The Wolf’s Fake Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 1 – Silas

A year had passed since construction of the new ski resort had started. The Inn at Barcombe now stood before us in all of its glory. The new main building was nothing like the old Slopes. Caelum called its architecture ‘organic’ and ‘resembling a snowdrift’ when he sold the design to our Alpha Kaia and her mate—and my best friend—Renly. I, who was not an architect but rather a restauranteur, simply saw a white, modern, slick building that appeared distinctly futuristic. I agreed with Caelum as the architect in this design choice—the building was supposed to symbolize the bright dream of the pack, so full of hope. In that aspect, in my opinion, he succeeded.

I turned my attention to Kaia, the Alpha of our pack, Renly, as well as Caelum and his wife Teagan. They all stood bundled up in front of the red ribbon before the entrance to the main building. Autumn ended slowly here in New England, which meant the cold was even harsher than usual.

“On behalf of the Inn at Barcombe, I thank Square Architects, represented by Caelum Burroughs, for designing and overseeing the construction of the new ski resort and its accompanying buildings,” Kaia announced with confidence. It had been over a year since she had become the Alpha of New England’s wolf pack, and she had found plenty of time to practice her professional attitude. Kaia excelled at leadership due to being an Alpha—that skill came with genes. But, as a friend of her mate Renly, I knew how much she disliked public speaking. Today though, Kaia was beaming, excited by the prospect of finally opening her dream ski resort. I was delighted to be able to witness this moment too.

“Alongside the ski resort, new houses were built in town,” the Alpha continued. “And we are pleased to welcome two new families to our small community—the Morrans and the Russells!” The crowd clapped, and I gazed at where the two new wolf shifter families stood. The Russells, as I heard from Kaia and Renly, were a family that had not been part of the original pack. They followed the Morrans here due to one of the Russell brothers being engaged to a Morran sister. The Russells were all fair-haired—two brothers, a sister, and their parents, all adults. I hoped they would be able to find jobs in the area quickly. The Morrans seemed a lot more quirky to me: they were all women—a single mother, four daughters, and an aunt. Kaia informed Renly and me that they had been part of the pack back when it had been ruled by her grandfather. When Jett had been about to take over, the family had escaped to Florida, scared for their girls’ safety. Now that they heard about the pack being strong again, they sought the protection of the Alpha and decided to rejoin. Kaia was overjoyed by the decision—after all, this strengthening of the pack was precisely what she had envisioned back when she had made plans for the ski resort.

Two of the Morran girls had red curls, while the two others had midnight black hair. One of them, in particular, stood out to me. She must have been the most gorgeous woman I ever saw; a slim, tall beauty with straight, black hair that went all the way down her backside past her rear. She was dressed in a black coat and looked at the Alpha with focus. She had no reason to look at me, so I just enjoyed the view from my place at the back of the crowd. I didn’t know this woman, but I felt a strong connection to her. What was this feeling?

Kaia’s mate gave her a pair of scissors, then he, Caelum, and Teagan all moved to the side. As the Alpha approached the red ribbon in front of the entrance, the flashes of the reporters’ cameras went off. They were eager to perfectly capture the moment she cut it.

I didn’t wait for the cut—I had a job to do. I was going to start a new restaurant in the main building called Sun and Moon. Two weeks still remained until the official opening. Still, Kaia had invited the staff from Fuzion—the Boston restaurant run by Renly and myself—to make an official debut dinner for the resort. My team was using the facilities of the new hotel restaurant to prepare a grand feast for the pack and the officials who came to the opening.

I made my way to the back entrance of Sun and Moon with haste, leaving the cheering crowd behind me. Soon I was in the kitchen, shouting orders at my staff, while the guests poured into the restaurant’s main hall and took their places. The hustle and bustle of running large-scale events made me feel alive. I was the Head Chef, and I loved it. I would never change my job for anything else.

***

I collapsed on a chair in the kitchen, dead tired from organizing and managing the grand dinner. The evening had gone perfectly, and Kaia had just left after congratulating and thanking me. I sighed deeply. Now that the day was over and no disaster happened, I just wanted to curl up in my new bed. My Alpha had given me the suite on the top floor of this building as my new home starting today so I could live close to where I worked, just as I had done back when I ran Fuzion.

Back when I ran Fuzion… which was yesterday. However, the experience already felt so far away, my new situation taking its place as my reality. All here had fallen into place neatly, like pieces of a well-cut-out puzzle.

“Hey, boss.” Bea, who had been a waitress at Fuzion for years, approached me. “How ya feeling?”

“Tired,” I stated the obvious. “But happy.”

“That’s good.” She smiled at me, but soon her expression turned serious. “But honestly, are you not sad to leave Fuzion behind?”

“Are you asking if I have any second thoughts?” I laughed in response. “Too late for that.”

“It’s never too late!” Bea exclaimed. “I’m sure you can go back if only you talk to—”

“Bea, calm down! Everything is okay. I don’t want to go back, I….” I looked away for a moment, thinking, then turned my gaze back to Bea’s eyes. “I really love Fuzion. You know I do. It’s just… Here I’m closer to Renly and Kaia and all of my friends who are involved in this community.” I couldn’t tell Bea, who was human, that I felt closer to the pack here, that being at the hotel made me feel like I belonged more, which made me thrilled. This woman was not a shifter; she didn’t know we existed, and even if she did, she wouldn’t understand the strong feeling.

