Little Songbird

Nathaniel's POV

I sit there, shocked as the woman who is my mate walks across the stage and embraces the blonde she-wolf. I study her as much as I can, but considering she's a decent distance away from me, I can't really make much of her aside from her appearance.

I turn my head quickly as Tobias clears his throat. "You okay Nate?"

Shit. I can't hide this from him...

"That woman down there, with the red hair." I state sternly but quietly. He looks in her direction and nods. "What about her?" I decide to mind-link him for privacy.

N- She's my mate, Tobias. -

T- No way, really? She's gorgeous. -

He pauses for a moment.

T- What do you need me to do? -

N- I need to make sure it's her, can we get her up here after the set? -

T- I can talk to Kai, get some info and say you'd like to see her. –

I nod at him and look back to the red-haired beauty as she takes her position on the left side of the stage and the band gets into their song. The anticipation kills me as the song plays through, thinking that I might not hear her voice, but then it finally graces my ears and holy fuck. It shakes me to my core, and I know then. She must be my mate. There's no denying it. Something simple as hearing her sing wouldn't affect me this intensely if she wasn't.

I watch her as she perfectly blends in with the band as she sings, clearly comfortable and enjoying herself, her voice powerfully mesmerizing. The crowd is completely enamoured with the performance, moving in time with the music and cheering them on loudly. Soon the song is over, and I turn to Tobias and his eyes are wide.

"Wow, that was..."

"Perfection. I'm dying to hear what she sounds like on her own later."

"I don't blame you, I feel the same way, Alpha. I'll go talk to Kai." I nod in agreement and watch him as he heads downstairs.

Another song starts and I fixate my eyes on her once again.

My little songbird...

______

Ivy's POV

I can't help the huge smile that spreads across my face as I walk off the stage after Ciara's set. The crowd was loving every single moment and it felt so good to be up on the stage again. I head backstage and grab a bottle of water and take a few sips to coat my dry throat. Sitting down, I bask in the euphoria I'm experiencing, and then out of the corner of my eye, I see Kai enter.

I look to him as I take another sip of water. "Hey."

"You sounded great out there." He says as he sits next to me, the couch bending slightly under his weight. "Thanks! The crowd was wild."

"That they were. I'm here to ask you something though."

I turn and face him more, feeling confused and concerned. "What is it?"

Do I even want to know?

"He wants to see you."

I narrow my eyes in confusion. "Who?"

"Nathaniel...."

My eyes widen. "Uh what? Why does he want to see me? Kai shrugs at me. "His Beta came down and said that they liked your performance with Ciara's band and that he wanted to meet you." He stands up from the couch and holds out his hand. Anxiously, I look up at him and take his hand. "I can't refuse can I?" Kai chuckles. "Probably wouldn't be a good idea."

"Yeah, probably not." Kai squeezes my hand in reassurance before letting it go. "You'll be fine."

I take a deep breath and head back out to the main floor of the bar and walk over to the staircase that leads to the VIP area. Another bouncer, Adam steps aside and lets me pass. As I walk up the steps, my feet feel increasingly heavier and I start to panic, thinking of all the things he could have done to me if I fuck up.

He's not Cole.... stop stressing.

I try to remind myself that not all Alpha wolves are the same. He could be very different from Cole. Who knows? I get to the top of the stairway, and I look up to see a man waiting for me. He's tall, with shoulder length black hair that is braided back. His amber eyes meet with mine as he holds his hand out to me.

"I'm Tobias. The Alpha King's Beta." I take his hand and shake it. The shake is strong, but gentle, and I know to be the Alpha King's Beta, he must be a respected and powerful wolf. Betas are second in command to Alphas and support them in every possible way. They protect their Alpha's with their lives, and the bond between them and their Alpha is unbreakable.

"What's your name?" He asks me as he lets my hand go. "I'm Ivy. It's nice to meet you."

"Ivy... beautiful name. Please follow me." I nod, and then Tobias walks in front of me and I follow, trying not to be too close in case I bump into him. We walk for only a few minutes, and I notice we're at one of the booths near the back of the VIP area. We approach the booth and then Tobias moves to the left of me, no longer blocking my view.

Holy mother of God....

