Valeri snorted loudly. “Alpha, please. I’m not saying you hurt her physically. What I’m saying is that your rejection of her has hurt her.”
He flung himself into a chair and continued with his lecture.
“Since when does any vulfen male lucky enough to be granted a mate, and such a beautiful mate, send her away? I’ll tell you when —never. We all know there is no guarantee. It doesn’t always happen. Not every warrior is granted a mate. Not even every Alpha,” he said pointedly.
“I didn’t mate her,” Rylek said softly. “I had enough control to keep from giving her the mating bite, although I came very close to it.”
Valeri made a face. “Yes, you are universally respected for your iron control of your vulfen side. And what do you use this fabled control for? Denying a gift from the goddess! Denying a mate!” Valeri was clearly disgusted.
Many seconds would never speak so frankly to their Alphas, but Rylek had always encouraged his seconds and the warriors in his Cadre, his elite group of twelve, to openly share their opinions. He was strong enough to listen to other ideas, and to take criticism, if it came to that. Valeri was within his rights.
“Valeri, she would not have thanked me for dragging her into our world, a world she does not even know exists, a world where she would be in danger every moment. It is unfair to her. You know we are hunted.”
Rylek didn’t know if he was trying to convince Valeri or himself. Sending Ellie away unmated was excruciating. He could hardly concentrate on his second’s words. He couldn’t help but smell her incredible scent all over the office and all over him, and it was driving him mad with the need to follow her and finish the claiming. Claw tips still protruded from his fingers, and his fangs refused to fully retract. The pleasure she had given him!
“We guard every mate,” Valeri said, and his voice made it a pledge. “You cannot doubt that we will guard the Alpha’s mate. She represents hope for all of us.”
“Not all would accept a human as the Alpha’s mate. She is so soft and fragile compared to our females. She would be in danger every moment.” Rylek’s tone was tortured.
“No one will challenge you or the mating. My father is an Elder. Miros, the entire Cadre, everyone who saw her tonight and saw your reaction to her, will support you. She is human, yes. And she reacted strongly to you, proving she is not fragile. She was devastated to be sent away from you. It is a true mating. We all saw it.”
With those words from his second, Rylek felt his heart lift. It was not common for him to be burdened with self-doubt. He could not think of another time when such a thing had happened to him. He was born to be the Alpha, and had always been acknowledged as such within the three clans. His birth, along with the combined strength of his mother’s status and his father’s diplomacy, had reunited the three clans, even before his father had been killed. After that, Rylek challenged and ascended to the position of Alpha before the Council of Elders.
There would be difficulties with this mating, not the least of which would be apologizing to his mate. Revealing his true nature and convincing her to mate with him in truth. Forever.
Rylek cast aside his doubts and pushed to his feet suddenly. Valeri rose as well.
“I must finish the mating,” he said in a deep grating rumble, her scent beckoning more strongly to him, as if the decision to accept her had released his stranglehold on his vulfen senses.
“Yes, Alpha,” Valeri responded with satisfaction.
“My seconds will accompany me and stand guard, as is proper.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Knowing that his seconds would be right behind, Rylek ran out the side door, his limbs elongating as fur and muscle shifted effortlessly into the form of a large black wolf. The strength and freedom of the form was incredible.
His Uncle Vasily shook his head fondly as Rylek passed, and the Cadre warriors raised their fists in the air and roared their support.
In this elemental form, Ellie’s delicious scent sang in his nostrils, pulling him onward, leading him unerringly in the direction of his beautiful human mate.
Chapter 5
Ellie stood in her tiny bedroom and gazed uneasily in the mirror. Her lovely, alarmingly expensive dress had four long slices along one side. Her pale skin was clearly visible through the torn black silk, and she stared at the rents, frowning as she turned one way and then the other. The light scratches on her hip corresponded exactly with two of the tears.
She could not come up with an explanation, at least, not one that belonged in the real world. Her thoughts raced along lines that could only be described as fantastical.
She shook her head finally, and turned away from the mirror to remove her ruined dress.
The door buzzer shrilled loudly and Ellie started. She didn’t often have outside visitors, since her best friend lived in the same building. In point of fact, she couldn’t think of a single person who would visit at this time of night. The doorman must have hit the wrong button by accident.
Calming her sudden sense of unease with that thought, she pulled her dress off and shrugged into her white silk robe. She always dressed very conservatively at the office, but when she was on her own time she loved the feel of silk against her skin.
The buzzer rang again, and Ellie walked slowly out to her living room to answer it.
“Yes, Fred?”
“Miss Bradley, I apologize,” Fred’s tinny voice came through the speaker. “I couldn’t stop him. I didn’t dare. He just looked at me and it was impossible to refuse.”
Fred’s voice was drowned out by a firm knocking on Ellie’s door.
“Thank you, Fred,” she said. Fred was always very conscientious to the point of obsession about his job as the first point of building security. It would take something, or someone, truly extraordinary to make him change his usual careful guardianship of the tenants’ privacy.
Her heart thumped. Suddenly, she knew who was at the door.
