Sold to the Alpha Wolf: Rejected Mate Pregnancy Romance (Rocky Mountains Alphas Book 1)

Chapter 1 - Senna

A year ago

Exhaustion clung to my muscles as strongly as rust to iron. It had been the day that would never end, thanks to Terrance’s nearly endless number of tasks—everything from getting basic supplies like flour and a smattering of vegetables to more specific things like a new lightbulb for the porch, a new length of chain and a padlock for the main gate, and drain cleaner because there was a clog in the downstairs bathroom. But I was well down the damn ranks. I should just be glad that I was alive, right?

Yeah, I’m thrilled about it.

My thin metal ring clinked against the glass in my hand as I fidgeted, and I studied the simple rope-like design pressed into the silver. It was the only thing I had left of my mother, and I had a permanent tan line around my middle finger because of it. Not that I was anywhere near actually “tan.” No, I was sporting the white-as-hell look at all times.

I looked up at the mirrored back wall across from me, meeting my eyes in the reflection. This shitty bar was what the humans called a dive, and while it was sticky and the service sucked and the beer options were limited to only domestics below five dollars a glass, it was the only piece of freedom I enjoyed.

The only benefit to my unfortunate situation.

After all, I was just a wolfless omega disgrace. The only thing I had going for me was the ability to make these rare trips into town to get supplies for the pack because I was “basically a human anyway,” at least according to everyone else in the Collins pack.

The humans were at least kind enough to ignore me. I wasn’t snarled at and shoved out of the way on the regular. People kept their distance, and I kept mine. I just wanted to exist without fear and ridicule for thirty minutes.

Plus, sneaking off to the bar for this singular drink was my small act of rebellion. One that wouldn’t actually affect anything, so it felt safe enough to enjoy—a rare feeling for me. And the only evidence that I had a personality outside of just being a doormat for the other wolves to step on.

Besides, the splotchy mirror and bad music weren’t the only subpar things around here.

You really need to get out of your head, Senna.

But it was no use. I was depression central at all times of the day, and my utterly hated existence among my own pack was a surefire way to keep me solidly in Bluesville for the foreseeable future.

That mirror in front of me was also shouting it from the rooftops. Sighing, I took another swig of the vodka and soda, tracking the details of my appearance in the reflective surface.

I needed a break. I looked especially haggard, my previously styled bun coming loose in places with stray hairs falling around my face. The pale blonde was another dead giveaway that I was of the lower echelons of the Collins pack. The alpha, Terrance, and pretty much everyone in his inner circle was of the dark and tall variety. Not the tiny straw-haired fair, like me.

As the song changed in the background to another ridiculous anthem of the humans, I finished my drink. I’d need to head back to the truck soon. The supplies would be expected at the compound up the Rocky Mountains. Even if I was only getting the few things we couldn’t have delivered, they’d all be pissed at me if I didn’t get it back sooner rather than later.

Slurping up the dregs of my cocktail, I patted my pocket. The cash that I used for everything was still there, ready to go. A subtle burn slid down my throat, coalescing in my belly to provide a buffer against the winter cold waiting for me.

I’d take a thousand winter days outside over spending another minute with Terrance and his bloodthirsty hyenas.

“Gods, I don’t want to go back,” I mumbled to myself.

“Go back where?”

The deep voice to my left startled me enough to have me knocking over my glass and spilling the ice cubes across the bar surface. Thankfully, it didn’t break.

“Oh, shit.”

Scrambling to mop up the mess with the tiny cocktail napkin that I’d been given with the drink, I shook my head. Of course I’d tip the thing over. I was possibly the clumsiest person on the planet. If not for my learned ability to take my time at everything, I probably wouldn’t have survived even one of these supply runs.

“Ha.” I looked over at the source of the voice, the man who’d elicited my fabulous display of dexterity. “You all right there?”

I scoffed. “Am I all right? You just got me to spill my…”

My words drifted away as I looked the man up and down, my mouth going dry as I struggled to swallow. The levels of attraction and surprise that surged through my blood were dizzying, and I could scarcely think, let alone ask for help with the mop-up.

The adonis sitting next to me was extremely tall, his silver head of hair paired with a pristine olive skin tone that made my entire body hum. He was beyond gorgeous, a decent amount older than me, it seemed, and I had a feeling the hair was naturally that color.

That meant exactly one thing—he was a wolf.

