Henry Bishop is an Alpha who has yet to meet his mate. He hoped his mate would be Kennedy, the oldest daughter of his ally. However, she is mated to his brother. Then, he thought he might be mated to her sister, Wendy. However, in the last year, she has slowly moved away from him, preferring to spend time with the students at the Warrior Academy her brother attends.

After years of waiting to find his fated mate, Henry has given up and decided to take a chosen mate. As a thirty-three-year-old man and Alpha, it’s time for him to settle down and start a family. After spending months in his mother’s previous pack, he’s decided on his chosen mate, Justine. She’s young enough to give him pups but mature enough to be the Luna that his pack needs.

Piper Conley is a student at the Warrior Academy. As an Alpha female who hadn’t met her mate, she decided to apply to the Academy so she could make her own way in the world. Piper has a fiery personality, no filter on her mouth, and she’s passionate about the people in her life she cares about, including her current romantic partner, Zach.

When Henry comes to the Academy to sign an alliance agreement with Yorick and his new mate, he unexpectedly comes across his fated mate, Piper.

What will happen now that Henry has found his fated mate after agreeing to take a chosen mate? Can Henry accept that Piper is a very different kind of mate than he was expecting? Is Piper willing to give up her dreams of becoming an elite warrior to become Henry’s Luna? Will Henry choose Piper over Justine?

Find out in Book Four of the Pack Series.

: Chosen Mate

**This is Book Four of the Pack Series. References will be made in this book to events that happened in previous books without going into explanation of those events. It is recommended that you start with the first book in the series - The Pack’s Doctor.

*One month before the second epilogue in The Pack’s Alpha.

Henry

“You’re making a big mistake, Henry,” Quirin growls.

“So you keep telling me, Q. But you get to crawl into bed every night with a woman you love after kissing your pups goodnight. I’m tired of sleeping in a bed that’s cold and waking up alone on an Alpha floor that’s so quiet it’s deafening.”

He sighs. “What about Wendy?”

“You’ve seen her, Q. If she was meant for me, she’d be feeling the pull. She’s four months away from her eighteenth birthday. If she were my mate, she’d be drawn to me. Instead, it’s just the opposite. It used to be that every time I went to see Connor, I’d see her. She always made sure to spend time with me. The last time I was there, I asked Connor if she was visiting you. Guess what? She wasn’t. She was in her room, talking to the Academy’s tech team.”

“Look, I don’t give a fuck what that Hijacker guy said to you. You know Wendy better than he does. You know how important family is to the Hills and you are family, Henry,” he says.

“Being family doesn’t mean I’m mated to one of Warren and Yara's daughers, Q. I can be considered family and not be mated to one of them. I’m already too old for Wendy. I’ve had to face reality. Now, it’s time that you face it as well.”

“You’re a fool for giving up, Henry. And coming from me, that should mean something to you. You KNOW I never intended to have a mate. But now ... now, I can’t imagine my life without Kennedy.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Q. Everyone saw you torture and kill Alpha Christer for threatening her. I’m happy for you, Quirin. Kennedy makes you a better man, everyone sees that. It still freaks me out that you smile so fucking much, but I’m getting over it," I say, chuckling.

“You’re such an asshole, Henry. You’re lucky I love you.”

“That I know, my brother, that I know. Please try to happy for me. This is important to me.”

“So, it’s a done deal?” he asks.

“I’ve booked a cabin in the woods for a week. I want to see if Justine and I are physically compatible. If we are, then ...”

Quirin sighs again. “Compatible. What a boring fucking word Henry. Sex should be explosive, mind-blowing, mind-altering, or life changing. Not compatible,” he says, as if the word personally insults him.

“Not all of us are as lucky as you, Q. Maybe you had to go through the shit in your life so that you could find Kennedy and have the happiness you deserve. I never went through anything like that, so maybe I don’t get to have the same happiness that you’ve earned.”

“What kind of fucking bullshit are you spouting? You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met, Henry. You deserve the best. You sure as fuck deserve more than compatible!” he growls.

“I love you too, brother,” I say, ready to end this conversation. “Tell Kennedy I said hi, and give the pups a kiss from Uncle Henry.”

“Kaylee and Kendra have already asked to test their new skills against you when they see you again,” he says.

“Try not to turn your daughters into assassins before they turn five, Q,” I say, making him laugh.

“Hey, no one will ever fuck with my girls.”

No shit. Word of Quirin’s ferocity has spread far and wide. Somehow, he’s managing to make half of his quadruplets into female versions of him.

“I’ll see you soon, brother,” I say.

“I love you, Henry, even if you are a dumb ass.”

