<Meet My Arrogant Prick of a Mate>

The cold fall wind rushed through my pure white fur as I weaved in and out of the thick trees in the dark forest. The night had long turned dark hours ago. Winter would soon be taking over the fall.

This was my third night volunteering to patrol the border with the other guys. Rogues attacked our territory this year and we were taking every precaution to protect the Shadowlands. My father was the last Alpha male in line to have been born. My family had led this pack and territory for centuries. There always was a male Alpha born to lead except for my generation. I was an only child so my mate would become Alpha of our pack.

Five months ago our territory and the neighboring one were attacked by rogues. They had been gathering for years. They had enough wolves to conquer at least half the territories. There were seven wolf territories. Each one had their own pack and Alpha family. My father and Alpha Eric, our neighboring pack, were two of the many wolves killed that night. The rogues were chased out beyond the border. But they threatened to return.

Uncle Bruce, my father's Beta, took over. I was not old enough to run the pack yet and I hadn't found my mate. When a wolf shifter turns eighteen they are able to find their mate. Your mate is supposed to be the other half of your soul. You feel a pull in your heart the moment your eyes meet. This was the one person fate destined you to be with for the rest of your life. When you find them, you feel complete.

The reason I knew about the feelings was I found my mate five months ago. My eighteenth birthday passed two days after my father was murdered. We held the funeral five days after I turned. That's where I saw him.

I knew him for most of my life. He was the Alpha of the Hollows pack, the neighboring pack that also got attacked. His father was the other Alpha that had been murdered. He was twenty five. He had taken over as Alpha when he turned eighteen. He turned eighteen years ago. He had already known we were mates but didn't tell me. He was refusing to claim me.

He already had his own pack and territory. I hoped that was the reason he refused to claim me. It was unprecedented for an Alpha to have two territories. But we hadn't spoken about any of this.

I hadn't even told my family or friends that I found my mate. I avoided all contact with him for the past five months. If he wasn't going to claim me or tell anyone then neither was I.

It killed me inside not to see or talk to him. I was denying myself a mate but I was scared. He made it seem like he didn't want me as his mate. As much as I didn't want to, I gave him the space he clearly desired.

My father never would have let me run on patrol. But ever since my father's death, my uncle had been letting me do whatever I wanted. Tonight I wanted to run with my fellow wolves. Bruce sent five of us to search the borders where we saw rogues last week.

As a female shifter, my wolf form was smaller than males. That just meant I was faster than the guys. It also meant I had to train harder to become a strong fighter. The guys hated training with me. They thought it was a waste of time to fight with me.

We had only been outside for an hour. I managed to outrun them within ten minutes. None of them could keep up with my pace.

The wind switched directions quickly. A faint scent drifted past my nose. I came to a halt from my run to search where the smell was coming from.

The wind blew again and the scent became stronger. It was a male wolf. He was close to my location. Bruce hadn't mentioned any visitors or new pack members. It could be an intruder. My hackles rose and my lip pulled back. A low growl rumbled in my throat.

A large black wolf stepped out from behind a group of trees. My body instantly tensed. I crouched into an attack position.

'Logan where are you?'

Wolves in the same pack have the ability to communicate through a mind link. Alphas can speak to other Alphas. Mates, when marked, can speak to each other as well. The link reached a ten—mile radius.

The others were patrolling on the other side of the territory. They were too far away to hear me. I knew I should have run so far ahead of them. I was too excited to be out of the house.

I sniffed the air and tried to figure out if he was a rogue. His scent hit me at all once. I stopped sniffing at once. It was a mixture of cinnamon and cloves. It was almost too intoxicating to handle. He had Alpha in his blood mixed with the Hollows line. Tristan.

This was the first time I saw him since I ran away from him at my father's funeral. I watched him as he tried to decide if I was going to attack him.

He slowly walked towards me. I allowed him to get five feet in front of me before I gave him a warning growl. He abruptly stopped moving. That was close enough for me. Any closer and I wouldn't be able to control myself.

We stared into each other's eyes. The wind blew again and his scent caused my mind to go blank. My white fur relaxed down on my back. I felt my body lower itself to the ground. Suddenly I was rolling into submission and presenting him my belly. It was like I had no control over what my wolf was doing. It felt natural, almost like second nature to me.

What was I doing? Had I finally lost my mind? Submitting to anyone, even Tristan, was something I never did. I bowed in respect to Alphas but never submitted.

I tried to calm my racing heart. That was something I never could control around him. I couldn't believe that he was standing in front of me right now. His eyes sparkled in amusement as he watched me.

