You’re Not My Mate (Poison Wolves MC #3)

Chapter One

“Holy fucking shit,” Rocco said, unable to keep the yell out of his voice as the last spurt of blood spilled out of the latest human-wolf mutation.

Alpha was the closest and got the main spray.

Rocco had lost count now of how many humans were killed in the last few weeks. He was getting tired of cleaning up dead bodies.

“So that didn’t fucking work,” Rocco said.

They had tried everything, from breaking the bones of the humans, to attempting to put them to sleep, to Alpha trying to force the change. There had even been one where they attempted to gather round like a pack to demonstrate what they were changing for. None of it worked. Not a single thing seemed to work, and it was driving him crazy.

He knew the guys didn’t like what was happening. Some of the humans were not even waiting for the full moon to change. They were changing midway through the moon cycle, and it was all totally fucked up. There was no balance.

“Well, was that the last idea you guys had?”

Rocco tensed up as he turned toward the only person who was clean within their vicinit y— Rose Swift.

She stood, arms folded, looking around at the debris. Even though she tried not to show that the sight of the blood and a few body parts didn’t bother her, he knew it did. He also knew this woman hated his guts more than anything. Everyone knew she did, but the only two people who knew why were him and Rose.

“It’s not the last idea,” Alpha said, looking mightily pissed off.

Even though every one of the guys within the Poison Wolves MC were in their own right alphas, they all agreed for Alpha to be leader of their club as well as the pack. There were times it was a little tough, like right now, but most of the time, Rocco was more than happy to pass that baton of responsibility.

He glanced over at Rose, and he hated that her long blonde hair was pinned back against her head. She wore a pair of black dungarees, as well as a blue shirt underneath, along with a pair of boots.

Rocco didn’t want to go to her, but she was the only person in the pack who knew how to clean this up. Also, they were still trying to keep the pack calm, but Rocco knew it was only a matter of time before it all fucked up.

He ran a hand down his face and looked around at the mess. He truly thought Alpha was going to be able to call on the man’s wolf, to either keep it at bay, or pull it out carefully.

The transition was killing them all.

It wasn’t always around a full moon either. A short time ago, they had discovered a mad doctor disguised as a vet, or whatever the fuck Doctor Milton had been, used people as experiments. He somehow learned of the existence of wolves, men turning into beasts during the full moon, and it had awakened the doctor in him. He’d tried to create himself an army, or a super being, or something.

None of them knew or understood what the fuck was going on. They had discovered some records of a few experiments on people like Boyan’s mate, Agatha, who had been part wolf to begin with. Only, they had killed her real parents, placed her into foster care, and then there had been some kind of experiment. Either way, she had been able to survive, and they believed that was due to the fact she carried the gene.

“I’ll go and grab my supplies. I suggest you don’t move, Alpha. I’ll clean you all up in a moment.” Rose turned away.

“This is bullshit,” Enzo said. “I could have been knitting. I think we need to teach the next fucker that arrives the art of knitting, because it’s therapeutic and it stops all manner of shit from kicking off.” He blew out a breath.

Rocco didn’t have a lot of blood on him, and the wolf deep inside his core was screaming at him to follow Rose. It was easier to leave her alone, when he didn’t have to see her so regularly. In the past few weeks, that hadn’t been the case. It was like Milton’s minions had been hot-wired to come to the Poison Wolves MC. He didn’t get it or understand it, but it seemed to be happening all the time.

He took off after her, but Rose was already at her car.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

“No.”

He clenched his hands into fists.

“What you could do is stay with the others and I’ll get to clean you, and we can keep the whole area contained. What did I tell you all about trying to keep it at the caves or the basement, or somewhere that is a lot easier to clean?” She turned those gorgeous blue eyes onto him, and for a second Rocco couldn’t move.

“Look, I get that you’re pissed, and I am sorry.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for sorry.”

He knew she didn’t do a whole lot in her cabin in the woods. Out of the whole pack, Rose was the biggest recluse he had ever known. When he first told the guys about her, most of them didn’t even know who he was talking about.

