Her Alpha Mate 50

Zack:

"Oh, for heaven's sake, I mean, for the fuck's sake! Why don't you stop being so nervous? You're making me nervous."

I chuckled softly as I heard Peter snapping at Chance for being so nervous, while Pearl chided him for his language. Chance had been very nervous for the past two days since he learned that his mate was coming, and everyone could sense it.

A loud groan and a head banging on my desk made me look up. Chance buried his head in his arms and spoke in a hushed tone, "When are they coming? My wolf is driving me crazy."

"Maybe you need to have sex again," I grinned, remembering our conversation before Freya and I met.

He lifted his head and glared at me before grabbing the stapler, "I'll break your nose with this. I'm waiting for my mate."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at the thought of my own mate, "Good idea. Just a few more hours and you can do whatever you want together."

He was silent for a few seconds, but I could see he was stirred up inside. "What if she doesn't want me?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reece looked up in shock and Peter spit out his coffee, while my face showed a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"Let me get this straight, you think your mate is going to reject you? The wolf who's the complete opposite of the rest of us. Are you kidding me?" I asked incredulously.

He blinked once and furrowed his eyebrows as if he didn't understand what I was getting at.

Peter cleared his throat, "What Zack means is that if our mates could accept us, why couldn't yours? You're a much more humble and respectful wolf than the rest of us. I still don't know what was going through Pearl's mind when she ran into my arms."

I sparkled at him, "My sister didn't run into your arms. You..."

"And we're getting off topic," Peter said loudly, interrupting me, "Your mate will accept you, Chance."

Chance sighed, "I hope so."

I exchanged a glance with Reece, who was staring at a list of all the wolves abroad.
Maybe it was Chance's volatility that got to me, but I couldn't shake the feeling of unease when I thought of his mate.




***




"Alpha Zack, Luna Freya, the trackers have arrived. They're heading over the border right now."

Freya lifted her head from my chest and stood up excitedly, "I can't wait to meet these people, not to mention our new Gamma female."

I groaned, feeling the emptiness in my arms, but stood up anyway. Freya slipped into one of my hoodies, causing my wolf to purr delightedly - he loved knowing our mate was covered in our scent.

"How do I look?" asked Freya, throwing her hair back dramatically and posing.

I scratched my head awkwardly, trying to figure out how to phrase it, "Cute? I don't know. I'm not the right person to ask.
All I see is my mate covered in my clothes, and that just pushes my ego."

She stared at me curiously as I continued to shuffle my feet awkwardly. I didn't mean to sound so possessive, but it came naturally sometimes.

A soft snort sounded, and I looked up to find that she was trying to stifle her laughter.

Great, now she was laughing at my expense too.

"Your face," she gasped between breaths,
"You look like a guilty puppy."

I rolled my eyes and pretended to be angry, "Yeah, whatever."

"Are you mad because I made fun of you?"

"Yeah."

She stepped in front of me and wrapped her arms around my neck, "How can I cheer you up?"

I was just about to make a somewhat scandalous request when I noticed the glint of amusement in her eyes. She knew I was faking it, the little minx.

She kissed my jawline and grinned, "How about giving me a piggyback ride?"

"How exactly is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"You get the pleasure of carrying your mate," she said, standing behind me and jumping up. I grabbed her thighs and held them as I walked out with a low grumble.

"What was that, Zack? I can't hear you." she said, and her voice sounded amused. I looked up at her, trying not to stare like a fool. The sunlight shone at a perfect angle on her face, and her hair shone in the rays.

She looked like an angel.

But then I remembered that I was supposed to be angry, so I looked away and muttered, "You're huge. My back hurts already, and I can barely wrap my arms around your thighs."

She laughed out loud, which made my heart race helplessly in my chest. There was no doubt in my mind that I was absolutely in love with her.

"That's called muscle, Zack. You'd have if you worked out more," she said, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I felt a shiver run down my spine at the feeling, and shook my head as she kissed my mark.

