by Aidy Award
Dude nodded. "No problem."
"Good. Jenny, use your glamour on all of us so we look like the biggest scariest wolves you ever seen. Go Hollywood werewolves. They haven't seen anyone but me shift, so let's make them think we're rabid monsters, huh?"
"I can do that."
"What about us?" The truth-teller and two others who Gal hadn't found out what their powers were stood together.
"Umm, I'm thinking on my feet here and I'm not sure. But you get the game. Make them think our normal force is extraordinary and that they should flee the heck out of here. Go with your guts."
There was no more time and Gal was getting tired of jogging in place. "Now let's go save our mates."
Team human mates went into action. Gal and the other two wolf shifters bounded out of the hallway and were followed by the echoes a thousand times over. More wolves had joined the fray including a huge poop-brown wolf she didn't recognize. His muzzle was already covered in blood and he was facing off against Max.
Except it wasn't a fair fight. Not even a little bit. Max was limping and she could see a huge gash in his back leg. His back was up against a wall, and he was protecting a black wolf lying on the ground, its head cradled in the lap of Heli.
Crap. It was Kosta. He wasn't dead. Gal could see his chest rising and falling. But he also wasn't moving in any other way. Heli had tears spilling down her face. She crooned to Kosta and caressed his muzzle. Her hands were covered in blood.
Gal prayed that her glamour was in place and that she looked scary as hell. Because she was about to get in between two snarling wolves and try to save someone's life. Her someone.
She put her best monster growly face on and ran toward Max and the poop-colored wolf. "I'm coming to get you, shithead. Run away now or prepared to be flushed down into the sewer where you belong."
Max growled at her. I thought I told you to run.
"I am running. You didn't say where. Shush your face now and let me save your butt." Gal raised her arms over her head and walked like Frankenstein's Monster toward them, groaning and moaning. Any second now he was going to run away whimpering.
The poop wolf growled at them both. Good try, little mate.
Little mate. This was one of the guys who'd been at her house. She bet all the tea on a slow boat from China that he knew where Zara was.
I have my own witch who showed me exactly how this would all go down. Your glamour does nothing for you. I already know I'm going to defeat your alpha and take over this poor excuse for a pack. You might as well submit to me now.
"I'll make you a deal, shit-for-fur. How about you submit to me instead, tell me where Zara is, and then roll over and die. How does that sound?"
I am going to enjoy teaching you exactly what you can do with that smart mouth of yours. I guarantee it won't be used for talking back to me ever again. Not after I shove my coc--
Max erupted, charging toward the brown wolf, going directly for his throat. The dumbass had been distracted by Gal and had exposed himself to Max's fury. A centimeter before his jaws closed around the bastard's throat two other wolves shot toward him, one from each side and took him down to the ground in a tangle of claws and teeth and fur.
Galyna gasped and rushed forward, but the asshole wolf shifted and grabbed her, holding her to his chest, encircling her throat. She scratched and clawed at him, her own wolf rising up, but she couldn't quite get the shift to come on. "Come on, Max. Get them, get them."
Max kicked on of the attackers hard enough that it went flying across the stage, but the other one used that as its opportunity to redouble its attack. It jumped toward Max and chomped down on the side of his head. Gal heard the bones crunch and Max's body went limp.
Noooooooooooooooooooo. Something inside of Galyna's chest broke, as painfully as if her heart had been ripped from her chest. She screeched and bit down on the arm holding her. Her mouth twisted and reshaped itself into that of her wolf's deadly jaw. She snapped down on the man's flesh and bone hard, reveling in the snap of bone in her mouth.
He wailed and jumped back from her, then shifted into his own shitty wolf again. He growled low and circled her, preparing for the ultimate showdown.
Galyna's wolf had had enough. It burst out of her skin and this time she didn't even acknowledge the pain. It was nothing compared to the pounding anguish in her heart and soul. If Max was dead, no one else was going to live. Not while Galyna could avenge him.