The black wolf bowed his head to me. He took a step forward and paused. I allowed him to approach me this time. He nudged my head with his nose before giving me a small lick on my nose.

I nuzzled my nose against his before returning the lick. It was bizarre that he was being so affectionate now. I don't think he could control himself either.

Loud growls echoed through the trees. Two big wolves, one amber and one dark brown, burst through the trees and interrupted the moment.

Tristan crawled on top of me and crouched down to hide me. He must have thought they were a threat. But I knew them and they were no threat.

In the midst of losing control with Tristan I forgot that I called out to Logan, the amber wolf. He had been my best friend since we were babies. The dark brown wolf was Jerry. He was Bruce's youngest son and my cousin.

They were both snarling nastily at him and ready to attack. Logan stamped his foot on the ground. It was an order to get off me. He was the patrol leader tonight and in charge.

They didn't realize that it was Alpha Tristan they were dealing with. The dividing line between the two territories was a hundred feet away from us. He was technically on our territory without an invitation and unannounced. But an Alpha must always be treated with respect.

'Thanks for the interruption Logan!'

'Are you okay Ari?'

'Logan, I'm fine. Stand down.'

Tristan growled loudly in his Alpha tone. The two of them stood up as realization hit. They quickly bowed their heads to him in respect. He assessed the threat to me and rolled off. He decided my friends wouldn't cause me any harm.

'Thanks for making us look stupid,' Logan shook his head at me.

'You don't need any help from me in that department. I wanted to see how long it would take you to realize.'

'Ari!'

'Sorry. I'm just kidding. I thought you would understand when I told you to stand down.'

'Will you two quit it?' Jerry interrupted before we started a fight. He was always the mediator. Logan and I bickered like siblings.

Logan jerked his head towards the pack house. He was asking Tristan if he wanted to follow us back. He nodded his head in agreement.

His body was tense like he had something urgent to speak with Bruce about. Rogue trouble was the most likely topic of discussion.

We hastily made our way back to the pack house. Uncle Bruce would be waiting up to hear how our patrol went. When we reached the house I was the first one to shift back. I quickly dressed in the clothes I left outside before we went on patrol.

My long, wavy dirty blonde hair cascaded down my back as I ran my fingers through it a few times as a comb. The house was quiet when I entered to grab some extra clothes for Tristan. He wouldn't have anything to wear when he shifted back.

When I came back out Logan and Jerry were just pulling their shirts over their heads. I placed the clothes in front of the black wolf. I gave him one last look before turning back to the house to retrieve Uncle Bruce.

The pack house served as a pack meeting place and the Alpha and Beta's residence. We also housed three pack doctors so they would be close in case of an emergency. Bruce was the stand—in Alpha at the moment. A new Beta would have to be promoted soon. I was leaning towards Teague.

Like me, my father was an only child. That was why the Alpha position fell on my mate. Bruce's wife, my Aunt Fiona, was my mother's sister. He had no Alpha blood running in him otherwise he could have challenged for the Alpha position.

"Uncle Bruce," I harshly whispered though the long hallway. It was late and I didn't want to wake everyone up. Wolves had incredible hearing. He would hear me no matter where he was in the big house.

"Back already?" a deep, commanding voice called out. He was in the study, his temporary office for now. It was the third door on the left down the hall.

The study door swung open. A large man with broad shoulders stepped out to greet me. His once brown hair was showing signs of aging with bits of grey mixed in now. Tired hazel eyes met my sparkling green once before he pulled me into a tight embrace.

The rogue attacks were really taking a toll on him. These heavy nightly patrols had been going on for months now. But for the first time since the attack my mind wasn't anywhere on the rogues.

Thoughts of my gorgeous mate outside were consuming my mind. I couldn't help but wonder if his thoughts were on me as well. If the boys hadn't interrupted us, what would have happened?

"What's the matter?" he asked upon noticing my facial expression.

"Alpha Tristan is here to speak with you," I informed him.

Logan entered the house with my mate behind him. Jerry would stay outside to wait for Teague and Scott to return from patrol.

"Alpha Tristan, to what do I owe this visit?" Bruce greeted him. He held his hand out and my mate immediately shook it. They both bowed their heads to each other.

I took the moment to look him over while he wasn't looking in my direction. His black hair had been cut short since the last time I saw him. The color matched his wolf's coat perfectly. The white shirt I brought him was too small. It stretched across his muscular chest and his biceps pushed through the sleeves.

I knew he could feel my gaze on him. His piercing blue eyes caught mine for a moment. A small smile touched his lips. He was pleased with me staring at him.