Unexpected Fated Mate, Alpha's Obsession | Read Free Preview
Read chapters 1–3 of Unexpected Fated Mate, Alpha's Obsession free. Unlock the full ebook when you are ready to keep going.
Chapter 1 — How about Considering Me?
Freya's POV:
"Miss, today is the Harvest Moon Festival. The shop will be closing early. Your mate... still hasn't arrived?"
The bridal shop manager looked at me with an expression full of apology and pity.
At her words, my fingers tightened around the lace hem of the pure white wedding gown, my knuckles turning white.
The Harvest Moon Festival was the wolf clan's most important celebration. Legend has it that the Moon Goddess bestowed her blessings on the wolves on this day, so pack members would finish work early and return to their territories for the ritual.
As the only daughter of the former Alpha of the Frostshadow Pack, I had been with Henry Dawson, the younger brother of the Ironblood Pack's Alpha, for six years. We were about to become official mates.
We'd agreed to meet on the Harvest Moon Festival to try on our mating ceremony outfits. Miss this day, and we'd have to wait an entire year.
But I'd sat on that sofa waiting the whole afternoon. Henry's messages went unanswered. His calls went straight to voicemail.
The longer I waited, the colder my heart grew. My thumb swiped aimlessly across my phone screen.
Then a post popped up. My finger slipped and I tapped it.
It was from Lisa Dawson. "So good to be home. Henry's spoiling me rotten."
Below it was a photo.
Right in the center of the shot, Henry was turned sideways, head bent toward Lisa as he said something to her. His eyes were crinkled into crescents from smiling.
I stared at that photo for a long time. Then I laughed bitterly.
Lisa was Henry's adopted sister. The childhood sweetheart he'd doted on since they were young. And the thorn stuck between Henry and me that six years still hadn't managed to pull out.
My wolf spirit howled deep in my mind, wanting to tear those two b*stards apart.
After forcing down the lump in my throat, my fingers trembling, I dialed Henry's number again.
The phone rang several times before someone picked up. Background noise flooded the line—loud music, glasses clinking, bursts of laughter. Henry's voice was flat and careless, even carrying a trace of impatience at being interrupted. "Yeah?"
"Henry." My voice shook from the cold, but I forced myself to sound steady. "Today was the day we were supposed to try on our wedding outfits. I've been waiting at the bridal shop. Where are you?"
A beat of silence. Then Henry's indifferent tone came through, as if he were commenting on something completely unimportant. "Oh. I forgot. Lisa just got back from overseas. I'm throwing her a welcome-home party. We can do the fitting another day. What difference does it make?"
Oh. He forgot.
Why didn't he just forget where the Ironblood Pack territory was?
My heart sank all the way to the bottom. I gritted my teeth and said, "Henry, what's wrong with you? What kind of normal sibling relationship blows off something as important as a wedding fitting? By the Moon Goddess, this is blasphemy against the bond itself."
Henry's tone darkened, carrying that familiar note of dismissal.
"Freya, don't be ridiculous. Lisa is my sister. She just came back. Of course I'm going to be with her. It's just a dress. You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."
"Ridiculous?"
A laugh bubbled out of me, bitter and broken. The last trace of love in my heart flickered and died.
For six years, Lisa had always had some reason to call Henry away. A car accident on her birthday. A suicide threat on Valentine's Day. Henry always chose to abandon me for her.
And now, with our bonding ceremony just around the corner, Henry could still stand me up for his precious sister.
"Henry," I said, taking a deep breath. My voice came out eerily calm. "Don't say another word.
"We're done."
Henry snapped on the other end, his voice sharp with irritation, "Freya, are you breaking up with me again? Lisa only went overseas three years ago because of you. And now you're still trying to push her away. I already agreed to bond with you. Why can't you just accept her?"
Listening to his righteous accusations, all I felt was disgust and bitter amusement.
I stood up, dragging the long train of the gown behind me as I walked to the shop's glass door.
Outside, the full moon had already risen above the horizon. Silver light poured down over the earth. In the distance, I could just make out the bonfires lit for the ritual, flickering within the pack territories.
I paused for a moment. Then I spoke into the phone, my words landing as hammer blows. "Fine. I want you to hear me loud and clear. I swear by the Moon Goddess—today, I am done with Henry Dawson. I will never, in this lifetime or any other, bond with you as your mate. And if I break this oath, may you, Henry, die without an heir. May you rot childless and cursed before your time."
I hung up before he could respond. My fingers flew across the screen—blocked Henry on WhatsApp, blocked his number, deleted every last trace of him from my phone.
I stripped off the wedding gown and handed it to the stunned shop assistant. No hesitation. No looking back. I walked out.
