THE ALPHA'S RELUCTANT MATE

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She wanted to hate him. She wanted to feel nothing but anger and resentment for the Alpha who had claimed her,

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s presence neared, the pull became stronger, more insistent. Her wolf snarled in frustra

conflicting emotions roiling inside her. Her heart raced, an unsteady rhythm that ech

rd her, his expression hard, his posture that of the Alpha he was born to be. But there was

irm, but there was an undercurrent of something

d again, a sharp sting of awareness that made her skin prickle. She could f

he retorted, her voice biting.

ght she saw frustration flash across his face. But he

. "There's something out there. We don't know who, but they're dangerous. And yo

got me into this mess in the first place. You think I'm just going to s

uth. She wasn't helpless. She wasn't weak. She wasn't going

omething raw, something vulnerable, made her qu

tense. "I need you, Lena. You might not believe it now, but I do. You're

ey were his. And yet, she still couldn't bring herself to trust him, not fully. She didn't know him

bling with a mix of anger and something else. "That I'm just going t

elt the heat of his presence consume her. The bond tugged at her again, stronger this ti

But you have to understand... This isn't just about us. There's more at stake. The pack, the future - it's all t

ignore. She had never seen Kian like this - not the cold, calculating Alpha she had met, b

she whispered,

a. Enemies who want more than just control over the pack. They want to destroy everything we've built.

accept them any more than she had before. She wanted to fight, wanted to scream at him, tell him that she didn't want any

softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I d

here was no hardness, no arrogance in his eyes. There was only something v

need," he said gently. "Just

ng. And for the first time, Lena wasn't sure if she hate