Paws in Love

As I gaze at the food Mason is holding, my mouth starts to water, and the gnawing ache in my stomach intensifies. Starving myself has proven to be far more challenging than I initially imagined. Admittedly, I didn't set my expectations very high to begin with.

Mason had warned me that this hunger would be painful, but I didn't fully grasp how distinct it would be from the physical pain I've endured in the past, such as broken bones. With those injuries, I could tough it out without too much trouble, but this hunger has turned me almost wild.

Nevertheless, I remind myself that I'm our best hope to take down the Alpha, and I must present myself convincingly for him to buy into my story.

"Only a few more days," Mason reassures me, repeating the same promise he's been making for weeks. "The wolves have become more active since news of his marriage got out, and your arrival will stir up controversy. Our timing is absolutely crucial."

I nod, absentmindedly stroking the birthmark on the back of my hand. The colour has grown pronounced with age, starting from a fleshy tone when I was a child to its current deep red. I hate it, and I hate even more what it stands for.

My parents refused to tell me for most of my childhood, claiming the information would only get me killed. I only knew I needed to keep it hidden, but when I saw it on the news, I was ecstatic. The way the round mark branches up the backs of my fingers like small vines and cuts off entirely at my wrist is impossible to mistake, and the people on the television had an exact drawing of it.

I am the Alpha's fated mate, and the cursed marking on my hand is the proof.

The wolves were looking for me, searching for the female who had the mark matching their leader's, and reality had yet to overshadow my childhood fantasies. I thought having a fated mate was the most romantic thing in the world and was eager to find him.

Seven-year-olds really are stupid.

Mason hands me a piece of bread, the only thing I'll be allowed to eat for the next forty-eight hours. If I were stronger, I'd push it away, but my fingers are curling around the food and shovelling it into my mouth in the blink of an eye.

It's a miracle Paw Control found me before I made it into the wolves' territory, my childhood delusions of true love urging me to run away in search of my Alpha. They were in the middle of a mission, with the fresh recruits tasked with mapping the borders.

Most government funding is funnelled through them, ensuring our race is safe against the vicious predators that insist on taking over our world. They already have all of Canada and most of the Northwestern United States, and it's Paw Control's job to keep them at bay.

And I'm the key.

"Will you leave my ribs intact?" I ask, gulping down the glass of water Maso offers.

He grimaces; the action is enough.

I know the attack needs to look realistic, but I've broken my ribs too many times to avoid trying to get out of it. I've been training rigorously since being put into the Paw Control programme, but this is serving as the hardest challenge yet.

They've taught me how to fight and defend myself, but now I need to be weak.

The Alpha must think I'm a victim, captured and tortured by the human government because of my mark. He'll be inclined to believe me because I'm his mate, and once I've gathered all the necessary information regarding him and his pack, I'll drive a knife straight into his chest.

I'll kill him just as his people killed my parents, ripping them to shreds when they travelled deep into the forest looking for me.

Mason doesn't like when I say it, but I'm glad they're dead. They were sympathisers, and I fear they planned on taking me to the wolves themselves when I was older. There's no other reason they would keep my mark hidden, forcing patches and makeup over my hand, and live so close to the border.

My childhood home is now deep within their territory, with the filthy wolves stealing more land with every passing year. I'll be the reason we take it back, though.

"I got approval to have you sedated for the injuries. We're going to break your arm, three of your ribs, and your collarbone. The blood we've been collecting from you has been soaked into a tattered dress, and we'll mat the hair along the left side of your head," Mason explains, working his jaw side to side as he speaks to the extent of the injuries I'll sustain.

We've both been worried Paw Control leadership would insist I'm awake for it all, making my story that much more believable, but he's been fighting hard to change their minds. Mason's been my primary caretaker since I was brought to this facility, and I appreciate his care.

"You'll be alone in the cabin when you wake up, and you'll be tied to the bed so it looks like you can't leave. The wolves should be arriving that night, the pair sneaking into the cabin every month like clockwork, but we'll make sure to tie you so your mark is facing outward," he promises, his lip curling at the mention of my mark.

I'm disgusted by it, too.

"And I'll tell them I hid my mark in fear of the wolves, but somebody must have noticed it because one night my apartment was broken into and I was forced into the woods to be tortured and punished," I continue, explaining the rest of our plan. "I think it was the government because they kept asking about my involvement with the wolves."

We've been perfecting the story for years, and I have every detail memorised. I could say it forward and backward, and I can even pass a lie detector test. Mason insists it won't come to that; the wolves are foolish in their blind trust in mates, but I like to be prepared.

"I'm so proud of you, Bria," Mason admits, leaning against the door frame.

I hold back a smile, encouraged by his praise. This isn't easy and is undoubtedly not a fun life, but it's a small price to pay for the lives of millions of humans. The wolves are bigger and stronger than us on their worst days, and it's only a matter of time before they kill us all in their bloodlust.

It doesn't matter that they walk around with skin identical to humans most of the time. Their wolf side is, and always will be, nothing more than a dangerous predator.

"I just hope we aren't putting too much faith in the mate bond," I say, glancing at my hand.

They believe the Alpha will fall in love with me, the bond drawing us together in ways I can't even conceptualise. It's a cute idea, but I'm not sure how much I believe it.

"The mate bond is everything to them. He'll bend over backward for you, and I doubt it will be long before he's willingly and openly shared every bit of information we need to bring him down," Mason promises, his teeth on full display as he grins at me. "We'll have armed men at our meeting spot twenty-four-seven, but there is no rush. Wait until you have everything you need."

I nod, confirming what I've heard, as I move to sit on my bed. My head aches, probably from dehydration.

Mason offers me another glass of water, the only thing not currently being withheld from me, but I wave it away. The men who kidnapped me wouldn't have given me any.

This has to be perfect if it's to be believable, and I only have one opportunity to take the Alpha and his entire pack down.

I won't disappoint.