The Alpha's Melded Mate

The One Where Patience Runs Out

It wasn't long until Ophelia joined us, wearing even less than when I'd first seen her outside... if that were possible. 

"You assured us this arrangement was solid," the visiting Alpha growled.

"It is!" Neal's father jumped in.

"Will you stop lying, father!" Neal crossed his arms. He stood half a step in front of me, facing the rest of the room as if to protect me from any sudden attacks. 

Not that I needed protecting. 

"With all due respect, the arrangement was agreed to prior to me finding my mate."

"Her?" Ophelia wrinkled her nose. "She's not even a wolf. How could she possibly be your mate? She's tainted."

I clenched my fists, holding myself back from doing something I'd regret even more than being right there. 

"I'm more than you could ever dream to be," I snapped back. Well, I had been doing fairly well up until that point. 

Neal put his hand on my arm, urging me to calm. I could feel him coming through my defenses again. 

"While a union between packs won't be happening anymore, I would still wish to extend an allyship to the Red Pine pack."

"Neal," his mother's voice was a warning and a question. 

"What right do you have to offer anything?" Alpha Leon crossed his arms.

My breath hitched. I knew what was coming. Everything was about to change. My nails dug into the palms of my hands as the tension continued to build. Four wolves and a Mentalist trapped in a room. This either had to be a really bad joke or a horror movie in the making. 

"I challenged my father for his Alpha position and won."

Neal's mother gasped.

"I am the Alpha on these lands, and I will make the decisions for my pack. There will be no Merge between Ophelia and myself. If I am to Merge with anyone, it will be Cynthia. I do want to extend my gratitude to you and your family, sir. I do not wish for any bad blood."

"Then maybe, Alpha, you should have made a better move for your first decision," Ophelia sneered, her fangs slowly coming out. 

It wasn't just pack size that had led to the initial desire to join with the Red Pine pack. There were rumors the Alpha lineage had a history of mastery over the shift. I had never seen it in action until Ophelia. 

She may have had mastery over the shift, but she had no control over herself. Ophelia was a ticking time bomb. 

"Wait a minute." Ophelia started to giggle. "Wait. A. Minute. Didn't your daddy kill her daddy? And now you're mates?!" She tipped her head back and let out a full-throated laugh. Talk about some goddess intervention right there!"

The prickling of my power started to move along my skin. I focused everything on that smug face, ready to launch everything I had at the bitch. 

Don't, Neal pushed at me mentally. Don't take the bait. It's what she wants.

He was right, but I didn't like it. I wanted to give her everything I had. Everything I didn't even know I had. But we couldn't be the first to attack despite Ophelia's actions outside. 

"Son, you cannot Merge with her, it is pack law not to breed with witches. Do you want to have weak offspring?"

"Who are you calling weak?" I snapped. 

"Honey, it's a fact that you can't shift," his mother chimed in. 

"That doesn't make me weak!"

"That also doesn't give promise to a strong Alpha line. Not like what the Leon's could provide."