These bastards were going down. The wolftress who'd been flailing around inside of Galyna was in control now, all limbs, muscles, and anger working just fine now that she gave herself over to the beast fully. She was one blood-thirsty bitch. Anyone who tried to destroy her pack, her mate, her new found badass life was going to be very, very sorry. And she was going to have a lot of fun doing it.
I am woman hear me roar.
I am your alpha now, little mate. You must do as I say. The same power Max had rolled through the wolf's voice in her head, but it had no affect on her. She shook her head and wagged her tail at him.
You'll never be my alpha or anyone else's, asshole. You don't deserve to have power over anyone. She lunged at the Grimm's alpha.
He dodged her and snapped his jaw at her barely missing her shoulder. Asshole had tried to bite her mark. The one thing of Max she had left.
Try that again, you piece of shit. Let's see who is going to submit to whom. She knew she was goading him and didn't give him a chance to actually reply. She ran forward, jumped into the air and landed on his back. In one giant snarling bite ripped his throat out, decapitated him, and spit the bloody head to the floor.
Gross. The asshole tasted like asshole.
Galyna howled and opened her mind, reaching for Max, knowing he wasn't there. I have avenged you, my love. The Grimm alpha is dead at my hands. I swear to you I will do everything I can to protect this pack and carry on your legacy.
A faint whisper of a voice returned to her. Declare your claim on his pack.
Max? Her heart sang with joy. She ran to him and did the only thing she could think of. She licked his face.
Thank you, love. I'll be okay. My wolf needs a little time to heal. Go on now. You have defeated and alpha. His pack is now yours if you claim it. Do it now and end the war before it starts.
She would fly to the moon and back if Max asked her to. She jumped up on the nearest table and howled, getting everyone's attention. I claim the Grimm pack for myself and for my mate. The one-blood's will terrorize the people and wolves of Rogue no more. Stop your battle for you are all now one under my banner.
That should do it. She sounded all Game of Thrones and stuff. The last remaining wolves who were fighting stopped at her declaration.
Max's voice popped into her head once more. Command them to bow at your feet and declare their fealty to you.
Really? That doesn't seem very progressive.
It's what they understand.
Okay. She lifted her voice again. Bow to me and show your fealty, but if you are ready to join this revolution, lift your faces to the moon and declare it to be so.
The wolves in the room bowed one by one, except for a few who scrambled away. She let them go. They would live to fight another day because Gal understood this battle was only beginning. She was the first to lift her head and howl at the moon, but soon they all were declaring themselves to her and their fight for freedom to choose their own mates. Declaring they would be a part of the revolution of true mates, of true love.
Rock on.
Key, who'd been sitting calmly near the small raised stage the whole time stood and greeted Galyna as a wolf. She reached her hand out and touched Gal's head, scratching behind her ears as if she was nothing more than a puppy. It felt great and she'd remember that for next time Max was in wolf form and she was not.
"I lied to him. He thought he would win. I didn't want him to. He was a dick." Key turned and glance toward the steps leading down to the speakeasy. "A dragon, a witch, and wolf walk into a bar."
A big man who looked a lot like Jason Momoa but with a prosthetic arm, and a super beautiful woman dressed all in white floated down the steps.
"I told you we were gonna miss the good part, but you wanted to stop for ice cream," the woman said.
"Sorry, my love. But you know I can't resist rainbow sherbet with rainbow sprinkles on top." He lifted a chocolate dipped cone and gave it a slurp. "Besides, I'm practicing for later."
He waggled his eyebrows and flicked his tongue in a very naughty way around the tip of the ice cream.
The woman rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Stop flirting with me. We have to find our... oh there she is. Kur, darling, can you heal the wolves real quick. He's going to want to be conscious for this."
The man crossed the room, took another lick of his ice cream cone and blew a soft green mist over Max and Kosta. Both men shifted back into their human forms and not only were their wounds gone, neither had a scar, blemish, or even a freckle in sight. "Oops. A little to much Dragon's Breath. Sorry."
