Fat Mate (The Alpha Shifter Collection Book 8) Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2017 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-337-7

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Karyn White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  I'm often plagued with doubt. You know me, you've seen it. Fat Mate ... the title makes me uncomfortable, and yet being called Fat no longer has any meaning to me. Years ago, I was called it growing up. I was the fat girl, the ugly one, chubby, and I put up with the names, and often went home crying.

  I never stood up. I never told them that I may be fat, but I'm fucking fabulous, and if given the chance, I'm a damn good friend, but I was often pushed away. Fine.

  Now, I'm older. I listen to my muse, and in these stories, I've been able to empower my women characters with the ability to stand up, to tell others that would belittle them that they mean nothing. Because I couldn't do that. I bowed my head and took it.

  Fat Mate is an emotional write. I cried, I laughed, and by the end of it, I felt that my female character was able to find her voice, to stand up, and to be proud. Weight is just a number.

  I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, I really am. Calling it something else, it wouldn't have the same meaning, and I would be standing aside once again.

  They are words, but I'm using them to bring about a new meaning for me.

  I don't want to hurt anyone. If you know me, you know that's not what I'm about.

  Lots of love,

  Sam X

  FAT MATE

  The Alpha Shifter Collection, 8

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Zadie Cox sat on her the large boulder overlooking the lake. She loved coming here on claiming day. While the rest of her unmated and mated pack were out screwing, she sat here and looked at the moon. Sometimes she’d turn into her wolf form and just sit back on her hindquarters, and watch the moon for hours. Other times, like now, she would sit naked, leaning back on her hands, listening to the sounds all around her.

  The pleasure surrounding the pack that she’d been born into was all around her. She could allow herself to smile for their happiness, and she just stared up at the moon. For the past seven years she had been hearing the same sounds of the pack finding their pleasure in each other.

  A single tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away, not wanting to let anymore tears fall. Every full moon she tried and failed to keep the tears at bay. The fat girl, that’s what she was. The fat wolf.

  Leaning against the dirt wall at her back, she stared down at her body and bit her lip as more tears threatened to fall. In a pack of well over two hundred, she was the only fat girl. She stood out like a sore thumb, that was how it was. A lump began to form in her throat, and she pushed it down. No, no amount of crying would help her. She just had to go on living her life, which was lonely, but she had been through worse.

  Releasing a breath, she stood up, and began to leave her place that offered her so much serenity. She moved several feet and found the clothes that she had removed. There was no need to rush as the full moon was still at its peak, so the pack would be more focused on themselves than on her.

  Tugging on the jeans and the large shirt, she tied her hair into a ponytail, and then began to walk back toward the town. Most of the world’s packs lived near a forest, or at least the ones where her parents had always taken her had. She had never fitted in wherever they went. At least Sloane’s pack didn’t push her aside. The people there were all so kind. She had been here since she was ten years old. At first, she and her family had been outsiders. No one wanted to trust the new family as they didn’t know if their loyalty was to the pack or to themselves.

  Her father, Tristan, had proven himself time and time again to the Alpha, and because of that, they had been accepted. Her brother had also found his place within the pack as well. She couldn’t fault the pack. They were all kind to her, but she knew that there would be no future for her here, yet she couldn’t leave.

  She had heard of wolves leaving packs, and making a life for themselves, but she didn’t want that. Like most females, she hoped to have a large family of her own one day. She spent all of her time at the local nursery helping young children, and nurturing them.

  Shoving her hands into the front pockets of her well-worn jeans, she paused when she heard the sound of a feminine moan.

  Zadie closed her eyes, and pushed away the wave of need that rushed through her. She didn’t want or need a mate. If she repeated the words constantly in her head, she’d be able to finally believe them.

  Her curiosity always got the better of her, and against her better judgment, she walked toward the noise.

  Great hearing and great eyesight were just a few of the perks she had through her wolf side. Unlike some of the other females in the pack, she had also noticed she was incredibly strong, and even though she was the biggest girl, she was also incredibly fast. Kind of funny really.

  Through the clearing she caught sight of Bianca. There was no mistaking the gold hair that cascaded down her back.

  “There’s enough time for all of you,” Bianca said.

  Zadie saw that not only did Bianca have one man mating with her, but three more stood around her. Their hands were fisting their cocks as they waited their turn.

  “Oh yeah, just like that. Harder. You got to fuck me like you mean it,” Bianca said.

  Zadie watched as Bianca threw her head back, and cried out as her orgasm crashed over her. The moment one of the men was done, another took his place. Their fucking was not unusual, but it also meant that Bianca had not found her mate either.

  Being the prettiest woman in the whole of the pack, all Bianca had to do was crook her finger, and men, even women, would go running to her.

  Zadie’s brother, Luke, had also been victim to Bianca’s beauty.

