Alpha Markus's Hidden Mate

Hadie POV

“You’re leaving, right now?” Justin, my boyfriend, asked.

“I didn’t plan this. Dad wants to take me somewhere.”

Justin sighed, but there was nothing to be mad about here. My Father was the Alpha, and his word was law in any circumstance.

Unfortunately, it also meant on my twenty-fourth birthday.

Justin pulled me in for a kiss. “I need you tonight, Hadie.”

“And you’ll have me.”

Soon, Dad would step down, and Justin and I would take his place. He was the mate I’d chosen when I was a teenager. My parents approved, which took a huge load off the whole picking a mate thing. He was always by my side when I needed him the most. He would make a great Alpha.

Justin grinned before walking out of my room. I grabbed my jacket so I could follow suit.

“Don’t go, Hadley,” my wolf Molly said.

“Why?”

“Just don’t go out tonight. Tell him you’re sick or something.”

“He’s the Alpha. He can smell sickness and will know I’m faking it. You don’t want him to get mad, right?”

“But Hadley—”

“Not now, Molly,” I warned, and she obeyed.

I walked out to find my blonde, blue-eyed cousin at my door.

“Oh, there you are, Hadley.” Vena grinned.

“What are you doing here?” I frowned.

“I came to wish you a happy twenty-fourth birthday. It’s a big day.”

“Sure is.”

“Plans?” She purred.

“Yeah, date night with Justin.”

“Isn’t that… romantic. I’m sure there’s a little action reserved for later.”

Vena had a wicked grin on her face. She was always plotting or scheming. I’d rather stay out of her way, but Mom wanted me to get along with my cousin.

“I’ve got to go, Vena. Don’t want to keep dad waiting.”

She smiled as I walked past her.

“Hey, Hadie, can I have your leather jacket?”

“Uh, sure.”

“You won’t be needing it where you’re going.”

What’s that supposed to mean? I thought.

I didn’t have time to ask her. I’d kept dad waiting long enough. I hurried downstairs, but paused when I heard a muffled conversation. It sounded like Dad talking to someone.

“Stay out of my f*ck*ng way!” Dad barked.

“I’m not scared of you, Andrew.”

“Oh yeah? I’ve made up my mind.”

“Is bloodshed the only option?”

“It always is,” Dad said venomously.

I couldn’t make out who he was talking to, but the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The library door slammed against the wall. I jumped.

Dad caught me.

“Oh, there you are. Did you grab a jacket?”

I nodded.

“Good, let’s go.” A subtle smile spread on his face.

I expected to see the man he was arguing with, but there was no sign of him. Dad started the car and drove off the property.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

He turned to me with a smile. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You were arguing…”

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to hear that. Just Alpha business.”

“Dad, you should let me know about that stuff. I’m the Alpha heiress, remember?”

He chuckled. “Hadie, always so clever.”

I noticed we’d driven past the towns and vibrant neighbourhoods.

“Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry, CherryPop. This is important.”

He’d called me CherryPop since I was a child. Tonight, he felt distant. It had to be about the pack. It’s an unstable time in our pack. Our borders are weak, and our army needs to be sharpened.

“I hope this doesn’t take long, Dad. I’ve got plans with Justin.”

He pressed harder on the gas, and the engine roared.

“Oh, it won’t take long. I want to show you something,” he chuckled. “It’s essential. We’re actually almost there.”

I smiled. “Great.”

My gaze shifted from my father to the road. It was a clear, open road with a deep, dark blue sky without a cloud in sight.

The brakes screamed. I lurched forward. My seatbelt must have failed. My forehead smacked into the dashboard.

“F*ck!” Dad shouted.

Blood instantly trickled down my forehead.

I looked up to see an eight-foot-tall wolf with hellish red eyes appear in the middle of the road. Dad put the car in drive and drove into the wolf.

“What is that?” I cried.

“Nothing!”

It didn’t stop chasing us. It rammed into the car, driving it off the road. I screamed. The vehicle bounced along the bumpy road.

“Hadley!” Dad shouted.

He reached for me and clawed my shoulder just as the car rolled. Breaking glass and crashing metal were the last things I recalled before I was ripped from reality.

***

“She’s waking up,” someone whispered.

My head was pounding and my eyes stung from the overhead light.

“Where am I?” I rasped.

My throat felt like the desert. I scanned my surroundings and saw two familiar faces.

“You’re in the hospital, honey,” my mother, Sheryl, said.

“You were in a horrible accident. The car was totally ripped to shreds and burst into flames,” my cousin Vena added. “You’re the only one who survived.”

“Vena,” my mother hissed.

“What are you talking about? Where’s Dad? Where is he?!”

Mom held my gaze for a second. The truth was on the tip of her tongue.

“He’s dead, Hadley. The Alpha was killed.”

Hadie POV

Two Months Later

“You have to do it, or else you’ll be an outcast,” Lila scowled

“I can’t…” I stared at the five girls in the dark University courtyard. “This is ridiculous. What type of hazing is this?”

It was the night of the welcome party for new students at Wolf Heights University. Music pounded in the distance while unsuspecting students partied.

Lila, my cousin, glared at me expectantly.

Lila and her friends planned an initiation that I had no say in! This had nothing to do with being the new girl. This was Lila's way of getting back at me for coming into her precious, privileged life. She and her friends cornered me minutes earlier and forced me into the courtyard.

“The type of hazing that will determine if you fit in or die trying. Put this on,” she ordered.

She held out a black choker with the words “F*ck Me” on it.

“You can’t expect me to—”

“Why not? You’re not the Alpha's daughter here.