my wolf take over for the first time in my life, I feel the shift come over me. My wolf takes full control as we hurtle toward the treeline. For the first time in my life, I feel the true freedom that comes with letting my wolf out.

  In the distance, I hear my name being called again, but I don’t look back. It never crosses my mind to stop or return, so I just keep running.

  Chapter One

  Talon

  The Hatcher pack is no more. Since Slade died, fighting to claim someone that wasn’t his, the pack has slowly fallen to shambles. I recognize that my father’s heart would be broken seeing that the pack he loved has been brought to its knees by pure arrogance.

  Slade believed that he deserved to be the Alpha of the Hatcher pack and ruled it any way he saw fit. The problem was that he wasn’t a true Alpha and was merely hurting the members of the pack instead of growing our pack to our strengths.

  That has brought us to where we are today. Everyone is gathered in the main dining hall waiting for news. What will happen to our pack now that we no longer have an Alpha. Nico enters the hall with slumped shoulders as he heads to the front of the room. He and three other wolves have been out in the world, trying to find a place for the remaining members of the pack.

  A murmur runs through the people gathered as we wait for Nico to tell us what the future holds.

  “There aren’t many packs willing to take in new members.” He sighs. “It doesn’t help that Slade made more enemies than friends in the years he ran the Hatcher pack.”

  Looking around, I see many emotions on the faces around me. Some are angry, others are worried, some fearful, and some of the women are even crying while holding their children closely. I’m eternally grateful that I don’t have any children to worry about at this moment.

  “So what do we do now?” a voice calls from the back.

  “There are two options available,” Nico replies. “Either go nomad and hope for the best, or…”

  “Or what?” I question, hoping the outcome is better than going nomad. I wouldn’t survive alone with Parker.

  “Caine, the Alpha of the Katu Pack and mate to Peyton, has opened his pack to those who wish to join,” Nico replies lowly.

  “What?” Parker sounds offended at the mere idea. “They slaughtered our Alpha and now you expect us to simply move in with them?”

  “He wasn’t our Alpha,” I state before thinking it through. The barely concealed rage I see in Parker’s eyes reminds me of what he is capable of. I know I will have to deal with the fallout later, but I have been dealing with him for the last year and I have learned how to survive.

  Standing from my seat beside Parker, I ask the question everyone has been thinking but is too afraid to voice.

  “What are their terms, Nico?”

  “No terms. I spoke with both Caine and Peyton and they are both happy to have any members that will strengthen the pack. Hunters have been moving in, taking out packs in the surrounding areas. Any wolf that decides to join the Katu pack will be welcomed. No one will be judged on Slade’s behavior or any previous issues. But know that every member of their pack is required to carry their own weight.”

  Taking a calming breath, I turn toward all those gathered. I need to get to the Katu pack. I wouldn’t survive on my own with Parker, living the nomad life. I need to sell him, and everyone else here, that the move will be the best thing for everyone involved.

  “There aren’t really options available to us. Though none of us know Caine, most of us have known Peyton her entire life. She wouldn’t open the pack to us if we wouldn’t be safe there.”

  I watch the members talk among themselves as each makes their own decision. Parker glares at me with unbridled rage, and there will surely be hell to pay for opening my mouth, but it had to be done. Slowly, people start to leave the gathering, but the energy has changed. There’s a charge in the air, and everyone can feel it. Hope. Hope for a better future.

  Clearly, most members will be moving over to the Katu pack, and I am grateful for that. Most of our regular members are good, hardworking folk who will do everything asked of them. They will be a great addition to the Katu pack.

  Parker roughly grabs my wrist and drags me out of the meeting hall and toward our home. Opening the door, he pushes me inside, causing me to trip and hit the floor hard. For the longest moment, I don’t move, simply trying to catch my breath before hell descends on me, but nothing happens.

  “Oh, will you get up?” Parker snarls from above me. “You have packing to do. We leave in the morning for Katu Falls.”