  There was a time Zadie had wished to be as beautiful as Bianca, to have men worship her, but then she’d seen the cruelty in her eyes. Being the daughter of the Alpha gave Bianca a lot of privileges. Many of those included zero punishment for starting fights between pack males.

  No longer interested in watching them fuck, Zadie turned on her heel and walked away, making her way back into town. She passed several people, and offered them a smile. The pity in their faces was not easily disguised. They would whisper about the Cox girl, and how sad it was that after all this time, she remained unmated.

  Yes, the biggest shock to the entire pack was that a virgin walked with them. No man wanted her, and she refused to go anywhere just to have sex. She didn’t need a man or children to feel complete. Her job, her pack, and her family were more than enough. Everything else was just something that would never come to pass.

  Tristan and her mother, Alice, stood outside of their home, kissing. They had been on a run tonight, and it was good to see them both laughing, smiling, and just as much in love as the first day they described being mated to one another.

  “You’re back early,” Tristan said.

  “I had a good run, and then I just felt really tired. I’m going to eat something and go to bed.” She smiled at them, trying
not to show that she yearned for a mate, or a family.

  No! She didn’t need any of them to be happy.

  “Goodnight.”

  Entering their home, she went to the kitchen, and began to make herself a sandwich.

  “She’s miserable, Tristan. Every full moon I can feel our daughter’s pain. She’s hiding it.”

  “You think I don’t sense it, too? I know it hurts her.”

  “Seven years of turning, and not once has any of the men chased after her. She’s an amazing woman. She’d make such a good mate, a strong mate. The women at the nursery talk. They believe she would make one hell of a mate and mother. Yet no one will even look her way.”

  There was a pause, and Zadie wiped away the tears. Her parents constantly argued after a full moon. It was why she only ever ran on one day of the month, and that was when the moon was at its peak.

  “Is there anything you could do?”

  “I can’t force anyone to mate with Zadie. What kind of mating would that be?”

  “We’ve seen it done before, and they’ve been happy,” Alice said.

  Her mother was so sad for her that she was willing to force a mating on some poor guy.

  “We’ve also seen it done and it go horribly wrong. A man will come. Mark my words, and he better know the treasure that he has in Zadie.”

  “You will not ruin any chance she has,” Alice said.

  “I won’t. But if for a second I believe that my baby girl is unhappy, I’ll deal with it. She’ll always be my little girl.”

  They moved away, and Zadie stopped listening to whatever it was they had to say. Taking a large bite out of her ham and pickle sandwich, she was passing to go to her room when the calendar on the wall stopped her.

  Crap! She had totally forgotten about the pack visit. Dante Locker’s pack was scheduled to arrive. She knew about it as there had been requests for the nursery to be prepared for extra children.

  She needed to be ready to receive them tomorrow as the nursery had voted for her to be there at the first meeting, which would be in the town square. Time for bed for her. The last thing she wanted to do was collapse in the middle of an important meeting. Every now and again, packs came together, sometimes for fun and games, other times for mating purposes. Either way, tomorrow was important, and she wasn’t going to let the pack down.

  ****

  “Tell me again why we’re here?” Bethany asked.

  Dante Locker smiled at his sister. She wasn’t the best companion when it came to traveling. He understood her aversion. He himself preferred to travel outside in the open rather than in any of the flashy cars he owned. The stench of leather and chemicals never appealed to him, but this was how he must do it, especially as he had some of his closest pack, friends, and allies with him. Some of the pack females were also human. Several of his pack males had mated to humans, who were some of the nicest women he had ever met. Wolf females were … difficult at times.

  “We are here to form an allegiance with Sloane’s pack. What I think he wants to do is throw his daughter at me, and hope that I will fall to my knees, and offer everything I have for the right to mate with her.” He shuddered. Just hearing about Bianca’s many pursuits was enough to make his skin crawl. She had a cruel streak, and wasn’t well liked by many of the visitors there.

  “Your wealth will certainly appeal. I think you’re the first pack Alpha to actually own a mansion, and have millions to your name. You could buy anything, and for some women that’s all they care about,” Bethany said.

  That was true. He’d had to fight off many gold-diggers, both human and pack females. He’d even experienced men trying to stake a claim, and he wasn’t that way inclined. Dante had been a young businessman, and a sound one, taking his pack from strength to strength throughout the past twenty years.

  At forty years old, he was ready to settle down, find a mate, and maybe have a family. Wolves aged differently from humans, so as he’d reached maturity now, the aging process would start to slow down. Glancing in the mirror, he couldn’t deny that he looked damn good, even roguishly handsome.

  “Yes, well, I’m not easily swayed by a pert set of tits either.”

  Bethany chuckled. “I have a feeling you’re going to make an enemy out of Sloane.”

  “I don’t really care. He’s the one that wanted this alliance, and for our packs to remain firm friends.”

