Her Unwelcome Mate

Ran had gone a distance from the clearing to escape the crowd of the Full Moon Gathering and look at the stars. She tilted her pale face to the moon, coal black eyes reflecting the galaxy visible tonight. How peaceful. She pursed her lips.Lately, the monthly werewolf gatherings held to report pack activity had gotten stressful.She braced herself for more unwanted attention and returned to the bonfire at the centre of the clearing. There it was! She felt a large hand reach out to touch her from behind. Instinctively, she lifted her leg and swung it at her attacker. The offending party dodged her lethal kick with inhuman ease.'Woah!' he exclaimed. 'Easy, girl. It's a party. Chillax a little.'The culprit lifted his arms in mock surrender, a wide smile on his face. She frowned.'A drink for you?' he asked. Her fingers twitched.'No, thank you.' She continued walking.He followed her. 'Don't like beer? What would you like? I'll get it for you.'She glanced sideways at him. Like most wer

Caph's quick agreement to Ran's proposed arrangement stunned her. She had expected some resistance or some sort of negotiation.But all he did was smile an infuriatingly casual smile and ask, 'How in love do we need to be?' His blue eyes had turned green in the yellow tint of the bonfire, his chiselled jaw sharper in the shadows of the night. She could smell his wolfy scent this close up.Her uncle should have at least chosen a less irritating werewolf!Ran pushed him away with her hands on his chest, saying, 'Not so much. Just enough to convince my uncle.'She felt his heartbeat quicken through her fingers, his body warmer than she expected. His loose white t-shirt was draped over him in a way that revealed the lean muscles along his arms and chest, barely separating them from each other. An electric shock jolted through her palms until she was heating up with heat that did not come from the bonfire.It was a bizarre sensation she had never felt before with anyone—not once during her

The week after the Full Moon Gathering, all her pack could talk about was Caph. How handsome and courteous he was. How gentlemanly and unlike the rumours they themselves had spread. How taken he was by their unromantic Beta.How he would take good care of her if he become Alpha of Eridanus.Ran had a hard time smiling her way through these conversations.Did any of them know who Caph really was?That question made her realise she had no idea either, and so between her Beta duties, she made it her mission to find out.Most difficult part was to sort through rumour and truth. Werewolves didn't keep written records—they passed down history and facts through word of mouth. But that was the way gossip travelled as well, which was what made it was very hard to tell the difference.There were, of course, stories that were not allowed to be changed by the authority of the Alpha and these were generally how the younger generation learnt werewolf history.As a result, Ran spent her free time wit

Ran led Caph into a study room and shut the door behind him. Books lined the walls and framed the windows. A large black-wood desk stood in the middle of the room.He had never seen a werewolf own that many books. His eyes fixated on some ancient-looking books.'That's my father's collection of werewolf literature,' she said.Caph's eyes widened.Werewolves had no affinity with books. They certainly didn't make a habit of writing them. They were an animalistic species after all.Ran leaned against the edge of the black-wood desk. 'He's not like my uncle.'Caph smiled. 'Your father–'Ran's expression had changed. The warmth in her voice was gone and her black eyes were hostile.'My father isn't a bad Alpha, he just had a different way of leading the pack. He worked the hardest in all of Eridanus. Just because he read books and spent a lot of time staring at maps doesn't make him weak.'As Ran's pretend boyfriend, Caph would have to train under Acamar to become the next Alpha. There was

Caph crossed his arms across his chest.Ran noticed what he wasn't wearing a shirt for the first time. His lean and muscular torso was bare and tempting.For some reason, she felt her cheeks heat up.Caph grinned even wider. 'Does it bother you? That our arrangement has everyone fooled?'Unconsciously, she took a step back. 'That's not what I–.'He tilted his head. 'Then what's the problem? Do you like me?'The memory of Caph's hand on her face came to her mind. She remembered the electric touch when he gently swept her hair behind her ear and the glowing warmth of his blue eyes on her.The same pair of eyes were fixed on her now, but they were taunting.Ran shoved him away from her and stormed out of this room, yelling, 'No way!'Why had she come to him for help in quelling the rumours? They were proof that everyone believed their arrangement was real.Ran refused to talk to Caph until the next Full Moon Gathering. With all the rumours about them flying around, there was no need to ex