by H Q Kingsley
“Come on, Papa. Let’s not keep reminding Sefa of that,” Hawea said as he ruffled my hair with his free hand.
I shooed his hand away and pushed him, but was thankful he had stepped in. Thinking about how unmated I was wasn’t a hole I wanted to go down.
Hawea set a bowl down in front of me with a laugh before he settled into the seat next to me with his own breakfast.
Hawea’s only daughter rushed toward me with her arms out. Moana had the same bright-gray eyes that all the Henare had, and they beamed as she looked up at me.
I grinned as I picked her up and sat her on my lap, giving her a noisy kiss on the side of her head. She playfully grabbed two strands of my hair and began to twist them.
“You will find someone someday, Sefa,” Father said, meeting my eyes over his paper. His voice was soft and gentle, and if I hadn’t been absolutely sure my situation was hopeless, his words may have helped. “Your mate will find you and claim you, and you’ll give us perfect little grandchildren.”
Moana pursed her lips in a pout, letting out a huff, and she turned in my lap.
“More perfect little grandchildren,” Papa corrected, giving her a wink that seemed to end her tantrum.
My father sighed and nodded, kissing my Papa’s hand. He seemed to believe it about as much as I did.
I tried to pull my lips into a smile, but even I could tell that it didn’t reach my eyes.
I glanced down at Moana who picked up my spoon and brought it to my lips. Opening my mouth, I let her feed me, and she giggled with delight at each bite. She was easy to please. Nothing like a life-size, live-action doll to make a little girl’s day.
I chuckled, nearly choking on the latest bite of food. Her laughter was like music to my ears. I had always wanted a daughter, but maybe it just wasn’t meant for me to be with anyone at all. Maybe the laughter of my niece was as close as I’d ever get.
The thought made a pit form in my stomach. It somehow seemed worse to think about. I’d live my whole life surrounded by love and people in love, and to never have it myself? I’d forever be watching from behind the glass.
“Where is Enele, anyway?” My father asked Hawea, allowing me to snap away from my own thoughts of doom and gloom.
“He went to get some more groceries for tonight. We ran out of a few things I need for the dinner we had planned and...” Hawea trailed off as a knock on the front door echoed through the kitchen.
I sniffed the air. Alpha Rayden? His scent was as clear as day, even from outside. What is he doing here?
“What’s Alpha Rayden doing here?” Hawea asked, echoing my thoughts.
We turned to my father since he was a member of the council. Generally, they convened once a month, but it was possible they’d planned a special meeting.
My brows furrowed. The puzzled look on my father’s face told me there was definitely no meeting, at least not a planned one anyway.
Moana started to whine softly and shook her head as fat tears welled in her eyes. I rocked her back and forth, hoping to soothe her as I watched my brother head for the door and open it.
“Alpha,” he greeted him.
Alpha Rayden of the Oceania Clan nodded in response and stepped into our home. His brown eyes looked tired, and his blond hair was somehow more dull than the last time I’d seen him as if the last two weeks had completely drained him.
My father stood up, motioning for the Clan leader to join us in the kitchen. “Alpha Rayden, welcome. What brings you here to our home?”
Alpha Rayden pressed his lips together. “I’m afraid it isn’t good." He let out a sigh before continuing. "Alpha Callum of the Shadow Moon Clan has demanded an audience with us.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, echoed by my family. My entire body froze. Alpha Callum was infamous. The Shadow Moon Clan had a reputation for being the most ruthless clan of wolves to ever breed. Entire clans had been slaughtered at their hands by his command, and if he was here on our island, nothing good could come of it.
Our land was sacred, and we’d been protected my whole life…
My stomach churned and I wanted to throw up. I placed Moana down, ignoring her cries to get back into my lap. I wasn’t sure I’d keep my breakfast down, and the last thing I wanted was to have it come back up on her dress.
“What? Why?” Hawea crossed the room to scoop his daughter into his arms. “He can’t just come here. We have the Conclave’s protection!”