I snort. “Love you too,” I say before hanging up.

When I arrive at my mother’s previous pack, I greet the gate guard who now knows me by name.

“Alpha Henry, welcome back. I’ll let Alpha Patrick know you’re here.”

“Thank you, Oscar,” I say, and make the now-familiar drive to the packhouse.

When I park and step out, Alpha Patrick is waiting for me, along with Justine.

“Alpha,” I say, nodding to him first, then looking at Justine. “Hello, Justine.”

“Hello, Henry.”

“Henry, I understand that you and Justine are going away for a bit. Are you staying the night, or leaving right away?” he asks.

I look at Justine. “I thought we’d stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning.”

Patrick looks at Justine. “That works for me," she says.

I grab my bag out of the back seat and walk up to Justine, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

“How have you been?” I ask her.

She slides her arm through mine as we walk inside. “I’ve been good. How about you? How is your pack?”

We spend the evening talking over dinner, sitting with her friends who keep giving her smiles they think I don’t see or nudging her when they think I’m not looking. Obviously, her friends approve of me. Of course, I’m an Alpha. Most families and friends would approve of me for that reason alone. But Justine isn’t like other women. She doesn’t care that I’m an Alpha and that’s what drew me to her. She didn’t throw herself at me. She didn’t try to make herself into someone she wasn’t. She’s always been the same person, ever since I met her two months ago.

“So, where are you taking our friend, Alpha Henry?” one of her friends asks.

“We’re going to the shore. I thought it would be nice to hear the ocean at night and smell the salt of the sea,” I say, watching Justine. It was a guess on my part, but she seems amenable to leaving the forest for the coastline. Honestly, she’s been amenable to everything I’ve suggested since we first met.

“That sounds lovely,” she says, smiling at me.

That night, I walk her to her room, giving her a soft kiss before leaving her and going to my room. I have a week to be with her, to see if we both agree that we’re compatible. I haven’t said it to her like that, but she must know that this trip is to see if we’ll be a good match. I’ve made my attraction to her known and she obviously feels the same. This week will be a huge test to see if we continue to move forward.

The next morning, we pack her things into my car and then we head to the shore.

“So Justine, I know we’ve talked about a lot of things, but I was hoping that we could talk more personally and specifically during this trip,” I say as I drive.

“What would you like to talk about, Henry?”

“Well, for instance, do you want pups?”

“I absolutely do.”

“How many would you like?” I ask her, thinking of Quirin and Kennedy.

“Well, that depends,” she says.

“On ...?” I ask.

“Well, if I were to be mated to an Alpha, like you, I’d like at least two pups. However, I know that having an heir is paramount, so I’d be willing to have several pups in order to give my mate the heir that the pack needs.”

I nod. “So, two would be your preference, as long as you had a boy and a girl?” I ask.

“I think that would be perfect, don’t you?” she asks.

I think about Kennedy and Quirin and all the pups that they have. I think about Warren and Yara and all the pups they have. Even Connor and Madison are filling their Alpha floor with pups. Their packhouses and homes are chaotic, loud, and crazy, and I love every minute of it. Having grown up as an only child, I love feeling surrounded by family and love.

“I’m happy to give my mate as many pups as she wants, as long as I get my heir. I would never force my mate to have more pups. I’m not the one carrying our pup for five months. I’m not the one nursing our pup, so I would defer to my mate on the number of pups, as long as I have an heir.”

“Of course, that makes perfect sense.”

When we arrive at the cabin I rented, I’m very pleased. It’s on a cliff overlooking the ocean. There are steps down the cliff to the private beach below. Up here, there is a firepit so we can sit outside comfortably and watch the stars. After getting settled, I take Justine into town for dinner. When we return, I light a fire in the fire pit, and she grabs some blankets from inside the house.

“Shall we snuggle, Alpha?” she asks, holding up the blanket.

“I’d love to.”

We make love under the stars, feeling the heat of the fire and cool breeze of the night air on our skin.

The rest of the week we spend getting closer, talking, eating out or making food together, going on long walks on the beach, watching sunsets, and making love. There are no fireworks, not like what I’ve heard happens with fated mates, but Justine and I are not fated mates. I can make her come, even if she is extremely quiet about it. But more importantly, I know that she’ll make a great Luna for the pack and she’s willing to give me an heir.

By the end of the week, I’ve made my decision.

“I’d like to consider becoming chosen mates, Justine. What do you think?”

“I’d like that,” she says.

“Good. I need to get home, but next month, I’d like to bring you to my pack, let you meet them and see if you still feel like you want to become chosen mates. If you do, and everything works out, then I think we should move forward.”

“I’d really like that, Henry,” she says, kissing me softly.

