Alpha Killian novel Chapter 7

Alpha Killian P.O.V

I begrudgingly made the decision to attend this year's Moon Ball. Finding a mate had once been at the forefront of my mind, but after years of no luck, I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. Finding a mate had been a strong desire of mine in the past, now it was a simple necessity. If I were to maintain control over my pack, a mate would be crucial to that plan.

The trip from the Blood Moon Pack to the Southern Pack had only taken a few hours, so I kept my distance until it was time to attend the ball. I couldn't help but enjoy the frightened glances from the rest of the people who had also attended the ball. Being the feared Alpha was something I preferred. If you were known across the word as the most vicious Alpha to ever exist, who would dare challenge you?

Females and males alike were submissive to me, never daring to piss me off.

I sat at a large table pushed towards the far wall of the canopy, knowing the Alpha of this pack wanted me as far away from others as possible. I kept my face passive, as I was trained to do, but amusement made its way into my head. My gaze drifted to many of the unmated males, watching as they shot me frightened glances. I let my gaze flit from female to female, noticing how some had frightful gazes, while others eyes were filled with lust.

"Do you think she is here, Alpha?" A deep voice to the left of me called out. I knew the voice without even needing to look. My Beta, Mason, liked to speak quite often.

"Possibly." I kept my answers clipped and short. He knew this was simply business for me. Last year Mason had finally found his mate, and I watched as she slowly softened the man. He may put on a good show whilst in front of me, but I can see the longing embedded in his gaze. The thought of allowing myself to have such a blatant weakness stirred my anger, but without a mate, I would quickly lose control of the Blood Moon Pack. The pack needed to be sure that my heir would someday come into this world, and rightfully assume the role as Alpha when I was no longer.

I could feel the corners of my lip turn down as I felt my wolf become agitated. Pacing, shuffling, whining. My skull began to throb at the agitation of my wolf.

"What is wrong, Titan?" I asked, keeping confusion out of my voice and willing it to remain neutral.

"I don't know.." Titan grumbled, his frustrated pacing only growing faster.

In what felt like an instant, Titan's head perked up, as I was assaulted by something I had never smelled before. Warm notes of vanilla, honey, and cinnamon filled my head and instantly soothed my headache. You would think the smell resembled pastries, but it was too complex to narrow it down to something so simple. The creamy vanilla intertwined with the sweet honey and the strong cinnamon. I felt my eyes scanning the crowd hungrily, looking for the source of this smell.

I felt myself stand, I could hear Mason speaking, but I couldn't bring myself to care. The sweet and creamy smell circled my brain teasingly as it beckoned me forward. I kept my face a mask of indifference as I let my nose lead me through the crowd. I hadn't noticed when the music skidded to a stop, or when the crowd I had walked through began to part in fear. I didn't give a shit about any of them, or their flesh reeking of fear and body sprays. There was only one smell I was following, my wolf pushing me forward with a sense of urgency. If I hadn't held him back, I'm sure he would have me sprinting towards the source of the smell.

I let my legs move me forward as I locked eyes with a small girl. No- Not a girl, a woman. She stood five feet away from me, her eyes locked on my own as if she knew I had been looking for her. While my face was detached, I couldn't help but notice how small she truly was. Her face was locked in an incredulous mask, like she couldn't believe what was going on. I looked on at her, her scent invading thoughts when my wolf shouted in absolute joy.

"Mate! She's our mate!" Titan rejoiced, begging me to push forward, to take her in our arms, to finally claim what was ours.

A feeling I had never experienced before coursed through my veins as I looked at her porcelain face. Her small pink lips were shaped in an 'o' as if she had finally realized who I was.

In a move that was more animal than man I said my first words to my mate, "You are mine."

Slowly, I closed the distance between us until I was standing only a foot away. I watched in interest as her gaze slowly made its way up the length of my body, her eyes widened in fear. While I stayed detached, I could hear Titan whimper at the thought of our mate fearing us. A war began to wage in my head, one I knew wouldn't be simple to end. Fear was a necessity, it caused everyone to behave, reduced the carnage and death of disobedience. But as I looked on at this little girl- my little mate, the fear in her eyes gave birth to a new feeling inside of me, one I couldn't possibly name.

I took a step back from her, wanting to get a good look at her. She was nothing like the women who pursued me on my territory, something about her radiated innocence. I let my eyes roam her face, and the first thing I noticed was how blue her eyes truly were. I had never seen eyes so lightly colored before, as if they were made of crystal clear waters. I let my eyes slowly trace over every arch and curve on her face, and run down the length of her chocolate hair. My eyes roamed the curves of her pink lips and slowly made their way down her exposed neck.

This little thing had the full attention of Titan and I, something I had never given to a woman was my full undivided attention. I had women in my pack that I had used for pleasure, but none have ever received my attention the way this little thing has. I let my eyes roam over her creamy skin and finally down to the ball gown she wore. I could feel Titan growl in the back of my mind, his eyes gazing at her bare, unmarked neck.

I looked up into her ocean eyes in time to see her pale skin turn red with blush. I watched the blood rise to her cheeks and made a mental note of how she looked at that moment. So many thoughts were churning in my head, Titan's desires, my own, and then the reality of the situation.

"What is your name?" I found myself asking, needing to know what this little thing called herself. What name could be fitting for someone like her? I found myself wondering.

I waited for her answer as she seemed frozen in my eyes. I could see the indecision in her eyes, as if there too was an ongoing battle inside of her. I could feel my patience begin to ebb, wanting nothing more than to know her name. If asked, I would blame this on my wolf, but some small part of me wondered what her voice sounded like.

"I asked you a question, little mate." I called out again, this time my voice came out impatient, almost angry. I tried to reign my impatience in, not wanting to frighten the little thing.

"Claire, my name is Claire." Her pink lips moved slowly, her voice sounding like a bell. I was surprised to hear how steady her voice was, as if she hadn't been afraid just a few moments ago.