Alpha Rayden shook his head. “And if I thought reminding him of that would deter him, I assure you, I would have.”
Hawea bowed his head. “I mean no disrespect, Alpha,” he offered, and Alpha Rayden waved him off.
“And I took none, but the situation is… unprecedented.” Alpha Rayden gave one solemn nod of his head. “He will be here tomorrow morning. The council will be convened to speak with him and hear his demands. If there is a way to handle him peacefully, then that is what we will do.”
My father finally rose from his seat. His face was completely unreadable as he met Alpha Rayden’s gaze. “Thank you, Alpha. Both I and my son, Iosefa, will be there if you will have us.”
Papa looked up at him, and it was hard to miss the concern and worry painted across his face.
“Absolutely,” Alpha Rayden said. His eyes fluttered from my father to me and back to him. “But are you sure you want to bring Iosefa? He may not be ready for something of this magnitude.”
My father glanced at me. “That is for Iosefa to decide.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was next in line for a seat on the council. These types of meetings, this kind of peace-attempt... it was my duty. To my family, to my clan. But that didn’t stop my mouth from going completely dry at the thought of looking into Alpha Callum’s eyes. A murderer’s eyes.
A chill ran down my spine, and I ignored it as I stood up as straight as I could, trying to mimic the stoic look of my father. “Yes, Alpha. My father and I will be there.”
The next morning, I woke at daybreak, after half an hour of sleep. I’d tossed and turned all night but couldn’t get the thought of Alpha Callum’s impending visit out of my head. What would he be like? I’d never met a killer before. Our island was about peace and beauty. How different would he be from us? Would I instantly be able to recognize him as a heartless killer? I’d always been good at figuring out who the bad guy was in murder mysteries.
My father had tried to force me to eat breakfast, but there was no way I’d keep anything down. My stomach was in knots, somersaulting even more rapidly than my brain.
I kept trying to turn it over in my head. We had a plan. The council would negotiate peace. Alpha Callum was likely there for our pearls, and we would hand them over without a fight. The lives of our people were worth more than any pearl. And the Conclave of Clans would deal with Alpha Callum in its own time when we would no longer be able to export our goods.
My father led us across the island to the Alpha’s Quarters where the meeting with the Shadow Moon Clan Alpha would take place.
The long hut that Alpha Rayden lived in with his mate was exceptionally large and had several rooms for visiting guests and their pups.
The council had been called to speak with Alpha Callum in the war room, though I’d never known it to be used for that purpose and instead was where the day-to-day operations of Clan business were conducted.
I took deep breaths as my father led me into the room. We settled in, side-by-side, on cushioned pillows in front of the low rising table that normally held a map but was now empty.
Alpha Rayden was in the position of authority, seated at the head of the table, back straight and head held high.
I tucked my legs underneath me, running my hands along my thighs to wipe the sweat from my palms.
I was way more nervous than I wanted to be, and it was worsened by the fact that everyone else seemed to be so calm. My father was like a rock; his expression was flat and his energy, unshakable.
Alpha Rayden seemed completely a
t peace except for the frayed gray hairs poking out from his head.
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure why I was so sweaty and nervous. It wasn’t like he was coming to see me, but knowing that we would be in the presence of someone who would murder first and ask questions later terrified me. Death had never frightened me before, but violent death at the hands of a savage shook me to my core.
“Sefa,” my father said as he rested his hand on mine. “You’re shaking. Relax, son. Everything will be ok. I won't let anything happen to you.”
I nodded nervously. The shaking of my hands had stopped, but the gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach did not.
“How do we even know that he’ll listen to us? What if he’s just waiting to slaughter the village?” I asked, despite myself. Just because I was a basketcase didn’t mean I needed to dump my fears on everyone else.
“He would not have alerted us that he was coming if that were the case,” Alpha Rayden assured me.
