CHAPTER 4 ~ MATE

KURT’S POV

As I watched the small girl yell directly into Derek's face, her voice rang clearly across the silent clearing. Every other person in the pack remained completely immobilized by my dominant energy field, with grown men and seasoned warriors pressing their faces into the dirt because they could not withstand the physical weight of my presence. Yet, this young woman stood perfectly upright. Crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her worn shoe on the wooden floorboards, she did not tremble or bow her head, looking completely unaffected by the heavy power I projected over the territory.

Leaning forward in the carved wooden chair and resting my elbows on my knees, I studied her physical appearance very closely. Though she wore faded blue jeans and a baggy gray shirt, with dark hair falling wildly over her shoulders to frame a face completely devoid of makeup, her aggressive posture made her appear much larger than she actually looked standing next to Derek. An intense wave of fascination washed over my body as I desperately wanted to know exactly why this specific girl possessed the strength to ignore an aura that forced Alpha-blooded wolves to their knees.

"Step forward and stand directly in front of me," I commanded, keeping my voice deep and authoritative while fully expecting her to obey the order immediately.

Stopping her yelling at Derek, the dark-haired girl slowly turned her body to look directly at my face. Instead of lowering her eyes to show respect, she narrowed them and placed her hands firmly on her hips.

"Who exactly do you think you are to summon me forward like a disobedient dog?" she asked loudly, her voice dripping with pure sarcasm. "You can command these pathetic cowards on the ground, but you do not own me. Ask that shivering idiot next to you for my name, and he will tell you."

Gasping loudly, Derek took another step backward, completely terrified by her blatant disrespect toward me, but rather than feeling angry, I felt incredibly amused.

Taking a very deliberate step toward my chair, the girl stopped a few feet away to look at my face before deliberately lowering her gaze. After staring directly at my crotch for several seconds without blushing or looking away in embarrassment, she slowly trailed her eyes back up my muscular torso to lock eyes with me again.

"You are incredibly lucky you possess a handsome face and you are built extremely well in all the right places," she stated confidently, gesturing her hand toward my lap. "If you were ugly, I would have walked away from this stage five minutes ago. Are you completely mute? You have been staring at me for two full minutes without saying a single word."

Just as I opened my mouth to answer her bold question, a strong scent of cheap perfume suddenly filled my nose. Rushing forward, the blonde woman in the tight red dress forcefully pushed the dark-haired girl out of the way. Stopping directly in front of my chair, she pushed her chest forward and plastered a highly seductive smile on her face.

"Please forgive my foster sister, Alpha," the blonde woman said, intentionally dropping her voice into a sultry, breathy tone. "She is a wolfless runt, and she lacks basic manners. My name is Naomi. I am a very strong wolf, and I am completely ready to serve you in whatever capacity you desire tonight."

Letting out a loud, mocking laugh, the dark-haired girl stepped around Naomi and looked her up and down with absolute disgust.

"You are absolutely unbelievable, Naomi," the dark-haired girl said sassily. "You were officially claimed by Derek less than ten minutes ago. Now, you are already gagging for the new Alpha's dick. What exactly do you plan to do with the old one? Should we send Derek to the kitchen to wash dishes while you crawl into a new bed?"

Naomi's face turned bright red with intense anger. "Shut your mouth right now! You are ruining my introduction!"

Taking a sudden step forward, Naomi reached her hand out to touch my knee, but the physical action disgusted me completely. Since I absolutely hated women who betrayed their mates for power, I refused to let her cheap hands touch my clothing.

Standing up from the chair with blinding speed, I reached out and grabbed Naomi by the collar of her red dress, lifting her entirely off the wooden floorboards. As she shrieked in sudden terror and kicked her legs in the air, I twisted my upper body and violently flung her across the stage. Flying through the air, Naomi slammed heavily into the thick trunk of a large oak tree located at the edge of the platform with a loud cracking sound. She fell onto the dirt below the stage, clutching her head as bright red blood gushed from a large cut on her forehead and dripped down her face.

Right as Naomi hit the ground, Jason walked back up the wooden stairs, wiping Erwin's blood off his hands with a cloth.

"Jason," I ordered loudly, pointing at the bleeding woman on the dirt. "Take the leather whip and strike that blonde woman twenty times. She attempted to touch my person without permission. Make sure she understands the boundaries of this territory."

"Yes, Alpha," Jason responded immediately before picking up the heavy whip from the table and walking down the stairs toward a crying Naomi.

Turning my attention back to the dark-haired girl, I watched her look from Naomi's bleeding head back to my face. Rather than looking scared of my violent temper, she actually smiled slightly, looking incredibly satisfied by the brutal punishment as she nodded her head once in seeming approval of my actions.

"I actually appreciate your absolute lack of patience," she said quietly. "However, I need to go back to the basement and finish scrubbing the kitchen floors before someone yells at me. I will let you handle the rest of this dramatic ceremony by yourself."

As she turned around and started taking a step backward toward the stairs, an overwhelming panic flooded my chest. Though I did not know why, my inner wolf absolutely refused to let her walk away from me, forcing me to move forward quickly and reach out with my large right hand, grabbing her left wrist to stop her from leaving the stage.

Wrapping entirely around her small wrist, the physical force of my grip pressed directly against the old jade bracelet tied to her arm. Unable to withstand the pressure of my heavy hand, the aged stone snapped loudly in half, the broken pieces falling away from her skin and bouncing across the wooden floorboards.

The exact second the bracelet broke, a massive rush of energy slammed directly into my chest. As the girl gasped loudly and stumbled forward, I pulled her by the wrist and caught her securely against my chest, where she rested her hands on my dark shirt, breathing heavily and looking extremely dizzy.

A completely intoxicating scent filled the air around us as the smell of fresh rain, blooming jasmine, and raw power hit my nose. With my inner wolf clawing violently against the inside of my mind and howling loudly in absolute triumph, I inhaled deeply, taking the incredible scent into my lungs as my eyes widened in complete shock.

Having lost my first mate to the Research Institute many years ago, I spent the last several years believing I would live the rest of my life alone, raising my son in the shadows. A wolf never gets a second mate, as it defies every known biological law of our species.

Yet, the irrefutable truth stood right in my arms. The mate bond snapped into place, anchoring my soul permanently to the small, fierce girl pressing against my chest. Blinking her dark eyes rapidly, she took a deep breath through her nose, and I watched the exact moment she realized the truth as her eyes widened, looking up at my face in utter disbelief.

Caring nothing about the biological impossibility or the fact that she lacked a wolf, I tightened my arms around her waist and turned my body to face the terrified crowd still kneeling in the dirt, projecting my voice to reach every corner of the territory.

"Look at the stage right now!" I commanded with absolute authority. "Every single person in this pack will bow their heads to this woman. I officially introduce Heidi Artemis as my destined mate and the absolute Luna of this new pack!"

Staring at the crowd of people who spent years abusing her and forcing her to cook and clean, Heidi realized she now held the highest position of power in the entire territory. Throwing her head back, she started laughing maniacally into the quiet clearing.

"You are all completely doomed," Heidi announced loudly, gripping the lapels of my shirt tightly and grinning with pure satisfaction. "Every single person who ever bullied me will suffer starting tomorrow morning. What are you going to do first, Alpha?"