The Mating Rules

I’m at work, leaning over my desk cleaning up a new set of drawings for a contract from another pack. They want to build a new building for one of their businesses and asked Alpha Scott if we would be interested in designing it for them.

I’d been given a rough idea of what was wanted and then left to create my vision of what had been described. I love jobs like this, where I’m given creative freedom to make something spectacular. I’m already on my fifth coffee and it’s only eleven thirty, one part just doesn’t look right and I can’t get it to bend to the vision in my head.

‘Knock knock’ comes that deep velvety voice that makes my knees weak.

Looking up, I smile as I straighten up, pushing back from my desk to stand and hurry over to the delicious man in my doorway. ‘Hey baby’ the young Alpha growls, bending down to peck my lips as his hands are full of a carrier with two take away coffees and a bag that smells like warm pastries.

‘What are you doing here?’ I squeal, taking the coffees and leading the way toward the small couch in the corner of my room.

Taking a seat, Caden pulls out a pain au chocolat that he holds out to me, ‘I heard that my brilliant mate was designing an entire building on her own’ he replies as I take the pastry and bite into it hungrily. ‘I thought I’d pop in and make sure that you aren’t forgetting to take breaks.’

I smile, swallowing my mouthful, ‘thank you’ I reply, ‘I must admit my head has only come up from that drawing when Ashleigh appears with coffee.’

Caden growls disapprovingly, his eyes turning gold for a split second as I reach over and pat his hand soothingly. ‘Calm down Cobalt, I am taking a break now and it’s even better because it’s with my favourite Alpha.’

I giggle at the purr that rumbles out of my mate’s chest, so loud that Caden’s face flushes the cutest shade of pink.

‘Aww, is my Alpha happy?’ I coo, grinning widely.

‘I’m just hungry’ Caden mutters, pulling a croissant out of the bag and ripping a chunk out with his teeth.

‘If you say so’ I reply, shoving my pastry into my mouth as the Alpha eyes narrow at me warningly.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Finishing off the pain au chocolat, Caden immediately pushes the bag toward me where I fish out a blueberry muffin, bringing a smile to my face. They are my favourite.

‘How did you know I like blueberry?’ I demand suspiciously.

The Alpha looks away from me, avoiding my gaze, ‘I um . . . I might have seen you always order them when you go to the bakery’ he replies.

My eyes widen, ‘were you spying on me?’ I challenge, my mate’s blush deepening.

‘No!’ He protests quickly, ‘it’s just you tend to go to the same bakery that Isaac and I would visit and you always order a blueberry muffin with a latte.’

A smile lights up my face as I lean closer, ‘you really did have a crush on me when I was younger, didn’t you’ I tease.

Caden meets my gaze, his eyes darkening as he nods, ‘you know I did’ he rumbles. ‘Your brother used to give me some really annoyed looks when he was talking to me and I was staring at your a*s, ignoring him. He thought I had a thing for the barista because I’d zone out so often.’

I laugh, shaking my head, ‘maybe you did? Maybe this is all just baloney to make me feel bad for you’ I reply.

The Alpha dusts off the crumbs from his hands before sliding off his seat to his knees in front of me. Pressing his lips to mine, he k****s me until my head spins before pulling back and smiling. ‘Does that feel like I’m making it up?’ he asks.

I shake my head, my ability to speak currently having fled. Clearing my throat, I take a bite of my muffin as Caden sits back down before clearing my throat and deciding to ask about something that has been bothering me.

‘Caden’ I start uncertainly, ‘could I ask you something?’

The Alpha becomes guarded but nods warily.

‘Why do you and Hadley hate each other?’ I rush out, biting my l*p nervously as the man in front of me stares at me silently for a moment.

I don’t think he’s going to answer and am about to try and cover my nosiness when the Alpha starts to speak. ‘I don’t hate Carrington’ he sighs, dragging his fingers through his hair, ‘not really.’

I’m confused now, the two of them have fought non stop since they were kids.

Meeting my gaze he gives me a sad smile. ‘When I was born, the entire pack treated me like I was someone special. I was constantly told how I would take over the pack one day and be the protector of everyone in it. My dad especially liked to remind me that I was the future Alpha and I had responsibilities.

I did what I was told I needed to do, I studied at school, left with good grades, and got my degree in business ready to take over all our companies. I trained every day with the pack warriors as a child, learning everything I could to be the best I could be.

When I turned ten, my father said it was time for me to stop training with the kids and start going up against the adults.’

I gasp at his words, every other wolf stays with the kids until they are fourteen and on the verge of getting their wolf, to get moved up so young is unheard of. ‘I don’t remember this’ I mutter, frowning.

Caden laughs, ‘you were only six, baby, you weren’t even training properly, let alone with me’ he replies.

