Unlikely Mates
Chapter 4

Kira

“Just f**k off!” I yell at the person knocking on the door. “I don’t want any help.”

The knocking ceases, and I hear the footsteps travel down the steps and away from the house. How many more of these a*ssh0les am I going to have to tell to leave before they get the f*****g point? Four people have been here since Silas, not including this last one, and each got the same reception from me. I have no intention of making nice with these people.

In the kitchen, I pull a bottle of vodka I brought with me from the freezer and head outside. The fire pit is already roaring into the night sky. After taking a seat in a comfortable camping chair, which I found in the garage, I unscrew the cap and take a big swig straight from the bottle. The burn flows down my throat and to my stomach before extending out to my limbs.

Each time the burn starts to fade, I take another large sip as I stare into the flames dancing in front of me.

“Maybe you should slow down,” a deep voice says from behind me.

“Hello, Rowan,” I answer in reply.

“How did you know it was me?” he asks as he stands beside my chair, staring down at me.

“You have been here for ten minutes. You are standing into the wind, and your smell is all over this yard. It would be hard to miss you.” I don’t face him, instead keeping my gaze trained on the fire.

I know he can hear my pulse racing. My heart is beating a mile a minute. When I first caught the scent, I was praying for someone else, anyone else. God knows I would have settled for a f*****g stray. Anyone but Rowan. Yeah, that’s just my f*****g luck.

Of course, the goddamned alpha of the Zwart Pack would be my f*****g mate.

Rowan

The moment I reach the Williams’ house, my heart starts pounding erratically. Something is off. My skin feels tight, my che.st too small to contain my rapidly beating heart. My panther is uneasy, prowling around in the corners of my mind, pushing against me, trying to get out.

The moment I see Kira, I know exactly why. She is my fated mate. It seems Silas was right when he said she could make things exceedingly difficult. Since I can remember, I have wanted nothing more than to meet my fated mate. But Kira isn’t going to be overjoyed at this situation. Getting her to accept me as her alpha was never in the cards, but I wonder if she could ever accept me as her mate.

When I stand beside her, looking down, my breath freezes in my lungs. She has become a beautiful woman. The same blonde hair she always had but now she has pieces of black and red scattered in. Her shirt is tight over her bre.asts. She may not have the curves Odette has, but it doesn’t matter. She is the most breathtakingly beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on.

“Why are you here, Rowan?” Kira asks, still not looking at me.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for your loss,” I reply.

Her gaze collides with mine, fire burning in their depths. “Sorry? You have got to be f*****g kidding me,” she shouts. Rising from the chair, she pushes me in the center of my che.st. I stumble back, caught off guard.

“For years, my father was treated as less than a second-rate citizen, and now that he’s dead, everyone suddenly wants to show up and pay their f*****g respects?” She shoves me again, but this time, I stand my ground.

“Kira,” I say gently.

“Don’t you Kira me! Just leave me alone. And get the rest of this mess you call a pack to do the same. I’m here to put my father to rest and then I’m going home. I don’t need anyone to talk to me or try to make amends. I just need everyone to leave me the f**k alone.” She turns and stomps toward the back door of her father’s house.

“Kira,” I call out to her retreating form. “We need to talk.”

“No, Rowan, we don’t. I will see the pack elder tomorrow, and she will tell me how to get out of this mating bullshit,” she says before closing the door and flipping the lock.

F**k! This isn’t what I was hoping for when I dreamed of replaceing my fated mate. But one thing is for sure: there’s no way in hell I’m letting Kira end this mating before I even get a chance to win her over.

I need to see Mavis, our pack elder, before Kira does. Jogging toward her house, I try to think of what I will say to her. It’s late, but I don’t have a choice. I’m going to need her help to keep my mate. I bang loudly on the front door until I hear movement inside the house.

“Hold your horses!” Mavis shouts from inside her home.

I stop knocking and wait impatiently for her to open the door.

“Rowan.” She sighs as she pulls the door open. “To what do I owe the displeasure of having you at my home at midnight?”

“Thank you for seeing me, Mavis.”

“Like I had a choice,” Mavis snarks, opening the door wider to allow me access.

Taking a seat at her kitchen table, I wait for her as she putters around the room, getting cups and putting water in the kettle. When she has finished preparing our coffee, she hands me a cup and takes a seat in front of me.

“So?” Mavis asks.

After taking a deep breath, I lay into the whole story, starting from the night Kira left. When I’m done, I wait for Mavis to enlighten me with her opinion.

“You’re an idiot,” Mavis says with a sigh. “What do you want me to do about this?”

“I don’t know. Tell her you can’t break the mating bond?” I say angrily. This conversation isn’t going the way I wanted.

“Well, I can’t, but she can,” Mavis says.

“Don’t you dare tell her that!”

“Sit your dumb a*ss down, boy.” Mavis glares at me. “I will slap you if you ever speak to me that way again. No less in my own home.”

“Sorry,” I say as I take a seat and try to look contrite. I shouldn’t have raised my voice, but the idea of Kira breaking our bond is enough to drive me crazy.

“Fine. I will help you,” Mavis says after a moment, and my shoulders sag in relief.