Galyna's wolf pulled itself back inside of her and she shifted into her human self again. She plopped down onto the floor where Max lay, wide-eyed and blinking. She touched his face and he grabbed her hand, holding it tight and pressing her palm to his lips.
"You two can do all the kissing and baby-making later." The woman snapped her fingers and she and Max were both fully clothed and sitting at the bar. They were also the only ones here, aside from the man and woman.
Gal looked around and then back at the woman. "Where did everyone go?"
The woman shrugged and wandered behind the bar. She riffled around the bottled until she found what she was looking for. "It's late. I sent them all to their beds. Don't worry, they won't remember a thing. You two won't either."
She mixed a drink and pushed one in front of Gal and another in front of Max. "That should get your libidos going. You're going to have very beautiful and important children, you two are."
Max frowned. "Who are you?"
The woman laughed and touched her hand to her forehead. "Oh, goodness. Such poor manners I have. I'm--"
Galyna blinked and she and Max were back at Troika's house sitting in the living room. Kosta and Heli were there, and Selena. Sitting across from them, half hidden in the dark was another man.
He didn't move and Gal wasn't entirely sure he was alive. She tugged on Max's shirt-sleeve. "Max, who is that?"
Max was breathing fast, but shallow. He swallowed three or four times without answering. Then he stood and crossed to the shadowy figure. "I am Maxsim Piotryvich Troika, alpha of the Troika pack of Rogue, New York. This is my mate, Galyna Shirvan, alpha of the Grimm pack. Who are you and what are you doing in our home?"
The man stood and Galyna gasped. This changed everything. He spoke in a quiet and broken voice that hitched and cracked on the words. "I'm your big brother, Maxy. It's me, Niko."
Max
Even though the moon was full in the sky, cloud cover was keeping the sacred circle in the Reserve from being totally lit up by its rays. That didn't matter to Max. Very little could make this night even more perfect. Tonight was the night when and Gal would be mated and she would become the matriarch of his pack.
Yes, there were complications. She was also officially the alpha of the Grimms which was unprecedented. No woman had ever been an alpha before. She was bringing more changes than they were all ready for. But it was time.
Then there was Niko.
He hadn't wanted to come tonight, but their mother had convinced him that if he truly was giving up his claim to be alpha of the Troikas like he insisted, that he needed to witness the mating of the heir and the soon to be matriarch. The rest of the pack would have a hard enough time with him giving up his right to the title now that he was back.
Niko wasn't really back. His body was. His mind and soul were not. The depth of pain in Niko's eyes hurt Max's heart. He hoped that he and Gal would be able to help him heal.
None of them really understood how he'd come back to them. He'd told a strange tale of being pulled out of hell by a dragon, but that's all he would say for now.
Max glanced up at the sky. The moon would reach its pinnacle soon. Where were his mother and Galyna?
There were other wolves around the circle that looked as anxious as he felt. They were all preparing to be officially mated tonight. Gal wasn't the only one who'd been invited to join this previously wolf only ritual. Six other women and two young men who were as love with a wolf-shifter as Gal was with him stood dotted around the circle too.
There were a few other wolves looking for mates here too. Some still hoped that they would find a mate among their own kind. He hoped some of them did.
Something shining and bright coming through the forest caught his eye. The clouds over the moon parted and Galyna stepped into the sacred circle. She glowed, literally shining as bright as the moon. She took his breath away never to be returned.
Selena stepped up next to him and whispered in his ear. "I told you that you'd know when you'd found your true mate."
"She's beautiful, mom. How will everyone else not be jealous?"
"Because she only glows for you. Only true mates glow under the full moon to each other. Look around, the other ones all have that same awestruck look on their faces as you do, but only they can see how their true mates light up the night." Selena glanced at the other side of the circle, lingered for a moment and then gave Max a shove. "Go on. She's nervous waiting there for you. Go claim your mate, son."