“And I’m farther away from Renly’s mother.” Allegra had never liked it that Renly had left the panther pride to marry Kaia and join the wolf pack. And she liked it even less that Renly had taken me with him as his business partner. Her response had been to try and create some problems for Fuzion in the past year. Minor but annoying issues had needed to be fixed because of her interference—a delay here, an unresponsive supplier there. Yet, I couldn’t pin anything on her officially to turn the situation into pack business. As her son’s best friend and business partner, I was an obvious target considering our history together. I hoped she would leave Fuzion alone if I relocated deeper into my pack’s territory. Maybe it was a foolish dream, but it was worth a try. “I think I can find peace here.”

“Peace? As the Head Chef?” Bea laughed at me, and I smiled brightly.

“You’re right,” I answered. Our jobs were hectic, and no peace could be found in the kitchen of the bustling restaurant. However, relaxation was not the kind of peace I was looking for. As a panther shifter beyond 30 years of age, I hoped to find a place where I could create a permanent home. I wasn’t exactly looking for a mate, but one day I wanted to settle down. As the ski resort pulled the wolf families back to the Alpha, I wanted Sun and Moon to be a turning point in my life.

“I’m just… excited to start something new,” I added.

“I understand, boss. I’m just glad you’re happy!” Bea smiled. “If you’re ever unhappy, you can always come back to Fuzion. I’ll give the title of the Head Manager back to you.”

After Renly had left Fuzion, I had promoted Bea to Head Waitress. She displayed excellent organization skills. So, with my move to Sun and Moon, I gave her the position of Head Manager and left the restaurant in her care. I felt I could trust her with my special place. “Congratulations on the promotion,” I told her.

“U-huh, you gave the title to me, boss.” She laughed again. “So no need to cozy up to me.”

“I’m not—”

“Just kidding! I’m very thankful for the trust you put in me.” Bea looked at me seriously. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“I know you won’t,” I answered.

We spent the next three hours cleaning up after the guests. When it was finally time to go home, I was exhausted. I barely observed any of the details of my new suite as I took off my shoes and collapsed on the king-sized bed and immediately fell asleep. I would regret not taking care of myself tomorrow.

***

Two days later, I was sitting at my new desk in the back office of Sun and Moon. The sun shone through the window on the dark wooden floor. Modern bookcases of equally dark wood lined the walls, only half-filled with binders of important materials. With years, they would become completely filled by documents until I would have to move some volumes to the storage area. For now, everything was fresh and new.

I was looking through applications for the new restaurant staff when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in; it’s open,” I answered.

I was surprised but pleased to see my Alpha, Kaia, enter the room. I stood up to greet her and only sat down again when she gestured for me to do so. It was a sign of respect, though I knew Kaia disliked how particular I was about these acts of submission. Having grown up in a matriarchal panther pride, these habits were as much a part of me as my panther was. Kaia understood, and so she stopped commenting on them long ago.

“What brings you to me on this beautiful day?” I asked her, smiling.

“In high spirits you are, I see,” Kaia commented. “Good.”

“So are you, it seems.”

My Alpha glanced at the papers in front of me. The stack contained a hundred applications from people in the larger Boston area who had applied for all of our available restaurant positions: waiters, kitchen staff, accountant, cleaner. I had started sorting them by job but otherwise hadn’t gotten far yet in the hiring process.

“I’m here on pack business,” Kaia said, her Alpha voice slipping in. I instinctively steeled my spine—my Alpha needed something from me, and I was here to provide.

“Yes?” I asked seriously. “What do you require of me, Alpha?”

Kaia hesitated a bit. “I’d like you to consider giving a job to someone from one of the new families. The Morrans? I told you about them? I heard Hailey Morran applied for Assistant Chef.”

Fuck. The Alpha wanted me to insert someone into a job position regardless of the person’s credentials or experience? Everything in me reeled at the thought of speaking back to the Alpha, but I couldn’t stay silent in the face of such a challenging request.

“I’m going to hire her—if she’s good at the job.” I spoke with difficulty, feeling every hair on my body stand on end from the effort of going against my instincts. “I’m sorry, Alpha, I can’t just—” By the end of the sentence, I was breathing heavily, and the face of Renly’s mother, Allegra Carrington, came to my mind. Kaia was not Allegra; I knew that. Still, this situation was hard for me.

“Oh, no!” Kaia exclaimed, seeing what was happening to me. “It wasn’t an Alpha’s order, Silas! It was just a suggestion! You will do as you wish, but it would strengthen the ties between the pack and the family if you hired this woman. I only wanted to have you consider that possibility, not to force you to do anything!”

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until the air rushed back into my lungs, and I coughed. So it was not an order. I didn’t have to force myself to disobey. Everything was okay—it was just a suggestion. Calm down, Silas.

“I’m sorry,” Kaia apologized. “I didn’t realize I used my Alpha voice. So sorry, Silas.”

“No, it’s okay. What you’re saying makes sense, and I will keep it in mind. It’s just—I only want the very best for Sun and Moon, you have to understand….”

“I get it,” the Alpha replied. “Again, I’m sorry. I’ll leave you with the suggestion then. Do what is right.”

“I will,” I replied. I got up when Kaia did and walked her to the door, and I opened and closed it behind her. Then I approached the small bar I had in my office and poured myself some whisky. I hated the taste, but the drink would calm my nerves.

Why the hell had I compared Kaia to Allegra? Was I so afraid of Renly’s mother, or was I… scared of someone trying to control me? Either way, this confusion was fucked up.

Calming down, I sat back at my desk. I fingered through the applications to find the one: Hailey Morran. There was a photo attached: I looked at it, and the beautiful black-haired woman from two days ago stared back at me, her face all serious and professional.

I was screwed.