Taken by my mate
Chapter three

June 9

Covyn

The next week I cancelled my meeting and waited for her car on the side of the highway she used. If you wanted something done right, just do it yourself. When I saw her car, I pulled back into traffic and started edging my way up through the cars toward her.

If I could follow her, see where she was going, maybe talk to her, perhaps my wolf would finally calm down his anxious pacing in my mind. I had barely been able to sleep since seeing her over a month ago and since then every time I shifted it felt like I was losing more control to him.

My own men had begun to think I was unhinged, and I knew snapping at them was more my issue than to anything they did, even if I’d never tell them so. I wasn’t about to tell them that a woman I had only caught glimpses of was occupying all of my ability to think, so anything they had to say was just irritating. By this point, if they couldn’t read the room they deserved whatever lashing they received.

I had weaved my way through the other cars and managed to get behind her as she moved into the downtown area. The small traces of her I could pick up on the wind had me wanting more, desperate to get closer and decipher what that smell was. Even still, my face fell as she kept driving until we hit the east side and I prayed this wasn’t where she lived. No area of town was better known for its ‘make yourself scarce’ night scene, and you knew that anyone out after dark around here carried at least pepper spray or were the reason you weren’t supposed to be out.

Evadiene had already made two right hand turns, and I followed after her, but after her fourth right turn in a row I realized I had been made.

Evadiene

Normally I loved attention, why else become a stripper if you don’t like eyes being on you, but when the same car I had seen pulled over on the side of the road by my exit was still behind me a block from work… I was more than suspicious.

I honestly began thinking back on my last week, wondering if I had actually pissed off one of the gangs that visited our bar. A lot of them used our location for meetings because no one is watching the illegal deals going on if there are varying degrees of naked girls on stage. I wasn’t about to jump to conclusions and made a right, and then another last minute right, and another… after the fourth right I was where I started and there was that same bumper in my rear mirror. I wanted to turn right around and get a good look at him but I figured him knowing I’d seen his face probably wouldn’t help whatever mess I was in.

I took a last minute left when the advanced signal was ending and the truck didn’t make the turn. Sighing with relief I turned into the parking lot for my work but a delivery truck took up more than half of the stalls so I needed to go park one street over at the park and ride.

—

Covyn

When I finally managed to turn down the street Evadiene had, her car was long gone, but I had hours to spare and a tank of gas. I started driving up and down the block and those on either side, and it was a block over that I found her car. Unfortunately it was at a bus loop and that meant she could be anywhere. For shits and giggles I walked the loop; she wasn’t there, then checked her parking pass and which buses left between that time and the current time… there were a lot.

Defeat rang through me just as my phone began to buzz in my pocket. I looked at the call display and groaned to see who it was. Ellion, my partner in crime and business, my best friend.

“Hey Bossman,” his chipper voice rang through the device. “Any luck on that ‘special’ errand.”

Despite not telling anyone about what was going on I was sure he had an idea. Growing up in constant competition has made us both very aware of the others weaknesses. When he found his wife, Daley, I knew before he did, and I was the one who told him to bring her to our land before any of our enemies learned of her existence and importance to him.

“I’m.. taking a break,” I sighed, getting back into my truck.

I heard a gruff chuckle as he said, “oh I bet you are.”

I growled in return. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

He was still laughing. “I checked your location Covyn. You could have just said you needed a bed warmer, you didn’t need to go to the east side for a strip club.”

Confused as to what the hell he was talking about I scanned the street and saw that I was indeed parked in front of a strip club. I rolled my eyes. Great, just great, well I guess that’s a good of an excuse as any as to what I was up to.

“Nothing slips passed you,” I muttered, clicking my tongue like I had been caught.

He chuckled again. “And that’s why me, Daley and Spencer are on our way to join you. I’ve got your big ass stack of bills.”

I rolled my eyes bigger and groaned into the dead line. The last thing I wanted was a night at the club with my friends.

But what the fuck was I thinking? That sounds like the best night, and sure he was bringing Daley but she liked observing tits and ass as much as the best bi-girl in a monogamous heterosexual relationship.

I sat outside with a smoke as I waited for Daley to pull up in her little sports car, knowing she would have insisted on driving to make Spencer squish in the back of her two door.

I took another drag off my smoke before stomping it out and looking over at Ellion. “So you were checking on me?” I said in a fake cute voice. “Can’t believe you talked these two into coming out to the city, and violated the trusted silent oath of the location share. Worried about me big boy? Careful, Daley might pluck your eyes out if you start ogling me.”

