Hate Mates (The Alpha Shifter)

“Dude, I think your dad knows what Cheryl is trying, which is why he’s also keeping her locked up. Cheryl wasn’t hurt, man. She is after you, and is pretty determined to get you.”

****

Alexa nibbled on her lip and glanced around the diner. The pack members were staring at her, or trying to pretend they weren’t actually staring at her. Whenever she caught someone looking her way, she offered them a smile, hoping they got the hint that everything was fine.

Landon was late.

Their food was going to be here soon. She glanced at the clock and wondered what was keeping him.

When Marcel entered the diner, she was very much aware of his presence. There was no denying the alpha in the room. It was rare for him to come into the diner at lunchtime. She looked at the people at each table, wondering if they were expecting him. No one showed any signs of Marcel being their dinner guest.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when he took a seat right in front of her.

“Hello, Alexa,” he said.

“Alpha.” She didn’t know if she should bow her head or simply greet him as a father-in-law. “Have I … is something wrong? Is Landon okay?”

“Why isn’t Landon here?”

“He just needed to run errands. I’ve ordered food for him. Does that break any kind of rule?” she asked, a little more nervous than she would have liked to be.

“No, it’s fine.” He waved his hand in the air before placing his arms flat on the table. “I need to talk to you.”

“What about?” she asked.

“Do you care for Landon?”

“I’m not sure I know what this is about.”

“Damn it, Alexa, I’m being serious, and I don’t have time for games.”

She’d never seen Marcel so serious. “Yes, I care about him. Of course, I do.” There was no point in lying to the alpha. It wouldn’t exactly accomplish anything.

“Then you need to make a decision and fast. I’d hoped you and Landon, with the time and the distance, would have finally sealed your fate, but you’re both so fucking stubborn. Maybe that’s our fault. We pushed you both too far too soon.”

“I don’t know what is going on.”

“Landon is in love with you. He has been in love with you for a very long time. Do you know he keeps a picture of you in his bedside drawer?”

“That’s not … possible.” Was it? She didn’t voice the last part because she had a picture of him back at her parents’ house. When she first got it, she assured herself it was just to remind her that she hated him, but that was the last thing it was for. Whenever she was alone, or feeling particularly sad or lonely, she’d taken out the picture and stared at it. She didn’t know what it was about Landon, but just by looking at his face, she’d been able to calm the darkness from within.

She’d used it a lot more than she would have liked.

“It is possible. Landon is in love with you, and I’ve got a feeling you’re in love with him. I only hope it’s enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“I fear Cheryl is going to use your weakness against you and attempt to stake a claim on Landon. To rid him of your mating and to have him for herself.”

“No, that’s not possible,” she said. “No one has the power to do that.”

“Not only do they have the power to do that, but she can also succeed.” Marcel pressed his finger to the table. “It is rare for it to happen, but if a mated couple hasn’t made their claim for each other, or for whatever reason they’re not bound together, there is a slither of a chance for another woman or man, to come in and take that mate from them.”

“I’ve never heard of that.” She thought about Cheryl. The attack. The difficulty healing in the beginning, but now she was all healed. “Cheryl attacked me on purpose, didn’t she?”

“Yes. Can I ask you, are you healed?”

She licked her dry lips and nodded. “Yes, I’m healed.”