I want to say no. It’s what I’ve always said before. But it’s not true anymore. Because as soon as he asked the question, there was only one honest answer. One female I have ever considered. Someone I absolutely shouldn’t even contemplate for a moment.
Maya pops into my head, and for the first time, my wolf doesn’t balk at the suggestion of considering a chosen mate. If anything, he wags his damn tail and runs in circles. But this is insane. She’s human. I’ve never heard of an alpha wolf being mated to a human. Definitely not fated to one.
But then again, a lot has happened lately that I’ve never heard of. Is the idea of a human mate completely impossible? Maybe not when she’s a human who both challenges me and meets me with compassion and understanding. A human who is breathtakingly beautiful, even through a computer screen.
It seems crazy, but maybe I need to test it out. Perhaps I’m just grasping at straws. I probably shouldn’t go anywhere near her. My wolf snarls at me at the idea of not going to her. He’s not pushing me to run or hunt aimlessly anymore. He’s pushing me toward her.
Interesting. Very fucking interesting.
Chapter Six
Ryan
One week later
“Doctor Moore will see you now, Mr. Rivera,” the perky blonde receptionist who has been eye-fucking me since I walked in tells me. I try to give her a polite smile, but my wolf snarling inside me turns it into more of a grimace.
I push myself from my seat in the waiting area and walk toward the wooden door for my first in-person appointment with Maya. This place is throwing my senses off. Between the water-feature on the central desk and the overpowering scent of lemon cleaning products, lavender candles, and the various people who have been through the room, my head is pounding.
My wolf is pacing just beneath the surface, poised and ready to attack. Part of me wants to turn around; I hate the idea of bringing my borderline feral wolf into Maya’s space. But I have to know. Have to know if she is someone my wolf will accept as a chosen mate. It seems too unlikely to consider, but what if I’ve been looking in all the wrong places? What if she is my fated mate?
In the mere four hours I’ve spent doing video therapy sessions with her, she has pulled me in more than anyone else I’ve ever met. She challenged me, held me accountable, met me with empathyand understanding, and somehow made me feel like there was a reason to keep fighting.
Enough that it has me questioning whether this could be something more, if maybe fate made her my therapist for a reason. Enough that I was willing to hand over the role of alpha to my younger sister. Enough that I decided to leave the pack I have spent my entire life living in and living for. I had left Luca in charge before when I went to visit other packs or attended council meetings, but this is different. I didn’t just leave Sofia to deputize; I passed the role to her officially, and along with it, my abilities to apply alpha commands and sense the emotions of the pack members.
The absence of the power that once flowed within my blood has left me feeling hollow and uneasy. But it will all be worth it if I’m right about her. Every decision is leading up to the moment I meet the woman I hope my wolf will see the same way I do.
I feel as though I’m moving in slow motion. Every action more intentional than usual as my hand extends to grip the cool door handle and push it downward. The door swings open and standing before me is the vision that is Doctor Maya Moore.
The most breathtakingly beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. Looking at her through a computer screen did her no justice. Her brown eyes—almost as dark as night—widen as she takes me in. Her sleek black hair, down today, frames her high cheekbones, and her fair skin is flawless, accented by light makeup. Her svelte figure is wrapped in an outfit of a fitted white shirt and pencil skirt, which is both professional and sexy as hell. She’s wearing high heels that bring her height to slightly below my chin.
But what stands out about her more than anything else is her scent. Vanilla, jasmine, andmine.
She shakes her head slightly before stepping back from me and sweeping her arm out. “Hi, Ryan. Please take a seat on the couch.”
I stare at her for a moment longer before nodding and walking into the room. My wolf howls within me, chanting to me that she is mine. My mate. My future. My everything.
Fates, she isperfect.
I push my wolf down, easier than usual because of the reassurance that I understand. That I know Maya is the one. She’s everything I could have hoped for and so worth every agonizing second of waiting. She closes the door and then takes her seat across from me. Nothing in her serene expression implies that she is affected by the pull of the mate bond.
“I was surprised you decided to move to in-person appointments. The address I have on file is quite a drive from here.”
“It is, but I felt some time away from my family might help me put things into perspective. I’ve handed the reins over to Sofia in the interim.”
“That was a big step,” she says, raising a perfectly arched brow. Her voice is laced with curiosity and questions, even though her words were a statement.
“It was. But I realized I need to focus on myself for a little.” Maya blesses me with a subtle smile. The kind of smile that doesn’t demand attention or outwardly show her happiness at the choice I have made to prioritize myself. But it’s there, a gentle nudge of encouragement and affirmation that I’m heading in the rightdirection without being obvious. In the way her eyes light up, and her scent takes on the sweetness of pride. My wolf preens as if she had praised him verbally.
“I figured maybe I needed to try something different,” I continue. “Move outside of what I’ve been doing because that’s obviously not working.”
“You’ve said previously that your focus was on finding your perfect partner. Has that changed?”
Needing to be closer to Maya, I scoot forward on my chair, resting my elbows on my knees as I nod my head. I can’t fight off the grin that spreads across my face.
For years, my wolf has dictated my life. He was a constant, demanding spirit; his hunger and need to find her was a relentless presence that overshadowed everything else. Any joy I experienced was always tinged with the awareness of what I was missing.
But now, sitting in this office filled with the scent of her, my wolf and I both recognize the bond and connection; she’s everything I could have ever wanted. Calmness settles over me, and the need to fight my wolf is gone. We’re on the same side again, with no need for aggression or temper. I’m genuinely happy for the first time in years without my wolf pushing me to hunt for her because she’s sitting right in front of me, giving me her full attention.
