The Alpha's Toy

“We’ve known each other for over a week, and for a lot of wolves that’s a lifetime already.” Zeke ran his hands up and down her arms.

Was he nervous?

“Come on, they want to meet you, and I’m tired of being hungry.” Zeke took her hand leading her out of the safety of the bedroom.

“Wait, stop,” she said.

“Dear, is that you? Does Mary like her bacon crispy?” the woman said.

“My mother is called Helen, and you know my father’s name,” Zeke said. “How do you like your bacon?”

“Crispy.”

Pushing some stray hairs off her face, she followed behind into the open kitchen. The apartment was large enough to fit a whole family.

“Mom, Dad, I’d like for you all to meet my woman, Mary,” Zeke said, holding her in front of him.

She saw his father first, and she smiled at him. Next, she saw the beautiful dark haired woman that looked a little like Zeke. Most of his looks came from his father.

“Hi,” she said.

“Sweetheart, it’s a pleasure to finally see you awake,” Helen said, circling the counter. She wore an apron spattered with grease. “When William told me my boy had gotten a mate, I couldn’t believe it.”

The men in the room tried to hush Helen up.

Mate?

“Shut up, boys. She’s going to know sooner rather than later.” Helen stood in front of her. “Now, let me have a proper look at you,” she said, cupping her cheeks and turning her head this way and that.

Mary went through the motions as the woman assessed her as if she was a prized cow. “What do you mean mate?” she asked.

The men tensed while Helen kissed her cheek. “It’s so good to have another woman in the family. For some reason the line seems to breed a lot of men.”

Helen eased her down into a chair at the counter. She noticed four settings with them all facing each other.

Was anyone going to explain the mate comment?

“Mate?” Mary asked again.

“Honey, my son has picked a fine woman in you.” The raised flesh of her neck prickled.

We’re mated. It’s about time.

“I really don’t know what you mean.”

“Mary, honey, haven’t you ever seen the marks of a mated female?” Helen asked.

“No,” Mary said, glancing behind her at Zeke.

Zeke was glaring at his mother. If looks could kill she’d be nervous.

“Helen, that’s enough,” William said, speaking up. “We’re going to have breakfast, and then we’re going to leave them to their business. This is not our pack, and it’s not our business.”

The hairs on the back of Mary’s neck stood on end. The Alpha within William was demanding obedience.

“I know. I know. You don’t have to go all Alpha on me.” Helen tapped his cheek as she passed.

All she wanted to do was get breakfast over with as fast as she could. Picking up her fork, she tensed when she felt Zeke sit beside her.

He made no move to speak to her, which she was thankful for.

During the breakfast Helen spoke of Zeke growing up, the good old days of being kids. She was given a rundown of embarrassing facts for all seasons. Throughout it all Mary relaxed even as she felt aware of Zeke at the same time.

With breakfast finished she started on the dishes as Zeke showed his parents out of the door. Sticking her hands into the soapy water she curved her hand around the blade of the knife. Zeke walked up behind her. When he was close enough to touch, she tugged the knife out of the water and brandished it in front of her. “You’re going to start talking, or else I’m going to f**king hurt you,” she said.

Her emotions were all over the place. Even as she brandished her knife at him, she couldn’t help but think she was overreacting.

He held his hands up in surrender. The smile on his lips made her even angrier.

“What did your mother say about mating? Why did you bite my neck, and how did you explain your lack of control?” she asked.

“Let go of the knife,” he said, reaching for it. Handing him back the knife, heat filled her cheeks.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” She touched her cheeks, wondering what the hell she’d done wrong.

“You’re going through something.” He stopped, looking down at the floor in front of him.

“What? What am I going through?” she asked, confused.

“My mother wasn’t wrong. We’re mated. Last night, I lost control.”

Mary stared at him. The silence in the room was deafening.

“There’s a lot of things you do not know,” Zeke said.

“Well why don’t you start telling me about all those things I don’t know.” She was tired of being kept in the dark about everything. Touching her neck, she felt the raised skin and wished there was something more she could do.

“I’ll tell you. Can we do the dishes without you trying to kill me?” he asked.

Glaring at him, she finished doing the dishes as he dried them before putting them away. When she was finished Mary walked over toward the windows staring out over the city. She wasn’t due back at work for another three weeks.

Running fingers through her hair, she tried to focus on the three weeks, but she was starting to think her time wasn’t nearly over.

“You’re not going to let me go after the month, are you?” she asked. She saw his reflection in the window.

“No, I’m not. I can’t let you go.”

Nodding, she felt tears sting her eyes. Mary knew she should be upset about his news, yet part of her was relieved to hear him not getting rid of her.

“What do you need to tell me?” she asked.

“I was the dog you saw down the alley,” he said. His arms wrapped around her waist holding onto her tightly.

“What?”

“I’m the one who smelled you, Mary. I was the large black dog that couldn’t resist you. I’d been scenting you for some time, and then you were coming out of the building and I couldn’t stop. I was the one who bit you,” Zeke said.

Her heart pounded as she recalled the black dog approaching. At the time she reached out, in an attempt to touch him. He’d struck, sinking his teeth into her arm. The pain had been excruciating. Afterward all she remembered were Roger and Dani. They’d taken her away from him.

“I had every intention of finding you. In fact, I never gave up trying to find you,” he said, surprising her.

“You were looking for me?” she asked.