Rocco knew her. Boy, did he know her.

And even after all this time, she was still pissed at him. Not that he could blame her.

He felt his wolf wanting to pounce, wrap his arms around her, press his face against her neck, breathe her in. There was also the overwhelming need to mark her, to see her flesh covered with his teeth, or at least his scent.

Rose didn’t have any of it. And she was never going to. He’d fucked it all up.

None of the guys knew.

Where Wolfe and Boyan had fallen for their mates, and it involved their own kind of drama, he had not.

The moment he saw Rose, just over a year ago, he’d known who she was and that she wouldn’t be good for his image. Yes, he had fucked up big time. Their wolves had known what they were to each other.

Most wolves found it to be the most magical moment to finally find their soul mate, the one other wolf destined to be theirs for eternity. Rose had been ecstatic, and so too had his wolf. There was only one proble m— he wasn’t. He’d rejected her, rejected the calling to mate with her, and he been doing so every full moon. None of the pack knew. It was why he tried to steer clear of her cabin.

Rose wasn’t like Amelia who’d been a social outcast because of her views and ideas. She was … different because she chose to be.

Her parents had also been known as cleaners, so they tended to see a lot of bad shit, which the whole pack found unnerving. Some members of the pack didn’t make it through their transition, and the Swift family were the ones called to clean up the mess. This is why Rose didn’t mix well with others.

But, Rocco also knew Rose was a gentle soul. Unlike her parents who were able to clean up messes and pretend they hadn’t seen shit. Rose cleaned up the mess, kept the brave face on, but when she was alone, she’d sob.

It’s why she steered clear of the pack and kept to her small cabin with her tiny garden. She only came out when necessary. It’s how they’d been able to avoid each other for so long, but also why he’d not known she was his mate.

Sometimes, when he’d been in town, he’d catch a scent, but it was always so pale, he figured he’d missed it, or maybe it was his mind playing tricks.

It was always, without a doubt, this woman, because he wanted her so badly, and he knew that was never going to change. But he was in charge, not his wolf, not his basic needs. He didn’t give a fuck if most of the time she was close, he was hard as rock. Rose also invaded his dreams all the time. She had become a repeat within his mind, and there was no getting away from it.

He wouldn’t cave.

Rose may be his fated match, but that was where it ended. They were never going to be mates.

****

Rose hated this job. Even though she was damn good at it, and knew there wouldn’t be a single trace of human, or wolf, or anything by the time she was through, it didn’t stop her from hating it. Her parents believed their ability to clean up such messes without feeling was a gift.

She missed her parents, but they had been quite old when they had her, and they had unfortunately passed away a long time ago as well. The cabin they had lived in was now hers, and she truly believed before them, her grandparents. They were good cleaners and all packs needed people who were able to clean up the mess that no one else wanted to take care of.

This is what she did, even at the stupid potlucks and parties. She was always invited but she declined so she could sleep before getting to work. For a long time, that was the extent of the mes s— used dishes, broken or crusty with food on them. The usual beer, or litter, or whatever the pack threw down because they were filthy.

It had been a long time since the pack had lost anyone through a transition.

But these bodies were not the regular kind of wolves. Even the shattered bones, the pieces not splintered or destroyed, showed a mutation she couldn’t even begin to describe. Like always, she told the Alpha what she found.

Most of the men were gone. She made sure to clean them up first so they could leave, and she’d be alone to do her work. This is what she preferred. She didn’t want prying eyes as she lifted body parts and organs, and cleaned away the blood.

Also, she would be required to do a little gardening, because of the location of the mess.

The only problem she faced this time was a little pest in the form of her asshole mate. No! She refused to think of him as her mate. Rocco was a piece of work.

She tried not to curse when she thought of him, not vocally, and she also tried not to in her mind. In a strange way, she felt if she gave in to that need to just blurt out those words and tell him to fuck off, then in a weird way he’d won, and she couldn’t stand that. She didn’t understand her own way of thinking and it was truly messed up, but there was nothing she could do.