The power radiating from him makes me gasp slightly, as Nathaniel rises from his seat and comes to stand beside Tobias. I quickly glance at him. He's just as tall as Tobias, but there's no doubt he's an Alpha. The tell-tale muscular body and powerful stance give it away. He has jet black, messy wavy hair that goes just past his ears, and striking deep blue eyes, like the ocean. In black jeans and a grey, unbuttoned dress shirt, he is a sight. I quickly lower my eyes as to not offend, unsure of his wishes in terms of being shown respect from other wolves.

"Alpha, this is Ivy. Ivy this is Alpha Nathaniel." Tobias introduces me and I raise my eyes again to meet those blue ones, my breath catching slightly.

"Ivy, I'm Nathaniel. Please come sit."

His voice is deep and resonating with power. I feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickle in response. I can't get words out, so I nod and go and sit at the booth. Nathaniel follows suit and sits beside me as Tobias asks me what I would like to drink.

I finally find my voice. "Water is fine... I still have to do another set, so I need to be hydrated."

He smiles. "Of course, be right back." He leaves and then it hits me...

I'm alone sitting with the Alpha King.

______

Nathaniel's POV

I look at Ivy as she sits next to me, and it takes a lot of willpower on my end to not reach out to touch or hold her. Kiba is pacing wildly in my head, clearly insanely happy that our mate is in front of us. Now that she's closer, her scent is overpowering and there is no doubt.

She's the one that was made for me.

I can sense her hesitation as we sit in a short silence, no doubt she has heard somewhat of me. I also wonder if she senses me like I do her, but there is something off about her. I also sense a strength in her, and it's confirmed when she speaks first, but avoids eye contact.

"How should I address you? I don't want to be disrespectful. I haven't come across many other Alpha's other than the Alpha at my pack." I think to myself. She didn't reference her pack's Alpha as her Alpha. I wonder if there is some tension there. It's not unusual for some pack members to not see eye-to-eye with their Alpha, but there is still most often a personal reference to an Alpha since they are leaders of their communities. Interesting.

"You can call me Alpha, or just Nathaniel or Nate. Whatever you are more comfortable with. Also, I don't play along with that no eye contact bullshit. I like to look at who I'm talking to." My response stirs something in her as she inhales quickly and raises her gaze to look at me, and our eyes connect, longer this time.

Hers are an emerald green, which is a stark contrast to her red locks, but somehow, they suit her completely.

I could get lost in those eyes...

I'm brought back from my thoughts as Tobias returns then, placing a water bottle in front of Ivy and another bourbon down on the table for me. She grasps the bottle and twists the cap gracefully and bring it to her lips for a sip. Time for conversation.

"How long have you been singing for?" I ask and she replaces the cap back on her water.

"Since I was a young pup. I also play piano."

"Your voice is something else, it's nothing I've ever heard before." She half smiles and looks down to hide her slight blush. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Kai mentioned he hires you for many performances here at Iron Wolf." Tobias chimes in and I am thankful he's helping continue the conversation. She looks towards him and nods. "Yes, Kai pays me to perform here sometimes." She trails off. "I used to perform here often, but due to other... responsibilities at my pack, I haven't been able to come here as much as I'd like. Although it does add to the anticipation of some who come to hear me." She reaches down to grab her water again.

"What pack are you from?"

She pauses and her eyes dart from Tobias and back to me.

"Uh... I'm from Red Moon."

"Red Moon. That sounds familiar." I turn to Tobias. "Isn't Red Moon one of the packs I'm visiting in a week or so?" Tobias looks at me and nods. "Yes, Alpha. You're scheduled to go stay there next week to oversee a pack merger and visit."

"That's right. Thank you." I turn my attention back to Ivy and I notice her posture has stiffened at the mention of me coming to her pack grounds. I can't tell if it's just nervousness because of me, or if it's another reason. I guess I'll have to find out.

Ivy checks her watch. "I am so sorry to interrupt, but my solo set in in about ten minutes. I should go prepare."

I nod at her, stand and she follows suit. "Before you go, I want to let you know I'll be talking to your Alpha about hiring you for the mating ball that is coming up. My parents put me in charge or entertainment for the ball and the afterparty, and I think you would be an amazing fit. I hope you'll consider it." Her eyes widen and a look of surprise crosses her face before she flashes me a full-blown smile. "Really? I would love to! Thank you for the opportunity, Alpha Nate."

My name on her lips...

"My pleasure, Ivy. Can't wait to see your solo set. It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise, I'll see you at the pack visit then?"

"Definitely." I respond and watch her leave, feeling more content than I have in a very long time.