Ellie hesitated for a moment, and then looked out the peephole. The hallway light was dim, but even through the distortion of the glass there was no mistaking the large form of Rylek Sidarov standing outside her door. Her emotions surged at the sight of him, and she honestly couldn’t say if she wanted to invite him in or send him away.
She stood, undecided, with her hand on the doorknob.
At her lack of response the knock came again, only a little louder this time.
“Ellie,” Rylek’s gorgeous voice said. “Please let me in so I can apologize to you in person.”
“Apologize?” Her response was suspicious. “I’m not hurt. The scratches are nothing, so if that’s what this is about, you don’t need to say anything else.”
She could hear him groan through the closed door.
“Ellie, please, I wish to tell you that I am sorry. Please.” The voice had a distinct bite to it, and she suddenly had an image of sharp white teeth snapping.
Ellie almost smiled in spite of her anger as she put her eye up to the peephole once more.
His words were a plea, but his tone was one of command and his posture was straight and proud. Rylek probably believed he was begging. The thought amused her. He was such a powerful man. He wouldn’t even realize that this was not the way in which most people pleaded for an audience, but perhaps that was appropriate for him. Certainly, the mere fact that he was willing to apologize and take responsibility for his own behavior already made him superior to every other man she had met in her life.
Ellie took a bracing breath and opened the door.
His hand was raised in a loose fist, and it was clear that he had intended to knock again. He moved forward immediately, coming inside and closing the door behind him, as if he feared that she would change her mind about admitting him.
Rylek took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“Forgive me, Ellie,” he said, his warm breath rasping across the back of her hand and causing corresponding shivers up her spine. “I want you to understand, I was no
t rejecting you when I sent you away. I am sorry. Of course that would be your thought. In my defense, I would say that my life is dangerous, and your life is so fragile. I am dangerous, but I never want to be the one to cause you harm.”
“Rylek, you didn’t hurt me,” Ellie began. “I loved every moment of what we—”
His finger across her lips gently asked for her silence.
“Ellie, I was fast, you cannot deny. For that also, I apologize. The first mating between us should have been slow, if it could not be gentle.” He smiled ruefully. “I fear that you inspired such heat within me that true gentleness was far beyond my reach.”
That incredible statement soothed some of her anger. The idea that a decidedly average woman could “inspire heat” in a man like Rylek Sidarov—it was flattering to say the least.
His hand caressed her cheek and she couldn’t keep herself from leaning into the warmth of his touch. His magnetism was such a potent force. He had given her such incredible pleasure that her body was still heavy with satisfaction. In one encounter, he had already trained her nerve endings to respond to his strokes, sending tingles of delight up and down her spine.
He took her hands in his and led her to an overstuffed chair. When she was seated, he knelt in front of her.
“Please say that you can forgive me.”
“Yes, of course,” she answered immediately. In her heart, she had already forgiven him. Perhaps the handsome prince might choose the ordinary, average woman at least once in a while, she thought happily.
He smiled at her, but he stayed on his knees, and to Ellie he still looked tense.
“You are as gracious as you are beautiful,” Rylek said fervently.
Ellie put her hand on his head, running her fingers through his black hair, sifting the thick, silky stuff over and over.
He allowed the familiarity, but didn’t relax into it as she had expected. He took a deep breath.
“I came here with a specific desire,” he said, “but now I find I cannot go through with it.”
Ellie stopped petting him. Was he going to reject her again now? What game was he playing?
Before she could question him or become angry, he was speaking again.
“I want you for my mate, to live with me always, to bear my young. I feel it is destined, but there is something you must know before you decide. It is perhaps unfair to be so hasty in this, but I must have a true answer.” Rylek stood. “If you decide against me, it must be while I still have the strength to leave you.”
The air around his big body seemed to shimmer with an almost imperceptible iridescence, and in that moment, Rylek was gone and in his place sat a huge black wolf. Ellie shrieked and threw her arms out protectively then sat frozen, fearful, and disbelieving. She was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, and when the wolf made a hesitant move toward her, she shrank back in her chair, keeping her eyes fixed on him.
“Stay,” she said shrilly, pointing at the creature, trying to sound firm though her heart was pounding in her chest. The wolf stepped back again.
“This can’t be real. You just cannot be real,” she muttered. She laughed a bit hysterically when the wolf went down on his belly and began edging closer. His pink tongue came out and washed over her bare toes, causing her to shriek again and pull her feet up into the chair.
“I do not believe you’re real,” she said warningly, but her voice wasn’t as strong as she wanted it to be.
The wolf whined and sat up, cocking his head to one side and studying her. He was a big animal, but he didn’t seem inclined to attack her right away.
The two sat for a moment, just looking at one another, and then Ellie carefully stretched out her arm, letting just the tips of her fingers stroke his massive head. His fur was thick and shiny, black as midnight just like Rylek’s hair. He butted her hand gently with his massive head, pushing against her touch. He seemed to be encouraging her to stroke him with a firm pressure.
She looked into the wolf’s intelligent black eyes, and her heart missed a beat.