  Chapter Two

  Callum

  Watching my brother find his mate was an experience I could have done without. First with all the moodiness when Peyton didn’t want anything to do with him, and now with all the lovey-dovey bullshit. Some days I feel like I might puke.

  Finding your one true mate is a unique and special experience for all wolves, but I just don’t get it. Xavia, our pack elder, says when my time comes, I will understand the draw and feel what Caine is currently feeling, but I’m not so sure about that.

  Peyton has changed everything around here. Her presence has changed not only my brother, the Alpha of the Katu wolf pack, but also the other members of the pack. There’s a charge of excitement running through the air, knowing our Alpha has taken a mate and the bloodline will continue. It doesn’t hurt matters to know Peyton is also an Alpha in her own right, and their offspring will have a strong bloodline and heritage to carry moving forward.

  But not everything Peyton brings to our pack has been good. First, Slade, the self-proclaimed Alpha of the Hatcher pack, nearly killed Caine, causing untold emotional damage among our people. And don’t even get me started on the Hatcher pack members who have been welcomed into our pack. Some of them are downright useless, too used to having everything done for them by the weaker members of their old pack. But I have already started weeding those members out, putting them to the test and pushing them to the breaking point.

  When Caine and Peyton opened our pack to their members, they were assured they would be welcome and safe. But no one said that they would live a life of luxury and be able to just sit back and watch everyone else do all the work. As the Beta of the Katu pack, it is my job to ensure that everyone gets a fair share of the work and the spoils. And anyone who isn’t willing to go along with that is welcome to pack their shit and leave.

  I have alr eady run several of the Hatcher pack members out of our pack just by simply making them work. I don’t know where they think they will find a pack that will take them in only to let them laze about, or whether they think the nomad life will be better suited to them, but I wish them all the luck in the world.

  The other problem I have is the fact that their previous Alpha, Slade, forced some of them into convenience matings. Meaning the matings were convenient to him. All wolves are aware of it, and some even prefer it. I mean, meet a nice young wolf, get along great, have all the same interests, but there just isn’t that mating call? Then you go through a mating ceremony and are bound to the mate you chose. It isn’t nearly as crazy or as exciting as finding your one true mate, but it works for many.

  Besides, you aren’t guaranteed to meet your one true mate in this lifetime. The problem with convenience matings is that if you do meet your one true mate, you have a massive decision to make. Do you end your current mating? Or do you refuse the greatest gift the goddess can bestow on any wolf?

  My inner musings are interrupted when I hear my name called in the distance. Turning, I see Max approaching from the far side of the compound.

  “The new arrivals here yet?” I question when he reaches me.

  He doesn’t answer but grunts. I can see the disapproval written across his face.

  “Well then. Let’s go see which of these wolves are worth anything. We need to start weeding out the ones who will bring our pack down.”

  “Sound like we have our work cut out for us.” Max sighs before leading the way.

  Chapter Three

  Talon

  I wish there was some way I could be anywhere but here. Parker is being a prick of the highest order today. Complaining about the house we were gifted this morning. It’s too small, it’s not as nice as the one we had with the Hatcher pack. He doesn’t see that this isn’t just a house but a home. I love all the little touches the pack females added to make it homier. From the purple throw on the back of the faded tan leather wingback, the shelf of romance and thriller novels against one wall in the lounge, and the fresh-baked cookies on the counter in the kitchen making the whole house smell divine.

  But Parker is an ungrateful asshole, and he has always been.

  “Talon, Jesus, can you just do something?” Parker complains.

  “What do you want me to do, Parker?” I sigh in reply.

  “Fuck knows. Go and fetch our shit, and fix this hovel to something closer to our standards.”

  Huffing, I turn toward him and place my hands on my hips. This has been my life for more than a year. Since I returned to the Hatcher Pack compound on my eighteenth birthday, I have been saddled with this bullshit. The memory of returning only to be cornered by Parker and Slade and forced into a mating I didn’t want tries to pull me in, but I push back and remain in the current moment.

  “Listen carefully, Parker, I will not be traveling two hundred miles to go and get some trinkets from our old house. The chances of it still being there are slim to start with. We have everything we need here and you’ll just have to learn to make do.”

