Forbidden Mate by Stacey Espino Read Free Book Online Page B

cave. You sure
you got the right guy?”
    Wesley’s jaw twitched. He wasn’t sure of anything
anymore. “ Let’s just check things out .”
    He knew the wolf hunt had become an obsession. It
was the only way to get that female off his mind. She plagued his thoughts,
forcing him to question his loyalty to the throne. He was beginning to
understand Ulric’s choice to trade everything for his mate. The bond was so
powerful it could drive a man to do anything—even kill.
    They continued to move in on the cottage, their wild
cats navigating the forest with speed and stealth.   After making it only halfway around the lake,
Wesley stopped to test the air. That sweet scent was undeniably hers. Fuck. He didn’t need any more
complications in his life, especially not a forbidden mating call. He was an Elite , a shifter married to the monarchy. Taking a mate of his own was completely out of the question. Taking a
human would be the ultimate sin.
    “ Why you stopping?”
    “I
just smelled something out of the ordinary.”
    Cade’s cougar turned its head side to side, his nose
high as he tried to capture whatever had caught Wesley’s attention. “ It’s just a human. I told you there were a
shitload of them here this week. They should be gone by Friday.”
    “ You’re right.
Let’s keep going.”
    Wesley could never let one of his fellow Royal Elite
know he had some ridiculous weakness for the forbidden flesh. He was known as a
human-hater. It was acceptable to indulge in a human female once in a while,
but not to take one as a mate. Everything about her frustrated him. He didn’t
even know the girl, so why couldn’t he wipe her from his mind?
    They patrolled the perimeter of the house, looking
for any clue that would give the wolf away. If he posed a threat, two Elites
would be no match for a lone wolf.
    “Sorry, we don’t feed the wildlife.”
    A human was sitting on the bottom step that led to a
wrap-around deck. Why hadn’t they spotted him there? Since he showed no signs
of fear when faced with two overgrown wild cats, he had to be a shifter
himself.
    Cade was the first to shed his fur. “We’re on to
you,” he warned.
    “Wrong guy,” said Wesley after shifting out of his
panther form. He stretched out his arms, adjusting to two legs after such a
long run.
    “Royal Elite in this neck of the
woods? Never thought I’d see the day when one of you’d come slumming.”
    It was another wolf with hatred for the queen. It
only equaled another name on Wesley’s growing list of suspects.
    “How do you know who we are?” asked Cade.
    The wolf tilted his head and cocked a brow. “You
both have the Elite mark. Surely you wouldn’t tattoo your body with the royal
insignia without approval.   It would mean
certain death.”
    “You think you’re smart, eh? What else do you know?”
    “I know I should be one of the males in the royal
palace, but since your lovely princesses couldn’t keep their legs shut, I’m
left cold and dry.”
    A lot of males lost out on the chance to mate a
princess. Although the queen had selected mates for all three she-wolves, the
only official suitor to get lucky was Alexander. He had to stick around for
five lonely years to get his chance with Delia. The rest were left with nothing
for all their sacrificing.
    This wolf probably spent years in grueling training.
Preparing for the chance to be a royal suitor was only second to the Royale
Elite training in its difficulty. Did his fruitless sacrifice drive him to want
to commit murder? “You must be pretty pissed then—enough to want revenge on the
palace? Or the princesses?”
    The male narrowed his eyes. “I never said anything
about revenge. It is what it is. Anyway, I’ve moved on and found my true mate.
Sometimes life is like that.”
    Wesley took in everything the wolf said. He refused
to believe a word. Trust had to be earned, not given away. These wolves lived
off the grid because they didn’t want to follow the rules.