The evening wind hit my face, carrying the cold, clean taste of freedom. It almost felt like the Moon Goddess's blessing. I called an Uber. I just wanted to get as far away from that toxic mess as possible.
The car had barely pulled away from the curb when my phone rang again.
A number flashed on the screen—unfamiliar yet strangely familiar at the same time. My heart gave a strange, inexplicable lurch. I hesitated, and then pressed answer.
The next second, a deep voice came through the receiver. And somehow, impossibly, it smoothed out the rage and panic clawing at my chest.
"Freya."
The man's voice was low. Steady. The kind of voice that didn't take no for an answer. "So I heard," he said, "Henry stood you up."
I pressed my lips together and said nothing.
The person on the other end seemed to smile. "How about giving me a shot as your mate?"
Chapter 2 — Are You Doing This to Get Back at Me?
Freya's POV:
The person on the other end of the line was Samuel Dawson—Henry's older brother and the current Alpha of the Ironblood Pack.
He was usually indifferent and distant with everyone. Back when Henry and I were together, he'd never once given me a good look.
Now, at my lowest and most humiliated moment, this Alpha was saying he wanted to bond with me?
I let out a sigh, my face ashen. "Samuel, your brother just finished screwing me over. Now it's your turn?"
"Are you scared?" Samuel's voice was taunting. "That doesn't really match your usual reckless, fearless attitude."
Oh, who's scared?
The anger and hurt bubbling inside me overpowered my common sense. My stubbornness flared up immediately. Moon Goddess vows, bonding contracts—all of it flew out the window.
"Fine, let's go. Don't you regret it."
Twenty minutes later, outside the wolf clan's official bonding registration office, Samuel's black SUV sat parked. He stepped out in a black suit—broad shoulders, narrow waist. The oppressive presence of an Ironblood Alpha rolled off him in waves. Nearby wolves instinctively lowered their heads and stepped aside, not daring to meet his gaze.
I couldn't help muttering to myself.
Henry was considered one of the better-looking wolves of the younger generation. But next to his brother Samuel? He didn't even come close.
Samuel walked up to me, the corner of his mouth quirked up, his teasing eyes carrying a hint of wickedness.
"You actually showed up."
Now that I was face to face with this Alpha, my confidence was already starting to waver. But I was in too deep. I stiffened my neck and shot back, "You're not scared. Why would I be?"
After all, they were biological brothers! If anything, he was the one who should be embarrassed—stealing his own brother's mate.
Samuel just smiled ambiguously and walked into the hall first.
No unnecessary procedures. The two of us handed over our identification credentials. In less than ten minutes, the bonding certificate stamped with the wolf clan's official seal was placed in our hands.
As I walked out the door, the panic hit me belatedly. I looked at Samuel's cold, intimidating presence beside me and suddenly realized how insane this was—out of spite, I had bonded with my ex-boyfriend's older brother.
Seeing me freeze, Samuel's icy voice cut through the air. "It's too late for regrets. There's no way I'm dissolving this contract with you."
I thought for a moment, and then asked, "Why did you bond with me?"
It wasn't like he even liked me.
Samuel let out a short laugh. "Simple. The Ironblood Pack needs a Luna. The elders in the pack have been hounding me for years. Rather than waste time looking for someone else, I might as well pick the one they're already happy with."
It clicked immediately.
The Frostshadow Pack and the Ironblood Pack had been allied for generations. Even though my parents had died in a territorial battle and Frostshadow was now managed by my uncle, Samuel's parents and his grandfather were still very pleased with me.
His reasoning made sense, actually.
I started walking down the steps. Then my foot caught on nothing, and I nearly tumbled down the stairs.
Samuel, standing right beside me, reacted instantly. He reached out and pulled me into his arms.
In that split second, the clean, minty scent of Samuel filled my nose. My heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"Where are you going?" Samuel's deep voice sounded above my head.
It took me a moment to compose myself and steady my breathing. "Home."
"Did you forget? We're mates now."
Oh. Right!
The next second, Samuel released me with perfect politeness. "Come with me."
With that, he headed down the steps first. Without overthinking it, I followed.
We were mates now. It wasn't like he was going to hurt me.
*****
Samuel took me straight to a villa halfway up the mountain. It was hidden deep in the woods, with a wide, open view overlooking the entire city at night. Lavish but cold. Completely in line with his personality.
I stood in the middle of the living room, looking around in confusion.
Samuel stopped a short distance away and turned to me. "From now on, we live here."
This would be our home.
I just stared at him blankly until Samuel instructed a housekeeper named Sylvie to show me around the villa, inside and out. Meanwhile, he disappeared up the stairs.