  My back hits the wall with such speed that the wind is knocked from my lungs. Parker’s hand encloses my throat, holding me in place. I can feel his wolf ripple just beneath the surface, his claws already elongating against my skin.

  “Don’t push me, Talon. You still belong to me, no matter where we live.” He growls lowly in my ear.

  A loud knock at the door has him releasing me hastily and taking a step back. My hand goes to my throat, touching the skin that I know is red and will certainly be showing a bruise by sunset. My milk-white skin doesn’t do me any favors in hiding bruises.

  The person at the door is clearly impatient and knocks loudly for a second time.

  “Get the fucking door, Talon. The banging is driving me fucking nuts and is likely to give me a migraine,” Parker says at me.

  Rolling my eyes, I make my way to the door, opening it just as the man outside is about to bring his fist down on it again. His hand freezes in mid-air, and all the air leaves me for the second time in as many minutes. The man before me is probably the most handsome I have ever seen. Light-brown hair, either tousled by the light breeze outside or his hand has been run through it numerous times, bright hazel eyes, and a firm jaw. My gaze scans down his form, and I appreciate the pure maleness he exudes.

  Something niggles in the back of my mind, a fleeting thought I can’t grab a hold of before the scent of pine trees and rain fills my senses. The aroma is so strong, I feel it rush through my system and fill every corner of my being.

  My knees feel weak, my legs like rubber. For long moments, neither of us say a word, just watching each other closely. He studies my body, taking in everything all at once. When he reaches my neck, he growls lowly before reaching out and touching the place where Parker gripped me mere minutes ago. His touch is gentle, and even though my mind is screaming for me to move away from this stranger, I lean further into his touch.

  For the first time since I can remember, my mind isn’t running a mile a minute. I’m not trying to get away from this man but closer. Peace I didn’t know I could have flows through me as the realization hits. I have found my true mate. Before I can speak a word, a noise behind me startles both of us. We instantly jump apart, but our gazes stay locked.

  Chapter Four

  Calum

  The man behind her is a weasel. I can tell that before he even opens his mouth. I instantly dislike him, and it has nothing to do with the fact I can smell him all over this beautiful creature before me. I heard the way that he spoke to her as I approached their home. The evidence of his volatile nature is clear for everyone to see.

  When he reaches her side, he pushes her back and it takes every ounce of effort I can muster to not pull her back to me.

  “What do you want?” he questions haughtily.

  My gaze narrows and I can feel my wolf ripple beneath the surface. The man can clearly see my reaction and sways back slightly.

  “My name is Calum.” I don’t look at him as I speak but rather at the female. “I am the Beta for the Katu pack. I’m here to discuss your work assignments.”

  “Work assignments?” he says, clearly confused.

  He would be easy enough to run off, but I want her to stay. I want to keep her, make her mine. The smell she puts off, lavender and something sweet, clouds my senses, and I know I won’t be able to get her out of my system. This is exactly what Xavia was talking about. My true mate stands before me, and there’s nothing I can do to claim her. She’s clearly already mated.

  Fucking Slade.

  “Yes. In the Katu pack, every member is required to pull his or her own weight.”

  “But…”

  “I’m Talon.” She reaches her hand around him to shake mine. The moment I enclose her hand in mine, electricity runs along my arm, sparking my entire being.

  Talon. Her gaze stays locked to mine as her mouth parts slightly. Her emerald eyes sparkle and her red hair is wild and free. She has curves that would drive any man beyond reason, and I don’t have an idea how I am supposed to keep my hands off her.

  The man growls lowly, and she quickly releases my hand.

  “I am her mate, Parker,” he says lowly.

  The moment the words leave his mouth, I want nothing more than to put my fist in his face. He proclaims himself her mate for all the world to hear but treats her as nothing more than a slave. If she were my mate, she would want for nothing in this world. She would be my queen. Silence reigns between Parker and me for a long moment before Talon clears her throat.

 

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