His Galyna. The most amazing woman he'd ever met. His true mate. Thank God for his meddling revolutionary mother or he might never have acted on the feelings he had for her. Their worlds were going to change, they already had. This was one part of wolf life he looked forward to preserving.
Everything else in their world could be upended. The mating ritual would remain.
Marked.
Claimed.
Mated.
In front of the rest of the pack, in front of all the other couples who were being mated tonight too.
Max walked to the center of the clearing and took Galyna's hand. She was barefoot and wore a wispy white dress that offset her lovely tan skin beautifully. She had flowers pressed into her long dark hair like a halo. She was absolutely divine.
Gal smiled up at him and then around the circle. Everyone was waiting for him to start.
He would, just as soon as his mate was ready. "It's just you and me."
She bit her lip. "It's not. The pack--"
"Shh. Look at me, only me. This is about only you and me. They'll watch, and I'll bet a lot of them will even be turned on, but they don't matter. This moment isn't for them. Only you... and... me. Understand?"
"But--"
He cupped her glowing cheek in his hand. "No buts. I'm going to take your body under the full moon and stars. You are mine and I want everyone to know."
"Maxim. Stop interrupting me, damn it." She waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn't going to stop her from saying it this time. "Two things. You're naked and you're glowing."
Her eyes darted around and he could practically hear her mind wondering if everyone was staring at them. Max gently grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to him. "You are too. God, you're beautiful. The rest of them don't see, kriska. Only you and I. For the rest of them, their true mates are the ones lighting up their souls."
The tension fell off of her then and she took a long relaxing breath. "I love that, Max. It's our telepathy of the heart manifested."
Max kissed Gal, gently at first, taking his time to relish every touch and taste of her. When she was wanting and needy for more, he lifted his head to the sky and howled to the moon thanking it for bringing her into his life. A chorus of other howls, some wolf, and some human joined him.
"I love you Galyna. I have for longer than I can remember and I wish I had been strong enough to act on it before."
"Don't regret our past. Now was the right time for us to find each other."
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"I thank the moon every night for bringing us together. Are you ready to show everyone our love?"
Her eyes sparkled with mischief and love. "Yep. Let's make babies."
"Whoa. Let's save that for another full moon. Tonight is about you and me." Max lifted the hem of her shift and gently pulled it over her head. Her lush body was ripe, ready, and waiting for him. He could already smell the heady scent of her arousal.
He pressed a kiss to the glowing moon mark on her clavicle then gave it the gentlest of bites, fulfilling the requirement of marking her in front of his pack. Then he worked his way down her body with kisses and nips. Her nipples were already pebbled and begging for attention. He would spend plenty of time later seeing if he could make her come simply by sucking on them.
His mouth was watering for a different treat just then. Max dropped to his knees and grabbed Gal's thighs. She grabbed onto his shoulders and spread her legs for him. Any fear or anxiety she had about exposing herself in front of the rest of the pack was gone. There was only lust and love between them now.
She speared her hands into his hair and gave him a little tug. "Make me come, wolf."
"As you wish, my lady." Max dove in, licking and lashing and suckling at her clit. She groaned and pulled at his hair. He knew what he body needed and pushed two fingers into her hot, tight, wet cunt and pushed her body to give him the orgasm they both wanted. It didn't take long before she was moaning his name.
She gasped, her body clenched, and she was lost to first orgasm of the night. When her knees gave out under her, he was ready and grabbed her, pulling her down across his lap.
Gal rested her head against his chest for a minute breathing hard. "Man, you're good at that. Is it my turn. I've been having fantasies of sucking your cock under the stars."
"I thought I was the one with a dirty mouth?"
"Oh, ha ha. Please, proceed. I love when you talk dirty." She had the most adorable sloppy satisfied look on her face, and he couldn't resist kissing that dirty mouth.