“I’d really like that too, Justine.”

: Vivienne

Piper

“Viv, stop being difficult,” I say to one of my very few friends. Vivienne may not acknowledge our friendship, but she still answers my call every time I reach out.

“I’m not being difficult, Piper. You know I don’t fit in a pack.”

“You should at least give Alpha Quirin a chance, Viv. His pack is made up almost entirely of rogues,” I insist.

“Have you been there?” she asks.

“No. I told Alpha Quirin that I’d try to get you to come with me. What’s the worst that will happen, Viv? You hate it and leave? Fine. But at least give it a try.”

It’s quiet a moment.

“You can’t save everyone, Piper,” she says softly.

“Fuck that, Vivienne. I can save whoever the fuck I want and right now, getting you off the streets and into a pack is what I want.”

“You’re a fucking bitch, you know that?” she growls.

“Yeah, but I’m the bitch who calls you a friend. Do this for me, babe. Please?”

“I hate you right now.”

“You can thank me later,” I say, grinning.

She sighs. “When?”

“I’ll call Alpha Quirin and set up a weekend we can go.”

“Fine.”

“Love you too,” I say in a singsong voice, grinning.

She growls before hanging up.

“You have weird friends,” Zach says.

I shrug. “Viv isn’t good with intimacy or even being in a pack. I really do think that Alpha Quirin will be good for her. He’s not like most Alphas.”

“Yeah, he tortures people who dare to breathe funny around his family,” he says, making me laugh.

“Scared of the big, bad Alpha, Zach?” I ask, crawling across the bed toward him.

He looks at me. “If I say yes, will you still ride me like the beast you are?”

“Fuck yeah, I will,” I say.

“Then, yeah. Alpha Quirin scares the fuck out of me.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m about to ride the fuck out of you,” I say, climbing on top of him.

Zach and I have an agreement. We’re friends, we’re fuck buddies, but if either of us ever finds our mate, we back the fuck off. But until that time, the man has a big dick, and he knows how to use it.

Of course, I know how to use it too, which is what I do until we both come hard and then collapse.

The next day, I meet up with my only other girl friend, Cyra.

“Hey, preggers. How are you feeling?” I ask her at breakfast.

“If I say I’m feeling like a fat cow, will you hold it against me?” she asks, rubbing her belly.

“Nope. You’re an Alpha female, you’re building your pack, you’re going to the Warrior Academy, and you’re growing a little pup inside you. If anything, I’m feeling inadequate,” I say.

She smiles at me. “Thanks, Pipes. I needed that today.”

“Any time, my friend. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No. We’re headed back to the pack this weekend. Luna Yara is there to check me over. We’ll see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed!”

“Fingers, toes, arms, legs, I’ll cross everything I can for you,” I say, pulling her into a side hug. “Hey Striker, do you happen to know if Alpha Quirin is around this weekend?”

He shrugs. “I think so. You’re not applying for his Gamma position, are you?” Yorick asks.

I laugh. “No fucking way. I want the elite fighter position on Alpha squad,” I begin.

“Good luck with that,” Zach says, grinning at me. He’s probably my biggest competition for the Alpha Squad, now that Yorick has decided to go for C-Squad. Rather than making us enemies, we use the competition to push each other forward. At least during the day. At night, we burn off any residual energy left over from the day in bed.

“Then why do you want to know if Alpha Quirin is home this weekend?” Cyra asks, rubbing her stomach.

“I talked to Vivienne last night. I want to take her to visit Alpha Quirin. I really think she’d fit in with his pack, and I worry about her being on the streets alone. She says she’s not alone, but she also tells me that rogues don’t have friends. You don’t have it both ways,” I say shrugging.

“Do you have his number?” Yorick asks.

“I do. I just thought I’d see if you knew anything before I called him,” I say.

“Just call him. He likes you. He said you remind him of himself when he was younger,” Yorick says, grinning at me.

“I’ll take that as a damn compliment,” I say.

“I’m pretty sure he meant it as one,” Cyra says.

After morning classes, I go to my room and make the call.

“Alpha Quirin,” he answers, his tone sharp.

“Alpha Quirin, this is Alpha Piper,” I say.

“Piper! To what do I owe this surprise?” he asks, his tone significantly more friendly.

“I spoke to my friend, Vivienne, the rogue I told you about.”

“Yes. Has she agreed to visit?”

“Sort of. I told her I’d find a weekend when you were available.”

“How about this weekend. You said she’s on the streets, right?”

“Yes.”

“The sooner she gets off the streets, the better for her. I’m sure she’s nervous about coming into a pack situation. I’ll let the pack know she’s coming. I think she’ll be pleasantly surprised when she arrives. Talk to her and let me know when you’re coming. Will it just be the two of you?”

