Mate (Bride, #2)

by Ali Hazelwood

Koen. Koen’s here. It will be all right.

“Is this the way you talk to your beloved mate?” A single eyebrow lifts. “I said you were my mate. Not that I loved you.”

“She explained what a mate is?” Slowly, I nod. “What Misery is to Lowe, you are to me.” Oh. Oh? Oh. “Is this a, um…terminal diagnosis?” His lips twitch. “No cure, I’m afraid.” “I see.” I clear my throat. “Well, this relationship sure escalated quickly.”

Koen Alexander, the feral Alpha of the most dangerous pack on the continent, undisputed ruler in a wild territory known for its exceptional bloodthirst, listens to Human classical music while driving. I did not see that coming.

So, yeah. Humans are on my shit list, and I don’t miss them. What I do miss is the period of my life in which the word problem could apply to the printer not working.

takes about five steps back and reaches for his weapon. So does every other person in the lobby. Koen ignores them all. “You have two options, shitmuncher. You can apologize to the lady this very instant, or you can wait till later to be fucked up. Your choice. And don’t worry, I won’t be disappointed either way.”

“So…why are their parents still alive?” Koen asks. His leadership philosophy seems to be if inconvenient, why not dead?

By the way, I heard about the mate thing. Ah. Yeah. What an unfortunate direction for this chat. And…you know how the first week you were here, I kind of asked you out? I do. In my dreams, I violently slammed my skull against the wall. You said no. And it’s totally fine. But would it be possible for you to…A deep breath. Never, ever, ever mention it to Koen? Oh. Alex, Koen and I are not… And if you do mention it to him, could you maybe give me a heads-up? So then I can, you know, burn my fingerprints with my sister’s curling iron and go underground and maybe buy some fake documents—

“An idea for…?” “Figuring you out.” “I love it when you talk about me like I’m the ultimate escape room. Tell me more.” “You’ll see when we get there. Give me five to shower.” He heads for his room. Stops. “And, killer?” “What?” “Tuck that T-shirt in your pants. It’ll look less like it’s mine.”

“And now he’s back.” “He’s dead.” “Could reports of his passing have been greatly exaggerated?” “I ripped his heart out of his chest, chewed it for half a minute, and then spit it into the ocean.” I nod slowly. “A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed.”

I get out of the shower, quickly put on leggings and one of his shirts (which I sniff for over a minute, with inappropriate enthusiasm).

I plop down between Koen and the armrest, disregarding the way my thigh brushes against his. Tension swells in the room, heavy with discomfort, but I ignore it and gently press my knee against Koen’s thick quad to get him to stop manspreading. He doesn’t budge, so I push harder. He ignores me.

Doing the lords work. <3

“Koen,” Layla says, and all of a sudden, she sounds less like a pack member and more like a friend. Someone who knew Koen when he was young—who was young with him. “You’re not going to like me doing it this way.” A merry, careless shrug. “Then I’ll have to be a fucking big boy about it, won’t I?”

HAHAHA!!!

“As in, my smell brings all the Weres to the yard?”

Should I be worried?” I glance at Koen, who doesn’t get my meaning. “How appealing is my scent going to be to others? Should I get online and order a Taser?” He blinks. “You already own a knife. But let me reassure you that any Were in this pack who touches you without an express request from you is going to come into a windfall of pain. And then die.” “I’ll take that as a no.” I smile,

“It’s not fair. That they won’t allow you to—” Fall in love. Have a family. A chance at happiness. A chance with me. “It’s inhumane.”

I let myself fall back on the mattress. Maybe I could grab a fork from the kitchen, fall upon it, and encounter a swift and merciful death.

:(((

“I’m going to step down.”

WE LOVE YOU KOEN!!!

“Thank you.” Her smile wobbles. “Maybe you and I could be friends, E—Serena. I enjoyed the afternoon we spent together.” “I did, too,” I say, instead of We could be friends if I stayed, but I won’t. I can’t. You’ll be fine, though. And so will Koen. And so will I. Good liar, and all that.

Rolls my eyes* why is serena being so fucking annoying rn?

“I don’t want to make things complicated for him, now that I’m leaving.” She is silent for a long beat. When I turn to face her, I find her staring. “Thank you, Serena,” she tells me. Serious, and uncharacteristically heartfelt. “For what?” “For not taking him from us.”

Amanda I want u to know that you're an ugly fat bitch.