“Are you seeing anything different?” Rocco asked.

Like always, his voice made it hard for her to think. Her wolf had mixed feelings about their mate. On the one hand, all they wanted to do was mate with him, run over to him, and press their body against him, breathe him in, and not let go. The other part of her wanted to gouge his eyes out and kick him in the balls.

They did neither, and instead tried to ignore him as she did a final sweep of the area. The bags of part s— there was no nice way to think or say i t— were wrapped in a bag, and she’d give them to Alpha to dispose of while she took care of the rest.

With the last pieces done, she put them in the bag and tied it up.

“Are you going to keep ignoring me?” he asked.

This made her spin around and glare at him. “Are you for real right now?” she asked.

“Look, I’m asking, and I’m trying to get involved.”

“Why don’t you get lost? I don’t need nor do I want you here. I’m here to do a job, remember!” She glared at him and shoved the wrapped bag within his grip.

The last thing she wanted to do was to talk to him. He made her blood boil.

She felt her hands clench, she was so damn angry, but she kept it together. She tried to reel it in, but it was next to impossible. Taking several deep breaths, she expelled them and then pulled them in, expelling them again.

Her wolf was torn, as always.

She wanted to have hope, to think Rocco had come to his senses. The moment he arrived at her front door nearly a month ago, she’d been filled with this excitement, wondering if he’d finally come to his senses. She’d felt like such a fool because he’d not wanted anything from her. He’d needed a favor.

The Poison Wolves MC had tried to clean up the mess themselves, but they were nowhere near as good as her. She was his last resort, and even though she tried to hide it, it stung.

“Look, I know you’re pissed.”

“Rocco, don’t. Don’t even try to think you know what is going on inside my head, or that you know what I want. You don’t know anything about me, nor do you have the first clue what I want, so don’t start now.” She knew what he wanted from her, and she was getting the job done.

She was done letting her wolf believe there was a chance between the two of them, when that was the furthest thing from the truth.

Rose refused to cry, and she got back to work, going through every single area, calling on her wolf to help her scent out the debris and clean.

It took her several hours, but by the time she’d finished, it was nightfall. All the mess had been cleaned up, and as she turned, she spotted Rocco standing on the edge of the perimeter she had set up.

This is what she did every time she got to a job. She needed to know the areas she had to work, so she’d be able to start at one point and slowly work her way toward the finishing line. Once she was done, she picked up her necessary markers and got everything ready to head back to her car. She hated driving, but going to jobs made it easier for her.

Most of the jobs were in town, and she was able to carry the few supplies she needed. But these jobs, with human wolf mutations, were the most disgusting she had ever seen. Even worse than a transition that didn’t go well. She didn’t know which ones were harder.

“Alpha would like to see you at the clubhouse,” Rocco said.

“Couldn’t someone else have delivered the message?” she asked.

The less time she spent with this man, the better.

“Look, I get that you’re pissed at me, but you have to see things from my side—”

She whirled around so fast and glared at him. “Your side? I don’t have to see anything from your side. You don’t want to be mated to me. That is all there is to it. But, in case you were wondering, I heard you loud and clear, and even if my wolf wants you and she fights it, I won’t cross that line with you. Please leave me alone and back off.”

This is another reason she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Keeping her wolf at bay, and not lashing out to show Rocco they are mates, meant she had to be in constant control, and that was so exhausting. She was tired all the time with him close. There was only so much she could take.

Slamming down the trunk of her car, she walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. She had every intention of getting out of her messy clothes, but that would have to wait until she was home.

“Rose!”

“I’m going to get changed, and possibly have something to eat. If Alpha cannot wait until then, tell him he knows where to find me.”

She wouldn’t be eating. She needed to take a long hot shower, allow the tears to fall, and pray for the soul she had just cleaned up. Once she composed herself, she’d go and find them.

Her parents had said it would get easier. She couldn’t help but feel they were liars. To her, this wasn’t getting easier, it felt so damn hard all the time. But she was the only cleaner left in the pack, so those jobs fell to her.

The Alpha would have to wait.