The Alpha's Mate (Werewolf Romance) Read Free Page B

she did so. I stepped to the side and then caught her by the throat again. The speed with which I moved startled me. I was getting faster. I lifted her up by the throat, unsure if I could do it until I actually did it.
    I smiled in triumph. I was stronger, too. Giving her a little shake, I said. “Let it go, Vicki. Move on before you really get hurt. Live to find your true mate.” I dropped her then and she fell to the floor with a growl.
    Jumping to her feet with a light footed grace, she said, “I’m not letting this go, bitch. You’re an Omega. You don’t even deserve to live.” Vicki stabbed the air with a sharp nailed finger.
    I sighed. “Mark my words, n ext time I get a hand around your neck, I won’t stop squeezing.” If she ignored that warning, I wouldn’t hold back next time. She’d been following me around since I’d mated with Jackson, calling me names and generally being nasty. I was done with it. If she wanted to escalate things, I wouldn’t turn her away. Not anymore.
    She gave a harsh laugh. “Next time I see you, bitch, you’ll be in the pack clearing failing the test of blood. We’ll tear you limb from limb and howl with glee as we do it.”
    Tossing her head , she turned on her heel and left the post office, her groupies trailing behind like eager puppies. A tense silence hung in the air at their departure. No one looked at anyone, which was how wolves avoided conflict. We all cast our gazes upward as if the ceiling held a mural painted by Michelangelo as opposed to its more mundane flat white paint turned gray with age. At the same time, you could bet everyone’s ears were perked, waiting to hear my reaction.
    Behind the counter, Jan a heaved a sigh and said, “Next, please.”
    With that , an uneasy normalcy resumed in the post office. We shuffled forward in line, picking up and dropping off packages. Jana beckoned me forward with a kind smile when my turn came.
    I han ded her the card the mailman had left in our mailbox. “I have a package.”
    She nodded. “Yes, all the way from Ireland too.”
    Jana bent over, rummaging around under the counter and when she straightened back up, she held a small box in her hand. White and red ‘fragile’ stickers adorned its side.
    “Sign here.” She set the box aside and pointed to a signature line on the package notification.
    I grabbed the pen chained to the counter and quickly scrawled my signature.
    Looking at the card , she said, “That was good, Chloe.”
    “It was ?” I asked confused. In school, my teachers had always taken off points for penmanship. I didn’t think my signature was good enough to warrant compliments.
    “I meant with Vicki. The alpha’s mate has to be strong. Don’t let bullies like her push you around. If she’s dumb enough to call the test of blood, she’ll be the one torn apart, not you.”
    “Oh, thanks,” I mumbled. I appreciated Jana’s support, especially since I really didn’t know what I was doing. I’d gone on instinct in the post office, trying to keep my anger in check so I didn’t do anything really stupid. I didn’t even actually know what the test of blood was, but I wasn’t about to admit that in public. I would ask Jackson about it later.
    She waved me forward, leaning over the counter to quietly say, “I remember when Cal took his mate. It wasn’t much easier for her, but she got through it in the end.”
    “Really?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. I would always remember Cal’s wife as a woman no one ignored. Everyone had listened to Betty without question.
    Jana nodded. “Give it time. The pack has to know they can trus t you and they’ll test you until they’re sure.”
    I blinked as her words sank in. I hadn’t thought of it like that . Maybe all this friction was normal, part and parcel of being the alpha’s mate. If so, I needed to toughen up and fast. “Thanks, Jana.” I smiled at her, grateful for her kindness.
    She smiled back. “Any