“Yes, Alpha. And thank you. This means a lot to me.”

“Your support of my family through everything that has been going on is thanks enough, Piper. Let me know when you finalize your plans so my mate can make arrangements for the two of you.”

“I will, Alpha, thank you.”

That night, I call Vivienne again.

“This weekend, Viv.”

“This is a bad idea, Piper.”

“It’s a great idea, Viv. Even Alpha Quirin said you need to get off the streets.”

“You know who he is, right? I asked around about him,” she says. “He’s like some vicious, deadly Alpha, Piper.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve met him. He’s not that bad. Well, as long as you don’t threaten his pack and you sure as shit don’t want to threaten his family, Viv. But you’re a rogue, not some sort of threat to his family. Nearly his entire pack is made up of rogues, Viv. Please? Do this for me?”

“Fine,” she growls. “How the fuck am I supposed to get there?”

“Tell me where you are and I’ll pick you up after classes on Friday,” I say, grinning.

She gives me her location that is about an hour away from the Academy in the opposite direction of Alpha Quirin’s pack. I call Alpha Quirin and let him know we’ll be there Friday night.

On Friday, I say goodbye to Zach, as well as Cyra and Yorick. Then I drive to where Vivienne told me to meet her. It’s not a great part of town and when I arrive, I open my senses, letting my wolf, Fallon, determine if it’s safe.

‘She better agree to stay with Alpha Quirin,’ Fallon says in my head, not liking this area any more than I do. From across the street, I can see people moving in and out of an abandoned building.

‘Drugs,’ Fallon says, sniffing the tainted air from the building.

Down the street, there are hookers waving and whistling at cars as they drive by.

“V, honey! Stay safe,” I hear someone yell. I turn and see one of the hookers waving at my friend. She’s coming out of a rundown building that has flashing neon lights advertising that they rent rooms by the hour.

‘Do you think she’s selling her body?’ Fallon asks, her tone equally upset and disgusted.

‘She’s a rogue. They do what they have to do to get by,’ I say.

‘She didn’t have to. She could have stayed in our family’s pack,’ she says.

‘Yeah, cause that was such a great option for us,’ I remind her.

‘Dealing with our misogynistic father is better than dealing with a bunch of assholes who think women are to be used as fuck toys.’

I raise an eyebrow at my wolf. Of the two of us, she’s usually the calm, mellow one.

‘It's the truth, Piper,’ she says, still carefully watching Vivienne through my eyes as she makes her way to me.

: Quirin's Pack

Piper

Vivienne’s eyes are hard and watchful as she walks over. But I see them soften when she finally turns her gaze to me.

“Fallon, it’s good to see you. And you too, Piper,” she says.

“It’s good to see you too, Viv. How is Sigrid?” I ask, wanting to know if her wolf is still forward.

“I’m perfectly well, Piper, thank you,” Sigrid answers.

“I’m glad to hear it. Ready to go on an adventure?” I ask.

Vivienne snorts but gets in the car. She smells more like a rogue than she did the last time we were together. Of course, the last time, she was still part of my pack. When I left, so did she. She never became close to anyone in our pack other than me and she told me before I left that she had no intention of staying if I was leaving. It nearly made me change my mind about coming to the Academy. But my plan had always been to make my own money, get my own place, then get Vivienne off the streets for good.

When I pull away from the curb, I reach behind me and grab the bag of food that I brought for her.

She shakes her head. “Still trying to save the world, huh, Piper?”

“No, just trying to save my friend,” I say. She may be putting up a good front, but I heard her stomach growl the moment I put food in front of her and as I drive, she begins eating like she hasn’t had a bite of food in days, maybe longer.

“So, you know that this guy killed another Alpha a couple months ago, right?” she asks with her mouth full of food.

“Yep. Alpha Christer. He made the mistake of threatening Alpha Quirin’s Luna, and he paid the price for it. I wasn’t there, but I heard it was pretty gruesome. He didn’t kill the other pack members, though, just the Alpha who threatened his mate.”

“What’s his Luna like?” she asks.

“The exact opposite of Alpha Quirin. I’ve met her. Believe me, you’d never in a million years put the two of them together. But it works. I guess the Moon Goddess knows what she’s doing.”

When we pull up to Alpha Quirin’s pack lands, I can feel Vivienne tense beside me.

“Easy, Viv. It’s going to be okay and if you hate it, I promise we can leave,” I say softly before rolling down the window for the gate guard.

He leans forward, about to ask who I am. But then he stops and sniffs the air in the car.