"I'm going to throw you against a tree if you don't stop," I said, changing my grip slightly so that my hands were closer to her buttocks.

Her lips formed a smile on my skin,
"And you want those poor chipmunks and squirrels to witness our mating? No, thank you."

I was about to retort something when the group of trackers finally came into view - they checked in with Reece and got their bags out of the cars.

Freya got off my back and held my hand as we approached the group.

"It's good to see y'all again," I called over all the chatter to get their attention. There was a blush and a pair of arms wrapped around my neck as the she-wolf tried to hug me.

"Zack!" the voice screeched in my ear. I felt the mating bond twitch a little, and I knew Freya was trying not to be bothered by the she-wolf, who just kissed me excitedly on the cheek.

I cleared my throat and gently pushed her off me, "Queen, this is my mate Freya."

Queen's brown eyes widened and her head snapped up to Freya, who greeted her with a friendly smile. She squealed again and wrapped her arms around Freya, "Luna!"

Freya looked shocked by her energy and gently patted her back, "Hi Queen, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Queen started to say something about Freya's hair and I took the opportunity to connect with Chance, 'Where the heck are you?'

'I'm on my way. I'm combing my hair.'

'For ten minutes?'

'Um.'

'Get your ass down here. There are only three she-wolves here. One of them will definitely be your mate. So hurry up.'

I broke the mind link and smiled at the man walking toward me, "Michael."

Michael, also known as Queen's twin brother, smiled and shook my hand, "How are you doing, Zack?"

"Great. How was South Africa?"

He started talking about how nice the people were there and how much they loved Cape Town. I listened patiently, but kept an eye on the three she-wolves-they'd to stay here until Chance got up here.

"Michael, my friend!"

We turned to look at Chance, who was running up the trail with a big grin on his face. My eyes widened as I noticed he was wearing a well-pressed shirt and tie and was holding a bouquet of pink roses.

Why didn't I do that when I found Freya?
Oh yes, because I was too busy trying to match her up with my 'expectations' list.

He stopped in front of Michael and tapped him on the shoulder with his fist, "Long time no see."

Michael nodded at the bouquet, "Are those for me? I hate to tell you, but I prefer petunias."

I chuckled and Chance rolled his eyes, "You'll see."

He pushed past us and walked up to Reece, who was examining the other two she-wolves. I saw him sniff the air and frown in confusion as he approached them. The two she-wolves exchanged a few words with him before heading toward the pack with their duffel bags.

I glanced at Freya, who was watching him anxiously as he spoke to Reece. Queen followed her gaze and frowned, "Why does Chance have flowers?"

"Excuse us, Michael and Queen. We'll be right back. Go get settled in. I'm sure your parents are waiting for you," I said, taking Freya's hand and pulling her toward Reece and Chance.

"I don't understand. I can smell them. My wolf is excited. All the signs are there," Chance said, staring sadly at the bouquet.

Suddenly, a car door slammed loudly, making us all wince.

A pair of combat boots walked around the car and my eyes widened in surprise at who it was, "Betty?"

She nodded curtly at me, "Alpha Zack."

We watched as she walked up to Reece to sign in when she suddenly made eye contact with Chance. Freya excitedly grabbed my hand as the two stared at each other. Chance smiled broadly as he stepped forward to hand her the bouquet, but she turned away.

Freya let out a soft squeal as she ignored him and walked over to Reece, "May I check in?"

Reece stared at her as if she'd grown a second head, but he slowly swallowed, "Uh, sure."

After he crossed her name off the list, she grabbed her duffel bag from the trunk and headed toward her luggage without another glance at Chance.

Chance clutched the bouquet tightly. My heart clenched as I saw how inconsolably he stared at Betty's retreating back.

"I knew something like this would happen," he said softly, and his voice became brittle.

He dropped the bouquet and walked into the woods before any of us could stop him. Freya let go of my hand and ran after Betty, "You two look for Chance! I'm going to check on Betty."

I exchanged a look with Reece and he nodded, looking very worried about the situation.

We slipped into our wolves and ran after Chance.