To Claim a Mate

To all the Little Witchlings who gave this new pen name of ours a shot. We know some of you are still wondering who we are. We’ve even heard a few of you have figured out at least one of our identities. Keep those guesses coming, and we’ll keep rubbing our hands together while evil laughing! xoxo, Poppy To Claim A Mate A FATED MATES SHIFTER ROMANCE REDWOOD UNIVERSITY #3 POPPY IRELAND About To Claim a Mate… Welcome back to Redwood University where nothing is as it seems… and I’m stronger than anyone expects. My nineteenth birthday awakened something within me, revealing truths I could’ve never imagined. My new powers do not come without risk, though, and the future of shifters everywhere rests upon my shoulders. As my mate is preparing to challenge his father, the evil alpha proves he has a few tricks up his sleeve that could destroy the entire supernatural community. It’s a fight for our lives, but as Alexei and I have learned, we are stronger together. So, if Alpha Jones wants to steal our fate, then we’ll band together and take him down. Because no one is going to deny us our happily ever after. *To Claim a Mate is the third and final book in the Redwood University trilogy. It cannot be read as a standalone. If possessive heroes, who occasionally turn into wolves, and sassy, headstrong heroines are your jam, you’ve come to the right place. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the conclusion of this exciting paranormal story. TO CLAIM A MATE ©2023 | Poppy Ireland All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Epilogue Chapter One Alexei Magic rippled through the air where the portal once was. A scream tore through my throat as I reached out with shaky fingers, praying that somehow my eyes were deceiving me. That my fated mate wasn’t just ripped away from earth and dragged into another dimension. My worry for Nicole and the agony I felt drowned out the sound of fighting in the distance. Growling wolves and snarling vampires battled all around the forest, but I was too stunned to move. What happened to her? Why was she so out of it? I had so many questions and didn’t even know where to begin. Obviously, it wasn’t safe to stay here, but how would Juniper and Cammie possibly think that Faerie was the best option? I knew that was where they went; there was no mistaking the shimmery green signature a portal to Faerie gave off. Many cautionary tales had been told to shifter children everywhere, warning them to stay away from the allure of one. Sure, Cammie was fae royalty and all, but practically every creature in that realm had bloodlust. Even the plants were out to kill. “Alexei!” Corbin yelled. His voice was like an echo, and I had to weed through my fears to hear him. “We have to leave!” He tugged on my arm and I snarled at him, not wanting to be dragged away out of some misplaced hope that Nicole would return. I reached for the clearing again, watching my mate disappear before my eyes on a loop. “Alexei!” Corbin yanked harder. “FUCK!” The anguish in his tone knocked me out of my daze. As I turned toward my best friend, the panic was clear in his expression. Understandable, considering we were under attack, but when he lunged forward and started shifting in midair, I knew something else was going on. I looked up and saw what had made Corbin so terrified. General Minifred was on the ground in his human form, fighting off a giant gray wolf. He was naked and covered in dirt, so I assumed he had shifted at some point. What I didn’t understand was why he wasn’t still in his wolf form. The only thing that made sense was that he was hurt badly enough that he needed to accelerate his healing. The only way a shifter could do that was in their human shell. The wolf’s claws tore into the general’s left eye and ripped it out of its socket. With a scream that made his attacker’s ears go flat, General Minifred turned his face toward the sky as his wound gaped open and spewed blood. The eyeball went rolling across the ground, the attached nerves and muscles reminding me of a comet streaking through the sky. The wolf howled victoriously, tearing at his victim’s body with sharp teeth, ripping away chunks of flesh with wild abandon, filling the air with snarls and the coppery smell of fresh blood. I glanced quickly in the direction Nicole had disappeared before sprinting toward the battle. I pushed myself to run faster, heaving for breath with every step. Corbin rushed to the wolf attacking his mate’s father as I bounded toward another one coming from the side. I composed myself, called my animal to the surface, and lunged at the second attacker with bared teeth. My rage was deep-seated as I bit into the wolf without hesitation. The metallic taste of its