  “Do you think that means he wants money?”

  “Possibly. An alliance with me, and my infatuation with his daughter is probably what he is looking for.” The limousine that he’d opted to use pulled up at the main square. All of his pack that had decided to come with him had traveled by limousine. He saw Sloane standing with his mate, and a little blonde at his side. “Seriously, how old is that girl?”

  “She’s twenty-five years old, and looking at some of the way the males watch her, she gets around.”

  He sighed. They were due to stay a month, until after the next full-moon, and he wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest. There was a full-moon tonight as well. It wasn’t at its fullest, but it was still custom for the packs to run together, to show their care and respect. The last thing he wanted to do was start a war because of his disrespect.

  “Here we go. Behave, sister,” he said.

  “Always. I don’t believe in anything else.”

  His sister could be a menace at times, but he adored her. She was a really sweet woman who had been unlucky as she’d never found a mate. One day, he imagined she would, but until then, they ran the pack together.

  Most of the time she was uncomfortable dealing with pack matters as she didn’t feel strong enough to be his equal. They were not mates, so there would always be that void between them. Still, they were family and shared the same feelings about their pack. They wanted the best, and intended to get it.

  Climbing out of the car, he buttoned his suit jacket, and smiled toward Sloane. This was not the first time he had met the other Alpha.

  “Hello, Sloane.”

  “Dante, as always it’s a pleasure. I sure hope that you will enjoy your stay.”

  It was a quaint little village that Sloane and his pack lived in. From what Dante remembered, there were no humans here either.

  There was a breeze, and the most amazing lemon scent hit him. His mouth watered, and when he turned, he saw a woman with striking red hair.

  He wanted to know her, and the wolf within him perked up at her scent as well. She was standing with her family. What he did notice was her curves. She stood out like a sore thumb, but to Dante, she was extremely beautiful. He had rarely seen a fellow wolf with large tits, hips, and thighs. Several of the human females he’d been with had curves, but this woman, she was pure temptation.

  She wasn’t looking at him, and he watched as she pushed some hair off her face and smiled at the man beside her.

  “Dante,” Bethany said, pushing his side.

  Returning to the conversation, he saw Sloane’s wife, Anna.

  “I apologize.”

  “No need. I’m sure you’ve had a busy ride. We have one of our cottages made up for your stay. I spoke to Bethany, and was sure to include all of the foods that you like, but as I’m sure you can see if you don’t like to cook, we have the means of keeping you fed.”

  “I’d also like to introduce my daughter, Bianca,” Sloane said.

  The little blonde came forward. She wore a smile that Dante didn’t like.

  Dante said nothing, and looked back at his pack. “The invitation included several of my mated pack members, as well as some that were not. We have also brought some children with us. Friendship should be born at a young age, don’t you agree?”

  “Certainly,” Sloane said. “I arranged for the nursery to be prepared.” Bianca was glaring at him, and Dante couldn’t give a shit. “Zadie, would you come forward?”

  The lemon scent got stronger, and he turned to find the redhead coming closer. She clasped her hands together and offered a smile
. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green. Her skin was so pale, and he saw the kindness in her smile.

  “Zadie Cox works at the nursery and will be able to show your mated couples where to go,” Sloane said.

  “We also have a youth program if there are any children that are older. We’re always pleased to have them around.”

  Dante stepped forward, and held his hand out. “I’m Dante Locker.”

  “Hello. I’m Zadie Cox.” She shook his head, and he noticed her grip was firm. He liked that. She didn’t try to make herself appear weak for him. In fact, she didn’t even try to flirt. “You’ll find our resources more than adequate.”

  Sloane cleared his throat and was about to speak.

  “I take our children’s care very seriously. Would you please show me your nursery now?” Dante didn’t want to part with her.

  Zadie pulled her hand away, and turned to Sloane.

  “We want to show you the cottage.”

  “That can wait. Bethany, you’d like to see the nursery as well. You know our pack take our young’s care seriously.”

  “He cannot be swayed,” Bethany said.

  He wasn’t completely lying. The pack young were always a priority, but seeing as they only had a couple of children, he doubted the nursery or youth care would be needed.

  Sloane didn’t look happy, nor did Bianca.

  “You don’t need to see the young. Zadie is more than capable. All of the children adore her,” Bianca said. “Your cottage awaits.”

  Dante looked toward Sloane. “Does your daughter speak for you? As an Alpha, I wish to make sure that my people will be taken care of.”

  “Certainly. Bianca, go home. You’ve never showed an interest in the pack youth. Your presence is not needed. Zadie, would you care to lead the way?” Sloane said.

  “Of course.” Zadie stepped in front, and began walking toward one of the large buildings just away from the diner. It was bright, and he saw lots of pictures showing the children’s artwork.