I nod, motioning for him to continue. ‘I joined the elite fighters because, supposedly, the main training group wasn’t enough for the future Alpha. My father would come down to watch me spar, giving me lectures after each session if a warrior managed to get me off my feet. I kept practicing, trying to make my dad proud, and show I was capable. Soon I could get every Elite warrior down.

When I was thirteen, Hadley joined the elite training, it was weird at the time. His parents were low level warriors, so he should have gone into main stream training, not elite with me. Of course, his parents were not his real parents, so no one actually knew what his rank was, but his youth trainer told my dad he was too good for regular training and dad agreed.

He decided that it would be good for me to have another wolf my age in the elites, someone to compete against, help to train as I was meant to be the best.’ Caden huffed out a laugh, ‘he ordered that Hadley and I spar against each other every single training session. First, it was just fists, then when our wolves started to emerge and we could produce claws, it became more physical. At one point, we were fighting until one of us was knocked out.’

My hand covers my mouth at his words. I had no idea he and Hadley had been pushed into almost challenging each other.

‘What happened?’ I whisper, not even sure I want to know.

Caden shrugs, ‘he beat me’ he replied sullenly, ‘every single time, Hadley beat me and I’d look up from the floor to see my father’s disapproving look before he turned away from me. He’d then congratulate Carrington for his skills, shake his hand, tell him how proud he was of the exemplary fighter he had become. Then he’d walk off without a backward glance, leaving me on the ground to be taken to the pack hospital to be fixed up.

I started watching Carrington when he trained, and was almost stalking him at one point. Learning his workout routines, watching him go through his techniques, memorising them. Over and over we fought, me using his own moves against him, but he would bring something new up, and down I would go again, hitting the dirt.

Finally, when I was fifteen, Carrington and I were fighting, it was no longer even a pretense of sparring, we were challenging each other and there was b***d all over us both. I got him on the floor, sat on his chest, and punched him over and over until he stopped moving. I leaned back and looked up at my dad who was watching us.’ Caden licks his lips, the bottom one trembling ever so slightly, ‘I waited for his praise, I’d finally won, I was the strongest wolf in the pack beaten only by my father.

Dad just looked at me before muttering, “finally” with disgust, as though I’d learned to tie my shoelaces after years of not getting it or something, and walked back to the pack house. He never acknowledged me, there was no well done son like there had been for Carrington all those years. It wasn’t an accomplishment for me to beat the guy, it was what I should always have been able to do and finally completing the task meant nothing.’

He sighed again, resting his head in his hands, ‘I started to resent Carrington. Envied him for getting my father’s praise when I only got his disappointment, even if I did what was expected. Hated him for being better than me when I was supposed to be the strongest, especially as he wasn’t Alpha blooded. That’s what made it so much worse. The guy wasn’t an Alpha, but he STILL beat me over and over again.

It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t set out to cause me to be screamed at by my dad every night. Always being told what an embarrassment to the family name I am and how the pack will probably fold under my rule because I’m weak. He didn’t know that my failure in beating him each day then led to being dragged out of bed at 2 am and forced down to the gym to hit a punching bag over and over until my knuckles bled. To do hand to hand combat with my own father where he held nothing back, often leaving me with broken bones or a concussion. But that is what his abilities did, they led to all that and I resented him for it.’

The Alpha meets my gaze, and I flinch at the pain there, moving from my own seat to his so I can wrap my arms around him, ‘why is he stronger than me?’ he whispers. ‘Am I defective? Maybe I’m not really an Alpha, being Alpha born doesn’t always mean you have the strongest wolf.’

I shake my head immediately, grabbing his face between my palms and forcing the Alpha to look at me. ‘You are not defective’ I say firmly, ‘you are an Alpha wolf, I know you are. I don’t know why Hadley is so strong, but that has no bearing on your strength or your worth. When I needed you, when that slimy werewolf bit my sister and had hold of me? You were all Alpha when you were dealing with it. A lesser wolf would have stood aside, and let the guy take me, too scared I might get hurt in the process of the fight. Not my Alpha though, he was fully confident in his ability to save me and that comes from his strength as the toughest werewolf of our kind.’

Caden holds my gaze, studying me, searching for a flicker of untruth, but I stand firm, unblinking. Letting out a breath, the Alpha presses his forehead to mine, ‘I will always come for you Leeway’ he whispers, ‘if you need me, I’ll be there, no matter what.’

I nod solemnly, ‘I know’ I reply, pressing my lips to his, ‘that’s why I’m never scared, because I know that if I get into trouble, you’ll save me. You are my Alpha, Caden, the bravest werewolf I know, and you are going to be the best leader of this pack we have ever seen.’