I frowned. I didn’t believe that for a second. If the rumors were true, Alpha Callum was a sociopath. He probably got off on toying with villages before he destroyed them.
“Iosefa, relax and take a deep breath.” My father gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We’re going to talk to Alpha Callum, and if there is an issue, we’re going to sort it out.”
I released a sigh and nodded. I trusted my father, even if Alpha Callum was bloodthirsty. I had to believe that my father and Alpha Rayden could work some kind of agreement with him.
I stilled as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My chest tightened, and I gasped for air as my lungs felt like they’d suddenly shriveled up inside of me.
A burning heat seared through me, feeling like fire running through my veins. I wiped at the sweat that had suddenly begun to pour from my forehead. What the hell was happening? Was this a panic attack?
Father. I parted my lips to call out to him but couldn’t speak the word. This was it. I was going to panic myself to death. My tombstone would read, so tightly wound, it killed him.
The war room doors flew open, shocking me enough to suck down one last breath in an embarrassingly loud, high-pitched gasp.
A man with ear-length brown hair stepped into the room first. He had a cocky sort of confidence to him that should have convinced me he was Alpha Callum, but for some inexplicable reason, I knew he wasn’t.
A few steps behind him entered a man who was a lightning bolt of color. My chest shrunk even tighter, the room grew hotter, and suddenly, everything felt as if it moved in slow motion.
He was Alpha Callum. I knew it in every fiber of my being. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His bright, curly red hair seemed to billow around him in a frame of movement that made him seem luxurious somehow.
It was a soft and light in contrast to the sharpness of his face. The rugged set of his jaw, the relentless disdain in his scowl. He was a beautiful array of contrasts, and before I knew it, I was panting and drooling.
I closed my mouth with an audible click and swallowed, wiping at my chin and hoping no one had noticed my brief loss of sanity. How was I admiring Alpha Callum? He was a monster. A monster making a move on my people, my home. I took a deep breath trying to force my body to control itself. Whatever fucked up panic attack this was, I didn’t have time for it.
Alpha Callum took a seat across from us, followed immediately by his friend. He scoffed as he lowered himself onto the cushion, and I gritted my teeth. He wasn’t just a monster, he was also a pretentious asshole. He settled into his seat with his nose in the air as if we were inferior to him.
“Excuse us, Alpha Callum, for the discomfort,” Alpha Rayden offered, only infuriating me more. Why should we be apologizing to him? He was the uninvited guest.
Alpha Callum grunted. “It’s not to my liking, but it will do.”
I clenched my hands around my legs, fighting back the urge to scream. Alpha Callum was worse than I’d expected. He was rude and arrogant, and….
His gaze shifted to me, and I felt the fire in my veins return. As I met his eyes, my heart thudded so hard in my chest, and I was certain that every person in the room could hear it.
I couldn’t be sure how long we sat there, our eyes locked on one another’s, but it felt like an eternity. I could feel him all over me, even from across the room. It was like his warmth traveled to embrace me, suffocating me until I was panting for air. And his smell, a tart, woodsy scent that rang my nose and made my mind go fuzzy. I felt like I was covered in it like he’d pissed it all over me marking his territory. And even though somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I didn’t want that, knew I would never want to be his, as I looked into his jaded gray-blue eyes, I could only think one thing—I want him.
I sucked in a breath and quickly dropped my eyes to my lap. I shook my head. No, no, no, no, no. It wasn’t possible... No, it had to be impossible.
3
Elspeth Callum
The island was larger than I’d anticipated and slightly less primitive at first sight. Actually, it was kind of beautiful from a distance.
As we sailed up to it, I couldn’t help but be a little stunned at the pale blue clarity of the water. I could make out the scales on the fish as they swam beneath our ship.
The grassy hills surrounding the island were a breathtaking addition. The bright green against the blue of the water was striking. It was lush and tropical and might have been made flawless if not for the huts which sprouted up across what I already considered my latest acquisition.
