The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Surprise, Motherfuckers: Serena is hunted. Dexmon finds his mate.

"Viremont’s paying a fortune for—"

Serena’s boot found his groin before he finished his sentence. His voice went up three octaves. Then he folded in on himself.

Conversation over.

Another rogue dropped from a tree. "Silverveil. Third-time runners don’t get quick deaths."

Lunging forward, she took him by surprise and drove her shoulder into his chest.

Before he could breathe, she introduced her knee to his future children, and he discovered religion on the way down.

Two down.

Only a small army to go.

Wasting no time, she grabbed his sword. It was heavy, unbalanced, and the grip was trash. But free was free.

Elara was frozen, wide-eyed, and pressed against a tree. Serena recognized the look because she’d worn it for a year straight. The look was a cage before the cage arrived.

Legs trembling, Serena stepped forward to anchor herself between Elara and the threat. A year in silver chains had burned Serena’s wolf away, but Elara’s was still whole. And she was going to make damn sure the girl didn’t die today.

"Shift and run," Serena ordered over her shoulder. "Now."

Elara gave a single nod and shifted mid-step, paws hitting the ground in a sprint.

More emerged from the trees, blades drawn, chains hanging from their gloved hands.

"Dumb," Serena muttered, eyes flicking left. "Dumber." Her gaze slid right. "And desperate."

Five. Ten. Too many. Fuck. The math was not mathing.

"Fine," she breathed. "Come earn it."

Every one of them moved at the same time.

She braced for impact, but the strike blindsided her from a direction she wasn’t guarding.

Pain detonated from her chest, cracking through her sternum like lightning splitting a tree.

A raw, high-pitched scream tore from her throat as gold light exploded from her skin. The shockwave blasted the rogues back thirty feet.

Serena hit the ground with a thud, ears ringing and spots dancing in her vision.

She blinked a few times, only to notice she was glowing. Her hands looked like a literal religious painting, which was odd, considering the rest of her looked like a crime scene.

How interesting, she thought, completely detached, like it was happening to someone else.

Crunching leaves yanked her back to reality. A rogue groaned, staggering to his feet.

One by one, they hauled themselves upright. Of course they did. Because nothing in her life had ever stayed down the first time.

It smelled like pine, moonfire, and something painfully familiar. Like something he had lost and never stopped searching for.

Aegon: Run to it. Now.

Dexmon didn’t need to be told twice, his wolf’s desperation echoing his own.

All he knew was that he needed more of it.

Like a hook sunk deep, the pull yanked hard, and he streaked towards it at Alpha speed.

Moments later, he burst into a clearing. Rogues were shifting with silver chains in hand.

His paws stopped working the instant he saw the source of the scent. His entire body screamed one word he didn’t dare say.

Aegon: Why are we stopping. Why are we STOPPING.

Thick white hair was plastered to her face, the rest shoved into the collar of her shirt. Even from a distance, her green eyes were striking.

The need to touch her, to feel her skin on his, burned so hot he almost shifted back on the spot.

Then the rest of it registered. Her clothes were soaked in blood. The sword she held looked too heavy for her wrists. She was surrounded on all sides, back against a tree.