“You’re the rogue Alpha Quirin said was coming,” he says.

“That’s right,” I say.

“No offense, Alpha, but I wasn’t talking to you,” he says, looking past me to Vivienne.

“Yeah, I’m a rogue. So what?” she growls.

The guard smiles. “Good. We like rogues around here. Head on up. I’ll let Alpha Quirin know you’re here.”

When we arrive at the packhouse, Alpha Quirin and Luna Kennedy are waiting outside, along with their Beta, Kier.

When we step out of the car, Vivienne looks around quickly before focusing on Alpha Quirin. His intense gaze remains on her.

“You must be Vivienne,” he says. “Would it make you feel more comfortable to have a scrappy fight with some of my pack members, or can we bypass the formalities and have dinner together?” he asks her.

She looks from him, to his Luna, to his Beta, and then at the group of pack members who have started to congregate around us.

Vivienne shrugs. “I could eat.”

Alpha Quirin grins. “Excellent. That will make my mate happy. She’s a lover, not a fighter. Vivienne, meet the love of my life, my mate, the mother of my children, and my Luna, Kennedy.”

“Hello, Luna Kennedy,” Vivienne says.

“Vivienne, you are most welcome here,” Luna Kennedy says with heartfelt sincerity, walking down the steps and pulling Vivienne into a hug. I have to fight the laugh that threatens to burst from my lips as Vivienne goes rigid in Luna Kennedy's arms. I’d forgotten that Yorick and his family are a bunch of huggers.

“Don’t scare her off before we even get her inside, Kennedy,” Quirin says, rolling his eyes. His tone is one of absolute adoration and once again, I feel the sharp pang of sadness. I want someone to look at me the way that Alpha Quirin looks at Kennedy. I want someone to understand me and accept me for who I am, even if it makes them crazy. I want someone to love me the way that Alpha Quirin loves his mate.

I push that down as we walk inside the packhouse. Luna Kennedy wraps her arm through Vivienne’s, seemingly unaware that she’s making my friend uncomfortable with her physical contact. She shows us to our rooms with Alpha Quirin following behind us, watching, but letting his mate lead the interaction.

It isn’t until dinner when several of the pack members join us that Vivienne finally starts to relax. They tell her about their lives, how they heard about Alpha Quirin taking in rogues, and how they came here, seeking a place that was safe and accepting of the type of wolves they were.

I watch as Vivienne slowly begins opening up and as the night goes on, I begin to feel like a third wheel, not fitting into the group of rogues turned pack members. However, Vivienne seems to be blossoming right in front of my eyes.

“She’ll do well here,” Alpha Quirin says quietly, watching as I am.

“You think she’ll stay?” I ask him.

He nods, not taking his eyes off her. “These are her people. She can feel heard, understood, comfortable, be who she is, and still be safe. The hardest part for her will be accepting my mate and the person she is, but that didn’t come easy for any of us. Over time, though, Kennedy has a way of working herself into your heart.”

“Alpha Piper!”

I turn, seeing two young girls running over to me.

I crouch down. “Hi girls!” I say to Kendra and Kaylee as they launch themselves into my arms. I met them at Yorick and Cyra’s pack and because I was willing to spar with them, we immediately hit it off. Personally, I love that Alpha Quirin is fostering his daughters’ desire to become fighters. I wish more Alphas were like him.

“Momma said you're staying the weekend,” the first girl, I think it’s Kenda, says.

“Yeah, and we were hoping you’d spar with us again,” Kaylee says.

“Please!” Kendra pleads.

“Pretty please!” Kaylee begs.

I laugh, pulling them both into a hug. “Of course.”

I hear laughter and look up to see Yorick’s younger brother, Wade.

“You’re going to take on the Double K, Triple Threat, Piper? Better you than me. Believe me when I tell you that they’ve improved since you last sparred with them,” Wade says.

I look at the girls and grin mischievously. “I have too. I guess we’ll have to see who has improved the most,” I say.

The weekend is perfect in many ways, but the most important thing is that when it’s time to leave, Vivienne asks Alpha Quirin if she can stay longer.

“You’re welcome as long as you’d like to stay, Vivienne. My pack likes you. I like you. I’d like to think that Kennedy and I have built something together that all wolves, especially rogues, can accept and live with.”

When I finally get ready to leave, Vivienne comes over, hugging me tightly.

“Thanks, Piper,” she whispers.

“Thank you for trusting me to do this, Viv. I love you, even if you refuse to accept that we’re friends.”

She laughs, then hugs me tighter before letting me go.

“I’ll see you soon,” I tell her, then head back to the Academy with my heart feeling much lighter than it did when I arrived.