The fragrance wafting off of him supported that fact, and I nearly had a heart attack right there on the stool as I scented the alpha bloodline coming off him in waves along with all that leather and pine.

Being around an alpha, especially this close, was always a bewildering experience. I wanted to collapse to my knees in supplication, and it was only the presence of humans and the stool beneath my ass that kept me up off the floor. The fact that he wasn’t my alpha dulled a bit of his natural command, but Terrance’s hold on me wasn’t exactly stable, either.

What on earth was he doing here? Wolves rambling through foreign territory was dangerous, forbidden for the most part.

His long hair stylized at the back left the strong column of his neck and shoulders exposed. My attention flicked back to his deep emerald eyes, and I realized I was staring, my mouth hanging open as I practically drooled.

“You’re a—”

He smirked, his gleaming white teeth bright against his deeper skin tone. “As are you.”

I nodded, unsure what else to do. His smile remained fixed for a few moments, but then he leaned forward across the bar, snagging a napkin from the rack at the other side. As he wiped away the remaining liquid and fallen ice from my drink, he spoke under his breath.

“You’re not supposed to be here, Omega.”

My heart kicked. I knew my station, but I didn’t think I’d still hold the scent profile of a wolf so clearly without the ability to shift into one. He was close to me as he continued to clean the mess, and suddenly, it solidified in my mind that he wasn’t from my pack.

Shit, what does that mean? I’m not supposed to fraternize with other packs. I could be punished severely for this.

My brain was scrambling like an egg as I tried to keep up with this new development. I’d never spoken with anyone outside of the Collins pack. Part of me had even wondered if other wolf packs even existed. We kept ourselves so separate from one another.

“Neither are you.”

He looked up at me, and the second those green eyes hit me, I had to clench my thighs. The guy was too damn gorgeous, and the darkness behind his stare as he gazed at me was too much to handle. No one looked at me like that. I was the sorry wolfless excuse of a Collins, destined to work myself to death for the pack. I wasn’t even good enough to be a breeding option.

“I can go wherever I please, Omega.” His stare bored into me, and I lowered my head. “Were you sent here?”

Without looking back up at him, I nodded. “Yes. Supplies. We need things to take care of the household.”

“And the bar?” Flicking my eyes up, I could see the quirk of his brow as he smirked at me.

“I…I wanted to sit down,” I stammered, my heart beating against my ribs like it wanted to break free. “To…”

“Enjoy a nice drink?” The alpha’s voice was pure velvet, and it forced my gaze to meet his fully.

Those green eyes were haunting, and as we took a moment, breathing in each other’s scent and learning everything we could from our wolven senses, something deep inside me clicked. A light switch getting flicked on in the dark.

I belong to him. He’s mine.

At once, my pulse flared into a desperate rhythm, and every bit of me ached like I might fall apart under the weight of his stare. My hand moved toward his without thinking, and a low hum started in my blood that ran all the way down to my core.

Oh no. This is bad. He can’t be. But…oh, shit.

The alpha was staring at me with an ever-increasing intensity behind his eyes, and I fucking shivered like an idiot. His fingers clenched where they rested on the bar, and I heard him suck in a desperate breath of air.

“Roses and almonds.”

My scent. He’d pinned it down perfectly, and I’d never been told by anyone aside from my parents when I was young what I smelled like. It felt odd and intimate to have him zeroing in on my natural fragrance and clearly enjoying it.

Shuddering in my own breath, I tracked his again. “Leather and pine.”

Whispering, my voice little more than a tiny whimper, I moved my hand closer to his, unable to stop myself.

Then his hand shot out and grabbed me by the wrist. The alpha dragged me off the bar stool and toward the back door, his grip iron and his steps purposeful. My boots clicked against the concrete floor, my coat still hanging from the back of my chair.

I didn’t pay. Oh, Gods, what’s happening?

Electricity buzzed through me at the contact. He was my…mate. I could feel it, and the moment he’d touched me, that invisible contract had been signed if not totally sealed. I needed him like I needed air, and enemy pack or not, I knew that I would do anything he asked.

Which is a fucking problem, considering you are a wolfless no one, and he is the enemy. Shit. This is so bad.