“Rylek,” she said. Her voice shook. “I need you to not be a wolf right now. Please.”
Her words sounded impossibly bizarre to her own ears, but for the second time the air began to faintly shimmer, and then Rylek the man sat before her on the carpet. Her fingers just barely touched the top of his dark head.
“Oh!” The room revolved slowly. She slumped forward until her head touched her knees. She concentrated on just breathing.
She definitely did not want to pass out with a werewolf in the room.
Chapter 6
Ellie didn’t know how much time had passed when she finally was able to calm her breathing. It slowly entered her awareness that Rylek was stroking her hair gently and murmuring softly to her. She could barely understand half of what he said and gradually realized he was speaking in another language with only the occasional phrase in English.
“Ellie, beautiful one, I am sorry,” he said finally, when her breathing took on a more normal rhythm. “Please know that I would not rush your understanding, but my seconds will have felt the pull of my change, and I feel sure they will arrive soon. They are very serious in their duties and will want to be certain there is no danger to us.”
With one last pass of his hand over her hair, Rylek rose and moved to the door. He opened it, and Ellie was grateful for his warning, as it was clear that the two men skidding to a stop in the hallway were expecting to find a battle in progress. It took a moment for her to recognize Valeri, since the last time she had seen him, he hadn’t had fangs or claws.
Valeri and the man beside him both seemed larger than they had been earlier in the evening, with eyes that glowed in the dim light of the hall.
Ellie dropped her head back into her lap with a muffled groan.
Rylek ushered the men into the room quickly and locked the door. “There is no danger here. I chose the path of honesty with my mate. I showed her my true nature and gave her a choice.”
He indicated Ellie, and all three men looked at her. She kept her cheek pressed against her knees and concentrated on breathing.
“The little human female looks to be in distress,” the third man said carefully. “You showed her the change. Is she able to speak yet?”
“She has spoken, yes,” Rylek said, sounding almost proud. “She told me to stop being a wolf right now.”
“Good advice, Alpha,” Valeri said dryly.
Alpha, Ellie thought. Of course. It explained so much, his snarling reaction to Henry, the slices in her dress, and the two long scratches on her body.
Suddenly, another thought struck her, and she lifted her head to glare at Valeri.
“Are you a werewolf, too?” she demanded.
Valeri bowed from the waist. “We are vulfen,” he stated with some superiority. “We do not use the term of werewolf, as that is a word invented by superstitious humans trying to explain something they do not understand. We are vulfen, blessed by the goddess with dual natures. I am a man, as you see, but I am equally a wolf. It is a gift we have been given.”
Ellie felt ridiculously like apologizing. He acted as if being called a werewolf was almost an insult. She certainly didn’t want to insult three werewolves—no, vulfen—in her own living room. Lord knows what damage they could do with tooth and claw.
But, really, they seemed quite civilized, all standing and waiting for her to respond, not acting beastly at all.
“Are there many…vulfen?”
Valeri looked to Rylek, who inclined his head.
“Yes,” Valeri said, “there are three Russian Clans, and around the world there are many more clans.”
Ellie cleared her throat, not sure how to word her next question.
“Will you show me your wolf?” she asked Valeri.
Rylek made a brief, arrested movement, and then was still.
Valeri came forward slowly and transformed himself. Ellie was surprised to note that his wolf was also somewhat stocky and a bit smaller than Ry
lek in that form, as was the man. He was a dark golden color, very unusual for a true wolf, she thought. It would be easy to tell the difference between Valeri and Rylek, even in these furry bodies. He barked once, making her jump, and waved his bushy tail before changing back into Valeri.
Ellie licked her dry lips.
“You both came back wearing clothes,” she said, confused. “Is that normal?”
Rylek spoke up. “If we are overcome by emotion, or injury, we may sometimes change too quickly, and the clothing shreds. However, under normal conditions, clothing is not destroyed by the change so long as it is made of a natural fiber.”
“How can that be? Why should it matter what the clothing is made of?” she asked curiously.
The men exchanged glances, and their shrugs to one another made Ellie think that none of them could or would answer that question.
“The change is a natural process and does not destroy things belonging in nature. Or some clans simply say, the goddess wills it so,” Rylek said. It was clear, for him, that was answer enough.
“Won’t you sit down,” she said politely after a moment and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when all three men sat.
At least they were well-behaved legendary beasts, she thought a little wildly. And Valeri didn’t have fangs anymore, so perhaps they would calm down now and allow her to convince herself that she had been experiencing some strange hallucination. After a lifetime of good sense, it really was too much to ask that she just suddenly start believing in creatures from a fairy tale.
Even seated, the three broad-shouldered men made her extra long sofa look like a child’s miniature. She was not a small woman, but they made her feel positively tiny in comparison.
She was beginning to relax in their presence, but even so, she couldn’t take her eyes off them. Under her scrutiny, the third man moved uncomfortably, jostling Valeri and earning himself a quelling glance from Rylek.
Kenney, Laina - Vulfen Alpha's Mate [Vulfen Cadre 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3