As we sailed closer, I felt like I could see each one in all their unsightly glory. They looked barely livable, and exactly the primitive idea I’d had in my mind.
As we prepared to set port into a makeshift dock, the impressive faraway view faded and I was faced with Islanders who looked as if they didn’t have a dime to their names and an island that looked straight out of the 1400s. There was no semblance of city or buildings, just mud huts and nature, and islanders in tattered clothes and covered in dirty smudges.
I sniffed the air and scrunched my nose. There was a sweetness to the air there. It bugged me and enticed me all at once.
“Something wrong, Elspeth?” Dimitri asked. He sat across from me in the boat with a quirked eyebrow. “You look like you smelled something rotten.”
I frowned. “You don’t smell that?”
Dimitri shook his head. “I smell saltwater.” He matched my frown as he looked over the island. “And dirt.”
I stared back at him in confusion. How could he not smell that? It seemed to grow more powerful by the second. More sweet. Like a flower of some sort.
I waved my hands in front of my face, trying to push it away. It was a little intoxicating...or possibly that had been from the half a tin of rum we’d killed on the sail over.
Dimitri shrugged. “Well, we are out at sea. Maybe your sea legs haven’t adjusted yet to all the new smells.” He grinned. “At least you’re doing better than Jonah.” He gestured over to Jonah who was still bent over the side of the boat hurling.
I nodded without commitment. “Yeah, maybe.” There was no point trying to explain; we had more important things to attend to.
While we moored our boat in one of the berths, I smelled that sweet scent waft over me once again, this time stronger and more discombobulating. I nearly lost my footing on the dock as I took it in.
Dimitri eyed me as he finished tying the ropes to the port. “Alpha? You okay?”
I gave him a dazed nod even though I was far from okay. I was...drunk? No, something else that I couldn’t put my finger on.
I wiped away the sweat that had suddenly formed on my brow and tried to shake it off.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Let’s just figure out where the fuck this Alpha is.”
I reached up and pulled the tie from my hair, letting it fall in wild, curly waves around me, moving in time with the gentle breezes of wind. I ran my hand through it and took a deep breath. I had to get it together. I was taking an island today, and
I couldn’t let a little island scent knock me off my game.
“Alpha, if you don’t mind,” Jonah started, still in the boat, his face a light shade of green. “I think I’ll stay with the boat.”
We chuckled as we gathered our things and walked along the dock, leaving Jonah behind. Poor sweet and soft Jonah.
The islanders around us made a path, keeping their distance as we made our way into their small market.
“They aren’t fleeing, and there’s no panic. I told you this matter could be handled with decorum,” Alfred said as he stepped up behind me.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t give yourself a medal just yet. Until we control this shit pile of mud, you’ve done nothing but alert them to our presence.”
I whirled around at the sound of clattering and frowned when I saw Mark tipping over a terrified-looking islander’s fruit stand. Even on the long journey over, he’d still managed to avoid putting on a shirt, and the massive size of his chest, covered in Shadow Moon markings, made him look like Goliath terrorizing David.
I rushed over to him. “What the fuck, Mark?”
“I wanted an orange,” Mark said with a shrug.
I shifted my gaze to the islander cowering against a wall. “Please, take what you want. I don’t want to cause any grief,” he said, his voice trembling.
My brows furrowed. Alfred hadn’t been exaggerating. I’d never seen a man so docile.
I narrowed my gaze on Mark. “Just take the orange and fucking control yourself. We come in peace, remember?”
Mark grunted. “Yeah, well, I never voted to come in peace.”
I lowered my voice. “Well, I did. And I’m your fucking Alpha, so get in line.”
Mark scowled but nodded. He grabbed up an orange before giving the islander a sarcastic bow. “Apologies.”
I turned, ignoring his theatrics, and stepped onto the overturned fruit car. “I am Alpha Callum.” My voice boomed out across the marketplace, and I relished in the terrified look on every islanders’ face. “I am to meet with your Alpha. Who here will take me to him?”