As he pulled me outside and around the door to the side of the building, he pinned me against the wall, the rough surface digging into me through the fabric of my shirt. A low growl reverberated up through his chest, and wetness pooled between my legs. His arms created a cage around me as the alpha towered over my inferior height. Breathing deep, his nose came to the side of my neck, nuzzling through my messy locks and dragging up my skin to my ear.

Oh my Gods, is he going to claim me? Create his mark just like that? Oh, shit. We’ll…we’ll be completely bound…

“Mine.” His deep voice rumbled, but then he shook his head like he was trying to knock himself out of it. “How? How are you doing this?”

I was shaking from head to foot, terrified that this other alpha—who was decidedly not a Collins—would try to kill me, but also reeling from the overwhelming desire that powered through my blood like a drug. His scent was everywhere and too strong.

“I-I’m not.” My voice was small, shaky. “I’m not doing a-anything.”

“You have to be.”

He pushed deeper into my hair with his face, forcing me to turn my head to the side. When I risked a glance around, I noticed the bare skin of his forearms revealed by his rolled-up sleeves.

Tattooed into the gorgeous olive flesh were intricate geometric patterns, triangles stacked over the top of each other with half circles and straight lines scattered about and connecting them. His pack? I didn’t think alphas did that anymore. Or maybe that’s just good ol’ Terrance.

“Tell me,” he barked out, and I jumped, my back scraping against the brick wall.

Cold air rushed past the building as the winter wind blew, and even with my higher-than-normal body temperature, I shivered. It had little to do with the chill, of course, and everything to do with the man pressed up against me. The swell of his erection was too obvious against my leg.

Turning to look him in the eye, my chest ached with how hard my heart pounded, my breaths shuddering through me.

“I can feel it, too.”

With that, he kissed me. The alpha of some foreign pack kissed me, crashing his lips against me with a fury I could barely stand. Holy hell, the taste of him was incredible. It was better than anything I’d ever had in my life.

His lips were soft but demanding, and the grip he had on my head—his fingers threading through my hair at the nape of my neck—was possessive and commanding.

Time slowed and stretched even as it hurried past. We were a tangle of limbs, tasting and exploring each other like our lives depended on it. We were plainly visible to anyone who might come out here, but I could sense that neither of us cared.

As my mate spun me around, he yanked down my pants and claimed me right there in the evening air.

His hand clamped down around my mouth as I screamed. He’d claimed my first blood, the first to bed me as a proper mate should be, and I fell apart as he sealed our bond, searing it into my soul.

As things calmed, the alpha breathed heavily against my shoulder. I could feel the shake of his head. His wolf had extended claws that dug into the brick wall, and as I looked back toward him, the green of his eyes was glowing as he reined in the shift.

I should be doing the same. My wolf should be chomping at the bit to get free, to run with him, to let him hunt me down and claim me again—and again if he wanted.

But I wasn’t.

Because I didn’t have a wolf.

“You don’t…”

I turned around, pulling my pants back into place. Shame licked through my veins, acidic and corroding. I could hardly breathe. Tension radiated through our bond. I could feel the strain—like pulling on a rubber band too tight for too long.

“I—”

“Don’t.” His eyes were cold, and my jaw started trembling. “This isn’t…we can’t do this. You don’t have a wolf. We’re in different packs. I…I don’t know what I was thinking.”

At that, he walked away, hurrying to a black SUV parked at the back of the lot. I listened to the engine turn over, and then it sped away up the gravel road into the mountains. That rubber band snapped, the frayed edge hitting me in the chest and knocking me back against the wall. I began to sob as I slid down to land on my ass, pain like nothing I’d ever felt bleeding through my entire being.

Rejected.

It clawed through the core of me even as warmth still clung to the inside of my womb. The alpha was right. I had no wolf. My pack was right, too. I was nothing without one, a waste, and the horrible ache behind my sternum just boomed all the harder as I sat there on the ground, the freezing wind snatching my tears.

The bond’s torn edges scratched and scraped against my insides. I was racked with a fiery ache that threatened to kill me right then and there. There was little in the life of a wolf that hurt as much as being rejected by your mate—if you were so lucky as to find them.

Miserable wretch that I was, I’d been given the treat of meeting and losing my mate all in a matter of minutes, and I didn’t think I’d be able to carry on much longer. The heats I’d suffered alone—debilitating and atrocious—were nothing compared to the pain of rejection.

He didn’t want me. He’d rejected me. I was wolfless, after all, and there truly was nothing that was going to change that. Not even a mate.