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. The man looked like someone had just stolen his last dollar and run over his dog.
After following Sylvie around, I realized just how massive this villa was. Five full floors. An elevator inside. Ten staff members, all newly transferred in.
From Sylvie, I found out that Samuel had only just returned from abroad this morning.
He'd just gotten back, and he already knew Henry had stood me up?
Was he bonding with me just to get back at me for what happened three years ago?
Chapter 3 — How About We Finish It?
Freya's POV:
The sky quickly darkened. I headed toward the master bedroom.
The master bedroom in this villa was huge, covered in dark cashmere carpet. The floor-to-ceiling windows faced the full moon over the wilderness. The atmosphere was quiet and intimate.
After showering, I changed into the loose bathrobe Samuel had prepared. I stood at the bathroom door, too nervous to go out.
Samuel was already leaning against the headboard reading a book. He wore a black bathrobe that made his tall frame look even more striking. His minty pheromones had mellowed considerably, carrying a calming presence that made me feel safe.
He lifted his eyes to look at me. His gaze was calm, without a hint of ulterior motive. Then he said something that made my face burn bright red.
"Come here. Time to sleep."
He put down the book and patted the spot next to him, his tone completely natural.
I bit my lip, shuffling reluctantly toward the bed, my arms crossed over my chest, my whole posture screaming wariness.
Samuel shot me a sideways glance. "Relax. I'm not that desperate. I have no interest in your underdeveloped body."
Who was he calling underdeveloped?
I may not have an hourglass figure or an E-cup bust, but I'm not exactly built like a board either. Let's just say there are curves in all the right places.
I immediately took offense. "You think I'm still the Omega without a wolf spirit from three years ago? I'm fully developed, okay?"
Without thinking, I grabbed Samuel's large hand and pulled it toward my chest, right where it stood proud and firm...
The moment before contact, I snapped back to my senses. I stopped abruptly and let go of his hand.
I was losing my mind.
The Frostshadow Pack had a rule: every member must remain loyal to their mate and abstain from pre-bonding sex. So in the six years Henry and I had been together, we'd never even had a real deep kiss. We'd always respected that boundary.
And yet just now, I'd almost done something that insane with his older brother.
Seeing me stop, Samuel raised one corner of his thin lips and deliberately teased me, "What's wrong? Suddenly feeling insecure?"
My face was burning. In a fit of anger and embarrassment, I shoved him. "Even if I am underdeveloped, that's none of your business."
I tried to get up and leave. But the next second, I was pushed back down, my back pressed against the sofa again.
I struggled to get up. Samuel's tall frame leaned down over me, his overwhelming presence crashing into me.
"Freya...
"You had the nerve to mate yourself to me. But you don't have the nerve to share a bed with me?"
He was naturally handsome—normally dignified and cold. But right now, hidden in the depths of his eyes, there was a trace of wickedness. The open collar of his bathrobe revealed his sexy Adam's apple, bobbing slightly as he swallowed. The sight made my mind go blank.
Then a memory from three years ago flashed through my head.
That chaotic night. The wet, hot kisses. The close, tangled bodies...
My blood rushed to my head. I grabbed Samuel's collar, yanked him down, and firmly pressed my lips against his.
I had no idea how to kiss. I just wanted to provoke him out of spite. I opened my mouth and started biting wildly, pretending to be experienced. But my movements were clumsy and awkward. I knocked my teeth against his several times, the pain making my eyes sting slightly.
Samuel's gaze instantly darkened. In the depths of his gray-blue eyes, emotions too thick to name churned violently. His face was tight, clearly holding back with immense effort. His voice was low and rough, husky with restrained desire. "Freya. Do you know what you're doing?"
"Of course I know. I'm messing with you."
Still acting out of spite, I tilted my head up to keep biting him, glaring at him defiantly. "What, scared? I knew it. You're just like you were three years ago. All talk, just messing with me."
I was sure he was only teasing me, that he wouldn't actually do anything. After all, the way he'd always looked at me before was distant and serious.
But the next second, his low voice sounded in my ear, carrying an unmistakable weight. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Before I could react, he lowered his head and kissed me. He took control, stealing my breath, plundering all the air from my mouth. His body was burning hot, searing me even through the bathrobe, making me go completely weak.
His voice was hoarse beyond measure. The desire in his eyes was completely unconcealed. He pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, each word striking at the secret between us. "How about we finish what we didn't three years ago?"
Finished the preview?
Unlock the full ebook now and continue the story right away. Get instant access after purchase — no shipping, no waiting. Delivered as PDF and EPUB for reading on phone, tablet, or desktop.
👉 Unlock the Full Story — Unexpected Fated Mate, Alpha's Obsession ($9.99)