He chuckled and Daley scoffed. “Not even tempting Mr. Durem. Have you seen me?” She did a small twirl in her short dress and modestly high heals. She was a curvy girl, being a plus sized model and actress before Ellion stole her away she was incredibly confident about her appearance.

I could see the small line of her thigh-saving shorts under her skirt as she spun. I had stupidly asked one drunken night what the point of shorts under a dress was, and she gave me some line about how everyone is always talking about the thick thighs that save lives but no one talks about the chub rub.

“I’m not worried about his eyes wandering to you,” she finished after her twirl was complete.

She made a spectacle of eyeing me up and down like she had seen better, and then Ellion swooped in for a kiss. Daley had become much more comfortable around me over the years, but I was still glad she didn’t show it at the pack house the way she did when the four of us were alone. Spencer gagged somewhere off to the side before I shook my head and laughed.

Yeah, maybe this is exactly what I needed.

“You lot coming or what?” Spencer called, moving to run across the street between oncoming cars.

We followed behind him, getting to the doors as he finished talking to the guy up front and checking for a table.

Inside the place was surprisingly tasteful for the area. There was a bar on either side, running near two smaller stages, and then there was the big one in the middle. Half circle booths separated by thick walls lined the back end and there was a second floor with an open mezzanine to look down.

Everything was clean and crisp in white, making me wonder how many times that came in handy when cleaning with bleach. The night was already in full swing, but Spencer had manage to pull my weight into getting us one of the booths at the back.

I had to admit, the girls were hot. The had a good variety of sizes and shapes, the music was… eclectic, but somehow consistent to the vibe. Still, my dick was absolutely placid.

Despite understanding why, it completely pissed me off. How could catching a glimpse of my mate erase my sexual desires for any other attractive female? I barely even knew what she looked like aside from her shoulder up, and only half of her face.

Anyone who knew me knew I had a type, and frankly it was shallow. I liked my girls as deep as a puddle and dumb as rocks, so they could appreciate the body I trained every day for and didn’t ask questions about my business. Someone with something to hold on to was great, but I dated enough models to replace a way around that when needed.

Glancing over at my company in the booth, ogling the girls with so much enjoyment. Daley sat in front of Ellion, between his legs, thinking she was subtle at rubbing her butt up against him. I rolled my eyes, wishing I could just scream with sexual frustration. Whoever my mate was, she was going to kill me.

Spencer started hooting at a new dancer on the stage and I turned to laugh at his unmatched enthusiasm when a voice caught my attention. Someone was yelling from the door, as they ushered a group of suits in, to someone at the bar. I couldn’t have given a fuck about any of those suits, but the responding voice perked my ears.

“Ay Sal, you’re early tonight baby.”

The voice somehow sounded both commanding and small, almost child-like. It didn’t sound quite right, but I followed it to the bartender who was kissing the cheek of the suit she had spoken to. Her smile was broad and the next things she said to him were too quiet with the music for me to hear, but it didn’t matter.

She tucked her brown hair behind her ear, and her coco coloured skin was covered in light glitter that shone under the lights on her. Her low top showed more of her than I wanted any other man to ever see, particularly this man that was running his hand up her arm as she spoke to him while shaking a drink. I made sure to mark the man’s face to memory, because I would make sure that hand never touched anything again let alone my mate.

I couldn’t help it, I was growling from my seat and it attracted the attention of my company.

Spencer sat back and looked at me, blocking my view of Evadiene. “You alright boss?”

I was about to snap at him for blocking my view when Ellion piped his bit in. “Is something going on?”

“I need a drink,” I growled, but when I stood up and looked to the bar she was gone and a taller blond woman was standing in her place.

The suits had gathered around the sofas in front of the main stage, but between them and the bar she was no where in site. My eyes dashed around the room, scanning every brunette I could see for my brunette. There was a dry feeling in my throat that felt like swallowing a pool ball; tight to the point that my roar of frustration would not come out.

Distantly I heard Spencer and Ellion talking to me but I didn’t give a shit what they were saying. Daley leaned back and touched my arm but I flinched away. Maybe flinch wasn’t the right word.. her touch repulsed me and my body reacted out of outrage that anyone but my mate should touch me.

Over their words I heard the DJ call out. “Alllll right everyone, we’re pulling this one out of her corner by special request. Give it up for, Nova!”

My eyes shot over to the stage where a woman was strutting down it in no less than six inch heals, wearing a black silk robe, but as she walked by those sitting up front it was clear there wasn’t much underneath. When she got to the end she handed the tie on her robe to the one she’d called Sal, who pulled on it to open the front and let it slide off her shoulders.

