Page 70 of Half Wolf Mate

Cole rubbed the bridge of his nose. I hated seeing him like this. The last two weeks had been bliss. After he claimed me and made me irrevocably his, we spent almost every moment together. The workaholic even passed off his usual duties at Moon Guardians Private Security to his assistant so he could spend time with me.

We were in our little world, bonding and planning our future together. Cole decided to step down as the Alpha. He knew the pack would give us a hard time if he kept his position, and he wanted to protect me. I hated the idea of him giving up his position because I knew he loved it. He was born to be the Alpha of his pack. It wasn’t fair that he was being driven out because a few members hated the idea of him being with me, a half-human with hunter lineage.

“I’m sorry, you guys,” I whispered, staring at the ground and embracing my guilt. “This is all my fault. If I—”

“Don’t,” Cole stopped me. He snagged my chin between his fingers and forced me to look at him. “I don’t regret finding you, and I’m one hundred percent sure I want to step down. No one, and nothing will come between us again. Okay?”

I pulled my lower lip between my teeth so he wouldn’t see it quiver. I didn’t want him to see how shaken I was about his entire life possibly changing because he chose to be with me. “Okay,” I sighed.

“I’m behind the both of you,” Damian declared. “You’re my Luna now.”

“I second that,” Alex chimed in. “I know Stephan, Dominic, and Violet will, too. Cole will always be our Alpha, no matter what. You’re his mate. That makes you our family now, too.”

I smiled softly at Alex, relieved he was no longer upset with me for the stunt I pulled the night I was attacked. Their support made me feel a little better. Tugging out of Cole’s grasp, I inhaled and squared my shoulders. “Alright, let’s do this.”

My confidence was all smoke and mirrors. On the inside, I was terrified that something would happen to my mate and my friends… No, my family.

Before we advanced through the entrance, Cole glanced at Damian with a solemn expression. “If something goes wrong, leave me and get Sydney out of here.”

Damian’s jaw clenched. “Cole, I’m not leaving—”

“I mean it, Damian.”

He sighed and reluctantly muttered, “Yes, Alpha.”

***

Uneasiness washed over me as our small group walked through the pack’s compound. Everyone was out, it seemed. Women, children, and men littered the square. Many watched us with wide-eyed fascination… they watched me, rather.

One woman gasped. “He marked her!”

That brought on a chorus of shocked murmurs.

I almost reached up to touch the spot over my right shoulder. Cole had warned me that the mark would immediately identify me as mated to every werewolf I encountered.

“He accepted a half-breed,” someone else sneered. “Despicable.”

“But she’s a hunter’s daughter,” another person mused.

“She’ll never be my Luna,” a woman spat.

Although I hadn’t expected a warm welcome, my heart still dropped.

Cole lightly squeezed my hand in a comforting gesture. I blocked out the hatred being projected at me and held my chin up, refusing to wither in front of a bunch of biased wolves. I had Cole now, and that was all that mattered.

On the steps of the main building, five older men stood in a line. The elders, I presumed. I’d heard so much about them, but I’d never laid eyes on them.

Despite the Alpha having the majority leadership over the pack, behind him were older werewolves who provided council. Because of their age and supposed wisdom, they were trusted by the Alpha and his pack.

This group, however, was a bunch of foolish assholes, in my opinion. Cole and I spoke at length about the elders. Apparently, they’d been wary about him taking over so young. They never really wanted him to be Alpha, so they’d pounce on any reason to get rid of him. Unfortunately, I gave them the perfect reason.

The elders had to accept him as Alpha because he had the love and loyalty of the people. Now that he had fallen from grace in their eyes, he was vulnerable. I fought the usual wave of guilt and held onto Cole’s hand.

I glanced at him. His expression was blank—he was a master at hiding his emotions—but now that we were fully mated, I knew what he felt. He was fine with stepping down for our unborn child and me, but there was a sadness in him. I suspected it was because he might very well lose the family he’d grown up with. The pack was the family he’d known since he was born. He loved these people. I squeezed his hand in silent support.

When we stopped in front of the elders, their gazes automatically lowered to my hand, which was intertwined with Cole’s. Two of the men remained impassive, while three stared on with disdain, but Cole never once let me go. I blew out a relieved sigh. The sliver of fear I felt about being rejected again would linger for a while.

“Caleb, Anton, Jasper, Simon, Victor.” Cole nodded.