Havoc's Mate (Badlands Territory #2) - Lila Rose Page 0,4

her, but I knew her type. There was a fuckload of her type. She liked power and money. She got off on it. Anyone could see it with the way she ran her coffee shop. I’d heard, and even seen a couple of times, how hard and demeaning she was with her employees.

I had power and money. Two years ago, I became alpha to the Havoc pack after my father was murdered in a challenge. And it was murder, because it had been a setup. It wouldn’t have happened if I’d been around, but I’d been out of town and unreachable at the time. They drugged him and murdered him. So, as soon as I returned and learned the news, I ended Owen’s and his beta’s lives within moments.

The Havoc pack wasn’t the only pack in the territory; there were many. Some were likable, some not. Yet, we all reached for the same goal. Peace. Badlands Territory was a neutral ground for us all. Sometimes shit got stirred and things happened, but it was always something we could handle. Most had gated communities within a certain area and kept to them, except in town, which was shared.

Slowly, I turned my head and glared down at her. “I don’t give a fuck how he speaks to you. You’ll never have my attention the way you want it, so stop trying.”

She ground her teeth together and glared up at me, but stared at my chin rather than meeting my gaze. At least she knew not to look me in the eyes out of respect for me being the alpha and in case I took it as a challenge. She opened her mouth, then snapped her lips closed, huffed, and stormed back into the building.

When I turned to Alton, his hand dropped from my arm. I found him grinning like a fucking lunatic. He slapped my arm and said, “Your mate.”

I nodded.

Alton snorted. “Why do you look pissed?”

“She’s human.”

“Yep,” he said, popping the p. “You’ll have to woo the hell out of her. To a point where you’ll have to win her over before revealing anything about shifters.”

Fuck.

“Fuck.” There were other shifters with human mates, and honestly, it didn’t really bother me my mate was one. Humans lived as long as we did once the bond was completed. And this was without being turned into a shifter. All mates, no matter what species, were accepted. The only small issue I had was with the time it would take to win her over and have her at ease in the shifter community.

Alton chuckled, and I wanted to punch him. His hands dropped onto my shoulders, and he gave me a shake. “You have a mate.”

Elation expanded my heart almost painfully, and for the first time in two years, I sensed my anger had receded. I’d always hoped for a mate, aware the connection helped calm the beast within. I just didn’t realize it could help me as well.

I had a mate.

Finally.

“Christ, I have a mate.”

Alton’s grin didn’t fade even as his hands dropped away. “Kathy’s going to love her,” he stated. Kathy was his mate. They’d been together for years, and their love was still strong. Actually, having your other half—the one person made for you—meant the love would always stay strong. It’d been something I’d been envious of.

I didn’t know what my next move should be. How the fuck did I woo a woman? I’d never had to before.

Never.

Women tried with me, like Brea, but I turned them all away. Christ, the one woman who was made for me was human and seemed skittish. How did I approach her? What did I say? I couldn’t just bend her over and claim her like my wolf wanted me to.

Alton snorted. “I can see the panic written on your face. Don’t stress, Alpha. You’ll win her over.”

“How?”

“Invite her to Josephine’s tonight. I’ll have Kathy there; everyone warms to Kathy. You can get to know her without being….”

“What?” I barked.

“Shit, ah, just don’t be full-on. You’ll have to hold off from sniffing her, grabbing her, and taking her.”

I fisted my hands at my sides. “Fuck. Fine.”

“Great. Let’s test it out.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll head to her place and invite her. I’ll need to come so you don’t fuck her right there and then.” If I did, it would complete the bond needed to make the connection between us. Yet, I wasn’t a fool. In doing so, it would also scare my mate. I would wait and