Ellion knew better than to call too loudly for any female, but strongly encouraged Daley as she called out and Spencer had two fingers in his mouth as he whistled. Her bottoms cut her ass cheeks in half with bedazzled purple fabric, highlighting just how much ass there was to cover, and her top had two diamond shaped areas of material over the centre of her breasts and a complicated wrap of ties that went around her sides, her neck, and her chest to tie at the front.

She spun lazily around the pole in the middle, that ran up through the Mezzanine to run floor to second story ceiling, and smiled and chatted with those up front. Without warning she began spinning and twisting around it off the ground, flipping up, placing her feet so she could essentially stand on it, with one foot on top and the other tucked around it as she spun.

The core strength that took was not lost on me and momentarily took my focus. Before I realized what I was doing I was sitting back down and staring at her. I heard my party chuckling and spouting something that probably came from stupidity.

People were chanting ‘climb, climb, climb’, and as she spun she was taking a scrunchy from her bra and tying her hair up. When she was done she brought her hands back to the pole and began climbing the pole like a monkey until she was at the very top. Apparently there was a bell out there and she rang it, eliciting everyone near a tip container to drop in bills.

I looked up at her, my heart pounding in my chest and my cock firm against my zipper. Fuck Goddess smite me for even considering that my mate wouldn’t be drop dead the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen. She didn’t look at anyone in particular as she bent herself backward to grab the bar beneath her, hanging upside down as she spun around.

After a minute she brought her legs around and down to bring herself right side up, standing with one hand on the pole, holding herself out, and her feet making her look like she was standing with so little effort again. One more flip to put the pole running between her thighs and up her spine, then spread herself out, stomach toward the stage, with only her thighs holding her up. She looked out in to the crowd, briefly catching my eyes before she let go of the pole enough to drop herself as fast as my heart fell into my stomach.

Her eyes were a gorgeous green, like a forest I could lose myself in, and the sparks flew between us at the connection. I knew she had felt it to, but as she slid down that pole I thought of what Daley had said, about thick thighs saving lives.

Less than five feet before the stage she clenched her thighs and stopped herself. She looked back up to me, and her eyes said that was not what she had intended to do, but her smile said ‘did you see that?’.

A growl finally worked its way free as a man tucked a hundred dollar bill into her top.

“Mine!”

“What’s that boss?” Spencer asked nonchalantly, but turned at the same time Ellion did when I didn’t stop growling.

My eyes only saw red as the man withdrew his hand and licked the finger that he half slipped inside her shirt.

“Mine!” I roared again. “I’ll break every finger on his hand.”

Ellion’s gaze darted from me, following my gaze to the stage, to Evadiene, and swore, “oh fuck, are you serious? This isn’t good.”

“What is it?” Daley asked, gripping Ellion’s arm nervously.

“The Alpha’s mate is that stripper,” Ellion whispered, but I heard him easily, striking my hand out to grab the back of his neck painfully.

“Do you have a problem with my mate?!” I snapped at him and he quickly turned his head to the side in submission.

“No of course not,” he assured but Spencer was already standing.

“I got this,” he muttered before taking off, and I sincerely hoped he was right.

The last thing I needed to do was shift in the middle of the club and attack all the men that dared to touch what was mine.

Her feet were back on the stage and she danced to the song, doing a few simpler tricks on the pole, as she smiled over at me. She would be doing something that required her to place her back to me, but she would shake that ass that I couldn’t wait to get in my hands, and then look over her shoulder to see if I was still watching.

I would never be able to take my eyes off this sexy minx that was mine. This would be her last night in this club, and never again would I let her wear so little for anyone’s enjoyment but mine.

Spencer came back and stood in front of our table cautiously. “Upstairs, room three. She will be up for a private dance as soon as the song is over.”

I grit my teeth. I didn’t like us meeting like this. I wanted to replace out where she lived or worked, happened to see her, build trust, ask her on a date. I never imagined she would be a dancer who had countless men asking her out every night.

I gruffed a sound of appreciation and stood up, moving towards the stairs, and getting a big spark of enjoyment when I saw her eyes move back to my booth. When she didn’t see me she began scanning the crowd to replace me off to the side. I had stopped at the bottom and waited for her to see me, and then gave her my best smile with a wink, before climbing to the second floor.

Waiting for her to be done shaking her ass for all those men up front would be the hardest five minutes of my life, but if I didn’t go now I was going to kill someone.